Perception

Check out the headlines at the end of this article.

This, too, says it all.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/media-black-victims_n_5673291.html?utm_hp_ref=black-voices

Proof

Just in case you thought my last post was an exercise in hyperbole, here's proof it wasn't.

http://www.msnbc.com/melissa-harris-perry/watch/the-deaths-of-black-men-in-america-318795331819

Race and Police in America

What happened in Ferguson, MO, with the police shooting of 18 year old Michael Brown, is a travesty.  The fact that it's getting as much air play as it is, is warranted and justified.

The mishandling of this young man's death was bungled from the beginning (as noted in my previous post), and the missteps keep coming.  The fact that the policeman who killed this young man was protected by the blue wall of silence, only aggravated an already volatile situation.

Here's what we know for sure.

This kind of thing didn't just happen this week.  Black and brown men have been beaten senseless and killed at the hands of over-zealous police officers for as long as this country has been in existence.

This is why, as black parents, we are negligent if we don't teach our sons how to stay alive when (not if - because it's sure to happen) they are pulled over by the police.

Now, like before, we hear this familiar refrain from police authorities . . .

The call for more diversity training.

This is useless.

Why?

Because there is a disconnect in the two communities that police training alone can not change.

First of all, the lives of men of color have to matter.  They have to be seen as valuable members of our society, worthy of help.  They have to be seen for what they are - fathers, sons, brothers, husbands, friends - human beings.  The policemen have to see themselves and their families when they look at our men.

Until the police can connect with men of color on this human level, we'll continue to see these senseless acts repeating themselves.

Our saving grace is the ubiquitous use of cell phone cameras, shedding light, that is being seen around the world, on what we've known for years.

The threat of foreign terrorists isn't alarming.  It's the home grown ones with badges that scares us the most.

Check out the video below.  It's powerful.

http://www.msnbc.com/all-in-with-chris-hayes/watch/the-paradox-of-race-in-america-317627459554

This Says It All

From the DailyKos

I rarely copy an article, usually opting to send the link only.  This time I've done both.  I didn't want you to miss this in your effort to link to it.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/16/1322091/-Dumbest-Police-Chief-in-America

SAT AUG 16, 2014 AT 04:20 AM PDT

Dumbest Police Chief in America

byExpatGirlFollow

  

I am scratching my head over how it is humanly possible to be as clueless as the St. Louis County and Ferguson police departments. To make one mistake is understandable but to have EVERYTHING you do be a complete fuck up is astounding.

1.    Officer kills an unarmed black teen in the street.
2.    Officer who kills the teenager requests assistance but does not inform his   commanders of what happened. Instead, they learn it on the news like everyone else.
3.    The scene is left in the hands of the officer’s own colleagues who allow the officer to leave the scene of the crime. His vehicle is also allowed to leave the scene – presumably breaking the integrity of the chain of evidence.
4.    Victim is left lying in the road for four hours – inflaming the community and presumably destroying evidence.
5.    Witnesses say that the killing officer never bothered to check for a pulse once his victim went down. None of the other officers arriving on the scene checked for a pulse. Bystanders in the medical field were not allowed to attempt CPR.
6.    Rumor has it that the cellphones of possible witnesses were confiscated.
7.    Police launch campaign to protect the officer at all costs - including the destruction of the community of Ferguson.
8.    Police launch a full military invasion of the traumatized town of Ferguson.
9.    Police caught on international TV screaming “Bring it! Bring it you fucking animals!”.
10.    The response to a community protesting police brutality is the imposition of ‘martial law’ complete with authoritarianism, tear gas, rubber bullets, flash grenades and sound grenades.
11.    Police throw the Constitution out the window and arrest, assault and teargas journalists.
12.    Police arrest a well-known public figure for the "crime" of "failing to listen".
13.    Chief of Police praises his officers for showing incredible restraint.
14.    After days of shocking behavior that caught the attention of the world, police finally release Killer Cop's name - while concurrently launching a smear campaign against his victim. This decision to reignite the fuse of the powder keg is not run up the chain of command - despite pledges from the Governor that there is a new Sheriff in town.
15.    Chief of Police specifically says that he is not interested in talking to the community he has been victimizing.
16.    Chief of Police holds multiple press conferences in which he contradicts himself repeatedly.
17.    Chief of Police makes a statement PRAISING the Killer Cop while concurrently smearing the dead teenaged victim at the center of the nation’s outrage.

