"Turn Off The Lights" - Teddy Pendergrass

Good morning peeps! Another day and more sorrow. Our sisters and brothers in Haiti are reeling in suffering, pain, death, missing family members, hopelessness, lack of everything! Whatever we are going through in our lives certainly pales in comparison. Unfortunately, there are those who would even use a tragedy like this, to bash our president! Right wing pundit Rush Limbaugh, is criticizing President Obama for pledging aid to Haiti so quickly. Limbaugh says the president wasn't as concerned about the passengers on the flight with the so-called "underwear bomber", and didn't respond in a timely manner. We are not surprised though, because this man; Rush will always "rush" to judgement when it comes to Barack Obama. He has nothing but disdain for this president, and will take any opportunity to bash him; even this most recent tragedy. If President Obama had not responded swiftly, he would have been resoundly criticizes by all...including Rush. Next, Pat Robinson, the conservative so-called religious spokes person (I don't know what he really is) makes the outrageous and most outlandish statement that I've heard in a long time! He says, with great relish I might add, that "the Haitian people made a pact with the devil, in order to be freed from French rule, therefore, they are now being punished, while the Dominicans (who also occupy the same island of Hispaniola) are flourishing." This man really said this with a straight face, as the woman he was speaking with nodded in agreement. You can see this on YouTube. Now I don't begrudge him his right to say what he wants to, but I cannot believe that he truely believes what he is saying...in the year 2010! It sounds like what was said in the 1600's during The Salem Witch Trails; Salem Massachusettes. What?

On another sad note: We music lovers have lost yet another one of the great voices of all time; the soulful Teddy Pendergrass. There will never be another like him...R.I.P. Teddy Bear!

"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" - The Hollies

Good afternoon peeps...well, not so good. How sad that as we enter a new year we are faced with a tragedy of catastrophic proportions. Under these circumstances, people are prone to question God...as if God is The "Punisher." When rationality resumes, we intellectualize, analyze and realize that the forces of nature kicks in every so often, as part of the "natural order" of things. Depending on your geographic location on this planet of ours, you are going to experience the forces of nature; be it hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, flood, tsunamis, volcanoes, wildfires or mudslides. Without getting into a technical, geologic discussion which I am not qualified to do anyway, I think it is accurate to say that Haiti happens to be located in area of the earth that is atop many a fault line and shifting plates, that move periodically. The results are devastating! So, what can we do about it?

Praying will make us feel better but a more pragmatic response would be to assist in material ways. No, we cannot realistically hop on a plane and physically go to the Island of Hispaniola; the portion called Port-Au-Prince Haiti. We can however, send monetary donations to The Red Cross; a reputable organization that offers disaster relief. There is a way to text a ten dollar donation: text HAITI to 90999, and The Red Cross will acknowledge your donation.Also, check with your local Red Cross to see if donations of food, clothing and other staples are being accepted. Pack up those clothes you or your children no longer wear because you feel they are "out dated" or no longer fit. They might seem useless to you but boy would they be appreciated by the people affected by this earthquake!

Before you do anything though, make sure you deal with a legitimate relief organization! Don't act impulsively out of feelings of sorrow, empathy, or misplaced guilt! Check the video I posted on Facebook about this. What a sad way to remember the new year of 2010. It will now be forever known as the year Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, that affected over three million people, and possibly killed untold thousands. As I write this piece, the totality of this disaster is not yet written!

"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" - Chicago

Good morning peeps!! Recently my brother Keith, commented that 2010 seems to already be zipping by. How can this be? We just said "Happy New Year" about a minute ago; didn't we? But, could it be that as we get older, our perceptions of time alters? Of course this is the case, for as we get older we become more acutely aware of our own mortality, and time becomes more precious to most of us. Also, we have many more obligations to meet, that are bound by time constraints. We begin to lament that we don't have enough time in a day to meet these obligations. Leisure time comes and goes in the proverbial "blink of an eye." The solution? Sorry, don't have one. Advice? Yes...try and live in the moment more. Appreciate the fact that you wake up in the morning. Connect with family and friends; spend good times together as often as you can."Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of." - Charles Richards. And above all, CARPE DIEM!

