It’s time to Break It Down!

(Revised from Break It Down – 12/24/08, 12/22/10, 12/21/11, 12/26/12, 12/25/13, 12/23/15, 12/21/16, 12/26/17, 12/26/18, 12/25/19 and 12/23/20)

According to tradition, mine if no one else’s, my Christmas post includes a complement of Songs of the Season. Today’s issue will constitute the next edition in that tradition. It’s Tuesday night, or in my personal time dimension, Blog Night. In keeping with what I do, let’s make it so, Wednesday’s coming! As incorporated in the title above, many purists celebrate Twelve Days of Christmas. This has been documented in song, book form, at least one movie, and in countless tales and renditions.

It would be patently unfair, inappropriate, and frankly, unimaginable, for me to launch into a Christmas 2021 post without at least mentioning COVID-19, aka coronavirus. Again!  According to the CDC, there have been over 51.3 million cases of coronavirus reported in the United States, along with more than 800,000 deaths. Recently, a new variant, Omicron, has emerged. In less than 3 weeks, it has rocketed to the leading variant in the U.S. Since Covid vaccines have been introduced, over 200 million Americans have gotten at least one shot. Oddly enough, though vaccines are the most effective vaccine combatant, many of us still resist getting them, elevating the risk level for their own life, as well as that of others. May each and every single life lost to this scourge, as well as the ones that will be lost, Rest In Peace, and may their memories be a blessing. Let us pray that we solve the COVID-19 riddle, so that we don’t have to have another Coronavirus Christmas.

Here, as scheduled, is the blog. I hope you enjoy the blog/e-concert.

Merry Christmas to you! I know some of you are caught up in the whole “We Are The (Secular) World” trip; thus, you substitute Holiday for Christmas in seasonal greetings. But that really shouldn’t be a problem since the man we call 44 brought Christmas back (wink-wink). But seriously though, in case you don’t know, Christmas never went anywhere.  In fact, a quick check back over the Obama years reveals…Christmas was a staple in his repertoire. (http://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/-merry-christmas-never-left-the-white-house-824078915806).  Of course, those innately curious enough to conduct the requisite etymological research know that the root derivation of holiday is “Holy Day;” but I digress; that is fodder for another day.

By the time you get around to this post, most, if not all of you will already have done whatever it is you do to observe and/or celebrate Christmas. But you know what, herein lies an opportunity to take one more moment, a time out if you will, before returning full tilt to your normal schedule.

As is my custom, I will not use this Christmas Season Post, if you will allow me to call it that, to challenge you to sort through the facts, be they esoteric or mundane. Not the election, or the economy, no wars, and absolutely no (further) references to Presidents, past, present or future.

No, this is your time to take a break and leave all that behind. Notice, I did not say forget it, and I certainly would never ask that you pretend it doesn’t exist. Just give yourself a break.

In the true spirit of keeping it simple for both you and me, I am reprising an amalgam of previous posts. In fact, not just any posts…posts from several Christmas’ past. This is my twelfth e-Christmas Concert. Several years ago, I pressed the reset button on the Concert.  Instead of simply providing 12 standards, I upped the ante and provided 24, 12 by female artists, and 12 by male artists. This year, Christmas Day is Saturday, delivery day, as it were.  Take your time, but give them a listen, if you like Christmas Music.

The English playwright and poet, William Congreve, in the opening line of his 1697 Play entitled “The Mourning Bride,” asserted, “Music has Charms to soothe a savage Breast, To soften rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.”  I think Congreve was on to something.  If indeed music is capable of enabling us to overcome our basest instincts, and in so doing, ennoble us to pursue our finer impulses, and then indeed, we should take more opportunities to render ourselves captivated by its magical spell. (By the way, it really is breast…not beast; caught you thinking, didn’t I?)

So, I identified and pulled together an assortment of my favorite Christmas Standards by several of my favorite artists. This year’s version includes a variation of the artistic olio I pulled together for your reading, viewing, and listening pleasure several years ago. Below, you will find hot links to YouTube video interpretations and two songs for each of the 12 Days of Christmas listed and included in today’s Yuletide e-concert.

