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Showing posts from January, 2015

The Essence of Planned Obsolescence

While shopping recently, I reached for refill blades for my favorite razor, only to recoil my hand in horror. As the image shows, the razor itself + one blade is a bit over 4$; however the cost of 5 refill blades is nearly twice the cost of the razor at 8.23$. Are you shitting me? So, essentially, you're trying to make me believe that it costs twice as much to make thin ass safety blades with their strip of aloe and tuck them in a nice cute box as it does to make the actual razor of plastic, metal, and whatever else plus a blade. Really?! I'm not buying it--figuratively AND literally. I stood there in the aisle appalled at the thought of this. Annoyed at the nerve of the makers. Enraged at planned obsolescence. Though companies could make products that would last longer, they choose not to so they can make more money. And with replacement blades that actually cost nearly twice as much as the original blade, you can be damn sure they are making tons of money. Pla

Reflections on Dr. King, Society, Race and Life

I used to hate that I was from Memphis (and loathe  that I'm from the South). As a child, I felt ashamed that my city was the place that killed Dr. King and took that wonderful, transformative man from his family and from the world. As I got older and began to understand the full weight of American history, especially the history of Blacks in this country, my shame often turned to anger. As I aged, I understood better that my city  didn't kill Dr. King but evil citizens who were in  my city killed Dr. King. And while there is plenty of evidence to suggest collusion with city leaders (which would suggest that the city did  help to kill him) and even the United States was found to be responsible for his death , the city itself did not kill Dr. King, and the assassination didn't stop his work. The more I studied his assassination and history, I also realized that if it hadn't have been Memphis, it would've been another city. It just so happened that it was my city. I s

Just F*#@ing Ban Them

It is becoming painfully obvious to anyone paying attention to the full scope of things that this country is NOT equal under the law. People of Color do not have equal protection under the law (we never have), we do not receive equal treatment in the courts, and we damn sure don't receive equal treatment by all cops. Laws do not apply fairly to everyone and now, citizens are taking it upon themselves to help  police with their jobs and that's only making things worse. Open and Concealed Carry Laws have never been applied equally. On May 2, 1967, the Black Panther Party walked into the State Capitol building in California carrying loaded guns . This was completely legal. At that time, California was an open carry state. The Black Panthers were merely exercising their Second Amendment Rights (as we have so frequently heard from groups of armed men and women all across the country in recent years). Their actions, prompted CA assemblyman Don Mulford to draft the Mulford Act , w