Rise and Shine

Saul Williams posted this poem this morning on MySpace and I'd like to share it with you:

every morning
I rise and face
the firing squad

every morning
there is one
who holds his fire

his dilemma
is my system
of belief

they fire rounds
but I am seldom
in their circle

a quiet mind
is labeled "sound"
and colored purple

my little boy
has not yet learned
to color within lines

his jumbled diction
has not yet learned
our contradiction

we speak of art
with flaming passion
then do work
void of compassion

and wonder why
reality is bleeding fiction

My Beef with Hemingway

OK. I've finally read an Ernest Hemingway book, A Farewell to Arms, and let me tell you, I'm quite disappointed. At first I thought, maybe I'm just not getting it. Why is he considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century? I really didn't like his writing style, although I eventually got used to it. I mean, if I wrote like that in school, I never would have graduated. What made it acceptable for him to write with improper grammatical form? Not fair.

Secondly, I can appreciate his view of the Great War, since he actively participated. However, what makes his perspective so great? His portrayal of the war was so bland, I found it hard to finish the book. I can understand the sentiments of the war being unnecessary, the feelings of defeat and even complacency, but did it need to sound so droll? I was like, gimme a break already!

Another major gripe I had was with the female character. How annoying and flat was she really? And once again, I am bearing in mind that this book was written by a man way back when, but good googly moogly! If I ever came across such an ingratiating, spineless, clueless wretch, I'd strangle her! "Do you love me? Say you love me. Do you find me pretty? Please say you do." "I like whatever you like all the time." "I want to live on an island with you and only you so you don't have to see any other woman but me." Come on already. This kind of talk makes me want to throw her worthless butt in a feminist boot camp run by Susan Powter. Stop the insanity! If this is the view men have of women, then women, we need to do something about it. Screw a farewell to arms, we need to pick some up and strengthen our spines. This is ludicrous.

My final beef with Hemingway was the unnecessary passage in which he uses the word, "nigger" when the main character's love (who, as I said previously I couldn't stand) compares him to Othello having his one possession taken away (his love for her). It comes so suddenly, and then a different conversation ensues out of nowhere. That passage, albeit it was written long ago, was probably still as unnecessary as it is now, no matter who read or reads it.

After reading this one work of Hemingway, I'm not very motivated to read anything else by him. I keep vacillating on whether or not to give it another go, but, so sad to say, I'm leaning toward not reading anything else. We'll see.

That is all for now.

The Little Black Man's Book

Came across this press release and found it quite interesting that someone has compiled this research and put it in a book "to help, to discipline, and to uplift the African-American Man-Child." I'm really interested in what my black male friends will say about this one. Actually, I'm curious to see what everyone has to say about this: parents, single parents, future parents, no matter what the ethnic background is. I will definitely be looking further into this one! I've checked out the website and it seems pretty good, so far. As I've said before, I'm always supportive of anything that will uplift and educate our youth. So, so long as this book isn't something that just sounds good, I hope it means and does well, too.

THE LITTLE BLACK MAN’S BOOK

Gardena, CA -- June, 2006 -- The Little Black Man'’s Book: 10 Strategies To Help, To Discipline, and To Uplift the African American Man-child is needed to assist parents (especially single female parents) to reach their man-child. Written by educational consultant John P. Hamilton, Ed.D, this mini-book discusses everything from "Building Structure," "Male Role Models," "Hip-hop," to "Access & Resources."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The purpose of The Little Black Man‚’s Book is for parents to use the ten recommended strategies to assist with molding their man-child into a responsible and productive man. Moreover, this mini book assists parents to help their man-child focus on creating a positive mindset, reframing negative issues, and promoting high expectations. This mini book reaches out to the single female parent, who needs guidance, assistance, and the will to reclaim her man-child or foster strategies to keep him on the straight and narrow.

This is an excellent resource for parents; schools; parent educators; parent advocacy groups, mentor programs; youth groups; Upward Bound; and any TRIO programs.

What are people saying about The Little Black Man's Book?

"The Little Black Man's Book allows me to be interactive with my man-child through dialogue."
--Single-Female Parent

"AT LAST--a guide for single parents‚—especially single female parents as well as educators filled with easily accessible information on connecting with young African American males."
--Master Teacher

To place immediate orders for the book, a book signing, and/or interview contact:
Hamilton & Associates Consulting
PO Box 2627
Gardena, CA 90247
(323) 309-2502 Fax: (310) 538-0760
e-mail: johnphamilton@aol.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Press Contact
John Hamilton, Ed.D.
Website:www.hamiltonandassociatesconsulting.org

Let me know what you think, everyone! And remember, this is the same man who brought us "The Elevator Is Broken." Dr. Hamilton seems to be making very positive moves... Right on!

A Black Woman Speaks

This is a truly wonderful and deep poem in every sense of those words. Really pay attention, ladies, to what is being said here. It just might change your perspective, a little ;)

Thanks, Irena, for sharing this. It has been haunting me from the first time I read it. You're the best (but you already know that). I love you!

A Black Woman Speaks. . .
Of White Womanhood
Of White Supremacy
Of Peace

It is right that I a woman
black,
should speak of white womanhood.
My fathers
my brothers
my husbands
my sons
die for it; because of it.
And their blood chilled in electric chairs,
stopped by hangman's noose,
cooked by lynch mobs' fire,
spilled by white supremacist mad desire to kill for
profit,
gives me that right.

I would that I could speak of white womanhood
as it will and should be
when it stands tall in full equality.
But then, womanhood will be womanhood
void of color and of class,
and all necessity for my speaking thus will be past.
Gladly past.

But now, since 'tis deemed a thing apart
supreme,
I must in searching honesty report
how it seems to me.
White womanhood stands in bloodied skirt
and willing slavery
reaching out adulterous hand
killing mine and crushing me.
What then is this superior thing
that in order to be sustained must needs feed upon my
flesh?
How came this horror to be?
Let's look to history.

They said, the white supremacist said
that you were better than me,
that your fair brow should never know the sweat of
slavery.
They lied.
White womanhood too is enslaved,
the difference is degree.

