Re Assess!

Come on Herman...Another Woman?? Another Woman?? Damn man...I should have sold Pizza when I was a young man...It seems to have worked for you.  I really didn't think I'd be writing...What is this, the fourth post THIS MONTH on Herman "Big Daddy" Cain...but it seems that another woman has come out of his past....Didn't know you was a playa like that Herman.

Herman "Big Daddy" Cain told senior campaign staff members Tuesday that he's "reassessing" his campaign in the wake of a fresh allegation that he engaged in a 13-year-long extramarital affair.

Steve Grubbs, the candidate's Iowa campaign chairman,has confirmed to NBC News that Big Daddy Cain said he's taking a step back, much as he did after his finish in the Ames Straw Poll in August, to evaluate the direction of his campaign. The call included Big Daddy's 50 state directors, and the reassessment will occur over the next two days.

This reassessment coincides with a new allegation from Ginger White, an Atlanta woman who says that she and Big Daddy Cain engaged in an affair for well over a decade, one that ended only recently. Naturally, Cain has denied the affair.

Big Daddy Cain reiterated his claim, made yesterday in reaction to the new allegation, that Ginger White was simply a friend who he had sought to help financially, and that nothing inappropriate had happened between the two of them.

The former Godfather's Pizza CEO, who has faced a string of different allegations of sexual harassment, also said that he had no immediate plans to cancel his campaign events; he still intends to deliver a major foreign policy speech tonight in Michigan.

But Big Daddy Cain acknowledged the emotional toll that the claims against him had taken on his family. He said yesterday on CNN that he would stay in the campaign as long as his wife continued to believe he should stay in the race. Hmmm and how long will that be?   (At least he didn't break out into song this time!)

In the same interview, though, Big Daddy Cain opened the door to a possible exit from the race.

"It's just the way it is, but I'm not going to allow this sort of thing to cause me to drop out simply because it's tough on me. I don't want it to be tough on my family. And there comes a point that if it's tough on my family, I have to consider that at that particular point in time," he said.

Asked whether he would drop out if the race became too tough, Big Daddy said: "I'll make that decision depending upon the circumstances and how it is impacting my wife and my family. That's my number one concern by all of these accusations."

While all of this is funny...I often wonder about the  timing of these allegations...All of these women were seemingly okay with keeping whatever went on between them and Mr. Cain a secret until he became the Republican front runner....Then the floodgates opened.. I'm just saying...Considering the Republican Party just couldn't deal with running a Black candidate against the Black man they are trying to get out of office...I don't find it far fetched that there might be a conspiracy working behind the scenes here....But that's just me....

Stranger things have happened and things aren't always as they seem....Personally ,Herman Cain just doesn't strike me as the type of guy that has that much swagger, but who knows what he may be like behind closed doors?? Coulda fooled me!

Weekend Update

On Thanksgiving Day, my wife and I had our family meal at my mother-in-law's house. Our daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids were there too. It's been a while so, just to bring you up to date... Our grandson is now 5 years old and he actually started kindergarten in September of this year. Can you believe it? My granddaughter is now 2 years old and has officially entered into that infamous "terrible two" stage, which I know now can last about two years via my grandson. But seriously, time flies, doesn't it?

As for Black Friday, my wife and I went with our daughter and grandkids to the King of Prussia mall, then on to the movies to see "Happy Feet 2". After that, our last stop before going home was Target. It was a busy day, but the little ones were there to make sure we had some fun along the way. On Saturday, my wife and I did some Christmas shopping on our own; and Sunday, we just chilled around the house and had a quiet day at home. So, from my family to yours, we hope you and your loved ones had a blessed weekend too!

Lockout or Lock In?

Oh Joy, Oh Joy...We might actually have an NBA Basketball season this year....Not much,but still a season just the same. I woke up this morning to the good news or should I say , the hopeful news that the NBA lockout might be coming to an end!

