The Last days of Gene Folkes

Are you ready...?

If YOUR last december came, what would you do? Do you think anyone would remember to remember you? Did you stand tall or did you fall did you give your all? excerpt from The Rainbow Children by Prince

I'm dying...I know as we all are...but, in my final days, it provides an opportunity for me to take a retrospective of my life and I begin to ask if I lived it just how I thought I would or should...question remains to be answered. I know that as I look around me, the FIRST thing that comes to mind is have I asked for forgiveness from the people that I've hurt and have I forgiven those who've hurt me? question remains to be answered. It's interesting because as I lie here, all of the anger, worry, grief and strife seem so unimportant as I enter the last december of my life. Before anyone starts sending their sympathies or tears start to falll or if cheers of joy ring out, wait for it...because you are guaranteed to go through this process too...
As we enter the last days of 2010, will you join me in this series as we lay to rest those things that prohibit us from reaching our full potential? That it is in dying that only then can we embrace life and live a more meaningful existence full of love, laughter, forgiveness and grace...stay tuned as we enter The Last days of Gene Folkes... questions remain to be answered..

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!!!

I'm challenging each and every reader with a very important mission. It's the holiday season and what better way to spread good cheer than by supporting our military members and their families?! Never fear…you'll be provided with a few "tools" that will help you accomplish this mission. I've compiled a short list of web sites that will lead you down the right path. Don't forget…the BEST way to show your support is to visit a local VA facility or Veterans hospital/rehab unit and really experience the joy of personally connecting with veterans – retired and active duty!

 

 

Let's Say Thanks (sponsored by Xerox) – send a card to a member of the military

http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html

 

USO – official site has online donation capabilities as well as links to information regarding volunteer opportunities, care package delivery, etc. etc. etc.

http://www.uso.org/

 

Donate online and view a myriad of ways to support our troops

http://www.supportourtroops.org/

 

Department of Defense web site dedicated to supporting our military

http://www.ourmilitary.mil/index.aspx

 

LOVE this site because you can choose the military branch you wish to support AND select an individual's name to "adopt" (correspond with, send care packages, etc.) – makes your involvement very personal and is a gratifying way to get involved!

http://www.anysoldier.com/

 

Web sites with many links to organizations dedicated to supporting military members and their families

http://troopssupport.com/ or http://www.military.com/benefits/resources/support-our-troops

 

 

 

The Last days of Gene Folkes

Are you ready...?

Have you let Thieves in The Temple?

