Concessions

When I was growing up, one of my favorite places to go was to the concession stand. Whether it was at the movie or the Mid South fair, I always liked seeing all of the stuff I could buy and eat. But as I got older, I realized that concessions or for one to make a concession was a different story. You see, a concession is “the act of conceding or yielding, as a right, a privilege, or a point or fact in any activity involving people.” Now I know that it can be used in the form of giving in an argument or discussion, but that is beside the point.

In relationships, it is extremely important to make concessions. If a person is not willing to yield to you or your feelings, your family, or your beliefs, as you are them, then something is wrong with that picture. I was speaking with a friend recently and she told me that her good friend had gone to see a man in another city. That she had stayed the night with this man and that she liked this man. However, when the man was in her city, he did not have nor did he make time to see her. But still, he expected her to drive back down to his city to spend the weekend with him again.

In my purview, I suggested that this was unacceptable and that if he could or did not make time for her, she should not make time for him. In my eyes, it was on him to reciprocate and show her that he appreciated her, her company and that she had value. My friend told me that her friend was all broke up over this. I said she should not be and that we all desire to be loved and told her to remember what Teddy Pendergrass sang:

It's so good lovin' somebody
And that somebody loves you back

To be loved and be loved in return
It's the only thing that my heart desires
Just appreciate the little things I do
Oh, you're the one who's got me inspired
Keep on liftin', liftin' me higher

So yawl folks remember that and never feel bad because you se love as a two way street between two people for we all want and desire someone to love us back – no excuses.

another fine mess

I love looking at the news, but not for the purposes of being educated and informed objectively about what is going on. However, in this zest for information, I am often reminded that there is a substantial corpus of information that is weeded out by a small group of zealots that tends to rub me the wrong way. Case in point is the war on terror and the purposeful focus on Iraq and Afghanistan. Although these are mentioned, it is really not known about the third front in this effort, the war the US is conducting in Somalia.

Since it has been known that Al-Qaeda has been operating in Somalia, For the record, the Kenyan, Ethiopian, the United States in concert with the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia have been fighting the Union of Islamic Courts and the joint forces since December of last year.

Historically, Somalia wars were between factions and warlords. However now, there is a discernable difference between the parties involved in the fighting. The main participant is the U.S. military, which has been providing financial support to the fighters such to become an organized resistance groups against bands of Islamic fundamentalists in central and southern parts of Somalia.

To date, the current administration (White House and State Department included) do not confirm that they are supposedly at war with Al-Qaeda groups in Somalia. A recent Newsweek report confirmed that “-gunship attacks as well as AC-130 aerial assaults” occur “on a daily basis” and that the U.S. Military has “deployed American commandos to hunt down remnants of Islamic hard-liners, both from the carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower offshore, and across the land border from Kenya in the south.”

The Bush administration is aware of all of this; however, we citizens of the U.S, as a whole are not. This should not be unexpected since the Bush administration has launched operations all across the Muslim world. Now, it is just in Africa and against Union of Islamic Courts, which controls the majority of southern Somalia.
So what does this say? Number one, read newspapers from outside of the US if you desire accurate information of our actions worldwide. It also shows us how as a nation, we have started a war between Ethiopia and Somalia (two of world's poorest countries) in an effort to fight terror which will likely result in the destabilizing of two African countries. Nothing good can come of this for Africa or the US, but that does not seem to matter, because if this war continues, it will likely incur serious harm to U.S. interests in Africa – another fine mess you have gotten us into.

they say keep your girls closer

Little daddy was at football practice so he missed out on these. But is Mowhawk looks tight. Any who, they say a pics is worth a thousand words. so Here is two thousand for the day.

hatters everwhere we go

Yesterday I wrote about my dismay in the Michael Vick stupidity, I mean dog fighting indictments. I also said a little bit of rationale on if such is true, why historically he has shown poor decision making skills and therefore subtracted loot from his personal coffers and ruined his image. But I cannot be remiss if I did not place some inferences in the manner in which politics and its history has contrived to grandstand around the Vick case.

This week Robert Byrd, the old ass Senator from West Virginia, describing the alleged activities associated with the Vick case described in the Vick case as "sadistic" and "barbaric." More specifically, he said, "Let that word resound from hill to hill and from mountain to mountain, from valley to valley across this broad land," he thundered, raising his right hand. "May God help those poor souls who would be so cruel? Barbaric! Hear me!"

In 2001, the senior senator from West Virginia, Ex-Klansman Robert Byrd, casually used the phrase "white nigger" twice on national TV. This being sometime after he said he ended his ties with the KKK in 1943. Although it is documented that since then, he wrote to the Imperial Wizard of the KKK three years after he says he abandoned the group. He wrote, "The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia" and "in every state in the Union." Not to mention he was the one who filibustered the landmark 1964 Civil Rights and the nominations of the Supreme Court's two black justices, liberal Thurgood Marshall and conservative Clarence Thomas.

