Favre 1, Arnold 0 F

Ok, it's over.

The Brett Favre hatefest is officially over.

My boys often harass me for my disdain for Brett Favre. I rooted for him when the Pack was in the Super Bowl but I was turned of by his wishy-washiness about retiring.

But, good is good, and Favre is good...very good.

There, I said it.

But they are still going to lose the Super Bowl to the Jags.

The Night the Spark Went Out in Louisiana

"We played a lot tougher teams, mentally tougher. When they got down, they shut it down."
--LSU safety Harry Coleman

When a backup safety says these kinds of things, something's wrong. It's one thing to play hard and fall via a missed field goal or a pass just out of the reach of a receiver's grasp away from victory. This fate befell the Browns. But, over the last 15 games, the Browns went 10-5 and showed considerable heart, even in defeat. Sure, they made mistakes but they showed guts and stayed in the game.

Unlike the Buckeyes.

I have said, get up on a Jim Tressel team, they fold like a poorly constructed house of cards. When you see a team implode like that, you have to look at leadership. College is about building character but folding under pressure runs counter to that end.

Dare I say it....fire. Fire. Jim. Tressel.

Summit County and Mass Transit

I posted this at BFD.

It's about mass transit and Summit County, Ohio.

reaping and sowing

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a
man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7 KJV)

I am not a biblical scholar but this statement has been proven true way more than it hasn't. (That God, she's pretty smart, you know.)

I thought of that phrase when I heard about the beating of Kevin McDermott of Shaker Heights a few days ago around E 146th and Onaway, near the Shaker - Cleveland border by multiple assailants. Articles such as this one, took a really sad tone, a tone that said "Oh my God, senseless crime in the suburbs? How could that be? This only happens to them...over there". Listen, our world could be a lot safer and many people, like Mr. McDermott, are casualties of miscreant perpetrators. With any issue, we have to find its' source and its' source is... the very suburbs that were supposedly immune to these types of acts.

Why? How? The American suburb, for many, was used as an escape hatch to flee the poor, the less educated and the different, for some. Some people had growing families and didn't have the room to expand in the city, which happens. But many people, didn't run to the suburbs as much as they ran away from the city. Instead of helping to solve the problems, they ran and left it to those that couldn't to solve the problems. Lack of educational opportunities and lack of hope turn hopeful, imaginative children into guys that walk around looking for some guy to beat up in Shaker Heights.

I am sure critics are thinking "Oh sure, blame society. Why couldn't they be more responsible." I think they should be too but it's pretty hard when you were never taught or if you felt like being negative was a better choice than being positive. It's too late for Mr. McDermott's attackers, they must reap the consequences of their violence once they are apprehended. But, as long as people run from neighborhoods instead of working with and respecting the people in them (it's not just about fixing housing stock, people) better, we will continue to get what we get.

Some first post of the year, eh?

Ends and Beginnings, Part I

Life itself has a beginning and an end for each of us. Sometimes the interactions of beginnings and ends make life very interesting and educational.

Earlier this month, my great-aunt, Paula R. Campbell, returned to the essence. There are people who you meet who have this presence without really striving for such. Aunt Paula had that kind of presence. Every time I interracted with her, she was sharp and engaging. One thing about my family is that the women in my family aren't meek. My mother, grandmother, aunts, cousins, all the way up to my 91 years young great grandmother (who is the strongest of all. She showed me you don't have to be loud to be strong) are all women of strength. Aunt Paula definitely fit the bill. Though I didn't get to see her as much as I would like (one of the drawbacks of having a big family), she will be missed.

A simple thing...

Here's a little thing that brings me joy: watching a friend or loved one do what they love.

Give it a try.

life...

This happened yesterday: Akron man killed in Fairlawn crash.

This man is Roger Kevin Flee of Akron, 49. This could be your friend, co-worker, spouse, cousin, et cetera. It just happened to be my son's great uncle and someone who I considered a friend.

