WHO THE F * * K IS "WE ?!"

"He got the ball and is now on the move. He navigated across the field with great finesse, carefully controlling each move and out pacing his opponents with ease. He spent many hours practicing and perfecting his skills. All the hard work will pay off in one week when the finals arrive if he and his team can perform on that day the way he did today". Am I talking about Baseball, Basketball,Football or Soccer ? No, Im talking about Robotics.

I sat this year as I did last year watching and coaching my son and other children preparing for the upcoming BEST Robotics http://best.eng.auburn.edu/competition at Southern Poly Tech here in GA., which is a school for engineering, where they finished 10th overall out of about 35 competing schools. They were only 1 of 5 middle schools who competed against mostly all high schools. I ask myself, Why do we spend so much time brainwashing our children into thinking they need to play sports or entertain in order to be successful while putting athletes on pedestals directly in front of them ?
We are loosing our academic edge in the world. I found out that engineers have to be imported from other countries in order to fill positions in this country because we don't have enough.

How many people will you meet who will say "I was a engineering major in college but i decided to do something else", not many ; however you will meet a ton of men who will say," I used to play football in college but I couldn't cut it."We just don't put enough importance on education
and specialized fields. If a father can coach his son to be the best basketball player by making him practice everyday why cant we do the same thing with engineers
or any other field of choice ?

I reflect back to last year when a school could not attend the competition because they didn't have transportation to get to the event yet the football team from that school had three buses for themselves and the cheerleaders to get to their game the next day. What kind of message does that send from the school and the parents?

As my sons baseball coach who by the way is a great baseball player who also had the highest batting average on his teams in past years, I found it amazing how whenever other kids would speak about who their favorite professional player was ,he was criticized and ridiculed for having no clue as too who any of the players were. The kids all laughed at him as though there was something wrong with him not keeping up with the statistics of players who they may never meet or get a paycheck from. I had to take the time and explain to him that those things are not important and why, despite what they said. Fortunately, I am my sons hero and role model so he listened to me and not them.

Adults are brainwashing their own kids to worship the wrong things directly and in-directly.
You better believe they are watching you sit and cheer an athlete or swoon over an entertainer. The messages we send by our behavior is dangerous and helping to continue our deterioration as a society particularly as it pertains to education. There is nothing wrong with entertainment but some people worship these things like a drug addict loves crack. I listen to my own peers , "Grown Ass Men watching a game on T.V. and when a team wins or loses they say," We Won" or
"We Lost ". I am amazed by this behavior because last I checked they don't work for the NFL ,NBA, MLB or any of the other alphabets that describe sports and will not be receiving a check after that days game. These people get angry at a loss while armchair quarterbacking as though they were in the game themselves.

If we put that much energy and emphasis toward Kids learning to read and be productive instead of performing like a racehorse, I can only imagine where we would be as a society and as a black man , where our culture would be as a people ,by now. It seems that no one cares about academics anymore. Most kids will never be pro anything and there is nothing worse than seeing a grown man still trying to relive his high school or college days imagining he is in the NFL while his kid stands by learning to read rushing yards rather than quantum physics...its pathetic.

THE Mo-NIQUE SHOW

Yesterday I went to a taping of the new B.E.T. late night talk show Mo Nique. First I have never seen an episode of the show on television. I have heard all the complaints and jokes about her screaming and yelling mixed in with a bunch of "baby this" and "honey that". We entered the studio and it was freezing in there. The hype man was working the room before the show and was very accommodating really funny. He got the crowd hyped. The co-host pissed me off a little though
when he called me "The Thugged Out Guy" while going through the audience trying to get people to do the Beyonce dance. I was like, "you Effin assh@!e". I really did gain a new respect for Monique. I love her humility and the fact that she is in full support of Black Media. I hope that Mo Nique's presence on B.E.T. will offset all the negative programming that has been there in the past due to change in ownership.

It has become critical that the Black community has its own media outlets and are able to address issues that are pertinent to us as a community. We take our cue from other media outlets with mainstream news and T.V. shows ,which removes our ability to control our own image. This allows the powers that be to make us appear in whatever light they choose,good or bad, usually bad. It is at the very least careless and destructive on our part to have another group of people who don't have our best interest at hand, depict us in ways that are inaccurate and demeaning. I have come to learn that people love carnage. Misery loves company Black or White, So whenever there is a train wreck, you can count on human nature to fuel the need to not want too look, yet not want to look away, along with feeding into the inaccuracies and lies while transforming the lies into the truth.

