A Call For Change: Your Response to the State of the Union Address

 

 

I saw it. 

Hopefully, you saw it, too.

So what'd you think?

Plenty of good sound-bites to chew over.




Half of the chambers looked ready for change, right?

But did you see the members of Congress who busied themselves by folding their arms with lips poked out, tweeting, texting, sleeping, yawning (wake up Harry Reid!)?  They don't look ready to lead this country anywhere, do they?


Congress needs a wake-up call.

Right now.

And we need you to ask your friends and family to give your representatives a call.

I just sent out an email to my people asking them to join me in lighting a fire under Congress' tweeting asses.

This is activism made easy. All you have to do is copy and paste the following message and press "send".

The President has done his part to help the middle class. Now let's do ours.

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Hi,

Last night, the President outlined a bold plan to create jobs in the short-term, fight for long-term prosperity for the middle class, and finish the job on health reform.

Now, I'm helping to build support for President Obama's proposals by committing to generating 10 calls to Congress.

Will you help me out by calling your representatives in Congress today? Let them know that you support health reform and President Obama's plan to fight for the middle class, and that they have your thanks if they fight alongside him.

You can look up your representatives' numbers here:

http://my.barackobama.com/call10

Thanks!

Jara

If you didn't get a chance to catch the SOTU, here's the full address:

2-0-0...Nope. Gonna Party Like It's 2010

It's only January, yet 2010 is already kicking 2009's ass.

Let me count the ways...

1. Settled some headache cases from 2008 and 2009. More pending...

2. On track to fulfill one of my New Year's resolutions to complain less. How? By sticking with #3.

3. I have resolved to idiot-whiner-drama-proof my friends and acquaintances circle. Starting with longterm friends and ending with Twitter. My blood pressure is currently 117/79 and I plan to keep it that way.

4. My OFA Neighborhood Action Team is coming together quite nicely. Found some more proactive people in my area who are ready to fight those who are trying to block our agenda. And we have picked a candidate to support. :)

After the expected loss of a Democratic U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts and horrible SCOTUS decision last week, it's time to refocus, develop different strategies and have fun.

Tomorrow, we're throwing a State of the Union Watch Party to support the President's attack plan for 2010.

5. Today, I found out some sweet, sweet justice was delivered.  One of these "idiots" is the son of a U.S. Attorney...that is about to be replaced. Hmm.

6. On a personal note, I'm doing some soul-searching that will help me achieve some other things on my 2010 To-Do List.

And counting...

Yep, it's definitely time to party like it's 2010. With my new no-drama motto.

Do you have any New Year's resolutions? So far, how does 2010 compare to 2009?

Why I'm Ignoring Haiti

Last night, I went to a pub to sing and dance horribly to some fluffy music. That was my distraction of choice to help relieve the stress of my week (translation: Coakley, Massachusetts, Coakley).

Yep, while others were watching (and pledging money to) the Hope for Haiti telethon, I was entertaining my blues away.

One television had it on but I purposely kept my back to it. Why?

My tolerance level for human tragedy is very low. I get extremely uncomfortable watching people cry. I'm a sucker for the Sad Eyes.

FACT: If I had watched that telethon, I would be moved to pledge my entire savings account to the little girl who they pulled out from underneath the rubble.

So I danced the night away...and let others worry about Haiti.

Or be entertained by Haiti.

Sometimes, I wonder about people.

Ever been in an extra long traffic jam and, after two hours, finally creep past the cause? It's usually a really bad accident that people can't pass up the chance to study. Even at the expense of being even more late to whereever they're headed.

FACT: The more emergency vehicles involved, the longer the traffic jam.

Have you ever seen a man selling a bag of oranges, some watermelon or jugs of water on the side of the freeway cause a traffic jam? Neither have I.  Not even on the hottest, most summery of days when any of these goodies would quench our thirst.

We occasionally enjoy watching a warm-and-fuzzy human interest story, but we can always be counted on to rubberneck a human tragedy.

If you don't believe me, check out your local news programming.  It's not your imagination that it's about 80% tragedy/warnings/scare tactics and 20% heartwarming. I've heard many people complain about the level of negativity on the news.

But what some of them may not know is...

Since the 90's (think OJ Simpson trial, Monicagate, etc.), corporations like Disney (owns ABC) and General Electric (owns NBC) have moved their news programming from the non-profit arms to their for-profit ENTERTAINMENT divisions. I found this out when I contacted ABC to complain about the "gotcha"-style "journalism" of Charlie Gimmemycapitalgainstaxcredit and George Stephapoopoo during the Obama v. Clinton matchup...I mean debate.

When news becomes big business, it becomes very important to CEOs to know what captures and holds the public's attention. Millions of dollars' worth of marketing research is conducted to discover what we like to watch. And then they feed it back to us - one scintillating image and soundbite after another.

FACT: Americans love to be entertained. 

Entertainment = whatever enhances - or distracts us from - our ordinary lives. Whether that means fluff reality shows like "Real Housewives of (I Would Like To Live In That City)" to reading light and fluffy blogs to watching star-studded telethons for Haiti relief, we like to know that our lives are better than someone's life (or live vicariously through someone whose life is better than ours). And how can we know that unless we have a misery barometer? If you notice, the more miserable a person is in their own circumstances, the higher the tolerance is for exposing themselves to bullshit.

