Just When You Thought You Heard It All (6-15-2013)

Everyone makes a mistake at work from time to time. Some small, and some big. But hopefully not too big. We finish the day, and we know that tomorrow brings a new opportunity for us to get it right.

We've all done it: leaned on a computer keyboard while daydreaming and typed mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Leaning on a key while night-dreaming is another matter, and it almost cost a German bank 222,222,222 euros, or about $293 million.

The error was blamed on a bank clerk who was assigned to transfer the relatively small sum of 62 euros and 40 cents, or just over $80, to the account of a retiree.
Since there was apparently no espresso in the bank's employee café, the tired soul "fell asleep for an instant, while pushing onto the number 2 key on the keyboard," according to statements made in the Hessen labor court.

The transfer was sent for 222,222,222 euros. And 22 cents. The bank said that it handily discovered the mistake and corrected it, according to the authorities. But the case was taken to court by the snoozer's colleague, a 48-year-old supervisor who had worked for the bank since 1986. She was subsequently fired for not checking the order amount when she was supposed to verify it.

The court ruled that the supervisor should have received a caution instead of being fired, and ruled that she should be reinstated.

 I've heard of people being fired for much, much less, and never being reinstated. Go figure!

This next story proves that some people are just plain old crazy.

Randy Zipperer, 49, is accused of stabbing his younger brother following an argument about missing macaroni and cheese.

It must have been cheese and macoroni.

Nobody would stab his their brother over Mac and cheese. But cheese and mac, that's another story.

A witness told deputies in Volusia County, Fla. that Randy and his brother, 47-year-old Edward Zipperer, started arguing over Randy's missing macaroni and cheese, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported. His younger brother helped him look, but during the mac-hunt, Edward knocked over a beer Randy had been drinking.

 

That was probably the last Miller High Life, and his clumsy brother spilled  the champagne of beers all over his well worn 30 year old shag carpet.

The spill allegedly made Randy even angrier, and deputies say he began waving around a knife that wound up inserted in his brother's stomach.

When deputies arrived, Edward had a small puncture wound in his abdomen. Investigators noted a trail of blood between the kitchen and bedroom, according to media sources.. 

Randy allegedly admitted that "I poked him a little with the knife, but I didn't mean to."

He has been charged with aggravated battery and obstructing an officer without violence.

He poked him a little?! okaaaay.

Some stories force you to ask one question. WHY?

A New Mexico man has been sentenced to six months in federal prison for using homemade instruments to tattoo the letter "I" on the arm of his 3-year-old nephew.

Federal prosecutors say 29-year-old Cruz Tenorio of Kewa Pueblo was sentenced Tuesday. He must serve six months in a half-way house when he's released from prison.

 I don't get it. Why let a man who's all the way crazy go to a half way house?

Tenorio must also pay restitution. Prosecutors say that will ensure the child has access to any needed medical or psychological services, including the removal of the tattoo.

Tenorio pleaded guilty in March to child abuse. The charge stemmed from 2011, when authorities say he tattooed his nephew's arm using rudimentary and unsterilized tools.

Prosecutors say Tenorio had no formal training and he took no precautions to prevent possible infection.

I wonder what the I stood for. Maybe, "I....shouldn't be your uncle." Or maybe,

" I should never be alone with a child." Or possibly, "I am just too stupid!"

PR

Plan B. The Morning After

It is no secret that I have never been in favor of the idea. Allowing teenage girls to have access to The Morning After or plan B pill without parental consent is nothing more than the government interfering in our rights as parents to raise our children.

The battle over universal access to the sale of emergency contraception, known as “Plan B” or the “morning after pill” has,  reached a conclusion. As I reported back in April, the FDA announced that it was lowering the minimum age for over-the-counter sales of the drug to 15 from 17, and today the White House announced it was withdrawing its previous opposition to the ruling, and removing all opposition to age restrictions in general, making it possible for any girl, of any age, to obtain the drug. Previously President Obama said he was “bothered by the idea of 10- or 11-year-old girls buying the drugs as easily as ‘bubble gum or batteries.’” President Obama went from being uncomfortable with 15-year-olds obtaining the pill to comfortable with 11-year-olds doing so in two short months.

