separated at birth....

As the year closes...

After my first mini-vacation (I had Christmas and the day after off...I am off to work after this post.), I am thinking about Christmas and here's my thoughts:

-My son still loves Cars. We watched it on Christmas Day.
-James Brown has passed away. That's not a song title. He really is. Dilla and the Godfather of Soul in the same year...sad but, we still have this...


-Gerald Ford is dead too. I was born during his 2 year and 5 month term in the White House...he and I also share a birthday: July 14th.
-I saw pics of my dad and I saw one of him eating. It was fairly recent and it made me think of one of the last things he said to me..

"Don't be a knucklehead like your old man"

I didn't get it when he first said it but he meant "don't make the mistakes I made". To me, one of them is not eating right. I miss him.
-I have 3 work days left in this year.
-The Browns BETTER beat Houston.
-I hope the Cardinals don't fire Denny Green.
-What kind of complaints will the sports media come up with after Ohio State runs the table again?
-How will Ted Strickland do as governor of Ohio?

CNN LINKS BARACK OBAMA TO AXIS OF EVIL

This is such bullshit.

Who knew that CNN became tabloid TV?

Rejoice Ad

This is HILARIOUS!

PRE-SCHOOL POLITICAL AD

This is more mature than some ads I could name. Take notes, Tennessee.

There's another Derek in town...

Since this is subset of derek, after all...

How about Derek Anderson? Who? No, not Ken's (you know, Barbie's ex and K-Fed's inspiration) friend.

He's the Browns backup that helped the Browns Beat the Chiefs in OT, 31-28.

It's good to see Dereks doing good things :-).

The Black Athlete

Tavis Smiley interviews William C. Rhoden


I can't give this issue justice...I will try later though...

When did peace become a five-letter word?

This article appalled me.

Standing up for peace these days is almost an act of treason. It's bullshit.

I wonder what Jesus would think about this...you know, Jesus, whose birthday is coming in less than four weeks? The whole basis of Christianity?

"Kramer" loses it...

I saw this on YouTube and one of the comment said...

this is nothing compared to richard pryor, eddie murphy, many many more attacks on white people which have been ok'd by most. oh well, shit happens.

Richard Pryor(RIP) took shots at white folks but who did he have his most cinematic success with? His buddy, Gene Wilder. Many black comedians used humor to make light of heavy situations (slavery, economic inequality, discrimination) as a form of therapy, like when female comedians bag on men.



Michael Richards lost all points in my book. He turned a less than optimal situation (a heckler, which is par for the course in stand-up) into an arena for hate or ignorance. There's a big difference between "white people walk and talk funny" comedy and "N***er" this and "n****r" that. He clearly wasn't joking...there's nothing funny about that. There are better ways to take down a heckler or a disrespectful audience member, whatever the object of his epithets was. His ass needs a drink from the firehose...

Election Redux

"YAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" - Howard Dean, Chair, DNC

I am feeling pretty good about this past election. There's a black governor in Massachusetts and the Republican rule of Ohio's executive branch and the country's legislative branch is over!

Now...let's get working...minimum wage, health insurance, affordable higher education, equitable K-12 funding await..

Kellen Winslow...

People bashed Kellen Winslow II when he said he was one of the premier tight ends in the league, if not the best.

I went to NFL.com to see if the stats prove him right.

Surely enough, he's 9th in the league in catches. He plays in the league's worst offense. Here's the list of tight ends with more catches...


...

...
Hmmm...it's empty. Maybe he is a @#$& soldier. My new nickname for him is "GET OFF ME!" because when guys try to tackle him, he shakes them off like "GET OFF ME".

UPDATE:

Through 8 games, Kellen Winslow has 51 catches. That's more than all but two receivers. Period. He would have more yards in a more vertical offense. Kellen is for real people...barring injury.

The crazy thing is...he's still only 23. If he stays healthy and plays 9 years like the senior Winslow, he will be better.

You can quote me on that.

Words to live by...

"You handle animals. People you have to deal with."
-Arnold "Red" Auerbach, 1917-2006

I wish more people felt that way...

What in the hell...

Now, I know the GOP is hard up to retain power in Congress but this is probably the most classless political ad I have EVER seen.

To top that off...it's in Tennessee. Somewhere, an idiot is changing his vote..

and you wonder...

...and people wonder why Ye said that George Bush doesn't care about black people...

Check this out...

CARTHON GONE!

Maurice Carthon is fired..

It's about damn time...the question is, who will replace him. Where's Don Coryell when you need him?

My two favorite teams (Browns and Cardinals) have the two most inept offenses in the NFL. It's not for a lack of talent.

UPDATE 1035 AM:

nfl.com >states: "It's unclear if Carthon quit on his own or was forced out by Crennel, who hired him last year and had been reluctant to remove his close friend."

Bill Clinton

There are only 2 presidents during my lifetime that I feel had a rapport with the common man...well, President Carter did until the b-list actor started his Bullshit Brigade (Morning in America...give me a break). He kept it real when everyone wanted fake. He was like Al Gore with balls.

The other being Bill Clinton. Say what you want about his sexual dalliances (shoot, if I was him and single, I would have spent some time with Monica. Bill and I are both fans of the smart, thick women :-) ) but he's an intelligent and witty guy. I would go have a beer with him.

"They say if you vote Democrat, they will tax you into the poorhouse. And, while you're in the poorhouse you will see a terrorist on every street corner and stumble upon an illegal alien."
--Bill Clinton, 10/23/06 in Columbus

"Not So" Ugly Betty...

Salma Hayek had an idea...let's bring the telenovela to the American audience. She also had another idea...I want America to be the lead...as in America Ferrera. Anything that has her in it makes it something I want to see. I LOVED Real Women Have Curves.

But, Ugly Betty?!?!

I can't even think of America Ferrera in the same breath as ugly. She has done great, classy work even though she's only 22. She also had this to say about weight (from IMDB):

"I think Hispanic women are beautiful with their curves. I'm not sure who feels that way in Hollywood. I was never told to lose 50 pounds. If they think that they just don't bother with you. You just don't get the role and you never know why. That's still better than physically harming yourself and becoming unhealthy just to star in a movie."

