Right Now in Sports and Music

There are somethings that should be left alone. I am very big fan of having fun and it definitely looks like the Head Coach for the mens basketball team at Tennessee is having a great time, but why did we have to be subjected to this performance. This is now the state of entertainment and how much of a joke a once beloved form of music has become. At the risk of sounding like a "Brown Sugar" advertisement, I am really a fan of the mid 1990's and the music that used to be called Hip Hop. I understand that the music industry is a business but the music on the radio now does not do anything for the soul. The leaders of the new school are now selling records with no content, but a lot of great beats, big chains, falling money and of course the perfect women that our culture describes as gold diggers if they hint at the fact they want their man to take care of them. Now women are becoming the bread winner, taking care of the house and being told not to complain. It is a sad state we are in as a culture and a community. We need to change somethings, and this has been the theme of 2009 for so many. I hope this starts a discussion, helps some people make a change and/or gets someone focused on what is really important.

Highlight History

In a year when we have inaugurated the first President of the United State of America of African-America descent, it is important that we understand our history and honor where we have come from as people. So many times, in so many ways, it has been said "If you don't know where you have come from, you can't possibly know where you are going." There is an untold number of pioneers of sport, politics, business, and community service that must be honored by our generation. This article will only play a small part in creating awareness, starting conversations and honoring those who came before me.

President Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America, and a pioneer. He has set an example not only for African-Americans but for all members of all races, nationalities, colors, and creeds, by his example of a larger than life dream, we can all be reminded that in this country, with work, faith, determination and a never ending dream all things can be accomplished. A long road was traveled by this country to elect President Obama to the highest office in this country and the most powerful position in the free world. On September 27, 1827, Hiram Rhodes Revels was born in Fayetteville, Cumberland, N.C. In 1870, HIram was elected to represent Mississippi as a Senator until March 3, 1871. Hiram's service to the United State did not start not end with his senate seat. Prior to becoming senator he served as a chaplain in Mississippi during the Civil War and as secretary of State ad interim of Mississippi in 1873; among other noted accomplishments. A journey that started almost 140 years to date where Hiram Rhodes Revels started as a Republican Senator for Mississippi, Barack Hussein Obama brought the political ascent full circle by taking the Oath of office of the President of the United States on January 20, 2009.

The full circle of ascension does not end with political achievement, there are many areas in which our community has made vast strides and these achievements need to be highlighted. Actors and actresses have played a major part in our assimilation to mainstream America. Hattie McDaniel paved the way for our actresses and actors of today by becoming the first African-American to receive the award for Best Supporting Actress in her role as Mammy in 'Gone With the Wind.' As a trailblazer and a pioneer, Hattie laid the bricks that allowed actors such as Sidney Poitier to win awards and nominations. Revered as one of the greatest actors of all time, Sidney has won over 20 awards for his dedication to his craft and the Film Industry. It is the service of great people, that allows our entertainment moguls and larger than life Hollywood stars of today enjoy success. Sidney won his Oscar award during the heart of the Civil Rights movement when other great men and women were drawing lines in the sand to fast forward progress on a level the masses could relate to.

In Alabama; Martin Luther King, Jr. who is arguably the famous Civil Rights leader this country has ever had the honor of learning from, listening to or reading about started a non-violent movement similar to Ghandi in which he preached the principal of equality among races. Martin Jr. had many accomplishments in his life but one of his most notable was the Nobel Peace Prize that he received at the age of 35, upon notification of this, Dr. King announced he would donate all of prize money to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. Martin was often at odds with the another great civil rights leader, not because of conflicting goals, but the method in which Malcolm X set out to accomplish his goals. As a leader, Malcolm X lived by the philosophy "by any means necessary." This mantra instilled in his followers the desire to bring about the advancement of people of African-American descent, using any and all methods including violence. Malcolm and Martin, like Barack, were search of change and forty years after the civil rights movement change has come with a lot of work yet to be done as a nation and a world. In a global economy where knowledge is power, and money equates to influence many of our superstars have used their status to create paths to success and a legacy to be passed on to the next generation. Oprah Winfrey is well known for her philanthropy work both on her show and around the world and listed at number 8 of the 50 Most Powerful Women in 2008 by Fortune. An inspiration to young women everywhere, her light shined bright enough to lead Tyra Banks to her own daytime television talk show.