They don't care where they kick
Just as long as they hurt u---Lyrics by Prince

So, This time of year, I usually call my grandmothers best friend, Ms. Bozie Walker. Since the death of my grandmother, MS. Walker has been one of the most constant people in my family's life. She knew my grandmother when they were going to USO dances as young women, she's the orator of the american side of my family. At 94, when you ask her how she's doing, she just laughs and says "I'm not kicking as high as I used to, but...I'm STILL kicking" She's THE most positive woman that's known me since birth and she has what I call Ms. Walker's Wisdom.
I spoke with her yesterday and we caught up on all the things that have been going on with me. As I get older, I become less and less prideful and that's a good thing because people will hold you hostage with your shame.
Which may have you wondering why on earth have I titled this commentary "Thieves in The Temple" It's something Ms. Walker and my grandmother told me my ENTIRE life, you need to be careful choosing women son, 'cause what looks good to ya', ain't good for ya' if ONLY i'd heeded her advice long ago, I could've saved myself from being with the wrong women. Now, this isn't going to be a woman-bashing commentary because I love and respect women too much, but, I feel it imperative to point out that all the talk about the games men play and the things we do are not exclusive to our gender. So, I'm going to share an extremely painful, embarassing, humiliating story about myself that will make me sound and seem foolish. But, if I am to be The GENEuine Article, then I must turn my lense inward.
So, I met a woman several years ago and she had three children, she seemed nice enough and the children weren't too bad. Being the son of a single mother, I promised I would be the man that I wished would've entered my life as a child. So, long story short, we lived together. It didn't bother me that her childrens father was absent not only physically, but financially as well. I was raised to be a man able to create things with nothing and I assumed that by doing good by people, they would appreciate your sacrifice and commitment. If you ask Ms. Walker, she'd say she didn't appreciate "good." To say that my family was less than thrilled about my decision would be an understatement and as mother's go, mine is the MOST vocal and peeps out the playa's. Problem is once I've committed to someone even the wrong person, I put my head down and try making it happen. When I met this person she was a waitress and I encouraged her to go back to school. She ended up with a quality education and stable employment. I watched her kids at night after working all day. In fact, I attended the parent/teacher conferences and all those things that a guardian and I thought a MAN SHOULD do. I was an ACTIVE participant in their lives...hands on! It was only AFTER I had flown her children to visit her family and THEY decided to introduce them to their biological father, that I began to realize that all my time, energy and efforts were in vain. Now, I had to make a choice and that choice was to STRONGLY encourage them to have a relationship with their father. I even set up call nights and their father agreed to them. Fridays at 7pm. Needless to say, he failed to keep up with the schedule. Ultimately, things unravelled from that point on, to this day, I have no relationship with her children. I believed this woman when she said that her ex had raped her and she gave birth to his twins. wich, I discovered later was untrue. This is the same woman who lied about several events since I've known her! (I'm curious at how we only see these things in hindsight?)
In the end, it didn't matter that I had attempted to help her raise her children, NEVER complained about the lack of support from the father or her refusal to seek any support. I will publish pictures of her idea of "housekeeping" as well as the damage done to BOTH my vehicles. In the end, it ended up with me being defrauded, lied to/on and placed in mortal danger. My character attacked and my integrity questioned. It is now a matter of public record that this woman lied under oath about several claims she made and the judge flat out called her a liar(texas is a community property state ya"ll).
This all leads me back to Ms. Walker, my 94 year old mentor who told me to keep praying and that it WAS all my fault, because I had allowed a thief inside my temple. It got me to thinking just how many times have I done this and the answer alarmed me, one too many times...Sometimes, there are some of us who attempt to downplay our strengths, we allow people into our lives who have NO business being there. Their motivations, aspirations and plans aren't always what they profess. It's at times that it's the people closest to you that plot to do you in...just ask caesar! So, I'm left dealing with the fall out that this person has caused in my life. I've heard from MANY people who wondered what was wrong with ME for taking up the responsibility for a woman with three kids. My answer has been, "it was the right thing to do" Now look, I know some women are going to go nuts at this commentary, but, this isn't painting ALL women with a broad stroke. This is appropriate for a certain type of PERSON. We are soooo ready to get on the man-bashing wagon, yet when it comes to women...not so much. Men get played too, we just don't talk about it and on some levels, women are oftentimes applauded for duping a man. It makes it HARDER for women looking for an equitable, productive life-partner. It can damage good people. NOw, in fairness, I'm not perfect, NEVER claimed to be, but...did I deserve what I got? Does ANYONE? I've been known to say that you learn if a person REALLY loved you at THE END of a love affair, not the beginning. If they treat you like dirt on their shoe, they ALWAYS thought you were dirt, they were just getting what they needed. Once you've served your purpose or catch on, then they will lie, cheat, steal and try to maim you or make you undesirable to anyone else. It's EASY to have, yet harder to hold.
I WILL NEVER STOP believing that EVERYONE deserves a second chance and that people are basically good. While, it's difficult, there are some GREAT women in this world! My open door policy needed to be reviewed and I will from this day forward qualify whom I allow to enter MY temple, because they just may be a thief and the most dangerous of all thieves is the person able to make you believe they're a victim. By the time you discover that they're not, your entire life my be stolen from you and you may be standing in the middle of a financial, legal, and moral tsunami. But, remember if we ask...

Love if u're there come save me
From all this cold despair
I can hang when u're around
But I'll surely die
If u're not there---lyrics by Prince

The Impotent Billionaire

im•po•tent ( m p -t nt)
adj.
1. Lacking physical strength or vigor; weak.
2. Lacking in power, as to act effectively; helpless

