Give Thanks to the Haters

Give thanks to the Haters
Virtues: respect, doubt, confidence, self-inflicting

Christmas is that time of the year to give thanks, spend time with your loved ones, and to reflect on the past and the future. We give thanks to faith, family, and friends that help us map our course through life. But I want to give thanks to a class of people that serves a useful purpose for society - the haters. I was trying to find a definition of the word 'hater' at urbandictonary.com, but some of the entries were a bit out there, so I will not define it in a statement, but in the following dialogue:

Give thanks to haters for ...
- without them, we wouldn't second-guess ourselves and question our judgment
- for doubting our abilities and reducing our confidence in ourselves
- for distracting us from the 'eye on the prize' with their 'hataration'
- making fun of Britney (though may be warranted), but for also trivializing public breakdowns such as the fate of Amy Winehouse
- for taking hip-hop culture to another level as deliberate acts of a 'beatdown' of a rap artist was put on YouTube
- above all, wasting our time procrastinating, thinking; helping us to avoid our fears, goals, and challenges because of the 'seed' that you have put in our mind - the seed of doubt, that grows with each passing of a thought such as 'maybe I can't do it', or 'maybe I shouldn't, because'.

Haters don't do much damage as we do to ourselves, but let's give thanks to them because without them, we wouldn't realize that our full potential is greater than what they could ever imagine and/or hate on.

See you in '08 Haters!

.:: d.b
http://desieb.blogspot.com

Utmost Positive Regard

Utmost Positive Regard
Virtues: Business, Lenders, Strategy, Knowledge

Power must be the most coveted attribute in this universe; people crave for it & will do just about anything to achieve it - lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, extort ... kill. In the world of business, power must mean a measure of influence - basically stating that the more influential that one is, the more power they have.

What is concerning to me is when people give TOO much power to those in high positions; catapulting such people to a level where almost anything they say is golden & coveted. Before, you point out the obvious, yes, I concur that in business, 'powerful' people are a valuable resource for intelligence as they can provide insight, scope, and perspective. However, powerful people should not be an irreverent source for validity - because at the end of the day a consultant, entrepreneur, investor, or producer only provides an opinion based on the information presented & their knowledge/experience.

They can not ensure success &/or failure (even though many try), they can only provide probability.

And any advice should be taken as such, and should NOT be taken as an affirmation. This is for the small percentage of the population that embodies the entrepreneurial spirit, whom are at the mercies of 'powerful' individuals because they have money & influence. I am in such a category as my squad has innovative ideas and concepts for the betterment of society, but we unfortunately have no capital.

You, the budding entrepreneur, should have done your research & homework to know that your idea is hot; to know that your idea is feasible, and to know that there is a market out there for your endeavor.

You don't need 'Evan McMoney Bags' to validate what you already know.

Ya digg?

.::
Peace,
d.b > www.vacantlot.org
::.

Venus and its attempt to engulf Mars

Stop saying 'mines' and start saying 'ours'
Virtues: Venus vs. Mars, relationships, comprimise

This is actually a line from a Lil' Kim song back in the day. The line surfaced in my head after a discussion with my girlfriend when she said, you need to stop thinking "I", and start thinking "WE". I had to stop & think about this for a sec as maybe she was inferencing that I am selfish, self-centered, and other 'self' absorbed attributes (of course she is wrong about that).
But on a larger scale, I think that when women say such things like 'think WE' it is more so a code for 'think like me', assimilate to my ideology.

Mars & Venus
It is true that men are from Mars & women are from Venus, and when the two planets meet, the goal of Venus is to engulf Mars, change its gravitational force, modify its outer appearance, and change its atmospheric behavior. More times than not, Mars is content with Venus & all of her many flaws, but Mars rarely tries to change them to assimilate to Mars' world; Mars has a better ability to understand that our differences make us unique & tolerance is easier than cohesion.
But enough of inter-planetary dynamics, women are very meticulous & calculated creatures. 'We' & 'ours' is the logical progression for any relationship as feelings of love & affection grows, BUT be cautious just as an amber light. Because 'WE' should not have to mean the end of YOU, and your mind, body, & soul.

Be careful of those bodysnatchers ...

-- d.b
http://www.vacantlot.org/

V~ick~ed

V~ick~ed
Virtues: Responsibility, control, logic

Its sort of wicked what happened to Michal Vick, but he is a victim of his own ignorance.

Michael Vick was on top of the world, he was an all-star Quarterback with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, with the right team chemistry, Vick could have gone on to win several NFL championships as he is a unique quarterback that can throw, run, and get out of the 'pocket' (football term).

However, it is unfortunate that Vick felt the need to engage in Dog fights which resulted in a 23-month jail sentence conviction. As details emerged about Vick's dog fighting events that happened in his estate, it became apparent that Vick would do some jail time for his crimes, but I never thought he would have gotten so much time - 2 years is a lot for dog fighting. Dog fighting is inhumane, violent, and barbaric - I get that, but in the case of Michael Vick, does the 'punishment fit the crime'? Would someone without his status receive the same sentence? Probably not, and what is even more disturbing is that there have been sport celebrities that have committed more violent crimes against humanity that have received lesser & lenient sentences. For example, NHL hockey player Dany Heatley received 3 years probation for vehicular homicide after a drunk driving incident. In comparison, a drunk driving incident that results in death deserves 3 years probation (no jail time), but a victimless human crime results in 2 years in solitary confinement? Something doesn't seem right about that.