My list of favorite songs about time:

1. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - Chicago

2. Time In A Bottle -Jim Croce

3. Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away? - James Hinton; Willie Nelson, Al Green; et al

4. Time Is On My Side - Rolling Stones

5. The Best Of Times - Styx

6. These Are The Times To Remember - Billy Joel

7. Time Can Make You Change -The Clovers

8. What Time Is It? - The Jive Five

9. Time Has Come Today - The Chambers Brothers

10. Out Of Time - Hall and Oats

11. Remember The Time - Michael Jackson

12. This Time Baby - The O'Jays

13. Second Time Around - Shalimar

14. Funny How Time Flies - Janet Jackson

15. Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

16. Too Much Time On My Hands - Styx

17. Give Me Just A Little More Time - Chairman Of The Board

18. Night Time Is The Right Time - Ray Charles

19. For The Good Times - Al Green

20. Twilight Time - The Platters

21. Golden Time Of Day - Frankie Beverly and Maze

22. Yesterday - The Beatles

23. Turn Turn Turn - The Byrds

24. One Moment In Time - Whitney Houston

25. Summertime - Billy Stewart

"Who Let The Dogs Out?" - Baha Men

Good afternoon peeps!! So, San Francisco is flying several Chihuahuas to New York City, to be adopted by New Yorkers eh? Apparently the folks in California who owned these pooches, tired of them and abandoned them on freeways and in city dumps. Say it isn't so! Another theory is that the appeal of  Chihuahuas waned as more Californians became unemployed and couldn't afford to keep them, or lost their homes to foreclosures. Celebrities like Paris Hilton tote these dogs around as status symbols and carry them around in designer bags.  But why New York? Because New Yorkers live in smaller dwellings and prefer smaller dogs!! Excuse me? Uh, we have rats in New York the size of Chihuahuas! We have Pitt Bulls! We have...well, I won't go there. Welcome to New York City you lucky dogs!

"AEIOU" - Freeeze

Good afternoon peeps!! Acronyms! We all use them on a daily basis, especially in our texting, sexting, emailing, and sometimes even long hand writing. But let's get real. Will you admit that sometimes you find yourself scratching your head while trying to alternately be "cool" and in the know, but not really knowing what a particular acronym or internet jargon stands for? I admit it! It has happened to me more than a few times.  It could be something as simple as, "ty"  (you know this one, right?), or more complicated. In doing research for this topic, I consulted a "Teen Internet Lingo Dictionary" (can you believe it even exists?), and found some very interesting acronyms that I will share with you. First let me say that we have used acronyms way before the internet, and in fact, some have entered our lexicon as actual words. Here are a few: NATO, CEO, TGIF, AWOL, ASAP, AKA, BYOBB. Instead of saying the soldier went "Absent Without Official Leave", we say the soldier went "AWOL"! We have become a society of linguistically challenged individuals. Are we in such a rush to nowhere that we can't even take time to say or write a word completely? IDK...!

Now for the "new lingo" This is only a partial list because there are too many to list!

                     

BTW = by the way

AAMOF = as a matter of fact

BOL = back on later

G2G = got to go

B4N = bye for now

ROFL = rolling on the floor laughing


AML = all my love


BAC = back at computer

ZZZ = bored


Y2K = you're too kind (remember what this used to mean?)


CD9 = parent's around (you figure that one out)


?4U = question for you


>U = screw you (beats me)


420 4life = marijuana (huh?)


143 = I Love You


and last but not least,


53X = sex???

"I Am Woman" - Helen Reddy

Good afternoon peeps!! I am a child of the sixties; a time of many defining moments in our country's historical framework. The assassinations of: President John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy. The beginning of the end of segregation and institutional discrimination; the enactment of civil rights legislation and the deaths of civil rights activists of all nationalities. It was a time of  The Black Panthers out of Oakland, CA. The Young Lords out of New York City, and many, many other movements. One particular movement was geared towards women and was labeled, The Women's Liberation Movement. At the time, women were fighting for equality in all areas of  life and were establishing themselves as equally able as men, to do certain jobs, make decisions and be more than just a man's appendage. Now, I ask you...what the hell happened???

In recent years, there have been a plethora of  so-call "reality shows" that seems to have set women back to the pre-liberation movement days!!! The women on these shows act like desperate shrews, who will cut each other's throats to get the prized man! On one such show, the prize was, get this; Flava Flave!! The young women would fight, spit, and act ignorant as all get out to be picked to date Flava. Oh I am not so naive to not realize that their real goal is that proverbial "fifteen minutes", as some actually went on to star on their own "reality" shows. And yes, men have appeared on these types of shows also, supposedly looking for love, wives, etc. Somehow, the women on these shows appear more desperate!

