Cyn's Mind

Well....Obviously....

2011-01-15T22:33:00.001-07:00

2010-12-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

Loving You - New Song! Nicole Renee

2009-12-05T20:17:00.001-07:00

Loving You - New Song!
I've added a new song called "Loving You". Its a song that I had the pleasure to improvise with a dear producer friend of mine; Thank You Michael for letting me share this!!

Additionally, this song will be the last of all my old material that I will post. As my Sister says, "if you keep looking behind you, you'll never see whats lies ahead!" Point taken! Im currently working on new material for 2010...so we'll see where this road takes me!!

Some final thoughts...

"Sometimes it’s so easy to lose oneself in the reverie of the past; reminiscing of times gone by. Dancing on the ideas that bring complete joy and audacity to the moment! No semblance of time, as time is relative. A contrived consequence of humans to calibrate movement, propelling us forward into the future; the unknown. As we allow our minds to journey back into time, back into thoughts of serendipity, we are really experiencing all the yesterdays, all of the todays and tomorrows, all at once! A concept that may prove to be difficult to grasp (at first). Yet as I journey through my own reminiscing of fond memories of times gone by and introspective thoughts…I am moved, compelled not to repeat the same mistakes of yesterday, today and tomorrow. I am compelled not to continue a cycle of self–negating prophecies or self-doubt. Moved to continue on my journey on this parallel universal plane. Moving, moving…MOVING!

Herein lies the lesson to myself…just because you can go home again, doesn’t mean you should stay!"

It's a New Day!
Nicole

12/04/2009

Aries 10-24-09

2009-10-24T20:14:00.001-06:00

Each person is responsible for his or her own happiness, so do not feel an obligation to put a bright smile on the face of a notorious sourpuss. Some people are happier when they have something to complain about -- you can't cheer up someone who wants to be miserable. Stick to your optimism and your happier outlook. You have things in the right perspective -- don't let a naysayer tell you there's no such thing as a happy ending.

Peter's Laws™ The Creed of the Sociopathic Obsessive Compulsive

2009-10-24T19:29:00.000-06:00

Peter's Laws™
The Creed of the Sociopathic Obsessive Compulsive

1. If anything can go wrong, Fix It!! (To hell with Murphy!)
2. When given a choice -- Take Both!!
3. Multiple projects lead to multiple successes.
4. Start at the top then work your way up.
5. Do it by the book ... but be the author!
6. When forced to compromise, ask for more.
7. If you can't beat them, join them, then beat them.
8. If it's worth doing, it's got to be done right now.
9. If you can't win, change the rules.
10. If you can't change the rules, then ignore them.
11. Perfection is not optional.
12. When faced without a challenge, make one.
13. "No" simply means begin again at one level higher
14. Don't walk when you can run.
15. Bureaucracy is a challenge to be conquered with a righteous attitude, a tolerance for stupidity,
and a bulldozer when necessary.
16. When in doubt: THINK!
17. Patience is a virtue, but persistence to the point of success is a blessing.
18. The squeaky wheel gets replaced.
19. The faster you move, the slower time passes, the longer you live.
20. The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself!

Copyright, 1986, Peter H. Diamandis, All Rights Reserved. Laws # 14 & #18 by Todd B. Hawley. Contact info: Pdiamandis@aol.com

Farah Fawcett

2009-06-28T17:55:00.002-06:00

I do want to pay homage to Farah Fawcett as well because she was pivotal in my years growing up. Yes, I too wanted to be a Charlie's Angel thanks to Farah and Kate and Jacqueline. Who could forget that incredible smile, and such personality. Such a beautiful spirit.

Watching Farah's Story, I know she suffered a great deal, and my heart goes out to her family and Ryan O'Neal.

Rest in Peace Farah, now you are free...

Michael Jackson

2009-06-27T23:06:00.003-06:00

This is still so surreal. I am so saddened by the lost of such an incredible man in this history. I grew up to Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five. I am hoping I will wake up and Michael is just fine and getting ready for his show in London...

Rest in Peace Michael! I love you!

Growing Old Again...Really Trying to Fight This Age Stuff!

2009-05-20T19:33:00.005-06:00

In March I turned 43, and I stood in the mirror and analyzed the aging my body has gone through from the previous year. Maybe it was the changes I went through the past year (people, places and things) maybe it was the stress I endured, but as I stood poised in the mirror, I was instantly drawn to that new line across my forehead, and the thinning hair on the side of my head and I wanted to weep like there was no tomorrow! Lines are one thing, but thinning hair? Whew! How about thinning gray hair?

I know, I know, I should be happy I made it another year and truly I am as I think about all of the loss that has been bestowed upon us. I am grateful to take another breath, grateful to see the sun, grateful to hear the beautiful music. Grateful for family and friends. I just don't like wrinkles! This growing old is for the birds. Really it is!

Well I don't want to sit here and make unreasonable resolutions because I'm getting older and I better make myself better for the upcoming years. Nope not this time, I'm quite comfortable in the skin that I'm in. I won't stress myself out if I don't make it to the gym two days in a row. I won't stress if I decide to eat a slice of cake with EXTRA frosting! This time around I just want to reflect on my upcoming years and how they will be filled with peace and contentment. Well that and sleep! I find that as I get older, sleep is paramount! There's nothing like a good night's sleep or even a good nap. It seems to make me a nicer person, and let's face it, we'd all like to encounter nice people in our passing.

If I can only figure out how to make the hair dye stick a little longer than two weeks. That would make me extremely happy! Ok so there are some things that I cannot give up, hair dye is one of them. I'm a little apprehensive about purchasing wrinkle creams because one day I may not have the money to continue purchasing them, and would I then experience a reverse effect? No longer the fountain of youth but the Picture of Dorian Gray? I think not! I'll just leave the canvass and paints at the store and watch the lines continue to form.

Yeah I'm getting older, getting grayer, losing my hair, but I'm here to stay!

For the Love of....

2009-04-18T23:54:00.006-06:00

Ray J, G's to Gents, Real Chance of Love, RuPaul's Drag Race and every other reality show that graces our television screens. I promised myself after Flava Flav that I would not get serious about another reality series because Flav wore me out, and here lately I have found myself tuning in to From G's to Gents and For the Love of Ray J faithfully! Oh the drama, the madness, such sweet splendor to get worked up over the cast.

I literally sat on the edge of my seat for RuPaul's drag race hoping Nina Flowers would have won. I was ok with BeBe Zahara because you could see the transition throughout the show, and BeBe was all about class, style and grace. I liked Nina's personality.

I felt slighted after watching the Real Chance of Love reunion only to discover Real didn't stand up to his end of the bargain with Cornfed. I will say however, I was so glad he didn't choose BayBayBay (ugggg!)

Right now I'm feeling a little upset at Mr. Bentley's choice for the winner of G's to Gents: Blue and Mito made marvelous transformations, I personally would have chosen Blue. Once I get to the season finale of For the Love of Ray J, I will not do this again! (I just hope Danger doesn't win and I hope he listens to his mother and sends them all home!)

Since I know there will be round 2 of Real Chance of Love, I am going to fight the urge to watch (ok maybe just one or two episodes so that I can see the lineup)

Just had to get that off of my chest, these reality shows are really wearing me out!

The Value of a Human Life

2009-03-15T02:19:00.005-06:00

Sometimes I tend to spend a great deal of time watching The First 48, Crime 360, Notorious, Most Evil, City Confidential, Cold Case Files, Dead Men Talking (see a pattern here?) I enjoy these shows, but saddened at the same time. Each time I watch, the crimes become more vicious, more heinous as the episodes unfold.

The depth and level that a person goes through to eliminate another person is astounding. The matter of death and murder alone are enough, it is disheartening when someone takes it to another level to cover their tracks. People literally carry firearms like they are carrying purses or the latest accessory to their outfits.

So much emphasis is not placed on a human life these days. Everytime I watch these shows I am often reminded of a line in Angel Heart where The devil (Louis Cypher) exclaims, "...who places a value on human life anyway? It is the soul that is immortal...." Am I to believe that the perpetrators of crime are trying to capture the immortal soul? Or...Is man bereft of morality and principles and the value of another life? Amoral beings unleashed upon humanity.

Our youth fall prey to the luster of life on the streets, the money, the women the cars, the prestige. In an instant it is all gone from a decision that will cost them a lifetime. Encouraged by friends, and forgotten by the same ones that prodded them into the crimes.

I saw an episode last week that involved brothers. Brothers...flesh and blood. One is dead and the other one will probably get the dealth penalty. It was so sad to watch him tell his mother why he did the crime. My heart went out to his mother. What a thing to learn. Your flesh and blood. Cain and Able. The question still remained...Why? He could not answer it and another life was lost.

I was just thinking about how it was when I was growing up. Sure there was crime, but when it was time to settle a fight, it wasn't done with weapons. We were taught to stand true and honorable. If you had to fight, you used your fists, most fights (as silly as this sounds) was handled with word skills (i.e. poetry slams) or break dancing (yes, the best dancer was not messed with). Nowadays, a person will grab a gun quicker than you blink your eye. Our children unsafe on the streets and in schools. Children seem to be quicker to react with violence than using common sense. Our youth we sometimes fear.

No one is immune to violence, and we need to find sound ways to break this vicious cycle. Life in any form is precious.

Eric Benet - Spanish Fly (Live)

2009-03-02T22:33:00.002-07:00

Eric Benet - Spanish Fly
I LOVE this song!

more about "Eric Benet - Spanish Fly (Live)", posted with vodpod

Priceless

2009-02-18T12:18:00.002-07:00

Definition of Beautiful

2009-01-30T03:58:00.002-07:00

There is really no true definition of beauty. Beauty truly is in the eyes of the beholder. It is the distorted concept of beauty that floods our airwaves and magazines that truly facilitate the decline of self esteem for people. Yes the constant perpetuation of a concept that true beauty is an emaciated woman walking down a runway complete with wigs and false eye lashes shows our youth (especially our youth) that beauty is based upon false perceptions.

I love the Dove commercials to help our youth boost their self esteem, however they are still overshadowed by the endless commercials and ads of rail thin models and reality tv shows where model agencies still refuse to work with plus sized models because they don't have the look. Yes Janice Dickenson's reality tv show had an episode where she made two plus sized models leave because in her words, "You are not attractive and not what I want to work with." Look at Janice and you can see where she had her breasts augmented and her lips look like you can peel them off, but they are not attractive....whew! Americans still have a distorted view of what is truly beautiful.

In other countries beauty is not defined by super slim waists and faces painted with makeup. Our youth, and even adults need to redefine what is truly beautiful to them and embrace it. Love your thighs, love your belly, just love yourselves. There you will find true beauty. Loving yourself, your beauty will radiate and that is better than anything a magazine could dictate!

Twitter Mania

2009-01-29T01:13:00.004-07:00

Oh yeah, I'm on Twitter. Just now getting the hang of it. At first I didn't think I would like the little posts describing what I am doing at that particular point in time. However, I find it kind of refreshing to leave little posts about my activity. 140 words or less, I can handle that. Being hyper that helps tremendously. 140 words describing my day. "Hey there I'm just hanging out right now, care to hang with me?"

Yep! I'm on Twitter ;-)

IamCyn on Twitter

Care to follow me?

HISTORY IS MADE

2009-01-20T21:53:00.001-07:00

There was no doubt about it, I beamed with pride January 20, 2009 when Barack Obama was Inaugurated. For the first time in American history a black man was “crowned” president in a nation that once would “lynch” a black man for even stating he would run for presidency.

This was the first time for me that I felt so passionately about the presidential election and did my civic duty to Obama by campaigning for him. He is my idol. The man is what we need to bring America back from the depths of the continual decline of our economy and brotherhood. Yes, I believe our new nation was ready for change and Obama is going to bring it. I know for myself I will be a great part of the change and vow to help Obama rebuild America, one city at a time.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” — Barack Obama

Obama and Biden…I believe in you…

Gotta Love Joe!

2009-01-20T21:31:00.004-07:00

He is just as poised and charismatic as Obama!

Now You Tell Me That's Not Stylish

2009-01-20T21:29:00.002-07:00

I love those boots!

Our Winning Team

2009-01-20T21:28:00.001-07:00

I Beam With Pride On This Day In History

2009-01-20T18:01:00.004-07:00

Nothing has made me more proud to be an American than the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President. Today history is made. I know our father's and forefathers are smiling at us right now.

I shed tears of joy!

New Year's Declaration: The Act of Deciding What is Tolerable and What is Not

2009-01-02T22:59:00.011-07:00

Fitting title is it not? This year I have decided to write declarations of what I will NOT tolerate in the upcoming year. I think it is important as we are cleaning out our closets to make it a point to decide what is good for ourselves and what is not. Sure we can write resolutions all day long setting ourselves up for failure and by the middle of the year feel completely inadequate because we couldn't keep one of them. Writing a list of what we WANT and NEED for our spiritual growth means we are tending to our gardens. Having a garden full of weeds surely indicates that our harvest will not be plentiful. Cultivation is key to our spiritual growth.

Since I had been reflecting on the previous year, noting how I had been faced with adversity from all sides, it seemed that my garden had a lot of weeds I had forgotten to pull. So I am pulling them now.

My New Year's Declaration for 2009 is simple. Elimination of unnecessary waste and toxins with a great purge. No I'm not talking physically (although that is on the list of things to do this year) I am talking about people. Throughout my 42 years I have come to discover that certain people can be toxic and I do not need that type of venom in my bloodstream. I will not tolerate poisonous noxious people. Take your venom and your toxins and infect the next person. I have an antidote now. Vaccination took place shielding me from your drama and bullshit. Keep moving.

This purge is essential to my health and well-being because I discovered last year that the more you give credence to someone who is a bit off kilter, the more they tend to run a muck. These are the people that also latch themselves onto you with motives, shielded under the guise of "friend" However, "friend" is just a wonderful definition of "I am going to say and do crazy things because I am off balance and I want to take you down with me." Generally I do not waste any time with people that coexist happily with drama because it is banal to say the least. No matter how one tries to hide it, they need daily doses of drama to keep them going, dragging down everyone they come into contact with because of their insecurity. If you are not secure with self, keep it moving. My garden is for fresh vegetables and fruits only.

To the mighty succubus I say, "bye, bye!" My veins have been strengthened with super steel, while the blood that flows is empowered with a new strain protecting me against stupid. No Dracula action here, so keep moving. Insecure? Feel the need to control someone when really you should control yourself? Find another host.

To the cerebrally challenged (those that lose their fucking heads as easily as those who lose their wallets) keep on moving. Want to be mentally imbalanced, do so in the comforts of your own home on your own time.

Last year I spent a lot of time trying to decipher codes and patterns from people. I listened to people as they ranted and raved. I watched as neurosis set in while a cure for the debilitating disease seemed like an impossibility. I have witnessed people fawn over others, only to spread venom when the emotion was not reciprocated. I have watched "crazy" unfold like yard goods in a fabric store, asking myself over and over, "What the hell are you doing listening to this crazy shit?" Ok so I admit, some of it was a little entertaining, but after a while the humor left and annoyance began to ring the doorbell. ("doorbell" Hi...my name is Annoyance, wanted to know if you wanted to subscribe to my magazine?" "Uh no....but I do think the young lady down the block might like to")

I watched people used the word "friend" like they would use the term "shopping" Although not related, they seemed to be related. "Hi I am shopping for a new friend, because my old friend is no longer new and I need something a little more improved" I watched people's sanity decline when they discovered they were no longer on my Top Friend's List in MySpace, "Hi, I guess we're not friends anymore because I am not on your top friend's list, and I feel that as a friend I DESERVE that slot..." "Hi your MySpace friend's list is interesting...I don't see my name up there!"

During one of my wonderful "people" adventures, I had someone misconstrue the words, "Thank You" and manifest a situation that wasn't even true because for some reason, "Thank You" translated into "I want you" So for that I say that in this day and age where good manners still exist in some people and they are truly thankful for a small act of kindness, don't get it twisted, "Thank You" really is "Thank You." (I listened to someone's neurotic rants because they were so insecure a situation just had to become of it even though they claimed they were drama free!) As a result I had to cut the cord and move on. Now that's what I call DRAMA FREE!

I don't like people that like to create situations for their own benefit then hide behind an excuse as to why they acted that way. "I was acting that way, or saying those things because I was using a substance or I was drinking a little too much that day," To that I say, "The use of a substance, either alcohol or drugs only removes your inhibitions and allows you to say the things you normally would not say. Don't hide behind your vise, just embrace it." If you are upset with someone because you can't have them or be with them or whatever the case, it would behoove you to think first before taking an action or saying something you would have to retract later. I'm not one for retraction of words, so you better believe if I say something to you, since I am under the influence of "reality" I MEANT every word of it! No excuses here!

Problems no longer exist, just Issues, Challenges and Concerns. If you are a problem, you are dismissed. Period.

For the socially challenged, here's something for you: Friends are mirrors of ourselves, if the mirror is cracked, it is time to buy a new mirror.

It really is essential and empowering to remove the waste that clogs our systems and start out anew with a better insight. Removing the vile and starting with something delightful and pleasing not only stimulates our senses, but clears our gardens from the weeds that kill our plants. Come spring I'll be ready for harvest. How about you?

The Close of Another Year: Reflections 2008

2008-12-30T13:13:00.008-07:00

By far I must say that 2008 has been a rather interesting year. I have learned a great deal about people, made wonderful long-lasting friendships, and learned a great deal about myself.

As we come to the end of 2008 I wanted to take the time to reflect on the year, not with negativity (although the year started out with great adversity) but with a fondness. The close of the year symbolizes rebirth and regeneration. A birth of a Phoenix to rise anew.

I have learned that although some friendships had to end, new ones began stronger, and better. My friends, those who have been with me throughout the constant changes still remain the same (meaning I didn't have to be on guard and protect myself from the never ending line of opportunists that crossed my path) I never had to worry one bit about my sanity with my true friends. I never had to walk away from drama, or feel discontented.

It is with this blog that I honor my friends. I am thankful for the realness. Their honesty, their truth. These are the same people that have stuck with me through thick or thin, throughout all of my trials and tribulations, and I feel stronger everyday just knowing these invaluable people are a part of my life.

They always say that when one door closes, another one full of opportunity opens. I have seen many closed doors this year, yet I have walked through many open doors and the people I have met on the other side of the door have been beautiful. I am thankful.

It is such a good feeling to meet others that for all intents and purposes vibrate on the same vibrational pattern as myself. I love the fact that I don't have to explain thoughts or feelings because it is like unspoken words...we know what is being said and we continue to enrich each others lives with more knowledge and awareness. It is not about how much money we make or how many items we possess, it is from our hearts.

No one competes with friend's lists in MySpace, no one cares. No one feels slighted because someone is paying more attention to another because we are all secure within ourselves enough to know that placing such importance on things that small is not worth the time or the energy. I had wasted a great deal of time with insecure, immature people to know that my time is too valuable to be involved with people and their idiosyncrasies.

The new year brings about new beginnings. The new year symbolizes new birth and regeneration, and I just wanted to take this time to thank those important to me and recognize them and let them know just how much I appreciate them.

You are truly loved.

Peace and blessings for the new year!

Obama : The Moment Is Now

2008-11-05T23:09:00.001-07:00

YES WE CAN and WE DID!

2008-11-05T14:18:00.004-07:00

Words cannot possibly describe how I am feeling at this moment. I am elated. I am moved. The people spoke volumes. We did it America! I am ready to do what I need to do to be a part of the change that is about to happen!

I believe in the new America. I am ready for it!

The Question of The Day:

2008-11-02T21:33:00.012-07:00

So here is the question of the day that was posed by an NBC news blog, a Yahoo! news blog, a CNN blog, etc... Which asks, "Does America appear to be more racist since the Presidential Campaign?"

My answer to this question is "YES" and you would be a fool to think otherwise. Historically speaking, America was built on racism. America exists on racism, America thrives on racism. No matter how you try to sugarcoat it, racism will always be paramount in America. Since racism has been so blatant it has virtually become invisible in the eyes of many, something I like to call "ignorance." This election has reared the ugly racist head of white America twenty-fold.

Everyday I read the news from various entities, I am deeply saddened by the obvious racism from the reporters themselves, who from my opinion should remain objective. However, polarizing a campaign for McCain's benefit speaks volumes. When a man purposefully runs a campaign complete with smears and lies and deception, the last thing I want to see is the media glorifying these actions. Then again, the media tends to be the ones that can either make or break a person. No matter how slanderous, no matter how dishonest. I had actually resolved myself to not reading anything specific because everything appears to be commendations for John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Nowadays, I can log onto various social networking sites and I am automatically bombarded with McPalin's ads, (which also says a great deal about places like Google who seem to be running these ads with Adsense regardless of the content that could be on your page.) Even the GOP has the utter audacity to run slanderous ads for the sake of keeping a Republican in office.

The questions posed always seem to sound the same, "Can a Black man run America?" My answer to that would be "YES." It is a known fact that many Caucasians in the oval office operate on their own design. If you don't believe me, just look at what the Bush administration did to America. Look how his administration continuously rapes Americans regardless of color, oh and America, he is a "Good Ole Boy". His father was no better in office, so the apple definitely doesn't fall far from the tree.

Is McCain qualified to run America? My answer is no, not because I don't like John McCain, I just don't like what the man stands for. McCain is an old racist man, who virtually incited his crowds to riot because he wanted them to believe Obama was a terrorist and communist. He played upon the nation's fears of black people. When the crowds went awry and he discovered he couldn't control the hate he festered, then the climate from the McCain camp changed from "Hate Obama," to "Respect My Opponent." Now keep in mind McCain would not even acknowledge Obama by his name, but would refer to him as, "That One." This is coming from a man who began this entire campaign with disrespect of another man period. Obama's race plays a big factor in the way that the McPalin campaign operates. They thrive from the people's opinion, because the people's opinion is derived from fear and hatred.

Running mate Palin flaunts the fact she is a racist, is married to a man that openly professes his Separatism viewpoints as she herself is in fact a Separatist. Her main focus is to smear lies about Obama regardless of actual data. Palin operates on her own agenda, has been found guilty of abusing her power in office, is now being judged again on abuse of power for another case and Americans still want to vote for this mass slayer of wildlife. This woman lacks morals and ethics and standards and women (of course white) defend her and call her the ultimate Alpha woman. This is because Palin possesses a White Supremacist mode of thinking which seems to be alluring to today's woman. Why? Because she is a woman running for office, was a beauty queen, has very little experience running Alaska yet her appeal is her clothes and hair. If you read a number of blogs online that is generally the consensus: nevermind the fact that Palin has a slew of scandals surrounding her, she is the woman's woman. Women are literally being ignorant to the fact that Palin is about to set womanhood back hundreds of years because of her asinine viewpoints.

White America has made it clear that they refuse to vote for a black man even if he is qualified because there is no way a black man should be in office. In case you haven't been reading newspapers and reports online, it is basically every third line. "I refuse to vote for a Black Man." "I refuse to believe in a Black Man." "Black people need an oak tree and a rope." Yes this is still being allowed to remain on discussion boards, American's hatred broiling, and the media wants to know if racism exists. America please!

Not to sound like I am generalizing because it appears that most of the balking is coming from the white people who refuse to allow this change to happen. These are the ones with the mentality that black people are still "porch monkeys" and virtual slaves. The mere thought of a "darkie" near the white house is enough to cause much fear and alarm. Well that and McCain. He wants to make sure you fear someone because the color of his skin is different. This fear is also instilled in the children of these people, which creates a cyclical pattern. However, the children today are quicker to react to situations and are now on their own crusades to "take out as many African Americans," as they can, because they are the products of a society that created the hate. The hate that hate creates.

The younger thinking America is ready for change; is multi-racial and ready for it to happen. The older Americans still operate with the White Supremacist code. No Black man should ever be in office. Black people should know their place in society. If the older thinking White America still had their way, we'd still be picking cotton and working on plantations. McCain and Palin are these people.

My only concerns now are for Obama and his safety and that of his family. I fear White America will try to remove him from society for defying the White man's rules. I fear for the millions of other Americans that support Obama. I fear for the safety of our children. I fear McPalin will steal the office. I fear for the beautiful creatures that inhabit this land, only to be snuffed out to extinction because a fore paw is worth more than the life itself. I fear women will no longer have a say of what happens to their bodies, regardless of a violent act of rape. I fear this country will no longer change, and everyone that defies the rule will all see "oak trees and ropes."

So you tell me America, what will it be: Change or should we continue to lie Dormant?

Oh and to quote Obama, "Change is more than just a slogan..."

Public Service Announcement

2008-10-29T15:03:00.003-06:00

This is a public service announcement reminding everyone to get out there and exercise thier rights to vote. The time now is not for mere ignorance to the fact, but to get out there and have your voice heard. They are counting on you NOT to!

Think about it!

While this election is extremely important, I can't help but to focus on a few things that are quite disturbing to me.

It is blatantly obvious that this election...this rather bigoted election is polarized for McPalin. Why anyone would want that group of people in office is beyond me, but for the young women and older women to even vote for this pair is questionable. Say goodbye to your right to your body....say goodbye to the hundreds of years women fought for equality and justice. Say goodbye to a sense of normalcy.
Say hello to hypocrisy...say hello to open blatant bigotry...say hello demoralization...and say hello to the extinction of this land's creatures which inhabit this earth.

The choice is yours people....Personally, I want change...I think it is time!

Attention Denver Voters...More Sabotage in the Works! (Please Read...Very Important!)

2008-10-26T15:07:00.002-06:00

I received this message from CREDO allerting us of potential voter suppression issues and here is a great one for Denver County....This explains why Nicole never received her ballot:

Here at CREDO, we're paying close attention to potential voter suppression issues that could affect voters around the country. Today, we're writing to let you know about a problem in Denver County.