Female Artists

1. Eartha Kitt is known for having had many talents skills, and abilities, among them acting and singing.  Last year I substituted her most popular Christmas song for “Nothing for Christmas.”  After a 1-year hiatus, I’m bringing back Santa Baby.  As I’ve noted before, the song was born in 1953, and as I will this Sunday, it turned 65 this year.  She slays (or if you’re really in the Christmas spirit — sleighs) it. https://youtu.be/Mk_GmhD053E
2. Dianne Reeves is a Grammy-winning jazz artist who sings in the vein of Dinah Washington and Carmen McRae, a skilled lyricist and scat singer.  She presents “Christmas Time is Here” as if it’s her own. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hInJstw1cGE
3. Vanessa Williams was the first black Miss America.  She had a short and tumultuous reign.  But cream rises to the top, and her talent ensured that losing her title was but a mere speed bump in a star-studded road.  Her rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear” provides a glimpse of her musical flexibility and skill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKmvk0NJnzE
4. Lena Horne was a jazz musician whose career spanned over 70 years.  She was also an actress, dancer, and civil rights activist.  She demonstrates her vocal caliber in this version of “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh8JZp_gnU4
5. Cassandra Wilson was born December 4, 1955.  Her birthdate alone ensured that I included her on this list; ’06!  But that’s not the only reason she made the cut.  Her range includes blues, country, and folk music, as well as jazz.  Moreover, she stuck the proverbial landing in her rendition of “The Little Drummer Boy.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmAQzS5Zk7o
6. Toni Braxton is a lot of things: a talented songwriter, singer, pianist, record producer, actress, television personality, and philanthropist. She is known to be sexy, sultry, and an unpredictable reality show star.  She’s still best known for her music though, and her version of “Santa Please” will do absolutely nothing to change that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nFWiF_E_VQ
7. The Emotions are one of those classic Old School Girl Groups born in the 70’s.  Influenced greatly by Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire Fame, they continue to perform today.  One of my favorite tunes by them is their version of “What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas?” https://youtu.be/coO2E2v5RwE
8. Anita Baker released her first solo album in 1983.  In 1986, she released “Rapture” and it was the dawn of her stardom.  She is known for her trademark “husky” voice, and she is at her Christmas best in this version of “The Christmas Song.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHze40h13mc
9. Diana Ross and the Supremes were the “It” Group of Motown when Motown was the “It’ place of Soul Music.  The Supremes are America’s most successful vocal group with 12 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Here they are with their 1965 rendition of “Silver Bells.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIJROwP4BnM
10. Ella Fitzgerald is jazz royalty.  Frequently referred to as the First Lady of Song, the Queen of Jazz, and Lady Ella, she was widely acclaimed for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, and intonation, as well as a horn-like improvisational ability.  Virtually all scat singing is measured against her. Check out her version of “Sleigh Ride.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnEbRaFaqfg
11. Whitney Houston had a voice known worldwide.  Her recordings accounted for nearly 200 million records sold.  Hers was a clarion voice of our times.  This version of “Joy To The World,” taken from the movie, “The Preacher’s Wife,” is special, as was she. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYPpyTyPf6I
12. Ledisi (Anibade Young) is an R&B and jazz recording artist.  Her first name means “to bring forth” or “to come here” in Yoruba.  She was aptly named.  Enjoy her rendering of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xMz5oGc8s1Q

Male Artists

1. James Brown was renowned for his energetic performances, which earned him another of his many titles, “Hardest working man in show business.” His rendition of “Merry Christmas Baby” is not so up-tempo, but still a reminder that he had earned his chops the hard way, and that he was much more than just flash and dash. https://youtu.be/4VFZGRoZwB0
2. Donny Hathaway was a multifaceted soulful crooner and a product of Howard University who excelled in jazz, blues, soul and gospel music; an Alpha Man.  He suffered from depression and died of suicide January 13, 1979 at 33 years old.  He rendered this marvelous recording of “This Christmas. https://youtu.be/pj1mVUEHeUE
3. The O’Jays were formed in 1965 and have been a staple in Soul and R&B music ever since.  They knock it out of the park with this version of “Christmas Just Ain’t Christmas Anymore.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc4g1wsIA9g
4. The Temptations were a significant part of what made Motown, Motown, in the 60’s and 70’s.  Their rendition of Silent Night lives on as a classic among classics as far as Christmas music goes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFc7STuQF0U
5. Al Green, soul singer, turned minister, soul singer-minister was at his most popular during the 70’s.  He puts his considerable talents to good use in this version of “I’ll be Home for Christmas.” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cFyRwlR5YXk
6. El DeBarge was the central figure in the group known as DeBarge, which reached its zenith in the 80’s.  El was one of several members of the group who went on to fashion solo careers.  He nails this version of “Christmas Without You.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_xB6VD7fS8
7. Will Downing has been recording albums since 1988.  I’ve seen him in concerts twice, including a couple of weeks ago, and I own most of his recorded music.  He simply does not disappoint.  This recording of The First Noel is no exception. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOQWKBIuk-I
8. Joe (Lewis Thomas) released his debut album in 1993.  He has maintained a presence on the music scene ever since. His nuanced presentation of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is just another fine example of his limitless talent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vbpsVILCvU
9. Jerry Butler, popularly known as the Ice Man, fitting for an Alpha, is a singer, songwriter, and musician (guitar, electric guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, and drums) who was the lead singer for the Impressions before going on to a solo career. He recorded this classic version of O Holy Night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0dR1Dk7Bu0
10. Luther Vandross was a musical icon. Period. End of story.  He is one of my favorite musicians, and his treatment of “My Favorite Things” is certainly among my favorite Christmas songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6TRlV6MOOU
11. The Whispers hail from LA, and have been around since the 60’s.  They became members of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003…for good reason.  They got it like that.  And they prove it with this version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbJ95aWUc_A
12. Kem (Owens) is an R&B/Soul singer who has made his uniquely fashioned mark on the music scene since 1999.  He enlists Ledisi (Anibade Young), another single named musical star to create a fabulous rendition of “Be Mine For Christmas.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_8rVJ_ENaY

That’s it, 24 artists and videos and/or songs. Add it all up and you get “Twelve Days Of Christmas: The e-Concert – 2021 Edition!” Enjoy it throughout the Season, and by all means, remember the Reason for the Season!