Not only in February is history to be highlighted, but every day of every month of every year. Challenge yourself and your friends to learn more, do more, give more, love more and pray more. Differences make us unique and when we come together they make us better. Our future is bright and we are in a place to seize the same success achieved by the founders of this country. The job of our generation is to claim what is ours through smart work and perseverance.

Change the presentation. Change, create, innovate.

Barack Obama used the technology of today to change the politics of yesterday in order to the shape the days of the future. There has been story, after story written about this historical event surrounding the Inauguration of the next President of the United States of America Barack Obama. He is an innovator, a game changer, a pioneer, a role model, and a symbol that in America anything can and will happen if you put in the time and effort. Using our new models of technology including Podcasting, Facebook, Myspace, Iseecolor, etc. Barack Obama created a new game plan for connecting to the American public on a wider scale than any politician in the history of this great nation. There were many doubtful individuals that didn't believe this day would come, when a man of Barack Obama's heritage would occupy the White House. This Campaign, Election and scheduled Inauguration has united people from all walks of life, backgrounds and ethnic groups. Let there be no mistake as voiced by our next President, there is a lot of work that has been done, but there is a great deal yet to do. With corruption in many levels of government, including within state, local, federal and police agencies still prevalent, we must begin in our own community to make the changes necessary to uplift our country in order to insure America remains a World Super Power.

As you go through your day and the American press advertises success is measured in dollars and cents, reshape your thoughts into understanding while money is important, the relationships that you form within your network will be your most important asset. Talk to people, learn more about them, find out what makes them get up everyday, what makes them happy, sad or indifferent. Get out into your community, and speak to the youth of today, be an example of what you want them to be. It is important for Generation Now to understand, you can't ask someone to follow advice you don't use in your own daily routine. As a society, we have seen change in how success is viewed, we all look for the next big "thing." On the Jamie Foxx radio show, I heard Steve Harvey a radio personality and comedian say, "It is better to eat well for 365 days out of the year, than to eat great for 1 day and starve for the rest." To me this means a sustained effort over time will allow for long term success. In many ways, the lessons of life have been taught over and over. When we choose to listen, learn and implement, life as we know it will change. Everyday, I wake up, I will make this world better than I encountered it. There are many ways you can accomplish this daily goal of small change, that will snowball into major accomplishments. These accomplished will be preceded by tipping points that could not have been predicted but in hindsight will be clearly visible. How will you succeed, what change will you effect, whose life will you touch?

Back in Time

A little over four years ago, NBA basketball teams Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons were involved in an altercation dubbed the Malice at the Palace. This was a very serious situation that could have been avoided. As a country here we are 4 years later and in a College game in Providence, the brother of a college player makes his way onto the court with relative ease to confront the referees about what he deemed to be a foul that deserved more severe punishment.

I understand the need for an older brother to protect his younger brother, but this situation could have turned out just as bad as the incident back in the Detroit. It is very interesting that arenas sanctioned by the NCAA to be used for College Basketball games have not increased security to the point where this can't happen. Colleges and Universities enjoy large revenue streams and need to be held accountable. We demand college and professional athletes play hard and perform, it is time we demand better security for all parties involved, including fans.

Good press, Bad Press, All Press

Recently, it came to my attention via a local new broadcast that a young man, 6 years old to be exact missed his school bus. Now, the next part of this story may shock some of you, others may think I am telling a tall tale that was meant for novel in the fiction section of your favorite book store. The young man returned home after missed his bus and commandeered his parents vehicle and proceeded to drive towards school. Now, we can make jokes that the child was trying to do the right thing by going to school, but what does this say about the parents of this enterprising young man? I am not yet fortunate to have the joy of raising a young man or woman, but I think I would have the ability to keep my children from getting behind the driver seat of my car without my permission.

The young man while en rout to school actually had a accident that did not leave him badly injured, but I am sure was enough to shake him up. When asked how he learned to drive, our young friend indicated that his many hours of playing a well know popular video game Grand Theft Auto helped him acquire the skills he used on our public road ways. There are age restrictions on many video games and this is precisely a reason. I am not trying to say a child should not be allowed to play a game with cars as the subject matter, but a game with the subject matter put forth by Grand Theft Auto should not be in the hands of a 6 year old young man. Our children will one day take care of us. Let's all take the time when they are young to take care of them.

