Conning the con artist..lol

So the police got Richard Heene to come in and were able to (wink, wink) get a confession from him by telling him they wanted to return his aircraft and tie up some loose ends with a few questions..lol

And dude fell for it!

 

Husband spends 16 months looking for wedding ring in harbor

Amazing!

Most husbands wouldn’t spend five minutes looking for the tv remote but this one searched the deepest ocean to find his wedding ring.

Well, it wasn’t the deepest ocean but Wellington Harbour in New Zealand might seem like the deepest ocean on the planet when you’re looking for an object the diameter of a penny. And the fact that a man would spend so much time searching for something without asking his wife “Where is it?” well that’s a miracle in itself! My god his wife is a lucky woman!

Anyway, after finding his wedding ring at the bottom of the harbour Ecologist Aleki Taumoepeau has more than earned lifetime control of the tv remote along with some other lifelong marriage benefits..lol

 

Rapper Speech Debelle great distraction from Obama and Dems

I needed something to take my mind off the fact that Democrats and President Obama have already blown the 2010 elections by messing up health care refrom.

So I started fooling around on You Tube. After watching numerous kitten videos and ridiculous spoofs of back in the day cartoon shows, I came across this wicked track Spinnin’ by British Emcee Speech Debelle. 

And what a distraction she proved to be! Not only am I lovin’ her name-Speech Debelle, I’m feelin’ her music and I can relate just a tiny bit to the lyrics and her story. And that’s saying a lot these days..ain’t it? lol

 Anyway, Speech Debelle just released her debut album, appropriately titled Speech Therapy. I haven’t heard a female emcee this good in years!  Granted, Debelle is no Lauryn Hill but you don’t have to listen too closely to hear Hill’s influence on the South London rapper.

Anyway, check her out and let me know what you think?

 Just showing my British peeps some love…

Hair extensions aren’t just a black woman thing

 

In his new documentary Good Hair, out in October, Chris Rock and a bunch of Black celebrities attempt to explain the meaning of ‘good hair’ (to some in the Black community the straighter your hair the better your hair, hence the term good hair) and to highlight the billion dollar black hair care industry.

After a question posed to him by his daughter, Rock turns the camera on black women and the many different techniques we use to enhance or complement our looks whether it be weaves, wigs or extensions. And in a very funny but extremely revealing way, he highlights the constant conflict many Black women face with their natural hair.

For obvious historical reasons, Black womens’ self-image struggles have been more public and visible. However, beauty complexes are varied, culturally and ethnically specific and no race can claim to fully accept women as they are. Many Black women struggle to accept their hair,  White women are at war with their bodies and many Asian and Hispanic women are continuously fighting the melanin in their skin. 

So while I agree with the documentary’s underlying premise, from the various clips I’ve seen I have to say that Rock has forgotten to highlight one major element in his documentary, hair extensions have never been a Black girl thing -it’s a woman thing and in some periods of history it’s been a guy thing too!  

Just think about your favorite female celebrity for a moment Black, White or Asian. I’m pretty certain she has rocked hair extensions or worn something ‘not natural’ in her life in order to enhance her look and appeal. And she’s not the only one. Almost every female celebrity in the world has at one time or another used hair extensions regardless of their ethnicity even if they don’t admit it.

And this is where we Black women have excelled. Black women and men through talent, ingenuity and in some cases necessity have been able to provide specific looks to other Black women and men for a tenth of the cost. 

And as it became more mainstream to rock a celeb look and to change your hairstyle monthly, women from other races have once again decided to embrace what we black women have been doing for decades. And not only has it become socially and culturally acceptable to wear hair extensions, you can buy them almost anywhere too! So now, any woman that wants a specific hairstyle can achieve the look almost instantaneously.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to my stylist over the past ten years and seen a White girl sitting in the chair next to me getting a weave or braids. Or have visited my local beauty supplier and seen Hispanic and Asian women shopping for wigs and extensions. During my last visit to my stylist, guess who was sitting next to me getting his hair braided? A blond haired, White kid about 12 years old and his mother was the one who brought him!  

Highlighting the trials and tribulations of  some Black women and their hair battles does have some comedic value, I wouldn’t lie (have you ever seen a woman wearing this hairstyle?)  BUT in the end I hope we understand that women of every race and every age struggle with self-acceptance and Black women are no exception.

 

Bill Clinton worked his magic on North Korean leader Kim Jong Il..

Bill Clinton showed the world today that he’s still got it!

Former President Bill Clinton may have lost a bit of his mojo over the years but today he proved that he’s still got some of that orginal Clinton magic left in the tank.

Today, Clinton was able to obtain a special pardon, freeing two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, imprisoned in the totalitarian state of North Korea for the past five months.

It’s  good to know and TO SEE that the former president is not only out there working for Democrats but also on behalf of the American people.

Well done Mr. President!

And I’m quite sure the White House welcomes this ‘aren’t we awesome’ distraction from their health care reform agenda. 

