Morning Edition - 4/27/06

Illegal Ride; Saddle-Up!
Chief of police Kevin Ambeau of St. Gabriel, Louisiana, went on WAFB News Channel 9, to ask viewers to attempt to identify a man captured on hidden video screwing a horse. Owners of a barn in St. Gabriel became suspicious when they found sex paraphernalia in one of their horse stalls. They installed two video cameras and were shocked to watch the tapes and find a thin, light-skinned man, wearing flip-flops, creeping into the barn in the middle of the night to have intercourse with their horse. They turned the video over to police who now say that when the man is captured he may serve up to five years in prison and be fined up to $2,000.

I Don’t
Gay marriage is an enormous issue and whether you agree that all consenting adults should have the right to marry the one they love, or you feel the sacrament of marriage would be defiled by same-sex couples taking the plunge, new statistics may actually put the discussion in perspective for many. A new study shows that the percentage of gay couples choosing to tie-the-knot in countries that legalized gay marriage, was negligible. Less than 10% of gay couples in Belgium, the Netherlands and Canada actually took the plunge. Even Massachusetts, which legalized gay marriage in 2004, had less than 20% of the gay population opting to be anchored down. So, it would seem that for all the fury of the religious right to ban gay marriage, the issue may be moot. Maybe now we can concentrate on issues that affect a larger segment of the population – how about straight-couples divorce rates?

Gay Man Walking
Less than one week after asking you to sponsor me for this year’s NY AIDS Walk, I have reached my goal. Initially, I set my goal at $500, but your response was overwhelming and I raised my goal to $700. Today, I’ve surpassed my goal and have raised $725. Even more uplifting, there are still several sponsors who will be contributing to the campaign in the coming days. I am floored by your support and can’t say enough about how much your contribution means to thousands of victims living with AIDS. On May 21, I will be high-stepping it with each of you pulling me forward by my heart strings. Thank you!

On Blast
If you want control buy the album…. Relationships can sometimes take odd turns and we may find ourselves changing facets of our personality to conform or compromise to make them work. Comic Chris Rock once said that when we meet someone, we’re not meeting them, we’re meeting their representative. Do you find that you conceal aspects of your personality when you go on your first few dates with folks? Why is it important to not allow your prospective boyfriends or girlfriends know the “real” you? What about you do you struggle to change with each new partnership to change the outcome of your relationship? Has it worked?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 4/26/06

Robin Doesn’t Care for Bird
Robin Williams, funny man and at the strangest times, serious actor, told the Irish Examiner that he is not gay. The declaration followed rumors that Williams had been with men in the past. Even during his drug-induced party stage, Williams says he never considered having sex with men – and this is when bisexuality was the rage, Williams said.

Momma Can You Hear Me
There are countless stories of heroic parents who race in front of 18-wheelers to save their tots from the massive truck barreling their way or are willing to jump in the path of a bullet to prevent harm to come to their baby. Yesterday, six-year old Da-Onah Watts awoke to strangers dragging her from her burning home. Unfortunately, after Watts was in the clear, the panicked child rushed back into the burning home to rescue her mom. Myiaa Smith, 29, Watts mom, had already jumped to safety from her second floor bedroom window. Da-Onah was found dead under a bed. The towns-folk of Steelton, Pennsylvania are in a state of shock over the loss of Watts who they say was well-known and loved by the community.

Night and Day; Daylen turns 1
It was one year ago today that Daylen Evan F. came into our family and brightened our lives with the most arresting smile and heated “tude.” My flawless nephew was God’s gift to celebrate my return to NYC and he was everything I could’ve wanted. He’s smart, beautiful and reminds me of what’s really important in life. Anytime I’m feeling down, upset, confused or stressed I just need to spend five minutes with Daylen to realize that nothing – yes folks, nothing – is really that serious. His innocence renews my spirit and his curiosity makes my heart warm. Happy birthday Day-Day!

