Censorship? What Happened to D.V.?

2nd Amendment

I thought The Right to Bear Arms was created so that citizens could protect themselves from an oppressive and corrupt GOVERNMENT?

Who Needs Books ?

I hate to read 'books' on i-Pads.
I enjoy the feel of paper and the ability to take notes and draw in the books I purchase.
I like the look of shelves filled with books I've read and other shelves filled with books yet to be read.
I guess I'm Old school.

But this little prototype seems as though it will even make the i-Pad obsolete.

Spike Lee? Nigger Please...

(Still cannot upload photos)

What about Antoine Fuqua or The Hughes Brothers?

Oscar Micheaux?
Gordon Parks?
Melvin Van Peebles?
I'll even throw in F. Gary Gray.
(I'll pass on the simplistic Tyler Perry and his effete perspectives and John Singleton and his After School Specials.)
But one has to know that Spike Lee is not the final word in Black cinema.

That Dick Gregory has taken Mars Blackmon to the woodshed and whipped his tiny little ass is good news for Blacks in America today.
That a Black man can criticize another Black man in defence of the work of a white man is progress in the realm of race relations.

Don't get me wrong - I'm a Spike Lee fan.
In fact, I just watched a boxed-set of Spike Lee films over the weekend with my girlfriend and her son in order to introduce them to Mr. Lee's body of work.
I used to shop at Spike's Joint when the shop was on Melrose back in the day.
I pay to see Spike Lee movies and buy the DVDs instead of checking them out on bootleg.
I support Spike Lee.

Mr Lee's beef with Quentin Tarantino goes back to Tarantino's Jackie Brown and QT's comfortable use of the word "Nigger" in his films.
Tarantino has been 'keeping it real' since True Romance and his use of "eggplant" to describe those involved in the Carthaginian conquest of Southern Italy.
QT made Sam Jackson famous with Pulp Fiction in a way that Spike Lee could not with Do the Right Thing.

Spike's theory that a white man cannot write, direct or produce Black-oriented entertainment is obsolete.
(Think; Kelsey Grammar with Girlfriends and The Game.)
When Larry King's son stated that he wanted to be Black because Black was cool - it caused an uproar for many racial polemics.
But think about what the kid was thinking.
The kid's favorite actor was probably Vin Diesel or Will Smith.
The kid's favorite athlete was probably Derek Jeter or Lebron James.
The kid's favorite performer was probably Lil' Wayne or Jay-Z.
The kid has seen Tiger Woods dominate golf, James Stewart dominate motocross and Venus and Serena dominate tennis.
The kid sees a Black president.
To that kid, and many others, Black is cool.

This is why I think Tarantino does a good job at portraying Black heroes or anti-heroes.
Quentin grew up in So-Cal and was exposed to many races and cultures.
While other directors placed Black actors in secondary staring roles - QT made Django the true star of the film.
While other directors handle Black history with kit-gloves (or; kit-gloves?), QT understand the time period and context of his story - and the use of 'Nigger' was common.

So as far as Spike Lee's criticism of Tarantino?
Sit down Mars.

Back in the Day - Stuart Scott was The Man...

(Okay... so this photo has nothing to do with this post but I don't seem to be able to upload photos from my computer and I thought this woman was kind-of sexy.)

Sports reporting used to be boring.
Sure, we could wait for the weekend to catch taped replays of events on ABC's Wide World of Sports (or any of the other network imitators) but the format of these shows was fairly pedestrian.

Then along came ESPN with (almost) real-time sports coverage.
The network became a staple in most guys' viewing rotation.
Even better was 'The Deuce" (ESPN 2) with Keith Oberman, Suzy Colber and a young Stuart Scott.
The Deuce had a format that I could relate to.
Smart-assed quips from it's reporters, a bottom ticker with real-time scores and updates and the use of slang which made the show feel as though one was watching television with ones boys (and a girl).

Stuart Scott stood out with his "Boyaah" or "Cooler than the other side of the pillow" remarks - which would often have Suzi Colber laughing as her eyes squinched until they almost disappeared.
I could relate to Stuart better than I could to Howard Cossell or Brett Musberger and later Keith Oberman.
Stuart brought a Black-cool to the sports reporting that Bryant Gumbel could never master.
Stewart was erudite and street in a way that former athletes could never be.

Hearing that Mr. Scott is again fighting Cancer caused me to think about my own mortality.
All I can say is that I hope the brotha' gets better soon.

Tha Damn Souf

I know everything is supposed to be bigger in Texas - butt does that mean EVERYTHING?

Guess what the most replaced item is at my club?
Go ahead... guess...?

Answer; Toilet seats in the ladies room.

I KNOW I'm Late, But...

NO Reason To Change

 Why better ones life if (short term) fame and fortune can be gained by being less than perfect?
"Redneckcognize"? Honey Boo Boo became a crowd favorite because she was a bit more plump than the other little hooker look-a-likes on the child beauty pageant circuit.
If being a dumb fat redneck made her family famous - why be anything else?

 Some are up in arms that a man would get a reality show because he has a bunch of baby-mamas.
No...
Not this guy...

This guy.
It seems that Shawty Lo is set to take one of the pillars of ghetto status (having a bunch of hoes as baby-mamas) to the next level.
Not only is this foolishness being televised but it is being monetised as well.
Get paid to sew your seed?
I can just see some from the next generation thinking that this Nigga' has it all; fame, money, hoes, and a television show to boot.

New Model

I no longer think that many (well... most) people in the hood want to get out of the hood.
In times past, people were almost proud to say that they were from the hood (meaning that they got out).
These days, it seems that many people are proud to say that are from the hood (meaning that that is their chosen lot in life).

I caught an episode of The Shark Tank tonight and I was struck by a comment made by Mark Cuban.
Mr. Cuban told a woman the she was not yet an entrepreneur but that she was a "wantrepeneur".
He doubted that the woman would make the effort required to have her company succeed.
As he and the other investors passed on the woman's idea, Mr. Cuban had doubts about whether the woman could turn a profit on any investment.

Maybe this is what the government should do to those seeking federal aid.
Maybe applicants should have to go through a screening process to vet the likelihood of a positive outcome?
If an applicant states and can show proof that they have laid the social, educational and spiritual groundwork required for their next step - along with a viable plan for future success - only then should financial aid be given.