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I mentioned these interviews in an earlier posting. They feature 3 African-American women that are registered voters and plan to vote for Kerry (age range 18-32). All three could not answer basic questions regarding the elections. This ties in to the previous post regarding the sad truth that many Blacks do not take the time to find out the facts for themselves BY READING!
Here is the link to the audio clip (about 10 minutes)
This is a piece that I found on the net while gathering up some info on a future posting that I am going to do on the same topic of the article below. This is one of those “letters” that is slightly dated written by an “unknown”; however, the message is holds true today. Later today, I will provide links as well as some commentary on this topic.
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THEY ARE STILL OUR SLAVES We can continue to reap profits from the Blacks without the effort of physical slavery. Look at the current methods of containment that they use on themselves: IGNORANCE, GREED, and SELFISHNESS.
Their IGNORANCE is the primary weapon of containment. A great man once said, “The best way to hide something from Black people is to put it in a book.” We live now in the Information Age. They have gained the opportunity to read any book on any subject through the efforts of their fight for freedom, yet they refuse to read. There are numerous books readily available at Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com, not to mention their own Black Bookstores that provide solid blueprints to reach economic equality (which should have been their fight all along), but few read consistently, if at all.
GREED is another powerful weapon of containment. Blacks, since the abolition of slavery, have had large amounts of money at their disposal. Last year they spent 10 billion dollars during Christmas, out of their 450 billion dollars in total yearly income (2.22%). Any of us can use them as our target market, for any business venture we care to dream up, no matter how outlandish, they will buy into it. Being primarily a consumer people, they function totally by greed. They continually want more, with little thought for saving or investing. They would rather buy some new sneaker than invest in starting a business.
Some even neglect their children to have the latest Tommy or FUBU. And they still think that having a Mercedes, and a big house gives the “Status” or that they have achieved the American Dream. They are fools! The vast majority of their people are still in poverty because their greed holds them back from collectively making better communities. With the help of BET, and the rest of their Black media that often broadcasts destructive images into their own homes, we will continue to see huge profits like those of Tommy and Nike. (Tommy Hilfiger has even jeered them, saying he doesn’t want their money, and look at how the fools spend more with him than ever before!). They’ll continue to show off to each other while we build solid communities with the profits from our businesses that we market to them.
SELFISHNESS, ingrained in their minds through slavery, is one of the major ways we can continue to contain them. One of their own, W. E. B. Dubois said that there was an innate division in their culture. A “Talented Tenth” he called it. He was correct in his deduction that there are segments of their culture that has achieved some “form” of success. However, that segment missed the fullness of his work. They didn’t read that the “Talented Tenth” was then responsible to aid the Non-Talented Ninety Percent in achieving a better life. Instead, that segment has created another class, a Buppie class that looks down on their people or aids them in a condescending manner. They will never achieve what we have. Their selfishness does not allow them to be able to work together on any project or endeavor of substance. When they do get together, their selfishness lets their egos get in the way of the goal. Their so-called help organizations seem to only want to promote their name without making any real change in their community. They are content to sit in conferences and conventions in our hotels, and talk about what they will do, while they award plaques to the best speakers, not the best doers. Is there no end to their selfishness?
They steadfastly refuse to see that “TOGETHER EACH ACHIEVES MORE (TEAM)! They do not understand that they are no better than each other because of what they own. In fact, most of those Buppies are but one or two paychecks away from poverty. All of which is under the control of our pens in our offices and our boardrooms.
Yes, we will continue to contain them as long as they refuse to read, continue to buy anything they want, and keep thinking they are “helping” their communities by paying dues to organizations which do little other than hold lavish conventions in our hotels. By the way, don’t worry about any of them reading this letter, remember, ‘THEY DON’T READ!!!!’
Well, the sub-field hands (because the national leaders of the NAACP are the head field hands–just thought I would make that distinction) of the NAACP have done it again. They are so desperate to have Massa Kerry in the big house that they are willing to sell crack to get it done.
A Defiance County man has been arrested for allegedly filing more than 100 false voter registration forms in exchange for crack cocaine from a Toledo woman working on behalf of the NAACP’s voter registration drive.
…Toledo police searched Ms. Pitts’ home and discovered drug paraphernalia along with more voter registration forms. Police said that Ms. Pitts admitted to paying Mr. Staton in crack cocaine, in lieu of cash.
