I have a dream

August 28th, 1963

This is the day that Dr. Martin L. King held his famous speech in front of the Lincoln Monument in Washington DC.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Olympic round-up

After 3 weeks Beijing 2008 has finished. So it is time for a round-up.

Athletics

Let's start with one of the most important sports on the Olympics because athletics was also one of the disciplines during the Greek Empire.
As expected, Jamaica is the sprint island. It won almost every gold medal, except for the women’s 4x100m.

Shelly-Ann Fraser won the 100m and Veronica Campbell the 200m. So when everyone expected the Jamaican women would win the 4x100m, they failed. Just like the Americans in the semi-finals, they dropped the stick.

Luckily the Jamaican men did not follow their example. They did win the 4x100m and broke the world record (again). This means Carl Lewis lost his last record. Jamaica broke every world record on the 100 & 200 meter. And three times it was the same guy: Usain Bolt!

The first world record came on the 100m. It was no surprise that he would set one, but the way he did it was unbelievable. The last 15 meters he was jogging instead of running. The numbers two and three (Richard Thompson of Trinidad & Tobago and Walter Dix of the United States didn't weren't even visible on the finish photo).

Second world record came some days later when he crashed the 12-year old world record set by Michael Johnson. A lot of commotion after the race. Both numbers two and three (Churandy Martina and Wallace Spearmon) got disqualified and that way Shawn Crawford (gold medalist Athens 2004) and Walter Dix got the silver and bronze medals.

As I mentioned before, the last world record was set during the men’s 4x100m. But who would ever doubt that this would happen. With Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, they have the two fastest men alive in their team. All they had to do was make sure they did not drop the stick. It's great for Powell that he has his gold medal in the end because he deserves it. If only he could handle the pressure when it matters (big finals)...

The 400m men turned out the be a clean sweep for the Americans. Everyone expected Jeremy Warner to win this race, bit if you followed this disciple the past months, you could see that the victory wouldn't come that easy. Already two times Warner was beaten by LaShawn Merritt. And it happened again! The guy won with such an ease.

There is no doubt that Beijing 2008 are the games of the youngsters. Usain Bolt is only 22, Walter Dix is around the same age. Interesting story about Dix: he refused an invitation for Osaka 2008 because he had to study. Smart guy! LaShawn Merritt is also 22, so is Dayron Robles (winner 110 m hurdles)...

Kenenisa Bekele, much respect. Succeeding the double is something unique

Basketball

They called themselves the Redeem Team and they got their redemption., after a tough game with Spain. Team USA won the men's basketball tournament without losing one game. As said before, only team USA could beat team USA. It doesn't matter who the opponent is, they are unbeatable if they play as a team and keep focused. Not like Athens 2004 when there was individual talent, but no team and no commitment. Highlighting some individual talents is somehow inappropriate because they played as a team, but still I give it a go.

Dwyane Wade: this guy is my favorite player of the whole team. He had a pretty bad season with the Heat past year sue to injuries but he seems to be back. He proved to be a good shooting guard and became the highest scorer in their first two games.

LeBron James: everyone knows him and know what they can expect from him. And he did not let us down. He showed that he was worth his spot on this team and he showed some great blocks and dunks.

Kobe Bryant: never been a huge fan of him and he did disappoint during their first games but afterwards he got under steam and played some good games.

Dwight Howard: can anyone get any bigger as him? Those shoulders must be the biggest ones in the NBA.

Chris Bosh: this guy was fairly unknown for me as I havn't been watching the NBA that much past year. But he pleasantly surprised me. He is a great player and showed some neat stuff.

Carmelo Anthony: luckily he didn't start a fight. As always he brought the show elements to the game.

Tennis

Even though Roger Federer dreamt about winning the gold medal, it was obvious there was only one person who would be able to claim that medal: Raphael Nadal.

The women's tournament was expected to be an all Williams final, but they got eliminated early. So this opened up the whole tournament and in the end, Elena Dementieva won the gold medal.

Swimming

One of the most memorable performances was set by Michael Phelps. He won 8 gold medals (a record) for the United States). He won every race he was competing in.

Gymnastics

There has been a lot of commotion because there are proves that the Chinese girls were younger than the minimum age of 16.

The team all-around was won by China, so was the uneven bars. The individual all-round was won by Nastia Liukin. This girl resemblance total elegance. The balance beam was won by Shawn Johnson. Such a tiny girl, but what a power she has!

What the Olympics are all about

After all the world records and medal race, you would almost forget what the Olympics are all about: showing off your great body! Huh? It's about the sport? Nah you can't fool me! I'm 100% sure it is about showing off your great shapes.

Talking about "shapes", damn I love athletics. Those lycra suits show all the right curves... Let me guide you through the world of athletics with some of the hottest bodies on earth...

Mr. Asafa Powell: 194lb for 6-3. This 26 year old sprint sensation is one of the fastest men alive. He combines talent with a great body. Well shaped chest: check, 6pack: check, strong and lean legs: check, curvy derierre: check.

Mr. Walter Dix: 190lb for 5-9. 22 year old guy and a body to die for. Muscles all over the place and a sexy bad ass look. Plus he is known for taking his studies pretty serious because he turned down an Osaka invitation last year because he had exams.

Mr. Nelson Evora: 136lb for 5-9. Fairly skinny but still a great body and special looks. His length and his long legs make him look extremely elegant.

But the one guy that reminds me again why I love deep dark skins can be found @ the basketball court. His name is Dwyane Wade. The 6-4 Miami Heat shooting guard is uber gorgeous. He combines the looks and body with the skills. After some make overs (from a short cut, to fairy long hair and now shaved) he looks better than ever. Every time the camera made a close-up, I was all over the screen. Dark complexication glistering under the spotlights. That's what it is all about.

