One day you’re listening to the radio and you hear about a small village in India where some villagers have died suddenly, of a flu that has never been seen before. 3 or 4 people are dead, and they’re sending some doctors over to investigate it.
You don’t think much about it, but a few days later, you hear another radio spot about this mysterious flu. Only now it’s not 3 villagers who are dead, but 30,000. People are fleeing from this disease. By Monday morning, it’s the lead story.
And it’s not just India, it’s Pakistan, and they say this “mystery flu” is spreading further. The President says that he and everyone are praying and hoping that things will improve. But everyone’s wondering how they’re going to contain it. That’s when the President of France makes an announcement that shocks Europe. He is closing their borders. No flights from India, Pakistan or anywhere affected by this disease will be allowed into the country.
That night you are watching CNN before going to bed. Your jaw hits your chest when you hear that a man is lying in a Paris hospital dying of the mystery flu. It has come to Europe. Panic strikes. So far, no one has survived this disease. Britain closes it’s borders, but it’s too late. The disease has hit Southampton and it’s spreading.
On Tuesday morning the President of the United States makes the announcement that all flights from Europe and Asia have been cancelled. No one from the affected countries can enter the USA until they’ve found a cure. Instantly the nation is plunged into an unbelievable fear. People are dreading it hitting the USA.
It’s Wednesday night when the announcement is made. 2 women in Long Island are dying from the disease. Within days it sweeps across the country. People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working. And then all of a sudden the news comes out. The code has been broken! A cure has been found. A vaccine can be made. All they need is some blood from somebody who hasn’t been infected, and so everyone is asked to do one simple thing, go to your hospital and have your blood type taken.
It’s late that night when you and your family arrive at the hospital, and there’s already a line of people stretching far down the street. Nurses and doctors are poking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it. Eventually, they take you, your wife and kid’s blood type and ask you to wait there until they call your name, then you can go home. So you sit down and wait. Suddenly a man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He’s yelling a name and waving a clipboard. And your son tugs on your jacket and says, “Daddy, that’s me.”
Before you know it, they’ve grabbed your boy. They think his blood is the right type. 5 tense minutes later, an old doctor walks up to you and says, “Your son’s blood type is perfect.” It’s clean, it is pure and we can make the vaccine. As the word begins to spread down the line, people are screaming and laughing and crying. The doctor pulls you and your wife aside and says, “We didn’t realize that the donor would be a minor and we need you to sign a consent form.” You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints of blood to be taken is empty. “H-h-h-how many pints?” you ask. And that is when the old doctor’s smile fades. “We had no idea it would be a little child. We weren’t prepared. We need it all!”
“But… you don’t understand. He’s my only son!”
“We are talking about the world here. Please sign.”
“But can’t you give him a transfusion?”
“If we had clean blood we would. Please, will you please sign?”
In numb silence, you sign. He asks if you’d like a moment with him. Could you walk back to that room where he’s saying, “Daddy? Mommy? What’s going on?” Could you take his hands and say, “Son, your mommy and I love you and we would never let anything happen to you that didn’t just have to be.” And when that old doctor comes back in and says, “I’m sorry, we’ve got to get started. People all over the world are dying.” Could you leave? Could you walk out while he is saying, “Dad? Mom? Why…why have you forsaken me?”
Next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your son, some people sleep through it, and some people don’t even bother to come because they have better things to do. Some people come with a pretentious smile and just pretend to care. Would you want to jump up and say, “EXCUSE ME MY SON DIED FOR YOU! DON`T YOU EVEN CARE? DOES IT MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?”
Maybe God wants to say that too! “MY SON DIED FOR YOU! DOES IT MEAN NOTHING? DON`T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I CARE?”
Father, seeing it from your eyes should break our hearts. Maybe now we can begin to comprehend the great love you have for us. So that’s the gospel in a nutshell! Now you can either spread it…or ignore it. I hope this touched your heart as much as it touched mine. If not, hopefully it will give you something to think about. One Love.
