Food for Thought: The plight of SE Asian planes

I'm starting to think I living in and flying all over SE Asia at the right point in time; I lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 2010 to 2012. Because getting on a Southeast Asian flight seems a lot more risky right now than when I was there. Planes have "disappeared" (see My Inner Conspiracy Brother entry), crashed into the ocean, been shot down, and most lately suffered engine failure and crashed into a bridge. I have no idea what the issue is. In addition to bad luck, I'm wondering what else has contributed. Are SE Asia airlines buying inferior plane fuselages and equipment? Or incompatible parts? Are they having radar issues? Are the pilots not properly trained? My heart goes out to the families of everyone who's been lost. But beyond that, my mindset goes to "Is there something better that could be done to prevent some of this from happening?" I certainly hope someone in a better position to affect change is asking this same question too. Food for Thought...

Stop Me When I Start Lying: Blessed Celeb Leaks

I know all of the ethical and legal issues surrounding hacking people's phones to obtain their pictures. But I was not sad to see the beautiful naked forms of Meagan Goode, Gabrielle Union, Jennifer Lawrence (pictured above), Scarlett Johannsen, Kate Upton, Rihanna, Kim Khardashian (even though those last two were already no strangers to nudity) and others. The "Fappening" has been an interesting pop culture occurrence. If caught, they will have to face John E. Law for their hacking. But until then, I'm nominating you (whoever you are) for sainthood. Salute. You've made the Internet a more interesting place. Stop Me When I Start Lying...

Do Better, Super Bowl 49 Edition: Overthinking in Crunch Time

For me to say that Pete Caroll and/or the [insert name of offensive coordinator]'s decision to throw the ball from the one yard line instead of handing it to Lynch or running a Wilson/Lynch read-option is a tremendous understatement. Like a "Yeah, Michael Jordan did turn out better than Sam Bowie" sized understatement. They wasted a very fortunate... well, lucky play immediately before that put them on the doorstep of stealing the Super Bowl. But Jermaine Kearse's equivalent of the Tyree helmet catch got completely wasted. I don't believe the conspiracy theory that this was a ploy to keep Lynch from being MVP and having unplanned camera time beside the commissioner. But whether or not it's true, it adds to the overwhelming feeling that way too much thought was given to that play selection rather than trusting either or your two best runners to get a yard on the ground. Imagine Phil Jackson saying "I would give it to MJ, but that's what they want me to do, Luc Longley can be depended on for our game winning shot." I still think Carroll is a great coach, but he fucked this one up and he deserves every side eye from his team and every wink of lost sleep he'll surely endure the rest of his life. Do Better...

Do Better: Hollywood's Biopic Binge

Hollywood has been following fads like crazy lately. In addition to super hero movies, reboots of older movies, and ill-advised sequels (hello, Transformers 4), the movie makers in Hollywood are committed right now to making biopics, or biographical movies. I'll say the same thing about this that I say when ppl ask me about hairstyles: I've seen them go well, and I've seen them go terribly. I get that they're just gonna follow the money even if it means creating a dogshit movie, but somebody has to raise the WTF flag is a movie about someone's life story is getting butchered; they gotta Do Better. Here are a few sentences about some of the ones upcoming:

• Nina Simone (starring Zoe Saldana) - No offense, but if they have to put you in black face to resemble the person you're portraying, your casting was a mistake; although a beautiful and talented mistake she was. A big part of Nina's aura was based around being afro-centric, very dark skinned, and not "conventionally beautiful", how exactly did they pick someone they have to make "less pretty"? Do Better...
• Whitney Houston (starring Yaya DaCosta) - Can Yaya's beautiful ass even act? Are we supposed to believe the young dude with the horribly fake gumby wig (who even makes that bullshit?) is Bobby Brown? You need some "cocaine experiences" to play Bobby. And why the fuck hasn't someone stopped Whitney's daughter Bobbi Kristina from fucking her adopted brother? That shit's nasty. Do Better...
• James Brown (starring Chadwick Boseman) - I didn't see it coming, but Jackie Robinson did well with the eccentric personality and killed the damn moves, I tip my hat to him. And his dance instructor deserves a raise; his mashed potato was legit. If only they closed the loop on any of the storylines in the movie, it would've been epic. Do Better...
• Jimi Hendrix (starring Andre "3000" Benjamin) - is there anyone in the music scene now who matches his aura and eccentricity better than 3 stacks? Then the family messed up the perfect casting but not letting them use his popular music. A Hendrix movie without "Purple Haze", "Voodoo Child" and "Kiss the Sky". WTF? Do Better...
• Miles Davis (starring Don Cheadle) - Although they're the same complexion, something about Miles just looks so Native American rather than Black somehow. But hey, it's Don fucking Cheadle, he'll make it work; even once he has to put on that silly ass wig to represent 80's Miles. Don't Let Me Down...
• NWA (starring Ice Cube Jr. and a lot of dudes you've never seen before) - I hope Cube, Dre, and company know what they're doing, because I can't vouch for anybody's acting ability. All the inevitably black leather, jheri curl activator, and rebelliousness might still not work if they can't convey the spirits of Eazy, Dre, and Cube in their youth. Don't Let Me Down..
• Richard Pryor (starring Mike Epps) - Go sit the hell down Nick Cannon. I question his acting chops and his comedic skills (he damn sure can't rap). Since Eddie Murphy doesn't look like him, and Marlon Wayans just doesn't quite feel right, I can't be mad at Epps. He's got the funny gene, but he's gotta prove himself. Don't Let Me Down...

