Tamia's Yummy Almond Vanilla Granolas!

So I was bored and hungry. Bad combination. I had told myself that I was going to cut back on junk foods so what's a girl to do?! Then -- *idea* -- I decided to make granola bars. It's so easy, a caveman could do it. Just gather your ingredients...



follow these steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. You have two options > you can buy the oats already toasted, spread them in a baking dish and heat them in the oven



> or can you toast your own - mix 2 cups of oats, 3/4 cup wheat germ, 3/4 sunflower seeds, 1 cup peanuts (crushed) oast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned



3. Meanwhile, prepare a seperate baking dish (about 11 x 13 inches) for your granola by lining it with waxed paper lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray. Set aside.

4. Put 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 4 tablespoons of butter, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and 2 pinches of salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.


*before*


*after*

5. Take your toasted grains/oats out the oven, mix everything together in a large bowl (the grains, the liquid “glue,” and if you desire dried fruit -- about 8oz). Oh, and turn off your oven, because you’re finished with it now.

6.After you've mixed it well, dump your granola mixture into your prepared baking dish.



7.Spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula. Now fold over the sides of the waxed paper or add a sheet on top, and PRESS HARD all over the granola. Basically what you want to do is compact it together so that your bars won’t fall apart when you cut them.

8. Let sit for 2-3hrs until completely cooled.



9. *3hrs later* Unwrap your granola, put it on a cookie sheet and cut however you like!



Of course, you can mix up the recipe. I plan to add flax seeds and more honey next time to make them stickier -- but you can make your granola however you want -- nutless, fruitless, crunchy, sticky, etc. Ooooh the possibilities! lol.



Let me know if you decide to make some -- tell me how they come out! :-)

Police Accountability & Trust: Changing the Perception of Police in African-American Communities

That justice is a blind goddess
Is a thing to which we black are wise
Her bandages hides two festering sores
That once perhaps were eyes

Langston Hughes, Justice, 1923


Today's blog focuses on a discussion not new to public administrators or the criminal justice system – police accountability. Even after the civil rights movement there have been a number of incidents that have lead people to question whether the police are really there to serve and protect. I have continuously stressed that once police departments begin to hold their own accountable, especially in cases of criminal liability, trust can be restored and better community relations can be fostered.

I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with the shooting of Oscar Grant III, but this is the story: According to NBC’s news affiliate in Oakland, on New Year’s day Bay Area Transit police responded to a call regarding a brief melee. Oakland resident Oscar Grant III was pointed out as one of the individuals involved in the incident and was handcuffed by the officers while they sorted out the situation. From this point on there are different accounts of what happened (from Officer Mehserle version of events and the eyewitnesses on the train) but one thing is clear – while Grant was lying faced down, Officer Johannes Mehserle shot him in the back. After the incident Alameda County (Oakland) Deputy District Attorney John Creighton announced that the state would be charging Mehserle with first degree murder along with several other felony charges and if found guilty he would spend the rest of his natural life in prison. For some this case demonstrates that everyone, even those charged with upholding the law will have to take responsibility for their actions when they break the law; however, having seen the verdict in the Sean Bell case, many African-Americans are not so quick to proclaim that justice will be served.

In the African-American community there has also been an air of social cynicism - the great divide between Blacks and the police can be traced back to the Reconstruction period and since that time African-Americans have faced bias and prejudice treatment from public officials in various capacities. The current interest in police accountability as it relates to the African-American community was initiating addressed on a smaller scale during the civil rights movement. The late 1960s gave rise to the black power movement which sought to "challenge the traditional relationship between public bureaucracy and its citizen-clients." During this time period, specifically in the summer of 1967 a number of riots broke out across the country. It was then that a report was released in 1968 - Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, more commonly called the Kerner Commission Report. In this report it was concluded that the continuation of segregate policies and poverty, which was created by "white society," created a destructive and tense "black society" – the riots was just an explosion of a pressure cooker whose lid had been kept on too long. They also listed three major grievances: (1) police practice (first level of intensity), (2) ineffectiveness of the political structure and grievance mechanism, and (3) discriminatory administration of justice.

In order for police to utilize their discretion to do their job efficiently and effectively there has to be cooperation from the public, in turn, the public has to feel like the police are a legitimate part of their community that they can trust – accountability measures that work can satisfy both sides of this equation. While most police departments have internal affairs acting as the keeper of justice many feel like this creates a situation where the fox is guarding the hen house. And that is simply not going to work because "for discipline to be meaningful, it must be real."