While the phrase “Impotent Billionaire” may seem like a paradox, I assure you that it is quite appropriate given current events. It has JUST become breaking news that the unemployment rate has risen to 9.8% AND there’s still the question of what to do about the Bush tax cuts. However, I’m sure that the present administration will continue to come under fire regardless of how things turn out. EVERYONE is weighing in on the subject and there’s criticism being thrown around for the lack of job creation, fate of the unemployed and the threat of having a permanent class of unemployed people. It makes my heart race just thinking about it.
I’m not sure about you, but, I’m tired of all the rhetoric and I want someone to roll up their sleeves and just get it done! I don’t care if you’re a democrat or republican, can we FIRST and FOREMOST be AmeriCANs? We the people are suffering, whether it’s our own fault or we were misled; we need to DO SOMETHING more than just talking, tough talk. I mean everyone from Sarah Palin, to conservative democrats are being critical, we have the tea party weighing in and even worse, we have celebrities weighing in on the present administration’s handling of things. Wait…what was that? Celebrities? I have no objection to celebrities being politically active, in fact it’s great when they are, but when you are a celebrity businessman AND you announce you want to RUN FOR PRESIDENT because you think the country’s being run wrong...mmm hold ‘em up there partna’ and let’s see what YOU got…
Let me repeat that in case you missed it…A RUN FOR PRESIDENT!! Uh, ok…as things would go, it’s not just me saying…are you serious or are you joking? I thought running the country and being a servant of ALL Americans was the goal of the highest office in this land?
As I am an Air Force Veteran and I pledged allegiance to the flag and the Constitution of the United States, it irks me to no end to see people reap all the benefits of this great country only to start complaining when THEIR net worth is affected. In fact, the attitude is “if you tax the wealthy too much, they’ll just choose to leave this country.” Huhn? To me, THAT’S THE MOST unpatriotic statement I’ve heard and as a US Veteran that’s a slap in the face. As I recall, this country wasn’t built by you and your kind. She was built by the low to middle class AND FREE labor (lest we forget). So, if you and your kind leave, then perhaps that’ll open up a room for growth and opportunity? Besides, we find that the majority of your ideas are antiquated and EXTREMELY narrow. If you’d like a few suggestions on where you can go, Lemme know… Abraham Lincoln had very little formal education and Frederick Douglass even less. Yet, both these men were great orators and their love of this country was and is evident. They talked less and DID more…
So, I’m sure we’ll keep hearing how these unemployed people aren’t the strongest performers or they’re lazy and just don’t want to work. Hmm…I’m not so sure if any of these assertions are accurate. I mean some of us are STILL trying to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps…oops…my straps just broke…so, I guess I mean by the tongue of my boot.
As an unemployed person, I took it upon myself to seek out opportunity; I applied for a spot on a business reality show. A show which was advertising that “there’s nothing more American than a second chance” Can you say they had me at hello? I was thinking what better way to set myself apart from the competition in a tough economy than by being showcased on a VERY popular reality show. Like I said, who doesn’t like to be serenaded and wooed? I mean here was an icon, a titan of business who was professing to stick out his neck to not provide a job, but an OPPORTUNITY. This was going to be an uplifting, inspiring, motivational tale of 16 ordinary Americans who were impacted by the great recession and they were going to be very, very happy. In fact, instead of fancy prizes of luxury, we were going to meet with other power brokers of business and we were going to be considered for vacancies in their empires. I’m thinking, wow! This is better than the lottery. As I scouted the worst case scenario, I thought how hard can this be? I mean, creating jobs/opportunities for JUST 16 people when you control the outcome, you have the power of persuasion, you have the respect of your fellow colleagues and you have 16 eager, well-qualified Americans motivated and ready to get back to work? Oh, and we actually believed in the process and the story. After viewing what’s being aired, it doesn’t look at all like the uplifting, motivational, inspirational story that I signed on for.

While, I’m like most Americans, I love it when you whisper sweet nothings in my ear. You pick me out of thousands of potential hopefuls; you court me with sweet words, future dreams, candles and chocolate. You flex your wealth by sending a car to pick me up; you come dressed in your Sunday best. We eat at the most expensive restaurant, where you make me feel special, you tell me how beautiful/handsome I am. You’re saying all the right things and it makes me want to continue the night. We get back to your place and when it’s time for intimacy, let’s just say you fall a little flat….ruh roh….

