I'm not a grinch...I'm really not. Okay...so I don't get into Christmas like most people. I could care less about "Satan Claus"...uh...I mean "Santa Claus" and everyone should know by now that Jesus was NOT born on December 25th. I think the entire world, is "ho-ing" (sorry, can't think of another word right now) out this holiday for selfish reasons. "Jesus Is the Reason for the Season"...what?!? Jesus is the reason you're alive...and not just for a season. It's strange to me how more people seem to identify and isolate Jesus to being that little baby in the manger and not the Sovereign Son of God, Lord and Savior who came to take away the sins of the world. We don't identify Jesus around Christmas as much as we do Santa, so don't give me that "Jesus Is The Reason for the Season" stuff. To most it's a nice, politically correct thing to say. For those of you that like to spell Christmas as "X-mas"...uh...it doesn't fly with me. What does that "X" mean? Does it represent the cross or Christ? Does it represent your non-belief in Jesus Christ?
What do you think would happen if people celebrated the Christmas season and not a single gift would be exchanged? Periodically on the news in my city, there was a segment about how they shelters for battered women were full because of lack of employment. WHAT?? So, you're saying...because men have lost their jobs, out of frustration their beating wives more. And now their beating them even more because of the stress that Christmas brings? What a bunch of malarkey! A REAL man doesn't beat his wife or kids out of frustration!! If you do, then you exhibited that behavior way before you lost your job, dude!
Stop The Christmas Madness!
Sorry...back to the topic. I want a moratorium on gift giving during Christmas. I am not talking about donations (or gift-giving) to charities or people in need. I'm saying, stop the madness of giving someone a gift solely because they gave you one. Case and point. Sad to say but one year, I wanted to take all of my gifts back to their respective stores with the exception of maybe 2 or 3. I'm sorry but you can tell when a person gives real thought to the gift they give and when they don't. You can tell no real thought was given about the gift when:
-You can tell your gift was one of those on the $10 table by the door of the store.
-The gift matches no part of who you are.
-The gift matches no decor in your home.
-The gift is one of those "As Seen On TV" gadgets.
-The gift is something you're allergic to.
-The gift is something you can't even eat.
-The gift is so ugly, you can only think it was re-gifted.
Stop The Christmas Madness!
I'm one of those people that gives gifts...when I want to, not because I think I have to. Is that wrong? I mean, how can that be wrong? I don't only give gifts to people during the Christmas holiday. I give gifts when I think of that person, or when I see a special something that I'd like to bless the person with. That kind of giving "happens" throughout the entire year. Believe me when I say, when you don't give any thought to the gift you give, it shows.
I got married almost 10 years ago. We got some of the most god-awful gifts! We got:
-A snow globe with a castle in it. WTH!!
-An ugly green vase with 4 sprigs of yellow fake flowers.
-A poster of one of those pictures that you have to stare real hard at to figure out the picture...inside the picture.
-A set of glass dishes that looked like they had been salvaged from a yard sale.
I mean people, people, people...if you can't afford a gift, don't feel obligated to gift just ANYTHING! A nice card with a personalized note would have been far more appreciated. One of my very good friends always gifts me with something that was in the $10 or $15 section of some store. What's sad about this, is that I've known this person since I was a teenager. Why she feels obligated to get me just any random gift is beyond me, but how do you tell people, "Please...even if I give you a gift for Christmas, PLEASE don't give me one in return." LOL This year, she gave me a gift I immediately wanted to return or re-gift (yes, I WILL re-gift if I know it fits someone else better than myself). I mean, I really wanted to give it back to her and say, "Please...go get your money back." Oh well...I'm sure it will be at the next yard sale.
Stop The Christmas Madness!
Since there will never be (anything but a self-imposed) a moratorium on gift giving during the Christmas season, I've already started thinking about the gift I want to give to certain people in 2009 and we are only 4 days out from Christmas. Why? Because I get great joy out of giving and great thought to my gifts and I want at least a year to purchase it, so I won't just hand out a generic, obligatory gift at the last minute that someone can't use. This year, I bought and wrapped the gifts for all the adult females in my family by June! Yes, I said June! I purchase exactly what I wanted them to have. I gave great thought in the gift and it made the impact that I wanted it to make. Mind you, the gift for each was under $10. It wasn't the price of the gift that I was gifting, it was the sentiment behind it. Maybe I'm one of those rare people who don't WANT anything back in return. Maybe it's because I'm very practical and I don't like kitsch mucking up my house.
So...I've thought about some cool things people could "gift" at Christmas:
-Family portrait swap
-Barter (e.g., if I'm a chef, I could make 6 gourmet meals and if you're a carpet cleaner, you could clean my carpet 6 times in a year)
-Certificates (e.g. for babysitting, cleaning, drycleaning, manicure, pedicure, hair salon, fav grocery store)
We're in a declining economy and no one should be spending money frivolously just because it's Christmas.
Okay, so maybe I'm assuming everyone is as practical as I am! LOL Who cares? I'm allowed...it's MY blog. :)
Stop The Christmas Madness!
-
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
I Love My Parents!
My family members are some of the funniest people I know. My siblings are very bright. Not the scarily, odd acting kind of intellectual but very intelligent people. Collectively, we've been or are executives, a professor, a teacher, IT staff, a nurse, project managers and engineers. Not too bad of a brood for 2 Mississippians that came to the Midwest with literally nothing and one with only a 4th grade education.
My Dad is the ultimate survivor. Born in 1930, he had a pretty rough start as a baby. Got shuffled around a bit until he landed with an aunt and uncle. One of his teachers (Mrs. Beverly) came to our house years ago and basically explained that my Dad was the ultimate "hustler". He could somehow con the other kids into doing his chores for them and pay them pennies to do it. He was also known to be a bit of a prankster too.
My Dad enlisted into the Army and was shipped out 2 weeks after he married my Mom. "Sarge" (as he was called) was in and survived the Korean War, only to come back to a country that didn't really want him. In the 1950s, he was almost hung for just "speaking" to a young, white girl. This was such a serious event, my Dad had to leave his home town and to this day has never returned to live there.
When I hear my Dad talk about how life was in the 30's and 40's, it sometimes makes me cringe. He's had to order his food through the front door of a restaurant and then walk around to the back to get it or eat it. He's been called the "N" word, probably more times than I've ever spoken it in my life. He's had to pick cotton, beans (or whatever was in the field at the time) in the scorching hot sun. After moving to the Midwest with no vehicle, he either walked or ran to work. I was told that in order to get to work (because he had very little money), he would jog almost 10 miles to get downtown and then use his money to catch a bus. He jogged because he didn't have money to catch 2 buses a day and he now had a wife and children to feed at home. My Dad was a hard worker and if he didn't do anything, he always made sure we had a roof over our heads and food on the table.
My Mom...I call her the "bestest Mother in the WHOLE world" because she is. (No...for real. She really is.) My Mother has the happiest, kindest disposition. No matter when or where or at what age I was at the time, when I would see her, her eyes would light up as if she hadn't seen me in years and she has always greeted me with a big smile and a "Hi!!" To this day, she still greets me like that.
My Mom was the master cleaner, chef, playmate and disciplinarian. She was always firm and always kind. I sware my mother can get a stain out of anything. Thankfully, I take pride in inheriting that gift. My mother ALWAYS cooked the BEST food. To this day, there are things she makes that I can't seem to duplicate...but I keep trying. I told my Mom that I always remembered being in the kitchen with her. Her response was, "You were." My Mom knew I was curious about everything she was mixing or mashing and I was always asking a million questions. She never shunned me or pushed me out of the kitchen. She just let me watch and learn. I can recall Mom making, homemade carmel corn popcorn, homemade donuts, homemade peanut brittle, rice pudding, banana pudding, homemade ice cream and the list goes on. Little did I know the hog kidneys, tails, feet and brains were considered scraps by some. My Mom always made it taste SO good, I thought the kidneys were a treat. Those ingredients were always accompanied by rice, (some kind of) beans or cabbage. I can honestly say, I never went a day hungry. It may not have been the best food to eat but it was what we could afford and it never left me hungry.
I think our house was the cleanest one on the block. Our Saturdays were extremely regimented. I think "Sarge" (Dad) came up with the idea of the cleaning frenzy that happened every Saturday morning. It was just like being in the army. We might as well have been awakened to the sound of reveille! Being the youngest, I was always up earliest. I wanted to eat and watch cartoons, however, I would eat and then be chosen to wake up one of my sister's. This particular sister, woke up swingin'!
My Mom was not a martyr but she always seem to be the person to give the greater sacrifice. Back then a whole chicken could feed 8 people. I remember asking my Mother, "Why do you always eat the backs of the chicken?", her response was, "Because it's my favorite part." Years later, I realized it was not her favorite part. She chose to give the meatiest pieces to us. My Mom had one black coat and one black dress that she wore to church every single Sunday for a few years...and very rarely would she ever miss a Sunday. My oldest sister can recall my Mother's hair being in one long pony tail down her back. I wish I could have see that. I'm sure it was beautiful but because it required more shampoo to wash and cost twice as much to go to a salon, one day my Mother took a trip to the barber shop and got it all cut off. For years, I watched my mother eat everything from bacon to hard candy and I never knew she had no molars until a few years ago. Dentures were an expense she would never fathom, so she just went without. Now, we spoil her rotten. My siblings and I almost compete in giving her things, not because we're trying to win her love, (we already have a lifetime of it) but because she's so deserving. Through everything we've going through as a family, my Mom ALWAYS kept it "classy". Ever the "lady". I thought my Mother was the epitome of womanhood. She wore long satin gowns to bed every single night. I loved how they waved in the wind and would sometimes flick me ever so lightly in the face so I could get a waft of the scent of Oil of Olay she wore. To this day, Oil Of Olay smells like my Mom...and now I use it to.
:::heavy sigh::: I just love my parents.
My Dad is the ultimate survivor. Born in 1930, he had a pretty rough start as a baby. Got shuffled around a bit until he landed with an aunt and uncle. One of his teachers (Mrs. Beverly) came to our house years ago and basically explained that my Dad was the ultimate "hustler". He could somehow con the other kids into doing his chores for them and pay them pennies to do it. He was also known to be a bit of a prankster too.
My Dad enlisted into the Army and was shipped out 2 weeks after he married my Mom. "Sarge" (as he was called) was in and survived the Korean War, only to come back to a country that didn't really want him. In the 1950s, he was almost hung for just "speaking" to a young, white girl. This was such a serious event, my Dad had to leave his home town and to this day has never returned to live there.
When I hear my Dad talk about how life was in the 30's and 40's, it sometimes makes me cringe. He's had to order his food through the front door of a restaurant and then walk around to the back to get it or eat it. He's been called the "N" word, probably more times than I've ever spoken it in my life. He's had to pick cotton, beans (or whatever was in the field at the time) in the scorching hot sun. After moving to the Midwest with no vehicle, he either walked or ran to work. I was told that in order to get to work (because he had very little money), he would jog almost 10 miles to get downtown and then use his money to catch a bus. He jogged because he didn't have money to catch 2 buses a day and he now had a wife and children to feed at home. My Dad was a hard worker and if he didn't do anything, he always made sure we had a roof over our heads and food on the table.
My Mom...I call her the "bestest Mother in the WHOLE world" because she is. (No...for real. She really is.) My Mother has the happiest, kindest disposition. No matter when or where or at what age I was at the time, when I would see her, her eyes would light up as if she hadn't seen me in years and she has always greeted me with a big smile and a "Hi!!" To this day, she still greets me like that.
My Mom was the master cleaner, chef, playmate and disciplinarian. She was always firm and always kind. I sware my mother can get a stain out of anything. Thankfully, I take pride in inheriting that gift. My mother ALWAYS cooked the BEST food. To this day, there are things she makes that I can't seem to duplicate...but I keep trying. I told my Mom that I always remembered being in the kitchen with her. Her response was, "You were." My Mom knew I was curious about everything she was mixing or mashing and I was always asking a million questions. She never shunned me or pushed me out of the kitchen. She just let me watch and learn. I can recall Mom making, homemade carmel corn popcorn, homemade donuts, homemade peanut brittle, rice pudding, banana pudding, homemade ice cream and the list goes on. Little did I know the hog kidneys, tails, feet and brains were considered scraps by some. My Mom always made it taste SO good, I thought the kidneys were a treat. Those ingredients were always accompanied by rice, (some kind of) beans or cabbage. I can honestly say, I never went a day hungry. It may not have been the best food to eat but it was what we could afford and it never left me hungry.
I think our house was the cleanest one on the block. Our Saturdays were extremely regimented. I think "Sarge" (Dad) came up with the idea of the cleaning frenzy that happened every Saturday morning. It was just like being in the army. We might as well have been awakened to the sound of reveille! Being the youngest, I was always up earliest. I wanted to eat and watch cartoons, however, I would eat and then be chosen to wake up one of my sister's. This particular sister, woke up swingin'!
