Change In Leadership

Really? Is it that hard to understand?

Let look at the Boston Celtics of the 2006-2007 season. The team finished the season 24-58 - terrible by any standard. So what did the team go out and do? Draft all new players? Work with the players they already had? Trade for "new" players? I'm pretty sure the answer is; "all three".

Ray Allen - Acquired in a trade with Seattle.
Paul Pierce - Drafted by Celtics in 1998.
Rajon Rondo - Draft rights acquired from Phoenix, June 28, 2006.
Kendrick Perkins - Draft rights acquired from Memphis on June 26, 2003 out of Ozen High School in Beaumont, Texas.
Kevin Garnett - Acquired in a trade with Minnesota.


In the 2007-2008 season, the Celtics improved their record to 66-16 and won the NBA Title.
K.G. had played for a rival NBA franchise.
Ray Allen "had game" but hadn't won a championship with the Seattle Sonics.
Kendrick Perkins was drafted by the Celtics as a "project" - only improving his game and contribution after Garnett was acquired.
Rajon Rondo was a solid draft by the franchise who exploded onto the national scene during the Celt's championship run.
Paul Pierce had labored tirelessly for the under performing Celtics.

Put all of these "Old" players in "New" roles and with a new dynamic and you win a championship.
That's it.
The winning is the change.
The better final result is the change.

Obama is a basketball fan.
He knows that when Duke's Coach K took a team of prima-donas and formed the US Olympic Basketball Team - The USA won.
Are Kobe, Lebron and Mello best friends or competitors? Did all of these players understand their role in the system implemented by Coach K?
Obama didn't mean a change in team members.
Obama meant a change in results.

What matters more?
A change in people or a change in results?

BSC (Bull Shyte Championship) - Poll 11-29-08

BSC Poll 11-29-08

1) USC

The pollsters (me) are biased and would place the Trojans in the number one slot even if they were 2-11.

2) Florida

After Florida embarrasses Alabama, the Seminoles deserve a shot at the title. (Besides, no one wants to see USC humiliate Oklahoma again or Texas/USC II or even cares about Utah.)

3) Texas

After Texas fails to win it's league championship, a national title is out of the question.

4) Oklahoma

Well...they lost to Texas.

5) Utah

They didn't lose.

My First Time

Thanks to SjP at Sojourner's Place ( http://sojournersplace.blogspot.com/2008/11/sjp-superior-scribbler-cmon-now.html ). She was so far down her blog-roll that she slipped and left this little nugget in my honor.

I guess I have to list the rules of The Award for those who receive The Award from myself.

1) Pass The Award on to the five (5) most deserving bloggers.

2) Each recipient must link to the author and name of the blog from whom The Award was received.

3) Each "Superior Scribbler" must display The Award on their blog and link back to;

( http://scholastic-scribe.blogspot.com/2008/10/200-this-blings-for-you-html )
which explains The Award.

4) Each blogger must visit this site and add their name to the Mr Linky List.

5) Each blogger must post these rules.

Sick of hearing what's WRONG within the Black community? Me too. This site is dedicated to showcasing those who do some good in the hood. Tracey at Black Gives Back has one of the most important blogs around.

( http://blackgivesback.blogspot.com/ )

We all feel like the guy in this photo from time to time. CitizenOjo breaks it down on his TDL&ToaPC. ( http://thedesultorylifeandtimes.blogspot.com/ )
But let's add some color to the Black and white mix. CVT of Choptensils ( http://choptensils.blogspot.com/ ) adds a different view of race to the discussion.
I have to check my stocks at The Black Market Index ( http://blackmarketindex.blogspot.com/ )on the daily. Invisible Hand isn't as cynical as his photo.
The Two Buppie Chicks ( http://2buppiechicks.blogspot.com/ ) offer a woman's view (times two) of everything from wine, fashion, politics, religion and well... life. Blackstar and brightstar are quick with the wit and smart.

So I hope I've followed the rules and explained them to the recipients.

(SjP - Thanks. It still amazes me that anyone as erudite as all of you even drop by the hood (UBJ) from time to time)

Enjoy The Turkey?

