Acting White Acting Black

Random Blackness: Two-Minute Bass-Percussion Jam At NAMM 2012

2012-01-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

Enjoy nearly two minutes of two instruments that we rarely get to hear or see up front, by two greats. Making it up on bass is my friend Nathan East, chasing some serious digital percussion by David "Fingers" Haynes. Turn up the volume and enjoy.

James C. Collier

H/T:Patrick Telev-Karanfilovic

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Technorati Tags: Random Blackness: Two-Minute Bass-Percussion Jam At NAMM 2012, Nathan East, David Haynes, Fingers, Entertainment, Acting White

Random Slovakianess: Musician Rolls With Nokia Ringtone Punch

2012-01-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

Some comments to this entertaining video argue that the musician's response is staged, but I think they miss the point, altogether. Staged or not, the editorial and lesson is both witty and good for all to hear, if they might avoid the cynic's vortex.

...and Nokia, once the shining star of Finland, presently needs all the help they can get.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Random Slovakianess: Musician Rolls With Nokia Ringtone Punch, Lukáš Kmiť, Slovakian Viola, Orthodox Jewish, Snappy Comeback, Acting White

Cobb GA Mother Arrested For Tattooing 10 Year-Old Son

2012-01-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

From the video above, it is clear that Chuntera Napier, the arrested, while well-meaning, is also very ignorant. At minimum, the recipient of such needs to be eighteen to legally bear the risk of contracting any number of potentially fatal diseases, like hepatitis, from getting a tattoo. The misdemeanor charged Ms. Napier clearly misunderstands, like many folks, that all rights, including those of parenting and religion, derive from the constitution, not the bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, or the back of a cereal box. This is a good example of where children, and their desire to make adulthood decision, need protection. I hope the example of Ms. Napier's prosecution sends a strong signal that tattoos are for adults, period.

UPDATE: Police are looking for the alleged tattoo artist, but Ms. Napier is not cooperating, so far. The artist could face criminal charges, and so could Ms. Napier, for obstruction.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Cobb GA Mother Arrested For Tattooing 10 Year-Old Son, Chuntera Napier, Child Ink, Parental Rights, Funds Abuse, Acting White

Ward Connerly Facing Misdeed Allegations By Former Staffer

2012-01-18T17:20:00.000-08:00

I continue to believe that Affirmative Action needs a revision, to focus on the greater inclusive group of economically-disadvantage Americans, rather than race, gender, or otherwise. This would exclude well-off minorities, while including those whites held-down by their meager economic background. Anti-Affirmative Action crusader Ward Connerly was never about this kind of fairness, but rather lining his own pockets, and it seems that it is all catching up to him (here), via a credible insider.

Stay Tuned.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Ward Connerly Facing Misdeed Allegations By Former Staffer, Prop 209, Anti-Affirmative Action, UC Regent, Funds Abuse, Acting White

Seven White Attackers vs. One Asian Teen In Chicago

2012-01-17T21:25:00.000-08:00

Wow! Watching this horrible scene made me wish I was there to even things up a bit. Who would be surprised if the Asian kid started carrying a gun after a beating like this? Who could blame him? Very sick. Very tragic. And on top of it all, repeatedly calling him a Nigga' speaks to the universal standard that demeaning blackness has achieved, and that's everybody's fault (within/without).

1/18 UPDATE: A Sun-Times article (here), sheds some weird light on the 1/15 attack. The attackers were white AND Asian (predominantly), with the oldest attacker, Raymond Palomino (17), whose face was visible in the assault, charged as an adult. Palomino's father is a Cook County sheriff. One attacker was female, and lured the victim into the assault. The attack may have been random, and there remains no explanation for the 25 instances of the term nigga' use against the victim, captured in the video by one of the attackers, via their cellphone. Tragic and weird!

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Seven White Attackers vs. One Asian Teen In Chicago, Asian Assault, White Gang, Chicago Attack, Asian Called Nigger, Acting White

Slavery Math Taught in Georgia Elementary School

2012-01-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

As reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution..."Gwinnett County (Georgia) parents and activists have blasted the school district’s response following reports that students at a Norcross elementary school received a math worksheet that used examples of slavery in word problems.

School district officials said the principal at Beaver Ridge Elementary School will personally work with teachers to come up with more appropriate lessons and will offer more opportunities for staff development following the uproar created by the worksheet that included questions such as the following: “Each tree had 56 oranges. If 8 slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?” and “If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in 1 week?”"

I hope 'work with' is a euphemism for 'escort from the building'.

Full Story (here).

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Slavery Math Taught in Georgia Elementary School, Norcross, Racist Math, Bigotry, Georgia Ignorance, Acting White

Southwest Airlines Parodies Black NFL Players

2012-01-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

Is this as cool (with folks), as it is funny? I think so, what about you?

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Southwest Airlines Parodies Black NFL Players, Touchdown Celebration, Dancing, Black Thing, Ignorance, Acting White

Shit White Girls Say...To Black Girls

2012-01-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

I thought this was well done, entertaining and thought provoking (more importantly).

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Shit White Girls Say...To Black Girls, Franchesca Ramsey, chescaleigh, Racism, Ignorance, Acting White

Obama Blows Hole In Constitution: Hero or Traitor?

2012-01-03T14:55:00.000-08:00

The “New and Improved” National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is now the law – so don’t drop the soap folks!

Seriously, let me get this straight, Mr. Obama. As president, sworn to uphold the US Constitution, you sign a law, bearing your fingerprints, on the day of the year (12/24), at your choosing, when the citizens are most distracted, and then promise that you will never use the “unconstitutional” parts to do what you surreptitiously demanded the right to do. Sounds like something Bush/Cheney would have pulled, right? Well, yes, they definitely pulled some three-quarter-Monty crap like this, but in this case it was you, Barack Obama, and this is definitely the full-Monty (buck-ass-naked).

The Huffington Post (here) cleverly apologizes for the President on this tearing down of citizen rights, as they make it seem like he was somehow forced (by bad people?) to sign the law against his will, which is not true at all. The Huffington ignores that Obama insisted that American citizens be included in the indefinite detention language, or he would veto the bill. So in reality, that which the Huff and the President said he was against, jailing Americans indefinitely without trial, he is absolutely for and directly responsible. Politics and the media doing the nasty out in the open! A-friggin-mazing!

Like I said before (here), no politician in their right mind would bastardize the constitution, if they did not think they needed it – as the original laws have served the rich and powerful very well for 200+ years. The reason Obama specifically thinks HE needs this change is that the world-wide economic poop could hit the fan in 2012 (here), and the blood on Main streets won’t be on some fake Hollywood movie set. In fact, the ‘debt-storm’ has already begun.

If you think things are bad now, stay-tuned folks. The year 2012 marks the calendar, in US history, where life-expectancy is going down and the times definitely went from bad to worse. When you know the game’s about to change and you want to preserve your position on the sinking ship, you change the rules. Happy New Year!

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Obama Blows Hole In Constitution: Hero or Traitor?, NDAA 1031, Indefinite Detention, Occupy Wall Street, McCain/Levin, Acting White

Walter "Sweetness" Payton: Timeless

2012-01-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

This time of year (on Sundays) I always remember one of the greatest to ever play any game. Sweetness was his handle, but 'air' was his domain. Check out two YouTube minutes of the man, if you doubt me. (here)

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Walter "Sweetness" Payton: Timeless, Chicago Bears, 1985 Super Bowl, Hall of Fame, Football Legend, Acting White

Random Whiteness of the Two-Wheeled Dare-Devil Variety

2011-12-30T22:31:00.000-08:00

Get ready for five knuckle-biting minutes of fun. I won't spoil the ending, either.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Random Whiteness of the Two-Wheeled Dare-Devil Variety, Radwanderung, Single-Track, Death-wish, Mountain-Biking, Acting White

Shameless Promotion Dept.: Fine Art Drawings On The iPhone

2011-12-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

My business partner and I are getting close to delivering our first iPhone app (isn't everybody?) - stippled drawings. Android is soon to follow. It's no secret that I love dots, and this has been a labor of such. Look for it in the App. store in a month or so. In the meantime, enjoy these two iconic examples of what can be done with your favorite photographs, inspiration, and some cool software.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Shameless Promotion Dept.: Fine Art Drawings On The iPhone, Ali vs. Liston, Norma Jean Dress, Stipples, Apple, Acting White

White-on-White vs. Black-on-Black Violence

2011-12-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

New Details Emerge in High School Basketball Game Fight in Baltimore: MyFoxDC.com

One of the most popular Google searches to this site are questions of Black violence. In this post, I grabbed the closest examples I could find showing that neither group holds a monopoly. It really depends on who is looking, and where they look. Interesting.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: White-on-White vs. Black-on-Black Violence, Basketball, Soccer, Thugs/Hooligans, Europe/USA, Acting White

Why Obama Needs To Indefinitely Detain YOU!

2011-12-21T22:01:00.000-08:00

The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) et al Movement is leaderless, fragmented, and muddled in what it seemingly wants from those of various authority. However, what is not muddled is discontent with direct and indirect elites, and steadily reaching significant numbers that are willing to put their displeasure on the line – against batons, rubber-bullets, tear gas, pepper-spray, and arrest.

To date, the Occupy Movement, which has been labeled domestic terrorism by some, has mustered only short bursts of hundreds to thousands of protesters. But what would happen if rotations of hundreds OF thousands of people descended upon Washington or NYC, for weeks at a time, and continually harped on governmental failures? Mr. Obama’s conundrum gains some clarity. Clearing out these disrupters under the Jeffersonian constitution could prove difficult, if not impossible. The fundamental right to freedom of speech and assembly, AND due process, requires that whoever collects and detains these people also have ready and reasonable ‘processes’ for fair judicial rendering. Frankly, the country has no administration in place for such a constitutional exercise, either as a one-time event, and certainly not as continuous public theater, fueled by problems that are not going away anytime soon.

Hence, the president needs the unassailable latitude to label any citizen a terrorista, command the military, forcibly extract said disgruntled accused, and warehouse them in some rural barb-wired tent-city, INDEFINITELY or, until Prez figures out how to release them, ready to behave themselves. This is why the current administration needs NDAA 1031 on the legal books, constitutionally poisonous as it is. Detaining US citizens has little or nothing to do with protecting us from bona-fide terrorist, but rather removing the constitutional barriers to controlling free movement, assembly, and speech/protest – otherwise showing people who the ‘eff’ is boss. Call it a preparatory-step toward Martial Law (here).

O-man's Harvard Law Review plaque is looking like a Crackerjack prize right about now, and the late Steve Jobs may have been more right about a one-term Obama than his Siri could have ever thought differently. Or maybe Americans ARE as ignorant as the White House believes.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Why Obama Needs To Indefinitely Detain YOU!, NDAA 1031, Indefinite Detention, Occupy Wall Street, McCain/Levin, Acting White

Why Obama May Lose in 2012

2011-12-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

It’s an outrageous thing for a bunch of predominantly white senators and congresspersons to piss on the constitution, via NDAA 1031 legislation (here), because they seemingly lack the cojones or ovaries to tell their parties to go to hell, but I suppose there’s safety in numbers. However, for our first-black President, Barack Obama, sitting at the helm of this travesty is likely to get him run out of office in 2012. Mind you, not just because he is black, or a Democrat, but because he’s the president for godsakes, and his veto and pulpit are suppose to protect fundamental constitutional rights, not strip them away, as does the pending National Defense Authorization Act.

Under no condition should American citizens face “indefinite detainment” by the president or the military, or anyone else. But let’s be clear, Obama threatened to veto the bill if it did NOT contain the indefinite detainment of US citizen’s language (above). How about them apples? If the opposition can only field a candidate with half a communicating brain, Mr. Obama could be in big trouble come next November. Unfortunately, the half-brain requirement has been an on-going problem for the party of Lincoln. Regarding NDAA 1031, we are all in big trouble, forget the election.

And furthermore, how come black folks can’t see that ‘indefinite detainment’ is the wet-dream of every racist ever born – 95% approval rating my ass – folks need to wake up!

So I asked myself, why would a left-leaning, constitutional lawyer-turned-president, want the ability to throw US citizens in jail, without ever putting them on trial. What could make this man toss the constitution he knows so well into the crapper? The short answer is that he thinks he needs it.

To expand, I can only imagine that somewhere within the bowels of the White House, is a windowless room where a bunch of allegedly smart people have surmised that the shit is about to hit-the-fan on the home front. But how so? Hmmmm. Let me think. The country is in financial crisis because a Goldman-Saks led Wall Street decided they could top the Savings & Loan rip-off, with the mortgage-back securities rip-off, and they did. Obama lets the thieving 1% walk. Oh yeah, Mr. Bernanke is printing money as fast as it takes the ink to dry, and giving it to banks for .01% interest (free), who are in-turn buying T-bills paying 3%! The remaining 99% of Americans are increasingly fat, lazy, ignorant and entitled up the kazoo. Europe is in a financial melt-down of its own. China is headed toward crisis, because there may be no one to buy all the crap they are preparing to build. Japan is completely jacked, (see Fukushima). We are fighting battles in the Middle-east that are more about enriching defense contractors, than eliminating terrorist. Yep, the Main Street-level poo-poo could really hit the fan, and I ain't talking occupy.