On Blast
Where there’s smoke there’s fire. Birds of a feather flock together. Dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres = tell me who you hang with and I’ll tell you who you are. There are countless phrases created to validate our need to define or box folks into categories based on who they associate with. Do you believe that who you associate with directly identifies or defines who you are? What are the pitfalls of interacting with individuals who don’t share your interest? What are the benefits of staying connected to people in different socio-economic groups?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 4/20/06

Until A Cure Is Found
Since 1981, 25 million people have died of AIDS. If you thought this devastating disease was a gay disease, statistics show 46% of all AIDS or HIV infected individuals are women. To make matters worse, young people 15-24 years old account for more than half of all new HIV infections, with 6,000 new infections occurring daily. In 2005, 4.2 million new cases of HIV were reported – this doesn’t include the millions of folks who refuse to be tested for the virus. On May 21, I will be participating in the NY AIDS Walk. The walk benefits people diagnosed with the disease that need life-saving resources and medications. Although there are some very promising life-prolonging medications, these don’t always work for everyone and are certainly not available to everyone. I’ve chosen to take a positive step to make a difference and I ask that you support me in battling this disease. You can sponsor me for this momentous walk by visiting my donations headquarters at http://aidswalknewyork2006.kintera.org/hectorwalks
For those of you who have already posted your support, thank you.

iPod Mania
The Apple iPod is almost as popular as a cell phone. In the first quarter of 2006, Apple reported shipping 8,526,000 iPod devices. That’s 61% more iPods than the same period in 2005. Thanks in part to the iPod, Steve Jobs, the head of Apple, says the company generated over $10 billion in revenue in the first half of fiscal 2006. Just twenty years ago the boom-box and cassette player were the hot items in music and the thought of carrying thousands of songs – all comprised of your favorites – was a futuristic dream. Now a reality, it’s remarkable that only 20% of Americans presently own an iPod.

Young “ho”?
Statistics can sometimes paint a grim picture of reality. Such is the case of the rate of teen sex in America. The good news is that national statistics say most teens are virgins until the age of 17. Outside of this, the numbers take a moral nose-dive. Over one million women under the age of 20 become pregnant each year. Even scarier, a quarter of all 15-year old females and 30% of males have had sex. Sadly, 7 in 10 of the women who had sex before the age of 14 said they had sex involuntarily. If you don’t have children and think these stats have nothing to do with you, it is estimated that teen pregnancy costs tax payers over $7 billion annually.

On Blast
At what age did you lose your virginity? Was the experience voluntary? Is the memory of your “first time” a positive one or (in retrospect) would you have waited to lose your virginity later in life? What was most memorable about getting some?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 4/18/06

Phat Girlz; Fat or Skinny, Role Reversal Abuses Don’t Make for Good Cinema
Credit where credit is due, writing and directing credit for Phat Girlz go to Nnegest Likke’, so I won’t give Mo’Nique the lashing she deserves for this poorly written and completely transparent sham of a flick. Mo’Nique is Jazmin Biltmore, an aspiring fashion designer who works at a department store and dreams of becoming a plus-size designer with the trendy big girl in mind. That’s an admirable cause, but the storyline goes completely awry when Jazmin wins a trip to Palm Springs and takes along her two buddies – her cousin Mia (Joyful Drake) a size 2 self-obsessed sistah; and Stacey (Kendra Johnson) her best pal and frumpy fat girl sidekick. While in Palm Springs the gals find themselves staying at the same five-star resort as a foreign medical convention. Voila’! Enter Tunde (newcomer Jimmy Jean-Louis) a Nigerian doctor attending the convention with his Nigerian medical delegation. Tunde is a stunningly beautiful, muscle-bound and intelligent man who finds Jazmin to be a goddess. If you haven’t guessed it, the Nigerian culture sees heavier women's size as a sign of beauty and wealth and find Mia (previously seen as a show stopper) as sickly and undernourished. From this point on, we’re treated to repeated messages of thin as evil, fat as beautiful and the divide as insurmountable. The movie becomes a fat person’s dream of redemption at the expense of any and everyone that has ever made a snide remark about folks who are heavy. Jazmin is worshipped by Tunde and she is in her own private heaven. Simultaneously another doctor has taken a liking to Stacey and brings, the already stunning beauty who hides behind thick glasses and tent-ish clothing, to life in the film – he also freaks the girl half to death; to the point that mixed messages about the virtues and morals of heavier women are brought to question. All this to say that the film could have been written with the real message and the true goal at heart which is – no one (regardless of size) should ever be made fun of or ostracized; there is beauty in everyone and a lid for every pot; be healthy and realize that whether you’re a size 2 or 22 you’re as fierce as you want to be. Unfortunately you’ll experience years of retribution with the big girls dishing the same abuse they’ve been on the receiving end of for years. Oh yeah, at times, you'll laugh.

