- White Supremacist Joins Black Gang Member To Peddle #Meth. #Random http://t.co/0mPOBzNc
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- Man Stabbed Friend During Argument Over Who Has The Most Sex. #Random http://t.co/JuDKMab6
- Man's #Facebook Post Gets Turned Into An Ad For 55 Gallons Of 'Personal Lubricant'. #Random http://t.co/TitBFUlI #Humor
- Funniest 420 - #Chronic Awareness Day 911 Calls. #Random http://t.co/QEDPKSgy #Funny
- Police Standoff With #Florida Man Ends When He Awakens From Drunken Stupor. #Random http://t.co/DvTMktg7
- Man Sues Porn Star For Not Following Him On Twitter. #Random http://t.co/k5aKB69r
- Women Attack Bar Employees With Knife After Their Offer To Show Boobs For Beer Is Rejected. #Random http://t.co/SYCxTj7d
- Florida Man Tries To Rob #Store With His Finger. #Random http://t.co/e0RRcx0a
Adventures In Graduation …. True Tales Of Foolery
I am starting this blog with a big ole phat “Whew!! That’s over!” I have been under the radar the last couple of weeks because I was working on my final project for graduate school and was short on time and patience for internet foolery. Anyway, at my school, there is a window period for when people can take part in commencement, so I was able to walk in the ceremony even though I had one more week of class left and my final project and thesis still due, no pressure, right?
The main campus for my school where the May commencement was held is about 100 miles from where I live, we have a brick and mortar campus here but the big ceremony was held at the main campus. I go up the day before so I didn’t have to get up hella early to be at line up by 11:00 am. So, on my way up on Friday, I stop at Culver’s to grab a bite to eat. They had a 3 piece fish dinner on the menu for like $11.00 and some change. I wasn’t interested in all of the carb laden side dishes that came with the dinner, so I asked the girl at the drive-thru if I can just get a couple of pieces of fish. She said that I could and that I could get just 2 pieces of fish for about $9.00 and change or 3 pieces of fish for about $13.00 and change. I was floored that I could get a whole meal for $11.00 and change but to just get fish was WAY more, so I asked the girl at the window why that was….. her answer? Because they had to ring each piece separately. Seriously? Needless to say (but I’m going to say it anyway), I got a burger and kept it movin.
The rest of Friday came and went without too many more uncontrollable irritations, so I worked on my project, hit the rack and got up the next morning for graduation, Show Time! Now, I have nothing against math majors, however, I think that having the head of the math department give the commencement address is a little odd at best, especially when there may have been one graduate from that department. The head of the department admitted that she had never given a commencement address before and in writing her address, she thought it would be a good idea to speak directly to the graduates versus writing a speech designed to impress her colleagues and her boss. I’m thinking that she should have gone with the speech designed to impress her boss and colleagues instead.
I think that the intent of her speech was to promote financial responsibility and the importance of saving money. She began by letting us know that a lot of little things can add up to big things, duh, I know, right? The way she explained that concept was by saying “I make under 70k per year, but if you add up the total of a few professors that make under 70k per year that eventually, you’ll see that the school pays out more than 100k per year in salaries because it all adds up”. That’s just fan-effin-tastic. She stood in front of hundreds of people who are now probably up to the top of their head in student debt and announced that in the grand scheme of things, she doesn’t make any money. That’s what we wanted to hear, I thank her for that. She did share with us one of her money saving tips, she let us know that she washes out zip-lock bags and sets them atop of the handles of wooden spoons for them to dry so she can reuse them. I thank her for that too.
Just when I was thinking that this address could not be more irrelevant and even less motivational, she goes on to tell us of a trip that she once took with her husband to some island where “The black people were so dark, they were the blackest people in the world and they had never seen white people in person before”. Oh for crying out loud, and since they had never seen white people in person before, she said they were so taken by her straight hair that all the children wanted to do was to play with it. The people of the islands were thankful for the crayons she sent them for the school when she returned home, so I think that the moral of that train wreck was that if you help one person in your life, you’ve made a difference. Now look, I have completed 3 degree programs now and I was much happier that speech was over than I am that school is over for me (for the moment).