Free Agent Fan

In the age of free agency where players in the major sports leagues go from team to team, it is time for the fan to become a free agent.  Players get paid millions while Franchise Owners make billions, and who is left out in the cold wearing laundry that becomes older than out dated political playbook employed in D.C. soon as that once hot free agent is traded to his third team in 4 years.  It is commendable for a player to now play for a team for an extended period of time without wearing out his welcome by not performing on the field of committing an atrocity off of it.  As a fan of sports, I am now committed to becoming a free agent fan.  I am signing no more long terms deals with any teams.  

In the past weeks one of my supposed to be favorite team New York Yankees, have signed the

 CC to a deal well in excess of 100 million.  I thought the country was in a recession.  Lebron my

 good friend is scheduled to cash in with my favorite basketball team of the moment in 201

0. Manny about a decade removed from making the move to Boston is ready to make another power play.  Kevin Garnett made a move that was not for money, but for a title when we all watched him goto Boston last year.  I for one am happy to see guys go from nothing to something using the American way of capitalism as a vehicle for stability.  In the end, I will no longer call you a bandwagon fan if you decide to run with the hot team of the moment.  It is your right to wear the colors of your favorite team or player.  

The age of the free agent fan is here.

Old v. New Tech

It has been a while since I have written an article.  Well I am back and I have a good one for you. I went around my house looking for some stuff that would remove the writers block from my frontal lobe or my medulla oblongata.  Thats funny haha, not funny fopaux for my commercial lovers. What does one person need 15 thousand remotes for and do the all in one remotes actually work, I was doing some spring cleaning in December and found all these remotes.  Got remote?  Yea, it is over used, but so what.

Well as the article says this is old versus new tech and I found some old stuff including my old Panasonic Pamlcamcorder IQ.  Yes people this one records to mini VHS tapes and it is absolutely huge as the picture that accompanies this paragraph will prove.  I'm not going to bore you with the dull details of how ahead of its time the camera was when it came out, just

 know when I got it, it was all the rage.  Replacing it is my

 SONY Handycam HD which records to the mini DVD and I'm sorry to say is being supplanted by HD cameras recording directly to hard drives located on newer models.  Man technology is moving faster than my bank accounts interest rate.  

Next, in the attic behind some boxes and under a treasure trove of dust and debris, I found my trust SEGA Game Gear, yes folks my Game Gear.  It was my most prize possession back in the day, early 90's.  Did I just say early 90's?  Okay, well it sits next to Americas new baby the SONY PSP.  As you can see, tech has gotten smaller, faster, and more vibrant.  I tell you what though for the sake of bringing back my inner toy r us kid, I'm going to play the Game Gear on the train and see how many people ask me, just what in the world am I doing.  It should make for some interesting discourse. As you can see from many of my posts, I like to get my nerd tech on.  Im on the hunt for my Mini Disc Player now.  When I find it, you guys will be the first to know.  

Starbury Suspended

When the new Knicks coah, Mike "my system doesn't work in the playoffs which is why I am not in Phoenix anymore" D'Antoni benched Stephon Marbury in the first game of the season. ESPN ran a spot saying Knick fans would have no problem with it as long as the Knick team won games. Well we knew that would be short lived. Now it is very odd that when you trade away Crawford and† acquire Harrington, Mobley and Thomas that makes him part of your rotation. I find it very odd that a kid from Coney Island would say he doesn't want his 200,000 dollar game check no matter how much money he has made. The fact of the matter is, the Knick organization has mismanaged players for the past 20 years. As a coach, you do not put a franchise player on the bench and say he is not in our plans. D'antoni did not do that in Phoenix, why did he do that in New York. It was obvious to me that the Knick organization hired D'antoni to placate fans for two years with a fun brand of basketball to watch until they had the ability to go after a big name in Free Agency in 2010 assuming James, Bosh or Wade are available or that they want to play for the worst run franchise in the league. Whether Stephon has a bad attitude or not, Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, Randy Moss, and even Allen Iverson have been said to have bad attitudes. Players of his caliber are afforded the latitude to have diva moments. Why? They put people in the seats of the arenas and stadiums. D'antoni is a not a disciplinarian, never has he been compared to Larry Brown or Tom Coughlin. The whole story behind this has not come out yet and we may never know everything, but there is something not being said.

Thankful

In a time when the economy is at a low point, what some call the bottom.  Some call a false bottom and some say is part of a cup and handle.  You can use this time to buy more stocks and average down and create a base for your profits to soar.  We are at a place in the economy that America has not seen economic hardship of this magnitude since the Great Depression of 1929. The Dow Jones, NASDAQ and S & P 500 are at all time lows. Is there a silver lining in this grey dark cloud?  If you look at the glass as half full, you believe we can turn this around.  A pity party won't help us get through these hard times.  Hard work perseverance and fresh ideas about innovation will steer us in calm waters.  

