CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

My morning started out wonderfully.  I made the perfect pot of coffee, grabbed a Nat Sherman, and sat out on the deck for my ritual a. m. cup of Joe and a  smoke (yes I smoke).  I don’t know what made me do it, but, I checked out CNN news on my BlackBerry.  Why did I do that!  Below is an except of what I saw:

-Washington (CNN) -- The United States is giving an additional $150 million in direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Wednesday.

The funds will help the Palestinians close a huge budget gap, Clinton said.-

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: The money is being advanced from 2011 funds approved by Congress
• The U.S. government will give another $150 million to the Palestinian Authority
• The aid will help close a major budget shortfall
• Clinton: Aid shows America's "determination" to "stand with our Palestinian friends"

Our country is giving an “additional” 150 million dollars away!   Again!  It doesn’t matter to “who”, what matters is, that it’s not to us, the American people!  My momma always told us that “charity begins at home”.   I’m sure the Palestinians could really use the cash, but so can we! 

Let me make myself clear;  don’t have a problem with the Palestinians, or any one else, I do have a problem with our employees (and that’s what our so called “leaders” are, EMPLOYEES!) giving away money need by Americans and leading us straight down the path of  severe poverty and, eventually, oblivion!

Foreclosures filings passed the 3 million dollar point at the end of 2008.  (I don’t want to know about last year.) 

Almost 10.7 million U.S. mortgages were "underwater" as of September, 2009, there are more Americans homeless now since the “Great Depression”.  And what about our children? 

When you went to bed last night (those of us who still have a bed) did you know that approximately 1.5 million American children went to bed homeless?  A homeless child in America is twice as likely to go to bed hungry than one who is not homeless.  America prides itself on being the richest country in the world, yet we have children who are homeless and hungry.  What’s wrong with this picture? 

Back in the day, in my old neighborhood, there was always a family who did things “ass backwards”.  You’d see the mother and or father leave the house, looking cleaner than a “broke dick dog”.  But upon close examination, the house was  raggedy, the children dirty,  and the fridge was empty.  Yet to the world, they seemed to be doing “real good”.   So it is with America today.  Our “employees” need to understand that before you can help anyone else, for what ever reason, you have to help yourself first.  Charity begins at home.  It is our job to “remind” them. 

    

Talk to you later.

AND ALL THAT JAZZ!

Sacramento, CA
June 6, 2010 is a date that I will long remember, for two reasons; I attended my first Black Music Awards show and I fell in love with jazz.

The 8th annual “Sounds of Soul” Music Awards, held at the Crest Theater in Sacramento, CA, was a thrilling event, to say the least. Musicians, vocalist, and groups from all over the country vied spectacularly . Some faces were familiar and some were not, but each and everyone gave the audience an award winning performance. From Gospel to Rap, R & B to Jazz, it was truly a melting a pot for “Soul”, an exciting whirlwind of entertainment.

It was during the performance of Larry Ellis Jr, one of the west coast’s most spectacular jazz musicians and best kept secret, that I discovered a long dormant “love” for jazz. Thank you Larry Ellis Jr. Don’t misunderstand, I have always liked jazz, respected jazz, listened to jazz, but love it? I don’t think so. But now, I know I can love it with the same passion that I’ve always applied to R&B.

Listening to the interpretations of “Ode to Billy Joe”,”Nuthin’ But a G Thing” from his latest CD “Your Favorites My Way” Ellis and his band Southwind, gave me a new out look on the soul of jazz. For the first time I felt the spirit of jazz flow from the soles of my feet to the crown of my head and it was then I knew, that from that point on, jazz and I would be lovers! It took an extraordinary master of music to bring this die hard R&B fan into the house of jazz. No wonder he won two, not one,but two, Sounds of Soul awards. Larry Ellis Jr won the Soul award for ”Best Jazz Band” and “Best Jazz Musician”. No Surprise there!

There is so much more to say about this jazz impresario, but talk is cheap, listening is better.

Get to know and enjoy Larry Ellis Jr.  He’s not hard to find.  Just follow the music.

http://www.jazzplaya.com/

http://myspace.com/larryellisjr

http://reverbnation/larryellisjr

http://itunes.com/larryellisjr

http://rhapsody/larryellisjr