So yes...sometimes I wonder about people.

I wonder why some people who never gave a rat's ass about any charity or philanthropy are all of a sudden enthralled with Haiti....

I just hope that this tragedy de jour holds people's attention long enough to help Haiti in the long run.

In the meanwhile, I'll be turning my back on telethons, pictures and videos of the quake aftermath while I sort my old clothes to donate and dance and sing my blues away.

FACT: Between all of the text "xyz" to "abc" organization and subsequent published shadiness of "abc" organization, I'm now unsure of which charities to promote.

Personally, I think Americares is the best equipped to distribute relief funds, but you can take your pick of the charities that you trust the most. If your financial situation qualifies you to be a recipient of charity yourself, then ask about donating your time or old whatevers. Every little help helps.

I donated $10 to 5 of them and pray that at least some of it helps them get back to the way they were (and better).

Related Posts:

How An Earthquake Feels

War + Peace = Survival (dedicated to Iranian soldiers for democracy) 
The Non-Harry-Reid Race Stories That the Media Is Ignoring
(Almost) Tired of Defending The Truth

Woman, Sexist and Homophobe Aren't Mutually Exclusive

Today, rapper Apache died "from a protracted illness". I found out from Q-Tip on Twitter, a rapper that I respect for his courage to be unique within a genre that suffers from copycatism and rampant homophobia. In his tweet, Q-Tip reminisced about Apache being "a real stand up dude". At the time of this writing, Q-Tip's tweet was retweeted (co-signed) by 33 people.

When I read Q-Tip's tweet, the first thing that came to my mind was Apache's 90's hit "Gangsta Bitch".

Disclaimer: I didn't know Apache personally.  

No man responsible for this type of garbage is "a real stand up dude" in my book.

At the time that "Gangsta Bitch" was racing up the charts, I was a 12 year-old smart enough to recognize stupidity when I heard it. But I remember many of my friends went crazy with "this is my joint!!" every time "Gangsta Bitch" played on the radio (on. the. radio?!) or at a house party.  And my female friends were the first ones to get up and dance.

One could write this off as a case of being young and dumb.

Fast forward to 1994. Tupac Shakur was on trial for sexual assault of a 19 year-old woman named Nell.

That skank just wants his money. 

She left the club with him. She probably knew what was up.

Have you seen him? Tupac doesn't need to rape anyone!

Ain't no fun if the homies can't have none.


Guess which of these direct quotes came from a female....

I'll wait...

 
This one is easy. If you picked any of them, you'd be correct.

In 1994, I sat at a bench during lunch period analyzing this recent turn of events with a group of 3 males and 4 female friends. Every last teenage girl at that table supported Tupac and called Nell out as some variation of a lying bitch trying to tear down this shining ghetto prince. All 3 males believed and defended her.

When it became my turn to chime in with my 2 cents, my kneejerk reaction was to support Tupac and question why he would need to rape anyone. Rape is for ugly men who can't attract a woman. Right? I didn't accept this woman's story as true at all. How can a man who writes such beautiful lyrics about his mother be responsible for a woman getting raped? Nope, I didn't believe this lying hussy at all.

Until I read her version of what went down that night in VIBE (my then-favorite magazine).

Nell gained credibility with me when she admitted to being so excited to meet this man who she had long admired that she willingly had sex with him within hours of introductions. I could relate to the fan in her. Then she went on to describe how he set up a situation in the hotel room so that his homies could force her into having sex against her will.


I believed her.

Why?

One thing that liars cannot do well is come up with details. And remember them.

But her story remained the same every time I heard/read it.

At the time, it was a huge debate whether or not Nell lied. It was my generation's version of Anita Hill v. Clarence Thomas. And just like then, most of Tupac's more vocal support came from women. Black women.

Fast forward to 1998.  One of the hip-hop generation's premiere critics/writers pens a scathing critique of Maxwell's sophomore effort and compares him unfavorably to the more thugalicious D'Angelo. Throughout the piece, his masculinity is questioned and challenged as if he's Dr. Dre and the author is Eazy E. In a 3.3 paragraph album review, no mention of Maxwell's music until...drumroll please...paragraph 3. The author is a black woman.

Fast forward to 2010. It's been a year since the inauguration of the first African-American man to become President of the United States. Throughout his presidential campaign and since being sworn in on January 20, 2009, Barack Obama has been called "punk" (or its equivalent) approximately 3,276,398 times and counting. Mostly by men. Black men. With white men (perhaps emboldened by race "spokespeople" such as Michael Eric Dyson and Tavis Smiley?) coming from behind at a distant-but-gaining-on-them second.

Barack Obama is a married black man who is a very present father (especially considering his occupation) who has taken on the incredible added responsibility of leading a country out of the hell we were in for at least 6 of the last 9 years.

But Barack Obama's a punk.

Tupac was many things: a rapper, actor, symbolic leader of generation x's hip-hop revolution, ghetto storyteller, felon, blatant misogynist, hedonist, promoter of thug life and C.R.E.A.M. lifestyle, etc.

