Online Dating

There has been a pretty big influx of online dating options recently along with the acceptability of them. Its no longer a huge secret that people are meeting potential mates through electronic means. It was bound to happen.  Websites like Match, Ok Cupid, EHarmony, Zoosk and Plenty of Fish (just to name a few) have millions of members and tons of ads boasting about their success. New renditions of these sites like the Tender and Hinge app take the root of online dating and make it as simple as swiping someone’s face in a direction if you find them attractive or not and when a match is made you are notified. I’m not ashamed to say it, but I have found success on a few of these websites, as a ton of my friends have, in finding friends, potential mates and my actual girlfriend now. We are happy as hell, have a beautiful apartment and a stunning young puppy together. Shout out to my homie Chevy------------->>>. His name comes from the fact that we both drive Chevys and our first meeting location was Chevy’s TexMex Restaurant. Awwww.

Anyway, the purpose of this article is to reflect on my past experiences on these sites and to encourage you to give them a try. Not saying you will find your soul mate or anything, but if nothing else it’s a crash course in finding what you want and don’t want in a potential mate. It’s kinda like being able to test drive and take home a bunch of cars for a few days before deciding which is right for you. Man that would be sweet.   Here are a few tips for those who are considering trying it or are having a little bit of trouble in your process. Might not mean much, but this is from personal experience and if you read this blog you think highly enough of our opinion to waste a few minutes at work.  None of these suggestions are fail-proof, but are good to know.

• Goal. Relationship or hook up. If you know what you want once you decide to do it, you can save yourself potential headaches or heartaches. If the person only wants to see you at night, you know what’s up.

• Medium. If you pay for a site like EHarmony, know you will meet people who are looking to settle down and be in something serious. If you’re on a free site, you are more likely to find hookups. This isn’t 100% true, but is good to be aware of.

• Be picky. There are millions of people on the sites, so find one you actually really like. If not, you will eventually end things for no other reason than knowing you can find better online. There are millions of people to choose from.

• No one is perfect. Being picky doesn’t mean finding perfection. It won’t happen. If everyone was perfect, online dating wouldn’t exist.

• Limit online conversation. Don’t get Manti Te’o-ed (or catfished). Meet the person within a week and in a public place. Its called online dating, but the dating should be done in real life. My limit was about 5 messages before I said lets meet.

• Meet people, don’t date. I had a strict rule about the first time I see someone in real life, it’s a meeting and not a date. I do not pay for her, even though I am old school. Use the word “meet” and not date. It relieves pressure. If the guy doesn’t want to pay its because he’s not really into the female. I don’t believe in wasting money on someone I never want to see again. If he pays, there’s a good chance he wants to see her again, so he’s leaving a good impression. If she is very adamant about paying for herself, she’s being honorable and probably doesn’t want to see you again. Ladies should always do the fake and offer to pay twice. It’s the respectful thing to do and goes a long way in the guys head.

• Sites without actual profiles (meaning words describing who they are) are mainly for hookups. Take them for what they are.

• Don’t be afraid to show you like someone.  Waiting to see if they contact you first is dumb. Go with how you feel, because if its truly mutual, then they will respond in a similar manner.  If I really like a girl, I won’t think she’s weird for texting me the next day. Online dating has changed the game. Shouldn’t the “rules” change too?

• Don't be a damn liar. If its 2013 use of pictures from 2010 when you looked way better is not allowed. You will only waste your time and others. If nothing else, you want to be a delightful surprise not a terrifying realization.

All in all, I would say keep your hopes for online dating in check. There are some weird ass people in the world. I’ve met some of them from these sites. Go in with the thought process that you WILL learn something about yourself and others but you MIGHT find someone worth finding. Either way, have fun with it.

The Ruthless

So a lot of controversy was raised with Superman’s ending (spoiler alert, he kills Zod) because Superman in his mythology traditionally doesn’t kill. Yet in this movie Superman is kind of ruthless. So I had a thought. Are Batman and Superman really noble, or colossal pussies? If their pussies then who are the most ruthless Superheroes in the multiverse? Superheros who still manage to murk niggas on a regular biases.

10. Deadpool: He’s crazy, and carries enough weaponry to destroy a small nation. 

9. Venom: He walks a thin line between superhero and villain, yet one thing remains the same. If you fuck with him, he will eat you.

8. Rick Grimes: Not a superhero to say the least, but one ruthless motherfucker. Case in point, zombies attack surround by zombies, the woman he’s sleeping with and she grabs on to him. Does he try to save her? Nope, he chops off her hand and uses her as bait.

7. Dream: Lord of Dreams, Dream comes up with some interesting ways punish his villains. Namely 60 years of continuous nightmares to say the least.

