Blood From A Turnip

I was not that pleased with my raise but I understood that the economy played a huge role in determining our raises this year. If I had to choose between a raise and a job.....well I would choose the job. However, just because the economy is in the tank does not mean Visa, MasterCard, Charter Cable and the rest of my creditors don't want their money.

With that in mind please tell me why every time I turn around my job is asking employees to donate funds to charity. First in was United Way, then Susan Coman Breast Cancer Fund, Water for the People and now it's the Multiple Sclerosis fund raiser. It's only 5 months into the new year and they have asked for charitable donations at least once a month! Come on....it's not like we are making money hand over fist. Hell we have laid off security and the lunch room workers. Our maintenance man watches the parking lot to ensure that employees cars are not repo'ed on the job. I'm not even gonna mention all the calls the receptionist gets from payday loan companies, rent a center and bill collectors requesting to speak to various employees.


I don't mind helping people out but don't make it a habit of begging every damn month for a new cause. As Grandma says you can't get blood from a turnip!

Pirates of Somalia

When I think of pirates I think of the guy in the picture above. I’ve always thought that a pirate is white, has one good arm and the other arm has a hook attached to it, a patch over the right eye and a talking parakeet on his shoulders. Whoever knew that pirates were black African men?


We’ve all heard about the pirates taking over the American ship last week. I could not believe that the pirates took the Caption hostage and threaten his life. CNN kept me informed about the progress of the situation and I was relieved when they announced that they were sending a Navy ship over to assist in the situation. I felt like a true American, yeah that’s how we roll….we go get our people.

The media presented the pirates as terrorist and after 911 anything associated with terrorism have Americans ready to ride or die. Like many of you I never thought to ask why the Somalis keep hijacking ships. Sadly, it didn’t even cross my mind. But lucky for me I know a beautiful, insightful and intelligent young lady name Nyankor (Nya) Matthew.

Nya is a native of Liberia and helps me and many other African Americans stay informed on what is occurring in Africa. Because of her personal experience and knowledge of the continent she can provide a view from the perspective of the Somali pirates. Please take a moment to visit her web page and read her thoughts on piracy http://www.liberianforum.com/Articles/Somali-Pirates.html?ac=0


Did you know….

According to documents obtained by The Times, nearly two-thirds of Somalia was allocated to the American oil giants Conoco, Amoco, Chevron and Phillips in the final years before Somalia's pro-U.S. President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown and the nation plunged into chaos in January, 1991. Industry sources said the companies holding the rights to the most promising concessions were hoping that the Bush Administration's decision to send U.S. troops to safeguard aid shipments to Somalia will also help protect their multimillion-dollar investments there.

Many nations are committing piracy against Somali by illegally fishing in their waters. Europe, France, Spain, Greece, UK, and Norway has participated in massive illegal foreign fishing piracy that has been poaching and destroying Somali marine resources for the last 18 years following the collapse of the Somali regime in 1991.


European and some Asian companies have taken advantage of that anarchy to turn the Somalia coast into a toxic dump. These countries have been dumping nuclear and radioactive toxic waste on the shores of Somalia. It appears that most of the dumping is connected to the Italian mafia, which has found that it costs only $2.50 a ton to dispose of toxic waste of the coast of Somalia instead of $250 a ton at legal European dumps


The media would have us believe that these pirates or just as horrible as Osama Bin Laden. But most of these pirates are fisherman attempting to keep the waterways from being illegally fished and other countries from dumping their crap on the shores.

Of course there are some that are purely out for the money, but without a government what are the people to do? We must take most of the news coverage with a grain of salt, our thinking caps must be on at all times. It’s sad but in the United States we are spoon fed bullshit. We are so under read, undereducated, and unconnected to the rest of the world, this allows our media to bend our minds and tell us their perspective of the news.