There is no way on God’s beautiful, green Earth that I won’t get a response on this one.
Recently, I was having a conversation with some friends and the topic of disciplining one’s children came up. Now I’m not a parent, but just like everyone, I have an opinion on the subject.
I believe that a child deserves to learn right from wrong at the earliest age of comprehension. And thats a lot earlier than most people think. Children as young as 5 or 6 months understand the concept of “no”. But sometimes “no” just ain’t enough. That’s when a firm tagging of the hindquarters comes into play. Now, I’m not saying beat your babies like they’re adults. That’s abuse. And I’m not saying knock your child around anytime they do something wrong. That’s extreme. What I am saying is, teach your children how to act before they go out in public.
When I was younger, my father made sure I knew who was boss. If I cut up at home, I got my ass busted. If I cut up in public, he found interesting ways of making sure I knew I was out of line. There is one instance that comes to mind. I was about 5 or 6 and we were in the grocery store. As we walked down the aisle, something caught my attention. Just like any child I begged and pleaded for what I wanted. When my numerous requests were turned down, I did the only logical thing a child can do. I threw a temper tantrum in the middle of the aisle. My father asked me nicely to get up and follow him, and of course, I didn’t. So he walked to deli section, asked for a cup of cold water and came back and threw it in my face. Everybody has had cold water thrown upon their face unexpectedly, so we all know how I reacted. Once I came back to my senses, I got up and followed my father to the checkout line and we left. Obviously, that made an impression. And it goes without saying that was the last temper tantrum I threw in public.
But back to my subject…
We need to find ways to instill in our children that kind of discipline. Our children need to fear us. I’m not saying that your children should walk around on eggshells in fear that you might snap and kill them, but they need to understand that there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed in every situation and environment. That’s what helps them to become adults that understand that is a line that shouldn’t be crossed in every situation and environment.
I’ll use myself as an example. I’m 29 years of age (soon to be 30). I’m respectful when the situation calls for it (another thing my father taught me was to show no respect when none is being shown to you), I’ve never been in any major trouble with the law (that’s because my father made sure I knew that I would sit in jail because he wouldn’t bail me out), and I assume responsibility for my own actions.
I’m not saying that I’m perfect (at least not right now) nor am I saying that my father was perfect parent. But my father made sure that he put “the fear of God” in me. I knew not to do anything that my father wouldn’t approve of me doing, solely because I didn’t want to face the repercussions of my actions. And that’s what children need today! You don’t have to always put your hands on your children to make them feel your presence. At some point in time, it should only take a look. But it might take you some years and few ass beatings to get to that point.
So in closing, don’t be afraid to put your hands on your children! It might be what’s best for them!
Wow! I never thought that I would be sitting down and writing about a topic as enigmatic as love. Especially, if I wasn’t writing poetry about love (that seems to come naturally to me, when I don’t have writer’s block, that is). But, a friend wanted me to express my thoughts on the subject, so here we go. I might post the poem I wrote that has the same title (I have to rewrite the end of it first).
Love is the biggest contradiction known to man. Before anybody gets their feathers ruffled up, let me explain. True love is probably one of the strongest forces know to man, while at the same time being one of the most fragile. Love can make you feel like you’re invincible, and turn around and instill a feeling of insignificance. Love is a chemical reaction to environmental stimuli, a learned response and an ingrained part of our psyche.
And love manifests itself in, what seems to be, a million different ways. Real quick, write down all the things and people that you can unequivocally say that you love. Now, I’m not talking about things you like to do. I’m talking about things and people that you can’t imagine your life without. These don’t have to be things or people that are still in your life today, all that matters is that the emotion existed towards them. Go ahead, I’ll wait…
After a few minutes, my list is16 items long. But that’s neither here nor there.