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right-hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.”  Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

Twelve Days of Christmas: The e-Concert – 2018 Edition

Twelve Days of Christmas: The e-Concert – 2019 Edition

Twelve Days of Christmas: The e-Concert – 2020 Edition

Twelve Days of Christmas The e-Concert 2021 Edition

It’s time to Break It Down!

O.J. Simpson was granted an early parole discharge last week, according to a statement from the Nevada Department of Public Safety.

Simpson, of course, has known notoriety since his college days as a running back at the University of Southern California (USC). Some may have heard about him even earlier, during his high school days, if you were into that kind of thing.

He went on to break records as an NFL player with the Buffalo Bills. He also engendered fame as a broadcaster, actor, and pitch man. Ultimately though, the Juice eclipsed all other measures of being recognized, by being the subject of what became known as The Trial of the Century, a case in which he was alleged to have murdered his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. In 1995 after the high-profile trial, Simpson was acquitted of two counts of the 1994 murders. However, a civil court subsequently found him liable and ordered him to pay $33.5 million, an amount which has more than doubled over the more than two decades that have passed since the judgment was rendered.

In 2007, Simpson was convicted in Las Vegas on kidnapping and armed robbery charges. After serving about 9 years of his 33 year sentence, he was released on parole in 2017, based on a unanimous recommendation of the Parole Board. His parole had been scheduled to end February 9, 2022. Last month, the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners held an “early discharge hearing,” and recommended his release after input from the Nevada Division of Parole and Probation. The decision to grant early discharge was ratified Monday of last week (December 6, 2021).

Arguably, the 74-old Simpson will never be a “free man,” as he now reportedly owes more than $70 million from the civil suit judgment. But, having one more set of proscriptive parameters removed must offer some degree of relief. To that end, in relative terms, at least, “The Juice is Loose!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the links: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.comand/or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. Find a new post each Wednesday. 

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right-hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.”

Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box. Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/14/us/oj-simpson-parole-discharge-spt/index.html

The Juice Is Loose!

It’s time to Break It Down!

A decade ago, yesterday, in observance of the 70^th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing by Japan, I wrote the following post. The 80^th Anniversary seems like an apt occasion to revisit subject. Since I wrote the post in 2011, a few years ago, my wife and I visited Honolulu, Hawaii, and Pearl Harbor, including the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Oklahoma Memorial, the USS Utah Memorial, and the USS Cisco (Submarine) Memorial Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. It was a great trip with lots of amazing history and artifacts. So, here’s the original post:

Seventy years ago today, an incursion of the highest order befell our great nation.  On that fateful Sunday in early December, the Japanese Empire, with the aid of its naval and air forces, attacked the American military installation at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  Although, Hawaii did not officially become the 50^th State until June 27, 1959, the Republic of Hawaii was annexed, and had become the incorporated U.S. Territory of Hawaii on July 6, 1898.  To wit, America was, in an instant, immersed in World War II (WWII), by default.

The next day, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) met with the U.S. Congress to request a Declaration of War, and in so doing, uttered these now famous words: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval andair forces of the Empire of Japan.”

This brazen and unmitigated act of war had surprised the American military establishment, and the Country as a whole.  While we as Americans remember the pillage at Pearl Harbor, the comprehensive nature of the Japanese attacks, though amply documented, is less well-known.  In fact, over a two-day span, Japan spread a torrent of carnage throughout the Pacific, including:

·         Torpedoing ships between Honolulu and San Francisco

·         Launching an offensive against Malaya

·         Assailing Hong Kong

·         Raiding Guam

·         Attacking the Philippine Islands

·         Raiding Wake Island

·         Invading Midway Island

FDR’s request was granted of course.  Four days later, on December 11^th, Germany, and Italy, which had signed a three-nation pact with Japan on September 27, 1940, declared war on the United States.  In his prepared statement, Adolph Hitler declared Germany and Italy were compelled to defend their ally, Japan.  At that point, it’s fair to say it was on!  From December 7, 1941, until Japan surrendered, unconditionally, on September 2, 1945, global Armageddon raged.  Over those 3 ¾ years, many of the key operational dynamics would shift, change, or otherwise be altered, as is always the case during periods of war.  During this time frame:

• Benito Mussolini quit his post as Dictator of Italy
• U.S. Flag raised over  Iwo Jima
• FDR died; Harry S. Truman was sworn in as President of the United States
• Italians killed Mussolini
• Adolph Hitler committed suicide
• U.S. tested first Atomic Bomb at Los Alamos (New Mexico) National Laboratory
• Winston Churchill lost re-election bid
• U.S. dropped the (Atomic) Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, three days apart
• Allied Nations celebrated VJ (Victory over Japan) Day
• Japan surrendered, unconditionally

The War had actually begun in 1939, when Germany invaded Poland on September 1^st; it lasted six years.  During that span, in what was the second World War in 25 years, every major world power was involved in a war for global domination.  By the end, over 60 million people had lost their lives.  Ultimately, the conclusion of the war was precipitated by the United States unleashing the cataclysmic and previously unknown forces of nuclear weaponry.  It was only after the U.S. destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a three-day period that the Japanese Empire was persuaded to surrender, which for all practical purposes, ended the war.

