Morphological Confetti

Chester Bomar Himes was born in Jefferson City, Missouri on July 29, 1909. Himes is the author of several novels and short stories, but he became famous for his crime novels in the late 1950s and 60s featuring Harlem detectives, Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. Three of his book were made into movies featuring the two detectives. Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) and Come Back Charleston Blue (1972) are considered classics among 1970s Blaxploitation films. Himes' novel, For Love of Imabelle was made into a film under the title, A Rage in Harlem (1991), featuring Forest Whitaker, Gregory Hines, and Robin Givens . Chester Himes died on Nov. 12, 1984 in Moraira, Spain. Sources: math.buffalo.edu and crimeculture.com

I never get tired of finding out more about my family. I soak it up, write it down, and take a picture of it. Luckily, my grandfather is also nostalgic as he gets closer to 90 years of age in December. This is just a few of the pictures during my journey home. This is the NC I see. Hassell, NC. Arrival Wife is connecting with the land Side view of great-grandma's house Inside exploring the past...carefully Remembering Departure Photography: N. S. Bess and S. Bess *See More on Flickr*

This is a photo I took of a window in the back of my grandfather's childhood home. I was brave enough to step into that old house that felt like it was about to give in to the weight of my body. It made every sound you can imagine as it moaned with my every step. I can remember when the house still had a strong life force. It was 1979 -- the year before my grandfather's mother died. Back then, there were still farm animals about the house, an old dog, and scattered remnants of the fall harvest when I looked across the field. great-grandma Alice was suffering from Alzheimers. From her window in the back of the house, she saw me running and playing with the various farm animals. She called me over to the window and asked me, "Who boy are you?" I told her and she smiled, "You a good looking boy." I said thank you and smiled shly as I ran off to play more. I came across her window a second time and she called me over to ask the same question. I answered as if it...

Happy Birthday, Mandela! 90 years and going strong. Rethabile has a wonderful post on his page. Go see . Enjoy your weekend. Peace~ Photo Source: www.eco-afrika-tours.co.za

I'm sure that most of you have seen this image by now. This illustration (artist, Barry Blitt) on the cover of of the July 21, 2008 issue of The New Yorker depicts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama dressed as a Muslim and his wife, Michelle Obama, as a terrorist. To top it off, there's a picture of Bin Laden on the wall and the American flag burning in the fire place. The magazine claims that it is using satire to address the use of scare tactics and misinformation by some media outlets to derail the Obama presidential campaign; However, I believe that an illustration like this could do more harm than good. Lets' face it, Americans scare easily. Placing an image like this in front of an American public that is constantly reminded of the threat of terrorism is not a smart move. It only adds fire to a pot that's all ready boiling over and perpetuates the growing negativity towards the Muslim community. In closing, I feel that media organizations should be mo...

Soon, my wife and I will be taking a little trip south to see grandfather Bess. He's 89 years old and counting. I always enjoy my visits to North Carolina no matter how short and routine it may be. When I get home, we usually drive grandpa around town to see family and friends. He doesn't see them as often as he would like because most of them, including grandpa, no longer drive. Then, we'll go over to Mr. Little's fish market. I went to high school with Mr. Little's son, David. Mr. Little gives me updates on how things are going with David and I'll listen and smile even though David and I were never really close in school. My grandfather will buy me a coke and we'll sit and talk to Mr. Little until they are both satisfied. Then, we'll go back to the house. My aunts will have dinner ready and we'll talk until it's time for grandpa to go to bed. That's usually around 8 p.m.  On Sunday morning, I'll wake up and fix him some breakfast; ...