Now, I'm not excusing Vick's behavior because dog fighting is against the law, and he should be punished for his actions, but what is probably the most disturbing aspect of this story that is not receiving any light, is the fact that many sport athletes and celebrities foolishly spend their money and engage in activities that are problematic. I guess its the fact that many of these athlete's come from marginalized backgrounds, and when they are doused with a whole bunch of money; they simply act-out irresponsibly. It happened to Mike Tyson, which is really sad, because he had millions of dollars, but spent his money on foolish items and lavish luxuries; with no regard for 'saving for a rainy day'. And with Vick, he was making millions of dollars a year, and yet he felt the need to earn extra money with dog fighting; which was only pulling in thousands of dollars a year.

Its sad, because Vick had so much potential, but threw it all away because he simply didn't 'grow up'; which is the problem with most celebrities (i.e. Britney, and so on), and know the system is showing him that just as much as they can bring you up, they can bring you down.

Flipping, keeping the balance

image by ddotb.grandejunction.com

Flipping, keep the balance
Virtues: hustle, equilibrium, power, control

Flip - "To sell a product or service at a higher price than what was purchased for - for the purpose of making a profit"

The concept is simple: take something at a marginalized price, mark it up, profit. That is what your neighborhood drug dealer is doing while he pushes that 'weight'. Its what Sean John does when you buy that nice sweater for $80, is made for like under $5, and the country that the sweater is made in flips off the blood, sweat, and tears of their people in the name of globalization. But, the government still flips, they get their money, but unfortunately with each flip, there is one, or one group of people that will always suffer, always get 'flipped under'.

When I hear pleas wrapped in optimism about equality & fairness, I laugh. Because, flipping is all about balance, but more about controlling balance. Economics are structured in a fashion where the rich exploit & profit off of the poor, unfortunate, but fortunate at the same time ... ya digg? Unfortunate for the humane aspect, fortunate for the technological advances that society has made by exploiting cheap labor and parts. Corporations & the government are the big flippers in this world as they have made Africa poor, for the benefit of the West. As with anything almost in this universe is made up of matter, and matter is made up of molecules that constantly try to procure homeostasis: a relatively stable state of equilibrium or a tendency toward such a state between the different but interdependent elements or groups of elements of an organism, population, or group.

And that is what flipping does - it keeps stability, it allows those to stay in power to stay in power, and keep those that are marginalized, marginalized. So what would, uh, disrupt this equilibrium? Well, tell me if you have an answer, because any disruption is surely going to be met with opposition, of course from the flippers. I ask myself, would a disruption actually be a good thing? I mean, can a world exist where economies of scale (world economies) are equal? Can, or will Africa ever be on par with Europe/America?

Share your thoughts, peace.

Tip What, Pt 2

Tip What, Pt 2
(view Part 1)
Virtues: Social Customs, service, ethics

As the Christmas holiday season approaches I'm hearing a lot of talk on tipping. For instance, people give tips to their mailman or mechanic - which I find interesting. I mean, I would love to work in a service industry where I am tipped just for performing my job duties, shit, maybe being a waiter is my calling as I purposely hang around your table after the bill has been served to ensure that I receive my tip. Or better yet, I should work in a hotel as a bellhop and conduct the same behavior. It would be sweet - I mean, I would get a regular salary (not much), but then I would base my service to customers on how well they have tipped me. Its interesting that this social customary called 'tipping' is almost mandatory in the service industry, however essentially it is almost a bribe - I mean, if one were to give a service contract or even a government employee a 'lil extra', society as a whole and I'm sure most courts of laws would consider that bribery. You know, 'Scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' type of logic.

I may sound a bit, ah, um ... real, but we have reached a pivotal time in our society where we want to be rewarded more for simply doing our jobs. I don't know what generation this has spawned out of, but this creates a climate where we don't necessarily tip for 'exceptional service', but we tip to ensure service. Meaning, you are not going to tip your mechanic because he does such great work, but more or less, you're tipping him for the hope he doesn't screw you over in the coming year. Same with the mailman, I don't know exactly how the mailman can provide 'exceptional' mail service (please share if you do), but if you tip him, you are doing so with the intentions that he performs his job by giving you regular mail service.

Now, maybe - correction, I know that people do actually tip these people during these seasons just based out of the goodness from their heart, and that is truly a beautiful thing. BUT, if you are planning on tipping just to procure services or to pretty much BRIBE, then you your f*cked.

Happy Holidays

(P.S. I rarely tip, only for exceptional above & beyond service. I don't do any percentage calculations of the bill, I dont give a ______ < insert word here)

Procrastinating Nature & inaction

Procrastinating Nature & Inaction

An account of reciprocal effects (questionnable) for inaction

Many times I have heard that procrastination is the 'thief of time', but more so I was thought that too procrastinate was to waste an opportunity. However, there is one incident that happened which I learned that procrastination, which is 'inaction' can cause an undesired 'action.

I had a good girl friend named Samantha, we had just recently met through an acquaintance, and we vibed well with each other, cracked jokes, chilled, you know how it starts. However, I was attached to someone else, but that relationship was on the rocks, and was on & off as she had 'issues', again, you know how 'that' is. Anyhow, Samantha was also seeing someone else, but she told me about him and she had concerns about him. For example, she was much older than her, and felt that his intentions were suspicious. So thus, it was kind a like, she was talking to me about her problems, I was talking to her about my problems - a sort of double counselling interaction.

