Breast Cancer

Shout out to all the women that have battled cancer and won.  My Mother has been going through the same thing and it's never a battle only you have to go through alone, family and friends will always be there.  Much Love.  I would reall appreciate all the prayers she can get.

Dunwoody Music Festival 2010

First we form habits, then they form us.  Conquer your bad habits or they will conquer you.

- Rob Gilbert

With the arrival of another music festival comes, yet, another opportunity to volunteer with SafeRide America and contribute to their noble efforts to keep our streets safe of drunk drivers.  This particular festival will be running Saturday, 10am-Sundown and Sunday, noon-6pm.  Along with plenty of music, their will also be a Chili Cook-off, a Battle of Bands, a Smart Car raffle, and a fireworks display to conclude the festival. 

SafeRide could really use all the help they can get this weekend.  If you are at all interested in volunteering this weekend please contact either SafeRide or me.  I have embedded a link to the official Dunwoody Music Festival site for further information. 

Life's Relentless Pursuits

"The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering.  And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors.  If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy."

- Dalai Lama

I know it has been a long time.  And, I definitely owe many of you my apologies for my lack of communication, whether personal or professional.  While I am pursuing my academic and career goals, life continues to rain on me with the ferocity of a tempest.  Currently, in my first semester of my CCNA course, my only solace is found in the camaraderie of others just as jolted by the difficulty of this certification course.  Fortunately, I am finally getting my money's worth out of Westwood College.  It is, however, superficial considering that this entire course is administered  online via the Cisco Academy.  This is one course not even Westwood can interfere with and muck up with it's lackluster and lackadaisical approach to educating.  Alas! a challenge I must meet!

BBF (Black Best Friend)?!

Can someone please make some sense of this for me?!  I am really missing the point of this article.  Check it out and tell me what you think.  When did the term BBF (Black Best Friend) come about?

7th Annual German Beer Fest

Who doesn't like a good laugh every now and then?  The 7th Annual German Beerfest was a golden opportunity for all.  From 2pm to 7pm, people were imbibing beer at the rate of a beluga whale.  The goal was to obviously, try all 20 brands of beer.  For some this would seem a daunting task; but for the quotidian inebriate, this was only a challenge. 

Thirty-five dollars at the gate gained you access to all the beer you could drink, German music, and authentic German cuisine.  Having lived in Germany once before in my life, I could really appreciate the atmosphere, as the Germans, like the Irish, are notorious drinkers and dancers.  I am really hard pressed to say who is more dedicated.  There was plenty of dancing and singing and, my personal favorite, food.  The aroma of Bratwurst and saurkraut was nearly intoxicating for me.  I had to have one! 

For apparent reasons the SafeRide tent was the second most popular tent behind all of the beer vendors, respectively.  The Atlanta Hawks were out there registering people to win free tickets to the games.  The Thrashers were providing slapshot games.  There was even a guy drawing caricatures on the spot.  None of these vendors got the attention SafeRide did. 

SafeRide provides free breathalyzer tests at all their events.  The fun part is you get to guess your blood alcohol level (BAL).  If you guess correctly, you win a prize, which Budweiser has so generously provided.  Bets begin to float around amongst friends and strangers alike to see who can blow the highest.  Previously, the highest I'd ever witnessed at an event was a .25.  That was eclipsed Saturday by a .28.  There was more celebration for that guy than there would have been if Germany would have won the World Cup. 

I truly had lots of fun.  Walking amongst the crowd encouraging people to use our service was interesting to say the least.  Halfway through the event it rained.  Everyone sought shelter beneath tents and trees and subsequently returned to the festivities.  Clearly, no one was discouraged.  Some people even thought that the wet ground provided an opportunity to do some mud gymnastics. 

All in all, SafeRide is a great organization to volunteer or even complete community service hours for.  You have no idea what you are missing.  It's getting to that time of the year where we need more volunteers.  School is back in session.  But, the events keep rolling in.  There's the Zoo event coming up in a couple of weeks and the OktoberFest in October.  For a great opportunity to serve your community by keeping drunk drivers off the roads and have fun doing it, register to volunteer for SafeRide. 

Motivating The Motivator.

People often say that motivation doesn't last.  Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.

-Zig Ziglar

School is back in session and along with my organizational obligations, the motivation seems to wane at times.  A couple days ago, I was given the greatest motivation I could ever want, at this point in my life, and I use it daily. It's funny how simple a conscientious decision can be, yet so life changing.  What is my motivation? My soul mate. In a moment of clarity, I once told her that even the motivator needs a motivator.  Guess she didn't realize I was talking about her.  Now, I renew my motivation daily.  I cherish the little bit of time I get to spend with her and I aspire to give her everything she desires.  Simple as that.

I believe that we all serve ourselves best when we begin to serve others.  The beauty of volunteering is how selfless it is; yet, life is filled with inviolable spiritual laws one of which is "you reap what you sow."  No matter your religion, culture, belief system, philosophy, or motto; the benefits always justify the struggle.

Live for someone other than yourself and they will give their life for yours.  Live for yourself  and you die alone.  Some peoples' muse are their children or their circumstance.  What is yours?  What drives you to do what you do everyday?   If you can't answer that question, then it is time for some serious introspection. 

Volunteering is one of the greatest ways to exemplify your character as a human being.  Everyone needs a little help, now and then.  And, believe it or not one day you will, too.

Back To School

Self Confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.

