The Final Post: "I Think I'm Going To Cry"

Saturday, November 22, 2008

The author of this article is basically saying that the United States is going to lose relative influence in three different ways: Economically, Politically, and Militarily

It is also saying that the loss of this relative power may have the effect of causing more conflict among the nations of the world. Right now the United States is the dominant economic power. We have the richest economy in the world and our domestic actions have the power to indirectly influence other nations. The article argues that emerging economies like Brazil, South Africa, India, and China will in the future soon converge upon the United States, putting economic power and influence in more than a few hands. It also implies that while we have these growing economies that are in need of resources, this may fuel resource conflict. The article implies that since the United States is so powerful in the ways stated above as of now it has no problem securing its needed resources. However emerging economies also bring in better military might. The article states that through scientific and technological advances and the proliferation of weapons the emerging economies will gain more military muscle. As stated this “increasingly will constrict US freedom of action.” This means that the United States will have to account more for its actions because there are going to be nations with relatively stronger muscle than before, and more power to respond directly and indirectly to the actions of the United States. Hence in the future the United States will not have the political power that it once had. The United States is less likely to go against the calls of other nations to not invade an entire country and take control of its government. I guess since the U.S. sees itself with so much power it feels it has enough room to flex its muscles on the world stage, and others may be less hesitant to step up to them.

I can agree with most of the article, but it is pretty pessimistic to me. It states that what can emerge in the future is that countries may likely start warring over resources. It can happen but I think it is unlikely. Yes the United States is going to lose some of its relative dominance, but it is still going to be the top dog. I do not see this as a sign of alarm as an American citizen.

Rodney Dangerfield

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Twenty minutes ago from the start of me writing this blog I just finished my Microeconomics exam. Ask me how I did on it. “How did you do on it Melvin?,” the curious reader asks. I’ll tell you how I did on it. I killed it! I got an ‘A’ off the top (I just know I did good, stop asking questions reader!). But I’m not surprised. I love economics and it’s my major.

When I tell people that my major is economics, they get this astonishing, almost scared look on their face. They almost start shaking at first hearing it come out of my mouth. I have come to find out that many people have mainly two views of economics: 1. It’s boring or 2. It’s hard as hell. In contrast I think economics is interesting, and I don’t find it too challenging. When I tell people I think economics is interesting the main response I get is “You’re a nerd.” But I don’t get frustrated at the comment. If not being a nerd means not liking economics, then I want to be a nerd. This is a passion of mine. I love the study and I think it is one of the most important fields in education, next to the maths, sciences, and language studies. There wouldn’t be economics (or any other study) without the latter, but I digress. Something just struck me; I think I am really a nerd, because only nerds use the phrases “but I digress” and “the latter.” Those are two of the main nerd terminologies; but I digress again on the latter!

Back to the main point. When I tell people that economics is not too challenging and that I can understand the concepts well they say that I must be a “real intelligent person” (basically that is a nicer way of saying nerd). They tend to be right on that one though because I am intelligent. But that doesn’t mean anything, because you can be intelligent and hate economics. It depends on what you like. For instance I can do chemistry, but hell no I wouldn’t major in it! I respect chemistry majors because I think you have to be a special (special in a good way) type of person to do it. They are nerdy as hell, but I respect them. That is one thing I would like to see: people having more respect for economics. You don’t have to like it, but respect it. The study is a big benefit to society. It is the main reason why the American economy and others like it are so prosperous, and why developing countries have the ability to improve. It is one of the most important studies of today and will be of more importance in future times, as long as no aliens come with something new; or as long as aliens don’t destroy this world.

Happy Holidays Melvin Diggs!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Jim Gaffigan on The Holidays

While waiting outside of my English 1102 class my classmate and I started talking about the holidays. She who has just emigrated from Jamaica said she did not understand Thanksgiving all too well. I satirically said that Thanksgiving was a simple holiday tradition in the United States. It is simply a day where Americans overeat with people that we do not like all too much. Of course this is not the true meaning of Thanksgiving, but this is the event that most of us experience every end of November. Me personally I like Thanksgiving for the fact that it justifies me being a pig. A lot of Americans pig out 365 days a year; and 366 in a leap year. We are an over consuming race of people we Americans. Our holidays just allow us not to feel guilty about eating a whole box of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, “because it’s Christmas. It is what Jesus would have wanted! People in Africa are starving; we should be thankful for him that we can put a ham sandwich between two glazed doughnuts and eat it.”

Another of my classmates made a comment and he said, “The holidays are a time when families remind themselves about how much they hate each other.” And that is ironic. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Independence Day are all holidays that are big on togetherness. We get together to celebrate the harvest that all have benefited from and all helped to produce. We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, whose religion speaks of man loving each other and caring for one another. We celebrate the Fourth of July when Americans stood together side by side to stand up against the dictatorship of King George III. And on these symbolic days is when most people would rather pluck each one of their pubic hairs out than to be in the presence of “those people.” I have some people in my family that I would never mind seeing again, just like a lot of other people. However most people feel that they need to keep tradition going, so they stick it out through the holidays; that is if they haven’t slapped the shit out of their stealing nephew by the end of it.

There was a time for me when the benefit of food outweighed the costs of getting my stuff stolen by one of my cousins. But that was when I was a fat kid. I am on this whole health tip now and don’t eat as much as I used to. Thus holidays do not mean too much to me as of now. That is why I am not going home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. That way I don’t have to deal with my relatives asking to borrow money from me.

I Can't Get Jiggy With This!

Friday, November 14, 2008

There is no art out there that I know of that I absolutely despise. There may be some art that I do not necessarily enjoy, but not despise. The way I look at it I do not think there is such a thing as bad art. There is no universal standard of what bad art is. People interpret art in different ways and who is to say who is right? Some people may think that the High School Musical series is one of the greatest shows to ever come out, and some people may think it’s just complete booty. It depends on the person. Even if I do not agree that a particular art is good, I could understand why some people may like it. Basically humans are different and we have different tastes. We have different things that interest us.

Mona Lisa

I would like to point out the Mona Lisa. To me, it is just a simple painting of a woman. That’s it!! If it was up to me to decide what art is, this painting would not be famous at all. It would just be a painting of a woman chillin’ in a chair somewhere in France. And the way people interpret this painting to me is just a waste of time. I hear people all the time talking about, “Da Vinci was saying this when he painted Mona Lisa” or “This painting represents feminine mystique.” The only thing I believe it represents is a woman chillin’ in a chair somewhere in France. To me anybody could have painted something just like it. I don’t see it as unique, but I can understand why some people would. Some people infer much meaning onto visual art. It is a way of expression for people that satisfies them. That is one thing all humans have in common. We don’t all like the same thing, but the things we do like we get a lot of satisfaction from it. Art is used to satisfy our particular senses, and that is why there is a lot of variety of art.
Here are some examples of my particular art that I find satisfying. It is in the art form of comedy and music.

