Oscars Part II: The Winners

BEST PICTURE
Crash - I really can't believe this movie won. I really hope it sparks a national conversation on race relations. Yeah right like that will ever happen.

BEST DIRECTOR
Ang Lee - In all seriousness he deserves this award. It was his time. He said he made this film for his father. Are you trying to tell us something Ang?

BEST ACTOR
Philip Seymour Hoffman - He gave one of the most sincere speeches of the evening. I had no idea he was raised in a single parent home. By the way, Hoffman's mom is a MILF.

BEST ACTRESS
Reese Witherspoon - Seriously I couldn't see this. I don't know why this happened. I am speechless. I hated her speech. Reese you don't matter.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
George Clooney - He deserved this. Too bad Paul Giamatti got screwed again. Clooney's speech was one of the highlights of the evening. He's totally a movie star in the tradition of the old school greats.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Rachel Weisz - I really like her as an actress but I hated this movie. I wonder who knocked her up?

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit": What's up with the freakin bowties?

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana for "Brokeback Mountain": Well they had to give them something right?

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco for "Crash": I said it once and I'll say it again: "I can't believe Haggis used to write for Different Strokes."

Overall I thought it was a good show. Jon Stewart did a great job as host. He wasn't edgy and he was the consummate picture of the outsider looking in.

So Three 6 Mafia won. Some of you boughy Negroes out there think it's a bad thing. Personally I think their song fit perfectly with the movie. I don't know of any song in the running whose lyrics tell the story of the movie that it's representing. This win shows that hip-hop is a true force to be reckoned with not only in the music world but in the world of film. I can't hate on them. Their acceptence speech was one of the most realest things the Academy has ever seen.

Here are a couple of highlights in no particular order:

• Lauren Bacall talking about film noir. After all these years she's still got a lot of class.
• Morgan Freeman messing up his lines.
• Jennifer Garner almost falling down.
• Three 6 Mafia winning.
• Richard Pryor being the last name mentioned in the "In Memoriam" segment. It is probably the first time a black man's name has gone last.
• Gavin Hood accepting for the best Foreign language film.
• The cast of Crash's reaction to them winning best film.

False alarms

I've been slacking big time during black history month but I promise that I will make it up to you readers that still come around.

Today's topic is WHEN IS IT RACIAL or Are we too sensitive?

In this post I will put forward several situations that may or may not be racial. It all depends on your perception and your ability to see things for what they really are. You be the judge.

Case 1:
Like many New Yorkers I was affected by the MTA strike back in December. The TWU lead by Roger Tussaint called a strike for all transit workers in NYC. He sited that the MTA has been treating their workers unfairly and that this was not just about money but about their dignity. Talks are still in limbo.

A majority of NYer's thought it was all about the money. And Tussaint's call for a strike was a bit much and he should just make a deal (read roll over and play nice). But Tussaint's pride wouldn't let him.

Tussaint was vilified in the press. Now was it cause he called for a strike that made New York City loose over 10 million dollars. If the president of TWU was a white man would he get bad press the way Tussaint got it?

IMO: I think anyone that makes New York loose money is gonna get bad press. Tussaint being black has nothing to do with him getting bad press. But there were trigger words used in the press (ex. calling the workers thugs) to describe the workers. And let's not forget that the union is a minority run union (meaning there are more black people in the union than white.)

Case 2:

Shani Davis. Is he an angry black man who's not a team player or is he misunderstood?

IMO: Based on what I've read he's a loner and sometimes people can be rubbed the wrong way by that. It looks racial in the way the press has covered it, let's be honest here; it's black guy playing a white sport. No matter how anyone covers the story is going to look racial.

Sometimes black people in America see racism when it ain't there. But that's cause most of us have experienced it for most of our lives.

Yes that's a valid excuse white folks so deal with it. We didn't create racism we just live under it's evil thumb.

So when is it racial? Is it racial when a white man stands up side by side with a black man and says "YES THIS IS RACIALLY MOTIVATED." Or is it a matter of how we perceive things? So in an effort to help my white brothers and sisters I've come up with a guide to help you tell when things are racial.

