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Why It Doesn't Matter If The Next Pope Is Black

With Pope Benedict XVI officially quit today, there is a possibility that a 'first' black pope will become his successor.

If everyone looked a little further into the past, you'd actually find that if the next pope was a black pope, he wouldn't be the first one.

According to the Liber Pontificalis (a record of names of popes since the first pope, St. Peter), there have been three black popes:

• St Victor (186 - 198)
• St Miltiades (311 - 314)
• St Gelasius (492 - 496)

There is a possibility that there have been many more black popes, particularly because of the Moorish presence in Europe.

The enthusiasm about a possible black pope

A lot of people seem hopeful and enthusiastic about the prospect of having a first black pope in 1500 years. The pope will be leader of the most powerful Church in the world. So while I understand people's excitement, I really believe that we shouldn't put too much value in the importance of having a black pope...

I genuinely believe that a black pope wouldn't make a difference to people's lives in the African Diaspora.

The pope would still put the Catholic Church's agenda first, because remember, he is 'leader' of the Catholics, not of black people. The pope will solely focus on his job as the pope, not as a saviour for black people everywhere.

The other sad reality is that even when we have leadership positions and the potential to do great or good for ourselves, we don't. A great example of this is Kofi Annan as former United Nations Secretary General, who didn't do enough to prevent the Rwandan genocide.

Black leaders in any position, are always pressured to not solely improve their own communities in case of backlash, accusations of abusing their power to carry out their own agenda and not the one they've been assigned to or because of fear of no possible re-election.

A black pope is welcome, but we don't need it as validation of our ability to become leaders.

Letter Of Complaint To The Onion After Calling Quvenzhané The C-word

The Onion is a satirical, parodic news site, known for their 'hilarious' news about celebrities, politicians and ordinary everyday people. 

I liked their parody news reports, some were funny but the majority of them had 'try-hard' written all over it.

Cute little Quvenzhané Wallis attended The Oscars yesterday as the youngest ever Oscar nominee for her role as Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild.

She's so adorable.

The Onion participated in the Oscar tweets (as expected) but a really distasteful tweet was send out amongst the other bad jokes: 

The Onion Twitter

How is it appropriate for anyone to make such a vile joke about a 9 year old girl? How is it appropriate for anyone to make such a joke about women anyway, regardless of their age?  

The Onion is in the business of making jokes but The Onion clearly doesn't realise that some things are funny and some things are definitely not funny. This joke is in such bad taste and it's a shame that a talented 9 year old girl has been subjected to such nasty treatment.

The Onion has since removed the tweet but hasn't yet formally apologised for it. 

I've decided to email The Onion. Their feedback email address is: publicfeedback@theonion.com

My letter:

Dear The Onion, 

On the night of Sunday February 24th 2013 at 10.42pm, a tweet was send out from the official 'The Onion' Twitter page. The tweet suggested that the youngest Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis, is the C***-word. This was on the biggest night of Quvenzhané's life.

After a series of complaints on Twitter, the tweet was promptly removed. 

However, no official apology or acknowledgment of any wrong-doings has been issued.  

I understand that The Onion is a satirical news site but The Onion simply went too far when making that 'joke' about a 9 year old, talented actress. The joke was inappropriate and it would have also been inappropriate to be used against anyone regardless of age.  

It would be in The Onion's best interest to offer Quevenzhané Wallis an apology for the tweet but also to the individuals who have complained about this tweet. 

Yours sincerely,  

[name]

Film Afrika: Mix tape Malcolm X Documentary

This was my first ever Film Afrika. Film Afrika at Yemanja occurs every last Friday of the month.

This Film Afrika was about Malcolm X (he died on the 21st of February 1965). In commemoration of him there was a viewing of a mix tape Malcolm X documentary (documentary footage compiled from many different sources) on the Friday and on the Sunday there was a commemoration ceremony (which I couldn't attend).

The documentary mix tape showed footage of a series of documentaries. I'm still trying to find out which ones but I think I'm very likely to just purchase a copy from Yemanja at £4.

I've learned more about Malcolm X from the documentary. I've learned of the FBI's complete involvement in X's life and their infiltration of the Nation Of Islam. I've learned that the Honourable Elijah Muhammad wasn't as honourable as people like to say he is.

Below I've compiled a few documentaries (some of the clips were shown in the mix tape, but not all).