After graduation was over, I was pretty sure that I had seen and heard all of the randomness that I could fit into one weekend, until a woman almost took out the front end of my car by barrel assing through the McDonald’s drive-thru when I stopped for iced coffee. What was her hurry? They gave her the wrong .39 cent pie……….. yes, really.
Things I Wish People Would STFU About – A Random Rant
Ahh yes, another Thursday and a day that I should be working on papers but I choose to procrastinate until later in the afternoon. Taking time out for a little rant has never hurt anyone in the long run as long as deadlines are met, right?? Even if it’s not right, that’s the way it is today….
There are things that I am just OVER hearing about, so much so that although I have an opinion, I don’t engage in multiple discussions about them on social networks because beating a dead horse usually ends up in frustration..so, here is my list of things that I wish people could STFU about and move on…….(in no particular order, just as they come to mind)
1. My blogs – There are some people who must be a glutton for punishment. They make snarky comments and remarks but never really “bring it” and say what they mean. As far as my blog and content is concerned, I think it is all pretty self explanatory. One can choose to agree or disagree with the post, follow or not follow the blog. To me, following a blog to take an opportunistic moment to say something random and passive aggressive makes no damned sense. If what I am doing is that serious to someone, I may suggest some professional help because that sh!t is not healthy.
2. Whitney Houston – Look, I think the tragic death of anyone is just that, tragic. Whitney was a songbird of whom I was never a huge fan but I will give credit where credit is due, she had a beautiful voice, it was just not one that caught my ear. As my mom used to say “everythang ain’t for everybody”. Every day, some media outlet is further trying to reduce the Whitney thing to its lowest common denominator. Look, she’s gone, it’s sad, no illegal drugs were found, he death was either accidental or it wasn’t and ultimately, she was the only one responsible for her own demise. Relax……let it go……….she’s gone and running a new story about her every day is not going to change that.
3. Chris Brown, with or without Rihanna – This whole argument about what Chris Brown should be allowed or not allowed to do professionally because of his domestic violence issues has been blown way out of proportion. He’s a douche bag, it is what it is but it’s time to move forward. I do not recall anyone repeatedly trying to professionally bury people like Sean Penn, Charlie Sheen, David Hasselhoff, Nicholas Cage, Vanilla Ice, Tommy Lee, Terrance Howard, Wesley Snipes or any of the other poorly behaving celebrity perpetrators of domestic violence. Either we throw them all under the bus professionally or let them do their job and let the courts handle them. There is no reason to keep the tape rolling. Now, as far as he and Rihanna are concerned, who cares? They are grown, let them screw each other’s heads off if they want, this nonsense of analyzing their recent work together is a waste of time. So much of a waste of time that I’ve spent all that I am going to spend on it……..see how that works?
4. Forgetting that some things are human issues and not “left” or “right” issues – Issues such as health care reform, entitlement programs, reproductive heath and so on are “hot button” political topics, they always are, especially during an election year. Although how those issues are managed may be a “left” or “right” issue, I think that the core idea that is forgotten is that those issues pertain to how we are going too manage and treat sick people, and how are we going to empower those who have been displaced by the economic downturn to once again be able to support themselves and their families under their own power. I am not into handouts or paying people to do nothing, I am, in favor of helping to create a climate where people can crawl out of a hole, help themselves and return to being self sufficient. To me, those issues are not just about politics, they are about human lives and human survival. Maybe if they were viewed as such, some compromises could be made. I am OVER people who make EVERY damned thing a left or right issue, hell it’s not the fault of the “left” or the “right” if the weather is bad……..oh wait, that’s a “global warming” issue…*Rolls Eyes*.
5. I have a dream!!! I have a dream!!! I have a dream that one day, I will live in a nation where my President will not be judged based on the color of his/her skin but the content of his/her character!!! That dream is very much a reality for me, I will NOT vote for a candidate for any office just because they’re black, white, blue, green or purple. I am an issues based person and that is what matters to me. I think that people who support a politician based on the color of his/her skin are just as shallow as those who refuse to support a candidate based on the same reasons. If I have to choose between two buses, one going straight to hell driven by a black driver and one going where I am trying to go, driven by an Asian driver……guess what, I’m not going to take the chance that I might reach my destination by using hell as the scenic route. I’m going with the driver that is going my way.
