The Great Debate

Watch these elementary school kids debate country life vs. city life.

It's less than five minutes.

Too cute.

Note the teacher.

He looks like he's 12.

http://www.noisyclassroom.com/index.html

We Take This for Granted

As Americans, we take our freedom of speech for granted.

http://www.thenational.ae/uae/courts/online-verbal-insults-are-punishable-in-any-emirate-uae-supreme-court-rules?utm_content=

Another View

Here's a recent newspaper article in reference to ISIL.

http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/joint-us-uae-task-force-to-choke-off-isil-funding?utm_content=

A New Face

A lot has been written about Renee Zellweger's new face.  I've never been a fan so I kinda blew past all of the hoopla.

Until I read this guy's story.

Really, it's not so much his story, but the comments to it when it was published in a London newspaper.

Those British tongues can be quite tart.

See for yourself.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/28/rene-zellweger-and-me/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Differences

The are subtle, and not so subtle, cultural differences that we ex-pats experience every day.

For instance:

---Time is relative.  If you make an appointment and arrive sometime within the hour of when you're supposed to be there, you're OK.

---Meetings always begin with coffee and light snacks, for those folks who do arrive on time and have to wait for the late comers.

---The greetings here are lyrical.  There is the double cheek kiss and the litany of prayers that they say to each other, even when they see each other everyday.  It is especially pronounced when they greet each other sporadically.  Women greet women and men greet men.

---This elaborate greeting happens, no matter when they arrive.  We could be in the middle of a meeting, but everything stops for folks to greet each other.

---Cell phones ringing in a meeting is no big deal.  Answering the call and proceeding with a full-on conversation is not taboo either.

---Side bar conversations during meetings are constant.  It really rattles Western presenters.

---Deadlines are fluid.

---The art of calendaring events is virtually non-existent.  Things are happening all the time, but notice is by word of mouth.

---Last minute changes happen frequently, but again, the information goes out word of mouth.

---There is no such thing as a "working lunch."  When you break for lunch, that time is sacred and is expected to be undisturbed.  A new teacher made the mistake of keeping her class in to finish work during their lunch break, and was quickly called on the carpet for that faux pas.

---Correct spelling in not important.  Most everything is spelled several ways, and it's up to you to decipher what it is.  The town where I live has at least five difference spellings, all of them official, meaning they are found on maps, office buildings, etc.

---Kids play unattended in the neighborhood.  Even toddlers, as young as two or three.

---Kids run - full force, like they're outside - in the hallways at school, without restraint or reprimand.

---Many boys, when you're trying to reprimand them, run from you, like you're going to play a game of chase with them.

These are some of the things we experience that are quite different from what we're used to.  These things are not necessarily wrong, but they are different, and require an adjustment in thinking.

Looking Sharp

Emirates is the official airline of Dubai, and this article is about their flight attendants.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/21/emirates-flight-attendants_n_5999818.html

Un-invited

Bill Maher is scheduled to be the commencement speaker at UC Berkeley's December graduation ceremony.  Some of the students are not happy about this because of his recent comments on Islam.

So, an "un-invite" is in the works.

Check it out.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/27/bill-maher-berkeley-commencement_n_6058102.html

Not Black Enough, Part 2

What do you think?

http://blackamericaweb.com/2014/10/26/how-black-do-you-have-to-be-to-be-black-enough/?omcamp=es-baw-nl&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=BAW%20Subscribers%20%28Daily%29&utm_campaign=2014-27-10-%20BAW%20Daily

A Tech Pioneer in Diversity

Inspiring post #2.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/10/26/ken-coleman-african-american-tech-pioneer-talks-about-diversity/17747925/

Be Inspired

My Momma used to say, "No matter how hard you think you have it, there are many others who are so much worse off than you, so no matter where you find yourself, be grateful."

I was reminded of this when I watched the video clip below.

It will take six minutes of your time.

I promise you, you'll be inspired.

http://www.upworthy.com/he-got-invited-to-a-random-event-on-facebook-it-ended-up-changing-his-life?c=upw1

Change of Heart

This article is long, but one of the best I've read on how the reality of seeing your point of view invalidated by the reality of life all around you, that somehow you'd never noticed before.

http://www.salon.com/2012/09/10/why_i_left_the_gop/

Father/Son Relationships

This is an insightful article about the relationship of fathers and sons as it relates to the presidency.

