So I Didn't Get Fired

That's the good news. The company is still hurting, but I'm all good for now. Had some candid conversations about my future though, so we'll see how tihngs work out. I've got some new ideas that this may just be good timing for them to get tested.

I'm back to doing more site. I'm working on getting one up for Project Hip-Hop, which is a local non-profit for which I serve as a member of the Board of Directors. What's up there right now is just a flyer for a fundraising event we're having on Thursday, May 12th at Fenway High School. Basically, PHH and our students were actively involved in the fight to keep a Fenway HS teacher, Obain Attouman, from being deported. The fundraiser will be a show-and-tell about the effectiveness of the youth organizing training that epitomizes PHH's work and the courage and dedication of the students to their cause. Feel free to come through and bring some loochie with you.

The other site I'm working on is for my barber shop (Serious Styles) and its affiliated businesses under the moniker, Undaground Enterprises. Right now, their site is garbage, but I got some joints ready to wow 'em.

In other news: The NBA sucks ass for suspending Antoine Walker and not retroactively doing anything to Jermaine O'Neal. There was a huge discrepancy in the # of fouls called. Something is fishy in the water on Philly. A lot of crazy stories coming out of there this week. Hopefully, it won't rain too much on Saturday, so I can chill with the lil shorty outside on Sunday. It'll be our last weekend together before he go sees grandma in May. And I am so heated that tomorrow is Northeastern's graduation ceremonies. It's just way too early. Oh well.. I'll have to go hit up Killa's shing-dig in the evening. Peace.

F Reggie Miller

So I'm pretty much a Celtics fan. Reggie Miller is soooo damn annoying. But the Celtics still need to step up their game a little better.

Sometimes things can really suck; simultaneously. My company is financially shalky. I may lose my job soon. And I didn't get into graduate school. The lil homey still yells at night. I'm not gettign engough sleep. I'm horny. I'm not playing ball as much as I'd like. And I still don't read, write, or work out enough. So many tasks; so little time.

Forming, Storming, Norming

So I'm trying to commit myselk to tackling a lot of unresolved tasks and issues that need addressing, while also immersing myself in more worldy matters; whatever that means. In a nutshell, I'm trying to be a more well-rounded POPS. Just not too round with the (love) handles.

My homegirl PNP has the hook-up if you need ring-tones for your celly.

Brazil's President, Luis Inacio Lula de Silva, visited 5 African countries and offered up an apology for slavery on behalf of his country. My man Joe wondered if Bush would follow suit. I doubt it. He's too stubborn and narrow-minded for such an act of humility in my opinion.

I'm interested in hearing the real story behind what happened to a little kid that was found hanging in the back of class; literally on a closet hook.

And lastly, the DownTime crew had some good conversations, so I figured I'd post my responses to them.

On why I think is the cause of the low numbers of Black males in America's colleges, I offered this:

Wow. This is some seriously thought-provoking, earth-shattering thinking Nora. I feel you on this. I agree that there are times when being smart and cool was a paradox that was hard to overcome, yet the persistence of your efforts pays off in the long run. Plus, why can’t you be all of those things.

I think it ties into the notion of role models. I came from places where smart or successful Black people were not connected to hood (or poor peoples’ lives), thus their disconnect with being real was a real perception because no one was a “professional” in the academic sense of the word, so the only people to look to were the not necessarily extra smart hard working truck drivers or longshoremen, or the around the way fellas. There are definitely a lot of deep-rooted issues related to the college matriculation and retention issues of Black men, including that same lack of role models, poverty, neighborhood crime and the influence of peer pressure form bad elements, inequitable educational and extracurricular resources, among others.

Back to why can’t you be all those things; both smart and masculine and cool. If the lack of role models who can portray those roles and break the stereotypes and ingrained notions of what is and what should be are not readily available, then what other hope for the future is there. You may hear a story or two about someone who is inspired to become something (astronaut) by the absence of seeing someone who looks like them pursuing that career. But that only works for the pre-ambitious. Some folks need that pushing. If you don’t know the world is big and diverse, then how you gonna even be able to dream of the variety of things you can become. Hear no evil; see no evil. For example, Dwayne Wayne on A Different World was an engineering student. I can’t tell you how much that single image had an effect on the numbers of Black students studying engineering in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

Similarly, ChezNiki posde the following:

We were talking about the disapearing Blackcampus man, earlier. What are your secrets to success? What made you stay the course? Was it wanting to have a career/make money? Role-models back home or on-campus? Fear of your mother? What advice would you pass to boys and young(er) men of color to help them reach their goals?

