America's taliban

I have been reading of the increased number of attacks across Afghanistan and Pakistan by suicide bombers. It seems as if the problem has only gotten worse and that the Taliban is making good use of an untapped resource, adolescent Muslim males from both countries. It appears that the young males have become the target of increased recruiting efforts because of their age and due to the fact they are very easy to influence mentally. And although the Taliban are not trained psychologist, they have managed to brain wash these young men beyond the [point of no return in most cases. Meaning they are will to die, kill and maim without fear or remorse for who they may harm.

I think in America, we have just a lethal concern with respect to brain washing of young men, in particular African American males. Unfortunately this influence comes from a large corpus of rappers. See to me, having a kids mind to the point of carrying chrome, and popping trunks, and pulling out choppers is just as nefarious as the Taliban influencing young Muslim kids to wear bombs and blow folk up. Such a belief is often recanted so much on television in the form of videos and on radio, that young males in this country take the belief that fighting and shooting another person is accepted behavior and remember lyrics loyally like young Muslims chant the Koran.

I am blessed to have raised what I perceive to be a fine young man, going into the 12th grade with a 3.1 GPA, 28 ACT (top 92 percent in nation), and a star baseball player. But I still worry about his future, I know he has made it to the 12th grade, something that less than 20% of African American males achieve, but I do want him to finish, graduate and attend college. Which bothers me because there are the other 80 percent American Taliban trained fools who, don’t read, and accept with out question, because they would rather attend to things they like, such as following athletes and rappers, than what may assist them in becoming worldly. For the truth be told, only an empty mind is acceptable to believing such tom foolery. So for me we have a big problem, and down here in Atlanta, it has only gotten worse. So let us see what we can do, and I’m not talking military intervention, but more so to provide alternatives to conflict resolution via words as opposed to guns – think we can get some stimulus loot for that?

Americas REAL 2 party system

I have come to the conclusion that there are just two parties in America – Wall Street and Washington government. And as such, they are vying like two wrestlers for the world championship belt of complete economic control and domination. I mean unlike us, they are elitist that really want to run the world, I saw this with the bailout. But it has been made clearer with the proposed Health care debate.

It is apparent that Obama nor the members of the House have no clue of what they are talking about with respect to health care reform or even to what is in the bill that has been proposed on behalf of the current administration - even the President himself. From what I have read and heard, none of the talking heads on the media or the political class have no inkling of understanding regarding the nature and extent of the problem.

There is no real focus on the evaluation of how insurance companies make their money. This essential if they attempt to solve the most basic health care concerns of average Americans. Truth be told, we really don’t need any government healthcare. Instead, we need more regulation, both with respect to how insurance bodies operate, redacting the negative impact of capitated health care. And the FDA and drug pricing and development issues. Medicaid, Medicare and social security is broke and it is hard for me to believe that the government or Wall Street have the metal let alone intellectual prowess to run 1/7th of our economy.

See, the way insurance companies work, is by spreading risk. On one end, they have the capacity to add new individuals to purchase new policies and on the other, they can just refuse to insure, or drop people because they feel they are two expensive (usually the elderly, the poor, minorities or folks with Diabetes, Cancer of AIDS). If this as well as the fact that MBAs instead of Physicians and scientist run health care is not discussed, it is no way to get any change instituted. Thus I can see why may expect that the government, if they ran health care, would be no Different than Wall street; they too would ration health care, as they do now, when folks are elderly and most likely in the last years of their life as is the practice now.

Congressmen, who took millions from these Wall Street banks, are the same ones who are asked to solve, develop and vote on issues of health care reform. Real reform would be to regulate what is already out there and institute practical changes that actually focus on the individual instead of the bottom line and profit margin. Neither politicians nor Wall Street will ever look at this from a profit versus non-profit perspective because doing such would be pragmatic. The reality is that insurance companies are run by Wall Street via hedge funds and the government by tax payers who are hedged upon. When long ago, health care operated very cost effectively when run at the state level by not for profit health care vehicles controlled by physicians.

I’m certain we all have heard directly from our physicians words that make no sense. I mean doctors will tell you if you ask, that what “treatment that you may get, will be based on what the insurance company will say.” This is the American way. I feel the debate should be reframed. First for folks to talk about health care reform or even universal health care and they are insured is disingenuous and merely show and tell time. Especially politicians who will have their health care paid by folk like me for the rest of their life. Health care way better than what I or any one who reads this would get.