So, President Obama’s White House, the Senate, and Congress are all preparing to keep order, by suspending our rights. The only thing Obama has to worry about now is if Americans wake the hell up before next November. But, whether voters jam Obama or not, history will say we are witnessing the gasps of a 200+ year-old glutinous giant, about to fall - hard.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Why Obama May Lose in 2012, NDAA 1031, Indefinite Detention, Constitution, McCain/Levin, Acting White

Christopher Hitchens: 1949 - 2011

2011-12-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

NYTimes obituary.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Christopher Hitchens: 1949 - 2011, Writer/Journalist, Secularist, Cancer, Polemic, Acting White

Diversity Pro and Con: A Nigerian Case Study

2011-12-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

After recently attending the award-winning Nigerian musical FELA!, about a musician’s travails in that challenged African nation, I was out in Berkeley with friends enjoying a great Nigerian band (BaBa Ken/Katoja). The venue included many ex-patriot African patrons. While enjoying the music, my party ran smack dab into the issue of recklessly importing people who grow up in a very different and, in the case of Nigeria, dangerous place. Shit happens, and it did.

At one point in the evening, my girlfriend whipped out her recently acquired iPhone 4s, to take a picture of me. Immediately afterwards, we were faced with a very angry Nigerian fellow who thought she was taking pictures of him to somehow facilitate his untimely demise. Perhaps he left Lagos under a cloud - I do not know. The country is certainly a very dangerous place where a small amount of tribal difference, hostility, or money, can get someone killed.

Anyway, despite our attempts, the Nigerian fellow could not comprehend that his identity did not reside on the phone, and that we did not work for the government. At one point he grabbed the phone, to get a closer look, and then refused to return it. In all his yelling, he asked me if I wanted to fight. I said no, but also that he was not leaving with that phone. His final word was that he was keeping the phone and dared that I should call the police. It was as though he thought the police would either support his obstinacy, or (more likely) that calling the authorities was silly.

I approached the club owner, explained the events and asked him to call Berkeley PD. Before making the call, the owner wanted to talk to the guy and ‘straighten out this misunderstanding’. That conversation ended with the owner fending off the beginnings of a battery by the Nigerian. I then became adamant about calling the police, even if I had to make the call myself.

The Berkeley PD quickly arrived and patiently threatened the man into returning the phone. On their way to this result, they explained all the rights and responsibilities that governed his free attendance at the night club, including possible photos, and admonished that those ideas he brought from Nigeria carried no weight in the U.S. Although he eventually relented, he clearly was not convinced by anyone that Berkeley was not Lagos, Nigeria and that his understanding was inadequate, nor was his behavior in need of adapting.

I went home that night with a profound feeling that this man should not be here, and there are probably many others like him. It is too damn easy to get into this country! Thank goodness he did not have a weapon. While his influential experiences may be little fault of his own, there is no reasonable excuse for his theft or refusal to accept and follow the laws of his adopted land. And whether his ancestors were brought here in chains or he came willingly, the requirement is the same – know the law, follow the law, or suffer the consequences.

At one point early in the dispute, the Nigerian’s female companion attempted to guide him, but his words and body-language, and her immediate retreat, quickly established that he would not hesitate to ‘knock the you-know-what out of her’. His words to her “you, shut up!” were sautéed in a violent tone and look, and the instant fear in her eyes told a deeper and chilling story, by itself.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Diversity Pro and Con: A Nigerian Case Study, Nigeria, Immigration, FELA, Berkeley Police, Acting White

Penn State Coach McQueary As Coward, Like Father Like Son

2011-11-17T21:09:00.000-08:00

It is no surprise that Penn State Assistant Coach Mike McQueary is now double-talking that he contacted the police regarding his witnessing of the Sandusky rape of a 10-year old boy on campus in 2002. Only thing is that neither Penn State Police, or the campus police, have a record of McQueary saying peep to them, unequivocally. As well, McQueary's grand jury testimony makes no mention of contacting any authorities other than Head Coach Paterno, Athletic Director Curley, and University VP Schultz. Oh yeah, McQueary did first contact his own father (John J. McQueary), presumably the cowardly example-setter who reared his son onto the ill-fated, protect-your-own-ass, path upon which he nows finds himself.

I'm fortunate. My old man would have only had one question, if I had been in McQueary's shoes - can he touch the blunt object I used to smash Sandusky's degenerate scull? Any other question or response would have been unacceptable! Momma McQueary must feel pretty good right about now.

With nearly a decade of silence behind them, I pity the chip-off-the-old-bastard McQueary that he and his old man had no heart to help that poor boy or the other boys they should have imagined, from the clutches of a monster. However, it is the faded hope that had to be in the boy's eyes that night, as McQueary arrived and departed the rape scene never to be heard from, that breaks this father's/son's heart.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Penn State Coach McQueary As Coward, Like Father Like Son, Joe Paterno, John McQueary, Tim Curly, Gary Schultz, Acting White

Penn State Coach Sandusky Suspected Of Preying Upon Poor Black Boys

2011-11-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

The case against Sandusky bears an uncanny resemblance to the one against former Boston Red Sox Club House Manager, Donald Fitzpatrick, who was convicted of sexually abusing poor black boys in Winter Haven FL, off-season training home of the baseball team (here). What people are not yet saying about Sandusky is the question, in addition, of if the eight victims were predominantly, if not all, poor and black - and there are at least ten more similar at-risk victims in the queue, if you believe Pennsylvania's Governor.

Why is this question/answer not in the MSM (main stream media), but rather I had to dig to find it? (here) and other out of the way places?

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Penn State Coach Sandusky Suspected Of Preying Upon Poor Black Boys, Joe Paterno, Sexual Predator, Tim Curly, Gary Schultz, Acting White

Dwight Arrington Myers "Heavy D": 1967 - 2011

2011-11-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Dwight Arrington Myers "Heavy D": 1967 - 2011, And The Boyz, Rapper, Actor, Uptown Records, Acting White

Joe Frazier: 1944 - 2011

2011-11-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

It was tough fighting in the days of Ali, but Smokin' Joe made it a real show. RIP.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Joe Frazier: 1944 - 2011, Heavyweight Champion, Smokin' Joe, Muhammad Ali, Cancer, Acting White

Penn State's Coach Paterno Hides Poor Ethics Behind Legal Shield

2011-11-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Joe Paterno reported one of his assistant coach's - Jerry Sandusky - sexual misconduct to his Penn State superiors and when they did nothing, he did nothing, thus allowing the abuser to continue for years. No termination. No police. No protect children. No nothing. Let's see, hmmmm...how to erase a storied career through misplaced morals and ethics, by Joe Paterno. All Joe had to do was empathize as a father. What was more important? Story here.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Penn State's Coach Paterno Hides Poor Ethics Behind Legal Shield, Jerry Sandusky, Sexual Predator, Tim Curly, Gary Schultz, Acting White

Andy Rooney: 1919 - 2011

2011-11-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

"Rooney always denied that he was a racist. In the 1940s, he was arrested after sitting in the back of a segregated bus in protest.[28] Also, in 2008, when Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, Rooney applauded the fact that "the citizens of this country, 80 percent of whom are white, freely chose to elect a black man as their leader simply because they thought he was the best choice." He said that makes him proud, and that it proves that the country has "come a long way — a good way."" Wikipedia

I liked Andy Rooney, he saw what he saw, and said so, pleasant or not. I never forgot that he was an old fart, so I listened to him the same way I learned to listened to my own father, and every other man of his generation.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Andy Rooney: 1919 - 2011, 60 Minutes, Grumpy Old Guy, CBS, A Few Minutes With, Acting White

Occupy Oakland Will Win The Blame Game But Lose The War

2011-11-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

In light of their sheer numbers and the recent pass given to the Wall Street mortgage-backed securities scammers like Goldman Sachs (by Obama), the Occupiers and their supporters will undoubtedly win the blame game now going on across the country – that is, if they can stay focused through the holiday buying season – which ain't so easy.

However, I happen to think there is easily enough blame to go around on all sides. Conservatives/rich people say the poor folks don’t work hard enough or smart enough, and they are right. The first thing poor folks do with a dollar is spend it like they know where to immediately get five more. For my adult years I have been watching more and more poor folks buy Mercedes-Benz's, BMW's, big trucks, campers, boats, and the like when they should have been putting it to better use, like educating their kids how not to be knuckleheads and looking for a second job to backstop the first.

Rich folks, for their part, turned their attention from manufacturing useful stuff to export, to figuring out to better fleece dumb poor folks by selling them imported crap they do not need, on credit they should not have. The government and politicians have continually lowered the bar on what it allows rich folks to get away with, in pursuit of gullible pocketbooks. To be serious, the rich folks, who should know better, have pooped in their own back yard and the smell has come back on them. The US has the most over-housed, accessorized, fancy-car driving, recreational-vehicle owning, poorly-educated, ill-mannered population on the planet – courtesy of the trend-setting, conspicuous consumption of the rich.

While the Occupiers may win the argument, the war is already over. The rich do not have enough ill-gotten money stashed away, even if they gave it up, to make up for all the super-sized wants and demanded entitlements of poor folks and their unabashed, non-apologizing ignorance of what drives economic and social advancement.

Lastly, who the hell is running Oakland now that Dellums is officially in the pasture? Thank goodness the city does not own any tanks!

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Occupy Oakland Will Win The Blame Game But Lose The War, Jean Quan, Occupy Wall Street, Rich vs. Poor, Acting Black, Acting White

One Trillion Education Bubble Gets No Help From Obama/Boehner

2011-10-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

Washington political leaders on both sides of the isle are hard at work flushing this country down the toilet! In 2006, John Boehner(R), current House Speaker, wrote legislation that deregulated on-line education, ballooning the education debt and defaults from these 'shady', for-profit, institutions that lure the desperate and gullible (here). This year President Obama did a major 180 degree 'cave' on his campaign promise to clean-up this gross misuse of government-guaranteed loans (here). So, I guess we know what these dudes talk about while pretending to play golf. "Whose turn is it to screw the voters/taxpayers?"

The backdrop to these D.C. dealings is the one trillion, that's TRILLION!, in accumulated student debt that the US is closing in on, including a record $100 billion this year alone. Like the housing bubble, it is only a matter of time before the education bubble explodes. The federal government will ultimately curtail these bad government-backed loans made to people pursuing worthless degrees, at over-priced for-profit AND traditional universities and colleges. When this happens, in the not too distant future, young people will truly come to know what some of us already know, they have been screwed by their elders. There is no longer the pot-of-gold at the end of the education rainbow - just inescapable debt shackles and limited job opportunities.

So children, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you should beware (or be aware)! You are not in Kansas anymore (unless of course you actually live in Kansas, then technically you are, but not really, because Dorothy and Toto are dead - got it?).

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: One Trillion Education Bubble Gets No Help From Obama/Boehner, For-Profit Schools, University of Phoenix, Goldman Sachs, Acting Black, Acting White

More Black-on-Black Violence At McDonald's

2011-10-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

WARNING: EXTREME VIOLENCE

Some people (previous post here) accuse me of encouraging racism by posting black people behaving badly (to state it mildly). To the contrary, I think it should be mandatory that everyone see this behavior, so we can stop pretending that this country's faults arise from 'others'.

The McDonald's cashier clearly went beyond simply defending himself, and he will suffer for this. On the other hand these two females stepped over a line that justified the initial response (IMHO). No telling what kind of life-threatening beating they were prepared to give this working black man. This is the risk you take when you assault someone - they may have a metal rod handy and experience in using it.

FTR, I assume that anytime I pass a fifty (rarely), that it will be scrutinized in all high/low tech's of manner, in order to validate it's authenticity - including the risk that it may be both authentic and rejected.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: More Black-on-Black Violence At McDonald's, Rayon McIntosh, Ex-Convict Cashier, Two Black Girls Beat, Acting Black, Acting White

Google Pulls Plug (Again) On White Hate Site - whyblackssuck

2011-10-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

Back in August, I noticed that one of my 'favorite' hate sites, whyblackssuck.blogspot.com, was back up and running after being taken down by Google. As before, I re-started my regular complaints. I'm happy to say that it is gone again, especially since it was spewing the same filth. If you did not see my earlier post, here it is.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Google Pulls Plug (Again) On White Hate Site - whyblackssuck, Racism, Hate Speech, First Amendment, Acting Black, Acting White

#17 Why Do Blacks Love Fried Chicken?

2011-10-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

I see this question a lot. It is best answered with the form of another question, why do people from the southern US love fried foods? The Europeans that settled the south, prior to slavery, were largely Scottish, and they brought the well-established practice of frying food in animal fat, from Scotland. This penchant was unlike the English, who preferred boiling and baking their fowl.

This question gets black-focused airplay in the north and western US, while rarely heard of south of the Mason-Dixon, where asking it would signal unrestrained ignorance. Beyond the south, non-southern whites use the question to disparage geographically transplanted blacks, as though fried-chicken has some magical hold on black people. It does not. It is easily and economically prepared, and it taste good.

If the higher calorie and fat content of fried foods is well known, the better question is why higher educated and higher income Blacks continue behaviors, like eating fried-chicken (see study here), when the inevitable result is poorer health? In general, education, economics and social customs conspire to keep blacks tethered to the mind set where any tasty food is good for you, as long as there is plenty of it.

The study does not say, but it may be that better off blacks, who have assimilated certain key behaviors in order to advance (for example speech and dress) seek to experience nostalgia, or to ‘keep it real’ in one of the few places, the dinner event, that holds no immediate threat of disqualification.

Other ideas?

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: #17 Why Do Blacks Love Fried Chicken?, KFC, Southern Food, Scotland, Stereotypes, Acting White

Random African-ness: Antelope Takes Out Cyclist

2011-10-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

"Evan Van der Spuy, a 17-year-old member of Team Jeep, was flying in the Time Freight MTB Express Mountain race Sunday near Pietermaritzburg when a leaping Red Hartebeest, or antelope, ran smack into him. Travis Walker, his trailing teammate, happened to have a camera strapped to his bike."

