Friday, December 3, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
OMG! Bloomberg Says U.S. Leaders Can't Read, Don't Know Where China Is - DNAinfo.com
Bloomberg Says U.S. Leaders Can't Read, Don't Know Where China Is - DNAinfo.com
It would be nice to hear commentary on this statement!
I had someone tell me this about people in general a few years back and I found it incredible however as time went on, I found it to be true.
It would be nice to hear commentary on this statement!
I had someone tell me this about people in general a few years back and I found it incredible however as time went on, I found it to be true.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
No Wedding, No Womb Aims to Lessen Single Mother Birthrate
If it were as simple as telling someone the right way to go and then watching them do what was told to them, life would be perfect.
However, life is not perfect and people often don’t listen to reason before making major decisions. No Wedding No Womb attempts to challenge men and women who think it is cool to go half on a baby to instead, get married first and then plan a family. Note: I wrote “plan a family,” not roll the dice and have unprotected sex and what may be, may be. No Wedding No Womb is an initiative to get the 72 percent single mother birthrate in the black community down a bit. This statistic says that almost all of the live births in the black community are to single mothers. Why?
Granted, many of these women only want a baby and not the man. The man is an optional part of the relationship. This is wrong and selfish thinking. If the man a woman sleeps with doesn’t want children and won’t practice safe sex or use any type of birth control, then that woman should not sleep with that man.
Start using birth control women or don’t be anxious to have a boyfriend in which to be sexually active.
As it stands many of the single moms who are having 72 percent of the out-of-wedlock babies are also jobless and not in the workforce--statistically speaking. Of course, there is a portion of these women who could stand to benefit from parenting classes while they themselves are still growing up.
That is really what the problem is: women need to grow up. Men say things that aren’t true, like “I love you,” “I want to start a family,” and “I don’t want you to get an abortion.” These are the things men say to get you to have their baby and to have sex. How many times do they say, “Will you marry me and be my wife?”
There is a large population of men who only want to have a good time and consider the woman they are having the good time with un-marriable or not mother material and thus, are these men are not interested in anything but sex. They want no permanent ties to the woman who eventually becomes baby momma. That insipid, ignorant term that modern-minded individuals throw around like they are speaking of the newest dress length, hairstyle or dance is in widespread use. Where is the shame? It went out of the window with their clothes. The reason these women aren’t marriage material is because they are of low morals in the man’s eyes. He wouldn’t want a woman of that upbringing, raising his children, being introduced to his close friends, family, boss etc. (unless she is really pretty and makes a decent amount of money.) However, they have made a baby together. And the baby isn’t even a love child because there was no love involved in his or her making--except the love of God for all living creatures.
If the loose moral woman does not stop having indiscriminate babies, this epidemic in the black community will not stop. What can be more horrible that being permanently tethered to someone you don’t like or respect? How do you think that man will feel about the offspring of their loveless union.? He won’t feel a thing because he has low morals as well.
Some women are selfish and just want a baby. The man can do as he pleases. It is a selfish act because the child will always wonder why a person would impregnate a women and abandon her. What is the purpose-- to hurt the woman or the child? The child will learn in time the woman had a void to fill and the baby filled the void.
Men are overwhelmed with lustful and false images of a woman based on the entertainment industry’s notion of womanhood--a very theatrical version of a woman indeed. It is as if normal, regular women don’t exist and they see them every day. Most men criticize a woman who does not have long, flowing hair, beautiful designer clothes, manicured nails and money falling out of her pocketbook. Most young men want a ready-made woman. It does not matter to him that he cannot afford her because he doesn’t understand these things. He only wants the beautiful creature he sees.
This is where No Wedding, No Womb comes in. Explain how to start a family. Find a naturally beautiful girl of good moral upbringing and marry her. Put her in your house that you bought and then start a family with her, thinking realistically about how many children you two can financially and emotionally support.
Or, fall in love with whomever you want and get married. The idea is to get married first. Okay, if you marry second--at least you are married.
The group says nothing of empty marriages, bad and abusive marriages ruining children’s lives. Nothing of selfish, immature parents who have more time for careers and less time for the kids they have brought into the world.
It says nothing of waiting and examining the person in which you are intimate. The organization was started by a woman who describes herself as a “baby momma.” The organization also does not address the economic disparities between minority and white household incomes and the insistent classism rampant in our materialistic society that work against families in general but especially young poor and working class marriages. Most men don’t marry because they are un or undereducated and are un or underemployed. They can not image taking care of a household because they can barely take care of themselves.
The organization does not address the way we view ourselves in the black community and no matter what the scenario, we don’t demonstrate love for our race as a race. We do not value ourselves enough to create commerce in our own communities, live and shop around ourselves voluntarily like the National Black Agenda would have us to do.
The organization does not address the engaging in loveless sex sessions by anyone able to have sex. Nor does it address women and men who engage in alternative lifestyles in secret and in spite of marriage or a baby.
Lastly, the organization does not address the issue that the only ones having babies are these women who are baby mommas and that the birth rate for white and black women is the lowest ever and expected to get lower.
Without love, there is no incentive to get married in a romantic sense. And if a man agrees to marry a woman, baby or not, he loves her and values her and is proud to have her as his wife.
Marriage used to be mostly for the wealthy to grow their wealth, love had no place. The poor married for love because they had nothing else to do besides grow a family on the off chance that an offspring may break free of the lower class. Birth control pills changed the way families were planned. Women were free for the first time not to die in childbirth or have unwanted children during the 1960s--as long as the woman’s husband allowed her to take them.
The idea of the middle class family is fueling this push to lessen the out-of-wedlock birthrate in the black community. However, the middle class is more than an income level. It is a type of moralistic thinking and educational level that makes possible for a man and a woman to want to be with each other in marriage and commit the selfless act of having and rearing children.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Vote Early, Vote Democrat
Early Voting started Monday October 4. Please vote early in the Midterm Election on November 2. Early voting will continue until November 1. Election Day is November 2. If you don't vote early, please make sure to vote Democrat November 2.
Vote early, vote straight Democrat.
Vote early at:
Hours:
9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday; Noon to 7 p.m., Sunday.
Call for more information:
219-405-2038
219-405-2041
219-687-0040
Vote early, vote straight Democrat.
Vote early at:
100 Broadway
Lake County Court Bldg.
9 a.m. to 3 p.m
Lake County Courthouse, normal business hours
Crown Point, Indiana
Also
Volunteer at the Indiana Democratic Headquarters, 201 E. Fifth Ave.(across from the fire station), Gary to help the Democratic Party win November 2. When you show up, ask for "Shae."
Hours:
9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday; Noon to 7 p.m., Sunday.
Call for more information:
219-405-2038
219-405-2041
219-687-0040
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Black farmers association to call on U.S. Senate to fund settlement - CNN.com
Black farmers association to call on U.S. Senate to fund settlement - CNN.com
"John W. Boyd Jr., the founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. ET in front of a federal court house in lower Manhattan to make the announcement."
"John W. Boyd Jr., the founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. ET in front of a federal court house in lower Manhattan to make the announcement."
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
I Am Not Desperate to be Hooked Up to a Man (That's Trying to Whip My Ass Everyday!) *this ain't the color purple. that was fiction.*
I don't Know if I Get it or Maybe Too Blind to See it.
It may be both. I understand why I go to church: I want a deeper fellowship with God. Man is not enough for me. Mankind will let you down and is flawed and fallible. I choose God. It is not about a man but the Word of God! I want the lessons and the blessings God has in store for me. My first priority is my children. I have to watch out for their well being first. Remember the story of Job? The Devil made a bet with God. He said" "if you take all of Job's money, he will turn and curse You where You stand."
God said, "No he won't. Job is my faithful servant." Go read the Book of Job to get the rest of it, if you don't know how it all turned out.
I read some of the responses to the article and I found no wisdom in it. No God's Wisdom, anyway. One lady said married people in the church try to keep single people single by telling them how hard marriage is, to be mean and discourage them from marriage.
I will tell you this: Not everyone who is married, married well. I'm not talking about money. I'm talking about people who did not look before they leapt or had a hidden agenda for their marriage all along. Don't talk to these people about relationships because they obviously don't know anything. These people have business partnerships and arrangements. Listening to them will keep you confused. Instead, keep quiet and watch what they do and then ask yourself if that is what you want. A friend of mine told me that long ago and it is good advice. Watch what a person does, not what he or she says to you.
Understand that people who go to church are looking for many things and not all of it is above board but, they are working on themselves. If you happen to stumble into their path or a trap, understand what it is and ask God about it in sincerity. Seek His face! Seek God's Wisdom and you will find it. Will you accept what you find out about yourself? That is up to you. God operates under free will. He asked us to follow Him and His Word.