I have been interviewed countless times in the news and media and I can tell you first hand that rarely is the story ever reported the way it was given. News agencies have little need to be accurate anymore, unless there is a possibility for them to be sued and even then the disclaimer or retraction is so small and forgetful it doesn't matter anyway. News is a business and it sells well ,so the more dramatic it is the more people watch it which is why advertisers pay big money to peddle their goods along side whatever is popular.

Wait, Hold the presses...............I just got off the phone having spoke with a young lady from B.E.T. who controls tickets and media for the upcoming Soul Train Awards. She denied me and my company Urban Arts Enterprises access to the event because we don't fit the criteria of a news agency they are looking for. Now...........here is a prime example of what I mean. A new up and coming news outlet for us by us and we were denied. That's o.k. the pen is mightier than the sword and I will have my day soon enough as we reach out to all people of color. Those who deny us and attempt to hide behind their coat tail of arrogance will be held accountable no matter how big or small. This just got personal !

FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE B.E.T. HIP HOP AWARDS

As I approach the entrance to the presidentially secured B.E.T. Hip Hop Awards held in Atlanta over the weekend riding through the crowd on a golf cart that reminded me of an episode of the Little Rascals from my childhood. We approached a large crowd of people gathered around trying desperately to gain entrance to the grounds of the Atlanta Civic Center. Security was super tight and if you weren't prepared and holding the right credentials you weren't going anywhere. Celebrities including Joe Torre the well known comedian and actor almost didn't get in at all.
I was at the presidential Inauguration and it wasn't as bad as this. Suddenly I heard a voice in the crowd burst out very loudly and deliberately................
"I AM THE GREATEST PROMOTER ALIVE AND I DO EXIST IN REAL LIFE."
He repeated this chant several more times at the top of his lungs as we passed and went on in down almost two blocks to the Red Carpet. I had to pull teeth to get into this event at the last minute, but I was able to pull it off.


I had arrived a little later than I intended because of all the red tape, but better late than never. I stood out there at the front of the entrance of the event and got lots of great shots of the famous and the not so famous exiting their limos and entering the venue.
I was feeling pretty good about myself for getting where I was without the proper credentials.
I shot til I was tired and the last of the celebs who straggled in at the last possible moment arrived. I began my walk to the exit to get back to the truck and the rest of the crew so we could move on to the next event. I got to the exit of the perimeter barricades set up by Atlanta's finest
and stopped to take pics of all the last minute seat fillers and some of Atlanta's finest dimes dressed to the nines as they strolled to the gate to get their chance to attend the awards.

Then .....I heard it again.....
"I AM THE GREATEST PROMOTER ALIVE AND I DO EXIST IN REAL LIFE !" The security and B.E.T. staff were making jokes while the people outside the gate were having a great time at his expense as well. I joined in with a joke and comment or two myself. He was poised in plain sight to anyone who could possibly see him and undoubtedly hear him.
"I AM THE GREATEST PROMOTER ALIVE AND I DO EXIST IN REAL LIFE !"
He was holding above his head a large white sign with big blue letters on it. They appeared to be artist that he may be or may have promoted at some time or another. As I recall two of the names looked familiar however I was too caught up in my own work to remember.
He may have even been telling the truth since i did witness a B.E.T. producer who couldn't even gain access without working very hard to do so.