James C. Collier

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Al Davis: 1929 -2011

2011-10-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

Just Win Baby!

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Al Davis, Oakland Raiders, Just Win Baby!, AFL, LA Raiders, Acting White

Derrick Bell: 1930 -2011

2011-10-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

Professor Bell, whether it was at Harvard Law, the US Justice Department, or the Oregon School of Law, was unafraid to walk when he felt talking was done. A man who lived his convictions.

James C. Collier

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Steve Jobs: 1955 - 2011

2011-10-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm a nerd, from way back in the stack, and only two years younger than Mr. Jobs. I was a few blocks away at HP, in Cupertino, when Apple began. I worked at Apple during graduate school. If it is possible for a company to touch a person, Apple is all the way it. I am currently building an iPhone app that rendered the stipple (dot) drawing you see here. I build things for every platform, but Apple is the gold standard, warts and all.

Steve Jobs was a lot of things extraordinary and human, but mostly he is proof that if you do not live your life to do the things you love, you are wasting your precious time on the planet.

RIP

Steve Jobs 2005 Standford University Commencement Address.

James C. Collier

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Is Diversity Bake Sale Racism?

2011-09-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

Just yesterday, the UC Berkeley College Republicans (UCBCR), with the support of fellow Republicans from nearby schools, and Prop. 209-advocate and former UC Regent Ward Connerly, conducted a satirical “increase diversity bake sale”, whereby white men were charged $2 for a cup cake, while Asian men paid $1.50, Latino men $1, and black men $.75. Women paid $.25 less than the comparable male price. Three-hundred cupcakes were sold (out). (here) The UCBCR was attempting to draw attention to SB 185, which they feel might water-down the earlier Prop 209, banning affirmative action in college admissions.

A friend who works near the campus responded, ‘that’s so racist’, wherein I said, ‘it’s not racist, just really stupid’. In fact, these bake-sale events are not new to campus Republicans, and seem a vital part of learning the art of not-persuading-anybody-about-anything, as practiced by the group’s leaders/mentors. I have yet to see mocking-your-adversary as an effective tool of argument/persuasion, but the Republicans keep sticking to it, all the way to DC.

The counter-response/protest, by the UC Student Association, was a ‘die-in’, where a bunch of non-sympathizing students wore black clothes and played-dead near the bake sale. This seems a little stupid, as well. Why not counter with a ‘Walgreens’ sale, wherein white males pay $.75, Asians $1, Latinos $1.50, and Blacks $2, for a tube of toothpaste, depending on their suburban/urban store location. Now debate them apples, kiddies!

UC Berkeley?, the number one public institution of higher learning in the US? Makes one wonder about admissions across-the-board, don’t it?

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Is Diversity Bake Sale Racism?, UC Berkeley Republicans, Ward Connerly, Prop 209, SB 185, Acting White

White-Looking Black New Englanders

2011-09-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

When I lived in New England, first to attend Harvard, and then to work, I experienced my introduction to white-looking blacks, who were NOT passing for white. While they would certainly be mistaken for white by most blacks and whites, they made identification as black easy by their conspicuous attendance at all-black events, before you ever knew their history or heard them speak of it.

Unlike passing blacks, these white-skinned blacks, for lack of a better description, are very proud of their black history, some of which dates back even prior to the Mayflower. These ‘white-blacks’ clearly have predominantly Caucasian genetic background, but due to the laws of the day and circumstances, were classified as black and lived their lives as such. They worked as blacks, attended church and school as blacks, and were often (but not always) segregated from opportunities afforded whites. As you would expect, some white-blacks used their white-features to elevate themselves above pigmented blacks, but this author suspects that this elevation is a more common occurrence with traditional light-skinned blacks.

On one occasion, a dear Bostonian friend from a prominent Washington DC family invited me to accompany her on a visit with the grown daughters of a childhood friend. The home of one of the girls resembled typical collegial-Cambridge, white Cambridge that is. Blonde hair and blue eyes were everywhere, especially the children. But something did not seem ‘right’. Everyone was so at ease with my friend’s black-related activities, including the black stranger - me. In the car after we had departed my friend abruptly says, “I know what you are thinking, and the answer is yes, those people are black.” Wow! Did not see that one coming! (I secretly think this smart woman was purposely padding my worldly education, an activity she graciously has repeated to this day.)

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: White-Looking Black New Englanders, Race, Skin-Color, Black Blue-eyed Blonde, Ethnic Identity, Acting White

My Black Cousin Passing As White

2011-08-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

Some thirty years ago, after high school, my late father and I took a road trip from Colorado up to Washington state and then to California to see the countryside and some of his relatives. The folks in the Great North looked like him, light-skinned, but definitely Black. I was probably the most dark relative they had ever seen, making me a bit of a novelty on a generally fun visit. When we arrived in California things were a bit different.

After visiting the relatives I recalled, my Dad said we were going to see a side of the family, in Oakland, I had curiously never met. The woman was actually my father’s first cousin and he had not seen her in twenty years, which placed their last visit in the late fifties. Before arriving at her house, he explained that I had never met her because she had been passing for white in her adult life, and he vowed not to see her again. It seems that the last time they met, she told him to keep his distance so as not to ‘mess-up’ her good thing. It was a rare occasion to consider that my Dad’s feelings could be hurt.

Fast-forward to the day we met her and her husband, and true to his word if I did not know better I would have believed they were white. The husband, in particular, had greenish-blueish eyes that definitely had me thinking 'what the hell'. At first I kept looking at her and my Dad, wondering how he got a white ‘lady’ in his family. As the visit wore on things changed, the more she spoke about our family the blacker and blacker she sounded, until I started to see other relatives in her mannerisms and tones. At this point I no longer perceived her to be white, despite her appearance. Both she an her husband seem to 'act more black' as the visit went on. At the end they promised to stay in touch, but my Dad later said that would not happen. In his eyes, they could not ignore family for the sake of a good living denied to their real kin, and then come back so easily. Curiosity did not change his mind.

Later, when I moved to California I never looked them up and Dad never asked about them. I have not seen nor heard of them them since that meeting. I have no doubt that there are white folks (second cousins in this case) today in the Bay Area to whom I was once related, and if they knew their family background (or cared to reveal it) they could claim their substantial black heritage.

Up Next: White-Looking Black New Englanders

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: My Black Cousin Passing As White, Race, Skin-Color, Toure, Ethnic Identity, Acting White

When Black People Pass As White, and Vice-Versa

2011-08-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, a good friend sent me a NYTimes Magazine article by Toure (here), Preconceptions, which was really about race and identity, although the sub-text debated the pros and cons of corporal punishment. In that article, the black culturalist Toure confronted a white-looking woman on Martha’s Vineyard, who turned out, to his amazement, to be black. The woman’s sister, blonde with blue eyes, became indignant as well that Mr. Toure thought she was also white. White people who are black? Black people who look 100% white? Huh?

When I was a kid growing up in Denver, there was a family, call them the George’s, who began my education on how white people could be black. The parents had twin daughters my age who looked every bit as white as mom and dad, while also being black. Now my own father was very light, but I still had difficulty accepting what my brown-skinned mother said, that the ever-so-white-looking George’s were in fact black. There is a big difference between light-skinned blacks and white-skinned blacks. In the end, my child’s-mind concluded that the George’s were black as it suited them, and/or others. On one hand, black people seemed a lot more social (read fun to a kid) than whites, but this did not change the preference.

Later on, when I was in college, one of the George daughters was in a spectacular downhill skiing accident and nearly died. The news coverage of the day never mentioned that she was black, although stories back then invariably spoke of race if the incident was extraordinary involving a black. In those days, before political correctness, race always mattered and media coverage reflected this. (What was a black person doing trying to ski in the first place!) The bottom line is that people often let others believe what they want, as long as it is to their advantage to do so.

The white-looking black woman Toure wrote about on Martha’s Vineyard certainly benefited from her fair features, whether she would admit it or not. Blacks that ‘pass for white’, by letting others believe their eyes, benefit the most. Studies (one here) show whites, and blacks, continue to favor light-skinned blacks. Toure’s MV subject certainly benefited socially from black acceptance, merited or not. What she or her sister did not count on was Toure’s negative implication that they might be having it both ways.

UP NEXT: My Black Cousin Passing As White

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: When Black People Pass As White, and Vice-Versa, Race, Skin-Color, Toure, Ethnic Identity, Acting White

Random Asian-ness: Sepak Takraw or Pele-ball

2011-07-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! I had no idea what I would see here, but no way could I have envisioned such a game. The hand-eye coordination, speed, and acrobatics are amazing. Should definitely be an Olympic event (IMHO and LMAO). As for toughest sport? - hardly, but maybe the toughest coordination.

James C. Collier

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Race Meets Intelligence To Tragic End On The Streets Of Chicago

2011-07-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

When I saw this headline, "Man Murdered Because of Dripping Air Conditioner" (here), I instinctively considered that those involved, the dead man, his alleged killer, and the six witnesses, were black. Why is that? Is it because black people do, indeed, kill each other in high numbers for the most slight of offenses? Yes, but STOP, that's as far as we can go. The subject of black violence and what might be driving it is taboo, particularly because the measurable intelligence of the perpetrator Charles Sims, and his complaining sister, are drawn directly into question by their actions. We are not allowed to speak of race and intelligence in the same sentence, or risk banishment. But, I'll say it - just did.

African-Americans reflect a one standard deviation difference below the mean intelligence of the non-black population of the US. This is huge, and is/should be, logically, a 'factor-of-interest' for that which has the black population in check-mate, and everybody else blocking. To not consider it is irresponsible. I happen to believe, like U of Mich. Richard Nisbett (here), that intelligence is not as rigid as some people think, and we are ignoring the responsibility to challenge the black community to be 'smarter', in many ways. If black folks can get dumber, the trend that these stories support, then they can also get smarter. Not being able to talk about it for fear of a backlash is keeping everyone ignorant to solutions.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Race Meets Intelligence To Tragic End On The Streets Of Chicago, Charles Sims, Black-on-Black, Murder, IQ, Acting White

Yohann Gene: First Black In The Tour de France

2011-07-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

"Yohann Gene of Guadeloupe has just become the first black cyclist in the Tour de France. The 30-year-old French professional road bicycle racer competes for the UCI Professional Continental team named Europcar.

Considered a role model for many bicycling athletes, Gene has been racing professionally since 2005. He became interested in bicycling at age 17 after moving to Europe. Upon his arrival, Gene entered a special high school course for athletically-gifted pupils..." Time Magazine

So, what's the big deal? Well, the big deal is simply that until whites, or blacks for that matter, see that the other is capable of competing in a particular activity, they have a nasty habit of subscribing all sorts of idiocy to the reason(s) why the activity is exclusive to a group. Too tall, too short, too big, too small, too much fast twitch, to much slow twitch, etc. It really comes down to who cares to devote themselves from an early age.

Notwithstanding all of this year's crashes, I love watching the TDF and cheering for whomever I like, regardless of nationality, or ethnicity. I cheered for that knucklehead Lance Armstrong, all those years, so you best believe I will be searching out Gene tonight on replay, as I catch today's race.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Yohann Gene: First Black In The Tour de France, Black Cycling, Racism, Lance Armstrong, Europcar France, Acting White

Some Parents Turn In Their Children After Riverwest Incidents

2011-07-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

I am not sure what set these Milwaukee young people off on July 3, whereby they looted a BP gas station. I suspect they were simply acting up in a way they felt could not be challenged, but hopefully they are wrong. While police are using the video to investigate, some parents are ahead of the game in turning in their own children, similar to what happened in Vancouver a few weeks ago, when Boston defeated the Canucks in the Stanley Cup. No matter where disorder happens, policing (when it works) can only enforce a minimum standard of behavior, while good parenting leads. (video here).

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Some Parent Turn In Their Children After Riverwest Incidents, Milwakee Wisconsin, Looting, Violence, Kizzy, Acting White

White Oakland Driver Flirts With Getting Nigga’d

2011-06-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

First of all, I never knew that the N-word (which I detest) could be a verb, but I have been told that somewhere in the Oakland slang dictionary you will find a definition that goes something like:
“NIGGA’D, verb (used with object) 1. to deprive of life in any manner, by an individual who is often black and self-described as a “nigga”; cause the death for reasons deemed senseless and grossly out of proportion to any alledged offense or threat”.

Anyhow, as I was exiting the freeway this morning, a black guy in a busted-ass vehicle cut-off an older white man in a late model Infiniti FX SUV. The old white dude took offense and tried to go around N-man on the exit ramp, who was not having any of the displeasure. Meanwhile, I’m getting ready to speed-dial the paramedics, because I’m thinking that this could go very wrong for them and me, as a bystanding driver in the firing line.

Then the mess got hotter. Old white guy pulls along side, rolls down the window, and starts jawing with challenged N-man. Neither moves against the green light. I wait, ready to hit the floor mats. Nothing. I slide past white man quickly and with a very low profile. N-man then proceeds through light, while old white man turns left behind me.

At the next light I wanted to ask the old white man what was wrong with him challenging a brother with such obvious “unresolved economic and social issues”. He could have gotten himself killed over some stupid nothing. Was it worth the risk? Hell no. Long ago, in Boston, I learned that regardless of race, unless someone actually hits your car, keep the F-moving.

I’m no fan of the N-word or its derivations and wish the word would go away, but this does not change the accuracy of the urban defintion, or the warning it represents. Remember, everyone does not place the same value on human life, yours or their own. Word to the wise. Keep moving.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: White Oakland Driver Flirts With Getting Nigga’d, Road-Rage, Killing, Violence, Acting Black, Acting White

Keep'in It Real Is OK For Bikini'd White Man, Huh?