Our time on this earth should be turned toward serving God and His wants and needs. That is true happiness. He said it is better to marry than to burn (in desire.) In the Bible it says the woman who is married puts her husband and family first--same as the man. He puts his wife and family first, then serves God.
A woman in the Bible posed the question of, "how do I get my husband to go to church with me?" The response was for her to be obedient and through that demonstration, the husband would be so impressed with her he would be happy to join her in church.
How many of us are willing to be obedient?
Will we obey God?
Our husband or wife?
Will we bend our will?
Answer that question first.
Personally, I don't understand what the problem is. If you are single and employed, why aren't you happy? Do you have hobbies and interests? If you can, you should travel and meet people and get to know someone different from yourself. If you hate your job, find out what you are truly interested in and get a job doing that. Life isn't difficult when you are free.
If you are married, you should be having sex everyday. It will break through the stony places in your heart and you will fall back in love with your mate--if that is an issue. If you cannot have sex, do what you can do.
If your mate hates you, then you should seek God's wisdom in earnest or just do as you please as if God says nothing to you at all.
If you don't have any money, figure out your needs and wants and ask God about it. Ask Him to place a hedge of protection around you because you are weak and scared and need help.
All of these things are in the Bible. Did you know that where there are three or more gathered in prayer, God is there too? Pray in earnest, don't just say the words. Pray the Lord's Prayer if you don't know what to say.
Women are single for reasons other than the church. We all know what we do. Many of these church women want a man of God, who seeks His Wisdom. They know that the man they choose will be the head of them. It's not difficult to follow a man who is truly a man of God because you both want the same thing. However, you have to understand the characteristics of a Godly man. Often, we get sidetracked from what we really want through trickery. Then again, sending the Persecutor to shout out your sins before God is the only way God can communicate with you to let you know you've gone astray. I know this for a fact. That is one of the Devil's jobs, to tell Him how bad and unworthy of His Grace and Love and Mercy you are because he isn't getting any of that. Sound like anyone you know? Yep.
Now let's take a look at that Ass Whipping thing. We know who you are and as long as we can avoid you, we will be happy. God give me the wisdom.
All he wants to do is keep you down and sad or angry or depressed. He wants you to feel bad all the time because you are never good enough for him and he is doing you a favor just by knowing you. You live under the threat of being single and alone without him. (go figure) If he has to choke you to get you to do what he says for you to do (even if it is at your detriment) then he will do it. Usually he just points out your many flaws. You have been hearing it so long that you tune it out but your heart hears it. That is why when a man who does not treat you bad comes along, you gravitate toward him. You don't know him from Adam but there is no pain involved so how bad could it be? Then you find out. I pray we win but sometimes that is not the case.
Some of us survive it and some don't. However, when you take a good internal look at yourself, you will figure out how to change that part of you that is so needy and prideful that you will take anything the wind blows your way and put him at the head of you and possibly your children, just to say you got a man or a husband or to save face. Then we have the gloaters. There is nothing nastier than a person who revels in another's emotional pain. You are simply the lowest human form of a demon. God have mercy on your soul.
No one is perfect. The one who was perfect, Christ, Our Saviour, was crucified. How much more should you get? So try not to hold a person's faults against them, like talking bad about the church and its people or about God or saying women are single because they spend all their time in church. It's not true and people lie to make themselves sound good on paper. Church in and of itself isn't enough of a draw to get anyone to do all of that. People go to church to seek God's wisdom and his Word. People who do other than that will fall away like the chaff from the wheat.
It may be both. I understand why I go to church: I want a deeper fellowship with God. Man is not enough for me. Mankind will let you down and is flawed and fallible. I choose God. It is not about a man but the Word of God! I want the lessons and the blessings God has in store for me. My first priority is my children. I have to watch out for their well being first. Remember the story of Job? The Devil made a bet with God. He said" "if you take all of Job's money, he will turn and curse You where You stand."
God said, "No he won't. Job is my faithful servant." Go read the Book of Job to get the rest of it, if you don't know how it all turned out.
I read some of the responses to the article and I found no wisdom in it. No God's Wisdom, anyway. One lady said married people in the church try to keep single people single by telling them how hard marriage is, to be mean and discourage them from marriage.
I will tell you this: Not everyone who is married, married well. I'm not talking about money. I'm talking about people who did not look before they leapt or had a hidden agenda for their marriage all along. Don't talk to these people about relationships because they obviously don't know anything. These people have business partnerships and arrangements. Listening to them will keep you confused. Instead, keep quiet and watch what they do and then ask yourself if that is what you want. A friend of mine told me that long ago and it is good advice. Watch what a person does, not what he or she says to you.
Understand that people who go to church are looking for many things and not all of it is above board but, they are working on themselves. If you happen to stumble into their path or a trap, understand what it is and ask God about it in sincerity. Seek His face! Seek God's Wisdom and you will find it. Will you accept what you find out about yourself? That is up to you. God operates under free will. He asked us to follow Him and His Word.
Our time on this earth should be turned toward serving God and His wants and needs. That is true happiness. He said it is better to marry than to burn (in desire.) In the Bible it says the woman who is married puts her husband and family first--same as the man. He puts his wife and family first, then serves God.
A woman in the Bible posed the question of, "how do I get my husband to go to church with me?" The response was for her to be obedient and through that demonstration, the husband would be so impressed with her he would be happy to join her in church.
How many of us are willing to be obedient?
Will we obey God?
Our husband or wife?
Will we bend our will?
Answer that question first.
Personally, I don't understand what the problem is. If you are single and employed, why aren't you happy? Do you have hobbies and interests? If you can, you should travel and meet people and get to know someone different from yourself. If you hate your job, find out what you are truly interested in and get a job doing that. Life isn't difficult when you are free.
If you are married, you should be having sex everyday. It will break through the stony places in your heart and you will fall back in love with your mate--if that is an issue. If you cannot have sex, do what you can do.
If your mate hates you, then you should seek God's wisdom in earnest or just do as you please as if God says nothing to you at all.
If you don't have any money, figure out your needs and wants and ask God about it. Ask Him to place a hedge of protection around you because you are weak and scared and need help.
All of these things are in the Bible. Did you know that where there are three or more gathered in prayer, God is there too? Pray in earnest, don't just say the words. Pray the Lord's Prayer if you don't know what to say.
I will say this: When you get down low enough and hurt enough, you will turn to God. I know this for a fact.Pride comes before a fall (from Grace.)
I think some of us don't want to take our medicine so that we may be restored to God. Sin separates us from Him. Pray for God to break through that sin and hardheartedness to restore you to Him and you will be happy.
Women are single for reasons other than the church. We all know what we do. Many of these church women want a man of God, who seeks His Wisdom. They know that the man they choose will be the head of them. It's not difficult to follow a man who is truly a man of God because you both want the same thing. However, you have to understand the characteristics of a Godly man. Often, we get sidetracked from what we really want through trickery. Then again, sending the Persecutor to shout out your sins before God is the only way God can communicate with you to let you know you've gone astray. I know this for a fact. That is one of the Devil's jobs, to tell Him how bad and unworthy of His Grace and Love and Mercy you are because he isn't getting any of that. Sound like anyone you know? Yep.
Now let's take a look at that Ass Whipping thing. We know who you are and as long as we can avoid you, we will be happy. God give me the wisdom.
All he wants to do is keep you down and sad or angry or depressed. He wants you to feel bad all the time because you are never good enough for him and he is doing you a favor just by knowing you. You live under the threat of being single and alone without him. (go figure) If he has to choke you to get you to do what he says for you to do (even if it is at your detriment) then he will do it. Usually he just points out your many flaws. You have been hearing it so long that you tune it out but your heart hears it. That is why when a man who does not treat you bad comes along, you gravitate toward him. You don't know him from Adam but there is no pain involved so how bad could it be? Then you find out. I pray we win but sometimes that is not the case.
Some of us survive it and some don't. However, when you take a good internal look at yourself, you will figure out how to change that part of you that is so needy and prideful that you will take anything the wind blows your way and put him at the head of you and possibly your children, just to say you got a man or a husband or to save face. Then we have the gloaters. There is nothing nastier than a person who revels in another's emotional pain. You are simply the lowest human form of a demon. God have mercy on your soul.
No one is perfect. The one who was perfect, Christ, Our Saviour, was crucified. How much more should you get? So try not to hold a person's faults against them, like talking bad about the church and its people or about God or saying women are single because they spend all their time in church. It's not true and people lie to make themselves sound good on paper. Church in and of itself isn't enough of a draw to get anyone to do all of that. People go to church to seek God's wisdom and his Word. People who do other than that will fall away like the chaff from the wheat.
