Jimi

There are two camps when the discussion of Jimi Hendrix comes up, those who love him, and those who don't.  I'm most definitely in the latter one.

Like many talented artists who have died young, I think he was gifted beyond measure, trying to find his place in the world, and succumbed to the perils of drug use.

His was a complicated life, about to be immortalized on screen by the new movie, "Jimi:  All is By My Side" starring Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000).

In anticipation of that, this rather extensive article describing his relationship and conflict with the black community, is explored.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/18/showbiz/jimi-hendrix-invisible-legacy/index.html

Unique Jobs

The most unique job in every state.

Interesting.

I hope this is clear enough to read.  If not, follow this link:

http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/UniqueJobs.png

If I Could

You've all heard people say, if they could have a chat with their younger selves, they would say this or that.

Here's what I would say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Be true to yourself.

Make yourself happy.

Don't spend a millisecond trying to please someone else.  Or trying to make someone else happy.  They are responsible for their own happiness, not you.

You look fine.

Your hair is fine.

Your weight is fine.

Stop finding fault and hating yourself.

Learn to love and appreciate yourself for who you are and what you bring.

Surround yourself with people who appreciate you for who you are, and quickly ditch those who try to blame their shortcomings on you, trying to make you feel bad.

Love yourself at every age.

Find the beauty in being you.

Don't be afraid to speak up, but know that sometimes, silence speaks volumes.

Be quick to forgive, yourself and others.

Treat people the way you want to be treated . . . always, even when it goes against the grain.

Pay attention to the older people in your life.  A word of wisdom from them can be more meaningful than reading a library of self-help books.

Take the time to discover who you are, and then nurture that person.

Always remember the people who helped you along the way.

And . . .

Just be you.

This is me in an undated photo after Frankie's birth.
I'm 28 or so.

Side note - Apologies to folks who received an earlier version of this post.  I was experiencing technical difficulties that the Google boys helped me with.  Thank God for them boys (and girls)!





                           

One of the Best

Without a doubt, one of the best shows that's ever been on TV is "The Wire."  It is set in Baltimore, and it's about the drug scene as it is experienced by the players and the cops who police them.  There are five seasons, and each one deals with a different aspect of life in the city.

Season 1 = Sets the scene - good guys vs. bad guys

What I love about this one is how nuanced the characters are.  Some of the good guys are incredibly flawed and some of the bad guys are incredibly kind and generous.

Season 2 = Takes place at the docks

It proves that corruption is everywhere, in every aspect of life in this city.

Season 3 = Social experiment 

This explores how good intentions often leads to unspeakable chaos.

Season 4 = An examination of the public school system

By far and above, the most thorough and accurate look at inner city education in America.

Season 5 = Takes on the newspaper business

This one explores the politics that drives the decision-making process of what goes to press.

If you decide to watch this show, (it's available on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and others), but don't want to invest in all five seasons, then watch season four.  It's phenomenal.

An Interesting Article . . .

On an exciting new film debuting today in the US.

What is really fascinating though, are the comments at the end of the post.  Click on the blue tab in the left margin that says "22 comments" to get a glimpse of how much work we STILL have to do.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/movies/dear-white-people-about-racial-hypocrisy-at-a-college.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSumSmallMedia&module=pocket-region&region=pocket-region&WT.nav=pocket-region&_r=0

Being the Only One

Most black folks are used to being in situations where we're the "only one."  The only black face in a sea of white ones.  It can be uncomfortable, but mostly, you learn to adjust and recognize that it is a part of the world in which we live.

Interestingly, I met a white woman here who is experiencing the same thing.  She's been in situations where she's the only one, and she was sharing how awkward and uncomfortable she feels.  I told her, "Welcome to my world."  Although to be fair, now that I'm in the Middle East, most folks look more like me.

Anyway, I ran across this article that discusses a little black girl who is the "only one," and how her folks helped her to navigate these waters.

http://www.essence.com/2014/10/16/when-your-child-only-black-girl-class

What Going to Work Looks Like Around the World

Revealing images beyond the suit and tie concept of work.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/15/urban-photographer-of-the_n_5984840.html

A View of America

Real.

Raw.

Unflattering.

Hopeful.

