PLANE IDEAS

New Qualitative Indices for Urban America

2012-01-26T18:26:00.000-08:00

One of the discouraging realities of modern day life in our nation is the constant theme of publishing data and statistics on the demographics of urban life from the lens and perspectives of those who lack depth, scope and authentic insight and real time data about the lives and realities of people in urban America. Far too many people seek to report and publish a Misery Index especially for urban venues.

Far too often these narratives are full of sterile and empty statistics which purport to cover the economic and quality of life for residents of the city yet just the opposite happens. The paradigms and templates many of these urban planners, non-profit executives, academics ignore the reality of life in the corridors and avenues of the city. Many of these inferences are based upon models which do not replicate the real life metrics of life in the city and of course many of the architects of these white papers and studies lack the authentic insights from the people who are the subjects of these metrics and statistics.

When this paradigm is focused on the urban communities of America the demographics are depressing and too often negative. There is always a sense of despair, failure and crisis in most articulated demographics about Black folks in the city. Grievance reporting is something I will never endorse or affirm.

I believe this constant theme of decay and failure creates a collective sense of failure and hopelessness in to many Black venues. Therefore I propose a new set of standards, lists, metrics and rankings be created that articulate the positive attributes and accomplishments of the urban residents especially its Black residents. There is a place for the metrics of love, happiness, progress, civility, solidarity, and community.

The architects of these new metrics must reflect not only the demographics of the city (read majority Black folks) but they must be comprehensive, novel and free from the metrics and contamination of the past templates and paradigms that indicted and demonized every behavior and aspect of life for city residents.

Let's run numbers and create metrics and paradigms on those in the community who are happy, productive, and engaged in activities that promote progressive outcomes. Designing a nation with our ideas is my canvass for the community

Black Sudents in Peril

2012-01-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

The media accounts documenting the disproportional rates of suspensions between Black and white students in our country's school districts of course is not a newsflash to many interests including of course Black parents in school districts all across America.

The contempt for Black students is similar to what their parents encounter. The soft bigotry of low expectations shares the lesson plan with disparate rates of expulsion and suspensions for Black students. The landscape of academic success in our nation for Black students is full of obstacles navigation is perilous in all levels of education in our nation from kindergarten to the university venue for Black students.

The more important issue now is how Black families and their students can navigate around these inequities and obstacles. Black parents must develop their own lesson guide to disarm educational officials, teachers and even students who discount the educational goals of Black students. We must embrace our own self-worth that we are worthy of respect and our offspring deserves superior educational efforts and outcomes. Black parents must develop strategies that equipped them to combat, reject and influence educational systems that have contempt for our offspring. Instead of lamenting the horrors of a destructive pathological educational system that has contempt for Black students now is the time to develop our own lesson plans that produce motivated students and students who can themselves defeat the waves of contempt for them that exist in our classrooms across our nation.

The revelation of systemic disproportional suspensions of black students in the DC region's school districts is disturbing and troubling on a number of layers beyond and above educational concerns. One wonders if this same horrid disparity exists in private and parochial school venues. The portrayal of black students has always been contaminated with ugly themes some of which include themes regarding genetic inferiority.

In our nation the incongruent levels of parity and inequality have often received attention in the criminal justice area and in some health care terrains to observe this inequality surface in our educational systems is truly a concern worthy of state and federal intervention. Our government must create a reporting metric that provides transparency and disclosure to minority parents about the incidents and comparable rates of suspensions between student racial groups. One of the constructive attributes of recent federal educational legislation was the right to make evaluations and contrast academic outcomes based upon racial groups.

The importance of superior educational outcomes is heighten more by the troubled economic realties of the new world order. Parents of black students must be in the vanguard of programs and laws which impact the future of their children this focus must involve best practices and uniform guidelines which ban disparate punishment and remedies for troubled students to the delivery of superior educational programs .

Navigating in Hopelessness

2011-09-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Right here..Right now...For many Black people living in America from the gritty urban venues of neighborhoods like Detroit to the contours of cul de sacs of suburbia these are perilous times even in the post racial era of a Black Man in the White House. The velocity of negativity is at web speed from the media accounts of entire industries collapsing and people being laid off into forever to tales of young children body parts being tortured and burned in shabby 3rd world urban shacks. Life in America is perilous the revolution is being televised and it is on every channel with surround sound and 3d pictures.

Right here..Right now..This is a moment for the community to step away from the insanity and madness and the aura of hopelessness and decadence and confusion and reach out and hold on to each other from family to friends to associates and maybe even strangers. People are under enormous stress and duress all manner of thoughts, excuses, plots are in the heads of even normal responsible people. The dreams people have now are nightmares full of nothingness.

Right here..Right now..The Black community more than any other aggregate of people in this nation must get a grip and stop the descent into raw insanity. Our pastors, uncles, aunts, cousins,sons and daughters must reach into their collective souls and memories to create a place where a safe refugee exists not just a real place but a sphere where the unspoken word is supreme and positive thoughts are cultivated and rewarded and embraced .The Black community needs a life altering transfusion of humanity and hope. This force must be new and novel and life altering . It must be more than prayers, testimonies and tired sound bites. We have to create a harvest of love even in dirt of concrete streets and alleys. We must crave out a new real time miracle that enters in our homes and our minds. We need a sound, a noise, a creation of powerful bond that elevates us from the present day insanities. We are in perilous moments 24/7 everywhere in America.

Right here..Right now...The Black community must regroup and create a safe haven where love, honesty, civility, decency, trust, sharing, all the ingredients of civility and love must break though. We are in dark era where fear, anger, frustration, pain, and evil is becoming an accepted norm and custom. Our values and purpose are floundering. We are shaky and unreliable for each other.

Right here..Right now.. Across this great nation in every enclave , backyard, front porch, pew, gym, office, basement, church, temple, playground, bedroom, kitchen our community needs a cultural reset and return to the genius of basic truths and straight forward truth. Our community must step up and correct all the wrongs which have us at the end of cliff.

Right here..Right now....We must save ourselves from each other .....This is where our lives must change ..Right where YOU are when YOU read this...Reach Out and help our community navigate to a new promise land..Right Here..Right Now.

Navigating though Hopelessness- Together

Story Teller

2011-09-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Chapter I

We both have been searching for this for years..Curtis was a true believer his travels brought him to this moment. The cell call came in late Tuesday night it was a frigid nite the moon was full the the chill was a deep raw cold.....I picked up the phone Curtis was breathing through his nose and his echo was heavy..."I got"..."I got it"....

Chapter II

Like the rest of the world of sleepy people waiting up to a wee morning phone call brings anxiety...I was even more concerned hearing the voice was Curtis..'What ya got Curt"..I have found the secret to the universe he yelled in my ear..I have found the sound and it is forever all around...Curtis started to sing this words"I found the sound and it is forever all around"...'I found the sound and it is forever all around"..Now I could not get this out of head..

Chapter III

I tell Curtis to meet me at the coffee shop on the Blvd cause I have a bucket list of things I need to happen right now..Curtis tells me that he tried the mystery sound at an art fair yesterday according to Curtis he approached a street musician to play the mystery sound on his drums and right after the sound was played people just started to dump money in the street drummer's hat!!

9/11 Memorials Deconstructed

2011-09-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

I refuse to wave my flag and be a brain dead patriot cheerleader today on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The dead of 9/11 and all who suffered deserve better. I will deconstruct 9/11 with an analysis that seeks to understand and explore why people would do such such horrific deeds this is how I intend to honor 9/11 today...

Peace & Love

The Help- Film Review

2011-08-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

If you want a fictional protrayal of some aspects of life for Black woman working as domestic servants in the Jim/Jane Crow era of America this film provides a peek hole to observe.

Film as a historical and educational vessel works well in some situations when the subject matter is about the reality of race in America.

The Help is limited yet functional on some levels. I recommend the film for all ages and I would give it a 4 star ranking on a scale of 5.

Go see the movie and begin a discussion afterwards...

New Qualitative Indices for the Community

2011-07-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

One of the discouraging realities of modern america is the constant theme of publishing data and statistics on the demographics of America. Often these statistics purport to cover the economic and quality of life for Americans.

When this paradigm is focused on the Black Community the demographics are depressing and to often negative. There is always a sense of despair, failure and crisis in most articulated demographics about Black Folks.

I believe this constant theme of decay and failure creates a collective sense of failure and hopelessness in to many Black venues. Therefore I propose a new set of standards,lists and rankings be created that articulate the positive attributes and accomplishments of the community.

Let's run numbers on those in the community who are happy,productive, and engaged in activities that promote progressive outcomes. Designing a nation with our ideas is my canvass for the community.

Prison Lessons for the Community

2011-07-26T06:38:00.001-07:00

For the Black community whenever there is a discussion about prisons and inmates the media and politicians always plaster the airwaves with statistics about the rates of incarceration about Black inmates in our prison system. There is always an underlying theme that Black people are more criminally inclined than others and at any given moment will engaged in some criminal or deviant behavior. Quite often the publication and release of criminal statics are efforts by the media and those in the ruling class to alert and remind people that prison is the normal outcome and lifestyle for Black people. Media portrayals of crime in America have many underlying objective and hidden agendas. Black people in prison of course also impact local economies as well as political elections.