DC Does the Body Good
Call it a connection that goes beyond the physical and is more of an emotional and mental exhale. Washington, DC, which served as my home for over eight years, still has the power to relax and invigorate my spirit. Last Thursday afternoon I arrived in DC, luxuriated in my hotel room – special thank you to Angie M. for the hook-up – before heading out to an evening of reconnects, new-connects and sweaty dancing. The music was classic DC – gospel-house infused with a heavy bass that gets your inners vibrating. Friday’s lunch at the Daily Grill was a huge success. I touched-base with my former ABA Crew and we had a great time catching-up on everyone’s life. Afterward, my visit to the ABA offices gave me the opportunity to see many of the wonderful folks that I called my coworkers for so many years. By Friday night I was rearing to go again and DC is still is a great city for partying. A special wink-wink to new acquaintances Craig and Mark for showing a Big Apple bighead how it’s done south of the Mason Dixon line. Saturday was a day for old pals. After a blood pumpin’ work-out at the Washington Sport Club, I joined Sean, Adam, Jimmy and Tom for a late lunch at Outback Steakhouse. Can someone say, “More red meat than the law allows”? Sean, the Mariah mix-CDs are off-da-hook! Saturday night was a night to remember. Deviating from my original plan of wearing a scandalous see-through short set, I wore cargo shorts and a muscle shirt that did the job just as exquisitely. Within the first hour of arriving at the club I was shown to some southern hospitality by “field-hand” Benny Ray. I’m not even kidding with this one folks. Benny is 6’4”, 250 lbs. of solid Hershey southern goodness. After buying drinks he flashed those pearly whites and had me on the dance floor soaked and overheated in a lickety-split. Sunday I awoke to a memorable sausage and biscuit breakfast… no pun intended… before meeting with my soul wifey Marcia. We caught Mo’Nique’s Phat Girlz before I joined my sister Taqua for Easter dinner. I’ll stop the play-by-play here, to protect the innocent. Thank you to my second-home folks for making an aging Puerto Rican man feel like he got his groove back.

On Blast
Although the American media tries to impress the shapely 5 foot 9 inch, size 4 model body, 40% of American women stand under 5’4” and are a size 14 or larger. Moreover, many women who battle their weight daily should know that there bodies are not cut out to be this petite and slender size. This isn’t to say that if you are morbidly obese or obviously unhealthy you should continue down this path of destruction because fat is suddenly “in.” There is a healthy medium between a size 4 and a 24 and American women need to find their place in that spectrum.

How will it help to create a healthy body image for all women if we shift the trend from demonizing fat women to demonizing thin women? Should we stress healthy bodies at any size and beauty in all shapes, rather than equating either with being heavy or being thin? Are we being real or hypocritical when we begin to find positive words to describe unhealthy and uncomfortable girth? Can we change the American perception that draws a direct correlation between being heavy and a high caloric consumption?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 4/12/06

DC, Here I Come
The time has come for my road trip to DC. I’ll be leaving NYC on Thursday morning and expect to be in DC (God willing) by the afternoon. Friday, all who RSVP’d should meet at the Daily Grill for our 1:15 p.m. lunch. I’m really excited to see all of you and hope to catch up on everything that everyone has been up to. Angie are you coming? Latisha contacted me to say she’ll also be in DC this coming weekend, so we should really try to get together at some point. I’ll be visiting my sis Taqua – hopefully on Saturday. Girl, crank up the grill – something light though, I’ve been sabotaging my diet and exercise because of my cold the last few days. I’ll be staying in Georgetown, so getting around town should be pretty easy. My cell #: 917-434-5743.