I also want to mention the role of the Federal government, who coincidentally eight days after the Feds bumrushed Vick’s Virginia estate, we saw George W. Bush sign the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act. Actually it was eight days after the Vick house incident, changing it from a misdemeanor to a felony. Maybe this is why some people of color wear T-shirts and say, “George Bush hates black people and deserves to be convicted of treason.” All this tells me is that it is more than time for use to start watching our backs cause there are haters everywhere we go (Young Rich and Gangsta).

I was always taught as a child that as an African American man, I had to be ten times tighter than the average person. I was taught that due to my completion, I would be judged unfairly and have close attention focused on me. As a result, I was instructed to exercise due diligence or what a reasonable person after knowing the previous, should take before doing anything with another party.

Speculation tells me that such never dawned or was ever told to Michael Vick. To date, Vick faces two federal indictments on alleged illegal dog fighting activities including but not limited to training pit bulls for competitive dog fighting and doing such across state lines. First it is stupid not knowing what activities are occurring in properties one owns. Even before that, not knowing the differences in such laws from state to state for engaging in a knowingly illegal activity. Then there are some states unlike Virginia where dog fighting is not a felonious offense.

As such he has destroyed his image and reduced substantially the loot in his pocket. I say his image is damaged for two reasons. Namely that dog fighting shows the nature of ones spirit and moral values and that it seems to be one event after another for Vick. In a court case a few years ago a former magic city dancer settled out of court under secrecy saying that he knowingly gave her Herpes. Before then, two men were found to have marijuana in pickup truck that was owned by Vick. Then there is Davon Boddie, Vick's cousin who was arrested for drug which actually led to the search of Vick's house in Va. That is allegedly a dogfighting ring called Bad Newz Kennels.

Cheers to poor decision making and not reading. And shouts out to hanging with convicted fellons and giving anyone the image that you are affiliated with destroying a dog if it doesn't have the desire to fight.

You know in Haiti, the French used to bring wild dogs from cuba to the island and toss captured hatian rebels in the pits with the dogs. Maybe that's an idea, a new blood sport, placing people (if it is true) like Mike vick in a pit with dogs and spreaying blood on them. No - just a thought, but i was real serious, for this is a lesson in what being insensate and not having due diligence can get u.

Congratulations it’s a boy

A few weeks ago I wrote a piece called when her idol is superhead. Today I’m gonna write about us men, not that is an indictment against all men, but some. And ladies, this is not for the real women, those women who understand their part in a relationship. Those women who understand that a man desires and needs the comfort, compassion and passion of a woman to be complete. Those women who know how to treat a man, and know that a man desires a woman that can take care of them, and most importantly, know how to keep a man.

1] He prefers to spend his time in strip clubs and bars rather than being with you and acknowledging that you desire to be comforted in his arms and embrace.

2] He expects you to do everything for him, even all things that he asks for, but doesn’t do much if anything for you and may even complain when you ask him to do something.

3] For those married or engaged, he will lose or never wear his wedding band and think it is no big deal, and maybe even fuss at you for expressing how you feel about him loosing or never wearing his ring.

4] He is super insecure and jealous. He will go through your phone and if allowed will check you email and hate to see you talk to any other man, when in fact he talks to other women, on the phone or at clubs all the time.

5] He is 35 and wants to be a rapper and hates to work. If he has a job, he will voice his displeasure and say he is working on his rap career.

6] He goes out and collects numbers of women without a thought of whether it is appropriate or inappropriate behavior, although he will be the first to say he is in a committed relationship. When you do the same, talk t other men, he loses his cool, wants to fight and will spend more time on trying to contact the man than give you that attention.

7] He cannot see or realize your value and as such, cannot see that other men may be interested I you, yet misses that maybe the are willing to do things that a woman as their queen deserves, still he does nothing to show his appreciation for you.

8] He still remains in contact with a past lover or ex-girl friend or some one that he was sexually involved with but would flip if you did the same. To remain in contact with a former sex partner and talk to them regularly is in appropriate and disrespectful and shows that he has no understanding of commitment and value for you as his partner.

9] He does nothing if anything to assist you in the daily burden of providing but at the same time feels that he has earned doing nothing because he is selfish, self-centered and only concerned with himself. For he says that he loves you but does not show it. Such is akin to saying I want my job but never going to work and being late al the time – end result is job termination. Which mans he was never serious about his job because we do in practice what needs to be done, not what we want to be done.

10] He lives about 5 or 10minutes away and calls to say that he misses you, but not enough to come or drive over and see you – which means he didn’t an to see you in the first place, or he would spend more time with you than with others.

