With high unemployment numbers, a struggling economy and record foreclosures, it’s easy to get caught up in the tough times Americans are facing on a daily basis. That’s why I feel it’s important to every once and a while see what others are facing around the world. In a recent podcast on ghettoGEEK Radio they focus on the current political struggle in IRAN with fellow blogger Sable Verity! Sable discusses the Iranian conflict from a political and cultural vantage point. Utilizing Neda Soltan’s death, Ahmedinejad’s rhetoric, and America’s current strategic posture, Sable provides insights on gender issues, issues of oppression, and implications for Iran’s affect upon the global community.
Since Michael Jackson passed on June 25, 2009 the numerous memories of music and moments relating to Michael have flooded blogs, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter. In fact, the Twitter rush was so tremendous that Today on NBC reported that a server went down. I can personally remember having a Jackson 5 Triumph Tour poster on my wall, the first time I heard Thriller, dressing up as Michael for one of my sister’s birthday party talent shows, and wishing my name was “Michael” as a child because it was such a “cool” name. One young lady on Thursday’s evening news conveyed that she was going to be a dancer in his upcoming tour and how she moved to LA from her home country because Michael lives there.
Remembering Michael Jackson forces you to remember that his impact can’t truly be measured. He was more than just a music icon; he caused a paradigm shift in our culture. Even at a young age, Michael’s beaming demeanor and mature vocal style made non-R&B listeners to pay attention. As he grew older he used his music to draw peoples together across racial lines with one particular highlight of that being his “Billie Jean” video premiere on MTV. Prior to that premiere MTV had never played a video by a Black musician. His aggressive and sometimes suggestive dance styling would be the predecessor of present-day Pop, Hip Hop, and R&B artists from Usher and Chris Brown to Britney Spears and Prince. It can be seen in the dance sequence of the Eddie Murphy movie Coming To America. His sound is echoed in the music of artists like Mariah Carey, R Kelly, Justin Timberlake, and his little sister Janet. His epic mini-movie music videos were ground-breaking in their length, content, and budget. He also used his medium for humanity as he donated millions of his own money and resources to benefit sick and ailing children, underprivileged people both foreign and domestic, and animals.
None of that includes his actual music. Among his list of accomplishments are 13 Grammy Awards, 13 #1 singles, being twice inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame(solo and Jackson 5), seven Top 10 singles on one album (Thriller), the only artist with 5 #1 Singles on one album(Bad), and over 750 million albums sold worldwide. Thriller alone spent 80 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 while Bad spent more 38 consecutive weeks Top 5 of the Billboard 200 which is also a record. Thriller also remains as the best-selling album of all time.
Certainly Michael was not a saint and he lived a very challenging and sometimes disturbing life. From an outsider’s view, it seemed as though every attempt to salvage some type of “normalcy” in his life was always mistaken, questionable, or ill-advised. Over the years, his oddities seemed to become as consistent and inflated as his successes. Not even his accomplishments, fame, and fortune could make him immune from the roller coaster we all experience in life. Condolescences to his children, his family, friends, and fans.
The weather isn’t the only thing heating up in DC this summer. Health care reform is already a hot topic, and as legislation moves through Congress, Americans across the nation have questions about how costs will be brought under control to make quality affordable health care accessible to everyone.
That’s why the White House is taking another step to connect with people outside of Washington and answer some of the most common questions you have. In the coming days, we’re going to focus on your questions about health care, with President Obama and some of his top health care advisors providing answers.
On Wednesday, the President will hold another online town hall to answer more of your questions. This online town hall will be a little different than the last one. This time around, we are engaging online networks outside of WhiteHouse.gov, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Last night during our church instrumental rehearsal, I had the opportunity to speak to some of our soon-to-be high school Juniors about my education and career. While the purpose of our ministry is to use the talents we’ve been given to glorify God, the adult leaders in the group felt it was also important for us to make sure the youth could benefit from some of our life experiences as they prepare for college. We didn’t want to lecture them about the “old days” and we wanted it to be in a relaxed environment where they could ask questions. Read the rest of this entry →
Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 25 million Americans each year, including 9 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks operate 63,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit www.feedingamerica.org.
For every $1 you donate, Feeding America helps provide 10 pounds of food and grocery products to men, women and children facing hunger in our country. Please join the Kellogg Company and Causes as we take small steps towards creating BIG change. 15% of all donations made through Causes on June 18, 2009 will be matched and donated by Causes to Feeding America. Visit your Causes homepage and invite friends to take action. For more information you can visit the Facebook page or check out the website above.