To my knowledge, Tupac has never once been called a punk.

Prior to becoming Justice Clarence Thomas, he was accused of sexually harrassing a woman at work. Scores of black men and women rallied behind him and called his hearing an example of The Man trying to hold a brother down. So he was voted in. Since 1992, Justice Clarence Thomas has bee consistent on two things: he sides with The Man against policies that benefit colored folk and rarely asks any questions before giving his opinion. So when you're about to decide a matter that will have long-reaching effects on an entire country, a question never pops into his head, huh? Could it be that the hand up his ass is keeping his mouth shut?

To my knowledge, Clarence Thomas has never once been called a punk.

Since his debut album in 1995, Maxwell has released four critically and commercially successful albums full of quality R&B music where he somehow manages to express his admiration for a woman without calling her a bitch (or any equivalent) or reduce her to her body parts or sexual abilities.


Meanwhile, Mr. Thug-Sexy, whose first R&B hit is an ode to marijuana, is a drug addict who has been arrested many times. And can't release an album to save his music career.

But Maxwell is a punk.

Apache's "Gangsta Bitch" rose to #11 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles and #67 on the Billboard Hot 100:

[Chorus: Apache]
I need a gangsta bitch (a gangsta bitch)
I want a gangsta bitch yo (a gangsta bitch)
I wanna "Gangsta boogie!" with my (gangsta bitch)
I want a (gangsta bitch) I need a (gangsta bitch)
I need a gangsta bitch (a gangsta bitch)
I want a gangsta bitch yo (a gangsta bitch)
I wanna "Gangsta boogie!" with my (gangsta bitch)
I need a (gangsta bitch) I want a (gangsta bitch)

[Verse One]
Yo, I need a gangsta bitch; she don't sleep and she don't play
Stickin up girls from around the fuckin way
Strapped but lovable, hateful but huggable
Always in trouble and definitely fuckable

 
Etc.

But Apache is a "a real stand up dude".

Here are a few stats for you:
In 1992, 67% of black children lived in a single parent home.
In 2001, 63% of black children lived in households headed by single mothers.
In 2009, there's an increase in the numbers of single black women adopting.

Any sociologist or cultural anthropologist worth their salt will tell you that a society's culture is primarily transmitted in the home through raising children.

I don't know the percentage breakdowns of how many boys v. girls are being raised by single black mothers, but I think these stats prove that black women have a huge impact on the messaging that our black children receive about gender roles and expectations.

Maybe if black women would reconsider our ideas of what is masculine and what is feminine, we wouldn't have such a problem with our black men disrespecting us all of the time.

Maybe if black women wouldn't call a black man who's loving, considerate and responsible a "punk", we would have more fathers in the home.

Maybe if black women weren't so homophobic, their sons wouldn't feel the need to hide their homosexuality.

Because every street psychologist knows that men will rise (or fall) to the standards that their mothers, aunts, sisters, wives, girlfriends and female friends hold for them.

Pussy is a powerful thang.

So now it's time to ask the age-old question:

Which came first - the chicken or the egg?

Is it possible for a woman to be a sexist or a homophobe?

Who sets the standard for how we define "manhood" and "womanhood"?

Who is most responsible for perpetuating the inequality between men and women?

Related posts:
"Win/Win"

Related posts from other blogs:

 why the “ratio monster” is full of sh*t

And for your viewing pleasure, here's a hip-hop "classic" from my childhood (which the original male artists got PAID royally from when a woman brought it back to life ):

Imagine A Complaint-Free World

“A little less complaint and whining, and a little more dogged work and manly striving, would do us more credit than a thousand civil rights bills.”~ W. E. B. Du Bois 

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, I'm restarting my personal mission to remain complaint-free for at least a week. That's right. An entire week of no complaining. Not even for entertainment purposes.

Here's how:


A couple years ago around this time, I saw a video from one of my (then) favorite astrologers about her attempts to join a Complaint-Free World. At the time, I was going through what astrologers call a Saturn Return, which happens between the ages of 28 to 30. During this time, we're learning tough lessons that, if we grasp, life will be smooth sailing until our next Saturn Return at some point in our late 50's. If we don't learn our lesson, well...that lesson is going to repeat like a broken record.

Well, my Saturn is in Virgo. Virgo - the sign that pursues perfection with the fanaticism that would put even the most devout Jesus freak to shame. Truth be told, Virgo is one of the most idealistic signs of the zodiac. Since nothing in life is perfect, Virgo's busy work is finding (and, in its higher state, fixing) flaws. What do we do when reality doesn't match up to our ideals? We complain!

So Elsa's description of an initiative to rid the world of complaints intrigued me (when not complaining of unrealized ideals, the dogged pursuit of self-improvement is Saturn in Virgo's other hobby):



At the time, I was going through a break-up with someone whose chart is loaded with Virgo energy (no surprise why I was attracted to HIM during this specific time period, huh?). My nickname for him was Mr. Pity Party. No matter what good fortune lay at his feet, he could pick it apart until all that was left was a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom waiting to happen. He got the job of his dreams paying him more than his dream paycheck, but after the couple minutes that he allowed himself to celebrate, he immediately began worrying that they would find out he's a fraud and snatch the offer back. This led to complaints about how hard it is for people to get work Visas in America. And so on...

