TBT: NATUREMAN'S 3RD YAHRZEIT

TBT:The drive today from Madison was stunning seeing the familiar coulee and La Crosse brightened by a beautiful blue sky... I was truly blessed to have shared this landscape with my Natureman for almost 20 years. we remember you especially this weekend marking the 3rd anniversary of your passing...                                                                

MIDWEEK MUSINGS::COLD as ICE

You might be thinking Wisconsin is on my mind which it is... But that's not my midweek musings...

I  swear I do want to think the best of these creatures we call human beings but sometimes it's just more difficult than others.  When I got into my son-in-law's truck on an airport run yesterday "Cold as Ice"  was playing. Was he playing a super bad joke on me? Seriously, what timing, but I hadn't told him about my last fraud story ... 

You see while checking my monthly charges to write down my donation list, there in July was a charge I had missed from The Walton Center of Performing Arts. NOT only had I missed seeing it, it was much more than any purchase I have made in a long time. Why didn't the credit card folks see this red flag?  After an hour on the phone with the ticket office in northern Arkansas, I was informed 4 tickets were purchased for the Foreigner concert. Guess who sings You're as Cold as Ice? Bingo. Yep,  Foreigner.

These fraudsters used my phone number with one incorrect number AND a very random bogus email address that should have raised an eyebrow with the credit folks. I sure hope these folks had a good time on my dime. (I am being 'sarcastic') Of course, I called Bank of America and reported my findings there as well and they will review my case...

I have had to change my credit card twice since last summer. The sad part is those autopay charities who waited until this year to process my contributions were denied my donations due to the card changes. I sure hope those concert goers get their comeuppance some day. Did I say that? 

For the heck of it: Here's Foreigner singing COLD as ICE, I will never be able to hear it again without thinking fraud is COLD, as COLD as ICE.

tUESDAY tUNES:LIFT EVERY VOICE & SING

 tUESDAY tUNES is quite a treat as this is not an easy song to sing... but this group does it honor. Take a listen to the Group Fire and their rendition of the Black National Anthem. 

FOTO FRIDAY: WORKOUT COMES IN ALL FORMS

FOTO FRIDAY this week is brought to you from Atlanta. 

                   Need I say more?

Lasr week's FOTO FRIDAY was more sedentary...RED RULES

 TBT: This showed up on memories... always time to work on the system...

If you missed Arlo Washington's work on the American Dream... go watch THE BARBER IN LITTLE ROCK

MIDWEEK MUSINGS; THAT AMERICAN DREAM

 One must not take dreams for granted. I am not referring to the kind of dreams one has when asleep. Rather the dreams we hold dear when our eyes are wide open- that 'aspiration, ambition/ ideal.'

We speak of the American Dream in the U.S. as the one we learned from parents/ teachers's lips, " You can be anything you want to be. Just work hard and you can achieve it with determination and initiative. " Rewritten nowadays by those in power as: Individualism, Universalism, Success, and Materialism.”

Barriers exist for the majority of Americans in the economic gap impeded by gender, race and social standing. And sure our chances for success may be diminished by inflation /job situation.If we are of an immigrant status there's language as well as working restrictions.  

The documentary The Barber of Little Rock speaks of generational poverty. How does one get a leg up if those in power decide who has access to the American Dream?  If neighborhoods don't have business ownership possibilities in their own neighborhoods nor banks and banking due to red lining, how can they flourish?

Not only do Arlo Washington's barber school students receive the benefit of his knowledge for good barber skills but also how to establish a business.  He has served as a mentor to more than his 1900 graduates, he has also put in sweat equity to establish a credit union to help his community with their dreams.

 Loans have been and are being repaid and this ability to pay bills is now being realized as well as is the pride of ownership and it's empowering new business owners thanks to his efforts. 

After the Q&A  of the documentary The Barber in Little Rock showing Sunday,  Mayor Scott proclaimed it Arlo Washington Day. An honor well deserved.

“Economic justice is actually having an opportunity

—a real opportunity.”  Arlo Washington

How can we not feel pride to have such a wonderful giving person in our City?

May many more rise to the occasion of empowering all to fulfill their American Dream.

