Steatopygia?

Steatopygia : a large concentration of fat around the buttocks.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/what-is-Steatopygia-51231.shtml
Some woman say that she is not that pretty.
What? She has a head?

(Hat-tip -Denmark Vessy)
(Photo; Nicole Austin)

Math Remediation

The Math Chique passed this information on to me.

It seems that our schools are failing in the areas that will rule our future economy.

http://www.rsvh.addr.com/lwved/id16.htm

Maybe city-college is the answer for many.

I live in a town of 100,00 that has no city college. The percentage of Blacks with an associates degree or higher is just 6.7%. But the local refineries now require such a certificate for their 100k+ yr. jobs.

My hometown (was about 100k when I was in school now about 3ook) has a city college with close to 20,000 students. The percentage of Blacks with an associates degree or more was 68%.

Seeing that many children graduate with skills that are less than those of fifty years ago - it seems that No Child left many behind.

Fat And Happy

A British article asserts that a woman who is a size 14 is probably the happiest size woman.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1102572/Happiness-having-size-14-figure.html
Nicole Richie (size 00 - yes, that's a size) often seems morose.

Little Raven seems happy and livin' large!

Even the Queen gets love in Hollywood.

I'm not into the bigger-is-better thing (Pam Greir at any point in her life would be my ideal). But I do find some big girls attractive. It's more of a personality thing.

Camryn Manheim, Kim Coles and the Queen just seem nice. And in turn - attractive.

Mo'Nique, Star Jones, Rosanne Barr and Rosie seem bitter. And in turn - disgusting!

The ten hottest big girls;

http://listverse.com/entertainment/top-10-hottest-plus-sized-celebrities/

I never heard of most of them.

Media Terrorist ?

Just a cursory glance at any newspaper, local or cable news program or the Internet could lead one to fear white people.
- Don't have a child with a white woman, they'll kill them.
- Don't let white people invest your money, they'll lose it all.
- Don't marry a white man, they'll go on killing sprees and kill their families and themselves.
- Don't marry a white woman, they'll fall from cruise ships or disappear.
- Don't let white people be fans of winning (or losing) teams, they'll riot.
- Don't elect a white president, they'll find a reason to start a war. They'll even create reasons why we should hate those of whom we have never met (making it easier to accept their extermination or oppression).

Really? Can we expect the country to fall apart (or thrive) solely because we now have a Black president?
Haven't homes recently become affordable for more people?
Hasn't the stock market been trading (at about 200 points one way or the other) around 8500 for the past three months?
Isn't gas cheaper now than before 911?
Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz - the power to change has always been in each (all) of us.

News, weather and sports have been replaced by hyperbole, conjecture and opinion.
Reporting the news has been replaced by sensationalized stories that create fear and anxiety. Even many bloggers create many problems where there were few.
Terror : the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion. Miriam-Webster Online

But I still have hope.
We are a country that seems to love the Underdog.
We are a country that believes (hopes) that right will always win in the end.
If one has never felt like an underdog - they probably weren't trying hard enough. (Or were too selfish, or too small minded.)
If your goal was to make a million - your new goal should be two.
If your goal was to be the smartest man in the world - your new goal should be to teach the world.
If you wanted to be the richest man in the world - your new goal should be to save the world.
(This is why Bill Gates and Warren Buffet now give away BILLIONS!)
As we slay our giants, new battles arise.
"The Underdog" is the great person's constant state of being.

Why do so many worry about problems that won't effect them or that they have no means to rectify?
The stress is going to kill you.
Or someone who is too stressed is going to kill you.

Que Pasa ?

Russian academic Igor Panarin predicts that the US will fall and be divided into parts of other empires. Maybe it's time to learn a new language.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html

Katherine Heigl on bikini

Katy Perry takes to the beach during Christmas break in Mexico

Katy Perry showed off her toned bikini body yesterday as she hit the beach during a sun-soaked Christmas break.

The 23-year-old, dressed in a green two-piece, is spending the festive period in Mexico with her boyfriend Travis McCoy lead singer of Gym Class Heroes.
However the singer didn't appear to be enjoying herself and could barely manage a smile despite her attentive beau's attempts to cheer her up.