They brought me here in chains.
They brought you here willing slaves to man.
You, shiploads of women each filled with hope
that she might win with ruby lip and saucy curl
and bright and flashing eye
him to wife who had the largest tender.
Remember?
And they sold you here even as they sold me.
My sisters, there is no room for mockery.
If they counted my teeth
they did appraise your thigh
and sold you to the highest bidder
the same as I.

And you did not fight for your right to choose
whom you would wed
but for whatever bartered price
that was the legal tender
you were sold to a stranger's bed
in a stranger land
remember?
And you did not fight.
Mind you, I speak not mockingly
but I fought for freedom,
I'm fighting now for our unity.
We are women all,
and what wrongs you murders me
and eventually marks your grave
so we share a mutual death at the hand of tyranny.

They trapped me with the chain and gun.
They trapped you with lying tongue.
For, 'less you see that fault
that male villainy
that robbed you of name, voice and authority,
that murderous greed that wasted you and me,
he, the white supremacist, fixed your minds with
poisonous thought:
"white skin is supreme."
and therewith bought that monstrous change
exiling you to things.
Changed all that nature had ill you wrought of gentle
usefulness,
abolishing your spring.
Tore out your heart,
set your good apart from all that you could say,
think,
feel,
know to be right.
And you did not fight,
but set your minds fast on my slavery
the better to endure your own.

'Tis true
my pearls were beads of sweat
wrung from weary bodies' pain,
instead of rings upon my hands
I wore swollen, bursting veins.
My ornaments were the wip-lash's scar
my diamond, perhaps, a tear.
Instead of paint and powder on my face
I wore a solid mask of fear to see my blood so
spilled.
And you, women seeing
spoke no protest
but cuddled down in your pink slavery
and thought somehow my wasted blood
confirmed your superiority.

Because your necklace was of gold
you did not notice that it throttled speech.
Because diamond rings bedecked your hands
you did not regret their dictated idleness.
Nor could you see that the platinum bracelets
which graced your wrists were chains
binding you fast to economic slavery.
And though you claimed your husband's name
still could not command his fidelity.

You bore him sons.
I bore him sons.
No, not willingly.
He purchased you.
He raped me,
I fought!
But you fought neither for yourselves nor me.
Sat trapped in your superiority
and spoke no reproach.
Consoled your outrage with an added diamond brooch.
Oh, God, how great is a woman's fear
who for a stone, a cold, cold stone
would not defend honor, love or dignity!

You bore the damning mockery of your marriage
and heaped your hate on me,
a woman too,
a slave more so.
And when your husband disowned his seed
that was my son
and sold him apart from me
you felt avenged.
Understand:
I was not your enemy in this,
I was not the source of your distress.
I was your friend, I fought.
But you would not help me fight
thinking you helped only me.
Your deceived eyes seeing only my slavery
aided your own decay.
Yes, they condemned me to death
and they condemned you to decay.
Your heart whisked away,
consumed in hate,
used up in idleness
playing yet the lady's part
estranged to vanity.
It is justice to you to say your fear equalled your
tyranny.

You were afraid to nurse your young
lest fallen breast offend your master's sight
and he should flee to firmer loveliness.
And so you passed them, your children, on to me.
Flesh that was your flesh and blood that was your
blood
drank the sustenance of life from me.
And as I gave suckle I knew I nursed my own child's
enemy.
I could have lied,
told you your child was fed till it was dead of
hunger.
But I could not find the heart to kill orphaned
innocence.
For as it fed, it smiled and burped and gurgled with
content
and as for color knew no difference.
Yes, in that first while
I kept your sons and daughters alive.

But when they grew strong in blood and bone
that was of my milk
you
taught them to hate me.
Put your decay in their hearts and upon their lips
so that strength that was of myself
turned and spat upon me,
despoiled my daughters, and killed my sons.
You know I speak true.
Though this is not true for all of you.

When I bestirred myself for freedom
and brave Harriet led the way
some of you found heart and played a part
in aiding my escape.
And when I made my big push for freedom
your sons fought at my sons' side,
Your husbands and brothers too fell in that battle
when Crispus Attucks died.
It's unfortunate that you acted not in the way of
justice
but to preserve the Union
and for dear sweet pity's sake;
Else how came it to be with me as it is today?
You abhorred slavery
yet loathed equality.

I would that the poor among you could have seen
through the scheme
and joined hands with me.
Then, we being the majority, could long ago have
rescued
our wasted lives.
But no.
The rich, becoming richer, could be content
while yet the poor had only the pretense of
superiority
and sought through murderous brutality
to convince themselves that what was false was true.

So with KKK and fiery cross
and bloodied appetites
set about to prove that "white is right"
forgetting their poverty.
Thus the white supremacist used your skins
to perpetuate slavery.
And woe to me.
Woe to Willie McGee.
Woe to the seven men of Martinsville.
And woe to you.
It was no mistake that your naked body on an Esquire
calendar
announced the date, May Eighth.
This is your fate if you do not wake to fight.
They will use your naked bodies to sell their wares
though it be hate, Coca Cola or rape.

When a white mother disdained to teach her children
this doctrine of hate,
but taught them instead of peace
and respect for all men's dignity
the courts of law did legislate
that they be taken from her
and sent to another state.
To make a Troy Hawkins of the little girl
and a killer of the little boy!

No, it was not for the womanhood of this mother
that Willie McGee died
but for a depraved, enslaved, adulterous woman
whose lustful demands denied,
lied and killed what she could not possess.
Only three months before another such woman lied
and seven black men shuddered and gave up their lives.
These women were upheld in these bloody deeds
by the president of this nation,
thus putting the official seal on the fate
of white womanhood within these United States.
This is what they plan for you.
This is the depravity they would reduce you to.
Death for me
and worse than death for you.

What will you do?
Will you fight with me?
White supremacy is your enemy and mine.
So be careful when you talk with me.
Remind me not of my slavery, I know it well
but rather tell me of your own.
Remember, you have never known me.
You've been busy seeing me
as white supremacist would have me be,
and I will be myself.
Free!
My aim is full equality.
I would usurp their plan!
Justice
peace
and plenty
for every man, woman and child
who walks the earth.
This is my fight!

If you will fight with me then take my hand
and the hand of Rosa Ingram, and Rosalee McGee,
and as we set about our plan
let our wholehearted fight be:
PEACE IN A WORLD WHERE THERE IS EQUALITY.