Some Analysts call this time a recession, other say we are in a market correction. In 2008 the unemployment rate has risen at a staggering pace.  According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics,  there are 10.1 million Americans currently out of work.  No matter what you believe or which theory you subscribe to, America has seen times similar to these and with that we can take solace in the fact that we as a country have the ability to bounce back. You may be reading this article and saying why is the title, "Thankful"?  We may have lost a lot, but we have so much as a country and will bounce back.  Challenge yourself to be better, do more with less, be and more efficient.  As you sit around and eat turkey and watch football and bring about Holiday Cheer, be thankful for what you do have.

King of Bikes

Suzuki is a loved motorcycle Manufacturer. From the Hayabusa down the 600 and my all time favorites the 750. It doesn't get much better than leaning on a Black and Orange two wheeled finely tuned piece of art like the Suzuki 750. In the life of a motorcycle enthusiast this hobby can be an expensive past time. Ask anyone who have a bike, from paint jobs to customized helmets and handle bars, you will need a budget to get your bike to look and run exactly how you envision.

When it comes to customization, Stunt Man of 301 Connection is a Mastermind. With the halogen lights, slick license plate functions and black out features, Cyclebot is a legendary machine born from a Suzuki 750. There are a wealth of companies that provide tools for customizing bikes from everything to headlights to fuel management. With the rising fuel costs, two wheels have become a wonderful alternative to driving a four wheeled vehicle on a daily basis. Ride hard and safe, that the best way. Keep the wheels down, until next time.

Do you have a bike that you want highlighted on the Internet. Goto http://www.301connection.com and send them an email.

Basketball News

The New York Knicks have not been a team of championships and back to back playoff appearances of late. The front office of this organization is beginning to feel the pressure from the fans and most of all from season ticket holders. In the right system players can flourish and in the right city players can lose their way. This has seemed to be the case for many players involved in trades to the Big Apple. It is time for the Knicks to approach this from a different angle and all things considered, I believe they are going in the right direction. It may be early to say they are posturing to make a major move at next years stars who will be free agents including Lebron James and Chris Bosh. With the season still in its infancy, New York has been making moves and clearing cap room. The new head coach has the fans and city buzzing about the west coast up and down style of basketball never before seen in New York unless deployed by a visiting team.


The next item on the list is what does the team do with Stephon "Star" Marbury. Marbury has not played in a single game for the Knicks this year, he is arguably one of the better players on the roster but his reputation as a me first point guard has kept him on the inactive list this year. He is owed 21 million dollars in the final year of his contract and it doesn't look like he will be going to any other team anytime soon for that amount of money. He is just to expensive with his past track record. For the time being Marbury seems content being paid to sit on the bench, but for a player of his caliber, his current temperment could change at any time.

The Giants of New York

Everyone knew the time was going to come for me to right about my favorite Football team and oh yes the time is here. I'm going to have a little for, because its been a long time coming for me to be able to say my team is the toast of the NFL. The New York Giants have been a good team for a long time and they have had many great players and a tradition of winning games. However over the past decade they have had multiple playoff appearances and have brought the Lombardi Trophy to great city of New York. Eli Manning has grown into a Quarterback that while his facial expressions may not exude the most confidence when he makes a mistake, his consistent play has more than made up for it. With a three factor back, backfield, including Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward. (Thanks Merrill Hodge, I think that is a great phrase.)

The Giants are poised to make another run at the title in 2008, due to plethora of skilled players up and down the roster. I know you are intrigued to hear their names again. Plaxico Burress, the outstanding wideout who has dazzled on the field since his days in a Steelers uniform. I am not a total offense nut, so I have to say, "Good Day" to my defense. Starting with Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka. These guys anchor a defensive line that has been dominating scrimmages for two years now, just ask Tom Brady. The coaching staff is lead by Tom Coughlin is superb. With his team first mentality, we can all take a page out of the book of Couglin and teach selfless behavior as a mainstay and a character trait to be applauded.

With five games to play in the regular season, the Giants still have a long way to go. The season looks good and the future look bright. This Sunday, the Giants will be in DC to play the Redskins at FedEx field. Tune in for the action, the game will be on Fox local in the DMV. We will be back to follow the story post game.