My Mom was not a martyr but she always seem to be the person to give the greater sacrifice. Back then a whole chicken could feed 8 people. I remember asking my Mother, "Why do you always eat the backs of the chicken?", her response was, "Because it's my favorite part." Years later, I realized it was not her favorite part. She chose to give the meatiest pieces to us. My Mom had one black coat and one black dress that she wore to church every single Sunday for a few years...and very rarely would she ever miss a Sunday. My oldest sister can recall my Mother's hair being in one long pony tail down her back. I wish I could have see that. I'm sure it was beautiful but because it required more shampoo to wash and cost twice as much to go to a salon, one day my Mother took a trip to the barber shop and got it all cut off. For years, I watched my mother eat everything from bacon to hard candy and I never knew she had no molars until a few years ago. Dentures were an expense she would never fathom, so she just went without. Now, we spoil her rotten. My siblings and I almost compete in giving her things, not because we're trying to win her love, (we already have a lifetime of it) but because she's so deserving. Through everything we've going through as a family, my Mom ALWAYS kept it "classy". Ever the "lady". I thought my Mother was the epitome of womanhood. She wore long satin gowns to bed every single night. I loved how they waved in the wind and would sometimes flick me ever so lightly in the face so I could get a waft of the scent of Oil of Olay she wore. To this day, Oil Of Olay smells like my Mom...and now I use it to.
:::heavy sigh::: I just love my parents.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
African who? African what?
Anyone who really knows me knows I am a major history buff. Any given Wednesday, rest assured I'm watching "The Naked Archaeologist" or some documentary on IFC or HBO. Being an American, I would like to think that I live in a prosperous, thriving and progressive country. I saw a documentary yesterday that made me embarrassed to call myself an American (again). Granted, every country makes mistakes but once you realize it's a mistake, you'd think measures would be taken to avoid the same mistake again, right? Apparently not.
In the U.S., anyone born here knows all about the slave trade and what it did to indigenous Africans. Unlike other cultures that migrated to the U.S., there are millions of Americans with African ancestry that can not and will not ever know exactly what part of African, what tribe or people we have descended from. In my opinion, "African-American" has become a blanket, "catch-all" label for anyone brown-skinned with wavy or kinky hair. If I were African, Haitian, Jamaican, Cuban, etc...I might take offense to that label being thrust upon me, solely because I "look" a certain way. Let me just say, "looks" can be deceiving. My neighbor was born in Nigeria and I (of course) in the U.S. If you placed us side by side and just looked at us, you would never know. My neighbor would automatically get labeled, "African-American", however, if asked she states, "I am Nigerian." I some how feel a bit stupid when faced with an actual African and then calling myself African-American, when I have no idea what part of Africa my lineage comes from. I remember explaining to a Nigerian, we call ourselves African-American because we know (or were TOLD)we are African descendants, but don't know from what part of African we've descended from. The Nigerian's response was, "How sad.". Indeed...how sad.
I took a cultural diversity course one year. As I walked in the class, right away, I was the brownest person in the room. Our instructor asked us to divide ourselves up in our closest cultures. Because there were more European-descendants in the room, she then asked them to divide themselves up by what region of the US they came from. Me...not even thinking, joined one of the regional groups. Why? Because I saw no one like me in the room. The instructor then quietly came over and asked me to represent the African-American culture in the room. How did she know I was African-American? Did I "look" the part? Although I hated being the "representative" for all African-Americans that day, I decided I would enlighten the class a bit. I had to write down 10 things about my culture that people may not know. I can't recall all that I had written. I only remember the one thing I said that got the most reactions and that was, "Not all brown people are of African descent." I heard the gasps of surprise and thought, "Gotcha!". I went on to explain, in very early census records, the census takers were very adamant that if you were not white or mulatto, you were negro. So, you could have been Mexican...but you were listed as "Negro". You could have been Native American...but you were listed as "Negro". You could have been Cuban...but you were listed as "Negro". Through the course of time, it was then assumed, if you had any (what was called then)"Negro" characteristics (e.g. dark skin, wide nose, kinky hair), you were captured in the census as "Negro" or "Black".
As I began to search through my own genealogy, I found I am of more Irish and English descent than I am African. And despite that I have genuine green eyes, tan skin and brown hair with natural auburn hues, I am labeled that which I "look" the most like. I do think this labeling fiasco tends to happen in regions of the U.S. as well as the world that are not as culturally diverse.
As I've travelled, I noticed several things:
-In Mexico, I stuck out like a sore thumb and the natives were extremely fascinated by my green eyes.
-In Puerto Rico, I melted right in!
-In Orlando,Florida, I was mistaken for Cuban.
-In Vienna, Austria, certain ethnic minorities (e.g. Egyptians, Italians) seemed scarily enamored with me. (I loved the attention but after about a week, it got creepy.) The Viennese just stared at me and anyone that I saw that was darker than myself, seemed to run from me. lol
-In Cincinnati, OH - I was stared or glared at...by the Black folks! (What's up with that?)
-In Seattle and California in general - $$ talked, color didn't...and I did notice how very "fit" everyone was there.
My point is this, can't I be who I want to be and not what people assume I am because of how I "look"? So what if the Irish/English side is 3 generations back?!? People still cling to the culture or name of the generation that immigrated to the U.S...except for "African-Americans". We lost our names long ago. The names we now have are adopted from cities, slave masters or just names we liked and claimed as our own. How sad.
In the U.S., anyone born here knows all about the slave trade and what it did to indigenous Africans. Unlike other cultures that migrated to the U.S., there are millions of Americans with African ancestry that can not and will not ever know exactly what part of African, what tribe or people we have descended from. In my opinion, "African-American" has become a blanket, "catch-all" label for anyone brown-skinned with wavy or kinky hair. If I were African, Haitian, Jamaican, Cuban, etc...I might take offense to that label being thrust upon me, solely because I "look" a certain way. Let me just say, "looks" can be deceiving. My neighbor was born in Nigeria and I (of course) in the U.S. If you placed us side by side and just looked at us, you would never know. My neighbor would automatically get labeled, "African-American", however, if asked she states, "I am Nigerian." I some how feel a bit stupid when faced with an actual African and then calling myself African-American, when I have no idea what part of Africa my lineage comes from. I remember explaining to a Nigerian, we call ourselves African-American because we know (or were TOLD)we are African descendants, but don't know from what part of African we've descended from. The Nigerian's response was, "How sad.". Indeed...how sad.
I took a cultural diversity course one year. As I walked in the class, right away, I was the brownest person in the room. Our instructor asked us to divide ourselves up in our closest cultures. Because there were more European-descendants in the room, she then asked them to divide themselves up by what region of the US they came from. Me...not even thinking, joined one of the regional groups. Why? Because I saw no one like me in the room. The instructor then quietly came over and asked me to represent the African-American culture in the room. How did she know I was African-American? Did I "look" the part? Although I hated being the "representative" for all African-Americans that day, I decided I would enlighten the class a bit. I had to write down 10 things about my culture that people may not know. I can't recall all that I had written. I only remember the one thing I said that got the most reactions and that was, "Not all brown people are of African descent." I heard the gasps of surprise and thought, "Gotcha!". I went on to explain, in very early census records, the census takers were very adamant that if you were not white or mulatto, you were negro. So, you could have been Mexican...but you were listed as "Negro". You could have been Native American...but you were listed as "Negro". You could have been Cuban...but you were listed as "Negro". Through the course of time, it was then assumed, if you had any (what was called then)"Negro" characteristics (e.g. dark skin, wide nose, kinky hair), you were captured in the census as "Negro" or "Black".
As I began to search through my own genealogy, I found I am of more Irish and English descent than I am African. And despite that I have genuine green eyes, tan skin and brown hair with natural auburn hues, I am labeled that which I "look" the most like. I do think this labeling fiasco tends to happen in regions of the U.S. as well as the world that are not as culturally diverse.
As I've travelled, I noticed several things:
-In Mexico, I stuck out like a sore thumb and the natives were extremely fascinated by my green eyes.
-In Puerto Rico, I melted right in!
-In Orlando,Florida, I was mistaken for Cuban.
-In Vienna, Austria, certain ethnic minorities (e.g. Egyptians, Italians) seemed scarily enamored with me. (I loved the attention but after about a week, it got creepy.) The Viennese just stared at me and anyone that I saw that was darker than myself, seemed to run from me. lol
-In Cincinnati, OH - I was stared or glared at...by the Black folks! (What's up with that?)
-In Seattle and California in general - $$ talked, color didn't...and I did notice how very "fit" everyone was there.
My point is this, can't I be who I want to be and not what people assume I am because of how I "look"? So what if the Irish/English side is 3 generations back?!? People still cling to the culture or name of the generation that immigrated to the U.S...except for "African-Americans". We lost our names long ago. The names we now have are adopted from cities, slave masters or just names we liked and claimed as our own. How sad.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Hair Salon Price Rant
I have come to realize there is some major "price gouging" (a term for a seller pricing much higher than is considered reasonable or fair; prices obtained by inconsistent practices) occurring in salons. I really think this is on a global scale. The beauty industry, specifically salons have never been scrutinized on their pricings. Unless it's a retail chain (e.g. Bo Ric's, SuperCuts), salons have never had to adhere to any type of market price or standard. I suspect this is because there's a myriad of services that can be offered or requested by customers. This in no way gives them (salons) the right to charge exorbitant fees. Now, I do believe in paying for someones DEMONSTRATED expertise, but to charge an outrageous fee solely because your competition does, is unacceptable.
Prices of services in the midwest are just ridiculous. Reality shows like, "Split Ends" and "Shear Genius" have some stylists overconfident in their ability...and fees. Let's hope they begin to remember those are reality TV shows, not their OWN reality. Just because you can duplicate a style you saw executed on a TV show doesn't mean you have to charge $10-$30 more for your services.
The disparity between the prices of services is just unbelievable! They just don't make sense! Recently, a white colleague went to a salon and got her hair washed, cut (not trimmed) and styled. After (the very expected) tipping the "shampoo girl", she walks out having spent $70, only to duplicate it again the next week or week after. I can recall going to a salon about 5 years ago where I got a touch up (relaxer), trim (not cut)and flat-ironed and I was charged $85.00!!! That hurt my pocket AND my feelings because it was done by a lady I use to work with and I became one of her first customers when she graduated beauty school. I hadn't been to her in a long time but DANG...$85.00? Needless to say, that was the last time she did my hair.
What are the cost incurred with being a stylist (and not the owner of a salon)? Hair products, equipment (e.g. irons, combs, rollers, pins, clips), booth rent (which usually incorporate water, lights, phone, etc), time and expertise. I get that. Now that a lot of African-American women are going natural, the price gouging has shifted. When my hair was relaxed, I understood that some of the cost of the service was the (chemically ladened) products that the stylist used on my hair. It was normal for the stylist to use at least 4-5 different products (e.g. shampoo, conditioner, styling lotion, spritz, oil sheen, etc) on my hair. Now that I'm natural, why isn't the cost of those products (that I no longer want used on my hair)deducted from my bill?
It's crazy but sometimes when I get to a salon...especially if it's a new salon or stylist, I almost feel like a hostage or I have the ominous feeling that I'm about to be robbed. (LOL...that's so sad!) I am the client and I want to encourage and empower people just like me to take back their "chutzpah"! Salons and stylists of the world, listen up! Here are our (my...tee hee) demands:
1. I want the option to bring in the (natural) products I want used in my hair if you don't provide them...and deduct that from what you're charging me.
2. I want the option to prepare (e.g. shampoo or co-wash)my hair at home, if all I want you to do is twist, corn roll, palm roll or braid it.
3. Consult with me BEFORE you do any other treatment on my hair. Some of us get taken by the stylist statement that starts off with, "I'm going to do a...to your hair today, okay?" or "This is what I'm going to do for you today...". Don't make it sound like a favor, when it's really a $50 service I unknowingly agreed to.
4. Make sure your prices are CONSISTENT. (I'm intelligent...I understand inflation, so I understand that as the cost of products go up, the price of services will go up...but not by $10 per month!)
5. Can I please have the option to pay the shampoo girl without being the topic of conversation (after I leave) when I don't? DANG! Some days, I barely have enough money to pay the stylist and the "surprise" services, let alone leave a $5-10 tip for the shampoo-er.
6. DO NOT request that I make an appointment just for a non-refundable $20-40 consultation that lasts 15 minutes! That is absolutely inconsiderate...and a waste of my time and yours.
7. If I request a service, TELL me what HOW you're going to do it BEFORE you do it. I do not like surprises when it comes to my hair.
8. If you know I requested a service that will harm my hair, have the integrity, maturity, kindness and professionalism to tell me the consequences of my request!
9. Know your abilities and expertise. Let me know if I'm requesting a service you've never done before. It could potentially save both of us THOUSANDS of dollars in court costs.
10. Never forget...your livelihood is based on the satisfaction of your clientele. It amazes me when stylist act like they're doing ME a favor by servicing ME!
Color me jaded. I'm done with the self-absorbed, insolent behaviors of stylist. I can't tolerate them in person and I can't even stomach them on the reality shows. I have come to the conclusion that I'd rather go to a "kitchen-tician" than to be subjected to rude behavior and price gouging practices.
Remember when salons were called "beauty shops"? Maybe that's when they lost their customer focus and charm. Ahhhh...those were the days.
Prices of services in the midwest are just ridiculous. Reality shows like, "Split Ends" and "Shear Genius" have some stylists overconfident in their ability...and fees. Let's hope they begin to remember those are reality TV shows, not their OWN reality. Just because you can duplicate a style you saw executed on a TV show doesn't mean you have to charge $10-$30 more for your services.