…Ms. Pitts, working on behalf of the NAACP National Voter Fund, submitted the forms to the voter fund, which in turn submitted them to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. (full article)
The NAACP is dismissing Ms. Pitts as just a volunteer; however, they still should come out with some sort of statement condemning her actions. Oh well, they made Massa Kerry look bad on this one…Uh oh.
I saw this story on multiple sites, so thanks all
The following was a headline on the Al-Jazerrah website:
US Mutiny Soldiers Say Army Ignored Their Complaints About Broken Down Trucks, Non-Armored Vehicles, and Contaminated Fuel
Here are some other excerpts from the same article (full article):
FRANTIC CALL
The 18 soldiers refused to accompany fuel tankers on a supply run from southeastern Iraq to Baghdad on Wednesday, arguing the fuel was contaminated and their unarmored vehicles were in bad shape.
…”Hi mom, this is Amber. This is a real, real big emergency. I need you to contact someone, I mean raise pure hell. We yesterday refused to go on a convoy. … We had broken down trucks, non-armored vehicles and we were carrying contaminated fuel,” said McClenny in the message aired on U.S. networks on Monday. Hill told NBC’s “Today” show her daughter referred to the convoy as a suicide mission.
“She felt like the Army was just leaving them out there to drown,” said Hill, who said her daughter feared the contaminated fuel might be put in a helicopter that could ultimately crash and add to the U.S. death toll in Iraq. (emphasis are Al-Jahzeerah’s)
This is not a soldier. She is nothing more than a wimp. I do not care how many missions she has been on, she is still a wimp! Throughout history, soldiers had to endure times during the battle not having the equipment that they needed for various reasons (equipment held up due to attacks, sudden shifts in battle plans, etc.). Her mom isn’t any better. She took this message to NBC (who did not have the sense to refuse playing it on national television). As far as I am concerned, this soldier, her mom, and NBC should be treated and punished as traitors.
Meanwhile this wimp soldier has just made it that more difficult for the rest of our soldiers. If our military is made up of people like this, then I know this country is in big trouble.
Below (as well as the picture above) are just some of the posters that our REAL American soldiers from WWII had to abide by:
All throughout this election season, the DNC had one play in their playbook: blame Bush for everything. Everything from global warming, the hurricanes in Florida, to the birth of Al Qaida and the lack of flu shots, the DNC has thown everything including the kitchen itself (forget just the sink) at Bush and those that support him. Blacks are once again being prompted to hate whites, young people are told not to trust government, and our brave men and women are being told that their commander in chief is incompetent. The media has also done its fair share in misreporting the news regarding Iraq and the president. They have even gone as far as outright lying. For a society which believes most of what they see on television, this is very dangerous. Yet they continue to put the pedal to the medal in portraying America as the most evil spot in the world.
This great unrest has even affected our military. Just today I heard on the radio a young female soldier that had called her mom and told her to “raise hell” here in the states regarding the inadequate equipment that her troop still had not received due to delays (which are common on the battlefield). This young soldier’s mother, moving totally on raw emotion went to NBC’s Today show (who was more than happy to air this soldier’s grievance with the military on national television). The sad part is that the soldier, her mother, or even NBC took the time to realize that all the people that we are fighting against also have access to the Today show. Just think how please Osama , Zarquari, and the rest of Al Qaeda must have been to hear that kind of news!
With all of this chaos going on in the country today, I am wondering just how John Kerry plans to mend all of these divisions together if he was to win the election? The fact that he does not have a proven track record of doing that sort of thing really scares me. To be truthful with you, I do not think that that the DNC expected to have a chance to win this round of elections considering the fact that they were going against a president in the middle of a major war. I think that their goal was to make a statement. But as more people became angry about how the war was going, they began to see the possibilities. They realized that if they were going to have a chance on winning, they could not turn their back on the anit-war/Bush crowd.
The wounds that have been created during this election season will not go away easily. Blacks will be more suspect of whites, young men and women will think twice about defending their country, and most of all, our governmental system will loose much of its respect amongst all people (abroad and domestically). It takes more than the mere ability to debate well to heal those kind of wounds. If the DNC thinks that those that voted for Bush will just “magically” fold themselves under the wings of DNC leadership quietly, they are gravely mistaken. The same is true if Bush was to win the election. Bush will go down in history for some as the man who stole the presidential elections twice. This will of course breathe new life in the careers of people like Jesse Jackson, and others like him who have spent almost a lifetime capitalizing on people’s dislike of the US government.