Curves are comforting. Curves make you wish for rainy nights and cold, lazy days...but that's another post. I will be checking out Ugly Betty online and watch live (hopefully) next week.

my general disgust with music right now...

I wrote a lot on my MySpace blog about how pissed I am with music, especially hip-hop right now...no, more specifically, popular hip-hop right now. I was thinking about this Lionel Richie (yes, Nicole's dad -- yes, of The Commodores -- yes, that song from the Starburst commercial) video that I saw last week called "I Call It Love".

It turns out Mr. Richie has a big Arab following. In another case of good music breaking barriers, ABC News did a story on the Iraq's love for Lionel. I think it's intriguing. The man behind one of the first songs I ever sang "Brick House", which is prophetic in so many ways, is big in the Middle East. I wish we could all get together and sit down and pull out our iPods, crates, CD cases and/or boxes full of tapes and just listen to music. We would realize that our artificial divisions (yes, nationalities are artificial) don't matter as much as what binds us as humans.

The Goal of Terrorism? : Scare people

Terrorism is created to scare people. Terrorist acts don't have to kill people, they just want to scare them a little bit. Have you ever been in a relationship where you were with someone and they were ignoring you and you say "well, so-and-so in the office finds me handsome/beautiful". Of course, you wouldn't run off with Emily or Armando from the office but you put a little thing on the mind of your significant other "hey, maybe I should pay more attention to my relationship..."

Multiply that by a few thousand and voila! Terrorism.

This article states that the media and the powers that be are playing right into the terrorists hands by using rampant fear-mongering for personal gain. It's not unlike politicians using the "tough on crime" talk to garner votes.

It's all bullshit. It doesn't deserve more of an explanation.

Women's Liberation is Men's Liberation as well...

This is part of why I am down for feminism.

http://www.jwa.org/feminism/_html/_pdf/JWA067a.pdf

Wow...

I have seen an amazing thing.

Last year, when I went to OSCON, I met Miguel de Icaza (the GNOME master). During OSCON, he had a keynote address about the new generation of GNOME technology..and it involved wobbly windows. I saw it and I couldn't !@#$!#@ believe it. I have been waiting and waiting to put this on merman (my computer's name...my laptop's name is trapjaw).

You have to see it...here and here.

Vista, eat your heart out.

T-Mobile...are you listening?

Now this is the phone I want!!!

-Derek

Ohio...where are you?

Ohio claims that they want to prepare their students for the 21st century.  They do it by empty mandates such as this one made by Governor Taft, outlined in his State of the State address this year:

First, require all students to take rigorous course work that will prepare them for the workforce or college – this means four years of math, including Algebra II; three years of science, including biology, chemistry and physics; four years of English; three years of social studies; and at least two years of a foreign language. To give families and schools time to prepare, the core curriculum should apply to students in the graduating class of 2011.

That's all very nice Mr. Taft but do you know that we have a hard time keeping teachers as it is, especially in math and science.  You are creating more need for teachers in districts that you are still unfairly funding.  You and former Governor Voinovich are to blame for this and should be jailed until there is an equitable means to fund Ohio schools.

After that, you could do what Indiana is doing.  Instead of rendering unto Microsoft, you could take the Linux route in placing computers in clasrooms.  For what high schoolers learn on computers, whether it be word processing, use of a spreadsheet or a web browser to web design and development, the rudimentary principles (and sometimes the apps are the same -- e.g., Firefox) are similar enough to translate.  In some applications, such as programming, Linux is superior because of the number or programming language options available at little to no cost.

  If Indiana can do it, we can. 

How bad is it to steal Jobu's rum?

  


isss very bad...

Hundreds of Britons expected to fuck themselves...

What more can I say..Read the story here

Malls and Development

An article on Ohio.com , talks briefly about the rise and fall of Rolling Acres Mall and how it isn't unique to Akron.  One only has to look up Route 8 to see that Rolling Acres's bigger sibling Randall Park Mall has had problems since its' salad days in the late 1970's and 1980's when both were the new kids on the block ( Rolling Acres opened in 1975 and Randall opened in 1976. )

Why are malls like Rolling Acres and Randall Park beleaguered when smaller malls that predated them like Richmond, Chapel Hill and Summit Malls have survived? What can we learn from their fates?

Giffels asks:

One of the great themes of our age is the upward spiral of consumer
culture. The question underlying that theme is how far it can be built
up before it can no longer sustain itself.
The local answer: Rolling Acres.

Also,

Every so often we have to stop and wonder: how much is enough? How
is it possible that all of these businesses can survive while feeding
on the same host? And what does it say about us that we seem to need
this many places to spend money?

This is one of those times to wonder.

If there is a time to really think about development of retail in our region, it's now.  I think that our failures (and, yes people, Rolling Acres is a failure) have more to teach us than the successes because who is to say that Montrose won't be the next generation's failure? 

Someone long ago probably stood at a then-makeout point for Kenmore teens on the Akron/Barberton border and thought that it would make a great spot for a mall...thirty-one years later, we see how that turned out.

Why I am glad that I don't believe in the death penalty

As some of you might know, I got selected for jury duty the week after Memorial Day. Instead of some shoplifter in a dollar store or something equally benign, I am considered for a capital murder trial. Not just a regular murder trial, a capital "this person could die" trial.

Not just any trial. This trial.

There are a couple of reasons why I am glad I wasn't on the jury:

1. I don't believe in the death penalty.

Why not? I believe that, quite frankly, too many states fuck it up. What else can you call it when innocent people die? It's bad enough that the victim dies innocently. Adding to that by killing the wrong person in retaliation is not the smartest thing in the world. Also, there are considerable racial and class rammifications in sentencing in capital cases which no one wants to look at. Also, execution of the mentally retarded (which is one of our president's hobbies as governor of Texas) is totally inexcusable.