I was convinced that the President was unmovable in his position.

But apparently not. I cannot believe that he is in favor of allowing his daughters to have access to dangerous drug.

 This was likely spurred on by pressure from the far left in this case “reproductive rights” advocates who see any attempt to regulate birth control or abortion as an affront. The Obama administration has reversed its opposition to over-the-counter sales of the pill, now putting it within reach of any consumer, regardless of age. 

The message this sends to children and parents alike is disturbing, to say the least. In a world where a 26-year-old is young enough to still qualify as a child on their parent’s health insurance, a child of 10 years of age can walk into any neighborhood drug store and purchase a massive dose of hormones with no oversight or supervision, not from their parents and not from medical professionals. As I have written previously, they are deluged with permission slips to ride the bus, to participate in after-school activities, for the school nurse to administer Tylenol or prescription drugs. 

A child cannot decide to take a pain reliever for a headache while on the school campus, but they can have full access to a powerful drug that might have an impact on their development. This is ridiculous, and has no levity in terms of health issues. All 50 states have ages restrictions on the purchase of alcohol. But there is no age restriction on young girls who seek to purchase this drug?

Previously, any teen under the age of 17 had to get a prescription to obtain the drug, which, taken up to 72 hours after intercourse, greatly lowers the likelihood of unwanted pregnancy. The reasoning behind the previous ruling was the hope that medical professionals would ensure that 14-year olds having intercourse were doing so with due care and legally (not as victims of statutory or forcible rape). 

Concerns about statutory rape are particularly acute in regard to the youngest adolescents. Although relatively small proportions of 13-14-year-olds have had intercourse, those who become sexually active at an early age are especially likely to have experienced coercive sex. 74% of women who had intercourse before age 14 and 60% of those who had sex before age 15 report having had a forced sexual experience. As policymakers and the public have become increasingly aware that the sexual partners of minor adolescent women are often not adolescents themselves but men 3-6 years older, concern has grown that protective measures, in the form of increasing enforcement of statutory rape laws, are necessary to guard these young women from abuse and exploitation. 

So the fact that some adolescent girls are raped or coerced into intercourse seems to be accepted as an inevitability. This in and of itself is sad. But instead of taking preventative measures to keep these young girls safe. There are steps being taken to turn a profit in the form of marketing new birth control. 

What no one seems to realize is that this also sends a negative message to young men. It is perfectly acceptable for them to satisfy their sexual urges at the expense of young girls who may or may not be willing. Because in the end, she has a magic pill that will "fix it". This relieves young men of all accountability, and responsibility.

With the FDA decision to provide access to these young women, and the Obama administration withdrawing its appeal. One outside barrier between a child and victimization has disappeared. 

How likely is it that a young girl would be able to secretly make an appointment with her family doctor in order to obtain more reliable forms of birth control? If Plan B is the only accessible form, how many young girls will start to use the hormone as their primary source of birth control? Does the FDA know how regularly taking large doses of Plan B (it’s called “emergency” contraception for a reason) in girls as young as 11 years of age will affect their biological development as they reach puberty? While the Obama administration was still against the ruling to allow unrestricted access to the drug, Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius said, "After careful consideration of the F.D.A. summary review, I have concluded that the data submitted by Teva [an Israeli pharmaceutical company that manufactures the drug] do not conclusively establish that Plan B One-Step should be made available over the counter for all girls of reproductive age. In spite of this, The FDA, advocates, proponents, and even the President have decided make this drug available to young girls. Some of whom, are not even old enough to drive, or vote.

PR

Money Doesn't Buy Happiness?!

Most of us have heard the saying, "Money doesn't buy happiness."  It is one of the most popular proverbs there is. I get it, and I understand it. But I have never known any happy, broke people. This phrase has always seemed to be a slogan created to pacify those who don't have any money, and who's prospects of making any money are low. The fact is, there is absolutely no happiness in poverty.