• When a black person with no criminal record gets shot or beaten by the cops, chances are it's racial.
• When a black person runs for public office and the media wonders what he or she is going to do for the rest of the community, chances are it's racial
• When a black person dominates what we've been told is a white sport and gets bad press chances are it's racial.
• When the sentence is 25 to life for crack while the sentence for cocaine is one year, chances are it's racial.
• When a white rapper sells more records than a black rapper, chances are it's racial.
• When black people loot and white people find, chances are it's racial.
• When a Harvard MBA looses to a High School graduate on a reality show, chances are it's racial.
• When a black TV star runs out on a 50 million dollar contract and runs off to Africa, chances are it's racial.
• When your land gets "discovered" even though you've been there, chances are it's racial.
• When your continent and respective countries gets renamed and borders are changed without you being notified, chances are it's racial.
• If your oil and diamond rich country is in debt to the IMF, chances are it's racial.
• If there is more of your people in jail than in college, chances are it's racial.
• If you can't believe your hair or skin is beautiful without treating it with lye or bleach chances are it's racial.
• If your character dies within the first 30 minutes of a movie, chances are it's racial.
• When you get called a refugee in your own country, chances are it's racial.
• When your neighborhood gets washed away and the gov't doesn't care, chances are it's racial.
• When your church gets blown up with four little girls inside, chances are it's racial.
• When a white person just doesn't get it, chances are it's racial.
• When you get shot for having a dream, chances are it's racial.

I hope this guide helps my white brothers and sisters out there. Have a nice day.

Black History Month 2006

Yes it's that time of year again so before I get into the race ranting I want to open up this post with a quote from my frat brother Carter G. Woodson.

"If you can control a man's thinking, you don't have to worry about his actions. If you can determine what a man thinks you do not have worry about what he will do. If you can make a man believe that he is inferior, you don't have to compel him to seek an inferior status, he will do so without being told and if you can make a man believe that he is justly an outcast, you don't have to order him to the back door, he will go to the back door on his own and if there is no back door, the very nature of the man will demand that you build one."

I guess that is the point behind Manderlay. But I'll get into that later.

Last year I really set the bar high for myself. So my intentions this year are to surpass my work and take it to another level, so let's get started shall we hmmm...

This month I want to hit on a few things that I didn't get to touch on last year.

Some of it is gonna be positive and some of it is gonna be down right ignant. So let the race ranting begin.

First off I want to get this off my chest. My history is not limited to one month out of the year. Black history is AMERICAN HISTORY. This country was built on the backs of black men and women. And I will be damned if my peoples sacrifices and contributions are not acknowledged YEAR ROUND. One month is not enough to talk about the accomplishments of black people in America.

A black man by the name of Carter G. Woodson invented this tradition. But I want my white brothers and sisters to not get it twisted. Just cause we keep this tradition alive doesn't let you off the hook the other 337 days out of the year.

Black history didn't start with Martin Luther King. As great as he was, his legacy stands on the backs of dozens of leaders who came before him.

That being said, as my fellow blogger Panama G. Jackson would say let the Stoned Soul Picnic begin.

Stay tuned.

Oscars Part I: The nominees.

It's that time of year again folks. And the nominees are..

BEST PICTURE
Brokeback Mountain - You can't make me like it. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Capote - Very cool movie. I liked the pace of it.
Crash - It's always nice to see a race movie in the running. I just wish it was written by a black person, is that so wrong?
Good Night, and Good Luck - Very heavy handed. I got the point after the first half hour. I find that this movie is relevant to today but I think the pace of it was kinda slow.
Munich - I was blown away by this movie. Spielberg's best work since Saving Private Ryan.

BEST DIRECTOR
George Clooney, "Good Night, and Good Luck": He's a better actor than director.
Paul Haggis, "Crash": He's a better writer than he is a director.
Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain": From what I heard he does a good job.
Bennett Miller, "Capote": I really liked the feel of this movie.
Steven Spielberg, "Munich": I don't think he'll win but I think out of everyone nominated he deserves it.

BEST ACTOR
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote": He totally captured the voice and spirit of the character.
Terrence Howard, "Hustle & Flow": I really want him to win but I know it ain't gonna happen. And honestly who wants to win an Oscar for playing the role of a rapping pimp?
Heath Ledger, "Brokeback Mountain": I guess he was the top.
Joaquin Phoenix, "Walk The Line": He totally captured the heart of the character.
David Strathairn, "Good Night, and Good Luck": See what I wrote about Hoffman goes double for Strathairn

BEST ACTRESS
Judi Dench, "Mrs. Henderson Presents": I didn't see this movie nor do I have any intentions to. If I want to see Judi Dench in a movie I'll rent a Bond movie.
Felicity Huffman, "Transamerica": So let me get this straight. She's a woman who's playing a man who wants to be a woman? Aww just give it to her already.
Keira Knightley, "Pride and Prejudice": Hell no. NO!
Charlize Theron, "North Country": Didn't she win already?
Reese Witherspoon, "Walk The Line": NO. I just can't see it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
George Clooney, "Syriana": If he doesn't get the award for best director this could be the conselation prize.
Matt Dillon, "Crash": Is it me or did Don Cheadle get robbed?
Paul Giamatti, "CInderella Man": Got robbed last year so he'll probably get it this year.
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Brokeback Mountain": I just don't see it happening for him this time around.
William Hurt, "A History of Violence": Deserves it. But won't get it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, "Junebug": She's the underdog in this category. I really liked her performance.
Catherine Keener, "Capote": She's a safe bet to win but that being said the competition is stiff.
Frances McDormand, "North Country": I didn't see this movie but I'm sure she turned out a great performance. She's just that good.
Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener": I hated this movie but I really like Rachel Weisz.
Michelle Williams, "Brokeback Mountain": She's come a long way from Dawson's Creek.

BEST ANIMATED FILM
"Howl's Moving Castle": Didn't see it.
"The Corpse Bride": Tim Burton could win with this.
"Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit": This movie should have come out 3 years ago and maybe it would have had a chance.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana for "Brokeback Mountain": I'm sure this movie was in development hell for years.
Dan Futterman for "Capote" : Good stuff.
Jeffrey Caine for "The Constant Gardener": HELL F*CKING NO!
Josh Olson for "The History of Violence": Brilliant. This was the most direct movie I've seen all year.
Tony Kushner and Eric Roth for "Munich": Awesome and telling. I loved this movie.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco for "Crash": I can't believe Haggis used to write for Different Strokes.
Grant Heslov and George Clooney for "Good Night, and Good Luck": Who knew Clooney could write.
Woody Allen for "Match Point": Don't ya just love how Woody Allen sneaks in with this movie.
Noah Baumbach for "The Squid and the Whale": Nice title.
Stephen Gaghan for "Syriana" : Hard to follow at times but good idea.

2006 Most Anticipated

X-Men 3 - The return of Jean Grey. Nuff said.

The Fountain - Darren Aronofsky gives us three parallel stories that span over a 1,000 years.

Superman Returns - Bryan Singer restarts this franchise.

Mission: Impossible III - Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames return to the spy franchise.

Inside Man - Spike Lee directs a bank heist thriller staring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and Jodie Foster.

Manderlay - From the man who brought you Dogville. It is a story of slavery, set in the 1930s American South.

Casino Royale - Daniel Craig is the new James Bond. We'll see how he does.

The Da Vinci Code - Ron Howard directs this adaptation of the Dan Brown bestseller. Some guy named Tom Hanks is supposed to be in this.

V For Vendetta - The Wachowski brothers adapt the infamous Alan Moore graphic novel.

Also look out for: Miami Vice, A Scanner Darkly, The Return of Zoom, Stranger Than Fiction, Dreamgirls, The Good Shepherd, Eragon

Best and Worst of 2005

You know it's that time a year again so I give you my top 10 movies of 2005.

Munich - This has to be Spielberg's most violent movie since Saving Private Ryan. Gripping, intense and brilliant. If there was any shadow of doubt to Spielberg's genius, this movie would put those doubts to rest.

The Aristocrats - The funniest movie of the year. There are so many laughs in this movie that you have to see it several times to get them all.

Oldboy - This movie left me with a sick feeling in my gut at the end. Who knew Koreans could do Greek tragedy. This is a story that could not be told in America.

Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: What can I say my childhood is over. The first two were disappointing but this one wasn't.

Sin City - One of the most ambitious movies of the year. Well executed. Robert Rodriguez took a lot of flack for giving Frank Miller a director's credit. You will not see a movie that is more true to its source.