The Black Church: How the Black Church Keeps Women Single and Lonely
Apparently Deborah Cooper's essay attracted the attention of CNN producers and spawned a piece examining this issue. This woman is HOT! Read her post.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
How to Listen and Conversate about Things that Matter
 |
| Meaningful conversations foster understanding. |
I wish this could occur without all the bs that comes before and during it. I would like to see these conversations occur. I understand the roadblocks but I don't understand how to overcome them. Sharing of ideas conversationally is an art. I share an idea, then you or visa versa. The best conversations occur with me, on social networking or on the phone with friends. I cannot get into a relevant conversation when I'm supposed to be doing something else like praying or working. I cannot maybe others can. Then again, I work from home.
I get all of this after watching the president address the National Urban League in honor of their100th Anniversary today. He talked about lots of things but mostly education.
We have to change our own minds and say 'we are worth it, our children are worth it–and–even if no one else thinks so, I'm going to love them no matter what and do my best by them every day.'However, president Barack Obama's role in our affairs is limited. He can set rules, tone and laws and create consequences but he cannot puppeteer every single one of us and make us feel differently about black children. That is up to us to do.
We have to say: Black kids are worth it!
Maybe I am pushing it to say everyday but that is how I feel. On the days I cannot, then someone does it twice as much and visa versa. Let us take up for each other. Let us actually not provoke each other to anger and be slow to anger. Politics is a hard game and many of us don't have or want a role in it.
However, the call for conversations about our problems has been issued and we should heed the call.
On the other hand, one should take a look at and discriminate between social networking conversations.
 |
| Blah, Blah, Blah. Fight! |
One conversation did catch my attention today: A white woman got hired at Essence Magazine.
There are people and families walking around here on janky ground. There are people around here going through or preventing foreclosure. There are even people wondering why they are not married and have no children, or why the spouse did this or that or avoiding domestic violence (or maybe not). On the other end there are women with children and no father for them, through no fault of her own, struggling.
They are not in the least bit concerned about a white chick pulling down a job in the fashion business at Essence or elsewhere. That is not news. A few feathers may have been ruffled but it is not news and should not be. Call your trades with this story. When a black gets hired in a mostly white environment, not news any more. When a woman gets a job in a mostly male environment, not news. These people are ground breakers, yes but how interested in someone else's job am I expected to be? There were no civil rights laws broken, no one is hurt or dead. It's just one job and no telling how long she'll be there.
 |
| Learn! |
But I'm mostly concerned about education and the way black kids are viewed by blacks, whites and the people in the world around them.
I'm concerned about my son not having his spirit crushed in school by insensitive teachers with no coping skills. Teachers who are not required to learn about child psychology and do not understand the physiology of a child's brain. They don't read the trades, no sabbaticals, no rest for the weary in a high-stress, high-burnout career. If this rock has hit you then be convicted by it, if not, discuss it and examine it. Speak up for yourselves, stellar teachers who know how to educate a class of young minds. Tell the administration en masse about how things should work. The kids are looking and so are the kid's parents.
 |
| Children! Please keep your hands to yourself! |
We are watching you as leaders and role models because most teachers are of high moral standards and good character. It has always been that way and it is demanded. They are a cornerstone in our communities. People expect a lot of a teacher in and out of the classroom. We just do because everyone has had a 12-18 years of teachers looking at them, talking to them admonishing them and teaching them. All of us have had this in America. We still hear the words of teachers in our mind both good and bad.
 |
| Uhhh, you're still on the clock. |
In the meanwhile, I will continue to teach my child to respect authority figures. I will make excuses for said figures when they drop the ball and stop being a role model but a human who has been pushed too far and who has been silent for too long. I will do that because I have to, until he can discern between right and wrong for himself. He is already a unique child in that he idolizes Bill Gates and anything with a computer chip. He does well in math, prefers that to reading--unless it is about a new game system or animals and such.
I will reign in his mind, steeped in imagery and imagination and show him about dedication and hard work and using that to achieve a goal. I will keep him from people who do not share my values and morals as much as possible, until he can RATIONALLY make those decisions for himself or I am no longer responsible for his choices.
But let's start having those relevant conversations when we can and connect on a deeper level. The president has asked us to do so.
And yes, I have these conversations with my children.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Turk Sites
Since writing about the Amazon Mechanical Turk app, I have found other turk sites:
http://turkopticon.differenceengines.com/
(helps decipher bad human interface from good ones ones)
http://www.turkernation.com/
http://www.mturkforum.com/
http://twitter.com/biggesthits
https://www.mturk.com/mturk/help?helpPage=worker
http://hyperion.stern.nyu.edu/mturk/arrivals.php
http://hyperion.stern.nyu.edu/mturk/completed.php
http://hyperion.stern.nyu.edu/mturk/requesters.php
http://www.thesheepmarket.com/
http://www.bicyclebuiltfortwothousand.com/
http://www.lulu.com/content/447946/
http://groups.csail.mit.edu/uid/turkit/
http://www.gwap.com/gwap/
http://turkopticon.differenceengines.com/
(helps decipher bad human interface from good ones ones)
http://www.turkernation.com/
http://www.mturkforum.com/
http://twitter.com/biggesthits
https://www.mturk.com/mturk/help?helpPage=worker
http://hyperion.stern.nyu.edu/mturk/arrivals.php
http://hyperion.stern.nyu.edu/mturk/completed.php
http://hyperion.stern.nyu.edu/mturk/requesters.php
http://www.thesheepmarket.com/
http://www.bicyclebuiltfortwothousand.com/
http://www.lulu.com/content/447946/
http://groups.csail.mit.edu/uid/turkit/
http://www.gwap.com/gwap/
Amazon Mechanical Turk
I'm posting this because I signed up for the Amazon Mechanical Turk and have made .21 cent so far. Really. I guess I'll make it to the $10 you need to earn in able to transfer it to your bank account. Some of the Human Intelligence Tasks won't pay. I got cheated four times in a row. One was to put an ad on Craigslist--never saw that money and the dashboard said that I abandoned it. All I could do was to contact the person who posted the job. I'll keep you informed of my efforts.
In the meanwhile, please enjoy the eHow article on the Amazon Mechanical Turk.
By the way the Turk comes from a mechanical doll from the 1800s dressed in traditional Turkish clothing, who challenged folks in chess as a parlor game. Go figure. I'm uncomfortable saying the name now that I know about its origins. I mean, should we be saying "Turk"? Arrrgggg.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
What I learned about the Gulf Coast Oil Spill
While writing an article for Demand Studios on Kirkuk oil, I learned a few things that relate to the current Gulf Coast Oil Spill.
I learned that oil companies and government fight all of the time over how to balance oil field management and not polluting the environment or damaging the oil well. (This degrades the oil quality.)
Sometimes, these fights stem from the oil industry's internal strife.
I also learned that all industry everywhere have this problem.
There is a rift often between college degreed workers and those who learned on the job and opt not to earn a degree. Sometimes people, who don't really know any better, challenge management and those people whom management place in important positions. You know the type. They can always do something better than you but they don't have a degree, did not want to go get one and consider education unnecessary.
It never occurred to me that this fight could extend to the oil industry and that simple rules put in place to protect the oil well, the environment, and the people–due to false pride– are undermined.
Not everyone is up for the fight and sometimes cave to pressure either to keep the peace or keep the job they have or both.
During research an article, I had to read many reports regarding routine problems on oil rigs and how they are managed. Corners are cut unofficially to increase profit--even though I know there is some engineer standing in corner shaking his or her head about how they should listen to him or her and not do the thing that they are doing. Rifts form between management and workers. People are afraid to step up because they want to keep their job.
False pride and greed are why there is a large amount of oil in the Gulf.
All of the oil companies have this problem with staff. It is when it becomes unmanageable and a situation occurs that we stop and examine our behavior.
Now everyone is running around with his or her hands up in the air complaining, worried and blaming the president.
What a mess.
Individual responsibility and the willingness to do the right thing within reason, is the way to prevent catastrophes that are difficult to solve.
I also learned that a major oil well in Iraq is running out of oil. The next 50 or so years will be crucial for America to turn around its obsession with fossil fuels, improve the electrical grid and start seriously building windmills. In 50 years, if I̢۪m around, I will be too damn old and grouchy to deal with all of this crap.
Okay. BP just announced they will not be paying shareholder dividends. Any finance majors out there willing to expound on this revelation?
They did not say if this is a permanent situation or temporary.
I learned that oil companies and government fight all of the time over how to balance oil field management and not polluting the environment or damaging the oil well. (This degrades the oil quality.)
Sometimes, these fights stem from the oil industry's internal strife.
I also learned that all industry everywhere have this problem.
There is a rift often between college degreed workers and those who learned on the job and opt not to earn a degree. Sometimes people, who don't really know any better, challenge management and those people whom management place in important positions. You know the type. They can always do something better than you but they don't have a degree, did not want to go get one and consider education unnecessary.
It never occurred to me that this fight could extend to the oil industry and that simple rules put in place to protect the oil well, the environment, and the people–due to false pride– are undermined.