The very idea that having money will not make you happy is nothing more than a foolish notion.  Who among us is not happy about having the means to pay our bills, put food on the table,  take care of our families, and buy those little extras that make life a little more bearable. None of it  is free. It all costs money, and prosperity has  distinct  privileges, and advantages.    .

That is not to say that  money should be deified, and I do believe that love of money is the root of all evil. 

But that is if, and only if the element of evil already exists. In other words if someone is already evil, money merely intensifies who they really are, and "the love of money" when put in its proper context represents a thirst to be made whole by those who think that possessions can fill a void. These people become infactuated with the temporary relief from their pain that the money provides them. So when we hear about rich people who are still not happy, the fact of the matter is that they have used each and every resource that money can buy and they still cannot fulfill the emptiness deep inside of them. They put stock in things.

The abundance of money does not make them unhappy. It is the lack of satisfaction in other areas of their lives that steals their joy.

In in study done by renowned psychologist Daniel Gilbert the idea that you can't buy happiness has been exposed as a myth. Richer countries are happier than poor countries. Richer people within richer countries are happier, too. The evidence is unequivocal. Money makes you happy. You just have to know what to do with it.

So what should you do with it? 

Gilbert's advice, stop buying so many material things and try to spend more money on experiences. 

"We think that experiences can be fun but leave us with nothing to show for them," he said. "But that turns out to be a good thing." Happiness, for most people, is other people, and experiences are usually shared. First when they happen and then again and again when we tell our friends and family.

On the other hand, objects wear out their welcome. If you really love a pair of shoes, you might buy them. The first few times you wear them, you might admire them, and feel happy. But over time, they will probably reveal themselves to be just a pair of shoes. 

But there might be another reason why buying objects rather than experiences tends to disappoint. For some people, there might be something dull, even disappointing about the act of buying itself.

"Materialists are more likely to overspend and have credit problems, possibly because they believe that acquisitions will increase their happiness and change their lives in meaningful ways," Marsha L. Richins of the University of Missouri concludes in her new paper, "When Wanting Is Better Than Having," published this month in the Journal of Consumer Research. But in three separate studies, materialists reported significantly more happiness thinking about their purchase beforehand than they did from actually owning the thing they wanted.

"Thinking about acquisition provided momentary happiness boosts to the  people in the study who tended to think about acquisition a lot, such thoughts have the potential to provide frequent mood boosts," Richins wrote, "but the positive emotions associated with acquisition are short-lived. Although they still experience positive emotions after making a purchase, these emotions are less intense than before they actually acquire a product."

Once again, it would seem that experiences makes us happier than stuff even in the act of buying. 

The finding that paying for something is less satisfying than wanting it shouldn't be confused with the idea that buying things makes us sad. It's hard to find a study showing that "retail therapy" (i.e.: shopping your way out of a bad mood) doesn't work most research suggests that a well-timed excursion to the mall can lift one's spirits. But if Gilbert and Richins are right, then the bulk of the therapy provided by shopping is everything that happens before the check-out counter. You don't have to go into debt to achieve nearly the same emotional gains from materialism. 

When we're shopping, not for the things we need, but for the things we merely want, it's the experience of shopping and buying that makes us truly happy.

Money is very important when it comes to satisfying our needs but satisfying our wants requires an increase. It is a wonderful thing to be able to come home, flip a switch and have lights because you've paid your electric bill. But it is a beautiful thing when you can come home and turn on your 55 inch TV because you've paid your electric bill. Of course, light is a need, and a 55 inch TV is a want. But they both have 2 things in common. They both require money, and they both make us happy. Well, they both make me happy.

PR

Fired For Her Sins

Perhaps the most important life lesson that I've learned so far is that things happen. That's it. There are no deep philosophical answers as to the reasons why. It's just a fact of life. Some things are beyond our control, and some things are not. The real test is all in how you deal with adversity. Adversity is something that we have all faced at some time or another, and if you haven't,  just live a little longer. 