If the DNC does win these elections, no, I am not predicting the end of the world. However, I do believe that four years from now, we will be closer to it.
This is another excellent blog. The author: Ambra Nykol. This may sound a little funny, but in her writing, she reminds me a lot of a ballet dancer with boxing gloves. Right when you are enjoying her light-hearted way of addressing the issues of the day, BOOM! You get hit with some truth (and she does not hold back any punches). Dan Leroy of National Review Online said it best by characterizing her as “…playful philosophizing”. Not only has her site been featured with NRO, but she also has a column with seaspot.com (here is a link to her latest article). If you want to read about some of the REAL issues that have an impact in society with a very unique and refreshing perspective, check her out!
PS. She is the only black person in the Seattle area, so please keep her in your prayers (hahahahahahaha)!
In this part of the series, I will talk just a little bit about the heath issues that are tied directly to our fast food consumption.
The following are excerpts from an article that summarizes a study by the American Journal of Public Health (2003):
…a recent study finds that unhealthy images relating to food are already much more common on prime-time TV shows aimed at blacks than on other such shows.
Prime-time programmes like ‘Jamie Foxx’ and ‘Moesha’, which feature mostly black characters and are aimed at a black audience, include more overweight actors and also are surrounded by more commercials for junk food than shows such as ‘Frasier’ and ‘Friends’, whose characters are almost exclusively white.
…the study finds that the black TV shows carry more food commercials — five during each half-hour show, compared to three for all prime-time shows — and a greater proportion of these commercials were selling candy, chocolate and soda.
A recent survey found 27 percent of African Americans to be obese, compared to a national average of 19 percent. (full article)
The point that really sticks out to me is the obesity rate amongst African-Americans. Obesity has become so common in our communities until is some cases it is considered fashionable (big behind, breasts). What we neglect to see is the high health risk that is tied to this image. It really breaks my heart to see 7-10 year olds already being considered obese (and please don’t have them wearing one of those baby tees! I have seen enough grown folks wear them–just my side remark). Sodium intake amongst blacks is extremely high. This, of course contributes to diseases such as high blood pressure. Take for example Mc Donald’s french fries. There was a time when their fries were sprayed with beef tallow. Beef tallow is very high in saturated fats (something that our palette loves to taste, but it is not good for you), and it originates from the fat of cattle. So all of those trips to Mc Donald’s where you just ordered fries because you wanted to watch what you eat–you were just fooling yourselves ( I was just as guilty in this department). The fries are also heavily salted before they are served. That is why it is so hard to eat just one.
You also see from this study that Hollywood is more than happy to feed our need for unhealthy food choices via sitcoms and commercials.
As I eluded to in another posting, most of Black media is full of these types of commercials. Why is it that with all of these findings as it relates to effects of fast food among Blacks, Black media has not taken a firm stand against these outlets? This is an issue that I will try to tackle in my next posting on this issue.
Pretty interesting read. This just outlines what most should know (I hope):
8. John Kerry has a plan for Iraq. Kerry will train Iraqi soldiers and policemen to protect their own country–but faster. Kerry will magically convince all those countries that were scamming the “Food for Oil†program to send troops and the United Nations will ride into town on white horses and save the day. In truth, John Kerry has two plans for Iraq: DUMP and RUN. Dump the future of Iraq on the United Nations and run home.
7. John Kerry will make health care available to each and every American. This hair-brained socialized medicine plan will cost trillions of dollars and the government will be in charge. Perhaps the best part of his health care plan is this: The ”government” will pick up the tab for any catastrophic expense over $50,000 to ”help keep your health insurance premiums down.” The problem with this is that Kerry will have to take 80% of everyone’s income to pay for this little break for the insurance companies that will be shifted on to the backs of the taxpayer. Ladies and gentlemen, please stop and think about where the ”government” gets its money.
