Cynique

Puleeze. Trying to save face, this from a wimp, who flew into a apoplectic tirade, spewing insults and begging for an apology because he couldn't take what he was dishing out. A paper tiger so steeped in his inflated sense of self esteem, that he thinks he's untouchable. Actually he is untouchable in a way. But not because he's sacrosant; rather because he's a mental leper. He laments that "organizations should not be ran by women." Blatant incorrect grammar, ignoramus. Should be: "run" by women. Google "Matriarchies in Africa", Pionerd and you'll get page after page of data confirming that this family dynamic does and did exist all over Africa, along with female warriors and powerful queens. These references encompass a broad spectrum of studies and conclusions. Whether this family dynamic did or did not originate in Africa, - the cradle of civilization where everything originated, doesn't detract from your bogus attempt to portrary Africa as an exclusively patriarchial system that should be emulated by African Americans. As usual you're grasping at straws. Your anecdotal arguments disparaging female leadership qualities are so irrelevant it's not even worth pointing out their inconsistent discrepancies. As a pouting, myopic, insecure, chauvinistic male, you express nothing of substance to make a case against women being able to lead. All you do is confirm that you, yourself, with all of your resentments and biases are not somebody capable of being an effective leader. Nice of you to include a picture of your girlfriend. Is she the head ape in your polygamous harem of submissive females?

Where is the documented evidence that you and Troy would be attacked if you asked young brothers to pose for pictures with you? It's an assumption you make. Confronting a fear doesn't have to have anything to do with it being as viable threat. It can be about an irrational misconception.

There's a whole community out there of young mothers who think vaccines administered to babies are what's causing the high incidence of autism, and they are opting out of having their kids immunized. But this is a double-edged sword because these vaccines keep children from getting dangerous diseases like measles, typhoid fever, whooping cough and diptheria, not to mention polio and small pox. So it's a no-win situation because there are also reports that these sicknesses are making a comeback. Another argument being made is that autism has always been around but wasn't diagnosed, because in the past, children suffering with it and other behavior problems like hyperactivity, bipolar disorder, and ADD were all relegated to the "retarded" or "mentally unbalanced" category. The high incidence of asthma among urban blacks has been attributed to the environment. One patient recently being interviewed on TV said she suffered with the alllergy because it was too dangerous to go outside to escape the dust and mold of her stuffy apartment. Another thing going under reported is the heroin epidemic among white teenagers, Troy. One of the expressways leading into Chicago from the burbs has been nicknamed the "heroin highway" because it's the route taken by all these kids driving into the city to purchase this cheap but potent drug. Bill Mahr had as his guest last week end, Dr. Carl Hart, this black professor who just wrote this book debunking the myths about drug use. He claims not all people who use drugs become addicted, that they can stop taking them any time, but continue to be users because they are bored with their dead-end lives. ???? He claims, contrary to popular belief, crack does not addict you after one hit. He reached these conclusions after extensive research.....

Finally got 'ol Pionerd to rein in his hysteria. As soon as he became enamoured with the subject of odors, nostalgia kicked in and his perverted memories of the foul, funky smells that permeated his house when he was growing up, calmed him down. Curling up into a fetal position, his nostrils flaring, his pipe-pacifier and a musty towel to serve as a security blanket were all he needed thanks to these stinky flashbacks. Look at the before and after pictures of how an attack of "civility" transformed him. Amazing!

Why can't Jane Chritchlow simply be regarded as someone confronting her own personal fears in order to practice what she preached as a "well-meaning liberal". If you think a white woman walking the streets of the inner city with a camera is not taking risks, you need to think again.

Which is why I am amused by all of these brothers becoming Muslims, embracing Islam as the true religion of black people.

Homosexuals do not consider the term "queer" a derogatory one. Many - mostly white - refer to themselves as that, and there is even a gay activist group that calls itself the "queer nation". I don't even have to check the definition of the word repulsive because it obviously means to repel something. And you spelled "giggolo" wrong. It's also obvious that you try and console yourself by advancing a rationale implicit in the idea that attractive dynamic men don't usually have substance or worthwhile goals. That's typical of the narrow little world view you have restricted your vision to, lest you have to confront the truth about yourself. You are so transparent. If I were to ask myself why I am always so at odds with you, it would be that, with you, the only right way is your way. This is what brittleness is made of. Look up that word. If conspiracists voice what others are thinking, they have converted them to their side. Those who resist their ravings, continue to be dismissed, - ineligible to become a part of the chosen few who are "too smart" to be fooled. For 50 years, conspiracists have been trying to prove that JFK's assassination was not the lone random act of a malcontent. They've never been able to successfully dismantle the counter arguments. But they cling to their belief because they cannot absorb the idea that this monumental act was just a quirk of fate rather than a sinister plot with origins in high places. The latter feeds into the avid romantic imaginations that fuel those who think secret forces are trying to hood wink them. Ironically situations that could be deemed conspiracies are usually not officially organized by an evil cabal of men. They simply evolve from the silent consent of various parties with vested interests and common goals .