2011-06-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

From the SF Chronicle...

"A photo of the scantily clad man was provided to The Chronicle by Jill Tarlow, a passenger on the June 9 flight from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Phoenix. Tarlow said that other passengers had complained to airline workers before the plane boarded, but that employees had ignored those complaints.

US Airways spokeswoman Valerie Wunder confirmed she'd received the photo before last week's incident in San Francisco and had spoken to Tarlow, but said employees had been correct not to ask the man to cover himself.

"We don't have a dress code policy," Wunder said. "Obviously, if their private parts are exposed, that's not appropriate. ... So if they're not exposing their private parts, they're allowed to fly."

I am not sure what to think about where the world is going, except that sagging Marmon needs to make better decisions in when and how to confront what he believes as unfair treatment.

Thoughts?

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Keep'in It Real Is OK For Bikini'd White Man, Huh?, Double Standard, Deshon Marman, Sagging Pants, Acting Black, Acting White

Keepin' it Real Goes Wrong For UNM Football Player

2011-06-19T00:31:00.000-07:00

"Police say a University of New Mexico football player's saggy pants led to his arrest at San Francisco International Airport. Sgt. Michael Rodriguez says 20-year-old Deshon Marman was boarding a flight Wednesday to Albuquerque, N.M., when a U.S. Airways employee noticed his pants were 'below his buttocks, but above the knees, and his boxer shorts were showing.' Rodriguez tells the San Francisco Chronicle that the employee asked Marman to pull up his pants, but he refused. She then asked him to leave the plane. The officer says that after 15 minutes, Marman got off the plane and was cited for trespassing."

"Chief Deputy DA Wagstaffe explained that Marman has not yet been charged with any crime and that prosecutors will be reviewing the case between now and the July 18 arraignment. He said his office had asked for additional accounts of the incident from airline personnel and passengers.

Police arrested Marman on suspicion of three crimes: battery on a police officer, a felony, and resisting arrest and trespassing, both misdemeanors. He faces up to four years in state prison on the battery charge, and one year and six months, respectively, in a county jail for resisting arrest and trespassing."

Marman has since apologized and stated that if he had it to do again he would have pulled up his pants.

Let's see...sagging pants vs. losing scholarship, prison, etc. Damn straight he wants a do-over.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Keepin' It Real Goes Wrong For UNM Football Player, Deshon Marman, University of New Mexico, Sagging Pants, Acting Black, Acting White

Cyclist and Friend, Tim Bucher, Killed By Distracted Driver

2011-06-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

When I ride my bike this weekend it will be with a heavy heart. A cycling, bike mechanic and musician-friend was killed on his bike a few days ago. I liked Tim (youthfully drawn) and appreciated the concern and expertise he put into my bike. We will all miss him. I hope the person who caused his death realizes that not only did she recklessly extinguished another human being, but also a good guy who was cared for and loved by many. RIP Tim.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Cyclist and Friend, Tim Bucher, Killed By Distracted Driver, Robinson Wheelworks, Fatality, Death, Acting Black, Acting White

Seeing Patients:Unconscious Bias In Heath Care

2011-06-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

There are few people I looked up to more, during my time at Harvard and living in Boston, than HMS Professor Augustus "Gus" White, MD, PhD. "Gus" holds many 'first' distinctions, including his tenure as the first black chief surgeon (orthopaedic) at a Harvard teaching hospital (Beth Israel).

When Gus speaks, smart people listen. He has written a book (pictured) on racial bias in medicine. The book is part autobiography, but in typical fashion it is also a challenge for change. He writes how minorities, particularly blacks, receive different treatment than whites, from pain medications to operations like lung cancer, hip replacements, angioplasty, and also recommended preventive treatments, including flu vaccines and colonoscopies. While never one to shy from controversy, Gus reveals how even the best-intentioned physicians in our society continue a bias that has them fail their oath to do no harm.

James C. Collier

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Chio, Sung-Bong: Korea's Got Talent

2011-06-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

Forget that the folks of Korea's Got Talent edit in their mocking attitude and edit out much of the latter chapter of his life where he finally got help, the story of orphan Sung-Bong Chio is nevertheless inspiring. I'm glad he got help. And it is clear from his words, even edited, that there was an intervention in his rough life that now gives him the chance to feel 'normal', and maybe then some. Good stuff.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Chio, Sung-Bong: Korea's Got Talent, Asian Orphan Singer, Mocking, Dayfly, Acting Black, Acting White

Tracy Morgan's Homophobic Tirade

2011-06-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

Comedian/Actor Tracy Morgan did not accidentally say a bad word about gays. He did a Michael Richards-style implosion, and deserves to go back to square one in his career and prove that he is worth anybody paying to see his ignorant behind. Read what he said here. Apology rejected!

James C. Collier

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Random White Guy Ticketed For Not Riding In Bike Lane

2011-06-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Too Funny. I can't imagine a black guy, or Asian, or Latino doing this, but a white guy? You got it! And thank God for him.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Random White Guy Ticketed For Not Riding In Bike Lane, NYC Police, Casey Neistat, You Tube Protest, Acting Black, Acting White

Blue Eyes Don’t Lie, Do They?

2011-06-03T20:51:00.002-07:00

I am reading one of multiple books by psychologist Paul Ekman, the “Lie To Me” guy (here). Ekman is an expert on the non-verbal, involuntary signaling we do with our bodies. He focuses particularly on our faces, in relation to the words out of our mouths.

Eyes of lesser pigment (like those of stippled actor Z.Efron), be they blue, green, or otherwise, put the pupil on full display (over brown eyes) and this is more telling than you might think. It seems that our pupils, which control the amount of light that enters the eye, are under the control of our autonomic nervous system. When we are in love, or attracted to someone our pupils dilate – get bigger – so we can take in more of a good thing. Evolutionary instinct makes us more, or less, consciously aware of watchful eyes, but we often miss this subtlety in the mad rush.

Lighter eyes more readily show emotional response, and blue eyes show it the best. This is mostly good, but sometimes bad. Our pupils also dilate when we are afraid, or lying. So, in matters of the heart light eyes will likely betray false words, communicating to the audience the person’s truer intent. By example, some high-stakes poker players wear dark glasses, so any dilations do not give away their true position on any given hand, during the game.

So, if you follow Dr. Ekman, the next time a blue-eyed suitor/suitress is listening to you go on and on, with big pupils, take it as a positive sign. But if they are talking, with big eyes, be wary, there is a good chance they are lying their pants off, and perhaps yours too.

James C. Collier

FTR, brown eyes lie, too.

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Supermodel Naomi's Knickers All Knotted Up Over Chocolate Ad

2011-05-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

Just to show that I am not a knee-jerk racist-accusing zealot, I did not find this ad racist. The company may owe Ms. Campbell a fee for use of her name and diva-ish reputation, but the reference would seem clearly positive - as I have yet to meet a female who does not love chocolate. (Story here).

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Supermodel Naomi's Knickers All Knotted Up Over Chocolate Ad, Madison Avenue, MSM, Racism, Acting Black, Acting White

Dove/Unilever Team With Ogilvy & Mather On Racist Pitch

2011-05-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but upon seeing this advertisement there is none. I also believe the racism accusation should be saved from use every time someone acknowledges difference. This is not one of those cases. This is some Madison Avenue racist bull-shit. I will avoid buying anything related to either of these companies in the future. I say boycott them bastards!

Where to start? Ad for soap, before and after, black to white, dirty to clean. Fat to thin. Dry to moist. Wrinkled to smooth. Sassy to demure. Ergo black is undesirable, white rocks the Casbah. And what’s with the skinny Latina? Pandering to up-swing minority at the expense of another. The only thing missing is a tattoo on the sister. I guess Dove cannot wash away ink, just yet.

James C. Collier

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The Avocado: White Oakland Police Officer Does Not Shoot Black Man In BMW

2011-05-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, the day before the world was suppose to end, a white Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy, performed a routine traffic stop in downtown Oakland, near the 19th Street BART Station, with an amazing result. No one black was shot, arrested, beat up (or down), and all parties involved, including the officer, left the scene intact. Nearby witnesses were truly amazed with the event, although a few immediately scattered at the first sight of the deputy approaching a man driving a BMW, wearing dark glasses, baseball cap, earphones, and a chillin’ attitude.

As the officer cautiously knocked on the driver-side window, the black man instantly remembered Chris Rock’s rules for engaging the police (here). Instead of rolling down the window and yelling in a Samuel Jackson voice, ‘WTF do you want MF!’ I calmly said with a smile, ‘hey officer!’ He then moved his hand away from his gun (to my pleasure), and asked if I knew that I was parked in a red zone. I said no, but it was possible because I did not recall seeing any marking as I approached a few minutes earlier. I added that I was waiting to pick up someone from BART and this was a convenient spot.

Now this is where it got interesting. Upon my words, the deputy stepped back with a look of disbelief and shaking his head. He then straightened up and, with authority, asked for my license and registration and if I had anything else to offer, wherein I said, ‘nope, you got me dude!’ I fully expected a citation, but then he busted out laughing, (like when you were a kid trying to keep milk from shooting out of your nose when your brother farted at Grandma’s dinner table). Officer Laughtrack said he could not believe I was offering the truth as my defense, in downtown Oakland, site of riots and sh_t. He said let’s just call this a warning. I was a little offended that he had expected me to make something up, but I figured it was not the right time to get all righteous, seeing how he did not 'accidently' shoot me.

As he drove away grinning, he beeped and waved, the way buddies do. My awaiting girlfriend had been watching this potential ‘hot mess’ from the safety of the BART escalator (smart lady). She asked, ‘what was that all that about, with the flashing lights and the waving?’ I said (in my best puzzled tone), I’m not sure, but I think I just made a friend - and then the world did not end.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: The Avocado: White Oakland Police Officer Does Not Shoot Black Man In BMW, Chris Rock, Violence, Profiling, Acting Black, Acting White

Black Women As Less Attractive? WTF!

2011-05-20T19:06:00.001-07:00

When I heard about the article by Satoshi Kanazawa entitled “Why Are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women? Why black women, but not black men?”, published on May 15, 2011, in Psychology Today, I definitely had a WTF moment. Not because the subject is taboo – I have written about attractiveness (here) – but because only a complete moron would title an article this way, with nothing to back it up.

I expected to see some objective science talking about hip-to-waist ratios, bone structures, body fat, child-rearing and the such, not a collection of seat-of-the-pants observations of attractiveness by a set of ‘interviewers’. What makes visual observations about others objective, but self-observations subjective? Were the observations by the Add Health interviewers conducted under any scientific or statistical rigor? Readers of this intellectual mayhem are left to wonder if Psychology Today was secretly purchased by Rupert Murdoch.

With all this said, the objective case for why the women of Northern Europe are more competitive does exist, as a group. I call it the peacock factor. Men select mates largely based on looks, and colors attract. The women of Northern Europe are unique in sporting the widest range of natural colors, hair, eyes, and skin, so they capture the most attention in a crowd. Are these women better looking, individually? No. Do all the color combinations give them a group advantage, Yes. Does the group advantage accrue to individuals? Somewhat. This is not rocket science, but rather easily understood in the cosmetics area of any retail store, in any neighborhood (urban or otherwise).

I will say that Black women (and men) need to unbunch the undies and clean a little house, while ignoring clowns like Kanazawa. Ladies would do better, competitively, if they dropped the wigs, weaves, and adhesives, and opted for locks – cause sisters with the dreads look great and have healthy length and luster, minus the breakages and bald spots. I will not talk about visiting the gym and laying off sugar, oops, my bad. Anyway, I think Satoshi’s just hitting back because Asian men catch a lot of the same crap he is dishing, and of course, he was looking for some free pub (like Dr. “Obama is a Black Mascot” Cornel West).

Happy Friday!

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Black Women As Less Attractive? WTF!, Santoshi Kanazawa, Blue Eyes, Psychology Today, Acting Black, Acting White

Is Racism Always Bad?

2011-05-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

Clearly, some people think that racism, roughly defined as arbitrary ethnic discrimination, is acceptable, while others think of it as the scourge. I arrive at this question because racism seems more prevalent, or perhaps it is just more confidently peeking from the shadows. Is this because it is ‘not that bad’, or even essential (God forbid).

Every day we make acceptable choices based on race; who to date, whom to marry, or associate - and this all seems okay. We cheer for our favorite sports team, and disparage their/our opponents, and this is okay. So why is race off-limits? Some people surely wonder, quietly, what was so special about the slavery of the Atlantic Slave Trade, or the genocide of the Holocaust, that racism, a naturally occurring phenomenon, should be banished, absolutely. Besides, both Africans and Jews discriminate based on race, just like everybody else, do they not? As long as everybody has their equal rights, why such fusses about what people think, say, or, within limits, do?

Is judging someone solely on the content of his or her character realistic? Is this even possible? Is how we look ever an accurate indicator of who we are, or what we are up to? Are tattoos and sagging pants only fashion statements, and never warnings? Perhaps humanity has reached a plateau where social advancement is simply beyond our current reach, as constrained by the instinctive urge to compete and dominate each other.

On the other hand, the urge to compete also inherently defines and motivates our advancement. If we surrender it, will we trade some temporary Utopian pipe dream for ultimate stagnation, and our demise? So, the real question, in all of this, is whether racism is a bitter dimension of progress, that we should figure out how to accept (and manage), or the thing forever blocking a better road ahead.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Is Racism Always Bad?, Slavery, Holocaust, Interracial, Acting Black, Acting White

Random Science: Better Living Through Fractals

2011-05-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

If you have ever wondered why your tiny cell-phone can capture so much 'stuff' out of thin-air, thank the inventor of the fractal antenna - Nathan Cohen.