Rest of article here
These protesters are part of a movement called Fellowship of Reconciliation. The main goal of this organization is to repent to the world the sins of America for going to Iraq. The truth is, most of these people have never visited the country nor do they have the courage to do so. Instead, they much rather stay in the comforts of their evil American homes and allow their minds to be programed by solely what they see on TV. I wonder how many of these people have ever seen their children torched? I guess America should also repent for invading Germany as well (Awww, those poor Nazis! How they must have suffered from those mean allied guns). Peg K of What if says it best:
What kinds of signs do the apologists hold for those who are trapped in the nations with Saddam’s for leaders and Al Qaeda running the show? Where is the outrage for that?
Click here to read more of What if’s take on this story.
Also click here to see the images that liberals do not want you to see (graphic)
A man that liberals are afraid to talk to.
Over the next week, I will be highlighting blogs that I really enjoy reading. As a writer, you need good inspiration, and these sites provide that to me. Please take the time and check them out! I have been so busy trying to build up my site, that I have not taken the time to really thank those that inspire this site. Sorry guys 
!
#1. Booker Rising
This site is a very well thought-out and informative site. By browsing the site, you can tell that the moderator wants her readers to be well-informed on the issues. On occasions, she will throw in her 2 cents, but for the most part, she sticks to her moderate roots. On the left side of this blog, she provides numerous links of interest, ranging from the history of Booker T. Washington (for whom the site is named), to statistics pertaining to the African-American community. Other sections include sports, religion, politics, and so much more.
This site was also featured on the online publication National Review Online. The moderator was also a featured guest on a radio talk show in the Chicago area.
As this site continues to grow, I have no doubt that this site will be a part of the center of the blog universe. Although I have never met the moderator personally, I do consider her a great inspiration to this site (Black Informant). Please do me favor and check out Booker Rising today!
You know what is funny about this list (please go to the actual web page for the whole list), if someone tries to hold black people accountable for these actions, they get criticized and called an Uncle Tom (who do you think you is??) !
Required viewings (not complete):
TV Shows: “Doggy Fizzle Television,†“The Parkers,†“The Little Rascals,â€Â
Movies: “How High, “Soul Plane,†“Malibu’s Most Wanted,†“Bamboozled†“Hollywood Shuffle,†“Bringing Down the House,†“Jerry McGuire (Cuba Gooding),†“White Chicks,†“Juwanna Mann,†“I Got Da Hook-Upâ€Â
4. Voice inflection
To portray our people effectively, you must have proper voice tone and inflection. This means that your voice goes from loud, to louder. Never calm, never rational. At times it can fluctuate into a high-pitched scream like “DY-NO-MITE!!†“OHHHHHH SHIIIIIT,†is very popular today because even Black men can hit an octave that rivals Mariah Carey with it. In the 70’s, “You, jive a** turkey†was an appropriate term and now its either “n***a, b***h, punk a** mother f***er, b***ch a** n***a, b***ch a** mother f***er, mother f***n’ mother f***er, b***ch a** b***ch or innumerable combinations.
Black people, we got to learn the value of reading and research for ourselves. I just happened to hear an interview on the radio the other day. The host was interviewing people on the streets on New York asking them who they were going to vote for. The 2 -3 people that he interviewed were college age (one, I think was about 32) and indicated that they were going to vote for Kerry. Anyway, he asked them very simple questions:
#1. Who were the two vice-presidents that were running against each other?
#2. Name one thing that Kerry has done that has convinced you to vote for him?
They could not answer either question! And oh yeah, THEY WERE BLACK.
Kerry’s grand health plan may sound awesome, but just a little research on it will reveal that it is nothing but crap. For some reason, many in the black community have fallen in love with the socialist concept of a class-less society in which everyone is treated as equals. Like this health plan, it sounds good, but has not and will not work. History has proven this failed ideology over and over again.
I have provided just the conclusion of this report compiled by The National Center of Policy Analysis (NCPA). Here is a little bit about them:
About the NCPA
The National Center of Policy Analysis (NCPA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization, established in 1983. The NCPA’s goal is to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector…
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Ultimately, full implementation of the Kerry plan will lead to massive changes in our health care system. At the end of the process we will find a four-tiered health care system.
Tier one will be the Medicaid/SCHIP tier. Families will have limited choice of doctors, lengthy waits and rationing of care, much as we see in Medicaid today. Over time, as health costs rise and budget pressures mount, they will see more rationing of care. Today’s enrollees are all poor; millions of middle-class families will be added.