Moving forward to a warm August evening where my so-called girlfriend had run-off to Jamaica with her ex (whole another blog, would probably be a series) and as I was coming home, I got a call from Samantha. She was calling me from her guy's place (mentioned above, let's call him 'Bob'). I was kinda thrown-aback as to why she was calling me; Bob was in the vicinity of her, she sounded very distant and peculiar. I was kinda jealous in a sense that she was calling me from his place, because I had grown feelings for Samantha, but I never could muster the words to tell her how I feel; regardless if she would have accepted or rejected it, the days leading up to that, I wanted to tell her that I grown an affinity to her. Thus, this phone call could have been the prime opportunity to do such a task - especially when it felt that she was calling not to say 'I'm with Bob', but calling for me to convince her about something. You ever get that feeling? When someone calls you, expecting you to say something, hoping that you will say something?

It got to the point that she was purposely dragging on the conversation, after a considerable amount of time, I ended the conversation, but she quickly told me, numerious times to call her back in like 1 hour. I told her that I would. However, I didn't, I don't recall if it was deliberate or I just plain forgot.

I come to find out that Samantha called me after Bob made some advances that she wasn't 'totally' comfortable with; I'll use the word 'totally' as she was borderline engaged with Bob's pressing behavior. When she called moi, it was her trying to convince herself to leave - thus, she wanted me to say something to make her leave. Maybe if I had said what was truly on my mind, that would have given her the strength & rationale to leave Bob's place, but she didn't leave, and further she did not receive my phone call that I had promised - which may have intervened in an inevitable event because ultimately, Bob sexually assaulted her.

Now, I know that I am not responsible for this; so this piece is not a guilt trip or I am not placing blame on myself for the horrific act. However, I will say that my inaction may have caused Samantha not to follow her intuitions, I think that I could have said something that would have made her do something - would have made her not to endure such a life-altering event.

I know it is very speculative in nature, and from time to time it bothers me, but I have learned that procrastination/inaction is truly an action - thus, it does have reciprocal effects.

Think about it, the next time you want to say something, but you stop yourself.

Peace,
D.B

The conditioning of Frederick Douglas

Frederick Douglas
"I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong"

Some background information on Frederick Douglass, excerpt from wikipedia.com:

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, who later became known as Frederick Douglass, was born a slave in Talbot County, Maryland, near Hillsboro. He was separated from his mother, Harriet Bailey, when he was still an infant. She died when Douglass was about seven. The identity of Douglass' father is obscure: Douglass originally stated that his father was a white man, perhaps his owner, Aaron Anthony; but he later said he knew nothing of his father's identity. At the age of six, Douglass was separated from his grandmother and moved to the Wye House plantation, where Anthony worked as overseer.[1] When Anthony died, Douglass was given to Lucretia Auld, wife of Thomas Auld. Mrs. Auld sent Douglass to Baltimore to serve Thomas' brother, Hugh Auld.
When Douglass was about twelve, Hugh Auld's wife, Sophia, broke the law by teaching him some letters of the alphabet. Thereafter, as detailed in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (published in 1845), Douglass succeeded in learning to read from white children in the neighborhood in which he lived, and by observing the writings of the men with whom he worked. When Hugh Auld discovered this, he strongly disapproved, saying that if a slave learned to read, he would become dissatisfied with his condition and desire freedom; Douglass later referred to this as the first anti-abolitionist speech he had ever heard.
As he learned and began to read newspapers, political materials, and books of every description, the young Douglass was exposed to a new realm of thought and experience that led him first to question and then to condemn the institution of slavery itself. In later years, Douglass would credit The Columbian Orator, which he discovered when he was around twelve years old, with clarifying and defining his views of freedom and human rights.
When he was hired out to a Mr. Freeman, Douglass taught slaves how to read the New Testament at a Sabbath school on the plantation. As word spread, the interest among slaves in the local community was extensive enough that on any given week over forty slaves would attend lessons. For about six months, their work went relatively unnoticed. While Freeman himself remained complacent about their activities, other plantation owners became incensed that their slaves had been offered such instruction and burst in one Sunday armed with clubs and stones to disperse the congregation permanently.

___________

I just finished reading the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, and it was a very good read, very sad at times with Douglass' personal recollections of the horrid nature of slavery, but it was very informative. First off, Douglass is a Black History figure that doesn't really get too much spotlight/coverage in 'Black History Month'; for example, I was first aware of the man from a T-Shirt. After research, and then reading his book, Douglass was an extraordinary man (not just 'Black man') for his time. From teaching himself as a youngster to read and write (which was prohibited for black people) by secretly learning from white kids, and deceiving them to give him any reading/educational materials, to taking his literary knowledge and secretly holding classes for other black people (young & old), Douglass was a modern day renaissance as he knew that knowledge is power. Society in the south, and especially the slaveholders knew this, and would torment and violently whip any black slave who was trying to educate themselves. Mentally, slaveholders and the white racist society of that time, pulled the ultimate mind-f*ck on black people. I always knew this, didn't really know to what extent and the details involved, but let me showcase some:

• Slaveholders would actually be 'generous' enough to give slaves the holidays off until the New Year; so in a sense, slaves were literally 'free' during this time. However, the slaveholders would purposely intoxicate the slaves with cheap liquor, so much to the point that their little 'freedom' was heavily engulfed in a staggering/hangover state - which was supposed to convey that 'freedom' isn't something that should be desired


• Barbaric sports such as wrestling and boxing were encouraged by slaveholders


• Reading was prohibited, as the belief was that an educated 'slave' can not handle education and will not know what is good for him, the master only knows what is good for a slave
  
  
• Slaveholders never starved their slaves; actually they made it known that they always gave their slaves plenty of food, the food was equivalent to slop, but it was in mass abundance
  
  
• When black women gave birth, the slaveholders separated the child from its mother from a young age so that the child can not develop attachment and affection to its mother, but rather develop attachment to the slave owner

Some of the things that were done to black people were not just dehumanizing, but it was conditioning; in the sense of it altered the way people behaved, think, and responded. This happened all from the 1700's to mid-late 1800's, this conditioning was passed down with each black generation. Even after slavery was abolished, this conditioning, and more importantly, the society, was still segregated and there was a hatred/inferiority complex that existed by certain populations.