6. Green Lanterns: Traditional they don’t kill people. That was until Sinestro tired to destroy the universe. With the ability to create anything they can imagine with they came up with some interesting ways to dice their enemies to bits.

5. Spawn: I was introduced to Spawn on that old MTV block that showed the animated show along side Aeon Faux. In it he stopped a potential mugging by ripping a thug's arm off and beating him to death with it. The dude only wanted the woman’s purse. Ruthless.

4. Preacher: A disgraced priest with the voice of God, literally anything he says you have to do. So at the end of one story arch when a corrupt detective refused to leave him alone, Preacher promptly told him to go fuck him self. Which he did. Yeah that imagery still makes me cringe.

3. Wolverine: No not the pretty emo punk bitch that he’s turned into, but the original 1980s Wolverine, whose opening statement was “I am the best at what I do, and what I do isn’t very nice” when the first two panels of his iconic graphic novel is him cutting through a bear. His super power is unbreakable claws for Christ sake.

2. Punisher: nuff said.

1.Wonder Woman: Wonder Woman has been around literally as long as Superman and Batman, and yet her rogue gallery isn’t nearly as long as the two of theirs. Why? Cuz she murders bitches.

Honorable mentions: Mace Windu, Electra, and Damian Wayne.

A few thoughts on Brooklyn

So I'm in Brooklyn visiting for a couple of weeks.  I love Brooklyn. Here are a list of some of my observations.

1.  Hot hipster bitches.  They are everywhere! And its a beautiful thing.  Light skinned Dark skinned Asian AND White Women...what a sight to behold.  Like rare wild birds who strut the concrete jungle with a smug sense of entitlement.

2. Its slow.  Its like Brooklyn is stoned all the time and its more successful big brother Manhattan has all the shiny things but also a permanent stick up its own ass.

3. The Food.  Brooklyn is obsessed with food trends.  Not in a bad or good way.  The way I see it as long as the food is good I could care less if you're a contradiction of yourself.  Like a soul food restaurant in the North, that uses only farm-to-table and holistic ingredients...

4. The G and L Train.  Just wash your hands after riding that bitch.  The dirty crust punks with the smelly ass armpits probably didn't and they just shoved their anti-manicured hands in their beard to grab a piece of day-old bread which they subsequently ate.

5.  Seeing people you know from cities you lived in in the past is not always a good thing.  Me and a buddy walked past this bar and a chick I knew from drinking heavily during grad school spotted us.  I forgot how loud she was.  Lost my voice trying to have a conversation with her ass.  Stayed out till 4 am which at my age now takes 24 hours to recover from.  But my homie smashed her so good for him...

6.  The people are friendly.  People have this misconception about people from NY as if theyre all ass holes.  Simply not the case.  Most people are happy to help your lost ass not waste money getting on wrong the subway.  Just ask!

7. The girls are slick.  Haven't had girls just give me their number anywhere else like they do here.  BUT the slickest was at the bar last night I took a picture of this crazy looking DJ who was playing.  This girl came up to me and was like "I like that picture you got of the DJ can you send them to me?" I tipped my hat in approval and obliged. ----->

8. Brooklyn is cheap.  Cheap to live cheap to eat. Close to EVERYTHING you could possibly want to do EVER.

9.   People here do believe that this place is the end all be all.  That no city compares and that if you're  struggling here, it's better than being a success somewhere else.  I'm sorry Brooklynites, thats
not the way it goes...

10.   No doubt New York is the greatest city in the world, but there's no place like home

Candy Crush Addiction

Im on vacation again so this will be a short post. Let me begin by saying Hi, Im Walter and Im addicted to candy crush. Im sure every other person you meet should be quoting the above sentence. People at my workplace play candy crush on their lunch....we work for the government!!! For those who have not yet been sucked in I have posted a video on reasons not to play candy crush saga. Enjoy and take heed!!

Been a rough morning...

So this morning has been less than desirable.

For starters, its my morning to walk my new puppy. When I walk in to get him I see he has destroyed his bed and left green fuzzy stuff all over my living room. I'm pissed. I go to scold him and he decides he's pissed or rather wants to piss. He does this on the floor when I grab his collar.

I burned my tongue on my coffee on the drive to work.

My check engine light comes on.

I get to the base where I work and the over zealous security dude tells me my registration is expired. "I know sir, I'm giving this car to my brother in NC next weekend and didn't want to pay for registration for a year to use it for only two weeks."  He tells me to turn around and I'm not allowed on base. "BUT I WORK HERE!" I get turned around and he radios to the other gates "License plate Echo Charlie blah blah blah got rejected due to blah blah blah. Please be advised" Asshole.

I have to pay to park at a metro station and have a co-worker pick me up. Thanks Laquisha.