And last but certainly not least...

• Tupac Shakur (casting TBD) - Who the fuck are you gonna find who can match Pac's unique energy? Especially someone who looks anything like Pac or is in the right age range? And what stories do you tell in addition to the obvious Pac & Big story? Pac and Jada? Pac and his Suge struggles? Young Pac and Jada Pinkett? Pac and the Black Panthers? There's a lot of figure out. They Better Deliver...

Stop Me When I Start Lying: The Engagement Ring Scam

Oh, so I'm cheap if I don't spend 3-4 months salary on an engagement ring? Get the fuck outta here with that bullshit. You can't con a conman. Where did such a "rule" come from?...Oh, the biggest diamond company in the world. It's that fucking convenient. That's like a car company making commercial calling you cheap if you're not spending $70K or more on a car; yeah, cuz that's not a conflict of interest or anything. Once upon a time, people got engaged with no ring, and got married with only a wedding band; to signify their bond. Then in the 1930's, DeBeers (the world's dominant jeweler, who just found an abundance of diamonds in South African mines) hired a marketing agency to figure out how to move more diamonds. The agency polls Americans and finds that every day Americans think diamonds are only for the super rich. So the company response was "Hey, what if I told you that for one month's salary you can get a diamond for your fiance until she gets her wedding ring?" Americans jumped on it. 40 years later or so, they decide to get even more greedy and revamp their campaign suggesting 2-3 months' salary be spent on the engagement ring instead. I didn't come from a big money family, I have a good job now, if I save up 25% of my yearly salary, it needs to be getting spent on a house, or some other major investment, not a trinket to sit on my lady's finger. And I love my lady. But I call any woman crazy if she feels "entitled" to a ring worth 3 months salary. Hell, if she's trying to start a life with you, is she still gonna expect you to save up enough for a wedding and down payment immediately after? Sound like some selfish shit to me. When's the next time you ladies are gonna spend 25% of a good jobs' salary on one specific gift for your man mother fuckers? Not for the both of you, not for him and the kids, just for your man? Never. So fellas, get your woman something nice that she should like and direct your financial goals elsewhere (house, business, investment, etc.). If your lady don't think you good enough or don't love her enough because you didn't spend car money on the ring, fuck her, she's too materialistic anyway. Stop Me When I Start Lying...

Stop Me When I Start Lyin: AP is not Ray Rice

Despite the other involved factors in the Ray Rice situation becoming such a big debacle (the commissioners' continually hypocritical stance changes, the Ravens' possible cover up attempt, the phantom security footage sent/not sent to the NFL office, etc.), no one can deny Ray Rice was wrong in both aspects of his transgression: the action itself, and the severity. The severity of punching your woman so hard it knocks her unconscious is horrific. But even if she weren't knocked unconscious, the action of punching your wife is wrong, especially being that the video shows she wasn't imminently pressing the action. No matter what happened before to lead up to it, when you're in the position Ray's in (career with high visibility, very high salary, short career span, etc.), you have to handle it better than he did. Hell, they were the only two in the elevator, had he not dragged her out and dropped her on her face, suspicion wouldn't have been heightened. But the die has been cast for Rice, and he'd have to get lucky to have a second chance in the NFL during his prime.

