You Think What

**We wanted to publish this item last month during the celebration of Black History. It’s a short month and we were busy with other projects. We’ve decided to publish this item to celebrate the selection of John Ridley’s screen adaptation of the Steve McQueen directed film as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences  Best Picture of 2013.**

The herald to Black History Month historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week.”  It was created in 1926 in the United States. February was selected because it is the birth month of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States who issued the proclamation freeing the slaves in the Southern Confederacy; Frederick Douglass, social reformer, orator,  statesman, and writer was also one of the most celebrated former slaves of his time.

“If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated. The American Indian left no continuous record. He did not appreciate the value of tradition; and where is he today? The Hebrew keenly appreciated the value of tradition, as is attested by the Bible itself. In spite of worldwide persecution, therefore, he is a great factor in our civilization.” ~ Carter G. Woodson, innovator of Black History Week

The producers, writers and actors of the venerated sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, (SNL), provide us with a comical new perspective on the annual February tradition of celebrating the historic achievements of US, Canadian, and British citizens of Black African descent, members of the African Diaspora.

This year they composed and performed a humorous presentation in the rap genre 28 Reasons to Hug a Black Guy, featuring Jay Pharoah, Kenan Thompson and Sasheer Zamata. We believe this piece totally explains, for those who are new to the celebration, for people in other nations, as well as some whites in the US who do not understand, the historic reason for celebrating great courage in the face of overwhelming adversity…SLAVERY!

Perhaps there would not be a racial issue if the North had shamed the very concept of discrimination based on race. If American racism toward blacks were made to be as disgraceful as discrimination against the Jews then maybe the situation in the US after the end of slavery never would have occurred. Germany was shamed on the international stage for its detestable treatment of the Jews during the Third Reich, the period 1933 to 1945; that ended the discrimination against Jews in Germany and most of Europe. This is what we think ought to have happened in the United States of America at the end of the domestic conflict, the War Between the States. It is also known as the American Civil War fought from 1861 to 1865. (more…)

Twenty six years ago in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, during the 1988 Winter Olympics an American figure skater named Debi Thomas made history. At the time of the competition she was the first American black female to hold U.S. National titles in ladies’ singles figure skating.

Thomas is the only African American who ever won a medal in the Olympics in figure skating. She is the first African American to win a medal in any Winter Olympic sport.

Debra J. Thomas, now a private practice medical professional since 2010, began her figure skating career in 1983 when she represented the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club.

Thomas was winner of the 1986 U.S. national title and the 1986 World Championships; those achievements earned Thomas the ABC’s teevee network’s Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year award in 1986. Thomas was the first female athlete to win those titles while attending college full-time. (more…)

We’ve all heard the saying “The grass is greener on the other side.” It seems we sometimes believe this bromide to be true only because the folks on the other side have campaigned to have us believe it  is so.

In this case the people on the other side are the tourism professionals, (mostly Americans or individuals counseled or advised by Americans), of and for the government of the tiny Central American country, Costa Rica. For years Costa Rica, (with its American huckster’s influence), has promoted itself as the most ecologically friendly place on the planet. We believe this was inspired by exploitive Americans, other foreigners, or gringos, in order to entice winter weary vacationers from the United States, Canada and the colder climes of Europe.

Yale University’s Environmental Performance Index, (EPI), reveals, what has been believed by many, the hype about the so-called conservation caring government of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica ranks number 54 of 158 countries sampled in the index.  It has a score of .9 for Sewage. It is highest in the use of fertilizer pollution in the world, almost 5 times higher than the next closest country.

“The EPI put us face to face with an image of the country that we are not used to. Why? Because we have become too complacent with ourselves. What the EPI strives to do is rank countries and we didn’t like the rank that it assigned to Costa Rica. Why? Because we have created the myth that we are a green country. We have not challenged this myth enough, and that is the truth. They are pulling our ears with regards to carbon dioxide emission issues. And the irony is that to the outside, we appear to have a discourse regarding a commitment to being carbon neutral.”
~ Monica Araya, Director, Clean Costa Rica. The remarks made in a February 11, 2014 Costa Rica news program, Telenoticias Edición Meridiana, featuring a segment on the country’s performance in the 2014 EPI.
 (The English transcription of the news segment, translated by Breanna Lujan, Research Assistant for EPI.)

What is going on? Is this what “Pura vida” really means? Have the government and business entities opted for greed and corruption? Are they pretending environmentalism while doing little or nothing to support it? Many Costa Rican government officials, and the businessmen who support them, staunchly believe  matters of conservation get in the  way of economic progress. They act in opposition to laws protecting the fragile environment. One such business is Blue Water Properties of Costa Rica, a real estate company with offices in Tamarindo, Guanacaste. Although a small company, (they claim to be the largest real estate company in the area; they also claim to be licensed in a country with no licensing requirement for those engaged in selling real estate; you can purchase real estate from a cab driver), Blue Water Properties exemplifies the greed which is going on. (more…)

It’s Black History Month. Every year in February, black people in the US, Canada and the UK, promote and celebrate the achievements of humans of black heritage who have made major contributions to international culture and history.

