Diversity..."Crossing the Line"!

Yesterday, I opened a photo Xmas card from my 1st cousin Gil. It was a family portrait of Gil & his wife (Linda)…and their two children…Jacob (a son), and Judith (a daughter). Also pictured in the photo were Jacob’s and Judith’s spouses (Danielle & Mike). Looking at that photo...you’d have to be blind not to notice that both Jacob and Judith married “outside their race”. I started to go though some of the other photo Xmas cards we’ve received thus far…and a huge light bulb went off! Damn near all of “Generation X” and “Generation Y”…(the latter…aka the “Millenials”)…that are a part of our immediate or extended family and friends have “crossed the line”.

I’ve written about this before…here…and here. Looking at these Xmas photo cards reminds me of what was unheard of decades ago. I wish I could be around 20 or 30 years from now to see how much America has changed in this regard…and to see how the children of these Xer’s & Yer’s are doing…especially my grandson Romell! I definitely believe it’s going to be a better America (okay…maybe just the Northeast and West Coast?) Perhaps the rest of America will catch up…and that will be a glorious day indeed!

I think my wife and I (bleeding edge baby boomers) know about 30 couples that fall into the “Gen X & Y” category. Amazing as it seems…about two thirds of them have “crossed the line”...including my two daughters (Kim & Lauren).

What’s going to happen to the Census Form? Question #6…”What is this person’s race?” Answer…”some other race”!!! Even better yet…Human! I’m lovin’ it!



So here's our little list of "Line Crossers" including our Diversity LEGEND!

Diversity Legend: (maybe…hopefully…eventually…it will become a thing of the past!)
BLK = black
WHT = white
ASN = Asian
LTN = Latino
MXD = Mixed…black/white


Generation “X & Y” (aka…the Millenials)!

• Kim (BLK) & Tobias (WHT-German)
• Lauren (BLK) & Byron (LTN) - Romell (son)
• Kahrin (BLK of Jamican parents) & Lenny (French-Filipino) - dating UPDATE: married July 27th
• Gunnar (WHT-German) & Ndidi (BLK-Nigerian) - Max (son)
• Niki (BLK) & Harry (WHT-Greek) – Constantine (son)
• Nadia (BLK) & Matthew (WHT-Jewish) - Selah (son)
• Jon (WHT) & Michele (BLK) - Morgan & Sage (daughters)
• Liz (LTN) & Ike (BLK) - engaged UPDATE: married on April 29th
• Donna (BLK) & Chris (WHT) - separated?
• Courtney (MXD) & Keith (WHT) - Austin (son), Olivia (daughter)
• Kristen (MXD) & Kevin (WHT) - Sophie (daughter)
• Kobe (BLK) & Sara (LTN) - Eleaina (daughter)
• Jessica (BLK) & Bobby (WHT) - Kieran (son)
• Jason (BLK) & Joan WHT)
• Judith (BLK) & Mike (WHT) - Jaron (son)
• Jacob (BLK) & Danielle (WHT) - Tinsley (son)
• Brian (BLK) & Joyti (Indian) - dating
• Courtney (BLK) & Rob (LTN-Costa Rica) - dating
• Diane (LTN) & Anthony (BLK)
• Soraya (LTN) & CJ (BLK) - Blake (son)
• Jeffrey (MXD) & Teresa (ASN)
• Diana (LTN) & Joey (Filipino)
  
• UPDATE: Paul (WHT) & Ama (African Dad & Jamaican Mom)

An interesting side note:
Many of our “baby boomer” family & friends laid the ground for the X & Yer’s!

Baby Boomers:

• George (BLK) & Nancy (WHT-Jewish)) 4 children – (see Jeffrey & Theresa above)
• Saundra (BLK) & Rob (WHT) – 2 children…Courtney & Kristen (see above)
• Donald (BLK) & Cindy (WHT) - 3 sons
• Roy (WHT) & Edicta (LTN-Cuban)
• Skip (BLK) & Maria (LTN-Cuban)
• Walter (BLK) & Terumi (ASN-Japanese)
  

Black Atheists! Huh?.

New York Times - November 25th

"African-Americans are remarkably religious even for a country known for its faithfulness, as the United States is.   According to the Pew Forum 2008 United States Religious Landscape Survey, 88 percent of African-Americans believe in God with absolute certainty, compared with 71 percent of the total population, with more than half attending religious services at least once a week."

More here

Gone...but not forgotten!

My best friend was born on December 8th...and was taken away at the tender age of 19.   John Lennon died on December 8th.   I didn't put the two together until a few years ago.   I was never a really big Beatles fan during their hey day.   (I was heavy into the Motown sound back in those days!)   The day Lennon died...they kept playing "Imagine" on the TV and radio.   It wasn't until years later that I really listened to the lyrics.   So on this day...I remember John Lennon's "Imagine" and my best friend Terry!   Both bring tears to my eyes.   This world would have been a much better place had they not been taken away so soon!

Thanksgiving Parade

Over 20 huge helium balloons.   I'm told it's the 2nd largest Thanksgiving parade in the country, second only to Macy's!   Several hundred thousand spectators!   Stamford is big time!

