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Shaman's Blog (23)

Does an "eye-for-an-eye" really make sense?

Does an "eye-for-an-eye" really make sense? By Shaman It is, tragically, a fairly popular belief that when it comes to responding to a wrongdoing, humans should adhere to the old Hebrew doctrine of "an eye for an eye." We first learn this childish behavior on the playground: "Hey, he hit you. Hit him b… Continue

Added by Shaman on December 4, 2009 at 11:00am — 1 Comment

The New War President

The writer Mark Davis is correct: "...of the nearly 70 million people who voted to make Barack Obama president, a sizeable portion did so because they were sick of war." Now they're sick of Barack. (And one can only only wonder what the Nobel Committee is thinking on the day after Obama announces a massive military escalation in Afghanistan.) Of course, G.W. Bush was clumsy, arrogant, clamoring and evangelical in his pledge to a global war-without-end. In stark contrast, Obama is smooth and ef… Continue

Added by Shaman on December 2, 2009 at 11:30am — 2 Comments

Gratitude

Food for thought on Thanksgiving 2009: What would each day be like if we started out by taking inventory and then giving thanks for it? What would happen if we had to take all of the world's suffering (war, earthquake, famine, AIDS, blindness) and equally distribute this suffering so that each person on t… Continue

Added by Shaman on November 26, 2009 at 5:00pm — 1 Comment

Black firefighters facing racist flames in Philly

When I read the article below I couldn't help but recall that there was an ugly period in the United States--not too long ago--when city officials across the South refused to install fire hydrants in black neighborhoods. There was a time when white firefighters used high-pressure water hoses against c… Continue

Added by Shaman on November 12, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Jesus 5.0 -- What Easter Means to Me

Most of us have heard by now of the famous pagan origins of Easter named for the Germanic goddess Eostre. And many of us have heard those countless springtime versions of resurrection stories of Jesus, Heru, Krishna, Dionysus, Mithras and many other legendary gods. As one story has it, the Persian deity Mithras had a virgin birth (born from a rock), and he was an offspring of the Sun (which, back then, people often viewed as god). Long before Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding, Mithras h… Continue

Added by Shaman on April 11, 2009 at 11:30pm — No Comments

The Third World Health of Black American Males

Three years ago, in April of 2006, I collaborated with the President of the National Medical Association to write an indepth report on the health status of black men in the United States. When I finally completed our research for the article, I vividly recall grappling with a title that could somehow capture the sheer tragedy of it all. Finally, it hit me. At the midnight hour, I decided to compare the life expectancy of black men with that of other men across the world, and so I set out to ca… Continue

Added by Shaman on April 10, 2009 at 12:00am — No Comments

The oldest human in the world turns 115

When Gertrude Baines was born, in Shellman, Georgia, Grover Cleveland was president. The U.S. flag had only 44 stars. Today, this daughter of a slave is the oldest living person on the planet, according to the rigorous validation process of the Guinness Book of Records. Yesterday, on April 6, 2009, Ms. Baines celebrated her 115th birthday (see video) at Western Convalescent Hospital in Los Angeles. She now exceeds the average overall life… Continue

Added by Shaman on April 7, 2009 at 12:30pm — 9 Comments

Laughter is Good Medicine

Researchers who study the links between human behavior and health have given laughter a few very hilarious names, like “inner jogging” and “respiratory gymnastics.” Indeed, scientists--with all of their esoteric labels and clever instruments--are finally learning what holistic health practitioners and ancient traditional healers have taught for literally thousands of years: laughter is therapeutic. Research studies are now showing that laughter strengthens the immune system and reduces the stre… Continue

Added by Shaman on April 3, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

Obama's new cigarette tax -- Bravo!

There are still a bunch of wild-eyed Republicans claiming that Obama's new cigarette tax is yet another example of a "socialist president." or, at best, a "tax-and-spend liberal." Such absurdities! These puritan capitalists hate whenever the government "interferes" with the marketplace--even when it makes sense. Sure, obviously you don't want government to discourage the benefits of innovation and the efficiencies of ethical production and distribution. Who among us would be willing to i… Continue

Added by Shaman on April 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — 9 Comments

Tribute to John Hope Franklin, 1915 - 2009

Everyone has a list of people we'd like to meet when we get to heaven. For me, I'm booking tea with John Hope Franklin. The great historian and provocateur turned into spirit on Wednesday. He was 94. Franklin was blessed with a formidable intelligence and a fine literary style. His most important work, From Slavery to Freedom, published in 1947, remains the classic text on the black experience in America. Regrettably, I don't have time to write a full blog on this giant of a man, at least not… Continue

Added by Shaman on March 27, 2009 at 10:00am — 2 Comments

Is There Life on Other Planets?

