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.

D.O.P.A.M.

(Death Of Paper And Magazines)

Jay-Z's release of Death Of Auto-tune (D.O.A.) has sparked the death of all of things from D.O.S.J (Death Of Skinny Jeans) to D.O.S.M (Death Of Stephon Marbury) now I move onto D.O.P.A.M.

There is a quote, unquote revolution on the web that is slowly eradicating published papers, magazines, and even books some what similar to an abrupt "murder-death-kill" as seen and heard from the Sylvester Stallone starred movie Judge Dredd (I know...real random, but that's me). I've been a witness to newly constructed electronic magazines on the web, published magazines that have segued into electronic magazines, and journalists that have left published media into personal blogs and web pages, where their own opinion and voice can be viewed from all across the world. Paper and hard-backed books are on the chopping the block as well with the newer generations of the Kindle. I am a constant supporter of "papyrus", which is my favorite substitution for the word paper. People are buying into these wireless reading devices, and supporting the online revolution. At the end of the day these new advances and paradigm shifts are allowing people to conduct their normal activities and catch things on their own time. Where Videos-on-Demand, DVR, and TV web recaps have flourished so shall web magazines, wireless devices which can hold 300+ books, and personal blogs as well.

What do you think of this revolution? I might choose to highlight specific publications in the future just to give examples...

Good Hair (2009)

This is actually a good documentary coming to a theater near you this upcoming October 2009.

I'm not surprised that Chris Rock has taken on this project, but the reasoning behind it is funny and yet not so funny all at the same time. How could his daughter, who is so young, present that question to him, her father? Who put that thought in her mind at all?

From Spike Lee's short skit of "Good & Bad Hair" in School Daze to 2009 where most African-American women have a fresh perm or an expensive weave/wig, there aren't that many women who fight for the cause of the natural look. Finally, someone is questioning and challenging a common misconception that young women have today.



I'm half African-American/half Puerto-Rican. Always being around my mother's side of the family, which is African-American, and people [especially women now that I think about it] have told me on numerous occasions that I have "good hair".

Hair is hair to me. Some people have thinner hair that just so happens to either curl or most likely fall flat and straight, while there are people on the opposite end of the spectrum that have thicker more fuller hair that is very curly and will not fall flat or straight unless it is forced by chemicals or very hot tools.

I'm intrigued by what Chris Rock has come across while filming this and I hope people go out and support, because he is by far the best of the best when it comes to African-American comedians. If there was a ranking he would be #1. This is a different path for him, but a necessary subject that needs to be addressed.

More than a game

This evening I had the pleasure of viewing a screening of the soon to be released film titled "More Than A Game".

The film follows a group of young men along a journey where they use the game of basketball as a tool to bond with one another, to put their city/state on the map, and to follow through a predetermined goal.

"More Than A Game" is a documentary of the St Vincent St Mary's High School basketball team's Fab Five, which included Lebron James. In my own personal opinion this was the basketball version of the pact on screen and in real life. They all may not have become basketball players in the end but brotherhood bond was molded in the hot couldron of Akron, OH.

The same can be said for many sports-- "it's more than a game"--but here four young men and a coached proved the old adage: "it takes a village to raise a child."

I recommend this for any and everyone. a step up for Lebron over Kobe in Spike Lee's "Kobe Doin' Work". A must see.

I love basketball. Why? Simply because it's more than a game.