My response:

Stay focused.
Follow your heart.
Be grounded.
Learn the difference between holding someone down and holding someone back.
Identify your core values/beliefs and on what you are not willing to compromise.
If all else fails, tell all the haters to go f*&% themselves and do you because you stand on someone else’s shoulders.
And lastly….“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind”

Catching Up

Or maybe "Playing Catch-Up would have been a more appropos titile. Regardless, a lot of stuff is going onin the world and I seem to have less and less of a life to address anything. For starters, things are just in complete disarray and I'll let you know Friday if I got laid off or not. Yeah...it's real like that, son.

I know you've heard about Esteban Caprio now. I feel very much for the slain officer and his family. Caprio is a criminal. Point blank. But I don't see what's wrong with an investigation into why his face was so F'd up during his hearing. It only makes sense. What I really don't understand is how he can injure more officers. Have they not learned their lesson to cuff his ass? Some things just seem obvious to me. Oh well.

More random thoughts. I'm really feeling Faith Evans' track, "Again." Thug Love is a pretty wack site, but what I want to point out is how fould they are for having a photo of Faith and Tupac on there. That's cheap, dukes. I'm gonna have to cop DJ Kurupt's latest mix tape with some up-and-coming artists. I'm feeling some of them, namely Brix and Quintesence. And lastly, I can't wait to hit up the Paintball course next month. I hope we're able to get a nice-sized group to go out there.

Is Condi Rice President Bush's Pet Negro?

Great article from The Black Commentator - Is Condi Rice President Bush’s Pet Negro? - Issue 135. My man ALOW put me on to this via email and I felt it necessary to share. Great food for thought. He really should go ahead and get the doctorate in African American Studies.

The Weekend's Here

Nothing too spectaculr here. The networking lounge at Sanctuary last night was decent. I've put in some long hours this week at the job. My aunt is coming to town to shill for a few days. Hopefully, it doesn't rain too much. Obviosuly, this ramble is extremely pointless, but oh well. Nothing real mind-stimulating this week. I do think I need to take a parenting class or something before I end up caving this little boy's chest in. Breathe...

Tension in the air?

Interesting article on Boston's racial diversity from the Boston Globe. My thoughts? Boston isn't much different from any other big city. You're going to have mixed neighborhoods and you're going to have have neighborhoods with all black people, all white people, all asian people, all spanish people, etc. It doesn't necessarily mean there is racial tension. I feel no tension at all for the most part. And if I ever do chance upon an incident of racial tension, I dmn sure won't just sit there quietly. Issues are get resolved once they get addressed. If that restaurant ain't acting right; make them act right.

And for some reason, I just cannot stand phrases like this:

The 2000 Census declared Boston to be a city where a majority of residents are minorities

An oxymoron at work? It just sounds stupid to me. At least say something like a majority of residents are people of color or something a littleemore sensible. Geesh.

The Celtics took an L last night to the NJ Nets and let them slip past Cleveland for the final spot in the playoffs. Whoever fired Paul Silas is the real person who should be blamed. Point blank. So here are some requests...can we stop 1) firing Black coaches, 2) referring to current ballplayers as the hip-hop generation, and 3) exonerating catholic priests. Please, do it for th sanity of humanity.

80 degrees is not a heatwave...

but I'm sure people are scantily clad all across the state. It's nice out, nonetheless. Tomorrow is Imagine a Technology Blackout Day for schools across the country. I cannot participate because most of my work is computer-based. Go figure. I defienitly feel the premise of the effort though. And last week was ESTEME Week. Next year, I hope to be much more involved in both of these programs as opposed to the random bystander that I am right now.

In other news, this cat ins Providence was being questioned about a murder and apparently killed a cop, supposedly jumped out a window, and when he appeared in court for his hearing, his face was covered. Apparently, he either took a hard fall (cop's story) or he caught a serious mash out (most likely) from the boys in blue. My crew was discussing it over email. Here are a few of their thoughts....

Estaban might not make it through the week

He killed a cop for no reason, in the police station at that...
Its not like he wounded the detective, that's a dead man walking. Hay its an unfortunate incident, two lives are now lost. I bet you the bill which will be passed in RI making the death penalty legal will be called the Esteban Carpio act because he's going to jail, it's about the be the fastest trial ever. I'm not buying that Insanity Plea...