That's your upper lip you're smelling, >>stinky<<. My curious public requested pictures of me, and you more than anyone seem to be fixated on these photos. Look up the definition of the word "voyeuristic ", dummy. You used it wrong. Posting pictures of oneself on the Internet is a common practice of millions of people and sharing info about themselves and their families is a common practice among millions of bloggers, all of which is lost on you because you are sooooo behind the times, so stodgy and boring. Have you ever heard of the term social media??? Does FaceBook ring a bell with you???? But it's understandable why you aren't secure enjough to post your mug. Poor loser. I can hear you now as you echo the plaintive words of the Elephant Man. I am a human being! And expensive clothes and other costly accoutrements can't buy class. It's obvious you have none. Can't even spell desperate I have nothing to prove and don't care about the reaction to what I displayed in a post about the nature of reality. It would be different if this was a dating site, where dorks like you try to increase their chances of scoring one night stands. Another indication of how out-of-the loop you are. Watta square.

Once he reads my above response, who wants to bet that ol Pioqueer will be pouring over past posts, trying to scope out suggestive comments I've made. His blood pressure will be sky high, his fingers trembling as his blood-shot eyes peruse thread after thread, "cherry-picking" and putting his spin on quotes to be embedded in some long-assed dissertation that instead of making his point will only reveal his lack of sophistication when it comes to discerning risque double entendre. At some point, he'll revert back to his indignation, whining as only a pipe-puffing son caught in the throes of arrested development can. If we're lucky, he'll just silently throw in the towel. and spare us a lengthy exercise in self-righteous aggrandizement. If not, wake me when it's over. zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Because so many fans regarded Prince as awesome, he started to believe the hype and now appears to think of himself as some kind of a guru. To me, he's just a goof ball and Dick Gregory a blow hard, Conspiracy buffs get on my nerves because their whole attitude is one of being too smart to be fooled. They smugly think they are part of a chosen few who are privy to information that other people aren't in on. A bunch of paranoid crack pots who always want to overwhelm you with a swill of half-truths. And speaking of paranoid crack pots, Pioqueer needs to get a life. Wonder has he considered that the repulsive persona that repels women could be stirring his appetite for men.

Feel better now? Are you salivating for the ol pipe? Ready to put your feet up on the desk you fashioned from an orange crate? Since nobody's around, - go on. Let yourself go. Admit that the polygamy you really crave is actually one where you and all your neurotic homophobia let down your guard and dream about a bevy of virile young men, ready and willing to escort you out of the closet of the cluttered studio apartment which you can barely afford the rent for. Not much money to be made by somebody trying to earn a living off of being a self-important, egocentric wanna-be. Have you considered starting your own church? That might be a good choice for someone who believes in a supreme being, a feeling reinforced everytime he looks in his warped mirror and sees his own face. Because you are so obtuse, Pioneer, you could not appreciate the fine line between titillation and salaciousness. Which is also why your attempts at being witty fall flat. My racy comments were always suggestive. Yours were crude. And you're lying when you claim otherwise. Unlike you, I have no illusions about myself. My vain days are over. If they weren't, I wouldn't have posted those pictures to show how a person can tamper with reality, not how an old woman can change into a young one. BTW, WalMart is where I buy my housecoats. And I got my sunglasses at the dollar store for - a dollar. Stick em up, chump. I dare you to post a "before and after" comparison of yourself. I doubt if there's much you can do to change your appearance. My instincts tell me that although beauty may be skin deep, where you are concerned, beginning with your face, ugliness is to the bone. "Clothes may make the man", but you're probably too much of a challenge to prove this. Poor ol fella. Smoking a pipe hoping to look like Hugh Hefner instead of Popeye. Aye, Aye. Even cross dressing as Olive Oyl doesn't help. tsk-tsk. OK, carry on, Pioqueer. You provide me with amusement.

