Beggin' Pagans

 I love Halloween.
No, not because I'm into Santeria, Voodoo or (intentionally) Paganism - I just like to give out the "Big Candy" to kids.
I like to play tricks on my little cousins to scare them.
As a kid, we always knew the 'good house'.
Mine was not one, my parents gave out those little fun size candies.

I know my Halloween practices scream 'classism' - but too bad.
I live in a fairly good neighborhood.
Most houses are built and inherited while few are bought and sold.
Most neighbors give out bags of candy - not just handfuls of nasty candy corn, Dum-Dums, Tootsie Rolls or Mary Janes.

I give out three classes of bags;
Neighborhood Kids - 2 large candy bars and/or bags of Skittles, 6 fun size bars and 6 small (Nerds, Skittles and/or Starburst)
Kids I Know - 4 large candy bars and/or bags of Skittles, 10 fun size bars and 10 small
Adults and 'The Caravan' (Kids from other neighborhoods who travel across town to Trick-or-Treat in our neighborhood) - 1 large candy bar and six small.
Is this classist? Sure.
Is it fair? Yep, everyone gets more than they expected so they leave happy.

But how can I tell the difference?
Kids from my neighborhood are all Black and come out early.
Kids from other neighborhoods come later and are from all races.
Times must be hard.
When I was a kid, we thought we had to stay in the "White Neighborhood" to get the best candy.
Now, I have just as many white kids walking my all Black neighborhood as I do Blacks or Asians or Hispanics.


Twenty-three.
This year I had twenty-three adults show up at the crib begging for candy.
(After 12 - it's not Trick-or-Treating, it's begging.)
I'm not talking about high school kids making a late run to scoop up the leftovers - I'm talking about thirty, forty and fifty years olds holding out WalMart bags begging for candy.

Like 16:1-8

Having, myself, lived through the hood, gang fights, riots, natural disasters, police raids and the like - why is it important NOT to remove oneself from the people?
Having become too soft to dig and too proud to beg - of what use would most Americans be when our imagined Utopias become Dystopic?
Having become so dependent on technologies - what would most of us do when these niceties are no longer readily available?
In a world where lessons learned from past experiences, imagination and adaptability are the true tests of knowledge - of what use are esoteric philosophies?

The Biggest Fear

If Elegba were to show up in Valhalla, the self serving gods would quake.
"How could one as clever as he dwell among the greats?", they would ask.
But Edshu would not fear,
he would not be impressed,
he would not bow down - for he is a deity as well.

The Cross

 The Cross has been used as a religious and political symbol by many for centuries.
But what is the meaning behind such imagery?

 The Eastern crosses seem to possess a sort of fractal-like quality.
They seem to resemble an outgrowth of another cross from the foundation of the primary cross.

These crosses seem to symbolize more than just a church.

 These crosses seem to have some sort of esoteric meaning behind their design and usage.

 From the Rosicrucians we get the Rose cross.
These men thought of themselves as keepers of the light.
Judging by their association with Lutherism, Freemasonry and other esoteric beliefs - maybe they were.

There is a belief that if one converts from the Eastern Church to Catholicism, he will become a vampire.
If those from the East are truly the keepers of the true faith, what does that say about those who are ruled by the New Rome of the West and it's teachings?
While the vampire idea may seem silly at first - what would we call the Western philosophy that teaches one group should conquer another and then suck the livelihood from that culture?
Hasn't Roman-influenced Colonialism been a form of Vampirism?
Aren't our current political and economic practices forms of Vampirism?
Maybe the Vampire stories were meant as allegories warning us to stay away from the Western school of thought.
Maybe many of us cannot help it that we consume so much that we will eventually use up all of our resources.
Maybe, being from the West, it's just in our DNA.

Benefit

Generally speaking, more efficiency leads to a bigger benefit.
But this is not always the case.
The ability to provide cheaper food, merchandise and services seems to be the only goal of those who really run the country.
But at what expense?
In many areas, it is cheaper to manufacture products overseas, import food from other countries, and outsource call centers to foreign countries.
Sure, we get these things at a lower price but at what cost?
With fewer Americans employed - who will be able to purchase them?

Stop Lying

Just type in "(fill in your pastor's name)" and "Scandal" - does your pastor's name come up?
If so, you may belong to the wrong church.

Is your ass broke while your pastor rides in a Bentley sedan or a Gulfstream jet?
Well, that "Name It and Claim It" shit is not Biblical.
Chances are that your pastor read "The Secret", is a member of Scientology or used to follow Werner Erhard and his Est teachings.
You also need to find a better church.

