What Were You Thinking ?!?! #5 (NBA Administration)
OK.. I understand and actually agree with the suspension placed on Arenas and Crittenton. However, I DO NOT think the rest of the NBA players, nor sponsors, should be held in contempt for two individuals that did not utilize proper judgement.
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are featured in a new Nike Ad. In which they are describing their passion and dedication to winning and the game. Kobe's quote says,
“I’ll do whatever it takes to win games. I don’t leave anything in the chamber.”
OH NO... HE SAID "CHAMBER"... A Chamber relates to guns.. You do the math. So are we not allowed to say, he "shot" the ball anymore? The NBA is going at Nike now saying,
“We had no prior notice of this ad,” spokesman Tim Frank said. “We think it is inappropriate.”
Are you serious? You've already punished the people for the crime, now you're holding everyone else liable to enforce sensitivity to the situation?
If you really want to get down to it, why don't you just ban alcohol? That's normally a precursor or an aid in voilence isn't it? Since we're being "sensitive" to the situation. Allusions to guns throught marketing, as long as I've been alive, have never caused a violent crime, but someone getting too drunk definitely have.
From my understanding, teams can't even play card games on the airplane anymore. They're actually regulating what GROWN MEN can do during trips now? First the dress code, now no "go fish"? Come on..
Here's the original article for you to determine your own point of view..
Kobe-LeBron Nike ad features gun language
What were you doing at 9?
I read this story and it truly touched my heart. I can't remember anything but good times in my life at 9. That was the first time I went to Disney World, I was in the 3rd grade, had a lot of friends, life was grand. So when I read that a 9 year old hung themselves in the bathroom at school, I couldn't even think what would drive a child to do this. I can't imagine what will go through the minds of these parents. I know they will dissect every second that they spent trying to identify signs that this might be about to occur. But it will still be too late.
9 year old boy hangs self in bathroom
What is going on people? I don't understand. There were things that I didn't even know EXISTED when I was 9. Are we so desensitized and surrounded by violence now that kids know of ways to take themselves out if they want to? I think the most violent thing I watched at 9 was Tom and Jerry. I get nervous when my 2 boys (5 and 4) run around the house talking about "blasting and light sabres" from lego star wars. They get rambunctious enough with just that. I couldn't imagine letting them see the real thing with people getting their hands sliced off, sons killing fathers, mentally choking the life out of people, etc. Even the GI Joe movie and Transformers were too adult for kids to watch, but daily my son comes home from school asking if he can watch it because his little friends were playing it, or discussing it on the playground and he feels left out.
You can control only so much in your own home. What happens when you let your children go out into the world and the others that surround them teach them of these "worldly things?" Daily, my oldest child comes home with questions about things that we'd prefer him not know about. But to not answer those questions is like sending him to war without "weapons", so you must prepare them. I'd rather him learn the truth from me, so that I can introduce him to certain topics and ideas properly and accurately, than another child brutally take his innocence away from him by giving him misinformation.
I think as parents that we need to be more involved with our children. I mean truly involved. We always like to blame what we do during our days (work) with why we don't have time to do things. But we're to the point now to where our children are coming up in a very "adult-oriented" world. Children are experimenting with sex younger and younger, and children are also learning of violence at a younger age. A lot of children aren't able to handle the world we live in, they can't separate fact and fiction. If violence is all they're surrounded with, they can't foster any hope or positivity. They think all of the world is evil and it will only get worse. They're not allowed to stay innocent children anymore, so for their own sake, TEACH THEM!! They're being stripped of their childhoods by being introduced to the "world" too soon. Do you know what your child did today at school? Ask them about their day, who their friends are, what they like to do. BE INVOLVED!!!
When I went to Jr. High, I had it pretty rough due to my weight and I was considered "nerdy." I got picked on daily.. That was a very rough time for me. Every kid, I'm sure, has a story of a rough period they had to endure going through their scholastic careers. If not, they were probably the ones picking on kids like me. How those that are picked on deal with it normally has to do with the support system they have, or the relationship they have with those that they can trust enough to come to. So many of us assume that we know our kids, but there's so much that goes on throughout the day that they either don't tell or would rather forget. Protect your children, give them knowlege, nurture them for as long as you can.
Then there's the kids that are doing things they know are wrong, but fear rebelling against their peers for fear of being picked on as well. The "If you can't beat'em join'em mentality". That's just as bad. Kids will end up doing something that could potentially shape the rest of their lives. Give them an avenue to escape. Show them an alternative. Let them know you're there to protect them. SHOW SOME INTEREST IN YOUR CHILD!!!