Furlough is still in effect.

I find out I have to go to a sexual harassment training for two hours this morning. Damnit.

However, all in all, my morning has to be better than Ginuwine's when this happened.

Oh well. I'll write a real post next week. I'm highly annoyed. So I guess I'm the Tyrese of the office this morning...

the royal baby...and other things.

random thoughts.

1. i could care less about the royal baby. that story is for women and foreigners. there was a guy at the Y who spent five minutes talking to me about everything that would need to take place for the little royal baby to become King. i did a 180, and walked away. i doubt we’ll be speaking about anything in the future.


2. i have a few friends who are long overdue from receiving a phone call from me; however, i like the thought of talking to them instead of actually following through.

3. i wish kanye would just finish the job, and beat down the paparazzi. enough yelling and clapping your hands. you need to grab a camera, smash that joint, and start stomping on some whites and foreigners (because only foreigners and white people would sign up for jobs as paparazzi). this has the potential to be the greatest internet video of all time. can you imagine kanye, finally tired of people flashing lights in his face, snapping and stomping the shit out of some saudi arabian dude and beating him until he sees the “white light?” i need him to be two inches from death before kanye throws some money on the ground like sonny corleone and walks struts away with his crew.

4. football season starts in 44 days.

5. we need to shut down espn between the nba draft and the start of nfl preseason.

6. if you ever wanted to know what the 1940’s were like, look no further than baseball. that sport hasn’t changed, unfortunately.

7. my favorite rap album in the last two years is run the jewels by killer mike and el-p. if you like hearing about violence, people getting robbed, and good old fashioned gangsta rap, this is the album for you. plus it's free.

8. i’m not a fan cellulite. i don’t know when that became fashionable for women.

9. i wonder who the next president will be. it’s about that time for champaigning and campaigning to kick up in october.

10. i’m going to see beyonce perform this saturday. not even going to lie, i’m lightweight excited about this. i don’t know that many of her songs, aside from the hits, so it’s going to be interesting to see how this goes. the last artist I saw in concert, didn’t know their music, and became an instant fan was broken social scene. so hopefully, she does well. if it’s anything like the super bowl, its money well spent.

11. i have a love/hate relationship with dogs. one on hand, i like the neediness of dogs. on the other hand, i hate the neediness of dogs. they’re cool to pet for a second or two, but then they stay in your face and always want to play. cry when you’re away. follow you around. i don’t want to sound like a rover killer or dog hater or anything, but I can do without the attention from dogs….but, they're extremely loyal, and generally cool to be around. dogs are like the friend that "plays too much". they mean well, but just dont know when to chill unless you check them.

12. but i really hate cats.

13. this is going to sound very “rapper/athlete on mtv cribs” but i’m getting some fish. fish are the perfect medium. they’re always there, they look cool, and if done properly add to the beauty of your place. i wouldn’t get an aquarium with my current place, but eventually…fish are being bought.

14. ladies, if a man tells you he doesn’t want you and his actions are reflective of that…move on. don’t waste your time. you look foolish.

15. i forgot how much i loved peanut butter and jelly. it's the go-to sandwich that never dies.

From Father to Son: A conversation about Trayvon

 This is a letter I received from my father shortly after the Trayvon Martin verdict. I wonder if Trayvon's Dad had the same conversation. I wonder if I'm going to have to send the same letter to my sons.

-->

Dear Kid,

I can’t help, but keep reflecting on Trayvon Martin. Maybe it’s the physical similarity to you, especially Taj. Taj loved hoodies. One of my favorite pictures is of Taj wearing one of my hoodies. He must have been 6 or 7, and he wore that hoodie that entire summer. He would walk out the house with this hoodie that came down to his knees. I couldn’t help but laugh. I even brought Taj a maroon colored hoodie with Harlem in big letters written across the chest when he was 17.  I also bought one you, but you lost them both. Was I wrong to buy my sons hoodies? Was I a bad parent? I wonder if Trayvon’s parents are thinking the same thing. Juror B-37 accused Trayvon of having something to do with his own death. If that’s true, it can’t be the hoodie. A hoodie is an article of clothing. Ok, maybe it was his father’s fault for letting him go to store for snacks. No going to the store can’t be what caused his death, Men go to the store all the time. Ok, it has to be Trayvon’s mother’s fault. Didn’t she let him go visit his father in the first place? Well that is just silly. We want to encourage boys to visit their fathers. That’s how they become men. It has to be Trayvon confronting a stranger, an adult, who Trayvon identified as a possible sexual predator.  We are all in agreement right. It has to be that because than it would have been self defense/stand your ground in the favor of Trayvon.   Oh my bad, I’m sorry.  I forgot. It was self defense/stand your ground for George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman had those rights, because Trayvon had committed the most heinous of crimes.  His crime is being Black in America. A crime in most states is punishable by death.