The disparity between the prices of services is just unbelievable! They just don't make sense! Recently, a white colleague went to a salon and got her hair washed, cut (not trimmed) and styled. After (the very expected) tipping the "shampoo girl", she walks out having spent $70, only to duplicate it again the next week or week after. I can recall going to a salon about 5 years ago where I got a touch up (relaxer), trim (not cut)and flat-ironed and I was charged $85.00!!! That hurt my pocket AND my feelings because it was done by a lady I use to work with and I became one of her first customers when she graduated beauty school. I hadn't been to her in a long time but DANG...$85.00? Needless to say, that was the last time she did my hair.
What are the cost incurred with being a stylist (and not the owner of a salon)? Hair products, equipment (e.g. irons, combs, rollers, pins, clips), booth rent (which usually incorporate water, lights, phone, etc), time and expertise. I get that. Now that a lot of African-American women are going natural, the price gouging has shifted. When my hair was relaxed, I understood that some of the cost of the service was the (chemically ladened) products that the stylist used on my hair. It was normal for the stylist to use at least 4-5 different products (e.g. shampoo, conditioner, styling lotion, spritz, oil sheen, etc) on my hair. Now that I'm natural, why isn't the cost of those products (that I no longer want used on my hair)deducted from my bill?
It's crazy but sometimes when I get to a salon...especially if it's a new salon or stylist, I almost feel like a hostage or I have the ominous feeling that I'm about to be robbed. (LOL...that's so sad!) I am the client and I want to encourage and empower people just like me to take back their "chutzpah"! Salons and stylists of the world, listen up! Here are our (my...tee hee) demands:
1. I want the option to bring in the (natural) products I want used in my hair if you don't provide them...and deduct that from what you're charging me.
2. I want the option to prepare (e.g. shampoo or co-wash)my hair at home, if all I want you to do is twist, corn roll, palm roll or braid it.
3. Consult with me BEFORE you do any other treatment on my hair. Some of us get taken by the stylist statement that starts off with, "I'm going to do a...to your hair today, okay?" or "This is what I'm going to do for you today...". Don't make it sound like a favor, when it's really a $50 service I unknowingly agreed to.
4. Make sure your prices are CONSISTENT. (I'm intelligent...I understand inflation, so I understand that as the cost of products go up, the price of services will go up...but not by $10 per month!)
5. Can I please have the option to pay the shampoo girl without being the topic of conversation (after I leave) when I don't? DANG! Some days, I barely have enough money to pay the stylist and the "surprise" services, let alone leave a $5-10 tip for the shampoo-er.
6. DO NOT request that I make an appointment just for a non-refundable $20-40 consultation that lasts 15 minutes! That is absolutely inconsiderate...and a waste of my time and yours.
7. If I request a service, TELL me what HOW you're going to do it BEFORE you do it. I do not like surprises when it comes to my hair.
8. If you know I requested a service that will harm my hair, have the integrity, maturity, kindness and professionalism to tell me the consequences of my request!
9. Know your abilities and expertise. Let me know if I'm requesting a service you've never done before. It could potentially save both of us THOUSANDS of dollars in court costs.
10. Never forget...your livelihood is based on the satisfaction of your clientele. It amazes me when stylist act like they're doing ME a favor by servicing ME!
Color me jaded. I'm done with the self-absorbed, insolent behaviors of stylist. I can't tolerate them in person and I can't even stomach them on the reality shows. I have come to the conclusion that I'd rather go to a "kitchen-tician" than to be subjected to rude behavior and price gouging practices.
Remember when salons were called "beauty shops"? Maybe that's when they lost their customer focus and charm. Ahhhh...those were the days.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Weight Loss Surgery - The Untold Stories
Often times you see weight loss surgery commercials and you see fit and trim individuals, enjoying life, enjoying their kids or grandkids and their talking about how they've shrunk from a size "double digit" to a size "single digit". Well there are other stories that are never told. The following is just a few stories that will never be in a weight loss surgery commercial. All names will be changed to protect the innocent:
Story #1 - At Bobby's highest weight, he was almost 450lbs. Bobby had Roux-En-Y and came home with some seriously adverse affects. Bobby couldn't hold any food down, so his main diet was Ensure...morning, noon and night. He would often "dump" the Ensure for what seemed like no reason. Bobby began to loose the weight but was miserable for most of the time. Fast forward 4 years later and Bobby is still wavering between real food and Ensure. Suddenly a quarter size lump appears on Bobby's side. Doesn't seem to be anything to worry about until suddenly a month later the quarter has grown to a softball. A strange tumor from no where suddenly appeared with the appetite of a leech. The tumor thrived on a nearby blood supply. Any progress Bobby made with eating was lost again. On top of all that, Bobby suffers from Degenerative Disk Disease. Are the tumor and DDD a result of the weight loss surgery? Who knows? Better yet, will any of Bobby's physicians investigate to find out? Doubtful.
Story #2 - Cindy and I had Roux-En-Y the exact same day. It wasn't until the next day when a physical therapist came in to check on me that I realized something went wrong with Cindy's surgery. The therapist said, "That lady that had surgery the same day as you isn't doing so well. You're up and moving but she's still laying in bed with an oxygen mask on. I don't think her Roux-En-Y was successful. Something prevented them from completing her surgery."
I saw Cindy at the 5 day check up and she didn't look like someone who had just had the surgery...she looked like a candidate, as she huffed and puffed and strained to breathe through her oxygen mask.
Story #3 - Judy had surgery almost a year before I did. Suddenly one day a colleague says, "Judy was taken to emergency. She almost died." I never thought her trip to emergency had anything to do with her weight loss surgery until details were given. Apparently Judy was still taking the Flintstone chewables she took right after her surgery a year ago. She didn't bother to tell her physician, nor did he ask about what "kind" of vitamins she was taking. Judy almost died of anemia.
Story #4 - Tina had Roux-En-Y and so did her Mother-in-law, Gladys. Gladys' weight loss surgery was a little too successful. Suddenly her children began to worry about her because she began to quickly look like a skeleton with skin. People began to think she had cancer. Come to find out Gladys had a gastro-intestinal problem, and was slowly starving to death. Long story short, Gladys had to have her Roux-En-Y reversed.
Story #5 - A friend told me another friend had Roux-En-Y and 6 months later, she suddenly died in her sleep. Was it natural causes? Well...that's what they told her family.
Story #6 is my own. In 1999, I weighed 435lbs. My weight was a combination of poor eating, stationery living and PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome). The Roux-En-Y helped me change my eating habits and water aerobics ceased the stationery living but no one factored in the PCOS (which also has obesity as a symptom). At the informational Gastric Bypass meeting, we were told we had a "golden year" to eat right, exercise and lose weight or..."Cinderella's chariot turned back into a pumpkin". I can remember the physician saying, "You will turn back into a normal person with a weight loss problem." Who would have known my "golden year" would be plagued with foot pain, orthopaedic appointments and a series of non-functioning orthotics to wear in my shoes. I spent that "golden year" running from orthopaedic specialist to orthopaedic specialist only to find out (at the end of that golden year), I had a torn tendon in my left foot that needed to be re-attached. So almost one year to the date of my Roux-En-Y, I had the tendon attached and was bedridden for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks I began to walk around with a walking cast. Four weeks later, while walking to the church office, I suddenly (and might I add gracefully) fell. No tripping...no suddenly loss of footing, it was as if I just...fell. When I hit the soft grass I heard a "snap, snap". Before I felt any pain, I remember thinking, "What was that?". After reaching the hospital via ambulance, x-rays showed a BROKEN right ankle (remember...I just had surgery on the left) and fractured right tibia. I immediately started to cry. I had just gotten back to work and was attempting to finish my classes so I could graduate two months later.
Emergency surgery and 4 weeks later, I was being wheeled to class. Four weeks after that, we had to rent a scooter for two months ($2200.00) so I could maneuver around my job and NO my insurance WOULD NOT PAY FOR IT! After 8 weeks, I had to return to surgery to get the hardware out of my ankle, so that would account for a total of 4 months of being bedridden.
I'm now 6 years post Roux-En-Y and 20 lbs heavier. The following year I spent on narcotics due to the pain from the tendon repair. I spent the first 4 months of the following year getting weaned off of the narcotics! The year after that I had a slow but consistent weight loss. The year after THAT was started with pep, courage and a commitment to exercise with my best friend. We faithfully went to the gym every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:30am to do water aerobics. We lost inches everywhere...we were SO excited! Suddenly...almost simultaneously, she needed knee surgery and I had a pinched nerve that left me dragging my right leg Quasimodo-style. What a kick in the teeth! I was on medical leave for 4 months, diagnosed with Degenerative Disk Disease (yeah, same thing as Bobby in Story #1)...bedridden because I couldn't sit. The result...after decompression therapy, I got back on my feet... with an added 10-15 lbs. Okay...so...back to work I go for only 4 months and I start feeling horrible pain in my neck. Lo and behold, MRI results come back and every single disk in my cervical spine is either bulging or herniated, not to mention I'm still suffering from the herniations in my lumbar area that caused the pinched nerve earlier in the year. Three months of therapy and I'm still in pain but back to work. Oh yeah...and another 10-15 lbs heavier because I couldn't do anything but lay around.
As I look in mirrors with a bit of disappointment, I can only focus on the current attempts to eat healthier because aerobics of any kind is out of the question right now. So, there you have it...the untold weight loss surgery stories.
Story #1 - At Bobby's highest weight, he was almost 450lbs. Bobby had Roux-En-Y and came home with some seriously adverse affects. Bobby couldn't hold any food down, so his main diet was Ensure...morning, noon and night. He would often "dump" the Ensure for what seemed like no reason. Bobby began to loose the weight but was miserable for most of the time. Fast forward 4 years later and Bobby is still wavering between real food and Ensure. Suddenly a quarter size lump appears on Bobby's side. Doesn't seem to be anything to worry about until suddenly a month later the quarter has grown to a softball. A strange tumor from no where suddenly appeared with the appetite of a leech. The tumor thrived on a nearby blood supply. Any progress Bobby made with eating was lost again. On top of all that, Bobby suffers from Degenerative Disk Disease. Are the tumor and DDD a result of the weight loss surgery? Who knows? Better yet, will any of Bobby's physicians investigate to find out? Doubtful.
Story #2 - Cindy and I had Roux-En-Y the exact same day. It wasn't until the next day when a physical therapist came in to check on me that I realized something went wrong with Cindy's surgery. The therapist said, "That lady that had surgery the same day as you isn't doing so well. You're up and moving but she's still laying in bed with an oxygen mask on. I don't think her Roux-En-Y was successful. Something prevented them from completing her surgery."
I saw Cindy at the 5 day check up and she didn't look like someone who had just had the surgery...she looked like a candidate, as she huffed and puffed and strained to breathe through her oxygen mask.
Story #3 - Judy had surgery almost a year before I did. Suddenly one day a colleague says, "Judy was taken to emergency. She almost died." I never thought her trip to emergency had anything to do with her weight loss surgery until details were given. Apparently Judy was still taking the Flintstone chewables she took right after her surgery a year ago. She didn't bother to tell her physician, nor did he ask about what "kind" of vitamins she was taking. Judy almost died of anemia.
Story #4 - Tina had Roux-En-Y and so did her Mother-in-law, Gladys. Gladys' weight loss surgery was a little too successful. Suddenly her children began to worry about her because she began to quickly look like a skeleton with skin. People began to think she had cancer. Come to find out Gladys had a gastro-intestinal problem, and was slowly starving to death. Long story short, Gladys had to have her Roux-En-Y reversed.
Story #5 - A friend told me another friend had Roux-En-Y and 6 months later, she suddenly died in her sleep. Was it natural causes? Well...that's what they told her family.
Story #6 is my own. In 1999, I weighed 435lbs. My weight was a combination of poor eating, stationery living and PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome). The Roux-En-Y helped me change my eating habits and water aerobics ceased the stationery living but no one factored in the PCOS (which also has obesity as a symptom). At the informational Gastric Bypass meeting, we were told we had a "golden year" to eat right, exercise and lose weight or..."Cinderella's chariot turned back into a pumpkin". I can remember the physician saying, "You will turn back into a normal person with a weight loss problem." Who would have known my "golden year" would be plagued with foot pain, orthopaedic appointments and a series of non-functioning orthotics to wear in my shoes. I spent that "golden year" running from orthopaedic specialist to orthopaedic specialist only to find out (at the end of that golden year), I had a torn tendon in my left foot that needed to be re-attached. So almost one year to the date of my Roux-En-Y, I had the tendon attached and was bedridden for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks I began to walk around with a walking cast. Four weeks later, while walking to the church office, I suddenly (and might I add gracefully) fell. No tripping...no suddenly loss of footing, it was as if I just...fell. When I hit the soft grass I heard a "snap, snap". Before I felt any pain, I remember thinking, "What was that?". After reaching the hospital via ambulance, x-rays showed a BROKEN right ankle (remember...I just had surgery on the left) and fractured right tibia. I immediately started to cry. I had just gotten back to work and was attempting to finish my classes so I could graduate two months later.
Emergency surgery and 4 weeks later, I was being wheeled to class. Four weeks after that, we had to rent a scooter for two months ($2200.00) so I could maneuver around my job and NO my insurance WOULD NOT PAY FOR IT! After 8 weeks, I had to return to surgery to get the hardware out of my ankle, so that would account for a total of 4 months of being bedridden.