I've also added a personal favourite clip of Malcolm X's speeches.

My personal favourite, it's still 100% relevant to this day:

Who Taught You To Hate Yourself?

I Was Told I'm Easier To Find In The Snow.

Anderson Cooper: ''Is a black man harder to find at night?''*.

My response to that:

'Shocked but still judging you'.

Anderson Cooper, I am disappointed in you.

While I am not surprised, I genuinely thought that you weren't going to succumb to foot and mouth, especially not in this way.

I remember something from my childhood. This kid in the neighbourhood thought it was very paramount to tell me; 'hey if you were in the North Pole all naked and we were playing hide and seek, I could easily find you'. This is coming from a guy who is quite tanned himself (he's half Indonesian).

My response.

And while this kid's sentiments are factual, he didn't really have to say that to me.

And just because what you've said Anderson may be true (high validity, backed up by physics), you don't necessarily have to say that to us...

Physics also teaches us that pretty much nothing is seen in darkness as there is no light to reflect onto the object so that it can be seen by your eyes.

*Anderson Cooper actually asked if darkness would be a problem for police officials. With today's technology, darkness would be no issue for the police.

Queen Bey Shows Off Princess Blue Ivy

This is Blue Ivy, the daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

Now that my year-long dream and wish of seeing Beyoncé's daughter has come true, I can finally go to bed with the knowledge that this girl is 100% adorable.

Blue Ivy's short life has been groundbreaking:

• She's the most tweeted about person in history
• Her Tumblr page is the most popular Tumblr page; it received 20 million hits in two days
• She's an honorary citizen of Croatia

Blue Ivy, who is one years young, has achieved more than me.

A lot of people have also stated that Blue Ivy resembles her father Jay-Z. I agree. But this is nothing to be concerned about because:

• Beyoncé is married to Jay-Z; there are definitely no doubts about paternity here
• Beyoncé is Blue Ivy's mother, therefore making up the other 50% of Blue Ivy's DNA
• Blue Ivy is still an adorable, cute as hell baby. 

Lil Wayne, The Missing Extra From The Hobbit, Needs To Know His History.

Not even the 'nappy headed hoes' comment by Nicki Minaj enraged me to this level...

Not even the dark skinned chicks disses by Lil Wayne enraged me to this level...

It is this that really did it for me:

"Pop a lot of pain pills/ 'Bout to put rims on my skateboard wheels/ Beat that pussy up like Emmett Till."

This is a lyric from Lil Wayne's leaked new track 'Karate Chop [Remix]'.

The lyric garnered a lot of attention because it was downright offensive, especially to Emmett Till's relatives. They've described the song as 'dishonourable' and 'offensive'. Epic Records apologised and took the right course of action by dropping the lyrics from the song.

But this should have never happened.

Emmett Till was a 14 year old African American boy who got dragged out of his bed and was brutally murdered for allegedly whistling to a white woman. During the funeral, Emmett Till's mother requested for his casket to be left open so that Emmett's mutilated face could be seen by the world.

Till's death acted as a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement.

The lyric in the song in question demonstrates just how much rap has depreciated over the past decade alone. Many rappers today (mainly the mainstream ones) simply have no respect or conscience.

How lyrically deficient do you have to be to use the name of a minor who was brutally murdered and use that to describe some sexual act?

If it weren't for Emmett Till's death, would we even have a post-Civil Rights America?

Interview with Dr. Fatoki; the diet industry, holistic medicine and obesity.

Dr Adeyemi Fatoki is an author and MD who is certified in Family, Bariatric and Substance Addiction medicine. He's an author of The Fatoki Protocol, a book that helps you ''live healthy, lose weight and keep it off for life''. Amazon and Barnes & Nobles are some of the places where the book is available for purchase.

I was given the wonderful opportunity to interview Dr Fatoki on his own weight loss experiences, the diet industry, holistic medicine and obesity.


What motivated you to practice medicine?

I have always had an interest in illnesses especially infections a desire to help people as far back as I can remember.  I was the one usually called to help squeeze skin abscesses as a child.  In grade school, I joined the Red Cross instead of the Boy scouts like most of my friends.  In fact, I believe I may have been the only boy.  My interest may in medicine may have been from spending my early years being cared for by my grandmother who served as an unofficial midwife and healthcare worker in her community. 

   What about your own weight loss experiences compelled you to practice bariatric medicine?