6. People who are impressed because Obama is capable of doing stereotypical “black thangs” – There are some groups of people who really believe that black folks are born to sing, dance and entertain the masses, kind of the way that jesters used to. I come unglued when I hear people go on and on about Obama singing at some event but not being outraged that some of his policies are leaving gaping holes in the Bill of Rights. It is NOT okay that he passes a bill that allows U.S. citizens to be arrested and held indefinitely without charges or gives INTERPOL the right to violate our entire Bill of Rights as long as he can SING about it! C’mon!!! I guess I should be glad that he’s shown that he can’t dance, I am not sure my nerves could handle it.
7. People who try to convert the internet by way of preaching gospel on status updates, all day, every day……..that annoys me so much that I just delete them. I’m a spiritual person and I am a firm believer that if one’s higher power is going to reach out to people, he’s not going to need twitter, facebook, email or anything like that to do it. My deity has much stronger networking skills than that….lol.
8. Definition of “Natural Born Citizen” – Some people think this is a new issue but it’s not, it’s been one since the 1800′s. Maybe I’m over simplifying this but here is the way I see it. One was considered to be a natural born citizen if born of two american citizens prior to the 14th amendment. The ratification of the 14th amendment should supersede anything before it as does an addendum to any contract. If the goal is to repeal the 14th amendment, then I think people need to just come out and say it, why try to enforce antiquated rulings because the wording of the 14th amendment is not working for them? Now, one has to be careful in handling the 14th amendment since it is also the one that gives citizens the protection of due process under the law. Personally, I think we should have an established congressional vetting system with a list of documentation that must be disclosed for people to run for president. I think that would eliminate politicians from using executive orders to have their records sealed and so on. If one wants to lead a nation, do so with their hand open, it’s about transparency, remember?
I was going on to number 9, but my producer says that I’m out of time….lol!!!! Have a great day!
Top 5 Types Of Bloggers That Really Piss Me Off
I got a letter today (I seem to be getting a lot of those lately and I love it) and in the course of the text, the young lady who wrote me said something that I believe wholeheartedly and that is not all bloggers are writers. I am by no means anything “perfect” or even close to it, but what I am is a blogger (I like to think I fall into that writer category) that is allowed my own pet peeves and since this is MY blog , I can sound out about those and people are free to disagree with me…..lol, actually, it’s encouraged. So here are some of the types of bloggers that annoy me to no end:
1. Bloggers who use their blogs to foster their self esteem. Those bloggers take a high and mighty opinion on a subject for the sole purpose of their readers to come through and tell them how wonderful they are. Those bloggers seldom like for others to disagree with them and not only do they not like it but they get down right offended by it. My personal feeling is that if you don’t expect for someone to have a contradictory opinion, then set that shit for that group of sheeple who co-sign anything and go for it. Be reminded that if you set your blog public that not everyone is going to see your point of view. You don’t have to agree but the least have the candor to respect alternative opinions.
2. Bloggers who have no creativity but simply rewrite someone elses blog or in some cases, copy it verbatim and not give the original author credit. There used to be this chick that would take my blogs and repost them on her blog spot on a regular basis and then complain that she wasn’t getting any comments. Well hell no! Since she usually boosted my shit the same day I wrote it and we shared readers, they had already commented on mine and felt no need to say all that shit over again. Copying someone’s writing word for word is actually called plagiarism, which if one tries that shit in school would get them accused of cheating. If you want to copy someone else’s blog, have the common courtesy to ask their permission. Writing is a creative work and just like music or art, should not be boosted without props being given to the original creator.
3. Bloggers who only write blogs for the sole purpose of offending other people because the blogger has some pent up aggression and just wants to fight with folks. Now in those situations, I don’t know who pisses me off more, the negativity of the bloggers who do that or the simple fuckin folks who feel the need to cosign that bullshit. I think in these situation, people cosign because they don’t want to get talked about. For the love of goodness, grow a pair. If someone is talkin shit then have the nuts to tell them you think so. Again, it’s a public blog and having an independent thought should not be as uncommon as it is.