I'm now 6 years post Roux-En-Y and 20 lbs heavier. The following year I spent on narcotics due to the pain from the tendon repair. I spent the first 4 months of the following year getting weaned off of the narcotics! The year after that I had a slow but consistent weight loss. The year after THAT was started with pep, courage and a commitment to exercise with my best friend. We faithfully went to the gym every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:30am to do water aerobics. We lost inches everywhere...we were SO excited! Suddenly...almost simultaneously, she needed knee surgery and I had a pinched nerve that left me dragging my right leg Quasimodo-style. What a kick in the teeth! I was on medical leave for 4 months, diagnosed with Degenerative Disk Disease (yeah, same thing as Bobby in Story #1)...bedridden because I couldn't sit. The result...after decompression therapy, I got back on my feet... with an added 10-15 lbs. Okay...so...back to work I go for only 4 months and I start feeling horrible pain in my neck. Lo and behold, MRI results come back and every single disk in my cervical spine is either bulging or herniated, not to mention I'm still suffering from the herniations in my lumbar area that caused the pinched nerve earlier in the year. Three months of therapy and I'm still in pain but back to work. Oh yeah...and another 10-15 lbs heavier because I couldn't do anything but lay around.
As I look in mirrors with a bit of disappointment, I can only focus on the current attempts to eat healthier because aerobics of any kind is out of the question right now. So, there you have it...the untold weight loss surgery stories.
The Lion King
Wow! Wow! Wow! Never have I seen such brilliance in color and song! It was amazing! Anticipating long lines, my husband and I got there almost an hour early. Okay...so I didn't know they didn't actually seat you until a half hour before the start of the show. We made it to our seats! Sweet! Orchestra seating..eighth row back. Man! I'll be able to look up their noses. LOL
We nestle in our seats and lo and behold...the people in the middle seats are LATE! Why does that happen? It's always the people in the middle of the row that are late! As if the cramped seats weren't enough, then we had to get up 3 times for the people in the middle of our row...sheesh!
Suddenly the lights dim and you hear a singing but you don't know where it's coming from. There...in the balcony! Cool! Who starts their first act in the balcony?!? LOL It was a very pleasant surprise. But wait...an even stronger voice enters stage left. It's Rafiki!! And boy does that character have a set of lungs!
Rafiki suddenly starts rambling in an African dialect. I turn to my niece and whisper, "I think I need sub-titles." Rafiki rambles on for almost 60 seconds and the beauty of the little soliloquy, was the character was telling a story in a language no one could understand...yet we all understood it.
There was one burst of color after the next...one musical crescendo after the next. Surprises were EVERYWHERE! The HUGE elephant down the aisle, the graceful leopard, the leaping gazelles, the dancers, the grass, the elegant giraffes...the colors, artistry and creativity...it was so overwhelming but you didn't mind your brain going into "hyper-optical-sensitivity" (ok...I made that up)! It amazed me how your own imagination fell in sync with the imagination of the creators of the musical. It was absolutely wondrous and I would gladly go see it again!
We nestle in our seats and lo and behold...the people in the middle seats are LATE! Why does that happen? It's always the people in the middle of the row that are late! As if the cramped seats weren't enough, then we had to get up 3 times for the people in the middle of our row...sheesh!
Suddenly the lights dim and you hear a singing but you don't know where it's coming from. There...in the balcony! Cool! Who starts their first act in the balcony?!? LOL It was a very pleasant surprise. But wait...an even stronger voice enters stage left. It's Rafiki!! And boy does that character have a set of lungs!
Rafiki suddenly starts rambling in an African dialect. I turn to my niece and whisper, "I think I need sub-titles." Rafiki rambles on for almost 60 seconds and the beauty of the little soliloquy, was the character was telling a story in a language no one could understand...yet we all understood it.
There was one burst of color after the next...one musical crescendo after the next. Surprises were EVERYWHERE! The HUGE elephant down the aisle, the graceful leopard, the leaping gazelles, the dancers, the grass, the elegant giraffes...the colors, artistry and creativity...it was so overwhelming but you didn't mind your brain going into "hyper-optical-sensitivity" (ok...I made that up)! It amazed me how your own imagination fell in sync with the imagination of the creators of the musical. It was absolutely wondrous and I would gladly go see it again!
Monday, November 24, 2008
P.A.I.N
Persistent
Annoying
Inflammed
Nusance
Yep...that's what pain is. It can be your best ally when detecting other problems in your body and it can be your worst enemy when you don't know why the heck it's invading your body. I'm part of the latter group. I have no idea why I suffer so many physical setbacks. I mean, this has been happening ALL my life...one incident after another. The worst part of it all is when you have a completely functioning brain and hands. Some days I really sense that my mind did not shut down...even in my sleep. I never use to wake up tired, not only do I wake up tired, I wake up later than usual. Is this all part of aging? If so, this is not fun. I don't feel like my "normal" self. Every errand is intricately timed, so I know just how many steps I can take or how many times I can carry a bag before my body just gives out in some way.
Not trying to have a pity party, just wanted to talk about my reality right now. :::heavy sigh:::
Annoying
Inflammed
Nusance
Yep...that's what pain is. It can be your best ally when detecting other problems in your body and it can be your worst enemy when you don't know why the heck it's invading your body. I'm part of the latter group. I have no idea why I suffer so many physical setbacks. I mean, this has been happening ALL my life...one incident after another. The worst part of it all is when you have a completely functioning brain and hands. Some days I really sense that my mind did not shut down...even in my sleep. I never use to wake up tired, not only do I wake up tired, I wake up later than usual. Is this all part of aging? If so, this is not fun. I don't feel like my "normal" self. Every errand is intricately timed, so I know just how many steps I can take or how many times I can carry a bag before my body just gives out in some way.
Not trying to have a pity party, just wanted to talk about my reality right now. :::heavy sigh:::
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Bass-ackwards!
"Bass-ackwards" was a term I would hear my Mother use when I was younger. I knew it meant somebody was doing something backwards or the wrong way but I had NO idea about the meaning of the word...literally.
"Bass-ackwards" is a word befitting our health care system in the US. Why, do you ask? Shall I list? I shall.
Bass-ackwards:
-Physicians that will continually prescribe medication to masked the side effects of other medications.
-Health benefits that will cover weight loss surgery but not the hanging skin it leaves behind, that continually gets infected due to trapped moisture in the creases of the skin. And they want to call the skin removal cosmetic surgery????
-Benefits that will cover surgery but not a homeopathic therapy that may take a little longer than the typical 6-8 weeks you're given to recover from a surgery.
-Not covering homeopathic or naturalpathic medications. Instead, go ahead and take a narcotic for years. When you need a new liver, they'll just put you on the 3-5 year transplant list. After all, your benefits will cover that surgery.
Of course my list could go on but I'll try not to "rant" too much today. I am so ticked that I've had to take out a $7000.00 medical loan to get a therapy that has literally saved my life twice in 12 years. Because neither physicians, nor the pharmacetical industry make any money off of it, it's not accepted by the AMA. What's not accepted by the AMA, doesn't usually get covered by your health insurance. Can you say "BASS-ACKWARDS"?!?
Do you ever remember hearing as a child, "They killed the man that had the cure for the common cold."? Yeah...well, I remember hearing it and thought it was just a crazy tall tale. The older I get and the more I find out about health care benefits, the medical and pharma industries, the more that tall tale begins to seem to have more truth to it. Check out this story about the "Cure for Cancer".
I'm a bit jaded with the medical and pharma industries right now. I found out a long time ago, you need to walk into your physicians office armed with the latest info because more than likely they WILL NOT know about it. I've made suggestions to my physician on what medication I'd like to try...or I've refused a medication the physician wanted to prescribe to me. It's sad, but I've even had a physician (in the past), I used like a glorified pharmacist. I would just call the physician, tell them what I wanted, how I wanted it and without a thought, the physician would prescribe it. Little did I know, I was doing damage to my own body. I'm sure the physician knew the long term affects but why should he tell me? That's just more money in his pocket in the future, right? Riiiiight!
Oye vay!
"Bass-ackwards" is a word befitting our health care system in the US. Why, do you ask? Shall I list? I shall.
Bass-ackwards:
-Physicians that will continually prescribe medication to masked the side effects of other medications.
-Health benefits that will cover weight loss surgery but not the hanging skin it leaves behind, that continually gets infected due to trapped moisture in the creases of the skin. And they want to call the skin removal cosmetic surgery????
-Benefits that will cover surgery but not a homeopathic therapy that may take a little longer than the typical 6-8 weeks you're given to recover from a surgery.
-Not covering homeopathic or naturalpathic medications. Instead, go ahead and take a narcotic for years. When you need a new liver, they'll just put you on the 3-5 year transplant list. After all, your benefits will cover that surgery.
Of course my list could go on but I'll try not to "rant" too much today. I am so ticked that I've had to take out a $7000.00 medical loan to get a therapy that has literally saved my life twice in 12 years. Because neither physicians, nor the pharmacetical industry make any money off of it, it's not accepted by the AMA. What's not accepted by the AMA, doesn't usually get covered by your health insurance. Can you say "BASS-ACKWARDS"?!?
Do you ever remember hearing as a child, "They killed the man that had the cure for the common cold."? Yeah...well, I remember hearing it and thought it was just a crazy tall tale. The older I get and the more I find out about health care benefits, the medical and pharma industries, the more that tall tale begins to seem to have more truth to it. Check out this story about the "Cure for Cancer".
I'm a bit jaded with the medical and pharma industries right now. I found out a long time ago, you need to walk into your physicians office armed with the latest info because more than likely they WILL NOT know about it. I've made suggestions to my physician on what medication I'd like to try...or I've refused a medication the physician wanted to prescribe to me. It's sad, but I've even had a physician (in the past), I used like a glorified pharmacist. I would just call the physician, tell them what I wanted, how I wanted it and without a thought, the physician would prescribe it. Little did I know, I was doing damage to my own body. I'm sure the physician knew the long term affects but why should he tell me? That's just more money in his pocket in the future, right? Riiiiight!
Oye vay!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Random Rantings About The Pregnant WOMAN and Proposition 8
Okay...what's the deal? Why is this woman#1 - saying she's a man? #2 - talking about her pregnancy as if it's news worthy? It is just me or is this not such a big deal? LMBO! When I first saw the headlines about a "Pregnant Man", I immediately thought "side show". When I saw the interview on Oprah, (of course this is my opinion) I thought, "That's a woman! That ain't no man!"
Tracy or Thomas or whatever she calls herself is NOT an anomile. If you've seen a woman in menapause, you've probably seen a woman with a beard, mustache and at the very least peach fuzz. If you've seen a woman that had breast cancer in both breast, then you've seen a woman with no boobs (aka double mastectomy). Lord have mercy! My womb is the final thing that differenciates me from drag queens, trans-sexuals and gay men...therefore I am a WOMB-MAN!
I'm pissed! The nerve of her, having her "cake" and eating it too. The media is promoting this as if "she" has the best of both worlds. She can look like a man AND have babies like a woman. I heard someone in the media describe her as a "third sex". (Yes, I saw the NatGeo, Taboo episode about cultures that have a variety of sexes.) THAT is where I draw the line. I mean, why go through the trouble of taking male hormones, and legally changing your name and sex only to bear children later. THAT...is just not right. The hoopla is all about the fact that she has legally changed to a male...ON PAPER PEOPLE, ONLY ON PAPER!!!!!!!
You know what? I can wrap my head around people who just happen to fall in love with someone that's the same sex, I struggle with men who display what they think is a feminine persona. (Often times their behavior is crude, loud and severely exaggerated.) I'm still a little taken aback by individuals who are OBVIOUSLY male, dressing in women's clothing. I mean...for real? I saw an individual a couple of months ago that was obviously male. He looked so awkward, so uncomfortable and extremely self concious. It was just not cute. You can take all the female hormones in the world, your hands, head, feet and the length of your arms and legs don't change.
Regarding Proposition 8...whatever, man! The legal jargin is claiming that allowing same-sex individuals to marry will increase revenue in weddings and gays want the same "dignity and respect" to the lifetime committment that marriage represents. Um...you have got to come better than that. Yes, our Constitution says that all "men" should be treated equally. Do I think the writer's of the constitution were thinking about same-sex marriages or a third sex at the time it was written? Hell no!
Let's just let everybody marry. Brothers and sisters....fathers and daughters...first cousins! Heck...go for it. Let's just see how fast it takes for all the birth defects (physical and mental) from all this intermarriage to kick in. Most same-sex couples don't have children, so how long will it take for our population to decline? Same-sex couples are usually in a very high salary bracket. The gulf between the haves and the have nots gets greater and greater. I use to think I was middle class, but I think I'm sliding down the slope a bit. (Okay, so I'm digressing a bit.)
I can barely afford medical, life, home/auto insurance as it is. I don't want actuaries and statisticians to start pulling metrics and concluding something like, "There's a greater health risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, fibromyalgia, etc. with 2 adult females in the household, so medical benefits should increase because of it." OR, "There's a greater risk of HIV or AIDS with same-sex couples..." Okay, so that latter isn't true but I think you get my point. Please...Pleeeaase...PLEASE do not pull the race card and throw it in the gay deck. Why was everyone in hiding or "in the closet" until 45-50 years ago? Afraid of persecution? Heck...at least you COULD hide. I can't hide my color, my kinky hair or my round butt (well...some have and do with plastic surgery) to blend in with the majority. I can't say, I was born white, chinese or indian just because I feel I have a kindred spirit with a culture or have an affinity for things of a certain culture. I don't know of anywhere in history where a group of individuals were forced into a homosexual lifestyle for hundreds of years.