Former President Bill Clinton put to good use by Obama officials

Former President Bill Clinton is in North Korea today working to secure the release of two American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

Speaking on MSNBC earlier today, Senior  Obama advisor and political truth teller David Axelrod said that Clintons’ trip was a  ’private humanitarian mission’. And while the White House is publicly tip-toeing around the trip releasing few significant details you know that Clinton has the full blessing of the White House.

What an awesome and high profile way to use the former president?  

While Clinton may not always say and do the right things at home, abroad Bill Clinton exemplifies all that is great about America. And while his reputation may have dimmed just a bit due to some negative campaigning on behalf of his wife during the 2008 Democratic primary, the ex-president is still a widely respected and adored global leader. And you better believe when you’re negotiating with a ‘personality’ reportedly as big as Kim Jong-il’s those two characteristics will go a long way in ultimately securing the release/pardon for these two women and who knows what else could emerge from this trip?

***UPDATE***..MSNBC is reporting that North Korean media is reporting that the two women have been granted a special pardon.

 

 

Things are so bad, people are forced to drink mop soda!!!

No doubt, things are bad out there. Obama is trying his best but to be honest it doesn’t seem to be working.

But I don’t care how bad things are with me, I would have to be so damn desperate (dying of thirst and my legs shot off) and without any hope of reaching a lake or fresh water river before I drank MOP SODA.

I’m sure you’ve seen the smart mop ad. It’s the one where this guy, pitchman Anthony Sullivan, squeezes spilled soda from a mop into a glass as he explains how awesome this ’smart mop’ is and tries to convince you that times are so tough we can’t afford to waste even one glass of spilt soda.

I don’t know where the marketing and advertising people came up with that concept but it sucks because most people I know, even the ones hurting for money, are not going to drink soda squeezed from a mop!

 What were the ad people thinking? Using that as a reason to buy the smart mop is not smart-it’s simply disgusting. 

 

An angel in a white coat will be our next Surgeon General..

 

I don’t think many people could read what Dr.Regina Benjamin has accomplished in the rural town of Bayou La Batre, Alabama and not tear up. 

Dr.Benjamin gave up lucrative career opportunities only to watch the practice she helped to build with her own hands be destroyed twice by hurricanes-Hurricane Georges in 1998 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

She has used her own money, gone without pay, accepts what ever her patients can afford, makes house calls all in in an effort to deliver quality, preventative medical care to the residents of this small rural town.

Nothing stops Dr. Benjamin. Not rain. Not fire. Not money.  With a dedicated staff  firmly by her side, including 78 year old nurse Nell Stoddard, Benjamin continues to receive numerous accolades and awards for her valiant attempts and successes at providing affordable health care at her family practice clinic, helping others establish rural clinics across the nation when interviewed Benjamin has said that her goal in establishing the clinic was, ” To find a way to provide the best possible medical care to patients who often can’t afford health insurance and the only way to do that was to learn how to run a business efficiently.”

Should Benjamin become the next US Surgeon General and she still maintains the goal  of  finding ‘a way to provide the best possible medical care to patients who can’t afford health insurance’ you better believe she will have just as big an impact on the nations’ health care system as she’s had on La Batre, Alabama.

D-Day for Sonia Sotomayor

  

Today Sonia Sotomayor begins the confirmation hearings that will undoubtedly lead to her becoming the first  Hispanic Supreme Court justice in United States history.

I disagree with those who assert that Sotomayor’s journey has been remarkable. 

Like most who succeed Sotomayor went to the best schools, worked extremely hard, put in her time on the job and became known to all the right people. The only thing that differentiates Sotomayor from other nominees is her race. And what is truly remarkable, to me, is that it has taken us this long as a society to recognize the contributions and abilities of those, like Sotomayor, that weren’t born white and male and that firsts like Sotomayor’s and Obama’s are still occurring.

However, in a few hours we’ll watch numerous Senators applaud and celebrate Sotomayor’s nomination. They will tell us how impressed they are with her life story and recite what a uniquely American story hers is and that will fill most of our hearts with pride and joy.

However, as we watch the hearings I will also be hoping that the next time a Hispanic man or woman is being considered for the Supreme Court, his or her life story wouldn’t garner as much attention and that hopefully in the future when my generation are controlling the reigns of power we can honestly say to the public that the only aspect of any nominee’s life that will be considered will be their opinions and rulings on the bench and we hopefully would’ve climbed another rung on the ladder of equality.

Go ahead swear. It’ll make the pain go away!

 

Swearing doesn’t actually make everything better or make the pain go away but we now have proof that swearing helps us to be better able to tolerate a painful situation.

Unlike most people, I didn’t start swearing until I was 19. I was a sheltered child..lol. Anyway I had to ‘learn to swear’ and I still haven’t developed the knack that some people have for combining swear words George Carlin comes to mind here. So I tend to rely on the most used ones and I must confess that to this day they are just some some swear words I could never, ever use. But who could deny the fact that sometimes the only appropriate word for a specific situation is $UCK!