A History of Violence - One of the most direct and to the point movies I've seen in years. Ed Harris and and William Hurt play great bad guys.

Crash - This movie is packed with stars and great performances. I've never seen a movie where race and power were used so honestly. How can you not love a race movie set in Post 9/11 LA? Crash is one of those movies that attempts to make a statement about race relations in this country and tries to give equal time to all ethnic groups.

Kung Fu Hustle - As funny as it was entertaining. I was surprised by how good it was.

Hustle & Flow - Gritty but very good. Terrence Howard gives a career making performance.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith - Yeah ok I bought into the hype and ya know what? I don't care. Great action sequences. The on screen chemistry cannot be denied.

Honorablee Mentions: Batman Begins, G, Syriana, Capote, Thumbsucker, Broken Flowers, Waiting, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Junebug, Four Brothers, Layer Cake, Shopgirl, The Baxter, Lord of War, Good Night and Good Luck, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

The Ten Worst Movies of 2005

State Property 2 - WHY Dame (Dash) WHY? This was the most ghetto piece of sh*t movie of 2005.
Stealth - This was not a good movie for Jamie Foxx.
Cursed - No direction. Poor story. Should have gone straight to video.
XXX: State of the Union - Icecube really tried, but he came up short in the end.
Domino - Over done. Disappointing.
Doom - Some video games shouldn't be made into movies. Better luck with Spy Hunter Rock.
Mindhunters - This is another one that should have gone striaght to video.
Bewitched - Great premise but it ended up being a waste.
The Island- Michael Bay is repeating himself. How many times can you see the same chase scene.
The Constant Gardener - Poor execution. This movie ran too long. I don't need white people telling me how hard it is in Africa. This movie was crap.

Bloggers I would love to meet

This post is dedicated to the bloggers I would love to get into a room together.

In no particular order the following is a list of bloggers I would love to meet in real life.

Panama Jackson - The self proclaimed sexiest blogger alive, Panama's site is filled a wit and humor that revels my own. His style is off the cuff and random. He is a man who not only inspires up and coming bloggers but he's a man that often gets ripped off by other punk ass bloggers.

Kajuana - I go to her site just for her take on relationships. She's an old fashioned woman with a unique way of looking at relationships.

Humanity Critic - This brother is one of the most angriest bloggers around. If I ever meet Humanity Critic I will not tease him about David Spade or the many times he's been stopped by cops. Humanity Critic is the master of the throat chop. Do not fuck with this man.

Jackie Chiles - Jackie is one of the many contributors for the Airing of grievances. Like myself Jackie has been the only black guy in the room in many situations.

Jaine Blaize - Ms. Blaize brings the fire where ever she goes. She's had my back many times on my blog and I appreciate her for that.

Not only would I love to meet each of these guys but I would love to get them in a room together with a bottle of tequila and a camera and tape the conversation.

How's that for an update Panama?

Good bye Mr. Pryor

Richard Pryor died of a heart attack just after 8AM Saturday December 10th 2005 in Los Angeles. Growing up I admired two famous black men. The first was Muhammad Ali the second was Richard Pryor. Both men had a reputation of being rebellious black men who said what was on their minds. Both men where trailblazers and pioneers in their own way. Richard taught me that a black man can say whatever the f*ck he wanted to say whenever he felt like it. I had never seen a black man so free. I often say that my mother is the one who taught me how to curse, but the truth is Richard was the one who taught me. My mother took me to see all of his movies and that’s actually how I learnt how to conjugate the verb, noun, and adverb and adjective we all collectively know as fuck.

When I first heard that Richard died I felt numb. I thought he had at least another five years left in him but the news didn’t shock me, for years Richard had been sick and there was no sign that he was getting better. Over the next few days a lot of people will be writing eulogies in honor of Mr. Pryor saying that he was a trailblazing comic who was an influence of a generation who had many demons, blah, blah, blah. This is all true but what people leave out is that his material was the blueprint for what most black comics are doing today.