If you talk to the people I hang around most, the majority will say that I’m a pretty quiet, easy-going, kind of guy. I tend to not get upset about a lot of things and when placed in a situation where some would flip out, I try my best to remain calm, cool and collected. For a long time, I thought patience was one of my greatest virtues. But then I had kids… Read the rest of this entry →
June 20, 2009By: theo.johnson Category: Blog Entries
This is why I love Facebook. In watching some comments of friends of mine, I learned about a website that I thought I’d share with you. The post in particular was “Dealing With Your Daddy Wounds”, written by Randy Clark at The “Dash” Guy blog. I don’t know what it’s like to have not have a dad in my life, but I do have a lot of friends that have had to deal with it. Some had their dads pass away while they were young and others have had dads that were here, but chose to not be a part of their life. In times where the father wasn’t there, I could see how it would put a strain on a relationship because like moms, dads are an important part of a kid’s life. But if you want to learn how to get past the daddy wounds check out Randy’s blog. Here’s some info from his About Me page:
Randy Clark has helped many individuals achieve their life’s goals through personal development and empowerment coaching. Together with his wife, Sylvia, they have helped many relationships grow successfully because of their passion and commitment to happiness for themselves and others. They have been married over 30 years and have raised three highly successful adult children, a teacher, a doctor and a lawyer!!
Randy left a successful career in Corporate America to pursue one of his passions in life, which is to mentor and develop men. He has a success mindset and works hard to bring out the best in others, by helping them to understand their purpose and pursue their passion in life.
Randy has a burden for helping men, because of his own struggles in life. He was raised in a single-parent home by his Mom and only saw his Dad a few times during his entire life. The lack of a relationship with his Dad resulted in some deep “Daddy Wounds” which caused a lot of anger, bitterness and resentment to build up in his life toward his Dad. So much so, that he once declared about his Dad, “I would not go across the street to his funeral, if he died”.
Later in life he was reconciled with his Dad, which “released” him from the anger and bitterness in his life, and allowed him to be the man he was called to be. However; as he interacted with other men (young and old a like) throughout the years, he realized that other men were struggling with some of the same issued he once had with his Dad.
Therefore; he saw the need to help “set” other men free from their “Daddy Wounds” and the other issues that often hinders them from achieving the success they desired, to allow them to fulfill their life’s purpose.
Randy is often referred to as The “DASH” Guy, because of his life’s purpose and mission to help men understand, define, and embrace their “DASH” Dreams- Achievement- Success- Happiness!!
If you desire to be challenged, inspired, encouraged, and renewed in your quest for authentic manhood, then you came to the right site. If you have dreamed of being happy and successful in this life time, follow the “DASH” Guy, he will lead you up the road to success and happiness!!
On June 19th, the President hosted a Young Mens Barbeque at the White House for students from local schools to discuss the importance of fatherhood and taking personal responsibility. The President kicked off a national conversation about the importance of fatherhood today at a White House town hall meeting afterwards. The President was joined in the discussion by well-known fathers from across the country, national and community organizations, young students, as well as five outstanding fathers from diverse backgrounds. These men shared their stories of their commitment to fatherhood and personal responsibility, covering everything from the struggles of balancing work and family to the importance of family dinners.
Following their stories, the President discussed the vital role of fathers in their families and their communities. He said he hopes this conversation will spark a national dialogue about fatherhood in America, which will inspire participants to fulfill their obligations and become positive role models in their own communities.
I’d like to take a quick break from the Dad posts to bring you a message from President Obama. In this weekly address, the President explains his plan to address one of the major causes of the current economic crisis — the breakdown of oversight leading to widespread abuses in the financial world. The new Consumer Financial Protection Agency will have the sole job of looking out for the financial interests of ordinary Americans by banning unfair practices and enforcing the rules. This is a cornerstone in America’s new economic foundation.
I found the Mocha Dad’s blog on the blogroll of the African American Dad. I’d heard of the Mocha Mom’s organization, so it was cool to see another positive, black father sharing his experiences with his readers (it’s also a plus that he’s from Houston). This is a really good blog and the questions posed in his posts make you think about your role as a parent. Here’s a little more info on the Mocha Dad before you check out his site:
I am a native Houstonian who has traveled around the around the world. I graduated from Howard University and have worked as a mover, photographer, controls manager, quality manager, construction project manager, eBay and Amazon seller, and freelance writer.
In addition to raising kids and holding down full time jobs, I have published work in the books “Paper Thin/Soul Deep” and “The African American Book of Values” and in magazines/newspapers such as Essence, Upscale, The Houston Chronicle, Katy Magazine , Folio Weekly and Emerge.
I enjoy music, reading, photography, and surfing the web. But my greatest joy comes from spending time with my wife and three kids.
With high unemployment numbers, a struggling economy and record foreclosures, it’s easy to get caught up in the tough times Americans are facing on a daily basis. That’s why I feel it’s important to every once and a while see what others are facing around the world. In a recent podcast on ghettoGEEK Radio they focus on the current political struggle in IRAN with fellow blogger Sable Verity! Sable discusses the Iranian conflict from a political and cultural vantage point. Utilizing Neda Soltan’s death, Ahmedinejad’s rhetoric, and America’s current strategic posture, Sable provides insights on gender issues, issues of oppression, and implications for Iran’s affect upon the global community.