And during my various travels I found that Americans are a lot better at swearing than Europeans. We’re born naturals the words kinda roll off our tongues. And the British have a way of swearing that makes you feel dirty all over and not in a good way..LOL.

One more thing, I have to applaud the women and men who took part in this study because what they were asked to endure in order to determine the affect of swearing on an individual’s tolerance to pain sounds like an act Dick Cheney would have sanctioned! 

Anyway, all we have to do now is get them to do a study proving that swearing at our PCs causes them to work faster so we’ll be able to swear at work-in front of our bosses!

 

A tribute fit for a King…

 

Today Michael Jackson’s family, friends and admirers paid tribute to the King Of Pop-Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in California.

From the emphatic speech by civil rights crusader, Al Sharpton to the emotional, tear jerking, outburst of his daughter Paris Katherine who confidently stated, “Daddy was the best father you could ever imagine!”

Regardless of what you thought, think about Michael Jackson, if you watched the tribute today you would have to be an alien if you didn’t see that this man was loved and appreciated by many, many people and that his contributions to the United States and the world will never be matched again.

Michael Jackson was harassed, ridiculed and persecuted for a large portion of his life and some of it, if we are honest was deserved, but today for 90 minutes today the world paused to celebrate the life and talent of man who by chance and sheer determination happened to be better at singing, dancing and entertaining than 99 percent of those who live or have ever lived on this planet but the world did stop, if only for a few minutes to reflect on the life of one man- a man who changed the world.

From a very pregnant Jennifer Hudson to a 12 -year old British boy Shaheen Jafargholi song after song, speech after speech was a declaration of the love, respect and admiration Michael Jackson garnered around the globe.

But to me, the most fitting image to Michael Jackson’s legacy came almost at the very of end of the service when people of every race, bi racial kids, black men, white women and the Jackson family all shared the same stage, linked arm in arm and sang one Michael Jackson’s most popular and powerful songs, Heal The World in tribute to a man who tried in his own way to heal the world.

“There was nothing strange about Michael Jackson,” Al Sharpton declares

That’s was Al Sharpton’s message to the world and to the critics of Michael Jackson. At Michael Jackson’s public memorial held at the Staples Center in California today. Sharpton received a standing ovation for his fiery defense of Jackson’s legacy.

To the world Sharpton emphatically stated in a veiled reference to the pop stars’ very public trials, “It’s not about mess..it’s about message.”

I for one don’t agree with Sharpton’s assertion but I’ll leave that argument for another day.

And he got a standing ovation when he said pointedly to MJ’s kids, “There was nothing strange about your dad..it was strange what your daddy had to deal with!”

Again..an argument for another day.

The man who never gets old..

He has a new movie out Public Enemies and I’m sure it’ll make him millions of dollars and millions more will see it. 

But I have just one question will Johnny Depp ever get old?

I know that Father Time is better to men than women but somehow he looks younger now than he did back in the 80s! Doesn’t he? Good light and makeup can work wonders..I know but… I’m sure he would deny it but I’m actually starting to believe that Johnny here,  may actually have made that deal with the devil after all.

 

 

 

BET tribute show to Michael Jackson left much to be desired…

Am I the only person in the world, who thinks that last night’s BET Awards tribute show to Michael Jackson could’ve been much better?

Midway through the awards show, it was clear to me and to quite a few other people that the performances were at very best sub par. And as for the host Jamie Foxx, well let’s just say before his next hosting gig my advice to him, is to at the very least give Chris Rock a call and get some pointers. 

Anyway, I Googled the award show and of course they were the typical recaps of what happened but I haven’t seen one news post that actually notes how terrible the performances were. From the beginning with New Edition’s massacring of  The Jackson 5’s songs to the absolutely horrible performance by Keri Hilson’s et al.  It seemed that while most of the artistes were capable of costuming themselves like Michael Jackson NOT ONE of them could come close to matching the King of Pop’s legendary stage performances. And the only performance that came significantly close to anything MJ would’ve done was Beyonce Knowles’ medley. 

I know the tribute show was last minute and that most of the artistes would never have been able to or even claim to be half the entertainer Michael Jackson was so I’m willing to give them a pass there. However, I do believe that if many of these performers sincerely wanted to pay tribute, to a man that many of them consider to be their inspiration and the Greatest Entertainer who ever lived, they should have stepped up their routines and put a bit more effort into their performances.  And based on what I saw last night that didn’t happen.  If by some chance that was the best crop of musical talent in the black community, Michael Jackson himself would have to shake his head in disappointment. 

 

A crabby old man makes me smile..

I came across a really cool blog today on one of my Google adventures.

It’s an awesome blog written by Donald Mills called The Problem With Young People Today Is and yes the name appropriately describes his musings and observations on young people and life today.

I really liked his observations of my generation and his latest post on sweatpants with words across the backside is hilarious! My grandmother hates those sweatpants too, she thinks they are crude! LOL

 Anyway, I’m considering myself one of his newest fans even if I am one of those ‘damned young people’ he continually disses.

Keep up the great work Donald!