In some instances homosexuals have walked in the footsteps of African-Americans. We got BET, they get Logo. We have specific vacations and cruises, they have Olivia. Heck, they've gone FURTHER than African-Americans. They have they're own condos, gay bars, gay beaches, gay friendly hotels...and the list goes on and on.
As an African-American woman, 95% of the time I travelled, I was the only African-American woman on the plane, in the hotel, at the conference. I had NO choice! Sometimes, I could tell as I approached a hotel registration desk, the person behind the counter was a little surprised to see me.
Okay...let me stop because I'm really beginning to randomly rant. LMBO! Whew!
Tracy or Thomas or whatever she calls herself is NOT an anomile. If you've seen a woman in menapause, you've probably seen a woman with a beard, mustache and at the very least peach fuzz. If you've seen a woman that had breast cancer in both breast, then you've seen a woman with no boobs (aka double mastectomy). Lord have mercy! My womb is the final thing that differenciates me from drag queens, trans-sexuals and gay men...therefore I am a WOMB-MAN!
I'm pissed! The nerve of her, having her "cake" and eating it too. The media is promoting this as if "she" has the best of both worlds. She can look like a man AND have babies like a woman. I heard someone in the media describe her as a "third sex". (Yes, I saw the NatGeo, Taboo episode about cultures that have a variety of sexes.) THAT is where I draw the line. I mean, why go through the trouble of taking male hormones, and legally changing your name and sex only to bear children later. THAT...is just not right. The hoopla is all about the fact that she has legally changed to a male...ON PAPER PEOPLE, ONLY ON PAPER!!!!!!!
You know what? I can wrap my head around people who just happen to fall in love with someone that's the same sex, I struggle with men who display what they think is a feminine persona. (Often times their behavior is crude, loud and severely exaggerated.) I'm still a little taken aback by individuals who are OBVIOUSLY male, dressing in women's clothing. I mean...for real? I saw an individual a couple of months ago that was obviously male. He looked so awkward, so uncomfortable and extremely self concious. It was just not cute. You can take all the female hormones in the world, your hands, head, feet and the length of your arms and legs don't change.
Regarding Proposition 8...whatever, man! The legal jargin is claiming that allowing same-sex individuals to marry will increase revenue in weddings and gays want the same "dignity and respect" to the lifetime committment that marriage represents. Um...you have got to come better than that. Yes, our Constitution says that all "men" should be treated equally. Do I think the writer's of the constitution were thinking about same-sex marriages or a third sex at the time it was written? Hell no!
Let's just let everybody marry. Brothers and sisters....fathers and daughters...first cousins! Heck...go for it. Let's just see how fast it takes for all the birth defects (physical and mental) from all this intermarriage to kick in. Most same-sex couples don't have children, so how long will it take for our population to decline? Same-sex couples are usually in a very high salary bracket. The gulf between the haves and the have nots gets greater and greater. I use to think I was middle class, but I think I'm sliding down the slope a bit. (Okay, so I'm digressing a bit.)
I can barely afford medical, life, home/auto insurance as it is. I don't want actuaries and statisticians to start pulling metrics and concluding something like, "There's a greater health risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, fibromyalgia, etc. with 2 adult females in the household, so medical benefits should increase because of it." OR, "There's a greater risk of HIV or AIDS with same-sex couples..." Okay, so that latter isn't true but I think you get my point. Please...Pleeeaase...PLEASE do not pull the race card and throw it in the gay deck. Why was everyone in hiding or "in the closet" until 45-50 years ago? Afraid of persecution? Heck...at least you COULD hide. I can't hide my color, my kinky hair or my round butt (well...some have and do with plastic surgery) to blend in with the majority. I can't say, I was born white, chinese or indian just because I feel I have a kindred spirit with a culture or have an affinity for things of a certain culture. I don't know of anywhere in history where a group of individuals were forced into a homosexual lifestyle for hundreds of years.
In some instances homosexuals have walked in the footsteps of African-Americans. We got BET, they get Logo. We have specific vacations and cruises, they have Olivia. Heck, they've gone FURTHER than African-Americans. They have they're own condos, gay bars, gay beaches, gay friendly hotels...and the list goes on and on.
As an African-American woman, 95% of the time I travelled, I was the only African-American woman on the plane, in the hotel, at the conference. I had NO choice! Sometimes, I could tell as I approached a hotel registration desk, the person behind the counter was a little surprised to see me.
Okay...let me stop because I'm really beginning to randomly rant. LMBO! Whew!
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Planet, Going Green and My Top 10 Predictions for the Next 20 Years.
I love green...it's my favorite color. Anyone who knows me, knows I love green. I have loved green since I was a child and the reason is because of nature. It seemed like green meant life or health because in nature, green things were alive! Now green is no longer just a color, it's a noun AND an adjective. You can "be green", "go green" or "think green". Too bad this whole "green movement" has come too late.
I think we have done irreparable damage to the earth. If we had only taken a tip from the indigenous people of this continent and only used what we needed, we wouldn't be in this predicament. The damage is done. Now it's time to pay the piper and suffer the consequences. I know that sounds morbid, but it's the truth. Everywhere I look, organizations are forecasting things to occur in the next 20 years.
The Great Barrier Reef could be gone in the next 20 years, if global warming isn't slowed.
Oil supplies will start to run out in the next 20 years.
80% of Arctic Sea ice will be gone in 20 years.
Are experts thinking that we can slow down global warming in 20 years? Says who? I think in the next 20 years we'll be so preoccupied with the results of the damage of the late 19th and 20th centuries, we may see more adverse results than positive. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad there is a global effort to "Save the Planet" but has it come too late? Yeah...I too think better late than never, but is my non-use of plastic bags and bottles, use of energy efficient doors, windows and large appliances and paperless billing statements going to do any quantifiable good? I'd like to think so but I can't help thinking, we might just be too late. Have we already gotten to the point of no return with the Earth?
I think at my age (oh yeah...I turned 40 on Nov. 11th), I'm finally able to "see" change differently. When you're young it tends to creep up on you. Like, I don't know when microwaves came out, I just remember suddenly having one. As you get older, you see what necessary changes are to come and can anticipate the resistance that will come with it. Well...these are my 10 predictions and some of the challenges that I think will follow:
1. A law will be passed that solar or wind power use be mandatory in some city and states (e.g. CA, AZ, NM, NV, HI). The pain will be the cost to transition from current power to solar power. I'm sure the government will have some nice incentives.
2. Video phones via the Internet will replace land line phones. Remember that phone Sly Stallone used in "Demolition Man"? when he answers a ringing phone in his new apartment and a video of a girl almost naked appears and she says something like, "Oops! Wrong number?"
3. Hot-house gardening will replace normal gardening because weather conditions will be hotter than it has ever been.
4. Home manufacturers will have a "standard" solar heating/cooling option for newly built homes. Traditional heating/cooling will cost more.
5. Model houses will look more like Florida homes with the enclosed pool and fiber cement, stone or brick siding.
6. Most people will work from home and utilize web conferencing/meetings. To ensure accountability, your boss will be able to view you either on camera or from your keyboard strokes to ensure you are working.
7. Physical education will become mandatory for children K-12. It would utilized the Nintendo Wii system. Not the dodgeball days of old. When a child has their gym class, they will have a variety of activities they could do for an hour, like tennis, bootcamp, hip-hop dancing or rhythm boxing. For special needs children, a physical therapist will be available.
8. Hair and body products will go back to the basics (e.g. olive oil, eggs, mayo, coconut oil, oatmeal baths) and manufacturers of organic products will blow chemical based products out the water. This may give rise to more lice breakouts.
9. Plastic bags will be banned in the U.S.
10. Bed bug and termite infestations will be on the rise due to the use of natural bedding and furniture products.
Will some of those predictions come to pass? I hope so!
I think we have done irreparable damage to the earth. If we had only taken a tip from the indigenous people of this continent and only used what we needed, we wouldn't be in this predicament. The damage is done. Now it's time to pay the piper and suffer the consequences. I know that sounds morbid, but it's the truth. Everywhere I look, organizations are forecasting things to occur in the next 20 years.
The Great Barrier Reef could be gone in the next 20 years, if global warming isn't slowed.
Oil supplies will start to run out in the next 20 years.
80% of Arctic Sea ice will be gone in 20 years.
Are experts thinking that we can slow down global warming in 20 years? Says who? I think in the next 20 years we'll be so preoccupied with the results of the damage of the late 19th and 20th centuries, we may see more adverse results than positive. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad there is a global effort to "Save the Planet" but has it come too late? Yeah...I too think better late than never, but is my non-use of plastic bags and bottles, use of energy efficient doors, windows and large appliances and paperless billing statements going to do any quantifiable good? I'd like to think so but I can't help thinking, we might just be too late. Have we already gotten to the point of no return with the Earth?
I think at my age (oh yeah...I turned 40 on Nov. 11th), I'm finally able to "see" change differently. When you're young it tends to creep up on you. Like, I don't know when microwaves came out, I just remember suddenly having one. As you get older, you see what necessary changes are to come and can anticipate the resistance that will come with it. Well...these are my 10 predictions and some of the challenges that I think will follow:
1. A law will be passed that solar or wind power use be mandatory in some city and states (e.g. CA, AZ, NM, NV, HI). The pain will be the cost to transition from current power to solar power. I'm sure the government will have some nice incentives.
2. Video phones via the Internet will replace land line phones. Remember that phone Sly Stallone used in "Demolition Man"? when he answers a ringing phone in his new apartment and a video of a girl almost naked appears and she says something like, "Oops! Wrong number?"
3. Hot-house gardening will replace normal gardening because weather conditions will be hotter than it has ever been.
4. Home manufacturers will have a "standard" solar heating/cooling option for newly built homes. Traditional heating/cooling will cost more.
5. Model houses will look more like Florida homes with the enclosed pool and fiber cement, stone or brick siding.
6. Most people will work from home and utilize web conferencing/meetings. To ensure accountability, your boss will be able to view you either on camera or from your keyboard strokes to ensure you are working.
7. Physical education will become mandatory for children K-12. It would utilized the Nintendo Wii system. Not the dodgeball days of old. When a child has their gym class, they will have a variety of activities they could do for an hour, like tennis, bootcamp, hip-hop dancing or rhythm boxing. For special needs children, a physical therapist will be available.
8. Hair and body products will go back to the basics (e.g. olive oil, eggs, mayo, coconut oil, oatmeal baths) and manufacturers of organic products will blow chemical based products out the water. This may give rise to more lice breakouts.
9. Plastic bags will be banned in the U.S.
10. Bed bug and termite infestations will be on the rise due to the use of natural bedding and furniture products.
Will some of those predictions come to pass? I hope so!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Dr's = Professional Guess-ers
Let's face it! Physicians go to school to be professional "guessers". They're almost like a human search engine. You feed them the data (e.g. symptoms), click enter and your symptoms run through the database of their years of practice and medical school. The output is either information they are currently specializing in or maybe the most recent data given to them by the last pharma salesperson they encountered. Okay...so what! The last statement is a little unfair to physicians, however, in may instances it's probably true. Let me share my story...
I am one with multiple medical issues that started when I was a young 20-something.
Issue #1 - Dermoid tumors on both ovaries. Result? One ovary yanked (by a physician who suspected I had PCOS (poly-systic ovarian syndrome) but ruled it out) and a half of one yanked a year later (by a different physician, recommeded by the first), only to have totally desentigrated and dissappeared over a period of years.
Issue #2 - The darn scar tissue from the first two surgeries! (Taken out by a 3rd physician!)
Issue #3 - After years of tonsilitis, I got my tonsils taken out at age 30! One of the worst pains I've ever felt in my entire life! (Physician #4)
Issue #4 - Severe herniated disks in my lumbar region. Was on med leave from work for about 2 months. Physician #5 couldn't help me, Chiropractor #1 couldn't help me, so I was sent to Chiropractor #2 to do decompression. It saved my life!
Issue #5 - Obesity. Physician #6 attempts with dietician and pills but nothing worked but this time I was also diagnosed with poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. Yeah...the same thing that Physican #1 ruled out 5 years prior. I was then sent to Physician #7 for Roux-en-Y.
Issue #6 - Major pain in left ankle. Enter Physician #8, who attempts correction with pain meds and orthotics but neither worked. Physician #8 sends me to Physician #9. Physician #9 diagnoses a torn legamint and corrective surgery.
Issue #7 - I trip and fall 3 months after the above surgery and break my right ankle and fracture my right leg. Back to Physician #9 for repairs (2 surgeries).
Issue #8 - Issue #4 comes back to visit periodically over the years.
Issue #9 - Issue #4 comes back with a vengence and results in a pinched nerve. After almost 4 months of medical leave, once again, Chiropractor #1 saves my life with decompression therapy.
Issue #10 - Diagnosed with DDD (Degerative Disc Disease) and every disc in my cervical spine is damaged (2 herniations, 1 huge bulge and all others with lesser bulges). Undergoing decompression therapy but this time is not as effective as in previous years.
