Monday, June 30, 2008

Black Republicans, Not just a Nas song

Yahoo! had a story from the U.S. News.com about the state of the black republican vote. Here it is in total, worth the read:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnews/someblackrepublicanstornaboutvotingforobamaormccain

In this article about the black republicans the blog http://hiphoprepublican.com/ is mentioned. Their mission statement of who they are says something about the Democratic party taking the minority votes for granted. I don't even think the GOP even likes taking the minority vote, they just know they can't win on whites alone anymore. That article says something about this.

The article also talks about MLK being a Republican and the billboards in southern cities some black Republicans finance the display. They reference democrats who supported slavery and were members of the KKK and the fact that the Republican party "has been the champion of freedom and civil rights for blacks" according to Frances Rice, chairman of the National Black Republican Association. It’s a good article. I recommend the read.

Now I generally don't go for racial stereotypes…at least seriously. Everybody can agree with certain popular stereotypes to a point, but there is always somebody who doesn't do what the stereotype says, which is why they are just stupid generalizations. Anyways, black Republicans is something that is an interesting subject. I would suggest reading the article to get some more insight if you're not familiar with the subject, but if you are you know how rare that is within the black community and what being one generally earns you within said community.

Undoubtedly, ignorance plays a large role in the way both sides perceive each other. But its also a general bullheadedness that doesn't even hear the other side. That said I don't really get black Republicans. And not because all black people should be Democrats, but the prominent black Republicans really don't ever explain why they believe what they believe, except Alan Keys and I am convinced he votes Democrat LOL. I have a few conservative friends, note conservative not Republican, who are registered Republican.

In my observations of the news, books and political information combined with conversations and observation with real people, it seems to me like Republican voters seemingly weigh only a few issues. I have followed politics pretty avidly for years and from what I have seen the reason the GOP has won most of the large elections of the last 60 years isn't being a better party, but it's being able to compress and segment elections into competitions about a few issues. So whatever policies go along with the war, not raising taxes (not even the economy), and the pro-life platform get passed. This current election is trying to follow suit. The problem is people are starting to get a little smarter. Thank goodness!

I won't go as far as saying they do it for the sake of being different or even the extreme of saying that they are self loathing black people, but to me there are flaws in the logic...at least when it comes to voting and endorsements on the national scale.

My voting years have been spent as a Louisville voter where Anne Northup has done a lot to try to obtain and maintain the black vote. But on the in the rest of Kentucky and national scale, I don't really see that kind of effort. Partially because I can't be everywhere to know what is going on completely, but also because a token is paraded out, maybe a Bob Johnson or Clarence Thomas speaks and that's that. No breakdown of issues or anything else, just a black face, who doesn't represent many if any black people at all sent to try to get a few votes.

To be quite frank, I don't understand why who is not rich, right wing conservative Christian or just plain anti-Democrat votes Republican these days, regardless of color. But that's why I am a Democrat LOL.

Now to get to the point of this article, will back Republicans be voting for Barack? I think it’s funny that you can write a story, a newsworthy story, about somebody considering a candidate of a different party.

Take a minute and let that sink in.

And then the color thing is a whole 'nother mess. It's sad that color will either be the only reason someone votes for Barack or the only reason they don't vote for him. Even more sorrowful is black people's conscience in this situation is primarily dictated by Barack's blackness.

This is a very raw in incomplete post. It's here to get it out of my head, maybe get some of you stimulated, reading and talking. At this point, I don't even know what I typed or if I believe everything I said I believe. It's 3am and I probably need to be doing something else. Anyways more politics for ya! And I have got one about Identity politics saving the right coming. Gonna be even longer!

Oh my roommate told me Lauer slipped up and said Obama Bin Laden. I simply Googled Obama Bin Laden and found that mistake is very common in the "liberal media." Funny

Salute

Swagger and flow are the steroids of rap, beats the B12 shot that keeps you going

I am a big hip hop fan. And my biggest problem with the genre isn't necessarily the artists, but the listeners.