Fast forward to the current state of black people in America, and the question must be asked, when/if will the conditioning that black people have succumbed to, will subside? How much generations will it take? I mean, we have definitely made progressed, we are doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, politicians, but there are huge numbers that still have that 'slave' mentality that end up in jail, commit crimes, are against the 'system', don't educate themselves, and so on.

How long will this 'spell' last????

Share your thoughts .....

Peace,
d.b
Check out Vacant Lot: Science of Hip-Hop - quotes and knowledge

Yes, I'm wrong, but i'm justified, wtf?

Yes I'm WRONG, but I'm justified

Virtues: meism, biased, playground mentality

I'm sure that you have heard it all before; it something that we used to do habitually as a kid. You know, "I took Tommy's toy because he was mean to me", and so on. We did it then because there was a sense of justification - somebody did me wrong, so it must only be natural to return the favor, right? Well, our teachers and parents sharply criticized for such behavior, I know I've heard it before "Two wrongs don't make a right", "you should know better than that", "don't stoop to their level", and so on. But as we grow and evolve into the person we are destined to be, naturally it would be wise to think that we abandon such behavior, but I think it only gets worse and complex - complex in the sense that we will justify our 'wrongs' based on the situation, and will try to justify our 'wrong' actions as a measured response to something completely unrelated.

For example, my good friend borrowed my classic Nintendo system a couple of years ago and never gave it back, and claims that his nephew has it - which I know is false. My measured response to this is that sometimes he will ask for a ride to go somewhere, I will agree, but I will show up late on purpose ... I don't know why I do this, but I get some sort of satisfaction out of it, even though I know it is wrong. Or, I'm sure that we have all done this at some point, a boss has pissed us off, thus we take solace in taking office supplies or other company items - of course, I have never done this ..... shame on y'all that have!

Its all good when you are the culprit or the person being 'wrong', but when someone is 'wronging' (is that a word?) you, and when they get caught red-handed, it is interesting how deflections start coming up like a blocked shot. For instance, my girl was very rude and feisty in a telephone exchange, when confronted later on about the situation, she knew that she was wrong, but attempted to justify her actions as a response to how I was rude to her, in the past though. I laughed, chuckled, and realized that our playground mentality will always be with us, its really a part of who we are - the only thing that will change, if anything, is that we will find more eloquent ways to justify our behaviors, and provide more psychological/social context to a simple principle:

"Nah nah boo boo, I'm going to get you!"

(to get the pronunciation, say it like you would have said it when you were 7), lol.

Peace,
check out http://qod.vacantlot.org/ - get your daily dose of hip-hop wisdom & now a Facebook app

Created Nostalgia

Image source: tru-thoughts


Created Nostalgia
Virtues: homesick, condition, feelings

Nostalgia is defined as the state of being homesick; a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or or irrecoverable condition. Well, that is what is defined in the Webster dictionary, and we all have feelings of nostalgia when we hear a certain song, watch a movie, or read a certain magazine or article. I was talking recently with an older lady at my workplace in her 50's/60's about seafood or something; something dealing about cooking (don't ask why we were talking about that) and that conversation triggered nostalgia for her and took her back to a time of racial/social injustice in 1960/1970's U.S.A. (don't be shocked), specifically to the coastline towns of Massachusets. I won't get into the socio-racism part, because it is nothing new, but what triggered the memory for her was a diner in this coastal town that served up all kinds of seafood and delicacies - which actually was a positive memory for her as she recalled her friends and all of the good times she had there, but it seemed that she was looking at the 'optimistic side' of her memory as she didn't get into it deeply, but she recalled the overt and non-overt racism that was still fresh in the air. Looking at her face, she was deeply affected by this instance of nostalgia as she was a little emotional and overwhelmed - but she was trying to focus on the 'good', even though the 'bad' was much more emotionally moving.

After this event, I asked myself if it is possible that people try to create their own nostalgia - especially from negative and tormenting experiences. I imagine that they're a whole generation of peoples that have created their own nostalgia that focuses on the positivity - that is wrapped in a cocoon of hate, discrimination, and prejudice. I guess this is a coping mechanism for us to deal with the deep pain, hurt and suffering that some have experienced during this thing called life - I can't recall that I have done such thing, consciously speaking, but maybe I will know when I hear that classic song or read a certain book. I want to see if I will create my nostalgia; or if I will allow my nostalgia to embody its true form.

Enter cliche; I guess time will tell.

Peace.

Negative World

Took a little hiatus, but hi-hate-us, I am back



Negative World
Virtues: debt, loans, outlook

No matter how bleak the outlook on life may be, you gotta remember something - the Negative World. What is this 'negative world'? Doesn't necessarily relate to negativity, but more so correlates to one's financial status. A good friend told me about this world where 'minuses' become a way of life, below 'zero' is a constant theme. However, even though my friend was living in this negative world, he acted like he didn't; actually acted quite the opposite, which shocked me, but I guess we can't let our financial level affect our morale - to an extent I guess. I recalled being in this negative world, as a young college student, and many college students across the world exist in this world where debt is synonymous with being a student - yet credit cards still want to shower you with 'no annual fees' and a 'low interest rate'.