Not everyone is up for the fight and sometimes cave to pressure either to keep the peace or keep the job they have or both.
During research an article, I had to read many reports regarding routine problems on oil rigs and how they are managed. Corners are cut unofficially to increase profit--even though I know there is some engineer standing in corner shaking his or her head about how they should listen to him or her and not do the thing that they are doing. Rifts form between management and workers. People are afraid to step up because they want to keep their job.
False pride and greed are why there is a large amount of oil in the Gulf.
All of the oil companies have this problem with staff. It is when it becomes unmanageable and a situation occurs that we stop and examine our behavior.
Now everyone is running around with his or her hands up in the air complaining, worried and blaming the president.
What a mess.
Individual responsibility and the willingness to do the right thing within reason, is the way to prevent catastrophes that are difficult to solve.
I also learned that a major oil well in Iraq is running out of oil. The next 50 or so years will be crucial for America to turn around its obsession with fossil fuels, improve the electrical grid and start seriously building windmills. In 50 years, if I̢۪m around, I will be too damn old and grouchy to deal with all of this crap.
Okay. BP just announced they will not be paying shareholder dividends. Any finance majors out there willing to expound on this revelation?
They did not say if this is a permanent situation or temporary.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
The Presidential "Emote" is Classified!
The American People focus on so many silly things. Fareed Zakaria GPS posed the question Sunday morning, something having to do with the President's "emotional response" to the BP Gulf Oil Spill.
"Emote?!"
A. He is a dude, not a girl
B. He is not a phony
C. Grow Up!
America has many, many serious problems that have yet to be solved (by the president) and the BP Gulf Oil Spill is only one of them.
We all care about it but I am upset in a selfish way because I love the beaches in Florida and hate the thought of the healing powers of the Atlantic Ocean being destroyed by an oil spill.
Seriously, the minerals contained within our salty and taken-for-granted ocean have the power to alleviate depression, minor aches and pains
(because of the buoyancy) and heal minor skin irritations. My eczema healed up within weeks of a daily dip in the ocean.
But I digress.
People act as if Barack Obama does not have the same natural rights to be president like any other U.S. born citizen. As if his first term is an experiment or test of our Constitution. As if to say, "if you do well on all points this time Black Man, we might let more of you help run the country." As if his presidency is contingent solely on the public whim as filtered through the news.
However, this particular president is transparent and the People cannot handle the truth. Not at all.
Most people don't pay close attention to the news if it does not affect them personally. People and their kitchen table issues like crime, local municipal gossip and how to make/spend more money are at the top of their agenda, not solving problems. We are a hedonistic group. Pleasure, entertainment and comfort are what we seek, not issues and problems--even if those issues and problems will come right around and bite us in the butt down the road.
Oil wells have been leaking into the ocean for years. If the American People could be a fly on the wall of the White House, I'm not sure they would view the president as unemotional. They would hear the voice of their father, brother, husband upset but asking the relevant, tough questions and participating in the back and forth it takes to solve a problem like educated adults.
Although, that's boring, isn't it? People want an episode of Jerry Springer or a moving speech.
What we want to hear and watch, is the president whoop and holler, threaten folks, stomp around in the sand and sling the oil around and yell and blame people and in general, act a complete uneducated, unsophisticated ass. If the president did break a bottle on the corner of the
boardwalk or pull a 9mm out and wave it around, guess what would happen?
Some of you already know.
The same damn thing. People would complain about how uncouth the president is behaving and that he isn't acting like the man who they voted for and how he should calm down because he is the leader...etc.
Geez. When will we ever be satisfied?
Instead of demanding an emotional speech that will take away from his valuable problem solving time or theatrics, why not let him quietly do his job with out the second guessing?
"Emote?!"
A. He is a dude, not a girl
B. He is not a phony
C. Grow Up!
America has many, many serious problems that have yet to be solved (by the president) and the BP Gulf Oil Spill is only one of them.
We all care about it but I am upset in a selfish way because I love the beaches in Florida and hate the thought of the healing powers of the Atlantic Ocean being destroyed by an oil spill.
Seriously, the minerals contained within our salty and taken-for-granted ocean have the power to alleviate depression, minor aches and pains
(because of the buoyancy) and heal minor skin irritations. My eczema healed up within weeks of a daily dip in the ocean.
But I digress.
People act as if Barack Obama does not have the same natural rights to be president like any other U.S. born citizen. As if his first term is an experiment or test of our Constitution. As if to say, "if you do well on all points this time Black Man, we might let more of you help run the country." As if his presidency is contingent solely on the public whim as filtered through the news.
However, this particular president is transparent and the People cannot handle the truth. Not at all.
Most people don't pay close attention to the news if it does not affect them personally. People and their kitchen table issues like crime, local municipal gossip and how to make/spend more money are at the top of their agenda, not solving problems. We are a hedonistic group. Pleasure, entertainment and comfort are what we seek, not issues and problems--even if those issues and problems will come right around and bite us in the butt down the road.
Oil wells have been leaking into the ocean for years. If the American People could be a fly on the wall of the White House, I'm not sure they would view the president as unemotional. They would hear the voice of their father, brother, husband upset but asking the relevant, tough questions and participating in the back and forth it takes to solve a problem like educated adults.
Although, that's boring, isn't it? People want an episode of Jerry Springer or a moving speech.
What we want to hear and watch, is the president whoop and holler, threaten folks, stomp around in the sand and sling the oil around and yell and blame people and in general, act a complete uneducated, unsophisticated ass. If the president did break a bottle on the corner of the
boardwalk or pull a 9mm out and wave it around, guess what would happen?
Some of you already know.
The same damn thing. People would complain about how uncouth the president is behaving and that he isn't acting like the man who they voted for and how he should calm down because he is the leader...etc.
Geez. When will we ever be satisfied?
Instead of demanding an emotional speech that will take away from his valuable problem solving time or theatrics, why not let him quietly do his job with out the second guessing?
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Literacy Levels in the Gulf Coast
Yesterday I received in my e-mail, a message from the President of the United States offering his ideas about the Gulf Coast. President Obama basically reported what he saw there.
I am beginning to think literacy may be an issue among the Gulf Coast fishers, based on what I read in the President's letter.
They work intergenerationally, what they learn is handed down through families, so formal education may not be stressed. I hope someone in charge is addressing this issue with them. It is the least one can do while disrupting their livelihood. Literacy classes should be offered
because many people won't ask. Any training BP offers probably requires a
particular reading level.
Partner with local literacy groups and get them to help with the training so that the people affected by illiteracy won't have to ask.
This what I read which led me to my ideas about literacy in the Gulf Coast region and training.
President Obama said:
Yesterday, I visited Caminada Bay in Grand Isle, Louisiana -- one of the first places to feel the devastation wrought by the oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico. While I was here, at Camerdelle's Live Bait shop, I met with a group of local residents and small business owners.
Folks like Floyd Lasseigne, a fourth-generation oyster fisherman. This is the time of year when he ordinarily earns a lot of his income. But his
oyster bed has likely been destroyed by the spill. Terry Vegas had a similar story. He quit the 8th grade to become a shrimper with his grandfather. Ever since, he's earned his living during shrimping season -- working long, grueling days so that he could earn enough money to support himself year-round. But today, the waters where he
has worked are closed. And every day, as the spill worsens, he loses hope
that he will be able to return to the life he built.
Here, this spill has not just damaged livelihoods. It has upended whole
communities. And the fury people feel is not just about the money they
have lost. It is about the wrenching recognition that this time their lives may never be the same.
These people work hard. They meet their responsibilities. But now because
of a man made catastrophe -- one that is not their fault and beyond their control -- their lives have been thrown into turmoil. It is brutally
unfair. And what I told these men and women is that I will stand with the people of the Gulf Coast until they are again made whole.
That is why, from the beginning, we have worked to deploy every tool at
our disposal to respond to this crisis. Today, there are more than 20,000
people working around the clock to contain and clean up this spill. I have
authorized 17,500 National Guard troops to participate in the response.
More than 1,900 vessels are aiding in the containment and cleanup effort.
We have convened hundreds of top scientists and engineers from around the
world. This is the largest response to an environmental disaster of this
kind in the history of our country.
We have also ordered BP to pay economic injury claims, and this week, the
federal government sent BP a preliminary bill for $69 million to pay back
American taxpayers for some of the costs of the response so far. In
addition, after an emergency safety review, we are putting in place
aggressive new operating standards for offshore drilling. And I have appointed a bipartisan commission to look into the causes of this spill.
If laws are inadequate, they will be changed. If oversight was lacking, it will be strengthened. And if laws were broken, those responsible will be
brought to justice.
These are hard times in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast, an area that
has already seen more than its fair share of troubles. The people of this region have met this terrible catastrophe with seemingly boundless
strength and character in defense of their way of life. What we owe them is a commitment by our nation to match the resilience they have shown.