I was very frustrated with my weight loss experience.  I gained about 50 lb during my residency training and spent more than 15 lb trying to lose it.  My medical education did not include much on nutrition or obesity treatment, therefore, most of what I learned was from the mass media just like everyone else.  After trying most of the different diets and some diet pills, I began to believe that there may be something wrong with the information that was available to physicians and the general public alike.  I was unable to find a program that incorporated some of the African foods I enjoyed in my diet plan which made me realize that I would be unable to stay with such diet for long..    I joined the American Society of Bariatric Physicians to learn more about obesity and became convinced that proper nutrition would solve a lot of medical illnesses. 

Do you believe that mainstream diets do little to address the psychology behind eating?

Yes.  I do.  Many of the mainstream diets assume that calories are equal and are the problem.  They fail to address why we tend to eat certain foods and are unable to stop.  Why do people crave chocolate and sweets but not meats, vegetables or water?  Once I began to obtain a detailed food history and listen to my patients, I realized that people crave certain foods depending on their moods or menstrual cycle.

  Why do you think the diet industry isn’t promoting a much simpler, effective and healthier approach to losing weight?

Money from product sales. The diet industry makes huge profits by packaging foods and meal replacement. The savvy marketing convinces people that these packaged products are healthier alternatives to real food.  Unfortunately, it takes more time effort to convince people to modify their lifestyle than it is to sell them packaged foods.

Do you believe that people succeed in losing weight and maintaining that weight when viewing weight-loss as a lifestyle change rather than a diet?

Yes. One of my favourite quotes is that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”.  It just won’t happen.  Based on my personal experience and observations in clinical practice, weight loss and maintenance requires a lifestyle change.  Any diet or fad will work for a short period of time but the weight is regained as soon as people accomplish their goals and revert back to their old habits.

Your weight-loss treatment plan is based on holistic medicine. What makes your treatment plan better than dieting?

I have realized that there is no quick fix or guarantees when it comes to medicine.  Human beings do not come with a manual that is specific to an individual.  Therefore, I believe we are all guessing and none of us can call ourselves experts since we did not create the body.  Most patients provide the information that a physician needs to adequately treat them.  The problem is that a lot of physicians do not bother to listen to what the patient is saying.  I have seen situations where routine things go wrong and in others where very ill patients who are not expected to survive make full recoveries.  My program is better than dieting because it takes everything that is going on with the patient into account using the “biopsychosocial” model that was stressed often during my Family Medicine training.

There are many medical professionals that disregard holistic medicine because there is insufficient scientific evidence to suggest that it works. What is your opinion on this?

My experience suggests otherwise.  I believe that accepting holistic medicine comes with experience.  Most clinicians do not have time to write scholarly articles or conduct/publish research findings.  There is a wealth of information in clinical and now, there are more of us willing to discuss our findings and experience rather than just leave it to the researchers.

What do you think could be done to change the medical professionals’ attitude towards holistic medicine?

We need more clinicians to speak up about their findings.  It would be nice if medicine would take the approach of the airline industry.  The airline industry takes the time to investigate and change processes rather than assign blame or label people as is common in the medical profession.

Gastric bypass is often used in obese patients as a weight-loss solution. What is your view on this? Do you believe it should be used as last resort or not at all?

I believe gastric bypass should be used only as a last resort.  The patients need to learn how to eat first otherwise they end up gaining the weight back.  Every surgical procedure has a risk of complications.  No matter how small the risk is, if you are the one person who has that rare complication, the impact can be devastating.  It is always best to minimize risks, even that of medication.

Who do you think should be held accountable for the prevalence of obesity in Western society?

The food industry.  They have blamed it on dietary fat (which is not palatable) and created all these new and unnatural processed foods.  These foods are marketed as “healthy” based on limited trial to get them to the market and expose consumers to them.  Many of the effects of these foods may not be manifested for many years.  I believe this is the reason for the prevalence of illnesses, like obesity, diabetes, heart disease etc today.  The food industry has created many new foods while the human body remains unchanged.  As far as I see it, you can put a new type of fuel in an unmodified engine and not expect any damage.  It is like putting diesel in a gasoline engine everyday.

What can governments, businesses, schools and physicians do to curb the rising obesity rates in the Western world?