I guess my point is, if you are in the negative world, don't let your debt lead you to a negative life - that ain't positive.

DotCity Project

Dot City

Check out some fire lyrics from DotCityProject. Let me know what y'all think. Peace

The boys in blue, black, brown

Law Enforcement & Race

In the black community, there is a strong disdain for law enforcement. Historically, the law enforcement has enforced the racist and segregation laws of the government. Thus, it is only fitting that the black community did not trust and/or respect law enforcement (since it wasn't being reciprocated). Out of this frustration grew the Black Panther Party, which was an organization of individuals (primarily black) who 'policed' their own community; which is somewhat noble, however we all know what happened to the black panther party (google it if you are unaware). Even the Crips, the notorious gang out of Westside L.A. that now spawns the world in crip blue attire, started off as a child (not literally, but metaphorically) from the Black Panther Party; the Crips had a mandate to initiate social change in their community - however, the allure of drugs trumped that ideology.

So it can be said that from generation to generation, has attitudes and behaviors are passed down from parent to child, it is not hard to understand that even up to this very day, the black community, specifically the young black community have a strong disdain for police. Movements such as 'Stop Snitching' are not just a slogan on a T-shirt, but the Stop snitching campaign represents a concept that is shared by many.

What I find funny, and let me know if this has happened to you, is that some of my friends whom claim that cops are always harassing and 'racially profiling' them are the same individuals that actually engage in illegal activities and/or have been involved in the legal system before. Has this ever happened to you?

Deja vu?

Deja vu
When remembering the past is inappropriate I guess ...

Is this wrong? I'll explain a little story about being thoughtful and showing good memory. One time at a club I saw a good lady friend, lets label her 'Stacy'. The last time I saw Stacy was at a fashion show that she was performing in. At that time, Stacy was wearing a smashing outfit that was very radiant; I commented on it as I give respect and adulation.
Now at this lounge, which was around 2-3 months after the fashion show, I saw Stacy with the same outfit. My memory clicked and remembered where I had seen the outfit. Thus, I approached Stacy in the lounge and commented on her outfit again, and referenced that I LIKED her outfit, and I commented that she had worn the same outfit at the fashion show - in a non-disrespectful way.
Apparently, this was a NO-NO. As I came to find out later that Stacy was extremely upset about my remarks and she called me all kinds of foul-mouthed names. Stacy's friends were shocked, appalled, and disgusted that I said such things as apparently, women take things like that seriously .... ah, well as B.I.G. said it:

"If I said it I meant it, bite my tongue for no one!"

- peace

Kings & Queens of Music August 17 2007

I have an event that i'm organizing this Friday August 17, 2007 in Toronto that features upcoming urban talent.

If your in the area, come check it out and enjoy some good music

Lingering Effect

Image from: http://www.neoabstracts.com/




Lingering Effect

Virtues: closure, disclosure, stay 'true', instinct, intuition, relationships

Overview, this piece deals with the concept of closure in relationships, don't know what closure is? Wiki it.

The lingering effect, in my opinion, occurs well after closure - which begs the question if closure CAN and IS ever really achieved. The lingering effect is more of an after-thought which asks the question: what could of been done different? Almost like reminiscing of what one could of done to produce a better situation. You don't think about it constantly - for if you did, you would have closure issues, but every once in awhile a stimulus (song, conversation, etc.) will send you aboard a cruise ship back in time for a bit. An impression has definitely been made; and this impression has definitely sculpted who YOU are. But is it wise to try to make lingering effects a more meaningful effect? Meaning, trying to get in contact with someone, or trying to get back to that emotion that the lingering effect brings?

Sometimes I battle with these thoughts - i'm sure i'm not the only one. But dealing with lingering effects means going back to a past that you may have already outgrown - or that she has outgrown. Maybe she has moved on, got married, is living the good life, nice career, or, she is an abusive situation, gets treated badly -- and desperately needs someone to 'bail' her out. Not financially, physically, or sexually (maybe sexually), but mentally. You see, not confronting or dealing with the lingering effects may indirectly lead her to continue dealing with that destructive boyfriend who pushes, or deal with that dude because of his money -- all for security reasons I guess, we all need it. However, an intervention or confronting the lingering effect by even reaching out via phone/txt/email may do some good, may reconnect the tracks, may power the lines of your past communications.

Or it could not.

But they say inaction is worse than no action, but sometimes its better to remember a point in time that was genuine & real, and make that chick relish that moment that she missed out on - while she is with her pusha, do you feel me?

Funny how this relates all back to the concept of 'closure', do we ever have any?

I probably don't!

Let me know what y'all think.


.:: Peace ::.
http://www.vacantlot.org/

Dont impress me kid

Don't Impress Me Kid

Virtues: self-monitoring, respect, accolades, getting 'gassed', hype, tolerance

Excerpt - Look at me, look at me. I am the ish, I do this, I do that - join MY team. I AM doing so well, I AM ballin' - you gots to believe ME! Or is it believe IN me??? .... -- Behavior of the 'Gassed' Individual

Ever had this happen to you? I've had plenty of times - you see an old acquaintance/friend from your past; high school, college, old neighborhood or just from around the way. Now, personally I rarely need accolades from others to build my self-confidence or self-esteem; I use rarely because I can admit that 'yes' it feels nice to be praised every once in awhile, but I feel it is only valid if I'm not looking for the accolades .... Enter the main theme of this piece. I'm referring to that dude or girl who you see every once in awhile whom tries to get your respect & praise from what they are doing in their own lives. They try so hard to persuade you to say 'wow' 'ooh', and 'ahh'; they may do this with over exaggerating situations, showing you pictures & images to show proof of what they are doing, or by even telling you to talk to a mutual friend to verify/solidify their prominence. I'm not hating one's hustle or grind, get money & stay true.

