BlackMan Time

Archive for the ‘People’ Category

US President Barack Obama gave me a massive surprise this morning! He emailed me to confirm that we were in fact related.

When I clicked onto the “see how you are related” link in my Facebook application I saw confirmation of this in a carefully presented family tree which told me I was the fourth cousin, once removed, of Barack Hussein Obama. I must admit it came as news to me but it was good to see it!

At the top of the tree, headlined Barack Hussein Obama II, were Falmouth Fearnley (1830-1878) and Charlotte Holloway (1833-1877), with two columns of families, the McGoverns on the left and the Dunhams on the right. My family and name was the last under the McGovern list.

I marvelled how switched on “cousin” Barack must be to have done this while news of his visit to London as part of the G-20 was being covered on the radio. Then I clicked another link to get more information. The link unveiled the mystery.

“April Fool! You are not really related to Barack Obama!” it said before continuing… “But then you already knew that…”

What a great pity: I was really looking forward to meeting uncle Barack too!

I started a campaign on Facebook last month to support the idea of late reggae superstar Bob Marley becoming a national hero in his native country Jamaica.

Immediately, a few people emailed to tell me upfront why they wouldn’t be supporting the campaign and why they don’t like Bob Marley. They tell me real and/or alleged stuff like:-

• “Bob smoked weed (marijuana)”
• “Bob had many women all over the place”
• “Bob raped his own wife!”
• “Bob charged a lot of money for a particular charity gig”
• “Bob was into cocaine”

And the list goes on and on. I explained that the whole point of the campaign was not to endorse Marley’s lifestyle achievements but his achievements through his music.

Puritanical

We tend to be very puritanical when it comes to who we want to endorse as heroes, but the perfect, whiter than driven snow, purer than pure hero doesn’t exist anywhere in this universe while he is made of human flesh and blood. We are not perfect and Bob was no different.

The place where Bob and his band members The Wailers pretty much achieved perfection was through their works. As singers and musicians they continue to touch people’s souls and hearts. That is the emotional energy which powers me!

Sometimes, if I look too deep I will find things that could divide my love for the source of that power!

Somewhere in East London an attractive, well known, young woman lies dying of cancer. I can’t help wonder if she contributed to her early demise. The woman’s name is Jade Goody, mother of two…

I don’t know Jane Goody personally but like many people I came to know her through her appearance on the reality TV programme “Big Brother” a few years back. She was the one who insulted fellow contestant/game player Shilpa Shetty calling her all manner of racist epithets.

I remember thinking at the time the venom with which she unleashed such nastiness was such that it could only have been real. She later had to apologise of course because the matter had blown up so much it was debated in the Houses of Parliament.

Damage Control

She then went on a damage limitation course by engaging England’s most famous PR guru Max Clifford to be her agent. People were initially sceptical thinking this was just another publicity stunt for media-loving Jade.

Then came a bombshell revelation she had cancer and was diagnosed as having only months to live.

Well, that time is fast approaching and as she lays dying people are wondering whether some unseen force or forces hastened her demise. We will probably never know.

What is certain is that we shouldn’t underestimate the power of speaking and word sound is very powerful. One of those wise sayings that if you haven’t got anything good to say about someone keep quiet sums it up best.

When King of Pop Michael Jackson announced his comeback gigs at London’s O2 Arena earlier this week he had little idea of the impact he would make. The idea seemed so simple at the time: do 10 farewell gigs at the O2 in July, then bow out gracefully.

There must have been nervous moments anticipating coming back into the limelight after acquittal from child molestation charges and other media agitated shenanigans surrounding his name. But, it’s a gamble that now looks like it could very well pay off. And his highly publicised debt could very well be happy too.

Moments after the press conference was arranged and concluded, the tickets went on sale. They’ve sold out so quickly that more dates have been added to accommodate demand. The idea seemed so simple at the time: let’s add a few more dates and then bow out gracefully…

So many tickets have been sold that it now appears Jackson will be performing at the O2 Arena until well into 2010. Not only is demand still high but people are willing to pay the high prices. Tickets are selling for up to £75 on the Jackson website but on Ebay touts are scalping them from between £170 to £10,000.

If absence makes the heart grow fonder Jackson fans seem particularly fond at the moment. But on seeing so much fondness will Jackson be able to bow out gracefully, especially if fans in other parts of the world also want a similarly large piece of him?

I doubt it but the idea seemed so simple at the time…

It’s been 46 days since Barack Obama and his family made their home in the White House and it is particularly pleasing to see the excellent quality of the family photos being released.