What always amazes me is the fact that people have a tendency to judge others for their sins, and short comings as if they themselves have none.

Christians are probably the most judgmental people in the world. 

We give our lives to Christ, and because he has washed away our sins some of us act as if we have never, ever sinned. It doesn't matter if you've move to a new town, or have walked the straight and narrow for many years. The fact is that  some of us have to prop a chair up against the door to keep those skeletons from getting out. The bottom line is even if nobody else knows. YOU know.  

The whole point of being Christian is to be Christ like. Following the example of Jesus Christ in both word and deed. But unfortunately there are a whole lot of Holy Ghost filled, fire baptized hypocrites in the church. Unforgiving people who choose self righteousness over redemption, and choose to ostracize rather that to reach out. 

Matthew 7

1Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Romans 2

1Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

These are basic scriptures that most Christians are familiar with, or should be familiar with.

Venita Short, a daycare worker in Fayetteville, North Carolina was fired from her job allegedly for getting pregnant out of wedlock. Short is planning to sue the daycare company, which is managed by New Life Baptist Church.

According to Short, she informed her bosses that she was pregnant, and they began asking her if she had plans to get married. After responding negatively to that question, she was fired. Critics are saying that the daycare is being contradictive because most of the kids at the day care are from single parent homes themselves. 

It seems as if management has no problem with single mothers supporting their business. But they take issue with supporting single mothers. I am quite certain that there is no inquiry into the marital status of the parents of any of the children who are enrolled. Much less, a questions in reference to whether the afore mentioned children were born out of wedlock. 

Short told the administration,
”I plan to get married one day, but not because I’m pregnant."

Ed Wilson, the pastor of the church that owns the daycare, has yet to issue a statement.

Many say the church has gone too far and should not be judging their employees' personal lives, but others say the church was right in enforcing that their employees have high moral standards.

Having high moral standards should be a 2 way street. Not a road to a dead end.

PR

Disrespecting The F.L.O.T.U.S

Ever since President Obama, and the First Lady took up residency in the White House, there have been no shortage of people ready, and willing to serve The First Couple a healthy portion of disrespect. It's seems as if respect for the office of the presidency has given way to vehement hatred, and a total disregard for both the "leader of the free world" and his wife. Any political opposition seems to be nothing more than a background for deeply personal issues. In fact, there seems to be, as time goes on, less opposition for their politics, and more opposition for them just being in the White House.

While giving a speech at a private fundraiser in Washington, D.C., last Tuesday night, The First Lady was repeatedly interrupted by a member of the audience who was there to do just that. "First lady heckler" 56-year-old Ellen Sturtz attended the $500-a-ticket event at the behest of Get Equal, an LGBT-rights advocacy group that seeks to "take bold action to demand full legal and social equality, and to hold accountable those who stand in the way."

In other words, a group bent on forcing their agenda down the throats of those who disagree.

In the middle of the first lady's impassioned speech, Sturtz began shouting about the "executive order," referring to anti-discriminatory legislation that would ban federal contractors from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees and job applicants.

"One of the things I don't do well is this," replied the first lady coolly. "Do you understand?"

In an audio recording of the speech, you can hear Obama emphasize that last bit with all the restrained wrath of a mother in church reprimanding a kid with the giggles. According to reports, the first lady then left her podium to confront the heckler directly, telling Sturtz, "Listen to me, or you can take the mic, but I'm leaving. You all decide. You have one choice."

None too surprisingly, the crowd loudly sided with Obama, Sturtz was escorted from the room and the first lady finished her speech. 

When news of the "incident" reached the Internet, most reactions in the vast comments sphere were akin to that of the fundraiser's audience, raucous applause. Many made note of the incongruity in a statement made by Sturtz during an interview after the event.

"She came right down in my face," Sturtz said of Obama addressing her directly. "I was taken aback."

This woman forgot one thing, Michele Obama is not Barack Obama. She automatically assumed that the First Lady would graciously ignore her. Sturtz was not at all prepared for righteous indignation. In short, you can't poke a bear and then be surprised when it turns around and mauls you. 