"He was a gentle, quiet man," Police Chief Thomas Jackson said Friday, referring to Wilson. "He was a distinguished officer. He was a gentleman. ... He is, he has been, an excellent officer."
Police Chief Thomas Jackson, you have got to be the STUPIDEST MORON on the face of the planet. To call you “stupid” is in fact an insult to stupid people.
I hold you 100% responsible for every bit of this national tragedy.
YOU allowed a culture that has consistently dehumanized and discriminated against African Americans and, by so doing, YOU laid the groundwork for the murder of Michael Brown.
YOUR officers referred to a traumatized community as “fucking animals” on international TV.
YOU shielded a man who killed a fleeing teenager, at the expense of an entire community.
YOU have consistently demonstrated that you will go to almost any length to protect one of your own.
YOU have praised a killer and smeared a teenager whose biggest crime in life was possibly stealing a pack of cigarettes.
YOU threw the law out the window and declared war on the very people you are paid to serve and protect.
YOU have demonstrated that you are prepared to lie in order to protect a killer.
YOU are an asshole who should not be in any position of authority. You don’t have the sense or integrity to do the job required.

So many ways for you to have handled this tragedy and you, without fail, have consistently chosen the worst option.

This entire fiasco is like watching a modern day version of In the Heat of the Night. It is tragic and disgusting and infuriating.

Another One

There have been many tributes to Robin Williams, but this is one that I had not seen.

At the risk of sounding redundant, he was pure genius.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/16/1322056/-The-Time-Robin-Williams-Puts-Dubya-McCain-Palin-To-Bed-VIDEO?detail=email#

Tree Art

Check out these stunning works of art made from trees.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/national/brzezinski-transforms-trees-into-art-with-a-chainsaw/2014/08/14/7419d566-232d-11e4-8b10-7db129976abb_video.html?tid=hp_mm&hpid=z2

It Works!

Here's a cool new way to teach kids how to tie their shoes, and it works!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbaHxsilsKI

Our Ballerina

It's an absolute joy that little girls of color have Misty Copeland, this beautiful, talented young woman, to emulate and look up to.

Please share this with the young folks in your world, especially our kids of color.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-VgXR_rl9U

Fixing What's Broke

This came via email.  I think it's worth passing on.

                                
                                             The Buffet Rule 

We must support this...pass it on and let’s see if these idiots understand what people pressure is all about. 

Salary of retired US Presidents . . . . . . . . . .. . $180,000 FOR LIFE 
  
Salary of House/Senate members . . . . . . . . . . $174,000 FOR LIFE This is stupid 
  
Salary of Speaker of the House . . . . . . . . . . . . $223,500 FOR LIFE This is really stupid 
  
Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders . . . . . . . . . $193,400 FOR LIFE Ditto last line 
  
Average Salary of a teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$40,065 
  
Average Salary of a deployed Soldier . . . . . . . . $38,000 
  
I think we found where the cuts should be made! If you agree pass it on, I just did. 
  
Warren Buffet, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling: 
  
"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. 
  
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. 
  
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure. 
  
Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. 
  
In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around. 
  
Congressional Reform Act of 2014 
  
1. No Tenure / No Pension. 
  
A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office. 
  
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. 
  
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 
  
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. 
  
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 
  
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 
  
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 
  
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/1/14. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. 
  
Congress made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. 
  
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Don't you think it's time? 
  
THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS! 
  
If you agree, pass it on. If not, delete. 
  
You are one of my 20+ - Please keep it going, and thanks

A Compelling Message on Depression

From the outside looking in, it looks like some people have the world on a string, and yet they still suffer from depression.

I can't begin to understand this.  Why it happens at all, or why it happens to folks you least expect, and the ones who are really suffering and should be down, aren't.

What makes some susceptible and others not?

I can't explain it, but this guy brings it home and makes it real.

Take the three minutes to hear what he has to say.

It's a lifesaving message.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHcc7ipGt0#t=212

More Steve Maraboli Quotes

“Stop trying to 'fix' yourself; you're NOT broken! You are perfectly imperfect and powerful beyond measure.”

“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.”

“I want to be in a relationship where you telling me you love me is just a ceremonious validation of what you already show me.”

“Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.”

“When in a relationship, a real man doesn't make his woman jealous of others, he makes others jealous of his woman.”

“I want to live my life in such a way that when I get out of bed in the morning, the devil says, "aw shit, he's up!”

“Most haters are stuck in a poisonous mental prison of jealousy and self-doubt that blinds them to their own potentiality.”