Marvin Gaye – Sexual Healing
Jim Gaffigan - Comedian

Maria Full Of Grace

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I have a few thoughts on the movie. First off to respond to your note on the religious symbolism on the film, I didn’t take notice of it at all. As of today just getting out of class I learned that the film “cover” had to do with something about Catholicism. As I am not catholic I totally missed that part. I did think that there was religious symbolism in the cover, just not in the catholic interpretation. The hand that was holding the pellet, I thought that was the hand of god. I thought the pellet symbolized baby Jesus. And I know that that main character Maria represents Mary. Therefore, the cover symbolizes the incident where god inserted baby Jesus into Mary. As for the religious icons in the background I wasn’t paying too close attention to the background to see that. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary in the background for me to take notice of. There wasn’t anything like a purple monkey eating a snow cone in the background when the main characters were performing, so I mostly kept my eyes on the main characters.

Another small thought on the movie is how it depicted the American drug dealers. The movie depicted them as uncaring, selfish, M.O.E. (money over everything) types. They did not care about the welfare of Lucy. They cut her body up to get the drugs out of her. I believe through the American drug dealers the movie comments on the bad side to capitalism. The capitalist system is mostly motivated by profit. People get into a business (whether legal or illegal) to make a profit. Usually when chasing profits some capitalist do not take into account negative externalities, or the bad affects that there business actions have on other people. The American drug dealers are businessmen who are all about the bottom line of profit and are not sympathetic to what their actions are doing to their workers (mules). They do not try to make Lucy, Maria, and Blanca feel comfortable while they are in America. The guys are pretty rude and crass to them. That is why Blanca and Maria ran away from them so abruptly. The American drug dealers could have lost all the smuggled drugs and would have had to wait longer for another shipment.

Also, I did see the movie before but I didn’t know Don Orlando was a real person. That was very interesting to find out. All in all it is a straight movie. I like that is so “real.” It shows real life situations that actually happen, and those types of movies are good to see.

Ms. Eileen Barthe

Monday, November 10, 2008

I listened to the interview of Eileen Barthe, a caseworker who did relief case work during the depression in Chicago. She talks about how she did a case study of this man from Central Illinois who came to Chicago to look for work because he had lost his job. She tells the story of how she was required to go and find out empirically how her cases are living. She is told by her authority that she needs to “see” the poverty. She goes to the Central Illinois man’s house and asks to look in his closet. She says that the man was very prideful and very insulted and humiliated by the fact that she would want to look in his closet. Eileen then states that the way that she made him feel made her also feel humiliated. She was not happy about what she did that it still makes her cry years later in 1971.

My impression on this interview is one of understanding. I can understand why the man would feel insulted and humiliated. He has worked on the railroad all his life and has been able to provide for himself and his family. And then the depression comes. Now he has no source of income because he lost his job, and then there are no other jobs available due to the collapsed economy. This man who was self sufficient now has to ask for help from the government. Some people feel like it is an embarrassment to have to ask for help, and then going through the motions of getting help can make one feel less prideful. When Eileen asked to look in his closet to make sure that he really needed help, one could tell from the interview that was a dissatisfying experience for the man from Central Illinois. Eileen saw his pain and felt bad about how she was making this man feel. She was causing harm to him and is regretful for that. That is why she started crying in the interview. The deep poverty of the depression affected every working man and woman. It brought about a new pain that did not seem possible to materialize in these people’s lives. It hit them hard when it came.

Nothing Going On Over Here

Friday, November 7, 2008

You ask what the effects of a democratic president in congress will be. I say basically democratic policy implementations; that is about it. We will have liberal minded agendas. I don’t think there is going to be any significant effects to take notice of, or anything to be surprised about.
For instance, I can bet that taxes are going to go up, which I already believe they should. Obama says that he plans to raise taxes on corporate profits and people who have an income in excess of $250,000. This means that high income earners and corporations will pay higher taxes thus receiving less after tax income and profits than they would have. The effect of this action is that the government receives higher tax revenues which will ultimately be used to help finance all the public spending that the democrats plan to do. In response to higher taxes on businesses the tax is likely to be shifted to employees by the employer, so indirectly most moderate income earners will see that they pay more in taxes.

I expect that our economy will become more of a mixed economy, which is an economy in which there are elements of both public and private enterprise. I see a greater expansion in the public sector than in the private. Obama has been preaching socializing the healthcare system ever since he came on the ballot. If he is successful in his endeavor the government will have a stronger role in the U.S. economy. He also talks about improving public education and increasing teacher’s salaries which shall lead to more public spending. Again this is going to be financed by the higher taxes.

Also I see the chance of improved international relations with other nations. Obama says that he is one for negotiation with anyone who has a conflict with the way the United States does things. He is willing to sit down and listen to the other side, not just solely focus on the wants of Americans. This shall be good for the nation because the United States is not the only nation on earth. There are 5.7 billion more people out there that need to be taken into account. Our actions affect others, and others actions affect us. Also speaking internationally I see the United States getting out of the Middle East. Relations need to be worked on over there because the Bush Administration has caused a lot of animosity towards the United States from the Middle East.

Those are some of the most significant effects of democratic rule. Overall it’s going to be the same old same old, unless a major war starts somewhere for whatever reason, or if we have a phenomenal technological advance of some sort that benefits the human race significantly.

The New White People, you can't scare them!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Yesterday Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama won the election for President of the United States of America. His election is a historic moment because he is the first black president of the United States of America, so this time is a very special one. Today while getting ready for school in the morning I was talking to my roommate about the win. He commented that as a black person he was extremely happy about this turnout; he said that he could hardly believe that it happened. When he asked me (also a black person) if I felt the same way I replied to him that I was not surprised that it happened. He went on further to say that he sees more truthfulness in the old American saying that “You can be anything you want to be in America.” Before the election of Barack Obama he said that he did not believe in the saying, that it was just bullshit. Now he is more hopeful than ever. I can guess that many other black people today feel the same way that he does.

I conflicted with my roommate on both his standings. First I was not surprised that a black person won the presidential election. Secondly I did believe in the saying that you can be anything you want to be in America. Now I may agree that if you are a black person, obtaining your goals may be more of a struggle for you than for another race, but overall the goal is still attainable. I knew that it is possible for there to be a black president. The real question is when? I remember when Obama was first being heard of. All you heard from black people is “please, nobody is gonna vote for him.” By “nobody” black people basically meant “white people” who make up the majority of the population. But why wouldn’t the mass of the white population vote for a black person? Two basic reasons are racism and the more important, an inferiority complex.

The white race has been preaching inferiority of the black race through much of American history, and a lot of people believed the lie. It was part of societal culture to think that way. However, it is hard to keep a lie going without some rational people realizing that it is a lie. The older white population grew up during a time of segregation where they had a different view of the black race than the younger generation. The younger generation experienced and learned about the extent of the 60s and a time of integration. The old lie about black people being inferior was not holding up too well from the ‘60s and up. Those old effective arguments about blacks started to gradually evolve into irrational bickering. The evidence was not there for the younger white population to believe that black people were inferior to whites. It was the younger generation whites who put Obama in office, no doubt. Even though we still have white people with the inferiority complex or who are just racist against blacks, there influence and abundance has weakened over time. This led to a black man finally being able to achieve the highest office of the executive.