Benetton's UnHATE Campaign

Well...they've done it again and the Pope and the Catholic Church are really pissed! I think it's brilliant!   The image of Benedict kissing Ahmed el Tayyeb, an Egyptian imam and a prominent figure in Sunni Islam, appeared on a banner which was draped over the side of a Renaissance stone bridge near the Vatican, in the center of Rome.



Unfortunately this particular shot only lasted a few days, because Benetton conceded to the powers that be at the Vatican and decided to no longer use the image as part of their unhate campaign.   Benetton took down the banner.

The Vatican also went ballistic when Benetton used this priest/nun image in one of its' campaigns about 20 years ago.



I'm lovin' it!   Awesome!

Connecticut? October? Snow? Huh?

Hey!   It's still October!   What's with this white stuff covering my Jag?   A record snowfall yesterday for Connecticut...broke the history books!   750,000 homes lost electricity!   Fortunately, we didn't!



Today's aftermath...snow covered pumpkins, mums and a boston fern!

A Postcard from Croatia

My daughter and son-in-law live in Munich, Germany.   I'm told that Munich is about a 12 hour drive to the southern shores of Croatia.   We just received a postcard from them!

And I quote....

"Put it on your to do list, in capital letters: CROATIA!   I'm telling you.   Forget St. Martin, Turks & Caicos.   Take your Jamaica money and start browsing the web for flights because OHMYGOD it's breathtaking."

If nothing else...I think it's time for a trip to Munich...with a side trip to Croatia?

The Road to Dubuque

The Journey:
It was the spring of 1964.   I was a high school senior.   I wanted to attend Temple University…but I guess I missed the application deadline.   At the time, I couldn’t afford Temple anyway.   So, I decided that once I graduated, I would work for a year; save up some money and apply to Temple the following year.

In June of that year, my minister, Rev. Edler G. Hawkins, caught wind of my plans.   He was not happy.   “Rev” (that’s what we called him) was a second father to many of us teens growing up in the south Bronx (New York).   He insisted that I go to college in the fall.   His opinion was that if I got a job, I would probably spend my money on a piece of a car and drive around the neighborhood thinking how cool I was…and I’d never go to college!   (He was probably right, but I didn’t think so at the time.)

I reminded “Rev” that it was June…far past the deadline to attend any college that fall.   His response was…”let me work on it”.   He asked for copies of my high school transcript.   A few weeks later, “Rev” told me he had “arranged” for me to attend the University of Dubuque in Iowa!   Huh?   Iowa!   You gotta be kidding me!   Where is Iowa anyway?

In those days (the 60s)…I had never been further west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!   Hell…I’d never been further south of Philadelphia (thank God)!   I was a New York City boy!   I told “Rev” that I was really grateful and sincerely appreciated his efforts…but I wasn’t going to anybodies Iowa!   “Rev” insisted.   He had done so much for me…how could I say a flat out no?   We reached a deal.   I would go to the University for just one semester…and if I didn’t “like” it…all bets were off and I could return to the Bronx!   No questions asked?   His response…”that’s a deal”!

Early in September of 1964, I boarded a Greyhound bus at New York City’s Port of Authority bus terminal.   Over thirty hours later, after a connection in Chicago and a few “roadside bus stops” enroute to Dubuque, I arrived at the bus depot in downtown Dubuque.



From the time I left Chicago, until the time I arrived in Dubuque…I never saw another black person…not even on the bus!   Again, this was 1964.   My instructions were to call the President’s office upon my arrival…and then catch a cab to the campus.   The cab pulled up to Steffen’s Hall and Gaylord Couchman, President of the University, personally greeted me!   That first semester came and went and the rest is history.


The Epilog:
I later learned that “Rev” and Dr. Gaylord Couchman attended New York’s Union Theological Seminary together.   I think they may even have been roommates!

I often look back and reflect on my four years at the University.   It was truly the best of times during the worst of times.   The year prior to me attending, a church was bombed in Alabama and President Kennedy was assassinated.   There was, and continued to be, a great deal of civil unrest and racial injustice.   There was “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama…that I viewed from afar…on a black & white TV in the University’s student union lounge.   I watched National Guardsmen block blacks from entering southern universities and use fire hoses on innocent & peaceful demonstrators across the south.   On top of all of this…there was the ongoing and ever escalating Viet Nam war.

Just prior to my graduation, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated!   Shortly after my graduation there was the infamous 1968 Democratic national convention and the resulting riots in Chicago, Illinois.

For me, the university provided a tranquil, calming shelter from much of the insanity that helped define the 60s.   I received a solid education, both academically and socially.   I made lifelong friends.   I remember the times I spent with some of my Iowan friends and their family on their farms…chasing (corralling?) pigs and driving huge combines!   I also remember how saddened I was just days before my graduation, because I knew this phase of my life was coming to an end.   I knew it would never be the same again and it has never been.   That’s life.



To this day, when I’m asked where I attended college…I always get the following question; “How did a kid from the south Bronx wind up in Dubuque, Iowa?”   My standard response is; “How much time do you have?”

