I had the honor of attending a conference on "All-Black Towns of Oklahoma" yesterday in downtown Tulsa sponsored by Tulsa University. These small rural black towns have an amazing history and are a rich part of not only Oklahoma history--but also United States history. I hope you enjoy today's show which summarizes many of the key points from the conference. The whole conference was professionally videotaped and will be available for free viewing soon through Tulsa University's Oklahoma Center for the Humanities.
*Conference Link: https://calendar.utulsa.edu/event/all-black-towns-of-oklahoma-symposium
*Photo: "Early 1900s Black Cowboy" by unknown photographer. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

There is a very important topic found in the studies of culture and how to elevate culture that underscores the importance of including beauty in your life--and many today are completely out of touch with the real beauty which is NOT what the social media influencers are advocating. Here are some beautiful words of wisdom from those before us.

Sources: "The Leisure Age: It's Challenges to Recreation" by Norman Miller and Duane Robinson (1963); "Nineteen Recreation Principles" by Joseph Lee and the National Recreation Association
*Photo Credit: Ron Jones

I've been thinking deeply about this whole alien thing lately in view of flying objects being shot down. For purposes of discussion--what would happen to established religions "if" there was in fact life outside of earth in the form of beings that are visiting us? How would this impact people's established beliefs in their version of "God" or existence?

I found an old bottle buried in debris and leaves on my property during some cleanup. As I started to discard it, I noticed a plant growing inside and thriving inside--basically a terrarium had formed inside the bottle. This will to survive struck me as worthy of a quick inspirational show.

Have you ever wondered why people riot and become violent after their team wins a major sports championship? What is the real reason for this from the physiology standpoint? Here ya go. Listen up and understand why spectating runs right into a fight or flight sympathetic nervous system response--then control yourselves and act like adults!
*Reference: "Philosophy of Recreation and Leisure" by Jay B. Nash (1953)
*Graphic: "Anger" by DARKVINE (2018)

Here's one simple page out of Booker T. Washington's wonderful 1902 booklet, "Character Building." This booklet was a collection of his Sunday night chats with students. Today's share is "Some Great Little Things" where he underscores developing the proper use of leisure and recreation time, etc.

Some reading today from Walter Lippmann's 1922 book, "Public Opinion" regarding the burnout state of noisy city life and a few of my contextual comments about the social and political elites and their long history of hiding information and manipulating the public. Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) was an American author, reporter, and political commentator.
*Photo Credit: Harris & Ewing (Library of Congress)

There was a lot of BS in last night's State of the Union address by President Biden and those attending. Here are some truthful comments from the street level far from the DC-bought and paid-for politicians.
*Graphic: U.S. National Security Agency educational poster

Quick overview of my current PE lesson combining some quality kettlebell instruction for 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders plus some more on situational awareness and self-defense and how I use my new "wolf" hand puppet for self-defense games.

To recognize Black History month with some off-the-grid references, I share a passage from a speech given by Malcolm X on December 13, 1964, at the Audubon. This section addresses the propaganda of the press as created by the FBI and CIA, so this whole fiasco with these organizations is nothing new--Malcolm X was calling it out decades ago...then he was killed for speaking.

*Book Reference: "Malcolm X Speaks: Selected Speeches and Statements" edited with prefatory notes by George Breitman (1965)

*Speech Audio: "Revolution" by Malcolm X