Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by RSAnimate

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by RSAnimate, Dan Pink, Stop Motion, White Board Animations, TED Animations, Acting White

Best Table Tennis Shots Of 2012

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Best Table Tennis Shots Of 2012, Top Ten Shots, Table Tennis Daily, Zhang Jike, Timo Boll, Acting White

Permanent Blue Eyes In 20 Seconds

If you were not fortunate at birth, like actress Reese Witherspoon (pictured), science just might give you another shot at blue eyes, but caution is advised.

Gregg Homer PhD., a Los Angeles area research scientist, is working on a procedure, dubbed Lumineye, that will turn brown eyes blue in a mere twenty seconds - and $5,000 (US). Homer's procedure entails beaming a laser onto the top layer of the iris (pigmented) portion of the eye. The laser 'agitates' the iris - some might say it 'burns' it - and the healing process carries away the tissue remnants, leaving an non-pigmented iris ready to reflect blue to its beholders - Hollywood here I come!

It seems that some eye professionals (and me) 'see' a problem brewing with Homer's invention, as pigment in the eye is protective, so permanently burning it away is not insignificant to long-term eye health. In fact, this blogger has previously written about blue eye problems (here).

Others have taken issue with Homer's ethics in pursuing an expensive, dangerous, cosmetic procedure that re-enforces blue eyes as a pillar of human beauty. Homer arguably believes his Jewish roots preclude his pursuits for reasons other than the best intentions. Huh?

Nevertheless, Homer's research continues with the objective of having the procedure available outside of the US in eighteen months, and on US soil within three years. The close-up photograph shows an eye that has undergone the procedure on the bottom half of the iris.

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Permanent Blue Eyes In 20 Seconds, Gregg Homer, Lumineye, Laser, Jewish, Acting White

Lance Armstrong: Fallen Hero

I'm a serious cyclist, so more than a few people have asked me my feelings about, the now 'officially fallen', Mr. Lance Armstrong.

I must preface my thoughts by saying that I have always had a soft spot for Lance. I became a serious cyclist over twenty years ago to raise money to fight cancer - long before Lance. Along the way, I became knowing of the 'cancer industry' in this country - an industry of researchers, companies, and money-raisers, dedicated to 'pursuing' a cure for cancer, rather than actually finding said cure - a result that would kill the golden goose.

While I long-ago stopped raising money, I nevertheless cheered Armstrong's TDF victories. I cheered him knowing that the probability of him being clean in such a dirty business was almost nil. But just like in other sports, as long as the owners and sponsors get a free pass, I say why penalize the athletes (performers) caught in the middle of a system and public that demands winning at all costs.

The greatest indictment is not against Armstrong for cheating, but against a medical profession and drug industry, starting and ending with doctors, who have steadfastly facilitated the hypocrisy (I say pimping) of their profession, including Armstrong as a spokesperson for fighting a cancer directly resulting from his (Armstrong's) admitted doping, in his pre-cancer early professional cycling years.

He was dirty, in a dirty business (still) and he is well on the path of exposing his failings, and paying for them, like every other hero. The full measure of his sacrifice is yet upon him.

If I saw him today, I'd still shake his hand. Clean or dirty, that boy could ride.

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Lance Armstrong: Fallen Hero, Tour de France, Doping, Cancer, Cycling, Acting White

Love And Hip-Hop Disintegration

Recently someone commented to this blog their surprise at my pessimism on the future of Black America. So what then, besides unemployment, crime, graduation rates, or healthcare could be the cause of my less-than-cheery outlook?

The other week my office-mate introduced me to the hit VH1 show, "Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta". I can only presume that more locations are in the works. Anyway, this reality program about the messy lives of rap-star-wannabees is a shining example of life reduced to feeding on the misery of others. The producers and cast have perfected the art of turning self-debasement of an entire culture into art and entertainment, for fun and profit. And there are a host of other similar shows, including one with the wives/girlfriends of basketball stars.

Taken alone, one might call this harmless fun, but against the backdrop of all of our societal problems, this show is the exclamation point on a very important wake-up call. Survival of a group, culture, or species is not mandatory.

