Scams

I'm getting really frustrated.

People are really evil. Here I am looking for 1-Bedroom apartments, and I happen to use "Craig's List" for a few listings. A good amount of them have come as being absolutely steals. Then I speak to the owner, who clarifies that due to job obligations they are now working overseas. If I want to move-in (Note: this is without even getting a glimpse of the apartment) I would deposit anywhere between $500-$1,000 in an account and they would send me the keys. I could THEN view the apt and if I like it I can move in. In the word's of Ed Lova, "C'mon Son?!" LOL.

Watch out for the scammers...

And the winner is...President Barack Obama

They voted him winner two months after he was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America. A little premature? I cannot disagree with that opinion, but does it tarnish the name of the award? By no means at all.

To keep it short and sweet, Obama was the perfect individual to receive this honor. He is the figurehead of a movement of change in one of the most popular and unpopular nations of our time. There is a love-hate perception that comes with the mentioning of the USA. That started to change as soon as Obama was elected as President. It was seen all over the world. Obama is well-spoken, charismatic, and an archetypal component of hope/change as his successful campaign for presidency was labeled. He is worthy. He may not have the track record, but it's what is to come. The NPP committee are putting a lot of eggs in Obama's basket of hope/change/peace, but it is up to Obama to live up to this honor. He's shown that he is humble, and undeserving, which help in supporting my confidence in his ability to lead this country while at the same time promoting peace, bringing about change and fulfilling his duty as the 2009 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. I can't wait to hear his official acceptance speech in Oslo. Until then I will share a bit of what Dr. King said when he accepted his prize...

"I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace at a moment when twenty-two million Negroes of the United States of America are engaged in a creative battle to end the long night of racial injustice. I accept this award in behalf of a civil rights movement which is moving with determination and a majestic scorn for risk and danger to establish a reign of freedom and a rule of justice...Most of these people will never make the headlines and their names will not appear in Who's Who. Yet when years have rolled past and when the blazing light of truth is focused on this marvelous age in which we live -- men and women will know and children will be taught that we have a finer land, a better people, a more noble civilization -- because these humble children of God were willing to suffer for righteousness' sake."


-Martin Luther King, Jr. (December 10, 1964 in Oslo, Norway)

Stochasticity

Al Sharpton was on WWE (formerly known as WWF in my day)...smh...what is the world coming to...

President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize...hmmmm...I'm sold, but a smorgasbord of people aren't...(see next post)

They're creating a "suspended animation solution" that could be given intravenously in order to resuscitate a patient later...

Results from AIDS Vaccine trial in Thailand involving more than 16,000 participants show that combination of two vaccine candidates administered sequentially lowered the rate of HIV infection by about 31%...Note, that this is the first time an AIDS vaccine candidate has shown any efficacy in preventing HIV infection...

The US Men's Soccer Team is on to the World Cup 2010...

People still believe that when individuals listen to rap that it somehow promotes acts of violence...

What if we all loved beyond our prejudices...better yet, what if we imagined how God [or whatever higher being you believe in] loved and tried to mimic his actions...

Cowards

This world is full of scared little boys posing as grown men. I'm sick and tired of it! The way I was raised, if two men had a dispute with each other words would be exchanged, and if nothing was resolved after that you settled it with your fists. The most precious thing in this world is the gift of life, and people feel as if they have the authority, and right, to take another person's gift from them. That is not your decision, but God's.

Early Sunday morning I lost an older cousin, who was but a year older than my quarter-century mark. During an argument with either acquaintance or foe--I do not know--the opposing person felt the need to end their quarrel by pulling out a gun and shooting my flesh and blood relative in his heart. He left behind a son a mourning family left with many unanswered questions as to who had taken his life and why?

I would never wish this upon any family, and my aunt and his immediate siblings are in my thoughts and prayers.

(R.I.P. Darnell)
*Shout out to my cousin Dawn for putting together the collage of photos of my cousin

Fastest Mammal on Land

Usain may be the fastest man on the planet, but a cheetah from somewhere Cincinnati, OH has recently claimed the crown of being the fastest mammal on land...

...The cheetah completed 100 feet in 6.13 seconds, which in turn also means (relatively); 1 mile in 98.08 seconds (1 minute 38 seconds) flat! That is if the speed is maintained the entire time.

Amazing! I wish I was that fast...

Confidence and Secured

You come off as a confident and secured person, but is that a front to mask insecurities? Hmmmm...

Confidence can go a long way, but is most often confused with being cocky...

...It depends though. Personally, I know that when it comes to things that I've done for a long time I tend to speak with a tone full of confidence and may come off as being cocky. That is only if it involves Wrestling, where I am confident in my abilities to overcome opponents. I have to get warmed up before I ever entertain talking trash during basketball or football games. As a recent quarter-century inductee I stray from full contact sports that have a high probability of injuries. I do that because (1) I'm not a professional athlete that is receiving large sums of money to compete, and (2) I have been blessed to not have to many injuries while remaining in pretty good shape at my age.

I would have to admit to masking insecurities when it comes to straying from negative thoughts, and negative altercations. That's why you can find me 24/7 in a happy, uplifting mood no matter what is going on in my immediate environment. I can admit to that. I just always remain positive to keep moving onward and upward.

I just thought that was a good question, because many people mask a lot of their own insecurities instead of speaking with someone about it to turn those insecurities into things of the past. Just my thoughts.

Your thoughts are always welcome...

EXPERIMENT CONTINUED (Duration = 2 months)

All right! It's been about two months since my last sip of either beer or alcohol. I'm feeling good about this little experiment. My little sister tried her best to unveil my ignorance in trying such an experiment in which the results are already known (i.e. healthier lifestyle, increased energy, and no gut...LOL...and other effects as well). She made me rethink my experiment, but now I've taken the attention away from myself and more on others around me (lightbulb should go off...Ahah!).

Now I'm more concerned with why people are drinking, what really drives them, and the results after it is consumed, especially around a sober FiGZ. This is a similar means of analysis that I used to conclude that strip clubs will never be graced with my presence or dollar bills, as well as why I don't indulge in 420 activities (wink, wink).

What's funny is that it's reminiscent of regular tobacco smokers, who think they're cool, everyone else is doing it so they join, and they make excuses as to why they can never quit. Again I exclude beer and hard liquor (tequila, cognac, etc etc etc) while occasionally partaking in a glass, or two, of wine.

While visiting my little sister a few weeks ago in Tampa, FL after leaving a nightclub my little sister and I got into a little argument, and she was able to get underneath my skin. I was the only sober person out of a group that consisted of myself, younger sister, older sister and her husband, and my little sister's best friend. People who are drunk are so emotional. I was sober, so I was just trying to get back to the apartment to go to sleep. A group of ten or twelve young guys were following us on our walk back to the car and they exchanged a few choice words with my sisters that were very disrespectful. I was trying to keep it moving, but my sister wanted to entertain the conversation. One word led to another and my sister felt that they disrespected me, verbally, so she felt compelled to push one of the guys in the face. I had to cool everyone down before anything started. I would've been outnumbered if it escalated to a physical altercation. On the ride back to the house my sister said some things she apologized for the next, but I did forgive her.

For that reason, I will continue this experiment and plan on stretching it out even further. I'll keep you updated on my thoughts of why others should join me.