4. Bloggers who have NOTHING to blog about other than dick and pussy. Face it, dick and pussy, you can fuck em, suck em, play with em, beat em up, turn em out, whatever but damn how many ways can ONE person repeat themselves on how to do any of it. In all honesty, there are people I used to enjoy reading then they got off on that track and I stopped because I feel like I’m reading the same shit just in different order. Unless something is genetically wrong or surgically altered, we all have one or the other and they may vary in size and shape but on the real there’s not all that much difference.
5. Bloggers who blog like they have never taken an English class in their LIFE! I have an occasional typo or misspelled word, shit happens but I’ve read some shit by people who appear to not know that a sentence begins with a capital letter, ends in some sort of punctuation and have a few things called paragraphs. Many times, I see those and keep it movin unless it’s a topic I feel like decoding. Don’t write that shit in kindergarten code, there is almost nothing worse than glancing at a page full, run on sentence, full of smileys that makes absolutely no fuckin sense. Many times our readers are friends and don’t want to hurt your feelings so they won’t tell you, I’m here to tell some of you grammatical tragedies that if you write a full page of that ridiculous shit and all of your comments just say “great post” or “good job”, you can feel assured that just like I don’t read that shit, they didn’t either, they are just being supportive. There are two ways to get around that, spellcheck and Dictionary.com
I KNOW that everyone has their own blog spot and can do with it as they please. They can write what they want, how they want, when they want and to whomever they please but I don’t mind telling folks, if you want to foster a REAL discussion on a topic, you might want to consider some of my peeves. They are not just mine, others feel the same way because I’ve heard the feedback.
There is no such thing as the perfect blog, the perfect blog is one that the blogger is happy with, just like I’m perfectly content to let people know what I think suck ass about those who consider themselves to be blogger extraordinaires.
IN MY OPINION…..TO ME…ON MY BLOG PAGE, a successful blog has nothing to do with where it ranks. A successful blog is about writing something on which people enjoy having an intelligent discussion, feeling safe enough to express those feelings without fear of being flamed and most of all, feel like I’ve said something worth hearing. You did notice I said “IN MY OPINION”, right?……LOL
What say you? What are things that a blogger does that makes you decide that you don’t want to read them or participate in the discussions?
Original Blog Post 9/4/2009
A Few Thoughts About The Friend Zone
I saw an image tonight on my friend’s FB page and it said “Ladies, guys are sick of hearing you ask where all of the ‘nice guys’ are. They’re in the ‘friend zone’ where you left them.”
I started thinking about all of the women that I’ve heard talk about how they didn’t want to get involved with a man because she didn’t want to ruin the friendship. That doesn’t make any sense to me. When I hear people say that, I tend to think that they are either not physically attracted to the person and are afraid to hurt their feelings, or they are not very comfortable with their own relationship skills.
I like to think that my lover is my best friend. To me, my significant other should be the one that I share things with, enjoy doing things with and is my rock when things are getting tough. My friends know more about men than someone I just meet and take the time to understand my quirky ways. If a woman has a man in her life that does all of those things, why would she not want him as her lover?
Every relationship has the possibility of ending, be it a friendship or a romantic relationship. I think that so many women have been involved in bad relationships (I know men have too but I’m a woman and speaking from my own point of view), that it is easier to keep a guy in the friend zone. See, if a man stays in the friend zone, a woman has the benefit of his company, his emotional support and consistent approval, without having to take the emotional risk that comes with being in a romantic relationship.
What tends to happen is, woman keep a guy in the friend zone, date some jackass that breaks her heart and then goes back to the friend zone to have him pick up the pieces. I think that not only sounds selfish, but I also think that part of the reason the heart got broken is that the man she was dating didn’t respect the relationship the same way that the man in the friend zone does. If this sounds like she wants her cake and eat it too, then that sounds just about right.
I am not saying that men and women cannot be friends, they can, they are plenty of men and women who are friends where neither of them is interested in the other romantically, and if that is the case then the above doesn’t apply. I also know people who have maintained a platonic relationship with exes; I attribute that to the previous romantic relationship being built on a friendship.
I would say to the women that have men hovering around in the friend zone that you should take some time to evaluate the real reason that you keep those “nice guys” in the friend zone. Maybe the nice guy is not what you want; it’s what you think you want.