Background: A fractal is "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity. -- from Wikipedia

If you simply like cool stuff, check out this voyage through a 3D fractal.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Random Science: Better Living Through Fractals, Mandelbrot, Nathan Cohen, Technology, Acting Black, Acting White

Why Are Black People Mean?

2011-05-09T13:30:00.001-07:00

Extending the discussion (here) of violence, any student of human behavior knows that negative emotions are the precursors to violence. So, the key to stemming that violence, black-on-black, black-on-white, or otherwise, is getting a handle on the precipitators – apathy, grief, fear, hate, shame, blame, regret, resentment, anger, or hostility. Conflict is inevitable, but how we view it - internalize it - makes all the difference. BTW, I purposely use the descriptor 'mean', rather than angry, to steer discussion inward. Besides, everybody knows why Black folks are angry (I think).

I offer that the cultural tendency to confront the physical person, rather than their beliefs, is a significant driver to the statistical disparities of conflict outcomes. In his book, “Black and White Styles in Conflict”, Prof. Thomas Kochman (here) goes into detail on how Blacks debate the person first, followed by the issue(s). Very simply, the ‘hotter’ the words, the greater the chance of a physical outcome.

Last week I observed this tendency, in two separate business meetings, where emotions ran hot between Black business adversaries. Distracting personal challenges surfaced very inappropriately in these educated professionals. In both cases, angry or personal words appear mean-spirited and physically intimidating, although I do not believe that pre-meditated intimidation was the intention. Nevertheless, this type of exchange is too common, leading to individual and group suffering.

Of course, unique cultural character can make words seem threatening, when they are not. Contrary to any stat on Chinese-on-Chinese violence, elderly Chinese ladies talking in their native language, as I witness in the grocery store, sound as though a fight is about to break out. On the other hand, such words between Blacks can have folks looking for the exits. Blog comments by Blacks are another case in point - they get personal very quickly. In the end, not making conflict personal is the challenge for many Blacks, and one reason why meanest stereotypes and violent outcomes live on and in higher numbers.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Why Are Black People Mean?, Angry Blacks, Black Violence, Attitude, Acting Black, Acting White

White Violence, Navy Seals and the Death of Osama

2011-05-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

In the shadow of my previous post on black violence (here) and the recent killing of terrorist leader, Osama Bin Laden, perhaps it is appropriate to talk more about violence, specifically non-urban, non-black violence. On one side I feel good that the mastermind of the 9-11 tragedy is gone. On the surface, our government killed him in response to him killing many thousands of Americans and Muslims alike, under his jihadist rhetoric. However, I will always wince when governments sanction and carry-out actions to kill named individuals. It is a slippery slope to be on, considering the strangeness of bedfellows.

The reality of publicly eliminating the practical and/or symbolic leadership of a sworn and deadly enemy brings violence, and its epitome, the taking of a life, front-and-center onto humanity’s stage. Fighting and killing is what we humans do, better than anything else. The Navy Seals are our most elite example of evolved, expert, surgical-level, violence, but in the end it is all the same - the best killers that technology has to offer, killed a man. Killers, it is what we are.

I have a good friend whose young son is training in hopes of joining the Seals as an officer. On one side, I am cheering the kid on, because he is an ace and wants to defend his country in this way. On the other hand, I shudder to think of him as the killing machine the Navy will make of him. The sacrifice he will make for our benefit will be great. Those Black Ops guys must leave their souls at the gates of hell, less they come to think of themselves as gods. They have a target that they kill, retrieve, or blow up, without any consideration beyond the order. It has to be that way. FTR, Bin Laden is dead because that is what it said on the order, period.

We should know this about the killing, it cannot stop. It will not stop. Us or them. Them or us. Our planet is getting smaller with each smartphone. The human infestation continues, with a competition for dominion increasing from the leading to trailing edges of global society. It is happening in places like Kenya, and Tibet, New York, and New Zealand - by governments and street-thugs alike. I guess this is progress, to somebody.

UPDATE: Here is what the White House had to say about the timing of the Seal Team 6 rescue on the same day as Obama's 2012 State of the Union address. You be the judge.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: White Violence, Navy Seals, and the Death of Osama, Rule-of-Law, Seal Team Six, Obama, Acting Black, Acting White

#16 Why Are Blacks So Violent?

2011-04-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

After the recent spate of violence to plague McDonald’s restaurants, I have noticed this question continuing to pop up in discussion forums, and in my head, as well. The answers tossed around are usually either racist/ignorant, PC-silly, or some combination. I thought I would try my hand at something more enlightened. Before I start, the reasons that Blacks are violent are both similar and different than for Whites (who I will cover another time). Here goes.

Reason Part 1. Modern-era ethnic Africans, with ancestral influence dating back at least 5,000 years, and including Africa-Americans, have significantly less relative exposure to the rule-of-law (ROL) and, therefore, less cultural acceptance and manifestation of same. ROL provides a process and procedure for guiding and controlling behavior, and specifically managing conflict.

Reason Part 2. Black Americans, from slavery to recent years, have lived under a compromised (i.e. exploitative) version of this country’s Euro-based rule-of-law, as embodied in the US Constitution. This bastardized ROL singled-out the group for abuse under color of authority, thereby making eventual trust and acceptance in the law nearly impossible, if not always more difficult than with other citizens (especially recent immigrants).

Reason Part 3. The poor and uneducated, in general, have less adherence to the rule-of-law (and protection, as well) even when all additional factors are counted. African-Americans are disproportionately represented in the poor and uneducated demographics.

These reasons are simply explanatory. They are not excuses, nor are they allowances. Regardless of group experiences, Blacks are individuals with full responsibility for their specific actions. Historical experience must never override adherence to laws, even in the case where parts or the whole of the law is errantly applied. To do so invites the greater risk of social collapse, the companion of anarchy.

I'm no authority, just a blogger asking why. Thoughtful alternatives? Come one, come all.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: #16 Why Are Blacks So Violent?, Rule-of-Law, Beat Down, Racism, Acting Black, Acting White

McDonald's Violence: Black-on-White

2011-04-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

WARNING: DISTURBING VIOLENCE. In this video, two black girls beat a white girl into potentially fatal condition at a Baltimore McDonald's restaurant, with only marginal intervention from store management, and abetting by other store employees. An older women ultimately comes to the white girl's aid, but not soon enough to keep her from convulsing. I don't know what led up to this, but I cannot imagine any justification. "Stop this crazy world, I want to get off!"

HT/Mangan's

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: McDonald's Violence: Black-on-White, Black Girls, Beat-Down, Racism, Acting Black, Acting White

Abortion: Black Genocide vs. Performance Gap

2011-04-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

There is a growing right-to-life strategy, in America, of labeling legal abortions as racism and genocide. Nothing could be further from the truth. The disproportion in black abortions reported is not due to a conspiracy of whites, in general, or Planned Parenthood specifically. Rather, it is the direct result of black women and men, together, shifting the responsibility of whether or not to potentially make a baby until after conception. I suggest that this is a performance gap (of responsibility).

According to the US Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), black women, as just over 12% of the US population, have 36% of the total abortions. Hispanic women in equal percentages have 25% of the abortions. White women, at 69% of the population have but 36% of all abortions. In all cases, these abortions are the choice of the mother, courtesy of Roe v. Wade and the right granted by the Supreme Court for women to control their own bodies.

In keeping with the disparity in baby decision-making between whites and blacks, white contraception usage in the US is 65%, versus 55% for blacks, and 59% for Hispanics, according to the US Census Bureau.

Beyond the evangelical hype, genocide is when one group of people goes about killing another group. In this case, black women are forcing themselves, at higher numbers, into an after-the-fact abortion decision, rather than a before-the-fact contraception decision with their sexual partner. This is not genocide, but rather it is a crude, emotional, and expensive form of birth-control.

Right-to-life organizations are certainly within their own rights to continue to wage their battle to overturn Rowe v. Wade on religious and moral grounds, but the manufacture of a race-card defense is neither moral nor religious. The accusation of whites, by whites or blacks, of purposely killing black babies for the purpose of extinguishing the group is wrong-headed and plays upon the blacks-as-forever-victims-of-the-white-man meme, even if by their own hands.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Abortion: Black Genocide vs. Performance Gap, Obama, Planned Parenthood, Racism, Acting Black, Acting White

Black Friends Defend Republican Marilyn Davenport of Orange County

2011-04-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Orange County Republican Marilyn Davenport, accused of racism, got some help from her black friends in S. Carolina, to back up her claim that they are just fine with her depiction of President Obama as an ape-child. One of her 'darkies', (Davenport's affectionate reference), sent this recent snap shot taken at a meeting of the National Federation of Republican Women. Ms. Davenport added, "I may be an old bigot, but I'm not a liar".

I guess we owe Ms. Davenport an apology. Mon erreur.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Black Friends Defend Republican Marilyn Davenport of Orange County, Obama, Tea Party, Racism, Acting Black, Acting White

Orange County Racism: Marilyn Davenport Style

2011-04-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Orange County Tea-bagger Marilyn Davenport has some explaining about why she thought it was acceptable to send an email containing this picture. And does the fact that she has blacks that she calls friends make any difference? Furthermore, she said she only sent it to people who wouldn't be offended. Problem is that this list should have included people who also like her. Clearly, at least one of her 'friends' wants to see her bake - and bake she shall.

See what Davenport's alleged black friends have to offer in her defense (here).

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Orange County Racism: Marilyn Davenport Style, Obama, Tea Party, Racism, Acting Black, Acting White

Korean Beauty Supply and Black People

2011-04-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

I live in Oakland's Koreatown and there is a lavender & purple-painted beauty supply store down the street, so when I saw this David So comedy skit I just about busted a gut.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Korean Beauty Supply and Black People, David So, Asians, Racism, Acting Black, Acting White

Obama 2012: Smoke and Butts

2011-04-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

I will certainly rub many of my friends the wrong way on this, but with President Obama’s announcement, today, to run for re-election in 2012, I am not looking forward to him blowing political smoke in the vicinity of my hind-quarters for two years (again). His message? How he needs my help to ‘continue’ changing America. Heck, I am still waiting for him to start a real fight for the change he promised on the run up to his 2008 victory. Let us not kid ourselves - the only thing worse than Obama winning was McCain, but only by a political whisker.

Rather than fight to put this country on a new course, Obama has shown himself to be less of a savvy leader and more of a junior politician, in a town already up to its neck in tricksters. Today, he starts trying to wake all of those folks who left their seats in the stands in 2007-08 to literally pushed him over the election goal line. Once in office, he told the faithful to retake their seats, while he has proceeded to get pummeled playing politics the old-fashioned way – making deals with the devil until the two are indistinguishable.

I do not doubt that Obama will win in 2012, going in with close to a billion dollars raised to get and stay in office. However, we are playing the same old game of voting for someone who stinks a little less than their opponent. Wars will continue, people will die, jobs will go missing, corruption will skate freely, crime will not abate, schools will fail, and the trains will continue their lateness. However, and more importantly, the needed show-down around values and ethics erosion, whose absence encourages the often-selfish ‘haves’ of this country to prey upon the often-complacent ‘have-nots’, will have to wait for a true change-agent leader - whose name is definitely not Obama.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Obama 2012: Smoke and Butts, Announcement, Politics, President, Acting Black, Acting White

Elizabeth Taylor: 1932 - 2011

2011-03-24T10:44:00.001-07:00

NYTimes (here).

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Elizabeth Taylor: 1932 - 2011, Movie Star, AIDS, Michael Jackson, Acting Black, Acting White

Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins: 1913 - 2011

2011-03-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

See NYTimes article (here).

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins: 1913 - 2011, Delta Blues, Pianist, Muddy Waters, Acting Black, Acting White

UCLA Anti-Asian Rant Sparks Asian Creativity

2011-03-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

Some of the responses to the Alexandra Wallace UCLA rant are gosh-dern entertaining. Here is one of many. Warning: This little catchy gem may stick to your brain. H/T to Desertflower.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: UCLA Anti-Asian Rant Sparks Asian Creativity, Ching Chong Song, Jimmy Wong, Alexandra Wallace, Acting Asian, Acting White

White UCLA Co-ed Goes On Anti-Asian Rant

2011-03-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

Can someone tell what the hell this young woman (Alexandra Wallace) was thinking? I thought UCLA was a difficult school to attend, but this clearly is not the case for some. Word is that she has voluntarily withdrawn from the school (not dismissed), for her own protection. You got that right! Asians are 37% percent of enrollment!

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: White UCLA Co-ed Goes On Anti-Asian Rant, Ching-Chong, Death Threats, Alexandra Wallace, Acting Black, Acting White

Class Warfare: Jalen Rose-Grant Hill Controversy

2011-03-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

With all the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear calamity going on in Japan, I nearly missed the face-off between the black social classes, as represented by professional basketball superstars, Jalen Rose, representing Michigan and the underprivileged, and Grant Hill, playing for team Duke and the bourgeois. Who would have thought there could still be such odds within the black community, but here it is.

It seems that Mr. Rose produced an ESPN documentary that included waxing on how he and other Michigan “Fab Five” players thought black players on rival Duke, including Mr. Hill, were ‘Uncle Toms’ and ‘bitches’. Mr. Rose is clear in saying he resented the middle-class, intact family origins of Hill and others, sought out by elite Duke, and Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski). I’m sure Jalen Rose was not the only black nineteen year old from the ghetto to ever harbor animosity toward those of greater privilege, and Mr. Hill should understand that the best defense to the accusation of 'elitism' is no defense. The NYTimes is not the medium to show that you missed the salient point, however poorly emphasized.