I try to push this boy’s death to the back of my mind like all the injustices we face, but as I get on the subway and see these black boys, and I want to stop them to tell them to be careful.  When a police officer, or a security guard stops them (and they will be stopped), or when people look at them with fear and loathing, I quietly plead "please act polite, please say yes sir and no sir, please whatever you do don’t give them the excuse to kill you".  Your mother and I both had that talk with you and your brother. It was after a particular heated exchange between Taj that the talk really hit hom.  You remember Taj came home late, and it lead to a huge disagreement between all of you. If you asked your mother it had very little to do with the actual hour. It had more to do with her not knowing where Taj was and the real possibility that is at the forefront of every black mother’s mind that the cops have her son. You guys would say that I was a hard ass. I was tough on you and not afraid to punch you in the chest if I think you needed it. I remember telling you in particular on why you needed to control your anger. My reason was you can be mad at me, you can yell, you can eve cuss, however when you walk out this house the World doesn’t know you like I know you. The World doesn’t love you like I love you. The World thinks your just another Nigger not the brilliant, wonderful person that you are.

 It’s hard being Black in America and that’s no joke. I wanted to make sure my sons understand that. Why it’s hard. No matter how educated, how much money you have, how successful you are, what the world sees is a black man and that is an object of fear. And don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. I had a waitress tell me to my face here in NYC in a thick Eastern European accent that she thought I was “tough” until we started talking and she saw I had a “nice face”. Translation, you were a Nigger until you opened your mouth and your wallet.

The reality is there are two Americas; one for blacks and one for whites. There’s not a black  man in America who has not been harassed, or arrested, or threatened by a police officer for doing nothing wrong. I must reiterate. It’s the doing nothing wrong that’s the problem.  It’s this weird “Right Of Passage” that we as black men speak about among ourselves, or in some cases never bring it up because it’s so painful. I’m going to share something I have spoken about only very rarely, because if had it gone another way I wouldn’t be here today. I was 20, or 21 and a gas meter reader in Seattle. You weren’t born yet. I was reading meters in a neighborhood I had been to before. It wasn’t new to me. I went in a back yard. Was there for less than 15 seconds and moved on to the next house and so on. About 5 to 10 minutes after I left this back yard I was walking to a house and out of the bushes jumped a police offer with gun drawn and hand on the trigger. He told me to stop, put my hands up. As I did another officer came up behind me and tackled me forcing my face into the mud. He handcuffed me. While in the mud I said I was the meter reader. At that point the officer who tackled me turned me over. We used to use a version of a personal computer to log in the reads. It looked like an 80’s cell phone. The officer, who nearly shot me said “What is this some kind of bomb or weapon?” I was calm, polite and corporative, because my Grandfather had the talk with me about how to act when being confronted by the police. Once on my back my savior appeared, a Native American postman who said very calmly “Why you got the gas meter reader on the ground”. The cop who damn near shot me walked over to the Native American postman and began questioning him. I think it is because there was a witness, and my demeanor, but whatever it was the officers un-cuffed me and let me go. The explanation for my treatment is they got a call of a prowler, who had entered a house. This person matched my description.  No prowler was found, no house had been broken into. Nothing had happened.  I can see the face of the officer, I can see the gun. I still have nightmares of that day only difference is the officer fired. In my dream I’m looking down on my body with a hole in my chest laying there with the officers over me.  That is not the only story. I got a half dozen of them.

I hope I will not have to have the talk with my Grandson. I hope when he comes along the martyrdom of Trayvon Martin will have changed the hearts of minds of people in this country where the story I tell my Grandson is one where these types of things happened in the past. I will tell my Grandson that his life is just as valuable as his white classmates. He can walk where he wants. He can wear what he wants.  The color of his skin has the same meaning as the color of his eyes.  That is my prayer.

Love,

Dad

2013 

One Love. No Justice, No Peace.

You Said What About Oprah

Today I was prepared to right a soul stirring  article in reference to Obama addressing the Trayvon Martin verdict.  Then I was riding in the car with my wife and heard the audio of Rae Dawn Chong and all I could thing was "You said what about OPRAH!"

This chick did an interview attacking and dissing Oprah on several different levels.  She said Oprah would be a field nigga.  She know Oprah don't like the word NIGGA!  What nobody takes shots at OPRAH WINFREY!!  Let me give you her credentials so we can establish her credibility, don't worry it won't take long.  She hasn't been relevant since "The Color Purple" when she played alongside Oprah.  Everyone remembers Oprah lines ("Until you do right by me," "You told Harpo to beat me!").  I don't remember anything Rae Dawn Chong said in the movie.....you name a line she had, don't worry I'll wait!