The Background:
As I mentioned, I grew up in the South Bronx…in close proximity to the burned out neighborhood that President Jimmy Carter visited back in the 1970s.   Back in the 1950s, we had kids from all races, religions and ethnicities attending my elementary school (Public School #54).   However, each group lived in different sections of the “neighborhood”…but we all attended PS 54.

As time passed, whites moved out.   After elementary school, my Mom had concerns about me attending the local Junior High School (JHS).   The neighborhood was in transition and the local schools’ academic status was questionable.   So, just prior to the beginning of the school year, using my great-grandmother’s address…(in another part of the Bronx), she “arranged” for me to attend a “better” Junior High School.

I arrived at JHS 127 and quickly realized that I was the only black in a student population of almost 1,000 teenagers.   Needless to say, I stood out like a sore thumb…and I felt it.   The first few months were difficult for me but as time passed, I learned to adapt.   I developed some great friendships but had to lie to them about where I actually lived.   In those days…I was not supposed to attend JHS 127!   If anyone knew my true address…I would have been expelled.

A few years later…I attended James Monroe High School.   James Monroe was a “mini” United Nations.   Again kids from all ethnicities, races and religions attended…and our friendships knew no boundaries!   I think it was about 70% white (Irish, Italian, Jewish, WASP), 25% black/Latino and 5% Asian.   It was truly a United Nations.   The total student body was huge…over 4,000!   Our claim to fame was that we had the second largest stage in New York City…second only to Radio City Music Hall!   There were 1184 students in my senior class alone.   There was also another Paul Clayton who I didn’t even know!   His ranking was #1183 out of the 1184 seniors graduating that year.   They mistakenly sent his transcript to Dubuque!   That’s a whole ‘nother story!

Ingredients Disclosure!

It scares me to think that a measurable percentage of Americans think she is/was Presidential material.   She won the Iowa straw poll and that's even scarier.   I went to college in Iowa!   Based on the latest polling numbers...she should fade into our past.   She can't fade fast enough..and take her buddy...Mr. Santorum...with her.   What has this country come to???

Just a Family

As posted in today's New York Times.   Another blog entry here.   This hits close to home!   My two daughters are in mixed race marriages...and I'm proud of it...and them and their spouses too!   Aside from my own two daughters...we know almost a dozen other mixed race couples of that generation.   Maybe it's more of an east-coast, cosmopolitan thing?   I'm just sayin'.

Happy Birthday...and Happy New Year too!

A recent in depth database query conducted by Anybirthday.com suggests that October 5th is the United States most popular birth date.   It seems that on average more people are born on this day than any other.

According to the inquiry, an average of 12,576 people are born each year on the 5th of October.   It also suggests that some 968,000 Americans celebrate this day annually.

What makes this early October birth date so fashionable?   October 5th holds a not-so-surprising significance, as conception would have fallen right on New Years Eve.

Orchard Beach

It's been at least 50 years since I last stepped on the sands of Orchard Beach.   Why today?   My brother told me about a gathering of "old timers" from the south Bronx.   There were about 40+ folks there.   Aside from my brother...I only knew one other person.   He caught me up on all those that are no longer with us...including his brother and sister....and a few of the "dudes" from the "block".   Also got an earful about those who have been or are still incarcerated.   Still glad I went.






More about the history of Orchard Beach here.

Vote Yes...Drive No!

OK ladies of Saudi Arabia...King Abdullah will now allow you to vote...in 2015!   How will you get to the polls?   God only knows...'cause you still aren't allowed to drive!   Go figure!

The greatest country on earth?

According to NBC New's "Education Nation" broadcasted today, of the 34 developed nations...America ranks:

• 14th in reading
• 17th in science
• 25th in math

and...1/4 of 8th graders cannot read at grade level!

Source

Today was a good day!

My son-in-law's uncle and his family just relocated from Ecuador to Connecticut via Tampa.   His uncle was born in this country...but moved back to Ecuador years and years ago.   They left Ecuador with some suitcases and that was it (to the best of my knowledge).

They found an apartment here in my home state...but they lacked the basics; pots, pans, drinking glasses, table, chairs, etc.   We had an attic full of that stuff.   They came to pick it up today.   The look of gratitude on their face was beyond description!

To cap it off...I was looking at the late evening news well after they left with their "goodies" to learn that the three American captives were released from Iran.   Yes...today was a good day!

A History Lesson from My Girlfriends!

I don't think they can ever be elected President of the United States...but was scares the hell out of me is the number of Teabaggers who think they can!

The Pitch: Banning all religion!

An Australian television program named "The Gruen Transfer" challenged two advertising firms to create an ad banning religion.   The results were both creative if not brilliant!

Twenty nine eighty three & the "flip side".

That's how many innocent Americans died 10 years ago.   I watched the coverage today...channel surfing.   Tears flowed...especially when the youngsters read the names of those killed and ended their reading naming their Mom or Dad.   Some were only 10 years old.   I'm sure it would have been a proud moment in the eyes of the parent they lost in this tragedy.

But...there is a "flip side" to this tragedy.   While we lost 2,983 Americans on that tragic day...