During the past several weeks of the National Football League, (NFL), Playoffs as well as the coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII, sportscaster Pam Oliver, an American black female sports reporter for FOX, has been in the news because of her appearance. Many of the members of the teevee sports viewing audience think the content of her reports are informative. They just believe her hair could be more tidy when on camera at various sporting events.

Which brings us to the very first African American female sportscaster on a US national teevee network, CBS.  Jayne Harrison Kennedy-Overton. She was one of the more recognizable faces of the 1970s and early 1980s thanks to myriad television, and movie roles, advertising contracts for Jovan, the fragrance, Tab the diet soft drink plus many numerous Ebony/Jet covers.

“I knew that if I had a chance to get that job I would be a household name.” ~ Jayne Kennedy-Overton on getting hired to co-anchor the CBS network program NFL Today

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The National Congress of American Indians, (NCAI), has release a video extending their efforts to eradicate the offensive term Redskin!
Watch the #BigGame commercial the NFL would never air.

An excerpt from the National Congress of American Indians  29-page report called Ending the Legacy of Racism in Sports & the Era of Harmful ‘Indian’ Sports Mascots,  published in October 2013:

” ‘Indian’ sports brands used by professional teams were born in an era when racism and bigotry were accepted by the dominant culture.
These brands, which have grown to become multimillion dollar franchises,were established at a time when the practice of using racial epithets and slurs as marketing slogans were a common practice among white owners seeking to capitalize on cultural superiority and racial tensions.”

An editorial cartoon, by Phil Hands, to illustrate, in order to help some better understand what it would be like if the shoe were on the other foot…

Get involved by contacting the Washington Professional Football Team, the NFL and the Washington Post:
Washington, DC Team
@redskins
Facebook.com/redskins
http://www.redskins.com/footer/contac…

Roger Goodell & NFL
@NFL
@NFLcommish
https://www.facebook.com/NFL

Washington Post
The Washington,DC  hometown newspaper is still using the pejorative term in its coverage of the team.
@WashingtonPost
@PostSports
https://www.facebook.com/washingtonpost

Let them know, today, in 2014, it is time to end the bigotry; it is time to stop the abuse of the descendants of the true Americans!

Ebun Olaloye and Domenick Cucinotta the innovators of the Live Breathe Futbol, LBF clothing line have expanded their online brand to a be brick and mortar establishment in the town of Media, Pennsylvania. (more…)

“We, the people of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know:
That South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of the people.”
— Opening words of the Freedom Charter

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, his middle name is an isiXhosa name which means “pulling the branch of a tree”; colloquially it means “troublemaker”, his father gave him this name. The former president of the nation, the Republic of South Africa, will forever be remembered as the man who unified a nation of diverse races. He was the country’s first black African president. His election as president marked the beginning of the end of the tyrannical period of apartheid. After nearly thirty years of  being confined to a tiny Robben Island Prison cell, Nelson Mandela’s successful campaign for office marked the beginning of a new era for South Africa, and for the world.

On December 5, 2013 at the age of ninety-five years-old, Madiba,  the name of the clan from which the late African statesman comes, succumbed to natural causes. A clan name is much more important than a surname as it refers to the ancestor from which a person is descended. Madiba was the name of a Thembu chief who ruled in the Transkei in the 18th century.

It is considered courteous to use someone’s clan name. In this case it is also an expression of deep respect and affection for the former president of a country that had previously been seemingly incommensurable until he was elected as the nation’s first black South African president. (more…)

“The NFL is like jail with money. There’s a culture of intimidation, humiliation and violence. That makes you, they try to keep you in control because they know you want to do it. The thing is the moment the NFL doesn’t have control over you anymore is when you realize, ‘I can walk away!’.”
Terry Crews, former  NFL Defensive end/Linebacker in an interview on the Arsenio Hall Show

We believe  Terry Crews is right. He’s shown great courage in expressing the life he encountered in the NFL. He does, afterall have the experience. Terry Crews  was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL in the 11th round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He carved out a career spanning seven years, including time with the San Diego Chargers, the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles.

We also concur with his opinion about Jonathan Martin. We believe the young man did the intelligent thing, the smart thing, to leave the team when he realized he had a choice. He’s capable of more than football. As crews stated, “There’s more to life than football.” (more…)

Fifty years later the world joins all of the people of the United States in commemorating the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States.  The president and the First Lady, Jacqueline, were in Dallas, Texas, on a political trip to ease conflict within the conservative southern wing of the Democratic Party. As he and his wife were riding in a presidential motorcade through the streets of the then mid-sized Texas town he was fatally wounded by bullets fired from a sniper’s rifle on November 22nd 1963.

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Forget about the feud between popular late night tee vee host Jimmy Kimmel, and self proclaimed cultural genius Kanye West.

Even though we agree with all the producer, rapper, fashionista and new dad says about himself and our society, we find what is brewing between the Australian activist journalist, Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, and the British tee vee and film actor, Benedict Cumberbatch who portrays Assange in the new film from Dreamworks ** “Fifth Estate”, far more interesting.

It isn’t so much a dispute between the two men, as the fact Assange, an Australian citizen, who is the subject of the film, has withheld his blessing on the Hollyweird project about his ill-named “traitorous” actions as regards the disclosure of documents and videos, various governments around the world, including our own United States government, would rather not have us see or know about.

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