Finally I'm about ready to get back to the truck where everyone is waiting for me to finish up so we can have dinner before the next event that night which was an after party where several celebrities were scheduled to appear. We had just enough time to eat and chill a little.
Just then.............
"I AM THE GREATEST PROMOTER ALIVE AND I DO EXIST IN REAL LIFE!" I paused and thought to myself.......... If you truly are the greatest promoter alive and you do exist in real life, ...then why are you standing out here two blocks away and not in there? I had finally had enough and needed to eat. I meet up with the crew they were all loaded up in the truck ready to go. We went to have the closest thing you can get to an authentic Chicago Style deep dish pizza at Nancey's on Peachtree. We got there and ordered our pizza and all of a sudden it hit me,
"I AM THE GREATEST PROMOTER ALIVE AND I DO EXIST IN REAL LIFE !"
That chant was stuck in my head like the hook to a bad song that you hate but you cant get rid of. Stuck ........like a piece of well chewed bubble gum on the bottom of your shoe that only gets worse the more you try to get it off. Suddenly I felt like the biggest fool on the planet. Here was a dude who was willing to do what no one else was and didnt give a damn what anyone said.
Here is a man that believed every word that came out of his mouth. This cat had drive and conviction and again he said,
"I AM THE GREATEST PROMOTER ALIVE AND I DO EXIST IN REAL LIFE !",
like he meant it. He did mean it , he was serious while everyone else joked. The more I think about it....... I believe it. Instead of clowning I should have gave him my card and told him to call me. I could use a motivated hype man like that in my business. Through my own stupid arrogance I did not take one single solitary picture of this man. My loss. Whoever he does promote I am willing to bet you, we will hear from him again. It takes seven interactions or Seven times to hear something before it really sticks with people. What he said stuck,
"I AM THE GREATEST PROMOTER ALIVE AND I DO EXIST IN REAL LIFE"!
I wont soon forget that statement or him.

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not".
"If you really put a small value upon yourself,
rest assured that the world will not raise your price".
and lastly............
Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right. ~Henry Ford

Please readers, Believe in yourself even if no one else does.

"GOOD HAIR" .....THE ROOTS - NO SPOILER

Yesterday I went to see the Chris Rock movie "Good Hair". I was hoping for a different feeling when the movie ended but to no avail. I was as disturbed when it was over as I was before it began, but for somewhat different reasons. I was hoping that this movie would help dispel the legendary myths and misconceptions of what good hair is. It did get to some of the roots but it didn't get the "Kitchen" straight. For those of my readers that don't know ,the kitchen is that part of the hair line all the way in the back along the neck,where people of colors hair has a tendency to be a little tighter in texture. See the real root of this problem begins with black peoples conditioning much like the conditioner we use to make hair manageable. Black people have been conditioned for centuries to be more manageable. The saddest thing is that every time we ever tried to grow to be more natural more conditioner is applied and we return to being more manageable.

Black people often fear their own hair in corporate America, because if worn in its natural state
it can become distracting to those who find it offensive, for example, white people and many blacks who like to use the term "Nappy". The same white people who have a best friend who is black and black people who feel that a person with natural hair shouldn't be taken seriously because they arent assimilating and having low self esteem the way they do.

The idea of "Good Hair" comes from a certain attitude held by those that are either white or assimilate to being white. There is no such thing as good hair. There is only your hair and my hair and whatever texture of hair we posses is good hair because it is ours and is a part of our individual make-up. To imply that one person has better hair than another is to deny that person the comfort and ability to be themselves. I wish more people had better self esteem and cared more about pleasing themselves than others.

Now.................lets get to "The Weave". The long and short of it is that I love black women.
I dont really care if a woman wears a weave if it makes her feel better ;however,
I only wish they loved themselves and their people enough to realize the economic impact that buying weave and supporting so many others who use foul business tactics to keep us out of the market that they so vigorously support. If we could all get together and have a "Weave Out"
for 3 to 6 months or even a year the landscape for black business owners in the hair care industry would change. There are hardly any Black hair care manufacturers or beauty supply stores left in America because they have either been driven out or just plain sold out.

A move like this would change the ecosystem that has evolved into a multi-million dollar windfall for everyone in the industry except black people,who are the prodominate users of the products. The Indians and Asians have a lock on this market for one reason and one reason only "Unity". Unity is something not seen in the black community since the 60s and even then there was division amoung the ranks for so many reasons I cant name them all in this blog. They stick together to keep others out and control the market like a well run drug cartel.
By and large black women are the end users or the products. The consumer, The weave Addict.

We need to be the importers, processors, distributers, wholesalers and retailers for the products that we use more than anyone on the planet to the tune of billions. Black women are like the crack-heads of the 80s and 90s when it comes to Hair care products and especially hair weave. Some use it but far too many abuse it.

Maybe I should follow the American Gangster story and do what Frank Lucas did. I should go directly to the source. Go directly to India and spend 2 or 3 hundred thousand on some hair and bring it back to sell in the states. Then I would become the hair King Pin. The only difference is
this is legal and we all know money talks in poverty stricken communities World-wide. I dont know jacksh!t about hair, but Im gonna give it some thought after I save a little more money. When it come to black women and hair weave we all know its here to stay.

In the movie Rev. Al sharpton made a very important point
Women are wearing their oppression on their head.
If you dont know what that means , go see the movie.

HERES TO YOUR HEALTH

How is your health and do you consider yourself to be a healthy person?
I attended a meeting not long ago for my daughter’s annual high school orchestra trip. They were going to Florida to play and attend the symphony in Tampa. The schools instructors and chaperons were there to explain to us parents ,what was required of each student in regard too clothing snacks and behavior and so on, the usual stuff. One thing about the conversation stood out to me and got me thinking. They made it very necessary to remind each parent and student that there was to be no smoking or drugs allowed on the trip, unless they were prescription
and if they were prescription drugs they had to give them to the chaperons for safe keeping.

After a few minutes of what I finally realized was a lengthy question and answer period on the subject, it occurred to me that there are a lot of kids that are very medicated. The conversation then turned to kids with allergies to foods and as well as other things.
Now, I’m thinking ……Damn! “I remember when I was in school and there may have been one or two kids in the whole school that was allergic to something and nobody made a big deal about it. When did we evolve into a society of sick people that have negative reactions to the world around us ? If these kids are this screwed up now, I feel sorry for their kids and the following generations.

What’s next?
People have gotten so used to poisoning themselves we think its normal.
Medicating children is the biggest cop out on parenting I have ever witnessed.
Then we ask how these people become drug addicts as teenagers. People just need to be honest with themselves and admit they are lazy and looking for somewhere to place the blame for their buck passing and faulty parenting. These people lack the ability to raise children and I wish there was a way for them to return these kids, no harm, no foul, with an apology admitting they didn’t realize what they were getting into and just cant cut it.

Poisoning ourselves and our children has become acceptable just as so many other bad things have. Why do people smoke?
It stinks, causes cancer and is just plain nasty.
It cracks me up to see people driving down the street with their car window down trying to keep the smoke out of their car and to keep the smoke from permeating the interior. That says to me that the car seats are more important than their lungs.
My thinking is, why not just go stand inside a burning building and get it over with.
There was a time when cigarette commercials had a claim, that certain brands
were the most recommended by doctors. Smoking was portrayed as glamorous.
Now, smoking is banned in many public places because of public health and safety.
I do not pass judgment on anyone, to each his or her own, but I see no value or sense in it.
I have asked many smokers why they smoke. The usual answer is my nerves. or it alms me down. That has to be the most idiotic compulsory B.S. answer they can think of.
If smoking was necessary for us to live and have good nerves it would have come built into the human body.

The food we consume these days is mostly
hormone injected, steroid pumped, preservative filled, chemically tainted, genetically altered poison. Lots of people say, ” It was good enough for my grandparents it good enough for me.”
I guarantee you this food is not the same and is far from its natural state by the time we get it
and is nothing like what our parents or grand-parents consumed.
To prove it to you, go try to buy a chicken from your local grocery store; then go to a health food store and buy an organic chicken that is free from hormones and preservatives and you will see a big difference in cost.

It cost more money to eat healthy than it does to poison yourself everyday.
Have you ever wondered why the food and drug administration are one in the same?
They approve the poison we feed our families then approve the medical poison to repair the damage done by the first poison and its all approved, funded and certified by Uncle Sam.
Have you ever asked why they have started to advertise drugs on television? As though we have the ability to diagnose and medicate ourselves. They tell you to ask your doctor for the medication. What the hell is that about?
The funniest part is when they tell you about the drug in the commercial there is a tongue twister at the end to tell you about
all the side effects which are usually worse that the problem you had to begin with.

Cancer is being diagnosed at an all time high in this country, why?
Most of us live a toxic lifestyle and just don’t get it. Consuming poison is as easy as ever with fast food, microwaves, people not working out, not walking or even breaking a sweat. The human body is designed to care for itself but you have to give it what it needs to keep it running. You know your car runs on gas; would you put water in the gas tank?
People value their car more that they do their own body. The say you are what you eat.
Im my personal opinion it leads me to believe this is a very good argument for the increase of gay men and masculine women. Our bodies require maintenance of the delicate balance that they were designed with, yet for some, the consumption of foods that were injected with hormones or steroids is enough to create an imbalance that could cause one to be gender challenged. It is destroying your bodies eco-system.

The old saying still holds true “Anything worth having is worth working for”
Take care of yourselves
You get one life and one body. Treat it like your car.
Keep it clean do regular maintenance and use only premium fuel.

THE EVOLUTION OF NORMAL OR NORMAL EVOLUTION ?

Are we breaking new ground or digging our own graves ?
I can remember when things were very different and I know there are those who can remember back further than I can. We have come a long way in a very short time historically. Although I remain optomistic ,I fear we are going nowhere really fast.
Remember when music had meaning ? When songs from the 60s or 70s were playing there was never a need to say anything directly, most of it was metaphoric and it allowed you to think and go inside yourself to find your own personal connection to the song.
You knew exactly what message was being conveyed.
The suggestion was quite clear.
Today on the other hand its direct and to the point with no creative process to speak of. Young people these days have nothing to draw from in the music except B!&@h this and H@e that or some video to show you how to make it rain and teaching the subtleties of "Trickin". Why is that a problem you ask ? Well..........the music during the time when I grew up gave us an opportunity to understand how to talk to a women. It gave women an opportunity to learn the game of cat and mouse. These people helped to lay a great part of the foundation for many men my age to be smooth but firm and move slow yet deliberately whenever we were with a woman. The young ladies have become accustomed to acting the way they think is acceptable, therefore they have become faster and bolder and will not hesitate to drop it like its hot at 14.
Low self esteem is at an all time high for a number of reasons which would take hours to lay out.
This is a blog not a book.

Young men these days are like bulls in a china shop, sadly the young ladies dont know any better either and are overly accepting of these behaviors. Too many men these days have allowed money to trick them into a falsde sense of security. They think all women and all things can be bought. Many have been groomed and molded by society to believe that. If you are a man with money and you are weak, you are a weak man with money. These guys will find out that at one point or another that the way they start is the way they will finish. If you get a woman by flashing money you will have golddigger on some level or another and when the next man with more money comes along or he loses his money, he will lose his woman or women. On the other hand, if he gets a woman by being himself she may leave him, but she wont leave him because the next guy is a better him. Its not possible. Dont misunderstand and think that I have forgotten the lessons that come from home, but everyone didnt get these lessons from role modles and had to figure some stuff out on their own, even moreso today along with all the bad information that is being shared. They are a lot worse off today than we were 20 or 30 years ago. Music plays a role in molding a large portion of our lives. They say that certain songs are the sound track to your life and no two are ever the same.

I know we live in a fast growning society with text messages ,emails ,blackberrys and all other sorts of communication devices but with all of that technology we are losing our ability to communicate. The human element is being lost and it is causing people to remove themselves from the realities of everyday existance. I told my teenaged daughters " Whenever a young man wants to get to know you , do not allow him to text you." This helps to teach him to respect you as a person. Sometimes we have to groom people to treat us the way we want to be treated and that is a good start. People will do to you only what you allow them to do. You need to hear the way a person expresses themselves and the tone in their voice so that if there is one, you will find whatever connection you have to that person. If they cant do that then they are being lazy and intend to treat you the same as they treat everyone else which is not a good start.
Someone has to maintain some standards.

When the abnormal becomes normal I think we are in deep trouble. There was a time when people respected the elderly, even the thugs and criminals..... and they better not catch you messin with Mrs. johnson or else you were gonna catch a bad one. There was a time when You fought your enemies and when the best man won it was over. You got up, went home and patched yourself up. From that day forward you respected your opponent and your opponent respected you.
Some of the greatest friendships have been forged from good fights. Unfortunatly,today it can be a death sentance.
It has become normal for a 15 year old to have a baby shower when she becomes pregnant. Im not saying they should be removed from society but what kind of message have we sent. We have started to use A.D.D. medicine and other prescribed pharacuticles as a means of raising kids because we have become weak, complacent and lazy as parents with even less tools for understanding the psychology of our own children. If we cant raise good kids with our wit and the ability to think faster and further than them, what kind of example are we setting
as parents ? A good old fashioned ass whoopin helps too.