Why do I say this? Because Weezy F baby is allowed to say he is the best rapper alive and get away with it. Admittedly, I am a fan. But I listen to, and a fan of a variety of other rappers ranging from talentless and celebrated (Jeezy) to extremely talented and grossly underrated (Joe Budden) which gives me a lot of insight. Wayne is talented yes, but it’s only marginally better than other above average rappers. Case and point Barry Bonds off of Kanye West's Graduation.
Here's his lyrics (edited):

And me I'm Mr Weezy baby...yea I'm so bright not shady, my teeth and my ice so white like shady, ice in my teeth so refrigerated, I'm so **** in good like I'm sleepin' with Megan, I'm all about my Franklin's.. Lincolns and Regan's
Whenever they make them..i shall hayve (Not at typo) them, oops I meant have them, im so crazy, but if u play crazy you'll be sleepin' with daises, its such a habeet (again not a typo just bad lyrics), oops I meant habit, and my drink still pinker than the Easter rabbit, and I'm still cole(cold) like Keiyshia's family, stole on my waist turn beef to patties, and I ate it cuz I'm so at it, and I don't front, and I don't go backwards, and I don't practice, and I don't lack it, and u can get buried ****

Decent. But not great. Basically the story of Wayne's career. Like I can figure that out the first time I hear it.... there's not really anything of substance or is even above the wit you can find on the street. And half of it is swagger and flow nothing actually lyrically based.

Its super annoying that he lets it be known that he doesn't practice because clearly he should, and his influence on all of these wanna be d-boys/rappers is going to be the death of the game. And the theme of the song is another hit....the saddest thing about it is that it takes a hot beat and 15 minutes in the studio and a little swagger to make another hit....Barry Bonds. Swagger is the steroids of rap! Well its one kind. Pump your raps with swagger, flow, "style" and spit it over a good beat and you've got one of these new school steroid rappers who outshines the traditional emcees doing it the right way with lyrical content, wordplay, varied structure, multi-syllabic rhymes, creativity, etc.

It must be said that the reason I made this post was because on this Fabolous mixtape of DJ Drama's there is this posse cut with Freck Billionaire, Paul Cain, and Red Cafe where Fab makes a reference to the four rappers as the 4 Horsemen of wrestling fame. I was trying to verify the lyrics that connected the metaphor to the punchline so I could quote it to a friend who said that Fab has fallen off. When I Googled the lyrics, EVERY single site that had the lyrics screwed up the reference. The original 4 Horsemen were Are and Ole Anderson, Tully Blanchard and of course Ric Flair, but whoever got the lyrics must not have known that and had some ridiculous combination of words that made no sense....but was probably hot to their stupid little mind.

What does that have to do with anything?

Well one, it shows people aren't listening and two it proves the whole rap being non-lyrically based. That wasn't the only lyric that was messed up in that track, which is considered one of the best on the mixtape and if people don't know what they are hearing then they really aren't respecting the lyrics and two the flow and swagger (combined with the beat) carry the song to where people actually like it.

I know when you go to the club, you would rather hear about lollipops than how blacks have been oppressed and forgotten achievements like some of Nas' lyrics suggest. Even something a metaphor calling you people Clinton, HillBilly mofos (get it Hillary Bill Clinton lol), isn't something you want to hear at the club. But let's not call the rapper with the most commercial appeal or the easiest, slightly clever lyrics to decipher the best rapper alive. Please. I beg you!

2008 Election: Thoughts and more Projections

If you don't know, I have a huge interest in politics.... not exactly sure where that’s going to take me, but I'm positive it will be very key in my future interests and jobs. ANYWAYS, I have been sitting on this a while, so it’s a little old. Since there aren't any sports or TV of any kind worth watching, I stay tuned in to CNN constantly to stay up on the latest political talk. Well, Carl Rove is trying to tag my boy Barack as arrogant. That just isn't going to fly, because simply put Barack is far from arrogant and the people that are going to decide the election aren't that ignorant (the ones who want to control the election are.) I will concede that he has made some mistakes and comments that come off as arrogant, with the gun comment and the Obama seal.... but to anybody with a brain thats the furthest thing from the truth. You cannot get that kind of support on such a high level with the type of grassroots movement he has cultivated. Just doesn't work.