Recently a number of media accounts have surfaced a study which purports that Black males live longer and have better healthcare outcomes if they remain in prison instead of being free from incarceration. Black inmates are by the very nature of being in prison are protected at higher rates against alcohol- and drug-related deaths, as well as lethal accidents and certain chronic diseases than those not in prison. These types of studies are dangerous in the hands of anti-Black political interest groups and yet they also have value and are informative for the Black community at large. It is therefore incumbent upon the Black community to examine and evaluate this data in such a manner that empowers and enhances our solutions in dealing with crime and prison inmates once they return to the community. Knowledge about inmate life should be circulated by those in the community and not remain within the confines of correction officials!!!

The stark truth is that for large segments of the Black community information and knowledge about the lives of inmates is unknown and many simply do not care nor want to know. We can no longer tolerate this level of thinking and posturing. The Black community given the reality of racism, negrophhobia and the flawed administration and operation of the criminal justice system does not allow us to remain on the sidelines with regard to this subject matter. To many of us are at risk of being injected into the penal system. There is value in knowing how some inmates improve their mental and spiritual life while being in prison. There is useful data to be learned about how healthcare options in prisons address inmates with regard to HIV , Diabetes , Alcohol, Mental Health related problems . When inmates return to the community all of us are impacted by the realties of life in prison these people have encountered. The community inherits all of the issues of former prisoners.

We need to understand all of the lessons good, bad and the ugly that impacts and shapes the lives of prisoners while they are incarcerated because the majority of people in prison will return to the community. It is simply in the best interest of all of us from the inmate to the community to become educated about the reality of life for these who have been incarcerated. Can parents of our youth become better parents upon learning about how prison officials deal with youth offenders? Could employers of former ex-felons get more production from workers who have not been in prisoner because of the habits of ex-felons? There is simply much to learn from the culture of prison life that can be productive even for those of us who cannot see any value in being an ex-convict.

Knowledge about the life style of human beings who live in prisons is critical for all of us. We must have the vision and courage to learn from those have experience life behind bars. Such information and knowledge has value on many levels and layers of life both in in and out of prison.

Global Themes

2011-06-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

People everywhere are hungry for change...Let's give them a chance...

Sibling Rivalry

2011-05-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

When I was young my brother would always argue with me about how to cut the lawn. I preferred a circular motion and he wanted a linear cut before my father would come outside to examine our body of work we would rant and argue some times even throw grass and weeds at each other..

Of course after our internal drama the grass would be cut and my dad would be happy later we realize that our sibling rivalry only made the lawn look better .

Cornel West and Al Sharpton are superb grass cutters for the community and the guy in the big white house

Things to consider in a Political Execution

2011-05-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

For a nation that suffered and still reeks with pain of 9/11 does a war on terror bring justice or vengeance. I prefer justice from the scene of a courtroom rather than the barrel of a gun. The death of Osama bin Laden must be viewed not only in the context of the war on terror. We must also evaluate his death from the perspective of retribution and vengeance. Yet these insights have to be reviewed in the context of our values and principles. Even the purpose of people like Osama bin Laden requires examination.

After we return from the celebrations, political bravado and the media's agenda in the portrayal of this event at some point we must have the courage to understand why people would wage war against another nation. Why would people wrap themselves in bombs and kill innocents. Why nations invade the sovereignty of another borders. Is there ever a reason for the killing of innocents even when the reasons are inhumanity and oppression?

Is it appropriate for a nation in it's quest to defend it's borders and citizens to execute a terrorist rather than capture that person and bring them to justice. Can a military force make justice? Should a nation allow it's principles and rules of law been articulate by a barrel of a gun or the rules of engagement in a war on terror. Does justice just belong to those who define it. Are the rules of law just for those who have power. It is JUSTUS or JUSTICE depending on what side you are on?

Can one wage war in a humanitarian fashion. Is a nation correct in ignoring those who call themselves freedom fighters but instead indicting them as terrorist. Is a patriot a cheerleader for nation's ego and nationalism. We must have the courage and integrity to ask the questions and challenged the dogma, rhetoric and propaganda.

I choose not to run outside and wave my flag after the death of Osama bin Laden. Instead I prefer to understand why people do what they do is it the conditions one lives in or is it a personal decision. I want to wage a movement of humanity I want to serve in the community of peace and be an advocate for civility and justice that revolves around the respect and dignity of all people everywhere on our planet.

In a nation where evil and good exists I want to always have the ability to decipher the code of justice or vengeance and not allow my government, media, political interest groups and others to decipher this code of justice or vengeance for me. I will always reject the politics of an execution whether a terrorist by the military of the execution of a criminal by the state.

Black on Black Inhumanity

2011-04-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

In too many venues in this region from the board rooms to the lounges of manufacturing plants to even church basements there is always some chatter or whispers about Black on Black crime. Often these exchanges involve a discussion about horrific criminal acts perpetrated against Black victims by Black assailants. The range and depth of Black on Black crime in the city hurts even now as I write these words yet these words must be written.

Many of these internal exchanges and chatter are constructive and warranted it is also true that many of them are nasty race tinged rumors and chatter often used to demonize the city and Black folks in general. Quite often those invoking this verbiage are Black people, from police officers to parents to pastors.

Yet my words here today are not about the criminal themes surrounding this potent and provocative subject matter but in this setting I want to engage in a dialogue about another incarnation of Black On Black crimes. I want to explore and discuss the crimes of personal inhumanity we commit against each other. The crime of Black on Black inhumanity. These are intra/inter personal negative actions just as lethal as crimes that violate our criminal laws.

The tragic behavior and destructive culture within the Black diaspora that negates the humanity and self esteem of Black people is sometimes beyond comprehension. The very nature of Black people shouting down each other’s dreams, ambitions and esteem and denying each other the basic dignity of humanity is reckless and impacts the every caliber of our lives.

No wound or injury hurts and stings and leaves life-long scars more than those which defeat our spirit and damn our personhood and self essence. When Black parents lecture to their children that they are ignorant, stupid and losers these words fill the air with arrows that pierce not only the heart but they puncture the mental ether of our children’s mental state of mind. When we attack the foundations of our children’s essence we destroy the currency of their consciousness and we harm their personal futures and we create obstacles in their dreams.

The damage of anti-esteem words punishes the very soul of a child’s imagination. When a Black person hurls bitter rage at a senior person it augments the velocity of our elders’ life span. When Black people wage a civil war within the community we commit crimes against humanity that prevent our communities from prospering and even recovering from tough times and duress.

The prisons of anger, rage, contempt, shame, ridicule, humiliation, envy, jealousy, sadness, despair, and sorrow handcuff the very essence of our community. Detroit cannot recover if the crimes against our personal dignity and self worth continue at the present velocity.

We need rallies and protests which focus on ending the civil war of personal self hate and incivility we share and exchange with each other to often on a daily basis. Instead of a day of prayer and atonement, we need endless moments of recognizing each other’s personal essence and self worth. We need to schedule appointments and meetings with each other with agendas that promote our humanity for each other.

The foundation of this collective self hate and contempt for our very essence and personhood has a history in the development of America. I will leave the origins of our collective self hate for another day. If we intend to create a city which has a future, we must as a Black community begin this journey with the affirmation of our collective self worth. We must end the crimes of inhumanity we are waging against each other beginning within our families and extending out into our relationships with our friends and others.

We can live a purposeful life in the city of Detroit and other urban venues across America. We must end the internal civil war within the Black community which places our very collective being in peril. Our future starts now only if we affirm each other’s humanity and self worth every moment we interact with each other. Right here…Right now…

The End of Detroit An Opera in 4 Acts

2011-04-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

Act I:The original people were swept from under by the explorers from Europe

Act II: The industrial revolution created machines that build the city

Act III: The information age destroyed the labor force and the nature of work

Act IV: The destruction of the family sealed the fate of the city

THE END OF THE CITY IN AMERICA COMING TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SOON

This Opera is sung to the music of Miles, Hendrix, Beatles, Supremes, Simone, Ella

Family Tradition: The Star Circle(c)

2011-04-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

Whenever there is a birthday in the family we have a celebratory ceremony ritual..We place the birthday person in the middle of a circle and all who are present family and friends we hold hands and create a embraced circle we then sing happy birthday then each person in the circle tells a story, rememberance, joke, chatter or something significant about the birthday person.Sometimes the tribute is short and sweet often no more than I love you.

It is a great family event that makes for wonderful moments full of humor, tears and love...

Please start this Star Circle Celebration in your family.. It will become a family tradition.

Currency of Attitude the Blueprint to Everything

2011-03-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

The currency of attitude can alter the very essence of life...It exists within all of us..An attitude is unlimited power ...An attitude can elevate above poverty, ignorance and the barriers of failure, negativity and despair...