Love two wheels

When its warm a day won't go by without the need for me to get on my bike and lean through a corner at a safe speed. There is something to said about being able to sit out on your bike, feel the wind go through you jacket. The joy you see on a young persons face when you ride by and they marvel at the sight of you on a bike. It is one of the greatest feelings in the world. This is not a sentiment shared by everyone however, due to the inherent danger that comes along with riding a motorcycle.

I have lost friends to accidents in cars, as well as riding a bike and the feeling is always the same. The loss of a loved one is tough to deal with. Riding a motorcycle is a selfish hobby and many riders don't respect the power that is in their right hand while on a bike. This lack of respect and need for speed can make for a dangerous combination.

Suzi Q and I, have been through somethings. Suzi is my bike. She is pretty young thing. Her daddy was orange and her mommy was black. I love her, and she loves me back. I take care of her and she does the same for me. I respect her above all things and that is why she will keep me safe. If you ride a bike and read this post, put your throttle hand in the air and rev your engine one time for respect and two times for love, a third means you lost someone and your saying hello to those up above.

Make this day better when you leave...

I have vowed to make each day better than I found it, make every person better than I left them. Make someone who has a frown on their face smile. Positive energy will lift your neighbor up and negative energy will bring them down. People say things that they often go back on when times are rough or the chips don't quite fall their way. You can't control everything, but you can control your the way you react to events.

Easier said than done and harder to accomplish than talk about, being a better person requires hard work and sacrifice. Self denial and discipline will help you achieve greater heights. So when you feel the urge to turn on the television, read a book. When you feel the urge to yell and fight, do some cross training. When you feel a run on sentence coming on, put a period at the end. Stop and think some time that you are not the only one having a rough time. Enjoy your journey after all when your journey is over, it will be all you had.

Make you go hmmmmm!

While the media has portrayed R.Kelly is the worst man to ever live because of his behavior which I am by no means condoning. I am compelled to say that the man in charge of the Playboy Mansion has seemed to be immune from any public scrutiny for far to long. He has multitudes of girlfriends who are young enough to be his granddaughters and great granddaughters, but our culture hails him as one of the greatest men of our time.

I beg you to ask the question, Why is Hugh Hefner treated like royalty? What makes him so different? Am I hating, or is his behavior that of someone our sons should aspire to be and our daughters aspire to be with? It seems, money is and will always be the great equalizer in this world. I have told anyone reading this something they don't already know, but I have shed a little light back on a topic that has gone to the dark.

American Oddity

With the state of the American Economy in turmoil and severely affecting the Global Economy to the point where other major countries are implementing bailouts in the last ditch attempt to keep the markets from imploding. We have the pleasure of voting in the most important election that America has ever seen. With the single largest percentage and point loss on Wall Street ever, we have the opportunity to turn major losses into big time gains. The rich have been getting richer for a long time and it is now time for the average American from corner Main Street and Normal Avenue to step up and make their opinion heard. If not now then when, if not us then who. We are the next generation and we don't stake our claim now it will be to late very soon.

Beautiful Days

Why is it, and I ask this with all sincerity? That women and men get up in the morning and get all dressed up, showered up, smelling good, groomed to the nines and driving in the tens in rush hour to get to a place where they absolutely hate.

Jobs, Small Businesses are the backbone of the American economy, but when you feel under appreciated, over worked, ill prepared and inadequately paid to do your job. How does that affect your quality of life?

Now at the end of the day when you are irritated cause you boss stepped on the last nerve and that guy on the 610, Jersey Turnpike, Belt Parkway, I-95, 695 or your favorite neighborhood highway cut you off and your going home to your significant other. How will you react when you get home? Are you going to say, I have had a bad day and I don't want to hear it? Are you going to hug and kiss? Are you going to sit down and watch some mind numbing television program? Are you going to watch a slanted news broadcast that paints a picture that the world is going down the tubes and there is nothing you can do to stop it? You have options, as structured and moderated as this world is. Set your gps to success and smiles. Enjoy the trip and takes lots of pictures.

Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing is the wave of the future. It seems to me like we are returning to the past. When I say that, I mean to say we are moving back to essentially a dumb terminal where you connect to a computer where your applications are hosted. The great thing is most of the apps are given away for free from Google. They offer document processing, spreadsheet creation and presentation.

If you want to pay for the applications, you can salesforce, but I don't know to much about them yet as I am in my preliminary stages of research but it looks like we are Michael J. Fox. Get your Delorians ready.