ABBA NETWORK

Following the first year of Barack Obama in power, the U.S. black population has gained pride and self esteem as well as in the preceding 25 years. That is clear at least from a survey of the prestigious Pew Research Center, under which African Americans no longer see themselves or are viewed by others as the most discriminated ethnic group in North America.

That “honor” is now Hispanics.
Some 23 percent of 2884 adults (including 812 blacks) surveyed by the Pew Research Center, between 28 October and 30 November 2009, believe that Hispanics are the most discriminated group in America. A 18 percent that are still considered black. A curious fact is that 45 percent of all Americans surveyed, and 55 percent of blacks believe that no race or ethnicity is as discriminated as homosexuals.

Positive developments in the vision of black people and their situation are mostly among the black population itself, with which the present economic crisis has been primed. Even in these circumstances are becoming more blacks who think they can fend for themselves in the U.S. and tend to look blurred the barriers with other races.

Not that everything is no longer black and white to turn pink. Forty years after the great wave of struggle against racial segregation and civil rights, 8 in 10 blacks are generally less satisfied with their lives than whites and believe that further changes are needed to achieve full or least reasonably equal. But 39 percent believe that their life is better than five years ago, only 20 percent believed that in 2007 - and 53 percent believe their lives will be even better in the future, compared with 10 percent who believe that will be worse. In 2007 only 44 percent expected future improvements for blacks, while 21 percent expected that any further deterioration.

Some 54 percent of blacks, compared with 32 percent of whites believe race relations have improved with Obama. These figures are very positive but not as satisfactory as those were the day after the election when they said that 74 percent of blacks and 48 percent of whites.

Values similar
But perhaps the most telling indicator is that more and more blacks tend to see a convergence of their values and way of life with those of whites. That’s the opinion of today 6 of every 10 blacks. This represents an increase of almost 20 points since 2007.

With the fall of racial barriers come doubts about identity. What is being targeted and what is being black in today’s society, so mixed that the president himself is a mestizo? About 55 percent of blacks surveyed believe Obama black, whereas 34 percent is of mixed race. Among whites the proportion is reversed: 53 percent considered of mixed race and 24 percent black.

Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska has the right to complain and take legal action against David Letterman for joking about her daughter and Alex Rodriguez. But she weakens it by politicizing the issue.

Palin and her daughter were criticized when it come to the media that her teenage daughter was pregnant out of marriage. But she was supported by few of his conservatives for allowing her daughter to carry nd give birth to the child and wed the father, other than aborting the child.

But David Letterman didn’t took the matter to the President Barack Obama.

“We are already broadcasting all the signals in digital. What it comes down to is if there is someone one who is receiving local broadcast channels by an analog antenna, such as rabbit ears, if they don’t obtain a digital antenna or cable service, then they would lose those signals” after June 12, said Lee Beck, Southern region marketing manager for Metrocast.

The bandwidth needed for a digital television station versus analog is that the digital station takes a lot less bandwidth than the analog, Beck said. It frees up bandwidth for a multitude of new programs and services, he said.
“The overall picture and sound quality through digital television will be improved,” Beck said.

“If you are already a customer of Metrocast or any other cable provider, the signals received through cable providers are already converted to digital,” he said.
In a statement issued Thursday, President Barack Obama said: “The transition to digital will free up airwaves for broadband and enhanced emergency communications for our police officers, firefighters, and other first responders.”

In his statement, Obama said he worked with Congress in February to postpone the deadline for the conversion ” … because it was clear that millions of Americans would have been left in the dark if the conversion had gone on as planned. I directed key members of my Administration to reach out and help Americans, especially those in our most vulnerable communities, to make the switch to digital television.”

Obama says the number of people not prepared for the switch has been cut in half.
“Still, some people are not ready. I want to be clear: there will not be another delay. I urge everyone who is not yet prepared to act today, so you don’t lose important news and emergency information,” Obama said. “… I encourage all Americans who are prepared, to talk to their friends, family, and neighbors to make sure they get ready before it’s too late.”

For those wishing to choose to obtain a converter box, a number of retailers offer these devices and the federal government has a program in place which allows consumers to apply for and obtain a coupon to offset the cost of a converter box.

San Francisco (Reuters) - California on Friday became the first state in the country to force big diesel trucks to clean up their exhaust, despite warnings from truckers the new rules will force them out of business.

About a million vehicles, from big rigs to school buses, are affected by the new rules, which will begin taking effect in 2011 and do not require further ratification.

Some vehicles will have to start retrofitting engines in 2011 and some older trucks will be forced into retirement starting in 2012. By 2023, all trucks must meet 2010 new engine emission standards.

The rules regulate smog-causing oxides of nitrogen, which are greenhouse gases, and particulate matter, which is toxic. The California Air Resources Board estimated the regulations would cost about $5.5 billion. It put the health benefits of cleaner air at $48 billion to $69 billion over the next couple of decades.

The move by California, the leading U.S. state on climate change, complements a detailed strategy to cut carbon emissions that the board passed on Thursday as part of its sweeping plan to cut carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

While the federal government has no such rules for trucks or carbon, President-elect Barack Obama has said that climate change will be a priority when he takes office in January.

Individual truckers and companies told the board, which is the agency charged with carrying out the state’s landmark global warming law, that the new rules requiring retrofitting of recently purchased trucks and the replacing of older vehicles would prove too financially onerous during a global economic slowdown.

Board members recognized that the buckling U.S. economy could change the impact of the regulation, requiring changes.

But Chairman Mary Nichols said before two unanimous votes ratifying the changes that history showed such rules were not economically onerous.

“While this one is big and expensive and is being adopted in difficult times, we’ve never adopted a rule that I’m aware of that didn’t have severe opposition,” she said. “The reality has been that the cost of compliance has turned out to have been less than we estimated.”