Jalen, for his part, still clearly has some growing up to do. His cinematic efforts leave murky his personal developments about blacks like Mr. Hill, rather than making it clear that what he thought at nineteen was then, and now he is a grown man who knows better. Weak attempts at apology and explanation, after the fact, cannot erase the sting that Mr. Hill felt through Rose’s on-screen denigrations.

More importantly, these highly-paid athletes serve up the rarely discussed issue of class, within race, in black America. These discussions are more typically punctuated with name-calling, minus any supporting discussion. I hope that some good will come of it, as both men seem to have positive contributions that extend beyond the basketball court.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Class Warfare: Jalen Rose-Grant Hill Controversy, Duke, Uncle Tom, Bitches, Acting Black, Acting White

The Case of Multi-lingualism in America

2011-03-14T18:15:00.001-07:00

A friend with an upcoming vacation to Barcelona, Spain, asked me why I have taken up teaching myself French. I have never been to France, and have no near-term plans to visit. The closest I get every year to the land of Napoleon is watching 21 days of the Tour de France. Nevertheless, learning French is on my ‘bucket list’, as I think it sounds nice, and I envision the inviting French countryside, similar to time I spent in Italy.

Offering me another chance at PC-ness, my friend revised herself and asked why I was not learning a language of greater utility to a Californian, like Spanish. I thought hmmm? Good (and tricky) question. On one hand, it makes sense to learn Spanish, as so many Mexican immigrants do not speak English. Conversely, it begs the question if this country’s accommodation, through increasing bilingualism, really helps bridge cultures and people? Perhaps, perhaps not.

If I were to live in France, or Italy, I would not want them learning English on my account, or confusing themselves into thinking that their lives would gain some diversity ‘bump’ by doing so, either. When in Italy, I stammered, stumbled, and goofed my way through Italian, quite to the appreciation and entertainment of the people (I’m sure). But hey, it’s not my country! Remaking them to my liking is not cool.

Concluding, I may learn French if my brain and mouth can work together, but I will not have as a priority to learn the language of immigrants, including Swahili, in order to make it easier for the newly arrived or me. This country needs its citizens to rally around one language, English, one culture, American, and its development and furtherance as a purpose. We simply cannot afford the cultural division and economic high-cost of multiple language systems and divisive off-shoots.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: The Case of Multilingualism in America, Nationalism, Bigotry, Stereotypes, Acting Black, Acting White

Racial Battle Fatigue?

2011-03-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

No one in their right mind would argue that our society is free of racism. But is every act influenced by race deserving of the accusation, and all that it brings? Contrary to what I read and hear, my answer would be no. Like it or not, ethnicity, as indicated by race, describes difference that can be meaningful, as well as meaningless, or both, in the case of personal preference like dating, worshipping, or joining a private club.

A few months ago I was waiting to join a friend for dinner, in the lobby of a nice San Francisco hotel, when an older white gentlemen and his wife approached me as though I was the doorman. I politely directed them, with their questions, to the actual doorman, a young white man uniformed as such. I was annoyed for that instant, but felt immediately better when I move away from the door to a seat near the restaurant. My friend arrived thereafter and we had a nice evening meal.

Now, in my younger years, this event would have clouded the evening as an indication of the pervasive nature of racism in this country. In allowing the negative wake of the man’s ignorance to remain, I would have pushed my blood pressure up, and set off a host of stress responses that would ultimately shorten my life. The daily influence of these types of incidents is evidenced in a recent article (here) entitled, “Constant Race-Based Discrimination Can Lead to 'Racial Battle Fatigue' for African-Americans”.

What I think the study misses is the power and control of perception that resides with the recipient of these alleged discriminations. In most cases, the intent of the discriminator is immaterial to the greater damage that the recipient allows the slight to inflict. I prefer the water on the ducks' back approach, except for the circumstances where my rights are reduced. Freedom from ignorant people who annoy us is not guaranteed by the constitution.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Racial Battle Fatigue?, Racism, Slights, Stereotypes, Acting Black, Acting White

Clarence Thomas’ Silence Revealed

2011-03-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

Clarence Thomas owns the modern-day record for a Supreme Court Justice not saying a peep, while doing their job. Five years! Nothing to say in five years? What is up with that?

To my thinking, Thomas achieved his spot on the bench fair and square - he was appointed. All that was required was that senior Bush, ‘like’ him, and he did. He needed confirmation, and he was. So that’s that – end of story. Nonetheless, Thomas has helped keep controversy of his nomination alive, mostly through his and his wife’s ineptness, and not being willing to let go of the past. We now hear that he failed to disclose his wife’s non-investment income for the past six years! Clarence please!

Now, the question on the federal forms that all justices must annually complete is not so tough. It comes in the form of a check box next to “Spouse’s Non-Investment Income”. Thomas repeatedly marked “None” when, in fact, his wife took in over $700,000 from her conservative think-tank, the Heritage Foundation. He says he did not understand the question. Please (again). Call me a smart-butt, but it seems that in hiding behind such an implausible excuse, he is re-making the case for himself as the 'affirmative action justice', or a really bad liar. For God’s sake man, it’s a check box!!!

As for his silence on the bench, it strikes me that an ambitious man who relishes a position of which he has arguable business, has two problems. On one hand, he runs the risk that his character may someday let him down (as it has in the past), illuminated in the case of lying on disclosure forms, perhaps to avoid more serious conflict-of-interest allegations. On the other hand, he also runs the risk of revealing that his brain lacks the horsepower for the job (Peter principle). In each scenario, even poor counsel would advise him to, “keep your mouth shut and hope they don’t notice”. Viola! Silence, with no end in sight.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Clarence Thomas’ Silence Revealed, Ginnie Thomas, Disclosure, Heritage Foundation, Acting Black, Acting White

Reverend Peter J. Gomes: 1942 - 2011

2011-03-03T22:39:00.000-08:00

For many, Gomes was an enigma wrapped in a conundrum. Black, Republican, Gay, Preacher, Theologian, Pilgrim-phile, and son of Harvard. What a package this man was. But what always seemed clear was his wit, along with his devotion to his Harvard 'flock'. Coming out had to be as tough as living in the closet.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Reverend Peter J. Gomes: 1942 - 2011, Harvard, Divinity, Diversity, Acting Black, Acting White

Little Black Girl White Girl Heaven

2011-03-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

We see terrible HD visuals everyday to the point of numbness. But then again on very rare occasions we get lucky and spot something so beautiful and real that we freeze ‘alive’ in our tracks. This happened to me this past Sunday, after my workout. I was not delirious, even though 50 minutes of standing intervals on a spin bike, breathing only through the nostrils, is known to make one tipsy. I was actually sitting in the open jacuzzi when two five year old girls cautiously edged into the water.

All the adults present, both men and women, saw it at the same time. One girl was very dark-skinned, with the clearest brown doe-eyes, and the thickest long dreadlocks – not the kind you buy over the counter. The other girl was flawlessly-pale white, with long blond hair, bleached in streaks only by the sun, and with the bluest of blue eyes. The two were glued to each other in the way only little girls know how to do – they moved as one. My first thought, who's got a camera? Then I remembered, CAMERAS NOT ALLOWED! Damn!

These little ladies were apprehensive to the stir they created in the adults, who just earlier were happy to simmer aging muscles quietly in the 100 degree bubbling pool. Each grown-up took their turn dropping verbal wonderment onto the two. When it was my turn, all I could say was that they made a perfect post card, as I framed them with my hands. At this gesture, the two smiled in unison toward me such that I relived that rare and speechless first moment when my own daughter was born. Just totally amazing.

Don’t tell me we can’t do way more than get along, if we try. No better motivation than those two darlings, and all the rest.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Little Black Girl White Girl Heaven, Sisters, Harmony, Diversity, Acting Black, Acting White

Who Is Going To Shoot Obama?

2011-02-24T23:35:00.000-08:00

"At Rep. Paul Broun’s town hall meeting on Tuesday, the Athens congressman asked who had driven the farthest to be there and let the winner ask the first question.
We couldn’t hear the question in the back of the packed Oglethorpe County Commission chamber, but whatever it was, it got a big laugh. According to an outraged commenter on the article, the question was, when is someone going to shoot Obama?"

"Broun's press secretary, Jessica Morris, confirmed that the question was indeed, who is going to shoot Obama? "Obviously, the question was inappropriate, so Congressman Broun moved on," she said."

Broun's response, "The thing is, I know there’s a lot of frustration with this president. We’re going to have an election next year. Hopefully, we’ll elect somebody that’s going to be a conservative, limited-government president that will take a smaller, who will sign a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare."

"Threatening the President of the United States is a class D felony under United States Code Title 18, Section 871. It consists of knowingly and willfully mailing or otherwise making "any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States".

My reaction. With this type of public urging and tacit support by our so-called leaders, it is only a matter of time before some nut-job tries to kill the president, and our weakening grasp on democracy. It is reasonable to disagree with the president, but it is patently un-democratic, un-patriotic, and un-American (not to mention illegal) to entertain ANY notion of his assassination. When such displays become acceptable, as they seem to be, that crazy guy wearing that 'the end is near placard' is not seeming so crazy after all.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Who Is Going To Shoot Obama?, Paul Broun, Tea Party, Right Wing, Assassination, Acting White

Judge Rules White Girl Will Be Tried As Black Adult

2011-02-20T22:35:00.000-08:00

Some of you may remember when a young white female shot a bullet into my apartment (here) only to ultimately get a pass on the felony charge of recklessly discharging a firearm. I believed her 'walk' on the charge would have never happened had she been black or Latino. This youtube bit by the Onion News Network may qualify as satire, but I found it very life-like pertaining to considerations to give justice a kick in the pants.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Judge Rules White Girl Will Be Tried As Black Adult, Onion News Network, Laws, Satire, Acting Black, Acting White

Black People, Backgammon and Cheating

2011-02-18T21:07:00.001-08:00

I just picked-up the new iPhone from Apple. One of the apps I bought was backgammon for an amazing $.99. I played a lot of this in college many years ago, but what struck me was not how great the gadget is (indeed it is), but rather that this particular game (not made by Apple BTW) cheats like a SOB. I am a software developer and a life-long student of probability. Eight times out of ten the roll of the dice that the computer-as-opponent needs to advance, it gets. Double sixes in a row, right when I’m about to finally win a game - WTF! I am getting my ass kicked. Herein lies a lesson for black folks. Cheating is an integral part of human nature, expressed in games or anything else, and confronting it smartly is critical to competitiveness.

Present-day blacks behave as though they do not understand cheating. The group responds to it very poorly, and practices it even more poorly - with disastrous results. Black slave ancestors would be appalled how their kin have errantly placed so much of their faith in the legal system, and lost their guile and cunning for outsmarting others. Sometimes it seems that everyone, except blacks, understand that laws and cheating walk hand-in-hand. Alternately, when today’s blacks break the rules, they too often take pleasure in doing it in plain, kiss-my-butt, sight of the authorities, making conviction, and punishment inevitable. Again, ancestors would shake their heads in wonderment.

When my backgammon strategy adjusted to take into account the cheating nature of my micro-processing opponent, I immediately began winning. The program continues to roll suspicious combinations, but rather than getting upset and calling Rev. Inc., I think about additional adjustments to my approach in order to confound the little bastard’s cheating heart. Right now, I still lose more than I win, but I have only had the game for a week and I already see how this is going to end.

Let’s be clear, I do not practice or advocate cheating, and the game maker may have simply wanted a challenging interaction, but laden herein is the lesson that cheating is a fact of life. Furthermore, we must each factor cheating adversaries into our game plan for achievement, or prepare for the short-end. Finally, no legal system, including one as good as ours, can match the cheating nature of humans, so expecting the law to deliver predictable, consistent, and fair results is simply not realistic. I think it is time for a different approach.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Black People, Backgammon and Cheating, Civil Rights, Laws, Human Nature, Acting Black, Acting White

State Farm Black Couple 'Perfection'

2011-02-13T23:22:00.000-08:00

Over at Booker Rising (here) a commenter tossed forth another ad presenting a cut on black relationship dynamics. I thought it was good, although others disliked it, similar to the Pepsi spot (here). Note that in the SF spot the first black woman is both pretty and an alpha - showing they are not mutually exclusive.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: State Farm Black Couple 'Perfection', Black Women, Alpha, Stereotypes, Acting Black, Acting White

Love American Style

2011-02-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

Where to start? This SuperBowl ad was trying to 'keep it real' about sex and race. It plays up stereotypes for their shortcut accuracy, however biting. While it features a black woman and man, along with white woman, the director was probably a white man, so it really has everything. Here are my top ten thoughts:

1. The wife is big, but not too big. Ding! Correct. Black women lead the nation in big bones.

2. The wife is wearing an obviously purchased and unnatural hairpiece. Ding! Correct. Again, black women lead in this category.

3. The wife is the alpha in the relationship - Ding. Correct. Black woman are alphas, period.

4. The husband is timid. Ding! Correct. Timidity is too often and sadly the mark of a successfully married black man. Scratch that, ANY man! (Clarification - successful marriage to any alpha requires, how do we say, accommodation skills)

5. The white woman is looking after her looks and health. Ding! Correct. White women lead in active life styles.

6. The husband acknowledges another woman, who is prettier, in his wife's presence. Gong! Never happen. Dude would not have not made it this far.

7. The white woman flirts, ignoring the obvious danger. Ding! Correct again. I have witnessed this over and over. Just what was she thinking?