The show The Bachelor, is what motivated me to write this piece. It debuted it's new season last night, for the thirteenth year...wow! I am not a viewer of this show ordinarily, but based on a conversation I heard on a morning talk show, I decided to see what they were talking about this time around, so I watched the episode on Hulu. I already knew the premise: an eligible bachelor gets to pick a potential wife out of a harem of twenty-five women. He gets to size them up the way a potential slave owner probably got to size up slaves, before purchasing them; or the way one sizes up a horse, dog or other animal they wish to own. How degrading! On the other hand, the women; all career women, seem so eager and happy to be there. Each one has dillusions of being "the one." We, the viewers, get to hear snippets of conversation from each woman; sometimes in isolation and sometimes as part of the larger group. The Bachelor gets to "spend time" with each woman, one-on-one. Sounds almost like the function of a brothel to me...but I digress. At the end of each show, The Bachelor decides who gets to stay and leave, by presenting or withholding a rose. As the women anxiously await their fate, the camera moves around panning their faces. Some look pained and pitiful, if each rose given is not for them.

It is at this point that I shake my head and ask myself why these attractive, seemingly intelligent young women, put themselves out there like this. Some appear in agony as their peers receive a rose and sigh a sigh of relief at being "a chosen one." When the final rose is given and they are not chosen, some of these young women react as if their world and reason for being has fallen apart! Even before the rose ceremony, some of the women go through extraordinary lengths to gain favor with the bachelor. One woman, knowing he is a pilot, donned a faux pilot costume. Another brought a toy plane from her seven-year-old son, to give to The Bachelor. (There is something wrong with this picture)! Usually, a token African-American woman or two is put into the mix, but not this time. The only woman of color is a Cambodian woman, who belittles herself by saying something sexually suggestive in her native language: "you can land your plane on my landing strip anytime" The Bachelor himself says equally corny things like, "as long as I let my heart lead, I know I can't go wrong" awwww! Am I a cynic you ask? Well, yes, I am. But I used to be a romantic too! Young ladies, get your self-esteem back and listen to Helen Reddy's anthem of the seventies, I Am Woman!

"I Write The Songs" - Barry Manilow

Good evening peeps!! Long time no see! How have you been, boo? Miss me? I miss you, cause I haven't written anything since New Year's Eve. The reality is that I had "Writer's Block" and was feeling uninspired. However, today I feel like writing about the singer-songwriters of the seventies. In my opinion, some of the finest songs I've ever listened to were written in the seventies, by singers who penned their own songs, as well as wrote for other artists. One of my favorite singer-songwriters of that era is Cat Stevens aka Yusuf Islam. He had a string of songs that were not only pretty to listen to, but told stories that touched the soul. "Wild World" comes to mind. In the song, he sings about his woman leaving to go out into "the wild world" as he cautions her to be careful: "but if you want to leave, take good care, hope you make a lot of nice friends out there, but just remember there's a lot of bad everywhere;" a gentle, not hostile warning, from a man that is obviously hurting over losing his love.

Another prolific writer of the seventies is Don Mclean, who wrote the enigmatic, metaphorical, speculative masterpiece, American Pie and Vincent. While Vincent is a straightforward ode to the artist, Vincent Van Gogh's famous painting; Starry Night (maybe metaphorical also?); American Pie created a stir by referencing multiple figures, including "The Father, Son and Holy Ghost." Some interpreted that as the religious trinity; whereas others felt he was talking about the three rock and rollers that died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959: Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens. This song has produced more interpretations than The Beatles walking barefoot on the cover of their Abbey Road album. My son Shannon, who was five at the time, even offered his interpretation of the song as he tried to explain it to me; it was one of his favorite songs at five!

The seventies was also a time of  female singer-songwriters as well. Carole King, Laura Nyro, Ellie Greenwich, Joni Mitchell and Carley Simon come to mind. Carole King started writing in the nineteen fifties; writing some of the best lyrics for rhythm and blues artists like The Drifters. She later recorded her own compositions. Ellie Greenwich wrote some of the most memorable lyrics ever sung by female and male groups: "Da Do Run Run Run, Da Do Run Run" and "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy Dum Diddy Doo"

How can I not mention Neil Sedaka, Paul Anka,  Gamble and Huff, Holland Dozier Holland, Linda Creed, Thom Bell, Smokey Robinson, who was called "the world's greatest poet" by none other than Bob Dylan  and of course, the man who writes the songs himself; Barry Manilow! Oh how I could go on and on about these singer-songwriters and how much I miss this kind of music...but I won't! Thanks to YouTube, I have been able to hear my favorites whenever I so desire.