A conversation could save your child's life.
Experience Haiti – Help Haiti
For those of us that have been under a rock, or don't watch the news, on January 12, a series of earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 6.5 to 7.3 devastated Haiti. Hundreds of Thousands of people were displaced, killed and affected by these earthquakes. This is ranked as one of the worst natural disasters of all time.
Not all of us have the luxury of actually going to Haiti to lend a helping hand to those that suffered loss due to the Earthquake.. But technology allows us to see see the destruction caused by this natural disaster..
Visit Haiti 360 - Driving down the street
Use your mouse to pause and unpause the action and then you can look in a 360 degree view of the devastation that hit Haiti. You can see buildings still stand, and other buildings that are just leveled right next to them.. Notice all of the people that are displaced walking on the sides of the roads. This was shot in Port-Au-Prince on Jan 18th..
Visit Haiti 360 - Walking Among the People
This gives you a closer look of what is happening to those families that are displaced due to this tragedy. Imagine being removed from your home one day, and being driven to living on the street in a plastic covered tent. That plastic being the only thing that separates you from the elements. And as you can see, the ones with even that plastic are rare, most people are just laying on the ground without even that.
Visit Haiti 360 - Highly Affected Area
The last stop on the trip is a highly affected region of Port-Au-Prince. You can get up close and personal with the visuals of this catastrophic event. Can you imagine having nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, the very earth beneath your feet quivering? I don't even think our imaginations can place us or even conceive of what these people had to go through and are still going through. To lose so many loved ones and still have hope, or HAVE to remain positive just to be able to make it from day to day.
My heart goes out to each and every person affected by this tragedy and hopefuly these visuals will promote someone to send more aid their way. Remember, just because it's not on the nightly news doesn't mean that the situation is over. Reconstruction will take a LONG time for this area. They are still rebuilding Louisiana from Katrina. Please continue helping. If you're looking for a cause to devote yourself to, this would be an excellent one. Get intimate with the situation. DO SOMETHING!!!
Just imagine if people didn't help, this kid who was saved after 8 days, would have never seen the light of day again. This is probably the most famous image of this disaster thus far, but there are still so many that need to be saved.
Red Cross - Haiti Relief and Development
Wyclef - Yele Haiti
If there are other links that you guys know of, please feel free to add them to your comments.. The more avenues of aid the better..
What Were You Thinking?!?! #1 (HP)
HP - To produce face recognition software for your webcams that don't recognize darker faces due to "lack of contrast" from eyes and cheeks? So our color is now referred to as "insufficient foreground lighting".... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!! I'm sorry.. And all this time I thought I was black in any lighting.
HP Face Tracking Webcams Don't Recognize Black People
We are working with our partners to learn more. The technology we use is built on standard algorithms that measure the difference in intensity of contrast between the eyes and the upper cheek and nose. We believe that the camera might have difficulty "seeing" contrast in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting.
It’s Been Proven, iPhone Users Are Delusional
I KNEW IT!!!
How could you justify and DEFEND having a phone that doesn't even have a removable battery? This report states that iPhone users are certified DELUSIONAL.. HA!!!
Study: iPhone Users Are Delusional
This is great.
CNet reports that Strand Consult recently did a little research into the average iPhone user and found that they'll defend the device because they're delusional. In fact, the folks at Strand even went as far as to liken iPhone-users' behavior to that of those suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Strand found that iPhone-owners have "accepted and defended" the iPhone's technological shortcomings even though these shortcomings can result in limitations in users' daily lives.
I get so tired of seeing the "We've Got An App For That" commercials as if other phones and operating systems don't have apps as well. I give it to Apple for marketing, because people don't know what they don't see. They focus so much on what they can do, that owners completely ignore, or justify what it can't do.
Blackberry is my phone of choice because it just WORKS, but I don't assume that other phones don't work because I have a blackberry, nor choose to ostracize any other usergroup of phones. Apple is just superior at spending marketing dollars for their apps as well as integration with their other products.
I'd personally rather have a phone that could keep up with me speedwise and not affect my productivity. Which iPhone can do neither with it's limited 3G locales (forced to use AT&T as of this writing) and inability to multi-task. Before I went with Blackberry, I was with Windows Mobile for 3 years. That phone and OS I can honestly say was a good phone (for my purposes) until it started having memory issues and it's technology became outdated.