Here’s a snippet of what he said.

"I will say yes, I do think Barack Obama is arrogant," Rove said Tuesday night on Fox News, where he's a contributor.

"Even if you never met him, you know this guy," he said at a Capitol Hill breakfast, according to ABC. "He's the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone."

And here is the whole article according to the CNN folks:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/26/obama.rove/index.html

The most annoying/frustrating/irritating/generally lame thing about it all is that the GOP tries these tricks to detract from his campaign. It says a lot about how they view their loyalists. Fear mongering, divisive and negatively slanted attacks, diversion, misinformation and down right lies are the main ways they try to motivate their vote. It's like the more ignorant, spoon-fed, and impressionable you are the better suited you are to vote Republican.

What is humorous about it all is the majority of the attacks, such as this have little to nothing to do with politics, in addition to not being true. I mean honestly, I hate to be a broken record, but can you have that many donors, volunteers, and support if you're arrogant? To me it sounds like Rove and people of his ilk are bothered by the confidence/swagger of a politician who knows he has the support of the people to do what he wants. Because even if he is that guy with the fine wife, the drink and the cigarette, what does that have to do with being president?

As much as I hate those types of guys, they generally succeed at life. Like a Don Trump. Not sure what he's good at, but he sure fits the description Rove is throwing out. Funnier than that is Trump ain't even good looking and he has bad hair. So with those glaring disadvantages he still dominates the things a man wants to say he has and does, arrogant or not.

At this point I am more concerned about results, than perceived arrogance. So even if it were there who cares? Let's focus on issues. Please. You're better than that Carl and company. Really.

Here's another election projection site. Check it out as well. Apparently its a little more conservative, but its a good road map to Obama '08 as well!

http://www.electionprojection.com/index.shtml

Sunday, June 29, 2008

To all my fellow introverts

These days, nobody believes me when I say I am an introvert. But its true. I am. To the core. And while I have gotten rid of some of the characteristics that constrain personal growth, individually and socially, I still essentially maintain the introverted spirit.

I have no reason why I am an introvert. Generally, as most analyzers say, there are events, or specific environmental influences that make people introverts. I have small examples, but tend to think thats just a personal preference, in my immediate and extended family I can only think of 3 maybe 4 introverts, because generally my family goes extrovert. On paper, I should be one myself. Just never worked out that way. I don't even have like scarring experiences....I just generally don't like being bothered with people. For a while, I tried to work on it but at that point I was so unfamiliar, and for lack of a better word scared, of dealing with people I just shut of socially. But, right now I am working on it now for several reasons though.

One builds a lot doing things they do not want to do and willingly making choices that go against your own tendencies. Basically a little resistance will go a long way....and a lot of resistance will go even further. So day by day I step out of my norms to do things I don't want to do. And it so far has worked. Hasn't been easy, but I am pleased with my growth and how much I have been able to give as a result of it.

A while back I had a conversation with a wise man, where we were talking getting involved in something or other. His words of invaluable wisdom were that you don't always have to get something out of what you do, think about what you can put into the situation. And honestly that probably has been where I have grown the most. I cannot count the times where I have talked to somebody when I didn't want to or just randomly out of the blue, where we both left the conversation better for it. Not because I preached some wonderful message (as I often attempt to do) or because I got to talk to a human I liked (something that is very rare these days), but because there was genuine interaction that wasn't inhibited by agendas.

If anything I have been terrified of what peoples agendas are for, with, relating to, around, and involving me and the rest of the world. And I tend to place value on people based on what I can get out of them or what I think they are worth to me. However, since I have taken the approach that there is no reason to be terrified of people and just do what is right I have had a lot better luck with being less introverted/terrified with personal interaction. Most people are as generally weary of social interaction I've found. I'm not the only person that rolls my eyes and tries to be inconspicuous when they see somebody they may not want to talk to LOL. And then if you judge ppl before they ever have the chance to act their actions will be scrutinized and weighed without being objective and then you're interacting with somebody you either like or dislike based on a baseless perception.