2. I don't feel that I have the right to determine if another human should die.

With the notable self-defense exception, I don't feel that I should hold someone else's life in my hands. Sure, Clarence Fry is more fucked up than a Pinto in a NASCAR wreck but I am still not God.

The World Cup...

I have been trying to watch some World Cup action and I have, now that the US is out, have enjoyed it. Unfortunately, Ghana lost the defending champ, Brazil, 3 - 0 today in the round of 16. I have been pulling for Ghana since they beat the Czech Republic and I rooted strongly for them against the United States ( Bruce Arena is a horrible sport and should be relieved of his duties. Come on, 1 goal?!? The Italians shot just as many balls in the US goal as the US did in 3 games?!?! Fifth best in the world? I don't see it...).

According to this article, the strong performance of Angola (who got 2 ties) and Ghana has inspired folks all over Africa. Coupled with the fact that South Africa will be hosting the 2010 World Cup, the time for the rise of African football is coming. I am an international soccer newbie but seeing all of the countries putting great teams together will only make the World Cup more exciting. And, if this can create some dialogue on equal footing, all the better.

First Flock Public Beta is out...

The first public beta for Flock , a web browser based on Firefox (with some really neat social networking tools added ) is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.  In fact, I am using the Linux version to type this post. 

Yummy goodness...

technorati tags:flock, software, web 2.0

Blogged with Flock

The Americans and their Cars

Out of all of man's inventions in the last 125 years, nothing has changed the landscape of the world (and, especially America) like the car.  Some of you may be saying "whoa there, what about TV? Radio? The Salk Polio Vaccine? American Idol?"  Specifically, the propagation of the car.

The car is repsonsible for a lot of our pollution.

The car has irreparably changed housing patterns, facilitating the birth and growth of suburban America. Twice. (after both world wars)

The car has even changed how we watch TV.  Have you ever wondered why TV shows premier episodes in September? Think about this: when do new car models come out? Exactly, the fall. Car and car-related companies (e.g, Texaco) financed early TV programming.  

The car (along with the Cold War) is responsible for America's rollback of public transit (included in this is passenger train and intercity bus transit).  Eisenhower felt that America should have a national network of highways to facilitate easy travel between and among metropolitan areas in the event of an attack.  The attack never came but the freeways are still here...and so are the orange cones and resurfacing projects that only get more and more costly and time-consuming...remember what aspalt is made of.  Oil byproducts.

Did I mention oil? We won't even get into that.

Cars have been usurping control of our lives for years.   When are we going to take it back?

Ghost is for the Parents...

This is what Ghostface Killah had to say about parenting in this interview...

Listen, man, you got to chastise your kid. If you dont lay your foot down, your kid is going to be [saying], Fuck you. And you going to be sitting there crying [in a high-pitched voice]: Oh, what have I done; I havent done nothing to this boy. And that little motherfucker barking on you [in a little boys voice]: Nah, fuck you, mommy. Im going outside with my friends. I dont give a fuck what you say. Parents get that when they dont put they foot down. Niggas got to start going hard on they kids again. Aint no law and order any more. I am not saying you got bust your kids ass everyday, but you got to go back to the ole remedy. I dont know about you, but I used to get my ass whipped, and that kept me on a straight path. If I did something wrong or said something wrong to somebody, fuck around and get popped in my fucking mouth, and thats just what it is, G.

I have always believed that parenting is a benevolent dictatorship. Some parents are too benevolent (the parents on Maury and some are too dictatorial (think Carrie's mom from Carrie). It's about that balance. Kids will be kids but if a kid gets out of pocket the way a grown person would, you have to remind them...no one talks to you like that, ESPECIALLY not your kid. Spanking, denial of privileges, that's up to you to decide. But you have to punish them...otherwise, they will think that they can fuck up with no repercussions. That's just not how life is...unless you are Ken Lay or Dubya.

why I love and hate reading Roldo...

I read more of what Mr. Roldo Bartimole said here and this article is a prime example on why I love AND hate to read what he has to say. First, why I love to read his writing:

• He challenges the reader to find out what some of the things he talks about means
  
• He pulls no punches
  
• He does not talk down to his readers
  

Now, why I hate reading his writing:

• He paints Cleveland as a city where the rich continuously take advantage of their "stroke" to deny resources to the poor and needy

Oh...wait, the rich in Cleveland do do that...

Never mind about the hate part.

Jesus Christ: Lord, Savior....killer app?!?!

This article on CNET talks about how technology is driving how people worship. Imagine, a BSOD during communion..."we need to put some money in the collection plate to pay for a copy of Windows Vista. Praise Bill...err, I mean Praise Jesus.". I don't really have a problem with churches modernizing their methods of communications (podcasting of sermons would be really kick...umm, butt) but this is crazy:

Perhaps America's best example of the tech-savvy house of worship is the Houston-based Lakewood Church, which last year recorded a weekly attendance of 30,000. Pastor Joel Osteen needed the Compaq Center, a former basketball arena that was once home of the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets, to serve as his chapel.

Osteen employs three massive video-display screens to project his image to people sitting in the nosebleed seats. Illuminating the walls and the giant globe spinning behind Osteen's pulpit are Altman Micro Strips, strip lights that use a range of tungsten halogen lamps to create different lighting effects.

Here's my question: what about Free/Open Source Software in the church? I have seen a couple of bible apps in Free/Open Source but not much else. If you are trying to save money while maintain functionality, Free/Open Source would be the way to go.

Praise the Lord and pass the install disks.

Performancing...the best thing on earth.

I am posting this blog entry using Performancing.  This is probably the coolest  Firefox add on I have seen...

(slobber....)

I don't normally....

I don't normally post about my own posts...but this is what happens when you are entirely to (expletive deleted) silly for your own good...

things that rhyme with 15

Reese, I know you will laugh....

name change...

As I was so humorously informed at the Cleveland Webloggers Meetup, chasing the dragon was a reference to smoking heroin. Not surprising considering I lifted it from a Steely Dan song, ("Time Out of Mind" if you are wondering). In light of this development, I chose a new name...something that's a little more me.