Without fear Richard talked about things that black people would only say behind white people’s back, and put it on stage for the whole world to see. He was a social critic. He made you laugh and at the same time his material made you think. He wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable or angry. He used his demons to make us laugh with him. And he never stopped being funny. I cannot stress this point enough. It took a disease for him to stop working and even then he would show up randomly at some comedy clubs in LA.

Every comic working today owes a debt of gratitude to Richard Pryor. And every black comic working today owes that nigga a check, cause every time you hear a black comic do the bit about how white people do stuff differently from black people that's a page out of Pryor’s book. Every time a comic uses the word nigga Richard Pryor (and Paul Mooney) should get a check.

Saturday night I did my best to honor the memory of Richard Pryor. I snorted a line of cocaine, banged a couple white chicks then lit myself on fire. I suggest you all do the same, because Richard would want it that way. (Just kidding, I love you man. Rest in peace muthafucka)

When wrestling gets real.

I have a confession to make. For a little over 20 years I've watched professional wrestling. Yes I know it is scripted. But that does not mean it is fake in any way (it's pretty damn hard to fake being thrown through a table).

Here's something you probably didn't know: The average pro wrestler is on the road little over 300 days a year. That means they go from city to city doing basically the same match night after night and rarely do they get time off to be with family. These guys are entertainers/athletes. Talk about dedication.

When I was young fan coming up I was unaware of a lot of the things that go on behind the scene: the politics, the a drug use, the deaths and the backstabbing. I just thought it was a good violent fun. But as I grew older I started to notice some of these guys were dropping like flies. I guess it all started when "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert died of a heart attack in 1995. He was 33. When I first heard of his death I thought it was strange that a guy that young just up and died of a heart attack. Then two years later Brian Pillman (35) died. Brian Pillman bounced around the WCW and ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling), but spent the last few months of his career in the WWE (what was then called the WWF) he died right before a PPV. The following year ECW's Louie Spicoli died. He wasn't even 30.

Then in 1999 Owen Hart died. Now for those of you who really don't know anything about wrestling the Hart family are one of the most famous families in Pro-wrestling. The patriarch Stu Hart has trained some of wrestling's famous superstars (Chris Beniot, Chris Jericho, and Brett Hart to name a few). Owen Hart died in a tragic in-ring accident on a live PPV broadcast. The following night on Monday night Raw I got to see the people behind the personas. It was one of the most emotional things I've ever seen on TV. Please keep in mind that Owen wasn't a drug user he was a all around nice guy. Probably one of the nicest guys in the business, and for him to die that way was just unfair. Watching HHH break down was one of the most real and sincere things I've ever seen. Who knew they were that close?

Why do I bring all this up? Well it happened again. Eddie Guerrero died a couple of weeks ago in his hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Eddie Guerrero was the second Latino world champion in the history of the WWE. Here's another case of a decent nice guy who battled drugs and came back and fought for his life and family only to die. He not only was a great talent but he was also a father and husband. The thing that is most unfortunate is that his death could have been prevented if he had just gone for a check up.

I know I've been out of the loop for a while and my first post coming back is about the death of a pro wrestler. Some of you guys reading this may and ask; WHY the hell is he talking about these guys.? My answer is simple. These guys lead a lifestyle in where they've sacrificed a lot of themselves to entertain people and for that they get my respect. If you've ever seen a classic match (ex. Ric Flair vs. Sting) you'll know what I'm talking about. I'll miss you Eddie. Rest in peace.

All Apologies

Dear Readers,

I would like to take this time out to apologize for my long absence. I've got several reasons why I've been unable to write lately. The following is a short list of reasons.

• Home renovations: As some of you know Professor Angry and myself live in a lovely Brownstone in Harlem. We don't own the whole building but we do have a whole floor to ourselves. We are currently in the process of redoing several rooms in the house. One of the rooms that needs redoing is my lab of intellectual exploration. My computer has been unplugged and will not be plugged back in until the lab's ceiling is fixed.

• DVR: For those of you who don't know what DVR stands for Digital Video Recorder. It enables you to program TV to record the shows you want and also enables you to stop live TV. If you are a fan of TV it is a must have gadget. But please be warned it will suck the life out of you and you will find yourself watching things that you have not seen in years. I for one have been trying to catch up with Smallville.

