I don't know what else to say. . .

* the child being physically abused by the parents, guardians, and adults who are suppose to protect them.

* to the child being sexually abused in their home.

* to the children being sold and taken from their homes. Forced into child prostitution around the world. Where they are must cater to the sick men of our society who at home pretend to be upstanding members of our society.

* to the women and children being raped, sodomized, and tortured in the game of war.

* to the parent helplessly watching their child die from starvation.

* to those who have lost their homes and loved ones because of war and conflict.

* to those who have lost their home and loved ones to natural disasters.


* to the animals being abused by humans who God has in trusted with the caring and protecting of all he has created.

* to those who have lost loved ones because of the black on black violence that prevails in our communities. The innocent child playing on the sidewalk, the student headed to college, and the sleeping baby.

* to all those suffering from the rice shortage.

* to those who are living in slums, refuge camps, and ghettos around the world.

* to the child being turned into a solider when he should be playing with toys.

* to those who do not have access to clean water.

I do not understand why these situations exist. I do not understand why some would want to cause others to suffer. I do not understand why with all the technology we have today we can not rid the world of simple diseases. Why big corporations want to pollute the water supply of small villages? Why people murder in the name of religion? Why greed prevents all from benefiting from the abundance of harvest available?

I am sorry.

Heartless

I have been told by a friend that I lack compassion.

Here is what led to this conclusion of my character.

We were talking about celebrities and the conversation led to Remy Ma. My friend said it was a sad situation. This friend feels sorry for Remy.
I did agree it was a sad situation that she was in however, I did not/do not feel sorry for her.
My friend's reason for feeling sorry for her is that Remy Ma is a only 26 and has pretty much destroyed her life. A young woman who will be close to middle age before she is free from prison. Remy is a product of her environment. She did what she learned from being in the environment she grew up in. And that she is another young and black person who we have lost to the system. Who has ruined her life. She is a young woman who made a mistake.
This is what I believe is all the reason because, I was told that I was not compassionate enough to understand. So, the conversation came to an end.

I would like to interject here that I am not void if compassion. I feel compassion for:

* those suffering from the rice shortage affecting the world.
* those who have been displaced from their homes because of war, natural disaster, or foreclosed (because of the current housing market/ and high rate loans).
* the child who is abused, starving, or sick and dying.

I do believe it is a sad situation that Remy Ma is in. I just do not feel sorry for her. I am sad about the state of many of our youth. I absolutely hate that many of our youth are in prison. I hate the fact that many of our black men are in prison. I believe that many of our youth do fall prey to their environment and circumstances.

However, Remy Ma was no longer in that environment. She had reached a place where many of the youths in her community and communities around America wish they could be. And she is not that young. She is a grown woman who had the choice to walk away and move on with her life. Call the police and report her money stolen. Instead, she shoots her best friend. Why? Because of wanting to uphold an image or lack of common sense, I don't know. I do know she made a decision that has put her in prison.

I believe that as we grow up we can not use where we came from or what we went through as an excuse to hurt others. If a person was molested as a child, that person can not use that as an excuse to molest a child. Or a person who has grown up in a house of violence can not use that as an excuse to continue that behavior.
What you have suffered, live through, or where you have grown up does not erase the fact that God gave us a conscious to understand right from wrong.

I believe Remy should have thought about who she is and how far she came before she made a move.
So, I guess my friend is correct, I do lack compassion. Am I wrong?

Old School Friday

When I saw the theme for this week. . .guitar solos. I knew I would use a favorite of my daughter. She insisted that she had to have this song on her Ipod along with her favorite artists Chris Brown and Rihana. Yes, my children like old school, too

Ladies and Gentlemen
Kool and the Gang and their song Summer Madness



Don't forget to check out these other old skoolers:
Villager
Hagarsdaughters
MindofMarcus
opinionatedblackwoman
shae-shaesblog
Mrsgrapevine
LisaC
Invisiblewoman
There Already
Regina
Iriegal
vibrant thing

What not to wear and more

I don't know if this was inspired by the TLC show What Not To Wear, the fact I'm in a bad mood, or what I have been seeing. Honestly, the latter two.

Here is my What not to Wear, Stop Wearing, Learn how to Wear, Please wear post:


* grown men should not wear shirts that shimmer, have rhinestones, or glitter.

* grown men should not wear t-shirts that come to the knees.

* no man should not wear pants that hang off the behind. Showing me your underwear or walking like a penguin is not turning me on.

* all men should know how to and use a belt if needed. For those of you who don't know what that is (and it seems there are many of you). It is a strap of leather with holes in it. To use thread through loops and fasten.

* tube socks and sandals do not go together.