Joe Budden has a great line to finish up my favorite track of his. It's called "Thou Shall Not Fall" off the Mood Muzik 3 Mixtape and it's about not giving in to lifes pressures. (I have wanted so long to quote this line in something meaningful.) He's talking about a stripper getting a hold of her life which is just there for double meaning, as its applicable to anybody in any walk of life. It says "maybe bend but never let them make you fold, accept your shortcomings baby they gon' make you whole". Having always felt like I was going to do something big on a large scale, not for the limelight, but to make the most difference or have the largest impact, I have known that I will either be made or broken by being an introvert. And for this shortcoming I have bended many ways like singing in front of church, playing organized sports, writing, etc. and I do feel like I am becoming more whole as a person as a result.

But of course everybody has their own reasons for being an introvert or extrovert, but my advice.... critically analyze why it is you do what you do and if that is the best for what you want to do. My little sister wants to be an actress so she does everything she puts herself into the right positions to be a good actress. Since she was little she has had a horrible voice, but I'm sure her desire to be a great actress will lead her to voice lessons.

Consider my breaking my introvert habits personality lessons.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Jay-Z at Glastonbury

I was browsing Hiphopgame.com today in the audio section where I go to find the good, the bad and the ugly of national, underground and regional hip hop/rap. Well I listened to an interview Jay-Z did with popular British DJ and hip hop everything figure Tim Westwood and I must say it was pretty good. They talked about the love of the game, performing, life...typical interview stuff. But one of the topics they touched on was the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing arts in Pilton, England.

Jay has been selected to perform at this festival which has caused some controversy, as Glastonbury traditionally is a rock based gathering. Considering the fact that its a three day outdoor hippie fest of sorts, it doesn't come as a surprise to me that people feel Jay will be out of his element. Heres the actual interview its worth a listen:

http://nahright.com/news/2008/06/25/jay-z-interview-with-tim-westwood/


So Jay talks about listening to different types of music and how its like the old slave like mentality that wants to keep him out of the show. And to a point I agree. But being unfamiliar with the whole Glastonbury mess I did a quick Google search and came across some nme.com. The site had bunch of the news stories related to the controversy and there was a forum for commenting.

Mixed in between the typical ignorant, racist, culturally insensitive posts and the optimistic, was open-minded and embracing gem of a post. It said "Imagine if Radiohead was headlining a hip hop/rap festival... Do you think people would 'embrace' them? No chance. I'm not sure why he's 'taken aback' and acting so surprised."

Now me I literally listen to everything. So when I read Radiohead, I was like shoot, I have been at least a casual fan since I was a kid and they had those crazy animated videos. (Now I am a fan of Thom Yorke the lead singer, his album is called Eraser and its pretty nice and they make pretty entertaining music in general). But then I thought that post is right on.

But whose fault is it that there is such a controversy with the music?

This is not rhetorical. Please respond and I'll give my thoughts a little later on.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

fivethirtyeight.com... Some political projections you may find useful.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/


I paired this post with the Don Imus post, but I think people need to check out this site. It’s amazing. It has stats and polls and good information on everything that is the 2008 Presidential election. Straight dope. The funniest thing about it is I found it on one of the top 5 best overall blogs in the world http://ussmariner.com/. Interesting what baseball can lead you to. And on that note the Mariners look like they are playing major league baseball again. Quite nice.

So this 538 really is great. I have no idea what it stands for. All that I know is one day i was reading something about Pitch FX or fangraphs or something about baseball and the good folks at USSMariner, Dave and Derek, referred the site visitors to its projections. Their pitch was that it was something like baseball analysis with politics. So I checked it out. And its been a good thing.