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Love And Hip-Hop Disintegration, Ghetto, Rap Music, Black Reality Show, Oppositional Culture, Acting White

Why Do Some People Hate Jews?

This was the question asked by Business Insider's Henry Blodget (here), and it seems that it caused quite a storm. Many people took offense to the question, but I was not one of them - similar to my non-offense to the same question about blacks. If it is true that Jews receive a disproportionate share of hatred, and I believe they do, it is very reasonable to ask why. Having said this, care must be taken that the question is not an invite to pile more hatred (as often happens on hate-sites) upon a group that has historically endured as much as any group. In the case of Hitler, the Nazi's, and WWII, that particular instance of genocide has properly come to define the worst that modern humankind has ever offered itself, in one sitting. I present the question for only one reason - to validate it as truth and contribute to stopping it.

To the question, very simply, Northern European Jews, otherwise known as Ashkenazi Jews, catch hell because they consistently and predictably overachieve in disproportion to their relative percent of the population, in areas that influence the concentration of wealth and power, beginning with education. Because of religion, more so than visible ethnicity, members of the group cluster and are readily identifiable, facilitating those whose level of jealousy, envy, and opportunity has them act out their hatred.

Finally, why do Jews overachieve, you ask? I will save this question for another post, but I will say that there is nothing sinister about it or it's origins, and humankind has benefited tremendously because of it.

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Why Do Some People Hate Jews?, Anti-Semitism, Henry Blodget, Business Insider, Holocaust, Acting White

Donna Summer: 1948 - 2012

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Donna Summer: 1948 - 2012, Disco Queen, Cancer, Last Dance, Bad Girls, Acting White

Blue Eyes Not Really Blue: The Tyndall Effect

I always wondered why the sky, the ocean, and eyes, that are suppose to be pigment-less, are blue. Also, blue eyes seemed to be bluer if there are any significantly blue items nearby, especially including blue apparel on or near the person. I made this diagram to help explain something called the Tyndall Effect, named after 19th century physicist, John Tyndall.

"A blue iris in an eye is due to Tyndall scattering in a turbid layer in the iris. Brown and black irises have the same layer except with more melanin in it. The melanin absorbs light. In the absence of melanin, the layer is translucent (i.e., the light passing through is randomly and diffusely scattered) and a noticeable portion of the light that enters this turbid layer re-emerges via a scattered path. That is, there is backscatter, the redirection of the lightwaves back out to the open air. Scattering takes place to a greater extent at the shorter wavelengths. The longer wavelengths tend to pass straight through the turbid layer with unaltered paths, and then encounter the next layer further back in the iris, which is a light absorber. Thus, the longer wavelengths are not reflected (by scattering) back to the open air as much as the shorter wavelengths are. Since the shorter wavelengths are the blue wavelengths, this gives rise to a blue hue in the light that comes out of the eye.[2] The blue iris is an example of a structural color, in contradistinction to a pigment color." Wikipedia

Lastly, if there is anything blue in color near blue eyes, like a shirt, or the sky, or painted wall, the amount of visible blue light waves will be increased, and those blue waves will enter and 'scatter' out of blue eyes, making them appear even more blue to any watchful eye or camera lens.

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Blue Eyes Not Really Blue: The Tyndall Effect, Eye Workings, Albinism, Blue Iris, Melanin, Acting White

Why Are Black Women Fat?

I read Alice Randall's NYTimes opinion (here) entitled, "Black Women And Fat", with more than a passing interest. In it, Ms. Randall postulates that a significant contributor to black female obesity resides with pleasing the black male desire for 'ampleness'. She speaks of diet and sedentary behavior, as influences, as well, but I still think she has the magnitude of the influence out of order. Pleasing black men would seem more of a cop-out for women, than sound reasoning. Still, this does not explain the behavior of some black men, when it comes to black women and weight.

Studies (here) and simple observation show us that Black men are most greatly attracted to curvy, proportional women, with a preference for protruding butts over frontal-view hour-glass hips, but this preference does not run counter to the general male preference for a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7. Beyonce, and others before her, prove this out.

