can it be all so simple

Cause times is changed and life is strange
Wu Tang Clan, "Can It Be All So Simple"

i consider myself to be a power user of all that is computer or technology-related. i am a super techie. i don't have every gadget under the sun and don't want to, but I damn sure will spew out some jargon in a hot second.

the last two days, i attended a professional development workshop on project-based learning and differentiated instruction. hosted by Apple, it was a nice break from the regular schedule as I got to mix, mingle, and interact with other colleagues and some new faces from across the district.

the whole idea behind project-based learning is an approach to engaging students and tap into all the various learning styles and personality types that run the gamut of students we serve. obviously, there's more to it than simply turning around and implementing something like this with a district of our size. the thing that stood out the most to me is that teachers become facilitators and have to be willing to compromise some of their control and students have to create a personally-meaningful artifact as a part of the process. we naturally had to simulate the experience and work on our own artifacts. we came up with a way of initiating the discussion. my group started on a project and didn't quite get it all done. nonetheless, I felt compelled to finish it up at home. pretty bare-bones basic ish, but feel free to comment. after i made it i came up with a better explanation; the USB is like a treasure chest with unlimited resources to support any educator. it literally is like a key to a world of opportunities and possibilities. damn, i think that sounds better than the video. oh well.

gun to your head, handcuffs on your wrist

"Gun to your head, handcuffs on your wrists
everywhere we at we gotta start to resist
Black po' people get no JUSTICE
the courts, the judge, and the jury is fixed
every ghetto you go, sick of this shT
throw up your fist if you sick of this shT"
-Dead Prez, "Cop Shot"

I've always had a love-hate relationship with authority. I'll follow the rules, but I'll also break them on occasion. Sometimes, even telling me I cannot or should not do something can often compel me to go against the grain.

To some people, the most easily-recognizable form of authority are police officers. As a black man, you learn to hone that love/hate relationship. Some take it to either extreme, yet there is usually at least a small amount of angst within every black man in America reserved for the boys in blue.

Today, I am getting caught up on the serious tragedy that went down in Oakland a mere 2 hours after 2009 came into effect. A 22-year-old, unarmed brother was shot in his back - while laying face down - at a public transit station by a 2-year veteran officer. There are several videos recorded by fellow passengers form that night that have surfaced on the web. And I'm sure there are even more still out there.

The raw video footage from that night is a painful sight to witness. It is far more egregious than the Rodney King incident or any police brutality beatings I have ever seen. It evokes the spirit of many past police brutality episodes and killings. I've often brushed aside some of the rah-rah behind complaints of police brutality because of the stark contrast in volume compared to the unarmed brothers that get gunned down in hood everyday. But this is beyond comprehensible. I've participated in both kinds of marches in the past - peace ones and anti-police brutality ones - and felt compelled to write about this while the imagery was still fresh in my mind as Oakland is literally on edge.

There has already been all sorts of analysis from folks in the area as well as their peoples around the world as more catch wind of the news. I read one comment that compared the hood to Gaza and the police to Israel, which - in making the simplest of analogies - does in deed conjure up a lot of interesting comparisons that can be more dissected fully.

PS - Anybody from Chucktown know where my old buddy Reuben Greenberg is?

your reign on top was short like leprechauns

Notoriously Overrated: What Was So Big About Biggie Smalls?

"Talib Kweli once rapped about how we have the uncanny ability to find beauty in the hideous. In the case of Biggie's lyrics, we also try to find depth in the shallow."

Whoa.

I'm a little iffy on whether I'm going to go see the movie, to be honest. I remember back when the had the auditions and dudes flocked there in droves to be considered for the role. Plus, Angela Bassett still looks good, but her [h]eavy [h]accent is MIA.

The editorial really does pose some interesting questions. But they ain't all that brand-new. Basically, why do the bad guys get the girls?

However, I would like to see a feature film made about Fred Hampton though. Like Rubin Carter, I think there's a strong and powerful message in his story.

Nonetheless, this was a very introspective and hard-hitting piece. Sometimes, it takes a lot of balls to look in the mirror and ask ourselves the tough questions that make us cringe and wince in pain.

How the city hurts your brain

This may very well be one of the Globe's best articles ever. It is a wonderful synopsis of a uniquely-urban phenomenon. It is fascinating to me the research on how cities can have a damaging effect on your attention, mood, self-control, and memory. I can understand the mood part. But I was of the belief that your attention is enhanced in cities because of all the urban stimuli that you have to constantly tune in or out on any given day. The piece also delves briefly into the restorative effect that nature has on the brain. I think we're going to finally spruce up the courtyard this year, neighbors.