The problem: The Denver Elections Division announced yesterday that 11,000 ballots that were supposed to be printed by a vendor, Sequoia Voting Systems, were never sent to the postal service for mailing. Election officials say that they will be preparing new ballots over the weekend.

Who's affected: If you were one of the 180,000 Denver voters who requested a mail-in ballot, and you haven't received yours, you could be affected.

The solution:

Find your closest early voting location and go vote. If you haven't received your ballot and don't want to wait to see if it shows up, you can find a early voting location by clicking here. There are 13 early voting sites throughout the county. If you already have your ballot at home and would like to vote in person, you can also take your mail-in ballot to any early voting location.
Pass this e-mail on to every Denver voter you know — we have only until Oct 31 (the end of early voting) to educate as many people as possible about this problem.
Thank you for working to protect our democracy.

Kate Stayman-London, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

P.S. If you want to learn more about this issue, you can do so by clicking here.

Funny.....

2008-10-11T12:56:00.003-06:00

The MEDIA just glossed over Palin's Abuse of Power findings to focus more on Obama and his 60's radical involvement. I mean he was on just 8 years old, you can do a lot when you're 8 right?

Interesting how polarized this campaign is. Can I get some actual reports that aren't swayed?

Sick of the media, sick of the news, sick of Mccain - Palin, sick of this country...period!

Malcolm X on the Media

2008-10-10T23:25:00.001-06:00

"The media is the most powerful entity on earth...they have the power to make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the mind's of the masses..."

Malcolm X
Malcolm A to X, 1963

Message of Hatred in America

2008-10-10T21:15:00.005-06:00

Message of Hatred in America
McCain / Palin have successfully managed to produce a HATE campaign against Barack Obama, complete with character attacks, lies and HATE upon HATE.

Interestingly enough as we focus upon Obama's supposed ties to a 60's radical, it is ok to abuse your power in office, we know Obama wouldn't be able to do that because that definitely would be front page news. However, let's use his middle name in VAIN because you know it would incite FEAR in a nation that is already FEARFUL....Nevermind that names like, "Tom, Dick, John and Sarah" not only brought fear to our people but LOTS of BLOODSHED....(let's refer back to our HISTORY manuals and I can guarantee you some chick named Sarah made a false cry about some black guy looking at her and he was lynched....Yeah John, Tom and Dick rode him out to the OAK tree) Oh did I forget to mention that while these HATE campaigns take place, it is ok for the "Good Ole Boys" to scream, "Kill Him..." "Off with his Head!" and other non-sensicle things because that's what we need to get into office.

Come on America, we already know that this place was built on racism, lies and the BLOOD of many anyway. So as long as your "white power" reigns and rules, the lives of millions of "non-white" people hang in the balance because of uncertainty. I'm sorry I keep seeing images of "strange fruit" because that is what this country is turning back towards (yeah a complete oxymoron but considering that they try to keep lynchings silent, this will just enable them to be on the public square once again). Lynchings, killings, all in the name of a Presidential campaign.

Palin knows she shouldn't even have two words to say let alone three due to all of her questionable issues, yet it is ok to create a RACIAL campaign because she knows she doesn't have a leg to stand on. Oh and for the white people who absolutely refuse to vote for Obama because he is black and they want us other blacks to know our places....I have something to say to you: Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey....

I am reading the headlines and I am completely appalled at what I am seeing. MSNBC, FOX NEWS all polarized for McCain / Palin so therefore it is ok not to monitor comments from people clearly wanting to "ship us Africans back to Africa" or the blatant, "They all need an OAK TREE and a ROPE"

So this is what we want in office, the Good Ole Boys, keeping us Niggas in place....
They stole OUR money....no let's keep it real: They stole OUR land, pilfered billions of dollars from US (not just black and white or purple) but stole OUR money (cause you know Bush wasn't going out without a BANG) now they want you to lose sight of the REAL....

Damn BIGOTS on a campaign...and I fear for our safety....

Stupid ass AMERICA!

What McCain Really Doesn't Want You To Know:

2008-10-06T22:59:00.000-06:00

Cynthia -- Watch the video

Over the weekend, John McCain's top adviser announced their plan to stop engaging in a debate over the economy and "turn the page" to more direct, personal attacks on Barack Obama.

In the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, they want to change the subject from the central question of this election. Perhaps because the policies McCain supported these past eight years and wants to continue are pretty hard to defend.

But it's not just McCain's role in the current crisis that they're avoiding. The backward economic philosophy and culture of corruption that helped create the current crisis are looking more and more like the other major financial crisis of our time.

During the savings and loan crisis of the late '80s and early '90s, McCain's political favors and aggressive support for deregulation put him at the center of the fall of Lincoln Savings and Loan, one of the largest in the country. More than 23,000 investors lost their savings. Overall, the savings and loan crisis required the federal government to bail out the savings of hundreds of thousands of families and ultimately cost American taxpayers $124 billion.

Sound familiar?

In that crisis, John McCain and his political patron, Charles Keating, played central roles that ultimately landed Keating in jail for fraud and McCain in front of the Senate Ethics Committee. The McCain campaign has tried to avoid talking about the scandal, but with so many parallels to the current crisis, McCain's Keating history is relevant and voters deserve to know the facts -- and see for themselves the pattern of poor judgment by John McCain.

So at noon Eastern on Monday, October 6th, we're releasing a 13-minute documentary about the scandal called "Keating Economics: John McCain and the Making of a Financial Crisis" -- it will be available at KeatingEconomics.com, along with background information that every voter should know.

Watch a preview right now and share it with your friends.

The point of the film and the web site is that John McCain still hasn't learned his lesson.

And this time, McCain's bankrupt economic philosophy has put our economy at the brink of collapse and put millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes.

Watch the video to see why John McCain's failed philosophy and poor judgment is a recipe for deepening the crisis:

http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo

It's no wonder John McCain would rather spend the last month of this election smearing Barack's character instead of talking about the top priority issue for voters.

But if we work together, we can make sure the focus stays on the economy -- and how to fix it.

Please forward this email to everyone you know.

Thanks,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

P.S. -- The documentary will be live at noon Eastern at www.KeatingEconomics.com.

Disgusting

2008-09-10T19:23:00.001-06:00

Dear MoveOn member,

Here's the situation: John McCain and Sarah Palin are repeatedly deceiving, manipulating, and flat-out lying. And polls are showing that some of those lies are convincing voters.

Palin says she opposed the "Bridge to Nowhere"—when in fact she fully supported it. McCain says Obama wants sex-ed for kindergartners—when he voted for a bill to protect them from sexual predators.1 And Swift Boat style groups are literally accusing Obama of consorting with terrorists.

If we don't get the truth out to voters in key states, now, we could be in serious trouble. This is one of those moments when all of us need to pitch in. Can you help? Click below to chip in $25:

https://political.moveon.org/donate/accountable.html?id=13772-9750081-AIVAlFx&t=3
Ads cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce and even more to get on TV and in front of voters. We've been working around the clock producing and testing scripts, but we need to know that we'll be able to get these ads made and on the air.

In the last few weeks, this race has gotten really ugly, really fast. A few months ago a top official from the infamous Swift Boat group said they were planning to go after Obama hard. He wasn't kidding.

Over the last week alone, Republican groups have announced over $15 million in ads against Obama in critical states (and that's just from one news report!).2

We need to fight back.

To pull this off, it's going to take all of us working together. MoveOn is each and every one of us—we don't have big corporate donors—just millions of us chipping in what we can to build a better future for our country. Can you chip in?

https://political.moveon.org/donate/accountable.html?id=13772-9750081-AIVAlFx&t=4
Now is the time to act and call McCain's bluff—if this stuff goes unchallenged it will cost more lives in Iraq and prevent this country from making progress on critical priorities like health care, clean energy, and education for potentially decades to come.

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Eli, Karin, Ilyse and the rest of the team

P.S. Joe Klein at Time is fed up with McCain's smears. His most recent post is worth checking out:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=28447&id=13772-9750081-AIVAlFx&t=5

Sources:
1. "Out of bounds: McCain ad misstates Obama sex-ed record," Kansas City Star, September 10, 2008
http://www.kansascity.com/445/story/789668.html

2. "Quietly, Obama Campaign Calls In The Cavalry," The Atlantic, September 8, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=28448&id=13772-9750081-AIVAlFx&t=6

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 3.5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

Sarah Palin

2008-09-04T22:53:00.002-06:00

Dear MoveOn member,

Did you watch Sarah Palin's speech last night? The speech told us a lot about her.

It told us that she can distort the facts and deliver mean-spirited zingers with the best of them. It told us that if Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter ever need a stand-in, she'd be a great pick.

It told us that she can be condescending and dismissive of the real work Barack Obama did helping real people on the South Side of Chicago. It told us that she can uphold the long Republican tradition of lying about Democratic tax cuts—even though Obama's plan would give Americans a bigger break than McCain's.

But the speech—written by one of President Bush's speechwriters—didn't tell us the truth about Sarah Palin's extremist positions. And the more that people know her far-right views, the less they support her. (There's a partial list below.)

One of the best ways to get the word out about Palin is to write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Today's a great day to write because this is very relevant—it just happened last night. Plus, our online tool makes it easy and has great tips. Please take a few minutes to write a quick letter to the editor now:

http://pol.moveon.org/lte?campaign_id=95&id=13709-9750081-FYVEk3x&t=3
Palin's speech and the reaction to it also made clear why McCain picked her. It wasn't a decision about who's most qualified to serve a heart-beat away from the presidency—it was a political decision about pleasing the far-right base of the Republican party.

Writing a letter to your local paper is a great way to make sure voters understand that. The opinion pages are the most widely-read pages of the newspaper. Write today, and your letter's a lot more likely to get published because it's so topical. It'll help sway the editorial board too.

Here are a bunch of points you might want to include in your letter:

Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." 1, 2

Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" 3

Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.4

Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." 5

Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. 6

Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. 7

Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. 8

As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." 9

She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." 10

The plain fact of the matter is that Sarah Palin did a bang-up job delivering a Karl Rove-style political attack speech last night. That makes her a skilled politician but it doesn't make her views any more palatable for voters. Americans don't really want another far-right, anti-science ideologue in the White House.

Please help get the word out about where Sarah Palin really stands on the issues.

http://pol.moveon.org/lte?campaign_id=95&id=13709-9750081-FYVEk3x&t=4
Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Ilyse, Wes, Karin and the rest of the team

P.S. If you haven't seen it, check out the Daily Show clip on Palin. It's worth a watch
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24753&id=13709-9750081-FYVEk3x&t=5

Sources
1. "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'," Associated Press, September 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24701&id=13709-9750081-FYVEk3x&t=6

2. "Palin wasn't 'really focused much' on the Iraq war," ThinkProgress, August 30, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24702&id=13709-9750081-FYVEk3x&t=7

3. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

4. "McCain and Palin differ on issues," Associated Press, September 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24703&id=13709-9750081-FYVEk3x&t=8

5. Ibid

6. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

7. Ibid

8. Ibid.

9. "Mayor Palin: A Rough Record," Time, September 2, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24704&id=13709-9750081-FYVEk3x&t=9

10. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

Growing Old - Fighting the Age (stuff)

2008-09-01T15:52:00.000-06:00

This growing old stuff is for the birds....wait a minute! Is that a....wrinkle? (examining, examining) I can't believe there is a wrinkle under my eye...or maybe that is one of those fine lines...or maybe I just looked in the mirror the wrong way, but it looks like a line...What is this beside my nose....it looks like a....Wrinkle!

Whoa! Ok this growing old stuff is not conducive to my complexion. Tell me that is not an age spot! Is that an...age spot? Whew! Big G. and I are going to have to talk about this because I don't think this was a part of my contractual agreement...I don't think I included in my contract wrinkles, fine lines and hair loss.

I am beginning to feel ancient and behind the times! There I said it. I feel ancient, like an old soul. Did we have classes on this or did they neglect to send the memo? Maybe I ditched that day...

I remember when I was younger I couldn't wait to be 18. At 18 I couldn't wait to be in my 20s. At 29 I was hoping I could go back to my early 20s. At 30, I wished I were still in my teens. Funny how that works. I don't remember anything after 35, that's when age takes effect, you lose your mind!

Actually, let the truth be told, I like being an old soul, there is something about being able to say "...Been there, done that," or "Wait a minute! Haven't we seen this movie before? ...This music isn't new, its (fill in the blank)" I do enjoy being sought after for advice because someone wants my viewpoint. I enjoy listening to people especially when they try to impress upon you that although they are younger they know more songs in the key of life and can relate to all I have seen and been through (could very well be true unless you're discordant) One thing I do enjoy is the fact that I'm not only getting older, I am getting better. Wiser. Clearer.

When I was younger, especially in my 20s, I spent a great deal of energy wanting people to like me. I wouldn't speak up when I felt like someone was deliberately getting over on me because I didn't want to create waves, and I allowed myself to be trampled on time and time again. Now? I could care less how you feel about me. As a matter of fact, things that I felt were so important to me back then are so minute now. I operate by a strict code: Respect...respect of self and respect of others. If someone cannot be respectful and mindful of another person, they do not even get a chance to appeal. I do not waste energy on things that are not substantive.

I have a head full of gray hair, and a few of lines on my face. I worry about the state of the world, not whether someone gives me the validation to say that I am a person. I am my only validation. I call my own shots, I say what is real and what is fake in my world. I do not need approval from anyone to live my life according to how I see fit. There are many individuals that seek validation from others about their existence. So many people drive me crazy when I hear them say, "I am nothing without them..." or "...they are my reason for breathing..." I'm sorry breathing is an automatic function of the body and is the act of inhalation and exhalation of air. It is absolutely absurd to say they are your reason for breathing, unless they are in charge of the cord plugged into the wall or paying the bill to keep the energy flowing. But then again that gives someone too much power and control over you and why would you cosign to it?

I have met a great deal of people in my lifetime. I have had innumerous conversations with men and women, and I still cringe when I hear from my female friends how they have placed their entire livelihoods on the men in their lives. They spend countless hours each day trying to convince someone that their lives are perfect, all the while complaining because they don't like the power the man has over them, yet, quick to hand over the keys to their lives with no problems at all. These are the ones I have found that try to speak prophetically to a group of people to appear sane and in control, but are pathetic individuals, who demoralize themselves just to say they have a man in their lives. To say "I am nothing without them," translates into, "He pays my bills, pays my rent and buys my food..."

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with loving unconditionally, one should never lose themselves in it. (That is the difference) When another person uses love as a means to manipulate another (i.e., "I love you so much I can't breathe without you...I will kill myself if you leave me!" ") the other person could feel bound and controlled by that statement alone, and would be afraid to leave if they had to ("...oh my god if I leave they will cease breathing or kill themselves...I can't have that on my conscious!") However, the manipulator knows just what to say and how to act to get what they want. All in the name of love.

I realized this at an early age. People will say and do things for their own benefit. There is something to this age thing. It does make you reflect. It is within these reflections we gain the wisdom and knowledge of those experiences. Today at 42 I am less tolerant of idle bullshit. I do not allow myself to get caught up in the dramatics of people. As a matter of fact I feel like that Old Woman in the Shoe with my Zoo. I walk away from people, places and things if it feels uncomfortable to me. I have zero tolerance for dishonesty. Zero tolerance for stupidity. Zero tolerance for ignorance. My list grows daily.

I'm aging, but I understand now. I am sure I will understand more later. My body may be aging, but my mind is infinite. My thoughts I own...So I have a few lines and wrinkles. Some gray hair that is thinning. Above all, I have myself - something that cannot be manipulated, controlled or bamboozled. I have come a long way baby!

Now if you don't mind, I need to talk to Big G. about these contracts, we may need to create some new templates!

McCain's Dangerous Choice

2008-08-31T00:04:00.000-06:00

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.

Huh?

Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:

She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.1

Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.2

She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3

Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4

She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.5

She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6
How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.7
This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.

We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:

She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK

She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK

As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK

Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK

She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK

I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.

In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.

In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin

2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-9750081-nTdWOGx&t=1

3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-9750081-nTdWOGx&t=2

4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-9750081-nTdWOGx&t=3

5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-9750081-nTdWOGx&t=4

6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-9750081-nTdWOGx&t=5

"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-9750081-nTdWOGx&t=6

"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-9750081-nTdWOGx&t=7

7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-9750081-nTdWOGx&t=8

Follow Up to the Previous Story I Posted

2008-08-05T00:43:00.004-06:00

I just posted a news article about a police officer being acquitted in Ohio for the shooting death of a young black woman and injuring her child. I feel incensed by the article because another cop is able to get away with firing a barrage of bullets and taking an innocent human life.

Now I'm not saying that I condone the incidents that led up to the incidental shooting, "...the young woman's boyfriend was a suspected drug dealer," because street pharmaceutical sales is just as deadly, but this woman was unarmed and was hiding in a bedroom with her six children.

The incident is being labeled, "low value on black lives," and I can see why. Each time an officer fires at an innocent unarmed person and the incident is swept under the rug, the message that is being sent to the community is that law enforcement can get away with heinous crimes without recourse. Where is the justice for the families of the murdered individuals? Is it really ok for the police to go and kill during a drug raid? Why is it that white cops are slapped on their wrists for bad behavior and slaughter?

What concerns me most is that the law is supposed to protect and serve the innocent at all costs. Are we only referring to the white communities? Is a black life really that invaluable?

I'm rambling and my thoughts are running rampant, however it is becoming quite clear that you cannot trust a police officer. Not with your life or for protection. Community leaders were worried that this shooting and subsequent death would marr the image of the state. Police officers running rampant with weapons ready to fire at anyone at any time without probable cause marrs the nation's image. Slaps on the wrists for the injustice served marrs the nation's image. Sweeping the incidents under the rug marrs the nation's image.

Protect and serve or protect and break a "nigga's" neck?

I am outraged!

Another Outrage: Low Value on Black Lives

2008-08-05T00:40:00.001-06:00

Ohio officer acquitted of killing woman
Unarmed woman was holding child during SWAT raid on her house
The Associated Press
updated 5:43 p.m. MT, Mon., Aug. 4, 2008

LIMA, Ohio - A white police officer was acquitted Monday in the drug-raid shooting death of an unarmed black woman that set off protests about how police treat minorities in a city where one in four residents is black.

The all-white jury found Sgt. Joseph Chavalia not guilty of misdemeanor charges of negligent homicide and negligent assault. He had faced up to eight months in jail if convicted of both counts.

Chavalia shot 26-year-old Tarika Wilson and her year-old son she was holding, killing her and hitting him in the shoulder and hand, during a Jan. 4 SWAT raid on her house. One of the child’s fingers had to be amputated.

Officers had been looking for Wilson’s boyfriend, a suspected drug dealer.

Chavalia left the courthouse with his family and declined to comment to reporters. Jurors also left the court without commenting, escorted by sheriff’s deputies.

Wilson’s family members stormed out of Allen County Common Pleas Court before visiting Judge Richard Knepper finished dismissing the jury.

Prosecution: Officer was reckless
Outside the courthouse, Wilson’s brother, Ivory Austin said he wasn’t surprised by the verdict.

“Now he (Chavalia) gets to get back on with his life,” he said. “He took my sister’s life.”

He said he was hoping someone from the police department would at least admit a mistake was made.

“I’m not saying he went up there to kill her,” Austin said.

Prosecutors said Chavalia recklessly fired three shots into a bedroom where Wilson and her six children were gathered, even though he could not clearly see her or whether she had a weapon.

“He couldn’t tell Tarika had a child in her arms,” Prosecutor Jeffrey Strausbaugh said during closing arguments Monday.

Chavalia, an officer of 32-years, had testified that he thought his life was in danger when he fired the shots. He said he saw a shadow coming from behind a partially open bedroom door and heard gunshots that he thought were aimed at him. It turned out the gunfire he heard was coming from downstairs, where officers shot two charging pit bulls.

Lima Police Chief Greg Garlock said the jury made the right decision.

“They confirmed what our sense was and our belief was in this,” he said.

Following the shooting, many residents accused the police department of being hostile and abusive toward minorities. One group led a series of marches through the city to protest what they said was mistreatment by police.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson visited the city and demanded that the officer who fired the fatal shots and those who planned the raid be held accountable. Chavalia was the only person charged.

'Low value on black lives'
Local black leaders had criticized the two misdemeanor charges as too lenient.

“It’s another example that there’s very low value on black lives in this community,” said Jason Upthegrove, president of the Lima National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He said he was sickened but not surprised by the verdict and he hopes it won’t reflect poorly on the city.

Arnold Manley, pastor of Pilgrim Rescue Missionary Baptist Church, said he and other black clergy leaders have been trying to work with police and city officials since the shooting, but that he was unsure whether that would continue.

“I’m hurting deeply,” he said. “The message I got out of all this is that it’s OK for police to go and kill in a drug raid,” he said.

Defense attorney Bill Kluge told jurors Monday that Chavalia should not be judged on what wasn’t known until after shooting, including the fact that Wilson did not have a gun or pose a threat.

“It’s Monday morning quarterbacking,” he told jurors. “Put yourself in Joe’s shoes that night.”

The jury’s decision, he said in closing statements, will affect officers across Ohio.

“What kind of world would it be if we didn’t have police officers,” Kluge said. “Joe was doing his duty.”

Wilson’s boyfriend, Anthony Terry, was arrested and pleaded guilty in March to charges of drug trafficking.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26014951/

Skin I'm In

2008-08-03T21:43:00.011-06:00

Small reflections growing up in my skin. I thought about all of the things that were said to me, oftentimes cruel, sometimes witty. As I grew older I began to understand the division among my race and soon began to realize it's importance today.

As children my sister and I were subjected to "witticisms" pertaining to our lighter shade of "black." I don't think people realize that children, especially small ones, take someone's words literally when spoken. We had a neighbor who liked to refer to us as "piss-colored." Quite perplexing as a child because we couldn't quite grasp what "piss" color really looked like. She would tell us that if we wanted to be darker we would need to drink "black coffee." Can you imagine two little girls oh say 10 and 6 drinking black coffee because we wanted to be darker?
After the 5th cup of coffee we realized that it didnt work and drove our parents crazy for a week straight until we came down from the caffeine high. That is when our father sat us down and explained to us what life for us would be like in our skin.

My father was a beautiful man, and until the day he took his last breath was still fighting the United States Army to change the race on his records. The Army changed what my father had originally listed as Negro (back then it was Negro) to white and he detested it. Flashback...let me take you back to my grandfather who looked Italian with blue eyes and wavy black hair. Grandpa was glorious...and mean...not to his grandchildren, but as I got older I understood where he was coming from. He was born in a time where "darkies" had it worse then ever before. His father (John) was white and Libby (my great grandmother) was Cherokee Indian and black.

Grandpa took after John. Being raised in Wichita, whenever the Papin (pronounced Pau-pawn, however later changed to Papin because it was too hard for others to pronounce) clan walked outside, the neighbors would exclaim, "there goes them Papin darkies...etc.." and Grandpa would seethe with anger. John was from France and immigrated to America. When he met and married Libby he was instantly bannished from the Papin family because he married / procreated outside of his race. Darkies were only meant to clean your homes and raise your children, not marry.

Since grandpa took after John, he was the first black American to make it possible for other blacks to play sports at WSU. Yes he was a great athlete, and later became a pro golf player. Whenever we would be around him, he would complain how he didn't like "darkies" or white people...no particular reason (he could be looking out of the window and see them), but as I look back at it now I understand his comment. I know where he was coming from and I can relate.

My father was a militant, a revolutionary that shared our interest in the black revolution and passionately spoke of his travels and endeavors. He worked hard to establish a chapter in Colorado for Malcolm X. He was liked and known by many, but he knew what we were up against and he prepared us for the time we would be out in the world. My mother would oftentimes paint a picture of a world that was seen through the eyes of rose colored glasses. She didn't want us to grow up believing that all people were racist, and wanted us to view the world as equal for everyone. Boy am I glad we had that balance or we'd be psychotic!

So to clarify, my father did not teach hate, he taught realism. He taught us to embrace our skin and be proud in the fact that we had the blood of many flowing through it. He wanted us to realize that although we were black, life was going to throw us several curves. One is the blatant racism from our own. Two is the blatant racism from white people. Three, we were also women and he wanted us to be able to care for ourselves without relying on others.

When Spike Lee made the movie, "School Daze," I would be verbally attacked by my kind because I was considered a "Wannabe." I remember working in the mall one Saturday when a guy approached my booth and called me a "Wannabe." "You're nothing but a wannabe....fake hair...fake eyes, etc..." he exclaimed, as he tried to get my phone number! Ok first and foremost, I take offense to anyone that makes comments about my color because I had heard it all of my life that I am no longer tolerant of it. I'm not piss-colored, I'm not an Octaroon or a Quadroon. I am not a Wannabe, I am not a perpetrator. I am not white, I am what I am. A black person just trying to make it in racist America.

In corporate America blatant racism is all too real. I tried to explain to my darker toned comrades that if we were to go out for the same jobs with the same skillset, my darker toned brothers or sisters would get the job before I would. They beg to differ. It has been tried and true and the results are inconclusive. Being a lighter shade of black, I do not fit the typical "norm" of what America views as Black. Back in the day however, I would have gotten the job due to the "paper-bag" theory. Yes when Affirmative Action went into affect, companies were hiring blacks based on whose skin tone was lighter or matched a paper bag. The lighter the black, you appeased "The Man..."

White women are quicker to hire a darker toned black person over a lighter toned black person because they are not considered offensive to them. White men will hire a lighter toned black person over a darker toned black person due to fascination with the color. Has nothing to do with skills, just making sure they still meet Affirmative Action with what works for the company. At my last job, I really got tired of people asking me what I was. When I would explain that I was human, they would stand before me baffled because I refused to state my heritage. What difference does it make, you hired me to get a job done so let me do just that...I would always get comments that I was trying to assimilate into the white man's world because of my color. So let me reiterate, when I was born, I had no control whatsoever of color...I was born with the skin I'm in. Period.