Now, I have my own 'opinion' on a lesser, but still significant, factor describing why some black women feel they are pleasing black men with all that fat. I postulate that black men are running (have run) a game (confidence game) on the women who believe this. In some cases the women are running the game on themselves - how crazy is that? Each incremental pound that a fat woman is encouraged to believe is simply 'thickness', or 'attractive' fat, provides the black man with 2X power in the relationship. The black male manipulates the black woman's body image to offset his assorted shortcomings, beginning and ending with his inabilities as provider/breadwinner. He tells her he loves her thickness, while sneaking behind her back with another 'skinny' woman, who he says (when busted) treats him 'better'. Give me a freakin' break!

So, while agreeing with Ms. Randall in part, I am postulating, rather than offering fact, that from the male vantage point, black men are running a game on black women to get more of what primeval man wants - sex from as many different women as possible, at the lowest possible cost to himself. In the case of obese women believing they are most desirable - it's just part of the game.

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Why Are Black Women Fat?, Obesity, WTH Ratio, Alice Randall, Thick vs. Fat, Acting White

Dick Clark: 1929 - 2012

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Dick Clark: 1929 - 2012, American Bandstand, Oldest Teenager, Rockin' Eve, Heart Attack, Acting White

Secret Service Agents Buy Colombian Sex, Forfeit Careers For $800

I presume that Secret Service Agents buy sex for similar reasons to why all men buy sex - they want it. Of course, there is more to it than this. I went looking for data and this is what I found.

"A survey of 103 men in London, England (here), who frequently sought the services of prostitutes were questioned about their experiences, attitudes, awareness of the sex industry, and deterrents to seeking prostitutes. The study was a collaborative effort between Eaves, a feminist organization that works to curb demand for commercial sex; and Prostitution Research & Education, an educational nonprofit in San Francisco that researches and documents the dangers of prostitution and sex trafficking.

The survey conducted in London was part of a larger international research project that interviewed 700 men to discover why males buy sex. The project covered six countries. The men surveyed in England ranged in age from 18 to 70 and were primarily white, black, Asian, and eastern European. Most of them were employed and had continued their education past high school. More than half were either married or in a relationship with a women. Thirty-five percent reported no religious affiliation, 33 percent said they were Christian, 13 percent had an unspecified religious affiliation, and the remainder were Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, or Spiritualist.

When asked how many prostitutes they had ever paid for, 15 was the number most often mentioned, although the numbers ranged from 1 to 2,000. Twelve percent of the men had gone to more than 130 prostitutes, and 65 percent believed that “most men” go to prostitutes occasionally. Even though many of these men sought the services of prostitutes quite often, 71 percent of them said they experienced some degree of shame, guilt, or negative feelings about paying for sex.

Men seek prostitutes for a variety of reasons. The most common reason named was to satisfy an immediate sexual urge or for pleasure (32%), followed by a need for variety (21%), not having their needs met in their current relationship (20%), convenience (15%), the thrill (8%), and an addiction or compulsion (3%)..."

Of course, my pragmatic question to the agents involved is once you have 'stepped in it' (had compromising sex on a presidential detail), how much is your career/marriage/relationship worth to you? Whatever value you calculate - that's how much you should be willing to pay Ms. Colombia, before Air Force One lands - duh?

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Secret Service Agents Buy Colombian Sex, Forfeit Careers For $800, Sex Scandal, Colombian Prostitutes, Sexism, Dereliction, Acting White

Acura Embarrassed By "Not Too Dark" Casting Revelation In Seinfeld Ad

While I think it is reasonable, in casting, to seek specific actor attributes, requesting an "African-American" that is "not too dark" should have seemed a bit over the line, I think. Darkness, as used here, would seem to connote a negative attribute working against the desired positive representation of Acura - at least in someone's view. The lame excuse of 'lighting issues' makes the screw-up worse.

The actual casting document is an interesting read, and unambiguous. So what do you think?