After nearly two years of bickering and arguing, NBA players and owners are back on the same side.

''We want to play basketball,'' Commissioner David Stern said.

Come Christmas Day, they should be.(I can't wait! What a Christmas gift?)

The sides reached a tentative agreement early this morning I heard, to end the 149-day lockout and hope to begin the delayed season with a marquee triple header Dec. 25. Most of a season that seemed in jeopardy of being lost entirely will be salvaged if both sides approve the handshake deal. (Thank God for ESPN Mobile.)

Barring a change in scheduling, the 2011-12 season will open with the Boston Celtics at New York Knicks, followed by Miami at Dallas in an NBA finals rematch before MVP Derrick Rose and Chicago visiting Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Neither side provided many specifics about the deal, and there are still legal hurdles that must be cleared before gymnasiums are open again.

''We thought it was in both of our interest to try to reach a resolution and save the game,'' union executive director Billy Hunter said.

After a secret meeting earlier this week that got the broken process back on track, the sides met for more than 15 hours Friday, working to save the season. Stern said the agreement was ''subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations, but we're optimistic that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin Dec. 25.''

The league plans a 66-game season and aims to open training camps Dec. 9, with free agency opening at the same time.David Stern has said it would take about 30 days from an agreement to playing the first game.

''All I feel right now is `finally,'' Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade told The Associated Press.

Just 12 days after talks broke down and Stern declared the NBA could be headed to a ''nuclear winter,'' he sat next to Hunter to announce the 10-year deal, with either side able to opt out after the sixth year.

''For myself, it's great to be a part of this particular moment in terms of giving our fans what they wanted and wanted to see,'' said Derek Fisher, the president of the players' association.

A majority on each side is needed to approve the agreement, first reported by CBS Sports.com. The NBA needs votes from 15 of 29 owners. (The league owns the New Orleans Hornets.) Stern said the labor committee plans to discuss the agreement later Saturday and expects them to endorse it and recommend to the full board.

The union needs a simple majority of its 430-plus members. That process is a bit more complicated after the players dissolved the union Nov. 14. Now, they must drop their antitrust lawsuit in Minnesota and reform the union before voting on the deal.

Because the union disbanded, a new collective bargaining agreement can only be completed once the union has reformed. Drug testing and other issues still must be negotiated between the players and the league, which also must dismiss its lawsuit filed in New York.


''We're very pleased we've come this far,'' Stern said. ''There's still a lot of work to be done.''

The sides will quickly return to work later Saturday, speaking with attorneys and their own committees to keep the process moving.

When the NBA returns, owners hope to find the type of parity that exists in the NFL, where the small-market Green Bay Packers are the current champions. The NBA has been dominated in recent years by the biggest spenders, with Boston, Los Angeles and Dallas winning the last four titles.

''I think it will largely prevent the high-spending teams from competing in the free-agent market the way they've been able to in the past. It's not the system we sought out to get in terms of a harder cap, but the luxury tax is harsher than it was. We hope it's effective,'' deputy commissioner Adam Silver said.

''We feel ultimately it will give fans in every community hope that their team can compete for championships.''

The league hopes fans come right back, despite their anger over a work stoppage that followed such a successful season. But owners wanted more of the league's $4 billion in annual revenues after players were guaranteed 57 percent of basketball-related income in the old deal.

Participating in the talks for the league were Stern, Silver, Spurs owner Peter Holt, the chairman of the labor relations committee, and attorneys Rick Buchanan and Dan Rube. The players were represented by executive director Billy Hunter, president Derek Fisher, vice president Maurice Evans, attorney Ron Klempner and economist Kevin Murphy

II-

Owners locked out the players July 1, and the sides spent most of the summer and fall battling over the division of revenues and other changes owners wanted in a new collective bargaining agreement. They said they lost hundreds of millions of dollars in each year of the former deal, ratified in 2005, and they wanted a system where the big-market teams wouldn't have the ability to outspend their smaller counterparts.

Players fought against those changes, not wanting to see any teams taken out of the market when they became free agents.

''This was not an easy agreement for anyone. The owners came in having suffered substantial losses and feeling the system wasn't working fairly across all teams,'' Silver said. ''I certainly know the players had strong views about expectations in terms of what they should be getting from the system. It required a lot of compromise from both parties' part, and I think that's what we saw today.''


Even the final day had turbulent patches. It required multiple calls with the owners' labor relations committee, all the while knowing another breakdown in talks would mean not only the loss of the Christmas schedule but possibly even the entire season.

''We resolved, despite some even bumps this evening, that the greater good required us to knock ourselves out and come to this tentative understanding,'' Stern said.

He denied the litigation was a factor in accelerating a deal, but things happened relatively quickly after the players filed a suit that could have won them some $6 billion in damages.

''For us the litigation is something that just has to be dealt with,'' Stern said. ''It was not the reason for the settlement. The reason for the settlement was we've got fans, we've got players who would like to play and we've got others who are dependent on us. And it's always been our goal to reach a deal that was fair to both sides and get us playing as soon as possible, but that took a little time.''

It finally yielded the second shortened season in NBA history, joining the 1998-99 lockout that reduced the schedule to 50 games. This time the league will miss 16 games off the normal schedule. Which is okay with me...Sometimes the regular season is too long anyway!

Though the deal's expected to be approved, it may not be unanimous as there are factions of hard-liners in both camps who will be unhappy with substantive portions of the deal.

''Let's all pray this turns out well,'' Pacers forward Danny Granger wrote on Twitter.

But getting what the owners wanted took a toll. Stern, after more than 27 years as the league's commissioner, hoped to close a deal much sooner but was committed to fighting for the owners' wishes even at the risk of damaging his legacy. Hunter dealt with anger from agents and even questions from his own players about his strategy, wondering why it could so long for the players to use the threat of litigation to give them leverage that had otherwise eluded them.

The sides met just twice in the first two months of the lockout before stepping up the pace in September, when it was already too late to open camps on time. The sides tried meeting in small groups, large groups and even mediation, but nothing sparked compromise.

Things changed this week with the entrance of Jim Quinn, a former NBPA counsel who had good relationships on both sides. The meeting Friday was held at the office of his law firm, though he did not take part.

Hunter said the terms of the deal would come out shortly, preferring to keep them private until they could be shared with the players. They might not like the deal, but it will be better than what many of them feared. Resigned to possibly missing the season, some had signed deals overseas so they would have some paycheck.

Instead, they're a step closer to returning home.

Well Basketball Fans....Get your popcorn ready!

Weekend Humor

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?"

And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Ranch Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food."

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.


God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs.

Have a great weekend everybody...and don't over eat!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Keith's Favorite Quotes

"God takes people out of your life for a reason....So watch who you chase after!"


- Jonathan Brandon Parks   (my cousin)

Super Failure

They failed...Can't say it any simpler than that...The so called "super-committe" of six democrats and six republicans failed to reach a decision on how to reduce the national deficit....Anybody surprised?

The bipartisan leadership of a special congressional committee — assigned the task of slashing more than $1 trillion dollars from the U.S. deficit — announced Monday that the panel failed, unable to bridge bitter ideological differences separating Republicans and Democrats in the run-up to presidential and legislative elections next year.Once again the Party of "No" refuses to co-operate for the good of the American People...

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Republican Rep. Jeb Hensarling said that despite "intense deliberations" the members of the panel have been unable "to bridge the committee's significant differences."

Republicans refused to cross their ideological line against increasing taxes. Democrats refused to allow cuts in popular programs that serve the elderly and poor without a compensating growth of government income, especially from the wealthiest Americans.

The close of business Monday marked deadline for constructing a plan to slash $1.2 trillion from federal red ink. The committee was to have had a polished plan ready on Wednesday, with the two-day interval to be used by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to assess the savings projected in any deal.