At the pinnacle of frustration, I begin to wonder if all these issues have a common diagnosis that is going unnoticed. I know there are privacy issues involved, however, my wish would be that my entire medical record could be online, so any physician I went to could see my vast medical history. Along with that feature would be a database that would automatically query certain symptoms or key words in my records and match them with possible diagnoses. These possible diagnoses would then be scrutinized by my primary physician to determine (possibly through further testing) if the database queries were accurate. I know...we're not quite in the "Jetson" era yet, but we're getting close.
I'm tired of narcotic distributing, pill promoting physicians. I don't blame the physicians by themselves. Our society demands "quick fixes", so we're more apt to take a pill to get us back to work quickly than to take the time to allow our bodies to heal more naturally. Hmmmm...did I just say our current society doesn't allow us time to heal our bodies? How sad but true.
My sister recently had a friend that committed suicide. She was taking 22 pills a day. Ultimately her husband realized (too late), her physician was giving her medications to lessen the side effects of other medications. What a vicious cycle! Why is it that some physicians give regard to the side effects of long term narcotic use on your liver and others don't even mention it? How is it that I could take Darvocet for almost 10 years and no physician warn me about the side effects it may have on some of my internal organs?
Thank GOD for the internet and my ability to seek out information for myself. Many times, I've had to arm myself with data about my OWN symptoms and bring that data to the physicians attention or suggest a test, therapy or alternative to medication.
Currently, I have had to spend $7,000 (a medical loan) on decompression therapy not paid for by my benefits. Why is it not paid for? Well...a person in the medical field told me the AMA and the "grand poo-bah's" of the JAMA don't support homeopathic therapies because there is no money to be made. The use of drugs keeps the money pipline wide open to those in certain government agencies, and the medical and pharma industries. Hmmmm...so, where's the health of the patient considered in all of this? Yeah...
I am one with multiple medical issues that started when I was a young 20-something.
Issue #1 - Dermoid tumors on both ovaries. Result? One ovary yanked (by a physician who suspected I had PCOS (poly-systic ovarian syndrome) but ruled it out) and a half of one yanked a year later (by a different physician, recommeded by the first), only to have totally desentigrated and dissappeared over a period of years.
Issue #2 - The darn scar tissue from the first two surgeries! (Taken out by a 3rd physician!)
Issue #3 - After years of tonsilitis, I got my tonsils taken out at age 30! One of the worst pains I've ever felt in my entire life! (Physician #4)
Issue #4 - Severe herniated disks in my lumbar region. Was on med leave from work for about 2 months. Physician #5 couldn't help me, Chiropractor #1 couldn't help me, so I was sent to Chiropractor #2 to do decompression. It saved my life!
Issue #5 - Obesity. Physician #6 attempts with dietician and pills but nothing worked but this time I was also diagnosed with poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. Yeah...the same thing that Physican #1 ruled out 5 years prior. I was then sent to Physician #7 for Roux-en-Y.
Issue #6 - Major pain in left ankle. Enter Physician #8, who attempts correction with pain meds and orthotics but neither worked. Physician #8 sends me to Physician #9. Physician #9 diagnoses a torn legamint and corrective surgery.
Issue #7 - I trip and fall 3 months after the above surgery and break my right ankle and fracture my right leg. Back to Physician #9 for repairs (2 surgeries).
Issue #8 - Issue #4 comes back to visit periodically over the years.
Issue #9 - Issue #4 comes back with a vengence and results in a pinched nerve. After almost 4 months of medical leave, once again, Chiropractor #1 saves my life with decompression therapy.
Issue #10 - Diagnosed with DDD (Degerative Disc Disease) and every disc in my cervical spine is damaged (2 herniations, 1 huge bulge and all others with lesser bulges). Undergoing decompression therapy but this time is not as effective as in previous years.
At the pinnacle of frustration, I begin to wonder if all these issues have a common diagnosis that is going unnoticed. I know there are privacy issues involved, however, my wish would be that my entire medical record could be online, so any physician I went to could see my vast medical history. Along with that feature would be a database that would automatically query certain symptoms or key words in my records and match them with possible diagnoses. These possible diagnoses would then be scrutinized by my primary physician to determine (possibly through further testing) if the database queries were accurate. I know...we're not quite in the "Jetson" era yet, but we're getting close.
I'm tired of narcotic distributing, pill promoting physicians. I don't blame the physicians by themselves. Our society demands "quick fixes", so we're more apt to take a pill to get us back to work quickly than to take the time to allow our bodies to heal more naturally. Hmmmm...did I just say our current society doesn't allow us time to heal our bodies? How sad but true.
My sister recently had a friend that committed suicide. She was taking 22 pills a day. Ultimately her husband realized (too late), her physician was giving her medications to lessen the side effects of other medications. What a vicious cycle! Why is it that some physicians give regard to the side effects of long term narcotic use on your liver and others don't even mention it? How is it that I could take Darvocet for almost 10 years and no physician warn me about the side effects it may have on some of my internal organs?
Thank GOD for the internet and my ability to seek out information for myself. Many times, I've had to arm myself with data about my OWN symptoms and bring that data to the physicians attention or suggest a test, therapy or alternative to medication.
Currently, I have had to spend $7,000 (a medical loan) on decompression therapy not paid for by my benefits. Why is it not paid for? Well...a person in the medical field told me the AMA and the "grand poo-bah's" of the JAMA don't support homeopathic therapies because there is no money to be made. The use of drugs keeps the money pipline wide open to those in certain government agencies, and the medical and pharma industries. Hmmmm...so, where's the health of the patient considered in all of this? Yeah...
Sunday, November 09, 2008
About Barak Obama...
Today I was asked the following questions: What do you think about us having a Black president and what does it mean for Blacks? Wow. Those are short questions, however, they warrant a very detailed response. My response will consist of observations as well as opinions.
Americans (of all colors) either receive/acknowledge or reject Obama's African side. Fewer see him as an American with the beauty of both cultures. Even fewer reject/ignore his White side. While America is called a melting pot, it by no means concludes we have accepted the differences that makes the US what it is, it only means we are probably more tolerant than some other countries.
I'm encouraged we now have our first Black president. (Mind you, I would have been just as encouraged if he were any other minority.) If anyone can legitimately be called an "African-American", it's Barak Obama. (He doesn't have to do a DNA swab to know just what part of Africa his heritage comes from.) What I don't want, is for "Black" or "African" to be the ONLY thing anyone sees. While for African-American's he's the best thing since Martin Luther King Jr, I want African-American's to see more of what he has become, has done for the community and is currently doing. I want Obama to become a beacon of hope and springboard for young Black (and minority) youth to now KNOW, it IS possible to be President of the United States and not just something cute every parent says to their young child to motivate them to excel in their education. I want ALL American's to see the history of his public service. I want them to see his fortitude in the midst of failure, his commitment to his family, his pursuit of what he thinks is right and just. Don't judge him or laud him because of his color alone. Research his track record, look at how he progressed to get where he is. No short cuts, no under the table dealings...just pure hard work and long hours in the halls of higher education.
I admire him more because of his transparency. He makes known to the public his past indiscretions and failures. It disarms the media that would make it their priority to discredit him in some way. It seams as though Obama learned very early, if you open your own closets, people won't go searching for skeletons.
My hope is the American's that voted him in, won't anticipate instantaneous change. It would be quite unfair of America to think 1 year and 9 months of campaign promises are going to come to their fruition in the first 4 years he's in office. It's also unfair to think he could clean up the actions of the latest (soon to be former) President. I'm glad President Elect Obama, stated in this November 7th press conference, "Let me close by saying this. I do not underestimate the enormity of the task that lies ahead. We have taken some major action to date, and we will need further action during this transition and subsequent months. Some of the choices that we make are going to be difficult. And I have said before and I will repeat again: It is not going to be quick, and it is not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole that we are in."
With that said, American's owe President-elect Obama, the same respect and support we've given previous Presidents and to expect no greater advantages or disadvantages for any particular race, creed or color of people.
I believe Obama to be the first President since Kennedy, to capture the real pulse and feel of this generation, not only nationally but globally as well.
Americans (of all colors) either receive/acknowledge or reject Obama's African side. Fewer see him as an American with the beauty of both cultures. Even fewer reject/ignore his White side. While America is called a melting pot, it by no means concludes we have accepted the differences that makes the US what it is, it only means we are probably more tolerant than some other countries.
I'm encouraged we now have our first Black president. (Mind you, I would have been just as encouraged if he were any other minority.) If anyone can legitimately be called an "African-American", it's Barak Obama. (He doesn't have to do a DNA swab to know just what part of Africa his heritage comes from.) What I don't want, is for "Black" or "African" to be the ONLY thing anyone sees. While for African-American's he's the best thing since Martin Luther King Jr, I want African-American's to see more of what he has become, has done for the community and is currently doing. I want Obama to become a beacon of hope and springboard for young Black (and minority) youth to now KNOW, it IS possible to be President of the United States and not just something cute every parent says to their young child to motivate them to excel in their education. I want ALL American's to see the history of his public service. I want them to see his fortitude in the midst of failure, his commitment to his family, his pursuit of what he thinks is right and just. Don't judge him or laud him because of his color alone. Research his track record, look at how he progressed to get where he is. No short cuts, no under the table dealings...just pure hard work and long hours in the halls of higher education.
I admire him more because of his transparency. He makes known to the public his past indiscretions and failures. It disarms the media that would make it their priority to discredit him in some way. It seams as though Obama learned very early, if you open your own closets, people won't go searching for skeletons.
My hope is the American's that voted him in, won't anticipate instantaneous change. It would be quite unfair of America to think 1 year and 9 months of campaign promises are going to come to their fruition in the first 4 years he's in office. It's also unfair to think he could clean up the actions of the latest (soon to be former) President. I'm glad President Elect Obama, stated in this November 7th press conference, "Let me close by saying this. I do not underestimate the enormity of the task that lies ahead. We have taken some major action to date, and we will need further action during this transition and subsequent months. Some of the choices that we make are going to be difficult. And I have said before and I will repeat again: It is not going to be quick, and it is not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole that we are in."
With that said, American's owe President-elect Obama, the same respect and support we've given previous Presidents and to expect no greater advantages or disadvantages for any particular race, creed or color of people.
I believe Obama to be the first President since Kennedy, to capture the real pulse and feel of this generation, not only nationally but globally as well.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Who's really runnin' thangs?
First statement. GOD is sovereign! There is no doubt in my mind that He is the creator of everything, however, the "principalities and powers" that run rampant in this earthly realm...who are "they"? I honestly don't think it's the President. There are far wealthier and more powerful "players" in this cat-N-mouse, governmental game and I think "they" have been runnin' this game for centuries. No, I'm not a "conspiracy theorist". I think this government that is supposed to be run "by the people, for the people" is really being manipulated by "Illuminati-like" people.
I really do think there are a bunch of white men, over the centuries, that have manipulated everything from the stock market to gas prices to the overall economy. I keep imagining it as their "Great Chess Game" and the American people are the "pawns". Come on people! How the heck does gas go from almost $5.00 to $1.50 in a months time!
I think our government is made up of both emotional reactions from something as trivial as hearsay and strategic alliances, so that the extreme wealthy can continue to gain more wealth.
About 11 years ago, I worked for a company that traded commodities. I can remember one instance of a farmer suggesting another farmer's corn had some kind of mold in it. Through the course of one day, I watched that rumor run straight to the Chicago Board of Trade and corn prices dropped severely. Companies actually stopped buying corn until someone could corroborate the "moldy corn" story, only to find out the next day, it was just a rumor. I can remember how shocked I was to hear of another farmer committing suicide over a similar rumor.
I blame the media. I place some journalist in the same category as the sleezy "paparazzi" who track down stars just to get the worst picture of them, only to sell it at the highest price they can get to a gossip rag. The media is such a sticky wicket. We endorse television stations and media conglomerates to communicate to us the happenings of the world, but because of the 5th amendment, we don't tell them "how" to serve it to us. Because most people want truth and the media knows we want truth, we assume that's what we're being fed. What we really get is an individual's personal "spin" on the truth, which often results in a flat out lie. Depending on what level of exposure the journalist has access to(from the town paper to CNN), the more we seem to readily believe it or at least want to believe it.
Unfortunately, because of the Internet, any "Joe Schmoe" can post a lie and the domino effect of that lie (all depending on the topic) could be disastrous. The word "Internet hoax" didn't exist 20 years ago. (I would give an example but I don't want the Secret Service knocking on my door). There are people who Google their own name, their company, their clients...just to see what is being said about them, to see if any real truth leaked out.
So, who's runnin' thangs? Guess. Much money, much power. Did you know there were "suddenly" 178 billionaires (globally) as of March of 2007? That's BILLIONAIRE people. Did you know Warren Buffets stock trades are so huge they're not traded on the open market for the public to see? (And I would imagine there are others as well.) And then there's "us". The people who can't purchase a measly 1.6% stake in a company for $240 million. We are...the CONSUMERS! We buy the latest, greatest cellphone..."they" buy the company. We buy the food with the cool new packaging..."they" trade the company for profit. Remember that song from the musical,"Cabaret"?
I guess the haves and the have-nots will always be. In a world like this, if you don't find contentment in God and what He provides you, you will be miserable. No wonder the bible says, "...Godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6)
I really do think there are a bunch of white men, over the centuries, that have manipulated everything from the stock market to gas prices to the overall economy. I keep imagining it as their "Great Chess Game" and the American people are the "pawns". Come on people! How the heck does gas go from almost $5.00 to $1.50 in a months time!