Making Changes

I’ve always loved rich chocolaty desserts and sleep. Yes, sleeping and eating any form of chocolate is what I consider a great time. When I was a kid I loved nap time at school and when Mama got tired of dealing with all the kids in the house and said, “Who’s ready to take a nap”, I was the first to raise my hand. As a kid I loved spending the night over my Auntie’s house because she would let me eat chocolate cake and brownies for dinner. Well all that sleeping and eating dessert has caught up with me...I’m officially overweight! In 2007 I joined Jenny Craig and I lost 30lbs, this included exercising and making healthier food choices.


When I moved back to Saint Louis I got back into my old habits and starting sleeping a lot and eating as much chocolate as my body could stand which resulted in me gaining the 30lbs back. Thanks to my bad habits not only have I gained the weight back…but now I’m on high blood pressure medication.

As my doctor put it… “People have been telling you your overweight…now your body is telling you too.” I knew I should’ve listened when my doctor told me to lose weight last year but I thought it was not a big problem. Well the day I went to Walgreens to fill that high blood pressure prescription I knew I had a BIG problem.

So I decided to take control of my health and get back into shape. I’ve hired a trainer…who does not take excuses and demand results. I work out 5-6 times a week and I am eating healthier. I’ve created another blog documenting my weight loss journey. It includes a food journal, my emotions, pics of me as I go though the process of losing weight and weekly weight loss count. My goal is to lose 80lbs before January 30th, 2010. My little cousin Brittany is 14 and over 100lbs overweight and she will be joining me on my weight loss journey so she will be included in the blog as well. I have never exposed myself this much on the internet… but I feel this is something that I must do. Writing about things are helpful to me and may be encouraging to others.

The new address is http://healthyvoluptuousness.blogspot.com/ I have not posted anything just yet but check it out from time to time.

Discussing Pay

Many people feel that it is unethical to discuss pay in the workplace. It’s understandable that most companies feel this way because it can lead to a disgruntle worker. Well I believe that in some cases it’s necessary for people to know what other people are making. How do you know if you are getting totally screwed if you do not know what your peers are making?

For example today at the gig they gave out the raises. Some came out the boss’s office with smiles plastered on their faces, others came out and pulled up monster.com. One of my peers stated that she just found out that the people two grades below us made more money than she did. Of course I calculated this in my mind and I was totally appalled, this meant that she was make about ten grand less than me and we do the same job. My heart ached because she is one of the most productive employees in our department. This girl has never missed a day of work in 7 years….. and this is the thanks she gets !

Some folks will say maybe she did not negotiate very well when she took the job, which may be true but people should be fair damn it. She is now protesting her raise and I hope that she can get it through the thick skulls of the bosses that she deserves more money.

Some people in our department basically told her she was getting played, they did not tell her how much they made, they just said they made a few grand more. Staff in our department had no clue how underpaid our best co-worker was and tried not to talk about the situation too much.

I feel if everyone knew what the other person made it would ensure equal and fair pay. But this whole secrecy thing keeps people in the dark and keeps more money in the pockets of companies.

Recession Hits Ebony and Jet

Chicago-based Johnson Publishing Co. decided last week to undergo a reorganization, which will require all current employees, including those working for Ebony and Jet magazines to reapply for their jobs. Many black radio shows are reaching out to the African-American community to renew or become a subscriber of both Ebony and Jet to assist the publishing company during this financial crunch.

When I think of Ebony and Jet I think of lighting bugs, moth balls, and Grandma’s house. Honestly, I rarely read Ebony and Jet, while they make me feel all nostalgic of my childhood I would not actually pay to read either magazine. They feel old to me; nothing about them makes me want to go out a grab the latest issue. Don’t get me wrong I may read a copy if I’m in Wal-Mart and the line is long, but I put them back on the rack when it’s my turn to check out.

Jet actually offends me with its beauty of the week. Really……….. what is the purpose of the beauty of the week? Not to mention the marriage section, they always highlight people with great jobs and degrees. I guess your average Joe Smoe and Suzie Que are just not worthy of getting their wedding picture in the magazine. Fashion Fair cosmetics seem to be the major advertiser in both magazines and who still wears Fashion Fair?