SMH. And the madness continues. This obsessed moron shows all symptoms of being a repressed homosexual. No wonder he ain't married.

These "door stops" I've taken on lately are really challenging. Just before I started "Miss Anne in Harlem", I took on Dan Brown's latest, "Inferno" . It was close to six hundred pages, too. Brown, of DaVinci Code fame, as usual made puzzle solving the centerpiece of his plot. I always wonder why his characters don't just don't leave written messsages for those in pursuit of answers instead of complicated codes. Whatever. This book was about, of all things, the need for population control because while everybody else is focused on global warming and global wars and global starvation, the planet will soon not be able to support the people who live on it, and off it because there are too many of them. This premise naturally called for a look back at the great plagues in history and how, um, maybe, a modern one induced by sophisticated technology is needed in today's world. Naturally, the hero staved off the forces trying to make this point, It was a very informative book and for that reason I 'd give it 3 stars. I fell along the wayside with Miss Anne but with renewed resolve I have gotten back into the groove and will be returning to it tonight.

I'm somebody's mother, too, you obnoxious asshole, and your making reference to me in the implied context of BJs crossed the line. My dead husband would kick your ass for insulting me, not to mention my sons. You can wait until hell freezes over if you expect an apology. And, like I give a damn whether or not you break off having exchanges with me. Puleeze. It's waste of time arguing with a fool who thinks he has a hot-line to omniscience. Good riddance. You're a joke with your no-spelling, un proof-read, grammatically-incorrect pontificating. That rant you went into on the other thread about AIDS confirmed what I believed from the start: you are an egomanical nutcase who thinks your bizarre skewed view of the world is the ultimate in reality. All of which accounts for your perverted, messianic delusions of grandeur. I don't care what you have to say in your lame attempts to discredit me. I feel no need to rebut or justify or prove anything I said because I don't value your assessments. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Just rave on, you pathetic loser.

Oh, blah, blah, blah. Go back to nursing your pipe and daydreaming about your momma. I'm not talking about polyandry, I'm talking about matriarchies, and these did and do exist in certain African tribes. National Geographic magazine is my source. And there were certainly plenty of queens and powerful women on the African continent: Sheba and Jezabel and Nefertiti and Cleopatra, not to mention the goddesss Isis. And tell me how an Island(Lesbos) can originate on a continent (Europe), You continue to be a prime example of "a little bit of learning being a dangerous thing". Not to mention stupid. And are you really so square as to think that any woman who dons sunglasses is a mob /moll wanna-be?? What a silly conclusion. Just an example of how out of kilter you are. You are always off the mark in your lame attempts at humor. But what could I expect of someone smokes a pipe hoping to improve his image by looking like Popeye. And a strange woman can speak with just as much authority and instill just as much fear in a small child as a man. All your assertion tells me is that, as usual, you think your opinions are facts. And this includes all that tripe you are spouting about women being genetically incapable of disciplining children as well as men. Watta crock. Then you backtrack by saying this applies to some, but not all women, as you conveniently neglect to concede that your insistence that men are the better disciplinarians does not apply to all men. Anybody with common sense can discern that being a good disciplination has nothing to do with the sex of a person. Many daughters can wrap their fathers around their little fingers. And believe me, how ever I choose to explore religion is a far better pursuit than your ritual which includes you jackin off while worshipping yourself. Just keep your azz in Michigan. If I find you insufferable on line, there's no way I could stomach you in person.

It was such a beautiful, cloudless, blue-skied autumn day that venturing outside for my daily walk was not something I had to exert myself to do. Strolling along down the quiet deserted street, there was not another soul around, just scampering squirrels and flitting birds. Falling leaves of red and gold wafted in the balmy autumn breeze. The sun was at my back, and looking down at the sidewalk as I leisurely made my way, I spied my shadow and stopped short, suddenly riveted. Tranfixed, I stared at this perfect silhouette of me for an eternity of seconds, and it was like my spirit was renewed. The validation the sun had enabled was somehow reassuring. From a distance of 93 million miles it had beamed down its rays, giving rise to a simple phenomenon that had proved my existence. Knowledge or belief? I opt for the first choice.