That is our mission. And it is one we will fulfill.
Thank you,
President Barack Obama
I am beginning to think literacy may be an issue among the Gulf Coast fishers, based on what I read in the President's letter.
They work intergenerationally, what they learn is handed down through families, so formal education may not be stressed. I hope someone in charge is addressing this issue with them. It is the least one can do while disrupting their livelihood. Literacy classes should be offered
because many people won't ask. Any training BP offers probably requires a
particular reading level.
Partner with local literacy groups and get them to help with the training so that the people affected by illiteracy won't have to ask.
This what I read which led me to my ideas about literacy in the Gulf Coast region and training.
President Obama said:
Yesterday, I visited Caminada Bay in Grand Isle, Louisiana -- one of the first places to feel the devastation wrought by the oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico. While I was here, at Camerdelle's Live Bait shop, I met with a group of local residents and small business owners.
Folks like Floyd Lasseigne, a fourth-generation oyster fisherman. This is the time of year when he ordinarily earns a lot of his income. But his
oyster bed has likely been destroyed by the spill. Terry Vegas had a similar story. He quit the 8th grade to become a shrimper with his grandfather. Ever since, he's earned his living during shrimping season -- working long, grueling days so that he could earn enough money to support himself year-round. But today, the waters where he
has worked are closed. And every day, as the spill worsens, he loses hope
that he will be able to return to the life he built.
Here, this spill has not just damaged livelihoods. It has upended whole
communities. And the fury people feel is not just about the money they
have lost. It is about the wrenching recognition that this time their lives may never be the same.
These people work hard. They meet their responsibilities. But now because
of a man made catastrophe -- one that is not their fault and beyond their control -- their lives have been thrown into turmoil. It is brutally
unfair. And what I told these men and women is that I will stand with the people of the Gulf Coast until they are again made whole.
That is why, from the beginning, we have worked to deploy every tool at
our disposal to respond to this crisis. Today, there are more than 20,000
people working around the clock to contain and clean up this spill. I have
authorized 17,500 National Guard troops to participate in the response.
More than 1,900 vessels are aiding in the containment and cleanup effort.
We have convened hundreds of top scientists and engineers from around the
world. This is the largest response to an environmental disaster of this
kind in the history of our country.
We have also ordered BP to pay economic injury claims, and this week, the
federal government sent BP a preliminary bill for $69 million to pay back
American taxpayers for some of the costs of the response so far. In
addition, after an emergency safety review, we are putting in place
aggressive new operating standards for offshore drilling. And I have appointed a bipartisan commission to look into the causes of this spill.
If laws are inadequate, they will be changed. If oversight was lacking, it will be strengthened. And if laws were broken, those responsible will be
brought to justice.
These are hard times in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast, an area that
has already seen more than its fair share of troubles. The people of this region have met this terrible catastrophe with seemingly boundless
strength and character in defense of their way of life. What we owe them is a commitment by our nation to match the resilience they have shown.
That is our mission. And it is one we will fulfill.
Thank you,
President Barack Obama
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Free Local Mini Parent Conference in Gary, Indiana
The Gary Community School Corporation District Parent Advisory Council will present a free Mini Parent Conference Wednesday May 26, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Pulaski School, 920 E. 19th Ave. Gary, Indiana.
The theme of the mini-conference is, "There's MORE to Parenting Than Meets the Eye."
A Continental Breakfast will begin a 7:30 a.m. for participants.
For more information, please reach Program Associate Dwight E. Pointer at 219-881-4075 or Director, Dr. Cordia P. Moore at 219-881-4064.
The theme of the mini-conference is, "There's MORE to Parenting Than Meets the Eye."
A Continental Breakfast will begin a 7:30 a.m. for participants.
For more information, please reach Program Associate Dwight E. Pointer at 219-881-4075 or Director, Dr. Cordia P. Moore at 219-881-4064.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Black & White: Kids on Color CNN Special
Please don't show it. Please don't tell!
Sitting and watching TJ Holmes present CNN's Black & White: Kids on Color, Tuesday morning,
I hoped that after the commercial break, I would not hear a discussion on blacks still being color struck.
But it happened anyway.
I guess it doesn't matter how wide a range of skin colors exist in American families.
The tester in the segment asked again and again: Which child is the pretty one, smart one, bad one, etc.
Most of the children chose darker skinned pictures as bad or ugly children and the lighter one as good or pretty. Only a few opted out of complexion stereotyping or as old folks say, being color struck.
The CNN series examines complexion-based internalized racism in school aged children from white and black races. The study mimics the 1939-1940 doll studies conducted
by two black psychologists.
First, the white children were asked questions about the cartoon pictures of asexual dolls, nearly hairless, arranged in a range of complexions from light to dark.
Most chose the lightest ones as a representation of good and the darkest ones of bad.
Then comes the African American children's responses. I held my breath. I tried not to watch. I didn't want to hear the truth.
"Why is this one pretty?" a tester asked after a child pointed to the lightest example as pretty.
"...because she is light-skinned," a pretty dark-skinned girl said.
"Bias towards white is still a part of our culture." A voice over said.
Don't fret Blacks because Whites have the same color struck conversations in their households. A
pinkish hue is still favored over ruddy or olive complexion--as long as there is still an ability to tan reasonably well.
But one needs only to look throughout their own friends and family to see these hurtful stereotypes repeated and reinforced.
It is a good thing that stunning beauty is held in the facial bone structure of an individual and not the skin color.
I wish someone would tell the kids the truth about beauty because skin color stereotypes are perpetuated through the generations, maintained in the home and reinforced in society. (Oh, good hair counts too.)
Read more: http://ping.fm/g7yZ4
Sitting and watching TJ Holmes present CNN's Black & White: Kids on Color, Tuesday morning,
I hoped that after the commercial break, I would not hear a discussion on blacks still being color struck.
But it happened anyway.
I guess it doesn't matter how wide a range of skin colors exist in American families.
The tester in the segment asked again and again: Which child is the pretty one, smart one, bad one, etc.
Most of the children chose darker skinned pictures as bad or ugly children and the lighter one as good or pretty. Only a few opted out of complexion stereotyping or as old folks say, being color struck.
The CNN series examines complexion-based internalized racism in school aged children from white and black races. The study mimics the 1939-1940 doll studies conducted
by two black psychologists.
First, the white children were asked questions about the cartoon pictures of asexual dolls, nearly hairless, arranged in a range of complexions from light to dark.
Most chose the lightest ones as a representation of good and the darkest ones of bad.
Then comes the African American children's responses. I held my breath. I tried not to watch. I didn't want to hear the truth.
"Why is this one pretty?" a tester asked after a child pointed to the lightest example as pretty.
"...because she is light-skinned," a pretty dark-skinned girl said.
"Bias towards white is still a part of our culture." A voice over said.
Don't fret Blacks because Whites have the same color struck conversations in their households. A
pinkish hue is still favored over ruddy or olive complexion--as long as there is still an ability to tan reasonably well.
But one needs only to look throughout their own friends and family to see these hurtful stereotypes repeated and reinforced.
It is a good thing that stunning beauty is held in the facial bone structure of an individual and not the skin color.
I wish someone would tell the kids the truth about beauty because skin color stereotypes are perpetuated through the generations, maintained in the home and reinforced in society. (Oh, good hair counts too.)
Read more: http://ping.fm/g7yZ4
Saturday, May 15, 2010
What I Should Have Said Is...
I think if Black Leaders were seen as well connected to the Black Community, they would have a better chance at holding an audience with the President, I think.
Courting The People is a good idea. You never get to know what is really going on if you are not there in person, often times. I'd like to see an enriched relationship between Black Leaders and The Community-at-Large.
Yeah, that's what I meant to say.
Courting The People is a good idea. You never get to know what is really going on if you are not there in person, often times. I'd like to see an enriched relationship between Black Leaders and The Community-at-Large.
Yeah, that's what I meant to say.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
What About the Kids, Arizona Legislators?
Arizona was the last state to sign the Martin Luther King Day bill into law. I took note of that then and I take note with parts of their anti-ethnic education bill.
Why is it that the people of Arizona feel the way they do about minorities? What are they going through every day that makes them not accepting of minorities and why can't they handle their frustrations any better than they have been doing?
Granted, if a politician runs for office and is elected by the people for the people he or she should serve the people completely. More qualified people should have run for office if the people wanted a smarter legislature. However, why stop the African American education curriculum in public schools? Really.
Every ethnic race, Eastern European, African, Hispanic, Dominican, Italian etc. deserves to be highlighted for their race's achievements in American history. The culmination is that we have all contributed in making this country great, so why cull those parts out? It is not a good solution to the problems in Arizona. Students in Arizona won't know or understand who they are or where they come from when they are not taught about European immigrants and what they did to establish their place in American history and culture. Damn shame. There are a lot of European immigrants in this country.