The Blueprint to navigate the menu of life begins with the ingredient of ATTITUDE

Uncle Toms and other Pathologies in Post Slavery America

2011-03-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Of late in the terrain of social commentary there has been a resurgence of the topic of internal racial themes within Black America. One of the themes has been the discussion of class and Black personalities like the Uncle Tom aka the modern day Black Apologist.

Any candid discourse and examination of race within the Black community must be viewed from the platform of minority and majority themes. Black americans are a distinct cultural minority collective in a white nation that suffered through one of America's domestic holocausts.

The legacy of white supremacy in America has been lethal it stings and wounds even in the post racial era of an Obama tenure in the white house. The pathology of racism not only is lethal for those who are victimized by it but this evil also causes damages to those who authored white privilege and white supremacy.

For the Black folks who are stained and contaminated with white racism it produces a number of outcomes and side effects from hopelessness, anger,despair, militancy and the like. The drama of personalities like the Uncle Tom are not new in the Black community.

One of the incarnations of a community subject to the pathology of white racism in our nation is the character of an Uncle Tom a person whose self esteem is only measured by his acceptance and validation from whites. Despite the conventional themes about the negative portrayal of Uncle Toms. In our history the Uncle Tom was not always a terrible figure people ignore how talented they were in navigating and leveraging their race status during the plantation era and the post slavery era in America.

These personalities in very oppressive situations produced effective outcomes from elevated employment opportunities on the plantation to creative tatics in avoiding and deflecting the wrath from racist whites. The Uncle Tom was a living excercise a role model in how to managed the lethal system of slavery while creating effective strategies to excell in this inhumane and oppressive paradigm.

Yet some Uncle Toms were/are tragic personalities but they would not exist unless there was white supremacy and the pathology of white privilege in America. The intra cultural clash that exists in many Black communities, families, fraternities, organizations, churches and related groups are linked to the institution of slavery in America. This evil complex altered and influenced the very essence of family and social life in America for Black folks. All the words, studies, classes, novels, lectures will never be able to comprehend or give a full measure to the impact of this holocaust on Black Americans.

Black self worth and community values and mores still suffer from the disease of slavery.It is not an excuse or a plea of victimhood to understand and recognize this truth. Black victimhood, class envy, petty jealousy, twisted rage and even some degree of Black crime, parenting, goal shaping, psychosis all of these relations and conditions have origins in the creation of a America that viewed Black folks as inferior beings not worthy of basic humanity.

The saga of the Black Uncle Tom shares a shelf life with White racism in our nation it is a pathological scar, obstacle and part of the cultural dna that still wounds and inflicts to many even in the post racial era of America....

The End of the City in America

2011-03-09T13:53:00.001-08:00

The fate of cities across America is fragile many cities are on the edge of insolvency and bankruptcy. The states in which these cities are incorporated in are also facing severe fiscal problems and budgetary shortcomings. It is prudent therefore to have a discussion on a number of issues from regionalism to quality of living in face of these severe financial realities confronting american cities.

Many of these cities because of these dire financial distress provide less services to their residents from fewer police and fire department services to street lights being shuttered to EMS response times being extended and certain calls being ignored completely. The spectrum of a complete shutdown of city services is no longer a script in a science fiction novel but a real time reality for public employees in our cities.

Some residents in city neighborhoods are locking themselves and families in barricaded homes. The very idea of state national guards taking over law enforcement duties in many bankrupted cities across the nation is real and on the agenda of many city planners and state legislatures. The EFM legislation currently unfolding in Lansing many have argued is a blueprint for the takeover of Detroit .

With this new downsized urban centers there has been an increase in vigilante groups, religious cults and people hibernating within their homes only coming out in the day time and rushing to return to home before the night comes to fill the air. When there is despair in the city air it fosters and cultivates paranoia, urban myths, and fear.

In the face of this devolution of american cities across the country it is imperative that strategies and ideas must be developed to confront the end of cities. This examination of cities and life in this new economic and social, political reality however dos not have to be a negative or crisis proposition. Life can be come renewed and reenergize if we have the courage to design a new urban frontier.

Regionalized cities which are the consolidation of other failed cities could create a platform of better services, improved schools and better over all quality of life in the neighborhood that are arteries of life in our urban locations. People simply are no longer loyal to cities and are more interested in their quality of life.

What is driving people living in the new world order is the right to live quality life styles and living conditions that empower good food, safe streets, fresh air, beautiful surroundings, people who want to love life instead of battling decay and decadence.

The equation for a new city maybe the complete destruction and collapse of the old city and its borders and boundaries. People want their lives to be purposeful and meaningful, they don't care who or what government agency is picking up the trash, policing the streets and where the water and lights come from. People want service that work and make their lives more livable.

Designing a new city begins with the objective and desires of those living in the old city and those living outside the city. It may even require that cities no longer be called cities but renamed and redefined as Urban Regions with one police department, one school district, one water board, one energy company, one health department, one park and recreation department...one.....one.....one...

Alive and Living Black Life creates Black History..

2011-02-27T17:04:00.000-08:00

For some folks Black history is already dead and not deserving of any attention..I am not one of those folks but I always want to champion the living legends and icons right here and right now..

Living Black Life creates Black History.... That is why I am a Black Icon and a Living Legend...Just sayin....

Idea to increase readership of Detroit News & Detroit Free Press

2011-02-26T22:27:00.000-08:00

Background: This region is home of major corporate companies and footprints which impact the entire nation but more importantly this region.

Objective: Increase Readership in both newspapers

Idea: I propose a daily section dedicated to the fortune 500 firms and small business companies which provide a detailed narrative of the products and services of the companies and small business but it also includes profiles of the various employees that work at the companies, these profiles are in depth and provide tips, inspirational themes with photos of key workers, web sites,significant events, coupons, t-shirts. At end of the week both the Detroit News & Free Press can published an on line blog which continues the dialouge of the designated company or small business.

Outcome: This idea will immediately increase the daily readership of those working for the firms as well as family, friends, vendors, church members, organizations' associated with the companies. This theme driven focus could increase add buying, subscriptions and related collateral benefits.

Urban Frontier

2011-02-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

Detroit like many other urban venues across the nation is on the edge of a massive gentrification and urban migration movement that not only means housing and property changes but a cultural and political upheaval is also percolating and is currently underway. From the regionalization of the city's water department to the resurgence of the mid-town area to a dismantling of DPS. Urban renewal, gentrification, suburban sprawl, regionalization, and even resizing of the city speaks to the new landscape in Detroit and other urban venues in America.

Cities like Detroit are now the new Urban Frontier and as such all of these themes and movements create tension, economic shifts, cultural sparks and of course political posturing. From who gets to be the new sheriff in town to how the city is to be governed this new urban landscape brings with it all manner of opportunity including the specter of conflict and growth. How one navigates in the new Urban Frontier remains a critical issue for this new urban terrain for those living in the new urban frontier and for those observing it from afar.

Some have argued that old neighborhoods would never return become renewed and refreshed without the injection of new capital and new people . Others have argued that such injection of new people destroy the historical fabric of a community and makes the new landscape a reflection of new money, different hues and different agendas.

Detroit's demographics reflect a majority Black population yet the latest wave of gentrification is a diferent hue and class orientation . The emergence of class and elitism is reflective of this new urban frontier. The recent recession in the nation has slowed the emergence of the new urban frontier but it will not stop it.

With the new urban frontier expect the following a more diverse array of public officials, an educational system that is driven by demands of class and higher expectations, an urban poor that becomes more hostile and hopeless. Plus with the new urban frontier demographic we can also expect a cultural terrain that is inspired by Robo Cop statues , gritty literature and cultural artifacts that doe not embrace the lyrics of rhythm and blues but the sounds of world music and the chatter of social networks.

The New Urban Frontier could be the gateway for all of America in the 21th Century.....

Midnight in Tunisia....( Read this to Dizzy's Iconic Jazz Tune)

2011-01-29T16:55:00.001-08:00

Our government has a long and ugly legacy of influencing our domestic media in all kinds of areas from accurate data about the rates of crime, cancer, wealth, poverty to the truth about the existence of UFO’s and related usual phenomena. The massive scope of technology also lends itself to the government ease in influencing media accounts and information. The barrier between truth and fiction is the most important question in the media and it is a question that no longer is under the privy of media corporations.

Our government has secretly spied on civil rights leaders and invoked national security themes to get our media outlets to partner with them on the creation and development of propaganda and disinformation. Our media outlets have partnered with the government on all types of filtered news that is reported to the American public. On many occasions this interference with the free flow of information, data and knowledge has been welcomed by our political parties and our leaders in both the private and public sector.

When the news accounts involve foreign affairs and military concerns the injection and excuse of national security surfaces, which provides cover and rationales for our government’s control, filtering and manipulation of news and information. The events in Tunisia & Egypt scare the ruling class in America, from concerns about the economic fallout to the notion that America’s poor will parrot the protests of those in the streets of Tunis & Cairo.