After I chalked the entire process as another bad date, I began to hear talk of a run for president and extreme criticism of the job the administration is doing and that got me thinking about comparing and contrasting what I HEAR you saying and what I WITNESSED you did. Wooing us with promises that you can do a better job igniting the economy and encouraging job growth. Ok, let’s tally that up shall we? Out of the 16 candidates who put themselves out there for the chance of an opportunity, how many jobs were created for them on your watch? I mean if I were being paid 3,000,000 per episode and I held all the cards, and I had an empire, I’d like to think I could create AT LEAST 16 opportunities for people who were “the best of the best” I believe that the present administration has created more than 16 jobs and that’s with all the subsequent challenges they have to overcome.
So, color me confused…if we took a look at “where are they now?” what would we find? Other than that special 1, how are the remaining 15 fairing? It would be interesting if they could respond without fear of being intimidated by contract clauses and cease and desist orders. Now, you may think that this commentary is bitter, biased or angry…far from it. I believe that it’s commentary like this that made our country great! By outing B.S. when we see it, leaves us to deal with the truth and it’s within the truth that we find REAL inspiration and REAL motivation and REAL change! Not just rhetoric to keep someone in the public eye or make them relevant. We talk about lame duck presidents, a lame duck congress…I don’t know about you, but as my bills stack up, I don’t have time for ANYONE being a lame duck. We need some overtime!
So, I’m wondering how critical of the administration should we be? I think we SHOULD be critical to some degree, it’s healthy, and it’s American. So, just how easy is it to create jobs anyway? If you believe our suitors, it SHOULD be easy. I mean The President ONLY has to contend with two warring factions, the populous consensus, several wars on foreign soil AND his critics. Amidst all this there were 162,000 jobs created in March, not nearly enough, but, it’s something. Teen Unemployment is at 26% black unemployment is about 17.2%.

When I look at the experience I just had, I see people who are right back to where they were before and in some cases worse because of their participation with a certain titan of business and I have to ask myself just how difficult it is to create opportunity for our fellow Americans? Apparently, it proved to be too difficult even when you have all the right contacts, all the right media exposure and qualified candidates. So, before we take to listening to all the sweet words and all the passionate protesters, let’s look at the impotent billionaire and ask is the real intent there a real plan for job creation or are we just hearing sweet nothings being whispered in our ears?

Did the fat lady choke on a note?

Soooo,
We've come to the end of the road??? The reviews are in and I find MOST people feel the ending was anti-climatic. That's unfortunate because the story was SUPPOSED to be uplifting, motivational and inspirational and in the end...it fell flat. While I was extremely relieved that Brandy won The Apprentice, I feel for her because I know she attempted to keep a positive outlook and she, like all of us wanted to be part of something amazing. While my performance reviews have been criticized by some of my fellow contestants as harsh, it was A CALL TO ACTION! It's VERY, VERY tempting to give into the allure of the bright lights and the big city and an iconic figure, but at the end of the day? NO ONE cares more about your brand and your values than you. That being said if you espouse a value, fundamental belief or way of life, there should never be a job, amount of money or an iconic figure that you should allow to cause you to be unfaithful to who you are and what you believe. Once you start down that road, there's no turning back. Trust me, I KNOW! There were talks of being inspired by Jesus and not wanting to be objectified as a female and I encourage each one to go back and review the "edited" footage of themselves and ask if you maintained your values...if you haven't? NOW is the time to work through that. I don't claim to be perfect, pious or judgemental, but, I've been tempted enough to know that what you thought you wanted and coveted wasn't worth it once you got it. I was disappointed when I witnessed some of the brightest people with the best intentions, hopes and dreams fall for the oldest trick in the book and that trick is pride and vanity. ( Encouraged by crafty Exec. producer's with empty promises). Games have been used for centuries to teach us about war and the potential mettle of a leader and since the apprentice was nothing but a game, how do you think you fared? The game of Chess is of course a game of strategy and is a game of war strategy and most often what you do in that game can lead to life or death in the battlefield. When you look at the game of The Apprentice, in the end was it worth what you left on the field? Because for me, the bar was set at $250,000k and The GENE FOLKES brand is worth A LOT more than $250k.(PRICELESS ACTUALLY) What's YOUR brand worth? When you're alone and looking in the mirror, ask yourself....What price buys my values? Find an answer you're comfortable with and good luck to you.

Cue the choir...The fat lady's clearing her throat!

This past week saw the team whittled down from four to three.  This week opens as Steuart meets a publishing mogul.  What was missing was the awarding of a prize.  He didn’t win anything.  Hmmmmm, what did Steuart do to lose his prize?  Keep speculating, folks-I’ll never tell.