So it is with much respect, simple humility, and a heavy dose of sadness that I salute the millions pressed to service to defend the world as we know it against the rapacious desires of those in search of global hegemony and world domination.  In any version of this story America deserves a special place.  As a nation we resisted direct involvement until victimized by a lethal and unprompted frontal assault.  After engaging, we worked with allied forces to try and repel the efforts of relentless transgressors.  Finally, when nothing else worked, we introduced a wild card, the most lethal weapons system known to man, the Atomic Bomb.  The resulting death and devastation was so stunningly pervasive, a heretofore recalcitrant enemy was forced, immediately to “call it off.”

We now live in the nuclear age of course.  Many nations have access to nuclear weapons, while others are trying to attain them.  What the future holds is uncertain.  But we know for sure that any number of countries have The Bomb at their disposal, and there are enough nuclear weapons stored around the world to destroy the earth, many times over.  With what should be mixed emotions, as Americans, we also know that the only nation ever to unleash the fury of this potential “world-ender” is us, as in the U.S.  In that regard, it was then, and remains today, an absolute truth, “December 7, 1941: A Date Which Will Live In Infamy Redux ’21!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read myblog anytime by clicking the links: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.comand/or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. Find a new post each Wednesday. 

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right-hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.”

Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box. Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5166

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infamy_Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQAf74fsE

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor

http://framework.latimes.com/2011/12/06/pearl-harbor-photos/#/0

http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/harford/opinion-talk/ph-ag-edit-pearl-1207-20111206,0,5066736.story

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=248401

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pearl-harbor-day-december-7-1941-a-date-live-infamy-pearl-harbor-photos-gallery-1.25192

http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/tmirhdee.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/11/newsid_3532000/3532401.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Alamos_National_Laboratory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II

http://www.worldwar-2.net/

http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2011/12/december-7-1941-date-which-will-live-in.html

December 7, 1941: A Date Which Will Live In Infamy Redux ’21

It’s time to Break It Down!

Over the years, I’ve written about this subject far too many times. With deep regret, here we go again, another school shooting. Yesterday at Oxford High School on Oxford Road, in Oxford, Michigan, it could easily have been Oxford, North Carolina, a gunman shot and killed three teens, wounding eight others. The three decedents were a 16-year-old boy, and a 14 and 17-year-old girl. Of the eight wounded, one is believed to be a teacher. Two of the eight required surgery, the remaining six are in stable condition, despite having been shot.

Gun Violence Archive (GVA) is a nonprofit research group with accompanying website and social media delivery platforms which catalogs every incident of gun violence in the United States. Their database contains known shootings in the U.S. gleaned from 6,500 law enforcement entities, the media, and government sources. GVA, frequently cited by the press, defines a mass shooting as firearm violence resulting in at least four people being shot at roughly the same time and location, excluding the perpetrator.

Applying those parameters, there have been 2,128 mass shootings since 2013, or roughly one per day. The United States has the most mass shootings in the world. This, of course is not surprising since, the country has more guns than people.  Among the motivations for school shootings are depression, revenge, and bullying,

The suspected shooter, a sophomore at the school, was armed with a semi-automatic handgun and several magazines. He was taken into custody without incident, about five minutes after authorities responded to the incident, according to Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe. His parents hired an attorney, and he has not been permitted to talk to police.

This event will surely jumpstart another round of discussions about the need for reforming gun laws. Opponents will insist it’s too soon, officials across the spectrum will render thoughts and prayers, and gun law reform advocates will make another run at the ever-elusive goal to make the events of yesterday more difficult to execute. Meanwhile, relatives and friends will be left to morn, while three kids were executed before they reached adulthood.

I wish I could be optimistic regarding the outcome. But at some point, it’s time to admit, doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. That time has come…And Another One!

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right-hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.”

Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box. Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/oakland-county-michigan-high-school-shooting-11-30-21/index.html

And Another One!

It’s time to Break It Down! 

Originally posted on November 24, 2010, and prior to today, subsequently on November 27, 2013, November 26, 2014, November 25, 2015, November 23, 2016, November 22, 2017, November 21, 2018, November 27, 2019, and November 25, 2020.

As in the past, since it is Thanksgiving Week, this post will deviate from the standard fare. I know that travel schedules (in some cases impeded by weather events, and COVID-19, again this year), meal planning, family time, shopping, football, basketball, parades, and if there is any time remaining, relaxation, will be the dominant theme this week. However, it is Wednesday, so there shall be a blog and it will be brief.