As a child, white people would be so fascinated with my sister and I that they would literally reach out to touch us everwhere we were. To this day I think that is where my aversion to touch began. My mother told me a funny story about how I embarrassed her at the grocery store when a woman approached the basket and I screamed, "Don't touch me!" She walked away flushed and embarrassed and I wailed that I didn't like people touching me. Today I am still faced with people quick to lay hands on me because my skin is so "creamy." Lever and I are best friends as I race home to erase the hands laid upon my skin. All 2000 of my body parts scrubbed clean to start the cycle anew.

Through the years my mother has displayed a subtle hatred for our skin tone. She makes references whenever she can about our color, comments about laying out in the sun to get darker, etc... She told us that when she was our age, she too was our color, but we've seen the pictures, she is the same color now as she was then. She can't walk past us without making a "color" comment. "Whew! I wonder what you would look like if you let the sun hit you!" or "'Chile you are hurting my eyes...where are my sunglasses?" I wonder if she thinks we should keep drinking black coffee!

Family members are the same way. My older siblings would always pick fights with us because we were lighter than them. Introductions to their friends were always the same, "These are our white sisters...." I have cousins that are so caught up with skin color that they married white men to have white children. In their minds eye if they had half white kids they were successful. If we were to analyze that, throughout the ages if men or women "scored" a "red-bone" or "high yella" person they made it. To others a lighter toned black person is like scoring a white person and earned you extra brownie points on the block. I don't know about you but I like to choose my people based on actions and feelings, not color.

Today there is a great fascination with multi-racial people. Does this mean the world is changing? No. It is just sugar coated to mask the racism that still exists and persists.

Grandpa made a valid point when he said he didn't like darkies or white people. He wasn't saying it to be racial, and the translation behind those words were simple: he didn't like ignorant people. Black or white. I don't like ignorant people: black, white, yellow or tangerine. Ignorance is bliss.

I will tell you this though...through the years, through the hatred, the comments, the bias...I am comfortable with the skin I'm in.

What's Behind Your Screen Name?

2008-07-26T22:40:00.006-06:00

Let's face it, screen names can reveal a great deal about ourselves. The names we choose are often a reflection of who we'd like to be, or who we are. For some of us, choosing a screen name for our online personas is almost like choosing an email address. It can be hard.

There are several networking sites that I use faithfully and some that I had forgotten about, and when I happen upon those forgotten ones, I am often at a loss for what I see when I read profiles and screen names. Not only are the screen names overtly sexual, but the pictures are oftentimes worse. If you read the captions or the about me sections, you'll often run into statements like, "I am a professional (insert profession here) ___________________, seeking like minded people. Not into games, (and here is my personal favorite) I love the Lord and the Church, etc..." However, every photograph posted neither depicts professionalism, in fact they are quite the opposite. Every photograph reveals more than one would in a courtroom, or a church.

I have a conceptual issue with a grown woman calling herself a "Princess" I don't know there is something a little odd about that. The continuous use of the word "Sex" in screen names baffles me as well. Some of these networking sites have email, that people give out like candy to their fellow friends and coworkers. Imagine you're a lawyer with the screen name "Sexual Chocolate Fantasy" and you run into an old colleague. Most people would opt to give out their networking email address rather than their email address for some reason. To me it would be hard to take you serious if you tell me you're a Bankruptcy Lawyer and you ask me to contact you about my questions yet you ask me to email "Sexual Chocolate Fantasy." I may have to question your integrity for that matter and wonder if my case would even be handled properly.

"Diva" and "Platinum" before and after screen names always drive me crazy! Something about those names seems highly overrated. There is one particular networking site that I absolutely get kicks from because those names are used quite frequently. Not only does the site remind me of a "Ghetto Myspace," but the people in there are so typical. The site and people alone seem "drama laden." The reason I have an account in there is because of my older sister. She likes it in there and it is a way to keep up with her, however, I have been opting to use email more often than the site itself.

I have seen more half naked women in that site alone than I care to. I'll take that back...I have seen more half naked "big beautiful women" than I care to. Ok wait, I'll take that back too. I have seen more half naked, big beautiful, God loving, church going women than I care to! And on another note, I have seen more "God fearing, Christian loving, looking for my sanctified woman to create life everlasting," than I care to see. Wait! They even state that questionable profiles and nudity are not allowed, but the women in their friends list are all half naked and in EXTREME seductive poses. I guess it is that "hoe into a housewife" syndrome. Read their bios and the first thing that is mentioned is their love of God, followed by, "I need a freak!"

Those are usually the accounts with screen names like, "Big ________(fill in blank)," "GodMan4You," "GoodMan," "Sexy Chocolate" and their captions read: "I have everything you need. Fulfill your desires. I am your destiny, (etc)"
Sometimes I cringe when I receive mail from that site. I cringe when I see the screen name and the first line. I know you're wondering why, but I guess I have another conceptual issue with the use of the name, "Boo" Stop calling me "Boo!"
I am neither a "Boo" a "Baby" or a "Princess" and it annoys me immensely to be called these things. Like being called a "cutie." What in the hell is a "cutie?" It sounds so close to "booty" that my skin crawls.

So what's behind my screen name(s)? Me. I opt for my fashionable: IAmCynthia, because I Am Cynthia and I am pleased to meet you. Sometimes I just drop "IAm" altogether and use "Cynthia." In either respect, I can tell you I am a doctor, lawyer, musician, electrician, politican, and you would probably believe me because I have no "SEX,DIVA,PLATINUM,FREAK" behind that to dispel that myth. I do however believe in keeping things real. I am not a doctor, lawyer, musician, electrician or politician. I am me, and that I do not need to hide behind.

So what is behind your screen name?

Whew!

2008-07-24T02:53:00.001-06:00

Of all the ascinine ads to see: Meet "HOT" Christian Women....

Ummmm is that anything like: Meet "Cold" Atheist Women?

Help me out here!

Sheesh!

Control Freaks

2008-07-21T21:39:00.010-06:00

I wanted to elaborate a little more on a post that I had started a while ago, but didn't because I was tired of writing. Sometimes coming up with ideas and actually following through with them can be hard, but this was one post I should not have neglected without further explanation.

See, I'm quite sure that many of us have dealt with "control freaks" in our lifetimes, and walked away feeling drained, dazed and confused when the ride was over. Some may have felt that as a result they lost control of themselves and are now struggling to get back to center.

Control freaks can be defined as someone that has a need to control something/someone because they lack control themselves. Their lives spiral out of control because of decisions they may have made, and instead of taking responsibility for their actions, they lash out at people, places and things. Animals usually get the brunt of most of it because they are the easiest to control and generally don't fight back from the abuse, they just love us unconditionally - something we should be doing ourselves.

Relationships are pretty interesting because there may be one person that just feels the need to control everything about the other, all the way down to what they may eat and what they can wear. For some of us that can recognize this form of behavior, rebellion often becomes a form of self expression. Although rebellion may not be an appropriate word for this piece, because people choose to do what they want when they want, look how they want, listen to what they want, that one person just has to try to change the general make up of another because they are insecure within themselves. This insecurity becomes an affliction because they try to incapaciate the other because of fear.

Fear is a terribly crippling disease: fear is what keeps nations from accepting and loving each other as brothers and sisters, thus war becomes inevitable. Fear kills relationships. How so? Fear manifests into something greater...jealousy. That green-eyed monster is what keeps people from reaching out to each other and expressing themselves openly and lovingly. Fear also keeps one from exploring other possibilities and reaching true potentials. Just think about all of the things you wanted to accomplish in your lifetime, but somehow didn't because you were afraid to even try. Some people translate fear into failure, two complete opposites, yet in one's mind they mean one in the same.

This fear/failure complex siphons into homes, and destroys the very fibers of the relationship. A control freak fears that which cannot be controled and works tirelessly to break down the other's psyche. Domestic violence is part of the controller's control. After many years of a controller dismantling the mental and emotional fibers of a person, deprogramming is what I would like to call it, that person is literally devoid of anything: lacks resources to care for themselves without someone telling them how to do it, and unable to pick up the pieces so quickly. Years of treatment is in order to put the puzzle back together, but a terrible stain is forever imprinted in their minds.

For some it is hard to realize that control is actually taking place until they happen to be discussing it amongst their friends and are told that they are being controlled. One way you can actually determine if someone is trying to control you is listen to how you feel whenever you interact with someone. Do you feel wary whenever someone says something that is completely opposite of your convictions? If so, then you need to think of what you need to do to get yourself out of the situation because it isn't going to get any better. As a matter of fact it will escalate into something greater.

You can be happy in a relationship without someone telling you how to wear your hair, or choosing your music for you. If you like hip-hop and that person likes country music, it is a free world and everyone is entitled to listen to what they want. However, if the person purposefully picks a fight with you because they don't like Ice Cube and this is a continual occurence, chances are if you opt to listen to Toby Keith just to shut their mouths, you've been controlled. If your style has changed because someone cannot handle pencil skirts and pumps, to sweat suits or baggy clothes, trust me...you've been controlled. If he faithfully wore his favorite baggy jeans and t-shirt when he relaxed, only to see him in dress slacks and a button down shirt on the weekend and he grimaces when he walks down the street...trust me, he was controlled.

People fail to realize that we were bestowed with rights as individuals when we took our first breath into this "grand world," although for some, rights are not as open and free and even the freedom to practice what they believe in is encroached upon. Third world countries strip people of their rights immediately, so let's refer to America as a basis for this topic. We have rights...we are individuals, and there is nothing worse than a husband or wife, girlfriend or boyfriend, father or mother trying to strip you of your values, convictions, and morals to suit their purpose.

It is not right and it is not fair to devalue another person's lifestyle and choices because it doesn't fit your lifestyle. On one hand if you actively pursued someone that was quite the opposite of what you are, can you justify the hardships and torment you place upon them? No. You either take them as they are or leave them alone. Now this is not to say that you may run into someone that may appear to be a little "rough" around the edges and you offer (note the operative word here) suggestions to help them improve themselves; i.e., they want to improve their vocabulary so you get them books to further enrich their skills or they want to learn a trade so you help them get into school, etc... This is called helping your fellow man, not to be confused with changing them to your design. They suggested the change and may have even asked for help, that is the big difference.

Controllers do not acknowledge individualism, in fact that is a threat to them. Understand once again a controller is someone that lacks control in their lives, so they have to control something in order to feel significant. Think about it, if you never called someone a billion times in a day and now you're dealing with someone that balks at the fact that you don't call at least ten times before noon, you should be concerned. That behavior will only get worse, and no matter how much you try to explain that you were working, there will be someone chomping at the bit because you "could have taken some time out of your day to at least see how they were doing." That is selfish, unfair and unrealistic.

Also, when you find yourself constantly defending something or explaining "why" you chose to do something, listen to something, read something, eat something, etc...you really should reevaluate the entire situation and take control of you. You should pack your bags and leave. You should stop answering your phone, you should stop making those ten calls before noon and walk away before something terrible happens. It begins with you and your control of yourself.

If you control and you wonder why people stop hanging around you as much, or why you cannot have a substantial relationship with others without using force or strong-arming them into loving you, then you should seek professional help to tap into what is driving you to control others rather than yourself. I know, easier said than done because you have to admit to yourself that there is a problem before you can actually seek help...but I do believe that controllers are quite aware of what they are doing when they get a rush out of the control for their own benefit.

Being responsible for yourself is essential. If we can take stock of our own lives, we can enrich other's lives with the differences we bring to the table. As unique human beings, with our own minds and bodies...The question would be, "would you rather be a robot or an individual?"

Be your own puppeteer and pull your own strings...

Interesting Horoscope Today

2008-07-18T02:56:00.003-06:00

Aries (3/21-4/19)
Today you should be wary of people taking advantage of you. If you give certain people an inch, they will surely take a mile. It's not that you shouldn't be friendly and generous like you usually are. It's just that you have to keep an eye out for people who are asking for too much too soon. Plan ahead of the needy people who might try to get on your good side -- have your boundaries set early, so that when they cross them you can remind them to step back and give you space.

So I mention that it is interesting because for the past few months I feel like I have been dealing with opportunistic people, completely set on taking advantage of my skills and what I may possibly have to offer. I have been sitting here contemplating whether or not I should stop being generous and helpful to people because I feel like I am being used.

Case in point, if you know you owe me money for a job that I have done for you, why is it so hard to just pay me before you ask me to do something else? We ALL have overhead to look out for, (your bills are no greater than mine) yet, like clockwork, here comes the email, "Hey! I NEED you to DO something..." Yeah well guess what? I need you to pay me...pay me what you owe, then move on...

Boundaries are set...just try to cross 'em!

Sheesh! It is a never ending battle with some people...

Quote

2008-07-18T02:03:00.000-06:00

"Ahhhh yes Johnny....Take a good look...Because no matter how cleverly you sneak up on your image in the mirror, it is still staring back at you dead-on..."
-Louis Cypher - Angel Heart

Amy Winehouse

2008-07-05T17:32:00.005-06:00

"Winehouse sings in Spain, glass of wine in hand
July 4, 2008, 4:57 PM EST
ARGANDA DEL REY, Spain (AP) -- Soul diva Amy Winehouse sipped from a glass of red wine and looked a bit unsteady on her feet as she appeared in front of a large audience at the Rock in Rio music festival southeast of Madrid on Friday.

Then, as tens of thousands cheered, she threw off a pair of high stiletto heels in favor of white moccasins, donned a white electric guitar and settled into an intense rendition of some of her best known songs, including "Rehab."

Winehouse delivered a strong vocal performance accompanied by her octet plus two male backing vocalists.

There was no hint of the controversy that saw the Grammy-winning singer scuffle with a fan at the Glastonbury festival in Britain and show up an hour late looking the worse for wear last May in Portugal.

The singer won five Grammy Awards, including best record, best song and best new artist, in early February, but her musical success has been overshadowed by her tumultuous private life and public struggles with drugs and alcohol.

Last month, her father said she developed emphysema from smoking cigarettes and crack cocaine, although her spokeswoman has said Winehouse only has pre-emphysema symptoms.

Once finished at Rock in Rio, she did not stay for an encore and left the outdoor concert venue by helicopter.

Winehouse's manager, Michael Jobson, told national broadcaster RTVE that the singer had looked forward to singing in Madrid after appearances in Portugal and Hyde Park, London."

Ok so here's my problem with Amy Winehouse and everyone glamourizing this woman deadset on killing herself. Besides the fact that she was filmed smoking crack and making racist rants (here in America an incredible number of multi cultural people love this woman's music....their dollars helped make her rich) she decides to be racial. Personally to me she looks, acts and sounds like "trailer trash" and I am really baffled as to why she is even famous. I tried listening to her once, because I wanted to see what the hype was about her, and couldn't understand a damn thing this woman was saying.

So being a crackhead isn't enough...racist rants about the very people that lined your pocketbooks isn't enough, now we have to continue to perpetuate the alcohol and drug problem by jumping onstage with a drink in hand!

Here is what has been driving me crazy about musicians (especially those that continually live in the limelight). One little slip-up and the entire world knows, yet also knowing that the younger audiences are already fascinated with "living on the edge" i.e., drugs, drinking, partying, stealing, criminal activities, our wonderful musicians continue to be persuasive to their younger fans (you know they automatically become role models whether they want to or not) and fails to realize that their every action is being emulated by the youth.

It is bad enough to have people like Lindsay Lohan continue to be a public alcoholic menace. Bad enough that Winehouse continues to stay in the news for her alcoholism and drugs. Bad enough that Spears is STILL in the news. Why are we enabling this type of behavior in the first place? Why do we as consumers continue to line these idiot's pockets with our purchases and support? Shouldn't we show our children that there is more to life than being a public menace?

Continuous ads run daily about the outcomes of drinking and driving, yet Lohan is literally caught daily smashed out of her mind. "Just Say No" to drugs is plastered along billboards, yet we still idolize Winehouse as though she is some goddess. I will tell you what she is, she is hellbent on HER self destruction, another Spears wanting public attention. Well guess what? She will never get my dollar! She doesn't even get airplay in my house, I do not own one Amy Winehouse production and I NEVER will. Here is one BLACK person's dollar she will NOT bank on.

I am concerned about the morality of our people, everything in America seems to be one contradiction after another.

Fireworks Ban

2008-07-02T22:44:00.002-06:00

Unless I am truly missing somthing here, I know there is a fireworks ban here in Colorado. But....it is 10:45 pm and some idiot is shooting off fireworks in our neighborhood!

In Denver, penalties can include a $999 fine or even a year in jail. My dogs literally go crazy every year because of the fireworks. I have to deal with them howling and barking (inside the house mind you) because I am terribly afraid to leave them outside during the so-called festivities.

So tell me, now that the fine seems to get stiffer and stiffer, why do people disobey the laws and still play with fireworks? I guess my biggest concern is the idiots that want to experiment with them on animals. If I hear another story of an dog or cat maimed by an insensitive teenager or adult I will lose my mind!

It's 10:49 and the little shit is still setting off fireworks. I grabbed these facts from our newspaper The Rocky Mountain News about illegal fireworks:

* Police wrote 158 citations last year to people who were using, selling or carrying illegal fireworks.

* In Denver, penalties can include a $999 fine or even a year in jail.

* Instead of driving your neighbors and their howling pets nuts, go to any one of the sanctioned fireworks shows in the Denver area. See county and city Web sites for information.

* Nationwide, 10,000 people are injured every July 4 - most of them under age 15. Most injuries are to the extremities and eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

* A sparkler reaches a temperature of 1,200 to 2,000 degrees - the same as a welding torch. Grabbing a lit sparkler can net someone an immediate third-degree burn, said Denver police technician Dean Christopherson.

* "Every year we have individuals hurt because they've gone across the (county) line and purchased illegal fireworks," said Denver Fire Chief Nick Nuanes.

* Snap pops are legal. The pea-sized devices contain a few grains of sand that have been coated with a tiny amount of impact-sensitive silver fulminate twisted together in a piece of tissue paper. The silver fulminate ignites when the popper is thrown against a hard surface, according to the Web site pyrouniverse.com.

Denver firefighters demonstrated the sheer destructive power of various fireworks Sunday by blowing up a honeydew melon and a watermelon.

They also blew up a rubber glove and started an impressive fire using paper debris and wayward fireworks.

Ok so now we know these little tidbits, will this year be any different than previous years? This year can the 4th of July be a safe and happy celebration for everyone, or do we have to read or watch the casualties on the news?

10:52 and I feel like screaming bloody murder! Do you know what's rude? Suppose people are tucked soundly in their beds, dreaming of dancing fairies and BOOM! Startled out of a golden slumber, reaching for your telephone to call the police because you think you've been shot...

10:54 where is this little jackass? That's three more for the count.

Shop Our Collection Of Music and Books!

2008-07-02T20:20:00.008-06:00

Yes! I'm featuring my new online store: Music and Books: Feed Your Mind...Nourish Your Soul
Up to 50% off for audio, dvds and books!

What To Do With The Control Freaks in Your Life

2008-07-02T17:37:00.003-06:00

Run....run fast....run free...

Too much time, energy and effort is spent on trying to deal with control freaks in your life. Do yourself a favor and rid yourself of the vermin and move forth into the next dimesion of happiness in your life.

Your sanity will thank you ;-)

How To Deal With The Stupid People In Your Life

2008-07-02T17:31:00.003-06:00

Run....run far....run fast!

Time, energy and resources are being spent on idiots. Use that energy towards something more meaningful, yourself, and banish them from your lives forever.

Your sanity will thank you ;-)

Iceberg Slim

2008-06-30T03:13:00.009-06:00

I totally have a newfound respect for Iceberg Slim. Although I had his books from when I was a teen, I could not appreciate what it was he was truly trying to teach the young brothers and sisters of the day.

I decided to reread them over the weekend (yes so far I have read a couple) and I am absolutely astounded.

One that really stands out in my mind is "Mama Black Widow: A Tragic, Bitter Family Portrait." A powerful novella about a black family moving from the South to the "promised land" of the North. I won't give away too much of the storyline, but I will say this: I felt for Otis and truly wanted him to see a better light than what was shone. (By the way I discovered they are making a movie for Mama Black Widow so I would definitely be interested to see how it turns out)

You feel for the characters that Iceberg brings to light.

Second book, " The Naked Soul of Iceberg Slim," is a collection of thoughts from Iceberg. He really laid it down about the "pimp" game and how society may have glamorized "pimpdom" it really wasn't something that was to be idolized.

Iceberg Slim was an incredible writer of his time...

Next book, "Pimp" and I can't wait!

(Disclaimer: For those of you who do not know about Robert Beck, better known by his ghetto name, Iceberg Slim, he was a pimp, dope addict, brutalizer of women - and other Blacks. He cured himself of the ghetto, and started writing about his people and his life. These books were honest, sensitive portraits of ghetto life and people.)

If you're interested in reading more about Iceberg Slim or even his books, follow the carousel ;-)

Investigation: Can I Really Make A Lot Of Money Online?

2008-06-25T00:30:00.012-06:00

The next few days will be spent researching whether or not I can truly make money online. I have tried online surveys, only to have my inbox bombarded with SPAM from hell, not to mention, whenever I open something that says, "Hey take this survey and get $35!" The problem is, it isn't a survey but rather an offer. There are difference between surveys and offers. Surveys ask you endless amounts of questions about a certian topic. Offers mean you sign up for what they present to you. "Get a Free Ipod...sign up now!" Only to have your email entered into a national or rather international email base where SPAM rules. Yesterday my SPAM box had 3,897 messages, all letting me know I can get free cosmetics, I won a $500 gift card to Macys, I can get a FREE Laptop....Yeah right....Offers flood my inbox and I literally cringe when I open it.

Whew! I do realize there are legitimate places that pay well to type documents and read email. What I don't like to read is an "offer" that states I can makes thousands of dollars and get out of debt...but first I should send $500 to get started. Listen up....if I am broke beforehand, I don't hardly think I am going to GIVE someone $500 of my hard earned dollars to have a list sent to me of places willing to pay top dollar for a job!

Pyramid schemes, are they beneficial? I have stumbled across sites that offer pyramid schemes, but it is confusing and contrived. Too many loopholes and hoops to jump through just to make a dollar. I'm sure if I sold an air conditioner to a company, signed one of my friends, and they sold and air conditioner to someone and they signed someone, it would be beneficial. However, in this day and age, people can't afford groceries and gas...let alone an air conditioner!

I signed up for Google Adsense, and Amazon Associates. I now have an aStore through Amazon (kinda cool) so once I get the word out about that, I would love to see what it generates. Since America is experiencing a deficit with the economy, I know it is asking too much to buy a cd, but the added perk with this is....you don't have to waste your gas driving to the store! The widget for my aStore is embedded at the bottom of my page! Happy Shopping!

My next venture is blogging for cash. Here is where I might experience a potential problem, because I generally don't have that much to say, yet I am signed up with about 10 blog sites, that pay. Now I have to think of ideas to blog about...this is going to be hard! I am sure however, that with patience and perseverance, I can eventually make some money with a blog...and maybe even get back into my initial passion which was writing.

I will look into Social Networking as well because I generally receive about 30 emails a day from FaceBook concerning it. My question is can I really make money adding friends to my friend's list? Will this increase my bank account, or just my friend's list? (The messages always read, "Social Networking Makes Money For You...") So does this mean my newfound friends give me jobs or money? (this is worth looking into!)

My investigation will consist of companies dead set on flooding my inbox with offers and options. I will add to this post once it is completed.

Do You Smother Your Loved One?

2008-06-24T07:45:00.018-06:00

I just read an interesting article from men turned off by the fact that their girlfriends and wives are too clingy and possessive. They explained that while they were at work the women had ample "me time" but when they were at home the women became a second appendage, often disabling them from the quality time they so needed themselves.

I know exactly how they feel when it comes to quality time to one's self. There is nothing like being with someone 24/7 and literally feeling like your essence is being zapped away from you because someone is so insecure with the fact that maybe you need to be alone for a moment just to recharge. I have been in innumerous arguments trying to explain that just because I need some time alone didn't mean I was ready to throw the relationship away.

I have friends (female) that literally suck the life essence from their men because they need to know the guy's every movement, every detail, every thought. When the guy wants to hang out with his friends or family it becomes a major production, oftentimes where the guy has to lie just to get a few moments away. I sympathize because I know what that is like, you feign work for the weekend to have a moment of peace and tranquility.

A couple of my friends don't quite understand that relationships are built on compromise, trust and understanding. Going to the gym doesn't necessarily mean he is checking out the women at the gym, but perhaps he is actually going to the gym to work out. Working out is a great form of stress release, not add stressors prior.

I know a few of the men that I have dealt with find that I am quite the opposite of what they normally deal with. I actually respect another person's time and space, and I don't feel like each waking moment I should possess. We have things to do, people to see, and money to make. I would actually get harassed because I didn't call all day everyday just for the sake of calling.

When a person can't get a simple moment of silence just to recharge, animosity can build towards the other person. Think about it, if you have children, you look forward to bedtime just so that you can have a break, watch TV or read that book you've been trying to read for ages. This doesn't mean you don't like your kids, but everyone knows that raising a child takes a great deal of time, energy, effort and most of all love. The same as a relationship. You must be able to nourish your relationship, cultivate it and step back and take a breather.

This article explained that his girlfriend, now pregnant demands that he spends all of his time with her. Even when he gets home from work, a definite time to recharge, she is literally glued to him. He described how he sometimes just walks out of the door for an hour or two without telling her, simply because he knows she will balk about it. She feels as though time away from her would mean a new life that doesn't include her, and she simply cannot deal with it.

Hmmmmmm, what's an hour away from the house? That seems to be enough time to drive around the corner a few times, or park your car somewhere and ponder your day before your mighty succubus steals your life force. What that sounds like to me is insecurity, which leads to possessiveness and crazed thoughts and feelings. You shouldn't worry about an hour away, worry when the person stops coming home period.
So they want to spend time with family and friends, is that really so hard to accept? Their family and friends were definitely there before you were, they are just another extension of your loved one, that shouldn't wreck havoc on your home.

