Brotherhood: A Human Responsibility

The promise and reality of mankind’s survival
is contingent upon brotherhood,
our kinship – one human to another.

It is our responsibility
to dissolve a foundation
of ignorance and fear.

Invalidate man-made barriers
and fearlessly cross
that not cast in stone.

Tenderly embrace
the once considered stranger,
now unaccustomed friend.

Sex is not an Affirmation for Self-Esteem

The definition of self-esteem can be stated as the reputation we have with ourselves. It is not the feeling we get from a new outfit or a compliment or the need to have sex with an acquaintance or stranger to get over a relationship. New clothes, compliments, sex and all temporary lifts make us feel good for the moment, but they have a fleeting quality that needs to be reinforced as often as the tides change in our lives. These temporary fixes are not something we can count on to be with us through life's ups and downs.

Self-esteem is earned by us, for us and is not given by nature to some and not others. We are not born with a healthy self-esteem. We must acquire it if we are to walk the path of life with peace and dignity. Some of us develop a healthy self-esteem at an early age, while others work long and hard to cultivate it.

Nathaniel Branden, author of "The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem" and "The Psychology of Romantic Love", says there are three challenges of life. Number one is to have the ability to take independent care of ourselves. Number two is developing competence in all relationships and number three is resistance. We will all know pain and defeat, but the important element here is - get back in the ring. This is the sure sign of healthy self-esteem.

Life may knock us down, but our self-worth says the experience happened to me, but it is not who I am. Unfortunately, in far too many cases, young women with low self-esteem use sex hoping that their partner will like them or will desire them or perhaps think they are the best thing they’ve ever experienced and will want and need them forever. This is destructive behavior and is NOT solid footing for a healthy long-term relationship.

Self-esteem allows us to place a higher value on our bodies, including the ability to take care of our health by practicing safe sex and by knowing when and if we are ready to take the responsibility of becoming a parent. It permits us to place our own importance on our sexuality by knowing who we are in this area and then finding a partner who is sexually compatible.

The following statistics are eye opening:

Over 40 million (1 in 5) people have genital herpes and 20 million have genital warts. Many people have passed an STD to a sex partner without knowing it. Incidence of genital herpes in the United States has increased 30% over the past 20 years. The largest increase has occurred in Caucasians, about 1 million new cases. Furthermore, 1 in 4 Caucasian women are infected with the genital herpes. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that an estimated 56,300 new HIV infections occurred - a number that is substantially higher than the previous estimate of 40,000 annual new infections. African American women represented 66% of AIDS diagnoses in women.

According to the philosopher Ayn Rand, sex is the highest expression of love and the greatest tribute - of one’s own physical existence - that one can offer to another within the context of romantic love. Sex is the affirmation of one’s body and spirit - the union of bodies motivated by and in response to the intimate connection of minds and one’s mind is identical to one’s self.

I’ve always said the mind is the sexiest part of the human anatomy. Happy and healthy or a statistic, which would you rather be?

Dialog in the Dark

Guided by an unfamiliar cane, I test the ground to feel where the dirt ends and the lawn begins. Continuously bumping into my visually deprived comrades, I brush against what I believe to be a bush, so I reach out to touch the leaves with my fingers. The sound of birds chirping and the smell of grass indicate I’m in a park.

I follow Jody’s voice - he is our visually impaired guide - through the park and suddenly hear the sounds of traffic rushing by on a busy street. I stop and use my cane to find the curb, but find myself bumping into a bicycle and car bumper before I reach the solid pole holding what I’m told is the traffic light. Jody then assures the group it is safe to cross…

What am I doing, you ask? I am learning to navigate Dialog in the Dark, an exhibit in which visually impaired guides lead sighted visitors through totally darkened, yet multi-textured environments inside Atlantic Station in Atlanta, Georgia. Andreas Heinecke, a German philosopher, designed the exhibit to increase awareness of the challenges of disability, while demonstrating the world is not "less," just different for the disabled.

In addition to the park and busy street, the exhibit includes a grocery, a kitchen, a boat ride and ends in a café. In the café, you are given the opportunity to blindly purchase beverages and chat with your guide about the experience.

If Dialog in the Dark comes to your city, I highly recommend the experience!

What Does Your Music Say About You?

Jazz is played and listened to by all people - in harmony together. Pigmentation differences have no place...as in genuine democracy, only performance counts. -- Norman Granz, Verve Records

Being an audiophile, music fills my day. From the moment I awake, to the time I go to sleep, there is always a song in the background. In fact, those who call my personal cell phone are greeted with music instead of an ordinary ring. Music’s notes whisper gently in my ears, keeping me centered, as I engage in activities throughout the day.

