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Black is the new black according to DuPont, who have revealed that it's Europe's most popular car colour, supporting the industry view that black had overtaken silver as the number one car colour.
Black is also the colour of the number one most powerful man in the world, Barack Obama. Did we ever see that ever happening? Dr. Martin Luther's famous "I have a dream" seemed just that, a dream. It shows how fast things change in politics.
Eight years ago, Barack Obama was persuaded to attend the Democratic Convention on the West Coast after not having come close to winning a Congressional seat. At a low ebb, his friends thought it would do him good. I doubt the half hour wait to get his credit limit raised at the Hertz counter in order to rent a car will have done his confidence much good either, or the fact he could not gain access to the convention hall.
However, he dared hope and, low and behold, was selected to make the keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention. One of two senators representing Illinois, his star was suddenly in the ascendency. Dreams from My Father, originally written in 1995 and The Audacity of Hope, published in 2006, became international best-sellers and he devoted the next two years to his Presidential campaign.
On Tuesday, he took the oath of office and engaged the world with his honest appraisal of what's wrong with America and what needs to be done about it. He didn't hold back the punches. It would involve hard work, short-term sacrifice, new responsibility and a different approach. He admitted government, as it stood, did not work. America was entering a new era and would need to re-engage with the world.
Much of the current economic downturn can be traced back to the greed of the financial community, and in particular the sub-prime market.
To quote one passage from his inaugural speech: "That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age."
As I said, he didn't pull any punches.
The Audacity of Hope in many ways embodies what we all feel at the moment. We dare hope that, after eight years of the worst US administration in living memory, the USA will start acting responsibly and lead by example. The failure of the Bush administration to sign up to tackling climate change was the single most disgraceful and damaging action it took. Obama has promised to do a 180-degree 'U' turn.
If Barack Obama remains true to his beliefs, then we do dare hope and the world may become a better place in which to live, wherever in the globe.
In many ways, the fact that Obama is the first black President may be secondary to what he promises to achieve in the challenging years ahead. Respect, humility and responsibility for others, as well as for one's own actions are just some of his values. Obama is indeed the new black.
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