Those among us who have perfected humility, and ascended to a genuine Nirvana state, have no doubt also elevated giving thanks to an art form. The rest of us must fully invest our appreciation in the notion, “That’s why we have Thanksgiving!”

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, which kicks off what we commonly refer to as the Holiday Season. Almost instinctively, Thanksgiving and Christmas come to mind. Yet, there is so much more than that to the Season.

Over the next 54 days, many of us will enjoy succulent feasting at Thanksgiving, exchange gifts and contribute to the needy during Hanukkah. We will buy, give, exchange, and/or receive, and (in far too many instances) return gifts at Christmas, eat, drink, and celebrate the 7 Principles of Kwanzaa, and party and toast the dawn of 2022 on New Year’s Day. We will honor the life and works of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on MLK Day. In addition, even in these tough (though improving) economic times, still further fraught with the consequences of coronavirus, further complicated by soaring inflation, this weekend, millions of Americans will pay (literally) homage to our most celebrated of shoppers’ holiday weekends, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, by rising early, and proceeding to scour the aisles for those perfect gifts…and if not perfect, at least cheap, relatively speaking. There are even some precociously enterprising businesses that will start the shopping clock Thursday. Sigh!

In past years, I have sometimes recounted my reasons for being thankful. This year I find that I have more reasons than ever to sit contemplatively in humble repose, and affirm boldly, that I know, without caveat, not only the goodness, no the greatness of God, but also of his inestimable and inexhaustible beneficence. I thank Him for deliverance, and for imbuing me with the sense and sensibility to discern the distinction between kairos and chronos, Greek concepts for God’s time, and man’s time, respectively. In this the Year of our Lord and Savior, 2021, a.k.a. Year 5 A.D. (After Donald), I have again been reminded, God really does have a sense of humor. In accordance, I thank him dearly and daily for Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, and SNL. More important, I am thankful this moment also reflects Year 1 A.J. (After Joe).  Amen!

Eons ago, when I was a college student, I pledged a fraternity. It is familiarly known as the Oldest, Boldest, and Coldest, but I digress. The point of this reference is that during the erstwhile pledge process, as prospective initiates, we were required to learn several classic poems. There were many, each selected to convey a specific life lesson. Some of them have stayed with me, but none more than Invictus, written by English poet, William Ernest Henley (1849-1903).

The Latin translation for Invictus is Undefeated. You may recall it, but just in case, see it below:

Invictus (Latin for Undefeated) By William Ernest Henley:

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

So, as you go about your way tomorrow, and all the tomorrows that follow, recognize that Thanksgiving, at its core, is not simply a day on the calendar. It is a spirit that dwells within each of us, an impulse that prompts us to thank God (for our being undefeated), and for the graciousness to share His blessings with our fellow men and women. Indeed, every day is “A Time For Giving Thanks, Redux ’21!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right-hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.”

Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box. Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ernest_Henley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invictus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year’s_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)

A Time For Thanks Redux ’18

A Time For Thanks Redux ’19

A Time For Giving Thanks Redux ’20

A Time For Giving Thanks, Redux ’21

It’s time to Break It Down!

Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar has a date in the well of the House of Representatives today. Based on a revised proposal released by the House Rules Committee yesterday, the House is expected to vote on a resolution that both censures Gosar and strips him of his two committee assignments, the Committee on Oversight and Reform, as well as the House Committee on Natural Resources. A censure resolution is the most severe form of punishment in the House and requires the censured member to stand in the well of the House while the resolution is read out loud.

Representative Gosar is on track to be censured due to his posting of a photoshopped anime video to his Twitter and Instagram accounts showing him appearing to kill Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and attacking President Joe Biden. Interestingly, Gosar and Ocasio-Cortez both sit on the Oversight and Reform Committee. The act has produced disparate reactions among House members, depending on Party affiliation. 

Gosar is one of Trump’s most ardent supporters in Congress. Not surprisingly, Republicans, by and large, have come to Gosar’s defense. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy remarked that Gosar took down the video and went on to add he (Gosar) had not seen it before he removed it. Democrats, as one might imagine, have been less sympathetic. It is worth noting that, while Gosar did take the video down, he did not issue an apology.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi noted she was initiating and executing the vote because Gosar “made threats, suggestions about harming a member of Congress. That is an insult – not only endangerment of a member of Congress, but an insult to the institution of the House of Representatives. We cannot have members joking about murdering each other, as well as threatening the President of the United States.” Undoubtedly, Pelosi and her fellow Democrats were also motivated to act because McCarthy and his fellow Republicans were lax in taking any action.

Representatives Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney have distinguished themselves by speaking out against Gosar’s actions. Of course, Kinzinger has announced that he is not seeking re-election. By contrast, Cheney has made no such announcement. Moreover, she has been especially vocal in expressing her disdain for Gosar’s actions, and her disapproval of McCarthy’s inaction. She characterized the Minority Leader’s declining to act against their Republican colleague as “indefensible” – especially considering the GOP hue and cry to punish the 13 Republicans who supported the bipartisan infrastructure bill. She added, “Our party needs a leader who is going to stand up for what’s right and stand up for the truth and stop trying to play these games. The notion that Leader McCarthy won’t full-on condemn what Paul Gosar did on multiple occasions but that he seems to be entertaining this move to push the 13 off their committees, I mean it’s indefensible, morally and ethically, and it’s crazy politically.”

