Cynique

Well, Mark Owen, the Navy seal who participated in the raid and subsequent killing of Osama has written a best seller entitled 'No Easy Day" and in it he describes what all happened. Incidentally, he has been discharged from this elite group for breaking its code of silence. He claims Osama was totally surprised, did not resist, but was gunned because no chances could be taken. He also said one reason he spoke out was because he didn't want President Obama to use what happened to promote his re-election by taking all the credit for getting rid of America's main nemises. I suppose all of this could be cited by conspiracy buffs as - being a conspiracy to divert suspicion. My immediate reaction to Leroi Jones' poem was, "OK, I give, Who is whooooooooo??????" Who are the sinister ubiquitous "they" who are all in cahoots to deceive and control and profit - and are presumably ensconced somewhere in a hideway carved in the side of a moutain, all there plotting and scheming to take over. Present company excluded, - So many conspiracy theorists impress me as being a certain caliber - often malcontented , usually paranoid, - loners who think they are too savvy to have anything put over on them. Other guilible people may fall for what the powers-that-be want them to believe but, aha, not them! These types have it all figured out, certain that the omnipresent "they" exist and will stop at nothing to gain control. Corruption is a reality but - I don't think those guilty of it are united, mostly because they are in competition and are too treacherous to trust one another. But, whatever. People will believe what they want to and who knows what the actual truth is??????????

Actually, Troy, not all jazz purists are fans of Dave Brubeck's music. Their main problem with it being that it's too structured, and that he and saxophonist Paul Desmond engaged in too much classical baroque contra point and not enough improvising. But during the 50s which was when this group began its ascent to fame, this style was what appealed to jazz neophytes who were turned off by the be-bop which was also the rage during the early 50s, because to them be-bop was just a lot of frenetic noise. And on big 10 college campuses, Brubeck was the man. Doo-Wop was just as popular on black college campuses. I always liked Brubeck and Paul Desmond because their renditions were melodious, starting out slow and then crescendoing into a climax. They didn't originate this appoach and Desmond's lyrical saxophone stylings harked back to black saxophonists like Lester "Prez" Young. Here's another jazz treatment of a classic old ballad. http://youtu.be/hC2LL7aaYgY

Man, that's some good stuff, Troy! Anything that deals with truth and reality is my cup of tea. I especially appreciate having 2 points of view to consider. This allowed me to distill what resonated with me, and contemplate the criticism that I didn't agree with. Naturally, I dug all that material in regard to religion and paganism. The problem I always have with conspiracy theories is that their being true would have to require the complicity of so many people. And they lend themselves to romanticizing; the idea of Big Brother or an evil cabal of men is always at the core of these alleged plots. For almost 50 years people have been debating the assassination of JFK, with clearer heads claiming that this was such a monumental event that many people couldn't wrap their minds around the idea that it was a fluke, - the desperate act of one social misfit. There's also a community of conspiracy buffs who claim the moon landing was a fake, a ploy to outshine Russia in the space race, a deception which would've required all the thousands of people who worked for NASA to have been in on. Others claimed that FDR knew in advance about the plans of Japan to inititate a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, but that he looked the other way because going to war would jump start the sluggish U.S. economy trying to recover from the Depression. Over 50,000 young sons of America lost their lives in WW II. Would a U. S. President really have been a party to this?? The killing of Osama bi Ladin seems to neutralize a lot of the claims about 911 being a conspiracy. Who are these people who want to oppress Americans by using the threat of terrorism to take away their freedoms??? The nebulous mysterious Illuminati? Who really benefits from this? It really takes an overview to assess truth and reality. There's a truth, and then there is the whole truth. I alway reference the 3 blind men and the elephant analogy; the first blind man upon touching the elephant described it as having rough skin, the next one said it had a little tail, and the third one declared it had a big trunk. They were all telling the truth, just not the entire truth. When it comes to reality I always look for a parallel in nature or science. And that quantum physics phenomenon that blows my mind and involves not being able to believe your eyes because an image will change when you look away from it, raises questions about the nature of reality. Then there's how an environment allows animals to become invisible by camouflaging them. One person's reality can be another's imagination. A snake in the grass can catch you off guard. I'm ignorant when it comes to high finance but the theories about funds being controlled by devious greedy bankers doesn't sound so far-fetched. It's a crazy world, not always what it seems. There is an underworld. The truth is the light but Mankind has a dark side.