Protest is a right in these United States, but being "taken aback" by the fact that the first lady doesn't accept ignorant foolishness is just plain wrong. Did Sturtz simply think herself above reproach? Or perhaps that the first lady, once dogged by persistent stereotyping, would choose to remain silent at an event where she was invited to speak out? On both counts, Sturtz misjudged Obama's mettle.

Most African-Americans immediately recognized Obama's quick quip as familiar, with commenters on Twitter, Facebook and beyond sharing a virtual head nod and "umm-hmm" moment. 

When a black woman says, 'Do you understand?' that's not a question, that's a statement. Just reading that took me back. When my mother said that it meant that you had better understand. 

But what's more is that most of the comment-box defenses (and even critiques) of the first lady weren't rooted in racial politics at all. Obama, who struggled to shrug off the stubborn labels of being a "strong," "militant" or "angry" black woman early on, has, for the most part, avoided those pejoratives in this case.

There was a time, not too long ago, when the comments section on every news site covering the heckling incident would have been flooded with vitriol spewed at the first lady. That predictably idiotic tide seems to have shifted. But make no mistake. Not everyone is sailing in the first lady's direction, although the ride itself seems much smoother than in the past. 

Whether or not folks agreed with Obama's swift handling of the heckler or wished she had at least acknowledged Sturtz's concerns, the point of contention boiled down to the respect due the first lady of the United States, instead of the respect due a black woman or black women's stereotypical neck-jerk reactions.

Like it or not, Michelle Obama's reaction to Sturtz was a Michelle moment, not a stereotypical black woman's touchiness or a South Side time-out. It was simply the first lady being the first lady on her own terms, and for better or worse, that's a step in the right direction, and a strong sign of progress.

PR

Just When You Thought You Heard It All News (6-8-13)

A Gwinnett County, Ga., man went shopping for a BMW and decided to take the car for a test drive. What happened next was disturbing, and outrageous. The cops pulled him over and cuffed him for obstruction, according to the local media.

It all started when Sowells drove a BMW out of Philips Motors in Snellville for a test run. He drove onto a highway and was stopped by police officers soon after. According to Sowells, the officer said he didn’t have any tags on the car.

“I said, ‘No problem.’ I don’t have any tags on this car because it’s not my car,” Sowells said he told one of the officers. “The dealer is right there. We can get it all clarified.”

When Sowells asked the officers repeatedly to call and confirm his test drive with the dealership, they allegedly refused. Sowells said the officers asked to view a document that was strewn across the vehicle’s back seat. Not knowing what it was, he refused.

Bad move!

The officers then resorted to using bully tactics, Sowells claims. “They asked me to get out of the car. I said ‘I don’t feel comfortable.’ They commenced to open up the car door and they tried to drag me out of the door by my left arm,” he contends.

It was at this point that the officers called for backup.

The police report states that Sowells tried pulling away from the policemen. When the lawmen pulled out their tasers, Sowells then acquiesced and was arrested on the spot.

The officers were probably pissed because they probably can't afford the B, much less the M or the W.

Sowells is upset by the incident because, “they’re treating me like I’m a criminal and I hadn’t done anything.”

Here’s what the Snellville police department had to say about the matter:

The officer observed a paper on the rear seat that appeared to be of the type dealers use when placing a vehicle for sale. He asked if he could retrieve it and Mr. Sowells refused. Based on his refusal to provide information and his passive and then active resistance, Mr. Sowells was charged with obstruction.

Police officials also state that when the dealership was contacted, no one answered the call. When Sowells and the officer drove to the dealership, “The dealer comes out to pick the car up and at this point I’m thinking we can all go home,” Sowells figured. “Everything is OK now. No, it’s not OK. I’m going to jail.”

But he is not taking the ruffian treatment that he claims to have endured by the officers lightly. The Georgia resident, who has never been arrested, plans on fighting his case to the hilt.

By the way, Sowells ended up purchasing the BMW after all, and he should have. After all he earned it!

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but one lovesick bull moose in Colorado is having a hard time understanding that a bronze moose statue is not the same as the real thing.