It is a timeless question: Is there life elsewhere in the Universe? I recall many years ago living in Arraiján, a rural countryside in Panama. Originally from Philadelphia, it was my first night in the beautiful Panamanian countryside and so I went for a walk and looked up at night the sky. It was breathtaking! I had never seen such deep blackness and so many stars twinkling in the sky. Panama seemed like a perfect view of the Universe (or at least the tiny piece of it that fit into the earth's… Continue

Added by Shaman on March 15, 2009 at 11:30am — 2 Comments

After Dissing Jeremiah Wright, Obama Turns to 5 New Pastors

From the start of his campaign for the White House, it was obvious that it was only a matter of time before Obama would kick his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, to the curb. The revolutionary Christian minister was pro-reparations, anti-racism, pro-African, pro-Palestianian, and anti-capitalism. Not exactly a formula for winning the White House. But here's a new development: Since taking oath on Jan 20, Obama has now embraced 5 new pastors into his circle. Three of his five "spiritual advisers" a… Continue

Added by Shaman on March 15, 2009 at 9:00am — 7 Comments

The Magic of Slow Motion

For too many Americans, the word "fitness" conjures up ghastly images of heavy breathing in overcrowded gyms or running in circles at the park like a deranged cheetah. But the truth is, your best daily physical activity may be slow motion, not fast motion. Tai chi and Qigong are two slow-motion mind-body practices that originated in ancient China. Today, an increasing number of Americans, many who are too old, too ailing, or just too out-of-shape for the treadmill or the bench press, are… Continue

Added by Shaman on March 12, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Springtime Resources for Fitness & Outdoor Fun

Okay folks, get ready to lace up your hiking boots and running shoes. Strap on your backpack. Squirt a little oil on the bicycle chain (and don't forget to adjust the brakes). Here are some resources for springtime fitness and outdoor adventures in the U.S. Also, a few special resources are here for African American explorers and athletes. Don't forget to reset your clock forward this weekend to get more sunlight (and activity) at day's end! Hiking resources: Stay tuned for the America… Continue

Added by Shaman on March 7, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Health Tip for Today: Be the "Biggest Loser"

We've all heard the story by now: Two-thirds of Americans are overweight and one-third are obese. And Americans are not alone. Other wealthy, overeating nations (like Great Britain) are not far behind. The financial and human costs of our modern weight problem are staggering. According to the CDC, in 2000 the total cost of obesity in the United States was roughly $120 billion—$61 billion for direct medical costs and $56 billion for indirect costs (like loss productivity for the nation's ailing… Continue

Added by Shaman on March 6, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Gardening Tips for "Last Frost" and Early Spring

For my green thumbers in the lower northeast and the south, we'll be getting some warm weather this weekend. The cold white stuff will melt away! Great time to prep the garden for the "last frost." It's right around the corner! I live in Baltimore and this year my daughter and I will replant our tomatoes, pepppers, rosemary, parsley and cilantro. We reaped a superb organic harvest last year (after we sadly cut down three of our 12-foot sunflowers that were gobbling up the soil). This year we'll… Continue

Added by Shaman on March 5, 2009 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Marijuana doubles risk of aggressive testicular cancer

Here's an interesting follow-up to my recent forum post on Obama's new liberal policy on medical marijuana. A recent study published in the medical journal "Cancer" revealed that smoking marijuana doubles the risk of a particularly aggressive form of testicular cancer, compared to those who've never smoked marijuana. (Gee, I wish I had known this before.) Interestingly, although all correlations are not causal, it's instructive to note that marijuana use and testicular cancer rates have both be… Continue

Added by Shaman on March 3, 2009 at 9:30am — 4 Comments

Michael Steele and black conservative leadership in the new Obama era

As many black Republicans jumped ship to vote for the first black president, the GOP had a new plan: it would crown Michael Steele the first-ever black chairman of the Republican Party. This past weekend, Steele participated (I believe for the second time) in Tavis Smiley's "State of the Black Union. He told the predominately black audience (perhaps unconvincingly) why they should give more thought to the GOP. Of course, it's easy to forget, as Steele reminded us, that the GOP was once the "ant… Continue

Added by Shaman on March 1, 2009 at 3:18pm — No Comments

Black History Month--Saying Farewell to a Few Greats

Before the month ends next week, I'd better join MFO in taking a moment to tip my hat and pour libations to a few special people--with big hearts and wondrous souls--who passed into the spirit world over the last few years: Freddie Hubbard Bernie Mac Bo Diddley Odetta Isaac Hayes Max Roach Yolanda King James Brown Ed Bradley Lou Rawls Octavia Butler Richard Pryor Rosa Parks John Johnson Luther Vandross Johnnie Cochran Ossie Davis Shirley Chisolm Reggie White Ray Charles Barry White Althea Gibso… Continue

Added by Shaman on February 19, 2009 at 6:00pm — 2 Comments

What should we do about the crisis in public schools?

Was this school administrator for real?! There I was, on a brisk and sunny morning, walking my daughter to school (she's in pre-K at a elementary school in West Baltimore, about a block from our home) and this African American administrator storms over to a misbehaving 4th grader, grips him up, and loudly yells: "Nigga, what's your problem!?" I was stunned. Truth is, I was already a heartbeat away from yanking my daughter out of the school because of its shoddy resources, its trash-strewn scho… Continue

Added by Shaman on February 13, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments