Today in America many, but not all, American's have a day off in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sadly, this great man is honored but it is an optional holiday so many businesses can choose not to celebrate the life of a man who inspired directly or indirectly great changes for this nation. One day hopefully sooner than later it will be a mandatory holiday for all.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. Today he would be happy to see that progress towards his dream has been made but sad to not that many of us have gotten lost along the way to the true reality that he felt could be achieved. Last night I was at an event that showed just how far we have come over the last 50 years. All ethnic backgrounds were gathered together for an event. Well dressed Interracial couples and groups were everywhere peacefully, joyfully awaiting the opening of the doors for the anticipated evenings events. I feel he would be proud to see such diversity united together. However, he would not have approved of the presentation of the three young boys in front of me.
Dr. King was about honor, respect and pride. He not only wanted all people to be united together but his own people to present themselves in the best possible light at all times. Over the years a great part of that has been lost. It started in a small way but has extended itself for many years. These young men were among the many who feel it's perfectly acceptable to show their underwear to the world. When they reached the front doors. The elegantly dressed black gentleman at the front who, along with his brother,was in charge of the event stopped the three and made them pull up their pants and tuck in their shirts. If the three had thought about where they were going or had even looked around them they would have noticed they were the most poorly attired individuals in attendance.I am sure had their mothers been present they would have been pleased to note how well their sons looked after the small action of properly wearing your clothes had been accomplished.
How we present ourselves to the world is so much a part of Dr. King's original dream. There are numerous misrepresentations of the African American/Black community as a whole that are accepted as reality by the world that need to be killed in order for us to continue down the path that Dr. King helped pave for us. HE would be appalled by BET, upset by the lack of presentation of self and disturbed by the lyrics of the latest incarnations of rap music. We must look at the current state of our community and make positive changes for the future or else Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream is lost to us all for ever. One of my favorite quotes from him says it all, "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." http://www.punchbowl.com/holidays/martin-luther-king-day
Monday, January 16, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Out with the Old in with the New
Today is the day that if you weren't back to reality already you are now. Everyone is back to work. 2012 is well underway. Only the people you have yet to see are hearing the greeting Happy New Year from die hard New year's greeters. We are all immersed in our lives. The fun and frivolity of holiday cheer has ended. Closeout sales have been in stores since the first. Items are 50% to 80% off and since the first day of the year Valentines day paraphernalia has lined the shelves. Out with the old usher in the new. Keep moving never stop as something will seriously go wrong if we slow down. The world moves on. As it does, many people and places are discarded in it's wake.
Our current economic climate and computer culture has caused a great decline in several markets. Small businesses are being swallowed up by corporate conglomerates and large businesses are barely holding on. Paddington's Tea Room was where I celebrated my last birthday with friends. It was a lovely family owned tearoom that gave you the best in quality tea for the past 20 years. They closed last year. Famima is a chain combo convenience store and take out place. It lasted well beyond my expectations but it no longer exists in Culver City. As a matter of fact many places in the once sleepy Culver City have disappeared due to high rents. These places include El Pollo Loco, Mezza Grill, the Culver Plaza theater (which was once a Mann Theater and has a beautiful mural of old world Hollywood depicted on it's walls) and a local healthy restaurant.
Bookstores both large and small are dying in droves due to online cutthroat prices and the onset of nooks, kindles and the like. I would have never believed that a large chain like Borders would go the way of the Dodo. Sadly it is so. Even more sad to note is smaller more personal places are going down the same route. The Bodhi Tree bookstore has been a small wonderful bookstore located on Melrose since the 70's. It has provided patrons with hot tea, cozy reading nooks and great books for this entire time. On December 31st it's doors closed for good in that location. Rents were just too high to sustain the location. They hope to open again but it's just a matter of where, when and if a generous benefactor can believe in the sustainability of a brick and mortar store.
These are but a few of the many places in the metropolitan city of Los Angeles that have gone out of business due to varying factors. What gets me is that everyone is so obsessed with moving forward that the collateral damage seems to be but a glitch in the process. "Computers are better." "It's the way of the future." "That's just how it's down now." "It's so much easier." I ask you this, If the way of the future is so much better, why are there so many businesses profiting from "retro" materials? Maybe we shouldn't be so quick to toss out the old ways. Simpler times, simpler days the future isn't always brighter sometimes how we did it was just the right way.
Our current economic climate and computer culture has caused a great decline in several markets. Small businesses are being swallowed up by corporate conglomerates and large businesses are barely holding on. Paddington's Tea Room was where I celebrated my last birthday with friends. It was a lovely family owned tearoom that gave you the best in quality tea for the past 20 years. They closed last year. Famima is a chain combo convenience store and take out place. It lasted well beyond my expectations but it no longer exists in Culver City. As a matter of fact many places in the once sleepy Culver City have disappeared due to high rents. These places include El Pollo Loco, Mezza Grill, the Culver Plaza theater (which was once a Mann Theater and has a beautiful mural of old world Hollywood depicted on it's walls) and a local healthy restaurant.
Bookstores both large and small are dying in droves due to online cutthroat prices and the onset of nooks, kindles and the like. I would have never believed that a large chain like Borders would go the way of the Dodo. Sadly it is so. Even more sad to note is smaller more personal places are going down the same route. The Bodhi Tree bookstore has been a small wonderful bookstore located on Melrose since the 70's. It has provided patrons with hot tea, cozy reading nooks and great books for this entire time. On December 31st it's doors closed for good in that location. Rents were just too high to sustain the location. They hope to open again but it's just a matter of where, when and if a generous benefactor can believe in the sustainability of a brick and mortar store.
These are but a few of the many places in the metropolitan city of Los Angeles that have gone out of business due to varying factors. What gets me is that everyone is so obsessed with moving forward that the collateral damage seems to be but a glitch in the process. "Computers are better." "It's the way of the future." "That's just how it's down now." "It's so much easier." I ask you this, If the way of the future is so much better, why are there so many businesses profiting from "retro" materials? Maybe we shouldn't be so quick to toss out the old ways. Simpler times, simpler days the future isn't always brighter sometimes how we did it was just the right way.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Reflection and Redirection vs Resolutions
I hope that one and all have survived the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012. Many of you seem to have had a not so glamorous 2011, a not so glorious end of the year and a not so fantabulous start to the new year. I can say I am one of the many. Most of us make resolutions to offset that unhealthy balance. I can say I am not one of the most. I believe resolutions don't get done. At least not for me. It is easy to slide further and further away from the intent of a resolution. It is not as easy to run away from a reflection (unless of course you are a vampire ;-).
I like to take the end of the old and begin of the new to be more like the God Janus. Janus has the ability to look in two directions at once; both forward and back. Janus represents this time of year as we can look back over the old year and forward towards the new. When we make resolutions we tend to feel guilt at not completing them. We tend to berate ourselves for not being able to live up to our lofty ideals. We tend to feel we are less than instead of better. We are all human. We are going to slip and fall.
I like to reflect on what I did and did not like about myself, my year, my actions and my life. Instead of making point blank specific must do's I like to redirect my actions to see if I can avoid repeating what happened before. We are going to eat that cake, date that wrong person, buy that overly priced non necessary item and do what ever it is we should not do just because we feel like it. It is human nature to do what feels good even if it isn't what is the right thing to do. Reflection on what you've done and how it made you feel might however help you to see the connection between the events and allow you to redirect your energies in a more positive manner.
Some may say that reflection and resolution is just a way of making a resolution but it is in a more abstract form. That is possible but I do know that once I chose this path versus the hard lines of resolution my waistline got thinner, my workplace happier and my general out look more positive. Give it a try. You never know what might happen. Happy New Year! Here's to an even more beautiful you in 2012.
I like to take the end of the old and begin of the new to be more like the God Janus. Janus has the ability to look in two directions at once; both forward and back. Janus represents this time of year as we can look back over the old year and forward towards the new. When we make resolutions we tend to feel guilt at not completing them. We tend to berate ourselves for not being able to live up to our lofty ideals. We tend to feel we are less than instead of better. We are all human. We are going to slip and fall.