So, Paul Gosar, come on down, and “Go Stand In The Well: You’ve Been Censured!

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects to this post, consult the links below:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/16/politics/house-censure-vote-gosar/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/09/politics/gosar-anime-video-violence-ocasio-cortez-biden/index.html

Go Stand In The Well: You’ve Been Censured

It’s time to Break It Down!

Legerdemain; another word for deception, or trickery.

GOP bosses are furiously doing everything they can think of to derail the Biden agenda. But, from my vantage point, that’s not the worst aspect of the Grand Old Party machinery’s chicanery. In fact, I would argue, it’s not even close.

One partisan politico phrased it this way yesterday.

“The United States is confronting a domestic threat that we have never faced before in the form of former President Donald Trump, who is attempting to unravel the foundations of our constitutional republic, aided by political leaders, who have made themselves willing hostages to this dangerous and irrational man.”

At first blush, one may be tempted to think those were the words of one of the GOP’s more derided progressive Democratic arch villains, say, New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or possibly, Washington’s Pramila Jayapal. One would have thunk bigly wrong. It was actually Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney. 

That, however, was not the end of the Dick Cheney scion’s pointed observations. She also rendered a scathing assessment of the enablers, supporters, and sycophants in her Party who continue, even now, to back Trump in his unyielding adherence to The Big Lie, especially the notion, according to Trump’s claim, that the insurrection occurred on Election Day, rather than January 6, 2021.  

She said, “Political leaders who sit silent in the face of these false and dangerous claims are aiding the former President who is at war with the rule of law, and the Constitution (not to mention the truth). When our constitutional order is threatened, as it is now, rising above partisanship is not simply an aspiration. It is an obligation.”

Liz Cheney, along with Adam Kinzinger have become the co-faces of what I refer to as the Republican Resistance. The two are the only GOP members on the House Select Committee charged with investigating the attack on the Capitol. They also were both among the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for “incitement of insurrection” following the events of January 6^th.

Cheney’s remarks were part of a keynote address for a First Amendment Award given by Saint Anselm College’s Institute of Politics in Goffstown, New Hampshire. There’s a chance Representative Cheney’s broadside against all things Trump is a prelude to her own run for the Presidency in 2024, and an equally good chance that Trump will be at least one of her opponents. Coincidentally, the first Primary will be in New Hampshire.

During her speech, she touted her “conservative republican” bona fides, and mentioned that she strongly disagrees with nearly everything President Biden has done since being in office. She boasted of her support for limited government, low taxes, strong national defense, and family values. Nevertheless, while clearly delineating her differences with Biden, she targeted Trump again and again. She called him a “liar who tragically misled Americans and provoked violence on January 6^th.”

In summary, she said, “I love my Party, I love its history, I love its principles. But I love my country more. I know this nation needs a Republican Party that is based on truth.” She made a compelling case that Donald J. Trump is…“A Domestic Threat To Our Constitutional Republic!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects to this post, consult the links below:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/09/politics/liz-cheney-trump-reaction/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/06/us/capitol-riot-paths-to-insurrection/

A Domestic Threat To Our Constitutional Republic

It’s time to Break It Down!

The 2020 Election year ended with the GOP ranting and raving about election integrity, all the while falsely embracing The Big Lie that Democrats stole the election from Donald Trump. Courts high and low, several with Trump appointees included, aided by GOP Elections officials in Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania exploded that nonsensical myth…again and again. In the 12 months since last year’s elections, hundreds of new laws have been manufactured, ostensibly to ensure only eligible voters are permitted to vote.

That’s a great idea, but the functional result of many, if not most of these new provisions is to make it more difficult for citizens unlikely to vote Republican to exercise the franchise. But wait; we’re getting ahead of ourselves. This year’s off-peak Election Year rabbit out of a hat surprise is the false flag otherwise known as Critical Race Theory, or CRT in shorthand.

CRT is a technical legal term introduced by Harvard University Law Professor Derrick Bell in the 1970’s. It is a branch of legal scholarship that challenges the validity of concepts such as rationality, objective truth, and judicial neutrality. That one sentence is probably more than almost anyone who will read this has ever heard about the subject. With that in mind, here’s all you really need to know. CRT is not taught, nor has it ever been taught in anyone’s elementary, middle, or secondary school. That is not even a point worth arguing; it simply has not happened, nor is it likely to ever happen.

School Boards, parents, local and state elected officials, even Governors races have been immersed in the faux premise that children, ostensibly White children, must be rescued from the onerous dictates that apparently shame White students, while simultaneously painting Black students as victims.