Maybe the only reason for me to be astonished is that it happened so soon.

Elephants in the Grass

Monday, November 03, 2008

This story is basically about the United Nations sending a convoy to bring resources to a people in an area that has been affected badly by fighting. There has been some fighting between the government of The Democratic Republic of The Congo and General Laurent Nkunda’s rebel regime. The two sides have been fighting, and the people in the middle of it are the ones feeling it the most. It is just like the saying goes, “When two elephants start to fight, the grass suffers.” I don’t know where the saying came from but it is true. The ones who are neutral are getting the bad end of the deal right now. Thus, the United Nations has decided that it would be beneficial to help these people. So they are sending in medical supplies, food, water purification tablets, and anything else that could help the plight of the people that are stuck in the middle of the fighting.

The article also talks about the plight of the “elephants”, which are the Nkunda Regime, the state of The Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the state of Rwanda. General Nkunda of the Congo says that he is fighting for his people, the Tutsis, whom are being threatened by Rwandan Hutu rebels. The state of the Congo has been accused of aiding the Rwanda Hutu Rebels, and that is why General Nkunda is fighting against the state. The relationship between the two elephant countries is not so rosy. The article states that Rwanda has invaded the Congo twice in recent times, and there is strong animosity between the two. The Rwandan government has been accused of aiding General Nkunda in his effort to overthrow the government, likely because they want to overthrow the Congolese government also.

There is not too much I know about this situation, but it looks like people are just lobbying for power. It seems so that Nkunda’s people need humanitarian aid and that he is not doing a good job of making sure they are secure. Rwanda and the Congo are both throwing accusations at each other about their dealings with the rebel group; they have been breaking peace honors, and being unreasonable. And why? Somebody wants a bigger slice of the pie, and the people who are neutral are in the path of the knife.

How I Learned To Drive

Friday, October 31, 2008

Last night on October 30 I went to see this play at Alumni Hall, Georgia State University. The play is titled How I Learned to Drive, by playwright Paula Vogel. The play focuses on the issues of incest and child abuse/molestation. The main character is a woman called Lil Bit. The play chronicles her life with her family, and takes important episodes of Lil Bit’s life. Since eleven years old Lil Bit has been sexually molested by her Uncle Peck, who is also her closest relative. The fact that she is close to her molester uncle is what made me want to go see the play. This situation is I find is astonishing; the family member that Lil Bit adores the most is her molester. I wanted to see how this situation worked out. The play was highly interesting I have to admit.

Uncle Peck does not force himself upon Lil Bit or make her do anything that she does not want to do. He only molests Lil Bit with her consent. One night while Lil Bit and Uncle Peck are alone in a car, Uncle Peck asks Lil Bit if he can gently kiss her breast. He pleads to her that he has been good and has not taken a drink all week. He believes he deserves a little something. Lil Bit obliges and lets her uncle caress and kiss her sixteen year old breasts. Lil Bit does not like when her uncle drinks, and uses Uncle Pecks’ desires for her as an incentive to get him to not drink as much as he would. They usually meet at least every week to hang out because Lil Bit wants to; she loves her uncle dearly. In one scene we see that she begs her mom to let her spend more time with Uncle Peck. Her mother says she doesn’t like the way Uncle Peck looks at her, and she is scared that something might happen. Her mother gives into the begging and says to Lil Bit, “Ok you can spend time with your uncle, but if anything happens I hold you fully responsible.” Uncle Peck’s wife and Lil Bit’s Aunt Mary knows instinctively what is going on; but she doesn’t say anything, she just counts down the days when Lil Bit heads off to college.

I don’t want to spoil the play for those who have not seen it so I am going to stop there. I really enjoyed this play and I recommend to anyone who hasn’t seen it to go see it. The play asks the hard questions about known molestation and incest in families, and how it affects the generations. I thought it was pretty inspiring, and I hope others think so too.

Bad Mutha!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

T-Model Ford – Sallie Mae
T-Model Ford with - Wood Cuttin' Man
T-Model Ford with - Ask Her For Water

I chose to listen to some of T-Model Ford’s music. What I find great about Ford’s music (as well as other blues music) is that its influence reaches every popular American music genre of today. In all the three songs linked you find that the lyrics are repetitive. In modern music we find repetitiveness in the hook of the song, or the chorus. Modern music is regularly three verses with a hook starting before the song, in between the verses, and the hook sung a multiple of times after the last verse. This musical structure of today can clearly be seen to have origins in the blues.
The use of drums and guitar in T-Model Ford’s music is indicative of The Blues influence on rock music. Rock music is blues that is more “lively.” The popular riff came out of the blues music which is so popular in jazz and rock, and it is the best part of the song to me; it is when the band breaks it down. Beautiful.
I also like the soul in the music. He puts much “oomph” into his music that you can tell that he really feels his lyrics. It is a good thing when you know an artist really is into his music that it is a part of that artist. The good thing about the blues is that many people could relate to it in their soul. I’ve never cut wood before as a profession, but I bet someone who does can really appreciate T-Model Ford’s Wood Cuttin’ Man. If someone ever had their woman leave them suddenly they could really feel the song Sallie Mae. When one listens to the blues one also feels what the artist is saying even though they may not relate to the subject matter; it’s all about what you feel in the soul.
One of my conflicts with the music is that it is hard to understand what T-Model is saying since he is so Kuntray. I tried to find lyrics online but I couldn’t find any. Basically that’s the only problem.
All in all good music.

You like to see homos Naked??

Monday, October 27, 2008

One of my main thoughts is that it is showing “real” music. What I mean by real music is that it is music from the heart. It is music that is not created off of capitalism which is known in our society today as popular music, or pop music for short. The artists in this documentary clearly make music from the heart. They make music because they love to make music. These men create their music for richer or poorer. Now there are some mainstream artists with major record deals whom I am sure make music from the heart, but it may be hard to tell who really loves the music versus who is in the music industry to make a buck. But the bluesmen are clearly living in poverty. In the documentary we see them living in rundown houses with tattered clothing; most are of bad physical health. We clearly see that these guys are not rich, but they love to play the blues. They are still spending significant amounts of time on their musical career even though they are not gaining as much monetary wealth. It seems to me that the bluesmen in this documentary do not care about the money side all too much as they care about getting their music heard. They want to share their craft with the world so other people can feel what they feel when they hear the blues. They want to show the world how great of a music genre the blues is. That is the overall theme of the documentary.