Everything about these magazines seem old and out of touch with Generation X’ers. Sadly, they can not count on me to help them doing their financial crunch. But I will give the magazines a few tips

1. Get rid of beauty of the week…………NOW
2. Scrap the whole marriage section
3. Hire a younger hipper staff
4. Redesign the magazine in a way that is sleek, functional and refreshing
5. Discuss topics that are interesting to people under the age of 40
6. GET MORE ADVERTISERS
7. Finally………..REINVENT the entire magazine(s).

Walgreens Taking Ova the Hood

Jesus take the wheel. They are building another muthafreaking Walgreens in my neighborhood (or shall I say my mom’s neighborhood). Man… there is a Walgreens on damn near every corner; as a matter of fact Walgreens is becoming a staple in the black community. Walgreens is joining the ranks of liquor stores, Churches Chicken, payday loan stores, title loan stores, beauty supplies, gas stations and churches.

Seriously, Walgreens stay packed….. it does not matter that there are at least 25 within a fifteen mile radius of each other. I started asking myself why….why is Walgreens becoming so focused on black communities.


Here is my theory…


Blacks account for more HIV and AIDS cases, people estimated to be living with AIDS, and HIV-related deaths than any other racial/ethnic group in the U.S.

Overweight and obesity is even higher among blacks (estimated at over 75 percent) than the national average according to a study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers.

Black Americans are at greater risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension) than Caucasians or other racial groups. Although researchers do not know the exact reason for this finding, they point out that black Americans tend to have an unusually high number of risk factors for high blood pressure. These risk factors include diabetes, high stress levels and increased salt intake and sensitivity.


Cancer rates are still higher among black Americans compared to their white counterparts, according to recent statistics released by the American Cancer Society.

Rates among black men are higher by more than one-third over whites, and the rates for black women are higher by 18 percent. Blacks will represent almost 63,000 of the estimated 560,000 deaths of cancer in 2007, the ACS reports. They also will represent 153,000 of 1.7 million new cancer cases in 2007

Black heart attack patients have worse outcomes than their white counterparts in large part because of preexisting chronic health conditions and socioeconomic factors, according to a study published in the March issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, Reuters Health reports.

Do you see where I am going with this? Walgreens does not make money selling you bath soap, pantyhose, milk and eggs: they make their money selling prescriptions. The black community is a cash cow for this company…we are not a healthy group of people. Our misfortune has become their golden ticket. Until the last 6-8 years you could barely find a Walgreens in the hood. In most cases there would be one Walgreens on each side of the city. But the doctors and pharmaceutical companies has allowed them to board the money train.

It actually pisses me off because instead of helping us and giving us access to proper health care there is an entire industry banking on our people staying sick. Of course there is a class and socioeconomic aspect to our failing health. Most people obtain health insurance through their employer. However, with higher dropout rates, criminal records and lower skilled based training blacks are disproportionally represented in many work places that offer insurance benefits. Not to mention you must be half way dead before the government offer most adults health care. So if you are struggling with getting healthy remember there are people profiting from your illness. Push away from the table, let that salt go, eat more vegetables, take a walk around the block and for petes sake get that damn kids away from the playstation, kids need exercise too. All kidding aside try to focus on living a healthier life… one small step at

Madoff vs Local Drug Dealer

A drug dealer pushes poison to people in his very own community. Although selling the poison would place in him in a better financial position, it takes away from the families of those using drugs.

The drug dealer has no heart, feeling or consideration has he takes foodstamps in lieu of cash for drugs. Yes he is aware that Lisa’s and her babies will be at the local food pantry tomorrow because there is no food in the house……but he will stack his cabinets full with treats. He feels like he is getting a bargain when Tyrone sells him a 42” flat screen television for 150.00. He is fully aware that Tyrone broke into the neighbor’s house and stole that television….their lost his gain.


The community is being terrorized by the effects of the drug dealer and his poison, yet he seems to have it all. He knows he and his product is the cause of Barbra’s eviction, he shrugs it off has he watches Mrs. Davis go back to work at the ripe age of 65 because she now has to take care of her 3 great-grand babies cuz their mama can’t stay away from the dope long enough to take care of them. But so what……… he can purchase a couple of pair of Jordans… a Gucci bag for his lady friend, 28” rims for his nice ride, make it rain on the strippers, sip on Patron and live a nice life. All at the expense of other people

Compare this scenario to ….