Selfless Show of Kindness
Evelyn M. has always intrigued me with the way she handles situations. She is classy-hood with that rugged-girly-girl appeal that I have always admired in a woman. All said, she always seems to know what to say and do to make everyone who associates with her feel special and understood. In the past four months I’ve grown very close to Evelyn and am glad that I have such a determined and focused work-out partner. I also recognize that she has become a fast and true-friend who has captured my heart. Without sharing any of our stories and discussions, Evelyn stepped out and did something so selfless and caring yesterday that I was completely taken aback, pleasantly surprised and sincerely touched. At a time when it’s difficult to find folks who will simply do enough to maintain a relationship, Evelyn goes above and beyond to build a life-long bond built on the true meaning of love – expecting nothing, always there and with no agenda. It may not seem like a big deal to you Evelyn, but in the big-picture scheme of things, you’ve proved yourself to be a cut above the rest. Thank you for being a positive part of a new phase in my life where actions speak so much louder than words. You’ve inspired me to let down my defenses and care in return. I love you.

Long Story Short
Carmen C. lost her oldest sister last Friday. She expects to bury her Monday, April 17. Our prayers are with you Carmen. Evelyn C. began her one-year intensive course load at NYCs Mercy College. She will complete her Bachelor degree by June 2007. I’m proud of you sis. Dava and Didi B. have joined our blogger family. The beautiful twins have been reading from the sidelines, but we want to take a moment to welcome them to our blogger family and encourage them to throw in their two cents to our discussions. My stunning nephew Daylen (yes gosh darn it…. I said stunning) turns one year old on April 26. You go boy with your two-teeth self!

On Blast
With the immigration laws in the process of changing we’re trying to find adequate provisions that folks on both sides of the debate can find acceptable. What is your view on our immigration laws? Should illegal immigrants be allowed to enter our country and stay simply because the US provides a better way of life? What do you believe would be acceptable guidelines for establishing citizenship in the US? Do you believe the present laws are sufficient to maintain order with regard to immigration? What is your view of the Haitian / Cuban double standard for US asylum?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 4/11/06

On Blast
Several African American men entered the predominantly white area of Howard Beach in New York City to steal cars when a few white men jumped out at them and beat them with bats and other weapons. The white guys were said to have called the African American guys “Niggers.” The white guys were charged with assault and a hate crime. Two days ago several African American and Hispanic teens chased a white man down in Harlem, struggled with him and assaulted him in an attempt to rob him. Before chasing him to his death in front of a moving vehicle, the teens screamed, “Get whitey!” The teens were charged as adults, but they were not charged with a hate crime because it was felt that the crime was incited by their desire for money, rather than prejudice or racist motives.

What’s the difference here? Both groups of assailants yelled racial epithets, yet only one group was charged with a hate crime – why? Do we hold white America more accountable for racial slurs than we do minority races? Should minority races – i.e. African Americans be charged with a hate crime if they call their victim “Nigger” during an altercation? What’s really going on America? Are we all equal and therefore equally accountable and responsible for our actions?

Let’s keep it real… be honest…be open and tell it like you feel it is.

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 4/10/06

Fat Chance; Mandisa Anti-Gay?
From the start, American Idol’s contestant Mandisa Hundley (aka Man-Diva) was at the center of a furious debate regarding comments made by Idol judge Simon Cowell. Cowell made a rude remark saying that the stage needed to be larger to accommodate the girth of the, then auditioning Mandisa. Since then, Mandisa showed great class in setting the record straight that she forgave Cowell and that the remark was very hurtful. America loves an underdog and gay America loves their confident and in-charge BIG girls. Yet a short while before she was sent packing from the hit show, Mandisa went on the Idol site and mentioned she would not perform at any gay event since she doesn’t advocate the lifestyle. Shortly thereafter Mandisa found herself –for the first time – on the bottom three and out of the show. Now, she wonders whether her comments contributed to her being axed. Truth is, we’ll never know what shifted the tide for the hefty crooner, but what she definitely should be aware of now is that gay fans are loyal to the death – even when an artist is no longer hot and at the top of their game. Just ask Patti LaBelle, Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler or Liza Minelli and they’ll tell you that gays have probably kept them on the stage years after their careers hit their peak. So ManDiva honey, I guess this is a lesson learned. No one makes you a fiercer diva than your gay followers. Now, praise the Lord on that one Man-Dissed-A.