As a public administrator, regardless of the capacity, whether it’s a city manager or emergency dispatcher, the success of our work depends heavily on the trust bestowed on us from the public. In the African-American community, that trust has been eroded because there is a sense that police officers are not held accountable for their actions – especially when the officer’s misconduct is committed against them. The need for accountability is not unique to law enforcement nor is it a new area of study. However, in terms of perceptions that African-Americans have about the social institutions in this country – the lack of redress and justice carried, in regards to their complaints of police misconduct, puts a damper on the police ability to do their jobs because of the feeling that they cannot be trusted. Once law enforcement agencies begin to hold their employees accountable for their actions, the police department can be seen as legitimate, trust can be restored, and a positive relationship with the community can be fostered. What I believe criminal justice administrators and law enforcement employees will find is that when the citizens that you serve are confident in what you do the less you have to worry about grievances and civil disorders – show the community that you take them seriously and that you value their feedback.

do you KNOW your history?

Lords of the Revolution...

First - special shout owt to my LS K-Slim who put me on to this showing cause I had not heard about it, and I'm usually up on stuff like this -- I'm slipping, lol. :-)

Today I watched a documentary on VH1 called "Lords of the Revolution" which talked about the Black Panther Party and the Black Power Movement. I was already familiar with the history of the party and the movement because I wrote an extensive research paper about it when I was in the 10th grade and in the 11th grade.

*Sidebar -- it was through this research project that I learned about COINTELPRO and it is the basis of why I will NEVER work for the FBI (as a lot of people have been suggesting me to apply since they are hiring); paycheck or not, there are just some things I am unwilling to sell my soul for -- but I digress...*

Studying the Black Panther Party and the Black Power Movement is probably what inspired me more than anything to be the type of person I am when it comes to race relations, politics, and social equality. Even with President Obama in office, I feel like we still need that fire, that energy that people like Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Eldridge & Kathleen Cleaver, Fred Hampton, Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, Mumia Abu-Jamal, and countless other revolutionaries had. You have to understand that there are still people in America who never wanted to see us out of slavery and now that we are through with that phase, there are some people who will do whatever they have to, to keep us under their will and whim -- even if that means killing some of us. If you look at the "downfall" of the Black Panther Party it was orchestrated by the FBI under the rule of the homo-fascist J. Edgar Hoover -- everything from the "beef" between the Black Panther Party & the US Organization to Huey's drug use and Eldridge's alignment with the right-wing -- it was all fueled by the aggressive, racist, and unconstitutional tactics of our federal government. And you wonder why folks say "off the pigs!" or "f-- the police!" ?

This past semester in my Administration of Justice course at GSU, my final project was focused on Police Accountability and Trust -- the gist of my argument was that until law enforcement -- be it local, state, regional, federal -- take responsibility and hold their officers accountable, the African-American community will NOT trust them. If we cannot trust you, then you are going to have a hell of a hard job trying to do your job because no one is going to cooperate with you. When we hear stories about African-Americans being harassed or brutally attacked by the cops, most of us get our hopes up thinking that there is going to be some great knight that will ride in and save the day. But the reality is that most of these cops are handled by internal affairs and when it does make it to court - they are found not-guilty (remember the Sean Bell case?).

I bring all of this up because recently a rapper in Florida was sentenced to two-years for writing a "cop killer" song (http://www.bvblackspin.com/2009/08/10/rapper-cop-killing-song/?icid=main|htmlws-bv|dl3|link2|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bvblackspin.com%2F2009%2F08%2F10%2Frapper-cop-killing-song%2F). It baffles me because we have people making songs about killing people everyday and yet a man makes a song about an experience he had with two cops harassing him and he gets jail time? Slim Shady talked about killing is mom (and seeing that he was hooked on drugs, it's very possible that he would have done it) -- but he didn't go to jail. Not even concerning what the song is about but what happened to free speech.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Man ... what do ya'll think about all of this?

You think you know a guy...

So I'm bored and I wanted to type another one. No you don't have to do one too. Please don't whine & gripe about me typing something that might be seemingly irrelevant to you, just shut up & read it. :-)

Anyway -- facts about moi:

1. I learned how to drive on the NASCAR race track of the DMV (I-495) so excuse me if I get road rage over people who don't know how to merge, drive in the correct lane (get out my left lane if you doing the speed limit), or people who do not use their blinker.

2. I have anger-management problems. It's more of a secret cause I've learned how to control it -- but when I do get mad...oh boy.

3. I'm overly organized and overly neat. Ask any of my friends, linesisters, roommates -- I clean ALL the time and everything has its place. Messy rooms do something to my nerves. I have all sorts of planners and journals filled up with "to-do" lists.

4. I have alcoholics on both sides of my family -- this probably explains my tolerance level.

5. I am not an outdoor/adventure type of person -- the wild, the woods, mountains, etc. etc. is NOT for me. The closest thing to outdoors activity that I have done was the Luray Caverns in VA. LeaderShape was a BIG adjustment for me because it was out in the woods ... in a cabin. Man that was the HARDEST week of my life.

6. I think the DC area has the best men on this side of the Mississippi. All of my past boyfriends were from some part of the DMV -- except one and he was from the Bronx. I don't attract southern men -- am I not docile enough? Just kidding.

7. I'm generally nice. Where people get this misconception that I'm mean baffles me. Maybe it's my facial expressions -- I'm usually mugging apparently.

