The Movies are Back

My week of minimal work before I get another large chunk of Senior Design project work was largely spent watching movies, new and old. "The Book of Eli", "Scarface", "Legion", "The Godfather", "From Paris with Love", etc. I'm good at enjoying deep movies that other people seem disappointed by and this happened again with "The Book of Eli." My differing opinion made me realize something about the way movies are made now that I love. Some movies require a lot more thought, and even more to my liking, they've become darker. Movies started to bore me with the basic "Bad guy kills regular people, especially someone the good guy knows. Then the good guy goes to find and kill the bad guy" plot; it got stale. Especially at about $10 a pop. But there's more conflicted morality involved now. Good guys are about 65% good to 35% bad and the villains are vice versa. Rather than one clearly being good or bad, they're usually only about as different as politicians with differing opinions. It's not hard at all to agree with both sides. Heroes can be vigilante criminals ("Dark Knight"), an angel killed out of heaven ("Legion"), dishonest pirates (Captain Jack Sparrow), and even the head of the corporation that becomes the main villain ("Iron Man"). And villains can be the government ("Shooter"), a major religion ("Angels & Demons"), a recently changed hero ("Dark Knight") and even mankind itself ("Avatar"). Movies can shine a light on the moral ills of mankind such as our environmental effect on the planet ("the Day the Earth Stood Still"), selfishness and self-preservation in the face of extinction ("2012"), or the possible misuse of wealth, resources, and religion if modern society were reset ("The Book of Eli"). This new element of darkness has even resurrected the superhero, video game, and remake movie genres. I had given up for dead after the predictability and corniness of previous Superman and Batman movies (George Clooney fighting the Governator & Uma Thurman?? awful), Super Mario movies (ugh, no comment), and countless forgettable others. But now I can't wait for the sequel to "The Dark Knight", "Prince of Persia", and "Robin Hood." "The Dark Knight"'s director is soon to pick my mind with the complexity of the movie "Inception" which will come out soon. I love the classic but I also like to be enlightened, entertained, thrust into thought, and thrown for a loop in theaters a little bit. It seems like I'll be happy for a while to come. Just keep anything "Twilight" away from me and I'm good. The Movies are Back...

My Inner Conspiracy Brother: Things I Wish From History

It's been a while since my Inner Conspiracy Brother has shown himself. However, in light of recent articles and documentaries I've read and watched lately, it was necessary. As I look back and observe how history unfolded, I can't help but wonder what would have happened if people could have done things slightly different. What great leaders or figures who are not with us could still be here? What tragic events could have been avoided? Who was cheated by history when he or she was owed more? When the world was owed more?...

• I wish Muhammad Ali had stopped fighting right after the "Thrilla In Manila" with Joe Frazier or even his victory over Ernie Shavers, while on top and with his mind still intact. With his social impact and charisma, he could have been a leader and figure head in the Black community. I'm curious to see how his wisdom has matured since his fighting days. Also, no one wanted to see Larry Holmes beat up an old and slow shell of what Ali used to be.
• I wish the US government had not betrayed Joe Louis after sacrificing years in the prime of his championship career to serve in the military in World War II. He took not only the race but the country on his shoulders defeating Hitler's Aryan prize fighter, Max Schmeling, in the midst of the Nazi rise as the world watched. His influenced helped segregate golf and baseball, helped soldiers get better conditions, and more. Upon returning from war, the government was taxing Louis at 80%-90% for decades, even taking his purses at some events, to recover millions in back taxes accrued in his years in the military. This forced him to fight into old age and humiliate himself for much of his remaining life attempting to escape the unfair tax burden. He would die as a laughing stock with nothing; all while Schmeling, former Nazi poster boy, became a millionaire working for Coca-Cola in America.
• I wish Nelson Mandela and Stephen Biko would've had a chance to lead South Africa together far before Apartheid ended. Although he still became the country's leader and symbol of hope, Mandela spent much of his effective adulthood in prison and Stephen Biko was killed in police custody. Had Biko not been killed and Mandela have spent 5-10 years in jail instead, they may have made a wonderful leadership team for their apartheid-stricken country
• I wish Malcolm X had listened to his security team and canceled the speaking event at the Audubon Ballroom in 1965. His new message upon returning from his pilgrimage to Mecca was important for our race and our nation. I wish he had more time to spread it before the Nation of Islam "silenced" him. He knew they were after him. "The ink of a scholar is worth a thousand times more than the blood of a martyr."
• I wish the Black Panthers' conflicts with the police hadn't gotten so violent that they ruined the name of the organization (as well as leading to the murders of Fred Hampton by police, Huey Newton by a misguided opposing youth, and others). If the organization was still around with widespread support, there are many issues that their influence (at times forceful) could help us to address for the benefit of the Black community.
• I wish the Vietnam War would've taught the US government a lesson about how quickly things get ugly in terms of public opinion when you're fighting against guerrilla style warriors would won't line up and fight as an army. When women, children, the elderly, and everyone else is helping the enemy and no one is wearing uniforms, you look like a barbarian no matter whether you're killing the right people or not. This should have been taken into account a generation ago and it could've changed our foreign policy for the better.
• I wish the courts would have taken some action against the cops who were taped excessively beating Rodney King. This would've set a precedent of intolerance against the excessive police action that escalated to the deaths of Amadou Diallo, Oscar Bart, Stephen Bell, and so many other lives. Despite the evidence, cops don't fear anything more than a slap on the wrist for murdering unarmed people. Zoom in on that cartoon if you get a chance.
• I wish the NSA would've reported their finding about possible terrorist entering the US to the FBI in 2001 and they would've worked together to prevent 9/11. One of the biggest tragedies in American history may have been prevented had it not been for petty attitudes that caused the organizations (both having vital information) not to cooperate with one another. What it worth it?

