Monday, June 29, 2015

The BET Awards Is Racist?!

So, it has been brought to my attention that there is a small contingent of white Americans who think that the BET awards is racist. They even have the nerve and unmitigated gall to ask, "What if we had a white entertainment awards show?!" I'll start off by answering that question with a question. REALLY?!?! I was under the impressions the most awards shows were designed, and conceived for a Caucasion audience.
The only reason that BET even exists is because networks like MTV did not feature, promote or acknowledge the existence of black music, which is ironic given the fact that origin of all music is "black music" because it originated in Africa. For decades the Grammys, The American Music Awards and Country Music Awards and others have featured mostly white artists. But that was okay......because that was the way it was supposed to be. After all America was only considered post racial as long as those in charge were able to compartmentallze, and marginalize the rest of the country while using themselves as the standard by which ALL things should be measured. 
But in all honesty my purpose in writing this is to chastise those who are actually concerned about this. White people should be more concerned with the seeds that are being planted in their youth. Hateful seeds that manifest themselves in the murders of 9 innocent people in church. Instead of trying to change the narrative, why don't you try to figure out why a young white man goes bezerk every few years and commits mass murder. With that being said, Black people need to prioritize, and not be distracted by insignificance. Nothing on BET, concerning BET, or having to do with BET is really important enough to meritt our concern, debate, or anger. We must keep our eyes on the ball and stop allowing ourselves to be distracted by nonsense.

PR

Friday, June 26, 2015

Just When You Thought You Heart It All News (6-27-15)


This goes out to all of those who love to wear those uncomfortable, super tight skinny jeans: don't squat at least not for long.

Doctors in Australia report that a 35-year-old woman was hospitalized for four days after experiencing muscle damage, swelling, and nerve blockages in her legs after squatting for several hours while wearing tight-fitting jeans

"We were surprised that this patient had such severe damage to her nerves and muscles," said Dr. Thomas Kimber of the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia, in an email.

The patient, who was not identified, spent most of the previous day helping someone move, squatting for long periods while emptying cupboards. Clad in skinny jeans, the woman said they felt increasingly tight and her feet were numb as she walked home, making her trip and fall. Unable to get up, she spent several hours stranded outside before getting to the hospital. Kimber and colleagues published a report about the case online Monday in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Kimber said tight jeans have previously been reported to cause nerve lesions in the groin but not the kind of nerve problems in the lower leg and severe muscle damage they saw. He said squatting compressed the nerves in the lower leg, reducing the blood supply to the calf muscles and that the skinny jeans worsened the problem.

After being treated for four days — and having her jeans cut off — the woman still had some weakness in her legs but walked out of the hospital and later recovered fully. Kimber doesn't know if the woman still wears skinny jeans but warned her against the dangers of squatting in them.

"I think it's the non-stretchy nature of jeans that might be the problem," Kimber said, noting that tight pants with more elasticity wouldn't be as dangerous since they wouldn't squeeze nerves and muscles. He doesn't wear skinny jeans himself, but not because of the medical risks: "I'm too old to get away with them!"

Here are three words that are sure to strike fear, disgust, ewww, and awe in the hearts and minds of anybody who reads them.

DOWN MEAT FESTIVAL.

A retired school teacher and animal advocate saved the lives of 100 dogs on Saturday after she paid about $1,100 to save them from an annual dog meat festival in the southern Chinese city of Yulin.

Yang Xiaoyun, 65, traveled about 1,500 miles from her home in the city of Tianjin to secure the dogs, Agence France-Presse reported.

Yang has been rescuing animals since 1995, when she pulled an abandoned kitten from a river. In 1999, she founded a dog and cat sanctuary known as the "Common Home for All." She hastaken in hundreds of animals and has sold her home, relying on rented space to house them, according to a 2013 video about her work.

She prepares meals for the animals and calls them her "children," the India Times reported. Her shelter now houses almost 1,500 dogs and 200 cats! GROSS!