So don’t get excited if we don’t change again. For the real American two party system involve Wall Street and Washington Government. And we can’t regulate either.

He had no game

Relationships and how we form them are an integral part of the human condition. In particular relationships between men and women and for the theologians among us may have been as such since the times of Adam and Eve. I was at the shop this past week as usual. My folk 12kyle stopped by and another associate who I have been trying to talk into starting her own business.

Some way or another the counselor in Kyle got her to discuss more in detail some of the issues she spoke about over wine regarding men and dating. In one voice she said that she was just seeing different people and didn’t desire a serious relationship. Yet at the same time she mentioned that she could not find a man that she wanted to be serious with. T made me think, so as I listened to her talk and recant of the men she had been going out with and meeting, one thing stood out. Especially about one gentlemen in which she said she didn’t like him because “he had no game.”

It just strikes me as odd when women would suggest that a man has no game when they complain that men tend to play games, in particular here in Atlanta. I informed her that I have no games and that all I do is put or place my persuasion on a woman minds to consider and think about. To me playing games is for Parker Brothers or Milton Bradley. She said that a man had to have game to get with her but in the same voice she was tired of playing games. These are two incongruent angles if you ask me. She added that in Atlanta there were 10 women to each man and that it was hard. I corrected her and said it depends on what you are looking for because I felt the woman to man ratio, excluding tricks and money hungry groupies was really 1 to 1.

I guess what I am trying to get at is that some women have expectations that exceed reality and may be at the same time inconsistent with the reality at hand. It is unthinkable for me to say I want a person that does not play games but yet gauge them on what type of game the have. Maybe this is why some women do not get the men they seek for they fail to recognize their actions in concert to both attracting and or pushing off a man. For we are really simple creatures. So if you flirt and query with respect why your love interest has no desire to be a part of your life – look in the mirror. If you desire a relationship bout attend to what the man can bring or doesn’t bring to the table – look at yourself in the mirror. If you desire a man you once had who no longer wants you – then look in the mirror. Attraction in the form of rocket science and quantum mechanics is science, not physical attraction, compromise and accepting people for whom and what they are as opposed to their deficiencies.

note to goons, thugs and gangsters

Now I did write commentary on the current administrations health care reform. But I will let the pundits speak before I do because when I speak first it seems they only recant in an adumbrated and unintelligible form, what I postulate. So for the time being, they will have to go at their analysis on their own. Nor did I post on being black in America for I need no TV show that I would never watch anyway to tell me what such a disposition defines. With that said, I will talk about what I love, my kids and family and will chastise those that don’t see the value in such as being major in their lives.

To the aforementioned which I cited in this title, I would like to say that you are foul, fake and lame. Albeit I can contrive a bevy of phrases to continue my description, I will refrain and attempt to convey a logical course of explanation as to why I purport such a locution.
At time I feel as if I am the last man, the last scholar, the last father on earth. And Times have not been easy for me ever. From my upbringing in Memphis, to securing my PhD, to starting my own business, to raising my kids. No never, and I shall not seek the easy way out for hard work compassion and love is all that I crave to mandate my personal exhilaration. But no matter what, I have had two vehicles to assist me my mind and the love of my kids. Even with the grief that has been exerted through my daughters mother who suffers from mental illness, I have never felt alone or helpless. Always I have still had the love of my kids and they have seen me as father first and man second. When my shop was beasted, by my side that morning were my son and daughter who felt more pain and violation than I did, for the door only cost 600.00 and the cash register they stole only contained two rolls of pennies.
See for me there is nothing better than keeping my seeds by my side and wouldn’t have it any other way. Just seems today those that claim to men are of a completely different feather.