The young bull has fallen hard for the life-sized moose statue with large antlers in a backyard in Grand Lake, Colo., and he’s attracting people from all over the area to watch him make his moves.

“He’s in love with it,” said Frances Transue, 55, who lives about a mile from the moose love scene. “He acts like he wants to mate it. He kisses it, he nuzzles it.”

Transue isn’t the only one who’s noticed the moose’s courtship. Local media have taken note, and various videos have been circulating online.

Like clockwork, the moose calls on the statue in the morning and stays for the most of the day, according to one citizen.

"He's not too shy about it, apparently. I think he thinks the statue is a female, she said, “but it’s definitely not.”

Is this moose Bi-curious or just confused? But then again.......

In many parts of Colorado, wildlife such as moose and elk are common in communities. Mike Porras, of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said it’s important that people remember moose can be dangerous to humans.

“Wildlife is unpredictable,” Porras said. “Why that moose is tolerating people coming that close is a question for the moose. Certainly, we recommend people not do that.”

I can never understand why people forget that a wild animal is, well, a wild animal.

I was going to say that this story gives the phrase "special delivery" a whole new meaning. But that would be corny.

It sounds like a stoner's dream, but it's been a bit of a nightmare for a California man who recently got an unexpected FedEx delivery: 11 pounds of marijuana.

George Burton, from Sacramento, Calif., said the FedEx Kinkos box with his name and return address handwritten on it was left on his porch Thursday.

Burton and his dog sitter cut it open to find a layer of spray Styrofoam.

"We break into it, I look and say, 'This isn't what I think it is. He said.

Burton turned the pot over to police, who believe his address was picked at random. But Burton and his fiancee decided to temporarily leave their home out of fear the intended recipient may resort to violence after discovering the pot worth about $24,000 is gone.

A sign posted on his front door reads: "Kinkos/FedEx Box Given to Sac Police."

On the surface, this sounds like a smart move. But this may actually makes things worse. As far as I know drug dealers are not the most understanding people in the world.

"I'm really concerned someone is going to come looking for this," Burton said. "People have gotten hurt for a lot less than $24,000 worth of marijuana."

PR

The Power Of Appreciation

It is an often heard cliche, but I suppose that being often heard is the very definition of a cliche." Little things mean a lot".  In today's world it seems like we are all in a rush, the majority of us are impatient, and we want everything instantaneously without giving much thought as to how they come to fruition.

But every now and then we should stop, think about the blessings in our lives, and appreciate them. Of course we should always thank God for just waking up another day. But I think that some of us underestimate the power of  "THANK YOU".

These two words can mean a lot to the people in our lives because it shows them that you are thankful not just for what they've done for you. But also for the fact that they have been a blessing in your life.

Acknowledging, and recognizing that they decided of their own free will to help make your life better can make someone feel wanted, and needed, and we all want to be needed whether we choose to admit it or not.

Saying things like, "thank you", "I appreciate you", and "you have been a blessing to me", can make someone's day. We must never underestimate the power of words.

PR

Cereal With A Side Of Predjudice

Racism is alive and well in the United States of America, and nothing brings racists out of the wood work like progress. It's seems as if whenever someone or something begins to evolve, or make a positive change, all hell breaks loose, helping to reaffirm the fact that racial hatred is an evil that will never end. 

Racism and prejudice in America are like having a pest problem. No matter how much we try to defeat these disgusting vermin to end there existence in our lives, they find a way to come back with a vengeance time and time again.

The latest Cheerios commercial features a cute little girl asking her mother (who is white), how Cheerios helps keep your heart healthy. Then she goes to her napping father (who is Black), and pours cereal on his chest. At the end of the Cheerios commercial, the screen flashes yellow. And the word “love” appears.

Really, what is  there to hate about that?

According to over 800 racist jerks who gave the video a thumbs down, there is a lot to hate. The comments section of You Tube was overblown with racially charged remarks before the comments became disabled.