Here are a few examples of someone who smothers their loved one:

1. While they are on the phone you lurk in the shadows listening in and adding your commentary while they speak.

2. You're first before you see their shadow.

3. You know you don't like football, yet you're smack dab in the middle of the gang.

4. They use the bathroom facilities with you (sometimes those private moments really should be PRIVATE)

5. Sitting at the breakfast table reading the paper, your face is covering up the headlines.

(I'm poking fun at this, but some of these experiences are real.)

I absolutely cringe whenever I hear, "I was nothing without this person in my life, now I am someone and I HAVE to spend every moment with them." Here is an eye-opener for you: You were someone before you met them, you are still someone with them!

So how about using your children to keep a stronghold on your loved one? I just had a conversation earlier today with a friend where he explained to me that his friend's wife wouldn't let him pursue his musical career because of her insecurities, and literally told him he would never be able to see his son if he did. That is absolutely CRAZY! Love is not BINDING and should not be used to control someone....ever...

Communication is the key to an effective relationship, however, discussing instances of smothering can be uncomfortable. There are tactful ways of explaining "me time." One could usually say that it is essential that I have at least an hour of downtime so that I can be my best with you. Assurance can help lessen the stress. For myself, since I am prone to awful mood swings, if I don't get my time, well let's just say that it isn't "pretty," and I even had to find tactful ways of saying, "I need to recharge my battery...."

Sometimes people don't quite understand that smothering can run a person right out of the door. I know for myself, I tend to gravitate towards "standalone" players, because they have their own lives, their own sense of self and do not waste their energy reflecting on the amount of time we're not spending with each other. Too much time with each other can be a lethal combination, like lighters and paper. Think about it, if you are around someone all of the time, literally 24/7 you begin to notice their idiosyncrasies and begin to pick them apart. After awhile you no longer desire to be in the company of the person and do think about the "greener pastures."

Respect for each other, especially time, space, family and friends can go a long way to achieving a greater appreciation for each other...

The choice is yours...

What's Really Going On With Flava Flav?

2008-06-20T18:10:00.002-06:00

Since the first and second seasons of Flavor of Love, I had decided against watching any of the new seasons. One of the reasons was the fact that the women on the show have no compunction whatsoever with degrading themselves all for the chance at "fame." No matter how you try to slice it or dice it these women are not trying to vie for Flava's love, they just want a shot at the big screen. The second reason I opted out of watching was that the show has seemed to take a turn for the worse. Not saying that it was quality opimum viewing in the first place, although it was cool to see the highjinx of New York vs. Deelisish vs. Hoopz. What occurred from those shows were modeling careers for Deelisish, although Hoopz was already a model it probably catapulted her to fame...but, we also had to be innundated with yet another reality show for New York, which *whew* was it for me! I didn't like New York enough as it was, but the public had to be saturated with her and her mother again...

Curiosity got the best of me so I chose to watch yet another episode from the new season. Let me just say that I am completely baffled at the new lineup. Please explain to me why two sisters (twins) are competing for a chance with Flav? Am I missing something here? Not only does this speak volumes about the sisters, but it is a bit perverse to say the least. I guess I am trying to figure out what in the hell is going on in Flav's mind. First of all Flav is Public Enemy's frontman. So coming from a Chuck D standpoint, this is a poor representation of what Public Enemy is truly about. It is a contradiction in terms...or how one could look at it, it is almost like a slap in Public Enemy's faces because of the lack of morals and ethics from Flav.

I went to PE's website just to see if they talk about this show. I was offended for Chuck D alone....Here is Chuck spitting his 'isms' and tune into VH1 you have a buffoon getting busy with twins. Now tell me this isn't degrading. What was going on through the mother and father's mind to even let their daughters vie for the same man. The father seemed like an educated man who worked hard for his daughters, the mother seemed like she too may have encouraged the daughters to go for the "gold." My parents would not have let me and my sister compete for the same man, but I guess it all boils down to what we teach our children at home. I guess if you have no good solid upbringing, you will do these things, which leads me to this...even the girls lack quality (at least you were able to stomach the girls from the last seasons, these women are less than desirable ghetto trash!)

So I'm watching the episode where Flav invited the girl's parents so that he could meet them, so he took them bowling. Here you have two girls in front of their parents mind you kissing, touching and fondling Flav. IN FRONT OF THEIR PARENTS, is that not disrespectful or what? Ok so flash forward to the family dinner, better yet....let's just change the channel because I have had enough of this crazy show!

I am baffled...

Realization: Keeping It Real as a Fan or Maintaining a Disjointed View...Take Your Pick...

2008-06-20T05:46:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago I received a few disturbing messages from a "fan" who wanted to share their opinions with me about how an entertainer is really supposed to act towards their fans. The emails struck me as odd because the person that sent them to me became friends with me under the premise that maybe I could get them closer to their target since I worked with them. The emails started off with, "...I just had the opportunity to meet another musician who really cares about their fans, and are rather disappointed in (said musician) for not responding to their fans when they email them or reach out to them..."

Ok cool, however, since I am not the (said musician) I was baffled as to why I was privy to "said" conversation in the first place. This person also went on to add a disclaimer that stated, "...(said musician) and myself were not all that because we don't care about our fans..."

People let me explain something to you....when I'm working with (said musicians or entertainers) I AM really just working with them. I have nothing to do with how they interact with their fans or people in the community. I'm writing this because I noticed throughout the past few months, I have been held accountable for the actions of another simply because I know them...(yes I know the addage, "guilty by association") but I'm really not the one on stage entertaining folks...I am the person behind the scenes minding my own "bidness" trying to make an honest dollar.

I will however shed a little light for those of you and the "groupie love" you possess. Musicians, those truly dedicated to their craft are VERY BUSY people. Throughout the day they normally don't have time to grab a sensible lunch or a cup of coffee, let alone email you back because you just have to have a message from them. By the way most messages you may receive are generally from the Webmaster and not the artist themselves, so while you think you're having a nice one-on-one conversation...think again...

Since most of the musician's time is taken up in the studio (i.e. rehearsing, practicing, writing, collaborating, video and photo shoots, etc....) there is not much time to focus on what someone is posting to their comments here in MySpace. However, when time is permitted some make take the time to peruse comments and mail...some may be catching a flight to their shows or some may be getting ready to go on tour...

In either respect, to have a disjointed view of how musicians should conduct themselves with their fans is a little off-centered. Not to mention crazy. These people are seriously working hard for their money like everyone else...they work hard to give you the music YOU want...they work hard to keep you entertained...they are not Postmasters....they do not need you standing at their doorsteps bearing gifts proclaiming your deep and undying love for them...

These are real people with "real" jobs, who probably have a 9-5 in addition to entertaining you....your expectations about how they should recognize your super fandom is ridiculous....be happy for them....support the music....don't expect them to bed you down and create a child from the union...and don't expect them to speak to you every damn day...it's just not happening....

So before you think to write me another email about (said musician's) conduct, think about whether or not you're keeping it real as a fan or maintaining a disjointed viewpoint...then ask yourself this question:

Do you really think Lenny Kravitz has time to chill out with you on MySpace? Is it fair to get mad because he didn't respond to your mail? (if you answered "no" to any of these, you can be rehabilitated)

Keep it real folks....just keep it real...

Groupie Love

2008-06-20T04:29:00.005-06:00

Music, the universal language that the musician presents to the world. Their passions, dreams, loves, desires, hopes and fears conveyed through the instruments that they play. We show our love for the musician with cd purchases, t-shirts, posters and other trinkets we may run across. We attend concerts, tune in to our local radio shows and broadcasts, and new cd release parties in hopes of meeting our artist and expressing our hearfelt gratitude for showering the world with their song. For some, these chance encounters are lasting moments we share fondly with family and friends. Those meetings leave an indelible impression upon our minds, that we reflect upon for time to come. For others these meetings symbolize a way to gain noteriety if the encounter involves sex, money, gifts or even long lasting communications with the artist. However, for some artists these are mere chance encounters that result in satiating desires. For the fan, these encounters lead to misunderstandings, because the starstruck does not realize that they suited a need for the moment. This misunderstanding results in heartbreaks and for some of the most extreme cases a restraining order because the fan had resorted to stalking their obsession.

According to the dictionary this fan could be classified as a groupie:

1. a young person, esp a teenage girl, who is an ardent admirer of rock musicians and may follow them on tour.

2. an ardent fan of a celebrity or particular activity

I have had the opportunity to view first-hand the antics of the love-lorn that attaches itself to the artist like a parasite, the infestation too much for even a vaccine. Sounds dramatic I know, but working with Independent Artists, I have witnessed sheer psychotic behavior from adoring fans. According to the dictionary the groupie is a "young" person. What concerns me is someone in their late 30s and 40s traipsing about the nation for the love of someone because of their profession and status.

There are women that completely lose their sense of self because they want the love of their obsession. I have watched one that completely invalidates her children because she would rather sit under her "star" and have her world crumble right beneath her feet. Just for the sake of saying she had him for the night. True stories, sad situations and people.

Let's talk about the one that insinuated herself into the artist's life under the guise of helping him with his business. Her days are filled with running away other groupies because she fears her "spot" in this man's life will be taken away from her. He doesn't realize that her intentions are not about helping him, but rather acquiring him. She does everything under the sun for him, yet balks at the sight of other women he flaunts before her. In his eyes, they are merely friends, and she is just there helping him. In her eyes, he is completely disrespecting her and she won't tolerate it.

I would like to say that she could be the most dangerous to this man because she could snap in any instant if her livlihood with this man is threatened. He doesn't see that, yet, he doesn't realize that for every woman that he sleeps with he is sending mixed signals because afterwards he complains that they are all too clingy. He wants the ability to have what he wants, without the attachments. Every woman he chooses to be with suits a purpose with him. They fill a void in his life. He runs when things get too deep, and his lack of focus on his music alone is enough to make you step back off of the payroll.

It's like a comedy of errors. These women hang on to his every word. Each one cooking, cleaning, paying his bills and meeting his every need and desire. Older women who for some reason or another need to have someone else validate their existence in life. A musician can make them happy. This is what is discussed amongst them. His skills and abilities could make them happy. I scoff at the comments, because when he sends them on their ways they are like hurt children, waiting by the phone for his next call.

There is one that literally stalks him. In person, online you name it. She looks at his MySpace page daily, and even stalks the other women that makes comments to him. She literally spends innumerous hours each day trying to get closer to this man. When he finally tired of her, she immediately went into denial and appeared at his doorstep every chance she could. She even told him that if he stopped communicating with her she would kill herself.

Now that woman has the potential to be VERY dangerous because it could result in fatal attraction. She has small children at home that she uses to get closer to him. Because she knows he loves children, they are like props, just a way to gain his attention.

At concerts it is fun to just stand on the sidelines, because the show before the concert and after the concert is quite entertaining. The women will even attach themselves to the people working in the "camp" to get closer to their obsession. Personally for myself, I normally have to filter innumerous emails and phone calls from these women because they are merely trying to get closer to their target. I gave up on friend requests in MySpace just for that fact alone...

I love music just as much as anyone. I support Independent Artists and Musicians alike. There is a fine line between obsession and appreciation.

Are You A Hip Hop Apologist?

2008-06-20T04:13:00.004-06:00

I'm so excited that I just received my Guerilla Funk Newsletter that I feel inclined to share the entire contents...This is something everyone needs to reflect upon...So direct from Paris, "Are You a Hip-Hop Apologist?"

"Since the Imus controversy recently erupted there has been a lot of finger-pointing and blame-placing as to what the root of the problem really is. Of course, we all know that racism and sexism existed before hip-hop -- that's a given. But it's completely beside the point when our (black) culture is dictated to us by white corporations. Follow me...

For the record, most folks in our communities didn't even know Don Imus before he made headlines with his slurs (and many still don't). For the most part, we remain oblivious to the tirades of him, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and others who constantly malign us and foster a climate of intolerance simply because these talking heads don't speak to US. For Imus to blame black culture as being the reason for his ignorance is both sad and backwards. He's a racist and a sexist, pure and simple, and he can't blame an art form or a culture that I'm certain he has little knowledge of for his actions. The fact that he named hip-hop "culture" as a culprit is telling, however.

If you haven't noticed by now, life imitates art -- it's not the other way around. There is no stronger cultural influence on people now than popular media, and hip-hop is at the forefront. Ask almost any child about the lyrics to a popular song or a scene from a video or movie and more often then not they will know the details better than they know their school lessons.
Entertainers and the culture of celebrity that we find ourselves living in often hold more weight with kids then parents, educators, preachers politicians or even sports heroes. Can we blame some rappers for selling completely out? Of course. Be we have to look at the entire picture.

The argument is often made by Russell Simmons and others that rappers are poets who simply report on what we feel and our surroundings, and that we shouldn't be censored. On that point we partially agree -- we shouldn't be censored. But balance between the negative and positive needs to be provided, and it currently isn't. Most artistic integrity is questionable at best. My understanding is that artists are supposed to express what they believe in at all costs (if not, there's work at the post office). But most don't, and they mold their approaches to making music based on what they perceive major labels wanting. If Def Jam or Interscope or any of these other large culture-defining companies issued a blanket decree that they would only support material and artists with positive messages then 99% of those making music now would switch up to accommodate. That's real talk. I'm not saying these labels should (or would), but if they did, gangstas would stop being ga! ngstas and misogynists would stop being misogynists at the drop of a DIME. Many artists are like children, and most will say and do what is expected of them in order to benefit financially. And although there is definite self-examination that needs to take place within the artist community, the lion's share of the blame falls on the enablers who only empower voices of negativity. Record labels and commercial radio often use the excuse that they are "responding to the streets" and that they are "giving the people what they want." BULLSHIT. They dictate the taste of the streets, and people can't miss what they never knew. The fact is that there are conscious decisions made by the big business and entertainment elite daily about what to present to the masses -- and it is from those choices that we are allowed to decide what we do and do not like. Who presents the music that callers are invited to "make or break" on the radio? That callers are invited to "! vote on" on T.V.? Who decides on what makes it to the store s! helves o r the airwaves at all? Like I said, life imitates art, and pseudo-black culture is determined by those other than us every day. Walk into any rap label or urban radio station and you can count the number of black employees on one hand.

The argument in response could be made in defense of labels that if they don't respond to the streets then the music will just go underground. Huh? WHAT underground? Do you know how much good material is marginalized because it doesn't fit white cooperate America's ideals of acceptability? Independents can't get radio or video play anymore, at least not through commercial outlets, and most listeners don't acknowledge material that they don't see or hear regularly on the radio or on T.V. Very few of us are willing to actually seek out material and messages to identify with. As with anything in our fast food culture, we want our entertainment choices fast and in our collective face. For most listeners, all the rest need not apply.

What I want to know is, when did the worst in us become normal and accepted? When did it become par for the corporate course that "black man as thug" and "black woman as slut" be business as usual? Major companies now line up to profit from the buffoonery of a few...at the expense of us all. MTV, Viacom, Clear Channel, Boost Mobile, Amp mobile, Chevy, all major record labels and most video games come readily to mind, but there are many others.

I'm not a hater...although I do hate the imbalance in the industry right now and the negativity it fosters. I'm not calling for censorship. You can't lump me in with the Jesse Lee Petersons and the Armstrong Williamses of the world...bourgeois self-hating black men who demean other black people and profit at our expense. And nobody can say that I'm unqualified to speak on it, since I've contributed to the sale of just under 4 million albums independently, still run my own successful counter-establishment label (www.guerrillafunk.com) and have been embracing messages of self-esteem and self-sufficiency for years.

Like I said, I'm not calling for censorship, but I am calling for balance. I'm calling for more representation of points of view other than gangsta rap and escapism. More revolutionary voices. More voices of women. Where is the diversity? Music can only be kept artificially young and artificially dumb for so long before an inevitable backlash ensues, and that's what we're seeing take place now. Overall album sales for the January 1-April 2 period are down 16.6% -- with a 20.5% decline in CD album sales since last year -- and an even greater decline in hip-hop. Since LAST YEAR (and it was already raggedy last year, believe me). We're seeing the industry implode before our eyes. I heard somebody say recently that in this current era of style over substance Stevie Wonder, Parliament/Funkadelic, Earth, Wind & Fire, Curtis Mayfield and others would never have been signed. Let tha! t sink in for a second. They would never have been signed. Some of the very architects of black music as we know it would have been sidelined too, just as countless others are now, because they wouldn't have fit into white corporate America's cookie-cutter feel-good box of acceptable black behavior and appearance. Same goes for me, Public Enemy (they'll take the Flav, but not the Chuck), Kam, X-Clan, BDP, Wise Intelligent, dead prez, Zion-I, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, The Roots, Blackalicious, Immortal Technique, The Coup, T-K.A.S.H., Michael Franti and a host of others.

So how many half-naked women sipping Cris draped in blood diamonds poolside will it take before we collectively agree that shit is tired now? How many backward-ass coons with tats and plated grills and pimp cups etc. in the strip club before we all agree that enough is enough and that we need balance? When did the bar get set so low? When will we demand more? And as for Simmons' argument that "rappers are reporting what they see" etc, how are cocaine-kingpin rhymes or poolside pimp-nigga fantasies anyone's reality? Miss me with that bullshit argument. Yes, there should be room for all voices to be heard, but we have to be treated and presented equally. Now we have bitches and hos, players and pimps, gangstas and dealers -- but no kings and queens, no revolutionaries, no dissent, no political commentary and no anger -- how is that? In an era where EVERYTHING is political and people are more disgusted with the way things are more than ever? It's no mistake. Yes! I can say that we have failed, that we have allowed black culture to once again be co-opted, diluted and prostituted. Commercial rap culture is now to hip-hop is what disco was to funk. No wonder Nas is saying it's dead.

And who's to blame? Definitely not artists like the ones mentioned above. Not most artists at all, actually, because we don't control whether or not we're seen and heard by the masses. No, the blame needs to squarely sit on the shoulders of those who run the labels, the commercial radio stations, the television studios and the large corporate sponsors who reward only the worst in us and seem hell-bent on pursuing (with little success) the most fleeting, fickle demographic of all -- 12-16 year old adolescent females. You know, the demo that's the most impressionable, with the least amount of loyalty or disposable income. Brilliant.

Know that it's okay to call shit like it is and quit being cowards worrying about who we'll offend. It's okay to blame Simmons, Lyor Cohen, Jimmy Iovine, Kevin Liles, Bob Johnson, Debra Lee, Michael Martin and others of their ilk because the blood is on their hands. They are the gatekeepers of popular culture and they are the ones who determine what you see and hear. They can't say that their decisions are based on economics when they exclude voices of reason because there are literally hundreds of millions of people globally who feel the same way. What about that consumer base? I guess that money is no good, huh? Fuck outta here... Remember, part of the strategy of mind control is to fool the public into thinking that they have choice. We do, but the playing field is so skewed in the favor of mega-corps that the contributions of the alternatives are often viewed by most as insignificant.

So yes, there is a problem, but the fake "Kumbaya" moment on Oprah yesterday won't solve it. Are we really going to look to those individuals who have made a killing off of pushing poison to us to fix the problem? We shouldn't. Instead, we should vote with our dollars and continue the campaign of public shame until we see some concrete change. The music industry as we know it is on its death bed. People are now more tired than ever of 'music business as usual' and style over substance.

Imus was an insignificant part of a much greater problem. Sure, his incident open up national discourse regarding issues of race and sex. And yes, it is now more apparent than ever that whites have a hard time acknowledging racist and sexist behavior in other whites as being solely their fault. Most black artists are not to blame, as we often can't been seen or heard without white help. But it's important to note that many of us can and should know better when saying and doing the things we say and do. It's easy to despise the indefensible, and media outlets like Fox News have made good money demonizing those with little real power.

But will we champion the good among us? "
Paris is a successful independent hip-hop artist and founder of Guerrilla Funk Recordings, a musical organization that counters the corporate stranglehold of censorship currently plaguing the entertainment industry. Visit Guerrilla Funk

Cops Acquitted In Bell Slaying

2008-06-20T04:08:00.002-06:00

Bell's family may plan legal fight - Crime & courts- msnbc.com

Once again I am completely outraged at the injustice of America that the police officers who opened fire on Sean Bell with a 50-shot barrage can be acquitted without a moments notice. What happens to the Bell family, now that Sean cannot be with his family, shouldn't someone be held accountable for his death? Do we just sweep this under the rug just as we did with the slaying of Diallo who was just reaching for his wallet? Do we as "civilized" people need to continue to walk ...

Wesley Snipes Tax Conviction

2008-06-20T04:03:00.005-06:00

Judge sentences Snipes to 3 years for tax convictions

"Action star Wesley Snipes sentenced to 3 years for February tax convictions..."

I don't know what has me most angered about this story. I'm not sure if it is the fact that Wesley Snipes was given such a steep sentence for not paying his taxes that an example has to be made of him, or the idiotic comments that were made after this story.

Since we live in a world that seems to care more about whether or not Brittney Spears or Paris Hilton wore matching underwear with their garments (nevermind the public intoxication and the drinking while driving, being served with harsh sentences of oh say 2-3 days for almost killing people) Wesley Snipes has to be the example for the public. Or perhaps it is the fact that racism is still high on the list in America just sugar coated with America's ever-growing fascination with life as a "multi-racial" person that we have to follow up with endless searches now of Obama's mother and grandmother because we're so intrigued with the color of skin. "Tell me what your life was like growing up?" Uhhhh I'm sure it was the same as yours growing up, we ate ice cream, watched tv, listened to music....played with dolls...ate dinner, went to school (for some of us private schools) and enjoyed those hot lazy summer days with family and friends... Or better yet let's ask Libby, Thomas Jefferson's wench....cause it is a known fact that Mr. Jefferson liked chocolate....so get over it...

I mean I am sitting here reading these asinine comments about "negros" and how we should be introduced to an "oak tree" and "rope," But nevermind all of that because the question still remains, "Why are Black people still so bitter and angry?" (I read that in another set of comments from an ignoramus that just didn't understand why black people continue to perpetuate hatred towards "white people") Well let me tell you that when "white people" continue to post comments about "negros" followed by "go back to Africa" and "strange fruit" I can guarantee you Black people will always remain bitter. Oh I know you're sitting there like "Hey...we've done all we can to right the wrongs with black people....why all of this hatred?" I can answer with this, "Black Holocaust" remember that as you peruse your history books filled with false information. Our nation is more ignorant today than it was yesterday....we're just wearing our ignornaces differently...different clothes....different masks...but reality is still the same. There is no justice for blacks anywhere in America...so why would anyone assume it would get any better?

It is hard to explain the anger that I have deep inside, I find it is almost like trying to describe the Quantum Theory to a Chef or the contemplation of infinity to the checker at the grocery store. If you try to reach someone from a philosophical perspective of being Black in America you're on the verge of a shadowy understanding that forever eludes their grasp. I'm sure a great number of you can attest to this as you've sat in wonderment at the idiot sitting in front of you asking you why you hate white people...."I just don't understand why you "jigaboos" get so upset...we took care of ya, gave you homes, gave you work, gave you our 'ligion" Ummmmm....yeah...

But hey there is something that I want you to know....I'm not racist...I just know that "crackers" and "honkys" get on my nerves when they want to sing a round of "Kum Ba Yah" to a despondent negro whose lost "it's" way; on the premise of erradicating racism because humanity needs to unite without barriers....I wholeheartedly believe in coexisting peacefully with "rednecks" without the added adjectives because we can exist without the barriers....but "honkys" don't realize that everytime we stumble across an article where the authors so eloquently states that the "nigger" needs to get off their ass and stop expecting a handout or we'll be seeing great big "oak" trees and ropes, that unity with Europeans is virtually undigestable.

I'm not quite sure why I am trying to discuss race let alone racism and racist comments to a nation of bigots...It is racist and derogatory comments that can stir up a nation or better yet a black woman that has had it with the rhetoric of a dumb "white man" whose disrespectful comments are allowed to remain on a national board. In either respect, Wesley Snipes has to go to federal prison for three years and Brittney is still allowed to drive under the influence while shoplifting for lighters at the neighborhood 7-Eleven.

Daydreaming...

2008-06-20T01:20:00.002-06:00

Yes...I'm daydreaming of a world that no longer has a reference to the color of one's own skin because people are accepted as they are. I am dreaming of a day when everyone can break through the color barriers and allow themselves to love one another unconditionally. Yes....I know a bit of a fairy tale, but in these trying times the issue of race seems to be the next most discussed topic, besides Brittany Spears.

Unless one can see life through the eyes as a person of color, it is hard to define what is most disturbing with today's times. I would have to venture to say that it is fear that keeps people from trying to discover one another. That fear seems to be the driving force to further keep a nation of people chained and bound. This fear that won't allow love, but anger....hatred for another because of the color of their skin, or the religion they choose to practice.

I'm quite sure the talks about race seem to be endless, everyone competing for a shot to state their views and opinions. One race doesn't understand another, another race seeking supremacy. However, those who suffer the most are the seeds from unions. Multiracial, bi-cultural. Our children are left wondering why we hate each other so much...The things that are discussed at the dinner table, spills out unto our seeds, and they act out in schools, and amongst their peers....Then we sit back and wonder how our children learned such behaviors. We sit in embarrassment when we're called from the school principals and teachers and other parents, as they explain to us that our children are a bad influence on other children.

Children often emulate what they see and hear. Favorite icons on television, musicians, and yes....believe it or not we are the molds for our children's clay. Daughters mirror the mothers, sons mirror their fathers. We are the educators of our children yet our textbooks are outdated. The vicious cycle continues to spin, we are the perpetrators of the crimes. It is easy to say, "I am not responsible for little Johnny blowing up that Mosque," however, think about the last time you spewed venom about the Muslim community and your hatred for Muslims. Children are not born to hate...we create the hate. The hate that hate made.

