Thirty Something

I will be 30 years old on September 1st. A milestone no doubt as many young black men and women never make it to 30 much less their 25th birthday. You can include The Notorious B.I.G, Tupac Shakur, and most recently Heath Ledger as some of the more famous people cut down before they celebrated a third decade on Earth.

For those of us who are fortunate enough to hit 30, the question should be asked: Are you satisfied with your life? It is a double ended question because in reality one should never be satisfied as there is always more to learn and strive for. At 30 you are five years removed from a quarter of your life. 30 begins a new chapter: not necessarily middle age, but a time where your life needs to be put in perspective. If you are not where you think you should be, don't blame society, or the government, or family. Take control of your destiny and make it happen!

Pursue your dream whether it be going to and completing college, getting married to the love of your life, becoming a doctor or police officer, making the NBA, NFL, Major Leagues or buying a home.

People will tell you what you should do with your life or stunt your growth. While looking out for others is an admirable quality, don't forget to do you or you may miss out on the satisfaction of realizing your dream.

For me, 30 is not the new 20, but a new start. A clean slate to accomplish what I didn't in my 20's. To ammend for the time I feel I wasted pursuing a career that I probably wasn't ready for. The fact that I may live to see the first Black President of the United States is special, now can I channel the work ethic to achieve my goals as Barack Obama has to reach where he is, that is the 30 million dollar question. If I can, my friends, not only will I be a best-selling author, I will be a blockbuster screenwriter and filmmaker as well as a Grammy winner for the accompanying soundtrack....

Keep Your Eyes Open for me...

God Bless

An Ewing Returns to the Knicks

Breaking News from the NBA: The Knicks have acquired legendary Knicks center Patrick Ewing's son Georgetown forward Patrick Ewing, Jr. from the Houston Rockets for the draft rights to Frederic Weis. I mean, it's only right...

I mentioned this in a previous blog (Knicks draft woes), blasting the Knicks for their pick in this year's NBA Draft, however I did not think it would happen. Who knew they would land Ewing Jr. for Weis, another great Knicks draft selection best known for being posterized by Vince Carter. I didn't even know Weis was still in the Knicks organization. Ewing Jr. is not as great as his father coming out of Georgetown, but he can play. I'll take Junior, maybe The "Gahden" will put the spirit of his father in him.

All the Knicks need to do is trade for Oklahoma Thunder guard Damien Wilkins, former Knicks guard Gerald Wilkins' son, and we'll have a good ol' reunion of Knicks' spawn.

Historic Speeches - The 2008 DNC

A piece of history (just in case you didn't capture it on the DVR or TiVo)

Michelle Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTFsB09KhqI&feature=related

President Bill Clinton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3r6xvwPGcY&feature=user

First Lady Hillary Clinton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=268ncnoitEc&feature=user

Ted and Caroline Kennedy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE_eKhUC9rI&feature=related

Senator Joe Biden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVH58DeUThg&feature=user

History...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWCQYfyO6p4&feature=user

You're Welcome...

Ladies First?

While the pick of Govenor Sarah Palin as his running mate is admirable by John McCain, what does it really mean? With the recent 88th anniversary of the Suffrage Movement giving women the right to vote in this country Palin's appointment is just as historic as Barack Obama's appointment and Hillary Clinton's campaign.

My point is this, as the spectre of race swirled over Barack Obama's campaign, there is a real contingent of men in the country that still do not respect women as equal. While Condoleeza Rice has played a major role, for better or worse, in the cabinet of George W. Bush, she sits behind a few men in the pecking order for the Presidency should something have happened to Bush.

Palin would be the number TWO. A John McCain ailment or heart attack away from being the first female President of the United States. That may not sit well with some chauvinistic men uncomfortable with taking orders from a woman. The Republicans are allegedly "fired up" about Palin's selection, but for how long?

Palin could be the first female leader of the free world. That is just as historic as Obama's run for The White House.

The Question of Experience

Watching Govenor Sarah Palin stand next to John McCain in Ohio it looks like a proud father watching his daughter give her first speech. There is a 28 year age difference between the two. Is she ready to step in as Commander-In-Chief if need be? Does she have more experience than Hillary Clinton? I don't think so.

Maybe I'm overanalyzing here, but in Palin's acceptance speech she introduced her husband and went into detail about how they met. The country pretty much knew about "inexperienced" Barack Obama's family way before his nomination. The first ten minutes of her speech I thought 'can we hear what you will do for the country?' It seems McCain thought that as well as he kept looking at the podium. I feel Palin should not have to waste time introducing her family, she should be on the national radar. She is running for Vice President of a country, not mayor.

