One Is Not Plural

One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.
—    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
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On This Day In:
2019	I Think I’ve Just Been Argoted
2018	Good-Bye AG Jeff Sessions
2017	On Our Wall (Part 2)
2016	I Beg The Question
2015	By Their Fruit
2014	Proven Worth
2013	From Missouri
2012	Recipe To Write: Start With One Aching Urge
2011	Ip And Rib
	Real Things
2010	Final Competition

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R.I.P. Kobe

Life is no brief candle to me.  It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
―    George Bernard Shaw
[Although I grew up a Warriors and Celtics fan and therefor detested all things “Lakers”,  I have never really been able to “hate on” any of the specific Laker players.  To be honest, except when they were playing my two teams, I usually looked forward to watching the Lakers – from Chamberlain and “the Streak”, through Kareem / Magic and “Showtime”, and on down through Shaq and Kobe.  Due to his competitive nature, I feel Kobe was never able to find rest in this life.  Even before fully retiring from the game he was transitioning his brand and his businesses in order to be “the best” at those, too.  Sometimes that is the price you must pay to be the very best at your profession.  I hope he can find that rest now.  But I bet he’s trying to get a one-on-one going with Wilt…
Thanks for the memories!  R.I.P. Kobe Bryant   —    KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2019	Looks A Lot Like #45
2018	Trying To Stay Young
2017	Seems Reasonable To Me
2016	We Can Get Through This Together (In Time)
2015	How Long Is A Piece Of String?
2014	Heathen, n.
2013	Wisdom’s Folly
2012	When The Student Is Ready
	Disconnected Leadership
2011	The Complex Richness Of Life

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We Can Get Through This Together (In Time)

For me, religion — no matter which one —  is ultimately about people wanting to live humble, moral lives that create a harmonious community and promote tolerance and friendship.  All religious rules should be in service of this goal.  The Islam I learned and practice does just that.
Violence committed in the name of religion is never about religion — it’s about money.
…It’s just business.
Nor should we blame U.S. foreign policy as the spark that lights the fuse.  Poverty, political oppression, system corruption, lack of education, lack of critical thinking and general hopelessness in these countries are the spark.  Yes, we’ve made mistakes that will be used to justify recruiting new drones.  But we shouldn’t kid ourselves that the recent report detailing our extensive and apparently ineffective use of torture led to mass terrorist volunteers.  The world knew we tortured.   The only thing the report revealed was how bad we were at it.  More important, if recruits were swayed by logical idealism, they would realize that the fact that we conducted, released and debated such a report is what makes the U.S. admirable.  We don’t always do the right thing, but we strive to.  We admit our faults and make adjustments.  It may be glacial, but it’s movement forward.
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Ironically, terrorism is an act against the very religion the perpetrators claim to believe in.  It’s an acknowledgment that the religion and its teachings aren’t enough to persuade people to follow it.  Any religion that requires coercion is not about community but leaders who want power.
We can’t end terrorism any more than we can end crime in general.  But I look forward to the day when an act of terrorism by self-proclaimed Muslims will be universally dismissed as nothing more than a criminal attack of a thuggish political organization wearing an ill-fitting Muslim mask. To get to that point, we will need to teach our communities what the real beliefs of Islam are.  In the meantime, keep my name on speed dial so we can get through this together.
—    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
From his commentary / editorial: “Paris Was Not About Religion“
In Time Magazine, January 26, 2015
[Time Magazine charges $.20 per issue to those paper subscribers who also want to view articles on-line.  I refuse to pay this.  Yes, I am a dinosaur who still receives the paper edition.  I have been a subscriber to Time for over 40 years (off and on (mostly on)).  It costs Time virtually nothing to allow paper subscribers to have on-line access, but this is the business model they choose.  The bottom line is that I am unable to provide you with a link to the actual full version.  My apologies…  Please visit your local library if you wish to see the entire column.    —    KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2015	How Long Is A Piece Of String?
2014	Heathen, n.
2013	Wisdom’s Folly
2012	When The Student Is Ready
	Disconnected Leadership
2011	The Complex Richness Of Life

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What We Choose To Divide Us

The thing about race is that, scientifically, there is no such thing.  As far back as 1950, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released the conclusions of an international group of anthropologists, geneticists, sociologists, and psychologists that stated that the concept of race was not a scientific entity but a myth.  Since then, one scientific group after another has issued similar conclusions.  What we use to determine race is really nothing more than some haphazard physical characteristics, cultural histories, and social conventions that distinguish one group from another.  But, for the sake of communication, we will continue to misuse the word, myself included, in order to discuss our social issues so everyone understands them.
—   Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Quoted from his editorial: “Let Rachel Dolezal be as black as she wants to be“
In “The View” section of “Time Magazine” dtd: June 29, 2015
[We all are the human race (species).  And, at least until another advanced species is discovered somewhere in the vast reaches of space, we are it…   Equal == Equal.  —  KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2014	Peace With Honor
2013	Dangerous Systems
2012	Useful Science
2011	Say It, But Please Don’t Make Me Listen

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