Enter, a subset of derek.

subset (noun): a set each of whose elements is an element of an inclusive set.

Source: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

So, a subset of derek is merely part of a whole. I am pursuing a Bachelor's degree in mathematics, as many of you know. Subsets are merely parts of a set. Subsets are also crucial to proving set equality. If two sets are subsets of each other (meaning that there is no item that can be found in A that cannot be found in B and vice versa, given that A and B are sets, of course) then they are equal. This reminds me of a problem that I need to be working on...

Later all...

come on...

This article from The Register talks about a New Zealand Microsoft ad geared towards students. I would describe it but you have to see it. I can't really do it justice. You can see it here.

Come on, sex with geeks isn't that bad...

finally....

I don't commment much on abortion because I don't have a womb. I cannot have abortions. I can't give birth. I am male. I think that each decision is in the hands of the woman who owns the womb.

I think that the sanctimony of some "pro-lifers" is absolutely disgusting. Once the baby is born, no one gives a damn...especially if the baby is any or all of the following:

a child of color
a girl
poor
addicted
mentally retarded

That is why it was heartening to see an anti-abortion group and the ACLU in support of the same single teacher that got fired for being pregnant. from the original ABC News article:

"If you take away the resources, you could unintentionally drive a woman to having an abortion," said Foster.

"It is not pro-life to take away the resources and support that women need and deserve to bring children into this world," Foster says. "The appropriate response for the employer when they found out she was pregnant, is to say, 'Congratulations,' and, 'How can I help?' "

Here's an interesting insight into the impetus behind most abortions:

A 2004 survey by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights but is cited by both sides in the abortion wars as having reliable data, indicated that 73 percent of those seeking an abortion were doing so because they could not afford to have a baby.

"We have to systematically eliminate the reasons that drive women to abortions, and the root causes are lack of resources and lack of support," Foster says. "Women deserve both."

Why do I believe women have a choice? I respect women as equal human beings, capable of intelligent thought. That's really it. As my man, Butterfly says of Digable Planets in La Femme Fetal on their first album reachin'(a new refutation of time and space):

Hey pro-lifers need to dig themselves
because life don't stop after birth
and to a child born to the unprepared
it might even just get worse

Yahoo! Sports : Why Figure Skating is Not A Sport

This article talks about why figure skating is not a sport.

Sooo, by his logic, Division I-A college football isn't a sport either. All of the people who determine the championship (or computers whose algorithm had to be written by someone) are not players...they are pretty much judges too. The BCS is like that horrible French judge from a few years back...

Why Heads Might Not Respect K-Fed

According to this article, Kevin Federline (who is currently married to Brittney Spears) states that he is being criticized because "He hates his children, he treats his wife like dirt, he gets high all day." and because he's white.

Eminem (and 3rd Bass and the Beastie Boys before him) proved that you can be white and rock the M.I.C.. Skills are skills. You will, however, face increased scrutiny because you are of the Caucasian persuasion and because you haven't shown us much.

You can dance, though. But, people haven't heard enough of your stuff to have a decision one way or the other...

You have a very high potential for being wack. When you are new, just do what you do and see what happens. There's no need to be arrogant. I know y'all are thinking "What about Kanye?". Kanye had bangers for other folks before he did his own thing. People still bang H.O.V.A.(Izzo) so he has a history of really good work. So far, he has lived up to his own hype.

But, time will tell...but, if the first joint is the strongest you have...goodbye Mr. Federline...you will be placed in the Rob Van Winkle Wing of the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame.

You know shit's bad #1

You know shit's bad when...

Martha Stewart is downing a 40....

derek's classic rock knowledge..

The Veteran You scored 78%!

You've picked up the majority of the classic rock basics. You probably have a classic rock collection and can sing along with most of the songs on your local radio station. This is not the highest score, but it is arguably the best: that subtle combination of impressive knowledge and not being a pretentious geek.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 29% on notes

Link: The BASIC classic rock Test written by allmydays on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

RIP Dilla (1974 - 2006)...

According to this article, James Yancey aka Jay Dee aka Jay Dilla has passed on.

Jay Dee, a producer's producer, was revered by the hip-hop nation for his unique boom-bap style rooted in soul and jazz.

Born James Yancey, Dilla made a name for himself as one of the members of A Tribe Called Quest's venerable production team, The Ummah, as well as produciong for the likes of De La Soul, Pharcyde, Common, D'Angelo, Busta Rhymes and his own group, Slum Village.

Damn. I wish I had "McNasty Filth" with me right now...instead, I am playing "It's Your World" by Common off of the Be album...rest in peace.

probably...

probably...
Originally uploaded by theunseen.

This picture is bad...this is my "The State of the Union is on" face.

miracles never cease

Now, like Seahawks Fan in Bronco Land, I hate Skip Bayless. He's an arrogant prick who thinks his crap smells like roses and cinnamon. But, in this article, he does tell the truth.

Seattle got screwed. Hard. Here's a list of entities that beat the Seahawks:
1) The referees
2) The Seattle Seahawks

Note that the Steelers weren't on that list. 39 Super Bowls and no REALLY bad calls. Guess they were saving it for 40. eXtra Lousy officiating.

DMX and Avis...We Try Harder, Dog

I had The Weather Channel on for ambient noise and I hear DMX's "Ruff Ryder's Anthem" (STOP! DROP! SHUT 'EM DOWN OPEN UP SHOP!) on a commercial for...Avis?!?!

This is more shocking than seeing OJ come back to doing Hertz commercials. Imagine that...all of the women that would have said "Go OJ Go!" would be saying "NO OJ NO!".

I am glad that I am not in advertising. People would be messed up for life watching my commercials.

You are NOT the father...

Our state Supreme Court is determining verdicts like this when they should force schools to find remedies for funding.

What this ruling basically says that if a potential father presents DNA evidence that he is not the father of a child(ren), he no longer has to pay child support. Previously, the law said that the father had a year or else they would be treated as the father.