9.69 / 19.30

The Bolt show part II. Some days ago Johnson said Bolt could not improve his world record... That Bolt could improve it was certain, but no one knew when it would happen. Some specialist said it was still a little bit too early, but today Bolt proved wrong. He crashed the old world record with 0.02 seconds! This race also showed how happiness can turn into sadness. After the race Wallace Spearmon was to happy with his bronze medal and then he got disqualified because ran out of his lane (or at least on the line). Same happened afterwards to Martina. They guy just crashed. Poor thing, I felt so bad for him. But there are no words for what Bolt did.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Now a whole other view on the Olympics: the fashion aspect. Jamaica in the typical colours, yellow and green. It matches great on their deep dark skin. The US athlethes suit is kind of dissapointing. It looks strange. The lighter blue at the collar reminds me of a sailors cap. But my favourite sport suit is the team USA basketball yersey. It looks classy. It is simple with a great pattern on the back.

Why the Redeem Team is not our national football team... A special one for Lolu

"If some people think that it is not important for the players to play [at the Olympics], then you might understand why our national [A-]team plays at such a low level."

These are the words of the Olympic and U20 trainer De Sart after the game against Nigeria. I completely understand this and I agree with him for various reasons. For you to understand, I will give you a short history. It all started some months ago when some teams refused to release players for the Olympic squad because it is not obligated by the FIFA. So important players where forced to stay home, and if they (after a long battle) were released by their clubs, they were often called back earlier (after 1 or 2 games). For example players like Kompany and Fellaini. And our league didn't try that hard to put pressure on the teams neither. When Kompany wanted to stay at his own risk (his team called him back and he ignored that) our league didn't support him at all. This under the "there was a contract" excuse. This guy was willing to stick out his neck for the team and this is what he gets in return?! If I were him, I would refuse to play again for these bastards! Patriotism or not! So this all resulted in a very limited group of only 16 players. In our last match against Nigeria, we were even forced to play with three n# 10 players (playmakers) just to have enough players at the pitch. So I do understand why he says that statement. This team was playing an amazing tournament and after our quarter finals, they called up some strikers (cause we only had two strikers and one is more an attacking midfielder and not a true striker) and the teams refused to release the player! So how can someone expect the national team to perform well when it is being boycotted by the teams who refuse to release the players?! Congrats to the players and coach for still performing this well, even though your own league f**** you like a little b****! You guys are the stars, no matter what happens in the race for bronze. Be proud of yourself because you did not get any support from those bastards! A lot of you guys are better than the A-Squad. Don't listen to those selfproclaimed stars who think they are much better than you (guys like Sonck who hasn't prouved anything yet, except for how to fail everywhere you play!).

And now a special history course for Lolu. Girl, we all know you and sports don't match. You just prouved that today... The Redeem Team is the American men's basketball team, it is not our Red Devils. Let me explain you the name Redeem team. It all goes back to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. That year the USA sent some of the best players ever like Jordan, Pippen, Johnson and Barley to the games. They won with such an ease that they were called the Dream Team. They kept winning until Athens 2004. In 2004 they had no motivation whatsoever and they only got a bronze medail. Same for the World Championship... So for Beijing 2008 they only selected players that wanted to die on the pitch if they had to. Players that were eager to get that gold medal... Some people started to call them the Dream Team again because the biggest players of the NBA were in that team, for example Wade, James, Bryant, Anthony, Bosh,... But they refused to carry that name because there is only one Dream Team. So instead they been named the Redeem Team because these guys want redemption. They want the gold medal back and want to flush away the bad memories of the past years. So next time you think you can make fun of me, be sure you know what you are talking about because now you only showed everyone you didn't have a single clue... So it is impossible for your country to have beaten them unless they a) invented a new sport (footbasket or something like that) or b) Nigeria has a basketbal team that has beaten the States which is impossible because the men did not play today. Or is my mind failing me? Let's see... Nope!

Is it arrogance or supremacy? If anyone seen the semi-finals of the men's 200m, you will know what I am talking about. Usain Bolt vs Athens 2004 gold medalist Shawn Crawford. Before the games, Crawford claimed he would be the first one breaking Michael Johnsons world record. With this statement he was "provoking" Bolt. But today they had to race against each other in the semi-finals... Bolt didn't break the WR (yet) but the way he won the race says more than words. First he let Crawford run a small gap and then he just jogged past him to show Crawford who the fastest man is... When the race was over, Bolt did his typical moves... I'm almost certain Crawford could eat his own shoes! But there is no excitement anymore. Or yes there is... The only excitement is not who is going to win, but it will be the time he runs. How long will it take before he can set a WR and how fast will he run that world record. That's the only thrill at the moment. Honour to he who deserves to be honoured. I've always been a Powell fan but yet I have to admit that Bolt does what Asafa was never been able to do: win under pressure. Bolt looks clumsy (probably due to his length) but he is effective and only 21. So give this guy some more years and Johnson's old WR will be history. I'm not saying this year but surely next year.

Because it has been such a long time I left a song for you all to listen, I have a very special one. This guy is called José James and I saw him performing live on Jazz Middelheim some days ago. He brings contemporary jazz with a yankees hat! No kidding. But he's great. Enjoy the song.

Stupid TV-guide!

Pulling a sad face! Before the Olympics started I had made up the schema of all the games I wanted to see, meaning noted down the dates and hours. So when I switched on my television today to watch the basketball tournament, I fell of my bed. The time was different then the one I noted down! So not fair! And especially not when I saw the score: 106-57! I'm sure I missed a lot of 'show time'. Has to be with this huge gap. So if anyone seen the match, a little review would be welcome.