i.q.

Is 'intellegence' measured by the ability to manipulate conditions to benefit oneself? (Short term)

 Or is it the ability to adapt to conditions to benefit oneself? (Long term)

Vanity Kills

Deodorant - Aluminum (Alzheimer's)
Shampoo - Parabens (Breast Cancer), SLS (Immune System Damage)
Toothpaste - Sodium Fluoride
Lip Gloss and Lotions - Prevent the natural shedding of dead skin
Perfumes - Alcohol base kills good bacteria.

Is our reliance on too many products the cause of the rise of diseases?
If 'Global Warming" has reached a tipping point for the Earth - maybe we're experiencing the Gaia effect on our own biological eco-system.

Dead Cities

1910 Census
New York City
Chicago
Philadelphia
St. Louis
Boston
Cleveland
Baltimore
Pittsburgh
Detroit
Buffalo

Some social observers blame the demise of cities, such as Detroit, on the increase in government aid, minority populations and immigration.
The thing is, these factors only rise once the original population has strip mined the area for most of it's natural resources.Once these areas are depleted of all it's natural resources (which also includes innovation, originality and artistic talents), the areas then become affordable enough to attract those belonging to the lower classes.

1810 Census
New York
Philadelphia
Baltimore
Boston
Charleston
Northern Liberty, PA
New Orleans
District of Southward, PA
Salem, Mass.
Albany, NY

Populations are still migratory.
Notice how New York City remains at the top of the list.
New York succeeds because New York continues to attract immigrants who enable the city to reinvent itself through the influx of new cultures and ideas.

2010 Census
New York City
Los Angeles
Chicago
Houston
Philadelphia
Phoenix
San Antonio
San Diego
Dallas
San Jose

The same could be said of Chicago.
'Culture' is a more important factor than is 'race' in determining the vibrancy of a city.
Of the country's largest cities - most can attribute their growth to immigration as being the primary factor.

New York also grew by annexation - the same could be said of Philadelphia.
Of the cities listed 200 years ago - three of them are now a part of Philadelphia.

I once thought of cities such as Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, and  many other cities in the North or in industrial areas as being necessary for America to prosper.
But maybe Detroit has just run it's course as far as being a major American City is concerned.
Maybe the future lies in warmer areas where there is still (almost) clean water and farm able land.

You Can't Handle It

Chances are - you could not handle getting everything you wanted.
NASCAR uses a restrictor plate to reduce speeds at it's races and to lower the chances of deadly crashes.
Addictions, fame, wealth, an overabundance of food, big houses, pimped-out cars, bling, and status would kill you.
If you cannot handle what you already have without being jealous, spiteful or arrogant - why would you expect to be given more of what you ask? 
If you are unteachable with a little - you would not heed wisdom with a lot.
"Want" is the restrictor plate used by nature.

The worst case scenario would be that wherein one has more 'fans' than friends - when no one can tell you nothin'.
The best case scenario is that wherein one might end up sans-teeth for breaking the social codes of any given group.
This is where one finds true happiness.
(Notice; The Fishbone cameo in the Pepper's video?)

Replace the man of which Mary J. Blige sings with anything - piety, wealth, fame, status, anything...
Her conclusion is that she has to matter to herself - that her happiness begins with herself and not in some outside source.

@ Miss AJ

One of my all-time favorite movies is Australia.
The treatment of the indigenous and mixed-race people portrayed in the movie has been repeated the world over.
My mother's side of the family (Native American/Spanish) had their acculturation/assimilation done at the Judson Academy in Arizona.
My father's side went through the same thing with the Catholic Church organizations in Louisiana.
It seems that the Spaniards wanted to eliminate any remnants of being part-Native American while the French wanted to mitigate any vestiges of being of African descent.
(But this is not the point behind this post.)

Former rockers such as Joe Strummer formed the Mescaleros, Peter Gabriel has worked with Deep Forest, while many others have also set out to find the most basic and pure forms of music by using indigenous music from all over the world.
Q; (While it predates Motown) Would the music of the Aborigines be a form of the original Soul Music?

"If All You Care About Is Yourself...

...All you'll have is yourself.", I explained to the former owners of the club.
Yeah... I understand that one should be able to stand on his own two feet  but I also understand that one cannot do everything by himself all the time - sometimes we need help.
'Nosce te ipsum' does not mean that one should always do everything alone.

 The best case scenario is to have a crew of capable individuals.
While many may remember the "Cool Walk" scene of Reservoir Dogs,

Others will remember the even cooler "Cool Walk" scene of the original Oceans 11.
Each member of this crew was the shit in his own right but they could overcome almost impossible odds by working together.

Between my liquor reps, professional athletes who happen to be back to town, local media personalities and sales reps, business owners and politicians - my club stays packed.
Most days of most weeks I get free shouts out from media personalities relating how much they enjoyed coming to my club.
Most days of most weeks I get - and then pass along - passes or tickets to events which I'm too busy to attend.
(Those receiving these tickets then end up hooking me up in what ever way they can - it's a seemingly endless cycle for which I am the current hub.)

I'm not the best financed club owner in town - but I do manage to get others to play for me.
I'm the Tim Tebow (Lacking any great talent but able to win by getting the team to play together.) of club owners.

Is Country Music, Soul Music?

 Ray Charles thought so,

And so did "Hootie".
Both genres were heavily influenced by Gospel music - although from different (yet similar) perspectives.

Poor Black parishioners were not singing hymnals in a way to which they could relate.
Many added beats and sounds from their native lands in an effort to refine their music (prayers) to suit their own ears.
Poor white ethnic parishioners (not part of The Establishment) added sounds and beats from their own lands to their services as well.
Maybe Dolly Parton is correct when she states that Country Music is Soul Music.

Soul Music

 Many of today's most popular female artists paid tribute to American Soul Music in VH1's most recent incarnation of it's Diva's series.
The one interlude which caught my eye was the Soulboy/Casual piece which brought up the 80's New Wave of acts who dominated early MTV by selling Black music back to the States presented by mostly white people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soulboy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casuals

Wham, Spandau Ballet, Culture Club, Simply Red, ABC, Human League, Heaven 17... The list of British Soulboys/Casuals reads like a "Best of MTVVH1" list.
Odd... When a culture seems to be on the verge of dying, it is only with the injection of Soul that it can be saved.