Very interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-fathers-sons-and-the-presidency.html?_r=0

Not Black Enough

When Ben and Frankie were growing up and we were making decisions about their education, we chose the best schools we could find, and/or afford, and most times they were in the extreme minority where they were the only black kids in their classes.

Culturally, they would be in a desert, but that was OK because I was so "black conscious," I was sure that was enough.  I thought they'd get all of the cultural exposure at home and through planned events geared in large part for this.

Boy, was I wrong.

Again, the decisions were made with the best intentions, though.

What I didn't realize, is what the parents of the black woman in the previous post being raised in an all-white environment also didn't recognize, is that kids need peers who look like them and share some of the same experiences as them.

I was hurt, upset, disappointed, and angry when Ben and Frankie started dating, and there wasn't a black girl in the mix . . .

AT ALL!

I felt it was an absolute slap in the face to me as a black woman, that their standard of beauty was like so many others, leaning heavily toward blond and blue-eyed.

I was pissed.

And yet, they always came back with, "It's your fault Mom.  Look at where we went to school.  Look at who our peers are.  This was designed in large part by you."

Well, damn.

I did not want to hear that.

But, it was the truth.

The grand plan had succeeded greatly in one area, in the education they received, but socially, it had failed.

Or had it?

Doors of opportunity were opened that would have been unheard of in my day, and those opportunities led to their meeting wonderful women that became their wives.

But, I still live with this nagging feeling of failure.

Of course, hindsight is 20/20.

If given a chance to do it all over again, I would absolutely do some things differently.

First, I would get off my high horse of "blackness," thinking I was enough to spread all the black knowledge they needed, and make sure they had many more opportunities to be with kids who looked like them and shared experiences of growing black in this very white world.

Growing Up in An All-White Environment

I believe there's a special place in heaven for (most) people who adopt kids.

Raising children can be wonderful, joyous, and thrilling, but it is not for the faint of heart.  It takes a lot of work on the best of days.

I also think that people who adopt kids outside of their own race, do it with the best intentions, and many times with great results.

But there's another side of the story that warrants examination.

This quick video clip is a black woman discussing being raised by a white family in an all-white environment.  It sheds light on the challenges families like hers face.

http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/highlight/what-its-like-as-a-black-woman-growing-up-in-a-white-family/5434208cfe3444f7d10006cf?cn=tbla

To Whup or Not to Whup . . .

That is the question.

This topic garnered a lot of discussion recently, including here on this site.  It is not my desire, nor intent, to rehash what's already been said, but a new television show, "Black-ish" did an awesome job of addressing the problems associated with this aspect of child rearing.  It was more nuanced than any other discussion about this that I've seen or heard.

Definitely worth checking out.

The episode is called "Crime and Punishment."

You can find it on abc.com, hulu, Amazon or iTunes 

It's My Picture!

The Dish is a website that I visit often, and it has a cool feature called, "A View From My Window," where people send in pictures they've taken from inside wherever they are.

I submitted one of mine that was taken in Armenia, and it was featured in their contest where you have to guess where this is.

http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2014/10/18/the-view-from-your-window-contest-227/

What a treat!

Sheet Music

I stumbled on this app in the iTunes Store called forScore, that provides an enormous catalog of sheet music for all of you musicians out there.

https://appsto.re/us/iuJRv.i

There really is an app for everything!

Six Minutes of Truth

This young North Carolina Representative nails what's wrong with our government. Based on the response of those he's talking to, I'm guessing his tenure might be short lived.

That's a pity.

http://vimeo.com/102299905

Scattered

If you've ever had a conversation with me, you know that I'm known for jumping around, moving from subject to subject.

There was a dear friend and mentor that I used to meet with once a month or so, and he'd always bring a pad to jot down the ideas and thoughts that were shared, to make sure he followed the flow of the conversation.

One day he asked how my boys were able to follow chats with me.

Of course, it was natural for them.  My scattered-brained conversations were all they knew.

I thought of this recently when someone commented on the many varied things I post about.

In my mind's eye, when I publish something, it's me having a conversation with you.

It's a little one-sided, but you get my drift.

These are things that interest me, and hopefully you find them interesting as well.

So, thanks for hanging in there, as I jump from pillow to post.

I'll always be grateful that you're taking this ride with me.

Who Knew?

This article in the New York Times about an autistic kid having conversations with Siri, Apple's “intelligent personal assistant” is illuminating.  Who knew this technology would be helpful in this way?

Fascinating!

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/fashion/how-apples-siri-became-one-autistic-boys-bff.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&region=CColumn&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&src=me&WT.nav=MostEmailed&_r=0