Madoff was best known for being a pioneer in the business of market-making. His firm, which he started five decades ago with money he earned as a lifeguard in Far Rockaway, Queens, was for a long time primarily in the business of acting as a middle man between buyers and sellers of stocks. It is an essential function for a market like the Nasdaq, which doesn't have an actual trading floor where buyers and sellers can meet face-to-face. Madoff's firm was a major driver behind the growth of the Nasdaq, creating a system that courted brokers who had mostly traded stocks on the larger New York Stock Exchange to do more of their business with the Nasdaq.


In the 1990s, Madoff used his success as a market maker to help launch an asset-management firm. Madoff raised money for his fund by exploiting his social network, often courting investors at country clubs where he or family members belonged. At the Palm Beach Country Club, Madoff reportedly found a major investor who helped attract other members for Madoff's fund.


On the surface, Madoff's funds were supposed to be low-risk investments. His largest fund reported steady returns, usually gaining a percentage point or two a month. The funds' stated strategy was to buy large cap stocks and supplement those investments with related stock-option strategies. The combined investments were supposed to generate stable returns and also cap losses.
But sometime in 2005, according to the SEC suit, Madoff's investment-advisory business morphed into a Ponzi scheme, taking new money from investors to pay off existing clients who wanted to cash out. According to a form filed with the SEC, Madoff reported that the business had $17.1 billion under management in January 2008

As the market got worse this year, Madoff continued to report to investors that his funds were up — as much as 5.6% through the end of November. That would have been a remarkable performance. During the same time, the stocks of the Standard & Poor's 500, where Madoff supposedly did most of his trading, had dropped a weighted average of 37.7%.

Despite his gains, a growing number of investors began asking Madoff for their money back. In the first week of December, according to the SEC suit, Madoff told a senior executive that there had been requests from clients for $7 billion in redemptions. On Wednesday, Madoff met with his two sons to tell them the advisory business was a fraud — "a giant Ponzi scheme," he reportedly told them — and was nearly bankrupt. The sons reportedly contacted their lawyer, who then alerted federal authorities to the fraud. Before being caught, Madoff was working on a scheme to dole out his funds' remaining $300 million to the firm's employees and his family members.

Madoff victims included..


Zsa Zsa Gabor: A lawyer for Ms. Gabor says the 91-year-old actress may have lost as much as $10 million invested through a third-party money manager. The lawyer says the loss was noticed in mid January when Ms. Gabor's husband, Frederic von Anhalt, was checking on the couple's finances.

New York University: NYU filed a lawsuit claiming J. Ezra Merkin turned over his investment responsibilities to Madoff's funds and lost $24 million of the school's money.

Carl Shapiro: Mr. Shapiro, a 95-year-old apparel entrepreneur and investor, has personally lost an estimated $400 million from the Madoff fraud

Ira Roth: Is an independent investor and lost about $1 million dollars from the Madoff fraud.

Ian Thiermann: Is an 90 year old independent investor who lost 738.000 in the Madoff scheme. After losing his life savings he was forced to go back to work at his local supermarket. He currently makes $10.00 an hour.


There were many, many more but I did not want to bore you with all the names. Basically this jerk managed to swindle people out of 50 BILLION dollars collectively. There are a unions, colleges, and non profit organizations affected by this scam. Surely we will begin to see the affects of this large loss of money. Organizations will begin to lay off , non profits that invested will be limited in the help the can provide. The colleges may have to cut back on services as well.
Conclusion


Both the drug deal and Madoff will wind up in jail. All for materialist possessions, the seduction of greed and the love of money left them to live out their days amongst rapist and murderers. But they have left many people to deal with the fall out of their destruction. It will take years to purge the effects of these two out the system of the affected families.


Side Note: The black man in the pic abouve is not a real drug dealer... he just played one on TV ( Showtime.. The Wire)