Oh and ladies, if a man is not physically attractive to you, just tell him. No, don’t come out and say that he’s ugly or whatever, but respect your friend by telling him the truth, you are not romantically interested in him. Let’s retire that lame “I don’t want to ruin the relationship” madness, that phrase is right up there with “it’s not you, it’s me”.
There was a song that once asked the magic question “how can we be lovers if we can’t be friends”? Well?
Should Coverage of Criminal Cases Focus on Defendant or Victim?
I was doing some research for my homework when I ran across this article and I think that it raises a very good question, should the media coverage of criminal cases focus on the defendant? Legal journalist Robin Barton has this to say:
To describe the recent U.S. and international media coverage of the Amanda Knox case in Italy as intense would be an understatement. One of the key criticisms of this coverage was that it primarily focused on the defendants—or at least one of them—with the victim, Meredith Kercher, almost forgotten.
So that raises the question: when covering criminal cases, should the focus be on the defendant or the victim?
To review: Knox, or “Foxy Knoxy” and “Angel Face” as she was dubbed in the press, and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of killing Kercher, Knox’s roommate, on Nov. 1, 2007, in a drug-fueled sex game gone bad. At the time of the killing, Knox was 20 years old.
But their convictions were overturned on appeal.
During both the original trial and the appeal, Kercher’s family rightfully pointed out that the victim had essentially been “forgotten.” As her sister Stephanie said, “There are no photos of Meredith in the papers or on the TV—it’s all on Amanda and Raffaele.”
However, being the focus of the media cuts both ways. While the press in the U.S. largely sided with Knox, the media in the U.K. and Italy were much harder on her.
British journalists were obviously more sympathetic to Kercher because she was British. As for the Italian press, the media there have a different approach to criminal trials.
As an American journalist writing for the Guardian noted, investigative journalism isn’t practiced in Italy as it is in the U.S. or Great Britain. And, the journalist noted, Italian reporters may have been afraid that if they deviated from the prosecutor’s version of the events, they’d be arrested or harassed by the police—which actually happened.
The Knox case is hardly the first in which the attention has been on the defendant rather than the victim.
The O.J. Simpson case is a good example. Most people probably know that one victim was the former football star’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. But how many can name the male victim? (It was Ron Goldman.)
Frustration with the criminal trial and its outcome eventually led Goldman’s family to set up the Ronald Goldman Foundation to assist people who’ve been victims of crime and their families.
The Phil Spector case is another example. Spector was convicted of shooting actress Lana Clarkson to death in a game of Russian roulette. Articles on the case nearly always mention Spector’s career as a music producer and some of the famous musicians he worked with, such as the Beatles, Tina and Ike Turner and the Ronettes. The victim’s name was included almost as an afterthought.
Of course, the O.J. and Spector cases involved celebrities. And when celebrities are involved in a criminal case, rightfully or wrongly, they become the focus—whether they’re the victim or the defendant.
In fact, such cases likely get a lot of press coverage in the first place because someone famous is involved.
But celebrity wasn’t an issue in the Knox case. Everyone involved was unknown before the crime. So why did Knox become a cause célèbre for the media? Was it simply because she was a young, attractive American in a foreign land?
Or were claims that the crime was the product of a sex game too titillating to ignore?
I think a key factor in the media’s focus on Knox was the fact that her family was a very vocal advocate for her, which in turn drove a lot of the coverage.
While Kercher’s family kept a fairly low profile, Knox’s parents hired a public relations firm, which arranged for them to appear regularly on U.S. morning talk shows and news programs.
I’d also like to think that part of the appeal for journalists was that this case arguably involved innocent defendants wrongfully convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. Certainly, much of the American media coverage of the case during the appeal suggested that an injustice had been done when Knox and Sollecito were initially convicted.
I don’t think there is a right answer as to where the focus should be when covering a criminal trial.
Every case is unique. And although crime victims deserve to be remembered, innocent defendants also have a right to have their stories told. At the end of the day, the focus of the coverage will likely be on the aspects of the case that interest the public the most.
Robin L. Barton, a legal journalist based in Brooklyn, NY, is a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and a regular blogger for The Crime Report.
