Dance in Film

Gene Kelly skating in

Fred Astaire dancing on ceiling in "Royal Wedding" (1951)

Gene Kelly and Jerry Mouse in "Anchors Aweigh" (1944)

The "Godfather of Soul"

This is THE KING! The originator. Mr. Entertainment. The Godfather of Soul. He is the one from whom Michael, Hammer, Prince, Usher,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MXOspWx7icand countless others got their act, and they have all said as much.Talk about light on your feet, James epitomizes a touch that is hardly there, yet it bowls you over with it's overwhelming force and power.As moving as his vocal performance is, so too is his visual effect on his audience. Look at these performances, the people are mesmerized by his smooth flawless motion, the very essence of "cool". Like a boxer on steroids, J.B. glides across the stage, like
an ice skater on acid. Bumping, grinding, physically emphasizing every nuance, of the music. Like a human baton, a lightning rod, a dynamo. James Brown  is canned lightning.A force of nature. A National Treasure, for a black nation!

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These clips exemplify the reason we love this man and why the whole world loves him. Not only the greatest boxer of all time, but a truly engaging, charming individual. We followed him through his victorious campaign in the Olympics, hosted by Mexico in 1968 (famous for the clenched fist salute of the first and second place sprinter from the US, Tommy Smith and John Carlos); to his third capture of the coveted Heavy-weight belt. A world traveler, Ali has been a Chicagoan since his conversion to Islam. The world embraced him, as much for his refusal to join the Armed Forces during the Viet Nam War, as for his dominance in the ring.

Fame, Infamy, and Ignominy: The Many Facets of a Twitterer

Theses are people that I admire for their accomplishments, though I am not a fan, as fan implies fanaticism. Anyways, here they are: many of the people that I name are veritable no-brainers; for instance, as media communications majors, how could we fail to admire and maybe even envy the success of Oprah Winfrey! Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is another notable, for his historical documentaries, his work in genealogy, and his general erudition. Cornel West is another who comes to mind, for not only his huge intellect and scholarliness, but likewise for his unapologetic blackness, which is visibly displayed in his seventies-style afro hairdo. And then there is the Rev. Michael Eric Dyson, who is not afraid to tackle and land, on the controversial side of contentious issues. these are just a few of the people that I have chosen to follow. More to come, later.

The Cover from one of  Rev. Dyson's books.

https://twitter.com/ibuyforeclosure/lists/notable-figures.

Unidentified scholar, Dr. West, and Dr. Gates.

All the News That Fits

Here are a list of sources/resources that I find indispensable in gathering information:
https://twitter.com/ibuyforeclosure/lists/news-organizations

Where's the Beef?

No, it's not what you thought! This post is about vegetarianism. Kinda sneaky, huh? Well I don't want to preach, and I certainly don't intend to make meat lovers swear off their dead delights, just want to give you a little food for thought. You like that? In a video for mercyforanimals.org, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, says that due to his practice of vegetarianism, he hasn't been sick for five years! The rationale behind vegetarianism is fourfold:1) The animal for food industry inflicts untold suffering on the animals that end up on your table and in your systems, by cutting your consumption by just 50%, you can spare hundreds of animals from a lifetime of suffering; 2) for those of us who believe, like the Buddhists, that we reincarnate into numerous lifetimes, causing the suffering of others, yes, even animals, creates negative karma, i.e., as you sow, so shall you reap (or in simpler terms, what goes around comes around); 3) Many illnesses that people are plagued by, don't "haunt" the lives of the vegetarian (many maladies that befall black folks, such as high blood pressure, hypertension, etc. would virtually disappear); 4) Wise men throughout the ages have extolled the virtues of a meatless diet. For example: Daniel the Hebrew prophet during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, and Greek philosophers Pythagoras and Porphyry, who wrote a book promoting vegetarianism entitled "On Abstinence from Animal Food." This post should put a little more fat between your ears, as opposed to around your waist. Peace!

Gun Control

On September 29, 2013, the Chicago Tribune printed a story entitled, "State grapples with keeping guns from mentally ill." This article, written by Bonnie Rubin Miller and Dahleen Glanton, speaks of the fact that both sides of the raging debate in Illinois over gun control, agree that the dangerously mentally ill should not be allowed to own firearms.
Lawmakers in Illinois recently passed a concealed carry law, effective January 2014, that would require mental health practitioners to report patients they believe pose a "clear and present danger to themselves and others.
Even so, the background checks will still do little to keep a senseless act of mass violence from happening in Illinois, according to some experts.
I think that all of those desirous of preserving the freedoms written into the U.S. Constitution by its founding father's, should be extremely vigilant in monitoring this debate, because this flashpoint issue is just the latest assault on our liberties.
A few short months ago, a Chicago alderwoman stopped just short of accusing the Chicago police force of having something to do with the high murder rate in Chicago. Now while I do not subscribe to that line of reasoning, I do believe that events as distant as the French Revolution, and the murder of Czar Nicholas and his family (the Romanovs), and as recent as the September destruction of the twin towers in New York, have been cleverly conceived catastrophe orchestrated by a cabal of powerful men, to get we, the American people to willingly surrender our rights to freedom and privacy.
Ask yourselves this question: "Why have so many mentally ill folks been able to acquire firearms in the first place; and how do they get them into places you would think they couldn't?"