I think that this is how it should be. I am a father that contributes to the well-being of my son...key word being MY son. I don't think that men should have to pay, under any circumstances, for someone else's child unless they choose to.

At Least...

At least I'm not from Cleve....HEY!!!

my plan...for working poor

Here's a post of mine at REALNEO...

Stop the talk about TO

I wish the knuckleheads at ESPN would call TO a selfish nigger and get it over with. We know they want to. All I hear is this "TO is selfish. TO's all about TO. TO this, TO that".

I don't agree with how TO handled his situation (Rosenhaus should be out on his ASS) but the blame isn't just his. As I have said before, the Eagles are leadership-deficient. The front office is so heavy-handed and power-hungry, they do not want strong characters in the locker room. It shouldn't have gotten as far as it did. They didn't come to TO as a man and say "Welcome to the Eagles. Your past is of no consequence. Let's play some football. But, we do have some rules we ask you to respect.". TO is a grown man...he could have either agreed or disagreed. Instead, both sides were inconsisted and it got ig'nant. Nobody's hands are totally clean...and TO's isn't the only loser in the situation.

I know some of you are saying 'Wait, Donovan McNabb is a leader'. I disagree. Donovan is still one of the league's premier QBs, don't get me wrong but he has yet to really grab the Eagles reins. I think he punked out a little bit when he made the comment that they didn't need TO for the Super Bowl. I think he meant (and what he should have said) is that, win or lose, they can only play the guys that are suited up. If TO is one of those guys, great. If not, we will have to find a way to fill that void. Not, "we don't need him" because that's bullshit. He came back from a broken friggin' leg to have a 9 catch, 100+ yard game in the Super Bowl. He played like he was the only one that wanted to win and outwardly showed it.

I think TO exposed greater questions in the Eagles organization like: why would Donovan back out on lobbying for more money for TO and do a 180 when it comes to Brian Westbrook.

I KNOW the Eagles were missing Duce this season.

Ever since Jeff Lurie bought the team and f**ked Randall Cunningham's career up by trying to change him into something he's not, I had no love for that jerk. Andy Reid? If it wasn't for McNabb, he would be just another Mike Holmgren wannabe. And Hugh Douglas? You are retired, for all intents and purposes, what are you doing goading players (I don't care if it was TO) into fights? What is your malfunction?

The Eagles have really dropped down the list of my favorite teams...they are now in the 30's. Only the Ravens are below them...hell, I like the Texans more than them. David Carr, at least, has heart...he keeps getting up after all of those damn sacks.

Well, that or a death wish.

A REPRIMAND?!?!

What the FUCK is this?!?!

They should be FIRED...

Let's not forget....

Today is the 39th anniversary of the Apollo 1 disaster as well as the anniversary of the 1986 Challenger disaster. February 1 is the 3 year anniversary of the Columbia disaster as well...this is not a good time for NASA, the families of the lost or people affected by that day. I remember when I was in 4th grade and everyone talked about a teacher in space. We wished it was our teacher, Mrs. Harsh (who was anything but)...that is until, 73 seconds after lift-off, the shuttle exploded. We were all shocked...I can barely remember it...it was that rattling. Yahoo has a commemorative article.

Also, there were 4 women or people of color on that shuttle. Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnick, the aforementioned teacher, Christa Macauliffe and Ronald McNair.

Being a Cleveland sports fan...

"Cleveland ought to be ashamed to look herself in the face." -- John D. Rockefeller, 1914

Some people wonder "why the Cardinals?" Well, I am from Cleveland and it can't be worse than rooting for the Browns....or the Indians...or the Cavs.

Here is the MLB Misery Index and the NFL Misery Index.... not the kind of 1 - 2 punch that Cleveland needs.

Oh, and let's not forget the story about how George Steinbrenner wanted to buy the Indians...

As detailed in this article:

In an effort to interject some life and direction into the town, he organized a group of young up-and-comers, christened them Group 66, and set out to make something happen. Among the first things they did was to resurrect the defunct air show, a symbol of the city's better times.

Steinbrenner established a pro basketball team in the 1960s, composed of some of the best college players of the time. While both league and team failed, he was relentless in his quest to run a professional sports franchise.

His father, Henry, argued that his son's future was in the family shipping business, not sports. Occupants of the Rockefeller Building still speak of overhearing furious debates between father and son.

By 1973, Vernon Stouffer, who made his money in frozen foods and restaurants, was having financial problems. He was willing to sell one of his least promising holdings: the Cleveland Indians.

Stouffer had purchased the team largely as a civic gesture, and the beleaguered franchise floundered. There was talk of moving the Tribe to New Orleans.

Steinbrenner formed a group of local investors to buy the Indians. The asking price was $10 million. But when Steinbrenner and partner Dan McCarthy studied the financials, they found a team strapped with debt and concluded that its real value was around $6.3 million.

The group offered $8 million anyway, says McCarthy, since Steinbrenner and Stouffer were friends. Yet Stouffer was adamant; he wanted $10 million. To this day, some still wonder whether it was Stouffer's drinking or his dislike for Steinbrenner's Jewish partners that caused the deal to collapse, because what happened next made no sense.

Stouffer sold the Indians to Nick Mileti, a charming promoter who flashed across Cleveland like a shooting star. Mileti gave Stouffer $1 million in cash and a lot of paper. Paper to Mileti was like tissue to Kleenex.

Jack Torry, in his book Endless Summers: The Fall and Rise of the Cleveland Indians, wrote that Mileti "bought the Indians with nothing more than green stamps." He would eventually resign his role as general partner.

With his investment group intact, Steinbrenner learned that CBS wanted to sell the New York Yankees. For virtually the same amount of money, the band of Clevelanders purchased what would become the richest sports franchise in history, estimated by Forbes to be worth $832 million.