It is to longer a secret or a conspiracy in the modern world many governments engaged in propaganda and information for a number of reasons. It is not a far-fetched fiction that those in the ruling class and our political parties fear the possibility that America’s poor will take to the streets and engage in an American regime change.

The poor and underclass here in America share the same misfortunes , poverty, hopelessness and impotency as those in the streets of Tunisia and Egypt. The plight of the poor is a universal condition and international boundaries are not relevant nor a barrier to those suffering common fates and realities. There is hunger and homelessness right here in Detroit, whose streets share the visuals of any third world country.

It is therefore incumbent to understand how close to the edge our nation is to a civil war right here on Main Street in America, from foreclosures to high unemployment to educational systems that fail our inner city youth to prisons and jails which warehouse large proportions of America’s population.

These are perilous times for the entire world the events in the streets of foreign nations matter here in streets of America as well.

Turn it Off

2011-01-25T06:57:00.000-08:00

In this world of the internet,cable tv,smart phones, earphones, big screen tv,social media, our very existence is frought with the banter of everything...Yet present in our very midst of existence is the simple genius of nothing.

We must become detached from the wealth of technology not because we fear the excessive usage of technology . I seek not to wage a war against technology but to begin a trek to another reality that is parallel to the world of machines.

My thrust is to appreciate and value the beauty of empty space. The landscape of silence is beautiful when the machines are not present to cloud the terrain.

Consider the moment of nothingness even if it is only a minute....The bliss of silence. The pastoral vision of nothing..

Turn if Off....

The Danger of Historical Fiction

2011-01-08T15:36:00.000-08:00

The latest pc rage is the volume of pundits, bloggers, educators and others rushing to reject the new revised publication of Huck Finn by Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain a fictional person. PC run amuck!

A fictional person wrote a fictional novel about a fictional account of slavery, racism etc . This novel of course was a imaginary tale that had nothing to do with the authentic reality of racism during Twain's era.

I have no reservations about the removal of fiction from fiction by a fictional writer. The construct of nigger was created and invented and invoked by whites who also invented the race card.

There is nothing historical about revision of fiction. When folks start revising history and reality then I will join the herd...

AA: An Approach to Attainment

2011-01-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

Attitude Altitude: A solution to the urban crisis in education and community growth and development.

Happy Alladays!

2010-12-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

Yes whatever you worship take my blessings with you....Living in the presence of now...Happy Alladays

Sportmanship in America

2010-12-12T15:21:00.001-08:00

I have yet to read or listen to any of the sports media columnists, publications, sports shows express some dismay and concerned about the level of the hate filled cheerleading and vile sportsmanship by the Cleveland Cavalier fans during Lebron James return to Cleveland.

The sports media's silence in reporting on the absence of sportsmanship present during this game is revealing. The behavior and the expressions of outright hate displayed and expressed by the fans attending the event was the lowest level of sportsmanship witnessed in our nation in any sporting activity that I can recall.

The presence of children during this orgy of hate was truly stunning . The absence of any responsible parenting was just as offensive. The behavior of the NBA , ESPN and related sports interests in supporting and promoting and affirming this despicable caliber of sportsmanship is offensive.

The underlying racial related themes of some of the jeers and signage clearly gave fuel to this depraved level of sportsmanship. It was embarrassing observing a sports event that had the stench of racism and the flavor of the most depraved sportsmanship I have ever witnessed as a sports fan. Apparently even our sports events are not above the vile and petty incivility which is rampant in our nation of late. Cheerleaders of hate is not the sportsmanship I want my children and family to model. Apparently hate is the only sports that matter now in America.

Oh Happy Day...

2010-11-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

It is nice to be with those who love you and you loving them..

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Friends no more....

2010-11-21T19:59:00.001-08:00

When decay, decadence and failure visits your world and compels you to consider those who were a conduit for your misfortune it becomes incumbent upon you to have the courage to no longer share a bond with your allies of the past..

Wives must leave their husbands...Children must break the bonds of parenthood...Friends must reject their peers...

The poor must liberated themselves from hopelessness and despair...

After the Storm...

2010-11-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

Instead of paying attention to the talking heads in the media both print and electric I woke up after the mid-term elections and stared at myself in my bathroom mirror affirming once again that I define my existence and reality...

I also realize the most important forces and influences in my orbit are those I allow into my circle of life. Political candidates are human scripts whose voices read words that are meant to solict votes nothing more but votes...

My life is shaped by how I define what is progressive and worthy. I am still going to respect my elders, mentor the youth, love my family, speak to my neighbors, feed the birds and love this wonderful thing called life...

The storm is a good thing reminds me of many things that are important

Voting Rights

2010-10-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

For Americans political elections bring a barrage of campaign literature, commercials, speeches that never end. For Black Americans political elections always bring besides the campaign materials and endless speeches, we also get disinformation, propaganda and a flurry of candidates seeking our vote but never our respect and long time concerns.

Black voters also get the usual crisis pleas and hysteria over our right to vote. I have never argued that not voting is a good option yet I have matured and evolved to now give some credibility and argument to the position of not voting at all. One can take a principled position by opting put of a flawed and corrupt political system. One can argue by voting they are contributing to a corrupt and immoral political system. The jury is still out on the merits of voting and not voting.

My advice for this mid- term election is simple BE YOU vote as if your vote reflects your value and concerns not the agenda of political parties and political candidates who only care about you when they want your vote.

Color Me Crazy

2010-10-25T07:10:00.001-07:00

The Juan Williams saga has surfaced a series of significant issues and observations from a number of concerns and considerations in various Black venues of America. I have no reservations about the nature of Juan's comments from my vantage point as an activist his words were blatant bigotry and troubling given a nation like ours with a tortured legacy of negrophobia of late frequent incidents of islamophobia.

Just as troubling as Juan's words were the remarks of Vivian Schiller NPR's CEO her comments that Juan should consult a psychiatrist were as lethal as the hate speech uttered by Juan Williams. Yet I have yet to observe the Trotter Group or the African -American Online folks challenge, confront and/or publish any commentaries regarding Schiller's venom.

The Trotter Group and the AA Online summit folks both have allowed the Obama white house to used them as conduits in outreach ventures now that Obama's is in a meltdown and the midterm elections are on the calendar YET when Black activists and others are under siege by the character assignations on our mental faculties I have observed nothing but silence and avoidance from the collective clout of the Black media outlets in particular The Trotter Group and the AA Online summit folks.

In the area of civil rights and economic initiatives Black activists have always been on the vanguard and suffered every measure of venom and inhumanity from the majority culture. Our roles have produced as much progress and accomplishments as any sector of the Black community in America.

Again I reiterate why the silence from Black media outlets when whites demonize Black men who dared to have an opinion. When can Black activists expect the Black media to come to our assistance as they did for Obama?????

We hurt to when the hurricane of venom and ridicule rains on us 24/7.

The ARTISTRY of WORDS

2010-10-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

Oral adventures begin with the museum of words... The landscape of a person with a wonderful vocabulary is as thrilling as any computer generated movie..The artistry of a well told narrative luminates the canvass of silence....

Words that enter the conduits of our ears spoke speak to the essence of our being...Portraits created out of the artistry of words are masterpieces without a canvess....

May I have a word with you.....Listen to this.......

MY BOOK is Titled: How to Live in an Urban Venue

2010-09-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

It will be a guidebook on essentials of how to survive and develop in an urban place. The book will cover parenting, food, work, crime, friendship, depression, happiness, religion, health, life..

The book will provide details, insights, short stories, lists, poetry, business plans, advice, menus,directories,instructions, philosophy, music, book reviews, endorsements, solutions, recommendations, tips, ....

For the folks in the city from babies to seniors.....

To be published 2011.......

A Nation of Clusterfucks

2010-09-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

One of the disturbing themes which seems to inflict every region of the country in both the private and public sector is the breath and depth of incompetence from the oil spill in Louisiana to the local meltdown of the recent meeting in the city to discuss downsizing Detroit. Of late in our nation , state, region, workplace, school districts, playgrounds even there seems to be a pathology of incompetence and failure nothing seems to work nor operate on time per directions or instructions.

Excuses and failure are the new normal in the post industrial America. This common and collective set of behaviors is the new American pastime. Instead of our nation progressing with all of its latest hi tech digital gadgets we seem to be skipping along while rugs slip under our feet and chairs collapse under our weight when kids are left in cars and grandparents are forgotten during electrical shortages. We need to stop look and listen to what is happening to our nation. There is one common generic symbol we can rally around and become flag-wavers and patriotic about...Getting our stuff together.

Connection

2010-09-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

In the journey of life the art of connection is another law of the universe that does not rank as high as others like gravity, karma,life, or death... Connection is one of the tiers in the laws of nature/universe...It lives in the same bandwidth of lonely....

Being connected eases the moments of weary and dread....Connected liberates the feelings of depression and engages the possibility of union and shared relations...