11] he brags on you being an engineer and a good cook, a dr or a lawyer but dosnt brag about you the person, the individual and if he has a myspace page, he will not even have a pic of you and him on it.

If you have seen or experienced any of the aforementioned, congratulations it’s a boy and not a man. A man will provide and take care and focus and express is love to his woman through actions. Otherwise, ask yourself, if he is a man, let alone your man.


pls feel free to add others

BET that

Jones, truth be told, there is a lot of merit in the adage “we are our own worse enemy.” Lets look at us and avarice and limited if any control in forms of economic production – that is when we do. All of the radio stations in the US that represent the culture of hip-hop in some form or fashion are owned by people outside of the culture. They mainly wear pin-stripped suits and have straight hair with some form of abberant color.

Taking that a step farther, the same can be stated for the music and movie industries, in particular those with any for of mass cable presence. When we do have similar economic presences and power, what do we do, when emasculate ourselves in love of the dollar. BET to me has a tremendous opportunity, and opportunity to put in places the laudable exaltations of folks like Marcus Garvey, Martin King and Malcolm X. They have amassed a major proportion of the viewer ship of all interested in looking at African American lifestyles. Yet at the same time, they are not holding up to the same standards we often accuse major white media for doing – degrading and stereotyping African Americans, especially males.

The way I see it, they do just as much damage to perpetuating the fat ass shaking in the background and brothers talking about crime images of our women and men as Clear Channel does. Is it realy that hard, as a human being, as a man, as a man representing the gate and best interest in our community to say “no we won’t do that!” It must be since BET and others are assisting in the commodization of African American Men. Seems, if you are not a thug, drug dealer, pimp, or criminal, you can’t be accepted as a real Black man. Damn, bet that.

"It’s just a got dam myspace page

Nigga”. That’s what I was telling my folk. Putting a lot more into it than should be allocated in the first place. It also questioned me to wonder about their reading level, or their reading anything with words, web page included completely.

What is it about us that would relegate the albeit and omnipotent to a web page? Sure I love my blog, and writing but pomp and circumstance aside, it is not that important. I mean i check my fantasy sports and stockes every day but thats another apple. I write because I write. I love it, I don’t particularly care for the web, although I use it and am proficient on Mandrake and red hat (Linux), java, html and xtml. That’s not the point. The point is for anyone to accost me verbally on what’s on a web page or whatis not is a fool.

What am speaking of, u ask. Well for starters, I don’t have any fancy background. It aint that much, in fact myspace to me is boring so my page reflects such – pictures of my books, white background, link to my blog, some esoteric truths (note I not say information about me for I have learned such can be lies easily). No I don’t up date it regularly like my blog nor do I read the notes/comments people write daily. I just accept invites from whomever without discrimination and eventually post my blog widget that it took me 3 days to write.

I check it weekly and that in itself should show its importance in my life in concert with work, my family and my writing. I can say a page can tell something about a person, how they write, their favorite songs, movies and TV shows and who are important to them. The mention those that are important, they show them; they venerate third relationships with them. So there may be some benefits myspace. I mean you can let those you love know you love them openly, but in general terms, its just another superficial way to say i am this. Me, I’d rather use it like a nigga in Amerikka, like I’m selling my product – my books and me.

ps been hiating - back with a vengence

it is easy to love

Since the fourth of July is coming up, I was initially gonna post Fredrick Douglas Speech he made on July 4, 1853 in Rochester, New York. However, since I know the folks who have read my blog may have as I have, read it an inordinate amount of times, I decided to write about what I heard in church on Sunday – not that I go all the time but I do listen.

The pastor spoke of two things that stuck out. The first was it is easy to love and the second dealt with passion and commitment. He said it was easy to love and in another voice said but to do so, requires passion. He defined passion as an extreme emotional desire for something. He also said that passion was the trait of being intensely emotional and that such was a good thing. Not purses, shoes, weed, or sports, but factors that tend to the heart. He said without passion, they can never be commitment. For commitment is the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action. It is the act of dedicating or the state of being dedicated and an ardent, often selfless affection and dedication, as to a person or principle. Without neither, one cannot love anyone or anything.

It made me think. It is easy to love, however, one cannot love just by saying such. One cannot love if they do not have love for them selves or if their heart is divided. For it requires an individual commitment to the object and individual that love is towards. If the heart is divided, especially for people in the commitment of a relationship, the there will never be any love and thus there is no relationship. For with out passion, one cannot love for they cannot miss, or feel or suffer from the lack of, or commit themselves to another person. To say so without action is a farce.

I only went to church because I told my daughter’s grandmother that I would take her sometimes. I’m glad I went and listened to what I practiced in my actions daily and all the time.