What Apple would have you believe is that other phones can support apps or have just as many USABLE apps for their phones as well. I haven't thought of an application that I've wanted and it wasn't created in some respect. In both Windows Mobile phones and Blackberry you can also create applications if you know the programming language, just like iPhones as well.
Go For the Jugular!! Tiger Used HGH Too!!
Now they're angling to try to discredit Tiger on the course as well? This is really getting out of hand.
Doctor being investigated in PED probe
A doctor that treated Tiger Woods after his knee surgery in 2008 was found w/ HGH (an admitted user himself for 10 years) and Actovegin was arrested in October for having it in his bag at the US and Canada border.
So of course now an investigation is pending and guess who's involved.. "Tiger Tiger Woods ya'll." Man the media is really angling on this one. They're trying to systematically bring this man down and ruin his image. He got too successful, too fast.
"He HAD to have an advantage right? I mean, he couldn't have just been THAT good right?"
Give me a break.. Give HIM a break.. What is the media really after? Do they want to see this man committ suicide or something? That's where you're pushing him.. You've already successfully helped rip his family from him by trying to unearth and listen to ANY woman that has said she had any kind of relationship with him. Ok, so he cheated, the only thing you're accomplishing now is making it more impossible for him to rectify his mistakes and salvage any kind of relationship with his family. That is not the media's place. They are to inform, not investigate and ostracize. And it's not society's place to pass judgement on his personal life.. Enjoy how he plays golf, and leave the rest up to him to sort out.
You should be ashamed..
First Michael, Now Tiger?!?! When Will It End?
Ok.. I wasn't going to get involved with the whole Tiger Woods thing, but THIS??? THIS RIGHT HERE?!?!?! I don't see where this congressman gets off removing his support for passing legislature to give him a Congressional Gold Medal because of his private life mistakes. He's DEFINITELY not the first to make mistakes and be backed by Congress.. Um, I'd say 100% of Congress themselves did something shiesty to get where they are.
Check this out..Congressman drops effort to honor Tiger Woods
And I quote:
Democratic Rep. Joe Baca proposed legislation in March that called for the golfer to be recognized for promoting good sportsmanship and breaking down barriers in the sport.
Baca said in a statement Wednesday that “in light of the recent developments surrounding Tiger Woods and his family,” he won’t pursue legislation this session to give him the award.
Um... Ok.. I understand that he supposedly cheated on his wife with an alleged 11 women, but how does that affect the sportsmanship that he's shown towards other golfers, OR the barriers that he's broken for the sport? He should still get his award. Are they going to force him to return the trophies he's won since 2007 as well? This is getting rediculous. Now every woman that has brushed up against him in passing is saying they had a sexual encounter with this man. If you were a white female in Vegas during 2007, you probably had a sexual encounter with Tiger Woods at this point. COME ON. "I ain't buyin it..."
First Michael Jackson was denied, and now Tiger Woods.. The reasons they are thought to be nominated for the awards have NOTHING to do with why they are denied. Imperfect citizens have won this award I'm sure. Can someone say ELVIS PRESLEY, who they used to call the DEVIL himself for his dancing, and he had alleged romps with minors as well. FRANK SINATRA was allegedly tied to the MAFIA. JOHNNY CASH was a known drug addict. Can someone please explain this to me?
Here's some info for those that would argue with me..Congress Disses Michael Jackson, Lets Elvis Slide!
Makes you say "hmmmmmmmmmmmm" doesn't it?
I GUARANTEE, the next time he's on ANY channel people are going to watch him play, whether to root him on, or to see if he fails. Personally, I hope he goes back to the Tiger that was whooping folks by 15 strokes. That was HIGHLY entertaining to see all the other golfers on the cards frustrated because they knew they were playing for second place.. When have you seen galleries as large in golf EVER? Jack Nicolaus, the greatest EVER (even Tiger's idol) never drew crowds as large as he does. People that don't even understand the rules love Tiger Woods.
The thing that I've said since this started is I sure hate it for all other golfers in the world.. Because when an elite athlete such as he has something like this happen, they come back 50 times stronger in their sport. Look at Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Shaquille O'Neal, Dwayne Wade, just to name a few. They are told to stay out of the media and not draw attention to themselves, and focus on playing their games. If they're as good as they are with major distractions, once those are removed, and they're focused on their sports and nothing else.... "Beast mode activated."