For to me, you are a lame if you spend more time in clubs and bars than helping your kids with their homework weekly. Or if the example of fatherhood to you means having your elementary school aged daughter on stage at some awards show while you sing about fucking every girl in the world and staying strapped. To me you a lame if you spend $12 to 17 stacks in a strip club yet can only manage to give a $1000 scholarship – Yea Jeezy, I’m talking to you.
I am proud to say that for me, life is more than hypocrisy and the spouting of fake stupidity related to self material idolization or the proclamation of being hard. For truth be told most folk that do are really soft as wet toilet paper. Yes, I am, proud, for coaching my son in baseball and basketball all of his life and seeing him score in the top 92 percent of all kids in the nation on his ACT. I am proud of the way he man’s up and takes his 4 year old sister to the bakery across the street to get cake when he would prefer not to be bothered with her. Yes I am proud of how my daughter pretends to order dog food on her play phone and answers my shop phone by saying “Braincell.”

This is what makes me feel like a man. This is what gives me pride. I just wish other men felt the same way, evinced pride in family, intellect and their seeds as they do in being foul and hard and for lack of a better word – stupid. I mean who else or what type of person would be proud to proclaim themselves as a goon, thug or a gangster before a man and a father? I say a fool.

Twack Head

A long time ago I got a clandestine copy of a book out of print called the HAND BOOK OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE. The Book had been out of print some while since I saw it and in fact was outlawed. The copy I have is a photocopied version and it details all of the secret experiments of the military and intelligence branches of the government. One section I recant vividly were the experiments on mind control.

Based on this history it would not surprise me that the former had some part in creating the most recent mind altering drug – twitter. Yes I would like to assert that twitter may be a military creation for the purpose of serf mind control. Yes I would like to advance that twitter is addictive and that its users, not all but most, exhibit the same behaviors as substance abusers.

There are several occurrences that I have noticed, not including the manner in which hash mark trends are established. The first is that there seems to be a strange phenomenon of folks following folks they don’t know, namely celebrities and musicians. Unlike most, I follow all folk on twitter instead of the folks i follow and chk my at replies every now and then. You can find some great links and info that way. However, I personally don’t follow them, nor folk that don’t evince the home training of speaking when spoken too. In fact I have a 72 hour grace period before I delete folks I speak to who don’t speak back. This means that there is also a large number of so-called groupies on twitter – men and women who follow and speak to these people as if they actually have contact. Chances are if women, and scantly dressed, they will have a better chance of getting a response from a well known celebrity than a male.

I originally got on to meet fellow bloggers and to micro-blog my post. Now I seem to speak to folk and make my self laugh by making others laugh. I have met bloggers but I have met only one fellow scientist and just a few lawyers, none of which are African American males. Seems that the males I meet are all want to be rappers, producers and Dj’s. As if that is all we can or desire to be. Now its nothing wrong with that, however incessant twits about the beats they make and how much money they have can be annoying. I mean I could listen to 97.5 for mind numbing nonsense. Now its cool to promote shows and other events, for I try to push my writings and books every time I get. But I admit I am a lame and not addicted. I have just as much fun changing my avatar as tweeting and don’t have twitter on my blackberry as most do. Nor do I use a twitter platform to be a more effective tweet and don’t even go online when I’m home.

I have even noticed that folks say twitter is dull, or boring or lame at times in the same manner they would say some weed was bunk or wack. But they continue to tweet as they would smoke that blunt of wack weed. Just like the way mindless birds in a flock communicate by tweets - which this application is named after off. So my fellow tweeps, I say take control for if you aint know, twitter the new crack cause more folk on twitter than smoking them rocks. Besides you don’t want to be known as a twack head.

Men all pause

Now I know some may anticipate that I will be writing about the confirmation hearings of Sonya Sotomayor. Not. In fact I would rather be listening to hearings on the two appropriation bills talking about spending my loot over that stuff. But If did write about such I could summate it in a few sentences for it doesn’t matter who up on the bench; I mean she kind of troubled me saying she would care about international law over the constitution. But it’s not important for as I said my concern is when will Americans wake up and see that Democrats and Republicans are stealing our country and robbing us blind – any who.

Since I have not composed a science post in a while, I will take this chance to do so. It seems that over the past 10 to 12 years, biologists have been observing interesting occurrences in the lakes, streams and rivers in our nation. They have been detecting extreme levels of organochlorine levels in tissues of fish.

In the Mississippi River, they have detected Chlordane, which is both a carcinogen and an endocrine disrupter, in shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platyorynchus). This has also been observed in Small Mouth Bass in the Virginia area, namely the Potomac River, where a high rate of intersex (male fish exhibiting female characteristics) has led to an investigation of water quality and wastewater discharge the nation water-ways.