• Work: As most of you know I've started a new gig and it's working out fine. The people are wonderful and the job has a lot of potential. But I've got a lot of learning to do. The hours are 9 to 5 but there are times when a brother has to do OT.

So as some of you can see these factors have lead me to slack off a little. I promise you I will be back but for now I'm taking a little break. Trust me folks I've got a lot to be bitter about but for now I need to get to work so I can get my ceiling back so that I may be able to pay the cable bill that supports my new DVR addiction.

Bennett's Boo Boo

I'm tellin ya Tim my penis is this big

Sometimes being angry can just be exhausting. But then guys like Bill Bennett say something stupid like aborting black children will lower the crime rate. And I have no choice but to be angry. But then I took a deep breath and actually looked on Bennett's site for unedited audio of what he said and then I formed an opinion.

First off, there are no two ways about it he did say it. But his words were taken out of context. He had a caller who suggested that if there was no abortion we would not have any Social Security problems this lead to a discussion to where Bennett argued that this is an unknowable proposition and he sited the analysis and discussion on the closely related topic of crime and abortion in the best seller Freakonomics (written by Yale alums Steven D. Levitt and Stephan J. Dubner) and then he went on with a hypothetical analogy to point out how absurd the original proposition was and that's when things got ugly.

I can honestly say that Bill Bennett doesn't think that all black women should have abortions. But he shouldn't have used that particular analogy in such a cavalier fashion. Not while there is a National debate going on involving poverty and race.

It pisses me off that black people are so easily manipulated by the media. Here we have the opportunity to actually have a national debate about race and poverty in this country after Hurricane Katrina and what does the media do? They go the sensational route and run with a story involving an ex-Reagan cabinet member making racist comments on his talk show. This kind of sh*t takes our collective eyes off the ball ladies and gentleman. Bill Bennett's comments were taken out of context. But please make no mistake folks, there are plenty of white people out there that think black women having abortions would lower the crime rate, but BILL BENNETT is not one of them. Also let's be honest here this kind of thing is good for his show (hell I even listened to the unedited clip of the show before writing this post).

Bill Bennett's comments don't piss me off. What does piss me off is the divisive fashion the media uses race to divide us more then already are. It's as if they are saying SEE BLACK PEOPLE WHITE PEOPLE STILL HATE YOU. I don't need the media to point out this out to me. I would rather have the media spark a debate about why white people feel that the race problem was solved with the passing of the Civil Rights act, or why did black people's humanity have to be legislated? These are some of the things that lie at the core of the race people in this country.

Now some of my friends actually have opinions about this, I promised that I would use their quotes in this post but I will refrain from using their real names and instead I will use pseudonyms my friend Big Fun was quoted saying: "Well, I *think* what Bennett is really saying is that you could make an argument that aborting the children of people under a certain income level would likely end reducing your crime rate, but doing so would be every bit as reprehensible as aborting all black babies to achieve the same end. I think he is drawing the correlation between race and income level which, as we all pretty much know is not entirely without merit...but probably didn't really need to be said to make his point."

Not quite Big Fun he was actually using the analogy to make a point about how eliminating abortion wouldn't solve the Social Security problem.

This comment ended up pissing off my friend Ironman to where he responded with the following comment: "No, I think he's saying blacks are responsible for crime. He didn't mention aborting white babies. The way I read it, it's almost like he says "Damn! We just CAN'T DO IT!...because it's bad. But if we could, exterminating the Black Population by aborting all their babies would certainly drastically lower the crime rate." I recall a similar argument made toward Jews awhile back. Sadly, he is just speaking to the converted that is his audience."

It's truly amazing how my white friends approach stuff like this from two different angles. The funny thing is they were only going on what the media put out there.

New Beginnings

I spent most of the summer reflecting on what to do next. During that time I really didn't write a lot because I was either distracted or looking for a job.
The good news is that I am no longer unemployed. I was just recently hired by another financial institution. The job is more responsibility and more money. I want to thank all my friends and the people who have stopped in here to read my sporadic ramblings.

My new job requires that I wear a suit. This is very huge for me because I never thought in a million years I would be one of those guys people see on the train. You know what I'm talking about. The guy in the suit and briefcase he looks like he's got it all figured out. He looks like he makes a ton of money. The truth is. Just cause a guy wears a suit to work and carries a briefcase doesn't mean he's got it all figured out.