My relationship with him served as a clear mirror for me. I may not have complained with his same level of intensity or frequency, but I definitely pulled up a chair to more than a few of his Pity Parties with my own list of gripes. Most of the time, we made each other laugh with our mutual rants. But at those times when one of us was in a good mood, then the ranter just became a buzzkill.

I also realized that complaining gave me a false sense of having done something about the problem. Yet the problem still existed.

So this idea of a complaint-free world spoke to me.

After viewing the video, I visited the website and purchased three bracelets - one for me, one for my Virgo-loaded-soon-to-be-ex and one for my mom (with her Jupiter in Virgo, she's no stranger to complaining, either). I'm not going to lie. The first day was hard. Not only did I switch my bracelet twice but I also gave myself a snap on the wrist for a particular lengthy gripe session during rush hour traffic.

It took me over 4 months to get to 21 consecutive complaint-free days.

In that time, I found that I was able to fill in the absence of complaints with more workable solutions.

The less I complained, the more satisfied I felt. The quality of my life increased exponentially, too.

With each new proactive solution, I no longer felt despair at not being able to overcome what seemed like insurmountable problems. Chipping away at a huge problem empowered me. People with Saturn in Virgo are easily weighted down with fears of failure and can suffer from the condition known as "paralysis by analysis". Through my efforts not to complain, I learned that it's better to count even the smallest steps in the right direction as wins in order to remain motivated.  (My mom with her Jupiter in Virgo put this to me in a way that I could understand and accept.)

I learned that lesson two years ago. However...Lately, I have found myself complaining a lot about complainers. By virtue of having my ears and eyes open every day, I am deluged with constant complaints from people about everything from major problems to the infinite minutiae of their lives. Their constant complaints dampen my spirit and make me super angry super fast (blame that on my Sagittarius rising). Honestly, I wish they would all just shut up.  Because complaining is more contagious than the common cold.

But...instead of continuing my rant about complainers, I have decided to be proactive and commit my first act of service today: spread the word about this initiative so people can hop off of the complaint track.

It has (almost) worked for me.

Click here to order A Complaint Free World bracelet. They're inexpensive, resemble fancy rubberbands (i.e. unisex!) and come in different colors. Mine is a very versatile black. If you know someone who complains way too much for their own (and your) good, buy one for them, too. Or share this post with them.

Have a happy complaint-free MLK day!

To learn more about how Saturn works in the other signs, click here.

Related Posts:
Does Bitching = Action? 
Saturn in Virgo - September 2007 - October 2009
Fear of Failure Is So Yesterday

Can Long-Distance Relationships Work?

These days, it's almost impossible not to have experienced at least one long-distance relationship.  Between email, text messaging, video-phoning, Facebook, and Twitter, it's also next to impossible to be out of touch with someone.  

The first few times I attempted a long-distance relationship, we were manually writing letters and using pagers (remember those? yes, I'm that old) to keep in touch.  Then they involved cell phones with green backlighting and autotune-sounding ringtones. In those days, I was missing my boo's calls left and right because of drop zones. In 2004, I met someone who I was really feeling but he had to return to London for some family business...for an open-ended stay. He called every day and sent me sweet thinking-of-you gifts like the finest of chocolates, books by my favorite authors, a Jill Scott CD with "our" song...but none of those things could replace his physical presence. Every time I asked, "So when are you coming back?" and he couldn't give me a definitive answer, my affection slowly withered. I love me some Jill Scott but her CD was not keeping me warm at night. By the time he returned a month later, in typical Jara fashion, I had moved on to the next one. So a few years later when my then-boyfriend went a continent away on an extended visit with his relatives, I already knew better. "Let's just say we're on a break and see what happens when you return." I'll give you one guess as to what happened when he returned...

(People, this is the curse of having a fondness for travel and a weakness for foreign men.)

But since those failed attempts at long-distance somethingships, technology has improved to the point where we can be "intimate" with the right goggles on from thousands of miles away. 

But can all of this newfangled gadgetry replace the intimacy that is shared when two people are face to face in the same room? It's hard work to stay in lurve with a person an ocean away when there's a cutie winking from the table right next to you.

(In this economy, living 30 miles away is long-distance. Gas ain't cheap.)

What got me to thinking about long-distance relationships?

I'm trying out this new thing called formspring where people can ask questions about whatever. I'm a very curious person so it has been a heavenly experience so far...

Since this blog is the equivalent of an online journal, I figured I'd share my response to one of the questions asked of me about long-distance relationships.

What is your opinion on long distance relationships? Are the relevant? Are they tested on trust more than true affection? by CopperSoul

For those who need space and autonomy in relationships, the long distance can be the glue that keeps the relationship together. But for people like me who link physical closeness with emotional closeness, LDRs are a challenge.

LDRs are very much relevant because of the increased amount of travel some have to do for their careers. Also, with all of this new technology, it makes it easier and possible to have a LDR without feeling so far away.

As your question suggests, I believe LDRs must be based on a higher amount of trust than normal relationships because the people involved have to rely so much on faith in the other person. e.g. faith in faithfulness, continued affection, etc. Having an expiration date to the separation helps. I wouldn't advise two people being in a LDR unless they REALLY trust/know each other well, because not being close injects some insecurity in the relationship that they'll need to weather.