I have seen the shift of polls near and far for about 2 months now and I must say I like what I am seeing. Not because it is for my boy Barack Hussein, but because from what I have gathered in news watching, reading and sniping....this s#!+ is correct!. So blessings to ya.

Salute

So here you go:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/

Imus Update, Representation

So Don Imus' comments were made to present a sarcastic point....right. I still don't think they were good or necessary and could have been presented much better if that in fact was the case. Not to mention his producers and the people that work for him say its OK. That's nice. Another case where one black person speaks for black people, and for that matter all people who could be offended telling everybody there is no cause for concern.

I was listening to NPR a about a month and a half ago,I heard a piece on Bertie H. Bowman author of 'Step by Step'. One particular excerpt from the book that played on NPR talked about how Strom Thurmond, a deceased former senator of South Carolina helped him get into Howard University. Another recollection talks about Senator Fulbright another politician that was a staunch supporter of segregation. Bowman says that in his time an aide for the senators in D.C. he made friends with all of them. Now they helped him get an education and helped him out with letters and opportunities and all of that. This is very nice. But the overwhelming message of the two senators I mentioned was segregation.

I reference this because to Mr. Bowman those two senators who opposed many of the integrated things we have today, were his friends. But to a much larger majority of black and other sectors of America, these guys were the supporters of the most fundamental hypocrisy and evil of this country. And to the guys that work for Imus he has probably also helped them out a lot and is helping to further their careers.

By no means am I calling these people tokens. But its like this. You're going to defend and support and stand by people who have your back. And even if they are wrong you tend to empathize or understand where they are coming from more acutely than the guy on the outside. Everybody does it. Its human nature. But there are two problems with this.

Don Imus shouldn't have been stupid enough to make such a comment without thinking it through or making it clear that he was being sarcastic and joking, because in sound-bite society--anybody can look like anything. Not to mention he has history of being a one of the most culturally competent and sensitive people around. See Don that's sarcasm.

Secondly, in America, the thoughts of one black person are the thoughts of all black people. So Al Sharpton comes out and gives thumbs up or thumbs down that's what black people think. If Willie at the job (ironically my dads name is Willie, so when comedians use Willie at the job that all the white people like, it hits home LOL) says yea or nay that's what all black people think. And if you also follow comedy, every white person always references their one black friend whenever in any kind of race related trouble for something they said or did. So I'm going to assume based on this and being the one black friend that is asked to represent all black people that they will say "since those black people that work for Imus don't have a problem with it so they must not care overall.

I'm not totally right about this, but I'm more right than I want or should be :(

Kobe....Why hast thou forsaken me!

Kobe is the best player in the league hands down. Tracy McGrady is the most talented. And LeBron has the most upside. That said you'll hear me saying the most about Kobe not because I like him the most 'cause (AI, Vince, TMac, Jason Terry, Walter Ray Allen, and a few others) I like better. The thing about Kobe is all of the things that Kobe does wrong are magnified and blown out of proportion in comparison to Jordan who he is often compared with.

Because I advocate fairness in everything, I have chosen the not so popular take of calling Kobe the best player ever. Do I believe Kobe is the best player ever--in a word NO. But, if you ask who is the greatest player ever 95% of the people will say Jordan and not even think about it.

My goal in life is to get people to think and I could go into a day long debate as to why Jordan isn't the greatest player ever. Whether or not he is, the problem I have with it all is that nobody even thinks about it. There are very good statistical, observational and logical arguments to say that he isn't the greatest player ever, but those go out the window. That said he probably is the greatest. But let’s not go walking off the NBA cliff 'cause ESPN and the talking heads say so.

