The hear the audio, check out the ghettoGEEK blog post “Bombs Over Bagh—….IRAN!”.

by Darrell Holmes

Michael Jackson was BAD!

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.

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.

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In my stroll down memory lane, I was looking through some old video games I used to play as a kid and found clips of them on Youtube. Although this clip is from the Atari, Ghostbusters was my favorite game on the Commodore 64. It took a while, but it’s actually one of the first games I ever beat.  Here’s the long version of the video if you want to see it.

For my Nintendo (NES) fans, here’s my first Madden Football game.

This is really funny. This guy was really good.

What are some of your childhood memories? Red light/green light, sideline bust, hide and go seek, marco polo, He-Man vs. G.I. Joe, Transformers vs. Go Bots. Let me know.

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.

What is Photo Phinish?

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…

It’s hard to believe that two little cute faces like these could cause elevated blood pressure, sleepless nights and daily frustration. But I’ve learned that they can and will intentionally test you to see how much they can get away with. They get into stuff they’re not supposed to and they can destroy anything within their reach. There are times when I feel like a drill sergeant because I’m constantly barking out orders and I don’t even want to get into all of the poop/vomit stories we have.

But despite that, I go with the flow and do the best that I can to guide them in the right direction. I can honestly say, I’m a calmer, more patient person because of them. Every day brings a new challenge and they keep me on my toes at all times (even when sleep). Being a dad has allowed me to see many things from a different perspective. I enjoy seeing them grow and learn new things and the love I show to them is reciprocated many times over. I have a long way to go as a parent, but I look forward to the years to come.

To all the men who’ve been a positive father figure in a younger person’s life, Happy Father’s Day.

My Dad and Me 1976

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.

The message was clear – fathers can make a world of difference in the lives of our children. The President explained that while government can do a lot to help people, it simply cannot take the place of a father in a child’s life:

And when fathers are absent — when they abandon their responsibilities to their children — we know the damage that that does to our families. Some of you know the statistics: Children who grow up without fathers are more likely to drop out of school and wind up in prison. They’re more likely to have substance abuse problems, run away from home, and become teenage parents themselves.

And I say this as someone who grew up without a father in my own life. I had a heroic mom and wonderful grandparents who helped raise me and my sister, and it’s because of them that I’m able to stand here today. But despite all their extraordinary love and attention, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t feel my father’s absence. That’s something that leaves a hole in a child’s heart that a government can’t fill.

That’s why it is time for all men to step up and be responsible fathers. The President went on to explain that while you don’t have to be a perfect father, you always need to try. He emphasized that sometimes the smallest moments are the most important. He discussed how his father gave him his first basketball and took him to his first jazz concert. Although his father was not a large part of his life, these little moments had a lasting impact. The President said his own father’s absence helped teach him to take responsibility and be a better father himself:

If we want our children to succeed in life, we need fathers to step up. We need fathers to understand that their work doesn’t end with conception — that what truly makes a man a father is the ability to raise a child and invest in that child.

We need fathers to be involved in their kids’ lives not just when it’s easy — not just during the afternoons in the park or at the zoo, when it’s all fun and games — but when it’s hard, when young people are struggling, and there aren’t any quick fixes or easy answers, and that’s when young people need compassion and patience, as well as a little bit of tough love.

Now, this is a challenge even in good times. And it can be especially tough during times like these, when parents have a lot on their minds — they’re worrying about keeping their jobs, or keeping their homes or their health care, paying their bills, trying to give their children the same opportunities that they had. And so it’s understandable that parents get concerned, some fathers who feel they can’t support their families, get distracted. And even those who are more fortunate may be physically present, but emotionally absent.
I know that some of the young men who are here today might have their own concerns one day about being a dad. Some of you might be worried that if you didn’t have a father, then you don’t know how to be one when your turn comes. Some of you might even use that as an excuse, and say, “Well, if my dad wasn’t around, why should I be?”

Let’s be clear: Just because your own father wasn’t there for you, that’s not an excuse for you to be absent also — it’s all the more reason for you to be present. There’s no rule that says that you have to repeat your father’s mistakes. Just the opposite — you have an obligation to break the cycle and to learn from those mistakes, and to rise up where your own fathers fell short and to do better than they did with your own children.

That’s what I’ve tried to do in my life. When my daughters were born, I made a pledge to them, and to myself, that I would do everything I could to give them some things I didn’t have. And I decided that if I could be one thing in life, it would be to be a good father.

The White House plans on continuing this conversation in a series of regional town halls on the importance of fatherhood and personal responsibility. The goal is to find and emphasize what works to address these challenges, and how we can work together to strengthen our efforts as families, communities, and as a nation.

source: White House Website

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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.