I think our government is made up of both emotional reactions from something as trivial as hearsay and strategic alliances, so that the extreme wealthy can continue to gain more wealth.
About 11 years ago, I worked for a company that traded commodities. I can remember one instance of a farmer suggesting another farmer's corn had some kind of mold in it. Through the course of one day, I watched that rumor run straight to the Chicago Board of Trade and corn prices dropped severely. Companies actually stopped buying corn until someone could corroborate the "moldy corn" story, only to find out the next day, it was just a rumor. I can remember how shocked I was to hear of another farmer committing suicide over a similar rumor.
I blame the media. I place some journalist in the same category as the sleezy "paparazzi" who track down stars just to get the worst picture of them, only to sell it at the highest price they can get to a gossip rag. The media is such a sticky wicket. We endorse television stations and media conglomerates to communicate to us the happenings of the world, but because of the 5th amendment, we don't tell them "how" to serve it to us. Because most people want truth and the media knows we want truth, we assume that's what we're being fed. What we really get is an individual's personal "spin" on the truth, which often results in a flat out lie. Depending on what level of exposure the journalist has access to(from the town paper to CNN), the more we seem to readily believe it or at least want to believe it.
Unfortunately, because of the Internet, any "Joe Schmoe" can post a lie and the domino effect of that lie (all depending on the topic) could be disastrous. The word "Internet hoax" didn't exist 20 years ago. (I would give an example but I don't want the Secret Service knocking on my door). There are people who Google their own name, their company, their clients...just to see what is being said about them, to see if any real truth leaked out.
So, who's runnin' thangs? Guess. Much money, much power. Did you know there were "suddenly" 178 billionaires (globally) as of March of 2007? That's BILLIONAIRE people. Did you know Warren Buffets stock trades are so huge they're not traded on the open market for the public to see? (And I would imagine there are others as well.) And then there's "us". The people who can't purchase a measly 1.6% stake in a company for $240 million. We are...the CONSUMERS! We buy the latest, greatest cellphone..."they" buy the company. We buy the food with the cool new packaging..."they" trade the company for profit. Remember that song from the musical,"Cabaret"?
I guess the haves and the have-nots will always be. In a world like this, if you don't find contentment in God and what He provides you, you will be miserable. No wonder the bible says, "...Godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6)
Monday, November 03, 2008
History In The Making
I am in awe. I can't believe, I am on the cusp of a major, monumental, history making event. I've wanted to document it somehow, but no one media seems to be sufficient. Should I blog it? Vlog it? I have a feeling YouTubers are going to shut the servers down Tuesday and Wednesday.
I'm both excited and tired. I'm tired of the political "machine" running overtime, blowing pictures and statements by McCain and Obama out of perportion, hearing everything from forboding prophetic words to racial slurs. It's absolutely ridiculous! November 5th could not come any sooner!
On another note, how very said that Barack Obama's grandmother would die on the eve of the election. Obama doesn't even have time to properly grieve...bless his heart. I pray that God would give them strength and courage and the privacy to grieve. Public life can be so demanding. Blogging and vlogging is about as public as I can get. I'm definitely a behind the scenes kinda girl.
Back to the history thing. I want to take in every moment, every emotion. I want to make sure I write about it in detail, so my great-great-great grand "whatevers" can get some intimate detail that may be lost in the history books.
Here we go...making history!
I'm both excited and tired. I'm tired of the political "machine" running overtime, blowing pictures and statements by McCain and Obama out of perportion, hearing everything from forboding prophetic words to racial slurs. It's absolutely ridiculous! November 5th could not come any sooner!
On another note, how very said that Barack Obama's grandmother would die on the eve of the election. Obama doesn't even have time to properly grieve...bless his heart. I pray that God would give them strength and courage and the privacy to grieve. Public life can be so demanding. Blogging and vlogging is about as public as I can get. I'm definitely a behind the scenes kinda girl.
Back to the history thing. I want to take in every moment, every emotion. I want to make sure I write about it in detail, so my great-great-great grand "whatevers" can get some intimate detail that may be lost in the history books.
Here we go...making history!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
My Irish-English-African Ancestry - Part 2
Grace and I had many, many phone calls trying to figure out just how many kids her Great-grandfather had. It appears "poppa was a rolling stone". What's sad, is in that era...it was no surprise. It appears by Grace's count (and with the help of census records in Ancestry.com), Old Tom Warner had from 6-10 half Black children. Grace was surprised at the newly found brood. I was surprised Grace wrote them right into the family tree. LOL
I had the privilege of meeting Grace while down south in July 2007. I think she was as excited as I was about meeting each other and the day finally came. With my Mother, Aunt and 2 cousins in tow, we drove an hour to meet her. Prior to going, I asked Grace if I could bring anyone. Her response was, "Bring everybody!" So that we didn't get lost, I met Grace's daughter at a gas station, so we could trail her to the house. To my surprise, her daughter (Debbie) met me with a huge smile and hug. She too was excited.
We followed Debbie to the house and was met at the door by Grace. Here stood this little old lady in a house dress and house shoes with a BIG LOUD southern drawl that was all too familiar to me by now. Again, I was greeted with warmth, however, Grace immediately wanted to get down to the business of this ancestry thing. To my surprise, Grace had two, two inch binders filled with pictures, the family crest and LOADS of information about the Irish ancestry. Grace had been working on the family tree for 20 years! Before I could even get into the binders, Grace sped me away to her garage, which looked more like a library because it had all the books and references she used prior to the "Internet era". Wow! I could have been happy just to sit in her garage and read for a month, but she wouldn't let me. We suddenly sped off to her bedroom where there were MORE books. I could hardly take it all in when she suddenly said, "Yeah...I've researched my Momma's side of the family all the way to Jesus." I immediately laughed because I thought she was joking. She wasn't joking. She showed me (very quickly) the ancestral links. I could hardly believe my eyes! After that, I was hooked. We literally forgot all the other people who were sitting in the livingroom and Grace got down to the business of showing me the different paths of our ancestry.
One of my cousins wandered in and that's when I realized it had been a little over an hour. I finally was able to move Grace back out to the livingroom to explain to me all that she had given me. This had to be a gift from God. This was an answer to me feeling so lost and not really knowing what my heritage was.
Grace continued sharing with us the stories behind the pictures, her trip to Ireland and about her family. Unfortunately, the Warner homestead had just been pummeled to the ground by a tornado earlier that year. Not a single thing was salvageable. Thankfully, years ago, a relative had given Grace copies of letters, certificates and papers found in an old trunk.
It was finally time to say goodbye. Grace didn't want me to leave. She had more to share but we had to drive an hour back to my parents old hometown. As we hugged to say goodbye, I noticed something that almost startled me. My eyes were the exact same color of Grace's eyes. Let me just say, my eyes are green but it's a weird cross between an army and olive green. (An optometrist once told me the color of my eyes weren't even on her color chart. lol) I looked at Grace and said, "Are our eyes the same color?", she said, "I do believe they are." and we both laughed. That did it! That sealed our bloodline for sure! LOL I have never in my life seen anyone with the exact same eye color as me.
As we traveled back, I was satisfied to know (part of) where I came from. I'm so glad we took pictures and video taped the experience. I'll never forget it...and neither will Grace. Since then, we still call each other from time to time...and talk about the family line. I don't think Grace will rest until she tracks our family line all the way to Jesus. (That just cracks me up!)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
My Irish-English-African Ancestry - Part 1
When I was younger, I can remember other children speaking of their Irish, German, English, Italian or Welsh ancestry with pride. It seems like their ancestry was audible in their name or tangible in their food or even visible in certain articles of clothing. It was present in their everyday lives even though it may have been a great-great-great grandparent who migrated to the United States. I often recall being jealous of the pride they had in their ancestry...and lost because I didn't know my own.
I remember when "Roots" came on television. I, like most Black people watched with great angst and anticipation. Man! That movie moved me from horror to happiness. I remember not wanting to believe an ancestor of mine survived a horrific voyage across the sea, with such ridicule, degradation and dehumanization forced upon them. None the less, what African American didn't want to find their roots when Alex Haley found his?
So, my inquiry began. I remember asking my Mother about her family tree. The most she knew at the time was that her Great-grandfather was a white man (Tom Warner), who also had a half black son named Tom Warner and there were rumors that one of her Grandmother's was Seminole (Native American). I remember thinking, "What? No slaves?". After seeing "Roots", my white Great-great grandfather didn't impress me much.
Fast forward about 20 years to 1997. We're now in the Internet age and information flows on and off the World Wide Web faster than you can blink. A commercial about Ancestry.com is running a lot and I thought, "What can I lose?". I search on "Tom Warner" and find a couple of possible matches. I run and tell my mother, "I think we're Irish!" although I wasn't sure. Off and on over the past 10 years, I have searched and searched attempting to put the pieces of my own heritage together. I ran into dead ends, false leads (one false lead was that someone in our family was Mexican) and a road block of sites that wanted $$ for information. Finally, I bit the bullet and paid for my Great-grandmother's social security application. When I received it, sure enough...it had her Mother's (Recta Jones) and Father's (Tom Warner)name on it. Finally! Some proof that validated what my Mother remembered.
That really got me excited! My excitement turned into frustration when I realized the Ancestry.com database was filled with misspellings and customer-added family trees filled with errors. Never the less, I trudged on...then off...then on..then off for a period of years.
In February 2007, one early morning (about 1am), we were in the midst of a horrible snow storm and I knew no one would be going to work. I jumped on Ancestry.com (AGAIN), found this button that said something like, "Click here to see if anyone else is looking for Tom Warner". I clicked on the button and lo and behold, there were 2 family trees out there with the same name. I immediately emailed both people and went to bed. The next morning, I checked my email and couldn't believe my eyes. BOTH people had emailed me back. One was actually referring me to the other person I emailed. The referred email said, "My name is Grace...I think I can help you...here's my number...what's your number so I can call you?" I was shocked! The fact that I said I was African-American, looking for a half black Tom Warner and a white Great-great Grandfather named Tom Warner, didn't seem to scare her away. Wow! I emailed "Grace" my number and went about my day.
Later that day, I was on the phone talking to one of my sisters when my caller ID showed someone named "Grace" calling me. What? Could this be her? So soon? I hung up from my sister and answered the phone. I was greeted with a heavy southern drawl that would rival "Elly Mae" on "The Beverly Hillbillies". This lady knew about the half Black Tom Warner and knew his Father was her Great-grandfather Thomas Warner. Ahhhh...but the mood shifted a bit when I told her I was indirectly related to the half Black Tom Warner but I was directly related to Big Tom Warner's (her Great-grandfather) daughter. "Daughter?" she said. I then began to explain that my Great-great grandmother was her Great-grandfather's daughter. "Do you have any proof?" she said. "I sure do." I said. "Mail it to me." she said. Next thing I know we're exchanging addresses. I sent Grace a copy of the SS application as well as some pictures. Grace, in turn, sent me LOTS of the Irish family history and family trees. This began a great new relationship between me and a long distant "cousin".
I remember when "Roots" came on television. I, like most Black people watched with great angst and anticipation. Man! That movie moved me from horror to happiness. I remember not wanting to believe an ancestor of mine survived a horrific voyage across the sea, with such ridicule, degradation and dehumanization forced upon them. None the less, what African American didn't want to find their roots when Alex Haley found his?
So, my inquiry began. I remember asking my Mother about her family tree. The most she knew at the time was that her Great-grandfather was a white man (Tom Warner), who also had a half black son named Tom Warner and there were rumors that one of her Grandmother's was Seminole (Native American). I remember thinking, "What? No slaves?". After seeing "Roots", my white Great-great grandfather didn't impress me much.
Fast forward about 20 years to 1997. We're now in the Internet age and information flows on and off the World Wide Web faster than you can blink. A commercial about Ancestry.com is running a lot and I thought, "What can I lose?". I search on "Tom Warner" and find a couple of possible matches. I run and tell my mother, "I think we're Irish!" although I wasn't sure. Off and on over the past 10 years, I have searched and searched attempting to put the pieces of my own heritage together. I ran into dead ends, false leads (one false lead was that someone in our family was Mexican) and a road block of sites that wanted $$ for information. Finally, I bit the bullet and paid for my Great-grandmother's social security application. When I received it, sure enough...it had her Mother's (Recta Jones) and Father's (Tom Warner)name on it. Finally! Some proof that validated what my Mother remembered.
That really got me excited! My excitement turned into frustration when I realized the Ancestry.com database was filled with misspellings and customer-added family trees filled with errors. Never the less, I trudged on...then off...then on..then off for a period of years.
In February 2007, one early morning (about 1am), we were in the midst of a horrible snow storm and I knew no one would be going to work. I jumped on Ancestry.com (AGAIN), found this button that said something like, "Click here to see if anyone else is looking for Tom Warner". I clicked on the button and lo and behold, there were 2 family trees out there with the same name. I immediately emailed both people and went to bed. The next morning, I checked my email and couldn't believe my eyes. BOTH people had emailed me back. One was actually referring me to the other person I emailed. The referred email said, "My name is Grace...I think I can help you...here's my number...what's your number so I can call you?" I was shocked! The fact that I said I was African-American, looking for a half black Tom Warner and a white Great-great Grandfather named Tom Warner, didn't seem to scare her away. Wow! I emailed "Grace" my number and went about my day.