And I am not one of those people that is too young to remember Jordan, I am only 23 (LOL at the irony), but I do remember just about everything that has happened in my life. SO I can remember the flu games the 69 points the MVP's dunk contests, tongues out...etc. But I also remember the gambling, the fighting with teammates, the leveraging for contract purposes and keeping teammates around, the cheating, baseball and all of that other crap. Michael Jeffrey Jordan wasn't perfect just like Kobe Bean Bryant isn't. Jordan was the first and probably the last of his kind, he was a trend setter and an transcendent icon, but that doesn't mean on the court Kobe can't be better. But that's the argument I get the most. Without Jordan there would be any Kobe. Here's what I have to say to that:

My analogy for this situation is slightly blasphemous but work with me here. Abraham came before Jesus. He set trends and did a lot for God's people. Had Abraham not did what he did it may not have been possible for Jesus to do what he did. That said, because Abraham came before Jesus does that mean he can't be better?

Now let me get to Mr. Bean. Kobe I am very disappointed in you. I probably slurped more than anybody except Mark Jackson and my boy Barkley....and what did you do. QUIT! That effort was awful. And I normally am not one to blame the team that lost, because generally the team that won out played them. And the Celtics did to a point, but then there was that point where Kobe was supposed to do what Kobe does and he didn't. There was a stretch against the Spurs in game 2 when they lost where Kobe scored 12 in like 2 and a half minutes against the defending champion Spurs; who have defense written on the inside of their jerseys, Bruce "the Bruiser" Bowen, the Big Fundamental Tim Duncan, and Pop one of the best adjustment coaches in the league.

And you mean to tell me Paul Pierce who has never been known for anything remotely defensive and Kevin Garnett who gets posterized more often that any defensive player of the year I have ever seen can stop the best player in the league? Right....

Again, the Celtics did a great job making it difficult and taking Kobe off his spots. Wonderful defensive effort… to a point. But the guy that scored 81 on a team playing 1 on 5, the guy that outscored a team 62-61 in three quarters by himself, the guy Charles Barkley called a nuclear bomb to the pesky Spurs cockroaches, and the guy Mark Jackson said would be an equal match for Jordan, got shut down by them? NO I refuse to believe it.

That said, this isn't like the haircut (you know the fro for no reason....I hate those) so I'm not off the Kobe train. But Kobe.... you owe me! (and I am not a good person to owe)

P.S. Shaq is a _ _ _ _ _. Shaq won the feud a long time ago. Now he does this stupid freestyle....just sad. Its like bitter meets 15 minutes of fame VH1 just saying something because you can. Was it funny? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Yes. But Shaq. You ethered Kobe when you won a championship while riding the Flash who hauled your big self up the championship ladder. So whether or not you carried the team you got one. Let it go.

Also, the absolute funniest line of the freestyle and one that nobody is touching is Shaq saying "thats like a white boy trying to be more nigga than me." America is not ready to attack Shaq....sorta like a player I mentioned earlier in this post that apparently did no wrong. One guy is an asshole the other was/is a marketing legend, just like Shaq doing this.

A Sarcastic Point Mr. Imus?

I have a problem with giving people second chances. Why? Because depending on the action that caused the problem the person doesn't deserve a second chance.

Don Imus has made my case for not giving second chances to people yet again. Here's what he said while going back and forth with Warner Wolf of WABC:

WARNER WOLF: Defensive back Adams "Pacman" Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys, here's a guy suspended all of 2007, following a shooting in a Vegas nightclub.

DON IMUS: Well, stuff happens. You're in a nightclub, for God's sake. What do you think is gonna happen in a nightclub? People are drinking, and doing drugs. There are women there and people have guns. So there, go ahead.

WARNER WOLF: Also, he's been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005.

DON IMUS: What color is he?

WARNER WOLF: He's African American.

DON IMUS: Well there you go, now we know.


Now that's really not that bad if its his first negative remark of sorts, but this guy has a history of being racist, bigoted, ignorant, and any other term you can think of to describe somebody that just plain doesn't get people's differences. And for that he should never have another national radio job, because as I said this isn't even that bad. He is already doing a great job spinning his remarks as speaking to the prejudiced nature of the police that go looking for young black males. Right....that's some ol' BS.