When pastors start preaching the same philosophies of the banking industry - you're in serious trouble.
When church leaders begin to act the same way as those they are supposed to correct - you're in serious trouble.
When your church membership is predicated on popularity - maybe it's time for your church to grow up.
When your church leaders begin to have the same values as the secular world - you may as well convert to the Eastern Orthodox church.
The sooner you start to hold your 'most respected leaders' accountable, the better off you will be.
The sooner you stop making excuses for your leadership - the sooner you will take control back from these used car salesmen,
C,mon... it's not that hard.
Chances are that members of your church are no better than those who don't even believe in God.
Just stop lying and start to do what you know is right.

Stop Lying

 This is how a woman should wear red.

 Not this.
I'm tired of all these 'big-boned' women hating on fit women who are actually attractive.
I'm sick of all these women trying to change the rules for the worse instead of trying to change themselves for the better.

 If you're not fit and attractive (by society's standards) - develop other attributes.
Why waste your days trying to be something you're not?
Sure, you could lose weight - but don't get mad when a guy tells you that you are too big for his tastes.
Society has it's standards and most people would prefer to have a thick juicy steak to a bucket of lard made from fat.
(Notice how "thick" and "fat" are not the same thing? Thick= Meat - Fat=Fat)

What Happened To Black Men?

 While I'm getting pretty tired of the trifling mothers of the kids with which I deal - I'm not sure that with them is where the majority of the blame lies when it comes to young Black children.
As many of my young cousins and their friends are getting older, most now have girlfriends.
It seems that these young ladies have just as poor role models as do our boys.
Not only do I have young men seeking my advice, many now have young ladies in tow seeking advice,help or direction.

But these girls seem to have it together.
Most have jobs, are in school and none have police records.
But why are they with these scrubs?
Why do they take the place of these boys' mothers in mothering them?
Have their mothers taught them to be enablers by example?
Why do these young ladies feel as though they are to be mistreated and used by boys who lack an education, skills, and in many cases, ambition?
When did it become acceptable for young boys to act as pimps to their ho's instead of protectors of their partners?
When did these young women lose their self worth?

One of the Jazz, R&B and Zydeco clubs I run is right next door to a larger young adult oriented club.
The young girls at the younger club dress like hookers.
Many of the older men from the Jazz club stand outside and ogle the young ladies as they make their way through the parking lot to the club.

But this is some sad, sick and  sorry shit.
These young ladies are young enough to be their daughters.
These young ladies are supposed to be valued and protected by those from an older generation - not gawked at like a plate of links and ribs by these old fat men.
If these 'respected' men of the community treat young women like hookers and ho's - how are these women supposed to act?
If these men teach their sons - what are their sons supposed to think about women.
More than forty years ago, Malcolm X gave instructions on the treatment of women.
But even today, few listen.

I must look young for my age.
I still get hit on by young women who are just entering adulthood.
"How does yo' mama look?", I ask in a polite declining manner.
Why do so many "self-aware' men still look at young women as something to hit (figuratively and literally)?
When did young women start to believe that's all they were?
Why don't more men get involved in mentoring these young women?
Or are too many men not to be trusted around young women who are not their own daughters?
If this is the case - maybe many Black men from this perverse generation need to be in prison.

SFW!

11164.05 ^ Dow Jones today.
7949 Dow Jones on Obama's inauguration day.
It amazes that people still measure the economy based on the money large financial institutions bet on any given day.
The stock,market is doing better now than when Obama was sworn into office.
But are you doing better?
 Is your house in foreclosure,
have you lost your job,
 do you have more debt?
These are the real indicators of the economy - not what happens among the elite.
Which is better - a town with one billionaire and thousands of people living in squalor?
Or a town with at least five hundred millionaires and a bunch of middle class citizens?
The financial performance of the rich is not a good measure of the economy.
The well being of the masses is.

(LET THE CURRENT BANKING SYSTEN FAIL... AGAIN!)

Would You Choose Death?

I have friends who are/were paralyzed, have AIDS, have/had Cancer..., whatever the ailment or condition, I seem to know someone who has/had it.
While reading Desertflower's ( http://mylifeasalatinwoman.blogspot.com ) posts about her Cancer treatments, I had to ask, "Is it worth it?".
I recently had a neighbor die from Cancer after years of treatment.
This woman had gone through years of treatment only to die with a year of her being 'cured'.
Wouldn't this woman have been better off enjoying the last years of her life instead of suffering through the majority of them?
Couldn't her time spent in clinics, hospitals and treatment centers been better used to build positive memories with her friends family?
Couldn't the money spent been better used for family vacations?
I know that most people will do anything to increase their lifespan - but what if the price was your quality of life?

Juxtaposition

 Working at clubs for such a long time, I've become disinterested in women who dress like hookers.
I see the look so much that I associate this style with being a silly and drunken trollop.