Some would rather risk millions out of work, trillions of dollars of debt just to put one man out of office. If that's not self destructive, selfish and racist...I don't know what else can be said....And don't tell me that there are Black republicans and black tea party members who agree with this...I know that and I know that there were black slaves who refused to escape with the others...It's called disillusionment or as one of my friends said -"The illusion of inclusion" Another Blog post for another day.

So just what does this mean? It means that our economy is and will be in the toilet for awhile to come.. It means that they failed....They failed you and me...all of us!

Sports and My Internet Evolution

I'm a social kind of guy...I love getting together with people and sharing food, conversation  and what not...During the past decade, me and several people who I used to hang out with at a certain bar and grill that is no longer open anymore used to meet at several people's home anytime there was a big Football game or a big Basketball game or especially if there was a big fight....Someone would bring hoagies, cheesesteaks, a case of beer, pizza, et al... The host would two or three guys barbecuing chicken and ribs...(Even in the dead of winter) and these sporting events became essential...indoor tailgate parties....

I loved them...but in the meanwhile...The downside is...When they are over....Somebody has got to clean up!
Drat!...Since these get togethers were always at one of three places..I imagine it got a little rough on them..The result is...They rarely call or send e-mails and invites out for them anymore. 

Sometime around the time the bar I used to hang out at closed and everyone seemed to go their seperate ways, an amazing thing happened....I started this blog that you're reading, KEITH'S SPACE  That would have been in December of 2007...I wasn't too tech savy then...I didn't even know how to download photos on my blog...I usually wrote the text and sometime in the afternoon my wife would edit my text and add photos to my blog...Right about now you are probably wondering what if anything this has to do with my topic....Well,I'm getting to that.

This blog started off slow, but in the coming months it began to pick up and I began to make friends...friends from all over the country who like me were starting blogs...We read each others blogs and began to cheerl ead each other and in the fall of 2008, We helped elect this country's first African -American President...I developed a community of sorts..I also launched another blog...ESCAPADES ...It features Poetry.Short Stories,Serialized Fiction,Erotica and Art....I developed an even bigger following with the two blogs and I got a little tech savy..My wife taught me HTML and I learned how to download photos to my post...When she launched her two blogs....I realized that I had to pick up the editing chores and the downloading of photos myself...and I did...Thus I was able to turn out more posts on both blogs at a more rapid pace..

2009 saw me get both a Facebook account and a Twitter account....These social networking accounts opened me up to a whole new world of people....Folks I knew from High School, College, The Air Force, My Fraternity, other fraternitys and sororities, My job and folks I never knew before, but who all became my "friends" if you would...I carried on conversations and debates all day long on Facebook and Twitter....I also launched my third and final blog...GOOD FOODIE...a blog with recipes and restaraunt reviews.....No one blog could contain all of my interests and ideas...So I created three to cover everything.. Needless to say , I've been in an intensely creative state for the past three years...Writing three blogs and communicating with the world on these social networks..

So....How does this affect the way I view sports?  Glad you asked...Here it is...Nothing will ever beat actually going to a game..We have two brand new stadiums here in Philly ...The Linc or Lincoln Financial field for Football and Citizens Bank Park for the Phillies...I have been to both of them...and if invited to another fight party or get together...I will certainly go....but.........I have found that I really like sitting in my living room ,by myself..Watching my favorite teams on my Flat screen TV!   I get (sometimes) a better view of the game than I would if I were actually there....I can eat what I want...Popcorn...Nachos with cheese...My own grilled hot dogs, et al and enjoy the beverage of my choice and watch in peace.......

I keep my android nearby and I can enjoy the game in real time with all of my "friends" who are doing the same thing...and tweet and do facebook updates while the game is going on....It's almost like them being at my house...minus the clean up and the mess and the volume of loud voices...Is this truly a sign of the times or what?