On another note, notice how McCain has to continuously glance at his notes while making his speech? In comparison, Barack Obama, Hillary & Bill Clinton, Joe Biden and Michelle Obama (who was a bundle of nerves) never looked down at their notes while speaking. Did Barack even have his speech with him? Can't tell. Maybe I'm being too critical...

Just my thoughts ladies and gentlemen....

There's No Me Without You

Good afternoon, good people. As I have stressed through mass e-mails, there is no me without you. For readers of this blog, thank you for your continued support. I urge you to read the archives of this blog and if you are interested in my opinions based on fact, continue to spread the word to others. Take part in my poll questions. Your feedback is the lifeblood of my blog. I will continue to post my thoughts on everything from music, sports, politics, and more, but with your help I can reach a wider audience.

Thank you.

McCain picks a woman for Vice Prez

John McCain has announced that he has picked 44 year old Alaska Govenor Sarah Palin to be his running mate. McCain has been known to be a Republican senator who has broken from the confines of his Conservative party many times and this is another bold move. A move that can be looked at a few ways I believe.

The Vice President takes over as President if God forbid something happens to the President, so if McCain wins the White House at his advanced age, 72 years old today, there is a possibility a woman could be President, a feat only achieved on a television show starring actress Geena Davis.

An out-of-the-box pick, it shows McCain is not a man who falls in line with the Republican party "rules" and can be an agent of change.

This can be a tactical move in response to Obama's snub of Hillary Clinton and a way to curry favor with the 28% of disgruntled Clinton supporters (*I believe this one*)

However, this is a move that can backfire. The Republicans sticking point on Obama has been his inexperience. Govenor Sarah Palin has been in office in Alaska for only two years, has never been in the political spotlight (many people, myself included, have never heard of Sarah Palin until this morning) and doesn't have any known foreign policy experience, in fact it pales in comparison to 35 year veteran Joe Biden. Palin's previous experience has been as a small town mayor. McCain's choice for VP looks a little hypocritical if the argument against Obama is his inability to run The White House. Stay tuned...

The Republican Convention begins on Labor Day, ironically, and we shall learn more aboutGovenor Palin in the coming week. Like the Olympics, before this year I have never watched a National Convention so intently. I'm getting old...

I like to think I'm getting wiser and more concerned for the country I am living in. After the last eight years I am a little skeptical about the government. McCain is the Republican John Kerry. If Kerry was a flip-flopper, McCain is likewise. It feels like he is being pressured to fall in line with Right-wing ideals and McCain wants to be President so badly he might conform more than he wants. His VP pick is a flash of non-conformity and he should be commended for that.

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Yes We Can...

On the night of August 28th 2008 history was made on a historic night. On the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech, Illinois senator Barack Obama became the first African-American to be named the candidate of a major political party by accepting the Presidential nomination for the Democratic Party. Obama appeared in front of a crowd of over 80,000 delegates, superdelegates and supporters (some Hillary converts) to let them all know why he is the right choice to lead America.

In 45 riveting minutes, Obama laid out his plan for a better America with the verve, poise, and urgency of a 34 year old Martin Luther King so many years ago. As Obama eloquently put it, Dr. King could have addressed the audience that day with a message of despair, negativity about the segregation and racial division that ravaged America, particularly the South. Instead Dr. King chose to speak of hope for a better tomorrow, the same way Obama spoke of a nation that is "better than the last eight years".

It was fitting that Obama made history 45 years after a historic address at the feet of a statue of Abraham Lincoln, another visionary. If Dr. King, even Coretta Scott King, were alive today I am sure his eyes would have welled up, as did so many in the crowd last night including Oprah Winfrey, with tears at the significance of the moment. Even if Obama loses in November, to make it this far shows how far African-Americans have come in a country where Blacks could not even go to the same schools, use the same bathrooms, sit in the same seat as Caucasian people. As I watched Obama's speech as CNN's cameras scanned the crowd, there were Caucasians, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and African-Americans standing side by side in some places, all riveted, hanging on every word, believing that Obama, an African-American male, is the right person to lead their country.

Now that it is official, I leave this post with an e-mail I received. For all the hope and optimism of the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama is still an African-American in politics with a very real chance of being President of the United States of America. In a country that has seen the assassination of the aforementioned Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Democratic Presidential nominee Robert Kennedy, all men who tried to assist in the integration of African-Americans. With that said, I leave you with this:

Dear God, I pray for optimum health, wisdom, mental clarity and political prosperity for Barack Obama, and for his protection, as he seeks to become our President! Amen.