8. The black woman reacts violently. Ding. The stats back this up.

9. The ending. Gong! Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Here is where the assumed white male director intervened. Instead of the cowardly hit and run ending, timid black man would have rendered aid and feisty black woman would not have said 'sorry' to the flirting runner, but would have also demanded silly husband make sure silly white woman was okay.

10. Of course, I could be all wrong. Remember, it is Friday.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Love American Style, Pepsi Ad, SuperBowl Ads, Stereotypes, Acting Black, Acting White

Random Jockness: UConn's Trick Shot Quarterback

2011-02-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I'm just weird, but I could not turn this video off! It reminded me of the Larry Bird/Magic Johnson faux trick shot competition commercials. UConn 'real deal' Johnny McEntee's hand-eye coordination must put him in the top 99.99 percentile, and therefore, it is worth witnessing (IMHO). Enjoy - or skip it (if 1-in-a-million bio-mechanics holds no allure).

James C. Collier

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Four Houston Police "Rodney King" Young Black Suspect

2011-02-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

Just in case you have not seen it, the Houston Police went all "Rodney" on a young black suspect nine months ago. The media and the public did not know what happened until a few days ago when a judge ordered the released of the tape of the 'stomping' incident.

Although the fifteen year-old (at the time) definitely was attempting to elude the officers, he also clearly surrendered, laying on his stomach with his hands behind his head, before anyone touched him. In Houston, as in the King case, this positioning is clearly aggressive and taunting, such that a boatload of officers were compelled to punch and kick the living hell out of the handcuffed lad. Kind of reminds me of hyenas. And the kid, who needed to learn a lessen, instead gets one even more ruinous - just where is Mr. King anyway?

See for yourself before another judge pulls back the video.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Four Houston Police "Rodney King" Young Black Suspect, Cop Beatdown, Brutality, Violence, Acting Black, Acting White

Black Kids With White Names? Steve vs. Jaleel

2011-02-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

In a recent weekend conversation with my fifteen-year old son, we got onto the subject of how people are easily led to believe that which is not true. It is human nature, the lazy part at least, that has us grab the handiest explanation for things, even when a little applied brainpower tells us something different. He presented an interesting example of his understanding.

The black kids at his predominantly white, Jesuit (Catholic) high school accuse him of having a ‘white’ name, to go with his sounding white (english diction-wise). I recalled the names of his black friends as containing more than a smattering of Jaamals, DeShawns, and the like. He added that he was glad his mother and I didn’t give him a similar ‘black’ name. Man, my head hurts. I thought this ‘acting white’ thing might play itself out. Wrong.

It is bad enough that too many black parents saddle their kids with names that will forever attach them to ghetto images, regardless of where they actually start or what they achieve. Now, not having one of these ‘ghetto fabulous’ names can identify a person as less ethnically authentic (to some), at least in name, right out of the gate. More accurately, the kids are saying that new parents not only act black, but also act white, in how they choose to name their children.

For the record, my son is named for his maternal grandfather’s favorite city in his home state of Texas. Not surprising, this connection to his departed grandpa brought a smile to the boy’s face, that only emphasized the point of how easily his black classmates had led themselves astray, in what his name says and does not say.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Black Kids With White Names? Steve vs. Jaleel, Ghetto Baby Names, Ethnicity, Creative Naming, Acting Black, Acting White

Jack LaLanne: 1914-2011

2011-01-27T08:59:00.001-08:00

I never met Mr. LaLanne, but I am a Board member of the Berkeley YMCA where he was a long-time member and supporter (emeritus). I certainly watched him on television, as a kid, and always marveled at his 'feats of fitness'. Our society owes him a huge debt of gratitude for helping to lead the way to the importance of a fit and healthy body.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Jack LaLanne: 1914-2011, Fitness, Strongman, Health, Celebrity, Acting White

Angry Uncle Beats Nephew For Being A Gangster On FaceBook

2011-01-25T11:10:00.000-08:00

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

This is an example why parents need three hands. One hand to keep the kid from running, a second hand to train the belt onto the wayward backside of a dependent knucklehead, and finally, a third hand to hold up his own temporarily belt-less pants.

I don't agree with this man's language, but he is making a point I can get behind. Note: this was not a beat-down, but rather an old-fashioned whipping, with more ritual and embarrassment, with a side-order of pain, to get and keep young man's attention to the message.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Angry Uncle Beats Nephew For Being A Gangster On FaceBook, Gangsta Whipping, Corporal Punishment, Parenting 101, Acting Black, Acting White

Why Are Europeans In Such A Hurry?

2011-01-24T21:51:00.001-08:00

The average work pace of an employed German citizen is faster than anybody else on the planet. Irish people walk faster than everybody else. The Swiss have the most accurately set, and re-set, timepieces, and across all measures they live life at the fastest overall pace. So says the research of Professor Robert Levine, of Cal State Fresno, author of "A Geography of Time" (here).

So why does this matter? Life is not a race, is it? Well, it kind of is. Living at a faster pace is like speeding in your car. Speeding safely requires that the driver look farther down the road, with more accurate anticipation of what lies ahead. So, the skill that makes Lewis Hamilton a champion Formula One driver is his ability to see, think, and react ahead of his 200 mph race car, better than the competition. Speed and great anticipation go hand-in-hand in societies, as well as speed freaks.

Historically, when fast-paced societies meet up with slower ones, the faster folks easily dominate. When all difference is accounted for, the ‘early bird’ does indeed get the worm, the girl, the nice house, the fancy car, the fat paycheck. The speedy get the upper hand and never release their lead, unless the rules of competition are somehow changed. America is slowing down. Mexico is dead last (of those the professor studied) on the speed of living scale, according to Levine’s research observers. African countries and their transplants seem to compete with Central and South Americans for slowness.

Mind you, being fast does not make you better, per Professor Levine (or me), it just makes it easier to master your domain and dominate others. The Swiss, German, or Japanese ideals arguably leave much happiness on the table, while their people speed about their lives. I recall searching a toy store in Frankfurt airport for my son - not a model Porsche in sight. Nevertheless, the influence of pace is uncontestable. The next time you see lateness or earliness in yourself, or others who look similar or different, take a moment to consider how the speed and pace, and horizon, of different cultures plays into who is on top, and who is not.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Why Are Europeans In Such A Hurry?, Geography of Time, Time Horizon, Immigrants, Acting Black, Acting White

Do Black People Avoid COSTCO?

2011-01-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday in the late afternoon I went shopping at a packed working-class Costco in Richmond, CA. I was surprised by the scarcity of African-American shoppers. While I waited in line, I counted 100 similar waiting shoppers, but fewer than 10 Blacks. As background, Richmond has a ton of Black residents (36%), as does nearby West Berkeley and North and West Oakland. Black employees looked to be more than 50%. I checked my perception with a friend I ran into, and he confirmed it.

So, why so few Black shoppers? From an economic standpoint, the deep-discount and bulk savings available would seem a natural draw to economically-constrained Blacks, similar to working-class Latinos, Asians, Whites, and everybody else, but t’is not the case. I could be off by a bit, but I peg my savings, over standard grocery retail, at 25-40%, and well worth the long lines and the $60 annual member fee, regardless of income level.

Maybe Black folks are in church all day on Sunday, making me just another heathen who picked the wrong day to notice, but I have another theory. It has to do with time-horizons - that degree to which someone looks ahead, relative to their peers. In order to shop effectively for grocery items at Costco, one must plan at least a month into the future, and have the desire to stick to the economic and dietary script they have created. My own mother did this very well thirty years ago, with a big freezer and pantry in the basement.

I was told, by more than one Black person I have since asked, that most (not all) Blacks cook, eat, and grocery shop, on a much shorter time-horizon by comparison to other groups, which does not lend itself to taking advantage of the significant discounts and savings of longer-term shopping at places like Costco. This thinking is consistent with studies on wealth and inequality (here).

If my observation is correct, Black folks need to go to school on the benefits of stretching a dollar by stretching their dietary time-horizons. This is the opposite of the current saturation of Black and low-income neighborhoods with fast-food establishments, with the host of obesity health issues in tow (here). Nevertheless, I remain skeptical about what I saw at Costco. I wonder if I am just missing something. Perhaps one of this blog’s astute readers can help?

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Do Black People Avoid COSTCO?, Future Time Orientation, Time Horizon, Immigrants, Acting Black, Acting White

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior

2011-01-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

I verbally tore into my teenage son last weekend because he failed clean up the yard, as he’d been assigned. The Christmas tree, that went begging all week to be taken down and properly disposed of, compounded my angst; another task he and his vacationing sister had been given.

I grounded him, not because of the magnitude of the error, but rather due to his casual approach to his responsibilities. This same kid can be a great student and state contender in the high jump if he puts his mind and body to the tasks, but we will see. However, unlike the Ivy-League “Chinese” mother in the WSJ article of the same name as this post (here), I do not plan to browbeat the boy into his potential. I will set high expectations and expect him to meet them (with support), and sometimes punish him to make the point. If he chooses to sit on his butt, I will not manhandle him, except that he will get no extraordinary help from me once self-induced mediocrity takes over his life.

I believe parents should make kids do some things, while allowing options, as well. My daughter could have been a top swimmer, but did not have the drive. Forcing her to swim was a consideration that would have had us all miserable. Alternately, I still remember the tragedy of her 9th grade algebra tutor; a straight A Asian kid who seemed happy until the day he hung himself. Within their pain, I am sure his parents felt many things, and superiority was probably not one of them. My daughter’s (and son’s) shot at long-term fullfillment is much more important than youthful championships. I try to walk a finer line than the “Chinese” mother, because true happiness is poorly described by academic achievement or athletic achievement alone.

What I sometimes have to remind myself is that what I really want are content, well-adjusted young adults – not trophies to my great parenting skills or good genes.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior, Amy Chua, Immigrants, Asians, Acting Black, Acting White

Acting White: Asians and Blue Eye Color

2011-01-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

I was asked, from my earlier post (here) on Blacks and Blue Eyes, if Asians, as well, can have blue eyes. I was not sure. Cannot say that I have personally witnessed this, but the answer is yes. Additionally, as you see in the picture, Asians can have red hair too. The reasons this can happen are the same for why it can happen with Blacks and others. Whites have no proprietary genetic ownership of certain eye colors, hair colors, skin hues or other features. Mutations, syndromes, or just simple random breeding, along with the influence of the varying environments of the globe and time make everything possible. (Click on picture to enlarge).

I have also been asked about natural blond-haired blacks. I found many examples, including this one.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Acting White: Asians and Blue Eye Color, Genetics, Mutation, Blond Hair Black, Acting Black, Acting White

Ten Ways to Know You Are NOT a Mama’s Boy

2011-01-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

I have been researching matriarchal societies/cultures and the degree to which they result in males with dysfunctional attachments to their mothers, including the havoc this rains on the family. This has me thinking and writing about my own mother, and I figured she might get a chuckle out of some of my thoughts, given her most recent health events.

You are NOT a mama’s boy if…

1. The day you broke your arm playing little league baseball, the ER nurse called your house and your mother’s first words were, “I don't care how much it hurts. Don’t cut that shirt off that boy, it’s brand new!”

2. After you blew out the candles on your 16th birthday cake, your mother exclaimed, “only two more years and you are out of here!”

3. Your mother said these, or similar, motivating words, “you better learn how to do something, or no woman will ever want you." (I assumed this included her too)

4. As a little league football running back, you could count on your mother to sprint the sidelines yelling for you to run faster, because, “they’re catching you!”

5. When you got stitches for a bad cut on your face, your mom comforted you by saying girls like boys with scars, because it means they are tough. (Kind of hard to whine after that little bit of comfort).

6. Your mother was famous for saying, “wait until your father hears about this”, knowing that you would fill in the sobering blanks with, “he is going to whip your behind, good!”

7. Only once did your mom ever bring home a package and tell you to put it in your closet and not open it until she said the ‘coast was clear’.

8. She called you one day in college, out of the blue, and asked you if you were being a ‘nice guy’, and said that if the answer was no, then you better “straighten-up, and go back and apologize, before it’s too late”.

9. Your mom has never ridden shotgun in a car which you were driving, and that also contained your fiancé, or wife.

10. After suffering a mild stroke, she demanded that you stop calling her every day, ‘just to check in’.

Good health to you mom! (I love you)

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Ten Ways to Know You Are NOT a Mama’s Boy, Mother's Boy, Daddy's Girl, Oedipus, Acting Black, Acting White

Why is Black Hair Curly, Kinky, and/or Nappy?

2010-12-24T10:42:00.001-08:00

The single biggest driver in human evolution was the challenge of matching the demands and capacities of our out-sized brain against the relative limitations of a weak physique. When researching the ‘whims of mother nature’, nothing is arbitrary. Sure, there are variances and distributions, but you can be sure that somewhere in the mix resides an objective mean – defining form and substance with a purpose.

Hair, like skin, is part of our genetically malleable, adaptable, outer layer, protecting us from the elements, the heat, cold, wetness, dryness, and utilizing the visible and not-so-visible light (energy) spectrum. Early primates and proto-humans had straight hair, which was an asset in low exertion foraging environs of ranging temperature, but not conducive to extending our physical endurance in the competition for food and survival, especially in mid-day Africa. Tightly coiled, moisture resistant head-hair created an enhanced barrier to ultra-violet (UV) radiation by turning many times on itself. This configuration also allows the release of perspiration droplets into a more optimal evaporative state whereby the droplets capture the heat of air moving around the coils before the perspiration rolls off and evaporates said heat away from the body. Presto! Cool scalp, cool brain, and greater endurance.

Conversely, straight hair was a liability, as it is more moisture absorbent, becoming heavy and causing it to stick to adjacent hair shafts and the scalp, effectively blocking the airflow required for heat exchange and dissipation. The straight hair of those precursors to modern humans would have made them less able to exert themselves for survival and advancement.