These chemicals have resulted in an interesting outcome to say the least – male fish that carry eggs. Yes eggs. It seems that this group of chemicals is not as important to our politicians as greenhouse gasses. Moreover, t seems that our government is so concerned with farts and global warming that they have missed something that may be even more dangerous than carbon emissions. Xenobiotic pollutants have revealed the capacity to disrupt reproductive endocrine system functions. Based on my limited understanding of biology, I suspect it is because they interact at the level of the hypothalamus, pituitary, gonad and/or liver. Fucking with the endocrine glands may result both in changes in the rate of gonadal development and/or in the viability of the gametes (sex cells = sperm and ova).

The endocrine glands secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream which in turn affect the activities in other parts of the body. Which means they serve as a federal express for the purpose of controlling and coordinating activities throughout the body. The hormones then bind to receptors, which allows it to transmits a message for a specific action. It just amazes me that we will complain about the earth getting warmer but not even mention or focus on those that intentionally pour pesticides and flame retardants in our tributaries. Again they have been asleep at the wheel politicians, for if fish and other water creatures are impacted this way by such pollutants, they likely hood is just as viable for human beings. I could not imagine a world in which men were no longer men and carried eggs – dang, makes the men all pause for real in my eyes.

start them early in the family business

Four year 0lds do inventory too

and sweeping is a must

Our Foreign Policy Faux Pas

With our fascination of celebrity, it is not unexpected that a few events that happened around the globe went basically ignored. And I suspect that the current administration may have applauded in silent appreciation for the lack of coverage of these events. Now me on the other hand, can see what may be building up on the fore front. With all of the focus on the American Economy, our foreign policy has only focused on the Middle East, and this includes Russia. However there are several other issues that much be addressed and all in concert with the global market place and the future policy making of America.

On the 28 of last month and mostly unspoken in this country, Argentina and Uruguay held elections that may represent a shift in the South American political spectrum. If is any indication of what is to come in the region, it may be a preview of what one may expect to occur in future presidential elections taking place in Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay in 2009 and 2010.

I say this because we did not foresee or even were prepared to deal with what occurred in Honduras. No to mention it is essential that we reach out in advance to such nations especially if want to be in a better position to work with Russia and deal with our growing discordance with Iran. It will be difficult to truly enhance our relations with Russia especially with the growing pro-democracy movements in Ukraine and Georgia, Add to that the concern for Kosovo’s independence; the Obama administration will have its hands full for the Russians have not forgotten his threat to keep them from becoming a member of the World Trade Organization.

Throw in the mix China, which will most likely side with Russia before us and the gumbo thickens. The Nation has just past the US as the largest trading nation with Latin American nations and may have a player card on deck with out current nuclear conflict with North Korea. In order to pull rank on China, Obama needs to make them re-evaluate the impact of having a nuclear powered North Korea across the street seeing that they have been historically the biggest support of the current regime. But this will prove difficult for Obama given the recent violence in China’s Xinjiang region, where members of the mainly Muslim Uighur ethnic group have been battling with the military and police. Add to that the recent US Cap and Trade Bill, China may attempt to stall any diplomatic efforts the current administration has planned with any of the aforementioned countries. The Bill requires the president, starting in 2020 to impose special import taxes on goods from countries that do not have a similar cap-and-trade policy. China has been on the record saying that this is just a form of American "trade protectionism in the disguise of environmental protection".

The truth is that the Obama administration in concert with United Nations, Japan and South Korea have been ineffective in dealing with North Korea, and will need the assistance of Russia and China on this as well as with diplomatic outreach to Iran. Thus trying to turn the heat up on either China or Russia would not be productive. We can not depend on the G8 and the Obama team need to get with the program for we are in a global economic world and even ignoring the little man, as he have done with respect to Honduras, and not to be forward thinking is both a sign of poor planning and a lack of understanding with respect to the inter-connectedness of foreign policy. In stead it appears that we have merely a faux, a social blunder in the making. So Mr. President, time to hit the books and get to work, the smile and your blackness can’t do all the work for you to be a success.

ode to mj

On Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 2:26 PM pacific standard time, Michael Jackson was pronounced dead at the UCLA medical center after having a heart attack in his home in the Belair section of Los Angeles and inordinate attempts to revive him at the age of 50. His death is a loss to the entertainment industry and the world at large.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born and raised in the mostly black urban area of Gary, Indiana. It was this meager beginning that may have lead to story behind his greatness and future ups and downs emotional since he was selected to hold in title his father’s name. He was the last born of seven children but was always the star when he started his musical career as a child with his family forming the Jackson 5. His childhood was not that of the average child. While kids his age were out playing and living lives as children do, he was working, mastering his craft as many great prodigal seeds have done historically.