The Obamas, consisting of Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha, are the first family of African American descent in the United States and the youngest to enter the White House since the Kennedys.

While they represent a symbol of hope for many people across the race and culture divide, their presence within the White House has particular resonance. They are a proud beacon and testament of what daring to dream can actually help to realise impossible goals.

But when Barack won the US Presidential election on November 20, 2008 the family also became something else. The most prominent in the universe!

Reggae superstar Peter Tosh was a man with his own issues. His forthright, abrasive style was a challenge for the police at home in Jamaica. Some of them acted no more than the vampires he sang about in pimping him for “let off” money.

Tosh, who was gunned down on September 11, 1987, was not a skin-teeth, grin and bear it kind of man so sometimes he took a beating.

This militant style also did not endear him to everyone. Especially those who only saw him as a “dutty, stinking head Rasta”. It was for a good reason why his Wailers band-mate Bob Marley (on Survival) sang: “A good man is never honoured in his own country…”

But those who came to Tosh through love of his music benefitted the most because there’s no denying the power and pull he exerted. He was the first artist in the world to bring the word “Apartheid” on record, long before it was fashionable to do so. Most of us at that time never even knew what apartheid was!!!

I could go on and on about Peter Hubert McIntosh but for now I will cherish whatever love and joy I get from enjoying him through his music.

Hold tight: it looks like this musical enjoyment could continue for some time!

You learn a lot about someone during and after an argument with them.

If it is a written argument you get to see how really clever they are with words as they navigate around the most effective way to hurt you without landing themselves in a libel suit!

If it is a verbal argument you get to learn about their intelligence and ability to think quickly on their feet.

You’d really expect them to be civil but with your words cutting deeply into their soul they probably find it hard not to bleed profanity! There’s also the chance it could get physical.

Either way it is sometimes good to get whatever caused the argument in the first place out into the open and discussed. This is usually fine as long as some light and understanding is generated alongside the heat!

It is always a shame things couldn’t be discussed before they reached argument point though…

People often ask me: “Who is really your true friend?” Usually, I answer: “Anyone who would give their life for me is my true friend…”

Reggae superstar Bob Marley’s love and friendship for a childhood friend called Vincent Ford prompted the above thought.

Ford, 68, who died last month from a diabetes-related illness, is credited with writing “No Woman No Cry”, “Crazy Baldhead” and two other songs on the 1976 album Rastaman Vibration.

The remarkable thing about all this is that Ford was not known as a song-writer at all. The actual fact is that Marley actually wrote the songs himself but credited Ford, a lifelong diabetic who lost both legs to the disease, with the accolade of songwriter for these titles. This ensured that Ford received the royalties from these recordings. It was an act of supreme charity, love and friendship.

Then I asked myself what my friend in a similar situation would do for me to prove their friendship. The status message provided the answer…

How do you prove your friendship?

No matter what singer Chris Brown’s reputation and status was before he allegedly beat up his girlfriend Rihanna, you can bet he has zero credibility with women right now.

He acknowledges this and has, in fact, already started a damage limitation exercise, releasing statements saying how sorry he is and showing general signs of public remorse.

But, look at this photo of Rihanna¹. Who looks the most sorry? We are assuming this image represents the aftermath of whatever argument/fight/disagreement that occurred between the lovers a few weeks back, of course.

If this shows what we think it does then Chris Brown is basically living on borrowed time and should be convicted of assault.

We understand that love sometimes hurt but when it is taken this literally it becomes a criminal offence. And no one, least of all a cowardly singer of meagre talent, should be allowed to soar, let alone rise above it.

Now, let’s see if the Los Angeles police, which has been making direct threats to take action, fulfill their promoise to take effective action on this matter…

1. Photo courtesy of TMZ.com [↩]

Jamaican triple winning Olympic gold track star Usain Bolt is making run of a different kind! He is currently starring in an hilarious Gatorade TV ad, which faithfully mimics the film Monty Python & the Holy Grail. In this case the grail which the intrepid band of knights seeks is the Gatorade G.

Bolt, who actually has two parts in the short film, that of a knight and his dog (in actual fact Bolt’s head mountain on his two feet!), gives a fairly decent performance. However, it is probably good he also has a day job excelling on the track, since his acting skills is still improving!

Nevertheless, this is another interesting string to Bolt’s developing bow and a positive move for the Jamaican. I wonder how long before we can see him being spoofed in Hollywood movies like Scary Movie 4? Or something…