Although the article discusses the question, I think that the fact that the question even came up tells us that courtroom media has changed the scope of how criminal trials are conducted. The media’s job is to find the most “entertaining” aspect of a trial, whereas the court’s obligation is to make sure that all of the evidence is presented within the manner prescribed by law and to make sure the constitutional rights of the accused are not violated.
I say that to say, the media is not concerned about where the focus should be, they tend to take the side of the person whose story is the most interesting. I am glad that the victim is not forgotten in the media but the media is the outlet that is responsible to disseminate information to the court of public opinion. I think that the trial focus needs to be on the offender and less on the victim, the victim is not on trial and shifting the focus from the suspect and the victim can greatly jeopardize one’s chance to a fair trial under the constitution.
Tell me, what do you think?
Stop The World – I Wanna Get Off!
It’s days like today that make me really glad that I have a journal. This day was not fit for man nor beast, let alone me. It actually started Monday night when my insomnia kicked in and I was still up on Tuesday morning when the sun showed up. As it got later in the morning, I just decided to go ahead and fix my breakfast and get my day started. My day was pretty much planned out and looked like this:
- Get started on homework.
- Take my dalmatian to the groomer
- Come home and wait for my UPS package (I <3 new phones)
- Go pick up my BFF from the train station
- Stop by Walgreen’s and Petsmart
- Come home and call my vet about my dalmatian’s degenerative joint disorder
- Finish homework
Now, remember, I was sick the past few days so I had to make sure I got this stuff done. That all sounded orderly enough and should not be too much of a problem, so I thought.
The first glitch in my day (after staying up all night the night before) was that it started to rain. So, I called and cancelled the grooming appointment and got on the homework. The light rain turned into a thunderstorm which, in the middle of my homework, knocked out my internet connection. I called AT&T (did I mention I can’t stand those folks?) and they assured me that it would be up in a few hours (in dog hours).
I looked at my watch, my bff was due in at the train station in about an hour and UPS had not showed. The douchebag that has my route will not ring the doorbell, he knocks like a half a knock and then leaves (with his lazy ass), I didn’t want to miss the package, so my dad came out to door-sit until I got back from the train station.
I grabbed her from the train station and went to the pet store only to find that the food I give both of my dogs had gone up about 5.00 per bag….oh well, shit happens. I grabbed what I needed and headed back to the house to relieve dad from his post…lol. When I got home, I still had no internet connection (I am glad I queued blog stuff the night before) and UPS had not arrived. That is when my dad let me know that I have a crack somewhere in the foundation of my house and I have water in the basement (this day just keeps rockin on huh?).
So, I figured I’d call the vet and see what else we could do about my dalmatian’s (her name is Scamp) joint disorder. I was crushed when I found out that the vet and myself were having the “quality of life versus the quantity of life” conversation. The sparks notes version of the deal with my dog is that when she had her 6 and 9 week puppy shots, she got insanely ill which caused major joint damage. Back then, I refused to put her down and here I am, 11 years later, with a beautiful dog that is just in too much pain. I have done everything I can for her, it’s just that time, and it’s killin me.
Moving forward, I called AT&T back, come to find out, my service had BEEN back up, someone on THEIR end managed to reset the modem settings and the issue was simply that the wireless connection needed to come back up. So, I had to work with their tech support and needless to say (since most tech support departments are not in the U.S) I had to deal with someone who spoke some random variation the English language that I did NOT understand. His English was so bad that he’d have to get better for it to improve to the status of “broken English”, if that’s not bad enough, he had the nerve to talk to me like I was stupid. That call went on much longer than it had to (mind you, UPS still had not arrived).
FINALLY, at like 7:30 pm, UPS shows up and just as I had expected, he did NOT ring the doorbell, I just happened to hear him and as I opened the door, he was on his way back down the walkway. I yelled at him and made him get his work done and deliver my sh!t.
So, I did manage to grab a nap for about 2 hours or so and now, here I sit, wide awake… rambling on and on about something that doesn’t mean anything to anyone but me, but hey, that’s why we have journals right?? I’m sure I will have another one of these ramblings on Monday, after I show my Scamp the ultimate act of love and compassion.
I think that this song sums up my whole day in about 3 minutes and 46 seconds…..lol