Tier two will look increasingly like the German system, which has had mandated employer coverage for about 90 percent of the population for many years and has recently introduced American-style managed competition. Pressures to hold down costs will lead to increased waiting times and less access to expensive medical technology  but not as bad as for Medicaid patients. The government may engage in nationwide negotiations with providers and impose limits on high tech equipment, as is done in Germany. 69 The pressures of managed competition will induce health plans to overprovide to the healthy and underprovide to the sick, which happens in Britain and Canada.
Tier three will consist of a small percent of the population (in Germany it’s about 10 percent) who can afford to opt out of the more general system of managed competition. They will pay more for their health insurance and they will pay higher doctors’ fees. They will experience less rationing by waiting and easier access to expensive technology, and they will probably receive better health care.
Tier four will consist of seniors who will remain in Medicare. The Bush presidency promised to give seniors access to the same full-service health plans as the rest of America. Under a Kerry presidency that hope would almost certainly evaporate. Cost pressures would induce the government to squeeze providers (as happens under the current system), leading to longer waits and more rationing - but not as bad as for Medicaid patients because seniors will continue to have more political power.
Overview. In the past, providers were able to shift some costs - from those who underpaid to those who overpaid. For example, inadequate payments from Medicaid and Medicare were made up by overcharging employers and private insurers. Regardless of who becomes the next president, competitive pressures in the provider community will intensify. Cost-shifting will become increasingly rare.
Under a Kerry presidency people will ultimately get the kind of care they and their insurers pay for. No more; no less.
You will notice during this posting that I will mention Mc Donald’s quite frequently. In no way am I suggesting that this restaurant chain is the sole reason of bad health among African-Americans; however, they do play a major role in the bad diet of most Blacks.
Here are some quick food facts before I get started:
Quaker 100% Natural Oats & Honey Granola: Lots of healthy oats, but they’re coated with plenty of sugar and filled with “more artery-clogging fat than you’d get in a McDonald’s hamburger.”
Denny’s Grand Slam Breakfast: It comes with three-quarters of your daily fat and saturated fat, nearly a full day’s sodium and one-and-a-half day’s cholesterol.
Campbell’s red-and-white-label condensed soups: One can equals your entire daily sodium allowance.
Burger King french fries: The fact that french fries made the list isn’t surprising, but you might be shocked to know that a king-size order is 590 calories and 30 grams of fat. That’s even worse than an order of McDonald’s super-size fries.
Pizza Hut’s Big New Yorker Pizza: Two slices have nearly a full day’s saturated fat and sodium, even without the sausage and pepperoni.
Entenmann’s Rich Frosted doughnut: One doughnut has as much saturated and trans fat as nine strips of bacon. (full article)
For years, Mc Donald’s has been hailed by many in the Black community as a source that provides both economic stability and opportunity for Blacks that would otherwise not have the chance to better themselves due to poor education. From church bulletins, college newspapers, to major Black media such as Black Enterprise magazine, Mc Donald’s has made for itself a niche in the Black community. Here is one of many success stories of how one person is capitalizing on this trend:
Allen is exactly the kind of entrepreneur that McDonald’s likes to bring into its franchise system.
An African-American woman who earned an MBA from Marquette University, Allen has proven herself to be a sharp business woman.
She opened her first McDonald’s restaurant on E. Capitol Drive in 1999. In just five years, she has built her operation to nine restaurants in the Milwaukee area that employ 500 people, the majority of whom are minorities who come from the central city.
Many of Allen’s stores are located in the heart of the central city and have experienced double-digit sales growth in recent years, which is above that of most other Milwaukee central-city McDonald’s restaurants, according to figures supplied by McDonald’s Corp.
Allen, who spent more than a decade as general manager of customer-service centers for Wisconsin Gas Co., is one of only four African-American owner/operators and the only African-American woman to operate a McDonald’s franchise in southeastern Wisconsin.
Allen purchased her first McDonald’s restaurant with money that she accumulated through her 401(k) retirement savings plan after 18 years with the gas company. A knowledge of corporate finance helped Allen to understand the nuances of financing. As a result, she was able to take advantage of a business facilities lease program that allows franchisees to lease a McDonald’s restaurant without having to buy it outright.