We should look at the impact of processed foods and go back to the basics.  The food industry needs to be better regulated and monitored.  Consumers should have more input about what they choose to consume.  Genetically Modified Foods should be labelled as such so that each person may decide if that is what he or she chooses to eat.   The message needs to get out that quick microwaveable and processed foods do more harm than good on the long run.

Where do you hope to see society’s attitude in regards to food in about 10 years from now?

I am hoping that consumers will be better informed and food manufacturers will be more responsible.  The profit driven food and diet business is one of the major reasons for increased healthcare cost.

Would you ever establish a practice similar to Great Heights outside of North America?

I would love to.  I believe the more people we can reach the better things will be for humanity.  Third world countries are being convinced to abandon their traditional way of eating and diets for that of the western world.  The reverse should be the case.  Illnesses that are prevalent in the Western world are becoming more prevalent in third world countries as they adopt a western lifestyle.

What books and websites would you recommend for people interested in weight-loss?

I recommend any books or articles by Dr John Yudkin.  Also recommend “Good calories, Bad calories” by Gary Taubes.

Off course, I recommend my blog, nofatmd.com and my book, “The Fatoki Protocol: It’s all about the 1/3”.  The US government websites like NIH Heart, Lung and Blood institute website and the Obesity society website are helpful.

The Pokémon Blackface: Jynx

Originally called Rougela in the Japanese version of Pokémon, Jynx is a humanoid Pokémon which resembles a bulky woman.

Jynx are a psychic Pokémon which also have the ability to control ice and snow. Jynx mainly communicate through dance and walk in a dance-like fashion, wiggling their hips in a seductive manner.

Jynx wear a red gown (which cover its feet), have white arms and purple hands. Jynx also have a purple face, large pink lips, saucer-like eyes and long, straight blonde hair.

The colour of her face was changed to purple as her original black coloured face caused controversy.

Jynx's original design.

Jynx's new and current design.

How did Jynx's design change?

Culture critic Carole Boston Weatherford described Jynx as a blackface character. 

She wrote an article where she explained that Jynx negatively stereotyped African Americans. She wrote that:

The character Jynx, Pokémon #124, has decidedly human features [in contrast to most other characters]: jet-black skin, huge pink lips, gaping eyes, a straight blonde mane and a full figure, complete with cleavage and wiggly hips. Put another way, Jynx resembles an overweight drag queen incarnation of Little Black Sambo, a racist stereotype from a children's book long ago purged from libraries.

Weatherford's complaints did not go unnoticed. Jynx's in-game sprites were given a purple skin colour in the American versions of the Pokémon Gold and Silver (released in 2000). By 2002, Nintendo redesigned Jynx, changing her skin colour from black to purple.

In the animated series of Pokémon, the change of skin colour occurred in 2005. In the mangas, Jynx appears dark gray rather than black, implying that Jynx are purple and not black.

Jynx's appearance was also heavily criticised by Washington Post writer Mary C. Morton, IGN and GameDaily.

The defence for Jynx's appearance

There are many explanations for Jynx's appearance, these include:

• Jynx is based on a Nordic or Viking princess; legends say that the blistering cold turned a princess' skin black 
• Jynx has origins in Japanese spirits known as Yuki-onna and Yama Uba. Yuki-onna lack feet which is akin to Jynx's feet being covered by her red dress. Yama Uba's traits include a tattered red kimono, blonde hair, control over snow, dark-colored skin and large lips; traits which are evident in Jynx
• Jynx may be a parody of or paying homage to the Ganguro or Yamanba fashion trends
• The book Gaming Cultures and Place in Asia-Pacific claims that Jynx's design draws upon the humour of heta-uma (good/bad) and that the design also oscillates between the poles of good and bad

Another possible origin for Jynx:

• Jynx are also depicted as Santa's helpers in Pokémon episode Holiday Hi-Jynx, which could possibly mean that she's based on Zwarte Piet (the helper of Sinterklaas in Dutch Christmas). 

The original Jynx in Pokémon episode Holiday Hi-Jynx

Weatherford's full letter and a detailed arguments for and against Jynx and her appearance can be found here.

Everyone's Opinion Counts.

I am very guilty of typing away at something that may not be so relevant/important. 

But everyone is entitled to an opinion.*

Funnily enough, a lot of people seem to value my opinion so I will continue typing away my views on x, y or z. 

*Not in every circumstance, obviously.

Don't Stereotype Anyone.

I found this on Tumblr... and I thought it was very worth posting on here because there's a great message behind this...