Black History Month

As we slowly reach the end of Black History Month, I’m left wondering if I should be surprised at the seeming lack of recognition of it in general. I remember that I usually feel like I’m being bombarded with Black History Month mentions on tv and otherwise but not so much this time. Anyway, before it ends for another year, I feel compelled to blog about it in SOME fashion.

I’m sort of a tech geek. If there’s some new gadgetry with flashing lights and buttons, I more than likely have heard about it, seen it, or own some version of it. I’ve always been intrigued by how people think up certain things and would love to think up something new, exciting, and innovative and present it to masses to much fanfare. However, that’ll probably never be me. I’m including, on this post, a link to the Black Inventor Online Museum.

I encourage you to take a look at this website and look at how Black people have contributed to our society in a mainly technological way. This isnt something often depicted in the media, or BET, or whathaveyou. Inventions contributed to society by Black men & women have been INSTRUMENTAL in the development of many aspects of our society. I remember learning about this in my last year in high school when we were asked to put together a showcase showing Black folks contribution to modern society. My part was Black inventors and I remember being pretty amazed at the vast list of accomplishments our people are responsible for. All you really hear about is George Washington Carver. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

If inventors isnt your thing, there’s plenty of websites, etc that are more than willing to inform you about parts of our history that we dont really get a good feel for. Its worth the time…so INVEST in it.

The “Theory of Circles”

This is something I’ve been meaning to blog for a while now. My “Theory of Circles” originated during my last year in college while I was taking philosophy classes. Those started as just a way to fill a breadth requirement but I got into it so I took a couple. I love abstract thought…but mostly if there’s a trail of thought leading to it. I think if you’re going to “think outside the box” you should leave a Hansel & Gretel type trail of crumbs back to “the box” so people can understand where you are and follow along. But thats neither here nor there.

As most of my good friends will tell you, if I’ve made up my mind on a certain issue, you need a FANTASTIC argument to get me to change it. This made philosophy entertaining at times b/c I didnt always agree with the professor but that was only b/c he/she was wrong at the time. ;-p I actually wrote up an argument on my final exam that I knew was the exact opposite of what the professor wanted us to write b/c I didnt agree with his take. Let me tell you, I wrote up an argument that was so crisp and irrefutable, that I was SURE he’d HAVE to recognize that I was either right or definitely not wrong. He gave me a B. I can live with sacrificing that A.

Anyway, enough background. When I first developed my theory of circles, it was simply due to the cyclical nature of life. As simple as each day, expanding out to each year’s seasons, and so on. The fact that fads and trends seem to recycle and come back into style in some random timeframe. You can expand it to people and events. The evolution of civil rights struggle with having black leaders step up to now having a black President has happened in a cyclical fashion. Industrial/technological booms and recession/depressions. I believe the very histories of this country and this world are wrought with cycles. Why do you think your parents are so often right? They’ve seen it before…life hasnt changed really. Just remixed. Think about it.

So I expand somewhat and go out of the realm of the annals of time and our history and start to think more universal. Every planet in our solar system is a sphere and a few have rings. They follow in a mostly circular orbit around a bigger sphere. Maybe thats all meaningless. But maybe its not.

We celebrate occasions with rings. We commit to each other with rings as the symbol. Our Olympic games have a symbol of interconnected rings to reflect an image of unity and sportsmanship. A circle is the hardest shape to draw. I could go on & on but my point is that there may not be anything that pervades society, at any point in history, as thoroughly, as meaningfully, as a simple circle.

I use this theory as a foundation for a lot of things. Personally, I believe that there is circular relationship between simple and difficult. Why else do some of the most complex answers have the simplest solutions and vice versa? I mention the cycles of history and I wonder, cant we predict the future reasonably well? “You cant know where you’re going unless you know where you came from” so why wouldnt researching the past give you a pretty accurate idea of the future? “Same song, just remixed. Different arrangement.” (“Thieves in the Night” — Shoutout to the Mighty Mos Def)

Anyway, thus is my theory of circles presented for your viewing pleasure. Thoughts?