I like to reflect on what I did and did not like about myself, my year, my actions and my life. Instead of making point blank specific must do's I like to redirect my actions to see if I can avoid repeating what happened before. We are going to eat that cake, date that wrong person, buy that overly priced non necessary item and do what ever it is we should not do just because we feel like it. It is human nature to do what feels good even if it isn't what is the right thing to do. Reflection on what you've done and how it made you feel might however help you to see the connection between the events and allow you to redirect your energies in a more positive manner.
Some may say that reflection and resolution is just a way of making a resolution but it is in a more abstract form. That is possible but I do know that once I chose this path versus the hard lines of resolution my waistline got thinner, my workplace happier and my general out look more positive. Give it a try. You never know what might happen. Happy New Year! Here's to an even more beautiful you in 2012.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Boxing the Day after Christmas
Hopefully we've all survived the decadent desserts, delightful companions, and dangerous sales. We should all be content in our homes or back about our daily business anxiously awaiting next weekend's ringing in of the new year. Some of us however still have a holiday to share. Hanukkah continues tonight. Kwanza began and today is of course Boxing Day. We all know about boxing day here in the USA. It's a greatly celebrated holiday..oh wait we just call today the Day After Christmas.
Ever Wonder about Good King Wenceslas and the Feast of Stephen?
Good King Wenceslas looked out
Well, that song is about the tradition celebrated practically everywhere around the globe of Boxing Day. A day when employers treated their servants to boxes of goodies from the GOOD stores at hand. Imagine an entire holiday dedicated to sharing what you have with those who have not. Imagine if we did that on a regular basis. What a wonderful world this would be. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/boxingday.html
Ever Wonder about Good King Wenceslas and the Feast of Stephen?
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel.....
Well, that song is about the tradition celebrated practically everywhere around the globe of Boxing Day. A day when employers treated their servants to boxes of goodies from the GOOD stores at hand. Imagine an entire holiday dedicated to sharing what you have with those who have not. Imagine if we did that on a regular basis. What a wonderful world this would be. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/boxingday.html
Monday, December 19, 2011
Dung on a Twig
Mistletoe kisses are common at this time of year. I never questioned it when someone cute was hanging out ready to offer a quick smooch. It's fun and a great way to enjoy time with close friends and of course the one you love. It does make you wonder though how these holiday berries became "seeds of Love".
Those into word etymology might not be surprised to learn that mistletoe seems to translate into "Dung on a Twig". Hmm, knowing that, I am not sure I would want to be kissed while standing beneath bird dung. Kissing under the mistletoe is one Christmas tradition that at least seems to be more readily traced back to it's origins than others. It happens to have a very cosmopolitan past which works well with the idea of good will towards man. A tradition of peace, good will and pleasant kisses is just fine by me.
Go get some Mistletoe and have some fun.Happy Kisses Everyone!
http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/mistletoe.asp
Those into word etymology might not be surprised to learn that mistletoe seems to translate into "Dung on a Twig". Hmm, knowing that, I am not sure I would want to be kissed while standing beneath bird dung. Kissing under the mistletoe is one Christmas tradition that at least seems to be more readily traced back to it's origins than others. It happens to have a very cosmopolitan past which works well with the idea of good will towards man. A tradition of peace, good will and pleasant kisses is just fine by me.
Go get some Mistletoe and have some fun.Happy Kisses Everyone!
http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/mistletoe.asp
Monday, December 12, 2011
Holiday Songs and What Not
Around this time of year no matter how hard you my try to escape, one way or another the music of the season will get to you. We all sing them whether intentionally or subconsciously. I am talking about Christmas Songs (even Hanukkah has catchy tunes these days). We deck the halls on Holy Nights near shining stars and drummer boys. We Jingle bells and Fa la la la la while having a Holly Jolly Christmas. We even dedicate 12 days to gifts that make no sense at all.