So with all due respect to Chris Rock, there is no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ hair. Curly, kinky, or nappy hair adaptation meant survival and prosperity as a species, in the birthplace of humanity. Moreover, just as coiled hair and pigmented skin conveyed advantage in Africa, straight hair, and light skin adaptation did the same moving north, in logical ways and for discernable reasons (more on this later). And for the record, Don Imus (here) is a true moron. The Rutgers ladies (pictured) are infinitely more appealing than his sorry behind.

Reference: Nina Jablonski, PhD., "Skin:A Natural History".

James C. Collier

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Why Are Black People Black-Skinned?

2010-12-23T11:22:00.000-08:00

While asking the question ‘Why are White People White?’ (here), I touched on that black people are black by the same mechanism. However, my explanation was too brief, and the question deserves its own full answer. Keep in mind this evolutionary cheat-sheet: first, there was panting and hairiness, and then came limited sweating and hairiness, and now we have full-body sweating and no hair (little hair).

To begin, earlier hairy primates, or proto-humans, living in Africa were less efficient at dissipating the body heat that resulted from strenuous exertion (hunting, gathering, and avoiding predators). Panting is the way most mammals cool themselves, rather than through sweating. As an evolutionary alternative, sweat glands appeared first over hairy bodies and then over less-hairy bodies, allowing for rapid cooling and quick evaporation. Evaporative cooling pulls heat away, countering the insulating effect, whereby the moisture stays on the skin, trapped by hair, and increasing in temperature from both the sun and internal exertion.

Indeed, sweat glands were an improvement over panting, allowing for greater exertion, but there was another hurdle. Full-body hair on proto humans grew out of ‘white (non-pigmented) skin’ underneath, in combination to regulate Vitamin D(3) production, for bone and reproductive health. Without the hair to block the sun, the skin had to take on this critical task by itself, via melanin production, thereby making the evolutionary case from fully covered, dark haired, white-skinned, proto-humans into hair-less dark-skinned humanoid descendants. Viola, black people!

It was relentless large brain demands (thinking) of proto-humans that drove body evolution to change and advance. Hairlessness, sweat glands, and dark-skin proved a potent combination in response, allowing humans to run greater distances, fight longer fights, dehydrate at a slower pace, and recover normal body temperature more quickly. Humanoids quickly became formidable foes, as their body capabilities ‘caught up to’ their brainy demands.

Reference: Nina Jablonski, PhD., "Skin:A Natural History".

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Why Are Black People Black-Skinned?, Black Skin, Pigment, Race, Acting Black, Acting White

Why are White People White-Skinned?

2010-12-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

Being black, I scarcely wondered why I was black, but I did often wonder why white people were white. I never believed in the ‘God wanted it that way’ answer. It seems very natural that whites and blacks would harbor the same question, however taboo it is to toss it into conversation. Indeed, science has provided us with an answer, but I hardly see it in print for non-scientists.

The scientific record shows relatively hair-less humans evolving from hairy primates in Africa. At the time when hairy proto-humans ‘loss’ their hair and developed sweat glands for cooling their big brains, they also needed to adapt their production and regulation of the pro-steroid hormone, Vitamin D(3), which was critical to healthy bones and reproduction. The result was an adaptive higher level of melanin in the skin, turning it dark. Viola, healthy dark-skin humans to populate the world!

As early Africans migrated north to Eurasia, with its lessened sun intensity, dark skin posed a problem. Vitamin D(3) fell to unhealthy levels, except that built-in genetically adaptive skin traits quickly kicked-in to lightened skin responsible for producing the required D(3). The farther north they ventured the lighter the skin needed to be to absorb the right amount of sun. It really is that simple. There is a great book that explains all of this in detail, written by recognized skin authority, Nina Jablonski PhD., called “Skin: A Natural History” (here).

So there it is - latitude (north/south position) on the globe pretty much dictates skin color (here). There are a few exceptions to this rule, associated with levels of Vitamin D in the diet. By example, the Inuits (indigenous Arctic people) are relatively darker, even at such a high latitude, because of oily-fish diets laden with Vitamin D(3). Aborigines in continental Australia, arriving via the ‘intercoastal migration’, maintained their melanin through similar fish-rich diets, on the coast, coupled with the fierce demands of an intense interior desert sun.

As a side bar, and from a Vitamin D(3) healthiness perspective, the continental US is (on average) too sunny for most fair whites, and not sunny enough for most brown-skin blacks. Everyone needs Vitamin D management for good health.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Why are White People White-Skinned?, Vitamin D, Melanin, Pigment, Acting Black, Acting White

Steve Landesberg: 1936 - 2010

2010-12-21T14:23:00.001-08:00

One of my favorites.

James C. Collier

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Google Pulls Plug on "Why Blacks Suck" Blog

2010-12-20T16:24:00.000-08:00

It took them long enough, but Google, who owns blog publishing service Blogger, finally canceled the hate-filled ranting at the blog, WhyBlacksSuck. blogspot.com. The blog owner (under INDRA MAGHAVAN) tried to say that his site was not a hate site, but from his name down to his postings the real story was the opposite. Over the past six months, the blogger had begun to run out of hate-gas, but the site needed a hard ending nonetheless. It was last cached on Dec. 14, 2010.

I complained to Blogger regularly, once I became familiar. I also realized that he was pointing his twisted brethren to this blog, perhaps because I ‘air out the laundry’, at times. To be clear, I respect and depend upon protected speech, via the First Amendment; however, if Google wants any resemblance of good citizenship they sure-as-hell had better bring their hammer down on people who use hate-speech to incite violence on others, regardless of their affinities.

I see plenty of blog owners who write just this side of the hate-line, claiming they are simply expressing their opinions. However, when you read the vitriol-laced carnage fantasies that makes it into the comments, you understand better the relationship between the spark and fire. Absolving one’s blogging-self of hate comments, moderated or not, under some twisted sense of the First Amendment is nothing but crap.

All groups have their burdens, and blogs are powerful vehicles for openness and honesty pertaining to such. However, Why Blacks Suck was just hate that earned its participants an over-due exit to the internet bottoms.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Google Pulls Plug on "Why Blacks Suck" Blog, Racism, Hate Speech, First Amendment, Acting Black, Acting White

Race Map of America: Black to White

2010-12-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

The New York Times has put up a map tool linked to US Census data, cutting across race, education, income, and housing. Interesting tool for setting a context for looking at where this country has been, is presently, and where it seems to be going. Check it out (here).

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Race Map of America: Black to White, Census, Education, Income, Acting Black, Acting White

Black Woman Rescues White Police Officer in Dayton

2010-12-16T15:10:00.000-08:00

Some events simply demand that you stop, take notice, and give credit where it is due. The woman to the right side of the picture probably saved this police officer’s life (video). The officer’s roadside battle with his assailant was not going too well before the passing woman decided that he could ‘use a hand’.

The courageous Samaritan’s well-timed licks upside the old geezer’s head were just what the officer needed to regain control of the potential deadly situation. The woman said everybody else was just passing the fight by, but she couldn’t. Give that woman the key to Dayton, and a bravery commendation. She is a hero!

James C. Collier

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Wiki Lies, Wiki Truths, and the First Amendment

2010-12-15T17:55:00.000-08:00

The most powerful control tool of a parent, teacher, employer, or government, is the willingness to encourage others to believe you can only tell them the truth, when, in fact, your charter compels you to lie. This is the conundrum the founding fathers were addressing when they wrote the first amendment to the US Constitution, regarding freedom of religion, press, and expression.

As children, we are taught to believe the words of the police, and other authority figures. However, police officers are trained to lie, as part of their job. Of course, there are specific instances where they may not lie, but those are exceptional. We are purposely misled into believing that they cannot lie, but that itself is a lie - perhaps it is the biggest of lies.

When you hear an authority append “in the interest of National Security” to something they are saying, it really means that the person is not telling you the truth, and/or is telling an outright lie, allegedly for your safety and well being, in someone’s authoritarian opinion. Presidents, senators, and congressman routinely lie, the least of which is about dalliances with interns. Governments lie to each other all the time, and in turn they must lie to their own people to protect these earlier lies – again, under the cloak of protecting national security.

The mechanism, in this country, which keeps the lies from completely spinning out of control, leading to chaos and anarchy, is freedom of the press. When people inside of government (typically) see the lies mounting to the point where they can no longer sleep or eat or look their families straight in the face, they have somewhere to go, to leak, where the truth can still mean something – the press.

Without the press, or the ability for all citizens to speak freely, all freedom is eventually lost. It is not that Wikileaks, or its founder, is perfect or always right; they are not. However, the protection afforded all of us by the Constitution is critically dependent upon the idea that those who lie, as a matter of course, do so with knowledge that their lies and impacts may ultimately come to light as such. Liars beware!

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Wiki Lies, Wiki Truths, and the First Amendment, Constitution, First Amendment, Julian Assange, Acting Black, Acting White

#15 Black Funerals

2010-12-04T16:15:00.001-08:00

I have been to plenty of White funerals, but Black funerals are in a class of their own. You know something wild is going to happen – but like “Death at a Funeral” (2010), you don’t know what. The question today is why, during the ‘audience tribute’ portion of the service, somebody must always dig up an event about the deceased, or an audience member, that makes everyone squirm and try to hide inside their programs?

When Mr. or Ms. ’Bigmouth’ first approaches the microphone, you can hear knowing people mumble a desperate prayer of, “Oh Lord please…” Others look away hoping to become invisible, just like in school when the teacher wanted someone to lead the pledge of allegiance. Everyone knows that the pastor’s two-minute limit is useless to stop what is coming next.

The story told is usually something like, ‘so-and-so (the deceased) and I were out one Saturday night, you know, sowing some wild oats, when we met these ‘fine’ girls. After the po-lice showed up and they were going to arrest us except blah, blah, blah! Man, I am going to miss so-and-so, and don’t think he didn’t accept Christ as his savior, because I was right there when he did! And y’all know I don’t lie!"

Relief only comes when the last person has spoken. The minister gets things back on track by segueing any notion that the person was ‘saved’ into their passport through the ‘pearly gates’. On the positive side, you always come away knowing the deceased was a real person rather than just the sum of the one-sided good stuff people usually present. Everyone should attend at least one 'real' Black funeral.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: #15 Black Funerals, Death, Humor, Embarrassment, Acting Black, Acting White

Disparity of Weight Perception, by Ethnicity

2010-11-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

I was leaving Trader Joe’s the other morning at the same time as an obese White family. After loading the food in the back of the van, the woman removed what looked like a can of Pringle's potato chips, opened it, and handed the full container to the seated child. I have seen Black women do exactly the same thing. This scenario had me curious to the intersection of obesity and perception, and specifically that Blacks and Whites perceive fatness differently, even as they pursue it with the same behavior.

If I was to venture a guess, the White woman surveyed about her weight would snarl ‘yes, I’m fat and it’s none of your freakin’ business’. A Black woman, alternately, might say that she is ‘big-boned’ and her weight is normal for her – and then say it is none of your freakin’ business. But, in a way, it is all of our business. More than seventy-percent of America is overweight and obesity is literally killing our health care system, and us along with it.

I found a study (here) that measures the difference in weight perception across sex and race. The research proves perception differences are significant. Blacks and Latinos see fat differently than Whites, but the researchers do not postulate why. It would not be PC. So, I will take a SWAG (scientific wild-ass guess). Black Americans, with the lingering influence of their geographically challenged West African location of ethnic origin, continue to seek fat storage as a positive indicator of health and longevity against the historical threat of famine. Simply put, fat black women look and feel like better mates under this view, and the behavior of Black men backs this up (and vice versa). Of course, Black folks like sitting on their butts, in front of HDTV flat-screens, just as much as White folks, so perception is just one part of the influence.

White men and women are less influenced by famine perspectives and seek slimness for the more empirically realized longevity and health benefits, resulting from stable agricultural societies (see Fertile Crescent). Hence, the obese White woman with the Pringles is more likely to defend herself and her behavior purely with attitude, and not argument.

Other thoughts on the subject? Remember, these are musings. Rubber bullets please.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Disparity of Weight Perception, by Ethnicity, Obesity, Big-boned, Health Care Crisis, Acting Black, Acting White

Syndrome Gives Blacks Blue Eyes

2010-11-24T14:46:00.000-08:00

A recent commenter on this blog suggested that the blue-eyed Black boy, in an earlier post, may present Waardenburg Syndrome, a rare autosomal genetic disorder that has possible bright blue eyes as one of its qualifying criteria, along with possible deafness (common). Actually, the cause of the blue eyes is a form of albinism that may include patches of non-pigmented skin or forehead hair, regardless of ethnicity.

There are four types of Waardenburg Syndrome, with a mix of possible characteristics as the determinant. Medical challenges increase with type. The boy in the picture is displaying two major symptoms of type 1, as does the previous boy (perhaps) (here); bright blue eyes and dystopia canthorum, a condition where the inner corners of the eyes are set more widely apart, but with normally distanced eyes.

Waardenburg occurs once in every 42,000 births, and is a deficiency inherited from a single parent, who may or may not display similar characteristics. Regarding the eye, color abnormalities come in three forms; heterochromia (multiple colors), bilateral isohypochromia (pale blue eyes), or fundus (reflective) pigmentary alterations (spottiness).

So, besides naturally occurring genetic blue eyes in dark skinned people, as previously discussed, understanding Waardenburg's is another avenue of accurately recognizing phenotype (gene expression) in eye color.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Syndrome Gives Blacks Blue Eyes, African, Genetics, Waardenburg, Acting Black, Acting White