Barf. I repeat. Go somewhere and sit down, Pioneer. And dry your tears because you can't bear having your idols subjected to a "warts and all" scrutiny, most of which has been divulged by black historians and journalists who have done the research and possess the crendentials that put you and your puerile hero worship to shame. Like most renowned historical figures, Malcolm and Martin were not perfect and not always right. You are obviously in denial about this. if you can quit sucking on the pipe that is a pacifier for your not ever having gotten past the oral stage of your development, may be you could grow up and stop believing in fairy tales. Matriachies orginated in Africa, and women there are no more inclined to be subservient than any place else contrary to your romanticized generalizing. Your contention that the current negative ramifications of housholds headed up by women is proof that patriarchies are best is ambiguos. These gangbangers and thugs are not a testament to the ineffectiveness of their mothers. They are the products of a family breakdown. And family doesn't necesssarily embody your pat little outdated "playing-house" scenario. As opposed to such simplistic BS, family is a sensible arrangement where duties and responsibilities are shared through delegating to whichever partner is most effective in getting tasks done, and this includes handling and earning money and paying bills and - cooking and cleaning. Your brain is incapable of processing the idea of judging people by their individual abilities and talents regardless of their sex. You have set yourself up as a paragon of what you think manhood should be, but you are the obstinate personification of what it shouldn't be. On second thought, Pioneer, don't go somewhere and sit down. Go somewhere and start your own colony so you can live out your chauvinistic fantasy of having a harem of women who defer to your every self-aborbed need. Surround yourself with a brigade of lackeys who mistake your pebbles of wisdom as pearls.

With their 3rd straight win of the new NFL season, the Chicago Bears are doing their part to deflect the negative vibrations emanating from Chicago. With its high homicide rate, "Chi-town", also known as "Chiraq", has had its image bemirched by being named the most dangerous city in America. A recent drive-by shooting that sprayed a crowded gathering of players and spectators at an outdoor basketball game, injuring 13 people including a 3 -year old toddler, did nothing to dispel this misleading designation - which is based on questionable statistics. Anyway, the aftermath of the shooting was a familiar one, complete with the obligatory interviews with bystanders and relatives of victims. What was particularly gripping was the appearance of one lamenting woman who was identified as the grandmother of the injured child. This disheveled woman looked to be in her 30s. Her distress was obvious, as she lectured her neighbors. Y'all gotta stop all this mess. We cain't sit back and let these killins keep on happenin. C'mon y'all, dees is yo kids and relatives. Y'all out their doin this shooting, need to jest stop it! Nobody can quarrel with what this woman had to say, altho they can wonder why a 3 year old youngster was hangin out in a park at 10 oclock at night. This is not an unfamiliar scenario in the cases where children have been caught in cross fire. And that's the point. This rampant violence taking place in Chicago's inner city is the outgrowth of a culture. With a few exceptions, the victims and victimizers are cut from the same cloth. They are a cast of characters playing out roles in a drama that stars single mothers and absentee fathers. The offspring of these couplings then become part of a mob scene where they will either kill or be killed, and the settings for these productions are all too effective, with unemployment and bad schools contributing to the plot. Granted, the plot is crafted by a system that is designed to favor the privileged. Unfortunately, nothing is going to change, unless black people take it upon themselves to make better choices in the hope that they will gain better chances. Elsewhere, Kerry Washington lost out on the Emmy she was favored to win for best actress in a drama. Her emoting in SCANDAL must not have impressed enough voters who probably thought the winner Claire Danes did a better job of playing a bi-polar white woman than Kerry did playing a frustrated black woman. Obviously the latter is not that much of a stretch. Kerry's co-presenter was Dihanne Carroll, who was the first black wowman to win an Emmy way back in the 60s, something the audience seemed not only clueless about, but disinterested in as Ms Carroll stumbled through her lines seeming to verify rumors of her growing dimentia. But she sure looked good for a woman in her late 70s. Black don't crack. Speaking ot television, I am really a fan of "Board Walk Empire", the series set in New Jersey during Prohibition that is beginning its 4th season on HBO. I just love how the producers have recreated the zeitgeist of this time period in America. The story line is all over the place but that doesn't matter, the characters and costumes and sets are so authentic and effective at capturing the mood of this decadent era. I'm particuarly pleased that the producers have beefed up the storyline involving the black characters, one of whom is Jeffrey Wright, a favorite actor of mine. For watchers of this show who wonder about the chorus line in the nightclub that is reminiscent of Harlem's famous Cotton Club, in case you didn't already know, during these times, only "high-yellow" dancers were picked to appear in the revues. No dark women needed to apply because the influence of colorism was very strong back then. Also no Blacks were allowed to patronize these clubs; their sole function was to entertain the wealthy white customers.