Personally, I haven't been in a long-distance relationship that lasted very long. While mental stimulation goes a long way with me, I also need the physical presence of the other person (not just for sex, either). I love being in the same space with my S.O. - connecting nonverbally. I can't do that on the phone or across a web camera.

This hasn't been tested recently, but when I was younger, I could hang in a LDR for awhile but eventually my affection dies without the presence of the person there to remind me of what I love about them. I begin to think of them as just a friend. And then I move on to someone who is in my vicinity.

Disclaimer: I have never been in love before. Just in fondness. So that might have something to do with absence making my heart grow colder.

******************************************************************

So that's my two cents. But what do you think about long-distance relationships? Are they still relevant? Are they tested on trust more than true affection? Have you ever been in a long-distance relationship? How long can you go until kissing someone through the phone is no longer enough?  What advice would you give to someone before they try one out?

Wanna ask a question about me, you, them, life? Click here or enter your question in the formspring box in the sidebar.  Are YOU on formspring? Let me know so I can be nosy..I mean, follow you. :)

Related Posts:
Romance: Grading on a Curve
Will You Date/Marry Me?
Love of My Own 
Love Revisited / "Love by Definition"
Love Rules

Is Perception Reality?

 “I reject your reality and substitute it for my own.” ~ Adam Savage

Yesterday, someone asked me "Is perception reality?" My answer: "That's what people say but I disagree. Reality is objective, while our perceptions are not."  A couple weeks ago on Twitter, I made a similar statement in response to the trending topic #whoremembers turning into "whore members" because that's what people (with dirty minds) saw. Then "whore members" became a trending topic because people began discussing how they didn't see it as "who remembers". In essence, people's (skewed) perceptions BECAME reality because so many people shared the same (skewed) perception. But that doesn't change the actual reality that the original trending topic was "who remembers" and not "whore members".

Keeping tabs on - and shaping - public perceptions is my business and hobby. Almost daily, I find myself in a conversation with someone where I end up asking myself, "How can this person think/feel/believe this? And with such conviction, too!"  Even when faced with evidence to the contrary of their beliefs, most people that I have encountered will not reject their beliefs in favor of "reality".

Most of the time, the schism between perception and reality is based on the degree to which we trust:
words v. actions
emotion v. logic
few occurrences v. many occurrences
and so on...

The same person who asked me "Is perception reality?" asked this general question on Twitter:
"Has ANYBODY seen Princess and the Frog?" His reasoning? "I asked who saw "The Princess and the Frog" because I've heard NO ONE talk about the film. At all. Not on TV, Facebook, Twitter, anything."

So this is obviously a case of perception v. reality.  Because he hasn't seen anyone discussing it leads to his conclusion that the movie isn't being watched. Is this reality? Well, no. Not only was "The Princess & the Frog" #1 in its opening weekend, but it broke a record for having the highest-grossing start of any animated movie in December. So obviously people have seen the movie.  The question now becomes "but are they talking about it?" Yes. This person follows me on Twitter. Not only have I tweeted at length about this movie after watching it, but I also wrote a post about it (and tweeted the link to the post). As many others have done, as well. Searching for "Princess and the Frog" on Twitter (instead of relying solely on one's follow stream) would answer this question.  So while it may be true that he hasn't noticed anyone discussing the movie, it is not absolutely true that the movie isn't popular.

But try to argue that with some people. Instead of accepting the TRUTH that people are watching the film, a hard-headed person might argue about how the stats were collected, how many theatres carried the movie, compare the gross unfavorable to Avatar, etc. All in the name of backing up the original perception that the movie isn't buzzworthy.  I know you have met this person before. You may be this person.

The same person who asked me "Is perception reality" and thinks that no one is watching "The Princess and the Frog" also believes that Tiger Woods has "disassociated from blacks". Why does he believe this? I don't know for sure (I'm still waiting on him to answer my follow-up question), but I suspect that it's because of Tiger's "I'm Caublasian" statement many moons ago. (Why black people have a problem with multiracial people claiming to be more than just black, I will never understand. It's probably some leftover bitterness about blacks who "passed" back in the day. But I digress...) This is not an uncommon sentiment amongst blacks that I have heard discuss Tiger.

But let's look at the facts of Tiger's actions and not his words (since so many people claim that actions speak louder than words):

1.) Two of his best friends are black: Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. Ironically, both of them have also been given the "disassociates from blacks" label at some point in their careers. Perhaps because they don't walk around wearing daishikis with their black power fists raised? *shrug*

2.) Tiger Woods is consistently named one of the most generous celebrities. His main causes are Children, Education, Environment, Family/Parent Support, Human Rights.  What group of people benefits from these causes the most? I'll give you one guess.

3.) He has started, or is actively involved in, the following foundations:

Rainforest Foundation Fund
"The Foundation aims to bring attention to the plight of indigenous peoples, the catastrophic state of their forests, to develop a self sustaining organization to give long-term support to assert and defend rights, fight against development programmes which have the most damaging effect on their environment, and carry out various projects promoting the governance and the economic development of their communities."