All of our fears spill forth into the world. We fear the man that shaved his head, but is he really a skin-head? We fear the man because his clothes are sagging, but is he really a gang-banger? Our perceptions of others has paralyzed our minds. How we interact with others on the streets is like a sitcom. We run from the man who says "hello," we refuse to help that elderly lady across the street because we're too consumed with our own selves to even care. We turn a blind eye when someone asks for help. "Oh, no....not me I'm not getting involved!" We utter foul words under our breath when we approach someone different. Yes different than our own skin.

Racism is defined as, "the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races..." My question? How can one race of people be more intrinsically superior to members of other races?" How can a man sit in awe at the color of blood pouring from the wounds that have been inflicted upon another. Yes, the blood that pours red is the same color that flows through all of our veins. That same hue stains the very fibers that America was built on.

America was built on lies and racism. Racism built America. The blood, sweat and lives of others. Strange fruit adorned the trees, blood nourished the seeds in our fields. It is also our lies, our prejudice, our superiority that is destroying the nation. Our hatred is detroying our world. Gaia is crying out to be purged of our ways. Our world is changing dramatically, and instead of trying to make it a better place for all, we continue to wear our chains. We continue to be bound by the hatred that controls our minds. We will never be free because our fear will forever hold us captive.

Here Come The Judges!

2008-06-20T01:18:00.003-06:00

Being forced to live without cable has been the absolute worst for me. Regular television programming lacks informative, educational shows. However, they do provide a different sort of entertainment....Judge shows!

I have been trying to figure out what is the worst of two evils: soap operas or judge shows. Soap operas are so mundane. Either the writers are bored with the story lines so they create these scenarios that are a bit too much to follow, or the actors seem to be getting younger and younger and less interesting. In either respect I opt to turn off my idiot box. When I do leave the tube on and I channel surf, I am faced with game shows galore, latin programs, and yes...judge shows.

It appears as though everyone these days are judges. There is a judge for this and that. Upset with your neighbor? Take him to court! Want a divorce? Do it on television in front of millions of Americans. Need to determine paternity? Expose your scandalous behavior on national television. It just seems to go on and on.

I completely gave up on talk shows. Jerry Springer was enough back in the day. Now everyone is a talk show host and the shows are getting raunchier and raunchier. Everyone these days insist on exposing their dirty laundry on national television and that to me is scary.

Let's take these judge shows for instance. In the morning you're literally innundated with a plethora of judges ready to take your case. I think I am outdone with the cases that need to determine paternity. Please explain to me why a person would choose to go into court knowing they haven't been honest with the people they are suing let alone themselves and try to hash out paternity. The women stand up and claim complete innocence until the judge reads the results of the test. Then they stand there dumbfounded and shocked as if they didn't already know the man they were suing wasn't the father of their children. The cases I have heard have been unreal. I am often disgusted by the women that stand in confidence that "he is the one" that fathered their children, regardless of the five or six other men that they may have slept with.

What about borrowing money from your family and friends only to have them take you to court because you didn't pay them back. Now all of your dirty laundry is aired and once again the person stands bewildered that they are being sued. Uhhhh how about paying back what you owe?

Then there are the divorces. With a subject as sensitive as divorce, is there a reason why it needs to be shared with millions? I have watched cases where everything from fidelity to paternity was being discussed and once again the women and men stood confident that they never cheated on their spouses and were loving and true...that is until their lies were dispelled.

I have a novel idea: why don't we go to court and actually tell the truth. I mean isn't that the whole idea when you are sworn in before the judge? That would cut down on the buffoonery on television and maybe programmers will actually show something substantial like news. Now there is a brilliant idea!

The Art of Thanks / Gratitude

2008-06-20T01:16:00.002-06:00

I wanted to post this blog after the holidays because we oftentimes are so caught up in the moment that we forget “Thanksgiving” should be an everyday occurrence and not just one time a year.

Gratitude should be everyday, all day….Think about it, there is so much to be thankful for, and if we give thanks, we show appreciation. We should show appreciation for our lives, our family and our friends. We acknowledge the good, the bad and the indifferent with just a simple phrase: “I Am Thankful.”

Now before you dispel the idea of being thankful in these trying times, remember that no matter how big the issue there is still something to be “Thankful” for. Look at the fact that you have your life, you were able to wake up in the morning to give thanks for the day (regardless if it is raining or snowing, the beauty of Gaia is still something to behold). Don’t focus on your situation focus on the beauty of “Life” in general)

Give thanks to the people in your life: you husband, your wife, your sister your brother, your mother, your father. If you can think of anyone in your life, give thanks. This exercise should be practiced daily, and then it will become second nature to you. Give thanks for all that you cherish and all that you may wish for (yeah thanking what you want, just puts those good vibrations into the Law and could bring your wishes to fruition)

I have had the opportunity to reflect on a number of things over the holiday and wanted to share them with you. I am thankful for my family and friends because they have kept me grounded, afloat and enlightened. My sister I am truly thankful for because not only is she my best friend, but she is the only one that can deal with my ADD…yeah I drive her crazy! (not clinically diagnosed, but if I had to say I had a problem, it would be a disorder to settle down to one thought, one idea, one chair (god I can’t stay seated for long) and roll with it! In my head I have billions of things going on at once, but hey….I can tell you what you just said to me, while I am on the computer, watching TV, listening to music, talking on the phone all the while I am taking pictures!) *whew*

I am thankful for people that have crossed my path, especially these past few months. These people have afforded me opportunities that I am forever thankful for. I am thankful for my talents, skills and the opportunity to share them with others.

I am thankful to newfound friends, may we grow as we keep our heads to the sky…
I am thankful for my helluns (my dogs); you know they say that when you stroke a pet it automatically lowers your blood pressure. I believe it, but then again there is nothing like retrieving the toilet paper the puppy has strewn around the house or fighting her for the LazyBoy!

I am thankful to my mother for the refrigerator and cabinets that seem to overflow with food! Maybe one day she will actually “hear” me when I tell her I am a vegetarian ;-) I have mad love for my mother! I give GRATITUDE for my father….he was the ROCK and solid foundation for the family (miss you Big Poppa!) I am THANKFUL for my 96 year old Grandmother! I LOVE YOU NANNY!!!!!

I am thankful to be able to write this to you.

I grew up to Earth, Wind & Fire so a great deal of my positive vibes I attribute to the messages they delivered in their music. One song in particular stands out in my mind, “Gratitude.” That song always affected me, and every morning, not even realizing that I was doing it, I was singing the song, “I want to Thank you…yeah….I want to Thank you….” (that was like the hook) and giving thanks… (I totally thank EWF for the powerful messages they instilled in me!)
Giving thanks is not hard, acknowledging all that you have in your life should be second nature like brushing your teeth… Just be thankful for everything….

Tha Eastsidaz say it best, “….just be thankful for all you got, if it’s just a little bit it’s all you got….you might not have a car or a big gold chain, stay true to yourself and things will change…” (“Be Thankful,” Tha Eastsidaz, Tha Eastsidaz)

Love is Life…

Give Love, Share Love, Be Love….

Cynthia

MySpace...YourSpace: The Invasion Begins!

2008-06-20T01:12:00.004-06:00

The other day, I received an email or rather a note from a “disappointed” visitor to MySpace (note: MY SPACE in MySpace Land). The person deemed it necessary to discuss with me my “sins” brought about by my images. The person persecuting me of my sins based upon an image, couldn’t even spell or use proper syntax in a sentence! This very someone actually had the gall to tell me that I was one dimensional and narcissistic. Why? Because I didn’t have pictures posted depicting my family, friends, my job or my life in general. One dimensional and narcissistic. So, in a world filled with tourists to MySpace Land, and the many houses that are built upon it whose mantles happily display their narcissistic and one dimensional image of themselves, I had to be the one to receive the barrage of criticism. I was judged, crucified and buried for depicting my image of the Ankh and was told I needed to learn the key to life. The Key to Life. What does that mean exactly? Is it because I chose to leave out facets of my life that are not important or relevant to the millions of subscribers in MySpace Land? Or, is it because this person believes I should live my life according to their standards and ideals?

Now before I go on my little diatribe, I would like to add that it is important that one proofreads their messages before sending them. I am stating this because, I am not trying to put a person on worldwide blast by posting the entire message, but it was heavily laden with errors that even your English teacher would have failed you for. Since I knew this person was trying to invoke a response, I deliberately played the hand. “It was my duty, to smack that booty!” This person’s message was highly illogical and downright immature. Their voice is just one of the many that try to justify the ‘biochemically-dependent-pill poppin’-vitamin deficiencies in their brains by attacking someone’s free will and expression.

So…let’s just say I sat and pondered that statement for oh, less than a millisecond. That should tell you how much it affected me. I want to take this time to speak for the other millions of artists, musicians, writers and painters because it is very important. Since I never shared an in depth conversation, let alone a “hello”, with this person, I was baffled as to why this person said anything at all. The entire conversation was provoked by imagery; their perceptions are not my reality. I might look a certain way but that look is not indicative of my character. Why do I feel the need for justification here? Simply put, billions of other artists have probably had similar conversations with others and had to justify their work as well. You are always on a defense. It doesn’t matter how much you may transcend the masses with their ideological point of views, you still have to defend your work. Even when it doesn’t matter, you still have to transcribe the verse.

The viewer’s perception of artistic expression is truly individual. Often times they are hindered if they are not out of the box thinkers. So essentially, their point of view is skewed. For example, if you are a marginalized thinker, you are not going to understand Surrealism or for that matter Mannerist Art. What you will interpret are images being coy, narcissistic, provocative and downright lewd. On the other hand, you might see images that are provocative, narcissistic, coy and downright lewd and interpret them as art. It’s all about perception and perception does not dictate a person’s reality.

Go ahead; castigate me because of my images. Just make sure you have an actual appreciation for the Arts. The ever present “flapping booty-cheeks” that are most prevalent in damn-near every home we walk into in MySpace Land, does not represent Art, but rather, the common stereotypes that women oft-times have to defend. These are the very images that inundate our idiot boxes daily. We tune in to see BIG asses in g-strings gyrating everywhere. But my question, do these BIG asses exercise their spherical lobes commonly know as the brain? I can tell you what they do exercise though, the continuation of the very debilitating images that continue to confine us to the marketing moguls who enjoy taking our hard earned paychecks!

However, I cannot hold the owners of the pages entirely responsible per se, because it is just as much the women who perpetuate that shit by clamoring to audition for the roles, albeit by home video or camera phone. That is how they have been conditioned to think, that, that type of disingenuous admiration is an acceptable form of amorous behavior… In simple layman’s terms they think that is what a man finds attractive in a woman. That is conditioning. Actually, it’s good brand marketing! Ass=Man=Money=Sexually Transmitted Diseases which = A lot people infected with Super Viruses that are transferred to the high percentage of Babies that you and me have to support! But, I digress. Well, here’s another scenario, Ass=Man=Domestic Violence=Another Brother caught up in the System=Higher Taxes so that we can pay for his room and board at the Penitentiary=Dysfunctional Household=Illiterate Children running the streets=More Money for room and board at the Pen. Okay, okay, can’t help myself, here’s another one, Ass=Man=Escapism=Drugs=Exploding Meth Lab in your house=Hospital stay at the Burn Unit=Free Ride by the State to your new Vacation Home that is supported by More Money for your room and board. Yes that’s right another free stay! As extreme as those scenarios may seem, that is real life based upon the saturation of negative imagery in the media. That is why “flapping booty-cheeks” are acceptable amongst the masses and perceived as Art. I digress, but that’s okay, because this is MY HOUSE in MySpace Land!

There was an African proverb which stated “one should sweep in front of ones own door”. For those who are unfamiliar with thinking outside of “the box”, let me break it down for you, “sweep your front door, fool, not mine. But yours!” Always worry about yourself, and what yourself is doing, and where yourself is going and who yourself has been with. Then you won’t have to ever worry about no one else!

Bottom line is on a global level, one should be paying attention to the falsehoods we are inundated with daily and not what kind of pictures I have posted on my page. Let’s keep the focus on the macro not the micro. In a world where we spend 99.999% of our time being brainwashed and bamboozled by the government and the media, because they do work cohesively together, we should focus our attention to homelessness, illiteracy and the environment. We live in a country where statistically we rank last in education compared to other countries. Yet, an image that I display on MySpace, an Ankh, causes turmoil. Homelessness has risen almost threefold during the last century, yet, an Ankh causes great disdain. Our environment/world needs to be vaccinated against the very negativities that destroyed the Earth’s purity. So now, let me break down my version of the Key to Life as transcribed by me. Not the Pope, not Jesus or generations of mama’s. If we really knew who we were in the grand scheme of things, we would know that we are the ONE. The sum of the Whole. The One that not only creates experiences and learns from them but loves unconditionally without prejudice or judgments. Some of us just don’t remember who we are. There are those who became the epitome of what everyone else has dictated to them. Those who cannot think for themselves and have to be told what to like, whom to like, how to like and who they are. Oh, yeah, that’s not Deepak Chopra and that’s not the Dali Lama that is real shit for you. The key to life is to remember who you are and what you are here to experience.

Everyone is entitled to expression. Everyone is entitled to freedom of speech. It is when one forces their narrowed ideologies onto someone else is when I have a problem. These are the very narrow minded people that don’t even have the common sense to discover life on their own let alone question it. That, my friends, constitutes being a slave. A slave to the media and the propagation of nonsense. It IS truly the fool whose own tomatoes are sold to him!

The moral to the story: before you invade My Space with your bullshit, bounce it back to Your Space…

Disclaimer: The picture with the Ankh stays.

Domestic Violence

2007-08-26T12:35:00.001-06:00

Riding home the other day on the bus I was talking to one of my friends about her current living situation. Her boyfriend is now pointing guns to her head and placing knives at her throat because she doesn't come home when she is supposed to or he thinks she is cheating on him. She assured me she was going to ask the guy to leave and I wanted her to see that the level of violence towards her is escalating at an expedious rate, and once he hits that mark, there is no point of return....well the young lady sitting in front of us turned around and apologized for eavesdropping on us but explained to us that she too is in the same situation. She explained that her boyfriend is now in jail because he tried to kill her by choking her.

Now before anyone says that I have no right to say anything to these women because I don't understand what they are going through, understand that I was there, and their pain was my pain, all too real....

Through her tears I was able to get a little bit of background on their relationship. Since they had been together for seven years, I knew he had well enough time to establish control over her and manipulate her every thoughts and feelings. My friend was sitting and listening to her becoming aggravated, but it was definitely something that she needed to hear. I began to cry with the young lady as I told her my story. As I related to her that I was able to get away because I ran and hid in the woods in a Long Island community, I got away from the violence and the destruction. Yes I was beaten, choked, punched, kicked, and destroyed to the point that I had no one to seek solace from. I was isolated, I was emotionally and verbally abused, I even contemplated suicide because I knew there was a better way, and I wanted to be removed from the pain.

My friend slowly began to reveal all of the trauma she too had been through and began to cry as well. Finally a couple of young ladies who had heard the stories passed tissues and they too began to reveal their stories. So here is the front section of the bus full of tears trying to show this young woman and my friend that there is a way out. They need to believe in themselves. When I asked her if she valued herself, she told me she didn't know if she knew how to love herself. I knew that feeling...after awhile you stop believing you are someone capable of a better life and begin to see yourself as someone MEANT to endure pain because you're not worthy of happiness. Yeah, I knew that feeling all too well!

I wanted the young lady to understand that her life was valuable. I wanted her to see that she was somebody worthy of love...Healthy, unconditional love. I wanted her to understand that she could get away, and heal and grow....but as her stop was nearing, she said she would take him back because she knew no other way....Oh how I wished I could have reached her! Oh how I wished I could have gotten her to understand that there is a better way, but it began with her. When she got off the bus she thanked us for listening to her, my friend and I looked at each other, the two young ladies sitting ahead of her looked at us, and I stopped the bus driver before he pulled off and asked him to give me a moment as I got off the bus and hugged the young lady (something told me I would never see her again), my friend got off the bus too and hugged her, and so did the two young ladies....I gave her my number, please call me...please don't go through this alone....We also told her there were safe houses and plenty of support groups that could help her see it through.

We thanked the bus driver and he pulled off....My friend said the young lady would take him back and continue to do so until he killed her...and I looked at her and asked....what are you going to do? She assured me she would be ok...she would ask the guy to leave. I told her as long as my name is Cynthia, she would always have a place of solace....

Then it was time to get off the bus...

Wikipedia definition of Domestic Violence:

Domestic Violence occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate another. Domestic violence often refers to violence between spouses, but can also include cohabitants and non-married intimate partners. The term "intimate partner violence" (IPV) is often used synonymously. Other terms include wife or husband beating, battering, "relationship violence", "domestic abuse", and "spousal abuse".[1] Family violence is a broader definition, often used to include child abuse, elder abuse, and other violent acts between family members.[2] Some legal jurisdictions have specific definitions.
Recent attention to domestic violence began in the women's movement as concern about wives being beaten by their husbands, and has remained a major focus of modern feminism, particularly in terms of "violence against women". [3]

Domestic violence occurs in all cultures; people of all races, ethnicities, religions, and classes can be perpetrators of domestic violence. Domestic violence is perpetrated by, and on, both men and women, and occurs in same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.

Awareness and documentation of domestic violence differs from country to country. Estimates are that only about a third of cases of domestic violence are actually reported in the US and UK. In other places with less attention and less support, reported cases would be still lower. According to the Centers for Disease Control, domestic violence is a serious, preventable public health problem affecting more than 32 million Americans, or more than 10% of the U.S. population (Tjaden and Thoennes 2000).

Domestic violence has many forms, including physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, intimidation, economic deprivation or threats of violence.
Domestic violence is physical, sexual, economic, or psychological abuse directed towards one’s spouse, partner, or other family member within the household.

The U.S. Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) defines domestic violence as a "pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner."[5] Domestic violence can take many forms, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional, economic, or and/or psychological abuse.[5]

The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in the United Kingdom in its "Domestic Violence Policy" uses domestic violence to refer to a range of violent and abusive behaviours, defining it as:
Patterns of behaviour characterised by the misuse of power and control by one person over another who are or have been in an intimate relationship. It can occur in mixed gender relationships and same gender relationships and has profound consequences for the lives of children, individuals, families and communities. It may be physical, sexual, emotional and/or psychological. The latter may include intimidation, harassment, damage to property, threats and financial abuse.[6]

It's real, approximately 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States.
In 2000, 1,247 women and 440 men were killed by an intimate partner. In recent years, an intimate partner killed approximately 33% of female murder victims and 4% of male murder victims.

Access to firearms yields a more than five-fold increase in risk of intimate partner homicide when considering other factors of abuse, according to a recent study, suggesting that abusers who possess guns tend to inflict the most severe abuse on their partners.

Of females killed with a firearm, almost two-thirds were killed by their intimate partners. The number of females shot and killed by their husband or intimate partner was more than three times higher than the total number murdered by male strangers using all weapons combined in single victim/single offender incidents in 2002.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, between 1998 and 2002:
Of the almost 3.5 million violent crimes committed against family members, 49% of these were crimes against spouses.
84% of spouse abuse victims were females, and 86% of victims of dating partner abuse at were female.
Males were 83% of spouse murderers and 75% of dating partner murderers
50% of offenders in state prison for spousal abuse had killed their victims. Wives were more likely than husbands to be killed by their spouses: wives were about half of all spouses in the population in 2002, but 81% of all persons killed by their spouse.

African Americans, especially African American Women, suffer deadly violence from family members at rates decidedly higher than for other racial groups in the United States. However, it is observed that research concerning family violence among African Americans is inadequate.
Overall, African Americans were victimized by intimate partners a significantly higher rates than persons of any other race between 1993 and 1998. Black females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races. Black males experienced intimate partner violence at a rate about 62% higher than that of white males and about 22 times the rate of men of other races.

African-American women experience significantly more domestic violence than White women in the age group of 20-24. Generally, Black women experience similar levels of intimate partner victimization in all other age categories as compared to White women, but experience slightly more domestic violence. (Estimates are provided from the National Crime Victimization Survey, which defines an intimate partner as a current or former spouse, girlfriend, or boyfriend. Violent acts include murder, rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault.)

Love is Respect

1-800-799-SAFE (7233) 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

If you need immediate assistance dial 911

The Power of Positive Thinking: You Too Can Change the World

2007-08-26T12:33:00.002-06:00

I wanted to bring this message to you about Positivity, and discuss with you how you too can change the world with positive thinking. Think about it…all thoughts manifest unto the world, think negative thoughts, negative things happen…but what happens when we as a collective begin to change our thought processes? What happens when we envision good and happy things? The law of attraction gives you what you think about most. So if you are thinking happy, good and warm thoughts, happy, good and warm things happen.

Think about how it feels when you are in love. You just want to capture that moment forever (like bottling the sensations after a wonderful evening of sex) you want to experience that feeling over and over and over. It makes you feel good to think about the other person. It makes you feel warm to know the other person is in your life, and you are happy and content with those thoughts. Well take those exact feelings and project them out into the world and see how the world changes with good positive thoughts and vibes.

Think of your thoughts as little tiny creations that you give birth to. Seeds that you sow will continue to grow with the amount of emphasis that you may put into them. Keep thinking negatively, and it develops into something greater that is unleashed unto the world with a fury that even Hell can’t contain.

Turn on your television if you can’t understand what I am saying and every other news report or every other program that is on is focused on abuse, murder, drugs, death, violence, sex (and I’m not just talking about sex in the sense that it was meant to be: pleasurable, exciting, explorative, fun, and sensual between two consenting adults. I’m talking about the corruption that it has been known to entail: The sexual abuse of men, women and children, the exploitation of sex for money, drugs, or even ownership of another human being.) You see this every day on different channels. But how can we change that? We don’t have to subject ourselves to the violence of the idiot box, nor do we have to continue to project our thoughts from the imagery out into the world. We can change, but it starts with every individual.

Our thoughts are projectiles being hurled forth into the universe. With each negative thought we bring more negativity. Like attracts like. Negative attracts negative. Positivity attracts positivity. We can become the masters and creators of our destinies. We just need to change our thought processes. Think about it. You get mad at your mother, father, sister, brother, friends, significant others, etc…And what happens? It seems like there are more things projected at you to get mad about. You scream, you yell, you may even internalize it, and like clockwork, there are even still more things to be mad about.

I’m sure you’re wondering how a thought process can change all the ills in the world, so think about this…When you are happy, there are more things projected at you to keep you happy. When you are sad, it appears as though more and more things arise to keep you sad. Based upon emotions and feelings, how you feel also manifests into the universe. Stay sad if you like, but I bet you’ll enjoy your life more if you were continually happy. Now this isn’t just to say that every day will not be challenging, sometimes you have to take a bad situation you may encounter and turn it into a positive. So your alarm clock doesn’t go off at the right time, this doesn’t mean your entire day has to revolve around your alarm clock so everything you seem to do is bad, and you want to race home and go back to bed! The alarm doesn’t go off on time, call your job. Make your breakfast, brush your teeth, take your shower and give thanks for your day. No matter how late you may be. Give thanks! Give gratitude for your life and that you were able to wake up even if it was late, Give thanks for your family, your friends. Give thanks for the flowers, the birds, the trees. Gratitude also keeps the positive vibes flowing. Be thankful, for what you have and the world will smile upon you.

No matter how bad you think a situation may be, changing your thought process can change the outcome. Cee-Lo couldn’t have said it better in “Still Standing from the album Still Standing from the Goodie MoB”

“Yeah… Each and every element that exists in this universe is manifested from a thought first… Through the inner mind's eye of the unseen power in the sky Gave birth to Mother Earth and all it's worth to you and I This most loved invention, my consciousness is an extension of Him, yet I'm flesh and bone with a mind of my own To dig deeper than the surface, whether I learn from your upcomings or your downfalls we all have individual purpose…”

Remember, each and every element that exists in this universe is manifested from a thought first…change your thoughts, you change the universe. The universal law of attraction gives you what you think about. From your most dominate thought in your subconscious, to the words that you speak daily…

It’s all about positivity…

Have you had your + sign today?

Stay positive…stay true, and the whole world can be your playground!

The choice is yours…

Cynthia

Excuse me Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

2007-08-26T12:29:00.000-06:00

Homelessness....just what exactly does that word mean to you? Are you affected by the intensity of the problem here in America, or do you simply not care?
I ask these questions because the homeless problem isn't getting any better or going away, it's getting worse! More and more of our brothers and sisters are on the streets, and more and more of them need that loose change to just get by on....

But here is an interesting thought: Everyday during my lunchbreak, I spend time with the homeless men and women that I have had the opportunity to meet, and it is simply amazing the amount of stares from onlookers I receive, along with the taunts from my fellow co-workers. "They are only using the system..." is a statement I am hearing daily from people who instead of trying to help eliminate the problem only exascerbate the problem by their ignorance and judgements. Sure there are some that may be bilking the system just to get another hit, or add more cash into their ever increasing bank accounts - and to them, that is their karma that they will have to deal with. It is the others, who are genuinely caught between the webs of the system and the streets, that are trying to survive. Those are the ones that sit with that intense hunger in their bellies and dirty clothes on their backs that may approach you on the street for some loose change, only to be chastized and criticized with stares and glares. "Excuse me brother....can you spare a dime?" "Get a job you damn freeloader!"