8. I like to sleep. REALLY sleep. I'll wake up -- look around and go right back to sleep. So if you want me to do something with you -- it's in your best interest to ask me the day before so I can set my alarm otherwise I'm going to hibernate.

9. I love to read! I am currently reading two books (for pleasure) - "Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism" by James W. Loewen & "Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present" by Harriet A. Washington

10. I HATE reptiles. I'm struggling to understand why the hell would you want to own something that carries Salmonella. That's right -- in case you didn't know -- ALL reptiles carry Salmonella. It's nothing contagious to them but its lethal in humans. Besides reptiles are some god-ugly creatures. *shivers*

11. I love tattoos. I plan to be tatted up pretty soon! I'll probably get five more.

12. I love makeup - specifically eye shadows, eyeliners, mascara, lip stuff (gloss, glass, color). I'm starting to try out concealers and foundation ... it's not that bad, you just gotta match your complexion and apply lightly.

13. I don't see myself getting married because I'm much too bossy and stubborn -- but who knows.

14. I've been celibate since December 2006. It has been a self-examination journey. Do I struggle with it -- sure. But all and all it's worth it. Jill Scott wrote a poem called "Nothing is for Nothing" and in it she says:

"A prostitute/Selling my soul for emotionally gain/Struggling not to be the third generation of lonely women in my family/Struggling to gain/But gaining nothing but confusion, frustration, illusion, and emptiness/Cause there was no love/Just empty condom wrappers on the floors to discarded like me" ...

I think while some women claim they "love" sex -- they are just doing it because it happens to be what the men they are dealing with values about them. As for me, the "old" me is dead & gone ... the me that I am now is ...

"The me who must have love and give it/The me who brings more to the table than good look and a wet hole/The me that is confident and intelligent and filled to the brim with respect for me"

Damn ... I said I wasn't going to get deep on this one. Oh well...

15. I LOVE THE REDSKINS! Where the hell did all these fake Steeler fans come from? Oh yeah, the same place all the fake ass Giants fans came from. Go sit down somewhere.

15. I love ice cream but I'm lactose intolerant like a mfker! Lordy.

16. I love organic food/drinks.

17. I love men with dreads. Oh la la ...

18. I have an extra sensitive nose -- so if you're funky -- STAY BACK! I will hurt your feelings.

19. Martin was the best damn show on television for years. Next to The Wire (minus wack ass Season 2 about the Docks) of course

20. Jelly Belly Jelly Beans are a God-sent!

What Really Grinds My Gears...

So me and my jump off ... I mean ... my friend Nika (lol!) decided instead of writing randoms or what we like why not tell people what is just God-awfully annoying, irritating, nerve racking, etc. etc. So without further ado, you know what really grinds my gears...

1. When people won't pop that zit on their forehead.

2. When people don't properly blend their makeup. Why is the green eyeshadow just sitting there with no type of relationship with the gold you applied below it ... get a blending brush people!

3. People who get on the bus in the morning and KNOW they did not take a shower or even bother to brush their teeth -- but have the indignation to be TALKING and moving all kinda ways -- shut up and keep still Funk Bot!

4. All these men folk who want a "Michelle Obama" but got the potential of Tyrone Biggums. Get it together.

5. Females who get the weave but won't get a perm. Boo -- you don't have naturally straight hair, so stop trying to blend in the Yaki Straight/Wavy No. 5 when you're nappy like me.

6. Men -- just because Pharell, Lil Wayne, or any other Pop artist rocks Skinny Jeans or "Manty-Hose" does NOT mean you get a pass to do so as well. Especially when you are well-endowed or plump -- just stop, for the sake of humanity -- JUST STOP!

7. People who walk up and down the street/pedestrian and talk EXTRA loud. Don't nobody care that Ray and em got in a fight or that you need a fill-in. Shut the hell UP.

8. People who create this whole new personality on Facebook, Myspace & Twitter. Gigabyte Gangstas, faux e-Celebrities, and Megapixel Thieves are not things you should wish to be remembered as.

9. People who can't be themselves period. The clothes, the money, the friends, the Letters should NOT make the person -- the person should MAKE them.

10. Grills. Pearly Whites are so much more visually pleasing.

11. Nightgown T-shirts -- "make ya mama proud and take that thing two sizes down"

12. Folk over 21+ who still say stuff like "Men ain't shit" or "These females ain't shit" -- grow the hell up.

13. Sentences that start off with "Don't tell nobody I told you" ... because following it, is generally some rumor and hearsay.

14. Holier than thou Christians -- you know them folks who will tell you everything that is wrong with your life but their own house is on fire.

15. Dudes that always talk about "stacks on deck" but stay at they mama's house and don't even have a job...

16. Folks who are constantly talking bout "SWAG"...swagg-tastic, swaggerific, etc. I mean, damn, y'all really know how to beat a dead horse.

17. Folks that call YOUR phone and the first thing outta their mouth is "who dis?"...ummm, you called ME, right?

18. People who constantly stare but say nothing. Get the nerve to say something.