The Next Step

Damn...
I was surprised that the NFL owners decided against Rush Limbaugh and his partners being owners of the St. Louis Rams.
I didn't know the owners were moral.
I thought their collective thought revolved solely around money.

But what happened?
Other than Mercury Morris and Steven Smith sounding as though they were reciting Malcolm X's "What's the matter boss, we sick" soliloquy - many athletes and owners were repulsed by comments made by Limbaugh that were less than favorable towards 70% of the league.

It's almost refreshing to see that there are people who are motivated by principle more than money.
Everyone has heard the joke about the man who asked the woman whether she'd have sex with him for a million dollars.
Well... Mercury Morris and Steven Jackson are the prostitutes, and now we know their prices.

But can this mentality translate to the streets?
Can we Blacks boot politicians from our local areas who have shown a history of not having the best interests of their constituents at heart?
What about if they are Black?
Can we take back control of our neighborhoods from those who would do us harm?
What about if those doing harm were Black dealers and felons?

Many Blacks love to see a Black person in a position of perceived power, even if that person's only motivation is the advancement of himself.
The lesson from the Limbaugh experience has to be that we will no longer settle for money (or entitlements) if those giving these benefits are only trying to advance themselves.
Maybe we need to demand (or expect) more from our leaders too.
Maybe the Limbaugh experience in one of those "teachable moments" that brings to light the fact that there are some people who we don't wish to serve - regardless of what they pay.

Mixed Results In Sports

This scarlet letter has nothing to do with Hester Pryne - although even she had a better outcome than did the The Angels of Los Angeles at Anaheim.
Down 2-0 to the Yankees?
At Least the Dodgers are are tied with the Phillies.

But all is not bad in L.A. for area sports fans.
1 Florida beat Arkansas - Damn... maybe Alabama can knock off the Gators.
2 Alabama beat South Carolina - Damn... maybe Alabama can knock of the Gators.
3 Texas beat Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout - but unconvincingly and without Sam Bradford playing a full game for the Sooners.
4 Va Tech had their usual choke, this time against Georgia Tech.
*5 USC handled Notre Dame. It really shouldn't have been that close. Unlike slow starting (but strong finishing) teams from the past, this year's team seems to start fast then fizzle.
5 Boise State beat Tulsa.

Why the asterisk for USC?
Because the Trojans are number 5 in the USA Today poll while Boise State is number 5 in the AP poll.
Because few people would want to see Boise St. in the Championship game (Their inclusion in the BSC series is seen as a big enough consolation prize), USC gets the nod as the most likely contender.
If the Trojans win out, Texas chokes in their conference championship game, and either Alabama or Florida beats the other - USC at the Rose Bowl for the title.

4th or 5th Dimension

If a hologram can store 3-D information on a 2-D surface....

Would the addition of a Sixth Sense fluid interface system enable us three dimensional people to store information of a fourth or fifth dimension?

If we could live beyond the fourth (time) dimension - could time travel ever be possible?

Two Faced

Recently, one of my young cousins commented that she could tell when I was mad and when I was just playing by which side of my face I'd show while picking on them.
She told me that I'd look to the right (Her right or mine?) when I was mad, but to the left when I was faking it.

Maybe she was right - I never noticed.

But her observation reminded me of the Noh Mask performances of classical Japanese dramas.

Since most people have asymmetrical faces, are most of us somewhat two-faced?

Are those that are perceived as more healthy because of their symmetry (brought about by exposure to testosterone and oestrogen during development) better able to lie or worse?

Sactuary Cities

The Bible lists at least six sanctuary cities (or cities of refuge); Golan, Ramoth, Bosor, Kedesh, Shechem and Hebron.
But why even have such cities?
Why were people given the opportunity to flee from the rule of law?

I was at another site whose host claimed that all laws were absolute and that there was no room for interpretation or leniency.
Other site hosts are of the opinion that we should "Stop Snithin'".
But there has to be a more equitable form of justice somewhere between the lawless street justice beliefs of the "Stop Snitchin'" clique and the "Break the Law -Go to Jail" beliefs of many on the right.

I'm a firm believer in Lex Rex (The Law is King).
IMO; If you break the law, you should be punished (or corrected) accordingly.
But what happens when justice isn't administered in a fair and equal manner?
What happens when one group is convicted more frequently and punished more severely?