Adrian Peterson is not Ray Rice. Peterson is in hot water because his 4 year old child was taken to the hospital with lots of welts from AP whipping him with a switch. Once again, I like at 1) the action, and 2) the severity. The action itself of whipping your child is not alarming at all to me; I was a bad kid once and my parents kept me in line this way. As for the whip, Adrien Peterson is from Palestine, TX. I've never been but it strikes me as an old school country place. Although I was raised in more of a city (I got punched in the face instead), I have country cousins, country friends, city friends who spent time with their country family members, etc. EVERYBODY got beaten with a switch, it virtually ALWAYS leaves welts. AP was likely no different as a kid, it's what he knows. So my issue with the switch wasn't its use alone, that's where severity comes in. The kid is 4, which I believe is too young for the switch to be used. He should still be getting open hand-to-butt whooping over clothes I believe. Plus AP is a professional athlete and workout addict, if you were using a switch (which I don't condone), it should be getting a very very dialed back swing instead of any full swings; and probably 3-4 swings instead of 15 or whatever it was. AP has several kids by several women, meaning he likely rarely spends one on one time with some of these kids. Could the kid have been disobeying out of unfamiliarity which contributed? I don't know. But AP went overboard which how he punished his child this particular time. He may need to be suspended for a short while, sent to some time of parenting counseling, learn a lesson to make himself a better parent, and move on. I don't think this should be treated like Rice's situation. I don't think he should be cut, banned from the league, or anything else. He's a parent who did the wrong thing for the right reason (presumably). I assume every parent probably had moments where they went overboard to make a point, learned from it and never did it again. Just because he's a pro athlete doesn't mean we can remove his opportunity to learn on the job as a parent. Let's keep this in context. Stop Me When I Start Lying...

#Ferguson and the lack of police accountability

By now, everyone should know about the protests in Ferguson, MO set off by the police shooting of unarmed Michael Brown. If you don't know, also Google the police killings of Eric Garner and John Crawford. For a long time, it has been common knowledge that Blacks (particularly young Black men) have significantly less leeway or benefit of the doubt when interacting with law enforcement; I was about 12 years old when my dad had the "how not to get shot in vain by the police" talk with me. If you don't, you will be accountable instantly - via arrest, beating, or shooting. However, recent events have demonstrated the extent to which they can A) use excessive physical or legal force without fear of punishment or accountability, B) get caught lying about it without fear of punishment or accountability, and C) still be defended by large factions of the population. Death is definite, there is absolutely no coming back from that. Brown was shot in the head and upper body after allegedly after surrendering, because he stole cigars from a convenient store.  The policeman said Brown attacked him and he ended up killing him in a struggle over the gun; ballistics showed Brown was shot from at least 35' away. The national media put Brown on trial for his own murder. Was Brown a knucklehead? It's very likely that he was. If he was caught stealing, he deserved to get arrested. If he resists, he may even deserve to get roughed up a little; he didn't deserve to be shot six times from 35' away. Eric Garner was selling cigarettes on the sidewalk, and then had a bit of a smart mouth when police approached him. So they choked him and dragged him to the ground while he wasn't resisting and was insisting "I Can't Breath." The police arrived with his dead body and claimed he died of a heart attack; cell phone video of the incident and the medical examiner both confirm that he was choked to death. In both cases, lethal force was not necessary as the suspect was unarmed and outgunned/outnumbered; the cops acted carelessly and excessively. What's more alarming? The police superiors don't seem very pressed to punish the officers for their overly aggressive action. What the fuck? Who's going to #PolicethePolice when they step out of line? And my last point is the support for the police. Now, I'm biased, I'm a young Black man whose had a few undeserved unpleasant interactions with the police. But how the hell are people countering the #Ferguson rallies with their own rallies hailing the policemen as a hero? Even if you think that the shooting was provoked by Brown and the cop didn't have much choice; it still wouldn't make him a "hero" it would mean it was an unfortunate necessary action on the job. Even if you still have faith in the police as an institution, how the fuck is he a hero? Are these people saying that he's a hero just because he shot a young Black knucklehead and left him in the street for hours, possibly as a message to his predominately Black neighborhood? Then the Ferguson protesters were treated like a crime mob when they were protesting the death of a kid who grew up there from the street they live on. There were snipers, tear gas being thrown, others getting shot, unlawful arrests, and everything else. The scenes from Ferguson look like the army squashing rebel protests in 3rd World Middle Eastern countries. But the NRA, KKK, and other have armed rallies on a regular basis and the police don't even get out of their cars. Long story short, I don't blame the whole police institution for "bad apples" shooting ppl. I don't think all, or even most, cops are bad. But I absolutely blame them for not bothering to reprimand them when they kill unarmed civilians and/or get caught lying about it. To defend the institution as non-corrupt, you have to treat the "bad apples" like fucking "bad apples" and get rid of them. I don't think this is a new trend, I think the new trend is people having smart phones to tape it happening. And no matter what, even if they shoot a 8 year old Black girl in her bedroom (yes, that has happened), someone will absolutely defend them as "heroes." Maybe those are the ppl they "Protect and Serve" cuz it damn sure ain't me.