Yeah I was told that the other day from someone that told me I was wasting my time....I spent innumerous hours trying to get through the "helpline" just to see when someone's food stamps will be available, only to be given the runaround, and around and around....all this man wants to do is eat....but it may take up to thirty or forty-five days, depends on how much someone really wants to help and feel generous enough to push the "enter" key on the keyboard to approve his application....yeah the very same application that was approved before for his food stamps, but somehow, the whole thing got lost in the system, ..."and sir we need you to fill out another application, please remember this may take another thrity to forty-five days (blah, blah, blah)"....and all the man wants to do is eat....Something simple as that...food in his belly!
Unfortunately there is a campaign around town that states, "giving only increases the problem, give to a charity so that the funds can be dispersed to help the homeless..." My question? After everyone has gotten their cuts off of the funds (you know this charity and that charity....) how much is really left to help the homeless?

What gets me the most is systems that are supposedly in place to help get the homeless off the streets seem to be really designed to keep them on the streets...and we still continue to walk by them and ignore their pleas....we still continue to taunt them and scream at them and abuse them...(because we CHOOSE to ignore the cries from our brothers and sisters)
"So why are you even wasting your time trying to help these people? All they are doing is bilking the system..." Let me ask you a question....how much time does it take to say hello? How much times does it take to be nice and caring and compassionate? How much do you think you'd lose buying someone a meal? What is more important...time.....or a life?

So my question for everyone that chooses to question why I am "wasting" my time helping my fellow brothers and sisters: Why aren't you helping?

Disclaimer: I am angry at the fact that there are those that CHOOSE to ignore the homeless problem and focus on "problems" that really aren't newsworthy. I could care less about Paris Hilton, when Bob, Tom, Harry, Alice, Susan and Joe are out there on the streets hungry, and lonely and tired and confused. Who are in dire need medical care....clothes on their backs, or maybe just a friend to listen to them. Wake up America...this situation is real....and the numbers are growing and growing and growing! You can continue to CHOOSE to ignore the problem, or you can DO something about it! The choice is yours...just remember one day it may be you with tattered and dirty clothes, no roof over your head, hungry, tired and hopeless asking for loose change...(Karma has an interesting way of right wrongs) Your brothers and sisters on the streets need YOU!

Positivity: Have You Had Your Plus Sign Today?

2007-08-26T12:27:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share some wisdom that I have been applying and learning in my life...
The power of positivity and the Law of Attraction...

Do you want to change your life and all that happens? Change your thoughts! See you become what you think about most, but you also attract what you think about most....If you think negative thoughts day in and day out, you are sending that negative energy into your vibrational bubble, and the Law of Attraction gives you what you think about...Like attracts like...Think of yourself as a magnet, and you are the most powerful magnet in the universe. If you can think about what you want in your mind and you make it your most dominate thought, you will bring it into your life...Do not allow contradictory thoughts to dominate your mind, the Law of Attraction responds to your thoughts no matter what they may be...
Whatever you sow you reap....your thoughts are the seed and the harvest depends on the seeds you plant.

Always remember that if you complain constantly and you are wondering why things are the way that they are, the Law of Attraction will continue to bring you more situations to complain about...Change your focus on what you do not want, to what you do want...
Free your mind, live the life you have always wanted to....

"Positivity....Have you had your plus sign today?" ("Positivity" Prince from the album LoveSexy)

Gentrification: Racial Issues: Neverending

2007-08-26T12:25:00.001-06:00

I want to share with you an interesting discussion that I had with someone today at the busstop on my way home which resulted in the guy catching the bus with me to continue the discussion.
The discussion started out by discussing the new developments that are occuring around the Denver area, and he wanted to know my opinion about the newer developments around the Five Points area. Well for anyone that is familiar with Denver, Five Points has always been a rather controversial area in Denver's history. To break it down, during the 40s through 60s, black were only allowed to live in a certain area in Denver. Five Points throughout the years became Denver's ghetto (although it never compared to New York's ghettos) it was still crime ridden and run down.

During the time of our Mayor (who was black and a very well respected member of the community) (his name was Wellington Webb) put together a project to clean up the urban areas and even do a sweep to rid the neighborhoods of the gangs and crimes. What resulted was gang members being ousted out of Colorado and the project development of Five Points began.
The newly developed Five Points no longer contains just black people but a great number of upper and middle class white families. Now Five Points has more white families than black families... Black families were offered money to move out of their homes. Of course they were offered less money than what their homes were really worth, and some families willingly moved because of their hardships, but they did not realize that they contributed to what I'd like to call "gentrification." (Simply put, gentrification is a process where upper and middle class families buy homes in urban areas, thus improving the property values while dislocating the lower income families and businesses).

Now unfortunately my grandmother fell victim to this (I begged and pleaded with her, but it was my aunt that decided to sell the home underhandly under my grandmother). Why? Because they were offered $185k for their home which was valued at $385k. My aunt snatched that up! Now my grandmother lives in a townhome on the other side of town and she is absolutely miserable! That was the family home that the grandkids played and stayed and knew as their own.

So I was explaining this to this guy, and he was really surprised that I was quite open about gentrification and stated that he had went to a community meeting where it was quite obvious to him that he was not accepted because he was not caucasian, and yet they were in the community that he grew up in! He said questions were asked about why they decided to live in Five Points, when it was quite obvious they were too scared to even be in the community. He said it was stated that they were trying to make the community better by removing the lower income families! Another community meeting he attended he said was all black and he said they were pleasant until they were asked how did they feel to live with white families. Then he said everyone was in an uproar!

Quite interesting...

So then the question came up about how I personally deal with racism. How do I keep myself from hitting rock bottom from it. So I had to explain to him that while growing up my father made it a point to have racial topics discussed in the household. He wanted us to understand what we would have to deal with, once we were out in the "real-world." He didn't want us to go out into the world "blind" when racial matters exist. Now this does not mean he was teaching hate, by no means, we were given the best of all worlds through our DNA. So we had full understanding of all races, he just wanted to make sure we were not ignorant to what would happen to us.

Now to answer his question (this he found interesting) ... I said usually when it is covert/overt racism from others I just choose not to get into heated battles and ignore them altogether, because if not, I would be just as ignorant as the people spewing the words, it is when I have to deal with being shunned from my own people that I have issues...

His question? So what do we have to do to unite our people and have them stand in unity with all shades of black?

It was time for him to get off the bus, but he said think about it...what can we do in the community to change our people? And what will it take to get them to understand that although money is being offered for their homes, they are giving up their generations of families that stayed in that home for just a few dollars. How can we make a difference?
He left me with a deep thought, so I leave you with one...

How can we make a difference?

Deception, Lies, Dishonesty, Deceit: Which Mask Do You Wear?

2007-08-26T12:22:00.000-06:00

Deception, lies, dishonesty, deceit - which mask do you choose to wear when you're dealing with people? Which mask do you choose to sport with your family and friends? It takes less time to be honest and be truthful, than the time you have to expend lying and being deceptive.
So how do you choose your mask? A lot of people choose a mask that is the antithesis of what it is they truly are. Some wear the mask of avarice, some wear a mask that shrouds their true intentions. Some hide behind their online personas, unaware that one day they may be revealed. In either case the end result is destruction. Destruction of the paths they crossed, destruction of a person's faith and trust and belief in others. Destruction of themselves.

Let me break something down to you, you may think it is ok to use people and play with their feelings and emotions, but what happens when it is done to you? How would you feel if someone crossed your path and they were completely dishonest from the beginning about their true intentions and motives? One thing I have learned is that when people talk a great deal, they really are hiding something. They are hiding themselves. When someone spends more time giving you a thirty page dossier as an answer to a simple question, they are being dishonest. How about an answer that is less than a sentence? I have wasted a great deal of time listening to thirty page dossiers that I would rather a person answered a question in ten words or less. I get tired of being lost in words! And, after awhile those words mean nothing...

So how about your relationships? Well if you're dealing with someone who can't even be honest with themselves, there is no way they will be honest with you, and you will find yourself upset and angry because you invested your time in someone that felt it necessary to lie, be deceptive and run rampant with deceit. It is important that when you're dealing with people that you are honest from the beginning. This way, you have nothing to hide, and well let's just say you could sleep good at night knowing you aren't hurting someone because you can't even keep it real. See if you keep it real with yourself, you can keep it real with others. Then here is something that I have learned that is pretty interesting, when a person is discovering that the person behind the mask is being revealed, they hide behind another mask, the one called "denial." The denial is well "I can't love you or I can't try to make things better with everyone I destroyed because this is how I was raised. So I don't know any better." Bull! So now we have to hide behind our childhood experiences because we still don't want to own up to what we do to others.

How about the people we tend to use to get ahead on the ladder of success? Well there are those that I like to call opportunists. Opportunists are those that could care less about the welfare of others because they are strictly all for themselves. They are the ones that will befriend you because they think you have something to offer them so that they could raise up. See they are the ones that will step on you on the way up, but they don't realize that they too will be stepped on by someone on the way up! Yeah the empires they create can one day fall. Opportunists generally see an opportunity either with someone or something, and they stop at nothing to get what they want. These are the people you should be wary of, because not only do they feel you with a false sense of a friendship, and even a relationship, but once they have used you up, they are off to their next conquest...prior to the next victim however, the opportunist has one more thing they need to do: they need to demonize you to family, friends, co-workers and their online communities. You know the opportunist has to have support from others because there is no way they would ever face what they have done to others...they need assurance that they were right all along! (This is also how they get their next conquest) That cycle never ends. Listen to your internal radars when you deal with people. If a red-flag comes up - run...and run fast!

How about those who seem genuine in the beginning (I like to call this the "Beautiful" mask) because everything they say and do is beautiful. They seem genuinely interested in the well-being of others. They care about world affairs. They give of themselves. You find yourself taken by that beauty. But all that glitters isn't gold. There are many who have ulterior motives, they just don't show them at first. The antithesis comes out later, accompanied with avarice and the opportunist. Yeah that beautiful one is really a beast...ready to pounce on its next willing victim.
So how do you choose your mask?

Do you use your family and friends? Can you even call someone a friend knowing you're not even being honest with them? Can you look at yourself in the mirror and face the person you deceive the most? Or would you rather spend your time in front of a mirror in a cloudy haze because the person staring back at you seems unfamiliar?

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself the next time you find yourself faced with a situation that requires honesty: "If I do this, how would I feel about myself the next day? If someone else is involved, and I do this, would it strengthen or destroy the relationship? If I choose to spend time with this other person and I know my man/woman is at home thinking everything is honky-dory because they believe what I am saying to them, how would they feel knowing the truth?" Bottom-line, "that which is done in the dark always comes to light..." If you don't want your dishonesty, deception, lies and deceit revealed, you should act accordingly and toss all of that out of the window and keep it real. A person would have more respect for someone that says, "You know what, I don't do good with exclusivity...or monogamy...or other people....or situations...or whatever...but I just wanted to bring that to your attention before we proceeded any further..." Giving someone the chance to decide whether that is what they want for themselves says a great deal about you as a person, than just running with the bull...

So how do you choose your mask?

So What Are We Doing (To) For The Youth?

2007-07-07T21:24:00.000-06:00

So What Are We Doing To For The Youth?

As adults it is essential to know where we stand when it concerns our youth. If you were to sit and ask them what they have learned, they would be able to give you a general description of: corruption, violence, double-standards, contradictions and reality tv…and guess where they got it from? Need a minute?

Today’s youth is a makeup of the corruption, violence, double-standards and contradictions that we have instilled in them. Using our higher powers and authority, we have misrepresented what it is we really want for their lives today. We work in institutions where it is our responsibility to instill values, morals and guidance…instead we misuse that authority to rape their minds and in some instance their bodies. Then wonder why they are incorrigible and what has happened to make them that way…It’s simple…we happened! And if that isn’t enough we have our children tune in nightly to more corruption and bullshit on the airwaves…We continue to rape and violate their young minds with shit…our shit…

We design groups for them to join to empower their minds and instead we corrupt them…We not only misguide them, we act selfishly on our own accord and build an army of misguided, misrepresented, violent beings to run this nation when it is their time…Then we sit back in our glass houses and wonder why the youth is the way that they are today…Yeah, we’re supposed to set examples and the only ones we set are in alignment of a double-standard, or better yet more contradictions…

We teach them, and just when we have used them up, we pass them through the system as though we’ve done a thorough job. Speak to half of the youth today and there is a sordid story to tell, full of corruption, sex, violence…but the question? Can they read? Can they formulate a solution for problems? Do they understand the content they have been given? Are we even teaching them how to resolve conflicts when they arise? I bet you can answer that one. Children can tell you the name of a ringtone quicker than they can say their alphabet. And we think that is so cute! A child of two will curse quicker than the parent, and once again….”oh little Timmy is talking that is so cute!” So we encourage and even reward bad behavior. Then when all else fails we throw our hands up and confess that we have done all we could to raise our children…

So What Are We Doing To For The Youth? Are we providing them with the proper tools to ensure they are productive, sound and happy citizens, or are we turning our backs to the corruption and violence and destruction we have caused? They’re yours, they’re mine, they’re OURS, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the childhood we have stripped from them is given back before it is too late. Let me tell you if we don’t stop the madness now, we’ll have a young nation of lost souls roaming around. A nation we paved the way for but were too ignorant to see. Yeah we need to become that “village” once again that raised the children. Not the “village” that fed them to the wolves.

So What Are We Doing To For The Youth?

Darfur Women Describe Gang-Rape Horror:

2007-07-07T21:22:00.000-06:00

(I wanted to share this article with everyone...The reason I found this article captivating is because I just finished reading "The Black Holocaust for Beginners" and was shocked to know that a great deal of entities contributed to the raping and pilaging and murder of Africans....all for the sake of "owning" another human being and treating them worse than the cattle they rode upon and raised...The Holocaust still continues...)

Darfur women describe gang-rape horror

By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU, Associated Press Writer 13 minutes ago

KALMA, Sudan - The seven women pooled money to rent a donkey and cart, then ventured out of the refugee camp to gather firewood, hoping to sell it for cash to feed their families. Instead, they say, in a wooded area just a few hours walk away, they were gang-raped, beaten and robbed.

Naked and devastated, they fled back to Kalma.
"All the time it lasted, I kept thinking: They're killing my baby, they're killing my baby," wailed Aisha, who was seven months pregnant at the time.
The women have no doubt who attacked them. They say the men's camels and their uniforms marked them as janjaweed — the Arab militiamen accused of terrorizing the mostly black African villagers of Sudan's Darfur region.

Their story, told to an Associated Press reporter and confirmed by other women and aid workers in the camp, provides a glimpse into the hell that Darfur has become as the Arab-dominated government battles a rebellion stoked by a history of discrimination and neglect.
Now in its fourth year, the conflict has become the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and rape is its regular byproduct, U.N. and other human rights activists say.

Sudan's government denies arming and unleashing the janjaweed, and bristles at the charges of rape, saying its conservative Islamic society would never tolerate it.
It has agreed to let in 3,000 U.N. peacekeepers, but not the 22,000 mandated by the U.N. Security Council. It claims the force would be a spearhead for anti-Arab powers bent on plundering Sudan's oil.

Meanwhile, more than 200,000 civilians have died and 2.5 million are homeless out of Darfur's population of 6 million, the U.N. says, and a February report by the International Criminal Court alleges "mass rape of civilians who were known not to be participants in any armed conflict."

Kalma is a microcosm of the misery — a sprawling camp of mud huts and scrap-plastic tents where 100,000 people have taken refuge. It is so full of guns that overwhelmed African Union peacekeepers long ago fled, unable to protect it. It is so crowded that the government has tried to limit newcomers — forbidding the building of new latrines, so a stench pervades the air.
Anyone venturing outside must reckon with the janjaweed, as Aisha and her friends found out.
In Sudan, as in many Islamic countries, society views a sexual assault as a dishonor upon the woman's entire family. "Victims can face terrible ostracism," says Maha Muna, the U.N. coordinator on this issue in Sudan.

Some aid workers believe the janjaweed use rape to intimidate the rebels, and their supporters and families. "It's a strategy of war," Muna said in an interview earlier this year in Khartoum, the capital.
Sudan's government is especially sensitive about such accusations and denies rape is widespread.
Sudanese public opinion would view mass rape much more severely than other crimes alleged in Darfur, said a senior Sudanese government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from his superiors.
He acknowledged the janjaweed had initially received weapons from the government — something the government officially denies — and said authorities now are struggling to rein in the militias.

Nasser Kambal, a prominent human rights activist and co-founder of the Amel center, a Sudanese group helping victims of rape and other abuse, offers a similar view.
"I don't think raping was planned by the government. Killing and looting and torture, yes, but not rape," he said.

Kalma isn't the only place where multiple accounts of rape have surfaced. Some 120 miles away, in the town of Mukjar, two men separately described women being brought into a prison where they were being held and raped for hours by janjaweed.
They said the assailants shouted that they were "planting tomatoes" — a reference to skin color: Darfur Arabs describe themselves as "red" because they are slightly lighter-skinned than ethnic Africans.

According to Muna, U.N. agencies are working closely with Sudanese authorities to improve the government's response to rape allegations. In 2005, the government created a task force on rape in Darfur, headed by Attayet Mustapha, a pediatrician, government official and women's rights activist.

In an interview this year, Mustapha said social workers were being deployed to address the problem and a special female police unit was being assembled in Darfur.
"We tell officials that the government has decided to enforce a zero tolerance policy toward rape in Darfur," she said.
U.N. workers say they registered 2,500 rapes in Darfur in 2006, but believe far more went unreported. The real figure is probably thousands a month, said a U.N. official. Like other U.N. personnel and aid workers interviewed, the official insisted on speaking anonymously for fear of being expelled by the government.

Victims usually can't identify their aggressors, which makes prosecutions impossible. Only eight offenders were tried and sentenced for rape crimes in Darfur by Sudanese courts in 2006, said Mustapha, the task force leader. "They received three to five years prison, and 100 lashes" in accordance with Islamic law, she said.

In May, after the top U.N. human rights official charged that Sudanese soldiers had raped at least 15 Darfur women during one recent incident, Justice Minister Mohammed Ali al-Mardi asked where the evidence was.
"We always seem to get sweeping generalizations, without naming the injured, without naming the offenders," he told reporters.

In Kalma, collecting firewood needed to cook meals is becoming more perilous as the trees around the camp dwindle and women are forced to scavenge ever farther afield. It is strictly a woman's task, dictated both by tradition and the fear that any male escorts would be killed if the janjaweed found them.

Agreeing to tell the AP their story earlier this month through a translator, the seven women's voices wavered and hesitated, broken by embarrassed silences. All gave their names and agreed to be identified in full, but the AP is withholding their surnames because they are rape victims and vulnerable to retaliation.
The women said they set out on a Monday morning last July and had barely begun collecting the wood when 10 Arabs on camels surrounded them, shouting insults and shooting their rifles in the air.
The women first attempted to flee. "But I didn't even try, because I couldn't run," being seven months pregnant, said Aisha, a petite 18-year-old whose raspy voice sounds more like that of an old woman.
She said four men stayed behind to flay her with sticks, while the other janjaweed chased down the rest of her group.
"We didn't get very far," said Maryam, displaying the scar of a bullet that hit her on the right knee.

Once rounded up, the women said, they were beaten and their rented donkey killed. Zahya, 30, had brought her 18-year-old daughter, Fatmya, and her baby. The baby was thrown to the ground and both women were raped. The baby survived.
Zahya said the women were lined up and assaulted side by side, and she saw four men taking turns raping Aisha.

The women said the attackers then stripped them naked and jeered at them as they fled. On their way back, men from the refugee camp unraveled their cotton turbans for the women to partly cover up, but the victims said they were laughed at when they entered the refugee camp.
"Ever since, I've made sure that women living on the outskirts of the camp have spare sets of clothes to give out," said Khadidja Abdallah, a sheika, an informal camp leader, who took the women to the international aid compound at the camp to be treated.
They were given anti-pregnancy and anti- HIV pills, thanks to which their families haven't entirely ostracized them, the women said. The baby Aisha was expecting at the time is doing well. His name is Osman.

Sheikas in Kalma said they report over a dozen rapes each week. Human rights activists in South Darfur who monitor violence in the refugee camps estimate more than 100 women are raped each month in and around Kalma alone.

The workers warn of an alarming new trend of rapes within the refugee population amid the boredom and slow social decay of the camps. But for the most part, they added, it all depends on whether janjaweed are present in the area.

The sheikas say they are making some headway toward persuading families to accept raped women back into their embrace and let them report attacks to aid workers. One advantage is that they get a certificate confirming they were raped.
"We tell husbands they might be compensated one day," said Ajaba Zubeir, a sheika. "But I don't think that's going to happen."

The seven women say they haven't left the camp since they were attacked. They have started their own small workshop and make water jugs out of clay and donkey dung to sell to other refugees.
As they worked on their large pile of jugs and bowls, they said they are even poorer than before, because they now have to buy their firewood from other women.
"But at least we never have to go out again," said Aisha.

None of the women has any faith that Sudanese or international courts will ever give them justice. All Zahya asks is that one day she can return to her village.
"If people could at least help end the fighting, that would be enough," she said.

A Snapshot of Homelessness

2007-07-07T21:20:00.000-06:00

According to the Alliance's most recent estimate, approximately 744,000 people are homeless on any given night.1 Over the course of a year, between 2.5 and 3.5 million people will experience homelessness in this country.2 In order to end homelessness, it is necessary to understand the needs and characteristics of the sub-populations of this large group. The most significant sub-groups are people who experience homelessness as part of a family group and those who are single adults.

Families

Most families become homeless because they are having a housing crisis. Their primary, immediate need is for housing. Certainly they are likely to have other needs, for services and to increase their incomes. However, these needs are best met, once the family is in permanent housing—not while they are temporarily housed in shelter or transitional housing. Most homeless families get themselves back into housing as quickly as they can after they become homeless.
About half of the individuals who experience homelessness over the course of a year live in family units.3
About 38% of people who are homeless in the course of a year are children.4
Most people in homeless families have personal problems to overcome, but these problems are not appreciably different from those of poor, housed families. 5
Services delivered in the homeless system seem to have little effect on eventual stability of these families in housing.6
Homeless families report that their major needs are for help finding a job, help finding affordable housing, and financial help to pay for housing. The services they most often receive, however, are clothing, transportation assistance, and help in getting public benefits. Only 20% of families report that they received help finding housing.7
In cases in which a family is fleeing from a domestic violence situation or in which the head of household has been in residential treatment or detoxification for drug or alcohol abuse illness, a transitional period may be required prior to housing placement.

Single Homeless People

About half of the people who experience homelessness over the course of a year are single adults. Most enter and exit the system fairly quickly. The remainder essentially live in the homeless assistance system, or in a combination of shelters, hospitals, the streets, and jails and prisons.
80% of single adult shelter users enter the homeless system only once or twice, stay just over a month, and do not return. 9% enter nearly five times a year and stay nearly two months each time. This group utilizes 18% of the system's resources. The remaining 10% enters the system just over twice a year and spends an average of 280 days per stay—virtually living in the system and utilizing nearly half its resources.8
The main types of help homeless single adults felt they needed were help finding a job, help finding affordable housing, and help paying for housing. The major types of assistance they received were clothing, transportation, and help with public benefits. Only 7% reported receiving help finding housing. 9
There are also single homeless people who are not adults—runaway and throwaway youth. This population is of indeterminate size, and is often not included in counts of homeless people. One study that interviewed youth found that 1.6 million had an episode of homelessness lasting at least one night over the course of a year. 10

1
2 Housing and Homelessness, National Alliance to End Homeless, 1987. Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve. Findings of the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients. Highlights. Interagency Council on the Homeless, December, 1999 3 Homeless Programs and the People They Serve, 1999. 4 Burt, M., America's Homeless II. 5 Ellen Bassuk, MD, L.F. Weinreb., MD, J.C. Buckern, PhD, A. Browne, PhD, Amy Salomon, PhD, S. Bassuk. "The Characteristics and Needs of Sheltered Homeless and Low-Income Housed Mothers." The Journal of the American Medical Association, August 28, 1996, Vol. 276, pp. 640-646. 6 Rog, D.J. and Gutman, M., The Homeless Families Program: A Summary of Key Findings. In S. L. Isaacs & J.R. Knickman (eds) To Improve Health and Health Care: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Anthology. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1997. 7 Homelessness: Programs and People They Serve. 8 Culhane, et al, 1999. 9 Homelessness: Programs and People They Serve. 10 Ringwalt, C.L., Green, J.M., Robertson, M. & McPheeters, M. The Prevalence of Homelessness Among Adolescents in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 1998. In Demographics and Geography: Estimating Need, Martha R. Burt, Ph.D.,Practical Lessons: The 1998 National Symposium on Homelessness Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, August 1999.Cunningham, Mary and Meghan henry. 2007. Homelessness Counts. Washington, DC: National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Homeless and Looking For Work

2007-07-07T21:19:00.000-06:00

Everyday about 10:30ish a man comes around the office building looking for cigarettes in the bins. We usually chitchat, he tells me he is looking for work, and always tells me to have a good weekend and nice day. A very pleasant man actually, that went from being prosperous to homeless in a matter of months. Today we introduced ourselves (we have been communicating for four months now). His name is Steve. I asked Steve a series of questions about where he is staying. He stays at the Samaritan House, where he used to be a resident (residency for homeless is only four months) and now he is on the outside. So what this means is that he is kicked out during the day and allowed to come back in at 9 p.m. I asked what happens if you’re sick, he explained to me that if you’re sick you have to apply for some type of hardship and they will give you a bed for the day. So I asked him about food. He explained to me that he eats at several churches and places that do charity work for the homeless. He then went on to explain that they are well fed. Now Steve explained to me that he had been out on the streets for a year and a half now, since his last construction job. He said he had wrecked his camper and the state sold it and kept the proceeds. He also stated that it has been really hard getting work, and he thinks it is because he is homeless. (He said he was going to shave and clean himself up for next week to start his search again) He said this has been the hardest thing for him since he lost his house and has been out of work. He never anticipated existing on the streets this long.