Read more: http://ping.fm/zLtKu
http://ping.fm/ouq0W
Why is it that the people of Arizona feel the way they do about minorities? What are they going through every day that makes them not accepting of minorities and why can't they handle their frustrations any better than they have been doing?
Granted, if a politician runs for office and is elected by the people for the people he or she should serve the people completely. More qualified people should have run for office if the people wanted a smarter legislature. However, why stop the African American education curriculum in public schools? Really.
Every ethnic race, Eastern European, African, Hispanic, Dominican, Italian etc. deserves to be highlighted for their race's achievements in American history. The culmination is that we have all contributed in making this country great, so why cull those parts out? It is not a good solution to the problems in Arizona. Students in Arizona won't know or understand who they are or where they come from when they are not taught about European immigrants and what they did to establish their place in American history and culture. Damn shame. There are a lot of European immigrants in this country.
Read more: http://ping.fm/zLtKu
http://ping.fm/ouq0W
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
I Watched "Deliver Me" Last Night...
I watched it on Discovery Health. I love that channel. It showed high risk births and the tribulations the moms-to-be had to go through to deliver. One woman had to be on bed rest for 50 days in the hospital. She had an incompetent cervix. The doctors had to put a stitch in it to keep it shut so the baby wouldn't come out early. Gosh, those women were strong. Even one of the OBGYN's had a high-risk pregnancy and was ordered to bed rest. She cried but went home but then didn't exactly comply with the bed rest order. Her colleagues got on her about that! Good show.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Housewives of New York, New Jersey and Basketball Wives: I Am So Late to the Party!
I am so late to the party with these fabulous shows. Now I see that Bethany of HONY will have her own spin off show about her getting married. However, I watched both shows on Bravo last night and I could not stop watching! Granted, I had seen the HONY but last night was my first time watching Housewives of New Jersey and I just don't know how Danielle puts herself through all of that. It is clear that certain women cannot be involved with her but she is still open to to them, fueling the gossip about her. Danielle's daughter is gorgeous but she should listen to her about who to let into her life. Some folks are like oil and water and just don't mix–no matter what.
Now, I know all of the shows I am watching are probably last season old but like I said, I am so late to the party.
I saw Basketball Wives on BET last weekend and I didn't even know a woman can be a size negative! I am not familiar with all of the names but the tiny girl who is cute went shopping with the tall one who wants separate wings for her and her spouse(?) and the transformation was magnificent. All of the women featured on these shows offer a glimpse into their fabulous lives and how they handle adversity. I also watch Tiny & Toya on BET. I like that show because the women are doing things like opening businesses and helping their family achieve goals. Tiny & Toya also offer that glimpse behind otherwise closed doors. I really am anxious to see how the nail shop develops the story line. Really great television watching.
BlipFM Song of the Day: http://ping.fm/zYKGE
Now, I know all of the shows I am watching are probably last season old but like I said, I am so late to the party.
I saw Basketball Wives on BET last weekend and I didn't even know a woman can be a size negative! I am not familiar with all of the names but the tiny girl who is cute went shopping with the tall one who wants separate wings for her and her spouse(?) and the transformation was magnificent. All of the women featured on these shows offer a glimpse into their fabulous lives and how they handle adversity. I also watch Tiny & Toya on BET. I like that show because the women are doing things like opening businesses and helping their family achieve goals. Tiny & Toya also offer that glimpse behind otherwise closed doors. I really am anxious to see how the nail shop develops the story line. Really great television watching.
BlipFM Song of the Day: http://ping.fm/zYKGE
Monday, May 10, 2010
Horders: Buried Alive
Well, I watched Horders on TLC last night and again, I do not understand how the Horders also have filth involved. Some of the Horders are rather neat and orderly in their effort to collect and save items for their personal enjoyment. (yes, I have hording tendencies) And, then some have dead cats, dirty, stained carpets, spoiled food in plates everywhere. To me, that is not hording but nastiness. There is a distinct difference between throwing a half-eaten plate of food on the floor–fork and all–and saving decorative plates to display later.
Another thing I noticed is that most of the Horders have money to burn on unnecessary items.
I understand the hording mind, I do.
Granted, when I first saw the show Horders, I saw a lot of myself in the ones who like to save things thinking it will be useful later or hate to throw things away only to find its use later and not have it. However, I cleaned up my act straightaway! I didn't even know hording existed. I called it "saving things."
http://ping.fm/t08V3
Another thing I noticed is that most of the Horders have money to burn on unnecessary items.
I understand the hording mind, I do.
Granted, when I first saw the show Horders, I saw a lot of myself in the ones who like to save things thinking it will be useful later or hate to throw things away only to find its use later and not have it. However, I cleaned up my act straightaway! I didn't even know hording existed. I called it "saving things."
http://ping.fm/t08V3
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Get Moving America But Be Careful!
Well, like I said on the other blog, we have taken the plunge. Last week I and my daughter started walking around the block for exercise. And that is no easy feat in this urban setting. For the most part, mornings around here are quiet and it is quiet lovely when the weather permits.
We decided to take a que from the First Lady and her teen obesity health initiative. It's simple: reduce calorie intake, increase calorie usage. What better way than to walk?
But with the Chantix, I can feel this medicine blocking the nicotine so I am in a perpetual state of nicotine fitness. (haha)
Some dude almost ran me down while walking today. I and my daughter were walking on the sidewalk not the street. This man did a reverse U-turn move and from time to time, since I was walking backwards, I noticed because I constantly looked behind me. Good thing for me because the front end of his truck was a foot away from my ass. He scared the *&^% out of me. I thought I was gone. Lauren wouldn't know to get the cell phone out of mommy's pocket and call for help and Billy had ran off up the street five minutes before it happened. He came back when he heard cussing and broke off a huge stick from a tree branch laying on the ground. Dude did not leave off of the street until he saw me with the cell phone to my ear and he knew what I was doing. I called 911. Damn shame when you cannot walk around the block in your own neighborhood because of stupid *&^%.
I wished all types of bad karma on his ass. He did it on purpose. Don't ask me why.
. I will be *&^%$#@! if I cannot walk in the neighborhood I pay to stay in. It's a fn shame some of us cannot be in normal society but hey, that is what prison is for, now ain't it?
We decided to take a que from the First Lady and her teen obesity health initiative. It's simple: reduce calorie intake, increase calorie usage. What better way than to walk?
But with the Chantix, I can feel this medicine blocking the nicotine so I am in a perpetual state of nicotine fitness. (haha)
Some dude almost ran me down while walking today. I and my daughter were walking on the sidewalk not the street. This man did a reverse U-turn move and from time to time, since I was walking backwards, I noticed because I constantly looked behind me. Good thing for me because the front end of his truck was a foot away from my ass. He scared the *&^% out of me. I thought I was gone. Lauren wouldn't know to get the cell phone out of mommy's pocket and call for help and Billy had ran off up the street five minutes before it happened. He came back when he heard cussing and broke off a huge stick from a tree branch laying on the ground. Dude did not leave off of the street until he saw me with the cell phone to my ear and he knew what I was doing. I called 911. Damn shame when you cannot walk around the block in your own neighborhood because of stupid *&^%.
I wished all types of bad karma on his ass. He did it on purpose. Don't ask me why.
. I will be *&^%$#@! if I cannot walk in the neighborhood I pay to stay in. It's a fn shame some of us cannot be in normal society but hey, that is what prison is for, now ain't it?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
My Online Chantix Dream Diary
I have started the stop smoking therapy Chantix. I have the rest of the week to ready myself to stop smoking completely.
Chantix works by stopping your brain from absorbing nicotine. This is named a nicotine fit. People having a nicotine fit are usually agitated. I haven't gotten to that point yet.
Anyhow, I don't remember details of the dreams but they were very pleasant and interactive. I felt in control the entire time the man attempted to hit me in the head with the crowbar while having a domestic dispute with his wife. I snatched the crowbar out of his hand and threatened to beat the s*it out of him with it. Then I woke up. I have been up since 2:30 a.m. however that is no fault of Chantix!
I hope it doesn't get any worse than that.
Chantix works by stopping your brain from absorbing nicotine. This is named a nicotine fit. People having a nicotine fit are usually agitated. I haven't gotten to that point yet.
Anyhow, I don't remember details of the dreams but they were very pleasant and interactive. I felt in control the entire time the man attempted to hit me in the head with the crowbar while having a domestic dispute with his wife. I snatched the crowbar out of his hand and threatened to beat the s*it out of him with it. Then I woke up. I have been up since 2:30 a.m. however that is no fault of Chantix!
I hope it doesn't get any worse than that.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Everyone should donate a dollar toward the National Debt this tax season--if you care
I noticed the other day while filing taxes that there was an offer to donate a dollar or what ever amount you want, toward the national debt. It's located in the upper left hand corner of the tax form.