Tiger Woods Foundation
"In 2005, the Foundation reached a significant milestone as four years of project development for the Tiger Woods Learning Center were completed, and final preparations were made for the incoming students.
In addition to the TWLC project, the Foundation continued making a difference in the lives of young people through its annual programs and events. The Start Something program enrolled its 3-millionth participant in August and continues to help kids achieve their dreams. Additionally, it also awarded nearly $2 million in grants nationwide."

Tiger Woods Learning Center

Providing courses which help students relate what they learn in schools to what they can become in life, and striving to get kids excited about math, science, technology and language arts.

Again, who do black people think is benefiting most from these types of programs?

Oh but wait...Tiger infamously doesn't wife or mistress up black women.  We now know that Tiger is a flaming philanderer. That Tiger's cheating was such a huge scandal at all stems from how much the reality of Tiger differs from the public's perception of him as a square family man. I consider him leaving black women alone to be the ultimate act of charity to the black community. But that's just me.

So where does this perception that Tiger "disassociates from black people" come from? Is it because he plays golf? Well, I hope not. Because since Tiger began playing golf professionally, he's attracted more blacks to the sport and runs a training camp for...guess who..."inner-city youth" (which we all know is code for blacks and Latinos). Golf may not be perceived as a black sport but we're watching and playing it more.

But even as I lay out all of these facts of his actions, I'm 99.9% sure that I'm changing no one's mind who already has this perception of Tiger.

I'm more than a bit empathetic about people who are perceived incorrectly by the public.

As a child, I was constantly moving and, therefore, entering a new school as "the new girl". Each new school presented a new opportunity for me to be confronted with how others with no previous experience of me perceive me. As an adult, my environment is constantly changing as well. One thing I learned from each new experience is that people's subjective perceptions don't always match up with objective reality.

When I was 11, I attended a new school in a middle-class area with predominantly white students. Asians were the favored minority. There were very few black students.

At the beginning of the first period of my first day at a new school, I got in trouble with my P.E. teacher  because I didn't have a uniform to wear (apparently, my mother was supposed to purchase one for me before I showed up on the first day). She told me to either pick a uniform from the lost and found bin or receive an "F" for the day.  Since I didn't want to begin the new year with a "F", I chose picking the uniform and took my sweet time going through the bin of dirty clothing that I refused to wear, hoping to run the clock out.

The bin and I were located in the corner behind a tiled wall, so two giggling (white) girls who entered the locker room didn't see me. I heard them slamming doors and whispering but didn't pay what they were saying any attention. I was more focused on them not seeing me fishing around in a dirty clothing bin while half-naked. To make a long story short(er), I successfully managed to remain in the locker room for the entire period of the class.  While the girls in the class were changing, someone started screeching about her missing lunch money.  My P.E. teacher made a beeline to me and demanded that I return the money. When I told her that I didn't have the money because I didn't take the money, she gave me yet another ultimatum: either return the money or get written up and sent to the principal's office. Let's just say my trial was quick. Despite my defense that there were THREE of us in the locker room (which should've created a reasonable doubt in any unbiased person's mind), I was quickly found guilty and sent to the principal's office. During the first period of my first day at a new school.

To this day, I don't know if my P.E. teacher's bias against me was because of race or simply because she didn't have any prior experience with me to know that I would never steal anyone's money. It might have been a bit of both. The reason for her bias doesn't really matter, though. What matters is that she was biased and remained biased for the rest of my time in her class. Her perception (which also ended up tainting my schoolmates' perceptions) of me turned into my reality. From then on, I was known as the locker room thief and harassed by my P.E. teacher on a daily basis.

This is not an isolated event. As I already mentioned, I have been a fish living out of water most of my life so there have been countless similar witch-hunt experiences - at school, at work, at family reunions. As a result, I'm of the mindset that there's always an objective truth, regardless of whether it's subjectively perceived or not.

I'm using Tiger and myself as examples of how perception doesn't automatically equal reality, but I could list at least 10 more celebrities and many people in my life off of the top of my head that have a strong public perception - negative and positive - attached to them that can easily be cracked with a closer inspection of some objective facts.

But that rarely matters.

Why?

Because the real reality is that people believe what they want to believe, and don't believe what they don't want to believe. Facts, truth and reality be damned.


Questions: Is perception reality? How long does it take to make up your mind about a person, event or concept?  After your mind is made up, does it take an act of God to change your perception? Or are you open to taking in more information, and possibly changing your mind? Have you ever been in a situation where others perceive you differently than you perceive yourself?


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How An Earthquake Feels...

Yesterday, there was a major earthquake in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. It registered 7.0. For those who aren't familiar with earthquakes, that's HUGE.

I'm from California and, as you may know, we have earthquakes pretty regularly. Most of them are so small that we can't feel them. We had two of them just last week. They measured between 3.5 - 4.0. Those feel like you're standing near the gate when an airplane takes off from a runway. If you're under 25 years old, then you probably don't remember that feeling since we have extra tight airport security now. But still...that's how a small earthquake feels.

I wish I could say that I can only imagine how Haitians feel right now. But I can't. I know exactly how that feels. It's very scary to see everything literally fall apart around you, to not know what's going to happen next.