A mixed family on TV shouldn’t be a big deal. It’s 2013. We have a president who is biracial. We’re decades past Loving vs. Virginia, the case that legalized interracial marriage. But the backlash against the commercial zwas so swift and sour, that by last Thursday the comments section on YouTube had to close.

One troll online said the mother was a single mom in the making. Another said mixed families are weird. And on the Cheerios Facebook page, a commenter said he would never eat the cereal again and called the company “dirt swillers.” What?

Thankfully, Cheerios isn’t backing down. Camille Gibson, the brand’s vice president of marketing, told the media:

“Consumers have responded positively to our new Cheerios ad. At Cheerios, we know there are many kinds of families and we celebrate them all.”

Maybe if more TV people thought like Cheerios, the reactions wouldn’t have been so beastly. How many interracial families do you see in movies and on prime time? Multicultural casts are huge but interracial families aren’t as common on screen as they are in real life.

The fact is, most TV programming creates a false reality. The producers cater to a specific audience. There are literally thousands of channels designed for people with specific interests. They can tune in to their own concept of reality and tune out the rest of the world. There is absolutely no levity when it comes to programming, so people are constantly fed a fantasy. Most of which, is a woefully inaccurate reflection of society. The result is outrage, and displacement when they are forced to face the reality in something as insignificant as a Cheerios commercial. I commend Cheerios for standing by their decision and choosing to advertise to everyone. 

But I wonder how long it will take before the gay community uses the Cheerios platform to demand that a gay couple be represented in a commercial?

Remember, you heard it here first!

PR

At the end of the Cheerios commercial, the screen flashes yellow. And the word “love” appears.

Really, what’s there to hate about that?

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/31/4266549/what-century-is-this-cheerios.html#storylink=cpy

At the end of the Cheerios commercial, the screen flashes yellow. And the word “love” appears.

Really, what’s there to hate about that?

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/31/4266549/what-century-is-this-cheerios.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/31/4266549/what-century-is-this-cheerios.html#storylink=cp

The Kindergarten Brawl

Some stories are almost too ugly, and shameful for discussion. Those involved often represent the worst in our society, and shine a negative light on an entire group of people because of their horrendous  judgement. This story represents the embodiment of bad judgement.

It’s a good thing that the children are our future because some adults don’t have a clue. My only hope is that these children can rise above their parents mentality and thrive in spite of it.

A kindergarten graduation in Cleveland ended with eight people in detention, police detention, after an argument erupted into a sidewalk brawl.

Families of students at the Michael R. White School were gathered for the end-of-year ceremony when two teenagers got into a dispute and stepped outside to continue it, said Roseann Canfora, a spokeswoman for the city schools.

"There were no students from our school involved," Canfora said.

Cleveland Police Commander Wayne Drummond said investigators were trying to confirm reports that a spilled cup of punch sparked the original argument.

He said the first 911 call came in as a report of a shot fired which turned out not to be true and the school was put on lockdown while several patrol cars responded within minutes.

"There were no guns, but one individual did pull out a club or a stick and one person did grab a hammer," Drummond told the local media .

"Officers were able to separate the combatants," he said.

Who comes to a kindergarten graduation ready for war? If they'll bring a stick and a hammer to the kindergarten graduation I can only imagine the kind of weaponry they'd bring to the High School graduation. There might be shell casings left all over that auditorium!

Seven adults and one teenager were arrested for aggravated rioting and prosecutors will decide whether to charge them, he said. No one was seriously injured, but there were a number of scrapes and bruises from the fisticuffs.

Drummond said it was unfortunate that what should have been a joyous day for the little scholars moving onto first grade ended with their relatives getting hauled away in handcuffs.

"It's just sad that it was marred by some adults who should be setting an example for the kids of how to behave but who did quite the opposite," he said.

As I began researching this story I began to wonder what kind of atmosphere fosters such a combative mentality. Of course I am speaking rhetorically. Because I firmly believe that people tend to overlook the circumstances that tend to influence those who are products of their environments. This behavior is usually chalked up to that which is inherently unique to "those people", and there is little or no analysis beyond that of nonsensical attribution. 