Now I have to tell you that usually during times that I happen to be outside and I see him and we start to talk, people look as though a crime is being committed. Today one lady was like, “Is he begging you for money?” Let me ask you a question, if you one day found yourself homeless, or downtrodden and you looked to someone for support, or an ear and people shunned you, how would you feel? Let me make this fact known, I speak to all my people, and let me tell you they have stories to tell! The building where I work downtown, there is a park in front so everyone is usually there. I usually get worried when I don’t see the regulars around, especially since they are on the streets. (There was the nicest old man and his dog (that was 17 years old) that would sit in front of the building all day, he hasn’t been around in months…then there was the young girl who was hooked on meth and there was this guy in the building that would hold her money for her and try to help her kick the habit, she hasn’t been around in months either…the man with the shopping cart finally came around today (he had been missing for months too) with a new cart of belongings) You’re not invisible, I notice when you’re not around…

Anyway, I told Steve I would do some searches online for him for construction labor and provide him with a print out. He looked at me and said, “Do you know you have been the only one kind enough to listen to what I have to say?”
Operative word: Listen (these people are not looking for handouts, or free rides, sometimes they just want to talk, sometimes they just need to talk…sometimes they just want to escape into someone else’s life for the moment by listening to other people talking.)

So you shun your brother and sister on the streets; you laugh at them, you persecute them, and physically hurt them and then turn around and go home to your families, or classrooms, or jobs, or even stand in front of your pulpit and have the utter audacity to speak about love and brotherhood.

Think about it…

Are You A Hip-Hop Apologist?

2007-07-07T21:16:00.001-06:00

"Since the Imus controversy recently erupted there has been a lot of finger-pointing and blame-placing as to what the root of the problem really is. Of course, we all know that racism and sexism existed before hip-hop -- that's a given. But it's completely beside the point when our (black) culture is dictated to us by white corporations. Follow me...
For the record, most folks in our communities didn't even know Don Imus before he made headlines with his slurs (and many still don't). For the most part, we remain oblivious to the tirades of him, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and others who constantly malign us and foster a climate of intolerance simply because these talking heads don't speak to US. For Imus to blame black culture as being the reason for his ignorance is both sad and backwards. He's a racist and a sexist, pure and simple, and he can't blame an art form or a culture that I'm certain he has little knowledge of for his actions. The fact that he named hip-hop "culture" as a culprit is telling, however.

If you haven't noticed by now, life imitates art -- it's not the other way around. There is no stronger cultural influence on people now than popular media, and hip-hop is at the forefront. Ask almost any child about the lyrics to a popular song or a scene from a video or movie and more often then not they will know the details better than they know their school lessons. Entertainers and the culture of celebrity that we find ourselves living in often hold more weight with kids then parents, educators, preachers politicians or even sports heroes. Can we blame some rappers for selling completely out? Of course. Be we have to look at the entire picture.
The argument is often made by Russell Simmons and others that rappers are poets who simply report on what we feel and our surroundings, and that we shouldn't be censored. On that point we partially agree -- we shouldn't be censored. But balance between the negative and positive needs to be provided, and it currently isn't. Most artistic integrity is questionable at best. My understanding is that artists are supposed to express what they believe in at all costs (if not, there's work at the post office). But most don't, and they mold their approaches to making music based on what they perceive major labels wanting. If Def Jam or Interscope or any of these other large culture-defining companies issued a blanket decree that they would only support material and artists with positive messages then 99% of those making music now would switch up to accommodate. That's real talk. I'm not saying these labels should (or would), but if they did, gangstas would stop being ga! ngstas and misogynists would stop being misogynists at the drop of a DIME. Many artists are like children, and most will say and do what is expected of them in order to benefit financially. And although there is definite self-examination that needs to take place within the artist community, the lion's share of the blame falls on the enablers who only empower voices of negativity. Record labels and commercial radio often use the excuse that they are "responding to the streets" and that they are "giving the people what they want." BULLSHIT. They dictate the taste of the streets, and people can't miss what they never knew. The fact is that there are conscious decisions made by the big business and entertainment elite daily about what to present to the masses -- and it is from those choices that we are allowed to decide what we do and do not like. Who presents the music that callers are invited to "make or break" on the radio? That callers are invited to "! vote on" on T.V.? Who decides on what makes it to the store s! helves o r the airwaves at all? Like I said, life imitates art, and pseudo-black culture is determined by those other than us every day. Walk into any rap label or urban radio station and you can count the number of black employees on one hand.

The argument in response could be made in defense of labels that if they don't respond to the streets then the music will just go underground. Huh? WHAT underground? Do you know how much good material is marginalized because it doesn't fit white cooperate America's ideals of acceptability? Independents can't get radio or video play anymore, at least not through commercial outlets, and most listeners don't acknowledge material that they don't see or hear regularly on the radio or on T.V. Very few of us are willing to actually seek out material and messages to identify with. As with anything in our fast food culture, we want our entertainment choices fast and in our collective face. For most listeners, all the rest need not apply.
What I want to know is, when did the worst in us become normal and accepted? When did it become par for the corporate course that "black man as thug" and "black woman as slut" be business as usual? Major companies now line up to profit from the buffoonery of a few...at the expense of us all. MTV, Viacom, Clear Channel, Boost Mobile, Amp mobile, Chevy, all major record labels and most video games come readily to mind, but there are many others.

I'm not a hater...although I do hate the imbalance in the industry right now and the negativity it fosters. I'm not calling for censorship. You can't lump me in with the Jesse Lee Petersons and the Armstrong Williamses of the world...bourgeois self-hating black men who demean other black people and profit at our expense. And nobody can say that I'm unqualified to speak on it, since I've contributed to the sale of just under 4 million albums independently, still run my own successful counter-establishment label (http://www.guerrillafunk.com/) and have been embracing messages of self-esteem and self-sufficiency for years.

Like I said, I'm not calling for censorship, but I am calling for balance. I'm calling for more representation of points of view other than gangsta rap and escapism. More revolutionary voices. More voices of women. Where is the diversity? Music can only be kept artificially young and artificially dumb for so long before an inevitable backlash ensues, and that's what we're seeing take place now. Overall album sales for the January 1-April 2 period are down 16.6% -- with a 20.5% decline in CD album sales since last year -- and an even greater decline in hip-hop. Since LAST YEAR (and it was already raggedy last year, believe me). We're seeing the industry implode before our eyes. I heard somebody say recently that in this current era of style over substance Stevie Wonder, Parliament/Funkadelic, Earth, Wind & Fire, Curtis Mayfield and others would never have been signed. Let tha! t sink in for a second. They would never have been signed. Some of the very architects of black music as we know it would have been sidelined too, just as countless others are now, because they wouldn't have fit into white corporate America's cookie-cutter feel-good box of acceptable black behavior and appearance. Same goes for me, Public Enemy (they'll take the Flav, but not the Chuck), Kam, X-Clan, BDP, Wise Intelligent, dead prez, Zion-I, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, The Roots, Blackalicious, Immortal Technique, The Coup, T-K.A.S.H., Michael Franti and a host of others.

So how many half-naked women sipping Cris draped in blood diamonds poolside will it take before we collectively agree that shit is tired now? How many backward-ass coons with tats and plated grills and pimp cups etc. in the strip club before we all agree that enough is enough and that we need balance? When did the bar get set so low? When will we demand more? And as for Simmons' argument that "rappers are reporting what they see" etc, how are cocaine-kingpin rhymes or poolside pimp-nigga fantasies anyone's reality? Miss me with that bullshit argument. Yes, there should be room for all voices to be heard, but we have to be treated and presented equally. Now we have bitches and hos, players and pimps, gangstas and dealers -- but no kings and queens, no revolutionaries, no dissent, no political commentary and no anger -- how is that? In an era where EVERYTHING is political and people are more disgusted with the way things are more than ever? It's no mistake. Yes! I can say that we have failed, that we have allowed black culture to once again be co-opted, diluted and prostituted. Commercial rap culture is now to hip-hop is what disco was to funk. No wonder Nas is saying it's dead.

And who's to blame? Definitely not artists like the ones mentioned above. Not most artists at all, actually, because we don't control whether or not we're seen and heard by the masses. No, the blame needs to squarely sit on the shoulders of those who run the labels, the commercial radio stations, the television studios and the large corporate sponsors who reward only the worst in us and seem hell-bent on pursuing (with little success) the most fleeting, fickle demographic of all -- 12-16 year old adolescent females. You know, the demo that's the most impressionable, with the least amount of loyalty or disposable income. Brilliant.

Know that it's okay to call shit like it is and quit being cowards worrying about who we'll offend. It's okay to blame Simmons, Lyor Cohen, Jimmy Iovine, Kevin Liles, Bob Johnson, Debra Lee, Michael Martin and others of their ilk because the blood is on their hands. They are the gatekeepers of popular culture and they are the ones who determine what you see and hear. They can't say that their decisions are based on economics when they exclude voices of reason because there are literally hundreds of millions of people globally who feel the same way. What about that consumer base? I guess that money is no good, huh? Fuck outta here... Remember, part of the strategy of mind control is to fool the public into thinking that they have choice. We do, but the playing field is so skewed in the favor of mega-corps that the contributions of the alternatives are often viewed by most as insignificant.

So yes, there is a problem, but the fake "Kumbaya" moment on Oprah yesterday won't solve it. Are we really going to look to those individuals who have made a killing off of pushing poison to us to fix the problem? We shouldn't. Instead, we should vote with our dollars and continue the campaign of public shame until we see some concrete change. The music industry as we know it is on its death bed. People are now more tired than ever of 'music business as usual' and style over substance.

Imus was an insignificant part of a much greater problem. Sure, his incident open up national discourse regarding issues of race and sex. And yes, it is now more apparent than ever that whites have a hard time acknowledging racist and sexist behavior in other whites as being solely their fault. Most black artists are not to blame, as we often can't been seen or heard without white help. But it's important to note that many of us can and should know better when saying and doing the things we say and do. It's easy to despise the indefensible, and media outlets like Fox News have made good money demonizing those with little real power.
But will we champion the good among us? "

Paris is a successful independent hip-hop artist and founder of Guerrilla Funk Recordings, a musical organization that counters the corporate stranglehold of censorship currently plaguing the entertainment industry. Visit Guerrilla Funk.

Sigh For Humanity

2007-07-07T21:15:00.000-06:00

Sitting in my usual seat on the bus this morning on my way to work, I happen to notice a man fidgeting greatly in his chair. After careful observation I noticed his clothes were worn and tattered, the undershirt shredded under his clothing and dirt was literally caked on to all parts of his exposed skin. People turned their noses up at him, got up and moved to different sections of the bus...and I just watched him...partly because he was shivering like crazy, and at that moment in time I wanted to give him my clothes (shirt, coat) so that he could be warm (but I realized that was all I was wearing and couldn't offer them so freely)....He kept watching other people as he tried to stuff his tattered shirt under his jersey....still shivering....I noticed that others were literally disgusted that this man got on the bus, and in that instant, I turned my head and my tears flowed....crying for the injustices of humanity upon humanity....Is this how we act when we see someone in need? Disgust, anger, annoyance?

He looked over at me and through my tears I smiled at him. He smiled back and said, "Thank you." Silent appreciation, acknowledgement we shared. Human to human. This man saw the angry stares at him and finally got up and moved to the back of the bus to remain "hidden," incognito....and he sat his head down, still stuffing his tattered shirt under his jersey....and looking to see if anyone noticed him...

People wake up! This man could have been you, or me....he could have been your best friend...or mine for that matter, but how we treat others in a time of need is important. Snubbing someone because they are "different" or dirty or smelly, really doesn't help the situation...now does it? Are we as a race of humans so insensitive to the needs of others that we would rather snuff out than help? We would rather ignore the problem than give...small gestures could mean the world to another person...like giving someone their favorite apple cereal bars in the morning or a cup of coffee with a smile...small talk...there is a lot that can be learned through each other....

We are divine beings. We are here to create, and to learn from those experiences and grow. Every person we encounter is an extension of ourselves (like it or not) I am you, you are me, we are we...once we acknowledge the fact that the differences we share we can collectively bring together as a whole, we can then achieve divine Love, infinite happiness, peace and joy...
The pain and suffering inflicted upon our brothers and sisters is a atrocity...when we hurt one another, we are only hurting ourselves...this negativity projected onto the world, manifesting into a greater evil....

Everyone was their usual jovial selves this morning on the bus....conversations on every topic imaginable....and once the bus driver picked up this man, the entire bus grew silent as people watched him take a seat on the bus....prior to the man entering the bus, there were even conversations about the cruelties of war, and the injustices of humanity...
and yet this man was literally ostracized on the bus for being homeless, dirty and cold...

Wake up!

Repeat After Me:

2007-07-07T21:14:00.000-06:00

I will not allow negative thoughts to overcome my thinking. I will not allow negative thoughts to overcome my thinking. I will not allow negative thoughts to overcome my thinking. I will not allow negative thoughts to overcome my thinking. I will not allow negative thoughts to overcome my thinking. I will not allow negative thoughts to overcome my thinking. I will not allow negative thoughts to overcome my thinking. I will not allow negative thoughts to overcome my thinking...

America Please!!!!

2007-07-07T21:11:00.000-06:00

Paris Hilton was convicted of her crime so she must do the time...No questions asked! Do we need a blow-by-blow account of her tirades, her mother's tirades and everyone elses' tirades?
Paris Hilton needs to go to jail since she obviously has no respect for anything! Maybe this will teach the little brat a lesson! With the world in such turmoil and chaos, our food supplies tainted, the loss of family pets due to tainted food, we have nothing else better to do than to report that Paris Hilton is going to JAIL for 45 days - knowing the average Joe would have gotten more!

NO MORE PARIS HILTON!!!!

STOP THE MADNESS.....PLEASE!

They Smile In Your Face....

2007-01-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

....all the time they want to take your place, those backstabbers....backstabbers....

We know these people...we work with them, we live with them, we play with them. They sport two masks: One to elude the victim and the other to elude themselves. They speak with forked tongues, they act for the Academy Award...

These clever, cunning people won't stop at nothing to get what they want: fame, acknowledgement, success, notoriety. All at the expense of others. Sure, it usually starts off with simple misrepresentations of self. The supposed skills and qualities they may possess.

They get in good with the bosses, even family and friends. They piggyback off other's talents and ambitions. But the moment someone stands in the way of their success, they run and "tell." There is always a price to pay, those faces just don't go away....

The overzealous, overbearing, overconfident person that tries to compensate for the things that may be lacking in their lives. Spreading their venom like snakes striking their prey in the woods. They secretly wage battles against others - Victorious? Today maybe...Tomorrow? Who knows, they may autoinnoculate themselves with the same venom they used to strike.

During the course of this tyranny you're stuck with smiling faces and incredibly friendly people who seem "genuinely" concerned about your welfare...all in the name of a dagger!

Office Place Giggles

2007-01-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

I work on the third floor of a building downtown so I am privy to innumerous sights and sounds of the city...

So here's one for ya:
I happen to look out the window today for a little diversion to my workload and what do I happen to see....a guy whacking off while waiting at the light! I call out to one of my co-workers to verify that I was "actually" seeing what I was seeing...

Nonetheless everyone on my side of CUBE world SAW what I was "actually" seeing...a man jerking off in his truck waiting at the stoplight....

Now that's entertainment! ;-)

Happy New Year

2006-12-31T23:51:00.000-07:00

May your year be filled with joy, success, peace and happiness!

Shut Up: Ode to Co-Workers and Cubicles

2006-07-05T15:31:00.000-06:00

Now it is amazing how rude and inconsiderate people are at work, especially in a cubicle setting. You have people that will babble on and on and on while others are trying to work...Oh yeah excuse me, some of us are serious about working when they clock in....Not just there specifically to collect a paycheck after going to the gym on company hours, and talking all day long about stuff that isn't business related (and still get paid for a full eight hours of work) just talking.....

Those are the very same ones who spend all day talking (either on the phone with their family and friends ) or in front of other peoples' cubes: then wait until the last minute to ask someone to take care of a task they were supposed to complete, because they were "too busy" to do so...why? Because they spent the entire day "talking"

Oh wait....when you do decide to work it's a friggin joke because "now" all of a sudden there is so much to do and so little time...everything is hurried and sloppy, but hey, it's better to talk all day than get paid for what you were hired for....Come on let's talk....

SHUT UP!!!

Do you think we care about your husbands, your new cars, your mothers, your shopping trip, your vacation, your dog, your cat, your flowers, your baking, the flood that occured in your home with the mold growing in your closets, your medication, your hot flashes, your rash, your sex life, your non-existent sex life, etc....No...what we care about is the increased amount of "noise" pollution around our cubicles....

Sorry folks, we're not in offices, I hear everything you have to say and can tell you about your entire family or about your weekend...why? Because you spend the entire day talking and I have no choice (even with headphones on to drown out the drone in your voice) but to listen to your idle chatter, which is a distraction....Distraction folks....and that cuts down on productivity...and what happens when employers discover their employees have cut down on productivity...Well you figure it out, the serious working ones are those who lose their jobs while the Chatterers continue to steal from the company with the endless lunches, workouts at the gym, long drawn out conversations on the phone (company and cell) with family and friends, come in late, leave early, and shop during company time....now that's what I call "productivity"

Cubicle etiquette 101:

SHUT UP!!! Your co-workers will thank you ;-)

Black in America...Stop Spilling Hate Amongst Ourselves

2006-05-21T21:28:00.000-06:00

I just happened one day to view a posting in a forum from someone that wanted the black community to unite and stand proud together. Beautiful, except for the one important message the person truly wanted to convey: Stand proud together, but stand against the light-skinned black people. Or how he so eloquently stated, "the octaroons, quadroons, etc..."

This person stated that the only way for African Americans to advance and get a stronghold in society is to step away from the ones that were a curse in the black culture: lighter shades of black. The devil, the co-conspirator against the black man and his plight. The problem as I had read as he spewed words from Malcolm X (who as I assume he didn't realize was a lighter shade "negro") was that this young brother although a self-proclaimed educator as he called himself was really not educated at all. Quite the contrary. How can a person call for an action of love, peace and unity for the black community, yet, in the same breath ask for division from his people he is striving to unite? This very same brotha also asked that blacks denounce their fathers and forefathers for creating such heathens and procreating with the white man/woman. Little did this buffoon know, (I would assume being an educator as himself he would know that all bloodlines have been mixed throughout the ages so no one is 100% anything but human) that his forefathers were "intermixed" and procreated with the "Massa" and the Missus. They really had no choice in the matter (uh, forced on slave ships, sold on auction blocks, forced to pick cotton, build a nation, forced to accept Christianity, forced to take on the Massas' name, raise their kids and oh but of course Mandingo was a prime catch in the community!)

This idiot went on and on and on to proclaim that once the darker shade black people accepted the fact that lighter shade black people were devils they would in fact be better off. My assessment of the situation? This person was probably scorned countless numbers of times by a light-skinned black woman, and all he could do to alleviate the pain is preach hate against the "light" ones. The black devils...

Until we as African Americans can break free of the very mentality that continues to keep us enslaved...we will never be free, let alone stand in unity....

Secrets: Secret Agendas, Secret Itineraries

2006-05-21T20:03:00.000-06:00

"Shhh! I have a story to tell you...but I don't want anyone else to hear...I have a secret agenda, one that may disrupt the lives I am surrounded by, one that may cause damage, one that may even hurt...but it doesn't matter because I am only concerned with myself...I have always been....as I always will....

I don't care who I affect, I don't care who I hurt...all I care about is me....and only me... All that I do, all that I say, all that I am, is my secret sect, my society. My secret life, my secret friends, my secret..."

That just about sums up the people in my life....Their secret lives....They want you to believe in them, support them, encourage them...love them...and help them...but they cannot remove their veils...everything is shrouded in secrets....

The dictionary defines secret as:

Secret:

adj.

Kept hidden from knowledge or view; concealed.
Dependably discreet.
Operating in a hidden or confidential manner: a secret agent.
Not expressed; inward: their secret thoughts.
Not frequented; secluded: wandered about the secret byways of Paris.
Known or shared only by the initiated: secret rites.
Beyond ordinary understanding; mysterious.
Containing information, the unauthorized disclosure of which poses a grave threat to national security.
n.

Something kept hidden from others or known only to oneself or to a few.
Something that remains beyond understanding or explanation; a mystery.
A method or formula on which success is based: The secret of this dish is in the sauce.
Secret A variable prayer said after the Offertory and before the Preface in the Mass.

Now considering that the secrets that are being held do not pose a threat to national security, they do, however, impact those involved or not involved...Do you know what it is like to live with people you really don't know, yet you've known them all of your life? I have actually sat around wondering these past few months what could really be accomplished keeping something hidden from someone when the impact of the very secret could be great...These people look deep into your eyes, even say nice things, but the reality is they are operating on their own agendas, their own iteneraries...the very same people who expect help, support and encouragement...these are the very same people who want honesty and trust, but they cannot offer you the same...even if their lives depended upon it!

I don't know...its a conundrum....

So much for communication ;-) Let's just keep a secret!

Stop...Look...Listen...

2006-05-18T09:47:00.000-06:00

Before you decide to point out my downfalls and shortcomings, I would recommend taking a look at yourself first. Before you FEEL you can tell me about MYSELF, know THYSELF....it is essential. I have always found throughout the years that people are so quick to pass judgement or belittle another person because of THEIR shortcomings and downfalls. I don't need a lecture about the plight of the black man from another black man quick to pass judgement, yet speaks of peace and love and good will toward men...Homie you don't know me...you might know my name....

So before you spit fire about SOMEONE else...you better know YOURSELF, and what YOURSELF is doing, and where YOURSELF is going, and where YOURSELF has been...then you won't have to EVER worry, about NOBODY else!

Word for the Day

2006-05-12T11:27:00.000-06:00

Is TRUST....Who do you?

Yesterday I Went to Church Full of Anger...

2006-05-09T13:39:00.000-06:00

Yes, anger prevailed, I sat in church full of anger as I watched the grand show...We said goodbye to my aunt who passed last Sunday, consumned by my anger I mumbled under my breath, my discontentment for family members..I even took Communion, not so pure of heart and spirit, crossed myself after prayers...but by the end of the service, I had two very large bumps at the beginning of each eyebrow....because I had evil thoughts, I was growing horns....

Want to do something for your complexion and yourself? Never go to church with an unpure heart / spirit. Clear your mind of negativity, and let positivity flow through you....It'll do wonders for your complexion, not to mention your psyche / soul....

(ok so Charles had a remedy, which cleared them up almost instantly, but my heart, mind and soul were not pure so you see, thoughts manifest to reveal our true selves, am I a demon?....I am not evil....I am human, but I couldn't even grieve with peace....)

Rest in Peace Aunt Bonnie, forgive me for my errors and my sins....You will be missed!

I know you're with Big Pappa and Grandpa ;-)

And What Really Happens To The Good Guys?

2006-04-23T16:32:00.000-06:00

Two of the most wonderful people in my life have been stricken with cancer. My father, who succumbed a few years ago to prostrate and esophageal cancer, and my aunt who is literally fighting for her life now with lung cancer, which seems to be ravaging her body with a fury. What really worries me the most is Nanny, because she already lost one son, and now she is about to lose another child. But what really happens to the good guys? I mean why does it seem as though the good guys suffer most while the hellish live long and prosper?

It seems like throughout the ages, those that suffer are those pure in heart, while the blackened heart brims with life. A life no doubt that savagely sucks the life out of the good walking the streets unconfined and satiated. The good, or as some would like to use the expression, "the meek" die countless deaths while laying in wait of the predator...humankind...Sound familiar?

Jesus died for our sins, just as the pure in heart die for the evil ones. Yet nothing has changed in the world, the political ferment produced a leadership not even worthy of support...Still we die by the thousands because our race or religion is not acceptable, or because our children cannot find another alternative for the anger that festers inside them (I keep saying this and I will keep saying this...the children are a product of their environment, their homes....if we cannot control ourselves, how can we expect our children to?)...Our lives are are parallel to those who lived and died thousands of years ago...nothing in this world has changed...the game may have new players, but the rules are still very much the same: divide and conquer...and the meek still have yet to inherit the earth...So what really happens to the good guys?

My grandmother lived long in this world, yet the grief I felt when she said to me that she should have been the one who died before her children, those words echoed in my head as I watched my grandmother's spirit wilt away. Now the feelings of grief sweep over her again, leaving me with goosebumps....that old familiar feeling is back, the loss, the pain, the heartbreak....the good guys...and I'd die a thousand times over to save the life of them....

Question...

2006-03-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

Having the opportunity to peruse Yahoo! 360 pages, I am baffled at what is on these pages and the content. I guess I am trying to get an understanding at what it is people are really trying to convey...

So you're like NAKED on your 360 page and you have sexually explicit content, yet you profess that you are a TRUE CHRISTIAN and deeply and SPIRITUALLY guided and motivated....I'm confused...

So once again you're naked and in a sexually explicit pose, yet you write blogs about your children and your love for them...Once again I am definitely confused....

And again you are naked and a BBW as well and you write blogs about wanting to find a good man because you have so much to offer...Problem is, we SEE all that you have to offer, and you wonder why you can't find a good man...You left very LITTLE to the imagination...and with sexually explicit content all you're going to find is someone who wants to take you for a "spin"

Ok so once again you're a BBW (which is nothing wrong with that by the way) yet you're naked and in sexually explicit poses as you discuss your job (and good jobs from what I read) but you're naked....(I have to keep stressing that)...I wonder what your boss would do if he happened upon your 360 page, since you're representing a company that not only trusts that you'll make good moral and sound judgements, but little do they know that their STAR employee is BUCKED NEKKID and writing pornography....hmmmmmm...

