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

Times They Are a-Changin’ – Part I of III

by on ·General

“Come mothers and fathers, throughout the land, and don’t criticize what you can’t understand. Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command . . .  For the times they are a-changin’.” In 1964, when Bob Dylan released that title track from his album by the same name the protest song addressed the social and political turmoil of that era. Today the tune is used in a number of TV commercials and the lyrics remain hauntingly relevant in the 21st century.

Boomers, do you ever look back and wonder what happened to the world we once knew? To say that things are different is a vast understatement. Remember when life used to be so simple?

Back in the day, when you heard that someone you knew had gotten engaged or married the immediate thought was that it was a heterosexual union. Today it could be two males, two females, or a transgender couple. During the time of our youth, a male and female born that way usually died that way. Changing one’s gender – or transgender surgery – was uncommon. And a young child in a nuclear family had a mother and father of the opposite sex, not two same sex mommies or daddies. Life used to be so simple, but times they are a-changin’.

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Toddlers,Tiaras and Tee Shirts

by on ·Lifestyle and Culture

It is no secret that I am not a fan of the TV program Toddlers and Tiaras. I often wonder if it is strictly for the love of money, the desire to live their life through their daughter or both that is making egotistical mothers sexualize their little girls and parade them as mini-vamps before the public. Talk about pushing the envelope, one T&T mother recently dressed her four-year-old daughter as Dolly Parton complete with fake boobs and butt.

Currently, there is a controversy brewing over a tee shirt sold on-line by JC Penney. Designed  for girls 7 to 16, the shirt reads, “I’m too pretty to do homework. So my brother has to do it for me.”  Curious to know if an equal number of  women who are expressing outrage over a tee shirt that they claim is sexist, are voicing their objection to programs that exploit little girls, I did my own reseach and was pleased to discover that there are nearly as many people who dislike T&T as there are those upset over that tee shirt.

I found quite a few people on Twitter voicing their objection to the tee shirt. I also found a significant number who also think that T&T and similar programs are much more degrading to little girls than the tee shirt in question. I entirely agree with one tweeter who wrote “If there is a more cringe-inducing show than Toddlers and Tiaras on TV, I don’t want to know what it is.”

JC Penney bowed to the pressure and pulled the shirt off the market, and a spokesperson issued a statement agreeing with the objectors that the shirt delivered an inappropriate message. 

T&T and copy cat programs are apparently popular with some viewers which raises the question, what’s next? Is there a TV reality series similar to Real Housewives in the making called “Real Toddler Couples” where the basic concept is to show little children in “Tom Thumb” marriages?  Don’t gasp – it is  a sad reality that a program about little children simulating married couples  playing house could be closer than you think.

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Contemplating God’s Sense of Humor

by on ·General

Sometimes I think God has a sense of humor. Sometimes I don’t.

So, yesterday I’m sitting in my home office, at my computer, stalled by writer’s block. Soft music is playing in the background and I am half-heartedly praying for something exciting to write about for my next blog post. Then, the strangest thing happens. The monitor and the wall directly behind it start swaying from side-to-side. I immediately uncross my arms, sit straight up in my chair and stare wide-eyed at the scene in front of me. While craning forward, I slowly stretch my arm toward the wall, preparing to touch it to see if I am actually seeing what I think I am seeing. But then the whole table begins to shake and I become aware of a loud humming sound like my noisy air conditioner makes when it’s running; only the humidity is low and the AC is turned off. The scene is so surreal that I think I am either dreaming or having a stroke.

I sit there briefly; in awe of the situation, wondering what is happening and asking myself what should I do. In a light bulb flash it dawns on me. This is no dream, nor a stroke. It’s an earthquake. Instinct answers my question – Ruuuun!!!

Not yet ready for a halleluiah come to Jesus meeting, I jump straight up out of my chair and in a nanosecond swoop my wallet, cell phone and keys off the table, then sprint across the room, through the hallway and out the front door. At the precise moment that I arrive outside the earth stops shaking, but my body doesn’t. Panting like a geriatric cheetah, I bend forward, place both hands on my knees and take deep breaths in an effort to calm my nerves.

At the same time, some of my neighbors rush outside looking just as frightened. For about 20 minutes or so, we stand around sharing our experiences of what we thought was happening when the earth shook and wondering if it is safe to go back indoors. All the while we are complaining about how we cannot get a signal on our cell phone.

This was not my first experience with an earthquake, but I sure hope it was my last. In the meantime, meteorologists are warning people living on the East Coast to prepare for Hurricane Irene.

I’ve decided that I will no longer pray for inspiration when I am having writer’s block. I know that in time the words will come. Meanwhile, I’ll just keep reminding myself of that old adage “Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it.”

 

 

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A Tribute to Nick Ashford

by on ·General

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson were one of those inseparable show business couples like Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. By all evidence, the Ashford and Simpson relationship was the prototype of one of their biggest hits and my favorite tune – Solid as a Rock.

Like many of their followers, I was fortunate to have seen the talented duo a few times during their heyday and in recent years. The last time was in October 2002 and they still had it going on. They were that rare team of old school performers who gave you your money’s worth and more. They never performed a song that I didn’t like. You’re All I need; I would Know You Anywhere; Send It; and another of my favorites, Is It Still Good to Ya?

The couple met at a New York City church during the mid-sixties, wrote numerous hit tunes for Motown greats like Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross, and it became evident to their fans, way back then, that Ashford and Simpson were not only a hot songwriting-production team, but their on-stage chemistry proved that they were soul mates; a fact driven home by their 38 year marriage.  

In addition to their sensational songwriting career, the dynamic duo owned a New York City restaurant.

Nick Ashford died of throat cancer on Monday night. He leaves behind his lovely wife, Valerie, and their two daughters, Nicole and Asia.

Your greatest fans will miss you deeply, Nick. Rest in peace.

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Kardashian – Give It a Rest!

by on ·Opinion

Kim Kardashian is a beautiful woman. She was an even more beautiful bride. Word is that she had three wedding dresses and walked down the aisle in Vera Wang. Reportedly, the wedding cost over $10 million dollars and will be broadcast in October on a four hour TV special.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there are 13.9 million persons (9.1 percent) unemployed in the U.S. People are continuously losing their homes, their jobs and their minds. It is quite evident that the financial crisis in our downward spiraling economy is fueling murder/suicides; as newly unemployed breadwinners kill their families and themselves.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there are approximately 671,859 homeless people in the U.S. and a huge number of those are veterans.

Seventeen million children in the U.S. go to bed hungry every night.

Long story short. Call me a partypooper. Call me envious. Call me what you want, but tell me is there anyone out there besides me who is sick of hearing about the Kardashians when there are more important matters to be concerned about?

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