But, one should not need the approval of others, or try hard to make others feel impressed because that comes off really shallow; one's self-worth isn't much. I'll use the term 'gas' to describe these people as they try to fill-up their ego with high-octane so that they can feel that they are 'somebody'; and yes, we are all 'somebody', but those that need 'gas' are NOT happy with that 'somebody' whom they are.

I guess the 'gas' is propelling them to their ideal 'somebody' ... but I ain't gonna help the process, ya dig?

.:: Peace ::.
http://www.vacantlot.org/

The Gay Bomb

Gay Ish Bomb

"A Berkeley watchdog organization that tracks military spending said it uncovered a strange U.S. military proposal to create a hormone bomb that could purportedly turn enemy soldiers into homosexuals and make them more interested in sex than fighting. Pentagon officials on Friday confirmed to CBS 5 that military leaders had considered, and then subsequently rejected, building the so-called "Gay Bomb." The documents show the Air Force lab asked for $7.5 million to develop such a chemical weapon. "The Ohio Air Force lab proposed that a bomb be developed that contained a chemical that would cause enemy soldiers to become gay, and to have their units break down because all their soldiers became irresistibly attractive to one another," Hammond said after reviewing the documents."
source: cbsnews.com

--

Commentary:
If they could seriously consider developing a gay bomb, and this was in the 90's, then what type of ideas are they developing now in 2007?? It would be very interesting though to see if that a gay bomb was actually made and dropped on enemies, would the enemy suddenly have a high rate of STD's and AIDS? What would be even more funnier is if the enemy actually beat the Americans ... which would mean that America's 'glorious' military is no match for a bunch of gay dudes.

That U.S. government, all you Americans, your taxpayer dollars are hard at work (no pun intended).

Peace.

--
http://www.vacantlot.org

Street Land Savvy

Organized Street Crime












"Almost 100 people — including 69 men, 21 women and five people under 18 — are appearing in court today to face charges ranging from possesssion of stolen property to drug and gun trafficking and gangsterism charges after yesterday morning's raids targeting members of the west-end Toronto street gang Driftwood Crips.

In total, 88 search warrants were executed on residences, vehicles and lockers. Warrants are still outstanding for nine people.

Hundreds of police officers executed 37 search warrants in the Jane and Finch area — the epicentre of Project Kryptic, so named for sounding a little like Crips. The Driftwood Crips were the main target of the investigation that began almost a year ago.

After spending the night in custody, the suspects are being paraded into Etobicoke court where they will be identified and their fate determined so far as bail is concerned.

As part of Project Kryptic, which began 11 months ago, police seized 24 handguns, four sawed-off rifles, four replica guns and 900 rounds of ammunition.

Police also seized 30 kilograms of cocaine, 20 kilograms of marijuana, hash oil and close to a quarter of a million dollars in Canadian and U.S. currency"

--
My commentary on this event in Toronto is that every year or so, the police announces a big raid/bust that dismantles a street gang -- which is good for the community and city. Most street gangs have two elements: white-collar crime & violence. White-collar crime in the form of money laundering and transnational schemes/hustles. Violence can be defined as confrontations between rival gangs vying for street superiority. I understand that the media pays toooo much attention to violent acts. White-collar crime is more costly and harmful not only to the direct parties involved, but to regional/national economies and markets. White-collar crime is committed by organizations that are kinda above the 'street gang' label - but police do not seemed to be so determined to catch/raid these organizations as much as the street gangs. When was the last time the mafia was raided with such a big sting? Is it because they are more sophisticated than street gangs or is more attention/resources put towards street gangs??

Just my two cents ...

Peace

Stay Fly Baby

Stay Fly
Virtues: Responsibility, Life, Logic

A quick and interesting story about the current state of life.

To paraphrase, basically, a 22 young black woman decided to have a baby shower. Her first one, the ‘baby daddy’ is out of the picture. Now, from what I know, when you have a baby shower, you ask for necessity items: diapers, clothing, food, wipes, and things of that nature. And you usually create a registry, so that people are not buying duplicate items. However, this young scholar did not have a registry, but requested her friends to buy everything from Rocawear sheets, a pair of Jordan's, Sean John pyjamas, jewelery, and other foolery items – in all, she only received one package of diapers for her newborn. And this already single mother believed that she had a good shower, because her baby will look 'fly' - and I guess, you can't really dispute that. But, the baby has no necessities coming into the world. To me, if I was about to have a baby, I would put items that the baby needs, in abundance, on the registry: diapers, wipes, baby food, clothing (regular). I would make sure that I have like 20 boxes of diapers; I would desire for that more than making sure my baby is iced-out. And the people who came bearing gifts, they did not think that maybe they should by necessities - but instead, they brought name brand clothes and jewellery. I strongly hope that this is an isolated incidence, and this is not the norm amongst our people.

Share your stories if you can relate.

Peace.

The Good Piece?

The GOOD Piece?
Virtues: positive, goodness, humanism, respect


I was reviewing a couple of my blogs that I have written, and I came to the conclusion that I have been mostly negative - I'm always complaining, bitching, or protesting about something. Am I going to stop? No. But I am going to try to write something a bit more 'good' - in the sense of 'good' being good things and events that are all around us. Even when I'm reading other blogs from members of myspace or beyond, the mood is very pessimistic/cynic-like.