• another 5,500+ American soldiers have lost their lives in 2 atrocious wars!
• 35,000+ US troops have been seriously injured
• 1,000+ coalition troops have been killed
• 8,000+ Afghan civilians have been killed
• 8,000+ Afghan troops have been killed
• 30,000+ Iraqi troops have been killed
• 850,000+ Iraqi civilians have been killed
• 150+ journalist have died
• 1,200+ contractors have died

Source

And at what cost?   We've spent over $3 trillion dollars on this fiasco.   That's approximately 1/3 of our total deficit!   What else could we have done with that money? Roads, bridges, jobs, schools, state governments?   The list could go on.   And where were all the Republicans and Teabaggers when Dubya gave the go-ahead on two UNFUNDED wars?   These are the same clowns that brought this country to the brink of default!   It makes me sick to my stomach!

But then again...this stuff always has!

Last Night's Republican debate in 45 seconds!

Reagan!   Taxes!   Reagan!   Taxes!   Reagan!   Taxes!

The pundits are now saying it's between Perry & Romney!   The good news...we can say goodbye to Crazy Eyes!   But, then again, that may not be good news!   Why?   It would be a hoot to watch Mrs. Marcus go up against the President!

And there are those who think she is Presidential?

"I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians.   We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane.   He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?'   Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now.   They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we've got to rein in the spending."

President GOD!

Genesis of the Judeo-Christian & Islamic Faiths

Genesis, the first book of the Jewish Torah and the Christian Bible, contains two origin stories, both of which are accepted as the creation of the world by today's Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths.   In the first, God says, "Let there be light," and light appears. In six days, he creates the sky, the land, plants, the sun and moon, animals, and all creatures, including humans.   To all he says, "Be fruitful and multiply," which they do.   On the seventh day God rests, contemplates his handiwork, and gives himself a good evaluation.   In the second story, God creates the first man, Adam, from the earth.   He makes a garden in Eden for Adam, but forbids him to eat fruit from the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil."   Adam names the animals but remains lonely.   God anesthetizes Adam and makes one of his ribs into the first woman, Eve.   A talking serpent persuades her to eat the forbidden fruit, and she convinces Adam to do likewise.   When God finds out, he drives them from the garden and makes man mortal.

Source: LiveScience

2nd Anniversary!

Yep!   I started this little spot here in blogsville 2 years ago today!   Why?   Someone new entered this world on August 23, 2009.   Who?   My grandson that's who!   Happy Birthday Romell!

BFFs from Geneva, Switzerland!

The Background:
I live in a suburb within a 45 minute commute from downtown Manhattan (New York).   Tonight, around 5:00PM, I had to run a last minute errand to the local super market for a few odds & ends.   Typically, this supermarket's parking lot is insanity...so I always park across the street...as I did this evening.   Ran in and got what I needed and ran out!   As I exited the supermarket's parking lot and was about to cross the street to retrieve my car, traffic prevented me from doing so.   While waiting for an opening in the traffic...a middle aged gentleman...standing at the curb ask me (with a foreign accent) if I knew where to catch a cab.   He was accompanied by a woman similar in age and a younger fellow (early to mid 20s?).   I told him that he should go back into the super market and ask them to call a cab.   He looked at me somewhat puzzled/confused.   He held the ubiquitous plastic shopping bag in hand that appeared to contain a few items.

• Me:   How long have you been waiting here?
• Him:   About 15 to 20 minutes!
• Me:   Where are you going?
• Him:   We are trying to get to the train station to go to Manhattan.
• Me:   Okay...I'm parked across the street.   I'll take you to the train station (3 minutes away)
• Him:   Really?   How much?
• Me:   Nothing!

We cross the street...and get to my car.   The three attempt to get into the back seat of my 4 seater.   I ask that someone get in the front with me (I think they still thought I must have been a "private" cabbie!)   Twenty something-year-old jumps in the front passenger seat...and I pull off.

• 20 yr old:   How much?
• Me:   Nothing!   (20 yr old looks at me in disbelief)
• Me:   So where are you from?
• 20 yr old:   Switzerland
• Me:   Wow!   What are you doing here?
• 20 yr old:   We are visiting my parent's friend.
• Me:   How long have you been here (in my suburb)?
• 20 yr old:   Just today.   My parent's friend is sick and they wanted to visit her.
• Me:   So how did you get from the train station to your parent's friend?
• 20 year old:   We took a taxi from the train station.
• Me:   Ah.   Yes, there are taxis at the train station...but otherwise you have to call one to come and pick you up to get back to the station (or anywhere else in this great suburb of mine)!
• Dad:   (in the back seat)   Yes...my son told me that but we didn't believe him!
• Me:   Well in Manhattan...you can stand on any corner and "hail" a taxi...but not here.
• Me:   So do you speak German?   (I then go into the whole spiel about my daughter and German son-in-law currently living in Munich)
• 20 yr old:   No...I speak French....I'm learning German.   My parents speak French and German (and obviously decent English!)
• Me:   When you get to Manhattan...be careful.   Do you need a taxi when you get back to Manhattan?
• 20yr old:   No.   We are staying with friends and we have "subway passes".
• Me:   Good!