It is a wonderful moment to be connected with another person, place or thing...

Negrophobia has returned...

2010-08-31T18:32:00.000-07:00

Beware the politics of fear and scapegoating has returned with a vengence in post racial America..

Withdraw to Navigate

2010-08-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

Perhaps in a life it requires one to step away...

Withdraw to Navigate a new course of life...

Reach Out....

2010-08-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

Let's work together .....

Assault on Voting Rights: Blueprint for a Tyrant

2010-07-28T14:43:00.001-07:00

This is truly a perilous moment wherein a narrative is being offered up that is so Orwellian it deserves outright rejection

Underlying the ballot question for Detroit voters is the narrative that since Bing is an elected offical the voters should relinquish all of their other voting privledges and sucumb to this convoluted notion that a vote for Bing because he is an elected offical means all other voting rights for elected officals is not required nor revelant...This is a full frontal assualt on voting rights of city voters...

What's next? ..Will the governor claim that voters in city who vote for her no longer need to vote for the mayor...This could be a blueprint for the entire disenfanchisement of voting rights for any elected office in the city..

One vote for Mayor is all the votes city residents get!!!!!

Being Everywhere

2010-07-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

The recent dust up with the NAACP and the Tea Party provides and opportunity for Black Americans to not remind on the sidelines and watch the movement but to join the parade and become architects of the outcomes of the Tea Party Movement.

Given the mandate of the NAACP their posture towards the Tea Party was not unexpected but instead of just indicting the shortcomings of the Tea Party it is also constructive to illuminate the potential and merits of this movement.

In our history the majority has always started out as exclusionary yet some of the themes of the Tea Party have merit with regard to the policies of our government. Our nation is stronger when the entire electorate participates. Black Americans must always be present when our interests are in play. We need to be in the Tea Party it is the American way.

Presence....

2010-07-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

For so long and to often whenever I am out in the public marketplace and I encounter people not of color their non-verbal body reactions have always released an aura of not being at ease, a sense of freight, awkwardness, anxiety and even fear...It is at once suspended in time a moment of an unnatural PRESENCE..

For years I thought it was my flight of paranoia and over sensitive state of being and not the PRESENCE of people not of color yet after exploring this issue with a number of friends my instincts were affirmed..

Me a Black man an occupant of a nuance shared moment with a person not of color brought together in a suspended moment a collection of history , imagary, propaganda, disinformation, ignorance, arrogance,instinct..

Entering a human intersection and sharing a moment of my PRESENCE.....I live for the moment where my PRESENCE has no history, no legacy, no disinformation, no rumor, no propaganda, just PRESENCE shared equally by all...

The Myth of Atonement

2010-07-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

When the media and others seek to filter and cleanse the legacy of an evil celebrity or politician when they die the victims get punished again and the horror of evil lives on.... Robert Byrd does not deserve the regret and the efforts of those who seek to polish his ugly past and make him honorable. We don't honor nazi sympathizers why do we rationalize racist ones?

Byrd was a evil person whose contempt and racism towards Black Americans was beyond the pale and reached depths of inhumanity. Byrd alleged personality reversal and regrets lack sincerity and were rightfully viewed as just another slick media twist to appease his critics.

Byrd's posture towards Black Americans was inhumane he brought suffering to unlimited numbers of Americans that were not of his hue. I hope he rots in hell that is what his legacy deserves not a fictional cleansing by the media and pc influenced politicians.

Redemption does not belong to the community those seeking atonement know this truth...

Designing a Nation

2010-06-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Should we repair the failures within our communities or should we restored the foundations or simply create and design a new world. Who will be the architects of this venture. Must we rely on the old occupants or will our design team be candidates from the new tenants on the block.

Will we need new religions....Must we take oaths or will we need automated scripts to worship. This new design can it handle migration, immigration and the deportion and deployment of human capital..

Designing a nation from top or from the bottom maybe a lateral perspective works...Let's do this..

Outside

2010-06-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

Out here..Faces of the leaves are smiling...The wind invites cusines of many...Sun battles with awnings ...Insects run for cover.. Out here is Outside

Out here noise feels the void of quiet..Walking heals the talking...Children spar with sidewalks and seniors...Strangers intersect with strangers...Out here is Outside...

Out here windows push the inside outside...Trees collided with the open....Out here is outside...

A New Life Tutorial

2010-06-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

When the days required clocks and reasons to calibrate my living I would often turn inward to fill out the day as a tool to figure out my problems to decipher my day dreams...When my youth made me ignore clocks and the wisdom of others I tiptoed in the the aura of infinity when I was young and not in need of a mentor.

Now my days required a calendar, my clocks tick without making noise, and my own opinion has lost its luster where do I go to get the wisdom to navigate this terrain that seems like an endless mirage but in truth is a hard vision of reality.

Those who shared and made me their proteges have left the canvass. Many have surrendered to the realities of lost memories, wounded bodies and the contemplation of their obituaries.

So here I am reaching out seeking a living tutorial to navigate these days where my mantra's are now dated and my advice no longer has the velocity of importance and the currency of relevance..

I need a GPS for life and I need it now....

Oil in the water...

2010-06-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

Broken pipes in the water nature is weeping...

Walking on air is no longer a dream with oil in the water and cars drunk with oil..

Broken pipes in the water nature is weeping....

Memorial Day..

2010-05-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

Warriors alive on Memorial Day in my hood.. No more killing no more funerals...To be killed or to kill...Not a question today..

I now pay attention to the wounds, the distant faces, tattered uniforms not hidden in boxes but worned with pride....

Warriors alive on Memorial Day ...Alive and full of life...

Orbit

2010-05-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

The Guru of modern life counsels that one must be surrounded by bliss of people, images, music, places, ideas, scents, as we live our lives...

The Guru of modern life counsels that those things which are within our orbit allows us to take in life with a luminous glow or one can absorb the elements of darkness...

The Guru of modern life counsels that when one encounters negativity and the aroma of dispair the ability to call on the assets of one's orbit allows for passage of negativity without peril or harm to one's being....

The Guru of modern life counsels that the orbit what flows around our being is connected to infinite orbits of life and as such our life is enhanced the orbits of all life...

Black Americans=More than Civil Rights Icons

2010-05-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

More than often I have to remind people that not only can I dance, sing and play sports but I can also recite every element on the Atomic Chart as well as thier weight and atomic number.

Tragically in our nation Black Americans have very limited optics part of our negative image is the failure of Black folks to tell the narrative of our unlimited diverse talents and skills. The other truth is that many people in our nation enbrace the fiction and disinformation about us as just being athletes, entertainers and of late criminals.

Black Americans are much more that the world's greatest civil rights icons..We are much more than legendary singers and sports stars..Our narrative is endless and still unfolding....

To be continued.......

Short Story : Dr.Cukoo

2010-05-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

CHAPTER I. Directions

My socks were getting wet and the rain was hitting me in the face on my jog to the mail box... I adored spring rains especially on weekend mornings. I was hoping my neighbor's wife was making the same dash to pick up the mail...I loved it she got wet and her slightly opened robe screamed at me to take a peek.

The envelope I was looking for was stuck in between some other mail and for a quick second I thought I had more junk mail like yesterday's haul... I rushed back into the house and set down at the kitchen table and ripped apart the back of the envelope.... There it was hand written note with an web site address that was it!

Before I could log on my pc my door bell rang it was my neighor's wife she was standing directly in my front doow window with some mail I stared at her through my door's peephole before I opened the door there she in full display with a wet long t-shirt covered by her robe teasing me.. I opened the door grabbed the mail and told her to tell her husband hello while she walked away She flashed me the naked truth...

I grabbed my pc ran upstairs into my bedroom and logged on my pc and put the web site in my browser ...

Mirror

2010-04-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

Unable to connect a life surrendered to the space of lonely and the glow of nothingness...

Trapped by the circles of weary a life surrendered to the space of lonely and the glow of nothingness

Rejected by the noise of empty a life surrendered to the space of lonely and the glow of nothingness...

I entered the life without words or examples..I offered a portrait of you...

Purpose was discovered now a life has a view......

Census: Who Dat?

2010-04-26T18:49:00.001-07:00

Recently there has been a lot of drama over the race selection options for completion of the census form. The controversy includes questions about the term Negro to Arab-Americans seeking their own option instead of being classified as white.

What is interesting is how non-whites are concerned about how they are defined by race in America. In our nation with our legacy of racism for to long Black Americans were subject to the 'one drop rule" which was a racist notion which allowed whites to classify all non-whites as Black despite their own self identifications and demand for self-determination.

Many people refuse to accept any government designation and instead view the census as a violation of their heritage as well as personal privacy. Some people simply want to be defined as individuals and classified as members of the human race. The census remains a fascination for people and the government in how to define and describe people. The census is a provocative exercise that will always be a feature of any government that catalogs and takes an inventory of their citizens.

What do you call yourself????

The Menu of Life

2010-04-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

In the media and I am sure in various household venues across the nation the discussion about health care is a major topic. It is true that what we eat is critical to any health care discussion but not only is food and diet important but so is the items on the menu that we feed our minds.