There’s a lot that could be said about this topic. What needs to be said, more than anything else, is that no matter how much some parents do not want to hear it, American History has been bastardized, so that the historically dominant culture can feel good about itself, while avoiding and evading some of the dastardliest deeds known to man. Yes, our exceptional forefathers owned human beings, beat them mercilessly, bought, sold, and abused them, practiced Jim Crow, made Strange Fruit of Black men and women swinging from trees, took land from its owners, executed the scourge that was the Trail of Tears, redlined Blacks into undesirable communities, massacred Blacks in Tulsa, Wilmington, and Rosewood, just to name three, interred Japanese Americans, and more. Let’s be clear. Recounting atrocities such as those is not the basis for some theoretical framework called CRT. No, those events are actual practical examples of American History, and let’s get real; the aforementioned items do…not…even…scratch…the…surface!

At the end of the4 day, politics is not tiddlywinks. We can be certain the progenitors of this charade are sharing Champagne toasts, and redoubling their commitment to the well-known principle, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Congratulations. “Critical Race Theory: This Year’s GOP Boogeyman!

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects to this post, consult the links below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_race_theory

Critical Race Theory: This Year’s GOP Boogeyman

It’s time to Break It Down!

A year ago, I penned one of my shortest posts ever; 194 words. We were days away from one of the most consequential Presidential Elections ever. What may now sound like hyperbole landed then like outrageous understatement. Four more years of Trump? Come on man!

Today’s post is personal. I secured my COVID-19 Booster Shot yesterday. This is not a message in a bottle. You don’t want the shot? Do you. But if your bravado results in a case, be just as bodacious in declining a hospital bed needed by someone who adhered to medical protocols. “Take 3: I Got The Booster Yesterday!” (191 words)

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

There4 are no other links for this post:

Take 3: I Got The Booster Yesterday

It’s time to Break It Down! 

On February 3, 2010, I posted a blog about the story of Henrietta Lacks. Mrs. Lacks is a little known (to much of the world) legend (in the fields of cervical oncology and cellular biology). If you haven’t heard of her, it’s likely due to the fact she earned her fabled status on the patient side of medical miracles, not the scientist or physician side.

Last Wednesday, the World Health Organization honored the late Henrietta Lacks, whose cells have been used for innovative scientific research for decades, with an award in recognition of her contributions to the advancement of medical science.

Lacks, a Black woman, was suffering from cervical cancer when she was being treated at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951. A surgeon removed cells from her cervix without her consent during a procedure and that sample enabled a doctor at the hospital to create the first human cell line to reproduce outside the body.

The cell line, now known as HeLa cells, allowed scientists to experiment and create life-saving medicine including the polio vaccine, in-vitro fertilization and gene mapping as well as helped advance cancer and AIDS research.

Lacks, 31, died that same year from cancer, but her influence on the medical science field lived on, leading to the WHO Director-General’s award.

In his statement on the matter, Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “In honouring Henrietta Lacks, WHO acknowledges the importance of reckoning with past scientific injustices, and advancing racial equity in health and science. It’s also an opportunity to recognize women — particularly women of colour — who have made incredible but often unseen contributions to medical science.”

Several of Lacks’ family members, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren, attended the award ceremony at the WHO office in Geneva. Her 87-year-old son, Lawrence Lacks, Sr., accepted the award on her behalf.

Lawrence said, “We are moved to receive this historic recognition of my mother, Henrietta Lacks — honouring who she was as a remarkable woman and the lasting impact of her HeLa cells. My mother’s contributions, once hidden, are now being rightfully honored for their global impact.

My mother was a pioneer in life, giving back to her community, helping others live a better life and caring for others. In death she continues to help the world. Her legacy lives on in us and we thank you for saying her name — Henrietta Lacks.”

Below, is her story, as conveyed in my initial blog on the subject:

This past Monday was the first day of February. As we all know, February is the shortest month of the year, having 28 days, with every fourth year, a Leap Year, having 29 days (the next one in 2012). But did you know, during one period, February had 29 days, and 30 days during Leap Years? Augustus Caesar is said to have taken a day from February to add to August, so that the month named in his honor would have 31 days. Moreover, February has had several names, and has only been known as February for a little more than a century.

You also probably know that February has the distinction of having been designated Black History Month in the United States and Canada. As such, there is usually an infusion of ethnic TV programming, media coverage, civic, and religious observances.

In framing topics for exploration, I have seldom settled on a topic, or even a theme, the day before posting. It is most often the truest expression of “just in time” delivery. However, I have decided to depart from my pattern. Over four Wednesdays in February, I plan to explore of four African Americans who made outstanding contributions to this Country; their Country…our Country; America, and frankly in some cases, the world!