A great portion of this is the fault of the people in my age group. We raised this generation and they are taking things to a whole other level cause we let them. The genie is out of the bottle and he has no intention of going back. The next generation will do one of two things, they will either get worse and in our lifetime we will see people do foul things that at one time were unimaginable or they wil have seen enough and realize that humanity will only stand for so much before we become something similar to wild animals with the ability to use technology
..................So again we Evolve

SLEEP BEHIND THE WHEEL

This morning as I returned from taking the kids to school, I was traveling down a two lane road
that dead ends at a stop light and I thought to myself while sitting there, that traffic seemed unusually backed up. As I rounded the curve in the road i noticed a car in the middle of the road with the hazard lights flashing and no occupant in sight. I knew then that the car was the reason that traffic was backed up more than usual this morning. Well to my surprise I was wrong ! I was about 10 or 15 cars behind the broken down Cadillac and amazingly enough, car after car pulled directly behind this car as though there was a driver and they were waiting for the light to change. Some of these people sat there for long periods of time and the car wasn't even near the stop light. One lady even blew her horn at the derelict vehicle. So many cars had gone around the car already that there was a clear path in the grassy area to the right of the vehicle. I am amazed that so few people actually pay any attention to what is in front of them.

I think this is indicative of the way people live their lives. I have come to the conclusion that the average person would rather follow someone else than open their own eyes and make their own path. Why is it that so many rely on information given to them by someone else ? Is it laziness, stupidity, or just not knowing any better ? Information is only as good as its source so be careful who you trust to listen too. I think it's all of the above. People can be like zombies and just follow a routine like a worker ant and "stick to the program" so tightly that they lose the ability to make decisions or use rational thought. The school system is making it worse by teaching kids curriculum in standardized form. Every child doesn't learn the same and if they don't fit the mold that has been set for everyone to follow they are deemed as slow learners or need teaching assistance. Most of the people that come up with this crap don't even have kids, if they did they would know better. I know several public school teachers who's children are home schooled. What does that say about what these kids are being taught ? Sadly the public school teachers are told to teach to the tests that will be administered. Our future will be filled with worker bees with little or no creativity with limited cognitive skills. Common sense is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Kids in school rarely go to any kind of P.E. classes, are limited in the arts and are for some reason learning less. Yet these are the standards that have been set for our children and we are letting it happen. We are the beginning of the end.
All too often we find ourselves following people who don't have a clue where they are going, sadly we find that out after we have been sitting there for far too long already. We all know somebody that thinks they are smarter than they really are.

Kids now are made to believe everything should be fair. Nothing is fair in the real world weather win or you lose. Life is not fair you take the good with the bad. Winners do their homework, they try harder, they do what others wont and sometimes, not often, but sometimes they lose. I had the pleasure of coaching little league baseball for the last few years, but one thing always bothered me. I had too put every kid in every game for a certain period of time no matter what. Even if this kid couldn't see the ball let alone catch or hit it. It didn't matter. This raises a concern for me and it should for others.

Why should we encourage our children to be mediocre? When a person thinks everything should be fair it takes away the need to be better and work harder. If someone just gives me things and rewards my nothingness ,what do i have to work for ? I can just show up and ill be considered as good as everyone else. We know that's crap ! But this is the way too many of us are raising our kids who grow up with a spoiled attitude , limited abilities and a sense of entitlement that is very misplaced. There is nothing like the payoff from hard work. If you want your kids to have self esteem, show them how to work and let them see the results of their work, the fruit of their labor and you will have solid human beings that will lead productive lives. They will know that if you want to be successful in the real world you have to work and do what others wont. Kids need to learn that as soon as they are able to comprehend. Only the strong survive and we will be building a better America and seeing it rise to the full potential of its inhabitants.

Mediocrity should not be rewarded and second place is always the first loser.
Wake up people and stop pulling up behind stalled cars