And all of us have been in love at least once in our lives. Some of us are lucky to still be with that person, some are not. Some people want to believe that love is the cause of some great pain. I have to disagree. Love, in it’s truest and most pure form, could never cause the kind of damage that it has been know to be blamed for. Heartache is more the result of people not being honest in their relationships.
The biggest thing I want everybody to remember is that you can’t give up on love. Just because you’ve had some problems in the past, that doesn’t mean there isn’t somebody out there for you to love. And don’t think you can live your life without love. Love is an essential part of having a healthy, happy life.
That’s all I got for right now. I’m having a hard time getting my words to come out in clear, concise sentences, so I’m gonna put myself on pause for right now. I’ll try to add more as I make sense out of what’s in my head.
Listen up, students of love, today’s lesson is on philematology — the science of kissing. When was the last time you put serious thought into your kissing technique? High school? Instead of trying to master a new position from the Kama Sutra, remaster the first step of foreplay – the kiss.
Though most of us happily smooch our lovers, friends and family without second thought, when you give it some consideration, sticking your tongue into someone’s mouth – full of all those germs – doesn’t really seem like a natural way to express affection. And it isn’t a natural behavior, technically. Kissing – osculating, if you want to take this science thing seriously – is a learned action, not an instinctual one. In fact, there are still many cultures where kissing just doesn’t happen (joyless places, we can all agree).
So how did we kissing fools pick up the habit? Anthropology’s best guess is that kissing’s roots go back to a time long ago when mothers chewed their food and passed it by mouth to their young children. From there it became a sign of comfort or affection between mother and child, and later, in other relationships. Another popular – and more romantic – -theory is that kissing developed as a gesture symbolizing the union of souls. The Inuit, for example, believe the exhaled breath is part of the spirit, so rubbing noses (“Eskimo kisses”) is a way for your souls to mingle.
Like most human behavior, though, kissing can be explained by simple biology. Kissing, flirting, and of course, sex, are all related to pheromones. When you’re lip-to-lip, you’re close enough to subconsciously pick up on the hormone cocktail wafting off the scent glands on your partner’s cheeks. Women swoon for signals that the male has proper immunology to create a healthy child, while men pick up on signs of the woman’s fertility and strength. And all this time you thought you were just kissing because it felt good! Well, that’s part of the kissing equation, too. Our lips and tongues are packed with nerve endings, and the right stimulation increases your pulse and blood pressure, quickening the speed in which your brain starts pumping out the chemicals that make you feel all weak-kneed and googly-eyed.
But sometimes a kiss is just a kiss. There are all kinds of reasons for kissing, and not all of them have to do with sex. There’s the just-friends kiss, the good-bye kiss, the sympathy kiss, the kiss-and-make-up kiss, the good morning, sorry-I-haven’t-brushed-my-teeth kiss and millions more we haven’t even thought of. And that’s good. Since the average person spends two weeks of their life kissing, you’ve got plenty of time to try them all.
If you can’t kiss well, why should your lover believe you could do anything else? Here are a few techniques:
Begin with an Eskimo kiss: Make full body contact. Rub the side of your lover’s nose against your nose using small circles. Sound childish? Not according to Judith Jackson, author of Scentual Touch. She says, “The nose is lined with tissue very similar to the erectile tissue in sexual organs.”
Touch your lover’s face: Don’t feel his/her face like you’re blind. Rather gently place your fingertips on his/her chin or behind one ear. Don’t pull her towards you. Lean towards him/her until your lips meet.
Lock lips: Don’t try to impress him/her with your cultural understanding of the French by sticking your tongue in his/her mouth. Part your lips, and press your lips against his/her lips.
Get tongue-tied: Circle the tip of his/her tongue with yours. Kissing is a two way street. Let his/her tongue into your mouth as well.
Don’t swap too much spit: Consider the game over if he/she has to wipe his/her chin. Salivate over steak, not a woman/man.
A kiss isn’t just a kiss. Your kissing technique determines where else the night will lead.