One small thought on the documentary is that it is fairly humorous, and I like humor. One of the funniest parts to me is when R.L. Burnside was complaining about losing that small Supplemental Security Income (SSI) check of $111. This man is making a year’s worth of those checks in one concert performance and he is still complaining about it. LOL, ain’t nothing like free money. What was also pretty funny is that these men are real country. I am from the country and I know older people who actually talk like that, and I still haven’t fully gotten used to it. The funniest thing about country people is that they can make up words no one has ever heard before; what’s even funnier is that if you are from the country you will know exactly what they are talking about(link: Scene from Joe Dirt). There were a lot of instances from that.
All in all this is an interesting documentary. I just wish the audio was better so I could understand it more.

Think McFly!!!

Friday, October 24, 2008

http://nickrodesney.blogspot.com/

I agree with Nick about the Movie Back To The Future. It was cool as hell, mainly for me because Michael J. Fox was in it. I would have to say that Michael J. Fox is the main reason that I like the film. Ever since I saw him in Teen Wolf, I have always taking a liking to MJF. He is one of the biggest stars of 1980 mainstream films. Christopher Lloyd’s character, Doc Brown, was also entertaining. “Great Scott!!!” is one of my favorite phrases because of this movie. I get a good laugh every time I hear Doc say it. Doc was the most interesting character of the whole film. You can tell he didn’t own a comb. And he was pale as hell (that rhymes); you would think he was ghost.

The funniest character had to be Biff, played by Thomas Wilson, Jr. “Think McFly!!!!” is my line. Every time I hear a friend of mine say something stupid I always recite the line and it never stops being funny. The second thing that was funny about Biff was his name. What kind of a name is Biff? I start laughing when I hear his name. His parents must have not loved him, or they were going through something at the time when they named him. No wonder he was such a bully; you got to be a bully if you have a screwed up name like Biff.

The other two movies I have to say were entertaining also. I like the last one though, about them going back to the Wild West. Looking at it now I would say that movie is kind of corny (Ok, they are all kind of corny) but I still like it. The last one would have to be my favorite. The middle one was so so to me but still good.

All in all the review was tight son!

Bye.

You Sholl Is Ugly!!!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

A movie that I really enjoy is The Color Purple, starring Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover. The reason I like it so much is that I can relate to the film in many ways.

First of all the film takes place in rural Georgia, which is where I am from. The film depicts rural life in early twentieth century Georgia well. I was not born until 1988, but the way my elders have described life in rural Georgia in the ‘20s and ‘30s, it is like they are describing the setting in The Color Purple: wooden houses, no indoor plumbing, a farm and livestock, and country dirt roads. The film depicts all of that and some more.

The characters are also black like me, so I feel that I can relate better. One thing I really liked about The Color Purple was that it was not like other films that pictured the lives of black folks in the early 20^th century. Most other films about blacks focus on racism too much, and how black people have to struggle and overcome the white man. This film had a different subject matter, which were relationships between black men and women. It depicted other problems that the black community faced during the time. It further showed that even though the black race had it real bad at that time, the black woman had it even worse. She certainly was the mule of the world back then. All of the main character women in the film had relationship problems with the men in their lives: Celie vs. Mister & her father, Sophia vs. Harpo, Shug vs. her father, Nettie vs. Mister. And these conflicts are all based on real life situations. An older black person will tell you that things like this really went down.

I also like the different types of women they show in the movie. You have Celie, which is the weak and easily intimidated woman. She lets everyone step all over her without putting up any kind of fight. She has clearly been dominated by the male power structure.

You have Sophia, who doesn’t take shit from nobody, and is not at all intimidated by patriarchy, or the male dominated system; she is quick to buck the system. She doesn’t take it lying down like Ms. Celie. Sophia is a great character because she deserves the most respect out of anybody in the film. It isn’t always easy going against the power structure in one’s society, but Sophia did it and was still such a fuckin lady!

Then you have Shug, who is the beautiful woman who is able to get her way. She can go against the male dominated system and still be accepted by some, because she is “loose.” Back then women were thought that they should act “lady like”, i.e. no revealing dress, smoking, suggestive dances, hanging in a bar with men, using profanity, etc. However, Shug did all those and still was not shunned. Shug brings out the hypocritical side of the male. Most men say they want a “good” woman but a lot of men really want that wild one, which is Shug. Shug knew how to play the male dominated system, and she played the game well.

Greatest movie of all time.

Mr. Secretary

Monday, October 20, 2008

The big news of the political cult today is that former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Senator Barack Obama on his candidacy for the President of the United States of America. The reason that it is such big news is that Colin Powell is a high ranking republican and Barack Obama is a democrat. Most people expected him to endorse republican presidential nominee John McCain, who is also a close friend of Colin Powell’s. This move by Colin Powell throws a direct hit against the republican campaign for president, which is already losing influence among voters. Secretary of State Powell gave his reasons for endorsing Obama. In one interview he said, “I think we need a transformational figure. I think we need a president who is a generational change and that's why I'm supporting Barack Obama, not out of any lack of respect or admiration for Senator John McCain.”

Many staunch republicans are significantly unhappy about this endorsement by Colin Powell. As a high ranking official his endorsement of Obama fed the democratic presidential campaign substantially and made the Republican Party look undesirable. If a party’s most high ranked members are not even voting for its party nominee, then why would any sway voters feel inclined to do so. The Obama campaign has reeled in a big dog of the Republican Party.

Now some people have a different view on why Colin Powell decided to support Barack Obama. One of the most popular views is that on race. Some say that Republican Colin Powell endorsed Democrat Barack Obama because he is black, just like Colin Powell. When asked the question in an interview Colin Powell made clear that his decision was not based on race, but on quality. Colin Powell for the most part had the same reasons for endorsing Obama as many other people did. But I do not understand why he would make such a significant political move like endorsing a democrat for president.

It’s true that he could be telling the truth when he says he is voting for Barack for quality, but there are some things I cannot believe. I cannot believe that he would betray his party just like that; that is his clique. I know sometimes you have problems in the clique, but you work them out. You just don’t go to the other side, but you stay down with the clique through thick and thin. If he was a “real” republican he would like to see the republicans stay in power I believe. He would not do anything to hurt the party like he did. Colin Powell commented that he did not like John McCain’s views on the best way to run the Executive. I can believe him on that, but I don’t believe what John McCain was saying was all that bad to do something like give his “high ranking” support to a democrat for president. It would have been better if he would have just endorsed McCain because with Powell’s endorsement or not, Obama is still going to win. Thus, Colin Powell still would have seen Obama in office.

I don’t know why Colin Powell did what he did, but I think it was a irresponsible in relevance to the republican party.

Don't Play With Me

Friday, October 17, 2008

First off, all the main events in this trailer concern George Walker Bush, Jr. It seems like the main events from the trailer are Bush’s stint in college, his conflict with his father, and his stint as the president.

In college the cut scenes show Bush as a rambunctious teenager. We see scenes of Bush drinking and gambling, and dancing on tables with loose women. We also see him wreck a vehicle. I guess this event tells us that he had some wild and crazy college years. College years seemed to be pretty fun for George. We see that Bush is a really kind of chill guy in his younger age, and still is today. He seems like he doesn’t have too many problems and he is always in a pleasant mood.