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Acura Embarrassed By "Not Too Dark" Casting Revelation In Seinfeld Ad, Light-Skin Preference, Jerry Seinfeld, Racism, Superbowl, Acting White

Swedish Culture Minister Celebrates With LIVE Genital Mutilation Cake

"STOCKHOLM (FRIA TIDER). A macabre scene with racist undertones took place on Saturday when Swedish minister of culture Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth attended a tax funded party for the Stockholm cultural elite. The self-proclaimed "anti-racist" Liljeroth declared the party officially started by slicing a piece of a cake depicting a stereotypical African woman.

(Minister) Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth was invited to open the festivities by performing a clitoridectomy on the cake, which she did by slicing off the part of the cake depicting female genitalia. She then proceeded to feed that part of the cake to a performance artist, done up in blackface, his head protruding through the table." (here)

Sometimes you just have to see things with your own eyes to believe that someone with intelligence and authority actually thought it was a good idea. YouTube below: WARNING: VIDEO IS DISTURBING!!!



James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Swedish Culture Minister Celebrates With LIVE Genital Mutilation Cake, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, Female Circumcision, Genitalia, Blackface, Acting White

Random Whiteness of the Two-Wheeled Variety, Danny MacAskill

Yes, ask LA Laker Pau Gasol if Clipper Blake Griffin is the 'dunkadelic' (here), but this dude MacAskill takes stunt cycling to the level of art form. Wow!

Take a breath, Happy Friday - the wheels of justice are again turning!

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Random Whiteness of the Two-Wheeled Variety, Danny MacAskill, Cycling Stunts, Edinburgh, Cool Stuff, Blake Griffin, Acting White

Mike Wallace: 1918 - 2012

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Mike Wallace: 1918 - 2012, 60 Minutes, CBS Journalist, Ambush, Interrogate, Acting White

Rush Limbaugh Self-Immolation Not A Fluke

It is hard to imagine Don Imus, Mr. Them Sure Are Some Nappy-headed Ho's, giving Rush Fluke's a slut Limbaugh advice, but this is exactly what transpired earlier today. Imus told Limbaugh to load his fat butt onto his Gulf Stream private jet, and fly to wherever and apologize like a man, to Ms. Fluke. Rush countered by pouring a little more gasoline on himself and once again lighting up. (here) The best part is George Will calling the Republicans, especially Romney, cowards for not checking Limbaugh(here). John Boehner said Limbaugh's name calling was inappropriate. Wow, that's tough talk from the Republican leader!

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Rush Limbaugh Self-Immolation Not A Fluke, Sandra Fluke, Slut, Prostitute, Apology, Acting White

Huffington Post Adds Sports Crime Section Featuring Blacks

On February 27, 2012 I discovered the Huff Post "Sports Crime" Section (here), of the popular internet news source. Wow! A compilation of the most recent criminal troubles of US professional and collegiate athletes. And this does not even include child support cases.

It was no surprise that black males predominate the list, at nearly 80% of the featured perps. I don't think the HP is picking on black males, but I do wonder how this page matches up against all athletes, not just the top tier. I also wish they did not bury this data under sports, as though arrests are akin to game stats.

Players, teams (coaches and owners), and communities should be embarrassed and ashamed of these criminal distinctions. For the record, drugs and assault seem to be the leading categories of violations - surprise!

Features for 2/27: Murder (1), Drugs (5), Assault (6), DUI (2), False ID (1), Driving (1), Fraud (1), Child Abuse (1).

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE ACTING BLACK...

Technorati Tags: Huffington Post Adds Sports Crime Section Featuring Blacks, Floyd Mayweather, Black Crime, Violence, Drugs, Acting White

Was Billy Crystal's Blackface Sammy Davis Racist?

Okay, we knew this was coming big time, even though Crystal has been doing Sammy from way back in the SNL hay-days. I say Crystal is cool with his Oscar Awards Sammy. Yeah, he had to put on black-face makeup, but this ain't the blackface that should have folks up in arms. He is an impersonator, and one of the best there ever was. He is doing his thing, and isn't it great that Sammy still lives, long after he's gone. Crystal is not mocking black folks, culture, or anything else, he is really paying homage, as one great entertainer to another (as I see it). Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappelle impersonating Jewish/white guys is cool too, even though the danger zone is clearly visible.