It is my suggestion, that anyone who wants to help dig their country out of debt, donate whatever amount in which you are comfortable.
I don't want to hear another so-called conservative whine about the national debt climbing but yet are unwilling to help. Heck, if you can help other countries, be willing to help your own as well. Any U.S. filer should consider donating. Most of us waste a dollar or lose a dollar's worth change in the car or the couch--wherever you sit the most.
I wonder what would happen if every household filer donated a dollar and every business $5?
Hmmmmmm. Solutions anyone?
It is my suggestion, that anyone who wants to help dig their country out of debt, donate whatever amount in which you are comfortable.
I don't want to hear another so-called conservative whine about the national debt climbing but yet are unwilling to help. Heck, if you can help other countries, be willing to help your own as well. Any U.S. filer should consider donating. Most of us waste a dollar or lose a dollar's worth change in the car or the couch--wherever you sit the most.
I wonder what would happen if every household filer donated a dollar and every business $5?
Hmmmmmm. Solutions anyone?
Monday, February 15, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
New Report: $1 Cigarette Tax Increase Would Raise $230.1 Million for Indiana and Cut Youth Smoking
National Poll Finds Voters Prefer Tobacco Tax to Other Tax Increases, Budget Cuts
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Raising Indiana's cigarette tax by $1 per pack would bring in $230.1 million in new annual revenue to help close the state's budget shortfall, while also reducing smoking and saving lives, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.
The report comes as states grapple with unprecedented budget shortfalls and face devastating cuts to education, health care and other essential public services. The report details the revenue and health benefits to each state of a $1 cigarette tax increase.
In Indiana, a $1 cigarette tax increase would also:
-- Prevent 63,600 kids from becoming smokers;
-- Spur 40,100 current adult smokers to quit;
-- Save 30,900 residents from premature, smoking-caused deaths; and
-- Save $1.4 billion in health care costs.
A nationwide poll released along with the report found that 67 percent of voters support a $1 tobacco tax increase, with backing from large majorities of Republicans (68 percent), Democrats (70 percent) and Independents (64 percent).
The poll found that voters far prefer raising the state tobacco tax to other options for addressing state budget deficits. While 60 percent favored increasing the tobacco tax for this purpose, more than 70 percent opposed every other option presented, including higher state income, gasoline and sales taxes and cuts to education, health care, transportation and law enforcement programs.
"This report shows that raising tobacco taxes is truly a win-win-win for Indiana. It is a budget win that will help protect vital programs like health care and education, a health win that will prevent kids from smoking and save lives, and a political win with the voters," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
The report was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It is titled Tobacco Taxes: A Win-Win-Win for Cash-Strapped States.
Currently, Indiana's cigarette tax is 99.5 cents per pack, which ranks 29th in the nation. The national average is $1.34 per pack. The scientific evidence is clear that increasing cigarette prices is one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking, especially among kids. States will achieve even greater revenue and health gains if they also increase tax rates on other tobacco products, such as smokeless tobacco and cigars, and if they dedicate a portion of their new tobacco tax revenue to fund programs that prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit.
Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. In Indiana, tobacco use claims 9,700 lives and costs the state $2.08 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 18.3 percent of the state's high school students smoke, and 34,900 kids try cigarettes for the first time each year.
The national survey of 847 registered voters was conducted from January 20-24, 2010, by International Communications Research and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. More information, including the full report, state-specific information and detailed poll results, can be found at.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Raising Indiana's cigarette tax by $1 per pack would bring in $230.1 million in new annual revenue to help close the state's budget shortfall, while also reducing smoking and saving lives, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.
The report comes as states grapple with unprecedented budget shortfalls and face devastating cuts to education, health care and other essential public services. The report details the revenue and health benefits to each state of a $1 cigarette tax increase.
In Indiana, a $1 cigarette tax increase would also:
-- Prevent 63,600 kids from becoming smokers;
-- Spur 40,100 current adult smokers to quit;
-- Save 30,900 residents from premature, smoking-caused deaths; and
-- Save $1.4 billion in health care costs.
A nationwide poll released along with the report found that 67 percent of voters support a $1 tobacco tax increase, with backing from large majorities of Republicans (68 percent), Democrats (70 percent) and Independents (64 percent).
The poll found that voters far prefer raising the state tobacco tax to other options for addressing state budget deficits. While 60 percent favored increasing the tobacco tax for this purpose, more than 70 percent opposed every other option presented, including higher state income, gasoline and sales taxes and cuts to education, health care, transportation and law enforcement programs.
"This report shows that raising tobacco taxes is truly a win-win-win for Indiana. It is a budget win that will help protect vital programs like health care and education, a health win that will prevent kids from smoking and save lives, and a political win with the voters," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
The report was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It is titled Tobacco Taxes: A Win-Win-Win for Cash-Strapped States.
Currently, Indiana's cigarette tax is 99.5 cents per pack, which ranks 29th in the nation. The national average is $1.34 per pack. The scientific evidence is clear that increasing cigarette prices is one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking, especially among kids. States will achieve even greater revenue and health gains if they also increase tax rates on other tobacco products, such as smokeless tobacco and cigars, and if they dedicate a portion of their new tobacco tax revenue to fund programs that prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit.
Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. In Indiana, tobacco use claims 9,700 lives and costs the state $2.08 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 18.3 percent of the state's high school students smoke, and 34,900 kids try cigarettes for the first time each year.
The national survey of 847 registered voters was conducted from January 20-24, 2010, by International Communications Research and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. More information, including the full report, state-specific information and detailed poll results, can be found at.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Conservative ties bind 4 La. phone plot suspects - Yahoo! News
Conservative ties bind 4 La. phone plot suspects - Yahoo! News
This story can be an example of a Trick Bag situation. Beltless and fresh out of jail, former fake pimp, James O'Keefe and his comrades are said to have targeted U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana because she voted for the health care bill. However, it is unclear if this particular claim is substantiated. It is reported Robert Flanagan, who was a participant, criticized Landrieu in a conservative publication for her health care vote.
Buy the book! Buy the book Eighteen Months and Short Stories, Real Life today!
This story can be an example of a Trick Bag situation. Beltless and fresh out of jail, former fake pimp, James O'Keefe and his comrades are said to have targeted U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana because she voted for the health care bill. However, it is unclear if this particular claim is substantiated. It is reported Robert Flanagan, who was a participant, criticized Landrieu in a conservative publication for her health care vote.
Buy the book! Buy the book Eighteen Months and Short Stories, Real Life today!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Blacks Breaking the Color Barrier on Right-Wing Talk
A Mystery Woman wrote this post on a popular Web site in response to the South Carolina politician's gaffe remark regarding poor people in America.
He called them "strays" and on the strength and knowledge of his ancestors, said they were not worth keeping alive and that they should be dead to keep them from reproducing.
"This six figure black female says THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH! I mean folks we are seeing Americans with in demand high-tech career skills EMIGRATING! We have to draw the line somewhere. It is TERRIBLE to have a high income and paid for house and BE PENALIZED FOR BEING SMART AND SAVVY by paying & paying income taxes and KNOW you are paying to support a welfare state of affairs and a hyped up politically created war. I AGREE WITH THE MAN! Perhaps his wording could have been better chosen but who of us does not sometimes say the truth with poorly chosen words."
"American M Regarding your "free lunches" comment directed at me you are wrong. Perhaps though you refer to your dear mother's eating habits... No reduced or free lunches touched my lips during the nineteen years I attended school. It would be easy to assume you are a working class caucasian American and you people created this mess. You were the trash of Europe when the quality Europeans ran you away from there long ago. Now we are stuck with you people here. I have long advocated the opinion that low quality US blacks are so because of early interbreeding with the European bloodstock on this sad side of the Atlantic."
There is something good to be said about a literate populace.
'Nuff said.
He called them "strays" and on the strength and knowledge of his ancestors, said they were not worth keeping alive and that they should be dead to keep them from reproducing.
This, coming from a man who is said to have benefited from welfare in the form of free school lunches. Is he suicidal? Maybe he wishes he had died as a child. It is all very schizo to me. One would think welfare and it's recipients would be the last thing he'd pick on but stupider things will be said. Children qualify for free lunch if they fall in an income percentage. Innocent children who don't work and who deserve to eat while learning in a public school setting.Anyway, a self-identified "black female" is on his side. She agrees with him and may be starting an Andre Bauer fan club in a city near you. I pulled her comments from a public Web site.
"This six figure black female says THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH! I mean folks we are seeing Americans with in demand high-tech career skills EMIGRATING! We have to draw the line somewhere. It is TERRIBLE to have a high income and paid for house and BE PENALIZED FOR BEING SMART AND SAVVY by paying & paying income taxes and KNOW you are paying to support a welfare state of affairs and a hyped up politically created war. I AGREE WITH THE MAN! Perhaps his wording could have been better chosen but who of us does not sometimes say the truth with poorly chosen words."