For minority entrepreneurs like Allen, McDonald’s appeals because of its strong brand recognition and because it was one of the first fast-food chains to go into urban communities that major franchises traditionally shied away from.Based in Oak Brook, Ill., McDonald’s boasts the largest number of minority- and women-owned franchises in the quick-service industry - 37% - and says it makes 35% of its purchases from minority-owned firms.
Allen also continues in the article of how her stores are bringing much needed employment in the communities that she serves. (full article)
Here are some facts about McDonald’s that you may not have known:
The Golden Arches are more widely known than the Christian cross in the world today.
Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s said this: “We have found… that we cannot trust some people who are non-conformists. We will make conformists out of them in a hurry… The organization cannot trust the individual; the individual must trust the organization.”
*The vast majority of workers at McDonald’s lack full-time employment, do not have any benefits, have no or little control over their workplace, and quit after a few months.
*McDonald’s jobs have been purposely de-skilled so as to be able to hire minimum wage workers on an interchangeable basis.
One-third of fast food workers speaks no English.
McDonald’s and other chains are aiming for automated equipment that will require zero training and are nearly there. Nevertheless, they fight hard to retain hundreds of millions of dollars of government subsidies for “training” their workers.
A worker has only to work for 400 hours for the chain to receive its $2,400 subsidy. In essence, the
American taxpayer subsidizes low wages, automation, and turnover at fast food chains.
*Turnover is 3-400% a year. 90% are paid hourly, have no benefits, and are scheduled to work only as needed
*A typical McDonald’s has fifty workers working 30 hours a week, thus avoiding the need for overtime.
*Managers make an average of $23,000 and work 50-70 hours a week
*Not one worker at McDonald’s belongs to a union.
Feedlot cattle are also given shredded packaging, cardboard boxes, cement, and sawdust to put on weight.
Shall I continue?
You will find all this information and more in the book that I mentioned in my last posting entitled “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal†by Eric Schlosser.
With all of these findings that are mentioned above, I find it amazing that the Black community has done virtually nothing to demand serious changes to be made in the quality of food that is being served in our communities. Operations such as Mc Donald’s have so intertwined themselves in Black culture until they have virtually choked out all voices in our communities that would raise these serious points. Has the Black community made a deal with the devil as it relates to our health? Politicians and leaders in the Black community are quick to give each other high-fives when fast food chains open location after location in our communities. To them, all they see are more jobs. Nevermind the increased health risk these businesses serve each day on a platter to Blacks on a daily basis.
*Think about the “concern” that politicians are expressing for the minimum wage worker. These points are the reality that these workers have to face regardless of who is in office.
Stay tuned! I am working on the next piece of this series. Please feel free to comment.
The DNC is right on course on making this election one of the worst in American history:
The Kerry/Edwards campaign and the Democratic National Committee are advising election operatives to declare voter intimidation — even if none exists, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal.
A 66-page mobilization plan to be issued by the Kerry/Edwards campaign and the Democratic National Committee states: “If no signs of intimidation techniques have emerged yet, launch a ‘pre-emptive strike.’” (full article with image of document)
You know, there is really nothing more that I can add to this story. It speaks for itself.
What a great time to be a lawyer!
Thanks to LaShawn Barber for the heads up.
…For example, look at supermarkets, one key aspect of neighborhood commercial activity. Many low-income communities of color do not have full- service supermarkets and therefore residents have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Not surprisingly, the diets of many of these neighborhood residents tend to be unhealthy, with more calories and fat.
Further, lack of access to healthy foods translates into greater problems with being overweight or obese, which leads to a host of health problems and diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. (full article)
The writer of this article is hitting on something that I have been thinking about for years. I used to always say, “You know what type of people live in a community by looking at the restaurant choices.” When I was living in the ATL a few years ago, you could really see the contrast. Restaurants ( especially in the malls) outside the Perimeter on the northern side tend to offer many healthy choices. Getting a salad and a smoothie was no problem. However on the southside (well), just about everything is fried. I remember going into the mall near Morehouse and smelling fried chicken all throughout the mall. I am chuckling about it even as I type, but what is not funny is the damage that these foods are making on our health. You want to find the WMD? Go to most restaurants in the hood. If you are Black, you can point to at least 2 people in your family that either has high blood pressure, overweight, or both.