“You are beautiful. Know this. Anyone who tells you otherwise is simply lying. You are beautiful.”

And my favorite so far . . .

“Don’t tell me about your god with your words. Show me about your god with your actions.” 

Liberating!

I just discovered this guy, Steve Maraboli, a motivational speaker, from a romance novel no less!  His quote below is absolutely liberating.

Get Off The Scale!

You are beautiful. Your beauty, just like your capacity for life, happiness, and success, is immeasurable. Day after day, countless people across the globe get on a scale in search of validation of beauty and social acceptance.

Get off the scale! I have yet to see a scale that can tell you how enchanting your eyes are. I have yet to see a scale that can show you how wonderful your hair looks when the sun shines its glorious rays on it. I have yet to see a scale that can thank you for your compassion, sense of humor, and contagious smile. Get off the scale because I have yet to see one that can admire you for your perseverance when challenged in life.

It’s true, the scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love. Don’t give the scale more power than it has earned. Take note of the number, then get off the scale and live your life. You are beautiful!” 

This is a powerful message!

With as much time, energy, effort and money I've spent on trying to loose weight and keep it off over the years, I could have easily finance a kid's college education.

Very recently I've decided to love myself, totally and completely, warts and all.

I decided to dress the me that I am, and no longer fret about the me I wish to be.

I decided to stop beating myself up because of the numbers on the scale.

I decided, that as long as I'm healthy, free of chronic sickness and disease, I would be grateful for my body, instead of living in the constant condemnation because I've come up short of what I think I should be.

I decided to be free . . .

And love myself just the way I am.

Thankful

Well, damn.

No sooner than I clicked "publish" on my last post about my oldest brother not making an effort to see me on my visit to the US, both Ben and Frankie wrote to tell me to get over it.

They reminded me of the many posts on forgiveness that I've written about, and compared to those, implied that my most recent one was dripping in hypocrisy.

OK.  They didn't say it like that, but that was the gist of the message.

I thank God for my guys because they wasted no time calling me on the carpet.

And, of course, they were right.

Although it wasn't something I wanted to hear, it was something I needed to hear.

I have held on to these negative feelings for far too long.  The only thing/person that was guaranteed to change in this situation was me, if I was mature enough to do so.  It's a choice I had to make to make this right, or at least better.

So, like when I had to let go of ill will in reference to my ex-husband, I made the overture.

As with him, it doesn't matter if my brother and his wife respond, or what the response might be.  I did what I needed to do to move on.

You know, I could save myself a lot of grief and a ton of embarrassment, if I didn't share so much,  but I do it in the hopes of helping someone to avoid the mistakes I've made.

Who knows?

Maybe it simply is just TMI (too much information).

Anyway, like I said, I'm thankful.

For my guys for setting me straight, and for a great trip home.

And, as always, I'm thankful to you too, for taking this journey with me.

20,482

This number represents the miles traveled this month on my journey from the UAE to the US, and back to Abu Dhabi.

I added up the miles when, for the second year in a row, my oldest brother chose not to make it (across town last year, or the 75 miles or so this year), to see me. The distance in miles from Abu Dhabi to London to New York City, to San Francisco, and to Houston is 11,627.

By my calculations, I traveled far more than halfway to see him.

Of course, he had excuses each time.

However, he was neither deathly ill, nor was he running from the FBI.  These being the only valid excuses in my book.

He called to say he couldn't make, but he did remember my birthday (August 5th). That should count for something, but somehow it rings hollow.

It would be easy to blame his wife, who is "wicked" personified, but this failure falls squarely on him.

I realize that there are times when it's easier to ignore family and friends to keep the peace in relationships and marriages, but when you see yourself being coerced/forced and isolated from your world (your Mom, Dad, brother(s), sister(s), or friends), something is wrong with that picture.  Unless, of course, your world was filled with illegal or immoral things, but that's another issue for another time.

What I'm talking about now is control.

Having a mate who totally and completely controls what you do, where you go, and who you see, is madness.  Loving someone means trusting them.  When that trust is violated, make some noise, work it out or walk away.

Don't stand in the way of someone seeing their family because you're pissed at them, and by proxy, their family.

That solves nothing, but only compounds the problem.

Instead of trying to keep your significant other away from their family, encourage them to see them, even if you don't go.  Don't be the reason they drift away.

For me . . .

20, 482 miles was a long way to travel to be stood up.

The Luck of the Irish

Greetings from Dublin.

I made a quick stop here to break up the long trip from the US back to the UAE.