Thanks for sharing your Tom Sawyer interlude, Troy. I go waaay back with MAD magazine, too, - to the year when it first came out. Me and Alfred P. Neuman have gone through life together, asking "What? Me Worry?" It shouldn't come as a surprise that I loooove satire. MAD was the best when it came to lampooning pompous people and self-aggrandizing celebs. As a child, buffalo nickels were the only kind I knew of. I used to could do a coin trick that made the buffalo look like he was peeing. The native American who was the model for the heads side of this nickel was a real person and occasionally appeared in cowboy pictures. Aaaaah, nostalgia.

I'm glad you are on my wave length, writergirl! Finally a female poster with whom I have rapport. I find your comments so pithy and on point and inciteful.. ( Great minds run along the same path. Right? ) I know that Brubeck selection was probably tuned out by many people because it is "straight ahead jazz"; not the garden variety of smooth jazz fushion available on your FM radio dial. It's too bad that white musicians like Dave Brubeck gained so much prominence by becoming practioners of the music originated by Blacks who gradually abandoned this art form and gravitated to R&B and Rap. So it goes.

I thought you were a staunch Republican, Mzuri.

Well, hello, Mzuri. I have color TV and Obama's lips are not as purple as they used to be since he gave up smoking; they are lilac now. Michelle's face continues to suck her in. But maybe this is why Obama won. Jesus loves imperfection. You know all about that, don't you? Good article, Troy. Right on point.

I've never heard of this book. I wish Kam or somebody would read and review it. I'm just curious as to what new can be said about this subject. We all know how manipulative the media is. Black folks claim it race baits via coded subliminal messages, and Conservatives claim it is shamelessly skewed toward liberalism. Are people still naive enough to not recognize ploys that are directed toward a certain consumer or audience, and aren't both black and white advertisers and journalists guilty of this? Moreover, how obligated is the media to not do what it takes to gain attention and make the money it takes to stay viable?

Glad this damn election is over. For me, the award for enduring the long tedious campaign is not that Obama won but that all the conservative right-wing Republican wackos and religious zealots have been defeated. Now, it's back to square one, unmindful that the economy will continue to do what it does, independent of the manipulations of human input. At least America lived up to its reputation for reuniting after a contentious election, Donald Trump aside. I knew FaceBook would be on fire when Obama was declared the winner, and reading all of the comments brought something home to me. Everyone was praising the lord, thanking Jesus, describing themselves as jumping up and down, the kind of jubulance associated with multi- million dollar lottery winners. One poster declared that this was the happiest day of his life. All of this confirmed why I took such a dim view of the proceedings that pitted these 2 candidates against each other. For some reason I couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for purple-lipped Obama and his moon-faced wife, yet at the same time I found the robotic Romney and his mannikin mate obnoxious. Meoooow. But what overrode my personal prejudices had more to do with the people who supported Mitt and Barack. For Romney, it was the white, thinly disguised bigots whining for a return to the past, and the anti-women pro-lifers, and the narrow-minded bible-thumping Evangelicals, and the fascistic super patriots, and the black Uncle Toms. These were who totally turned me off. For Obama, I was irritated by the hard core, blindly loyal hero worshippers with their herd mentality, - black people looking for Obama to fulfill whatever was missing in their lives, satisfying their need for a savior to right past wrongs as they cast a jaundiced eye at any Black who didn’t get with the program. An anathema for a contrarian like me. However, I guess this is what choosing a leader is all about. Supporting the candidate with whom you can identify. The only problem is that presidential candidates seldom fulfill their promises. Their empty rhetoric is just an exercise in platitudes and sound bites. And they end up being at the mercy of Congress and corporate America and the military. Whatever. Barak Obama has won and America will now return to business as usual as he tries to make his audacity of hope a reality while treading a slippery slope that requires the cooperation of a non partisan senate. Have you got his back, God??