The Guardian: Why There Wouldn't be a Black Brokeback Mountain (or Down-Low Mountain? Ain't no Mountain)

Gary Younge of the Guardian has written an excellent article on "Where there will never be a black Brokeback Mountain". It brings up the fact that, when white men cheat on their wives with other men, it's a moral failing. When it comes to black men, it's the "Down-Low", like it's somehow different and black men are beholden to some animal instinct to fuck, fuck, fuck.

I still have trouble wrapping my head around the idea of getting it on with another man...women are just too damn amazing...but people have to be with who makes them happy. I think that people should be honest with the feelings within themselves. Also, society needs to chill out on chastising homosexuals which is part of why people, especially minorities, find it hard to come out -- I can't even imagine what former NFL DL -- DL for Defensive Lineman -- Esera Tuaolo had to go through as a minority gay male professional athlete. If it really is a sin, God will take care of that. Not us. Our job is to love, respect or, at least, tolerate, each other, not judge (or worse) each other.

I am so tired of people using what adults do in their bedrooms as a smokescreen issue while our schools, infrastructure and jobs are going to hell in a handbasket.

Sickening...way more sickening than two men or two women in love (which, I believe, isn't sickening...even though it's not for me). I think that heterosexuals and homosexual haters should focus more on loving those they care about than hating on people that did nothing to them.

Super Bowl XL

The Seahawks...enough said.

Peter B. Lewis

It's been a long time since I have commented on things Cleveland by way of posting. Because of some work obligations, I couldn't comment very much on the mayoral race. If I were living in Cleveland, I would have abstained from the assignment but since I am an Akronian and can't vote anyway, I figured I would.

I must say, I am pulling for Mayor Jackson. He sounds kind of like older members of my family. He says things that some of them would say and he grew up in the same environment as my grandmother and her siblings did. (near east side of Cleveland). There is something familiar about him. I hope he can make this city better *cough* stop Wal-mart *cough*.

I was watching the news this morning and I heard about Peter B. Lewis's donation to his alma mater, Princeton, to the tune of 101 MILLION dollars. It's pretty sad when Cleveland's most wealthy businessman would rather give money to a school in NJ than one here. This is 101 million hints for all of Ohio's (especially Northeast Ohio universities) ...come up with a plan and SERVE THIS AREA. It does not involve building rec centers, dorms or branch campuses in exurbia (I won't name names...oh, what the hell...Cleveland State, Cleveland State and Cleveland State). Those are parts of the picture. What matters is class size, availability of classes to facilitate minimal logistical impediment to graduation ( in laymen's terms, classes when students need them), professors that provide academic rigor and creative ways to present information.

Cleveland State has thumbed its' nose at spending on academic improvements...which is probably why PBL is not blessing them with dough. CWRU proved it was unworthy after the business building's overruns (there's another debacle involving that building but don't even get me started on that.)

Education is paramount...other stuff is gravy.

This is really contrived...thanks Reese:

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Derek!

1. It takes forty minutes to hard-boil Derek.
2. Europe is the only continent that lacks Derek.
3. People used to believe that dressing their male children as Derek would protect them from evil spirits.
4. You would have to dig through four thousand kilometres of Derek to reach the earth's core.
5. A Derekometer is used to measure Derek!
6. If you break Derek, you will get seven years of bad luck!
7. An average beaver can cut down Derek every year!
8. Derek cannot be detected by infrared cameras!
9. Derek is often used in place of milk in food photography, because milk goes soggy more quickly than Derek!
10. Some hotels in Las Vegas have Derek floating in their swimming pools!

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

My new project...

Here is a link to my new project...

Ummm, we need proof that you own that cow...

This comic made me lose it...especially the See-N-Say.

All aboard the bus...for the last time?

Let's get this straight. When the Browns and Steelers renew acquaintaces twice (and once, three times) yearly, I root for the orange and brown. I pretty much have to, I was born in Cleveland. Even my little man does.

But, you have to respect the Bus. I liked Jerome Bettis back when he was in Notre Dame (though I think they gave him the shaft in St. Louis--imagine him and Marshall Faulk running in the same backfield...how lovely would that have been? Maybe Faulk would have stayed in Indy...and Indy would have never drafted Edgerrin...Manning, Faulk and Harrison...how nice would that have been...but, I digress...)...it was something how number 6 would just steamroll half of the cats and out run the rest. Sure he's blown through the Browns more times than I care to remember...but he's a good football player and, from what his teammates have to say, a good guy. From a NY Times article:

Ward became particularly close to Bettis during his contract holdout before the season. Bettis became Ward's spokesman, in the locker room and in front of the microphones. In an interview with The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Bettis said that Steelers players were watching how the organization handled Ward's contract. But behind the scenes, he advised Ward not to let the situation become personal, and he told Ward to call Cowher. Ward did, and that eventually led to the end of his holdout.

I hope that, if the Bus does pull into the depot, he considers coaching. Guys like TO need coaches like him. Guys that will teach them. TO didn't go off the deep end because he's crazy. He went off because he felt like no one cared. I am not saying coddle him, but someone should have said "Yo, you are an Eagle now. We live and die together. You don't have to like me. I don't have to like you. But, on that field, it's you and me for 60 minutes." The Bus did that with a guy who could take his job, Willie Parker. Why couldn't anyone do that with TO? Why can't Brett Favre sit down and do that for Aaron Rogers? But, why does Jerome Bettis do it?

He's a big man...a man of character. That's why I still pull for the bus. Even though my football brain says Denver, I still want the Bus to do well, win or lose.

Platform of Choice: Through the Years

It seemed like forever ago. Back in 1992, when I first became a member of the Upward Bound program at Case Western Reserve University during my sophomore year in high school, I first cut my computer networking teeth on a OS called System 7. If someone asked me what OS this Mac runs, I would look at them like they were crazy and say 'what other OSes are there for a Mac'? At the time, there were none...oh how 14 years can change things.