Nero blamed the Jews (Christians) for burning Rome.
We blamed North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Now some are saying that the attacks in Mumbai were carried out by Western Special Forces in another False Flag Operation.
( http://www.infowars.com/?p=6222 )

With the February 17 change-over to Digital Television, many people ran out and bought a house full of flat-panel televisions.
How much is your new television going to cost you. Anyone can afford to buy a flat-panel T.V. - but can you afford to use it?
Plasma TVs generally use up to four times the electricity of an old fashioned Cathode-Ray T.V. .
LCDs do slightly better with DLP-Projections doing best. (Although results vary by make and model.)
( http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6475_7-6400401-3.html?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx )

Tesla wasn't the only electric sports car company. Check out the California company Fisker's answer to e-cars. The whole roof is a solar panel.
( http://industry.bnet.com/auto/1000340/fisker-claims-victory-in-tesla-lawsuit/ )

Anna Kournikova

Anna Kournikova was on born June 7, 1981 in Moscow, Russia. She is a professional tennis player, she is also known for her sexy physique. Her fame has come from the publicity surrounding her personal life as well as numerous modeling shoots. Kournikova had some success in tennis, she won two Grand Slam doubles titles in 1999 and 2002, both were at the Australian Open in the Women's Doubles event with partner Martina Hingis.

pre-10-tion

When I was in high school, as long as I had good grades, I could skip school every Friday.
I would take the bus to downtown Riverside, California, get lunch and check out the local museums and galleries.
Initially, I was intimidated by the seemingly pretentious mannerisms of the patrons.
One day, a tall elegant older French lady mentioned that she would see me every week and asked why I wasn't in school. I explained my arrangement and she decided to help me understand art. She told me not to worry about what everyone else liked or thought and to just pick a painting that I liked. It wasn't a classic Michelangelo but a modern piece. She advised me to learn about the style and the artist and to look into his works and other works in the same genre. Soon I could tell a Warhol from a Rothko and I developed my own tastes. (Kind of like getting to know wine - don't be intimidated)


Keith Herring - Colorful and simple. Almost primitive. Maybe it's from his days as a graffiti artist. Herring did the boom-box on the cover of the Buffalo Gals (Malcolm McClaren) album, worked with Grace Jones and his works appear in ads still today.

Kenny Scharf - Juicy Jungle Reminds me of a B-52's song


Joan Miro - These "doodles" command millions at auction.

Mark Kostabi - His works seem like art school projects that were never fully realized for detail.

Dondi White - I love graffiti. I still go to the local train yards to check out the movable feast of urban (and urbane) art.

Picasso - everybody knows Pablo.

Salvador Dali - An ex-girlfriend said the this piece (about narcissism) reminded her of me. Dali is most often a teen aged boy's favorite gallery artist.

Jean Michael Basquiat - His works seem as though they were made by a fifth grader.

Okay, no "deep" thought.. but there's more to life than politics and the economy.

Addendum:
RunningMom - I try to draw and paint every once in a while. Usually all I make is a mess.
Debo Blue - Thanks
brohammas - I'd never seen or heard of Bua ( http://www.justinbua.com/newSite/originals.php ) but his stuff is cool.
Banksy and his rats (rat anagram for art), the uncle (not the godfather) of stencil street art...
( http;//www.banksy.co.uk/menu.htm/ )
Yeah, I like his stuff.

Asians

With the election of Obama, Blacks seem to be having a good year.
But what about the "Model Minority"?
What about the "Invisible Minority"?

All anyone seemed to be able to say about Asians was that they tend to do well in school, own all of the nail/beauty supply shops in the 'hood and make money running the corner store.
Anyone familiar with hip-hop dancing knows of the Jabawakees from MTV's dance competition show America's Best Dance Crew. This group from Cali' showed much of America what those in the elite of hip-hop dance competitions already knew - Asians can dance!

The Seattle Mariners just named Don Wakamatsu as the first Asian manager in MLB history.

Washington D.C. Superintendent Michelle Rhee just might be the answer to an antiquated D.C. school system. Barack Obama mentioned her in one of the debates, pointing out her ability to lead.

Bobby Jindahl (Is India still considered part of Asia?) is Governor of Louisiana while Anh "Joseph" Cao is pushing for power in NOLA.

Most would expect Koreans to do well in women's golf, at least lately. Si Ri Pak is still my favorite female golfer (She was so cute when she won the US Open those many years ago - and those quads!).

But what about others of Asian descent. Tiger Woods, Kimora Lee Simmons, Yao Ming, ... . No one would have previously expected an Asian to dominate golf, become a hip-hop mogul or be a center in the NBA.

Has anyone seen "Old Boy'? this movie is the ish! Now Will Smith is in on again/off again talks to remake this disturbing (but good) film. Asian drama/horror seems to be an endless source for Hollywood to copy.

China hosted the Olympics. BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) is planning on how to kick our azz.

So...Blacks have had a good year. Asians seem to be having a great one.