Beulah Richardson
1951

I know it's a mouthful, but chew on that for a while.

Detecting Prejudice

Came across this interesting article the other day, and was compelled to share it with the masses, in case they haven't come across it yet. I'm quite curious to see what the responses will be to this one.

According to new research, the brain processes social outsiders as less than human; brain imaging provides accurate depictions of this prejudice at an unconscious level.

A new study by Princeton University psychology researchers Lasana Harris and Susan Fiske shows that when viewing photographs of social out-groups, people respond to them with disgust, not a feeling of fellow humanity. The findings are reported in the article "Dehumanizing the Lowest of the Low: Neuro-imaging responses to Extreme Outgroups" in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science (previously the American Psychological Society).

Twenty four Princeton University undergraduates viewed a large number of color photographs of different social groups (including Olympic athletes, business professionals, elderly people, and drug addicts), and images of objects (including the Space Shuttle, a sports car, a cemetery, and an overflowing toilet) that elicited the emotions of pride, envy, pity, or disgust. The four emotions were derived from the Stereotype Content Model (SCM), which predicts differentiated prejudices based on warmth and competence. Warmth was determined by friendliness, competence by capability. The two emotional extremes were pride and disgust; pride elicited high warmth and high perception of competence, and disgust elicited low warmth and low perception of competence. Envy and pity were considered moderate prejudices; envy elicited low warmth and high perception of competence, and pity elicited high warmth and low perception of competence.

Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) brain imaging determined if the students accurately chose the correct emotion illustrated by the picture (according to pretest results in which a different group of students determined the emotion that best fit each photograph). The MPFC is only activated when a person thinks about him- or her-self or another human. When viewing a picture representing disgust, however, no significant MPFC brain activity was recorded, showing that students did not perceive members of social out-groups as human. The area was only activated when viewing photographs that elicited pride, envy, and pity. (However, other brain regions - the amygdala and insula - were activated when viewing photographs of "disgusting" people and nonhuman objects.)

Emotions themselves were not responsible for generating this brain activity. Rather, it was the actual image viewed that produced a response. The MPFC only showed significant activity when a person saw or thought about a human being. The authors conclude that this lack of MPFC brain activity while viewing photographs of people proves that "members of some social groups seem to be dehumanized."

Social out-groups are perceived as unable to experience complex human emotions, share in-group beliefs, or act according to societal norms, moral rules, and values. The authors describe this as "extreme discrimination revealing the worst kind of prejudice: excluding out-groups from full humanity." Their study provides evidence that while individuals may consciously see members of social out-groups as people, the brain processes social out-groups as something less than human, whether we are aware of it or not. According to the authors, brain imaging provides a more accurate depiction of this prejudice than the verbal reporting usually used in research studies.

http://www.sciencenewsden.com

The Elevator Is Broken...

I'm always one to advocate the upliftment of our children. The currrent generation seems so lacking in guidance, I just know the future generations will feel it even more if we, as responsible, intelligent, and caring adults, don't do something about it. They need leaders and we need to make leaders out of them, as well. I found a press release about a new book that discusses just this issue.

The Elevator is Broken . . .

Gardena, CA -- July, 2006 -- The Elevator is Broken is what is needed to enhance your child’s or student’s leadership and study skills. Written by John P. Hamilton, Ed D., and Larry D. Brown Jr., this journal/workbook is a tool for students, as well as, parents, teachers, and counselors to use from third grade well into college.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The purpose of The Elevator is Broken is to make students more productive in and outside of the classroom. Moreover, this journal/workbook assists students with not only identifying, but also developing their leadership and decision-making skills. Students will be able to identify leadership characteristics, use hip-hop to decipher positive and negative messages, discuss various cultures and subcultures, understand the purpose of setting goals, and examine their personal past and present experiences of leadership and decision-making with enriching scenario exercises.

The Elevator is Broken allows students to not only think about the skills they should possess, but articulate these skills as well. Lastly, this journal/workbook helps students with strengthening their study skills to be academically successful.

What does renowned psychologist, educator, and author Dr. Na’im Akbar have to say about The
Elevator is Broken? “At last a readable and doable manual to help young people learn leadership. In a language and with examples that fit their experience, through these exercises, young people can learn to lead before they are led away from their potential to lead themselves to success. These authors have fulfilled a great need in developing a tool to reach our young people before they go astray rather than trying to reform them after they have been misled. This workbook should be a course requirement for all young people (especially those most socially vulnerable) between Grade 3 and the college years.”

To place immediate orders for the book, a book
signing, and/or interview contact:

Hamilton & Associates Consulting
PO Box 2627
Gardena, CA 90247
(323) 309-2502 Fax: (310) 538-0760
e-mail: johnphamilton@aol.com

I haven't read the book yet, but I'm sure it has some promising points in it!

Independence Day

With the soundtrack of festive fireworks in my ears, and the smell of barbecue wafting in from the windows, I am reminded of the real history of this young country. Whose Independence Day are we really celebrating, folks? Take the time to think about what this day commemorates and what it truly means to you. Too many times do we find ourselves celebrating holidays that have histories we never took the time to understand. So, I ask again: whose independence are we celebrating today? Our country's? Yes. All of its peoples that built this country with their blood, sweat and tears? A deafening NO! With the current state of our nation, do you feel you have the independence referred to in our Declaration?

Food for thought... thought for freedom.

Bubbly & Bling

Back in the day, there was a major uprising in the black community, nay, the hip-hop community, when Tommy Hilfiger said he didn't want black people wearing his clothing. Now it seems (approx. 15 years later) another major industry is declaring the same sentiment. Jean-Claude Rouzaude, the former manager of Roederer Estates, the company that makes the popular celebrity champagne, Cristal, has told The Economist (summer edition) of the discomfort the publicity from hip-hop stars has given them. He even went as far as saying that he's sure Krug and Dom Perignon wouldn't mind taking the hip-hop industry's business from them.

