Johnny C. Taylor, president and CEO of Black Web Enterprises, viewed the results of Google searches to be too white-oriented, thereby ignoring the needs of minorities. So in April the organization developed their own search engine, RushmoreDrive, and their own algorithms to weigh black-focused web sites more heavily than others. Claiming to be the “first-of-its-kind search engine for the black community,” RushmoreDrive offers search results that are more in tune with what black people are looking for; yesterday’s LA Times article on the subject referred to a search on the term “Whitney,” which, in Google, returned results that included the Whitney Museum of Art in the number one spot (its web site URL is www.whitney.org - having this be the first thing that shows up on a search for “Whitney” doesn’t seem all that crazy to me personally). On RushmoreDrive, the number one spot from the same search was reserved for Whitney Houston, because that was most likely what a black person would be looking for. (I’m finding it hard to bite my tongue about the fact that the “Whitney” search on RushmoreDrive did indeed turn up Whitney Houston’s web site … with Dominican singer Kat De Luna’s description below it. Huh?)

Stereohyped did a very interesting test of search results with RushmoreDrive and Ask.com (though the latter is not exactly one of the top search engines in the world) which you should check out.

I do think this is an excellent example of entrepreneurship - providing a service to a specific segment of the population - as long as it doesn’t get all political and mention that whole “oppression” thing. And they need not worry about Google searches being determined by the majority - aka white - population for too much longer. A U.S. Census Bureau study released Thursday has determined that today’s minorities will outnumber the white population in the United States by 2042.

It’s become tradition that, whenever I make an appearance down in Virginia, my dad and I watch the latest episode of Real Time with Bill Maher together. Maher’s sarcasm and wit with regard to political commentary are spot on, and the following excerpt from one of his most recent episodes is no exception.

This is in reference to Barack Obama’s comment about working class voters, in which he said, “It’s not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or anti-pathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

And Maher’s response?

“And finally, New Rule: Referring to voters who America has left behind economically as ‘bitter’ isn’t an insult. In fact, it’s a compliment, acknowledging that they’re smart enough to understand what’s happening to them. The hopeful, now those are some idiots.

So, let’s separate the bitter - my people - from the idiots. If you think the Democrats are going to take away your Bible, you’re an idiot. If you think they’re going to take away your gun, you’re an armed idiot. And if you think they’re going to take away your gun and give it to a Mexican to kill your God, you’re Bill O’Reilly.

Now, at the end of last week when Barack Obama ignited the ‘bitter-gate’ scandal, you would have thought that he had scaled Mount Rushmore, dick-slapped Jefferson in the face, and spray painted ‘God damn America’ over Lincoln. But he wasn’t lying. The truth is that religion and guns and hating gays and immigrants are crutches that people lean on. So are fast-food, crystal meth and child beauty pageants, but we don’t have time to tackle all of America’s addictions in one night.

So, let’s focus on the big thing. That the people who claim to be the ‘non-elitists,’ are the ones who constantly shift tax burdens from the people who fire you, to you. John McCain voted to repeal the estate tax, voted against raising the minimum wage, has no health care plan, and is fine with keeping the working class in Iraq for a hundred years. But, he’s a real ‘man of the people.’

And the president went to Harvard and Yale, and inherited your country from his dad. But he’s not an elitist because he can neither read nor write.

What does it take to label someone ‘elitist’ these days anyway? They wear shoes? They don’t buy their groceries at the gas station? Their dog has a name and their truck doesn’t?!

You know who is bitter in America? I am. Because shit-kickers voted twice for a retarded guy they wanted to have a beer with, and everybody else had to suffer the consequences!”

In the year 2008, the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in the United States, and said, “Once again, the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me. Build another Ark and save two of every living thing along with a few good humans.” He gave Noah the blueprints, saying, “You have six months to build the Ark before I will start the rain for forty days and forty nights.”

Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard … but no Ark.”Noah!” he roared. “I’m about to start the rain! Where is the Ark?”

“Forgive me, Lord,” begged Noah, “but things have changed. I needed a building permit. I’ve been arguing with the inspector about the need for a sprinkler system. My neighbors claim that I’ve violated the neighborhood zoning laws by building the Ark in my yard and exceeding the height limitations. We had to go to the Development Appeal Board for a decision.

Then the Department of Transportation demanded a bond be posted for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage for the Ark’s move to the sea. I told them that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it.