 My preference is for women who dress more conservatively.

But I never notice conservative and basic flats on a woman.

 What will always catch my eye is a very high heel, or an avant garde design.

 The more 'hooker' the better.

 Even if done conservatively, the 'hooker' look is always sexy.

 Even if the look is more urban than urbane - I love high heels on a woman.

 Even though I've been through my stage of dating/doing strippers - I still like the look of their shoes.

(most of these images were jacked from; http://the-rosenrot.blogspot.com/ )

Val ( http://commentarybyval.blogspot.com/ ) said that she liked these shoes.

My comment that I liked 'hooker' shoes seemed to get the side-eye.

I'm sure there are some influences from my youth which direct my preferences.

But I have no idea what these could be.

All I know is that I like 'Hooker Boots". 

When Smokey Said...

 "You got knocked the fuck out!", he could have been talking about Brock Lesner.
To be honest - that big ass Viking would knock most of us out.

 But Cain (Brown Pride) Velasquez shocked the more massive Lesner in a first round TKO.
(I guess bigger isn't always better.)

Sure, Cain's tattoo could be thought of as being racist, but so could Brock's Viking themed tats.
(Is that a penis pointing to Brock's mouth or a sword?)
Yeah... Brock will probably will any rematch and all will be well again within the Aryan Brotherhood.

Bigger Is Not Better

 There was once a time when we struggled to feed ourselves.
This problem was largely solved by becoming more efficient producers of food.
But we have become too good at 'solving' this problem.
In an effort to cut costs while raising inventory - we now have a country filled with many overfed but undernourished citizens.

 Yet, this is not a problem - we have medicines for that.
Medicine was once only used to treat that which the body could not.
But then Big Pharma caught on to the concept of being 'better than nature' and cheaper too.
We now have many medications that cause more problems than they solve.

 But not to worry.
The populace would not care if they were slowly being killed off as long as they were entertained.
Surely the arts were the realm of the individual.
But how does one get his vision out to the masses?
Media companies have become so consolidated that one product is indiscernible from that of a 'competing' corporation.
How can six corporations control 94% of the media?

But things will be alright - we have our government to look out for us.
From the time of Washington until Ike - Presidents were often men who had placed their own lives at risk while defending their country.
But then party consultants noticed how an inexperienced, yet telegenic, JFK could beat Nixon for the Presidency.
The new tactic would be to present an image more than a message.

 In a land which claims individual rights as being paramount - when did we shift from men of character running the country to manufactured Manchurian Candidates running the country?
When did we begin to believe that "Bigger is Better"?
Didn't we already experience the failure of this concept with our recent bailouts of the "Too Big To Fail" auto industry and banks?

Newer DOES NOT Equal Better

 I know, I know...
I sound like an old curmudgeon talking about how things were better back in my day.
Just because something is new does not mean that it should be immediately discounted.
But just because something is new, this does not necessarily represent any real or measurable progress.
Picasso was disregarded as a serious artist because he failed to follow any established rules.
But today, he is considered by many to have been a master.
The most innovative art seems to be graffiti.
While still not considered as being 'real art' by many purists - there is some fine work to be found on many city walls, trains, or empty space.
But the freshness of a child's drawing should not be confused with masterworks.
Sure, this is good considering that it was done by a young child.
But it can't be said to be on the same level of those works which came before.

The same concept could be used for music.
Back in the day, groups like Public Enemy, Gangstarr, Eric B. and Rakim, etc. broke away from preconceived notions of what was considered to be music at the time.
But these groups played their parts and were then replaced by newer song smiths like Lupe Fiasco.
Today, a bunch of simple sing-song rhymes by rappers like Lil' Wayne, Lil' B. or Lil' (Something...) are passed off as being great works of art.
Sure, these tunes may be catchy and danceable - but how many will be remembered five, ten or twenty years from now? (Okay... 5, 10, or 20 weeks from now?)
Now, I could pretend to like a lot of the newer commercial stuff in an attempt to appear socially relevant,
but why lie?
I'm not hating because these songs are new.
I'm hating because these songs suck!

vampiros

 Deviants! Whores! Vampires!

 Anyone else come to mind?

Who else is in bed with others who themselves suck the lifeblood from the country?

dia de los muertes

 Who would we call for help if we had a country overrun by mindless half dead followers?

 What if they were mindless half dead Obama supporters?

Or mindless half dead Tea Party members?

antichrist

 It is said that the world will come to an end when the Antichrist takes power.

 Maybe this is why some on the left despise Sarah Palin,

or why some on the right fear Obama.

Una Bruja

 Democrat Nancy Pelosi has been fighting the title for years.

Now the Tea Party backed Christine O'Donnel represents the Left's version of a witch.