When I was 10, I experienced the Loma Preita earthquake of '89 that lasted 15 seconds and also measured 7.0 on the Richter scale. Basically, 7.0 feels like someone who weighs at least 200 lbs. is bouncing on the back of your car. Even though the quake and its aftershocks may last less than 15 seconds, it feels like time drags on forever.

Some of our infrastructure had been retrofitted after the massive San Francisco earthquake of 1906 in which the city essentially burned to the ground. But there was still millions of dollars' worth of damage in the Loma Prieta quake - collapsed buildings & highways, busted water pipes, burning cars...crushed people.

This is a 7.0 earthquake:




I'll walk you through:
Your electricity immediately goes off. If you're lucky enough to be at home, then you have to feel your way through darkness to find bear essentials like matches, candles, flashlights, water, batteries. If you don't have those things, then you have to depend on neighbors or, do like we did, drive to the grocery store. With no working streetlights or traffic signals. Be careful to avoid the car wreckage. When you get to the grocery store, it looks like a bomb exploded. The shelves are on the ground and people are just taking what they need. If you're unlucky enough to be at work or in any type of high-rise building, then you have to immediately try to remember everything you've been taught to do in elementary school (yes, every Californian has been doing earthquake drills since the age of 5) or risk getting crushed to death by heavy, flying objects.

All the while, you're trying to provide aid to injured people.

This is a rich, major city in the U.S. where we have aid like cops, firefighters, paramedics, etc.

Port-Au-Prince is not a rich major city in the U.S. They have none of these things that we take for granted. 

The damage is extensive. From all accounts, what little bit of infrastructure existed has crumbled - hospitals, schools, houses, etc. Below is footage from Port-Au-Prince.

Warning: this footage is graphic.

President Barack Obama immediately responded with a promise to provide relief and aid to the Haitian people. This morning, he spoke on the tragedy:




THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  This morning I want to extend to the people of Haiti the deep condolences and unwavering support of the American people following yesterday's terrible earthquake.
We are just now beginning to learn the extent of the devastation, but the reports and images that we've seen of collapsed hospitals, crumbled homes, and men and women carrying their injured neighbors through the streets are truly heart-wrenching.  Indeed, for a country and a people who are no strangers to hardship and suffering, this tragedy seems especially cruel and incomprehensible.  Our thoughts and prayers are also with the many Haitian Americans around our country who do not yet know the fate of their families and loved ones back home.
I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives.  The people of Haiti will have the full support of the United States in the urgent effort to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble, and to deliver the humanitarian relief -- the food, water and medicine  -- that Haitians will need in the coming days.  In that effort, our government, especially USAID and the Departments of State and Defense are working closely together and with our partners in Haiti, the region, and around the world.
Right now our efforts are focused on several urgent priorities.  First, we're working quickly to account for U.S. embassy personnel and their families in Port-au-Prince, as well as the many American citizens who live and work in Haiti.  Americans trying to locate family members in Haiti are encouraged to contact the State Department at 888/407-4747.  I'm going to repeat that – 888/407-4747.
Second, we've mobilized resources to help rescue efforts.  Military overflights have assessed the damage, and by early afternoon our civilian disaster assistance team are beginning to arrive.  Search and rescue teams from Florida, Virginia and California will arrive throughout today and tomorrow, and more rescue and medical equipment and emergency personnel are being prepared.
Because in disasters such as this the first hours and days are absolutely critical to saving lives and avoiding even greater tragedy, I have directed my teams to be as forward-leaning as possible in getting the help on the ground and coordinating with our international partners as well.
Third, given the many different resources that are needed, we are taking steps to ensure that our government acts in a unified way.  My national security team has led an interagency effort overnight.  And to ensure that we coordinate our effort, going forward, I've designated the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Dr. Rajiv Shah, to be our government's unified disaster coordinator.
Now, this rescue and recovery effort will be complex and challenging.  As we move resources into Haiti, we will be working closely with partners on the ground, including the many NGOs from Haiti and across Haiti, the United Nations Stabilization Mission, which appears to have suffered its own losses, and our partners in the region and around the world.  This must truly be an international effort.
Finally, let me just say that this is a time when we are reminded of the common humanity that we all share.  With just a few hundred miles of ocean between us and a long history that binds us together, Haitians are neighbors of the Americas and here at home.  So we have to be there for them in their hour of need.
Despite the fact that we are experiencing tough times here at home, I would encourage those Americans who want to support the urgent humanitarian efforts to go to whitehouse.gov where you can learn how to contribute.  We must be prepared for difficult hours and days ahead as we learn about the scope of the tragedy. We will keep the victims and their families in our prayers.  We will be resolute in our response, and I pledge to the people of Haiti that you will have a friend and partner in the United States of America today and going forward.
May God bless the people of Haiti and those working on their behalf.
Thank you very much.

You can also help immediately by donating to the Red Cross to assist the relief effort. Contribute online here, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting "HAITI" to "90999."
Families of Americans living in Haiti are encouraged to contact the State Department at 888-407-4747.

Source

Donate your old clothes by contacting Nate Erickson.
Other ways you can help Haiti here.
Write, tweet, call your elected representatives to request support here.