Oops You Did It Again
It can be disturbing when your man suffers from premature ejaculation. This is when you’re just getting going and your man is done. Doctors and sex therapists say this happens when men don’t know how to listen to the signals their body is giving them. There are four stages a man undergoes during sex – the Excitement Phase: this is when a man’s breathing deepens and his erection begins; the Plateau Phase: this is when he’s fully erect and begins consistent stroking; this leads to the Orgasm with Ejaculation Stage: basically, he comes; finally there is the Resolution Stage: where men lose their erection, their breathing returns to normal and he may even fall into a sleepy stupor. The key to maintaining a good rhythm going is to listen to your body while in the Plateau Phase and knowing when you are getting too close to the point of no return. Once at that point, most men cannot stop themselves from ejaculating. Doctors suggest stopping periodically when you feel yourself feeling “too good” to control your orgasm. As a partner of someone suffering the problem, you may want to also pay attention to your partner’s rhythm and help slow down or stop the stroking until the point-of-no-return sensation dissipates. There’s no point in throwing it on him and popping that thing if he’s just going to leave you hanging.

Easter; Now You Know
Although Christianity teaches us that Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the true beginning of Easter or, at the very least, the name Easter derives from the more pagan, Scandinavian or Teutonic “Eastre” or “Ostern” both goddesses of mythology that stood for spring and fertility. It was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox.
Vernal Equinox: On or about March 21.

On Blast
If you were attracted to someone and began to date, but right before sex they shared they have an incurable and communicable disease (herpes, HIV, etc.) would you discontinue dating them? Would you consider practicing safer sex to continue your interaction with them? Is it worth the risk?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 4/7/06

Works vs. Family; Don’t Get It Twisted
As important as work is to your livelihood, be sure you know where your true priorities lie. Karla Edwards, 35, is behind bars today, after a fatal error in judgment left her 15-month old son dead. Edwards, who worked at Loews home improvement store, took her son to work yesterday morning. She left the baby in the car and returned at 4 p.m. – nine hours later- to an unresponsive toddler. The child is said to have died of dehydration.

It Isn’t Just HIV; Men Beware
On March 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a rise in syphilis for the fourth consecutive year. Even more alarming are statistics that show the increase in the infection is in men who have sex with men. The syphilis infection rate for women has actually dropped. In 2000 the rate of infection was 2.1 cases per 100,000 folks, but by 2004 the rate of infection had risen to over 2.7 cases per 100,000. Out of 7.984 cases of syphilis reported in 2004, 84% of them were involving men who had sex with men. The rate of infection for women dropped from 1.7 to 0.8 cases respectively.

Long Story Short
Evelyn M., Damaris C. and Kris Almighty all celebrated a birthday recently. Happy birthday ya’ll. Latisha F. (Tish) hitting DC next weekend as well. Okay folks, we need to plan a brunch or something… we must see each other! DCs Sunday night spot, Lizard Lounge, is closing April 9. The promoter says DCs smoking ban, due to take effect on January 1, 2007, is financially crushing to the club.

On Blast
If I could. As I look into my nephew’s eyes I recognize there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him. I empathize with the love of a parent and can feel how there is such a thing as a love that will do all, give all and suffer all. As a parent, what pain have you suffered that you would do all over again, to prevent having your children suffering that same pain? What do you fear most for your children?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 4/6/06

Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings
I wasn’t always a big fan of Tyler Perry. The writer, director and producer of over 10 hit plays, all taking the new chitlin-circuit by storm, sometimes left me perplexed at how unrealistic his main character, Madea came across. All said, Perry knows how to deliver a preachy and down-to-earth production with a slew of current and has-been voices intertwined into each message-filled sold-out show. Now, the stage and screen success story is taking a plunge into the publishing world with his new comedic book, Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings; Madea’s Uninhibited Commentary on Love and Life. The praise and criticism swirl in the critics circle has already begun, but I suspect his true fans will make Perry’s debut a positive one.

Daily Grill in DC; Friday, April 14
Oh how the time has flown. Next Friday, April 14, is my big catch-up lunch with my DC crew. To say I’m excited is an understatement. More than the thought of enjoying my second home, I’m looking forward to seeing the folks I call my “other” family. Our reservation for lunch at the Daily Grill on Connecticut Avenue is for 1:15 p.m., so please have a healthy breakfast to hold you until our fairly-late lunch. Please RSVP to hcruzny@aol.com so that I can confirm the total number of attendees by the end of this week. See you next week!