Having said this, all the white folks who think Crystal gives them license to paint themselves up as Gangstas'. Hell no. That dog don't hunt! Impersonating takes talent and a bit, mockery is just someone acting stupid and racist - and the world hopefully is getting better at knowing the difference.

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE...

Technorati Tags: Was Billy Crystal's Blackface Sammy Davis Racist?, Academy Awards, Justin Bieber, Kill Hitler, Racism, Acting White

Artistic Savant: Stephen Wiltshire Draws Tokyo In 360 From Memory

"The autistic savant is one of the most fascinating cognitive phenomena in psychology. "Autistic savant" refers to individuals with autism who have extraordinary skills not exhibited by most persons. Historically, individuals with these exceptional skills were called 'idiot savants,' a French term meaning unlearned (idiot) skill (savant). In a 1978 article in Psychology Today, Dr. Bernard Rimland introduced a more appropriate term 'autistic savant,' which is the current label.

The estimated prevalence of savant abilities in autism is 10%, whereas the prevalence in the non-autistic population, including those with mental retardation, is less than 1%.

There are many forms of savant abilities. The most common forms involve mathematical calculations, memory feats, artistic abilities, and musical abilities. A mathematical ability which many autistic individuals display is calendar memory. They could be asked a question like: 'What day of the week was May 22, 1961? and they can determine the answer within seconds--Monday. Others can multiply and divide large numbers in their head and can also calculate square roots and prime numbers without much hesitation.

Examples of some memory feats include: remembering everything about presidents (birth/death, term in office, names and birth dates of family members, cabinet members, etc.), memorizing the U.S. highway system, and remembering everyone's birth date, even after meeting the person once and not seeing him/her for 20 years.

Some autistic individuals with savant abilities are incredible artists. Dr. Rimland's son, Mark, is quickly establishing himself as an excellent watercolor artist. A child named Nadia drew beautiful pictures of horses, and her drawings have been compared to those of Rembrandt. Interestingly, she lost her drawing abilities when she started to learn to speak. Another artist with autism, Richard Wawro, who was described in an issue of Reader's Digest, is legally blind and draws in crayons. His works sell for up to $10,000, and even the Pope owns one of his paintings.

Music is another common savant ability. Many performers with autism have perfect pitch and also have a great memory for music. In some cases, a person can hear a classical piece once and play it back in its entirety. Tim Baley, who also has Fragile X, is a concert pianist and the piano player for Hi Hopes, a musical group of singers and performers with autism and/or mental retardation. Hi Hopes played at the Los Angeles autism conference a few years ago and have even played at the White House. (Tim's mother wrote a book about his life. If you would like to obtain a copy of her book or learn more about Tim, you can write to: Mrs. Baley, Box 8207, Anaheim, CA 92812).

The movie Rain Man exposed millions of people to autism as well as the autistic savant phenomenon. (Unfortunately, some people now have the impression that all autistic individuals have these abilities.) In the movie, Raymond displayed a great memory for ball player statistics, memorized parts of the telephone book, and counted cards in Las Vegas. One wonders why this year's national autism conference is being held in Las Vegas!

The reason why some autistic individuals have savant abilities is not known. There are many theories, but there is no evidence to support any of them. For example, Dr. Rimland speculates that these individuals have incredible concentration abilities and can focus their complete attention to a specific area of interest. Admittedly, researchers in psychology feel that we will never truly understand memory and cognition until we understand the autistic savant."

From Autism.com...

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE...

Technorati Tags: Artistic Savant: Stephen Wiltshire Draws Tokyo In 360 From Memory, Autistic Savant, Cityscapes, Human Memory, Black Rain Man, Acting White

Shit People Say In Oakland

A Sista' from Oakland sent this to me, saying it was hella'-funny! If you know the town, she is right.

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE...

Technorati Tags: Shit People Say In Oakland, Occupy, Hella', Hecka', Raiders, Acting White