I got a hold of a copy of this massive non fiction work and am revving up my motor to drive though it. The book itself is over 600 pages of small print, but about half of these pages are devoted to a long introduction, author notes, an extensive index and bibliography, acknowledgements, photographs, and excerpts from other sources, etc. I am a Harlem Renaissance buff, perennially fascinated with an era that not only focuses on the life and times of the fledgling black artistic community but also calls attention to the historical backdrop this movement was set against. The 1920s and 30s were such an interesting period in this country not only in regard to the blatant racism but to the blooming aestheticism that neither the gloom of the Great Depression or the illicitness of Prohibition could deter. The output of Literature, Drama, Art and Music indigenous to America all came into their own during this time. So far I am finding "Miss Anne In Harlem" quite engrossing.

Well, semantic subjectivity has permeated this exchange. To me, intuition is an extension of instinct, not a separate reaction. And knowing is innate awareness and the results of applying it determine whether the response is belief or intellectual.

I gravitate toward toward the reliability of instinct. We are one of many embodiments of the universe, a microcosim of it, solidified into matter. Knowledge is an instrinsic part of our brains. it is already there for our mind to discern and discover. The external world is an environment that acts as a filter through which experience must pass. This is a developmental process. Instinct is spontaneous and spawns intuition.

SMH. Go somewhere and sit down. Pioneer. A man's penis is not only interchangeable with his brain but is his Archilles heel. Phallic symbols abound in his world, which is why guns will never be banned or controlled, and why drones and missiles are the favorite toys of leaders in their ongoing quest to be king of the hill. This is also why America's standing army is a hotbed of sexual harassment, its ranks teeming with trigger happy warriors targeting the "fox holes" of their female comrades. The terrible shape of the male-dominated world is a very poor endorsement of Patriarchy. A female president would never have been stupid enough to risk war by drawing a line in the sand, daring an opponent to cross it. She would've perceived that playground games are for children. Coming from you, Malcolm X's words ring hollow, Pioneer, when you consider the source and the circumstances: a man quoting another man. Garbage in; garbage out. Invoking the names Malcolm and Martin no longer guarantees acquiescence since time has proven them both to be as flawed as they are iconic. Chances remain slim for women getting the chance to rule and utilize their flexible, pragmatic, multi-tasking skills because their ascent involves a contest between brawn and brains, and men have the brawn. Matriarchy status has been thrust upon the black race. Sisters would love to turn the reins over to their men, but white men have succeeded in emasculating black men, enabling black women to do the same. Black men who are the exception to the rule are those who are not threatened by women but appreciate their value.

Puleeze, Pioneer. It might've taken even less than 20 minutes since my daughter, who took the pictures, was in a hurry to leave, impatient with my whims - and who, incidentally, decided to turn on the celing light to create a brighter effect in the second pose. Break records? Mob wife??? As usual, your Irrelevant humor(?) eludes me. All my transistion involved was taking off and putting on; not a lengthly process. It's a routine that every woman has down pat when she gets ready for work in the morning. Yes, eye-make up can be a time-consuming process which is why I eliminated this ritual by wearing sun glasses. Running a powder puff over your face, putting on lipstick, slapping a wig over your corn rows, can be done in less than 5 minutes. Getting her avatar ready to face the world is a transformation that a gal can take as long or as short a time as she chooses. Trust me.

I labeled a facade a paradox because it is a real deception, Delano. When it comes to people, they can be genuinely phony. Sometimes, people are self delusional due to ignorance, because they are not aware that they are in denial about themselves. So this makes their delusion a fact. Indeed, the bottom line is that the truth can hurt. I repeat. As an inanimate, technical device, a camera accurately captures an image. Conceivably a still picture of a naked person is reality caught on film. A picture of a nude women who has boob implants is a true recreation of a false enhancement.

Interesting anecdote, Troy. BTW, that's actually a "housecoat" I have on, also known as a "duster". At least this is what midwesterners call these garments which are still very commonly worn by old ladies, They serve the purpose of a robe and are worn over night gowns or PJs. And you can still buy them in stores. But they are currently not something you'd ordinarily wear out in the street. I guess this is not something a middle-aged man would know anything about. I daresay that a camera is probably the closest thing capable of accurately capturing tangible reality. Especially these digital ones they have nowadays. They clearly reveal all your physical traits. And neither the person being photographed or the person taking the picture have control over the final image that the inanimate lens captures. Of course a picture will eventually undergo subjective scrutiny. When I look at those 2 pictures they're interchangeable in my mind. I am me. My body is not my soul.