The cut scenes also tend to focus on the conflict with Bush and his father, H.W. Bush. We see in one scene that Bush Jr. gets into a fight with H.W. Bush, showing that their relationship has some dysfunction. Bush Jr. also comments on how he cannot get out of his father’s light. Since his father has some status, people hold Bush Jr. up to high expectations than anyone else. We see that Bush Jr. has some pressure with being the son of a powerful man. A young Bush Jr. assures his buddies that he never plans to follow in his father’s footsteps while taking a swig.

His stint in the presidency focuses on his relationship mainly with his cabinet, specifically Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. We see that George gets counseling from Dick; I guess this implies that Dick is the real person in charge and George is just the front man. We see that he has some conflict with Donald over the war that they started together; it seems that George has a tendency to undermine Donald, and Donald doesn’t like it. This shows the dysfunction in the Bush White House during the war on terrorism. The war gets spotlighted much since it is a big chapter in the Bush presidency. We see many protests and stuff being blown up in the quick cut scenes.

That’s about it. As a sidenote this movie doesn’t seem too serious to me. It says it’s based on a true story, but it looks like another “pick on our dumb president” moment. I don’t think the producers of the film wanted to put much spotlight on main events in Bush’s life; it looks like they wanted to show his incompetence in a satirical way.

Peace.

Kamehameha!!!!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

In mostly everyone’s life we get bored of things like habits and hobbies over a certain time. We all can think of a habit or hobby that we used to do all the time, but for some reason we just dropped it.

One of my hobbies was watching Dragon Ball Z, The Japanese manga series that used to air on Cartoon Network. I used to watch this show religiously. I would not miss an episode of Dragon Ball Z for nothing, not even if Jesus came back from the dead. Jesus would have to wait thirty minutes till the show was over with me. I loved the stories of Dragon Ball Z; it was all about the adventure of the protagonists, like Goku, who would clash tremendously with the antagonists in an action-packed scene of fighting. Every time one thought the protagonist were going to lose out, the protagonist would overcome great odds to overcome the antagonist, and it would be so glorifying to see them come out on top. The fighting was the best part of the show, the showdown! Fighting was full of energy and nastiness, and violence was of its essence when watching Dragon Ball Z. There was no better conflict on television than that.

Now for some reason, one year I just stopped watching it. I think it was when I hit high school, but to tell the truth I don’t remember too much about the time when I stopped watching the series. I don’t know why I stopped; it’s like someone reached into my brain and took the interest of Dragon Ball Z out of my mind without me knowing it. I guess I did not like the series like I thought I did; I thought I would never get bored of Dragon Ball Z. If someone was to tell me that I would not be interested in Dragon Ball Z when I turn a certain age, I would have been like Nigga please. As of today I see that the show was just a fad of mine; it was something that I did for a while and just moved on to something else. I would have to say it is hard to predict what would be a fad of mine today. Two new habits that I have picked up recently are reading the newspaper and listening to smooth jazz. I enjoy doing both of these things just like I enjoyed watching Dragon Ball Z, but I necessarily don’t know if they are just fads. Will I still have these same habits say five or ten years from now? I may think yes today, but I am not so sure about the future. I thought I would always enjoy watching generic Hollywood films or drinking Sprite soda, but I don’t even do those anymore.

Right now I am either in the process of finding myself, or my life is just a big fad.

Must Love Dogs

Monday, October 13, 2008

You ask why Beverly Hills Chihuahua is the No. 1 movie in America. I have a few reasons why.

One reason kid movies fare better at the box office relative to other movies is because because of population. It is something about talking animals that perform bad rap lyrics that gets kids excited. The kid gets so excited that they beg their parents to go see the movie. Animation movies with animals, aliens, or objects that are not supposed to talk are a big hit. People from age 0-19 make up about 28% of the population, so kids make up a significant chunk. This means high volumes of ticket sales.

Another reason these movies are so big is because of fantasy. There are no talking dogs in the real world, or a yellow sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea, but if you go to a movie theater you will be able to see this. And think about this: if you are a small child that is just learning about the world, you are going to be interested in anything new that comes around. In the world a child primarily finds out the difference between animals and humans. The difference is that humans can talk, and animals can’t. When a child sees a talking animal on television that is going to be a thing of interest to that child. That child doesn’t experience many talking animals in his adolescent day, so he/she is excited to go see a talking animal at the movies. Also, I bet a good number of adults went to see the movie; adults who were not dragged to the screening by their children. People of the United States like fantasy. Think of the highest grossing movies since the 60s. A lot of them have been fanatical (Star Wars, Lord of The Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, E.T. the Extraterrestrial).

Music, reason number three. Every human likes music. I don’t care what culture you’re from, your people enjoy music. Kids enjoy music the most out of all of us, basically because it is relatively new to them. Every Disney/Pixar or any other animation movie has some music in it. Most people of the United States have a favorite song from a fanatical movie. One of my favorite songs is “Bear (Bare) Necessities” from Disney’s The Jungle Book. I loved that song, and still enjoy it today. It was cool to me back then to have a bear performing R&B. Today it is the same thing. We have an animal, the dog, performing Hip Hop. The main difference to me is that music was of better quality back in the day (the ‘60sJ). That rap performance by that dog seemed like the producers didn’t even try! That’s the best rhyme they can come up with?! I could have done better than that….(back on topic)

Music, fantasy, and kid population make this movie the No. 1 in the nation. Some people may look at this and say “Some people are easily entertained (code word for stupid).” That may be the case, but it is the society that we live in. I say if it is not effecting you directly or indirectly then do not worry about it; let people enjoy their bad rapping Chihuahuas. But if it is harming you, fight against it the best way you can or leave the country.

That’s all I got to say.

Colors

Friday, October 10, 2008

I am a fan of dark colors, and am not a fan of light colors except for the color white. I have mainly two theories on why I prefer dark colors over light colors. Those theories are heat and inconspicuousness.

I have always been a fan of heat. I like warm weather, and have a dislike for cold weather. In my Geography class I learned that darker colors absorb more insolation from the sun than do lighter colors. I believe this is a reason that I like darker colors so much, since they draw heat. I am a person that can enjoy an 80-95 degree day. I am even known to wear extra clothes on these days. I will wear a shirt over a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans on a 90 degree day. People ask me “Aren’t you hot?”, and I say “Yeah, and I’m enjoying it.” I am more prone to wear darker colors because they attract more heat. Lighter colors reflect significantly more insolation than they absorb, causing less heat to be produced.

If you read my previous posts you would know that I was a very shy person. I didn’t like to be noticed much so I was more prone to stay inconspicuous. It’s a fact that lighter colors attract more attention than darker ones. One will notice a person walking down the street in a bright orange shirt faster than they would notice a person wearing a dark orange shirt. So in order to stay out of the limelight I don’t wear the limelight colors, I wear the conservative colors. I don’t like to be an attention getter.