By no means am I going to justify what he did but there are certains things you must take into consideration. Isn't there suppose to be an officer watching the interrogation while its in progress from another room? How was a man in custody able to disarm a veteran detecive and shot him? There are allot of unanswered questions that need to be address! Ok, he killed a police officer and he's going to catch an beat down but wouln't you think RI police are smart enough to take shots at his body so his bruises won't be visiable when he goes before a courtroom. This man is never going to see daylight again but his family will win a police brutality suit against the stae of RI.

Excuse me if I'm mistaken but I thought the duties of police officer were to "protect and serve" not to "judge and sentence".

The man was in and out of the Pysch ward he needs psyhc help, the police didn;t know what they were doing. I am not saying the cops murder is justified. But the Police didn't handle it right. Now we have to ask ourselves when is Police brutality justified? Is it ever justified?There might more to come. Think twice before you talk back to a cop for while, you might get more then you asked for.

You guys ever think that this guy might have been defending himself .......i know it can get kind of heated in those rooms...

Police beat man...
Man grabs gun
Man shoot police man
Police men beat dude some more....
Just a thought

they were most likely beating him up and he had no other alternative than to grab a cops gun and shoot him. I thought u were not suppose to have a gun in the interragation room its more than what they are tellin if I am not mistaken he was on trial or being ? about stabbing a older woman so he wouldnt go crazy off that

Think twice about going to providence?
Heh, more like think twice before murdering a cop, or
givin jakes reason to think you murdered a cop.

I feel you Kerry I can't just accept this they held him down and beat the shit out of him it was probably 25 on 1. At least when he shot the cop it was up an up

America's past-time is not baseball, it's racism, murder and finding every little excuse to pimp you and everything you stand for. I bet you that this picture of dude doesn't end up on the 5 O'Clock news.

I was away from my desk, but they pretty much summed all of my thoughts in subsequent responses.

Why can't O'Neal ask questions?

So who else say the Jermain O'Neal interview Tuesday night after the Celtics game? I was with the crew after our 3Deep meeting and became consumed with the content. Basically, are age restructions for the NBA racist? Hell yeah...A friend just forwarded me this
article by Scoop Jackson and it remindede me that I had not heard much about it. Well, I guess there has been some controversy kicked up, but let's get it straight. Tennis players are pros in their teens (Jennifer Capriati, Serena and Venus); Soccer players (Fred Adu) too. Let's not forget the hundreds and hundreds of hockey and baseball (Brian Taylor, where are you?) players that have been getting drafted out of high school forever. Now, I won't go as far ast to even mention the Nobel Peace Prize since this is the same JO that threw that mean jab back at The Palace at Auburn Hills, but let's get serious here. Will the tables get reversed on him and everyone will keep referencing the fight with the Pistons or will the questions he raised get serious consideration. I pray they do. Personally, I do not think an age limit is necessary because it will adversely affect Black players more. Plus, until there is a huge clamor for similar limits in all the major sports, with the NBA booming at the onslaugt of all this youthful talent, let all the antagonist that blame hip-hop & youth culture on the NBA's demise continue to sleep in the shadows of common sense. Ya heard.

Good Black Men

I'll be damned if this didn't put a smile on my face. Shouts to A.O. at the Uphams Corner Health Center.

Good Black Men are indeed all around us. We pass them on the streets, in the malls and the halls at work.

Most we can't see because we don't know what a good black man really looks like. He usually isn't flashy enough or rich enough to turn our heads. He might not wear a suit or drive a Lexus. He might not have a "body like Tyson with a Denzel face." But, as you mature, you realize it's better to find someone who's got your back than someone who turns your head.

A good Black Man doesn't agree wholeheartedly with everything you say. He doesn't just tell you what you want to hear and do the opposite. He doesn't declare how sensitive, sweet, caring, sincere, yada yada he is (he won't have to because it shows). He has his own opinions and you may clash, but he doesn't have to degrade you to prove he's right. He even admits at times to being wrong, especially if you are willing to do the same.

A good Black Man is not going to meet every item on your checklist. He is human with frailties and faults mixed in with all of his wonderful, strong attributes. He needs your love and respect. He needs to feel that you don't live to "catch" him doing something wrong so you can declare, "Aha! I knew you were a dog!!"

A good Black Man doesn't necessarily give you a huge birthday or
Valentine's gift. He shows his love in the ways that are comfortable to him. Don't judge him by TV standards. No one is really living a fairy tale. You'll miss out on your own fairy tale by buying into the myth that our men are no good. It's just not true.

Black Men, we salute you, and thank you for who you are and all you've done.