I recommend that you read the book “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal” by Eric Schlosser. I also did a little research on my own as to why there were so many fast food restaurants in the inner-city. What I was able to find out was that at one time Mc Donald’s was barely in the hood (if you can imagine that). The Mc D restaurants that were in the hood were white owned. Well, there was an outcry from the Black community that there needed to be Black-owned Mc D’s, so Mc D’s took a chance. Well, as you can see today, that chance has made that smiling clown richer, while the food has made us sicker. Needless to say, other fast food chains followed. However, we take pride in the fact that they are of some economic benefit to the community, but the food is killing us. At some point, we are going to have to choose between minimum wage jobs or our health. The best action would be to run all of these restaurants out of our communities and invest in businesses that will provide healthier food. Unfortunately, that may be wishful thinking in most cases.
I also believe that once better choices are made available in the Black community, our eating habits will change. The writer of the article Agrees:
When there are more commercial options, people make different choices. African Americans’ intake of fruits and vegetables increased by 32 percent for each additional supermarket, a recent study by researchers at the University of North Carolina concluded. And, more residents in an African-American neighborhood limited their intake of fat when they had access to a supermarket than residents in a neighborhood without any markets. There can be positive health impacts from a positive neighborhood change.
The following is a part of a study on how fast food restaurants targets Blacks:
…Students also reported that specific marketing strategies are used to target African American youth, families, and communities for fast food. These include the use of: a) Black celebrities (e.g., entertainers, rap singers, athletes); b) Black models with fashionable dress; c) Black models with specific cultural expressions such as language and mannerisms; d) popular music (e.g., hip hop, reggae; urban soul); e) proliferation and saturation of fast food restaurants in communities, especially low-income Black neighborhoods; f) media programs targeted to appeal to African American children and adults on television, radio, and the Internet; g) routine and special reduced prices. (full article)
I will probably update this posting as I have a lot to say on this subject.
Rockford, Illinois- Another armed robbery took place in Rockford less than three hours earlier on the same street.
Police say four African-American men wearing black masks and black hoodies walked into “Discount Cigarettes, Pop and Chips” in the 2600 block of 11th St. just before 9 p.m. Two of the men were armed with handguns. (full article)
If you are going to go out, rob Fort Knox, not a discount store.
DON’T GO TO JAIL OVER A BAG OF BON TONS! (This is a brand of potato chips that you usually find in Black neighborhoods.)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Medical milestone or privacy invasion? A tiny computer chip approved Wednesday for implantation in a patient’s arm can speed vital information about a patient’s medical history to doctors and hospitals. But critics warn that it could open new ways to imperil the confidentiality of medical records.
…With the pinch of a syringe, the microchip is inserted under the skin in a procedure that takes less than 20 minutes and leaves no stitches. Silently and invisibly, the dormant chip stores a code that releases patient-specific information when a scanner passes over it.
…Think UPC code. The identifier, emblazoned on a food item, brings up its name and price on the cashier’s screen. At the doctor’s office the codes stamped onto chips, once scanned, would reveal such information as a patient’s allergies and prior treatments, speeding care.
…Meanwhile, the chip has been used for pure whimsy: Club hoppers in Barcelona, Spain, now use the microchip to enter a VIP area and, through links to a different database, speed payment much like a smartcard.
(full article)
In the video, Eminem parodies Jackson’s various exploits including poking fun at his infamous 1984 hair burning incident, his cosmetic surgery and his child molestation case. The Detroit lyricist also imitates Madonna and MC Hammer in the clip.
“BET has pulled the Eminem video out of rotation effective immediately. We did so out of respect for our long-standing relationship with Michael Jackson that dates back more than a decade, including Michael’s induction as the first BET WALK OF FAME honoree in 1995. This action was a collective management decision by BET executives” BET said in a statement.
I do agree with the fact that the video should have been pulled. Child molestation is a very serious topic, and regardless if Jackson is guilty or innocent, it is not a subject to be taken lightly. Eminem is too creative an artist to stoop that low in order to generate some buzz. This situation does show us at least two things: #1. The hip-hop community has had its hand on the Kill switch for Eminem for a very long time (remember the now famous cover story that Source magazine (I’m pretty sure it was Source) did on him?). When it is all said in done, after all the awards, hit singles, etc. , Eminem is still White and most of the hip-hop community is mostly Black. That is just how some people are going to see it. There have been many videos put out by Black folks that have been far more risqué’, and yet, very little outcry. This leads to #2: How do you justify the other videos? Do they fall under the “artistic expression” category? Another thing, how many times on ComicView have they made fun of Michael Jackson?