Think about it. If your true love gave you a partridge in a pear tree how long would that love stay true? I am not guessing it would last a lifetime if these were the perks. I also wonder, has anyone ever stopped to figure out why we even have 12 Drummers Drumming, 11 Pipers Piping and so forth and so on. In 5th grade my teacher challenged us to figure out the cost of these daily gifts. It was a great game. He never however asked us to find the origin of the gifts. I have spent time of late discovering origins of information we just blindly accept and use. Ask your self do you know where "O K " comes from or why we say it's spic and span when everything is super clean? Most of you I am sure will not know. The same goes for many of our traditional songs.
Of all the Christmas melodies this one is the major mystery. There was a belief that it was a coded religious key to allow those being oppressed to speak freely. The only problem with that is if you were singing this at any other time of year I am rather certain the code would be broken. So what does it mean? No one is 100% certain but our friends at Snopes have wrestled with this question as well.http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/music/12days.asp
By the way if your true love gives you 12 drummers drumming, I am thinking that is a message to you personally and has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Think about it. If your true love gave you a partridge in a pear tree how long would that love stay true? I am not guessing it would last a lifetime if these were the perks. I also wonder, has anyone ever stopped to figure out why we even have 12 Drummers Drumming, 11 Pipers Piping and so forth and so on. In 5th grade my teacher challenged us to figure out the cost of these daily gifts. It was a great game. He never however asked us to find the origin of the gifts. I have spent time of late discovering origins of information we just blindly accept and use. Ask your self do you know where "O K " comes from or why we say it's spic and span when everything is super clean? Most of you I am sure will not know. The same goes for many of our traditional songs.
Of all the Christmas melodies this one is the major mystery. There was a belief that it was a coded religious key to allow those being oppressed to speak freely. The only problem with that is if you were singing this at any other time of year I am rather certain the code would be broken. So what does it mean? No one is 100% certain but our friends at Snopes have wrestled with this question as well.http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/music/12days.asp
By the way if your true love gives you 12 drummers drumming, I am thinking that is a message to you personally and has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 5, 2011
To Gift Card or not to Gift Card
So I am doing my Christmas shopping and I have the usual suspects covered and then I have the annual problem to solve again. There are some friends that no matter how well you know them they are difficult individuals to figure out when it comes to presents. You don't always want to ask "what do you want?' as that kills creativity and then there's a gift card.
Personally, I love gift cards for places that I know I go. I have point blank told friends should you want to get me something please nothing I have to dust. As time has gone by the need to display items and have items has greatly passed. You discover that stuff is exactly that. The bounty of my world is the friends I have collected along the way but that doesn't mean that you don't enjoy a good gift. Enter the gift card. It's a wonderful invention but not appreciated by all. They make me feel rich. They allow me the opportunity for impulse purchases and they let me shop where I want to shop. I think of them as little magic cards to be used at anytime during the year.
Many people however feel the gift card is greatly impersonal. They feel like there is no effort or thought put into this kind of present. This could be true if it's just a generic visa or american express card. OF course there's a target audience for those too. As long as you take the time to find the perfect gift card and the perfect person to go with the card you are doing well. If the person you are shopping for hates to shop that would Not be an ideal candidate for a gift card. If however, the individual has very specific tastes and tends to return or regift that would be a perfect mate to give the gift of shopping.
Personally, I love gift cards for places that I know I go. I have point blank told friends should you want to get me something please nothing I have to dust. As time has gone by the need to display items and have items has greatly passed. You discover that stuff is exactly that. The bounty of my world is the friends I have collected along the way but that doesn't mean that you don't enjoy a good gift. Enter the gift card. It's a wonderful invention but not appreciated by all. They make me feel rich. They allow me the opportunity for impulse purchases and they let me shop where I want to shop. I think of them as little magic cards to be used at anytime during the year.
Many people however feel the gift card is greatly impersonal. They feel like there is no effort or thought put into this kind of present. This could be true if it's just a generic visa or american express card. OF course there's a target audience for those too. As long as you take the time to find the perfect gift card and the perfect person to go with the card you are doing well. If the person you are shopping for hates to shop that would Not be an ideal candidate for a gift card. If however, the individual has very specific tastes and tends to return or regift that would be a perfect mate to give the gift of shopping.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)