Yang's selfless act in Yulia comes as international observers and activists continue to draw attention to the city's dog meat festival. dog meat consumption does have a historical precedent in China, according to Peter Li, a China policy specialist at Humane Society International and associate professor at the University of Houston-Downtown, but the Yulin festival only dates back to 2009.



An Ohio couple's Saturday-morning joyride ended in arrests after police discovered the naked truth.......them naked behind the wheel.

Police in Westlake, Ohio, received complaints about a naked man and woman standing outside a parked car in a commercial parking lot at 12:20 a.m. Saturday. An overnight worker spotted the couple in the company's parking lot, called the cops and then watched the man and woman hop in the car and drive away over a curb and a tree lawn.

When officers pulled over the vehicle, they found Alexandria Mauer, 24, behind the wheel eating a slice of pizza. 

Because a naked drive without pizza is like corn flakes without the milk, a big waste of time! 

Her passenger, 33-year-old Kenneth Gillespie, was cradling an open beer can between his feet..........

CRANK!!!!

Both were “without a stitch on,” police Capt. Guy Turner said.

Police ordered Mauer and Gillespie out of the car and told them to put clothes on. Gillespie only had a sweatshirt and underwear with him, so police gave him shoes and an old pair of jail pants.

Mauer refused a breathalyzer test and was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. She was released into the custody of a relative, but jumped out of the car on the ride home. Police found her wandering along the road two hours later and arrested her for disorderly conduct while intoxicated.

Gillespie, who was on probation for drug possession, was arrested for disorderly conduct and public indecency, as well as an open container charge. He later urinated in the back of the police car.

PR

Rap Is Worse Than The Confederate Flag?!

The Confederate flag has been seen as a symbol of racism for a long time … and Sean Hannity is saying rap music is, too! Good ol' Sean Hannity we can always count to him to seize an opportunity to say something outrageous and stupid.

Hannidy is one of the most outspoken race hustlers in America, and his opinions are often insulting, disturbing, and twisted to say the least. The conservative talk show host said on his radio show Thursday that if the Confederate flag is getting taken down, rap and hip-hop should get taken off the airwaves.

His reasoning: artists like Jay-Z and 50 Cent use the n-word in their lyrics, and that is a racist term.

Hannity calls out Jay Z's wife BeyoncĂ© , too, saying that her use of the word "bitch" is misogynistic. 

Last time I checked, Jay-Z's words didn't incite a civil war or inspire mass church shootings. Of course Hannity and those of his ilk cannot follow their usual format and demonize the victims because they were all in church reading the bible at the time that they were murdered. But he managed to come of with what he thinks as a comparable defense that is totally incomparable. What Hannidy doesn't realize is that many of the hate groups who look to the confederate flag as a symbol of pride would hate him because of his Irish heritage.

Hannity, even went so far as to even take a dig at President Obama and his daughters:

 "If it's OK for Obama's teenage daughters and people to go into these stores and buy music chock-full of the N-word, the B-word, well maybe we should consider banning that too. We're in the process of banning everything."

If only we could ban his propagandist rhetoric. Unfortunately Hannity is protectedy by the same right to free from of speech as Jay and Beyoncé.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Destroying The Confederate Flag


It has been flown and proudly displayed as a beacon of pride in a few southern states. But what does the confederate flag symbolize and what does it mean? It has been a controversial symbol for decades. But when I was a kid it was nothing more that the decorative flag on the roof of the General Lee on "The Dukes of Hazard". Incidentally Warner Brothers has now banned the car.
In the wake of the recent murders of 9 people during a church service in South Carolina the true meaning of what this red white and blue flag really means has re-ignited the debate. E-bay has announced that they will no longer offer the confederate flag as a purchase item, and Amazon has also announced that it will do the same. The Governor of South Carolina has come out in favor of lowering the flag which has hung in the nations Capitol for decades. While state officials in both North Carolina and Texas have decide to put plans into place that would essentially stop the flag from being displayed on public property.