Cool Places

RunningMom -"Dubai is a cool place to visit."
I think that it would be.
I know that Thanksgiving is this week but you've made me think of some of my regrets.
When I used to tend bar in Cali', I was asked to travel to the Far East and do some training and managing for a friend's parents' string of hotels and resorts. I declined but now I regret the decision.
My grandparents traveled to Africa, the Middle-East, the Caribbean, and Europe - always asking me to go with them. I always declined in favor of "doing nothing" during the long summer months in Cali'.
The three places that I'd like to visit are;

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Lots of money enables this small country to spend lots of money on ambitious projects

Shanghai, China - I saw the architecture in the movie Ultraviolet. It looks like a cool place to visit

Kuala Lampur, Malaysia - The Petronas Towers were always impressive to me.

What about you?

Where would you like to visit (or return).

Why Are You Gay ?

I've discussed the topic of California's Prop.8 earlier and came to no conclusion.
Many people say that being gay is a choice while others say that it a disease.
My question is - IS being gay a natural occurring phenomenon.

Hermaphrodites are formed when two potentially non-identical twins fail to develop into two separate beings. In the case of the above photo, both male and female genitalia are visible. There are around 500 documented cases of Hermaphrodism around the world. (In the US, less than 40). Jamie Lee Curtis is widely rumored (unsupported) to have been a hermaphrodite.

Chimerism (not the Hermaphrodic type) is a case of two sets of DNA failing to form two beings but maintaining the characteristics of either male or female.

In each anomalous case, the traits are not generally seen as a choice or disease, but a condition of being.
Is homosexuality just a case of very mild Chimerism. Is it a variance on the chromosomal level that occurs naturally?

Lymphedema

Above is a "Thick & Juicy" steak. There is still a little fat, but in all the right places to ensure maximum enjoyment and pleasure.

Above is a picture of FAT. No meat... just fat. This is NOT "Thick", it's just FAT!!!

To anyone familiar with Manuel Uribe of the Discovery Channel, Lymphedema (those big swollen things on the inside of his legs that make Manuel appear as though doing the splits) is not something to be droppin' like it's hot.

( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphedema )

I came across these pictures on the blog; "You Know You Dead Azz Wrong". (I blacked-out her face. She may not know that she may have a medical problem)

I can't be sure that this woman is suffering from a Lymphatic ailment but this appears to be the case. I just brought a cousin to the hospital to have such growths (no, not this big) removed (although in the early stages and of the appearance of a large boil.) from her inner thigh. My cousin is diabetic and refused to alter her diet. She's survived breast cancer but it's her life choices and her Southern eating habits that need to be altered.

I'm not picking cotton all day nor plowing fields all day, so I don't need to eat the same diet as my ancestors. I don't need a big woman to protect me. The idea that "bigger is better" may be killing many of us. There is a difference between "Thick" and "Fat" (see above photos).

Anorexia may not be the choice you're seeking but this desire to be "Thick" is not the answer. Beyonce' may have the perfect body for some, others may prefer a Holly Robinson-Peete body type. I'm more concerned with one's fitness level than their weight. (Although I seem to prefer a long and lean physic.)

So when a man says that some black women are too fat, he may just be thinking of the survival of his prospective (or current) wife and children. He may be attuned to some sort of innate survival mechanism alerting him to the dangers of being over-weight.

C'mon ladies, how many of you wish that you were the same size that you were before the kids (or before the gravy and salt-pork meals)?

( http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/health&id=5079548 )
Being fat is not good for you.

Addendum:

Tina Budde - http://www.lymphland.com/ thanks for the info.

(P.S. the RSS feed is in black on white)

Paul G (Nojaa) - http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LymphDG/ Thanks for the information.

Siditty - I'm not saying that Black women are fat, but that there is pressure on Black women to be "Thick". The health risks aren't worth it. Hypothyroidism? I didn't know that you'd be assigning homework?

Change, Progress and Adapt

Maybe you don't need McGyver-like skills to make it in today's world (but it helps).
To make money;
Do what others can't do
or do what others don't want to do.
This site lists the best career choices during a recession.
( http://www.hrworld.com/features/top-25-recession-careers-022008/ )
Although the choices seem valid, one's location and it's current (and future) economic condition is a better measure of what is needed in each individual's case.

"Water, water, everywhere..."
While costly, a desalination plan is needed.
http://www.gewater.com/what_we_do/water_scarcity/desalination.jsp
Nuclear power plants are good at desalination and could provide energy for many people.

Many bugs and insects are edible. I hope it doesn't get this bad - but it's good to know.
http://www.fao.org?newsroom/en/news/2004/51409/index.html

Electric cars need a place to re-fuel. Maybe we could build a lot of this type of parking structure (with the addition of windmills) to act as re-fueling stations for the many electric car proposals.
http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2007/March-2007/03_28_07_Sustainable_Parking_Structure.htm

I am not saying that these answers apply to all (or any) of you. But we need to think in a more nimble way. We need to be prepared to make life-style changes and be prepared to adapt or be left behind wondering "what happened".