If Oprah wanted to say something about her I would say dang, kind of petty but Oprah is worth billions.  When I hear Chong's interview I say hoe do you know Oprah is worth billions.  She will pimp slap you to death with her money! 

It seemed as though there was a lot of hate in this interview.  I will only give my thoughts on one of her comments of hate.  "Chong says Oprah is a great brown-noser and then talked about how Oprah would enter a room find the most powerful person in the room and befriend them.  Hoe, do you think Oprah is worth billions of dollars because she sat in the background looking at the powerful!  She saw opportunity and went to capture it.  Hence the reason I know Oprah's name and I didn't know who Rae Dawn Chong was until i stumbled upon this hater filled interview.  I'm not a huge Oprah fan because she thinks I shouldn't use the word nigga, but I dislike unjustified haters!

To conclude I will use a quote I first heard from a fellow 5ivebruhs blogger, Bob George....STAY IN YOUR LANE!  Her status doesn't allow her to talk hate millionaires and definitely not billionaires.  She needs to hate on common folk and her neighbors, not celebrities.  She better not ever say anything like this again.  Rae Dawn Chong should be careful or she may end up like Harpo courtesy of Oprah's money!  (view video below)

Here is the link to the NY Times take on the matter: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/rae-dawn-chong-slams-oprah-field-n-r-article-1.1403805

DFTF : NY Edition

Ok im gonna leave Trayvon Martin alone this time around. I will say I do agree woth the 3 previous posts about him for consistency sake. So with that said I will change the subject. I have a question for you. You ever had a dream not like the unconcious kind and not quite like the Martin Luther King kind but somewhere in the middle. A desire, a want, you get the picture now. Yeah me too. I had this dream to move to NY and attempt to start a life and career there. Over the years I have had offers and  opportunities thrown my way which didnt pan out because of timing or money or responsibility or all three. I find myself now with a great opportunity once again to try to realize a dream not without its handicaps. These handicaps would deter most people but I have I have learned that nothing worh doing is risk free. Could it fail? Absolutely. Does that scare me? Only when I think about it. But then I think about all the amazing things that have happened in my life and how many of those things involved risk and adventure and a wave of excitement engulfs the fear.  I kind of get off on adventure.   As a kid I was a pirate fan, and an underdog fan, loved reading stories of explorers and pioneers. The audacity of those figures to believe they had the  stones to take on the status quo intrigued and inspired me. It still inspires me. Bottom line is I'm on he verge of doing something that even I think is crazy. Am I doing it for the life experience? Nah that phase is over. Its time to try something new. Put myself up against seemingly insurmountable odds and try to come out on top. Keep me in your prayers. I'll keep you posted.

Why we all owe Trayvon an apology

I tried to not talk about the case this week, but as I tried to type my fingers went that direction. My apologies. The issue isn't that Zimmerman is guilty its that America is guilty. We all have some small role to play in the way things went down.  America is full of racism and issues beyond stand your ground or self defense. For those who think the case has nothing to do with race, shut the hell up. It does. If you don't see it involving race at all, then you live in a much better America than I do. See this video for a little bit of truth.

 

I think to overcome racial issues and profiling, we must first admit it.  I think Zimmerman profiled Martin as a criminal and decided to pursue him. Not the right thing to do. I also think Martin profiled Zimmerman. I think he saw a lighter skinned guy following him with a very low haircut. Almost like a skin-head, and feared this guy wanted to start a fight. Martin might have gotten aggressive. Not the right thing to do. 

I do think that profiling, while at the surface is wrong, serves a purpose.  When used defensively, I think it is fully acceptable. Now before you crucify me for saying profiling is OK, hear me out. Think about a dear friend of yours, preferably a female with a race that differs from yours (for extreme purposes). Imagine she is walking down the street and a group of rough looking dudes of your OWN race is approaching her on the same side walk. She's alone. Would you tell her not to profile the group and not cross the street to be safe? Ten times out of ten, I'm going to tell her to be smart. Who cares if you offend them? Its not worth the risk. Many a times I have walked down the street and seen a woman cross over or clutch her purse. I don't get upset because there are dudes who look like me that are doing dirt. You are not responsible for your entire race. All you can do is be a good example of what you represent and lead by example.

My issue is when the profiling becomes offensive or aggressive. 

Zimmerman. He profiled and became the aggressor and pursued Martin. Martin in turn was most likely offended and afraid. He profiled a light skinned man with a buzzed head in the dark as a racist wanting to start trouble. He most likely got aggressive. Where Zimmerman is wrong and why he should have been found guilty of SOMETHING was the original pursuit of Martin. One plus one is two, and Zimmerman put that initial one and one together and the result was a dead teenager. Martin is also wrong for getting aggressive. But this article isn't being written to convince you of guilty or not guilty. Your opinion won't change. We all know this.