Remember: before donating, make sure that the organization is legitimate!!

To see more pictures, click here.

Loma Prieta earthquake aftermath footage:

The Non-Harry-Reid Race Stories That the Media Is Ignoring

By now, you've heard about the race stories dominating today's political headlines.

But what about the ones the mainstream media is ignoring?

First, let's quickly recap what we're hearing ad nauseum.

1. Harry Reid's non-controversial, non-racist comments.



2. Michael Eric Dyson's stupid comments about race - or more specifically how Pres. Obama runs away from race every morning after shaving in the mirror...or something:


Maybe "Mr. Obama" should write a book or 20 about race to be considered "black enough" for Michael? Oh wait, "Mr. Obama" has written a book about race. Maybe "Mr. Obama" has a thing against beating the race horse to death.


But out of all of the screeching in the media about race, the REAL racial stories aren't being reported.

What the headlines SHOULD read:

 'The First Black President' is a Racist

Bill Clinton helped sink his wife's chances for an endorsement from Ted Kennedy by belittling Barack Obama as nothing but a race-based candidate.

"A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee," the former president told the liberal lion from Massachusetts, according to the gossipy new campaign book, "Game Change."

The book says Kennedy was deeply offended and recounted the conversation to friends with fury.

After Kennedy sided with Obama, Clinton reportedly griped, "the only reason you are endorsing him is because he's black. Let's just be clear." - NY Daily News

As a black person, this statement is far more offensive to me than any truth that Harry Reid uttered about then-presidential-candidate Barack Obama's good chances of winning a race as an articulate, light-skinned black man (he won, didn't he?).  While Harry Reid has spent countless hours laboring to pass monumental civil rights and healthcare legislation, Bill Clinton speaks of fairy tale presidential runs and reminiscing about the good ol' days when a black president would've been fetching his coffee. Sounds like someone has a case of plantation-wishing to me.  But where is this headline? Why aren't any of the black pseudo-intellectual soul crew (West, Smiley, Dyson, Lacewell, Jackson, etc.) making the talk show rounds about THIS? Could it be that these stories aren't on their talking points memos (written by the people who sign their guest-spot checks)? Hmm...

Speaking of race news that isn't getting any publicity but deserves some shine...

Black Farmers Get $1.2 Billion in Reparations, Included in Obama Admin's 2010 Budget

President Barack Obama has allotted $1.25 billion in the FY 2010 budget to settle discrimination lawsuits by thousands of black farmers against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"This is an issue I worked on in the Senate, and I'm pleased that we are now able to close this chapter in the agency's history and move on," Obama said in a statement Wednesday. "My hope is that the farmers and their families who were denied access to USDA loans and programs will be made whole and will have the chance to rebuild their lives and their businesses." - Black Enterprise

This story is from June 2009. Yes, you read that correctly - JUNE 2009.  Six whole months ago. Why are we just now learning about this? Why hasn't the mainstream media picked up on this? Is this not newsworthy enough for them? Where are the black nationalists who are always hollering about "think black, buy black, live black" and reparations? You would think a one-issue group would be on top of this type of story. Maybe they don't think $1.25 billion is a good enough reparations check? They wouldn't be alone...

Although he calls the settlement a “huge step in the right direction,” National Black Farmers Association President John Boyd said that more money is needed.

“We need around $2.7 billion to compensate all of the eligible farmers,” said Boyd. “We are appreciative that the administration is in dialogue with us, but as the advocate for [black farmers] I want to make sure there are enough funds to compensate all eligible farmers.”

The black farmers’ case named after one of the original plaintiffs, Timothy Pigford, a black farmer from North Carolina, was settled in 1999. The USDA agreed to pay farmers for past discrimination in lending and other USDA programs. Nearly $1 billion in damages were paid out on almost 16,000 claims, but nearly 75,000 additional black farmers filed their claims after the deadline. - Black Enterprise

Apparently, the settlement of the case is the result of some huge black farmer rally last year that ended a long, contentious 8 1/2 years battle. Yep, a huge rally of protesters that weren't called teabaggers and birthers. Who'da thunk it? Not me. Or the allegedly liberal MSNBC. Instead, we were inundated with the small percent of shouting matches at healthcare rallies.

But somehow the huge rally the NBFA held in front of USDA headquarters on April 28--the President's 100th day in office--is left out of the Wa Po piece. That rally helped Mr. Boyd's campaign reach the point of critical mass, and led to the inclusion of the Pigford reparation monies in the 2010 budget (In pic: Mr. Boyd, speaking at the 100th Day Rally). Read all about the dramatic morning in front of USDA here. - ObamaFoodaRama

The issue of the mainstream media being used as a propaganda machine isn't new news and has been covered here at Random Rhyme & Reason several times before. But I must ask this question again: why are we stuck listening to people like Michael Eric Dyson wax floetic about President Obama running away from race while he's helping people with issues in which race is a direct factor?  I highly doubt that the "journalists" at CNN, MSNBC, ABC and FAUX NEWS are that bad at fact-checking dumbass opinions. Perhaps they need to hire some ace research assistants who can find their way around the Internets?

In other words, who do we have to climb into bed with to get some real damn news up in this piece?!

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