The task was a QVC spot that pitted boys against girls.  The teams were each able to negotiate with the other side to secure the time slot and product that they wanted to sell.  The price points were also team decisions.  The opening of the negotiation scene begins with Clint and Steuart plotting.  For many of you this may have been the first time that you saw the devious streak on the male side of the boardroom.  I assure you that this was a consistent part of these two gentlemen’s strategy throughout the season.

What is unique is that this is the first time the cameras ‘catch them in the act’.  Now I know that many of you will want to comment that this is done in business all the time.  I get that.  Just because it is common practice does not make it right.  What it should also show you is that perhaps Mahsa’s finger pointing was not so off base after all.  You will recall that she was outraged to be accused, and ultimately fired, for something in which she alleged Clint had a hand.  He got his righteous ire stirred and claimed that Mahsa was trying to smear his good name.  This is the same person that you hear in Week Ten telling Steuart to follow his lying lead.  He clearly comes up with the idea to purposely lie to the girls about the product in which Octane is interested to throw them off their game and leave open the opportunity for the men to also secure their chosen time slot. 

Maybe I am harder on the men’s team than you would be, but I just cannot help but be disappointed in the stooping to all new lows that I see.  Team Fortitude has been a cat fight, brawl-a-thon since Week One, but the men (David excluded) have generally kept their professionalism in tact.  Like I said in the boardroom on Week One, “I like to see mine coming”. To top things off, the men wind up trashing each other as previously unseen outtakes hit the airwaves.  Steuart does his best hick voice to bash Clint, and Clint is critical of Steuart’s pricing strategy and ridiculous use of double entendre in describing the handbag.  Had some of the comments made by Steuart to the QVC spokesperson been said in an actual workplace, HR would have been summoned.  Clint, of course, feigns offense and cites his ‘family man’ status.  I wonder if his three boys will watch this task and pick up priceless tips to manipulate and strategize like their dear old dad.

The women are actually able to put aside their pettiness for the most part.  They choose to sell watches at a fair price and are quite successful.  Though I cannot help but point out that Brambien (Brandy+Ambien) is once again a deer in headlights as the QVC cameras begin to roll.  At that point I did nod off.  Ultimately, the girls turn more profit than Octane and Trump surprises both sides by announcing that two people will be fired.  He also took a bit of time to press Liza about her racial rationale in putting Brandy in front of the cameras.  While I know that some people saw this as shortsighted, I actually understood where Liza was coming from.  I also really appreciated her honest (albeit round-about) answer when asked about it by Trump.  That is my biggest beef with Liza is her chameleon routine.  If that is what you feel is right, OWN IT, Girl.  Stop hemming and hawing.

Unfortunately, there was only time to show one of those firings.  Since the men lost, Trump starts there.  He quickly establishes that these two guys are pretty even in terms of qualifications.  He proceeds to ask for their educational and professional credentials.  This is curious to me since he had never really mentioned that before.  Where someone went to school is truly not a reflection of their intelligence (Poppy and Stanford…whaaaaat????).  Steuart cites his two successful business ventures (and two failures).  This was confusing since I thought the purpose of this season was to put America back to work?  Sounds like Steuart never left.  Clint rattles off his pedigree of lawyer, CPA, realtor, handbag maven…This begs the question-how in the world is Clint not employed?  Or did he just see bright lights and the big city and want to be television?  Well, goooooollllllleeeeee (insert Gomer Pyle voice here), that would make a lot more sense. If Mr. Trump is choosing his apprentice based on suck-up-ability or down and dirty conniving, I think we have a winner.

However, we won’t really know that until we see who the second firee is next week.  One thing I am looking forward to is seeing Mahsa back in action, finger loaded and ready to shoot!

Adam, Legend of The Blue Marvel!

 

 

 

In the 1960s Adam Brashear was a young man who served his country as a U.S. Marine. When he discovered his super-powers, he fashioned a secret identity with which to protect his country; the Blue Marvel! He served as a hero for years, and was one of the most popular heroes of his time. Yet Adam had a secret, he was an African-American, a fact not lost on the government. As a precaution against so much power in the hands of a black man, they took steps to control him, even going so far as to plant a Spy for him to date. His career as the Blue Marvel ended after he faced the Anti-Man, with his ethnicity revealed, Adam was pressured by the government to retire.