I was a loyal Mac person until I went to school at Allegheny College. There, they were users of the NeXT OS created by our good friend, Steve Jobs...and the hardware that went with it. The hardware SUCKED but the OS was secure, intuitive and user-friendly. It had cool things that I didn't realize the beauty of until now. I could go into command-line whenever I wanted, I could use Objective-C to code whatever I wanted. The web browser, while no Netscape 1.1, held its own. But the beauty of it was...it was UNIX. I couldn't ever go back to non-UNIX OSes now...

...then came Windows95 which messed up my world.

Then, one day, during my second tour at Allegheny, Glenn Buchholz (forgive me if I didn't spell your last name right, Glenn...I could just call you JAWSSSSSS, as Randy did but I digress...big ups to you guys!) gave a talk about...this UNIX...that you could put on a PC...it was called...Linux.

Holy Shit.


That day changed my life. I knew that, one day, me and Linux would eventually have to hook up. That day was during the summer of 1999. I bought my first parts from a computer and I bought a Linux book and wrestled with Caldera OpenLinux 1.2...and Windows 98, Second Edition. For the last 6 1/2 years, I haven't gone more than 2 weeks without a distro of Linux on one of my regular use machines.

Right now, my main machine has Win XP Pro and Kubuntu on a dual boot.

...but I am typing this on a Mac, running OS X.

Love is hard.

Wired News: Eat, Sleep, Work, Consume, Die

I think technology's great. Of course I do...I am a geek. If it wasn't for technology, I would probably have no marketable skills at this current time. But, at the same time, I am human. I like to think that I get along well with people. Sure, I like to go and play Madden '06 with my boys but the best part is hanging with my boys. I could play Madden '06 in my house and lock myself in...but I go and play for the camaraderie. Big ups to my peeps.

Tony Long, who refers to himself as "The Luddite" and he works at Wired...go figure...wrote an article about consumption and how it has overcome life as we know it.

Just because technology makes it possible for us to work 10 times faster than we used to doesn't mean we should do it. The body may be able to withstand the strain -- for a while -- but the spirit isn't meant to flail away uselessly on the commercial gerbil wheel. The boys in corporate don't want you to hear this because the more they can suck out of you, the lower their costs and the higher their profit margin. And profit is god, after all. (Genuflect here, if you must.)

But what's good for them isn't necessarily good for you, no matter how much filthy lucre they throw your way.

Just because you can work from almost anywhere, doesn't mean you should. I think that the line between work and play has blurred but I am not sure if that's a good thing for the worker or the employer.

Comments?

Wow...

Did I ever say that Aaron McGruder was the man? If not, let me say so, here and now. I don't care if everyone hates on him for this episode of The Boondocks where MLK comes back (I just saw it via Adult Swim's Friday Night Fix)...review coming after it shows on Cartoon Network....11 PM EST...Sunday, January 15 (how appropriate). I had to watch it again...

Go Maryland!

Why can't Ohio do this:

politicians in Maryland passed controversial "fair-share" legislation. The bill, aimed almost exclusively at Wal-Mart, calls on companies with more than 10,000 employees in the state to spend at least 8 per cent of their payroll on health insurance or make up any shortfall with a contribution towards health schemes that are publicy run.

It's about damn time. Companies have been relying on the government to provide healthcare for their employees so they don't have to when they should pay. Wal-Mart and those of their ilk are abusing the system worse than ODB ever could. Wal-Mart and anti-labor interests are stating that this is the work of unions. No, it's the work of a government that is tired of footing the bill for those that can. This study says so...as does the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In this articleit shows that it's not just in California, Georgia or Maryland:

The state of Connecticut discovered in January 2005 that it pays an estimated $43 million annually to cover health costs for workers at the state's 25 largest employers; Wal-Mart was at the top of the list with 824 employees or employees' adult dependents on state public assistance programs. Beyond Connecticut, Wal-Mart had the most employees on Medicaid in a total of 11 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin, according to examinations in those states [Employee Benefit News, 5/01/05].

I am all for government aid to support the poor and working poor...but I will be damned if my tax money goes into the pockets of Wal-Mart's shareholders while their employees scrape by. Wal-Mart...America's biggest welfare cheat!

Short and sweet (what really matters)

As I tore a few minutes away from my scintillating job to rest my overworked mind, I found this post:

...burn your TV, it’s a black hole for time and energy -
it has nothing to do with real life.

Just remember; life is short, time is fleeting so love your family, love God,
find Jesus (He is the narrow gate.)

Be a nerd, be a geek. Love your nerd, love your geek.

But balance your nerdish geeky tendencies with love.

This is how I want to live my life...though I wouldn't have thrown out DVDs or video games, I agree with his outlook. Many times these things get in the way of who we want to be and what we want to do.

My Quick Feelings About the War

Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the Unites States, professor and WW II veteran said here:

Terrorism remains a frightening phenomenon all over the world. But war cannot stop terrorism, because war is itself terrorism, breeding rage and hate, as we are seeing now. War is a substitute for getting at the roots of terrorism, and the United States has turned to it, because to deal with fundamentals rather than symptoms would require radical changes in policy.

What's key to that statement is dealing with fundamentals. America still hasn't answered the question "Why were some people so mad with this country that they jacked some airplanes and ran them into the largest building in NYC and the Pentagon?". Many people know why but America isn't addressing the way it treats the rest of the world...and those within its' borders.

Black Identity and Politics

from this article:

"You have to learn to be an African-American and we don't have time to train you." -Sharpe James, Newark Mayor (since 1970)

Who determines how Black a particlar candidate is? Does being a Republican make them less black? Does being from a third party make Black candidates more out of touch with the predominately Democratic Black America? Do you have to be poor or grow up poor to be really black? If you went to "white" schools, does that mean you lose your ability and perch to talk about the state of black communities?

Black America needs to answer this question. Oh, and anyone over 40, I don't want to hear from you. Mad? Well, good. How do you think that we feel? When previous generations have gone to college and moved forward, they were lauded. When Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. went to Yale from his West Virginia hometown, people were happy for him almost as if themselves or their child made it. However, when we do the same, we are treated as outcasts because we are too "white" or we are "sellouts". Sure, there are some who abandon their moral stances for the dollar but that's not a specifically black phenomenon.