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When Bugs Attack....

This is hilarious.

http://video.aol.com/video/weatherman-attacked/1882636?icid=100214839x1208449181x1200484041

The First lady... and random stuff

very disturbing images of Lisa Raye McCoye-Misick a.k.a Diamond are on the internet. She was reportedly involved in an altercation with her soon to be ex-husband the prime minister of Turks and Caicos. Not cool. Rumors are that he bit Lisa Raye... that's not masculine...

Lisa Raye must be thinking she still shooting The Player's Club (r.i.p. Bernie Mac).

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How about the young man who requested to stand up at his wake. The guy was 24 when his life was unfortunately cut short, but there are pictures of this guy standing in a corner of his home fully clothed with shades on. People are walking through the house looking at him like a real wake in the church. You would never know this kid was deceased except for his mouth which is clearly made up.

How do you think about making a request like that at such a young age. He must have been living a lifestyle where he knew he would bite the big one...

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Rest in peace to Bernie Mac and Issac Hayes who passed in the span of a single day of each other. One was a comedic legend and "King of Comedy" the other a soul legend and to the kids "Chef" on South Park

Lightning strikes: Jamaica ruling the track in Beijing

Marion Jones is in a prison cell and the U.S. has not won a gold medal in the sprint races in Beijing. Jamaica, a country who has finished second or third to the U.S. at every Olympics over the past 20 plus years in the speed races (100, 200, 4x100 relay), has emerged as the dominant team of 2008. Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell-Brown, and Shelly-Ann Fraser have taken center stage like never before. No matter how allegedly biased the network coverage, the Jamaicans keep on winning leading veteran commentator Tom Hammond to use adjectives like "heavily favored" to describe the Jamaican sprinters.

The United States on the other hand has under-performed to say the least culminating in the comedy of errors that was the qualifying round of the 4x100 meter relay. Both the men and women of the United States dropped the baton on the anchor leg of the race disqualifying both teams leaving no U.S. representation in the relay for the first time since 1960.

Surely this drastic shift in speed dominance can't be attributed to strict drug testing, or can it? The aforementioned Marion Jones, who dominated two consecutive Olympics, recently admitted she used performance-enhancing drugs costing her and her relay team their gold medals (although the other women on the relay team have protested the call to relinquish their gold). Florence Griffith Joyner dominated in 1988 defeating Jamaican Merlene Ottey among others on the way to Olympic glory, but tragically died of a heart condition allegedly brought on by rampant use of performance enhancers.

In 2008 the tables have turned between the U.S. and Jamaican sprint teams. Let's see if the U.S. are as gracious in defeat as the Jamaicans have been for so many years.

Below are some observations from my close friends on the subject:

From: Slickz Lewis:

Don’t worry Drew, I don’t think any of them were on Flaxseed or any type of steroids…. Maybe irish moss, strong back, linseed, roots, steam fish, dumplin, ackee, manish water, magnum, (lol). Big up Jam Rock. It just goes to show that all the US Olympic athletes were not the best athletes a couple of years ago because they were all on some type of banned substance, and Jamaica was always finishing second and third in the track and field events. I feel like bussing de “Nuh Linga” right ya now.

From: Ninja Wallace:

usain and shelly ann.. king and queen of jamaica right now.. .JAMAICA RUN TINGS!!!! for years (decades even) jamaica was 2nd and third... now we own track.. i hope that i can still be proud if this a couple months from now when the smoke clears..

At least there's still gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, baseball, USA basketball... everything else except Track & Field to be proud of. For Jamaica this is a long time coming.

John Mayer

I feel like one of those tabloid gossip mags (People, O.K., etc.) for even touching on this subject, but it got me peeved last night. John MAyer is a brilliant musician who received his ghetto pass for appearing on the Dave Chappelle show (he played guitar with Questlove of the Roots as Chappelle sang the Diff'rent Strokes theme on one classic episode), but I'm tired of these females he dates and dumps whining over why this guy leaves them. His most recent victim is Jennifer Aniston. I'm sorry, he did the same thing to Jessica Simpson. If you think this guy is ready to commit to marriage any time soon, y'all deserve what you get. First off, it's beyond me what these women see in this guy. he's not ugly, but his head is huge!