Flashback Friday: Call Me D-Nice — D-Nice

RE: Tyrese wife takes him to Cleaners… article

On Necole Bitchie’s site is the article, Tyrese wife takes him to cleaners… This is the type of news that gives me heartburn. If you look at the article, you’ll see that this “lady” is requesting that she be given $12k a month to meet the expense of having his kid. My first response is, “she’s got to be out her got damn mind.” Followed by, “and Rihanna is the one that got beat up?” But this just goes to show you just how ABSURD our legal system is when it comes to these situations. The simple fact that you could submit a legal document to the justice department claiming that you need these type of funds as child support is OUTRAGEOUS. Her and her lawyers should be FINED for wasting gov’t time and resources. The fact that there are other examples of some exorbitant amount of money being paid to these “women” for alimony/child support is just as criminal.

I’m just gonna stop b/c these situations are such a clusterfuck of nonsensical bullshit that I really dont have the words to do it justice and just thinking about it turns my brain to pudding.

Justice
Equals
Litigious
Larceny
Opportunity

Lyricist Lounge Show w/ Cee Lo

I LOVE this one!!

Role Models and the Celebrity Standard

I was reading a Rihanna article on one of my favorite blogs, Three Ways to Take It, and the topic of what we expect from our celebrities came up. The point was made that we seem to put too much on our celebrities and hold them to a standard that is higher than that of the “average joe.” It was said that we should allow them the same weaknesses, and imperfections, that we allow those that arent rich or famous. I can understand this point of view and respect the opinion…however, I disagree.

As a famous person, you are held to a higher standard and I believe you SHOULD be. You live your life in the spotlight, under a microscope, etc so everything you do is magnified, good and bad. Also, children look up to famous people. Always have, always will. It was brought up that Charles Barkley tried to convince people that he wasnt a role model, which in my opinion, was foolish. How can you sit there trying to tell kids that you arent a role model while pushing your hamburgers, deodorants, and $100+ shoes? Just ridiculous. Sadly, you dont get to choose to NOT be a role model, undeserving as you may be. Thats just an effort to shirk responsibility. So I WILL hold those in the public eye to a higher level of accountability for the simple fact that people, mainly children, do look to them for some form of guidance. And yes, I know that parents are supposed to be role models. But why hold parents accountable and give other adults a pass? Being responsible doesnt just start when you have a kid. Lastly, the fact is, you dont normally achieve a famous lifestyle unless you courted one. The lack of privacy is a price of fame.

We demand a lot from our celebrities. We demand that they perform and entertain. We demand that they give us a worthy product. We even demand front row seats into their daily lives. But it seems like we dont always demand what should be most important…that, as people, they are deserving of the adoration that we consistently provide.

People Who Need to be Punched in the Face: A Commentary on the “Bonds’ personal trainer ordered to court” article

This article reads as follows:
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SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has ordered Barry Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Anderson, to court to disclose whether he intends to testify at the slugger’s trial next month.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston scheduled a hearing for Wednesday morning and ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to tell Anderson and provide him with transportation, if needed.

The judge has barred prosecutors from using key evidence, such as positive steroids tests, at Bonds’ March 2 trial unless Anderson testifies.

Anderson has said through his attorney he will refuse to testify, and he may be sent to prison on contempt of court charges.

Anderson was sent to prison after refusing to testify about Bonds before a federal grand jury in 2006.

—————–

I have a couple issues with this whole Bonds situation. The first is this: Who cares? Proving perjury is difficult as it is…why are they so hellbent on putting Bonds in jail? What purpose do they intend for it to serve? Does ANYONE really think they are still acting in the interest of the people here? Or is it quite obvious to everyone (as it SHOULD be) that they have a vendetta against Bonds and/or are staking their reputation on their ability to prosecute them? They’ve gone past the point where they look like fools and are now, in my opinion, moving onto the point where they are performing a public disservice. At what point do they stop WASTING man-hours and public money just to put a guy in jail for using steroids? How bout we go back to putting REAL criminals in jail, rather than athletes just for the sake of proving a stupid point? And if I can expand beyond Bonds for a second, what purpose was served by putting Marion Jones in jail? What purpose was served by putting Michael Vick in jail? What purpose would be served by trying and subsequently putting Roger Clemens in jail? THIS is a priority? Really? I digress.