Later that day, I was on the phone talking to one of my sisters when my caller ID showed someone named "Grace" calling me. What? Could this be her? So soon? I hung up from my sister and answered the phone. I was greeted with a heavy southern drawl that would rival "Elly Mae" on "The Beverly Hillbillies". This lady knew about the half Black Tom Warner and knew his Father was her Great-grandfather Thomas Warner. Ahhhh...but the mood shifted a bit when I told her I was indirectly related to the half Black Tom Warner but I was directly related to Big Tom Warner's (her Great-grandfather) daughter. "Daughter?" she said. I then began to explain that my Great-great grandmother was her Great-grandfather's daughter. "Do you have any proof?" she said. "I sure do." I said. "Mail it to me." she said. Next thing I know we're exchanging addresses. I sent Grace a copy of the SS application as well as some pictures. Grace, in turn, sent me LOTS of the Irish family history and family trees. This began a great new relationship between me and a long distant "cousin".
African Pride - Show Yourself!
In the many discussions I've had with other African Americans regarding the Presidential race, one of the greatest fears we all had in the back of our minds for Barak Obama, is that he would be assassinated. Upon the heels of an (already?!?) attempted assassination plot by some supposedly rogue skinheads, I shudder at the complete ignorance of people and therefore feel the need to educate (a little). Here are some little known facts (to most people) about an ancient African people:
"There [were] a people now forgotten [who] while others were yet barbarians, discovered the elements of the arts and sciences, a race of men now rejected for their black skin and wooly hair founded, on the study of the laws of nature, those civil and religious system which still govern the universe - C.F Volney, Ruins of Empire written in 1789.
"This race of blacks is the very one to which we owe our arts, our sciences and even the use of the spoken word" - C. F. Volney, Voyages in Syria and Egypt written in 1787.
"The ancient Egyptians were [black] Africans and they spoke an African language, and the modern people of Eastern Sudan are Africans and they speak an African language, and there is in consequence much in modern native Sudani literature which helps the student of ancient Egypt in his work" -Wallis Budge, the distinguished British Egyptologist, in his book, An Ancient Egyptian Dictionary Vol. 1.
So, if African's were so brilliant...what happened to them? Slavery. Not only of the body, more importantly it was slavery of the mind.
"When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his "proper place" and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his own benefit." "Mis-education of the Negro" by Carter G. Woodson (1933)
"One of the greatest roles ever created by the western man has been the role of negro. One of the greatest actors to play the role has been the nigger." Henry Dumas
"Greatest weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the minds of the oppressed." Steve Biko
It appears that one of the greatest challenges of African-Americans today, is to re-educate ourselves about who we "were", transfer that education to the youth of today, so they can morph into even greater contributors to the education of tomorrow's world. We contributed to a growing world then, we do now and we will forever more.
"There [were] a people now forgotten [who] while others were yet barbarians, discovered the elements of the arts and sciences, a race of men now rejected for their black skin and wooly hair founded, on the study of the laws of nature, those civil and religious system which still govern the universe - C.F Volney, Ruins of Empire written in 1789.
"This race of blacks is the very one to which we owe our arts, our sciences and even the use of the spoken word" - C. F. Volney, Voyages in Syria and Egypt written in 1787.
"The ancient Egyptians were [black] Africans and they spoke an African language, and the modern people of Eastern Sudan are Africans and they speak an African language, and there is in consequence much in modern native Sudani literature which helps the student of ancient Egypt in his work" -Wallis Budge, the distinguished British Egyptologist, in his book, An Ancient Egyptian Dictionary Vol. 1.
So, if African's were so brilliant...what happened to them? Slavery. Not only of the body, more importantly it was slavery of the mind.
"When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his "proper place" and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his own benefit." "Mis-education of the Negro" by Carter G. Woodson (1933)
"One of the greatest roles ever created by the western man has been the role of negro. One of the greatest actors to play the role has been the nigger." Henry Dumas
"Greatest weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the minds of the oppressed." Steve Biko
It appears that one of the greatest challenges of African-Americans today, is to re-educate ourselves about who we "were", transfer that education to the youth of today, so they can morph into even greater contributors to the education of tomorrow's world. We contributed to a growing world then, we do now and we will forever more.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Abortion Crossroads
Looking at the presidential candidates, the issues and where they stand has given me a headache. I'm excited about this election because it is a historical one (whether Obama wins or not), I'm more anxious about what our new President will do in the next 4 years. People tend to forget (every 4 years) the political promises that are made during election time, only for the new President to realize (unbeknown st to him/her of course) the pre-existing red tape, ethnic upheaval or strained relations surrounding that particular promise.
For example, McCain promises to put a US Embassy in Jerusalem KNOWING Bush promised the same thing in 2000. After Bush got into office he realized the complexity of the promised made and instead of appearing to renege on a promise, he simply chose to sign waivers every six months that stated he would "begin the process". And so, Bush has been "beginning the process" of placing a US Embassy in Jerusalem for the past 8 years. If every campaign promise turns into waivers, we are doomed!
It appears the significant issue for Christians concerning Obama, is his support of women having the right to decided if they want an abortion or not. NEWS FLASH: It doesn't matter if Roe v. Wade is in place or not, women will still make that decision. It's either going to be made in a legitimate clinic or a back alley operation. What? Did I, a Christian just say that? Yes...I did. Allow me to clarify. Do I think abortion is murder? I feel like anything with a heart beat, is alive...so yes, it's murder. Can a government stop it? They try.
Call it the sin of "mankind" if you'd like. Murder has been in existence since the beginning of "man" and infanticide has been a part of various cultures since antiquity. (It doesn't make it right, I'm just stating a fact.) So, who are "we", to permit or condone the murder of innocents? As a Christian, I can talk to a woman who wants to abort and say, "Jesus loves you.", "God has a plan for that child.", "There are people all over the US that can't have children...", "You can always place it for adoption.", "You're going to hell if you murder that baby.", etc. It is still ultimately the woman's "choice". If Roe v. Wade were overturned, woman would still find a way to do what they feel is necessary for themselves.
I was watching an episode of "The Naked Archaeologist" (one of my all time favorite documentaries) titled, "Sex, Babes and Bathhouses" (or something like that) and an archaeological dig had just discovered a sewer with 100 infant skeletons in it. All of the infants had died immediately after birth. Upon further investigation, guess what was found beside the sewer? A brothel or Roman bath. Obvious as to what the prostitutes were doing with the infants they became impregnated with. During this Pagan era, it was very acceptable to discard infants. Even ancient Jews found it acceptable to discard infants. It wasn't until Christianity (thank you Jesus...and Constantine) that infants were seen as valuable and to "discard" them was seen as murder.
I'm not writing to sway anyone to the left or to the right. I just want people to know the history behind the controversy. Abortion (as we know it to be called today) is ancient and I would venture to say, unfortunately, it will be practiced with or without any governing body's consent.
For example, McCain promises to put a US Embassy in Jerusalem KNOWING Bush promised the same thing in 2000. After Bush got into office he realized the complexity of the promised made and instead of appearing to renege on a promise, he simply chose to sign waivers every six months that stated he would "begin the process". And so, Bush has been "beginning the process" of placing a US Embassy in Jerusalem for the past 8 years. If every campaign promise turns into waivers, we are doomed!
It appears the significant issue for Christians concerning Obama, is his support of women having the right to decided if they want an abortion or not. NEWS FLASH: It doesn't matter if Roe v. Wade is in place or not, women will still make that decision. It's either going to be made in a legitimate clinic or a back alley operation. What? Did I, a Christian just say that? Yes...I did. Allow me to clarify. Do I think abortion is murder? I feel like anything with a heart beat, is alive...so yes, it's murder. Can a government stop it? They try.
Call it the sin of "mankind" if you'd like. Murder has been in existence since the beginning of "man" and infanticide has been a part of various cultures since antiquity. (It doesn't make it right, I'm just stating a fact.) So, who are "we", to permit or condone the murder of innocents? As a Christian, I can talk to a woman who wants to abort and say, "Jesus loves you.", "God has a plan for that child.", "There are people all over the US that can't have children...", "You can always place it for adoption.", "You're going to hell if you murder that baby.", etc. It is still ultimately the woman's "choice". If Roe v. Wade were overturned, woman would still find a way to do what they feel is necessary for themselves.
I was watching an episode of "The Naked Archaeologist" (one of my all time favorite documentaries) titled, "Sex, Babes and Bathhouses" (or something like that) and an archaeological dig had just discovered a sewer with 100 infant skeletons in it. All of the infants had died immediately after birth. Upon further investigation, guess what was found beside the sewer? A brothel or Roman bath. Obvious as to what the prostitutes were doing with the infants they became impregnated with. During this Pagan era, it was very acceptable to discard infants. Even ancient Jews found it acceptable to discard infants. It wasn't until Christianity (thank you Jesus...and Constantine) that infants were seen as valuable and to "discard" them was seen as murder.
I'm not writing to sway anyone to the left or to the right. I just want people to know the history behind the controversy. Abortion (as we know it to be called today) is ancient and I would venture to say, unfortunately, it will be practiced with or without any governing body's consent.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Pimps 'N Ho's
Okay...here I go again, attempting this Blog thing. "Some people" (M&M) are SO good at it. I don't think too many interesting things happen to me from day to day, to write something worth reading...but I'll try.
Well...my morning started off with a documentary on "Pimps". Yep...that's what I said..."Pimps". I think my mouth hung open for the first 45 minutes because I couldn't believe there were males (sorry...I fail to see them as men) glorifying the slave and master mentality as if it were a legitimate profession. Never have I heard the word "b*tch" used so often in 45 minutes...my ears were horribly assaulted but I continued to watch. I listened at these pimps talk about how they remembered the first "ho's" they turned out as if they were remembering their first kiss. Unbelievable! Most of the pimps were 'ol skool...from the 70s and yes, you guessed it...they were the epitome of the Blaxploitation movies of that era. "The Mack", "Willie Dynamite" and the one pimp that everyone seems to know, "Huggy Bear"
(played by Antonio Fargas) from the "Starsky and Hutch" series. I'm quite sure (if you're old enough) everyone remembers his high healed, platform shoes that doubled as a gold fish bowl (with real gold fish). (Now, the series never stated "Huggy Bear" was a pimp, they just seemed to elude to it by his elaborate way of dressing.) Oye Vay! I just look at the titles of those movies and it makes me cringe. Those characters were the closest things to Black heroes in the 70s. Wow. Anybody remember, "Get Christy Love"? "Cleopatra Jones"? "Shaft"? "Foxy Brown"? "Claudine"? "Julia"? Man...talk about memories. Those were the days of 1 television in the household, shared by 8 people and it didn't really turn on until 8:00pm. What did we do before there was the Internet and cable?
Back to the pimps...I began to really get angry when the pimps began to show the material wealth they had obtained from living off of women. Apparently, the prostitutes don't get any percentage of what they make. The pimps justify this by "saving" it for them in case they need bail money or, as one pimp stated, "What's a ho gonna do with all that money except blow it in the club? She'll be broke before the next weekend." Hmmmm..."Pimp National Bank and Trust"?!? It was unbelievable that the pimps actually felt as thought these woman couldn't function without them. I finally sickened enough to turn the TV off. I'd had move than enough "pimp talk" for the morning.
Well...my morning started off with a documentary on "Pimps". Yep...that's what I said..."Pimps". I think my mouth hung open for the first 45 minutes because I couldn't believe there were males (sorry...I fail to see them as men) glorifying the slave and master mentality as if it were a legitimate profession. Never have I heard the word "b*tch" used so often in 45 minutes...my ears were horribly assaulted but I continued to watch. I listened at these pimps talk about how they remembered the first "ho's" they turned out as if they were remembering their first kiss. Unbelievable! Most of the pimps were 'ol skool...from the 70s and yes, you guessed it...they were the epitome of the Blaxploitation movies of that era. "The Mack", "Willie Dynamite" and the one pimp that everyone seems to know, "Huggy Bear"
(played by Antonio Fargas) from the "Starsky and Hutch" series. I'm quite sure (if you're old enough) everyone remembers his high healed, platform shoes that doubled as a gold fish bowl (with real gold fish). (Now, the series never stated "Huggy Bear" was a pimp, they just seemed to elude to it by his elaborate way of dressing.) Oye Vay! I just look at the titles of those movies and it makes me cringe. Those characters were the closest things to Black heroes in the 70s. Wow. Anybody remember, "Get Christy Love"? "Cleopatra Jones"? "Shaft"? "Foxy Brown"? "Claudine"? "Julia"? Man...talk about memories. Those were the days of 1 television in the household, shared by 8 people and it didn't really turn on until 8:00pm. What did we do before there was the Internet and cable?Back to the pimps...I began to really get angry when the pimps began to show the material wealth they had obtained from living off of women. Apparently, the prostitutes don't get any percentage of what they make. The pimps justify this by "saving" it for them in case they need bail money or, as one pimp stated, "What's a ho gonna do with all that money except blow it in the club? She'll be broke before the next weekend." Hmmmm..."Pimp National Bank and Trust"?!? It was unbelievable that the pimps actually felt as thought these woman couldn't function without them. I finally sickened enough to turn the TV off. I'd had move than enough "pimp talk" for the morning.
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Hallelujah in Hebrew While songs by Richard Smallwood ("The Highest Praise") and CeCe Winans ("Hallelujah Praise")... -
Well, it's finally here...2009. I'm really glad because 2008 was "hellish". It was a true "trying of my faith"...