60 years ago, back in the days before "Take 5", when I was a student at the University of Illinois, music like this jazz version of the old standard "The Way You Look Tonight" rendered by the Dave Brubeck quartet, would be what me and my fellow black coeds would be listening to in a dorm room, smoking unfiltered Pall Malls, sitting cross-legged on the floor playing Bridge, rich Jewish girls from NY, kibitizing over our shoulders, there at the U. of I. because this great midwestern university was a haven for the bargain-hunting parents of Jewish kids looking for a quality education that cost half the price of the prestitgious private colleges back east. 'Spent many a night doing this, neglecting my studies, which is why I ended up getting my degree in the subject of everything at the U. S. Post office where I sat on my ass observing a broad cross section of people for 30 years before retiring. Brubeck is now in his 90s and I'm on the brink of 80. Weren't those the days, Dave? A simpler time, before Charlie and Billie OD'd and Miles got petulant. Before Rosa got tired and Martin began to march and Malcolm began to preach, and America changed its tune...

I, myself, am experiencing a reading block, Troy. And I'm not happy about it, either. All my life I"ve been an avid reader and it's as if that has now caught up with me because the subject matter of so many today's fiction books does not elicit my interest. It's like I've been there, done that. Now instead of being riveted by the printed word, I am more mesmerized by what's visual. All I want to do is watch historical and scientific documentaries or specials like "Boardwalk Empire and "Game of Thrones". Or track down old songs on YouTube. Tracking down old songs is like being a time traveler because they can vividly take you back to the era that they bring to mind. They call also provide you with the joy of reminscence. I'm afraid my waning interest in books has something to do with my declining years and the short memory span that comes with this territory. Growing old is a challenging process. It has even affected my writing because sometimes when I re-read posts I have written, I can't believe how disjointed they are. What is also frustrating is how my mind and body are not in sync. I think I'm still my young self, but my body regularly reminds me that I'm not the girl I used to be. As my health begins to wane I am confronted with my own mortality; a sobering experience even as I am rejuvenated by memories of good times past. Even as I endeavor to conquer my fear of death... Sorry. I got carried away. As I was saying, Troy, I sympathize with you. Reading is fundamental and there's no better companion than a good book, no better teacher than a knowledgeable volume.

Lena Horne version: http://youtu.be/g8J2Gb-hMIY Sarah Vaughn version:

This is a beautiful song, Troy; deeply melodious with exquisite lyrics, a ballad from the great American songbook that I'm always blubbering about, as my praise falls on the deaf ears of this generation who think this kind of music is schmaltzy. As slow as this song is I'm surprised you liked it. It's certainly one of my favorites, an old standby that back in the day any chanteuse worth her salt recorded a version of. Male vocalists did, too. Romantic classics like this are mostly taken from the Broadway musicals of the 1920s and 30s and 40s and many were recorded and sampled by jazz instrumentalists. But, you knew that, didn't you.

True, Troy. But what do you suggest? That athletes who are good enough to play for a franchise and make big bucks not do this - that talented high school athletes turn down scholarships to college? Nobody is forcing these young men to take advantage of an opportunity to make their skills pay off. I supposed the way to stop all the harm and exploitation that goes on in the world of sports is to eliminate the whole institution of athletics as popular entertainment. But that's not going to happen. It's all about giving the public what it wants. Sports is a business and profit is the name of the game. Athletes are products and fans are consumers. And it's not just in this country. Competitiveness is second nature to man. and many participate in sports just for the love of it. This is the way it's always been, dating back to Greek and Roman times; even before. Jay-Z and Michael Jordan are black basketball team owners and how did they ascend to their positions of wealth and power? Through sports and rap. Life itself is a game. Unfortunately there are more losers than winners. But being a sports spectator is an exicting form of escapism,

I think Barack Obama will beat MItt Romney for the office of POTUS, just for the record. If Mitt wins the popular vote, the shit may really hit the fan. There could be a serious movement mounted to replace the electoral college system. The congressional and senatorial races are what will really be a factor in determining what direction the economy goes, not the presidency which stands a chance of again being an impotent force. Which is why my main reason for wanting Obama to win has to do with the anticipation of there being 3 supreme court vacancies because of retirements. If Romney wins, these seats will be filled with Repubican conservatives whose rulings will set this country back 50 years with regard to women's rights and religious freedoms. IMO.