Rather, this is written to say that America is the problem. As a black man in America, I can see the case in a view that six suburban jurors can not. They, in turn, can see it in a way that I can not.  I don't fault the jurors. They weren't raised black in America. They don't know we are raised to be on our toes because our parents and grandparents had to be. They don't understand why we can be so aggressive or so easily offended. They can't see why Trayvon couldn't just talk to Zimmerman in a calm manner to clarify why he was following him and why he felt like he had to fight Zimmerman from the jump. America was built on slavery and racism, and even though I am usually full of optimism I'm extremely pessimistic about significantly reducing race issues in our lifetime.  Our best bet is the next generation. 

We are the direct descendents of parents of the 1960s and Civil Rights era. That says it all. Had roles and colors been reversed, the result would have been exactly the same, and that's the sad truth. Six black women jurors would have found a black man not guilty if he shot and killed a white kid in the exact same situation. Lord knows we would have wanted to protect our own, and black people would have reacted just like white people now. Some black people would see injustice and some would chalk it up to the game. And to make things worse, the result of the Zimmerman case makes it even more likely.  The next white kid killed wrongfully by a black man, will get less sympathy from us. So damn wrong, but true. America as a whole is the problem. We all have our biases.

Our next generation actually stands a chance. Let's not ruin it by living, expressing, teaching, creating, speaking, tweeting, intstagramming, blogging and Facebook-status-posting ill-advised examples to those who are the long-term solution. The youth.

(One last thing. People stop calling for Obama to do/say something miraculous. His hands are tied. He is the President of black people and white people. For him to speak out how he probably truly feels would cause more issues than solutions. Wait until he's out of office to ask him to be that guy.)

Zimmerman

My 600 or so words on the Zimmerman case.


As much as I wanted Zimmerman to be found guilty for murdering Trayvon Martin, I knew this would end the way it did. Based on the prosecuting attorneys subpar performance, the botched investigation with the Sanford police, and Zimmerman having better lawyers, a not-guilty verdict was inevitable, especially for second degree murder.

George Zimmerman had a Constitutional right to have his due process in court. Regardless of how you personally feel about Zimmerman, he is entitled to a fair trial. From an emotional standpoint, I wanted him to be found guilty. I think he murdered not in self-defense, but as a result of his personal bigotry and racial profiling of Martin. Objectively speaking, Zimmerman received his chance in court. Once again, it is not the justice I personally wanted, but it is justice according to the letter of the law. It is up to the prosecuting attorneys to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman is guilty, which they failed to do.

Prosecuting Attorneys

Why not initially charge Zimmerman with manslaughter? Manslaughter is a layup of a charge to stick to Zimmerman. Second-degree murder is a charge in which no stone is left unturned. And if you are going to charge Zimmerman with second-degree murder, you need to be sure AND able to prove that killing was spiteful and racially motivated, not self-defense. I see it as racial motivation, but asking a jury of six suburban women (five of them white) to judge the same scenario, and they will have a different viewpoint. The jurors are looking at the situation from the standpoint of “there have been recent break-ins in the area. Zimmerman is neighborhood watch leader, and fed up with the burglaries. He’s taking justice into his hands, since the police haven’t.”….throw in the fact that these are women who probably would have wanted their significant others to react in a vigilante manner (without it getting as far as a murder), and you have a case where Zimmerman is one step closer to being not guilty before the trial has even begun.

More importantly, coaching Rachel Jeantel more before the trial was vital to the situation. The only living person with firsthand knowledge of the event is Zimmerman. He’s facing a life sentence. He’s not going to say what “really” happened. Having her on the witness stand being combative and calling people crackas, isn’t going to help their case. I understand she has a heavy heart, and having someone challenge your word on national television is going to make anyone angry. However, it is the attorney’s job to prepare her for that situation, and make her understand the magnitude of what is at stake. Which, once again, they failed to do.

Personally, this case is exactly like the OJ Simpson trial. Simpson is Zimmerman, and was able to receive a not guilty verdict based on having more money and better lawyers. Just like Simpson, Zimmerman is a murderer.

What we need are modifications to stand your ground laws. An overall repeal of the law is not practical, however, modifications to the law is a good place to start. Too many interpretations on self-defense result in Nicole Brown Simpson’s and Trayvon Martin’s being murdered. What Zimmerman did was stalking. It wasn’t self-defense. Forget rioting, changing profile pictures to black, and wearing t-shirts, we need to change laws. Protest in the streets. It needs to start with understanding the laws and tweaking them. A person carrying a concealed weapon and murdering someone should have to prove that the use of the weapon was absolutely necessary, not the state having to prove the use of force was NOT necessary. That is my main problem.