My two favorite dark colors are green and burgundy. The reason I like green so much is because it is the color of nature, and I have always liked nature for some reason. It also represents wealth to me, since it is the color of the American dollar, a dollar that many people love. Anything that is green I pretty much like: Green lima beans, garden peas, lemon lime Kool-Aid, Sprite, Publix Supermarket, Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham, trees & grass, green frosting on cake, etc.

The reason I like burgundy so much is because I’ve always compared burgundy to high-status. I feel like a Big Dog when I wear it, like I cannot be touched. I pretty much feel this way about it since it was considered a royal color in old Europe, since it is close to purple. Only the bourgeois were known to wear the colors of burgundy, purple, violet, or anything in between back in the days of monarchs. Burgundy is a recent favorite color of mine, and I’m probably going to wear it for a long time.

Spread of Ideas

Monday, October 6, 2008

It’s kind of amazing to me how ideas and customs used to get spread across the earth during the early years of human history; the years way before the World Wide Web. Most people know how the artist Soulja Boy became so big. He hooked up a myspace page, put his music on it, a lot of people liked his style. Those people e-mailed their friends about Soulja Boy. Thus, more people knew about Soulja Boy. Then those people e-mailed their friends that didn’t know about Soulja Boy, and even more people knew about Soulja Boy, and so on, and so on. He eventually caught the radar of some record labels, and now he is a big star. The same can go with Lil Wayne and his numerous mixtapes, which can be easily downloaded off the internet. The World Wide Web has made information, ideas and customs so quick to spread across the globe that we (humans) are able to be at our best. It was thousands of years ago that the people we call the Chinese were so mathematically advanced, that they could build navigation ships way better than any other society, and this led to Chinese economic prosperity. Other civilizations with less advanced ships could not learn from the Chinese because of the barriers in communication at the time. Some people didn’t even know about the Chinese civilization. Today, if China comes up with an innovative idea it can spread like wildfire through the web. Thanks to technological advance humans have touched every corner of the globe and are able to spread much information that have made others better off than they would have been. People are able to learn from America how to build an airplane, or can learn from Japan how to build a quality vehicle.

Ideas, information, customs, and habits that have been a part of a particular society for thousands of years have been brought to light for other societies by advances in communication. The gambling game of craps is one thing that comes to mind. No one necessarily knows where the game came from, but one story says that it is of Arab origin. The game was said to be played by the Arab crusaders during the Holy War, which was then passed on to the Europeans. The Arabic words 'al zar' or 'azzah' simply means “the dice.” The English were said to have played the game and called it “hazard”, which sounds like what the Arabs called it. It is said to have become very popular in Western Europe. The game would spread to the Americas and other places during the times of colonialism, where there were many advances in technology that led people to traveling to farther places, and spreading ideas. It would especially become big around the Mississippi delta in America, where the French ruled. The French gave the game a different name, which was Crabs. The English would change the name again to Craps. No one really knows how long the game was played in Arab Societies, but it is atleast known to have been around in the 1000s, which was a thousand years ago. Today, Craps is one of the most popular Casino games due to advances in communication and exploration.

Clean Getaway

Friday, October 3, 2008

I don’t have any interesting worst things that I have done; all of mine are small and insignificant. I truthfully haven’t done anything so stupid that I would regret it. I don’t do stupid things because that’s not the type of person I am. I am the type of person that thinks before I act. Thinking before I act has prevented me from doing stupid things that I would regret and be able to write about in a blog for my English 1102 class. In this case I will write about the worst insignificant thing I have ever done.

When I was around seven years old I stole a six-pack of Now-And-Later candy from a convenience store; it costs was a nickel plus tax. As the title suggests it was a clean getaway. I remember it was the lime green flavor, my favorite. I was in the store with my mama, for she had stopped to play her daily lottery. While she was putting her numbers in I was browsing the store, preferably the candy aisle. When I saw the Now-And-Later candy I wanted it right then, more than any other candy. But I didn’t have any money, and my mama already told me she wasn’t buying me a damn thing before we left the house. I knew not to ask her for anything, unless I wanted to be reprimanded (not in a formal way) in front of the people in the store. So I bucked on that plan, and stood there for a while thinking of a way that I could get the candy. My mother was wrapping up playing her numbers and we were about to leave. I had to think of something quick, but the only option I had at the time was steal the candy. I didn’t want to do it but as the cliché goes, hard times call for desperate measures. I was still in the candy aisle under heavy tension when my mother called for me as she was walking out the door. When she called the third or fourth time I just said “fuck it!”, and I took the candy. I nervously walked out the door pass the store clerk with the candy in my pocket, thinking about the beating I would get from my mama if I was caught by the store clerk. Luckily no alarms went off and the clerk did not stop me. I got my candy.

When I got home I ran into my room and ate the candy cautiously, making sure my mother or my siblings didn’t come in and see me with it. If my siblings saw me with it they would tell, because they knew mama would not have bought me anything unless she bought something for them also. After I finished the candy, I actually felt bad about taking it. I started to think about how the clerk would feel if she knew that I stole from her. I wouldn’t want anyone stealing from me, but I just committed the act. I felt so guilty about it that I told my mother a few days later about the crime that I committed. I didn’t tell her right then and there because I would have got a beating (I didn’t feel that guilty). She just reprimanded me (this time in a formal way) for a short while and told me I should never do it again; and that I did. From then on I never stole anything again, and never had any other relative urge to steal. I always thought about the effects of my actions from then on.

Roo Pooh

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

I watched the debate, and I do not even remember too much of it. This is the reason in class that I was against watching the debate. I do not like to watch “roo pooh.” What is roo pooh? Roo pooh is any trifling mess. Examples of roo pooh are The Maury Show, The O’Reilly Factor, any reality show on VH1 or MTV, a presidential debate. There is no reason for a debate but for someone to get some money off of it, and to see who the best debater is. What does it mean to be a good debater? It means you can beat someone in an argument. It doesn’t show anything about how this person is going to handle the job of president. It shows that the person can win a gold painted plastic trophy for a high school debate team.

The only thing Obama and McCain tried to do in the debate is make each other look bad. That’s what it looked like to me. All I heard was “because of my opponents policy, this is going to happen, then this is going to happen, then the middle class is going to be hit hard, then humpty dumpty is going to fall of the wall, then Oprah is going to start smoking crack, then Hitler is going to come back from the dead, then Brad & Angelina won’t adopt anymore colored babies, all because of my opponents policy.” It was a lot of slippery slope to me from what I can remember. The topics didn’t matter; it was more of a competition of “my policy is better than your policy.”

The only thing I can really remember is this one part when they were talking about foreign policy with Iran. Obama was talking about something about how he is going to sit down with Iran and talk things over, blah blah blah. Then McCain said something like “So Iran is going to tell us they are going to nuke Israel, and we are going to say ‘No you are not’.” I am on Obama’s side when it comes to foreign policy in the Middle East. I think we need negotiation, and less strife. McCain looks like he is just more prone to start some trouble. I guess he thinks the Iranian government will not listen to what we have to say (and they may not), but it’s better to try to solve a problem as peacefully as possible.