Losing my job was one of the most challenging things I ever had to go through and I would not have made it if it wasn't for God, my beautiful girlfriend (Professor Angry) and my family. And when I say family I'm including my friends cause I love them just as much as I would a family member. This was truly a test of a man and I'm happy to say that I pasted the test. For the first time in my life I feel like a man.

Thank you all for indulging me and please stay tuned.

Black people loot, white people find.

Upon seeing this I could have easily taken the high road and be a good Negro and say that these pictures came from two different sources and that people are blowing this out of proportion. But who the fuck would I be kidding?

I was so pissed off when I saw these photos that I responded to an email with the following message:

White people in these situations always talk about how black folks steal. I got one question for all my white friends.
How the fuck do you think we got here in the first place? The answer WE WERE STOLEN! So don't talk to me about stealing.

Some of my white friends that are reading this will think that I'm doing the old angry black guy bit but I assure you that I mean every word I said in that message. Who else out there is sick and fucking tired of this bullshit? Who else out there just wants this race shit to come to a fucking end? I for one wish to God that white people (and black people) could see the stupid shit they do to perpetuate this crap.

I've seen this story reported on other blogs and some people don't seem to understand how blatantly racist this is. And that's the fucking PROBLEM. White people don't understand why it's racist. Their logic is, "Well the pictures are coming from TWO different news sources and two different photographers took the pictures"

My response to this logic is. SO F*CKING WHAT? It's still wrong. And if you can't see that, then there's a problem with the way you perceive things. The point is WHY would one reporter look at two white people with food and say they FOUND food while another reporter looks at a young black man and say he STOLE the food.

And while I'm on a roll, can I ask y'all something? WHERE ARE THE WHITE PEOPLE OF LOUISIANA? Seriously it's as if all the white people were warned and all the black people just decided to stay. Now I know that's truly not the case because the police would never do something so racist as to just warn the white folks and leave the black people to suffer.

Here's what I think happened. You have a LOT of black people out there who didn't have the means to evacuate. Meaning they didn't have cell phones, money, cars or family that would take them in, so they were left to brave out the storm. Now of course no one thought the levee would break but it did and the rest is history.

Now getting back to my original rant about racism in the media, A picture speaks a thousand words but it's the caption that everyone reads, and that's the problem. People just need to open their eyes and maybe just maybe we can take a step toward ending the bullshit. What do y'all think?

Pat Robertson apologizes.

Is Pat Robertson flip-flopping, or is he being sincere?

Would he have apologized if the White House didn't release a statement distancing themselves from him?

Can someone out there explain to me why people listen to this crack pot? Please for the love of God please explain to me why this asshole gets the attention he does?

I just don't understand why the media would give this crackpot creditbility in the first place. It's a sad state of affairs when a man like Robertson has a lot of followers who hang on to his every word. WHY? Cause he's a preacher? What has this man done to deserve his power? Then I read this.

Now granted the link is a little slanted but there is a little truth to it. Do people really believe that God speaks to this man?

If any of Pat Robertson's followers are reading this I want you to do me the following favor. Kill yourself, seriously kill yourself, you will make the world a better place if you just kill yourself right now. Jesus loves you now kill yourself.

Starting over. Hello Windows XP.

I just want to rant for a minute so bear with me folks.

Time Warner gave me a month of free cable. Why? Because they f*cked up.

At first I thought it was my modem, so I went out and replaced the crappy RCA modem Time Warner gives you with a new Motorola. That didn't solve the problem.

They had to come out to the house three times before they realized that the wiring in my building wasn't the problem but the wiring in another building was the problem. Apparently there is a lot of construction going on in Harlem and someone messed with some cable wires that are attached to my building. So as a result of the gentrification of Harlem I went without cable for a month.

So just as my cable modem problem is resolved guess what happened....

The BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH! Nothing is worse than the blue screen of death folks. When you get the blue screen of death it's time to change operating systems. So after dropping some cash on the new modem I had to drop some cash and get XP Professional. Thanks to a connection I was able to get it at a discount.

So that's my story folks and I'm sticking to it. Granted I've been a little lazy this summer but I promise I will be posting a little more often now that I've got a PC that freaking works.