So, what does this "rag" symbolize? Here is a brief history:

In their declarations of secession from the Union, just before the civil war, some Southern states expressly mentioned slavery as a reason for their departure.

"An increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery, has led to a disregard of their obligations ..." South Carolina wrote in its declaration.

The state of Mississippi aligned itself with slavery right off the top ofits declaration

"Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery the greatest material interest of the world."

Georgia named slavery in the second sentence of its declaration. The sad list goes on.

To put it bluntly, South Carolina and the rest of the South only seceded to preserve the violent domination and enslavement of black people, and the Confederate flag only exists because of that secession.

Oppression, slavery, and wickness. This is what the confederate flag has always stood for, what it represents, and what it commemorates. It's a shame that it took reports of mass murderer Dylan Roof having been inspired by the confederate flag for southern states to recognize that it is representative of the darkest time in American history. 

PR

Monday, June 22, 2015

Quick To Forgive.....


Last week the demon pictured above reared it's ugly head, walked into a historic church in Charleston, South Carolina and murdered 9 African-American men and women who actually had the nerve to think that they were safe during bible study. He shot and killed these people after they accepted him into their sanctuary to worship with them.
It was a heinous crime fueled by racism, hatred, and inhumanity. There is no question about that!

My prayers go out to the families of the victims, the community, the sad, the sorrowful and the outraged. But I must admitt that I was shocked by the rush to forgive this animal. If seemed to me that there was almost instant forgiveness even though their was no request for forgiveness from this "mans" family, there has been no sign of remorse, no sign of regret, and no kind of apology from this "man", his family or those who are in a sense acting as co-conspirators by still insisting that one of the inspirations for this crime, the conferate flag, continue to be flown in the city with pride. Yet, some in the community have chosen to forgive with lightening fast speed as if somebody kicked their dogs, scratched their car, Or stepped on their feet. This evil excuse for a human being, walked into a 150 year old historically black church and murdered 9 innocent people including an 87 year old woman and the pastor of the church who also happened to be a public official on a Wednesday, and he should be forgiven on a Friday? Keep in mind that Michael Vick still hasn't been forgiven for dog fighting and he wasn't even there when it happened!
 Of course it's right to forgive in principal, and it is undoubtedly the Christian thing to do. But Jesus does not expect us to be Jesus. In fact, Jesus once walked in the flesh and knows what's it's like to be as we are. He isn't expecting perfection, because he knows that only he is perfect. With that being said, is this quick forgiveness an attempt to show the ultimate reflection of who Jesus Christ is, or a gesture to reassure some white people that black people will not seek "pay back", retaliation, or revenge. If this is the case, then forgiveness is a waste.

PR

Friday, June 19, 2015

Just When You Thought You Heard It All News (6-20-2015)


Just a word of advice. NEVER rob a bank on an empty stomach.


A man in Greenburg, Philadelphia was arrested for robbing a western Pennsylvania bank when he stopped to eat biscuits at a nearby restaurant will spend two to four years in prison.


I hope it was at least a chicken and cheese biscuit!

Lindsey was arrested about 20 minutes after he robbed the Citizens Bank in downtown New Kensington on Jan. 14.

That's when witnesses saw a bald man matching Lindsey's description run toward a restaurant after the heist. Police knew the business had surveillance video and went inside to view it hoping for clues as to where the suspect went, only to find Lindsey eating at a booth.

Police say Lindsey used the restaurant's bathroom to discard a coat and hood he wore during the robbery.



A Minor League Baseball team in Utah swiftly canceled its "Caucasian Heritage Night" after the event caused a stir on social media Friday.

As if each and every night isn't Caucasion Heritage Night in America!

The theme night, scheduled for the Orem, Utah, Owlz' Aug. 10 game, had been advertised with "Irish, Italian, Scandinavian, German.... or even Utahn!??? 

Whatever your background, celebrate it at the Home of the Owlz!" But after an outcry, the team issued an apology and canceled the event.