If MIlton is talking about the late owner of Ebony, John H. Johnson, then his only suriving heir, Linda, still owns the magazine but she has handed the reins of the magazine over to Desiree Rogers, who left her job as social secretary to MIchelle Obama after she overstepped her duties during her ternure...

It was, indeed, a different time. Today's black super jocks are being paid these ridiculously high salaries to play games and inspire adulation, - to do what they'd enjoy doing even if they weren't being paid or idolized. So who's to say who's gettin over on whom? These team owners need the black athletes just as much as the black athletes need them. It's a symbionic relationship. Most black athletes do speak out against violence and encourage young blacks to stay in school, and do establish foundations to help the less fortunate (and provide tax write-offs). Why would they need to talk to Minister Farrakhan? The only difference between Farrakhan and a talented black athlete is that one lives like a king for running around a sports arena and the other lives like a king for running his mouth about the same ol shit he's been giving marathon sermons about for years, knowing full well that his demogogory will never amount to anything. But this ego trip keeps him on track for attracting attention and being idolized by his flock of sheep. Chicago Bulls franchise player Derek Rose's injured knee incapacitated him for last year's play-offs. He is still recuperating and still pulling in an enormous amount of money in endorsements and salary for doing nothing but going through re-hab. You could say that a talented black athete is put in the position of selling his soul to the devil. But so is a white one. Is it a sin to capitalize off of one's god-given gift?? Let he who is without sin cast the first ball.

Do you recall the rumor that was circulating about Quincy Jones supposedly suggesting that Prince play the role that Wesley Snipes later ended up with in the "Bad" video? It was also rumored that Prince turned the role down because he didn't want to be associated with the line Michael uttered in one verse of the song that went: "your ass is mine". Prince was always such a twerp. I don't even know why I liked him, strutting around with all those tight, frilly constumes, wearing eyeliner and blush and Shirley Temple ringlets. Almost as bad as MIchael with his military styled uniforms and jeri curled hair and bleached skin. I guess it was because I was caught up in the frenzy of the times, brainwased by all of my post office co-workers and my kids. Thank goodness, my jazz afficionado husband kept me from going completely overhboard.

I guess black preachers have forgiven Obama for approving of same sex marriage if they're urging their congregations to vote. Ministers are always in cahoots with politicians. Hypocrisy does not discriminate. The biggest offender of all is a white pastor. The Pope! He lives in splendor and harbors sex offenders and tries to control women.

Well, Mother Nature is raising hell, and doing it at a very inopportune time for the presidential candidates. Is this a sign from above? I'm trying to figure out which guy this catyclismic weather will benefit. Obama or Romney? Whoever. Will this disaster have any effect on the voting process or the economy? Sandy is certainly a wake-up call when it comes to exposing how vulnerable America is. All it takes are electrical blackouts to bring the country to its knees. It's also mind-boggling the amount of money being poured into the hell holes of Iraq and Afghanistan when America will need billions to re-build here at home. Will we have to borrow money from China to finance the restoration? I don't know why anybody would want to become president of a country on the brink of so much turmoil.

I would guess from the style of dress and hair styles, that the picture of Nina and James was taken in the late 1950s or early 60s. For Ella and Billie I would say the early 1950s. From the photo backgrounds I would also guess that they were all at private gatherings Nina hadn't yet adopted an Afro and she is wearing a dress with a peter pan collar, and James a button down shirt and narrow tie, all of which were popular during that era. (I used to wear my hair the same way Nina is wearing hers.) Billie's headdress and fur stole are vintage 1940s and 50s. And Ella's straightened hair and "nappy" edges bespeak of a time before perms and wigs came in. Whenever it was, it seems like a happier time in the lives of all of them, the phase before all hell broke loose to usher in the militant 1960s. Most people associate "I loves you Porgy" with Nina but she was more than just a vocalist. She was an accomplished classical pianist. Check out the counterpoint on this selection. http://youtu.be/4sAbW0ONRBU .