Stay black. Hit the streets.

Top 10 In-Game Dunkers in NBA History

Top 10 In-Game Dunkers in NBA History

Honorable Mentions: Kobe Bryant (he caught DA-WHITE Howard with a dunk in 2004 that was lethal), Scottie Pippen (his classic dunk is the one over Ewing in the 1994 playoffs), Chris Webber (he has one over Barkley that became a commercial during his rookie year in Golden State)

10. Lebron James – Jason Terry caught a taste of Lebron’s knee last year. Probably his best dunk as a pro. The only other possible argument is him jumping over John Lucas III

9. Julius Erving – the OG. The dunk over Michael Cooper in 1983. The dunk over Bill Walton in the 1977 NBA finals. The dunk over Mark Eaton at the Spectrum in 1984. My dad’s favorite basketball team of all time is the Sixers team of 1983. I must have seen “That Championship Feeling”, literally, hundred’s of time’s as a kid. That started the NBA desire, and was my baby starter kit for learning about Julius Erving as a five year old. 

8. Shawn Kemp – Blake Griffin before there was Blake Griffin. The Liston Blister. Chris Gatling. The double pump against the Knicks. Drugs ruined his career, but he was a half of famer before the coke. 

7. Blake Griffin – Sometimes 2.0 is just better. The dunk on Gallanari is probably his best dunk. My personal favorite is his aerial abuse of Pau Gasol. First, he caught Pau from behind. Then, Pau tried to jump straight up….I bet he’ll think twice next time. 

6. Clyde Drexler  - Clyde was better in the open floor, then dunking on people. His best dunks are him taking off from the foul line on the Lakers, catching alleys from Terry Porter on a fastbreak, or just going coast-to-coast himself…all while dribbling with his head down. I’ve never seen a dude with a bald spot jump so high.

5. Charles Barkley – Power. Barkley wasn’t as athletic as Kemp or Blake, but he would just go straight up, and dunk on you. Easily the best big man on a fast break. He had good handles, so stepping in front of him on a fast break was a no-no. Outside of Lebron, he was the best finisher as a forward when running the break. I need to do a Barkley post one day.

4. Michael Jordan – same thing with Michael, I need to do a definitive Jordan post. Regarding the dunks, they are legendary. The Fake out in 1991 on Oakley/Ewing. The Mutombo. The alley-oop on Mark Jackson. The Cliff Livingston…my personal favorite is the one on Kelly Tripucka in 89. Steve Martin’s play by play of that dunk is….priceless.

3. Shaquille O’Neal – Shaq dunks are like….prison rapes. Once he has you on the block, it’s brutal. He loved taking it to David Robinson, Mutombo, and of course….Shawn Bradley. He has one on Chris Dudley (Knicks) that is extra disrespectful.

2. Dominique Wilkins – He has a dunk on Larry Bird that was so hard it sent Larry Bird scattering like a roach. It is glorious and brutal.

1. Vince Carter - Best dunker in NBA History. Hands down. He has plenty to choose from but my personal favorite is the one on Fredric Weis (who the Knicks drafted in the 1^st round, and never played a single minute)….I remember watching that game, and then going to school the next day and everyone talking about it. And then….the dunk contest in Oakland with Steve Francis and McGrady was the best dunk contest ever. 

No Justice, No Peace

Trayvon Martin, Kimani Grey, Kendrec McDade, Timothy Russel, Ervin Jefferson, Amadou Diallo, Patrick Dorismond, Ousmane Zongo, Timothy Stansbury Jr., Sean Bell, Orlando Barlow, Aaron Campbell, Victor Steen, Steven Eugene Washington, Alonzo Ashley, Wendell Allen, Ronald Madson, James Brisette, Travares McGill, Ramarely Graham, Oscar Grant, Unnamed Man walking out of Carl's Jr in Montgomery Park CA, James Craig Anderson, Rusell Davis, Donald Johnson, Duane Brown, Angelo Clark, Steven Rodriguez, Christopher Kissane, Atwain White, Stephon Watts, Remarley Graham, Manuel Loggins Jr, Johnnie Kamahi Warren, Raymond Allen, Justin Sipp, Dante Price, Melvin Lawhorn, Bo Morrison, Nehemiah Dillard, Wendell Allen, Michael Lembhard, Marquez Smart, Jersey Green, Robert Dumas Jr., Kendrec Lavelle McDade, Ervin Jefferson, Unnamed 16 year old in San Leandro CA, Sheron Jackson, Tendai Nhekario, Rekia Boyd

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

You Black Hipster!