Anyways, the problem speaks to the big issues with the United States and people in general. Don Imus is marketable and profitable to a group of people who find his antics entertaining for various many reasons. And because of this all of the hate, ignorance, and misinformation disseminated goes overlooked and he remains employed...because of profitability.

But even worse than that, is the fact that those who keep him employed know what he is and don't care enough about him as a person to actually make him make a change, but enable his hate speech.

Here's the funny part though, before you rush to judgment, think about the people in your life who you make excuses for and keep them around in some way enabling their behavior. It could be a boyfriend or girlfriend, co-worker, parent, child, friend--anybody whose likability overshadows rationality in dealing with them. I see it all the time and am guilty of it myself.

A little while back I had a conversation with a friend explaining why I tend to stay away from people. A mutual friend became the subject in question and she asked me why they act the way they do. My answer and explanation as to why I have begun to distance myself from that person is simple.... "because that's what they are. You can't change them. But my not holding them to a higher standard and allowing them to act as they wish we enable that sort of behavior." She agreed and I gave a few examples of that persons behavior and then cemented this point which goes well with the most recent Don Imus comments:

Change happens when the person wants to change and not when someone is motivated for reasons other than being a better person. That pressure can be either external but it has to be quality pressure or that person has to want to respond.

In the case of Don Imus the pressure is for keeping him on the air and making money. In the case of the friend I'm speaking of there are forces pushing both ways from the inside and out to do right and wrong. What will happen? I don't know. But instead of distancing myself I will, also encouraging others of similar conviction, help guide that person travel down the right path. At this point they are deserving of a second chance, because they are still in the learning phase of life. While it is true that you learn up till the day you die, one has to be cognizant of what is going on around them and also wanting to be shaped by what they learned. This person has demonstrated they are still learning which is more than I can say for some.

A little over a year after the "nappy-headed hos" blast, Imus is back at it again. Clearly he is not trying to learn from life.

Monday, June 23, 2008

The things that make you feel good

Life has led me down different paths, so when I say I have bounced from career goal to career goal I do not exaggerate. Right now I keep my focus on journalism knowing that with journalism I have a multitude of options to pursue after undergraduate graduation. Something about a quick learner, who can investigate and comprehend just about anything, makes you useful in the work force.

Anyways I have settled on the journalism if for nothing else but to get out of school with some kind of degree and go from there. I got into it more and more fall semester last year and kinda felt like I was actually made for it, even though I didn't enjoy it all that much. Still, getting published was a nice feeling, even though nobody reads the paper, especially the Kernel. Well I wrote a few pieces I really liked and there were some that people picked up and told me they enjoyed which was nice. The most positive response came from my spring break piece, which I think was popular because my beautiful face was attached to the article and people actually associated me with Wesley Robinson (go figure).

That column was all well and good but my favorite writing and experience came from the Jesus Prom at Southland Christian Church. I got to interview and meet a lot of great people. Participate in one of the most awesome experiences I have ever seen and plain and simple had the opportunity to do something right.

The reason I reference this eight or so months out is I ran into Brewster McCleod the Access (special needs) minister and director at Southland. I didn't recognize him because his hair was a normal color for someone of his age and not radical bleach blond. I don't think he recognized me either because of one amazing beard. After he realized who I was he asked me to give him directions to somewhere in the hospital where one of the parishioners was being cared for. He then told me about how much of a help my article was and how they have distributed it to people for the sake of the prom.

At that moment, knowing something I wrote was helpful to others was worth more than a Pulitzer could ever mean and is the main reason why I do what I do, because as Cam'ron said "at the end of the day" you figure out the rest.

Profile, Vitals, Stats, Measurements etc.

Wesley James Robinson I

6'2

198 lbs

Black Hair

Brown Eyes

Black in PC terms African American with a quarter Cherokee I believe and working on making it official.

Single and Straight

Going to school for Journalism and Spanish as majors, with minors in Political Science and English.