This is why we have the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution.
This amendment attempts to guarantee the fair prosecution of accused criminals and a fair administering of punishment.
Is excessive punishment for one or more minority groups "cruel and unusual" if it isn't applied to another majority group?

Most people who favor a strict adherence to to law have never been beyond the sheltered walls of their limited experiences.
Most of these people will suffer the fate of those who attempted to throw stones at the harlot.
Most of these people will be judged as they have judged others.
Most of these people have never had to make a choice between doing what is legal and doing what is right.

(The following is a re-telling of a story I heard and should not be taken as evidence of any actual event or persons committing any crime.)
I once heard of a guy who returned from a night out with his boys to discover the cold dead body of the brother of a local dealer slumped over in the seat of his car.
It seemed that the dealer's brother had been shot earlier in the evening and he had been expired for a few hours in the dealers garage.
I don't like the whole Street-Pharma industry, but these guys were the better option to the less thoughtful group who would take their place.
These guys were less violent and careless in their actions.

These two brothers were locally known felons who had a reputation for violent behavior.
The older (now dead bother) was a bit of a hot-head who would act before thinking.
The still living brother would often warn his brother that he should stop creating more problems than he solved or else he would have to punish him himself.
His actions would often lead to problems for the brother's business relationships.
This night was no different.

The dead brother had a thing for the daughter of an Asian woman who ran an illegal business out of their family's corner store.
The dead brother had been warned not to involve this daughter in any of her family's dealings.
But this brother persisted.
He would often boast of his ability to do as he wished and took little heed of the warnings given by the girl's brothers or those from his own brother.

But this night - the girl's brothers saw their sister in the car of the dead brother as he was conducting his usual business.
The girl's brothers waited until their sister was safely home before opening fire on the dead brother's car as he was driving home.
Apparently, the dead brother had enough energy to drive to the home of his brother.

As the still living brother gathered the news from people on the street - he was conflicted on how to handle the situation.
Should he get his crew to kill the shooters?
Should he call the police?
Should he let the situation pass because his brother had overstepped his bounds?
Being that the still living brother was the head of an organization - his choice would have an impact on the lives of those around him.

After a few minutes of thought, the guy who remained with him at his home suggested that they cut off the head of the dead brother and deliver it to the Asian boss as a token of his respect for her authority in regards to her family and territory.
(If a body is slightly frozen before the cut is made, it will limit the amount of spilled blood and facilitate a cleaner cut.)
This action would keep his minions fearful and keep peace with his rivals.

The next day, the head was delivered back to the still living brother with a message of thanks for him taking care of the problem in-house.
The guy who stayed with the living brother called a police officer friend to explain the situation and the intent behind the decisions made in handling the problem.
The guy explained that the officer could solve the case or he could solve the problem.
Solving the case would lead to a war on the street.
Solving the problem would involve looking the other way but preventing any further bloodshed.

The friend called a local Asst. D.A. (to explain the potential case) who'd make sure no charges were filed against any of the involved parties.
This A.D.A. understood the difference between doing what lawful and doing what needed to be done.

The story isn't intended to condone the "Stop Snithin'" mindset - it is only intended as an example of when the practice has a greater value than would following the letter of the law.

Personally, I hate the whole "Stop Snichin'" movement. IMO - It hinders the ability to rule by legal means. The practice creates an environment where the criminal is given preferential treatment over the victim. Rape - call the police. Murder of a law abiding citizen - call the police. Robbery - call the police. Calling the police ensures a record of participation in the system within legal parameters. Calling the police sets up a relationship between parties that could later be used as evidence of being a law abiding citizen. This relationship is important in case one has to revert to Street Justice to solve an ongoing matter in that one would be viewed as having exhausted all legal means.

As with any situation - knowing when and how to contact the police will determine the effectiveness ones actions. This is why the accused often surrender to their lawyers. In surrendering to ones lawyer, one ensures the likelihood of a fair and equal process. If the law is so fair - why the need to allow such surrenders?

Most people who fail to report things to the police are not doing so to condone the behavior of an accused felon. Most are only doing so to protect the accused from being mistreated by a system that has a history of mistreatment.

From Georgia To Rush ?

So, Rush Limbaugh never got over being replaced in the broadcast booth and now wants to become an NFL team owner.
The Rams should be used to such controversy.

Anyone who remembers the L.A. Rams also remembers Georgia Frontiere and her choice to move the team to St. Louis.