My other beef with this situation is this: How many times are they gonna put Greg Anderson in jail for this? Seriously. This is legal? How? Why is it legal to continually put a man in jail for not testifying on behalf of your case? Shouldnt there be SOME form of double jeopardy law that renders this illegal? At what point do we accuse the feds of acting in an unlawful manner? I thought legally you couldnt force someone to testify anyway. But I guess you can say he’s in “contempt of court” and keep him in jail for months at a time. Lame.

Because of all this, I think the folks ATTEMPTING to prosecute Barry Bonds should be punched in the face. Preferably by Greg Anderson and his entire family.

Flashback Friday: How Many Emcees — Black Moon

People Who Need to be Punched in the Face: Today Show

Yes, I did. All four of this bunch really…I mean REALLY…need to be punched in the face. I’m sorry. They just do. ESPECIALLY the lead man in front. Matt Lauer. I struggle to type b/c my fists are clenching. Knuckles need to meet this man’s dental situation. Is there a bigger asshole interviewer than this guy? I can only think of one and he may make the series as well. Its not that every question he asks makes you wanna come at his throat…just that he will eventually ask the interviewee a question that you KNOW they cant answer w/o setting themselves up to look bad or eventually be wrong or called a liar. That shit drives me crazy.

Next on my list…Al Roker. Oh you are a sonofabitch, arent you Al? With your gastric bypass havin’….look, even today…this dude browbeats some young lady’s Dad to let her have earrings on national TV. If Dad doesnt want her to have earrings, why are you interfering? Keep your parenting advice to “your neck of the woods.” And stop grinning so gotdamn much. Not every sentence or comment is a funny one.

My beef with Meredith Viera is minor. She was the only one on The View that I thought wasnt batshit crazy. Her leaving, while good for her career and sanity, left that show w/o ANY form of level-headedness WHATSOEVER. I used to like The View. Now I consider it a greasefire. Thats YOUR fault Meredith. That said, I would like it if you were the one to punch Lauer right in the dome. And maybe headbutt him in the temple too.

Ann Curry, as I go on, I think I’m gonna give you a pass. They send Ann out to do some BULLshit, dont they? Her and Al. “Hey we need a piece on skydiving into a war zone…send Ann.” Your life insurance bill must be OUTrageous. Ann may be most likely to GET punched in the face than anyone on this show.

Not shown in this pic:
Diane Sawyer, you are the female Matt Lauer. Everything that goes for him, applies to you and that little dumbfounded look you like to give after you ask the most inane of the asinine questions you tend to line up for interviewees. I’d like to see J.Lo, the Enough version, just belt you one. Already, I can picture it in my mind and I love it. If only that could happen…Today.

Robin Roberts. Robin Roberts is SO cool that if you dont like her, YOU should be punched in the face. Preferably while you’re about to take a bite out of your lunch or snack and arent looking. Like that SNL skit…which by the way is the inspiration for this series. (Fun fact!)

ART Club: Salma Hayek

I almost completely forgot about this beauty until I was reminded by clnmike’s post. Salma Hayek, certified game changer. And yes, I know I said I would try not to put high-profile actresses on this list but Salma is an exception. Deal.

I still remember when Desperado came out. Mostly b/c I’d never had any interest in Latinas until this movie/lady almost completely corrupted me. So in that way, Salma Hayek changed my life. And that alone makes her an exception to the rule. Any rule. And what do you say about those two lovelies she’s sportin’? Me…I’m speechless…’cept for this…

Salma Hayek, welcome to the ART Club.