This is Bob Herbert's view of America.  See him below being interviewed by Bill Moyers as he discusses his new book, Losing Our Way.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-moyers/watch-restoring-an-americ_b_5984038.html

Side note -

Mr. Herbert was a columnist for the New York Times, and in 1995 he wrote an article about Ben.  As such, he will always have a special place in my heart.

Read it below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In America; The Valedictorian's Un-Graduation
By BOB HERBERT
Published: June 24, 1995

By all accounts, Ben Sharpe is a great student. When his final marks for the eighth grade at the Capital Christian Center School in Sacramento, Calif., were faxed to this office, a New York Times staffer exclaimed: "Wow! Look at this report card!"

Nothing but A's. One teacher had inserted on the report card: "Student work excellent. Exceptional pleasure in class." Ben's final grade-point average was 4.0, the highest possible at his school. He won the Superintendent's Award as the "most outstanding" eighth-grade student and was chosen to be class valedictorian.

On Monday, June 5, the day before graduation, Ben, who is 13 and one of only a small number of African-American youngsters at the predominantly white school, was taken aside by the principal and told he would not be allowed to deliver his graduation speech. Later his family was informed that he would be barred from graduation ceremonies altogether. He would not, school officials said, be welcome. The ostensible reason: his hair was too short.

The real reason: his skin was too black.

The Capital Christian Center, which runs the school, is a large Assemblies of God congregation. "It's very conservative, very right-wing," said Ben's mother, Faye Sharpe. "The reason we moved the kids out of public school was because we wanted a very strong base in reading, writing and arithmetic. This school has that."

The Sharpe family is as all-American as you can get, unless you confine the term "All-American" to whites. Ben's father, Frank, is a pilot with United Airlines. Faye Sharpe is a pharmacist who has put her career on hold in order to be home with their two children, Ben and Frank 2d, who is 11. The family is Christian and very religious.

When Ben was barred from his graduation, the family was staggered. "There is nothing the school could have done that would have hurt Ben or this family more," Mrs. Sharpe said.

The school claimed that Ben's haircut, which was very short (and very common among African-American boys) violated a dress code that prohibits shaved heads. It should be stressed that Ben's head was not shaved. He had gone to the barber shop the Saturday before graduation because he was proud of the fact that he would be speaking at the ceremony and he wanted to look his best.

"I wanted to give the school the benefit of the doubt," Mrs. Sharpe said, "but my husband never once thought it was the haircut. The haircut was just an excuse and he was able to see through that. There is nothing that Ben could have done that would have been good enough."

The parents pleaded with school officials to relent. They would not. While his classmates graduated at the 7 P.M. ceremony, Ben was playing in a senior league baseball game.

"That night, about 9:30 or so, friends started to call," said Mrs. Sharpe. "They said, 'Faye, they didn't even call his name at the graduation.' There was no acknowledgment at all that the boy existed."

This is not a story with a sad ending.

A reporter named Fahizah Alim wrote about Ben in The Sacramento Bee. The response was overwhelming. Local television and radio picked up the story. Readers, viewers and listeners were outraged. People began phoning and writing messages of support to the Sharpes. Many sent gifts for Ben.

When officials at a local public school heard what had happened, they invited Ben to speak at their graduation. He would be welcome there, the vice principal said.

"Quite frankly, I was moved to tears," said Mrs. Sharpe.

Last week, under extreme pressure, the pastor of Capital Christian Center apologized. The Rev. Glen Cole acknowledged that "perhaps" Ben's punishment "was a little harsh under the circumstances."

Neither of the Sharpe boys will be back at the school next year. Ben had already been accepted at a Jesuit high school. Now his brother will be enrolled in a different school too. Mrs. Sharpe insisted, however, that while her family felt betrayed, no one was bitter.

"Not to forgive them would be inviting a cancer inside of me that I just refuse to allow to grow," she said. "So I know I need to move on."

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/24/opinion/in-america-the-valedictorian-s-un-graduation.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%221%22%3A%22RI%3A5%22%7D

Testimony From an Unvaccinated Mom

Powerful message.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2014/01/growing_up_unvaccinated_a_healthy_lifestyle_couldn_t_prevent_many_childhood.html

Audio Alternative

I like listening to music while I drive.

Many other people like listening to books.  I love to read, but somehow listening to a book is just not the same as reading it.

I just discovered a podcast that tells one true story over the course of the season.

I haven't heard it yet, but it's gotten great reviews.  I plan to check it out the next time I hit the road for a road trip.