And, I gotta talk about it...

• I wish the B.I.G - Tupac (or more accurately, the Bad Boy - Death Row conflict becuz of Suge Knight's influence) had gone much differently. After the Quad Shooting in 1994, Biggie should've called Pac and attempted to sort things out before the "East Coast-West Coast beef" gained any steam. After that didn't happen, both artist could've done things differently as follows:
• I wish Tupac hadn't become so increasingly paranoid and confrontational during the last years of his life. This contributed to the fight with Southside Crip leader Orlando which I believe ultimately caused his murder. When you stomp out a gang leader, there's usually backlash. With his intelligence and revolutionary mind, the Black community and the world deserved to see him as wisdom mixed with his passion and street intellect. He was only 25.
• I wish Biggie had not been naive enough to believe that after Tupac's death, he could end the East Coast-West Coast feud by simply promoting in L.A. there was still public anger over Tupac's murder and still hatred towards Bad Boy. Plus, the Blood gang's involvement with the LAPD (and thus the Rampart scandal) made it entirely unsafe territory for Biggie as things had not actually been resolved, just suddenly ended through Pac's death.

Just think of how different the world would be had all of these things unfolded differently. I think the world deserved these answers and in the context of some people, Joe Louis especially, I think he deserved better from a nation and a world that he served so well for so long. Til the next time, My Conspiracy Brother has spoken for now. As long as there's conspiracy, he'll be back, very soon...

Do Better: T.O.'s Swag Gone Too Far

I like T.O. No matter wut kind of "schism" he creates or some ppl think of him, he's worked his ass off and come out to ball every year since he entered the league in 1996 to get himself to 2nd all-time on the receiver list and Hall of Fame status. However, this shit here is completely out of pocket. Where's Ed Lover? He needs a "C'Mon Son." I don't care if u were tryna b funny, throw on a male model swag for the runway or what was going on, that particular wig has to go. I've never questioned the man's sexuality but this picture made me look at him sideways for a split second. So T.O. I'm still a fan, but please do us all a favor, and Do Better...

The Things I See At Tech

As I look back at my quickly fading college experience I think about the interesting things I've seen in my experiences at a big white school; I'd assume much different from the things I would've seen at the HBCU I almost went to instead. Just in the last two weeks, I've seen all kinds of buffoonery, inconsiderateness, terrible judgement, and overall nerdiness that I have encountered. Here is a peak into the life of a Tech student over the past two weeks (and no, I didn't make any of this up):