AMERICA REJOICE!!
The saltiest "food" known to man is now BITE SIZE!!!!

Spam in a can just turned into spam in a small bag. According to an announcement from Hormel Foods Corporation on Wednesday, the canned meat is now being served up in bite-sized pieces aptly called "Spam Snacks."

Rick Williamson, manager of external communications for Hormel says that the small pieces of dried Spam will be available in select regions later this fall. They will come in bacon, teriyaki and classic flavors.

Spam Snacks reportedly contain 8 to 10 grams of protein per serving, which sounds like the company is trying to take on popular snacks like beef jerky. Though no nutritional information is being released from Hormel at the moment, Spam in a can contains six ingredients: pork shoulder and ham, sodium chloride (salt), water, potato starch, sugar and sodium nitrate (MORE SALT). So while it's not exactly healthy, it's about the same as having a hot dog, pepperoni, or a stick of dynamite.

PR

Thursday, June 18, 2015

9 Murdered In Black Church In S.C.


In Charleston, South Carolina, after attending bible study A white gunman opened fire Wednesday night at a historic black church, killing nine people before fleeing and setting off an overnight manhunt, the police said.

At a news conference with Charleston’s mayor early this morning, the police chief, Greg Mullen, called the shooting a hate crime.

“It is unfathomable that somebody in today’s society would walk into a church while they are having a prayer meeting and take their lives,” he said.

Eight people died at the scene, Chief Mullen said. Two people were taken to the Medical University of South Carolina, and one of them died on the way.

“Obviously, this is the worst night of my career,” Chief Mullen said. “This is clearly a tragedy in the city of Charleston.”

City officials did not release information about the victims and did not say how many people were in the church during the shooting. Hospital officials declined to comment. But it has been reported that a 5 year old girl survived the shooting by playing dead.

At the time of the publishing the gunman is still on the loose, and local law enforce, the FBI, the ATF, and other agencies are in the midst of a massive manhunt.
The Emanuel A.M.E church was founded over 150 years ago, and we can only imagine what the founders of this house of worship have had to go through during such turbulent times in America. But one thing is for certain, if asked, none of the would have imagined something like this happening in 2015. 
But given the fact that this tragedy happened in a state that still insists on proudly flying the confederate flag as a symbol of pride and culture, maybe the prospect of such a heinous crime would not seem so far fetched after all.

PR


Tuesday, June 16, 2015

NYPD: Too Many Black Men Have Records..


I am a Black man from Brooklyn, and I know a lot of  Black men from Briooklyn who have criminal records. Those of us who still live in, and are from New York know that there are a significant amount of Black men who have been incarcerated. So when New York City Police Comissioner Williiam Bratton says "The NYPD has a hard time hiring black men to become police officers because too many have criminal records", we are we so surprized? Or are we? There is a time to object, there is a time to protest, and there's a time to fight. But most importantly there is a time to think, especially when someone outside of the Black community makes a comment about the Black community. Anger and outrage as a result of some absurd rhetoric is 100% warranted. But if an observation or comment has the "ring of truth", rather than focusing on the source and making them the object of our fury, we need to look at the validity or the statement and the facts. The thing is, it's always easier to get mad than to think analytically. 
 Bill Bratton said it’s a challenge to find hirable blacks because so many African-American men have been arrested.

“We have a significant population gap among African-American males because so many of them have spent time in jail and, as such, we can’t hire them,” 

Bratton put at least part of the blame on the NYPD’s use of the controversial tactic stop and frisk. He acknowledged the “unfortunate consequences (of) stop, question and frisk,” a policy that hit communities of color hardest.

So given the fact that Bratton acknowledges the fact that stop and frisk is a major part of the blame the influx of Black men with arrest records. Our primary focus should be how to fix the problem as opposed to taking issue with someone who admitts that there is one.

PR



Friday, June 12, 2015

Just When You Thought You Heard It All News! A White Women Pretends To Be Black!

