Is Mainstream America ready for "The Roots"?

Last week I was on vacation. It was great to get away and relax. Believe me I definitely needed to rest my body and mind. I am not sure which part needed more rest. Vacations are good for one of my favorite sports of people watching. Young and old, single men and women, couples, people of various races, from all around the world enjoying their time away from usual life. As I watched everyone I thought to myself; this is what the entire world looks and sounds like all gathered in one place at one time. I started to think that if this is the identification of the world, what the mainstream is. I hear that term mainstream so much, especially when attached to America - the entire term rendered Mainstream America. I needed to know what that term mainstream really meant, and so I turned to my dictionary.  Mainstream: main current of thought or behavior: the ideas, actions, and values that are most widely accepted by a group or society, e.g. in politics, fashion, or music.

Remembering Luther Vandross

Just a few weeks ago as I was driving along one morning I heard a radio DJ mention that April 20th would have been the late Luther Vandross’ sixty-second birthday. Immediately I started to think back and realized that Luther Vandross died going on eight years ago. Could it really be that long? It does not seem that long because his music still surrounds us and is still a part of our lives. Always considered the pinnacle of modern balladeers, Luther Vandross songs can be heard on radio stations literally anywhere in the world.  The very popular singer was truly one the most loved entertainer of all times. Most fans have their favorite songs and memories that accompany them very much like a photo scrapbook filled with old pictures of family members.

When a Dogg Becomes a Lion

Impossible! From canine to feline? Simply impossible! But what if you just called the dog a cat? Maybe that could work because it would just be a name. It brings to mind the famous line from Shakespeare‘s Romeo and Juliet, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”.  True or false: it does not matter by which name you call a person, because that person remains the same. False, I think! Names seem to hold more importance than just a means of identification.  When a couple finds out they are expecting a child an important next step is the choice of names. Folks will possibly look to name the child after relatives, friends, famous actors or athletes. The reason for all the forethought is that the name is something a child will take with them into adulthood.  Perhaps!