• A fellow student, a white guy about my age with a Cast Away beard and his signature Indiana Jones hat and outfit, randomly rolled up on me and started a conversation about how he’s lost faith in humanity because they aren’t enough people who want to kill Barney. Yea, Barney. And you think I give a shit??
• A chubby nerdy girl wearing a huge book bag apparently took it as a personal challenge to outrun the bus as it approached; this prompted the driver to send us all flying forward when he mashed the brakes. One of the many inconsiderate bastards that has turned me against pedestrians and bikers at this school. Value ur life bitch…
• The epic “Humans VS. Zombies” game where the nerds have formed gangs and have a huge interspecies game of catch/tag took on a new aspect because of the 5”-6” of snow that covered the city lately. I really thought these guys were gonna come to blows a few times
• My senior project group mate explained to me the differences in equipment needed to hunt for several different kinds of animals – chokes, calibers, traps, calls, colors, etc.
• And last, but certainly not least…A student came unto campus with a samurai sword and used it to stab not only his target (either over fellowship funding or a woman issue) but also to stab the first policeman to try to arrest him. How do u roll up on someone with a big ass samurai sword undetected? I don’t know
• I’ve seen multiple ditsy looking chicks driving the wrong way down one-way one lane streets in big vehicles and act as if those people going the right way are annoying them by trying to get by
• A drunk chick, who claimed she was the newly crowned world champion in step/toe dancing, tried to teach me and my friends a toe dance called Squashing the Beetle
• I carried a chick up the stairs who was physically unable in her inebriated state and heard an answer I've never heard before in the name exchanging process: "I'm...I don't even remember"; especially odd as she asked me my name first.
• At their request, I taught some of my more rhythm-challenged teammates popular dances such as the Jerk and the Spongebob; which they haven't stopped trying since the minute they learned
  

These are just a microcosm of my 5 year experience here at Tech. I've learned much good and bad about my White, Indian, and Oriental Asian counterparts to go along with the good and bad I already knew about my belove Black population. It's been a wild ride here and the everyday occurrences among the typical nerds and Techies have made the experience more...colorful. As weird as some of the experiences have been, I think I'll miss them when they're gone.

The Ultimate Super Bowl Ad

Nothin more needs to be said. He didn't even take eyes off the target during the whole cock back to the slap. And he got him mid-sentence; a double whammy. He represented his house to the fullest. Little man ain't nothin to fuck with...

Charlie Daniels Goin Ham

I'm no country music expert or anything, but I give respect where respect is due. And Charlie Daniels played the shit outta that fiddle on this commercial. "Playing a mean fiddle" was an understatement. U can say he was "Goin In," "Gettin Right" or whatever u want to, but in my eyes, he was truly "Goin Ham" right there. Actually, to take it to the next level, he was goin So Damn Ham in that commercial. He's about as nice on that fiddle as I've seen anyone on any instrument in a long time. I damn near looked up some Charlie Daniels music for my iPod just from what I saw in that commercial. And I could tell he knew he was nice too when he ended it by sayin "that's how u do it, son." and pointed at dude with a bread stick on the way out. Hell, did u see him gettin the stomp and the pelvic pump goin while he was playin? He's a master of his craft. I salute u Mr. Daniels. I aspire to emulate ur level of niceness on somethin in my lifetime. Keep Goin All the Way Ham like no other...

Stop Me When I Start Lying: Big Ppl in Pictures

VERY BIG PEOPLE, LISTEN UP PLEASE. I understand that everyone can't be in shape. Some people's family history works against that. Other people have lifestyles that work against them. And there may be a multitude of other factors. However, know that u r super-sized and try to do things that work for u. In particular, don't take pictures that r "hard to look at" becuz of all of ur girth. If u do, u'll end up as the subject of a shameless humor filled blog entry like this one. I felt bad at first, but then I changed my mind; I don't feel bad becuz these ppl willingly took pictures in these crazy outfits or poses and put such pictures on the Internet. So the blame is theres. In summation, Big people are a part of our culture and they are nothing weird or rare, but if u don't want it to be the first thing that someone notices when they see you, you should not take pictures and/or wear things that accentuate ur umm.......heavyset disposition above everything else. U can't act sensitive that someone's cheap laughs over ur weight if u're bold enough to show up in a "Fat Man" costume like the woman below but yet somehow not interested in any type of exercise or portion control. C'Mon y'all, Do Better...


















Mean am I??? Say what u'd like, I've Been Called Worse...