In the world of Los Angeles sports, Ms. Frontiere's unpopularity could only have been rivaled by...

Al Campanis - who told Ted Koppel that most Blacks may lack some of the skills to be managers at the Major League level.

But Al was a progressive in comparison to Cincinnati's chain smoking Marge Schott.

Ms. Schott was quoted as making derogatory statements towards Blacks, Jews and other minorities.

She even claimed to have sympathy for Hitler.

Let's see...

A Conservative who tosses around references to Hitler + one who makes racist remarks in public + a controversy involving the ownership of the Rams = Rush Limbaugh being an owner of the Rams.

Yeah... this deal will go through. It seems to be the completion of a cycle.

Is It Culture ?

Damn... Def Jam has been around for twenty-five years?
Who would have thought?
It's amazing that decades after some claimed the demise of Hip-Hop as a culture and Rap as a form of music - the culture and genre keeps evolving to ensure their survival.
But is Hip-Hop a "Culture"?

Let's see...
Hip Hop has it's own form of art.
As anyone who was lucky enough to catch one of the shows on the old Swatch Fresh Fest would know - Hip Hop is more than just the music (Rap).
Dondi White, Zephyr and movies like Wild Style brought the criminal act of vandalism to the mainstream in the form of Graffiti.
Today, love it or hate it, the graphic art form from the streets of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx has spread throughout the world as an identifiable form of street art.

Groups like the Rock Steady Crew were Moonwalking long before Michael Jackson "invented" it while preforming Billie Jean.
(Really, Michael was "Backsliding", the "Moonwalk" moves foreword, the "Sideslide" goes sideways.)
Hmm... Hip Hop even has it's own form of dance?

One traditional aspect of Hip Hop is the B-Boy Stance.
What's funny is that the stance was usually only noticed when one was trying to size your shoes right before they would attempt to steal them. (A person would place his shoes next to yours to see if they were the same size. The person would then lean back and size you up to see if it was worth taking the chance.)
In the above photo, it seems that the traditional stance even translates to other shores beyond the States.
Back in the day, the star was the D.J. - not the rapper.
The D.J. was responsible for providing the music for the new and growing culture.

The fashion of this culture (as with most others) was usually determined by it's celebrities.

Does anyone remember anyone carrying around one of these boom-boxes that were the size of today's surround sound home theater systems on one's shoulder?

Twenty-five years after Def Jam battled Tommy Boy and Profile Records (The label that signed Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons' brother (Rev. Run) and his group Run-DMC) for the title of Most Legit Rap Label - Def Jam's evolution ensured the label's survival while the others are but faint memories.
Evey time I see Flava Flav - I must remind myself that he was part of one of the greatest groups (of any genre) of all time.

When I see Hova with Bey in and on mainstream magazines, movies, radio and television shows - I must remember that Def Jam artists like L.L., The Beasties and P.E. paved the way.

Whenever I hear the broken Ebonics that is often ridiculed by most others - I must remember that Rap brought this lexicon of the street into the homes of suburbia.

Whenever I hear rap played on MTV (Remember; It was almost impossible to get Michael Jackson played on MTV until his videos far surpassed anything played on the network at that time.) - I must remember that Def Jam played a huge part in creating a new and unique culture that would continue to break down social and cultural barriers even today.

Is Hip Hop a culture?

Music, dance, traditions, language, fashion, art, economy...

Sans a religion, Hip Hop qualifies. (Although to some, Hip Hop is their religion.

Is It Art ?

Often dismissed as rudimentary and crude - graffiti is the most visible form of graphic street art.

But Picasso's use of free forms and contrasting colors is seen as art worthy of gallery shows and high auction prices.

Warhol couldn't think of anything original so he just copied Campbell's Soup can fonts.

Miro's paintings look like those of my five year old niece.

While proportionately incorrect, this artist's use of color and style isn't really that different from Picasso.

And this artist at least took the time to create his own original font.

Is it better to Create or Copy?

One is usually one of the following;

A Creator,

A Consumer,

Or a Destroyer.

Of the three, one that creates is the only one who is of any real use.

Harry Connick Jr. v. Australian Doctors

No, I won't post it here.
I'm sure everyone has seen the footage of Harry Connick giving the Aussies a lesson in currently acceptable social conduct.
My opinion?
Who cares what a bunch of Convicts, Shackle Draggers and Criminals think?
(Or is referring to them in these terms considered poor taste?)