We arrive at my suburban "commuter station".   Dad leans over from the back seat and insists that I accept $5 to pay for the "oil"!   I insist that I won't take it!   20 year old insists that I do!   I insist that I won't!   I ask that they give me a free ride when I get to Geneva!   We all smile.   They thank me profusely and exit the car.   As I drive off...I look back and they are waving.   My new BFFs from Geneva!   No names!   No numbers.   No e-mail addresses.   Life is good!

Books and a Beach!

I had the opportunity/privilege to lay on a beach and read some books.   That opportunity doesn't present itself too often, so one has to love/embrace it on the rare occasion that it does happen.   Bottom line...I need a beach to read!

The Beach!
Where?   Doctor's Cave Beach, Montego Bay, Jamaica.   It's usually listed as one of the top 3 things to do/visit in Montego Bay.   Water is cool, refreshing and crystal clear.   Walk out as far as neck/chest deep and you can clearly see your toes underwater.   Beautiful! Not the toes...but the fact that you can see them so clearly!

The books:
The Help - by Kathryn Sockett
Disintegration...The Splintering of Black America - by Eugene Robinson

I really enjoyed both...the beach and the books!

More Crazy Eyes!

"What people recognize is that there's a fear that the United States is in an unstoppable decline.   They see the rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the Soviet Union and our loss militarily going forward.   And especially with this very bad debt ceiling bill, what we have done is given a favor to President Obama and the first thing he'll whack is five hundred billion out of the military defense at a time when we're fighting three wars.   People recognize that."

More on the lighter side!

NobleWorksCards

Cain: Impeach Obama over DOMA!

The latest from the Pizza Boy

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain suggested that impeaching President Barack Obama "would be a great thing to do" on a conference call with bloggers on Tuesday night, Politico reports. The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza predicted, however, that achieving such a goal would likely prove easier said than done. "Because the Senate is controlled by Democrats we would never be able to get the Senate first to take up that action, because they simply don’t care what the American public thinks," he said. "They would protect him and they wouldn’t even bring it up," Cain said, citing the administration's position on the Defense of Marriage Act as an impeachable offense."

Santorum - Same sex marriage destroyed the economy!

from Rick "Frothy Mix" Santorum:

"Letting the family break down and in fact encouraging it and inciting more breakdown through this whole redefinition of marriage debate, and not supporting strong nuclear families and not supporting and standing up for the dignity of human life.   Those lead to a society that’s broken."

"If you think that we can be a society that kills our own, and that disregards the family and the important role it plays, and doesn’t teach moral values and the important role of faith in the public square, and then expect people to be good, decent and moral when they behave economically, if you look at the root cause of the economic problems that we’re dealing with on Wall Street and Main Street I might add, from 2008, they were huge moral failings.   And you can’t say that we’re gonna take morality out of the public square, morality out of our schools, God out of our schools, and then expect people to behave decently in a country that requires, capitalism requires some strong modicum of moral consciousness if it’s gonna be successful."

Isn't religion fun???

Rick Perry...Church & State

Anti-gay Indiana state lawmaker accused in same-sex prostitution scandal

Email rendezvous entangles state Rep. Phillip Hinkle
Lawmaker calls encounter set up with young man on Craigslist a 'shakedown'

Emails shared with The Indianapolis Star suggest that state Rep. Phillip Hinkle -- responding to a local posting on Craigslist -- offered a young man $80 plus tip to spend time with him Saturday night at the JW Marriott hotel.

The emails, sent from Hinkle's publicly listed personal address, ask the young man for "a couple hours of your time tonight" and offer him cash up front, with a tip of up to $50 or $60 "for a really good time."

The email exchange is in response to the Craigslist posting in which the young man -- who lists his age as 20 in the ad but says he is 18 years old -- says, "I need a sugga daddy."
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The young man told The Star that they met, but that he tried to leave after the man told him he was a state lawmaker.   He said the lawmaker at first told him he could not leave, grabbed him in the rear, exposed himself to the young man and then later gave him an iPad, BlackBerry cellphone and $100 cash to keep quiet.

More here: Email rendezvous entangles state Rep. Phillip Hinkle

Enjoy life NOW .. it has an expiration date!

THE SITUATION:
In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.   During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.   After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing.   He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar.   A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly.   The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time.   This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously.   Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while.   About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.   The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over.   No one noticed and no one applauded...   There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world.   He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.   Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story.   Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

• In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
• If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
• Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made...

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

The Teahadists!

Aside from Crazy Eyes...my other favorite is the Congressman from South Carolina...Mr. Joe "You're a Liar" Wilson!   I think I'll stay here in the Northeast!

The deal on the debt! Hello George!

Who caused the deficit?

This chart should accompany ALL discussions of the deficit!



more details here

Secrets to a Long & Happy Marriage!

7/11 - Today on the Right!

Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney switched places as the frontrunner in an already tight Republican primary race in Iowa.   Bachmann is now leading Romney 25 percent to 21 percent in a poll conducted for The Iowa Republican.


Rick Santorum pledges not to cheat on his wife by signing “The Marriage Vow”.   Aside from the Marriage Vow asking candidates to practice personal fidelity it also asks them to reaffirm that marriage is between a man and a woman, defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, end anti-marriage parts of the tax code and to fight against the enactment of Sharia Law in the United States.   Oh...and then there WAS that statement about black folks in America!

