My two-cents worth and then some. An online journal by LP Brown.

Posts Written By L Parker Brown

Judge Judy's Book Will Rock Your World

by on ·Lifestyle and Culture

Baby Boomers may be well familiar with Judge Judy Sheindlin. The Libra, born October 21, 1942, is one of us. Yes, she too is a Boomer. Unlike some Boomers I have not been a fan of Judge Judy; that is, I wasn’t until recently reading her book Don’t Pee on My Leg and Tell Me Its’ Raining. Yeah, I found the title pretty disgusting myself, but the book was a definite eye opener. If you were not a fan of Judge Judy, because you thought you knew all there was to know about her and you didn’t like her, reading her book will likely change your mind. And if you have always been a devoted fan of the tough mother of 5 and grandmother of 11, well the book will probably make you like her more.  

A family court judge for over two decades,  the judge lays it all on the line in her book when she exposes little good, but lots of bad and ugly in the criminal justice system, the welfare system, and oh, so much more juicy stuff. You can catch snippets of her in action on various YouTube videos, or you can get an first-rate critique of her book at www.potpourri101.com .

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Don’t Pee on My Leg and Tell Me Its’ Raining — A Book Review

by on ·Lifestyle and Culture

Every once in a while I read a book good enough to share. I recently read Judge Judy Sheindlin’s book Don’t Pee on My Leg and Tell Me Its’ Raining. I almost didn’t buy that book because I have never been a fan of Judge Judy, but it was on sale for half price. What’s a book lover to do? I’ve watched only a few of her TV courtroom programs and found her to be very insensitive, cold and abrupt with people who appeared before her bench. The book gave me a light bulb moment — meaning that I now realize why the judge is the way she is, and in so doing I changed my opinion of her 360 degrees.  Ok 359 1/2. But I no longer view her as the wicked witch of the bench.

Judge Judy served as a Manhattan Family Court judge for over 24 years. Using real life case histories in her book, she give a no holds barred critique of “a criminal-friendly, criminal justice system” that shows more consideration for the criminals than it does for their victims. She pimp slaps readers with the disturbing revelation that many of this country’s laws need serious revision.

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The Trip of a Lifetime

by on ·General

The dedication and grand opening of the new Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington DC will be held on August 28, 2011. Baby Boomers may recall that the date coincides with the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington – a  political rally supporting civil and economic rights for Black Americans. It was at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963, where Dr. King delivered his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech. My own Aunt Sarah, then a civil rights minded school teacher traveled from New York City and was among the number of proud participants at that historic event where the crowd was estimated at between 200,000 to 300,000.  It is anticipated that attendees at the upcoming dedication will surpass those figures.

Numerous events are scheduled prior to the official dedication on August 28, including concerts, luncheons, and a Dream Gala.

President Barack Obama will deliver remarks during the Dedication Ceremony on August 28. Other high profile personalities expected to play a role in the dedication ceremony and activities in the preceding week include Congressman John Lewis, Reverend Al Sharpton, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Reverend Joseph Lowery,  General Colin Powell, Tom Brokaw, Maya Angelou, radio personality “The “Fly Jock” Tom Joyner, actor Jamie Fox, filmmaker George Lucas, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and that isn’t the half of them.

Hotels in the District including the Embassy Suites are offering packaged deals including special rates, all-day Metro Passes and other commemorative benefits for those coming to the dedication. Numerous organizations from around the country are busing participants to the event that The Raleigh, NC/Wake Martin Luther King Celebration Committee calls the “Trip of a Lifetime.”

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Ernie and Bert Platonic Friends

by on ·Lifestyle and Culture

For years it has been widely rumored that the Sesame Street puppets, Ernie and Bert, are gay. Apparently, that controversy has been put to rest by the producers of Sesame Street. Kudos to them for standing their ground and announcing their intent to continue the friendship of Ernie and Bert as it is—just friends. 

The producers of the popular children’s program were compelled to issue a statement in response to an on-line petition by gay rights activists who want Ernie and Bert to marry in order to teach acceptance of people whose sexual orientation or preference may be different. Certainly, there are other ways to get children to realize that people have alternative lifestyles without altering a traditional children’s program.

Sesame Street producers maintain that although the puppets portray friends, and they happen to have male characteristics they are obviously puppets; PUPPETS with no sexual orientation. Furthermore, even if the program’s producers acknowledged that the puppets were actually males, for all intent and purposes they still would not necessarily be gay. Numerous men and women — we are talking real people now — have a best friend of the same gender and that does not mean that both or either of them is gay.

It is a sad state of affairs when even inanimate objects – in this case puppets on a children’s TV program—cannot simulate close friendship without some people trying to make the objects symbolic to promote a cause or lifestyle.

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