Yeah.  I'm talking to you.  You PBR drinking, flax seed eatin', slim jean wearing, thick glasses having, nappy headed, beard wearing bastard.  I bet you're mad at Macklemore and Ryan Lewis because now "normal" people have flooded your beloved thrift shops and taken the last smedium Bill Cosby sweater huh?  Yeah you classic novel reading, Ted Talk watching, NPR listening, Al Jazeera scrolling, hyper leftist, pseudo intellectual, pseudo socialist ass nigga.  Raise your hand if you know who Reggie Watts is...ha! Put your ashy ass hand down you plaid wearin', farmers market shopping, Charlotte Hornets snap-back havin', Childish Gambino mixtape bumpin', wayfarer wearing piece of shit.  Yeah I bet you like David Lynch movies too and convinced your friends that you "get" them.  I bet you like foreign films huh?  Oh what's that? Its because the foreign versions are always better?? I couldn't hear you over the vinyl version of that obscure ass band you got blasting out of your apt in Seattle?? You coffee shop workin, masters degree havin, to-the-beat-of-your-own-drum marchin ass nigga. I bet you got niggas wondering how you got that hot white girl with that nappy ass head.  How many pairs of sandals you own huh?? Trick question nigga. You denim on denim (and pullin it off) wearin, Naked juice drinking, indie rock lovin, indie tronica loving, avant pop, baroque pop anything but regular pop lovin ass nigga.  You hate sports? All sports?? What kind of man are you, you Obama stannin' Malcolm X stannin' MLK stannin', Michael Eric Dyson stannin', Louis Farrakhan stannin', but Al Sharpton need to sit down sayin ass nigga.  You're a walking anomaly and you love it don't you you Vampire Weekend ticket having ass nigga?  I bet you can't wait to sign the lease on that apt in NoDa/AdMo/BK/Austin/Savannah/Portland.....huh?

Yeah nigga I got your number.  If you're reading this and fall into but 40 percent of the categories and you black, you sir/ma'am are a Black Hipster.  Don't fight it.  You are who you are and there's no denying it.  If you're mad you've been reduced to category/pigeon holed/put in a box and hate the term hipster you just signed your black hipster membership card and the decoder ring is in the mail.  Why can I say this cuz dammit I am one too.  Now laugh with me.

Zoe Kravitz is your dream girl huh nigga?? Mmmmhmmmm

NFL: Not For Losers

Stafford

Winning. This dude just signed a mega deal with the Lions and he doesn’t even win  that much. I had this dude in 2 fantasy leagues last year. Needless to say, those were my two worst teams. He’s a decent quarterback with a strong arm and has the most dominating player at any position in Calvin Johnson. This is not to say that Calvin is the best player in the league, but realistically, no one physically matches up with him at the corner position. Even with Stafford’s average play, his numbers are still great. Stafford signed a 3-year extension with $53 million in new money and $43 million is guaranteed. Holy shit. If I could get paid in the upper quartile of financial analysts in the government for average production I would take it too. With the new contract expect to see Stafford’s efficiency increase because he will be more relaxed, but also his 700+ drop backs this season has got to go down.  This dude is winning, although they can’t really expect him to win it all. I mean the team had zero wins in 2008. YIKES. He’s expected to get them to .500. Stafford is 17-28 as a starter and 1-22 versus teams that finish with a winning record (ESPN.COM). YIKES.  But that $43 million is in the bag. Shouts to my little brother, the only Lions fan I know to exist. Homeboy is dedicated but a lost soul just the same. Enjoy Stafford and no chance to win the championship. Let’s do it Eli!

Hernandez

Losing. And losing bad. If you don’t know about the retarded thug, you should. Homeboy pretty much is about to be condemned to a life of “coulda-been” after spending time in jail.  Turns out his boy, Ernest (Ha!) Wallace, told Carlos Ortiz that Aaron told him that he shot Odin Lloyd. Said the bullets came out of MY gun.  (How often is there a case that involves the name of the baby from the Hangover, a scaredwhite dude with a raspy voice that was a staple in our childhood, Aaron, and the ruler of Asgard ?)  This guy is about to lose a life of luxury playing for Belichick.  I hate Belichick but the dude can coach (and cheat).  Hernandez is 23 years old and just threw it away because someone was “chilling” with people he didn’t like. If you want more on the story Google it.  He destroyed his home surveillance, his cell phone and made it so obvious that he effed up. Kill ya self. Not Odin.  This dude was also on my fantasy team and screwed me hard. No lube. Guy gets injured and spends most of the season riding the bench. Waste of a damn pick.  I should have drafted Jason Witten, but the Cowboys hater in me prevented that.  I’m just glad the league didn’t become a keeper league like I petitioned for. Dodged that bullet. Pun intended.