Jay Z is now boycotting the label and refuses to sell Cristal in his New York Club, 40/40, and has replaced it with Krug and Dom. A wise move, in my opinion. I will no longer patronize that company's products, either, and I will tell everyone I know who drinks it to stop. Anyone whose goal it is to "sip Cris in da club" will also be informed of this travesty. For all the progress the media keeps claiming we've made in race relations, there is always someone or something out there to remind us that it's not. If anything, race relations are inflamed. Is this 2006 or 1906? And why should Roederer Estates care who is buying from them? Do they realize that the hip-hop industry makes up a major portion of their annual sales? If they don't realize the impact that hip-hop has on the world, and in marketing and commerce, they will be learning the hard way. Will I feel sorry for them? Hmmm...in the immortal words of Whitney Houston: "Hell to tha no!"

View the inflammatory article here: Bubbles and Bling

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday, mommy! You are the best, and I love you with all my heart. I know you'll be around for many more. You better be, or I'll have no travel partner, no shopping buddy, no nothing!!! You are simply the best. We've been through so mcuh together and because of that, we have forged a bond, a relationship, that is unique in and of itself. There's no other pair like us out there in this world. Nuff said.

It All Starts at Home

I am always inspired and motivated to achieve more when I hear success stories of people (especially minorities) who come from impoverished backgrounds. The following article is about one such family who didn't use their situation as a crutch or excuse to become delinquents or take on roles society would expect them to have. I just might go out and buy the book to show my appreciation for this family overcoming the struggle. None of us should have excuses not to excel in every and any way we can, no matter our positions in life. We must fight to get what we feel/think/know we deserve!

(*Grammatical errors in the following article are not my own. You know I'm a stickler for grammar, but I do not want to touch another person's work without his/her permission.)

"It All Starts At Home: 15 Reasons to Put Families First"

Fayetteville, NC - "“It All Starts at Home: 15 Reasons to Put Family First" (Revell/Baker Publishing) a classic family and parenting book by Larry C. Harris, M.D. written with best-selling author Cecil Murphey, is just what the doctor ordered.


A tribute to Harris'’ parents, with help from his siblings, "“It All Starts at Home" tells the inspirational story of Fred and Ruth Harris, uneducated African-American's who had ten children born in the south before the Civil Rights movement took hold. Remarkably, instead of the children becoming a product of their society, school dropouts to become lifelong welfare recipients, they all became well-educated and successful citizens with values and life principles that shaped their lives and made them productive members of society.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Resting on the simple concept the family comes first, "“It All Starts at Home"” incorporates 15 lessons the Harris'’ taught their children. These lessons were common sense child-rearing attributes empowered with great wisdom, much love, and strong discipline influenced their children for a lifetime. Lessons included: honor your name; because mom and dad lived what they taught, we had no trouble following; each child is responsible for the next younger child; always be willing to give to those who are less fortunate than you are, any honest job is good, no matter what it is; and we'’re as good as anybody else, no one is inferior.

"”My parents may have been uneducated, but that didn'’t stop them,"” states Larry Harris, M.D. "“Dad earned his GED while he was in the army. He also received his bachelor'’s degree in business, but only after all of us had gone through college. Mom, who had quit school in the eleventh grade, went back and graduated from high school. Later she completed a college course in business machines at a community college . . . none of us have ever been on drugs or alcohol, been arrested, or involved in any kind of behavior to bring reproach on the family. Whatever we'’ve amounted to in this life it'’s because our family wisely and lovingly taught us the right way to go."

The testimonies the family endured of prejudices and racism through the Civil Rights movement, the endless sacrifices Fred and Ruth Harris made for their children, the life lessons forever earned is forthcoming in "“It All Starts at Home." It impacted this family and is sure to impact others for years to come.

Foreword by Dr. Ben Carson, author of "“Gifted Hands"” and college roommate of Dr. Larry Harris.

ISBN#: 0-8007-5908-7
Publisher: Revell/Baker Books
Price: $12.99, paper
Pages: 224

www.itallstartsathome.com

Hooray, Miami Heat!!!

Before the Miami Heat won the Championship against Dallas:



After the Miami Heat won the Finals:






It was pretty crazy in the streets and everyone was super excited to be a part of sports history. I had a ball just getting stuck in traffic and walking with the celebrants up and down the overcrowded streets. Yet, even though I was happy and eager to participate in any festivities, the aftermath was a little anti-climactic for me. I know, people are probably like, "Is she nuts? How could it be anything but bananas fun?!?" Let me explain: I'm from Chicago, home of the legendary Chicago Bulls. I took part in each of the six, yes six, championship victories. So, I'm somewhat spoiled. Those days were utter chaos; no one knew how to handle such mobs, the city wasn't prepared for such riots after a simple little sporting event. Chicago paved the way for basketball celebrations in the streets, and also taught every other major US city how to prepare in the event some other team might eventually win... (Those were the days!)

[Congrats D. Wade (he's a Chi-town native as well) for winning a ring and MVP. You deserve it for all the hard work and wicked shots you made throughout the season.]

Miami and South Beach are the places to be and party, but Chicago has basketball championship parties on lock!!!

Brain Patterns

Your Brain's Pattern

Structured and organized, you have a knack for thinking clearly. You are very logical - and you don't let your thoughts get polluted with emotions. And while your thoughts are pretty serious, they're anything from boring. It's minds like yours that have built the great cities of the world!

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

I Can't Hear You!!!!

Why is it that, when people know you are in a club or some other loud environment, they insist on callin you anyway? Isn't that one of the beautiful and splendid things about text messaging? But, of course, I forget about all that as well and actually pick up the call amid blaring music and thumping bass while right in the middle of my little shimmy, rather than forcing the person so desperately trying to contact me and join me in my world to text me his/her/their location. I will not be so forgetful next time. Thanks, Jen, for taking this candid of me screaming into my phone!

Nina

For those who appreciate jazz, You know that Nina Simone was a force and category all her own. For those who haven't heard her dynamic voice and compelling lyrics, I highy suggest you do a little audio research. I probably have at least one version of every song she ever released, along with live one-night-only performances. She is a sort of hero of mine and she deserves recognition from the newer generations. Never forget the pioneers, never forget those who came before us so that we might progress. Nina, you are loved, adored and respected. You are eternally among us and your voice breathes life still.

Check out Nina Simone in all her glory.





What a woman!

Derek

Loking into the archives of poetry I've written, my friend has written, and poetry we've shared from luminaries whose words touch us, I found this little gem from Derek Walcott, a poetry master.