* when wearing open toe shoes/sandals your toes should not hang over the edge of the shoe. Repeat, your toes should not touch the cement. You should not feel the ground with your toes. You should not have cement scraps on the tips of your toes. Please, pull your feet back or buy a bigger size.

* in the country of America, you should not walk the sidewalks and streets barefoot. It is nasty. you don't know where someone or who has spit, shot snot out the nose, or ejaculated, etc

* if you are ashy please use lotion, petroleum jelly, baby oil, something.

* I may not know much about wigs and weaves but, I do know this. . . your tracks should not show.

* if your micros (braids) are hanging on by a hair. . .it's time to take them out or have your braids redone.

* sorry ladies, I'm not feeling the bright red and purple with a hint of blue, multi color wigs and weave. It just tells me you have no job or you work at McDonald's.

* velvet tracksuits should not be worn

* velvet tracksuits should not be worn in the summer. You should look hot not be hot.

* If it is cold enough that you need to wear a winter coat please, don't wear flip flops.

* women with very large breast should wear bras. Seeing you in a t-shirt with your breast laying on your stomach is a no -no. and eeww.

* going out to the store, Downtown, or out the house in your pajamas and slippers is not cute. Put on some clothes.

* men do not wear tube socks with dress clothes and dress shoes.

* if you wear sandals please, make sure you lotion your feet, cut your toe nails, and consider this. . .should you even be wearing sandals. If you have toe fungus or dry yellow cracked heels, I vote no.

I'm going to save the rest for a later post. I know that I can go on a not stop until I reach one thousand. What are your suggests?

Raising my children part 3

Last night, I was laying in my bed watching Locked Up on MSNBC when my children came flouncing in my room. Immediately, I turn the station to CNBC and a story on Warren Buffett.

Hey, I would rather my children have the mentality of a billionaire over that of a jailbird.
I don't make my children watch CNBC everyday but, we do watch it regularly. There are some interesting shows on there. The history of Nike. The History of McDonald's. The Big Idea with Donny Duetsch.

Anyhoo, I ended up turning off Warren B because he was boring. So, while we laid there watching television, I listened to my children talking and laughing. And I started to wonder how I was going to keep them on the straight and narrow path.
My daughter is 12. My son is 8.

I worry about my daughter getting caught up over a guy. And becoming a young mother. Or how cruel girls can be with bullying. Thankfully, none of this is happening.

But, because I just watched Locked Up my thoughts were more on my son. As a single mother, how am I going to keep my son from becoming one of those locked up men? Of being one of the many black men I watched locked up.

That show had me in awe. I couldn't believe how some of those men thought. And how they were behaving. And I didn't feel sorry for any of them. We are in America. In America we have options. You don't have to steal, cheat, rape, and whatever else those men were behind bars for. And you never have the right to take another person's life. What gives someone the right to murder another person?

For those of you with the thought, "Well, it is hard out there. Maybe, someone stole to feed their family. Or doesn't really understand right from wrong."
Here's what I have to say about that and please excuse the language. Whatthefuckever.

Those are excuses. I have had my ass beat. I ain't running around beating on mine. I have grown up poor and we for a minute we had to live on biscuits and water. I didn't use it as an excuse to start stealing.

Side note: Those who say I have to steal to feed my children. Riddle me this batman. . . what is your family going to eat when you are in prison? How are you going to provide then?

I know how hard it is out here in this world. I swear I don't know how I am going to make it some days. But, I also know people think I want a 42" television instead of being happy with the 25". And I like most parents want to give my children the latest in everything but, if it ain't on sale then they ain't getting it. And even if it is on sale they probably won't get it.

I am striving to teach my children that education is best. I am trying to teach my children how to be financially responsible.

With my son, I know I can not keep him isolated in the house. He has to learn to interact with others. But, I tell him daily just because his friends do something that doesn't mean he has to do it. If they are planning on knocking off a Mini Mart please, go to the library. It is better to be his own man. And I refuse to ignore when he talks a way I find ignorant.
Kids are using the word 'yo' in sentences.

Tim: That show is corny, yo.
Mother: If you say the word yo ever again, I am going to smack your teeth out your mouth.
Tim: That cartoon is corny. I don't like it.
Mother: Better.

Side note: I do not practice smacking my children. But, they believe I would do it. So, just saying it usually nips everything in the bud.

I know some of you are like is it that serious? Yes, I believe if I allow the little thing to slip through it will lead to the bigger things. And I am a firm believer in speaking properly. (And it works because my daughter loves to remind me ain't is not proper. . .ain't that sweet?)

I hope and pray my children will make it. Will achieve their dreams and exceed their goals. And I will guide them on that path and when it becomes time I will let them walk it on their own. I just pray I can be enough influence to hold them on that path against the pull of the all that is wrong with our society.