• Who? There are many African Americans, who not only have made enormous contributions to society, but who garnered a fair share of fame and notoriety for their pursuits. Today’s subject is not among that list. Yet, Henrietta Lacks is a giant in terms of the relative importance of her contributions to life as we know it today. Ms. Lacks lived only 31 years, and has been dead nearly twice as long as she lived; succumbing to cervical cancer in 1951.
• What? Ms. Lacks, a mother of five (2 daughters and 3 sons) died from a virulent strain of cervical cancer. During the course of her treatment, doctors removed cells from her, for research purposes…without her knowledge. This was a common practice then and now.
• When? On February 1, 1951, shortly after participating in a march in New York to support finding a cure for polio, Ms. Lacks visited Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Though treated for the disease, she would live only 6 more months. 
• Where? Ms. Lacks was born Henrietta Pleasant, in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1920. After marrying David Lacks, they eventually migrated to Baltimore County, Maryland where David worked in a shipyard. Ms. Lacks was buried in her native home community, in Halifax County, Virginia. 
• Why? In most folks’ blueprint of choice, they would acquire fame and notoriety in life, if at all. For some though, it comes, only through death. This was the case with Henrietta. She was posthumously catapulted to what measure of notoriety she has attained because of the unique characteristics of her cells. 
• How? Researchers at Johns Hopkins discovered a scientific breakthrough related to Ms. Lacks’ cells. In a departure from anything the scientists had seen before, the cells culled from Ms. Lacks continued to grow, outside of her body, and after her death. In fact, they did not just survive, they multiplied. In a circular irony, cells from Ms. Lacks’ culture were used to help Dr. Jonas Salk develop a vaccine for polio in 1955. Of course, Ms. Lacks had marched to help find a cure for that disease just four years earlier.

The story of Henrietta Lacks is powerful in its simplicity. Viewed in the absence of the critical lens of inquiry, it has the sound of saga about a young woman who died too soon; but whose death provided the gift of life, and healthier lives for countless others. In reality it is that…and so very much more.

Henrietta was a poor black woman who was treated in some instances as incidental to the research conducted by the staff at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Eventually, as the story gained traction and became more widely disseminated, the precious cells Ms. Lacks “donated” given the name HeLa, in her honor. 

The chief researcher in this matter, Dr. George Gey, had been searching for a way to keep cells alive outside the body. The cells taken from Henrietta were so incredibly aggressive that in a few short months, the cancer had spread throughout her entire body. The very properties that led to Ms. Lacks’ demise, most likely served as the catalyst for Dr. Gey’s success in inducing cells to continue growing for more than a few weeks outside the body. Those properties also led to breakthroughs in cancer research, drug testing, the development of Dr. Salk’s polio vaccine, insight into facilitating the survival of other cells, and ultimately, a new paradigm in biology.

It was discovered eventually, that HeLa cells are so ubiquitous that they literally took over countless cell samples, resulting in contaminating samples, and invalidating research results. That is unfortunate. But I would argue the real victims in the HeLa story are the Lacks. In addition to not gaining permission toextract Henrietta’s cell tissue for research purposes, the virtual explosion of the HeLa phenomenon had been unfolding for decades before the family ever learned of it.

The growth and sale of HeLa, which continues unabated today, has generated countless millions of dollars in sales revenue, lead to saving lives all across America, and around the world, and furthered medical research initiatives for nearly 60 years. So, what have the Lacks gained from this you may ask? 

Nothing; nada; zero; zilch!

Think on that “Profile in Black History: Henrietta Lacks!” Today, you got the remix. “WHO Honors Henrietta Lacks: Better Late Than Never!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com.

A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/14/us/who-honors-henrietta-lacks/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_History_Month

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmintro1.html

http://www.factmonster.com/spot/afroambios.html

http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/index.jsp

http://www.history.com/content/blackhistory

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Quick+guide+Black+History+Month/2508087/story.html

http://www.entourages.com/barbs/february.htm

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/CUSTOMS/year/february.htm

http://pregnancy.about.com/od/funduedatefacts/a/february.htm

http://www.famousquotesandauthors.com/keywords/february_quotes.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Lacks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Otto_Gey

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/health/02seco.html

http://curezone.com/art/read.asp?ID=12&db=12&C0=735

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Henrietta-Lacks-Immortal-Cells.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeLa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_Salk

http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=3426

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/books/blog/2010/01/the_immortal_life_of_henrietta.html

http://www.rantrave.com/Rave/Where-is-the-soul.aspx

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=henrietta+lacks&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=jUFnS4PWHYGPtgeS-aGzBg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=8&ved=0CEEQsAQwBw

http://spittoon.23andme.com/2009/01/30/the-story-of-henrietta-lacks-a-lesson-in-biology-and-ethics/

http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/immortal-life-henrietta-lacks-excerpt/story?id=9712490

http://www.jhu.edu/jhumag/0400web/01.html

http://www.google.com/search?q=henrietta+lacks&hl=en&sa=G&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=jUFnS4PWHYGPtgeS-aGzBg&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=22&ved=0CFcQ5wIwFQ

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v22/n08/anne-enright/whats-left-of-henrietta-lacks

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/01/henrietta_lacks_unsung_contrib.html

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Excerpt-From-The-Immortal-Life-of-Henrietta-Lacks_1/print/1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johns_Hopkins_Hospital

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke,_Virginia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_County,_Maryland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_County,_Virginia

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2010/02/profile-in-black-history-part-1.html

WHO Honors Henrietta Lacks: Better Late Than Never