Source : http://www.dailymail.co.uK

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas!
If you took the time to read any of the SENG report that I linked to on my "Too Smart" post - you may have noticed that the Biblical account of Jesus sounds like he shares the same traits as many hyper-intelligent guys.

If Sampson were alive today, he would be on Prozac to control his mood swings.
Mary and Joseph would be on the Maury Povich show.
The Disciples would have their homes raided by ATF and their children taken away.
The US would be bombing most of the Old Testament kingdoms.
The Prophets would be called bigots.
And someone pretending to be Jesus would have a multi-million dollar congregation and a television show.

It amazes me when I hear so many spiritual all-stars always telling me what God told them personally.
Really?
Read the Bible.
"And God said to Abram (or Abraham)" is only mentioned about twelve times... over a period of about 150 years!
These new ministers must be really important for God to tell them something that often.

All the pomp and tradition aside - I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

Huh?

So the California courts have ruled that it's unlawful to assist someone who is in danger.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-me-good-samaritan19-2008dec19,0,6547898.story
I can just see this now on mid-morning television advertisements.
Did someone pull you from a burning car? Administer the Heimlich maneuver? Prevent you from being mugged or raped? You may be able to collect damages... just dial 1-800-285-7448 to speak to our attorneys.

I've helped three people out of their cars after an accident in my lifetime.
One woman still has my jacket - (the second incident - she was drunk).
One guy was cool -( the third incident - his car was on fire and I had a foam extinguisher in my truck - he needed minimal assistance)
And one pregnant woman accused my friend Robbie and me of stealing money from her purse. (the first incident - the "B" bled all over the truck on the way to the hospital).
So not only does one risk people being ungrateful.
They can now be sued!

What I Hate About Christmas

Don't get me wrong... I actually enjoy Christmas.

I live in a neighborhood were everyone has a nice display of lights - only this year it seems a little more subdued.

Tuesday is the night where the families from the neighborhood go caroling. We were given a gift by our neighborhood association with a card giving us the details. Apparently we are to have candy or cookies ready for the carolers. It's nice this time of year. I get to meet new neighbors and talk to others whom I haven't spoken to since last year's caroling. (I can't sing at all - so I don't go. I got asked to just hum in the children's choir when I was a kid.)

But all the festivities aside - there ARE a few things that I hate about Christmas.

1) We Are The World

I know... it was for a good cause.

But twenty five years later and the children of those the song was meant to help are now the ones starving.

I did like the British Feed The World. I remember being excited to see Jody Whatley in the video. I just thought it was a better song.

Oh... and Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses. Quirky, but I like that Christmas song.

2) Secret Santa

Some cheap person always pulled my name. I don't mind broke, I can deal with broke (But if you're broke, you probably shouldn't be participating.). But I hate cheap.

I was so fed up at one job that I asked a group of fifteen or sixteen of my friends if they wanted to just have our own Secret Santa gift exchange. Our limit was $100 but everyone spent a lot more. The more snob appeal, the better. We had a separate party and exchanged the gifts there (as not to hurt the feelings of those who weren't invited).

This year, one group of my family members have decided to pull names for the adults.

I know that I'm going to be disappointed.

I never open gifts until I get home. I hate pretending to like something that is "just like" what I actually asked for.

3) The New Cartoons or Movies.

I was tired last week. The cold weather caused my main water line to burst. So for a week, I had no water.

As I was leaving one night, I caught A Charley Brown Christmas on television.

A "Charley Brown Christmas Tree"? Everyone knows that that is not a tree one would want.

But what I never really noticed was that Linus gave a little soliloquy about the meaning of Christmas - Jesus and all.

I was in a hurry but watched the whole show. When I was walking out to leave, the city truck was cleaning up the mess from having replaced my water meter. At eight o'clock at night?

Just when I'm ready to give up having any faith, Charley Brown saves the day.

And "Ralphie". "You'll shoot your eye out", damn... that still cracks me up.

4) Happy Holidays

It's okay, you can wish me a Happy Hanukkah. You can wish me a Merry Christmas. I even know to respond; "wa-laikum as-Salam" to the customary "as-Salam Alaikim".

Please don't give me the generic "Happy Holidays".

The reason that the Linus story stuck out so much this year is that schools and cities now have "Holiday Pageants". Christmas vacation is now winter break.

When did it become illegal to be a Christian?

5) It Starts Too Early

Okay, the day after Thanksgiving is fine.

Halloween is pushing it.

This year some stores had decorations up before school started.

Christmas in September?

But I'm no Scrooge.

I actually enjoy Christmas.

The End Of An Era

"The strong take from the weak, but the smart take from the strong."
- Princeton Basketball Coach, Pete Carril

The battle is not Black vs. white. The battle is wrong vs. right.
According to authorities at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) - more than 200 hate related incidents were reported in the first month following the election of Barack Obama as our next president.
Citing the fear of a Black president, illegal immigration, and a poor economy - The SPLC states that the number of hate groups rose about 5%, to nearly 900, in the past two years. The number of these groups is up 48% since 2000.
Jack Levin, a criminologist at Boston's Northeastern University, estimates that there are fewer than 50,000 people who have memberships in white supremest hate groups.
Don Black, creator of the Stormfront website, states that his site has close to 150,000 registered members.
When we look at a country with a population of a few hundred million people - these numbers are relatively low. SPLC spokesman Mark Potak once stated; "We are talking about a tiny number of Americans who are members of these groups - I mean infinitesimal."
Viewing all whites by the actions of the (relative) few is the same as all Blacks being judged by the actions of those who appear on our nightly news.

It's a business.
Pharmaceutical companies and doctors conspire to diagnose new maladies and their treatments on a regular basis.
Drug addiction and obesity are now classified as illnesses.
ADHD? We had belts in my day to solve that problem.
Mid-morning television is inundated with ambulance chasing lawyers, in an effort to get more people to litigate over an ever growing number of workplace or product injuries or ailments.

Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton are small time street pimps compared to the real race/hate traders.
The real money and power is to be had by the established entities like the SPLC and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Each institution boasts annual budgets of more than $30 million. The SPLC has control of over a $136 million war chest.
As long as hate is in the news, these people will always have a job.
For these people - what's the benefit of reporting any good news?

We're focusing on the wrong issues.
Safe neighborhoods and good schools are social issues.
Low (well... fair) taxes, evenly administered justice, good jobs and health care are social issues.
None of these are "Black" issues.
We just seem to get a lower level of service in these areas.

"Everybody has to step up. Parents need to pay more attention to their children. ..."
Barack Obama - Ebony Magazine

Sure, the problems with institutional discrimination (or oppression) need to be addressed.
But while many problems are beyond our individual abilities - a productive model of personal responsibility can be achieved by all.

No rights were given to us through the Civil Rights movement.
These inherent human rights were always meant for all people.
The courts just more fully recognized (or acknowledged) that Blacks were human too.

I can't jump on the decriminalization of drugs bandwagon just yet.
The system is biased and we all know it.
If I were to rub bacon all over my body and run naked through a pack of wild dogs - I shouldn't be surprised when one (or more) bites me.
I shouldn't complain if I ride around town with a bag full of weed, playing my music too loud, in a pimped-out car - I shouldn't expect to be treated the same as someone in a nondescript car who has no guns or drugs.
Most cops are under trained and frightened. You know that they're going to over-react, so don't put yourself in that possition.

The problem with our legal system isn't that laws are enforced. The problem is that these same laws are not enforced evenly.
With more than 1.5 million Black adult males in the prison system (most for non-violent drug charges) - more than 10% of our voting base has lost their right to vote.
(Since there is to be no taxation without representation - do these men become exempt from paying taxes?)
Author Cletus Nelson states; "...even the most diabolical Klansman couldn't have dreamed of a more repressive policy to disproportionately punish minorities.".

A Time For Change
Just let it go.
We're not getting 40 acres and a mule.
Have you ever known someone who was waiting on a large settlement check?
They don't usually work and by the time they get their money - they owe more than they get.

To equate Obama with a moment of change is more accurate than one might think.
It's not that Obama is going to produce sweeping changes in the way America functions on a person to person basis. He may not even be effectual on a national level.
What changes is what people expect. What changes is that parents now have a highly visible role model to balance the hero worship of the stereotypical Black athlete or rapper. What changes are the colors of the faces of his cabinet choices. What changes is perception.

Black quarterbacks and coaches were always competent. But winning made them more visible. It's no longer a rarity to see a Black professional football coach or quarterback. (Okay, Willingham got shafted while Wies got an extension. And don't get me started on Turner Gill. But that's college.)

Power respects power - and right now a Black (Let's not argue over whether he is Black. He is perceived as Black.) man has that power. What changes is that so many racists are livid because some n***** is in a position that they could never dream of.
No, he's not the Messiah (My Moses post was meant in jest - some didn't get it.). But he does mark a certain point in time.

Many of the Jews who were waiting for their Messiah were disillusioned when Christ came on the scene. Many thought that Jesus had come to overthrow the Romans and create a world where the Jews ran everything. What Christ did was to set the process in motion. (Some anti-Semites argue that the promises of Abraham are even more true today. That the Jews are to blame for everything. That the Jews own everything.). What Christ did was so important that we mark time (A.D., B.C. or B.C.E.) relative to his estimated birth.
Many Jews thought that the change would be instantaneous.
It took Constantine to take Christianity from a persecuted sect to the national and favored religion.
What Christ did was to change the way people thought.

Our conditions won't change overnight - but how we choose to deal with them can.
It's time for the "Era of the Victim" to end.
"The Era of the Victor" is just beginning.
Success is a choice.

Where's The Beef?

It's the Internet - not Pac and Biggie.
The last two fights I was in, I didn't even know I had.

In the first one - some big azz former prisoner on steroids started talking ish to me at the club. The last thing that I remember him saying was, "I'm not scared of you". I went back to talking to a table of ladies and the next moment, I saw the guy on the ground surrounded by a group of men. I barely know the guys but they told me that they weren't going to let anyone eff with me. I won the "fight" without ever having to throw a punch. I'm a regular size guy (about 6'1", 230) and I can handle mine. It just seems odd that I rarely have to fight, even in rough situations.

In my most recent "fight". Some of my friends and I walked past another group of guys. I guess some ish jumped off and I had to square-up on some guy. The guy was in a left-handed fighting stance (awkward for me). I switched to put my weight on my back leg in a kick-boxing stance. The guy changed up into a low wrestler's stance. Again, he took the better position. I came forward in a high-handed open stance. The guy did they same. I nodded and laughed. The guy smiled and nodded and we all just walked away.
One of his guys asked; "What happened?".
"De taunt" I said.
The guy agreed and laughed.

I don't like to fight. I hate it. One of my exes got mad at me for asking a guy if he was alright after I resolved an issue with the guy who thought that he was going to do some damage with a knife. She thought that I was showing weakness.

Two of my favorite bloggers are (mostly) polar opposites of each other. I enjoy their pedantic arguments over minutia.
But by reading opposing views, I get a more complete picture of the subject matter. We don't learn anything reading and regurgitating the same things from the same memes.
Progress comes from doing something different or doing something better.

It seems that each blog has it's own clique. These cliques generally agree on everything on each other's blogs and disagree with blogs and posts that vary from their own.
I've been cussed-out many times for asking questions or stating opinions other than what is popular at any given site.
How many times have you been attacked (by the host or his/her readers) for having a seemingly controversial view?
How many times have your comments not been approved by a blogger about their posts?
How many of your regulars feel the need to "get your back" at someone else's site?

This is the Internet.
We're supposed to exchange ideas - not just reiterate what someone else said.

NicoleKidman Australia UK Premiere

Mariah Carey Vibe Magazine Bikini Pics

Smart, Brits, Shoes and the Amero

What happens when you are too smart for your own good?
Apparently, not much.
Seems like a scene from the Darren Aronofsky film Pi.
http://www.sengifted.org/articles_counseling/Grobman_Underachievement_in_Exceptionally_Gifted_Adolescents.shtml

What happens when you throw your shoes at the POTUS?
You get thrown in jail and beaten.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7785338.stm



For all of you Anglophiles; It looks like many Brits are having trouble keeping their families together.
It would seem that single parenthood and it's consequences are not endemic to Urban America.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1095802/One-British-children-living-poverty-breakdown-traditioal-families.html
Maybe the problem IS social and not racial.