Tim Pawlenty does not support gay rights but offered up that he likes a Lady Gaga song that does!

Somos Republicans, the nation’s largest Hispanic GOP watchdog group with an Iowa affiliate, has taken exception to statements made by Herman Cain (back in June) that the way to solve the nation’s concerns with illegal immigration is to build a moat filled with alligators and an electrified “Great Wall of China.”

Newt Gingrich labeled the economic situation in the U.S. as the “Obama depression,” just days after a dismal jobs report and signs negotiations on the debt deal are faltering.

Rush Limbaugh says "Media should pretend Caylee Anthony was aborted", so they don’t feel bad!

Sarah Palin is shocked by the price of Slim Jims!

Crazy Eyes signs "The Marriage Vow"

Michele Bachmann signed "The Marriage Vow -- A Declaration of Dependence Upon Marriage and Family", a requirement for earning the Iowa conservative group The Family Leader's endorsement.   The pledge also requires opposition to Sharia law and banning pornography.

The document also contained this statement, which was removed over outrage:

"Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African American baby born after the election of the USA's first African-American President."

Rick Santorum has also pledged to sign it.

Oh well...another missed opportunity!

Believe it or not...I watch this dude (Dr. Stanley) for a few minutes every Sunday morning (off and on...while I'm channel surfing and every one else is tithing).   He scares the hell out of me (no pun intended!)



92% of Christian American believe there is a God!   So be it...to each his (or her) own!

Another Bill Cosby rant and I happen to agree!

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English.

I can't even talk the way these people talk:

Why you ain't,
Where you is,
What he drive,
Where he stay,
Where he work,
Who you be...

And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk.

And then I heard the father talk.

Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads.   You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth.  
In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living.

People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around.

The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal.

These people are not parenting.   They are buying things for kids.

$500 sneakers for what?

And they won't spend $200 for "Hooked on Phonics".

I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit.

Where were you when he was 2?

Where were you when he was 12?

Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn't know that he had a pistol?

And where is the father? Or who is his father?

People putting their clothes on backward:
Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong?

People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack, isn't that a sign of something?

Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up and got all type of needles [piercing] going through her body?

What part of Africa did this come from??

We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't know a thing about Africa .....

I say this all of the time. It would be like white people saying they are European-American.   That is totally stupid.

I was born here, and so were my parents and grand parents and, very likely my great grandparents.   I don't have any connection to Africa, no more than white Americans have to Germany, Scotland, England, Ireland, or the Netherlands.   The same applies to 99 percent of all the black Americans as regards to Africa.   So stop, already!!!

With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap ......... And all of them are in jail.

Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem.

We have got to take the neighborhood back.

People used to be ashamed.   Today a woman has eight children with eight different 'husbands' -- or men or whatever you call them now.

We have millionaire football players who cannot read.

We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two paragraphs.   We, as black folks have to do a better job.

Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us.

We have to start holding each other to a higher standard.

We cannot blame the white people any longer."

Olbermann...Same Sex Marriage

Unfortunately...Mr Olbermann's "Countdown" (currently televised on Current TV) is not carried by my cable provider (yet)!   We're working on it!

Loving versus Virginia...Happy Anniversary!

On June 12th, 1958, two residents of Virginia, Mildred Jeter, a "Negro" woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, were married in the District of Columbia pursuant to its laws.   Shortly after their marriage, they returned to Virginia and established their marital abode in Caroline County.   Four months later (in October of 1958) a grand jury (in the Circuit Court of Caroline County) issued an indictment charging the Lovings with violating Virginia's ban on interracial marriages.   On January 6, 1959, the Lovings pleaded guilty to the charge and were sentenced to one year in jail; however, the trial judge suspended the sentence for a period of 25 years on the condition that they leave Virginia and not return for 25 years.   The trial judge in the case, Leon M. Bazile proclaimed that :

“Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents.   And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages.   The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix”.

Fortunately, times are changing (within some areas of America).   I am proud to know many married interracial generation X and Y couples…including both my daughters!   I only have two daughters!   As I said…I am proud.   Why?   Because this issue never appeared on their, or our, radar screen!

Herman Cain? WTF?

“I want people in my administration that are committed to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.   I don’t want any inkling of anybody in my administration who would put Sharia law over American law.   I have not found a Muslim that has said that they will denounce Sharia law, you know, in order to support the Constitution of the United States.”

Then on the Glen Beck show!
GLENN BECK: So wait a minute, are you saying that Muslims have to prove, there has to be a loyalty proof?
CAIN: Yes, to the Constitution of the United States of America.
BECK: Well, would you do that to a Catholic or a Mormon?
CAIN: No, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t because there is a greater dangerous part of the Muslim faith than there is in these other religions.

Then again on homosexuality.....
"I believe homosexuality is a sin because I'm a Bible-believing Christian, I believe it's a sin.   But I know that some people make that choice.   That's their choice.   And I believe it IS a choice."

BESTSHORING?