Not trying to sound like a prude but it is very discouraging to stumble across 360 pages with women who have no problems whatsoever being naked...and hey! what you do is what you do...it's when it infringes on the rights of others that creates a problem, but the question I would like to pose is this: Would you walk down the street naked and greet people as you often do online? Would you talk to your boss in sexual overtones and expect a raise? Would you stand in an elevator with your tongue hanging out and licking your breasts with presidents and CEOs of companies riding with you? Would you take your children to your online blog and explain to them that you're just trying to make a difference in the world with your blog? What would you do if your children saw your blog, how would you explain that? Would your mother or father be proud if they stumbled across your page? (shit happens... you'd be surprised at how many people may run into you at the grocery store and treat you a bit different because of what they have seen...Your pastor may even ban you from church because once again your good moral and sound judgement cost the church a few members or better yet a helluva lot of GOSSIP...your mother getting her hair and nails done suddenly finds that her child is the topic of discussion at the salon...and some pervert who for all intents and purposes misinterpreted your messages and is now stalking your ass behind your blog...) Sound farfetched?

Your online presentation should also be a reflection of you...your family and let's talk about this....Your loved one....what would your man do if one of his friends called him and told him all about your blog...would you lie? Would you deny it even exists? Would you suddenly change your blog, your name or? Once again you not only represent yourself, but you also represent your man...If you wouldn't walk down the street naked, why would you do it online?

I am truly baffled....but Hey! I'm only passing by....passing by....

Wake Up...

2006-01-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

Wake up....are you still sleeping....are you dreaming....can you hear me...I am speaking, my heart is weeping....visions of war grows like a vine....total destruction....out of time....our children are running, in the streets, no where to go, no place to sleep...through their design, so selfishly takes the life of others....father... mother... sister...brother....

This isn`t just in our minds, as we`re suspended through space and time....this isn`t just as it seems, we run from reality so we continue to dream....

Eyes wide open....or are you too blind to see...show your fallacies....your injustice reeks...When will our minds be free, stop the inconsistencies, free our minds so we can see...bred with a cattle mentality, so easily led, by our shepherds instead....wake up....looking at life through shades of gray...while we lay...in a constant, hypnotic, drug-induced state....

This isn`t just from our minds...as we`re suspended through space and time...this isn`t just as it seems, we run from reality so we continue to dream...

Wake up...Wipe the sleep from your eyes...One day you`ll realize..it`s all been a lie....enslaved...by deception....our perceptions lacked insight....intellectually deficient....biochemically dependent....our shepherds influence us to continue to graze....purple haze....

This isn`t just in our minds....as we`re suspended through space and time....this isn`t just as it seems, we run from reality so we continue to dream...

Give love, share love, be LOVE....

Love is Life

Cyn

"When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, I am in the heart of God."
-Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Sex and Love - They Are Not the Same - Don't Get It Twisted

2005-12-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to talk about something that has been bothering me for quite some time. Sex and Love. I have had innumerous conversations with both men and women and had the opportunity to gain insight on their views on the subject matter. For most women that I have communicated with, their views are a bit distorted. A combination of reality and the "fairy tale." There are some men that would just rather have it known in the beginning that before they have sex with a woman she completely understands that he is not offering her a lifetime commitment, he's just offering her a release. For some women she interprets the act entirely different.

Before we begin, let's just look at the definition of Sex and Love, although similar in definitions, they are not the same:

sex
n.

1. The property or quality by which organisms are classified as female or male on the basis of their reproductive organs and functions.
2. Either of the two divisions, designated female and male, of this classification.
Females or males considered as a group.
3. The condition or character of being female or male; the physiological, functional, and psychological differences that distinguish the female and the male.
4. The sexual urge or instinct as it manifests itself in behavior.
5. Sexual intercourse.
6. The genitals.

love
n.

1. A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.
2. A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair; the emotion of sex and romance.
3. Sexual passion.
4. Sexual intercourse.
5. A love affair.
6. An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object.
7. A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction; beloved. Often used as a term of endearment.
An expression of one's affection: Send him my love.
8. A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language.
9. The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love.
Love Mythology. Eros or Cupid.
often Love Christianity. Charity.
Sports. A zero score in tennis.

Ok so now that we have established that Sex and Love generally have "a" same meaning, trust me it is not the same thing. Let's delve into it a bit further:

(I will use two people I have conversed with for analysis)

Woman:

Ok when we met dude was the finest thing ever to walk on earth. We met at this club, had a few drinks, good conversation and then he tookme back to his place. He told me that I was definitely someone he wanted to get to know and hang out with. I thought he meant everything he said.

It's now been three weeks since we have spoken, even though our time together was wonderful. That night was truly magical and I really believed he loved me because of the things he said to me while he was making love to me.

Man:

So I met this woman a few weeks ago at this club. She was beautiful man, and I just figured that "we could do the damn thing," because of the way she was diggin me. That shit was off the hook!

Now she is stalking me man! Everytime my damn phone rings it's her leaving me all of these long drawn out messages of how she loves me. I broke a rule giving her my number in the first place man. All I did was give it to her the way she wanted it and "damn!"

Interpretation:

People say things in the throws of passion simply because at that particular moment in time they perceive it to be the right thing to say. When the smoke clears, life goes on and reality sets in.

Just because he has had sex with you does not mean you should start planning your wedding. It is what it is. Pure, raw, unadulterated Sex. Does this mean that you can't have a fulfilling realtionship with the man you just slept with? Well it depends, if you have already had a relationship established (operative word here) then the sex just solidifies the relationship. Feelings intensify and Love (see how that works) comes into play.

Now if you just met dude and 20 minutes later you two are "boning" then the answer would be "No" Think about it....You two just met, now you are ready to settle down...why? From this point you must be honest with yourself and and ask yourself some questions about what it is you really want from relationships. Be for real, not only with yourself but with your partner. Don't start trying to manipulate a situation for your own benefit, don't use sex as the tool to acquire a man or woman for that matter. Just keep it real. Don't start looking for the big house with the white picket fence and expect 2.3 kids running around and don't think that just because you "broke her off something proper like," that she is supposed to rush home, cook your dinner and pick up your dirty clothes. It is what it is...

Sex is an act: in scientific terms it is called "copulation" which means "mating." Love is an emotion - Captivating, stimulating, undulating, resonating, vibrating. Ok so now I know you're probably wondering to yourself where do I get off discussing this anyway, and so I will tell you that it truly bothers me how just a simple act alone can cause so much confusion and heartbreak. If you have it established in the beginning that the act itself is just that, then the cause for alarm should not be there. If you just sleep with someone and interpret as something else, then there is an obvious problem. I could talk about this matter all day long. And it still probably wouldn't sink in.

A great deal of people are lonely, brokenhearted, seeking something greater than what they may have now in their lives. Women view sex differently than men men view sex differently than women. Women see the act itself as offering herself to the man eternally, men unless they are in love view the act as just that "sex."

Now I have been in situations where my attitude with sex is, "don't fall in love with me, let's just have sex," and it completely blows the man away....How could a woman have such an attitude towards sex. Well its quite simple actually, I don't use sex as a means to acquire, purposefully get pregnant to entrap someone, then complain because I am sitting somewhere bitter and lonely and trying to figure out how to feed all those mouths. I see it for what it is...an act.

But don't get me wrong, when I am in love, then it is no longer sex, it is something completely different. Now it is something "spiritual" (you find when you get older, sex is more spiritual than just being with someone) When I love I love deeply and intensely. Our souls mesh as our bodies kiss, we're not trying to acquire each other for the sake of calling someone our own, we just know. That is a different level altogether...

Basically this entire matter boils down to self-esteem. If you are secure within "self" then you don't need anyone to make you feel "complete." You won't have the need to "trap" another or misinterpet actions and words...you see things for what they truly are....

See it Through - Langston Hughes

2005-12-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

When you're up against trouble
Meet it squarely face to face.
Lift your chin, set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace.
When it's vain to try to dodge it,
To do the best that you can do
You may fail, yet you may conquer it
See it through.

-Langston Hughes

How Deep is Your Love

2005-12-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

I see the time
When two hearts grow closer everyday
Falling in love
I feel your love grow stronger everyday

If you should fall
I'll be there to catch you
Throughout our years
I'll never forsake you
Baby I'll be there for you
But there is one thing I need to know...

How deep is your love
How far are you willing to go
Will you weather the storms
And go that extra mile to show
That you're falling in love
Like I'm falling deeper in love with you...

You are my savior
Gave me your hand
And showed me the way
Poured light in the tunnel
That was growing darker everyday
And I'll always remember
Your strong arms around me
Protecting me, sheltering me from misery...

If you should fall
I'll be there to catch you
Throughout our years
I'll never forsake you
Baby I'll be there for you
But please just let me know...

How deep is your love
How far are you willing to go
Will you weather the storms
And go that extra mile to show
That you're falling in love
Like I'm falling deeper in love with you...

Copyright© 1998 Cynthia Papin. All Rights Reserved. (don't even think about it!)

Still Standing - Verse 4, Still Standing - Goodie MoB

2005-12-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

"Yeah.. Each and every element that exists in this universe is manifested from a thought first Through the inner mind's eye of the unseen power in the sky Gave birth to Mother Earth and all it's worth to you and I This most loved invention, my conciousness is an extension of Him, yet I'm flesh and bone with a mind of my own To dig deeper than the surface, whether I learn from your upcomings or your downfalls we all have individual purpose It's amazing, how the streets do the majority of raising of children who end up dead before hearing what you said And it's sad, so all I can write about is what I had Interpretations of life good and bad with a pen and pad It seems like abortion, when I just write a small portion It's either crumpled up or torn without lettin the thought be born Young minded, and blinded in those days; I didn't want to have a thought that I couldn't raise, nurture, and care for Be there for, help prepare for, the times ahead When someone doesn't agree with what is said, huh And if they did, don't get all arrogant cause that's my kid Just be thankful that it's good and somebody overstood Now, the listener in here want the same flow but I gotta let it grow Clever enough to let it go, if I don't wanna rap no mo' And I'll make sure that no one ever forgets It's immortalized forever, on wax CD's and casettes And when someone goes to the store and purchases it for ten The life cycle starts all over again And I was granted this music as my soulmate, to procreate and give back what I was given, a life worth livin And I, am Still Standing, unscathed Pain is for suckers to feel MC's are running out of things to say, and radio stations running out of songs to play, shit! We Still Standing, unscathed And pain is for suckers to feel, huh And MC's running out of things to say... "
(Cee-Lo, Verse 4, Still Standing- Goodie Mob, From the Album Still Standing)

Love's Garden

2005-12-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

In a world filled with hatred and despair, pain and suffering, we all must acknowledge that one thing that can ultimately set us free....LOVE! With love we can bring about peace and end all trouble and strife...What do we have to lose? Lenny couldn't have said it better, Love is gentle as a rose....Love can conquer any war....Love transcends all space and time...Love can make a little child smile...We got to let Love rule..."

In LOVE'S garden, there is no hate, there is no war, there is no bloodshed, no racial prejudice....Just peace eternal....Are we as a race of people, so afraid of love and acceptance, that we would prefer to follow in the footsteps of thugs, criminals, and the spiritual bereft? Is anyone thinking of consequences?

It's time for us to join together and build our garden!

Love will never fade away when it's pure it forever lasts....

And Now Today's Deep Thought:

2005-12-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

So many of us in our lifetimes seek out a love to fill a possible void that may exist deep inside. We look to the other to instantly fix what we've neglected to work on for so long. In the aftermath of seeking out others to comfort us and love us, we soon discover that depending on someone to validate our "self-worth" actually causes more hurt and pain than we would have expected. To successfully have a true and loving relationship, first we must look to ourselves. We need to cleanse and heal ourselves before we can possibly bring someone else into our lives. If we cannot love ourselves for who we are and what we are, believe me...no one else will...

Homelessness - Why?

2005-12-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

All across America there seems to be an ever growing problem called Homelessness...The problem has seemed to escalate right before our very eyes.... my question...why? When there is obviously enough money to provide and care for the sick, weary and weak and downtrodden.... why are they on the streets? And why, someone please tell me is the number for teens growing?

I pass them every day on my way to work and my heart literally sinks when I see them carrying their possessions in shopping carts and grocery bags. Years and years of their lives reduced to garbage bags, while we so happy and gay purchase new bags to carry our overstuffed wallets…. we point our fingers and we stare at them as though they are alien…

See there is a problem.... A very big problem when we as Americans are more concerned with the amount of space we invest in our homes.... ridiculous amounts of space and money allotted to carry out our dreams: 50 to 60 some odd thousand square feet homes lavishly built and seated.... yes that's right, right smack dab in the heart of the homeless situation.... we pass them everyday, we offer nothing, yet speak of them in tones unjust and uncaring....we dine on the finest meals served to us on the finest crystal and china.... they search for food we toss in garbage bins....We, so lavishly decked out in the finest furs and silks and linens...while they are in torn garbs and soiled linens seeking shelter and warmth from the elements....And folks…there’s children involved this time…Yes! Our children are wandering the streets, but why? I could offer an explanation for the lack of parenting in today’s society but then that would mean those who failed as parents would actually have to admit that things were done wrong. See sitting your children in front of the television set and expecting them to raise themselves while you're off in the streets is not the way…Lack of control in your household as a result of your fun days and nights and neglect to your children your homes your spouses, usually is the end result of the often selfish syndrome, “I have a life.”

See what we fail to realize is that our children are the products of ourselves. They display the years of abuse, neglect or the love we bestow upon them. Yet they are on the streets because we can’t deal with them or reality so we’d rather leave them to society and the streets to raise. They are suffering; our future, our past, our present, yet, because our children aren't perfect and according to society have brought shame and dishonor upon the fairy tale "perfect" lives we've created, we’re a little more concerned with the sizes of our diamonds, our cars and our houses. Distortion, and reality, is coexisting.

There is something wrong when we can pass our brothers and sisters on the streets and they ask for help and we keep walking...Or we scream and yell, “If I can get a job so can you, damn fool!” Yeah these very same "fools" had lives, or so we refuse to remember; she was probably that woman who lived at the corner house and baked cookies and cakes for everyone, or he was the man who would shovel snow from the sidewalks to help out his fellow neighbors. They had homes, dreams, goals and wants, which were suddenly snatched out from under them in the waking hours when we were still trying to wipe the sleep from our eyes. These very same people that answered our calls when we were distressed are left walking the streets hoping someone will hear their cries.

Yes our brothers and sisters that we walk through on our way to work or walk around them because they are considered an eyesore. The invisible ones we call them, as we try to ignore them and forget them. God forbid if something were to suddenly change our lives and we find ourselves cast in the same role as our brothers and sisters; our stomachs burning from the intense hunger as we watch others dine sufficiently, our skin cracked and peeling from the wear and tear from the elements. Our souls damaged from the abuse and our hearts weary.

It takes less energy to show an act of kindness rather than the energy spent to spew hatred and anger at the so-called “invisible ones.” Your life as you’re so accustomed to may be cushy and filled with beautiful trinkets and square footage about the size of a football field, you may have a ton of family and friends who support you in your endeavors, you may win and you may lose, and one day you too could become downtrodden, homeless and labeled “the invisible one.”

Some More Thoughts....

2005-12-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

There is a difference between Love and Lust...They both have 4 letters, but they are ENTIRELY different words...(go on and marinate on that for a minute...)

An Afterthought:

Should one complain about the quality of men and women they meet online, when their online presentation reveals ALL of their ASSETS? You know what I`m talking about...Is it ok to be naked onstage but insist you only want the audience to hear how beautiful you sing? How can one listen when the noise is so distracting? (message)...In order to meet people of SUBSTANCE, one must first present themselves in a manner which represents RESPECT...SELF-RESPECT that is...Don`t complain when you`re treated in any other manner, especially when you don`t care how you represent yourself...

INTEGRITY MEANS EVERYTHING...

Love is Life...

"You are my love, you are my friend, I`ll stay with you until the end of time..." - Aaron Hall, Until the End Of Time, from the cd "The Truth"

Waiting for Warfare...

2005-12-23T14:14:00.001-07:00

Bush in office, Condolessa Rice our Secretary of State, these are the very same people who decide our fate...Our people have chosen, these forboding, undeniably, unjustifying terrorists to rule our country...enslaved we've become...Oh my God what have we done...Daily events occur, that serve as the warning...Stop, Look, Listen...we fail, stomachs turning...Social Security taxed, yet there's no money for me, I keep paying for these fools to steadily lead me down the road of poverty...Food tainted, disease rampant, they have the power to decide who stays and who will go...X Files we're placed, humanity erased, lives hanging in the balance...they have more nuclear weapons they are not afraid to use...the blind leading the blind which path will we choose...Bush got the gun, don't f' with number one...warfare....waiting for warfare....

I Have to Talk About This Again...

2005-12-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

For some reason it is truly important to me....Is it really ok to "hide" behind images of Supermodels and Rock Stars because that seems to be the only way you can gain acceptance and a large amount of friends? What happened to just being you and letting people accept you for who you are, not the image they think you are....

Then let's be real people because I have seen countless profiles all over the web where supposed "Victoria's Secrets" models have profiles (I won't call you out, that's not necessary, you know who you are..." (yeah some of us do SHOP at Victoria's and we do know who the models are!)

Basically what you're doing is called "deception" (I'll even pull the dictionary out for you to understand the word a little better)

de·cep·tion n.
The use of deceit.
The fact or state of being deceived.
A ruse; a trick.

The amount of people that fall for your schemes, truly do get hurt behind the lies, but instead of being who you truly are you'd rather run...and hide...So once again what happens when you actually meet the people you've lied to? What do you do then? "Oh that was my cousin Sharonda she said it was ok to use her pic..." Or better yet, "Yeah I'm best friends with so-and so and she said it was ok..." But what can one believe when the entire affair started out as a lie anyway? Then instead of facing up to what you have done, you try to "detract" the situation from yourself and talk about others being deceptive...Either way it all boils down to LIES....

Let me tell you about a little incident that occurred oh say a couple of months ago where we (my partner and I ) were approached by a certain "woman" who wanted a website right? Something didn't feel quite right about her and before we do any kind of work for anyone, trust me we do our homework on the person or business....

Well this woman for what ever reason had pics of a certain Baywatch model/actress posted, but when you look at her profile pics, and the two and a half inch thumbnails posted in her photo gallery of the actual person, they were two totally different people....See when your pics are "too" perfect that makes me wonder which site you stole them from, and when your ass really is sagging yet the one you have posted is nice, firm and round...well... you do the math! Now this woman came off as a total business woman, but she was a bit too pushy to try to speak to me (before you can even get to me, you have to go through HIM and trust me...you won't!)... She was just trying to find out where I had fit in the grand scheme of things concerning a "certain" gentleman that she was being "deceptive" to. She even had the nerve to talk about other people using fake pics on their profiles! Needless to say we didn't even pursue the matter....and like I had mentioned before, she was only trying to find out who was getting close to her man and (sad to say), he thought she was this Baywatch superstar....(lord)

Can you actually believe what a person has to say when they "lie" from the beginning? Would u even want to?

Just a little food for thought!

Reflections

2005-12-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

As the holidays are vastly approaching, it's time to reflect upon the experiences and create what will be for the upcoming year. Disaster and tragedies have taken a toll on the human spirit, wrecking havoc on our once "so-called" peaceful lives and will. It's very hard to say whether or not these tragedies have brought us closer together or torn us farther apart, but what we do with our own personal experiences can determine the outcome; what we have learned, how we grow, what we will achieve, what we will become.

Now if I were to look back upon the past few months of this year alone, I can say that (with regret) people who were a part of my life growing up, I personally should have taken the time to let them know that my experiences from them were well appreciated. They helped me to become, to learn and to grow...then with a blink of an eye, they are gone...

Two people (cousins) in general taught me so much while I was growing up that, I never once thought I would hear the words, "Your cousin has passed away..." As heart-wrenching as that sounds, we take for granted on a daily basis the people in our lives without once thinking of the future and what it may entail. One of my fondest memories of my cousins ( because they were both shall I say "gangstas") is how they taught me how to survive on the streets...(sometimes, or rather oftentimes, street knowledge is better than book knowledge) I learned how to recognize "game" and extinguish it before it became...I learned how to hustle and never depend on anyone for anything except myself. See something a great deal of people miss in Life 101...Depend on thyself, because no one else will do it for you.

October 31st (Halloween of all days) My cousin Ray passed away and to this day I regret all the words I expressed to my mother when I learned he was in the hospital (hospice)...I just thought that the pain and the suffering he was going through was because he was once again "trying to get over" on the system. Little did I know that he really was suffering. I just knew in my heart he'd be alright, I mean I had seen him do it a thousand times over and over. My heart literally sank when I came home from work and received the news about him. Reflecting back upon some of the times we'd share as a family (he used to think I was a spoiled brat and I thought he was scandalous) one of the funniest memories that I have of him now (it wasn't back in the day when I had to experience it, but now I can laugh at it and just let it go) but he would steal my cds then turn around and try to sell them back to me! Although we weren't close knit like we were when we were children, I always knew that if I ever needed anything from him, he'd do what he could to make sure I had it...

Albert Charles literally was my idol! He was the biggest, baddest, sweetest man you could ever come across. But, you could never cross him and think you'd get away with it. He was the Don Gotti, and I am still trying to process his death to this day. (I could tell a ton of stories about my experiences with Albert Charles....) Albert Charles was always there for me, he was considered the "black sheep" of the family because of his prison stays, and oftentimes my family forbade me from hanging out with him, but to no avail, because he was truly the only one who ever gave a damn and wanted to make sure I never walked along the paths that he walked. If we were standing at the Crossroads today, he'd push me on the right path (even if I protested) he'd insist...

Mrs. Degrate passed away one week before Ray passed away...She left such an impact upon my younger sister (she babysat her) that Nicole would listen to only Mrs. Degrate (instead of my mom sometimes.) She was the only one who could get through to my sister and through to any of the children she watched. Growing up, Mrs. Degrate had all of the neighborhood children in her care, and in control (something that is lacking in today's society...the village that raises the children) I remember all of the neighborhood birthday parties and barbecues. Mrs Degrate would sit proudly at school functions and watch all of us children and would be the loudest one clapping for our accomplishments! Her daughter Mimi (rest in peace, she passed away from AIDS) and I were the same age and literally if not blood, were sisters. When I learned Mimi had AIDS and had refused to continue her medication, questions of my own mortality arose. Within the course of two and a half years already I had lost so many people; My Father, my next door neighbor Margie (another neighborhood icon village mom) My Dog Bear and Mimi. And now, this year has brought about even more loss. I worry so much now about Aunt Bonnie (my father's sister) who is currently battling lung cancer. I worry about Nanny (my grandmother) who has to deal with more and more heartache each day...

My sister Nicole adored Mrs. Degrate, Toni, Mrs. Degrate's daughter was telling me the story of when Nicole would be there she'd have all types of dairy products (Nicole has severe allergies to dairy products) and she'd be fine...it's just when Nicole would be home that she'd break out in hives and rashes if she had milk, cheese or you name it! Only at Mrs. Degrate would she be fine...Mrs. Degrate was the only one who could stop her from banging her head against the sidewalk and concrete walls (something she'd do when she got mad) and get her to calm down.

I mentioned earlier about taking people for granted or taking for granted the fact that we think someone will be here for all eternity, but if it is not written in the cards, it will not be. How we choose to interact with people in our everyday lives and what we do to further enrich their experiences while they are here should matter, now more than ever, because one day we may look up and someone else is taken so early from our lives. It's important to let people know how you feel about them, it's important to give love and acknowledge all people in our lives.

Its important, especially during the holidays that we do all that we can to help those less fortunate, and open our hearts to them. The holidays are a stressful time of year for anyone, but just imagine someone struggling to find cover for the night from the elements, or searching for food in garbage bins. Every little bit that we could do, counts...Remember they too are our brothers and sisters...

Give love, share love, be LOVE....

Love is Life

Money and Relationships - Keep it Real

2005-12-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

I am so glad to be standing here before you to profess to you that I am not one of the vast majority of men and women who feel that in order to have a relationship with someone it also needs to be supplimented with monetary, and material items...I simply cannot be purchased or better yet put on layaway, etc... (Seriously all that glitters really isn't gold...It could just be some gold flaky paint with a bunch of glitter and chips off of rocks to look like stones) ;-)

Why can't I have a simple understanding with someone about this without having to explain this very concept every single time the topic of purchasing goods for me, or sending me money comes up? Just because I say I need something, doesn't necessarily mean that I expect anyone to get it for me, I am a pretty self-sufficient person, all that I am I created from Myself, by Myself, without the use of someone else's wallet...Unlike most people today, I don't use people, exploit them, etc...Fulfillment for me really comes from self...and it's not the tangible, it's the intangible that moves me...

Today in order to be in a relationship, (and I'm just saying this because 89% of the people that I have talked to truly feel that in order to be happy they have to have other people's money to do so) it seems to be based on salaries, the size of the house and the unlimited number of cars...

What happened to say...Love? And since we're talking about Love, when did it come with conditions? Why is it that someone will say, "Hey I would love you more if you buy me that ring...or fly me to Paris, or..." and the other person is literally wrought-up with fear of losing the other person because they simply can't provide all that they are being demanded of...by way of the wallet...

What happened to deep, heart-felt emotions, where it didn't matter whether you lived in a box with this person, because somehow you knew that you would find a way through....that deep, constant...craving...desire for one another...that actually didn't come with a price tag, Rolex box, or frilly buttons, bows and fur to prove your love for them...

Sure there are still couples out there who truly give from their hearts and they are equally rewarded, but for the most part Love seems to be based on something...self-serving...nonetheless... it's always...something....

Do you know I actually had a guy tell me that I was the fool for not jumping at the offers being extended simply because he thought money was my motivator...When I once again explained my view on the matter, he had the utter audacity to get mad...I said you know WE (those with morals, conscious, and values) do STILL EXIST! We're just regarded as all those other folks with their hands out wanting SOMETHING...

Really for me BE ABOUT SOMETHING, then we could talk...close your wallet though cause I have my own.... (stepping down from my podium now)