Not In My Neighborhood
When I moved to Wylie in '04 I saw the growth and potential of the area. Heard birds chriping in the trees, and saw all of the empty housing plots, as I was the 7th house on the block. I envisioned seeing my kids play in the front yard and us tossing around the ball and yelling, "Hello" to the neighbors and all of our kids playing football in the street as I did as a kid in DeSoto.
Well, while reading the news today, I came across a story that popped my metaphorical "bubble" and brought be back to the harsh reality of today's society. Even in the serene city of Wylie, evil lurks and rears it's ugly head. This is a cruel world we live in people. And just when you begin to relax and think you're safe, something like this can happen.
As a parent, husband and PERSON, this is HORRENDOUS!! I mean seriously, this man was a father of 3 and can't even go into his front yard and correct some vagrants that are driving crazily in a residential area? They could have caused harm to themselves, let alone kids that may have been playing in the streets. As someone that has a modified car, I know how dangerous those cars can be and I chose to exercise some SENSE when driving in residential areas. Acts like these are the reason that the majority of the population shy away from the modding scene, or think we're a bunch of idiots.
I feel for this man's family first because they lost a key figure in their household. However, I also feel for the people that did this because I can only imagine the type of parents that raised these kids. To murder someone for correcting you? To leave, then come back and beat a man to death, that means they went and thought about it, and thought that was a proper course of action to take as a collective group. At no point as a teen did I ever think of killing anyone for ANY reason. Nothing was that serious. Maybe that is why my parents didn't even allow me to ride in vehicles with other teenage drivers.
I ask you, are we not allowed to protect our homes from people that show no good sense? This man didn't show any violent tendencies, nor contempt towards these kids, eventhough I beleive that may have been what they needed. (Spare the rod, spoil the child) Do we have to start wearing our handguns on our hip when we walk out the front door now for fear someone might sneak up behind us and hit us over the head? Even when he was being beaten, he didn't fight back because they were kids. I'll tell you now, he's a "better man" than me.. But a "better man" is now dead, so if someone walks up on me with the same intent, I guarantee the outcome won't be the same. You won't be reading about "me" in the papers..
I don’t get it.. Are “We” Serious?
I was reading the other day about a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys that has been getting all this negative press, and slammed in blogs?for her decision to dress up as Lil Wayne.
Read about it here..
Here are a few pics..
People are giving her grief because she put on brown body paint w/ tats and a dread wig? Are we serious? People are comparing this to BLACKFACE? I think people need to read their history books a little closer. Blackface was a method of ridicule and exaggerated the features of African Americans. I hate to break it to ya, but THIS ACTUALLY IS HOW LIL WAYNE LOOKS!!! In no way are any of his features exaggerated.. He really does have all those tats, he really does have a grill, he really does have that styrophoam cup surgically attached to his hand, and pants hanging half way off his rear and in all honesty, he's probably darker than this from all of the tatoos he has all over his body. I think she did a very good job with her impersonation and put a lot of thought into her costume and even put the tatoos in the right places. KUDDOS!!!
I don't understand how can anyone get any angrier at a white woman dressed in brown body paint to look like?Lil Wayne, ?than other white people dressed as Mariachis (Mexicans) or men dressed as women (trans-gender) or how about how many people walk around on Halloween dressed as zombies (disprespecting the dead). Is there still this much sensitivity to what white people say, ?or do, to blacks, and that much insensitivity to every other race? Have we not progressed as a people, better yet, as a COUNTRY? Would people get angry if white people put on makeup and said they were Barack Obama? Would it even get as much press?
I think people really need to lighten up and let Halloween be the open expose of ideas and fun. Or not participate and leave those that WANT to participate do so. We need to stop taking things so seriously.. Think about it, if she didn't have the brown body paint, she wouldn't look ANYTHING LIKE Lil Wayne.? I guess then people would have found a way to say she was racist anyway.
As an African American male, I'll be one of the ones to say, this did not offend me in the least. I don't even consider this racist. She was just mimicing a pop icon, just as any other person might. Someone was also T-Pain in the first image. She was just the scapegoat due to HER personal status as a pop figure, and it was thought, "she should know better". Why? I don't give racism any power over me or let it define any limitations that I can't overcome. WE hold the power to decide what?affects us and what doesn't. People that view this as a slap in the face to African Americans in my mind are some pretty weak-minded people and need to progress and do some inner-reflection. Find some value of self and move on.