Random Friday 8/6/05

"Well I'm goin' out west. Where the wind blows tall."
-Tom Waits

• I know it's been a long time since I've posted something to this site. But there's been a lot of drama going on in my life since I've last posted something. Stuff I dare not get into today but, I do reserve the right to talk about this later. And now here are some of my random thoughts.
  
  
• I love what Carville did to Novak. Please watch it here. You know God hates a coward. Why didn't he just stay? And what's with the profanity? I hope the FCC fines his ass.
  
  
• When did it become hip to become a redneck? With all this hype surrounding the new Dukes of Hazzard movie you would think it's cool to be a redneck. Little do people know that the director of the Dukes of Hazzard is Jay Chandrasekhar of the Broken Lizard comedy group. Broken Lizard is a NY-LA based comedy group who made Super Trooper's (2001). Jay's style reminds me of some of Harold Ramis's early work. That being said I won't slam the movie until I've seen it.

Random Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude is a German expression (from Schaden: damage, harm; and Freude: joy) meaning pleasure taken from someone else's misfortune or shameful joy.

Here are some stories courtesy of Smoking gun.com, in where some of you will experience Schadenfreude.

• Billy Graham's daughter was arrested domestic violence rap for allegedly choking and pushing her husband during a bizarre roadway dispute last Friday.

• As some of you know Terry McMillan is in the middle of a vicious divorce from her now gay husband Jonathan Plummer. TSG has posted copies of the court docs put forward by Plummer and McMillian.

Hip Hop Wednesday 7-6-05

Karrine "Superhead" Steffans has just released a tell all book about her days as a video vixen.

Part cautionary tale part memoir, Ms Steffans weaves a tale marked by physical abuse, rape, and drugs -- all before she was twenty-six.

I haven't read this book yet but from what I understand Steffans, is currently a columnist for King magazine, and has also sold the book rights for a movie for 7.3 million.

So basically she slept with a bunch of rappers and did drugs and then sells her story for 7 million dollars. Granted this woman was raped at 13 and I'm willing to bet this sent her on some kind of path toward this kind of behavior. But I don't think women will look at this book as a cautionary tale. In some way I think young women out there are going to look at this book as a guide rather than a cautionary tale.

I don't have anything against this women personally but it seems that she got into the business to become famous and now that mission has been accomplished but at what price? And how is her son going to feel when he grows up and reads how his mom had sex with all these men? Fame is a funny thing, in some ways it can be a contagious virus depending on who you sleep with.

Let me know what you think people? Just cause you sleep with someone famous does that make you famous?

Happy Anniversary

One year ago today I started my blog. I just want to take this time out to thank EVERYONE who has stopped by (and commented) on this thing.

I can't believe that it's been a whole year. Time really flies when you are ranting about bullshit. I want to thank a couple of bloggers out there who keep my traffic flowing: Panama Jackson, Kajuana, Nia, Nominal Me, Humanity Critic, Ms. Blaze, Xquizzyt1 and my friend at The Marigold Trail. Thanks for linking me to your sites.

Special thanks to the people at We the Voices.com. I know the site has been on hiatus for a while but I hope you guys come back soon.

Stella's Groove sounds like the Village People

When I first hear this story I had to laugh just little.

Karma is a bitch isn't it folks. Terry McMillan has made a fortune male bashing and now it's come back to bite her on the ass.

For those of you who don't know Terry McMillan she's the woman who gave us such urban novels such as Disappearing Acts, Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

The heroine in her books are always these middle aged black women who've been dogged by men. But some how they manage to over come their troubles and start a new with the help of their girlfriends or a younger man.

I always thought it is kinda funny that Terry McMillan married a man 23 (Jonathan Plummer) years her junior. But for him to turn out to be gay after all this time is just amazing to me. It would appear that he seduced her and married her just to get US citizenship.

It is a shame that an accomplished, intelligent, and beautiful black woman was such a fool for love.

The real question is...Is Mr. Plummer entitled to a share of the royalties of Ms. McMillian's bestseller "How Stella Got Her Groove Back"? Personally I feel he's entitled to some money. Why, you ask? Because he was her muse. Granted it all blew up in her face but he still deserves some money for being her inspiration.

Let me know what you think on this one folks.