Who’s the best rapper to ever bless a mic? This is one of those topics that seems to never be fully resolved. It always ends with everybody in the discussion agreeing to disagree. I have this argument with my friends all the time, like most hip-hop fans probably do. But MTV took this undying debate to a new level by compiling a list of the top ten rappers of all time. And it goes a little something like this:
10. LL Cool J
9. Eminem
8. Ice Cube
7. Big Daddy Kane
6. KRS-One
5. Nas
4. Rakim
3. The Notorious B.I.G.
2. 2Pac
1. Jay-Z
If you want to read the entire MTV article, you can find it at http://www.mtv.com/bands/h/hip_hop_week/2006/emcees/
Now when I saw this, I was feeling their list for the most part, I personally feel like they fucked up the order in the Top 5 and a few of these guys don’t belong in the top 10 at all. So, I took some time and came up with my own list. But it’s kinda hard to narrow down all the talent in the industry to a mere 10 names. So, I decided to start with my honorable mentions, which include:
Ice Cube, Eric Sermon, KRS-One, Nelly, T.I., Ludacris, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Li’l Kim, Scarface, Method Man, MC Lyte, E-40 and Ghostface
Now, I know a lot of you are looking at some of those names and wondering what have I been smoking. But, in my eyes, each of these artists either helped to put their perspective hometowns on the map, showed that lyrical skills weren’t limited to a certain group of people or lasted through the “Golden Age” of Hip-Hop. That’s really saying something! But now it’s time to reveal my Top 10.
10. Queen Latifah – Everybody has to admit that she was holding it down for the ladies. The only reason she’s this low on my list is because I feel like she left the game while there was still plenty of work for her to do.
9. Big Daddy Kane – He’s a living legend. He showed us that it was cool to look good and know you look good. He also proved that’s it’s possible to have fun no matter what. If you ever got to see him perform, you know what I mean.
8. Common – Common is one of those “rewind that!” or “what did he say?” rappers. You really have to LISTEN to his music to catch what he’s saying. Common’s flow is so serious that he could make an entire album of acapella songs, and it would probaly be one of the hottest albums to come out. He also showed everybody that you don’t have to be from one of the coasts to make it the game. And he showed us that it’s okay to have your style, that people are all uniquely different and that we should embrace that.
7. LL Cool J – Uncle L is another one of those living legends. He’s just as hot today as when he burst on the scene in 1985. 1985! That’s 20+ years in the music business! This man has fans that weren’t even alive when he dropped his first album. That’s completely unheard of when it comes to today’s artists, but he has withstood the test of time and survived through the different trends and fads that came along.
6. Eminem – When he first came out, I swore that affirmative action had hit the music industry. But over time, he won me as a fan and made most people see beyond the white skin and blond hair. He’s lyrically gifted and he doesn’t have a problem saying whatever is on his mind. You gotta love that. Plus, I think he opened the door for a lot of young white kids who are fans of the music and dream of making music. Which is something that didn’t exist previously. We all remember the white rapper that came before him, right?
5. Nas – One of the great ones. Nas is one of those artists that you’ll be telling your kids and grandkids about. I think he makes that much of an impact. Who else could set the world on fire by threatening to make an album named “Nigga”? What other artist could pull it off without effectively ending their career? Nobdy but Mr. Jones, that’s why he is who he is. And he also helped the next man keep the game going after we lost 2 of the greatest that we’ll ever see.
4. Jay-Z – Numbers don’t lie. Almost every year since 1996, this dude dropped an album that you would swear were audio crack. Once people got a taste, they had to run out and get it. He’s more than just a great artist. He’s a shrewd businessman and a style icon. Hov wrote the book on getting your grown man swag on. “I don’t wear jerseys, I’m 30-plus. Give me a crisp pair of jeans and a button up.”
