Take a minute to ponder on this. Many times I've posted about the hypocrisy in politics to which we can include this post. I've, also, posted about being perplexed that we only have two major political parties with almost 314 million citizens. You know that it's hard to get two people in a room who totally agree, so how can we divide 314 million citizens into two parties and both sides tend to tow the political line? We've been reduced to a series of talking points and sound bites. I think most people relate, in different degrees, to some of both parties. Before I get to the reason for this post, allow me to say that I'd probably not be posting if these bills were not being considered simultaneously. But they are, so I'm here!
First is HOUSE BILL 937 - State House lawmakers voted late Monday night to allow concealed weapons on college campuses, state property, greenways, bike trails, at sporting events and in businesses that serve alcohol. It also requires more rapid reporting of mental health adjudications to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, in accordance with federal mandates.
Second is House Bill HOUSE BILL 451 - The early voting period would be shortened to one week before Election Day, instead of the original two weeks. Same-day registration at polling places would also be eliminated. (In 2012, about 2.5 million N.C. residents voted early, and about 97,000 voters registered on Election Day). Absentee ballot restrictions are loosened.
Third is SENATE BILL 667 - Large fees levied on the parents of college students who register to vote anywhere in the state that isn't listed as their home address. Requires college students who change their registration to register their vehicle at the new address within 60 days and begin paying local property tax.
I find it ironic that at the same time legislators are relaxing gun laws, they're restricting the ability to vote. Well, they're ALMOST restricting the ability to vote. The absentee ballot process, which favors Republicans, is being relaxed.
Whether you're liberal or conservative or (insert party here), it would seem like you would want as many citizens, who could legally vote, to do so. If you're a proponent of restricting the vote (while relaxing the vote process in your favor), and taxing the parents of college students who vote out of district, then you're just doing some good ole-fashioned cheating! Did we really send the lawmakers to office to debate the process which got them there?
This is another example of poli-tricks! You decide!
As the school year comes to an end, I'm thinking about how much of an impact the students have had on my life! I always have to keep in mind that children ARE children and they will do childish things. I'll won't miss waking up early for school but I'll miss seeing their smiling faces and the smiles they put on mine.
Have a great Summer and get ready to learn new things next year!
One of my students asked me today if I believed/supported gay marriage. My answer was simple. If you want to be in a relationship with a person of the same sex, then that's YOUR decision. I don't know if support is the correct description of how I feel but I respect your right to do what you want with the disclamer that you don't hurt other people. I do, however, believe that kids should be allowed to be in a healthy heterosexual household so they can hopefully flourish in their own relationships and grow their families efficiently.
Should "A Different World" make a comeback? Let's get to the root of the question! Should shows LIKE "A Different World" come back to television? The answer is undoubtedly, YES!
There's plenty of ratchet programming (or DE-programming) being consumed right now and I do not need to name shows. We NEED programs like The Cosby Show and A Different World to demonstrate to our youth the other side of what they become. If you're my age, you grew up with the Huxtables and went to college with Denise Huxtable. If you attended A&T, you remember being in your dorm room watching A Different World when Jesse Jackson was on the show sporting his A&T sweatshirt and the whole campus erupted with AGGIE PRIDE! For the youth, those shows inspired kids to WANT and EXPECT to go to college. They inspired us to want to get great jobs and be in loving relationships just like the Huxtables..
Some folks still can not understand why Obama has the unwavering support of most of the Black community. The short explanation has everything to do with the "inspiration factor". Our youth now KNOW that a Black person CAN be President. Obama inspires our youth today, just as the Huxtables and A Different World did 25 years ago. Supporting Obama is less about the PRESENT and more about the FUTURE!
Yes, positive programming like A Different World, SHOULD come back because the images that we're consuming now will, more than likely, have detrimental consequences in our future.
Previosly I posted a blog about the importance of having some OTHER thing that you enjoy doing. I told you that one of my interests is photography. Here's one of my photos from the track meet this weekend at WSSU.
This journey that we call life is filled with ups and downs. Most of us have no choice but to do the things we HAVE to do! If you want to stay sane in a crazy world, then you must have something that you just LOVE to do. Some OTHER thing that you would do even if you were not getting paid. I'll admit that I'm fortunate to be doing one of the things I love and sometimes I may even broadcast from home just for fun. But I'm also into photography, videography, and I tinker on the bass guitar.
If you don't have an OTHER thing then maybe you should think about finding one. I promise that you will not regret it!
Let's do this like a Quentin Tarantino movie by starting with the ending before we get to the beginning. Is it wrong to say he's the only White I heard of named Quentin? Anyway, what do you know about Martin Luther King, Jr? We always hear about the dream, the marches, and the boycots. We always hear about the Dr. King's vision to intergrate and his peaceful non-violent solution to those that pushed the status quo agenda. In my humble opinion, we do ourselves and our children an injustice by not talking about Martin's academic prowess. If we were talking about King's education in today's terms, we would say he was a beast!
Martin Luther King, Jr. began his education at the Yonge Street Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia. Following Yonge School, he was enrolled in David T. Howard Elementary School. He also attended the Atlanta University Laboratory School and Booker T. Washington High School. Because of his high score on the college entrance examinations in his junior year of high school, he advanced to Morehouse College without formal graduation from Booker T. Washington. Having skipped both the ninth and twelfth grades, Dr. King entered Morehouse at the age of fifteen.
In 1948, he graduated from Morehouse College with a B.A. degree in Sociology. That fall, he enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. While attending Crozer, he also studied at the University of Pennsylvania. He was elected president of the senior class and delivered the valedictory address; he won the Pearl Plafker Award for the most outstanding student; and he received the J. Lewis Crozer fellowship for graduate study at a university of his choice. He was awarded a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer in 1951.
In September of 1951, Martin Luther King began doctoral studies in Systematic Theology at Boston University. He also studied at Harvard University. His dissertation, "A Comparison of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Wieman," was completed in 1955, and the Ph.D. degree from Boston, a Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology, was awarded on June 5, 1955. -- Mitchell Brown, Compiler - Updated by Isaac Clark and Alexis Carrasquel
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, in lamens terms, Got His Education On! So, please don't be confused about who Dr. King really is because he's greater than who he is portrayed to be! He could have done anything but he CHOSE to speak for the voiceless; he chose to fight for those who could not fight for themselves; he chose to be in the trenches with his brothers and sisters in the struggle! He chose! He chose! He chose!
Let me be the first to say that what Chris and Rihanna do IS their own business.
However, they are in the spotlight and every move they make is scrutinized. I'm not so worried about what image they portray for themselves, it's more about the statement Rihanna makes for young impressionable girls that idolize her. Some of us are able to remember Ike and Tina, or maybe even David Ruffin and Tammi Terrell. Or, how about the handicapped track star, David Pistorious, from South Africa who recently shot his girlfriend whom he "thought" was an intruder? Do I even need to mention OJ? These are just some examples where domestic violence can have tragic consequences. But forget about the people that have made national news. It's more likely that you know someone personally that's been involved in a bad situation and still called it love.
My last word is Rihanna sends the wrong message to the generations that will follow. I feel bad for her future because she's accepted this as part of her past.
Do you take shotcuts? Do you take the quick route? Do you you know your real worth? Often times we think we're cheating others by being mediocre in our jobs, relationships, and life. But the reality is that we are really cheating ourselves. We can not be afraid to fail, or to make mistakes, because it's only through failure and mistakes that we can appreciate success!