Dave Mays is full of sh@&%

So Mays get s call from LA Reid (Def Jam head) about how he’s got to pull all of Def Jam’s ads from the Source. Then Benzino all of sudden gets a guilty conscience (like his recent epiphanies on hip-hop’s pop cultural influences) and wants to step down. And Reid is supposedly saying his job security is being threatened by Jimmy Iovine of Interscope. Mind you all these people are all under one umbrella. But then Bezino reportedly is getting phone calls from Al Sharpton and Black Enterprise asking him to remain with the Source and to not step down. Got a headache yet? You soon will. So Benzino will be sticking with the Source, but this finale comes after he suggested he would start his own publication to rival the Source. On top of all this, let’s remember that Interscope and the Source are involved in litigation stemming from all the dumb shit between Benzino and Eminem poppin shit back and forth. Additionally, there are now some lawsuits alleging sexual discrimination from former Source employees.

So herein comes the migraine. Mays goes on Russ Parr’s show and yaps for days about what went down, but starts a tirade against Interscope and Universal and how the are the real criminals monopolizing the music and promoting/exploiting a culture of vioelence. Mind you, this is the same music the Source made popular and the same companies who advertising revenues the Source thrived on. And we won’t get into the whole Eminem is a racist issue cuz that’s neither here nor there. But voila, guess who is on the cover of the latest Source issue? None other than the Game himself; a former criminal who coincidentally has an album full of violence and criminal references. Don’t front; the album is hot. But can the Source please be consistent. Inside this very same issue is an article that Mays says is the reason Iovine is really mad. The special report supposedly exposes all of the lies (which ones?) and subliminal exploitation that is rampant and ruining the culture. But yet, GAME is on the fucking cover! Hello?! Are you listening? The album is hot, but that dude is beyond garbage. But reality is that a cover with his face on it will sell more than a cover with Little Brother who are light years better than Game in terms of quality, depth, lyrics, integrity, substance, style, and plain ol’ fucking enjoyability. But hey..that’s just my $.02. And oh yeah, Benzino is still an artist as well.

Prop 209 Sucks

I had a nice post, but the blogger's server was down and it got lost. So that sucks even more. But anyways, the new Chancellor of UC Berkeley is speaking out about the residuals of Prop 209, which banned affirmative action in Cali. Holla.

Spring is here

I really suck at keeping this daily schedule going. I realized that there were several people who were at Nationals that I should have made more of an effort to chill with and actually talk to for extended periods of time. Oh well...but I can't wait until next Nationals to catch up with them, so I'll have to figure something out. Work is going ok. Still getting harassed about the damn resource management & time system project, so now i has become a priority. But let's see what I get delegated to do this week. A little known secret (ok everyone knows it now) is that I've been looking around for a new gig. I hopefully will hit the jackpot soon. TechBoston has one opportunity open now and another on the way thanks to my inside scoop. I really need to be working in the 617 area code. F those 2.5 hours of driving per day! On top of all this, would believe I have homework due on Wednesday! I'll be damned! The seminar I'm taking has a 6-page paper & 3-minute presentataion requirement. Now if this was the old days, I'd just bang that out Wednesday morning and afternooon, but there's no telling what I'm in store for at work, so I think I'll have to proactively do it ahead of time. But a 3-minute presentation?! That ain't nothing, B! Speaking of 3 minutes, I was that far away on several occasions from throwing this little boy out of a window. I'm saying yo, it's like he was literally waiting for his birthday to come to start wildin out. The boy done lost his dam mind. I didn't think Terrible Two's would hit when the clock struck midnight. F'in toddlers!!!

Walks like a gang, kills like a gang--a group of students?

Came across this blogger's post on a recent "gang-like" incident and felt what she had to say. Interesting indeed. VENUSonEARTH: Walks like a gang, kills like a gang--a group of students? Thinsg that still make you go hmmmmm.....

Day's End

So we made our recommendation to ECS that they should go with the Toshiba Tecra M2 laptops over the Dell Latitude D610s. The Toshibas come out as a better deal and it is a good thing to diversity you tech infrastructure investments. Also, today we put the finishing touches on an AYP grant called the Comprehensive School Quality Initiatives Program. Hopefully, we get that grant because it would mean some serious business and publicity in addition to the leading to some breakthough ed reform pilot programs.

March Madness has come to an end and UNC pulled it out at the end of a very very good game. I'm still mad that Luther Head literally passed the ball to Ray Felton to seal the deal, but oh well; that's life.

I still need to figure out a theme for this blog. Will it be sports, black activism, hip-hop, educational reform/technology, or my everyday around the way rambling thoughts on all of the above? I think you already know the answer...