3. Rakim – How many rappers can you think of that could insult you without ever saying a curse word? There’s only one. He’s another one of those living legends. And he’s probably your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.
2. The Notorious B.I.G. – Biggie accomplished in 2 albums what most artists can’t do over a lifetime. He made himself a legend by making sure that his music always related to the person listening. There isn’t a hip-hop fan alive who can’t recite at least one verse by Big. He was just that dynamic. This was kind of a hard one for me. I’m a big fan of this man’s and it was kind of diffucult to not just give him the #1 spot simply for that reason. He and the guy in the #1 spot share some of the same skills on the mic, but his body of work isn’t big enough to place him above…
1. 2Pac Shakur – Anybody who started life like Pac did must’ve been destined for greatness! Born in prison and the son of at least one Black Panther. He was the ultimate versatile MC, he could battle rap with anybody or hit the studio and drop a classic. He could rock the party with one song and the very next one could hush everybody and make them think. He’s another one who just about everybody is a fan of in some small way, and we all indentified with him on some level. This man’s talent was evident from the start, just read his book of poetry. Here we are, 10+ years after his untimely death, and he’s still dropping records!
Hopefully, while you’ve been reading this, you came up with your own list. Share it! I’d loved to know what you think. Tell me where you disagree with me and why. Peace and love.
You may literally have to add it to your to-do list, but scheduling a good night’s sleep could be one of the smartest health priorities you set. It’s not just daytime drowsiness you risk when shortchanging yourself on your seven to eight hours. Possible health consequences of getting too little or poor sleep can involve the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. In addition to letting life get in the way of good sleep, between 50 and 70 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorder—insomnia or sleep apnea, say—that affects daily functioning and impinges on health. Consider the research:
1) Less may mean more. For people who sleep under seven hours a night, the fewer zzzz’s they get, the more obese they tend to be, according to a 2006 Institute of Medicine report. This may relate to the discovery that insufficient sleep appears to tip hunger hormones out of whack. Leptin, which suppresses appetite, is lowered; ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, gets a boost.
2) You’re more apt to make bad food choices. A study published this week in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that people with obstructive sleep apnea or other severely disordered breathing while asleep ate a diet higher in cholesterol, protein, total fat, and total saturated fat. Women were especially affected.
3) Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance, its precursor, may become more likely. A 2005 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people getting five or fewer hours of sleep each night were 2.5 times more likely to be diabetic, while those with six hours or fewer were 1.7 times more likely.
4) The ticker is put at risk. A 2003 study found that heart attacks were 45 percent more likely in women who slept for five or fewer hours per night than in those who got more.
5) Blood pressure may increase. Obstructive sleep apnea, for example, has been associated with chronically elevated daytime blood pressure, and the more severe the disorder, the more significant the hypertension, suggests the 2006 IOM report. Obesity plays a role in both disorders, so losing weight can ease associated health risks.
6) Auto accidents rise. As stated in a 2007 report in the New England Journal of Medicine, nearly 20 percent of serious car crash injuries involve a sleepy driver—and that’s independent of alcohol use.
7) Balance is off. Older folks who have trouble getting to sleep, who wake up at night, or are drowsy during the day could be 2 to 4.5 times more likely to sustain a fall, found a 2007 study in the Journal of Gerontology.
8) You may be more prone to depression. Adults who chronically operate on fumes report more mental distress, depression, and alcohol use. Adolescents suffer, too: One survey of high school students found similarly high rates of these issues. Middle schoolers, too, report more symptoms of depression and lower self-esteem.
9) Kids may suffer more behavior problems. Research from an April issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that children who are plagued by insomnia, short duration of sleeping, or disordered breathing with obesity, for example, are more likely to have behavioral issues like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
10) Death’s doorstep may be nearer. Those who get five hours or less per night have approximately 15 percent greater risk of dying—regardless of the cause—according to three large population-based studies published in the journals Sleep and the Archives of General Psychiatry.
In My Own Words... 