Our mental state of health is as critical as any diet. It is important that we feed our minds with good ideas, thoughts, logic,and content. One could argue that without a strong mental constitution being a super healthy person without an equally progressive state of mind is a waste of food and good health.

I don't want toxic thoughts and negative knowledge inside my body. I am always rejecting hate, depression, evil and any negative ideas and thoughts from entering my body. When I eat I never read negative materials nor do I watch negative images on my TV or my computer screen while I am feeding my body. I monitor emails and I avoid downloading toxic and counterproductive materials from all sources including friends and associates.

I digest good music..I inhale wonderful aromas..I touch beautiful things..I absorb the atmospheric of imagination.... I watch wonderful images..I eat the splendor of the world....

My menu of life is more than a happy meal....

The Safety Net Of Civil Rights

2010-04-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

For years living here in Detroit I would cringe at the countless times I would observe Rosa Parks feeble and senile being carted around the city and elsewhere to get an award or to front for some fundraising efforts. I resented it then and now when I witness Ali being shuffled. I resent this practice when old civil rights leaders get tossed around for media coverage when race is on the radar.

The MSM and the usual suspects in the political marketplace always exploit the death of famed civil rights leaders with overkill and tired soundbites of course it is easier for them to live in the safe past when Black icons are dead or no longer create risk. Progressive and assertive modern Black leaders who would rather focus on finance, science,enviormental concerns and foreign affairs are not news worthy for coverage for MSM. The safety net is always old time civil rights stuff for the MSM..

The Black community evolved decades ago with regard to civil rights we have charted many other paths yet the marketplace refuses to mature and evolve with us. Our communities are demanding growth and development in other areas from economics, science, fiscal concerns to global affairs... .

When will the rest of America catch up with us?????

The Crime of Reporting Crime

2010-04-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

Recently CNN and other outlets compiled a list of the most dangerous cities in the world of note Detroit was on the list...This is an example of how shallow and worthless journalism, reporting and disinformation have become almost criminal(excuse the pun)... Lists like these are often inferences based upon survey data, questionable data collections and subjective media accounts....There is no integrity in impotent lists like these other than tabloid currency.

Important and really more valuable is crime data and information that is based upon the actual security and risk of harm to indivuals and property...
None of the data collected nor the lists directly evaluate the ratio or metric about actual danger to victims....Most victims of crime know thier assailants and many of them are family and friends.

Factually most people are rarely victms of remote danger or stranger inflicted criminal acts. Most people are safer with strangers than actual people they have a history or relation with...With regard to family crimes and spousal abuse, the victims are at risk often from other family member and not strangers property crimes as well have a large variable of victim relation.

Reporting and information of this nature at end of the day does not make anyone safer it only demonizes entire cities with fiction and disinformation. Yet again Detroit does not deserve this indictment and It is tragic that MSM is a conduit for this type of faulty reporting.

Making a difference...

2010-04-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Those that make a difference always matter...

Tea Baggers & Good Germans

2010-03-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

I argue it is foolish for people of color in our nation to ignore the nascent threat that is present today from those hiding under the banner of anti government slogans and dogma. Our nation has a long and ugly legacy of offering up minorities as scapegoats when times are tough.

There exists right below the surface of rightous concerns about the excess of government a massive silent majority who under the duress and turbulence of our economic meltdown are capable of becoming a twisted misguided mob of folks on a mission to declare they are the only folks who get to define America during troubled times.

These angry mobs have the real potential of waging a civil war against those of us who reject their dogma and twisted patriotism . We cannot be passive or remain silent and on the sidelines while this rage builds.

We have a moral, social and civic duty to stop this movement right here..right now..

A Short Story

2010-03-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time ........

Race to the Bottom

2010-03-05T13:05:00.001-08:00

The failure of our state to become an initial recipient of the federal funding to reform educational systems in our country is a teachable lesson on a number of levels. It reveals how impotent our congressional clout is and it illuminates how the politics of education will always contaminate the education of our children in our state and our nation.

It is offensive that our federal government would even engaged in a contest to improve the educational foundations of our nation's students. Our future as a nation should not be subject to a national contest. The truth is this backward proposition was never questioned or challenged but actually embraced by our state leaders . This tragic cheerleading was in full bloom when Robert Bobb the designated DPS savior genuflected and remain silent when our nation's educational czar demonize the DPS as the worst in the country.

Our state leaders role in this saga is shameful instead of being motivated to design new long overdue educational reforms in the state our legislators created a series of hollow reforms that were not only impotent but revealed a desperate leadership unable to even understand and confront its own educational shortcomings.

One hopes this set back will slap our state leaders into reality instead of chasing down prizes behind the curtains of the federal contests. Our state legislature needs to create our own transformative reforms here in Michigan. The citizens of Michigan cannot afford to lose this race.

Black Agenda=American Agenda

2010-03-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

Why is logic such a problem in the world of politics..

A=B B=A

Americans=Blacks Americans
Black Agenda=American Agenda

A=B B=A

Haiti Blues

2010-02-25T16:52:00.001-08:00

Instead of saving folks people are bashing Haiti...How offensive can it get attacking folks suffering for an earthquake..Only in America

Olympics

2010-02-25T16:50:00.001-08:00

Nationalism on the ski slopes...Where are the snow balls

Toyota

2010-02-25T16:49:00.001-08:00

Revenge in the front seat..Is America scapegoating Toyota

Can Black become beautiful again......

2010-02-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

For to long I have avoided writing and having a dialouge about the critical issue of the image of Black males in our nation. On a number of levels I did not want to have this critical discourse in a nation that has such a nasty racial legacy against Black folks and of course Black men. I know this culture seeks to leverage Black folks against Black folks. I know this culture champions the seeds of divison and internal conflict between the various intersections of Black life in our nation.

I am of the opinion in part that our nation's contempt and depravity towards Black men is so deep that efforts to measure this abyss have yet to be created. The depth of hate is so severe it is profound and often beyond many measure of reasonable and sane comprehension.

Yet I know I would die waiting on any measure of honor, respect and justice from a culture that continues to fear and hold anything Black in contempt . WE must change the culture and not have it change us.

So given this hard core raw truth what is to be gained by taking on this cultural equation. What value can be achieved by me on a personal level and the community on a group level in reshaping, reinventing, reimaging, polishing up our image in our nation as Black men.

There are inherent perils in pursuing this narrative and transformative posture.Yet in spite of the risks I must undertake this mission. My community must take on this assignment.

So from this point forward in every moment, every situation, every awkward incident, every first impression, every second in lives of Black men a change must take place. WE must make a life altering change in the image of Black men that is observed, reflected, in our interactions with the world.

WE cannot continue living in a world that affirms and embraces negrophobia. Our personal lives are at risk, our familes and communites are in peril, our nation cannot achieve its full apex unless we make this calibrated change right here, right now..

Black must become beautiful once again..

Riddle Time

2010-02-18T07:31:00.000-08:00

It was interesting and revealing to observe the outcome of the mistrial in the Sam Riddle saga. Instead of indicting the corporate ruling class that designed a plan to extort the taxpayers in Detroit the Feds targeted a minor bureaucrat to indict.

Yet one lone juror had the courage to stand up against the FEDS and a 'posse' with a high tech lynching in mind..

Memorial 9/11 Politics

2010-02-18T07:24:00.000-08:00

Recently my home town was solicted by the NY Port Authority to take the ruined steel from the WTC to use as a memorial. The idea of course is borders on the macabre and is as twisted as the steel offered by the NY Port Authority.

Of course those who objected to this nightmare offer were attacked as un-american and soft on terrorism. The usual political brokers are playing the 'drive by' war on terror extortionist angle to get the twisted steel in Birmingham.

It is tragic to observe the people stepping on the souls of the 9/11 dead to advance their political agendas....

UM Football Social Engineering in Black Venues

2010-02-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

When prestigious universities in our nation provide preferential treatment to dysfunctional and troubled athletes and have problems admitting other students something is fundamentally out of order. Our nation and those venues which suffer from the antics of wayward youth are not enhanced by universities and colleges which reward failure and give sanction to sports and athleticism over values and principles.

Communities and youth at risk are not empowered by opportunities which provide for, excuses, and deflection. There is something fundamentally wrong when we as a society allow athletic departments at our universities to engaged in social engineering.

The regents and presidents of our colleges and universities must intervene when the goals of sports are more important than the goals of responsibility and accountability.

Duncan's Edict

2010-02-07T06:46:00.001-08:00

I hope our state legislators and others ignore the edict from Arne Duncan the Secretary of Education to grant Robert Bobb control over the DPS academic affairs. Clearly this intervention into our state's oversight of public education is not only out of order but Duncan's imperial order also denotes contempt for the right of voters to elect public school boards.

Duncan's desire to be Bobb's publicist reveals how politics not substance again rears its ugly head whenever education is an issue for students in the city. Clearly Bobb is not qualified nor has any academic credentials to run any academic programs in DPS .