Jazz, Classical and Rock are my top three. Hip Hop is my least favorite, and Country  … well, it just doesn’t do it for me. Being a New Orleanian, Jazz flows through me like blood in my veins. My childhood memories are filled with Sunday afternoons in Jackson Square, listening to Harry Connick, Sr. lead a jazz band, while I played with Harry, Jr. in the park.

Does growing up in New Orleans mean I'm predestined to like Jazz? Possibly. According to an article in the October 2008 issue of Psychology Today, artistic preferences have a strong genetic component. In fact, the research decodes tastes and analyses people based on their preference in music. The findings are as follows:

Rock music: you’re a social person, but easily stressed out or depressed.

Country music: you’re athletic, reliable and focused. You are friendly, cheerful and don’t get stressed out or depressed very often.

Pop: you’re friendly and social, but not verbally gifted.

Rap, Funk or Electronic/Dance: you’re energetic and social.

Hip-Hop or Soul: you’re upbeat and conventional.

Classical: you’re reflective and complex. People describe you as quiet and thoughtful and you have a gift for language.

Jazz: you’re outgoing, social and verbally gifted.

As I read the article, I smiled and thought of friends, their musical choices and the accuracy of the research. Genres aside, we can all say, "I've got the music in me."

South Louisiana - The Forgotten Economic Resource

The ports of New Orleans, South Louisiana and Baton Rouge provide important access to world markets and sources of exported and imported raw materials. These three ports are significant to the economy of the nation. They cover 172 miles on both banks of the Mississippi River. The ports of South Louisiana, New Orleans and Baton Rouge rank third, fourth and fifteenth, respectively in total trade by port to all world ports.

According to the North American Export Grain Association, these three ports serve as a gateway for nearly 55 to 70 percent of all U.S. exported corn, soy and wheat. Barges carry these grains from the Mississippi River to the ports for storage and export. Imports to these ports include steel, coffee, fruits, vegetables, iron, metal ores, non-metallic minerals, inorganic chemicals, forest products, vegetable fats and oils, natural rubber, fertilizers and organic chemicals.

In addition, Louisiana produced – not imported - 53,034,353 barrels of crude oil in 2007. Eighteen percent of U.S. oil production originates in, is transported through or is processed in Louisiana coastal wetlands with a value of $6.3 billion a year. Almost 24 percent of U.S. natural gas production originates in or is processed in Louisiana’s coastal wetlands with a value of $10.3 billion a year.

Louisiana’s OCS (outer continental shelf) territory is the most extensively developed and matured OCS territory in the United States. It has produced 88.8 percent of the crude oil and condensate and 83.2 percent of the natural gas extracted from all federal OCS territories from the beginning of oil and gas exploration and development in the U.S.

In addition to oil and gas, Louisiana’s coastal wetlands contribute 28 percent to the total volume of U.S. fisheries.

The United States depends on the oil and gas shipped through and produced in Louisiana’s coastal zone. An economic impact study entitled “Economic Impacts of Port Fourchon on the National and Regional Economies” was recently released. Completed by Dr. Loren Scott with Loren C. Scott and Associates, the study provides evidence of the critical importance of Port Fourchon to our regional and national economies. Dr. Scott said, “We engaged in this report to find out the dollars and cents and what exactly Port Fourchon means to this country.”

According to the study, if Port Fourchon had a 3-week loss of service for any reason, it would equate to a national economic impact of $9.9 billion in sales loss, $2.9 billion in household earnings loss and over 77,000 jobs loss nationally. These figures are based on $66 barrel of oil. To paraphrase Don Pierson, Assistant Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, “This report is a valuable tool to build the economy, assets and investments in this state. We can use this to show the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Commerce and other organizations that Louisiana ports are a major asset.”

Our recent financial debacle stemmed from greed, misappropriation of funds and the ego of many in power. The government immediately assisted a self-inflicted fiasco. Three years ago, a force majeure impacted a major U.S. economic resource - South Louisiana. To date, there are many areas still uninhabitable.

Sometimes I think the United States of America is no longer a democratic country. Is South Louisiana too dark and too poor for “REAL” government assistance? Is assisting the redevelopment of Louisiana's economic resources a trivial pursuit? Is New Orleans a foregone conclusion?

I’ve heard it said that the best place for the devil to hide is right in plain view. Perhaps the devil is a Republican...LOL!

In the upcoming election, let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer because our laws should apply equally to all with bias towards none.

The Words of Thomas Jefferson Resonate Today

In 1802, Thomas Jefferson said, “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."

What a powerful 206-year-old statement! Considering our country's financial debacle, do you think Mr. Jefferson is tossing in his grave?