Getting the wood was another problem. There’s a ban on cutting local trees in order to save the spotted owl. I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls, but no go!

When I started gathering the animals, an animal rights group sued me. They insisted I was confining wild animals against their will. They argued the accommodations were too restrictive, and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in such a confined space.

Then the EPA ruled that I couldn’t build the Ark until they’d conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.

I’m still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many minorities I’m supposed to hire for my building crew. Immigration and Naturalization are checking the green card status of most of the people who want to work.

The trade unions say I can’t use my sons. They insist I have to hire only Union workers with Ark-building experience.

To make matters worse, the IRS seized all my assets, claiming I’m trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species.

So, forgive me, Lord, but it will take at least ten years for me to finish this Ark.”

Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky. Noah looked up in wonder and asked, “You mean you’re not going to destroy the world?”

“No,” said the Lord. “The government beat me to it.”

Warren Buffett, the world’s richest person, yesterday guessed that the incoming (or ongoing?) recession will be far worse and last longer than most people realize, though I’m sure he will be none the worse for wear because of it.

In the meantime, thanks to high gas prices, Shell has reported a 25% increase in profits from the first quarter. Go f**k yourselves, energy companies.

The first batch of the government’s economic stimulus checks went out yesterday, and I’m pretty certain that most things bought with that $600 will have been made in China. So how exactly they’ll stimulate the American economy is beyond me.

Who knew it would suck so much to be middle class?

I’m feeling very cynical today.

A couple of months ago I wrote an entry relating to Santa’s “ho, ho, ho” thing and its banning in Sydney, which of course drifted into a tongue-in-cheek rant about feminism. Upon checking Technorati the other day, which is the dominant search engine and link tracker for blogs, I was surprised to find that this blog had already been discovered by a self-proclaimed feminist on the women-powered BlogHer.com. Though it may not have been utterly complimentary to me (and my last name was listed as “Caitlin,” something I’ve had to deal with all my life for whatever reason), I still feel proud about my post because, let’s be honest, the key to a good blog post is its ability to trigger healthy discussion. Anyway, you can read Suzanne’s entry, “Slut, Slut, Slut! Merry Xmas!,” on the BlogHer website. Thanks for the shout-out, Suzanne! And no offense was meant by my attempt at a humorous entry.

It doesn’t matter now, regardless.  The idea was shot down - it originally stemmed from the thought that blurting out “ho, ho, ho” had the potential to scare little kids - and Santa can keep up his old habits.

I was appalled by a news article that appeared on my screen this morning when I went to Yahoo. Santas in Sydney, Australia, are no longer allowed to use the timeless Father Christmas expression of “ho, ho, ho.” Rather, now they’ll be saying “ha, ha, ha” instead. And why? Because “ho, ho, ho” is supposedly disrespectful and offensive to women.

Excuse me while I vomit.

I have nothing against feminism. In fact, I think feminists have made great progress in narrowing the gap in inequality between men and women where voting, the home, and the workplace are concerned. But you have to draw the line somewhere, and when feminist women start complaining that something that has been so natural for so many years is offensive, I’m going to get pissed.

Because I’m a woman too, and when I hear “ho, ho, ho” being said by Santa Clause, I immediately start thinking of the very expensive Christmas list that I’ll be drafting to send to my parents. I’m not automatically assuming that Santa thinks I’m a skank. Well, he might, but that’s irrelevant. When I heard the story of Sydney’s new rule, I immediately pictured the feminist stereotype: a butch woman with unshaved … well, anything, an angry look on her face, and a sawn-off penis in her hand. In other words, a man-hater. For as many strides as conservative feminism has made, radical feminists and their automatic assumption that men are evil and that certain commonly-used terms and expressions disrespect women, labeling them as a sub-human or a man’s property, overshadow any of the good things that feminism has brought to society.

I don’t call myself a feminist. Yes, I’m all for being able to earn as much money as a man in an equal position to me. Yes, I love the fact that I can vote (whether or not the whole ‘electoral college’ idea is ludicrous). But I refuse to call myself a feminist simply for the negative connotations associated with it. And I think I would probably come under attack if I were to call myself a feminist.

Because, let’s be honest: when the waiter comes by and drops the check in front of the guy, I sit back and enjoy the gift of a free meal. When an American hero gives a speech about “mankind,” I cheer along with the rest of the crowd.

And if you say to me, “I think you should take a class on feminism to educate yourself. I believe there’s one starting next ovester,” I will punch you in the head.