Kevin, as those who knew him personally knew him, was a guy who always tried to give people a fair shake. He was a really affable guy. He and I would often talk about computer stuff. Sometimes he would call and bounce some things off that he could try. No one's really sure why the accident happened but it took the life of a good guy.

Rest in Peace, Kevin.

To you all...remember, love all of your friends and loved ones and show them as such. Life's too short to do otherwise.

Why I Love Hip-Hop...Stakes is High

Stakes is High means that times are getting hectic. It is not a time for complacency or taking things for granted...especially when it comes to hip-hop. It came out 11 years ago and it still holds true today.

Dennis Kucinich - PBS, News Hour

You know, if anyone else was saying what he was saying, people would be falling over themselves to support him.

Just because he's Dennis Kucinich...

Kucinich represents what's best of Cleveland. He makes me proud to be from the 'land.

Why I Love Hip-Hop: Foreign Exchange - Sincere

Hip-hop has been international for a long time. Thanks to the Internet, it has only become more so. The Foreign Exchange is a collaboration between Phonte Coleman (1/2 of Little Brother) of North Carolina and Nicolay of the Netherlands.

Yes, the Netherlands.

This doesn't sound like Little Brother in style and in substance. Phonte even sings on some tracks of their initial CD, Connected, which has this song, "Sincere". A new Foreign Exchange CD is expected soon called "Leave it All Behind".

Hip-hop at its' best can bridge language and cultural barriers...like any good music can.

Why I Love Hip-Hop: Cesar Comanche - Lamb to Lion

The independent MC. Many MCs decide, for many reasons, to go the indie route. Some are trying to secure major deals. Some enjoy the freedom that is part and parcel of independently produced music. Some want bigger creative control and/or financial rewards.

The brothers of the Justus League are some MCs that represent what's right about independent hip-hop. They are just regular brothers with wives, kids and a love for hip-hop. That's what it's all about.

Hip-hop heads are real people. We were kids, we hung out. We have relationships, some work, some fail. We have jobs, some we like, some we don't. We go to college (which is how much of the Justus League met each other).

I chose this song because Cesar Comanche is one of the founders of the Justus League. One of my favorite groups, Little Brother, is among the members of the Justus League and they have cameos in the video.

Why I Love Hip-Hop: Kurious feat. Sadat X, Mike G - 'Mansion And A Yacht'

Hip-hop has dictated some good fashion statements as well as some more forgettable ones (think Kris Kross...). This video has a lot of things in it. A reference to Madden (for you non-gamers out there, Madden = John Madden Football, the biggest selling video game series ever. It's most recent iteration, Madden NFL 2008 is available for the PC, XBOX, XBOX 360, PlayStation 2, PSP and the Nintendo Wii -- not sure about the Gamecube). Also, you have a lot of blacks and latinos in...hockey jerseys? Before this, you didn't see people wearing hockey jerseys unless they were heading to a game.

This song is also one of my favorite b-sides ever. Ok, for the peeps that don't have or have never had records, sometimes an artist would put 2-3 songs onto one 12" piece of vinyl. This, in hip-hop parlance is called a twelve-inch. There was a popular song (or song that they wanted to garner popularity for) on the "A" side and a more obscure song on the "B" side, much like how it worked with other genres. See my post about the remix to understand why remixes and b-sides are a boon to hip-hop fans.

Why I Love Hip-Hop: Leaders Of The New School - Case Of The P.T.A. (Video)

1991...the key word in this post is yes.