Picture of James Baldwin and Nina Simone, and Billiie And Ella. Black legends whose artistry lives on...

The naughty little fantasy of a white suburban house wife, coninues to pay off as the "50 Shades of Gray" series maintains its bestseller status. Also entering the list of top sellers is a mainstream book by the author of the Harry Potter's series. It's not enough that she made a billion dollars writing about a bespeckled boy wizard, now she's cleaning up with a novel about a bunch of odd balls. There just aint no justice in this world. Year, after year, authors like Stephen King, John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark, Dannielle Steele, Sue Grafton, James Patterson, just to name a few, come out with a book that their fans snap up. What do black folks get? A obligatory book by Toni Morrison every few years, or an autobiography by a controversial black celebrity, aTeri McMillan retread, an Eric Jerome Dickey yawner. From what I hear, the notorious "50 Shades of Gray" series is an overrated, poorly-written book about sexual bondage, a practice that the average black person would dismiss as stupid activity engaged in by freaky white people; more boring than shocking. Being a sex slave lost its uniquess to black women a few centuries ago. I was thinking what kind of a sex book would be shocking to make black readers run out and buy it? Zane 's stuff is racy but old hat now. I have an idea in my head and if I was younger I'd put forth the the effort to get it out there. I'm thinking about just dictating it into a tape recorder and letting somebody else type it up, then I'd revise and edit the draft. I can see the headlines now. Senior Citizen Pens Provocative Sex Romp. Actually, someone could shock readers by writing a book about a virile black guy who is faithful to his fiancee because she is so attractive and intelligent and charming and supportive and sensual that the meoooow of strange pussy has no effect on this cat. Shocking, indeed! Slow day.

Implicit in almost every post on this site is the underlying message that It's hard being black; not only in America, but throughout the world. Just as white skin is an "entitlement", " it can be argued that "colored" skin is a burden. If I were a rapper I'd spit out some verses about this. Instead I'll just spill out some thoughts. As an African American, no matter what your circumstances are, your race is always a factor that puts you at a disadvantage even when the playing field is leveled to allow you to advance despite inadequate qualifications. I repeat: It's hard being black. Is this how it was meant to be? White people seem to be genetically equipped to dominate, oppress, and seize power. That's an explanation, but it offers little consolation. Blacks are supposed to be more spirtual. Which I guess is why they are haunted by bad luck spooks, They also suffer from mass frustration, a side-effect of having to maintain a dual identity. To cope with being relegated to the bottom of the heap, out of desperation, long suffering negroes continue to cling to the hope that God willl grant them their reward in the hereafter. Lord have mercy. Meanwhile, atheistic China has ascended to a position of world leadship, leaving the options of Buddhism and Taoism for those seeking an inner peace that they don't have to go to heaven to attain. Still, Blacks keep on praying and thumping the Bible, all the while ignoring the intriguing interpretations about the black race being descended from Noah's son Ham who, as a punishment for laughing at his naked father, was marked with the skin color that cursed his lineage. Preferring to adopt the biblical references to homosexuality being an abomination, black believers gloss over the possibility that God couldn't care less about their unfair lot in life. Noah did his thing.So be it. To add insult to injury, presidetial candidate Mitt Romney is a member of the Mormon church which has never had any respect for Blacks, considering them unfit for leadership. But all those white Christians who in the past rejected Mormonism are now willing to tolerate it, and if Obama loses, it will be because the majority of white people do not want to be ruled by a black man and that is what matters most to them. All religion aside, the scientific mathmatical law of averages says that at some point chronic losers will win. So in the upcoming election will the fluke that got Obama elected repeat itself? Will things turn around so that race won't matter and things won't be so hard??? Maybe. But I wouldn't bet on those odds. A re-elected black president's blackness might still prevent him from being a successful winner. Because it's hard being black

I always thought it was ironic that Essence magazine was owned by a white company. And I always figured this was the reason it was such a lightweight superficial journalistic endeavor. It's more of a catalog than anything, primarily concerned with fashion and cosmetics and a rigged best selling book list. Ebony is at least black-owned and does diversify its subject matter.