Virtual Learning

I've come to realize that there is no real theme to my blog and I am fine with that. I can live with it. So, in between doing work for the same client last week trying to resolve their corrupted XML dictionary file, we are also working to craft some laptop leasing recommendations as well. They are a mostly Dell shop, but I'm thinking Toshiba or IBM is the way to go. I would have said HP/Compaq, but my own Compaq laptop experience begs to differ. In hindsight, buying that warranty would have come in handy, but oh well. I think I found a way to fix the broken outlet power pin by having this company in BK do it. Speaking of problems; the Memory Stick for a Sony CyberShot camera that I used to take at least 100 pictures at our recent NSBE-Northeastern celebration is on the fritz and I cannot seem to download the images. I am very heated right now. Any computer forensics experts out there?

In other news, doing more and more extracurricular reading and hope to incorporate it more into my daily routine. I've been learning about Bob Maynard and Earl Caldwell, 2 Black journalists from back in the day that did a lot of good. Very interesting and engaging writers indeed. I also have to remember to ask my man DJ Roc if he live sin either Rochester's 3rd or 7th wards; and see what his reaction is. Speaking of Rochester, there's this guy (Malik Evans) around my age who is on the local School Board that I need to link up with. That brother is doing his thing. Also, Roland Fryer, a rising economist is also doing his thing at Harvard. We hope to catch up with one another around town one day when his schedule dies down, because if I am busy, then he is booked. Say word.

I'm still up in the air between Illinois vs UNC. I like Felton & May, but Brown & Williams are no joke.

Daylight Savings Didn't Save Us

So the week went well; but very tiring. I copped a haircut at Serious Styles (low-cut caesar) and swung by a birthday party for some friends. Saturday was a relaxed day and now I am amped to see Illinois and North Carolina play on Monday night. That should be a seriously good game. Other than that, l'il man's 2nd birthday is today so that is the biggets thing right now. No party this year because he's still clueless. Last year, there really weren't any other kids there. My man L came by with some Heinekens and felt bad becuase he didn' know it was a party for a 1-year-old. Oh well.

Some of the crew played in the NSBE basketball tournament this morning. It was trhown by the student chapters at Northeastern and Wentworth. I organized the team at the last-minute and that was very evident. Not to mention that is started at 9am and the whole Daylight Savings Time messed up my sleep this morning. J-Rock, Tooey, Conrad, Alow, JoeO, and I did what we could. We were holding our own through halftime, but then fatigue caught up with us. The funniest part of the game had to be when JoeO caught a bad one to his grill and motioned to ALow to come in and sub for him. ALow simply shook his head in resistance. Pure comedy. The 2nd half was a different study. They started pressing real hard and caught a few bangers. But we still got ours in. It's not like we got embarassed off the court. The still respected our game at least. Mess around and have my real squad around and we will crack skulls. And the worst of it is that four of our ringers showed up at the end. JoeO's 2 brothers came through with 70 seconds left (they had to go to church); and my man Jamil showed up withs his cousin after the game ended. Go figure. Thanks, guys. It's all love. So with one game on our belt, we're all going to head out to Wellesley this evening and get some sweat equity in. Hopefully, everyone will show up and we don't get cracked by suburbanites as well.

Miscellaneuous Topics

So I’ve been reading up on a wide variety of topics today. One on hand, the whole school violence issue in light of the shooting at Red Lake raised some very poignant questions. But the one that blew me away was very simplistic. Ken Trump of National School Safety and Security Services summed it best by stating, “School safety professionals are competing against decreased school safety budgets and an increased competition for time --- and they are losing on both accounts. The question is not whether Red Lake or other shootings are a wake-up call. The real question is whether we will hit the snooze button and go back to sleep.” Now if that didn’t hit the nail on the head, then you are sleeping.

Another current topic is educational achievement. I have come to realize more clearly that I have been fortunate for many things, my educational experiences included. A great article entitled, Black Parent Tackle a Gap, brought to light some interesting programs, but I still find it troubling that public schools are not a viable option. I have been asked several times when will I sign up my l’il guy for METCO, but I continue to politely refuse. Maybe I’m too stubborn or maybe I am justified. Only time will tell.

Lastly, I’m having a hard time figuring out what I plan to do this weekend. Should I stay in? Should I play ball and work out at the gym? Should I go to First Fridays tonight? And if so, which First Friday; the one at the Park Plaza or the one at the Airport Hilton? Or I could hit up the Old School Concert and swing happy birthday to some friends. I think I’ll just rest up and wait anxiously for the Final Four to jump off. I think I’m rooting for individual players as opposed to teams.