A President With A Sense of Humour...

There has been much made of whether race is a factor in politics no matter where you live in the world. The election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States of America was historic, perhaps for many reasons, but none more so than the fact he is a black man. The USA's first African-American president.

The current health care debate has had some commentators foaming at the mouth about whether or not the race card is being played in the sense that some people are anti-health bill for no other reason than the president is black. Obama has addressed these concerns in two ways, one a little more serious than the other.

The more serious version has Obama talking about the fact that the election showed that lots of folks voted for him irrespective of the colour of his skin, these folks were not only African-Americans, but Caucasians, Hispanics, Asians, and a whole lot of others as well. He acknowledges that maybe some people voted for him because he is black and some others voted for the other fella, John McCain, because Obama is black.

The less serious version popped up on the David Letterman Late Show where Obama said, "First of all, I think it's important to realize that I was actually black before the election."

However, it is worth noting that Obama himself has rejected the racism claims as they relate to health care reform and the passage of a health care bill. It is interesting that race is now re-appearing and raising its ugly head after so much talk and discussion of the USA entering into a post-racial phase. Post-racial being used to indicate a period where issues no longer had to be defined on race as there was a common or shared challenge in facing the future. To many this was the hope that the "Yes, we can!" campaign envisaged.

Health care reform is not about race, but rather it is about selling public policy and selling reforms. Simply, it is not going to ultimately matter what the colour of your skin is if you do not have health insurance.

In any event, the irreverent humor displayed by a sitting president appearing on a late night comedy show says much about the man.

Bob Dylan -- A Complete Unknown?

I am a huge Bob Dylan fan. I have been since I was little. I am not sure that my parents understood or even understand today. They have always been supportive though, and bought me a ticket to a Dylan concert for my birthday one year. They have also been forthcoming with albums that are hard to get for birthdays and Christmases.

So, this little story out of Long Branch on the New Jersey shore I found amusing in a really funny kind of a way. Dylan was wondering around the Lake Branch community looking at houses and passing the time before heading off to an evening concert in a nearby town, Lakewood. He is currently touring with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp.

A 68-year-old fella seemingly wandering around aimlessly in your community is certainly going to attract some attention. And, so it was, Dylan attracted the attention of a 24-year-old police officer who stopped Dylan and asked him for some identification.

The funny here is that the in 1985 when this police officer was born, Dylan had already been making music for 24 years at that point in time, and when she asked him for ID he had been making music for five decades. Most people would argue that Dylan is a music icon and that he has been one of the most significant singers and songwriters of the late 20th century. Yet, if you're not a fan, then you're not a fan.

In defense of the first officer, it would seem that in Lang Branch, Dylan is not well-known or a star. A second officer who arrived on the scene to assist the first officer also did not recognize Dylan.

Unfortunately, for Dylan he was carrying no identification. However, the lack of ID was overcome with some polite banter between the police officers and Dylan, and a quick trip back to where the concert people were holed up for confirmation that the man claiming to be Bob Dylan was in fact Bob Dylan.

Fame is certainly relative.

Gratuitous Postings -- Hayden Panettiere -- Heroes

I must confess that this post, photo, and the associated tags are a means of testing whether or not a gratuitous posting of a young woman in a sexy sheer lace dress can cause a spike in my visitor statistics. I will let you know how that goes.

Sad but true :D

Hayden Panettiere is known for her role in "Heroes". However, she has crossed over into the big screen format as well. This picture is from a promotional trip she took to the Late Show with David Letterman for "I Love You Beth Cooper". She is not nude, but the dress does not leave a whole lot to the imagination.

The other thing that Panettiere is known for is her ink, particularly a misspelled tattoo. There is a photo of that here.