We’re trading off our moral authority, we’re choosing might over right,” the civil-rights icon said, adding this lack of moral authority now deprives America of power to rally the world against the genocide in Sudan and other crises around the globe.
So America is to be the global watchdog? What has France and Germany done for the country of Sudan?
Here at home, “the word ‘liberal’ is vulgar” in today’s political discourse, but “America is a liberal idea … a generous idea,” he said, drawing applause. Abolitionists, suffragettes, Jesus — all were liberals, Jackson said, and America is supposed to be a place that welcomes those who have nothing but aspire to freedom and prosperity.
-First of all, Jesus was not a liberal, nor an abolitionists or suffragette.
-Aspire for freedom and prosperity by using JSM (The Jesse Shakedown Method)
“It’s dark, but the morning cometh,” he said. “Hope is our weapon. What makes America great is the right to fight … help is on the way. Hope is in the air.”
Yes Jesse, I can smell the hope in the air….oh…no…that is the crap you are shoveling!
Despite running as a “uniter,” Bush has never met with organized labor, the NAACP, the Sierra Club, the Congressional Black Caucus and many other organizations. “He has run a polarized administration.
hmmm. I think that statement speaks for itself.
Jackson also called Bush’s appointment of African Americans to several top administration posts “imagery without the substance to back it up;” voters should choose a team “based upon its direction, not its complexion.”
WHAT!!!!!!!!! You mean to tell me that people should not be hired based on the color of their skin???
Methinks this statement will come back to haunt him.
“His premise is, ‘If you’re in a hole, you have to reach for a rope, not a shovel,’ ” Jackson said,
What the heck does that mean???
As you can see, field hand Foreman Jackson is out doing his massa’ s bidding by telling the folks how great it is to live on the plantation. The only thing is, he will get the crumbs off of Massa’s table while the rest of the people will still get nothing. (full article – if you can stomach it)
One of Chin’s favorite examples of the Asian success at overcoming poverty is Princeton physicist Daniel C. Tsui, who won a Nobel Prize in 1998. He was born to a peasant family in a remote village in Henan province in central China, attended school in Hong Kong and then got a college scholarship to Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., leading to his research at the University of Chicago, Bell Laboratories and Princeton. There was no affirmative action admission for Tsui, Chin said. “He credits his accomplishments to his Chinese parents’ value placed on education, despite the fact that they were illiterate Chinese peasants themselves.
And yet the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action preserved the system at most selective private schools in which Asian American students with very high tests scores are passed over in favor of African American and Hispanic students with lower scores because the schools want significant numbers of all ethnicities on campus. (full article)
Now before any of you jump off the mantra that African-Americans have been using for years: “I know all of that, but African-Americans have been given a raw deal since we came to this country”, answer this question for me? How have YOU (yes, you) been directly affected by slavery? This is the one question that most African-Americans that are pro-affirmative action have a very hard time answering.
I ask this question because it is people like this Asian man that lose out. There are many people that come to this country everyday that have just escaped real oppression. We do not know what it is like to have someone kill off your entire village, or see a close loved one being raped by a government official (no figurative responses to that one, please).
When my Dad was dying in a hospital, I did not ask for a Black doctor. My family just wanted the best qualified to help him any way that the could. Although my Dad did eventually pass away, we have very few complaints about his medical attention (and guess what? He was not rich…he was a steel worker. My parents were just smart and stubborn enough to demand for the best that the hospital had to offer).
As you can see, this issue really sets me off, because while we as African-Americans sit here and suck on the breast of American charity, there are others that are standing in line behind us that really need the help, but we just push them away.
I want to stop now, because I am saving some of this emotion for my next commentary :), but let me leave you with this. So that you understand me, I am not completely against affirmative action. What I am against is the fact that we still live in a country in which we are still judged by the color of our skin…and we are the ones that fight for it. Affirmative action should be reserved for those that come to this country that have a proven track record of working hard, but because of the impoverished situations that they behind in their country, do not have the resources to pay for school (and yes, there are some blacks that would fall in this category).
The funny thing about that because of their strong work ethic, many of these people would still prefer working hard and saving up for their education themselves rather than taking a handout from someone.
What are your thoughts?