Sorry, anyway, after so many celebrity women this guy has loved then left they gotta know his M.O. Once he gets in the sack, the honeymoon is over. He blames the distance created by his career and his traveling schedule for the breakups. It's simple!

I don't wanna see another famous celebrity with this guy or I'm gonna throw up!!

Thank you,

P.S. John Mayer's M.O. is not based on factual information, nor do I care, it's just my thoughts. I'm tired of seeing that Jessica Simpson is jealous that he's with Jennifer Aniston, and Aniston was furious he called off the relationship, now she's just sad... WTF?! John Mayer is not Brad Pitt, people! He's not even Nick Lachey! LOL.

LMAO... By the way, any of you gossip mags need a blogger, call me...LOL. I'm kidding.

Jocking Jay-Z

Jay-Z recently debuted the first verse of his new song "Jocking Jay-Z at the NY leg of Kanye West's "Glow In the Dark" tour. Now while I didn't care for the lyrics I can name at least one rapper, who shouldn't be rapping by the way, who's jocking Jay-Z. And the worst thing about it is that this guy has been dissing Jay-Z for the last two years, calling him old, washed up, garbage, but then he signs a rapper that sounds like Jay, he is biting Jay-Z's lines in his rhymes, he's name dropping material items first coined by Jay-Z (Krug Rose champagne, clearport, etc.). If the guy is so old and washed up why are you jacking his lyrics? I just had a temper tantrum in my car last night listening to one of his nonsensical songs (do we have to put an ad-lib after every line in the song? really? - that was a hint of who the perpertrator is, but for those not into rap or don't care to guess his name rhymes with "bones").

I am not sure how not liking garbage music makes me a hater, but call me a hater, an angry backpacker, purist, whatever you want, but give me my Golden Age era ('88-'94) Hip Hop any time over this current crap on the radio. I was just rocking A Tribe Called Quest "Low End Theory" in my i-pod. I'm so mad I missed The Rock the Bells concert last sunday.

Just my thoughts...

The Olympics

I must say that this is the first time I have been watching Olympic coverage this early in the games with such fervor. I go back to 1988, the games of the 24th Olympiad as the first Olympics I remember clearly (Ben Johnson, anyone?). I only used to watch the Olympics when track & field started in the second week, save for 1992 when The Dream Team took the court and the 2000 and 2004 games as I watched the World catch up to our cocky U.S. NBA players and beat them, but this year I have been captivated by the swimming and, wait for it, gymnastics(?!).



The build-up to Michael Phelps potentially record-breaking gold medal run was everywhere. He was on the cover of all my subscribed sports magazines so there was no getting away from the aquatic wunderkind. With all that hype you definitely wanna see if the guy can deliver. Boy, does he deliver. Throw in the French relay team talking trash before Sunday night's showdown and I'm going "swimming, really?" Even the most cynical viewer could not deny that 4x100 relay was a classic. The way Jason Lezak swam down the Frenchman Alain Bernard (the guy that made the comments "The Americans? We will smash them. That's what we came for") in the last 50 meters was epic.



I tuned in a little late, I didn't even know Michael Phelps was in the race, but once I knew he swam the lead leg it made it all the more intriguing. A loss by the team and his hopes to break Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven gold medals would be dashed. So Bernard touches the wall does his backflip and is on the way back. 50 meters to go to prove he was prophetic in his trash talk. I'm listening to the announcers saying "I don't know if the US can make up the deficit here, he has a body-length lead". Suddenly, Lezak starts to gain ground. There is half a pool length left to go. I hear the announcers as they see what I'm seeing "Lezak os starting to gain ground!" " Bernard is starting to tighten up!" I start to lean closer to the television as Lezak is now stroke for stroke with Bernard. The announcers: "Bernard is tightening up really badly here!" "Lezak is right with him. Can he do it!" "They reach for the wall..." Then you see the superb graphic of the country as they place and it said "1. United States". The announcers excitement made it an even greater moment: "He did it!"

To see Bernard head leaning against the side of the pool it was great. Phelps ofcourse gave the freeze frame shot of the games with his outstretched battle yell.

Even the opening ceremonies was good and I never watch that, ever.

I'm getting old.

Another Political Phony

John Edwards just admitted an extra-marital affair this past Friday that took place in 2006. As you may recall Edwards, a senator from North Carolina, has a wife who has cancer. His blatant disregard for her condition as he continued to run for the Democratic nomination is not surprising now. My question is how did Edwards, a vocal critic of Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, expected to make a Presidential run with this skeleton in his closet?

The hypocrisy of these politicians kill me.

Just my thoughts...