As a kid, I was fascinated with comic books. I would read until late into the night. It was a way for me to escape and provided my love for reading which has continued to this day. While I loved all superheroes, I couldn't help but notice the void of people who looked like me being portrayed as the all powerful legends. There were a few, Luke Cage, Power man, Black Panther, The Falcon...But, Adam is a unique story and one I fell in love with immediately.

Though he is fictional, if you read his story, doesn't this resonate and translate in reality? TOO OFTEN we discount potential heroes because of where they come from or look like, we marginalize them and ultimately, we ALL miss out. There are ongoing discussions about how to get this country back to her greatness, some billionaires think we're being beaten out by China and India, IF we are, it's because we CONTINUE to overlook the potential of ALL AMERICANS! Regardless of where they come from or what they look like. Who says the cure for cancer won't come from the mind of a child living in the ghetto? or the cure for aids from a disabled person or some other great discovery from some disenfranchised American?

We hold these truths to be self-evident where all men are created equal and we become a great nation once we put these words into action.

Perceptual Constancy?

An illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. While illusions distort reality, they are generally shared by most people

Funny, I was listening to a song by Prince and there's a line that says the two-party system gives the ILLUSION of choice and all for money which is nothing but ink and chlorophyll.
And as you know GENEuine readers, that got me to thinking about my Apprentice experience, the economy, magicians and what IS reality. So, bare with me as I ramble with my thoughts and try to make sense of things...

As a child, I was fascinated by magic. I begged my grandmother for a magic set. I thought How cool it would be to make things disappear and reappear at will, what I learned is that what I thought was "magic" turned out to be VERY simple, deceitful slight of hand and my magic set was quickly placed under the bed.
The relevance of this, is that now, many of us are finding it more palatable to believe the illusion. We PREFER to swallow the fallacy that as long as things LOOK good, why seek what's real? Is there any wonder why prescription drug usage has increased tremendously and the majority of us HATE to be alone?
Here are cases in point that may strengthen this idea...
As the great recession WAS happening, the unemployment rate was at record levels and the mortgage crises reaching a crescendo, the majority of us ACCEPTED the ILLUSION that it wasn't as bad as being reported...So, we kept shopping, acquiring more credit card debt and god forbid we stopped eating out 4 nights a week! I mean this recession was effecting SOMEONE ELSE! There was an Apprentice candidate that stated in the premiere commercials that "The recession SLOWLY crept up..." HUNH? SLOWLY crept up" what was HE smoking? But, I digress, the malls REMAINED packed....gas prices went up, movie tickets went up and of course we kept buying and buying and buying....and not just sale items, big luxurious purchases were being purchased as well.
And it's been more so problematic that we are choosing to live lives where we edit out what we don't like and ONLY focus on what we WANT to hear? I'm of the mind that catching a virus is a good thing, because the body builds antibodies to fight the virus and is ready for it next time, so...negative isn't always bad...or is that just me?
I'm concerned because more and more of us are choosing the illusion, breast too small...enhance them...pecs too small? enhance them....does ANYONE not know about BOB and his "performance" commercials? ewww, no thanks bob...overweight? bypass being healthy...BUY SOME SPANX? WHAT THE FREAK!
How long can we keep doing this to ourselves?
Isn't it curious that with so much availability to live HOW we want to and keeping the facade alive, that we are far less happier and more and more of us medicate ourselves with drugs, alcohol and whatever else we so choose! Isn't falling off a bike a good thing? failing a test a learning experience? Some people win and some people lose...This whole concept that EVERYONE's a winner...uh....okkayyy...can I get that in writing from the Lottery? I mean...since EVERYONE'S a WINNER?
...and that's the problem...it's not that we just CAN'T deal with reality, it's now we have the means to MANIPULATE reality. But, what we fail to understand is that no matter how much we try to conceal ourselves in the illusion there will ALWAYS be the lingering penumbra of our TRUE selves and there's no amount of drugs, plastic surgery or level of denial that can change that.
Perhaps, the TRUE source of magic isn't the illusion, but in embracing reality, accepting the blessings in ALL things and being able to laugh or smile and find love anyway....
Now, that's REAL magic!