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif


Source: DILBERT by Scott Adams

Pope's Pedophile Advisor

Father Riccardo Seppia, a 51-year-old parish priest in the village of Sastri Ponente, near Genoa, was arrested on pedophilia and drug charges.   Investigators say that in tapped mobile-phone conversations, Seppia asked a Moroccan drug dealer to arrange sexual encounters with young and vulnerable boys.   "I do not want 16-year-old boys but younger.   Fourteen-year-olds are O.K.   Look for needy boys who have family issues," he allegedly said.   Genoa Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, who is the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, had been working with Benedict to establish a tough new worldwide policy on how bishops should handle accusations of priestly sex abuse.

Do you know someone like this?

• Talks to people stating the obvious as if they don't know the obvious
• Comes across as the authority on everything
• Always offers unsolicited advice
• Blames the outcome of most things on others
• Unbeknownst to him/her, the tone of their voice/conversation comes across as argumentative/confrontational
• More often than not, comments directly to a person on their appearance (weight, clothing, etc.)
• Doesn't realize that the reaction of others may have been the result of his/her own actions
• Doesn't realize that (given the above) he/she offends others because they are hesitant to tell him/her so

I know someone like this!   Do you?

On a lighter note...again!

NobleWorksCards

Doomsday!

It came and went with no earthquakes, no tsunamis, and without a meteor hitting the earth.   Harold Camping is currently in hiding and his followers were left with dejection and puzzlement.



"I was hoping for it because I think heaven would be a lot better than this earth," said Keith Bauer, a tractor-trailer driver and Camping follower.   Bauer "had some skepticism" but put it aside because he believed in God.

Robert Fitzpatrick of Staten Island, New York, famously spent his life-savings to finance a massive ad campaign for the 'Doomsday 'message.   When 'Doomsday' failed to materialize, Fitzpatrick was stunned.   "I don't understand why nothing is happening.   It's not a mistake.  I did what I had to do.  I did what the Bible said"

It's OK to be Takei

A bill that would prohibit teachers from discussing homosexuality in the classroom before the ninth grade has advanced in Tennessee's Senate.

Another reason I could not retire/relocate to Tennessee…not to mention the floods this year.   Who could give a f**k about eliminating the use of the word gay.   Obviously the good citizens of Tennessee do…that’s who.   Stop the insanity!   Some of my best friends are gay!

Sponsored by state Sen. Stacey Campfield (R), who unsuccessfully pushed the same measure for six years while serving in the House, the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill would make it illegal for educators to discuss any sexual behavior apart from heterosexuality with students in kindergarten up through the eighth grade.

I need to check the literacy rate of the folks from Tennessee!   Oops...bible belt country!   Nevermind!

NBC = Nothing But Commercials!

OK...the routine around here is that when we wake up...and turn on the TV...it's WNBC's Today Show.   Yesterday we turned on the TV at about 7:45 AM and I noticed an incredible amount of commercials from that time until 8:00 AM!   I guesstimated about 20 or so commercials.   I couldn't believe it...and thought that perhaps it was a unique situation!   Well...today when we woke up...about the same time...I grabbed a pen & paper (just out of curiosity) to see if yesterday's commercial deluge was unique.   It wasn't!   Same thing!   At about 7:46 AM the commercials started...and went practically non-stop until 8:00 AM.   21 commercials in all!   Unbelieveable!   Most of them ran about 30 seconds!   Here's today's (no pun intended) line-up!

• At 7:46 AM - Wake up & turn on the T.V....then...
• Chili’s Restaurant
• Oreo Cookies
• General Electic’s Vscan
• Mercedes Benz
• ACT Total Care Dry Mouth
• Samsung Washers
• Ortho Home Defense Max
• At 7:50 AM - About 15 seconds of Meredith, Al & Ann telling us (the teaser) what's coming up next at 8:00 AM...blah blah blah...then...
• McCafe’s Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
• Petsmart’s Big Bonus Sales
• Lyrica (relieves Fibromyalgia)
• Straight Talk cell service from Walmart
• “Fight Back fast with TUMS”
• American Express Membership Rewards
• “America’s Got Talent” TV Show
  
• Broadway’s “Book of Mormon”
• Jennifer Convertible Sofas
• At about 7:58 AM...one minute of local news...then...
• Bridesmaids (The Movie)
• PNC Bank’s Virtual Wallet
• Empire Carpets
• Huntington Learning Center
• Broadway’s “Catch Me If You Can”
• At 8:00 AM - back to Matt, Meredith, Ann & Al

Time to channel surf! I've had enough! "Good Day New York" is looking better and better every day!

37 Years!

Could Your Marriage Pass the “Green Card” Test?
(per the 2010 NY Times Marriage Test?)

Here are some sample questions provided by lawyers who sit in on such interviews.

Your Wedding

• On the day of your wedding, where did you wake up?   What about your spouse?
• How did you get to the wedding?   What about your spouse?

Home and Money

• How many televisions do you have in your house/apartment?
• If you are standing at and facing your kitchen sink, where is the microwave oven?
• Is your microwave stationary or does it have a revolving plate?
• How much money did you receive in your last paycheck/deposit?   What about your spouse?