.

TUESDAY TUNES: HINEI MAH TOV

 TUESDAY TUNES is a tribute to Black History Month by #JoshuaNelson, #FrankLondon & the Klezmer Brass Allstars'!

The song translates how good it is to walk hand in hand with our brothers... Hiney mah tov u mah nayim shevet achim gam yachad.

Hinei Mah Tov

FOR MORE 

CHECK OUT:JOSHUA NELSON FRANK LONDON

MONDAY MUSINGS: NOT A WEALTH GAP, A WEALTH CHASM

Meet who I met for the first time yesterday at a film showing at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts film series: Arlo Washington. This impressive young man does more than just run a Barber School here in Little Rock.  You need to hear what he is doing to help his community. A documentary made by the New Yorker is one of the films nominated for a 2024 Oscar.

Mr. Washington is providing more than teaching new generations of barbers. His vocabulary includes words like racial economic disparity, equity and generational wealth...

Take a listen to :

The Barber of Little Rock

Then, let's talk about the American Dream  midweek...

FOTO FRIDAY: RED RULES

 FOTO FRIDAY: I decided to follow my own advice and treat myself to something special for Valentine's Day.

 I have so missed the green leather couch which didn't make the move south... 

Meet Red. 

Last week was FEBRUARY NO JOKE

TBT: HATE HAS NO BUSINESS HERE

Today but in 2019 FEB 15  I posted this pic of the finished artwork in La Crosse, Wisconsin ...

Hate Has NO Business Here. So very proud of La Crosse for their proclamation to fight racism and Islamophobia. This morning at 9 am Mayor Kabat and others will speak at 2001 State Road where the garage door of a taxi service owned by a Muslim family was defaced with graffiti “ Sand Nig*** Mike” Now repainted by locals and replaced with a better message:”One community, One Family, Hate has no place here.” It may be cold 4 degrees but we have warm hearts...

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: DEMONSTRATIONS OF LOVE

 Yep, it's that day- a day marked for LOVE sometimes is not as harmonious as it should be. I say let's blame it on Hallmark. For many Valentine's Day has become a dreaded holiday as angst begins in how to show others we care. How our demonstration will be received is also a factor.

Actually, we should have had a lot of practice as we should be celebrating love all year long with the important people in our lives who deserve to know we care about them.  Our list should include friends, family, significant others, and acquaintances... If we did practice acts of kindness and love year-round, February 14 wouldn't carry so much weight.

Stores will help us by offering all sorts of ways to demonstrate our love in pink and red. The florists are busy and there are chocolates.  Now whether those purchases placate the other's need is a completely different story. 

We can live vicariously through others but to compare our efforts is fruitless. You know there are a lot of young girls disappointed that Taylor Swift didn't get her proposal at the Super Bowl. Did they forget Valentine's Day was on its heels?   What will Taylor be receiving today? I bet it's not a proposal... but who knows? I'm sure just like being asked to go to prom her significant other will have to do something unexpected and it probably will not be on Valentine's Day. Don't hold your breath.

No matter how you celebrate today, I say treat yourself to something that gives you pleasure. You deserve it...

                                 Happy Valentine's Day! 

 XOXO from a sunny Arkansas where the daffodils are blooming.

TUESDAY TUNES: VALENTINE LYRICS FOR SH'OR

Wow what a performance to boot with Brandi Carlisle and Miley Cyrus.

"It ain’t about how fast I get there. It ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side, it’s the climb… These stories don’t mean anything when you’ve got no one to tell them to."

Listen to  Brandi & Miley

FOTO FRIDAY: FEBRUARY NO JOKE

 

FOTO FRIDAY: In February is a sight unknown to most folks up North. The emergence of the daffodils.

Soon it will be time for a trip to Wye Mountain to see the thousands of daffodils in full bloom...

Last week's FOTO FRIDAY was CHILDHOOD FRIENDSHIPS

TBT:HATE HAS NO BUSINESS HERE

Hate has no business here.

Walé Elegbede

  · 

This hateful act happened in La Crosse today. My full statement and response in La Crosse Tribune newspaper.