So what 'good' is out there in the world? We can all say that God is good, family, and friends - that should be understood by all, regardless of religion, race, or creed.

The Democratization of the Internet has been good; now any mofo can expose themselves to a bigger audience, and for the most part except for Internet service fees, the Internet is primarily free, and 'we' the people are taking control of its direction (kind of).

Hip-Hop, be that it is at a pretty shitty state at the moment, hip-hop culture is still a creative artform and expression for many.

Open Source, a wild and radical idea that allows programmers to share their code with the world. Many corporations frown upon this (as it is their trade secrets), but open source, or at least the initiative, has created many useful applications: Firefox, Picasa, wikipedia, etc., with a collaborative effort of many people around the world.

Google, not just for their simplistic search engine, but for their user applications; specifically, Google docs (trust me, you'll never want to use Word or Excel again).

Environmental push, thanks to man's self-inflicted problem of global warming, and high oil prices, we have taken steps to seriously create panels to discuss the future of our environments - perhaps those panels will actually do something ... we can only hope.

Goodwill, the Tsunami, Katrina have showed that even with all of the evils in the world, humans can still give and help out their fellow man in a time of crisis; whether it is food, money, or volunteering in disaster areas.

T.V., the quality of television has surpassed the whole movie medium (in my opinion). Shows confront risqué topics and push the boundaries and limits of the norm. Shows like the Wire, Sopranos, 24, Heroes, Weeds, and others make
it more worthwhile to watch a T.V box set, rather than go out to the cinemas to pay for too much popcorn and uncomfortable seats.

Stem cell research, even though Bush is against this, this research technology can eventually solve most of the world's illnesses. The ethical issue is whether it is just to take dead cells away from an organism to help save the life of another organism (I think that is what stem cell research is, in simplistic terms).

Wow, maybe my mind is blank or that may be all of the good things that I can
think of. Can y'all help a brother out and let me know what else is really good? (No pun intended).

Obama this, Obama that

Obama This, and Obama That



I'm all for the notion that it would be 'nice' to finally have a black U.S. President. To even be talking about a black U.S. president shows that society has grown enormously in the past 50 years; because not so long ago, blacks were still being lynched and according to funnyman Kramer "stuck with pitch forks up their asses". It is quite amazing actually when you really think about it. However, Obama seems to have a very legitimate chance of getting the U.S. Democratic nomination for the 2008 election, and then, he may have a chance to get into the White House.

No more rudimentary jokes about a black president can be made, however, I feel that one must ask the question, what will really change if there is a black president? Really? Will all the ghetto black youths suddenly move to the suburbs, causing the white kids to move to farm lands? Will there be more social programs? Social welfare assistance? I hear a lot of talk that if elected, a black president will 'look' out for black people, but I find a fallacy in such logic. If Obama gets in, doesn't mean that the current socio-economic status of black americans will change; one thing that we gotta understand is that even if the president is Black, the Senate still is predominately white - correlating that the senate actually passes any bills and/or spending. Further, any president has to 'play' to his party and their ideals; thus if one's party is still predominately white, the likelihood that a dramatic bill will be passed that will 'magically' elevate the socio-economic status of blacks is bleak.

So unfortunately, I remain pessimistic that a black president will have any strong effect - except for the symbolism aspect that society has changed dramatically, but as the saying says:
"The more things change, the more they stay the same"

... but it would be nice if he got in office

-- Peace

The 'GOOD' of Bush

The 'Good' of Bush
Virtues: Legacy, record, recollection

I simply want to pose a simple question: In his 7 years in office, what GOOD things/acts have George W Bush done? I don't claim to be a 'left' or a 'right' wing dude at all, but I have to wonder what good (if any) has GWB done in his term? And the only blogs/articles that you see about GWB portray him in a negative light (which at times is really, really warranted). I can only think of complete f*ck-ups: ignoring warnings to 9/11, Iraq invasion, Iraq rebuilding, hunt for Osama (still on-going), stem cell research, the environment, Katrina, and the list goes on.

Growing up as an 80's baby, and living next to the U.S. giant, the only real U.S. president that has affected me was Clinton. And besides getting some brain in the office, I don't really recall Clinton f*cking up so much.

So I really got to ask what good has he done? It seems like every day there is a report that describes a folly, scandal, or blunder. But with winning a successful re-election, and maintaining a high approval rating (for the majority of his term), there must be something that he is doing that is right ... right?

Let me know, because I am baffled.

Peace.

Yes, even the homeless get grimey

Yes, even the homeless get grimey
Virtues: Racism, Discrimination, Economics, Poverty

True Story.

My boy and I are sitting in the student lounge of our University. We notice a homeless person - roughly in his mid 40's, white, scraggily clothes, unshaven, and is asking people @ tables around us for change; he was gradually making his way to each table, and he was about to approach us to ask us for change (or at least we thought). I was anticipating his approach & readying my response of "Nah, I don't have any change", but my boy was reaching into his pocket to grab his wallet to show some human compassion by giving him a few dollars. Now, dude looks straight at us. Looks us dead in our eyes. Walks right by us and asks the white women at the table beside us for money, and then continues down the row of tables asking people for a handout.

I didn't believe what had happened - not much things get to me as I can handle overt & non-overt acts of racism. But this thing here was like a slap in the face.

Ironically enough, we were probably the only people that were willing to give the muthaphucka any help.

A lesson learned.