I was out and about today and took a lot of pictures, but they can not capture the charm and beauty of this very lovely city.

It's old, but well-preserved and incredibly quaint.  It seems to be made for walking. Many streets were covered with pedestrians.

The people that I met have been so warm, friendly and helpful.

The Irish that I've met in Abu Dhabi are some of the nicest people you want to meet, and they seem to be a true reflection of this country.

My morning started late, as I was recovering from the all night flight from Houston. Once up and about, I hopped on a tour bus and marveled at the views of the city.

I ended my tour at the Guinness, St. James Gate Brewery, where the world famous beer is made.  It sits on 62 acres, and is truly massive.  It takes up many city blocks.  The tour itself was a bit disappointing.  I was hoping to see the actual process of how the beer is made.  I assumed it would be like the wine making tours of Napa, but it was not.  Basically it was video tour with a huge souvenir shop at the end.  No matter.  I had a good time nonetheless.

I opted to walk back to the hotel from the brewery, maybe 8-10 blocks.  It was a lovely stroll.  The temperature was sweater weather, like San Francisco, about 65 degrees.  Absolutely perfect!

This is a place I'd like to see again.

This is right outside my hotel window.

The sign is hard to read,
but it's for The Old Jameson Distillery,
founded in 1780 and active until 1971.

Street view

Street view 2

These are online photos that captured what I saw.

Another online photo.

This is in the heart of the city.

Impressive government (?) building

Beautiful monument in the heart of the city, too.

One of the many pubs

Another stately building

This guy's shirt says,
"Drinking doesn't cause hangovers,
Waking up does!"

I found this picture online.  It was better than mine.

Also an online shot.

This is inside the brewery.  It was founded in 1759.

This is an incredible man-made
rushing waterfall in the brewery.

Barrels of beer in the brewery.

This is also in the brewery.
I think it's suppose to represent a glass of beer,
but I could be totally wrong.

This church has the highest steeple in Dublin.

A close-up of the church above.

Who Knew?

That cows like music, or more specifically, trombone music?

They start to show up at the 1:18 mark.

Fascinating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs_-emj1qR4

Impressive!

Actually, impressive doesn't begin to describe this young man and his accomplishments thus far.

Watch the video clip.  It is well worth the five minutes.

http://www.upworthy.com/a-senator-tells-this-student-not-to-be-nervous-this-student-smiles-it-off-and-blows-everyone-away?c=upw1

Cool Shoes

These shoes are featured in the August issue of Oprah magazine.  They're ballet flats in school colors.  Sixty-three colleges and universities are represented with the schools' insignia on the bow.  My school wasn't listed, but I found the right colors and bought a pair.  They're well made and really comfortable.

Just in time for football season.

I know.

I know.

I'm working on weaning myself off football.

Enjoy the shoes while I deal with my guilt.

http://www.lillybee.com/u-of-miami/

The Godfather and the Reverend

I always wondered about the relationship between the late Godfather of Soul, James Brown, and the Reverend Al Sharpton.  The article below sheds some light on it.

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/08/james_brown_al_sharpton_interview_on_his_relationship_with_the_singer.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content&mc_cid=ccde52ccc2&mc_eid=ac9b7800d4

Hangin' in Houston

Yesterday I saw a dear friend who I've known all of my life.  We were next door neighbors.  She is a week older than me.  Her folks had two boys and she was the first girl, so there was serious excitement when she was born.  A week later, the scenario repeated itself.  My folks had three boys, and then I came along.  Word is, they were pretty excited when I arrived, too.

Isn't it interesting how easy some friendships are to keep, no matter the length of time between chats or the distance between you?

That's how it is with Betty.

We don't miss a beat.  It's like we're still in the back yard talking over the fence.

The older I get, the more I appreciate this kind of friendship.

Here's wishing you the richness that true friendship brings.

As promised, here's some pictures from my summer travels, thus far.

I'm in front of the Space Shuttle.  This is at NASA in Houston.

The 747 that the Space Shuttle rode piggyback on.

This is the ceiling of Bubba's, a fabulous Houston area restaurant
featuring shrimp dishes.  Note that it's made of doors.

Me at the Kemah Boardwalk.

The coolest little building that sits on a corner
by itself.  It's a law office.  It's in Kemah, TX.

Zadie and I being silly,
on our way to Prospect Park in New York City.

This is my niece Alisha, Zadie and I in Harlem.

Milu is holding new shoes.  Baby girl is already a serious shopper.

Having fun with some of my dear Sac friends.