The Jackson 5 was formed in 1964, but did not suppurate the attention and dedicated following it would attain until 1968 when the group was discovered by Bobby Taylor of Bobby Taylor and The Vancouver’s while the group performed on the regional club scene. From there they were introduced to and received the chance to audition for Berry Gordy of Motown.

Michael Jackson was not just the average entertainer, he was the case for exception for he was an indescribable talent that was encompassed in the form of the great singer and showman and dancer – without a doubt he was the best. For people such as me, it is impractical to accept his death and describe the loss of such a creative genius for I was born under his influence. It was first through the blue labeled Motown record 45’s that I would play on my component set as a kid, and later through television, where I remember the first time I saw him and his brothers outside the covers of Ebony and Jet Magazines on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1969. I can still lucidly see that purple Brim he wore while moving fluidly to the music while he and his brothers sang “One More Chance”.

The first four released singles of the Jackson 5, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all were US No1 hits. To this date I remember them all and know ever word to each song and others. As a child growing up in Memphis, seem like all the boys in his age group wanted to be like him. He received a lot of love from young girls in elementary and junior high schools, but the truth of the matter that most of them had major crushes on his brothers, Marlon and Jermaine. Even still, we all wore big afros and puff sleeved shirts with flapping collars like the Jackson 5.

Jackson was an eclectic performer and had [polished his craft at an early age given he had been performing since the age of five. With the Jackson 5, he recorded 14 albums under the Motown Banner. I saw the group once perform on the Cher show. All I can recall is them dancing, jamming in unison with their perfectly rounded Afro’s bouncing to each move, with Cher in the middle trying to maintain the beat, also with her version of the Afro.

When he started his solo career, it was as if instantly he was jettisoned as the greatest showman on earth. First there was Thriller in 1982. That album sold more than 7 million copies. No one in the current era has sold as many or seen such success from one album since.

With Thriller, Jackson turned the music video industry on its back. It was more of a short movie than a video. It was direct by John Landis and was the first epic video produced and played on networks the likes of BET and MTV of its kind. I still recant folks playing that video over and over again to learn the dance. The build up was so great that my father was just as excited to see it as I was being a junior at Morehouse at the time. But what really made the video for me, outside of its creative prowess was the presence of former Playboy model Ola Ray. The video was surprising also because at the time Jackson was a Jehovah’s Witness.

Critics proclaim it is or may be the greatest music video ever made. However, Jackson has a plethora of unique videos that like his musical and dance skills will go down in history among the greats. There was the “Jam” video which feather the youthful Kriss Kross, Michal Jordan and the lyrical presence of Heavy-D. There was also “Bad” in 1986 that should his appreciation for musicals for the dance scenes seemed to me to mimic one of my favorite musicals of all time – “Westside Story.” It did not hurt that the Album bad went six times platinum as well. But of all the videos he created, including Smooth Criminal, my all time favorite will be “You Rock My World.” The movie/video paid tribute and featured Marlon Brando and his classic 1954 movie “On the Water Front”. It included the noted Billy Drago, Michael Madsen and Chris Tucker.

His adventures were well documented for it seemed as if main stream media had a problem with not being able to predict or explain his actions or behavior. But such has been the tradition of a mainly Eurocentric press when dealing with successful and well know black men. Jackson knew this and felt it every day regardless of such attention being justified or not. From his personal friendships with Elizabeth Taylor and Diana Ross to his first failed marriage with Lisa Marie Pressely, to his admiration for a Chimpanzee named Bubbles that he dressed like himself, he only attracted questionable press from the main stream media.