Another thing that I can remember they argued about was taxes. McCain said if we lower taxes for business owners, more businesses will be able to start up, creating more jobs for people, and low taxes on businesses is why Ireland is doing so well, blah blah blah. Obama talked about how McCain wants to cut taxes for the already rich, blah blah blah. McCain said Obama’s policies will raise taxes and it will affect the middle class, blah blah blah. Obama talked about how his plans will not raise taxes on the middle class, and how the wealthy should be taxed more, blah blah blah. Me personally, I think taxes should be raised; so I think they are both wrong.

That’s all I got on the debate. Until the next blog…. (hopefully it’s better than this one)

Chris Rock

Monday, September 29, 2008

Chris Rock just had a new HBO special that came out titled Kill The Messenger. It aired on HBO Saturday, September 27, 2008. I love Chris Rock; he is my favorite comedian. So I was excited when I first heard of the new special. There was one main problem though: I don’t have HBO!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! “Calm down Melvin, stop crying,” is what I told myself. I will just have to be content with seeing it when it comes out on DVD (ugh!!). “Cool, I can wait.” So as of now I am patiently waiting for the release and passing up any bootleg, because it is Chris Rock. I would not dare bootleg Chris Rock because he deserves everything that he has. He is just that good of a comedian.

The best thing about Chris Rock is that all his jokes are true to life, and he makes them funny. That is some of the best stand up. Comedians that come up with the outlandish and fanciful jokes are funny also, but when you can really relate to a joke, that is what makes it great. None of us can actually speak to animals, which is a fanciful technique that many comedians have applied to their set. But we can really relate to when Chris Rock talks about racism, relationships, and politics, because that is our life. Chris Rocks’ comedy set speaks on reality, on how we live our lives day in and day out, on the way of the world in the present. He manages to take the most simple to the most taboo topics and make it funny. “Keepin It Real” is a good phrase to describe Chris Rock’s comedy. He is like that guy who stands outside a convenience store, barbershop, or wherever else black people congregate, and speaks on issues that fire up some of the most interesting and insightful arguments one may experience. Chris Rocks’ comedy is an eye opener. While watching Chris Rock one is laughing, but also one pauses a moment and really thinks about what Chris said. His comedy speaks the truth on society’s good and bad. It will have you asking yourself questions; either questions about the world around you, or maybe even of yourself. “Is this right, is that right? What is the real source of this problem?” Anything that gets one to thinking is a good. That is why I support Chris Rock in everything he does (yes, I have seen Pootie Tang LOL). He is insightful. He’s not like many (especially black) comedians that just use profanity and gross subject matter to get laughs. He is unique in his way and that is why I thug with him.

American Poor

Friday, September 26, 2008

I do have my essay topic in mind, but I do not want to spoil it on this blog. Therefore, I will write about the topic that didn’t make the cut.

One personal event I was contemplating writing about was living below the poverty level. I was going to talk about how my family was considered poor because we were below the poverty level, but I never felt the way I grew up should be described as poor. Some poor people in the U.S. describe poverty here like it’s the worst situation one could be in. I was going to talk about how the poor of the United States got it good compared to the poor of other places like South Asia or Sub-Saharan Africa. Compared to the poor in those areas we are the wealthy, and we have way more opportunities than other poor people across the world. If you are poor in the U.S. they should not describe your situation with the word poverty. They should call it something like “resource-challenged” or “American poor”; those would be better ways to describe it. If you have a house with running water and electricity, you will be considered wealthy in many poor countries across the globe. Many poor people in the United States have running water and electricity. By international standards the majority of the people in the United States are wealthy.

My main thesis: some poor people need to be happy with what they got, and do not fret too much about being poor in the United States; it’s not the end of the world. Our culture can make people feel less than a person because of what they don’t have. The rich and the wealthy are the most admired and have the most desirable lives. The poor are ultimately looked down upon. This culture of ours can restrict many poor from seeing that most of us have a pretty good situation. This also feeds in to many of our social problems like crime and depression. Most crimes in the United States are committed by people who are trying to get more money: robbery, burglary, racketeering, drug dealing, murder, money laundering, and fraud; all committed for the almighty dollar. If a society looks down upon you because of what you do not have, it can make one feel depressed. One may turn to drugs to ease this depression, or may decide to cause harm to others because of their depression (domestic violence, aggravated assault, child abuse, murder, etc). If more people were content with their economic situation in the United States, crime and depression would be significantly lower; but many people let the culture push them to the brink. Everyone is competing against everyone to make the most money, but the truth is everyone cannot be “El Hefe” (The Boss). Only a few can actually be wealthy, and this drives the unruly competition of monetary gain in the United States. Our culture encourages people to employ illegal means for monetary gain because it puts a lot of emphasis on making money, and does not put hardly any emphasis on making that money the legal way. If the only thing one cares about is making money, they are sure to ignore any negative externalities that they can create.

I'ma Play The Game How It Goes

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

It makes me feel nothing about the future. It just lets me know that the United States is creating more enemies. Now with these new enemies, there is likely going to be more problems; mainly more problems with foreign relations. Many people would look at this and say that it will cause more problems with foreign terrorism. Some people likely will fear the thought of more terrorist acts on the country, but I do not. My ideology as of now is “if it happens, it happens.” It is true that America’s foreign policy when it comes to the Middle East is making the problem of foreign terrorism worse. Imperialistic is a good word to describe America’s relationship with Iraq and Afghanistan. You come in to a country, blow things up, tell people what to do, take people captive, your employees do not treat them right, they get even madder at you. Now it is just not one group of people mad at you (Osama and his clique), you got a whole nation of people mad at you. You got people mad at you that didn’t have anything to do with 9/11. You have created more enemies trying to catch one. America is messing up, simple as that. I’m not going to be surprised if some foreigners perform an act of terrorism. I’m not going to be surprised if a citizen of the United States performs an act of terrorism. I may be surprised if nothing happens.

I enjoy the life that I live here in The United States of America. I love that I am protected by the most powerful national defense in the world, I enjoy the prosperous economy that America has, I enjoy the fact that citizens can attend primary school for free, and there are many other things that I enjoy. America overall has been good to me. Now if an act of terrorism were to happen to interfere with the life that I enjoy in America, I would understand. I understand what the source is of that terrorist act. So, if that event ever occurs I am going to play the game how it goes, and that will be the end of it. As of now I am not worried that some terrorist act is going to be committed in some major U.S. city. I am not worried that there are people in the Middle East screaming “Death to America” and plotting on us as I type this.

Whatever happens happens. The future of the United States is in jeopardy, but I do not care. I could always move to a new location just like the Irish people in the 1840s, just like the Italians at the turn of the century. That is what I would do if the future of America looked really dim, move to another location. Fortunately for me the future doesn’t look that dim. So I’m chillin’.