This is NOT a dream. Hate, Racism, Islamophobia, and Bigotry still live with us! A clear hate crime was committed in La Crosse. Hate Has No Business Here!!

Today I learned that a racial slur “Sand Nigger” was found on the company building of a Muslim business owner in La Crosse. Today’s date is February 8th, 2019 and we still find hateful words, thoughts and action permeating our La Crosse community and country. Two years before Dr. King’s “I have a dream speech”, on June 1961 he said “America is essentially a dream. It is a dream of a land where men of all races, of all nationalities, and of all creed can live together as brothers”. He went on and quoted the declaration of Independence “the substance of the dream can be found in these profound words, we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”.

February is Black History month, a month that is meant to recognize the contributions and role of blacks in U.S History, but instead in La Crosse, Wisconsin we spend time talking about this horrible incident. As an American Muslim of Nigerian descent, who considers La Crosse home, I am appalled, angry, and sad.

Good people of La Crosse, please let’s not make excuses or have a debate of whether this is a hate crime. Ignorance is also not an excuse. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), hate crime is defined as "a criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin.” The perpetrator(s) spray painted “Sand Nigger” which is a racial slur against Blacks, African Americans, Muslims, and Muslims of Middle Eastern or North African descent. Action is needed, and I called on the good people of La Crosse Police, Mayor, La Crosse community leaders, and the people of La Crosse to resolve this wrong.

Dr. King said “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me and I think that is pretty important, also” Malcolm X also said that “You’re not to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.”

This was wrong just like many of the ills we see in society, politics and leadership today. The vast majority of the people of La Crosse are good and decent people, but action is needed. Leadership is needed. Our children’s future depends on it. We want ALL of us and our children (Black, White, Hmong, Irish, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and others) to live in a society where their homes and businesses are not spray painted with racist or degrading slurs.

I am a member of the La Crosse Interfaith Shoulder to Shoulder Network (LISSN), a La Crosse based organization established in February 2016 to empower people of all faiths (Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists) to work together to end anti- Muslim sentiment and hatred of any kind by increasing understanding and strengthening the voice of tolerance, freedom and peace. We want our society to resist xenophobia and are combating Islamophobia in the Coulee Region.

Everyone has a part to play. Choose to have these difficult conversations in your household and with your children. Choose to have these conversations in your workplace and religious institutions. Choose to have these conversations in your schools. Choose to talk to people that look different than you do or worship differently that you do. Choose to speak up to immoral leaders wherever you find them. Choose to break bread and eat with people you do not know. Choose to be allies to groups like Shoulder to Shoulder or other groups that represent under represented populations. Choose to take peaceful yet effective action that stamps out Hate. We need to send a clear message. NOT IN LA CROSSE. Hate Has NO Business Here. All are Welcome.

Download and put up signs that stay “Hate Has No Business Here”

TUESDAY TUNES: HEY MR.DJ

 My musings re: the Grammies are just going to have to wait as there is plenty to digest ... but my exercise class got me moving yesterday and on some days especially Mondays that's super important.

You are going to have to move out of the kitchen for this one...

So here's  HEY MR DJ by Zhané

FOTO FRIDAY: FRIENDS FOREVER

 

FOTO FRIDAY:  Four high school buddies toasting our buddy Gayle, whose funeral we just attended at St Paul's Methodist church. 

We will miss you Gayle but you will not be forgotten...

TBT: AUGUST 2010

TBT allows a special space for memories.  Today I went to a funeral for Gayle, a dear girlfriend I met in elementary school and became better friends in junior and senior high school. We drifted apart with college but FaceBook reconnected us. 

 I loved how Gayle captured moments in nature and her love for her grandchildren with her photography. I had missed her postings lately...  but folks tire of public media. Now I understand the withdrawal. It was her health.

So this is the last pic I have of her from August 2010 at a get-together at Community Bakery with Julie another childhood friend (L) 

Since I moved back home I actually ran into Gayle most recently at a local eatery...    

Gayle, your kind heart will be missed by all those who knew you but we will keep your memory close.

* Donations in Gayle's memory to the Humane Society will be greatly appreciated.