The Life Rollercoaster
The last three months have been incredibly exciting for me. I’m entering another phase in my life – a phase I’m really happy with because it has allowed me to love my life even when nothing financial, emotional or physical has drastically changed. No, I haven’t realized my writing dream; haven’t come across Mr. Perfect; and the lottery folks have not sold me the winning ticket. Yet, making the best of situations has helped me see my life in an entirely different light. However, this is life – not a hey ride – so after catching a cold from my beautiful nephew Daylen, I’m feeling a bit dragged-down. The throat is thick, the sinuses are burning and my emotions are off the charts. To complicate matters, I had some unforeseen bills to pay this week and felt like I lost my wallet – or better yet, everything in it. All said, it’s all good. My point is simply this, it doesn’t rain every day. For those who have taken a flight anywhere know, if you fly above the clouds, the sun hasn’t gone anywhere, it’s still shining. So, I’m hanging in there as my rollercoaster takes a quick plunge, knowing full-well it’s about to crest again and in just a short while I’ll be smiling at the sun shining on my face.

On Blast
Are they old enough? At what point or what age is it appropriate to begin having “real” and frank conversations with your children about your living situation, general life issues and respect as opposed to fear for following house rules? Is it best to just rule with an iron fist and use the “what I say goes” mantra instead? Is there a cut-off age for when parents exercising corporal punishment should discontinue any spanking?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 4/4/06

On Blast
Truth can be liberating. It diffuses commentary by folks that want to use information against you and it empowers you to come clean and maintain control in, sometimes, difficult situations. What complicated, embarrassing or uncomfortable information have you revealed about yourself or your situation that has made you feel better about your life? What were the positives and negatives about the information being common knowledge? Do you have any regrets about being honest?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 4/3/06

Wedding Date; Lessons Worth Learning
In between clubbing, late mornings and a slight hang-over, I sat for Wedding Date, a movie starring Debra Messing – Grace, of Will and Grace fame. At first glance, the premise of the movie is slightly pathetic in that it gives credence to the victimized mentality that you have to save face in the wake of a heart-shattering break-up. Kate Ellis (Messing) must attend her sister’s wedding in London following being dumped by her fiancé. The catch is that the best man at the wedding is her ex. To look good to her family and friends and show her ex what he’s missing, Ellis hires an escort to accompany her to the nuptials. The escort, Nick Mercer, played by Dermot Mulroney, is the embodiment of a mature man – sexy, smart and charming. Her ploy to fool everyone back-fires and the plot twists set to change her life as she knows it and restore her faith in all that is true. Short of being preachy, the movie highlights some very real insecurity we all have and gives great lessons on how to overcome them. Maybe it was the hang-over or just my heightened emotional state this weekend, but I shed a couple of tears by the end of the flick. A definite 4 out of 5 stars as a nice evening rental on a bad TV night.

Little Debbie Needs a Big Beat-Down
Debbie McGeorge, 46, was arrested after a neighbor tipped police off that McGeorge was stashing her disabled 27-year old son in a trailer home in Pensacola, Florida. When police arrived they found the man wearing an adult diaper that was heavily soiled; sores covering his body. He was said to have been in the trailer over 16 days without any food, water or a means to change his diaper. The windows were nailed shut and the door was bolted. The man suffers from cerebral palsy. McGeorge is being held at the Escambia county jail. The man is recovering at a local hospital.

Black-Out in NYC
New Census data shows NYC is quickly losing its black population to other states with better financial prospects. There are an estimated 30,000 fewer blacks living in NYC today than there were in 2000. Moreover, NYC hasn’t seen a decrease in blacks of this magnitude since the Civil War era. Blacks who move out of the NYC area are not moving to nearby suburbs like their white counterparts, but are moving south to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

On Blast
Do you really care? Is it important that you live in the same community of people of your own race/culture? Do you believe it is important that you see yourself in your neighbors? Would you consider relocating to an area that had no real representation of your race?

Keep passin’ the open windows…