The Fist

The fist clenched round my heart
loosens a little, and I gasp
brightness; but it tightens
again. When have I ever not loved
the pain of love? But this has moved

past love to mania. This has the strong
clench of the madman, this is
gripping the ledge of unreason, before
plunging howling in the abyss.

Hold hard then, heart. This way at least you live.

How did this make you feel?

A Great Feat Indeed

We all have certian goals we leave unsaid. Here, not in so many words, is one I hold dear.

Haiku #21

A great feat to write;
even greater to live and
write to tell it all.

Lucky Day

I woke up this morning feeling like absolute and utter crap. I've been on a rollercoaster of emotions this week and it has left me exhausted. The silver lining is that I've reconnected with a person who is extremely dear to me. Each morning, or anytime I've felt myself falling into a slump these past few days, this friend has completely turned my day around and made it lovely, regardless of the distance that is separating us right now (thank goodness for text messaging and email!).

I've been doing mental cartwheels through fields of gold because of you and thought I'd let you know, even though I think you know that already. I dedicate this to you (I know it's corny and sounds silly cuz I'm bad at rhyming poetry, but it's the thought that counts--I hope!)

Lucky Day

Looked at the sky, it was crystalline blue,
with pink cotton clouds that looked so sweet.
A stray black cat crossed over my feet,
but when I looked up I saw you.

Went to the mall and there was a sale;
I almost bought the whole rack.
When I got outside I stepped on a crack,
so I called my mom who laughed with unruffled sails.

A stranger bought me some lovely flowers.
I picked each of its petals for fun.
“Loves me not,” they said; you smiled like the sun.
That night, we star gazed and held each other for hours.

Before bed I looked in the mirror;
It shattered and my face turned bland.
But you entered the scene and took my hand;
now I see myself much clearer.

©2005 Vicky Therese Davis

Hope you like it and that it conveys what I feel. Thanks for being in my life.

A late comemmoration of Mommy as a late Mommy's Day celebration. The both of us in Bangkok 1994

A Little Ditty

This was sent to me from a poetry magazine that is interested in publishing a piece of mine. I thought it was thought provoking and cute.

Triolet on a Line Apocryphally Attributed to Martin Luther
A.E. Stallings

Why should the Devil get all the good tunes,
The booze and the neon and Saturday night,
The swaying in darkness, the lovers like spoons?
Why should the Devil get all the good tunes?
Does he hum them to while away sad afternoons
And the long, lonesome Sundays? Or sing them for spite?
Why should the Devil get all the good tunes,
The booze and the neon and Saturday night?


Do you believe in the Devil...?

New Shoe Is a Racial Misstep

A a lover of gym shoes both common and rare, and as avid follower of race relations, I found the following article of great interest, seeing as how both are discussed on this rare occasion. Thanks for this one, Miykie!

New Shoe is a Racial Misstep

By Jabari Asim
Monday, April 17, 2006; 12:01 AM

WASHINGTON -- During the 1980s, in the black neighborhood where I spent much of my time, a pair of rumors became as familiar as Jheri curls and that hideous red jacket Michael Jackson wore in his "Beat It" video. Both tales involved a couple of clothing lines that included sneakers among their products. One brand was said to have a logo that served as an acronym for "to rule over oppressed people." The other was widely believed to conceal a racial slur in the insole of each shoe. Both clothing lines have faded from prominence, and since the rumors were untrue, I won't name the manufacturers here.

I mention them merely to show that minority groups have occasionally voiced suspicions that clothes, sneakers and other commercial products can function as agents of racism. Asian-Americans expressed such sentiments in 2002, when Abercrombie & Fitch stocked their shelves with T-shirts bearing contemptible images of Asians and such infuriating slogans as "Wong Brothers Laundry Service -- Two Wongs Can Make It White."

A year later, the Urban Outfitters chain ticked off African-Americans by selling Ghettopoly, a racist board game created by David Chang.

Several readers wrote to me at that time, asking if I would have opposed the game if it had been created by an African-American. I responded that I would, and that I was just as disgusted by equally brainless products introduced by blacks, such as Pimp Juice, the brainchild of the rap star Nelly, and Rilniga jeans, sold by a black-owned company in Cincinnati.

I am no less disturbed by a new sneaker that Adidas has introduced as a limited-edition product in its "Yellow Series." A black shoe adorned by three gold stripes, its tongue is festooned with the face of a cartoon character with buck teeth and slanted eyes. Nearly as over-the-top as the Cleveland Indians' grinning logo, the image is lurid and confrontational. According to news reports and Internet chatter, the face on the $250 shoes has upset some Asian-Americans. Other Asian-Americans, however, have defended the footwear. The mixed response can be traced in part to the racial identity of the man who designed the shoe: Barry McGee, a San Francisco-based artist, happens to be half-Chinese. He says the image is based on his own appearance as a child.

Conventional wisdom suggests that some group behavior -- and other alleged characteristics, such as facial features -- can only be ridiculed from within the group. Therefore, a joke told by Dave Chappelle may be considered brilliant, while the same joke told by David Letterman would be deemed offensive. In a similar vein, African-Americans often seem reluctant to criticize racist language used by black performers, citing their ironic intent and attempts -- however feeble -- to remove the power from such words.

The irony is often lost on many blacks when others invoke similar arguments. David Chang tried to defend his Ghettopoly game in such terms. "I'm not trying to single a race out," he explained. "The whole point of me doing this is not so much stereotyping people, it's poking fun at stereotyping. It's meant to be satirical." Some of the same African-Americans who timidly tolerate black performers' obnoxious lyrics roundly denounced Chang's rationalizations. No doubt Asian-Americans confront similar dilemmas when they encounter creations like McGee's.

In a statement issued by Adidas, McGee said he never thought the image was racist and that he is "sorry to those people who perceive it that way. All I remember is having Stan Smith's face on my Adidas when I was young, and was elated to put a caricature of myself on a shoe when presented the opportunity this year." His motives may indeed be pure, although his defense of them is somewhat shaky. Unlike McGee's provocative design, the tennis champion's screen-printed visage on his namesake shoes couldn't possibly be described as satirical or stereotypical.