Arne Duncan should stick to taking photos with the president and refrain from giving endorsements on matters he has no standing on. Duncan is not a kingmaker designating Bobb as a messiah with divine powers is not the role of our Secretary of Education.

The Obama Era

2010-01-27T18:07:00.000-08:00

One year into the tenure of Obama has brought with it all manner of everything....

Life is good, bad and ugly in the Obama Era...

Haiti with love

2010-01-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

My chants will fill the air with love for the people of Haiti...Please join me ......Ya Yo Ye....Ya Yo Ye....Ya Yo Ye...Ya Yo Ye.....Ya Yo Ye..Ya Yo Ye

Terrorism Vaccine

2010-01-04T16:10:00.001-08:00

There will never be enough security measures to defeat misery, evil, insanity and all manner of related depravity in the world. Our nation's only tried and tested shield against the activities of terrorism is our values and principles as a people. Our nation has failed in being the world's most cherish and honorable country on the planet. Our international reputation does not cultivate nor harvest respect instead our nation's mantra for to long reflected the demeanor of arrogance and decadence. America is now a magnet and target for those who dwell in cowardly acts of terrorism.

We can defeat the millions of tortured and troubled people in the world who have at their core a inhumane contempt for America which creates a righteous belief in acts of suicidal terrorism. We can achieve this victory not with the latest hi tech security gadgetry or the massive outlay of protocols and infringement of our liberties. Our success in this endeavor will never be achieved via the exercise of wars on terror but by the practice and implementation of American values and principles employed here and abroad.

2010---Expect it...

2009-12-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

I am going to bring to the marketplace a volume of work that will truly make the world a better place...

Get Ready.........

ODE to the Kids in the City

2009-12-10T20:45:00.001-08:00

Discounted ignored indicted with indifference kids of city do not surrender
Elevate for you cultivate your harvest breath into your essence
Clothed with emptiness stuffed with ignorance detached from relevance
Elevate for you cultivate your harvest breath into your essence
Unwrap your isolation defeat the inferences ignore the slanders
Elevate for you cultivate your harvest breath into your essence
Not invisible nor irrelevant or disposable never barren or worthless
Elevate for you cultivate your harvest breath into your essence

Help Us C U

Internet Media Vessels of Segregated Content

2009-12-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

One of the lethal aspects of the chatter class and the various media sites which operate on the internet is the ability to create propaganda and disinformation that shapes and defines people of color especially Black folks in a number of negative and counter productive narratives. White engineered content driven web sites that have firewalls of cultural impotency and arrogance only augment the digitial divide. This present model of content delivery on the internet is flawed and as such it becomes a conduit of fiction which creates a bubble of underdeveloped chatter class folks who think they know truth but know nothing.

The digitial divide presently on the bulk of many media websites reflects the segregated nature of real life venues and social circles. Those who define and create the data, dialouge, information, and content on the internet have little if any impactful relationships with the very people of color they blog about.

This disconnect is very destructive in part becuase those who dominate the chatter class never really know what is the truth about significant social and racial issues. In our nation today with regard to the chatter class unless the data is filtered via the internet the chatter class never really knows shit about reality especially racial reality. This on line educational delivery is a backward and becomes in real time a underdeveloped conduitthat makes folks who think they have knowledge actually ignorant.

The way to defeat this defective false model of online knowledge and intell is to of course shatter the segregated orbits of those who operate these media and bloggsphere websites..

DPS & TEST SCORES

2009-12-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

The realization that the students in DPS posted the worst math scores in the history of a national test assessment is so disheartening not because of the dysfunctional parents nor the selfish teachers and their impotent union nor the ego driven demeanor of the state empowered headhunter or even the greedy real estate professionals who like many others before them fed at the trough of the DPS at the expense of the their education.

None of these ugly realities powerful and impactful as they are defeated the will of DPS students. Yet today was the realization that it finally appears that now the students of DPS have succumbed to the insanity of being educated by DPS. The students of DPS have given up on themselves. The students of DPS who have weathered every trendy and novel educational theories dumped on them have now accepted the self inflicted wounds of low self worth, defeat and surrender. They no longer believe in themselves.

The most important component of a student's education is the belief in self. How tragic it is to witness that in the DPS the students themselves have abandoned their own self worth and accepted failure. What a tragic lesson plan to finally master and excel in.

Please do not get things twisted here clearly the educators have failed the city's students and the level of "low expectations" is off the radar in the city. I find the deconstuction of the educational standards is criminal and in truth the natural reaction of a city in a death spiral.

Yet there is a way out..

To be continued

Detroit Way Out

2009-12-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

Forget the idealized notion of moving Detroit way forward. What about closing it down and leveling the entire city. Cities deserve to die. Destruction is a natural law of the universe.

Our nation destroyed Iraq to rebuild it again. Why not level dead decaying cities here on this soil. We are spending billions in Iraq and not Detroit. Historical memory has little currency in the digital world.

The existence of Detroit right here and right now is lethal for young and old. It is wrong to allow this decay and depravity to continue ....

ThanksGiving...

2009-11-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

I want to give ME some love and affirmation to exist in/on this place called earth..I will continue to harvest and cultivate to embrace my inner thoughts and actions that create a passion in me that values all things wonderful about me....

I want to share and acknowledge all of those who interact with me...I want to look them in the eye and let all know that when the are in my orbit life is alive and bliss rules my world....

Thank You..Thanksgiving....I am always ready to love, to share, to embrace, to be...

Detroit Politics

2009-11-05T16:35:00.000-08:00

I have major reservations about the nature and quality of the outcome of elections in this region and in Detroit. Voter turnout was disappointing even in suburban elections. In the city we now have an all Black city council. This lack of diversity cannot be viewed as progressive.

A financially challenged gay candidate who has never confronted homophobia in many Black religious venues was elected this disappoints on so many levels. The passage of an educational funding proposal which continues to dump money into a failed school district is not a progressive development it echoes a theme of desperation and a misguided belief that educational outcomes are about money and not fundamentally driven educational agendas.

Fact is over 85% of the electorate in the city did not elect or approved of these new public officials. Educational progress is never the result of spending money. When the last vote was cast has our region really improved?

Collective Expressionist Artists

2009-10-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

I do not use my paint brush to promote the myth of Black pathological depravity when a event or incident occurs in a Black venue..I distance myself when the usual suspects promote the myth that Black Communities are havens for criminal behavior and incubators of violence..

I paint the canvass with themes of elevation, bliss, accord and values.... Come paint with me....

Blank Canvass- Writer's Block again strikes at my door

2009-09-29T15:55:00.001-07:00

Educational Stormtroopers

2009-09-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

I am stunned by the backward reaction of school officials who surrendered to the cries of ignorance of many parents by not broadcasting our president's educational speech. It is shameful that educated people allowed themselves to be bullied by the intellectual cowardice of some parents who now view our president as an enemy of the state. Soon there will be charges of treason and sedition targeted at the white house one wonders if our educated elites will lend themselves to those noises and unworthy chants of the ignorant. Time will tell...

Communal Astronaut

2009-09-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

Exploring the habiats of one's personal orbit can be as stimulating as sci-fi novel of time travel space exploration.

..Memory...Memory..Memory

2009-08-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

Some fellow life travelers pass back into my mind today.....It was nice thinking about my father, my friends who have died and left this world..

Nice on a certain level....

For Them..

"Closed my eyes today and the world was wide open..

Moments became vivid I wanted to stay...

"Closed my eyes today and the world was wide open..

Nice seeing you again...Really is...

"Closed my eyes today and the world was wide open...

Post Racial Anger....America's True Colors

2009-08-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

America is such a fickle nation one moment we are obsessing over Obama and the notion of a post racial society and then in the same breath we call a Black PHD a nigger..

The anger over health care reform has now reached nasty levels I fear the specter of an Obama backlash.....

Life Cents....

2009-08-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Recently in the marketplace there has been a flicker of economic recovery one hopes when our nation retains some solid economic footing that folks will bring back to the marketplace the values of family, decency, warmth, patience, passion that many embraced and returned to when the recession forced all of us to remember these items are more life affirming than the quest for materialism....

Voter's Smarts not Apathy...

2009-08-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

According to the sage wisdom of conventional political pundits low voter turn in the city of Detroit reflects not only apathy but evidence of despair and decay. However these same politico talking heads have been wrong so many times in their appraisal of city voters that the voices of political pundits are ridiculed and righteously ignored.

The fact is city voters are very intelligent and astute they understand lousy candidates and shallow options are the significant factors which reflect voter turn out not the idle chatter of pudits and talking heads. Superior voter turn out which yields impotent public officials does not serve voters or any community nor democracy at the end of the day.

The right to withhold one's vote is as democratic and productive as the casting of a vote . What drives a productive democracy is not the volume of the votes but the quality of the winner......

Gates and Beyond....

