Polls

April Lynching, May Concert

2007-05-07T13:35:28Z

In 1988, Buju Banton wrote and began to perform his most, if not one of his most popular songs, "Boom Bye Bye" - a song that strongly advocates for the murder of gays and lesbians. Although he and his management claims it's been years since he last performed that song anymore, this YouTube videoclip shows him performing it in Miami, Florida in May, 2006.

Last month, The Jamaican Observer newspaper reported a recent gaybashing incident in Falmouth, Jamaica - an incident that blogger Terrance Heath describes as a lynching and a hate crime.

On Sunday, May 6, 2007, Buju Banton performed a concert at New York City's Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Is there a correlation?

]]> yes no, not necessarily

iTunes 7

2006-09-12T20:32:22Z

Today Apple released a revamped line of iPods and a major upgrade of iTunes. Now the iTunes ~~Music~~ Store includes 75 full-length movies and a selection of games for your iPod. iTunes also boasts new features which include gapless playback, interface tweaks and snazzy new navigation options chock full of Quartz animation goodness.

What's your favorite new feature of iTunes?

]]> movie downloads iPod game downloads gapless playback flipping through album covers I don't use iTunes.

Progress Since 9/11

2006-09-11T07:15:13Z

A war begun to find Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan ended up with us looking for Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Plans for rebuilding have been cumbersome and abortive; Ground Zero remains a gaping hole. Hollywood dramatizations lionize certains heroes while stories of countless others remain untold. Despite the post-9/11 overhaul of Homeland Security, many Americans still do not feel safer and expect another terrorist attack sooner than later. After 5 years, there is still much progress to be made in all of these areas.

Our highest priority after 9/11 should have been ...

]]> ... taking care of the victims and their families. ... rebuilding the World Trade Center. ... going after Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan. ... going after Saddam Hussein in Iraq. ... reinforcing American defense on American soil. ... none of the above.

Movie Download Shopping

2006-09-08T09:04:07Z

Both Amazon and Apple seem primed to offer movie downloads very soon. Both are limited services: Amazon's offering supports only Windows Media Player (um, no iPods) and Apple will initially only offer Disney movies ... as rumours of new iPods percolate.

Would you buy movie downloads?

]]> "Yes - from Amazon." "Yes - from iTunes Music Store." "No, I prefer DVDs for full-length movies."

Beyoncé at the VMAs

2006-09-02T09:16:09Z

The consensus seems to be that Beyoncé delivered the finest performance at this years' MTV Video Music Awards with Ring The Alarm, the first single from her new album.

Beyoncé's performance was ...

]]> Janet ever do to her? ... *yawn!* ... MTV Video Music Awards? MTV shows videos? Who knew?

Black Pride 2006

2006-09-01T12:18:59Z

As the end of the summer draws near, so does the season of Black Pride. Beginning in 1990 with D.C. Black Pride, there are now distinctive events all ~~across the country~~ around the world, celebrating the culture of Black LGBT folk in many of our communities.

Did you attend any Black Pride events this year?

]]> "Yes, I attended one event." "Yes, I attended more than one event." "No, I usually attend at least one event, but not this year." "No, I usually don't attend any of the events. This year was no exception."

A Poll About Polls

2006-08-26T17:39:22Z

At a recent get together, someone mentioned polls and wondered who actually gets polled for these statistics. She'd never participated in a poll and was convinced that noone she knew had ever participated in one, either. She said she'd actually called up friends and family once to see if anyone had participated in a poll.

Now, the numbers are stacked: according to The Roper Center, the world's largest library of public opinion:

The US Census tells us there are more than 200 million American adults and most polls generally include about 1,000 respondents. So, let's say 2,500 national polls are completed each year, that's only 2,500,000 people. Assuming no one is interviewed more than once, the odds of being called in any given year are just over 1 in 100.

Have you ever participated in a public opinion poll?

]]> "Yes, I've participated in a poll for either television, print (newspaper/magazine) or radio." "Yes, I've participated in a poll, but I'm not sure for whom it was conducted." "No, I've never participated in a public opinion poll before."

Test Poll

2006-08-23T13:32:42Z

Pretty soon, you won't have to worry about killer heat waves, air conditioning or heavy traffic to the beach because it's almost over.

How's your summer?

]]> "I love the heat! Burn me up! So sad to see it go!" "It was okay ..." "Too hot and I'm glad it's over!"