Louisville, KY by way of Tacoma, WA (my real home)

Marvel Power grid (out of 7)

Intelligence 5
Strength 4
Speed 4
Durability 6
Energy Projection 1
Fighting Skills 6
Total: 26/42.... An all around decent mutant. No energy projection so that makes me a little weaker than most :(

About Wesley. Well to start most people call me Wes. Whatever works for you but I will refer to myself as both mostly Wesley as it is my given name. I am a nerd. I spend the majority of my conscious hours on the computer or on the computer. Basketball and baseball top the sports list of interests and then its, music mostly hip hop but I love all types of music, the comics, politics (Go Obama) and whatever else can be melded into my mind. I am very calculating and precise which translates into every facet of my life. That's it for now.

Everything else you can ask or it will come out of the closet during the course of the blog. I am pretty cool and normal outwardly but strange and awkward inwardly which works for an interesting existence. It will show in the blog through the wide array of topics that will be discussed. Open mindedness and critical thinking are two large chunks of personality that I have that most people don't. I am not always right, but I will say I tend to think things through a little more than others or try to play the devil's advocate to at least get people thinking differently.

Through this blog you will get to see me for me. Which is why I don't classify myself as a certain type of person. Some people think of me as intelligent, others think wow that guy’s stupid. Some think well he’s an asshole, others think he's so sweet make me wanna lick the (w)rapper. LOL. It goes on and on. That said read for pleasure, read for insight read for learning, whatever you wish just read!

Salute

Out of Order

No its not broken. I just wrote posts out of order. Thanks for reading if you are reading and if you're not then you suck actually blow. Anyways, I will try to keep up with this pretty regularly and do an all encompassing blog. A little music, sports, politics, life, a lot of links, and maybe something to help you get to know me better....Because I guarantee you'll need it. I will get to a brief bio of important info and stats and feel free to tell me how wonderful or horrible I am. I just like to listen, in between turning large amounts of oxygen into carbon dioxide. So thanks, please read. You'll learn a lot and you'll probably have a few wtf moments too. It will be a nice ride.

I Love T-Shirts...but what's s going on here?

T-shirts are probably my favorite piece of apparel behind shoes and basketball shorts. They're comfortable and easy to maintain, and they have classic fashion status (the day t-shirts go out of style the day society ceases to exist). Well right now the t-shirt is having a bit of a reboot in the form of different neck styles....and I'm not sure if I like it.

I was listening to a song by Pacific Davision, an up and coming group out of LA and in a freestyle (over Busta Rhyme's Touch it Beat produced by Swizzy and Dre), they mentioned wearing white tees with tight necks. And I said well that must be how they do it out West cause that's how everybody i know up and down the coast wears t-shirts. And then I thought to myself, "that's pretty much how everybody wears tees. You know with the fitted neck right? The only way to wear them."

And then a couple of months ago, I was reading something on one of the hip hop blogs I frequent and there was a new Joe Budden track. What made the post stand out besides the fact that the best rapper alive had a new track was the picture. Dude was standing in the middle of the club with a mean ice grill on his face in a white tee. Now why is that funny? Because you could damn near see the top of his belly button in the shirt cause the neck was so loose. I thought to myself "well I guess that's what they do in Jersey." But why Joe? LOL.

But even at that point I just dismissed it as something they do somewhere else that I had no control over.

Like I said I do a lot of observing and I have seen how tees went from regular, to tall, to snug to trendy, and everything else under the sun. But in all of my observations other than Shaggy I have never seen anybody in a V-neck T-shirt. OK maybe somebody born before 1970 that won't give up the style, but that's it. Now I am seeing V-necks everywhere. And they are not hot. Plus most of the time they are rocked very snugly, just like the new jeans fashion that’s going around. I don't know where hip hop is going these days. What happened to LA Kings hats, Jheri Curls and the flannel shirts with the buttoned top button?

I could understand even the slight V for fashionable purposes or to give a different look, but now its like at minimum cleavage showing V's and its just not necessary. It is really odd that men are starting to show more skin up top. But we have been on a trend to more androgynous clothing anyways. Was Jadakiss right "tight shirts, tight jeans all these homo-sapiens?"