Here's more info below.

http://serialpodcast.org

Reminders of Fall

I miss the seasonal changes.

It's starting to cool off here, but it's still 90 degrees by 9:00 in the morning.

This article reminded me of what most of you are experiencing . . . cool brisk weather.

So, do me a favor . . .

Enjoy of cup of hot apple cider for me.

Here's some yummy sounding recipes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/14/apple-cider-cocktail-reci_n_3983575.html

Airline Announcements

These are hilarious!

Hat tip to Forrest for sharing them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

United Flight Attendant announced, 'People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!

 ************ *********  ********* *******

 On landing, the stewardess  said, 'Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have. '

 ************ *********  ********* *******

'There may be  50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane'

 ************ *********  ********* *******


An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship  into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a 'Thanks for flying our airline.' He said  that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally, everyone had gotten off except for a little old  lady walking with a cane.

She said, 'Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?'

'Why, no, Ma'am,' said the pilot. 'What is it?'

The little old lady said,  'Did we land, or were we shot down?'

 ************ *********  ********* *********

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: 'Whoa, big fella, WHOA!' ;

 ************ *********  ********* ********* ****

After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, 'Please take care when opening the  overhead compartments because sure as hell everything has shifted after a landing like that.'

 ************ *********  ********* *******

Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: 'We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.'

 ************ *********  ********* *******

Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo , Texas on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain was really having  to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo ... Please remain  in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!'

 ************ *********  ********* *****

'Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing,  please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments. '

 ************ *********  ********* *****

'As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses..... ....except for that gentleman over there.'

 ************ *********  ********* ********* ***

Heard on Southwest Airlines  just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City.
The flight  attendant came on the intercom and said, 'That was quite a bump, and  I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight  attendant's fault, it was the asphalt.'

 ************ *********  ********* ********* *

After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the attendant came on with, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Capt. Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the  gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are  silenced, we'll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.'

 ************ *********  ********* ********* *

Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: 'We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting  through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of US Airways..'

 ************ *********  ********* ********* *

Heard on a Southwest Airline  flight - 'Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking  section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light 'em,  you can smoke 'em.'

 ************ *********  ********* ********* *

A plane was taking off from Kennedy Airport . After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude,  the captain made an announcement over the intercom; 'Ladies and  gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from New York to Los Angeles . The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight.  Now sit back and relax.... OH, MY GOD!'
Silence followed, and after  a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said,  'Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!'

 A passenger in coach yelled,  'That's nothing. You should see the back of mine!'
************ *********  ********* ********* *

Free College Tuition!

With the skyrocketing cost of a college education in the US, Germany is providing an unimaginable alternative . . . free college tuition . . . to American citizens!

Please pass this on far and wide.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/10/1335669/-Germany-offers-free-college-tuition-to-U-S-and-international-students?detail=email

More on the Debate

Nicolas Kristof was also on the panel on Bill Maher's show (see earlier post "I like Bill, but . . . "), and he offers a more nuanced approach on the subject of violence in the Muslim world.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/09/opinion/nicholas-kristof-the-diversity-of-islam.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=c-column-top-span-region&region=c-column-top-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-top-span-region&_r=0

My People

Etihad Airlines, the official airlines of Abu Dhabi, offers this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/01/airplane-suite-etihad-airlines-residence_n_5913788.html

I like Bill, but . . .

The "Bill" I'm referring to is Bill Maher.

I like his show, Real Time With Bill Maher, on HBO.  The format is a panel discussion on current events, with the panel rotating each week.

Most times, I'm in Bill's corner, but this week, he made some broad statements about Muslims and Islam that I think he got totally wrong.  As a guest in a Muslim country, I have experienced first hand the tolerance and acceptance of outsiders and it has been noteworthy.

Are there crazies in this world?

Probably.

Are they the majority?

Absolutely not.

Judge this debate for yourself.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/walker-bragman/another-bill-maherben-aff_b_5942382.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Smart Young Man Helps His Grandpa

This kid created a sensor that his grandfather (who has Alzheimer's) wears.  It signals an alert on his caregiver's phone when he's wandering off.

This has tremendous potential to help so many people.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/07/teen-invents-wearable-sensor_n_5941190.html

Christmas Gift Idea?

For the geek-in-training.

A computer that kids can build and then program.

Kinda steep at $149.00, but imagine the bragging rights!