The Black Type

We all know that stereotypes exist for all races & cultures. In a definitional construct, a stereotype can be defined as a generalized statement regarding behavior or attitude for a group of people. Stereotypes are usually developed from either personal experiences or are absorbed from various media texts. Personally, stereotyping is a part of human functioning - on a cognitive level it is applying a mental framework (set of ideas & concepts) to a situation, problem, or interactions. The problem for the 'art' of stereotyping comes in its application - treating people a certain way because of a stereotype. I'm sure we have all experienced that feeling - some more than others, and I accept this reality. My qualm is not really the 'treatment', but the "limits of potential" that stereotypes can exert.

I get that being a young black male that I am maladapted, aggressive, may have several illegitimate children, very fashionable, do several drugs, and have a lack of respect for authority figures - due primarily to the absence of a father figure in my childhood. Now with that fact(s) I am also an entrepreneur. In regards to entrepreneurs, when I tell others that I have businesses, the primary assumption is that I am either creating a music label or clothing line. Whats alarming is that black, white, asian, brown people like place the same limit: the extent of the 'Black Entrepreneur' is limited to Music & Fashion. So one can imagine the shocking expressions I receive when I tell others that I have a Media & Event Planning Company; worse when I get into rich descriptive detail regarding concepts & terms. The change in behavioral expression (facial, body, verbal) is almost instant - the limits that were disposed on me had been shattered & something significant has happened. I am now no longer a "constant, predictable negro" in their eyes - I now represent a variable that can not easily be defined by existing stereotypes. Making my potential limitless - of course, I knew this all the time, but it brings me a sense of joy to 'school' others from time to time whom try to limit me.

NOTE:
Ironically, when you stereotype others & place limitations on their behavior, you kind of limit your own abilities to think outside the 'box' or paradigm.

Irony is a Bitch isn't it?

The Wrong Valentine

I've had messed up Valentine's Day's in the past, most notably getting dumped (however, she came back several weeks later ), but this year may have been my worse; not because of what happened to me, but because of what I may have caused, indirectly.

The night before the Valentine's, I called up my ex-girl and told her that I would take her out out on Valentine's Day; she did not have any boyfriend so I thought everything was cool. However, she was acting all stupid, saying 'maybe', giving me the runaround. So I say cool, and I keep it moving.

Valentine Day rolls around, and in the morning, my friend Joanne calls me up to tell me she got a link at a fancy restaurant and invited me to come - naturally, I agree. Couple hours pass, and the ex calls up and wants to know when I am coming by to pick her up .... , I'm like, you punked me last night, so I found alternate plans. She did not believe me at first, but when it finally sunk in, she began to get really mad. But I told her that you had your chance, you were being foolish, so I moved on. Conversation ended, I didnt really think anything of it.

Anyways, I go on the date to the classy restaurant with Joanne (oh yeah, who is the 'Limited Dosage', check for the blog I wrote on 'Limited Dosage'), and then the ex starts calling, texting, trying to interrupt my night. I ignore it. Realistically, I would have preferred to be with the ex, because I can really, really, really only handle Joanne in Limited Dosages. The following day rolls around, and I call the ex to see how she is, and I never really thought I had a strong affect on her anymore, but she was extremely hurt and saddened by my actions; she truly expected me to break off my plans for her, which I could of very easily, but chose not to. The ex was very irate and mad, and I began to understand that she had deeper feelings for me than she lead on.

However, if she wasn't 'playing around' and acting foolish (which she claims that I should have known that she was acting that way) then things would have transpired differently. I kinda wish they had transpired differently because even though I was eating like a King, dining on savory food, and enjoying a rich ambient atmosphere ... I wasn't with my TRUE Valentine.

A Lesson Learned.

Peace.

Freedom Writers or Dangerous Minds

I was ready & fired up to write a scathing piece on the movie 'Freedom Writers', starring Hilary Swank. After watching the previews on T.V., I came to the presumption that this is just another classic 'white savior' flick. You know the rhetoric, the Hollywood formula is comprised of:
Step 1 - An inner-city public school w/ poor learning conditions
Step 2 - Troubled black & Hispanic youth who have socio-economic & behavioral problems
Step 3- A 'white' protagonist who enters the environment & 'saves' the troubled youth from destruction

Whether it is manifested as a teacher, student, or friend, the white protagonist enters an environment & 'shows' the troubled youth a better 'life' or teaches the troubled youth how to 'appropriate' to society or normalcy. These types of movies kind of imply that the ethnic youth are 'savages', 'misinformed', 'delinquents' -- and only a 'white' figure can change their ways, or 'civilize' them. Kinda sounds like the Missionary period & world exploration period all over again.

I will acknowledge that there are also black protagonists in such films (Coach Carter), but I can't recall any films where a Black protagonist 'civilized' white youth delinquents .... if they exist, please let me know.

I could name countless examples of white protagonists such as:
- Michelle Pfifer in 'Dangerous Minds'
- Julia Stiles in 'Save the Last Dance'
- Jessica Alba in 'Honey'
- Sean Connery in 'Finding Forrester'


However .....

Back to my opening statement, I was going to blast 'Freedom Writers', but a co-worker of mines schooled me & said that this flick is nothing like 'Dangerous Minds', and I realized that I was going to make a gross assumption about this flick, without viewing the film first hand.


Thus, I guess the moral of this lil' piece is not about the 'Great White Savior' of inner-city ethnic youth - which is a valid point by the way, but the moral is not to ASSume something, because it'll make an ASS out of U and Me ..... yes i know, its a kinda cheesy phrase, but it is very fitting!


Peace.