The fact is, it is very difficult for people who are always battling something to suddenly stop fighting. People who are in a constant battle for survival, and progress remain tense. The setting doesn't particularly matter. It doesn't make it right. But the frustration that goes along with the lives of some, can make spilled punch a catalyst to vent the tension and frustration and ignite disaster.

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Will Smith Said What?!

There are some famous people who use their fame as a platform to promote their causes, agendas and opinions. Some make poignant statements on a national stage, and positively affect all of those who count them as influential. Others make statements that they think are poignant because they believe that they are among those who are influential. Guess which category Will Smith falls into?

When I heard that his son Jaden had asked to be emancipated at age 15, I thought that it was absurd. But I decided not to write about it. It has always been apparent to me that both Will and his wife were part of some "new age" parenting/marriage nonsense. Letting their 10-year-old daughter cut her hair into some kind of wild abstract sculpture in the name of self expression and Jada Pinkett Smith making ambiguous statements about their marriage being "open" were clear signs of some sort of odd dysfunction in my opinion. I realize that the term "odd dysfunction" may sound like an oxymoron but, it's a fitting description. 

The only thing that puzzles me more than their family philosophy is the fact that they have some how become a shining example of the all American family. They have even been recognized and idolized by some in the African-American community because of their ability to maintain a marriage and a cohesive unit. It seems as If maintaining a marriage these days is defined by nothing more than just staying married. It is a sad state of affairs when just being anything is the standard. The quality and substance of the subject no longer seems to matter.

The dangerous thing about this is the fact that putting someone or something on a pedestal based on "fluff" is that sooner or later they'll start to believe that they actually belong there. They start to believe that they have the answers to the mystery of life, and can solve the riddle of the sphinx. They began to believe that their way of being is absolute gospel. When in reality, their pseudo-intellectual musing amounts to nothing more than narcissistic grandiosity void of all substance.

In a recent interview Will Smith decided to expand his scope on parenting beyond the Smith household to a few observations on African American parenting in general. 

"My style of parenting is very similar to that of my parents, minus the concept of ownership. I think that, specifically in African American households, the idea coming out of slavery, there’s a concept of your children being property and that was a major part that Jada and I released with our kids. We respect our children the way we would respect any other person. Things like cleaning up their room. You would never tell a full-grown adult to clean their room, so we don’t tell our kids to clean their rooms. Actually, we tell our kids ‘you don’t have a room, that’s our room and we are letting you borrow it.’ So the same way you would say to an adult if you let them use car, you say, ‘Yo man, clean my car! Don’t drive around all filthy like that!’ And it’s perfectly reasonable for you to want an adult to clean your car, so we feel it’s perfectly reasonable to ask our kids to clean the rooms that we are letting them use.”

Firstly, to state that African-American's have a monopoly on the concept of owning their children is a total falsehood. That particular attitude amongst parents cannot, and should not be contributed to one race of people, as if to suggest that our behavior is extreme. 

If we must equate this behavior to anything having to do with slavery. It is my belief that African-Americans may be a little more protective of their children because of the fact that a little over a century ago African-American children were often ripped from their parents arms and sold as property, never to be seen again. Many of them did not take for granted that they had a lifetime to train their children in the way that they should go.

With that being said, this bitter legacy has spawned a tradition of parenting that is unique. Based on a strict system of values needed to navigate their way through the world. A world in which many of those racist attitudes have stood the test of time.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith have the right to raise their children any way that they please but to imply that their way is the right way is nothing short of pompous and arrogant. The truth is, all parents are not equipped to be parents. We all have short comings, and none of us are perfect parents, but we don't claim to be. If you not only raise your children, but cultivate them, discipline them, guide them, and TELL them what they need to do. Then perhaps they will not want to emancipate themselves at age 14 because they have already been allowed to make adult decisions. So much so that they think that they are already grown. A child should not be allowed to make decisions that they are not mature enough to make, and not experienced enough to have an analytical thought process. We do not treat our children like adults because.........they are not adults.

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