Designed for ages 6-14.

Check it out.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/baig/2014/10/07/clever-kano-kit-lets-kid-build-computers-and-learn-to-code/16857175/

Ancient Times

Today I visited the Garni Temple and the Geghard Monastery.  It was like walking back in time.

Walkway leading to the Garni Temple

A view along the way

Garni Temple stands alone against the backdrop of the mountains.
It was built in the 1st century,
 destroyed by earthquake in 1679 and reconstructed in 1975.
It truly is spectacular!

Closer up

A view of the majestic mountain range that surrounds the temple

This is the Geghard Monastery.  The photo was found online.
It captures what I could not.
The monastery has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It dates back to 1215.

This monument is along the entryway path to the monastery.

A close-up of the monument

The front of the monastery.

Another view of the entrance

I wanted to capture the turrets, seen from the front,
but I couldn't get them all in one shot.

Not sure what the purpose of this is,
but there were several "v" shape indented areas of the building.

A small alleyway between the church and the mountain.

These steps lead to a small dark archway, used for praying maybe?

I'm standing in one of the large archways looking out.

The monastery was built into the mountain
where many religious symbols are carved in the rocks.

Although you can't see them, there are doors are either side of this archway.

This is inside the monastery.  It was incredibly dark,
with just a small single window in the middle of the main room.

This is one of the pillars in the monastery.

This is the sole source of light found in the ceiling.

This is another photo found online.
It gives a much better view that I could capture of the inside of the monastery.

This is an altar that looks ready for service.

This is to the left of the altar.

The mountains are huge.
I wanted to show how high they are relative to where we were.

Armenia was not on my radar to visit, but I'm glad I did.

The people were kind and helpful.  

It appears to be homogenous population.  There was no evidence of other ethnic groups.  There were ten of us in my tour group, and four of us were black (from the US).  Quite unusual, for sure.  The others were white, (also from the US) and Arabic (from Syria, Jordan and Egypt).  We brought the color with us.

Other observations:

The Armenians drive like we do, on the right, but the taxi I rode in today had it's steering wheel on the right.  All other cars on the road had theirs on the left.  Not sure why the cab was different and the driver's English wasn't well enough to try and figure out.

Speaking of language, thankfully almost everyone I came in contact spoke some English.  On any given day I'm around folks who speak three and four languages . . . fluently.  This is an area where I'm lacking in.  We really must do a better job in the US of making we are multi-lingual.  

It's time to pack up and get ready to go.  We have an early departure tomorrow.

As always, thanks for taking this ride with me.

Yerevan, Armenia

The following are sights and sounds from Yerevan.

We passed these trees on the way to the hotel from the airport.
They reminded me of home.  My father painted the trees in our yard.
Funny the things you remember.

This is a view from my window.

This is another view from my window.
There seems to be an economic upturn
because there are construction sites all over the city.

Our first stop was to this museum.
The genocide occurred in 1915 where it is estimated
between 1 million and 1.5 million people were killed.
It was sobering.  

This is the outside of the museum.  Most of it was closed for renovation.
The solemn gray color reflects the chronicled heartache that the people endured.

On the way to the outdoor exhibit, there is a small field
dedicated to the memory of the lives lost in the genocide
and to the countries that recognize this atrocity.

I wanted you to hear the haunting music that played in the memorial area.

There are these nameplates around each tree recognizing the giver.
There are countries represented and organizations and individuals.
Forty-two states of the US recognize the genocide,
but the federal government has not.

This is Tsitsernakaberd.
It is the monument that holds the eternal flame and
the spire that represents Armenia.
The spire is divided to show the portion of the country that was lost in the war on the left.

There are twelve columns that represent the twelve lost provinces in present day Turkey.

I'm standing in front of the eternal flame.

This is the Matenadaren, which holds thousands of ancient manuscripts.

This is the Cafesjian Museum of Art.  It is a magnificent public art display.
It is lined with benches and makes for a wonderful place to relax and people watch.
It stretches for about four blocks.

Whimsical display.

A fat cat.

A seal?

This picture doesn't do this justice.  It is a man made of a collage of metal letters.

This statue stands at the entrance of the museum.

This lady was by far the most photographed.
It seemed everyone wanted a picture with her.
She was guarded by security to prevent her from being touched.

Front view.

Rear view.

We have one more day here, then we return home on Tuesday.

More soon.