Nor did Smith's portrait carry as much potential to harm. Images such as McGee's are complicated by the wider, whiter world and its population, whose knowledge of racial minorities often remains inexplicably limited. Perhaps Adidas' puzzling decision to market the shoe -- and even more puzzling, to include it in its "Yellow Series" -- derives from its own circumscribed intelligence. Or perhaps the company was focused so intensely on profit that it was blind to everything but green.

2006 Washingtonpost. Newsweek Interactive

Quote

My quote for the past month or two is really plain, simple, and quite narcissitic. It makes me laugh every time I think about and puts a little swagger in my step. Although many people (including me) have said it, thought it, and/or lived believing it, I read it in What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love, by Carole Radziwill.

"Remember, it's all about me." - Carolyn Bissett Kennedy

Nothing wrong wit being a little self-absorbed every once in a while...right?

Trace Your Roots

Trace Your Roots to Africa and Go There for Free or on a Shoestring Budget


A friend of mine sent this to me the other day, and it made me want to search for my African roots. A girlfriend of mine did this for her father as a Christmas present last year and I thought it was a great idea.


Ewing, NJ - April 2006 -- As concerns over the downturn spiral of the economy continues to grow nationwide, many people are trying to find innovative ways of cutting costs without cutting corners. Out of this need, emerges the Roots Recovered Website (www.rootsrecovered.com), the only site on the Internet devoted to African Heritage Travel. Everything you need for African DNA Tracing, Genealogy and African Heritage Travel is at this website. It is devoted to helping Africans in the Diaspora find their way back to Africa.The author, James White, of “Roots Recovered” was very pleased with the airing of the brilliant PBS documentary “African American Lives” by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates. White said while he was very pleased with the show he wants the opportunity to explore one’s African heritage to be accessible to the “not so rich and famous”. He said, “the website and book makes African travel and using DNA to trace your roots accessible to the working person.” “Oprah Winfrey, Chris Tucker and Whoopi Goldberg have the wealth and resources to easily explore their African roots.” The website and the book helps the everyday not so rich and famous do what they did on the documentary on a shoestring budget.”


White said the book and website are intended to educate the reader about Africa; to dispel misconceptions about the continent; and to encourage the people to think critically about his or her perception of self in relation to Africa. It also demystifies African travel to encourage people to travel there to experience Africa for himself or herself. “Roots Recovered” contains information that ranges from African history, psychology, obtaining passports and visas to very specific country information. “However, unlike other African travel books or travel websites, the purpose of ‘Roots Recovered’ is to use African travel as a vehicle to open the door for understanding our psychology, history and to develop a positive Black self-concept for future growth,” said White, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Howard University and a law degree from New York Law School.White, who is married to a Senegalese woman, has used DNA technology and traced his roots to the Mende people of Sierra Leone and the Fulani people of Guinea. He is an African art enthusiast and has a penchant and knowledge of African history and culture and regularly travels there. He was inspired to write the book after a trip to Africa in 2003.The book, which was published in January 2004, has been featured by some prominent critics; and has been enthusiastically received by such people as Tavis Smiley on National Public Radio; The Africa meets Africa radio broadcast on Pacifica Radio with Angelique Shofar and CN-8 News plus numerous radio interviews and lectures. The author most recently appeared in Columbus Ohio with Dr. Rick Kittles of African Ancestry at an event sponsored by the Young Professionals Association of the Columbus Urban League.“This book, ‘Roots Recovered’ is the guide for anyone of African descent who wants to travel to Africa,” White added. “I’ll eliminate all your excuses for not going back to the Motherland.”To learn more about Roots Recovered, visit the author's website at www.rootsrecovered.com ()The book can also be purchased at the author's website or at www.barnesandnoble.com, www.cushcity.com, www.amazon.com, or ordered directly from the publisher at www.booklocker.com. It also can be ordered at any bookstore.

CONTACT: James WhiteADROIT DIVERSIFIEDEmail: rootsrecovered@aol.com (mailto:rootsrecovered@aol.com)Website: www.rootsrecovered.comTelephone: 609-638-5383

Sucked into the Matrix Even Further...

I hate to say it, but I officially have given into the Matrix yet again: I set up a myspace page. Trust me, I'm not proud. So deep am I already that I forgot I had a blog! Pathetic, I know, but it won't consume me like that anymore. I will post something more substantial after I detox.

In the meantime, check out my myspace page here.

I'm getting better at putting stuff on it.

To Do List

We all have goals, whether they be secret or well known to others, that we want to accomplish before we kick the bucket. It helps to verbalize them or write them down in a visible place, so that you won't keep pushing them to the back of your mind while dealing with the banality of everyday living. Or, you can go to this cool new website 43things.com and post them there and/or read zillions of other people's wishes. Some are so interesting that I realize I need to revise mine and think even broader than I thought I [already] was. It's easy to forget that when you really want to do something, it can and will be done, no matter how long it takes you to accomplish it all.

Here are just a few of the things on my list (not in any particular order):

1. Climb/Visit every pyramid in the world (almost finished with this one)
2. Raise competent children
3. Finish writing my book (1/4 of the way completed)
4. Actually publish it
5. Love what I see in the mirror, no matter what's staring me back in the face
6. Make more money
7. Learn to speak at least 2 languages fluently
8. Finish reading all the "must read" books on my list
9. Physically volunteer in Africa in any way I can; Lord knows that continent needs all the help we can afford to give it.
10. Like my poetry, no matter how corny it seems to me (and maybe get it published, too!).

The list, of course, goes on. The originator of this blog-style site says that 43 is a reasonable, doable number, so I don't feel so bad about having an uberlong list. And as I grow, change, and hopefully, accomplish some of them, my list will change and be more refined, as will yours. Happy goal-setting!

Healthy Insanity

My girlfriend sent me this too-funny email that I just had to post here. It actually had me laughing out loud, and I usually don't even read mass emails. This one had me going, though. (We already know I like corny jokes, mind you...!)


