DC: Homelessness in the Heart of Our Country: Three Days & Two Nights, Homeless.

DC: Homelessness in the Heart of Our Country: Three Days & Two Nights, Homeless.: Home. At times it's so incredibly easy to forget that we have a home and that many others do not. Homeless is a tough issue to deal with and...

DC: Homelessness in the Heart of Our Country: Forty-Eight Hours of Homelessness

DC: Homelessness in the Heart of Our Country: Forty-Eight Hours of Homelessness:      As many of you have probably heard from various trip participants, one of the main events of this year's Homelessness in the Heart of o...

KNOW ABOUT SAGGING PANTS!

Knowing the true origin of 'sagging' and be able to discern the facts from the myths. Knowledge is power and our youths deserve the chance to make an educated decision about the images they promote.

Many may view sagging as a form of rebellion; a way of saying they are not conforming. The funny thing is that's exactly what they're doing, pulling away from society's idea of compliance yet conforming to peer pressure (everybody’s doin it). It may be a surprise to most that sagging dates back centuries; not just within the past decade or so. At that time, sagging wasn't a fashion statement! Slaves were forced to wear oversized clothing to discourage escapes. It was thought that escape attempts would be prevented, if the slaves couldn't run. Sagging has since gone from physical captivity to mental enslavement (ie. mental conditioning!) "In other words, " Don't u dare dream of a better, longer, totally fulfilling life." If we took time to educate our young men that slaves were deprived of the well-fitting pants that we take for granted today, they might start to take more pride in their appearance and want to pull their pants up!

Today's sagging is a symptom of incarceration. There is some truth to the age-old rumor of sagging being a 'sexual signal' in prison, it is still a symptom and not the cause. Before prison jumpsuits, inmates were issued uniforms based on what was available and in many cased, those uniforms were oversized. Prisoners also weren't issued belts as a deterrent of murder and suicide. Gang bangers continued to 'sag' their pants after being released from prison to signify that they had 'done time'. Over time, rappers glorified the 'gang' look and the sagging fad was born. “When, has going to jail become honorable?!?”

Some don't even know the sexual signals they're sending to men who are attracted to saggers which is much more widespread than many of us think! They don't even realize that they’re the silent focus of lustful eyes as they walk down the street with jean sagging.

On the other hand, there are the those who do realize the sexual implications of wearing the sagging style. Many people wonder why there are so many Black men on the 'DL' but we've actually created this environment by incarcerating so many of our Black men. While behind bars, many of our youths have become accustomed to same-sex encounters. Once released from prison, they continue to pursue the sex that they grew to enjoy while in jail. Of course, this doesn't mean that all saggers are gay nor is it my intention to come across as homophobic. My aim is only to provide knowledge of the “implications” of the sagging style.

National American Medical Association

A new study from the National American Medical Association that shows the health risks of prolonged ‘sagging’.According to posture and vitality expert Aaron Parnell, one of the biggest health problems is severe bad posture. Parnell who treats over a dozen young people a year with problems directly related to wearing baggy pants or sagging pants with or without a belt says many fail to realize is that to keep their pants from falling down, young people are forced to walk in an awkward manner. Their legs inwardly at the knees and turn their feet outward to keep balance. This creates bad posture. Walking this way also leads to hip degeneration and low back problems. Further, rotating your legs like this everyday can lead to life-long knee misalignments and bunions.

A two year study by the NAMA , released on Monday April 5th also supports findings that the continuous wearing of sagging pants severely impacts sexual performance. Some as young as 23 are having severe cases of some form of sexual dysfunction. The cause is traced back to the constant mis-aligning of their hips and lower torso from the gait (walking patterns) which are symptomatic to sagging pants.”

Estimates are that 75-82% of the people who wear saggy pants have some sort of sexual dysfunction. Because of the machismo associated with Hip Hop, gang and urban culture most will keep the problem hidden. They mask their sexual inadequacy by displaying, “fits of anger” and nihilistic behavior toward each other and toward women who they can not please.

“It’s the dirty little secret, that no one wants to talk about.” Huge jumps in the sale for online Viagra and sexual enhancement drugs. Many individuals who lack health insurance for expensive sexual dysfunction remedies have turned to over the counter solutions which contain sildenafil or vardenafil the ingredients found in Viagra and Levitra, two of the most commonly used ED medicines. Others have turned to excessive drinking, drug use, especially taking e"E" pills.

Skinless Boneless Fried Chicken Recipe

Prep Time: 6 min  Cook Time: 15 min

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 pieces skinless white chicken meat with or without bones
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper ( I use Paprika(sparingly), Cajun spice &Season All)

Directions

Trim off all fat and discoloration, etc. from the chicken. Wash under cold water. Put the flour into a plastic bag.

Add seasoning  to each piece to both sides.

While the pieces are still very wet, place them 1 at a time into the flour. Shake the bag to coat each piece.

Melt about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of shortening in a pan on medium heat. Shake the bag again to keep the pieces from sticking together.

When the shortening is melted and very hot, remove the chicken from the bag. Gently shake off the excess flour and lay into the hot fat. When all the pieces are in the pan, cover with a lid and fry about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove cover and check each piece to see how brown it is. Turn to fry the other side when it is lightly golden brown,

Cover again and allow the other side to brown. Season the second side. At this point, you may remove the cover and continue to fry the chicken to the desired "browness" you prefer. Turn often.

It should be nicely browned with a very crisp outside and a moist, tender inside. You may want to reduce the heat a little after you have browned the second side. Boneless, skinless chicken cooks much faster than meat with the bone in. Place the fried pieces on a wire rack covered with a paper towel to drain off the excess grease.

*For best flavor and texture, serve about 7 to 10 minutes after you remove from the pan.