Are you ready for the Amero? Maybe this is the reason the immigration issue was dropped from the national dialogue during this past election cycle.

What?

Me... paranoid?

Maybe a bit.

http://www.chycho.com/?q=node/1920

Jessica Alba

Toy Thief

Damn... where were the parents?

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/36210529.html

Kim Kardashian on bikini pictures

Jennifer Aniston Nude in "GQ" magazine

Jennifer Aniston Nude in "GQ" magazine

Underground Economy

I've been reading a lot lately about how different people are preparing to survive or even thrive in our current economic downturn.
Most people have been poor to working class - so what's the problem?
Have we forgotten our roots?
Maybe it's time to get back to basics.

The hustlers always make a living.
I'm not advocating cheating people.
When I say hustle, I mean work.

When you're not making money, chances are that you're spending money.
I thought that I could retire early, but even that gets boring... and expensive.
I'm now working construction. I hate construction.
I used to charge people a very affordable $25 hr,
but being that I was usually only called when someone else had already effed something up, I raised my price to $75 hr. .
But I get to work only when I feel like it.
Now here's where the problem started.
If I charge so much, people assumed that I must be worth it. I now have more work than I care to do.

People aren't buying new houses, they're just fixing and improving what they already have.
Since I tend to come across as competent, the people assume that I'm an expert.
(Did I already say that I hate doing construction?)
Most of the jobs are simple miscalculations on the original builders' part. They're simple fixes that require little effort.
I guess this is an example of knowledge being king.
Even in a down economy, things still have value.

Bartering seems to be making a comeback.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barter
What do you have or what can you do that someone else wants or needs?
How can you use this to get something that you want or need?

The 'hood has always had it's own economy.
I think that's why so many crack-heads turn to prostitution. Many have minimal skills but they understand that what they do have has a value to someone else.
Every 'hood has a cool-cup or cookie/candy lady.
Everyone knows the local shade-tree mechanic or boot-leg plumber.
(But be careful, you usually get what you pay for.)
Everyone knows the local "baller" who lends money.
Even smart drug dealers learn to put a beauty shop or corner store in their sister's name.

During the market crash of the Depression, a small European town experimented with a scrip called the Worgle. The people understood that their work still had a value. The scrip was just a tool used to keep track of what one person or group owed another.

How many times have you done a favor for someone and they returned a favor to you in your hour of need?
Most would say, "many".
That favor had a value.

The failure of our current economic model is largely due to everything being disposable.
Nothing had a value.
This market correction will just be a shaking out of those who cannot produce a good or service that is actually needed.
Our economy collapsed because we placed too much value on things that had none.

The financial collapse isn't as serious as an ecological collapse.
We were getting to the point of no return, in terms of sustainable production.
Cheap and easy was taking precedent over smart and safe.
Our dumps and water ways are full of man-made toxic waste.
Our clean air is at a premium.
Pollution may be the cause of a smaller "tool-kit" in men.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24768593-2,00.html
We have so much food in this country that we have a bigger health problem with over-eating than we do with under-eating (and the rising medical bills to prove it).
Technology and over hunting and fishing is causing many of our food sources to disappear.
Some genetically modified crops and animals are less tolerant of parasites and viruses (Much like humans becoming immune to certain strains of viruses due to our over dependence on hand sanitizers and antibiotics.).
Hummers in the 'hood was never a good idea.
We were buying all of the rewards of success without ever having really accomplished anything.

I just read today about one of the "Real Hoodrats of the ATL" losing her home. I hate to see anyone lose their home but her lifestyle wasn't sustainable for her. Her value system dictated that the reward was more important than the work.
For her it was better to seem than to be.

If you want to get paid;
Find a cheap, safe, renewable and readily available energy source.
Discover the next naturally occurring drug - like aspirin or penicillin.
Figure out a way to turn salt water into fresh water at a low cost.
Like coal, petroleum, penicillin (mold) and aspirin (willow tree bark), the answers ARE already out there.
We just need to figure out how to use what we already have..