Exploration of the Yuppie

Monday, September 22, 2008

First of all, I am already familiar with the site. The first time I discovered it I thought it was one of the funniest sites I have ever explored. There is nothing bad about the site to me. The author seems to be satirizing the (Y)oung (U)rban (P)rofessional, or the Yup/ Yuppie. A better name for the sight would be “Stuff Yuppies Like”, but “Stuff White People Like” attracts a larger audience. More people know what a white person is than a yuppie.

The site is so hilarious because a lot of what the author talks about is true. This site hits on many stereotypes of Yuppie white people. Now stereotypes are hasty generalizations, because all white people cannot be described in the way the author is describing them. However, most stereotypes have to be true to some extent for it to even be a credible stereotype. For example: “Black people like Chicken.” I am sure that not all black people like chicken. But if anyone has ever been to some event where there was food, a substantial amount of black people, and there was chicken (especially fried) being served, I can guess that the chicken was one of the first food items to be gone. It just so happens (for some reason only god knows) that a large number of black people like chicken. And it just so happens that a large number of white people (or yuppies) drink Starbucks coffee, like to ride bikes, drive a Prius, shop at Whole Foods or Trader Joes, and like to watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report on Comedy Central. I have ran across these white people with the funky bumper stickers, the recycler, the person who only drinks bottled water, the over-analyzers, the parent-haters, and reading this site reminded me of those people.

Yes, some of the posts can be outrageous and stupid, but it is all in good fun. I don’t know too many people who would be offended by this site, especially white people. I bet that white people are the ones that are giving this site most of its hits. If one likes to laugh at stereotypes and doesn’t take it seriously than this is an entertaining site; I can laugh at this. As a black person, I wouldn’t be offended if there was a site called “Stuff Black People Like.” I bet that site would be pretty funny, and I got a list of some things black people like.

1. Picking on white people at comedy shows

2. Bill Clinton

3. Shrimp Fried Rice

4. Talking about trifling black people

5. Moving to Atlanta

6. Dressing up on Easter Sunday

7. Fried Chicken (Yeah, I said it!)

8. Telling it like it is

9. Talking shit about white people

10. Government jobs

11. Playing music at every single event

12. Powerful gospel songs

I Ain't With That Foolishness

Friday, September 19, 2008

When someone asks me about how I am doing, I usually say one of two things. Either I say “Good, like always” or “I have nothing to complain about.”

Whenever I say “Good, like always”, that usually means I am stress free at the time, or I am at my average stress level. My guiding principle for life is to live stress free for as long a duration as possible. Whenever I am making a decision or am faced with a choice, I always ask myself how much stress this decision or choice is going to bring me versus other decisions or choices. For example, if I have an essay to write I could either finish it at the last minute, or start on it early. If I decide to write it at the last minute, then I would be scrambling to find sources and look up information on the topic, and scrambling to structure and put together ideas for this essay. Doing all that in a short amount of time will lead to a lot of stress. However, if I start early I will have more time to find info on the topic and more time to structure it right and put together my ideas, thus causing less stress. Writing an essay is stressful for me, but the idea is to create as less stress as possible while I am doing it. It’s all about which decision or choice will create the least amount of stress. Not too many people in this world can live completely stress free, but we as people can do our best to keep our stress level as low as possible, and that involves making good decisions and choices.

Whenever I say “I have nothing to complain about”, that usually means my stress level is a little above average as of now. An average stress level can be defined as the amount of stress that one can handle without going “Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs.” Taking care of your kids or writing an essay can be stressful, but if one can handle it well I would say they were at their average stress level. Whenever I am a little above average stress level I am in more stress than I would like to be in. But I always think about how the situation could be worse so I usually suck it up, try not to complain, and work on getting my stress level back down to average. I believe a person should let their stress level get only so much above average. If your stress level gets way up there then let it go, because it can be harmful. Do not let your children raise your stress level so much that you want to pick up a frying pan and buss them in their head; just send them over to your mama’s house. She will understand because she had the same problem with you when you were a child. Your mama had a decision to make on whether to buss you in the head with a frying pan, or send you to grandma’s house. Thank god for you that she made the decision that caused less stress. If she had hit you with the frying pan she would probably be dealing with doctor bills or the judicial system, thus putting more stress on her person.

Luckily for me I use the phrase “Good, like always” more than I use “I have nothing to complain about”. The main reason is because I make good decisions and choices that cause the least amount of stress.

Go Get You Some Money!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

What does this say about the disparity between rich and poor? It basically says that there is a disparity.

This phrase is hella cliché and it pains me to use it now, because I get so tired of hearing it. (Big sigh) Here goes: the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. Wealth is becoming more concentrated basically. Now if you are referring to the disparities between rich and poor in a wealthy nation like the United Kingdom, then it says something different about the disparity. You have rich and poor in the United Kingdom, but I bet the poor in the UK live a whole lot better than the poor in Burundi. If you are talking about the disparity between rich and poor internationally, then that scale is large. When I think of disparities I usually think internationally, not domestically. My family lives below the United States poverty level, but I never felt that the way I grew up should be considered as “poor.” The only difference I saw and still see in wealthier people of the United States is that they have more stuff than I do. I necessarily did not see that as a disparity because I always had enough of what I needed, and even more.

As we can see in the news story, money is not being reallocated to the middle class or poor; it is being reallocated from the wealthy to the wealthy. Damien Hirst was already a wealthy man before the auction, now he is wealthier. He received his money from other wealthy people, and he is going to spend the bulk of his earnings in a way that it gets reallocated back to the wealthy. That is how it goes in a capitalist economy. You have thousands of employees, but only a few business owners who get the big slice. Why does the business owner get the big slice? Because it is their business, they started it, and if it was not for them the employee would not have a job. The employee gets a smaller slice because he/she is a small part of the enterprise. So when Damien Hirst goes to the grocery store, the bulk of the money he is spending is going to the grocery store owner, and the cashier that is ringing up the groceries is getting a smaller slice. As economic growth occurs, usually the number of employees a business has grows, but there is still only one boss. Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-mart Stores Inc., built his first Wal-mart down in Arkansas. When his company was small he had a few employees. As his business grew he had to hire more cashiers, stock persons, truck drivers to move the products; he had to build distribution centers and people got employed there. He had to hire regional managers to handle the estimated 3800 stores he has around the United States. Sam’s individual wealth grew way more than many of his employee’s individual wealth combined. I am pretty certain that a substantial amount of people who bought at the auction were wealthy business owners. The owner of the grocery store where Damien Hirst buys his groceries may even have been there. If that was the case Damien got all his money back plus extra for all those loathes of bread he’s bought. LOL

Much of the money being made today is not reallocated to the poor/middle class. Philanthropy and government spending (taxes) are some of the primary ways of reallocating wealth, but they are not too effective as of now. I would say that the rich are holding more wealth than they are giving out, and government spending cannot solve all the disparity problems even though it is a good method.

Ultimately this story shows the rich are not affected as much monetarily during hard times as the poor/middle class.