This is by far the most outlandish story that I've ever heard. An epic tale that was made for "Just When You Thought You Heard It All News" A white woman who not only made a conscious decision to pass as a Black woman, but became president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP! I'm going to ask the question that I imagine both  black and white people are probably asking themselves. Of course for different reason, but never the less, why would anybody, especially somebody who just happens to be white, want to pass as black? Don't get me wrong, I love being Black, but I would love it more if I did not have to constantly navigate my way through a systematically racist society. That is to say that if I could choose to be African-American without the African-American struggle, I would do so in a heartbeat. But the reality is that racism is just a part of our journey. As far as Caucasians are concerned, I believe that there are those who would never choose to be Black simply because they believe that they are superior, and there are those who sympathize, but want no parts of what Black people experience. The thing that both have in common is that neither one of them want to be Black.
There have always been white people who have tanned themselves, gotten lip injection, butt implants, and have even went so far as to take on "black traits". But Rachel Dolezal has done what is basically the racial equivalent of "jumping the shark", she chose to "change" her race. Dolezal, 37, is president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, works as a part time professor of the Africana Studies Program at Eastern Washington University and is dubbed "one of the Inland Northwest’s most prominent civil rights activists," according to the Spokesman-Review. She is chairwoman of the city’s Office of Police Ombudsman Commission, and identified herself as white, black and American Indian on her application. She also has published numerous blogs about being black in America on the Inlander. It has been reported that Dolazel attended Howard University, which is an HBCU for 4 years on a full scholarship.
However, her family is saying she is actually a white woman of European descent. Photos from her childhood show her as a blond, white child.
"It’s very sad that Rachel has not just been herself,” her mother, Ruthanne Dolezal, told the Spokesman-Review, revealing that Rachel began to disguise herself as a Black woman in 2006 or 2007 after the family adopted four African-American children. “Her effectiveness in the causes of the African-American community would have been so much more viable, and she would have been more effective if she had just been honest with everybody.”
When pressed by local media outlets Dolezal still insists that she is African-American as if she actually believes that she is. 
In his last interview noted author James Baldwin said that he believes that "whiteness" is as much a state of mind as it is a color, and I personally believe that "blackness" is as much a state of mind as it is a color. With that being said, could Dolezal's identifying herself as African-American be legitimate. Of course not. But, if the "gay community" can stand on the premise that  they are who they feel like they are inside regardless of their outward appearance, then why doesn't this woman have the right to make the same claim? Don't get me wrong. there is no doubt in my mind that she "kuku for coco puffs" but in my opinion my supposition is no more outlandish than many other claims used to justify other "alternative lifestyles."

PR

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Teacher Allowed Students To Have Sex In Class.


This story is shocking to say the least, and it begs the question, has a shortage of teachers nationwide forced desperate municipalities to hire people of questionable character to become teachers?

A Georgia middle school teacher has been removed from the classroom for allegedly allowing students to have sex in his classroom closet, and a judge has issued a warrant for his arrest.

One outraged mother discovered what was going on after she looked at her 14-year-old son’s phone and saw the text messages that were being exchanged between the young teen and Quinton Wright, a math teacher and coach at Champion Theme Middle School in DeKalb County, Georgia.

“I was in a state of disbelief when I read all these messages,” the mother, who wished to remain unidentified said. “Basically he’s allowing the students to have sex in a storage room of his classroom.”

Apparantly Wright acted as a pimp or the equivalent of a male madam. In the text messages, the teacher allegedly told the student that he couldn’t be long and that he didn’t have any condoms. The mother claimed that Wright even sent her son a calendar to show teachers’ schedules.

“He told my son you can have it from 7:30 to, like, 8:30,” the mother said, reading some of the text messages to the local media. “‘Did you tell the girl what’s going to happen? That she cannot tell anybody?’ Basically, ‘Don’t tell anyone I’m allowing you to use my room.’   

“It’s very sickening and disheartening, because we trust administrators and educators when we drop our kids off at school,” the mother added.

PR