Who I Am (Who Am I?)

"Empty not your soul to everybody and do not diminish, thereby, your importance." In spite of this Ancient Egyptian proverb, I will proceed. The subject of this post, is one near and dear to my heart. The portion inside the parentheses, is actually the title of a poem that I penned some years back. The Egyptian sages were known, also, to admonish their disciples to "Know Thyself." That was where their instruction began, and that was where their instruction would end. For it is said, "What does it profit a man to gain the world, if he should lose his soul (i.e., himself)?" But I guarantee you, that this is the hardest thing, that a man (woman), can ever attempt. Chuang Tzu, a famed Chinese philosopher, was quoted thus: "I awoke from a dream, wherein I was a butterfly. But now, I am not certain that I am a man who dreamed he was a butterfly, or that, instead, I am a butterfly, who is now dreaming that it is a man." The problem is one of perception. The earth appears to be flat, but is it? To complicate matters further, we are all chronic liars. So says G.I. Gurdjieff, a nineteenth century philosopher/mystic. And the worst of it, he says, is that we lie, not only to others, but more importantly, we lie to ourselves. If you would examine the matter deeply, you would be compelled to agree. Another problem that we encounter on the road to self-knowledge, is the duality and imprecision of words. Words are not the things that they describe, but merely symbols of those things. The Jewish rabbis, masters of a mystical tradition known as "Qabalah," were known to say, that for communication to take place, the ears of the listener (student), must be as quick as the mouth of the speaker (teacher). The deeper the concept(s) under discussion, the more relevant this statement becomes. Many misunderstandings take place, because the listener took the words of the speaker, in a way other than what the speaker intended.

King Solomon, known to be the richest, wisest man in the world, said: "He who increases knowledge increases sorrow," Ecclesiastes 1:18. That is reflected in this Tarot Card, "The Hermit." How many people can understand what a nuclear physicist would have to say? That which a man of wisdom might wish to communicate would be even less understood. So the depiction here, speaks of the supreme aloneness that the man of wisdom experiences. I hasten to add, that aloneness does not necessarily imply loneliness. Many people can be found, who would agree with the statement, "History, is his story," but I like to take it one step further and say, "Mystery is my story."

Wake Up People, Wake Up!

The phenomenon of boarded up buildings and vacant lots are nothing new to poor neighborhoods, nor can it be a coincidence that the bulk of the people who live in such neighborhoods are people of color. I'm sure, likewise, that we are all familiar with the hazards that these abandoned buildings pose to the residents and those just passing through. But recently there has been anew twist added to this macabre game. Houses all over the city (especially in our neighborhoods) have begun to be marked for demolition with a huge unsightly red "X" emblazoned on the front of the building. I cannot help but feel that this is having a profound effect on the psyche of our children and even the adults, to have houses in the places where we live marked for destruction. I feel that it also marks we who inhabit these places for destruction, too. Where are the voices of outrage, protest, and dissent among our black, "so-called' leaders? Yeah...they're silent. Gil Scott-Heron said, "Whatever happened to the voices of the sane? Whatever happened to the people who gave a damn?"

The Philosopher's Stone

I recently succumbed to a case of writer's block, as concerns my blogging posts. Couldn't think of one sentence to write. That would appeal to anyone other than myself, that is. But then it hit me. I was trying to write for an audience. But what audience? Maybe I was looking through the wrong end of the telescope. All the IM gurus that I've read have said to write about what you know. That makes sense, otherwise you come across as disingenuous. It's like the movie "Field of dreams," if you build it they will come. If your blog is well-conceived and well-executed, your audience will find you. I have devoted my life to living in the shadows. Flying under the radar. Not being noticed, on purpose. So this is going to be a 180 degree turn for me. To explain who I am, that is. My life has been dedicated to acquiring wisdom. And towards that end, I have studied every religion and philosophy known to man. That is what the title of my blog signifies, the search for meaning. I have had many teachers in my search for meaning

, and am now qualified to teach what I know. Now I must find my audience, those who are seeking for that philosophy that I have painstakingly acquired. They're out there, somewhere...searching. Maybe they will find me.