How You Met

• Where did you and your spouse first meet?   When was it?
• Who first spoke to whom?
• Why were you there?   What about your spouse?

Into the Bedroom

• Where do you keep your clean underwear?   What about your spouse?
• What color is your toothbrush?   What about your spouse’s?

Family, Friends and More

• What did you do last night after work?
• What is the name of your spouse’s manager at work?
• What day is trash picked up at your house?

Being Presidential before being President

Candidate Barack Obama debating Senator John McCain in 2008!

To the Mother of my Daughters!

Reflections on the Freedom Riders

May 4th marked the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Riders.   If you didn’t know, Freedom Riders were civil rights activists (both black and white) who rode interstate buses into the segregated south.   The first Freedom Riders left Washington D.C. on May 4th 1961…they never made it to their final destination…New Orleans.   They were met with violence in Mississippi and elsewhere as witnessed below.



I was only 14 years old then and living in the south Bronx (New York City).   At that time, I had never been further south than Philadelphia, PA… and anywhere further south than that seemed like another country to me.   My view of the south was based on what I had seen on our black & white TV (like the picture above) and when my grandfather reported on what he had read in the newspapers.   Years later…my uncle also told me his story about accompanying my great-grandmother on a train trip from New York City to Manassas, Virginia back in the late 40’s.   Once they arrived in Washington, D.C. they had to switch trains…and had to sit in the car designated for “Negroes” for the remainder of their short trip to Virginia.



Even as a child, and then a Bronx teenager, I could go to any public bathroom.   My friends and I enjoyed movies at the infamous Loew’s Paradise theater on Fordham Road…in an exclusively white neighborhood and we weren’t relegated to the balcony!   Sure we knew that there were a few neighborhoods within the Bronx that were not the most hospitable to “Negroes” and we avoided them (check out “A Bronx Tale”…awesome!)   Never the less, I had several white friends in elementary school (before their parents moved out of the area within a few years).   Can you imagine, one of my closest friends was named Igor Heitlinger!   (I need to try to find him).

I was one of two “coloreds” in Junior High School (my Mom falsified my address so that I could take advantage of what she perceived was a better opportunity…which it was).   Then, I attended James Monroe High School…a miniature “United Nations” at the time.   I had friends of all ethnicities…and still do!   A few interracial couples even attended the prom!   It was during the later years in high school that I became more and more aware of the atrocities happening in the south.   But again…that was another world to me.

Then I attended the University of Dubuque, in Dubuque, Iowa (that’s a whole ‘nother story).   With a total student population of just over 1100, there were about 20 “Negroes” attending the university during my freshman year.   Given my past school experiences…this low ratio didn’t phase me at all.   And besides…I was in Iowa…a state not heavily populated with us folk!   In subsequent years…more “Negroes” attended…many from the south.   At the time, to me, Dubuque was an island, isolated from the craziness of the racial turmoil escalating in the south.   I used to joke “light-heartedly” with the southern “Negroes” attending the university, how they put up with this?   I just could not comprehend it.   Little did I know about the crap they had to live with while growing up.   It was just incomprehensable to me.

Now…50 years later…knowing what I know, I would love to have an in-depth conversation with those southern “Negroes” to get their perspective on what it was really like growing up in the South back in those days.   I ask now because I think they may have been somewhat “at a distance” from the white folks during their Dubuque experience.   That’s just my perception.   At the time, as a boy from the “integrated” north, I couldn’t see nor understand why there may have been this “distance”.   After watching some of the coverage last week on the Freedom Riders…now I think I know why.   I will definitely be watching the “Freedom Riders” special on PBS next week.   I’m sure I’ll learn even more!

As my immediate family and close friends will attest, one of my favorite sayings is that “you are a product of your environment”!

Happy Easter!

This is absolutely priceless!

Is Palin old news???

Source

Pastor Ken Hutchinson & Genesis 2:24

This rabid homophobe is spearheading a letter campaign asking all other homophobes to unite and send a letter to every member of congress for a mere $29.95!   Below is his campaign's message.

"Now there is a way to fight back.   It’s an innovative, high-tech, grass-roots lobbying campaign called “TIME TO DEFEND MARRIAGE: The Genesis 2:24 Campaign.”   Supported by the Family Research Council, Dr. James Dobson, Gary Bauer and dozens of high-profile Christian leaders throughout the country, headed by Ken Hutcherson, pastor of the Antioch Bible Church in Washington state.   It’s a project of a new coalition called “The Initiative for Moral Excellence” – or TIME.   The campaign allows you to lobby all 535 members of Congress to fight legal challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act, a piece of legislation defining marriage as an institution between one man and one woman and signed by President Clinton into law.   Nothing short of a complete repudiation of those legal attacks on the law will save marriage in America.   By participating in this campaign, you can send copies of the letter below to all 535 members of Congress for one low price of $29.95 – far less than postage alone would cost you if you tried to do it yourself."

PASTOR Ken also officiated at Rush Limbaugh's wedding (and Elton John sang)...go figure!

Terry Jones - More Opiate for the Masses

THIS whack job...


PLUS some of these wingnuts...


EQUALS this!