2009-07-26T13:03:00.001-07:00

SO now what? Where do we go from here after an intense week of yet another racial dustup and fire storm? We have the usual blind spot posturing of Police Unions always speaking up to defend and support their brethren but never out front with constructive criticism of their members when they commit crimes against innocent citizens both white and non-white. We have usual passive posturing from both white and black politicians who lack the courage to confront the realties and truth about the racism inherent in our criminal justice system. We now even have the tragic spectacle of our president and even professor gates retreating when the pressures of being an ordinary Black male are visited upon their homes and professions. Into this impotent void I offer up to those who unlike Gates and Obama have the ability to run for cover a solution and a resource to engage when they are confronted by the raw and real life realities of being a Black male in our nation confronted with racial profiling by those in our law enforcement system. I recommend we seek the rights, privileges of our United States Constitution which even provides for those under attack by activities of those under the color of law the right to SELF DEFENSE.

I know it is an option I will have no problem reaching for...

Black Folks as Conduits & Carriers of Depravity

2009-07-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Recently one of the country's most famous Black educators and historians was racially profiled and his MUGSHOT was plastered all over the print and electronic media world. Every known media venue pasted his MUGSHOT for all to see and salivate.

I find it troubling to read a number of Black Websites , Black Pundits, also engaged in this virtual racial profiling by mirroring the MSM by also publishing the MUGSHOT.

Why must Black folks perpetuate this racial injustice by being the carrier of this racial falsehood. The good professor is not a criminal, charges were dropped and more importantly what is gained by racially profiling the good professor millions of times on the internet and other media venues.

I am tired of the shallow excuse and unproven inferences and questionable logic that argues such publication will remind and keep Black folks focused on the reality of racism in 2009.

Sorry but I am not going to be the carrier of hate more importantly I believe Black folks have evolved pass this tired parlor act and we have more progressive and positive alternatives to encourage and elevate our community. Count me out I am not a carrier.....

Black Folks & Best Practices

2009-07-19T07:47:00.001-07:00

Best Practices Subject Matter Index for the following :

Where to start. Every week I will provide a detailed analysis with an action plan on the following topics. I will secure the most progressive and practical data, research, recommendations within which to design and impliment a real time interactive guide on BLACK FOLKS & BEST PRACTICES:

1. Black Families

2. Black Leadership

3. Black Economics

4. Black Living

5. Black Image

6. Black Health

7. Black Culture

8. Black Education

9. Black Politics

10. Black Religion

To be continued......

Obama & NAACP

2009-07-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

Enough already with the tired rants of Black family shortcomings and the overkill about Black decay .... Obama finally spoke about Black issues in our nation as if Black issues are not American issues.. I imagine he had no choice to put Black issues on the agenda and radar given the NAACP was the venue...

Of course in the post racial world of Obama this mantra of calling out a segment of our nation's population has yet to take place with Obama giving "tough lectures in venues where asians, hispanics, gays, arabs, jews, muslims, reside....

The very idea that Black Americans are not always needy and in a state of crisis I guess does not fit the script of a post racial Obama society... That is tragic of course since Black Americans bring more than Rythm and Blues to the party...

Street Voodo Survival Skills

2009-07-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

1. Stick photo of ex in ice tray for a week ... drink holy water..

2. Stick photo of lover in hot water for an hour.... see jesus in garden dirt piles..

3. Out of transportation call Enterprise Rental and rotate from offices..

4. Find Old box of popcorn in trash tell cashier dropped popcorn on floor..

5. Stealth move on free condiments at fast food venues..

6. Put Dollar Stores on GPS favorites...

7. Insert air into Bike tires ....

8. Bum rides from everybody.....

9. Visit parks and troll internet for freebies ...

10. Buy sun glasses and walking cain...

Ann Arbor Art Fairs..

2009-07-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

More crafts every year but still the best in the midwest....More Black folks...Mike Jackson Street dances are terrible next time I am taking off my shirt and moonwalking...

Posters, Clothes, Colors, People...

Makes you wanna hollar..

2009-07-17T16:12:00.001-07:00

Trainwreck...Shootings Carnage....Freeway Explosions...Swimming pool insults.....Makes you wanna hollar...

YAWN.......

2009-07-17T16:08:00.001-07:00

Riddle tales...Obama's NAACP speech...GM woes...Health Care Plans...Downsizing Blues..

NAM MYO HO REN GE KYO

2009-07-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

A Chant spoken to the world in 1253......

NAM MYO HO REN GE KYO

My food......

My worship...

My prayer.....

My Me.......

Crime a Political Construct

2009-07-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

Behaviors that the community has been programmed to view as negative become behaviors that are codified into the penal code and the violation of these politically created behaviors become public crimes..

Some behavior has always been subject to community sanctions from homocide to sexual behavior involving both minors and adults. The more laws you have the more crime you have..The volume of police create the volume of documented criminal behavior.

The community determines the level and volume of crime it wishes to be controlled by the police. Certain behaviors i.e drug usage has always been underreported and subject to political variables at best.

Crime is more a myth than a reality.Most victims of certain crimes know the perp and most crimes involve some degree of property loss and personal assault..

Cultural Devaluation

2009-07-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

Yet again the state of nothingness has inflicted carnage on the streets of Detroit. An entire city is being held hostage to the forces of hopelessness, despair, decay and now random violent displays of inhumanity and depravity....

Yet we travel these desolate trails before and still our wounds and broken egos cannot muster the attitudes to not only stop the meltdown but cultivate and harvest a new way of living for all in the city....

I know the modern american city is a lethal and dangerous zone where love, warmth, and shared respect is drowned by the noise and drama of nothingness. ..

Yet now is not the moment to lament and navigate around the truth about the state of life in our urban venues our existence is in peril as well....

To be continued.......

Myths of Education..

2009-07-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

Often when I lecture to children I always incorporate a discussion about vocational opportunties as well as college . When I lecture with adults I often engaged in a discussion about how most of our state leaders have credentials that reflect the finest schools in America yet our state is almost a 3rd world venue under the tenure of these so-called educated elites..

Fact is often the most backward and underdeveloped people are the educated...These people will eat an egg roll and think they are experts on asian issues...They will drink a corona and become experts on hispanics..They will eat fried chicken and become subject matter experts of Black folks....

I have discovered in my adventures in life the most profound people are seniors, ex-inmates, unemployed, and children....hands down....

Immigrants Protests

2009-07-01T17:02:00.003-07:00

I support the political activism which is coming out of the various immigrant communities across the country. The call for protests is long overdue these political activities by our country's silent immigrant communities hopefully will include an acknowledgment and recognition of the civil rights efforts and achievements made by Black Americans which has created a model for this type of political activism. There is a lot of tension between Black Americans and the immigrant communities for a number of reasons including our fear of no longer being this country's favorite victim and scapegoat. Black Americans can continue to make this country great by assisting these immigrant communities in achieving life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness..

Slavery Marketing

2009-07-01T17:00:00.001-07:00

Our country's racial legacy is not only tragic but it still stings today, recently a number of well intentioned people expressed upset and discord over a political advertisement which invoked a background of a lynching as a part of the content of the advertisement. Many of these reactions from my vantage point were not only misplaced but are in reality actually counter productive. When a society seeks to suffocate and sometimes even bury and ignore its own evils it does so at the peril of our future and at the expense of those it claims to be protecting. When a society only allows for designated groups to promote and utilize provocative historical materials if increases the potential for censorship and ignorance. The idea that Black Americans should follow the rules and decorum of a civil and gentile white society with regard to this subject matter is unacceptable . Such a underdeveloped and myopic posture handcuffs the free flow of information and it allows for those in the dominant society to be the architect of honesty and truth even when such truth is graphic and ugly. It is a cultural conflict of interest which should not be the prerogative of those in the very dominate society which perpetrated the acts of evil. At the end of the day such a posture is inequitable and continues to rewards the beneficiaries of slavery while preventing the victims to used the capital of slavery for their own designated agenda and objectives. Black people should never be restrained by the decorum of a gentile society with regard to slavery and related historical topics. Black people in America should always have the complete spectrum of choices to employ this historical landscape including the use of slavery images and artifacts to not only educate and but to memorialize our country's disregard for our humanity. This scope of leverage in my view includes the marketing and distribution of slavery images for political campaigns and informational objectives . Black people should never seek pc permission to articulate our reality and history despite how dark a story it is. The suggestion by those that this materials should have selective shelve life is patronizing and wrong. To allow others to not only define but license how evil should be portrayed also handicaps those in the dominant society from understanding the depth of evil . Such a demeanor can also hamper those in the dominant society from sharing with the victims ideas and programs to address the destruction that such evil created. I reject the convention which claims it is offensive for people to employ lynching, slavery, and other dehumanizing images as a means to articulate a political objective in a campaign. When such images can galvanize and turn up the volume then by all means we need more not less of this type of graphic and brutal advertisement. Those in America who reject this type of advertisement are making a hugh mistake. The victims of America's inhumanity to its own brethren reserve the right to determine how such material is marketed and utilized...