While I am glad for her success, her opinions regarding poor and disenfranchised in this country is so surprisingly short sighted and outright ignorant. I have to wonder what she does for "six figures" and who hired her. I guess Mystery Woman would have to fall on misfortune or hard times herself to understand what the less fortunate go through on a daily basis.Anyway, this is how mystery woman replied to one of her critics:
Sad.
"American M Regarding your "free lunches" comment directed at me you are wrong. Perhaps though you refer to your dear mother's eating habits... No reduced or free lunches touched my lips during the nineteen years I attended school. It would be easy to assume you are a working class caucasian American and you people created this mess. You were the trash of Europe when the quality Europeans ran you away from there long ago. Now we are stuck with you people here. I have long advocated the opinion that low quality US blacks are so because of early interbreeding with the European bloodstock on this sad side of the Atlantic."
There is something good to be said about a literate populace.
'Nuff said.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
"Fight for the American People"
President Obama says new Supreme Court rule regarding campaign finance will make it harder for candidates to stand up for the American people but easier for Special Intrest Groups to sway elections through advertising.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Upcoming New Coffee Maker
Somehow, after the warranty has expired, I cannot get my Mr. Coffee Grind and Brew to be the programmable item it was made to be. So I set the time several hours in advance to trick it into having my steaming hot cup of joe ready by 5:30 am. Nope. It was brewing around midnight. The glorious smell woke me up.
The smell of good coffee brewing in the morning is one of life's greatest things to enjoy. I like to set the coffee to grind fresh Eight O' Clock beans for my first cup but the programmable buttons do not work! Grrrrr.
The smell of good coffee brewing in the morning is one of life's greatest things to enjoy. I like to set the coffee to grind fresh Eight O' Clock beans for my first cup but the programmable buttons do not work! Grrrrr.
They Believe the Spin
If the news prognosticators, political commentators like the president, then they will say favorable things about him. Keep in mind that many of them are more likely to earn over $250,000 per year than the audience they address each day.
So goes what we are hearing on the tele about the president. Most of it is just reading from a teleprompter and all opinions have an agreed upon right-slant tone.
I don't really know where anyone gets their opinions these days but no one in Massachusetts speaks for me. They are no longer Democratic in my opinion because they put a Republican in the U.S. Senate to represent them. It is as if the majority of the people there have changed their mind about the POTUS. They are speaking for themselves, not the real Democrats, like the Kennedy family. I do not understand what they are doing or why a Kennedy does not have that Senate seat. They have given so much for the American people to have basic human rights.
If the people of Massachusetts people are upset about joblessness, then get angry with the North America Free Trade Agreement. While I understand protectionism is out of style these days, NAFTA is a boon for Big Business not so much for the People. American companies are making more money because of NAFTA but the American people are suffering.
Why can't Corporate America hire more people since, at least in theory, they are making more profit?
Why? If I own a profitable company and I don't have to hire, why would I? That is an extra yacht for me or a longer European vacation, etc. What incentive does a company have to hire American, rebuild in America, stay in America?
When will we start looking at some of the existing laws that have been passed in the last 20 years and get all Teaparty-ish about that? Or how about that the unspoken deal between the financial district and the American people that they would loan money to the average person at a higher interest rate so that they could purchase a home? It used to be that not everyone could qualify for a mortgage or a credit card. Remember those days? There would be some who gloated about how nice their wardrobe was or how beautiful their home was and how not everyone could have the things that they have. And how having those things made them better people.(Capitalism and Classicism seem to go hand-in-hand) Then all of a sudden, college students were getting credit on signature! Anyone could have it for a price--now that is Capitalism. Now things have swung back to where they were previously–high credit score determines what you can borrow from banks. We have lost many beloved, long-standing businesses. Good American businesses and good American jobs. This happened way before Barack Obama became president.
What if all of those mortgage backed securities had worked out for everyone? What if no one was late on their mortgage? WE would not be having this conversation right now and quite possibly, Barack Obama would not be our president. Anger at the Establishment swept him into office and it looks as if that same anger is chipping away at a portion of his base of supporters now that Massachusetts has found its Great White Hope.
Every morning, I hear negative chatter about how the POTUS is doing and it all sounds like a personal problem these people have with him. Most of it is hypocritical, contradictory cross-talk directed from some lofty position above––an above $250,000 per year position. Keep that in mind as you listen to what comes down to sour grapes.
So goes what we are hearing on the tele about the president. Most of it is just reading from a teleprompter and all opinions have an agreed upon right-slant tone.
I don't really know where anyone gets their opinions these days but no one in Massachusetts speaks for me. They are no longer Democratic in my opinion because they put a Republican in the U.S. Senate to represent them. It is as if the majority of the people there have changed their mind about the POTUS. They are speaking for themselves, not the real Democrats, like the Kennedy family. I do not understand what they are doing or why a Kennedy does not have that Senate seat. They have given so much for the American people to have basic human rights.
If the people of Massachusetts people are upset about joblessness, then get angry with the North America Free Trade Agreement. While I understand protectionism is out of style these days, NAFTA is a boon for Big Business not so much for the People. American companies are making more money because of NAFTA but the American people are suffering.
Why can't Corporate America hire more people since, at least in theory, they are making more profit?
Why? If I own a profitable company and I don't have to hire, why would I? That is an extra yacht for me or a longer European vacation, etc. What incentive does a company have to hire American, rebuild in America, stay in America?
When will we start looking at some of the existing laws that have been passed in the last 20 years and get all Teaparty-ish about that? Or how about that the unspoken deal between the financial district and the American people that they would loan money to the average person at a higher interest rate so that they could purchase a home? It used to be that not everyone could qualify for a mortgage or a credit card. Remember those days? There would be some who gloated about how nice their wardrobe was or how beautiful their home was and how not everyone could have the things that they have. And how having those things made them better people.(Capitalism and Classicism seem to go hand-in-hand) Then all of a sudden, college students were getting credit on signature! Anyone could have it for a price--now that is Capitalism. Now things have swung back to where they were previously–high credit score determines what you can borrow from banks. We have lost many beloved, long-standing businesses. Good American businesses and good American jobs. This happened way before Barack Obama became president.
What if all of those mortgage backed securities had worked out for everyone? What if no one was late on their mortgage? WE would not be having this conversation right now and quite possibly, Barack Obama would not be our president. Anger at the Establishment swept him into office and it looks as if that same anger is chipping away at a portion of his base of supporters now that Massachusetts has found its Great White Hope.
Every morning, I hear negative chatter about how the POTUS is doing and it all sounds like a personal problem these people have with him. Most of it is hypocritical, contradictory cross-talk directed from some lofty position above––an above $250,000 per year position. Keep that in mind as you listen to what comes down to sour grapes.
Cap and Trade Solutions
I had to look up what "cap and trade" meant and it is exactly as it sounds.
A company has so many pollution credits they get to use if they are heavy polluters or trade if they pollute less. The goal being to keep pollution numbers low, thus not damaging the environment.
I probably would not have come up with that idea myself but whatever works. Notice that saving the environment is different from not damaging the environment.
Could someone tell me what the current argument or problem is with this system of pollution control?
It is a hot button issue.
A company has so many pollution credits they get to use if they are heavy polluters or trade if they pollute less. The goal being to keep pollution numbers low, thus not damaging the environment.
I probably would not have come up with that idea myself but whatever works. Notice that saving the environment is different from not damaging the environment.
Could someone tell me what the current argument or problem is with this system of pollution control?
It is a hot button issue.
Are the American People always to be Placed in the Trick Bag?
Now, I know some of you don't know what a trick bag is but many of you do. You are old enough to know. I first heard of this term growing up in a little city called Gary, Indiana. Most of the people hear hail from the South and many of it's traditions followed. There is a colorful way of speaking when you are a southerner living north of Kentucky. During the 1970s, an even more colorful way of communication blossomed: Jive Talking. I date this activity during the time I was actually cognisant of it. It existed long before then but as a Generation X'er born 1966, I can actually only remember so much about the Baby Boomer Generation.
And I remember people talking about, "being in the trick bag."
It's when you are in a conundrum or an ordeal and there is no quick way out of the situation. Some people call it "getting jammed."
The opposite of being in the trick bag is having solutions to problems.
So which are we, as Americans? Are we in the trick bag or do we have real solutions?
And I remember people talking about, "being in the trick bag."
It's when you are in a conundrum or an ordeal and there is no quick way out of the situation. Some people call it "getting jammed."
The opposite of being in the trick bag is having solutions to problems.
So which are we, as Americans? Are we in the trick bag or do we have real solutions?
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