Once while attending the Grammies, he took two dates: Brook Shields and the child star Emmanuel Lewis. Some speculate that this was what brought the extreme scrutiny to Jackson and his fondness of young male children. Anything Jackson said or did was ground for a feeding frenzy for the press. He was taunted for his self comparison to Peter Pan, the multiple corrective and cosmetic surgeries he had performed on his face with respect to his nose and skin and his attempt to purchase the bones of the famous Elephant Man in 1987. It is strange that these tend to be what is spoken about mostly, and how people forget the fire that burned him doing the filming of a commercial for Pepsi, or how his first surgery was conducted to repair a broken nose after he fail from the stage in 1979.

The persecution was so extreme that Jackson left the Jehovah’s Witness and reportedly joined the Nation of Islam under the leadership of Minister Farrakhan. Maybe it was all the attention. The civil suits and criminal allegations of child molestation that led to what may have increased the stress on his heart. I will not go into his supposed dependency and addiction to prescription pain killers for the main stream media has ridden that wave to the shore and beyond.

Michael Jackson was one of a kind and across the board, the stardom and success musically that he achieved will likely never be attained again with current generations. He single handedly bridge the gap for decades from James Brown – his childhood idol to the likes of Ne-Yo, Chris Brown and other R and B artist who use dance as a part of their entertainment performance package. His focus on detail and meticulous preparation is what made him standout form all other musicians maybe with the exception of Prince. His music for me as well as many of his generation could serve as a sound track of their life. He was also a kind and caring man. He opened the doors of his home to the poor and those who were less fortunate. He was also a humanitarian and philanthropist. In 1986 Jackson gave $1.5 million to set up the "Michael Jackson UNCF Endowed Scholarship Fund” to aid students majoring in performance arts.

I will never forget the first time I saw Michael Jackson. He was in Memphis with his brothers and they opened for the legendary James Brown at the Mid South Coliseum. He rocked it. That’s what I will remember about him most – the way in which he magically connect with his audience, no mater their age, race, creed or ethnicity. Yes, he is more than the one glove and red jacket; although he was the only performer I ever saw that could rock a bow tie and ankle beaters, it never was of major importance for he would give his all on stage no matter the circumstance. Never will there be another Michael Jackson. Never will there ever be a showman of his stature. He may have left this realm of the physical, but we will live in spirit via his music and dance forever in my mind. This will be true for each and every year, for I will continue to play the Jackson Five Christmas album and honor the man who as a child sang “Give love on Christmas Day”

united states of entertainment

Initially I wanted to write a tribute to my fallen comrade Michael Jackson. However, I cannot at this time albeit I have written such a tribute. Instead I would like to question the voracity of us as a people and the outlets that in theory are supposed to provide honest, terse and complete information regarding what events are occurring around the world – the media, specifically the news media.

As a child I was brought up under the premise that news was designed to keep us informed of important and significant events around the globe. However it appears that currently, news has become a synonym for entertainment and ratings. Case in point is the death of the aforementioned superstar. It has been one week since the pop legend past. However, more than 60 percent of all news coverage after his death up until last night has focused Mr. Jackson. Even more disturbing is the observation that of all cable coverage in addition to news coverage accounted for 93 percent of what was presented on television was on Michael.

Although his death was tragic, my concern is that I wonder what impact he had on all our lives that was tangible. Sure we know all his video dances and the lyrics to his songs and loved him as the greatest entertainer of our era, but is it really that important. Why is it that in the times when our economy is in shambles (in fact 6 banks closed in Illinois yesterday), and the historical importance of the events in Iran in concert with the massive 4000 man front we started in Afghanistan two days ago, is not followed or a concern as the death of a celebrity?

I have tried to search high and low about reports concerning new events in Iran and the troop deployment down the Helmand River valley in Taliban strong holds. But Very little, nada can be found. It is even difficult to find reports on the military build up and likely conflict with North Korea. T seems like we are hypnotized and control by the media. I guess it is true what they say – out of sight, out of mind. I hope that we really value the importance of being accourant and staying a breasted of all events around the world instead of being side tracked by fame, fortune and celebrity. If we are not, well it is a real frightening proposition for me. I guess they also call it the Boob tube for a reason for I guess only boobs watch it. I have said many times prior that in these United States of America, Freedom and ignorance is incompatible. Maybe we should just change the name out right to the United States of Entertainment.