Ways To Maintain a Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.
3. Every time people ask you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
4. Put your trash can on your desk and label it "In."
5. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
6. In the memo field of all your checks, write "For Sexual Favors"
7 Finish all your sentences with "In accordance with the prophecy."
8. Dont use any punctuation
9. As Often as possible, skip rather than walk.
10. Order a diet water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.
11. Specify that your drive-through order is "To Go"...several times
12. Sing along at the opera
13. Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme
14. Put mosquito netting around your work area and play tropical sounds all day.
15. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.
16. Have your co-workers address you by your wrestling name ... Rock Bottom.
17. When the money comes out of the ATM, scream "I won!, I won!"
18. When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling, "Run for your lives! They're loose!!"
19. Tell your children over dinner: "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."


I know, it's corny and you all have probably gotten this and deleted from your mail--as you should have!

Spring Cleaning

Today I'm going to share a little something not for those that are weak of heart: I just started a 3 month colon cleanse! Talk about cleaning the pipes!!! I am just so excited and scared about what's going to happen that I couldn't contain it and had to document this day in history. An extremely good friend of mine recommended it and has already been taking it for a couple of weeks, which is what kept me from being too hesitant about taking it myself. I also enlisted a crazy girlfriend of mine to experience this bliss with me and she is starting it today also. Don't worry, you won't see any crazy pictures or anything--I won't be taking you that deep into the process. However, if you would like to take the plunge with me (and see pictures that will change your life), just go to the Dr. Natura website and see everything for yourself. I dare you...

Interesting Tidbit

I remember my teacher in Speech class always telling us not to use our hands so much, that making hand gestures while talking was ineffective and distracting. I agree, to a certain extent; sometimes a gesture or two is OK when something needs to be further emphasized. Moving hands for no reason (nervous hand movements because you don't know what to do with yourself when you're talking) is just like white noise. Then, just recently, while flipping through a magazine, I found an interesting little bit of information:

*Gesturing as you speak may actually boost your communication skills. In a University of Alberta study in which people were asked to watch a cartoon and then describe it, those who used their hands to help express themselves recalled more than those who didn't. Notes lead study researcher Elena Nicoladis, Ph.D., "Gesturing can help you find the words you need."


So now I guess I can be a little less annoyed with people who use their hands all the time when talking...



*Research reported by Kimberly Tranell in October 2005 Glamour Magazine -- I told you I read gloss!

Viva Las Vegas!

On my way to Vegas to gamble on the religious holiday! Before I left, I just wantedto impart my thanks to all of the people who support this blog by posting comments, emailing, and calling me. I haven't had such interesting conversations since I started this thing. I appreciate the time taken to read this silly little blog-- it makes me feel like this isn't a waste of time.

I love you, all my fans!!!

(OK, I'm done acting like I'm famous...watch out, though, I'll be famous before you know it...!)

The Scent...

Since I've been getting some good feedback from the previous post on racism and its resurgence, I thought I'd follow up with a controversial poem I wrote last year after reading Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marques, last year. This poem sparked great conversation with several associates of mine and continues to whenever someone asks me to read it. So let's keep the wheels turning and the discourse flowing!

And before people start persecuting me, remember: this was inspired by a story. It's not my personal opinion!!!

Scent of a Black Woman

She thought she knew him so well.
Having shared a life, nothing could be left out…
She thought.

I know his favorite foods, cook them
just right and even know when
they are craved. I know his taste in women:
No Black, no Yellow, no Red, no Brown:
strictly Porcelain.
He would never entertain thoughts so sacrilege,
so entirely impure.
I speak his thoughts before he can
think them himself;
I am his conscience.
I know his scent and what he’s done
when I smell his clothes before I clean them.
I know everything.

What is this smell emanating from his pants?
This scent with which his shirt is infused?
It comes not from him or any routine activity.
Never have I smelled it;
surely there is no need for alarm…
Things will be normal again on the morrow.

Now she smells this foreign scent everyday.
Routine, indeed!
It has been months, yet the scent remains unaddressed.
What can it be? She casually sets his clothes
in a heap before him and makes not a sound.
He looks up from his paper and begins to cry.
Almost relieved, he repents his affaire d’amour.
She stares through him with eyes of blue ice.
She’s forgiven him many transgressions,
one night stands and more, but he knows she will never
forgive him for bringing this evil into their home:
the scent of a Black woman.

©2005 Vicky T. Davis

The Rebound of Racism

I came across an interesting article last week about racism and whether or not it ever went away (on iZania.com). I thought immediately that it was a truly silly question. Of course racism never went away; it got swept under the rug like so many other controversial issues that lack remedies. If anything, racism has gotten progressively worse and one has to be blind or oblivious to not recognize it when it sits perched on our shoulders everyday.

I have yet to do background research on the author of the following piece, but I thought I'd post his article anyway just to get some responses on this topic. So, here goes; let me know what you think! (Any grammatical errors in this piece are not mine, although I did a little cleaning... :) Also, not all of his views are necessarily mine. Keep that in mind; I only want to start discussion and raise awareness. This is not an issue that is going away any time soon.)

Race Dialogue Is Back, But. . . Did Racism Go Away?

America is talking about race again. With Crash winning the Oscar and Ice Cube co-producing a series on race called Black/White on FX, race dialogue is back! But did racism ever go away? Or did it just change forms and go underground? It has been well documented over the past five years (since the turn of the century) that the racial disparities of the last half of the 20th Century are still very much in evidence today. In some instances, they are greater than they were 40 or 50 years ago. These studies, that come from everywhere -- major universities to private research institutions to civil rights -- all said the same thing: that race is still very prevalent in American society, whether we talk about it or not. So, since race differences never went away, can we also assume that racism never went away? Of course, we can. Thus the need for a renewed race dialogue.

America is not colorblind. It’s so blinded by color that it just can’t see racism. Like looking into sun with Ray-Bans, the glare doesn’t make that object in front of you disappear. You will still run into it if you don’t make an adjustment in your vision. America never made the adjustment. That’s what the movie, Crash, is about . . . our refusal to acknowledge race until it confronts us.