Yes, that is Busta Rhymes along with Charlie Brown and Dinco D and yes, they make up the original line up of Leaders of the New School (Cut Monitor Milo/Milo in the Dance, cousin of Busta Rhymes, would join the group for the second album, T.I.M.E(The Inner Mind's Eye). Yes, Charlie Brown is wearing all Cleveland Browns paraphenalia. Yes, Chuck D of Public Enemy fame, christened this group, Leaders of the New School (known by heads as the LONS). Yes, this intensity while spitting rhymes that make sense is not seen enough today. Yes, this tape (yes, I had tapes) Future Without a Past stayed in my Walkman. Yes, this album helped me survive 10th grade...my worst year EVER. Yes, I still remember the words to this song. Yes, I screamed them when I saw Busta Rhymes perform last year. Yes, this was my second favorite group -- my first still being De La Soul -- until they broke up due to personal infighting.

Why I Love Hip-Hop - Nas - World is yours (Q-Tip Remix)

The Remix...House music and club music did it but hip-hop took it to another level. Yes, this is the same artist and song that I just posted...but Nas decided, well, let me change some lyrics here and there and get a beat from Q-Tip instead of the Pete Rock classic. It's the same song but reworked enough to give it a different vibe.

Why I Love Hip-Hop - The World is Yours

I am starting a series that combines my love for hip-hop with my jones for YouTube...it's called Why I Love Hip-Hop.

Hip-hop is catching a lot of crap lately. Hip-hop is the music of my life. The essentials of hip-hop, the writing (graffiti art), the rhyming (rapping), the djing and the b-boying (breakdancing) are the cultural expressions of working-class black and latino youth...but, it has spread world wide. Some of this spread has been perpetuated by those who wish to profiteer off of hip-hop. But there are some that still believe in the power of words and a beat and believe in the core of what made hip-hop special: stories told with honesty and dexterity. The flair doesn't come from jewelry, cars, and scantily clad women...those are machinations of those that see hip-hop as a cash cow. The music is about the rhyme, the beat and the interplay between both. I will highlight some examples that I feel that merit mentioning. There are so many more...this is just one fan's opinion.


Whose world is this? It's mine, it's mine, it's mine...

This song was damn near my anthem summer of 1994. I had just graduated 2 weeks earlier and I was participating in my normal Friday night ritual. Yo! MTV Raps! from 12am to 2am. I did it before I took the ACT and the SAT and I did it after I got back from prom. This is the second single from one of the most highly regarded hip-hop albums ever, Nas's debut Illmatic.

As soon as that Ahmad Jamal trio sample (from the song "I Love Music" hits), it takes me back to the optimism I had back in 1994. This was before 9/11, this was before the petty east coast/west coast stuff, this was before Bush's robbery of the White House, before Monica Lewinsky, before Katrina, back when Pac and Biggie were tight with each other...those were the days.

This is how hip-hop should sound...it should have this kind of soul, this kind of personality. This is why I love this music.

Do YOU know about the Jena 6?

This video is about a travesty in Louisiana...no, not Katrina.

Chris (from Columbus) puts it extremely well.

While it's not right to meet intimidation with violence, our legal system doesn't seem to have come very far in the days of horribly lopsided and unfair trials that were consistent with the Jim Crow days. The legal system still dogpiles on people of color without the means to defend themselves. Speaking up for legal rights doesn't imply condoning of actions (the argument of many opponents to real judicial reform). It's just the right thing to do. If you are going to send people to jail, do it fairly.

Def Poetry - Common - A Letter To The Law

And y'all thought I was kidding when I called Cheney gangster...

KRS-ONE - Sound of Da Police

If anyone ever feels why black folks are hostile toward crooked cops (legit cops are too few and good human beings and the bad ones mess it up for them too.)...

TELL THE TRUTH - Mos Def - Immortal Technique - Eminem

Weapons of mass distraction...

What Cleveland Metropolitan needs.

Maybe this is all the CMSD needs...(thanks Carmen)



Why aren't there movies about black and latino teachers inspiring their youth other than Stand and Deliver and Lean on Me. I know Jaime Escalante and Joe Clark aren't the only educational role models for Latino and Black students. There are teachers, black, white, asian, latino, male and female that won't let kids fail without the drama and the schmaltz. I know some of them personally.