I am tired of people from the Civil Rights generation turning their nose up at black folks now. Once, white America cracked the door, many just ran in and barricaded it in accordance with the "one-nigga rule"--there can only be one nigger here and that's ME. They didn't provide support or mentoring for blacks that didn't have the resources to get to the door. In short, they believed that poorer blacks were incapable and they didn't want to give back. Our generation wants to be different.

This staus quo has bred contempt (listen to hip-hop sometime...especially in the late 80's and early 90's). Young, black, intelligent and savvy (as much as I hate to use this term) Gen-Xers are everywhere. There are hip-hop pediatricians (like my homie, Jarret), hip-hop lawyers (Jaime and Reese) and countless hip-hop teachers, engineers and planners (what up G) that see a world beyond Democrat and Republican, red and blue. Barack Obama and Cory Booker, I hope, are just the beginning.

We grew up exposed to more information and culture than any generation of black folks before. Many of us have lived among people that aren't black and have exchanged cultural information. Our receptivity and understanding of the fact that we are more alike than many are willing to admit. Many people, such as older black leaders, retain their power because of difference. Because young blacks are willing to embrace those that believe in their vision, black or otherwise, older blacks accuse people like Booker as being "not black enough".

But finally, what makes the conflict so potent is that the older generation of black leadership does not want to be displaced, even if the battle has moved on. "They will fight to the end to hold on to it," says Queens minister and former congressman Floyd Flake. "The younger guys are going to have to make their way, because what's really most threatening to them is that here is a generation of kids that are not locked up in the struggles of the civil-rights era. And the older generation is saying, 'They're not ready because they're not black enough'? It's a sad indictment on us as a race."

It's time to stop being nice to people that impede progress. A few years ago, Aaron McGruder, as described in this article called comfortable white liberals not to rest on the laurels of past accomplishments. We can't let older blacks do it either. Props to the Michael Eric Dysons of the world that challenge people like Bill Cosby when they make statements about today's young people.

To Bill Cosby: You aren't squeaky-clean either. Help solve the problems that create the situations or have a nice glass of shut the fuck up with your pudding.

Like I said, time to stop being nice to those that hold you back.

Vote for Somebody

In this MSNBC article, Craig Crawford talks about the Jack Abramoff scandal and how it could be the biggest scandal to hit DC (bigger than even Watergate). He states that corruption is ubiquitous because:

"Money is the dominant political party in the nation's capital. This is an era where the average House incumbent spends $1 million to stay in office, and senators spend far more."

He also states that the voting public is to blame by voting for the biggest spenders. He says let's try voting for the person who spends less for a change. I, for one, agree. Think about how that money could be used instead of using them on TV and radio ads. They could actually go to people who need help...they could do good in their district. That wins votes...not mudslinging commercials.

oh my...

For once, I actually agree with Terry Pluto.

Hell might actually freeze over.

This article is actually on-point. The Browns need stability. Phil Savage picked some good guys this draft. Romeo Crennell is a class guy. Charlie Frye was 2-3 as a starter. Many have done worse. Andra Davis had a Pro Bowl caliber year and Kenard Lang and Chaun Thompson showed some upside.

But they are still 6-10.

They should trade down, get some good line guys and then we could see playoffs if not next year, the year after. That is, if the Browns get a good president.

As for me, I will be watching the Cardinals. Yes, the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, they do still exist.

2006 is here.

Wow...

The 2000's are half-over. 2001-2005, all history. I hope that the last half of this century was better than the first half. This is shaping up to be almost as bad as the 80's. So many big questions: do we have an exit strategy for Iraq? What happens to those displaced by Katrina? Will they even rebuild New Orleans? How can rising medical costs and lower real wages be a good combination? Will America avoid becoming a third-world nation? Will all of the dirty tricks that the "President" pulled see the light before he skates away on his term-limited retirement?

Then there's education. This will ultimately kill America if it's not handled. How did India, where the citizens are VERY poor, produce so many engineers, DBAs and the sort? Education. Same with China. There is an emphasis put on succeding...not on just getting by.

We need fewer slumlording charter schools. Yes, White Hat, I mean you. We need more schools like The Intergenerational School in Cleveland.

More change at public schools...and I don't mean a new proficiency test. Tests are tools to ascertain knowledge acquisition and understanding, not to dictate them.

We need fresh ideas to educate our populace -- especially our children, not prepare them for a life of just-getting-by jobs and rampant consumerism. There needs to be a stand in the cities, the states and all the way up saying, "we will educate these children, not indoctrinate them with an ethos of mediocrity for most and inferiority for some".

And, racism? Don't get me started. Racism is still alive and kicking in America. It's the reason why a lot of the problems in America haven't been solved especially some of the ones I mentioned above. People try to blame the abdication of self-accountability for the shortcomings of our poorer citizens *cough* Bill Cosby *cough*. It's so much more. People still don't believe that people of color are equal...there is lots of inter-group and intra-group racism (not to mention other -isms such as sexism)...sickening.





This is where my mind is when I look at the world in 2006.

Talk about classless..

The Minnesota Vikings have had a hard (no pun...ok, some pun intended) season. The started a woeful 2 - 5 in their first seven games and rallied to finish up 7 - 2 to finish 9 - 7 and just outside of the playoff picture. Considering losing both Randy Moss to the Raiders and Daunte Culpepper (torn ACL, MCL and PCL) and having a notoriously cheap owner sell the team mid-season to a real piece of work whose last name looks like a before picture of the Soul Train Scrambleboard (what the hell kind of name is Zygi Wilf?) and a relatively young coach that didn't have all that much to work with (and let's not even get into the "Love Boat" fiasco), they had a lot to deal with and they won more than they lost.

Despite a win against the second best team in the NFC, the Chicago Bears, the aforementioned Mr. Wilf saw it necessary to fire Mike Tice in the locker room shortly after the game. For a owner that had missionaryesque zeal about ethics and values (remember, he came up with the "code of conduct" after the boat misadventure, this is really low.