Race dialogue took a decade long hiatus (since President Bill Clinton’s attempt to raise a national dialogue on race almost ten years ago) as America came up with race “fatigue” after the Soon Ja Du, Rodney King, and O.J. Simpson racial episodes of the early 1990s. Of course, Clinton’s efforts were an attempt to bring forth what some called the “Third Reconstruction,” to address the racial disparities left over from the unfinished work of the 1960’s war on poverty that was interrupted during the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations. By the time the Reagan Revolution had come along, Reagan declared that poverty had won, and it was time to end “race policies.” By the time George Herbert Walker Bush came into office, America had developed colorblindness, public policy initiatives were “race neutral,” and any discussion about race, race differences, and most critically, racism, were now persona non grata in social circles and viewed as politically incorrect in the public domain. Nobody wanted to talk about race anymore, and opinion leaders went through great lengths to convince us that race no longer mattered. Foolish proclamations were made by a new phenomena, the Black Conservative—a new type of Negro that was used to deflect any discussion on race and racism. One such fool, Larry Elder, went on national television (20/20) and said, “There is no racism in America.” When I want comic relief, I don’t put on Steve Harvey, or Cedric The Entertainer, or D.L. Hugely. I put in that tape of 20/20.
. . . Colorblindness was a ploy that refused to acknowledge race, but racism is as plain as it’s ever been. Thanks to the arts, we again smell the stench of racism. Now it’s time to take out the trash.

Anthony Asadullah Samad is a national columnist, managing director of the Urban Issues Forum and author of 50 Years After Brown: The State of Black Equality In America (Kabili Press, 2005). He can be reached at www.AnthonySamad.com

I will be happy to discuss this with anyone over email, phone or on this comment board. Happy thinking!

Cornball

For some stupid reason, this one joke never fails to make me laugh. My girlfriend sent it to me in a mass email ages ago, and somehow it just stuck with me. I hardly ever read mass emails! I was reminded of the following joke in a conversation having to do with what a stickler I am for grammar and pronunciation. Enjoy the most cornball joke ever!!!

Two dogs are sitting in a bar: one is an English sheepdog and the other is a Mexican Chihuahua. They’re having a drink when a gorgeous Collie walks in. The two dogs turn back to each other and continue drinking. Knowing they don’t have a chance with her, they resume conversation with the bartender. The bartender says, “I know her and I can probably score a date with her for one you guys.”

“Oh yeah?” they say.
“Yeah,” says the bartender. “But she likes a clever dog, one who can hold her interest. Tell ya what. Whoever can use these two words most creatively in a sentence gets a chance.”
“What are the words?” the sheepdog asks, tongue out.
“Liver and cheese,” the bartender replies.

The two dogs contemplate for a moment, and then the English sheepdog says, “I like liver and cheese.”
“No dice,” the bartended decides and looks at the Chihuahua.
The Mexican Chihuahua then says, “Liver alone, cheese mine.”

Hilarious!!!! Gets me every time.

Cherchez la Femme

I haven't written any poetry in a while and was looking at some of my abandoned works. I came across this one piece that a friend of mine told me I should post for womankind. This is for you, friend.

Cherchez la Femme

Hiding in the sinews of repressed emotions,
ducking from the pain they bring her,
she blends into the jungle, chameleon-like,
to protect herself from Lust’s bullets and
Ego’s derogatory arrows.

Under the guise of inflated machismo
is the only way she knows how to advance,
to surpass Life’s glass ceiling.
How else can she survive in a sex-crazed world
without numbing her mind to the
prostitution of her womanhood?
Pretending so long to be impassive,
apathetic to her own situation that is being
a woman,
like a pocketbook left on a bus seat,
she has forgotten her Femininity.

How can a woman, one of Creation’s most
complex and powerful beings,
disregard such an innate treasure?
Hmmm…

If man is defined as a human being and
woman simply as female, and whenever she
“behaves” as a human,
she is said to be emulating the male
(as writ by him),
then this male society that has made her
feel inferior from the first dawn has
caused the female to suppress aspects of her
Femininity in all its splendor, making her an
endangered species like the elephant
stripped of its tusks

Neither can survive.

©2005 Vicky Therese Davis

Clash of the Civilizations

A good friend of my mine sent me a link for the televised interview of a very brave and intelligent Arab woman. She spoke at length on the topic of a "primitive" Muslim culture clashing with encroaching westernization. Everyone can stand to watch her interview. I have a lot of respect for this woman. To come out on public tv in the middle east where her beliefs could do her harm in some circles, this woman has balls!


http://www.switch5.castup.net/frames/20041020_memritv_popup/video_480x360.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak=null

Solipsism

While reading my latest literary conquest, The Catastrophist, by Ronan Bennett, I came across a passage that struck me as quite an interesting insight and one that pertained to me and the way I read novels.

"...I stayed in my room and read novels. With one eye I watched the characters rise from the page, with the other I watched my own life. It sounds solipsistic, but reading about imaginary others made me intensely curious about my real self. Before then I had sent few queries in my own direction*. Once I started reading I entered a period of introspection and self-examination; fiction referred to me questions I had not even known how to formulate. It was like being forced to stand naked in front of the mirror in a harsh and unflattering light."

*This one sentence does not pertain to me, as I often question myself and my motives.

I always find it refreshing to find a passage that so eloquently puts in words what I feel and am unable to properly express to others. It has also come across my mind whether or not others read in this fashion, comparing themselves to characters and posing the questions the author has seemingly tried to answer him- or herself. As a very wise woman once said to me (and she knows who she is), "It's easier to look out the window than it is to look in the mirror." This is what books and their authors help me to do: look in the mirror and face the facts about myself, the good and ugly.

The character who wrote this passage is a writer, and he delves into this topic even further:

"I did not like the reflection cast back at me. I saw vanity, arrogance, self-importance, cowardice, I saw the meanness of my own motives. I started writing, I think, because I saw in words a way to cover myself up. In fairness, I did not try to use writing as reinvention, or as an advertisement, a sign behind which I could hide and say I was better than I was. Instead I rendered everything as a kind of sly joke, including the characters in which I breathed. That way I was only one more joke among many, my failings were invisible..."

As a writer, I found this admission so endearing, so brave, that the author of those words has looked that deep inside himself to understand and reveal his intentions, no matter how bad it might sound to the reader. To know oneself so fully is truly a blessing, one that is extremely hard to pull out from the layers of false pretenses we use to fool others.

I have asked the question to myself and other writers: Why do you write? I wonder if any of them know the true reason, and if they do, are they willing to admit it to themselves. I know the reason I write; I just don't know if I'm as brave as Ronan Bennett to admit it to other people!