- Samuel Johnson

The prospect of  new knowledge is enticing enough for me to persevere through the difficulties of school.  Everyday I aspire to join the ranks of esoteric scholars who are financially compensated for their opinions and ideas.  Education is so important on many levels.  Even God has mentioned that "...[His] people perish for a lack of knowledge."  It's not about being smart, but rather enlightened.  Too often people refuse to further their education because they don't believe that it is for them, or they aren't smart enough.  I don't subscribe to that kind of chatter.  We can all do anything we put our minds to do.  Nothing is ever easy but, it is always possible. 

I don't know a single person living who's mind doesn't continue to retain information.  We all have different ways of obtaining, processing, and retaining information.  I encourage everyone to find what best suits them and utilize it.  And, as time grows, teach yourself as best as possible to learn with other styles. 

One must believe in their self. Positive energy attracts positive energy. 

Success?

Well, the National Night Out event was an overall success. Or was it? There were nearly upwards of 500 parents and children in attendance. Courtesy of the Atlanta Institute for Males, backpacks were passed out to all children whom attended 2 ten minute sessions on various topics ranging from Gang Prevention to Crime Reduction.

The FBI, ATF, and APD were all on hand to meet and greet the citizens who make up the surrounding neighborhoods. I must admit I was somewhat dubious of the idea for this event. But, after attending, I feel less suspicious of the true intentions of the event.

As suspected, very few teens attended the event. This was mostly an outing geared towards the younger children. I guess it is appropriate for Atlanta Weed and Seed to sew some early seeds; however, where was the weeding.

More needs to be done to further point these teens in the right direction. The Atlanta Institute for Males has pioneered a great program for young men, spearheaded by Dr. Carter. They help provide the tools and mentorship every young man needs. I repeat, it takes a village to raise a single child. The people who work for that organization are sincere, serious, and passionate about the change they seek to make in the lives of our youth.

As we all know, very seldom does any event turn out as planned. Unfortunately, many of the parents displayed childish behavior. They were cutting lines and fighting over food. This is a great example of how important it is to hold these parents accountable for the direction these children are heading. How can we expect such a drastic change if the parents are not changing themselves?

National Night Out

Today, August 3rd, will be National Night Out for the vast communities across Atlanta.  The annual event is a joint effort of the Atlanta Weed and Seed program and the Atlanta Police Department.  For further information please visit the respective websites by clicking on the links.  I encourage everyone to participate in the community event.  Use the National Night Out link to locate an event nearest you.  I will periodically update from the event and try to include pictures.  For those of us who aspire to start their own non-profit organization or simply want to get more involved in the community; this is a great networking opportunity.  I will personally be working at the event located on 225 James P. Brawley Street next to John F. Kennedy Middle School and Center.   Free school supplies will be handed out.  So, don't hesitate to bring your children out to participate in the community "cookout."

Please view some of the volunteering opportunities available from the list located on the left of this screen. 

Real People. Real Trife.

I volunteer on a weekly basis and the work is truly gratifying.  The organizations are great.  It's good to be around people who genuinely care.  The experience only encourages my passion for servicing the needs of the community.  Rarely do you find more sincere people in any other environment.  Most of the time there is an ulterior motive involved that doesn't include what's best for you. 

I have experienced such at the school I currently attend, Westwood College.  As most know, I am currently pursuing my Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Networking Management.  I have met some very down-to-Earth and knowledgeable professors there.  But, the Education administration is grossly incompetent and lack the requisite passion for their positions, as you would expect of any faculty member who has the ability to encourage and nurture the continuing education of teenagers and working adults alike.  The egregious negligence of my program director, the assistant program director, and the dean has discouraged the desire for many students to return to Westwood College, or any school, for that matter! 

Every term there has been an issue with resources, hands on learning projects, and appropriate curriculum.  My first term included a core class called Desktop Computing, which taught the basic ins and outs of Windows based computing and how to properly assemble, upgrade, and maintain your PC.  Our professor was excellent!  Professor Johnson could answer any questions we had.  If he didn't know the answer, he'd find it.  And best of all, he got the most out of what little we had available.  Due to the constant faculty shuffling, it is rare that a professor teaches the same course consecutively.  Mr. Johnson was sandbagged with a classroom that did not provide the necessary tools required for us to properly learn and develop the skills to assemble, maintain, and upgrade a PC.  Despite the fact that one of the biggest selling points for me deciding to attend Westwood was the guarantee that Westwood was constantly upgrading their computer systems to keep up with the demands of being CISCO certified.  I was promised that I would receive ample hands on experience.

So far, all I have received is a bunch of lecturing and wasted weeks of class.  This last term was the worst.  It truly has me contemplating whether I want to return to Westwood or pursue my degree elsewhere.  My core course this last term was Introduction to Linux Operating Systems.  Since, my degree involves me getting my CISCO certification, this class is intrinsic to the foundation of my ultimate academic goal.  Unfortunately, the incompetence, apathy, and general fecklessness of those charged with ensuring that our classes are well suited for the curriculum placed us 5 weeks behind. 

Five weeks into the term, the program director and her assistant bumbled over each other trying to figure out how to install Linux on the computers without interfering with the needs of the other classes to whom the computers would be available.  Are you serious?!  I understand that the program director had held that position for a couple years, at least.  So, my question was, "How had they been teaching the course in the past?"  This couldn't have been the first encounter with this problem yet, they seemed to be genuinely baffled.  I still don't understand.  Computers are like math; it requires experiential learning.  You won't learn how to solve equations by listening to someone lecture you on all the rules and shortcut methods unless you practice it over and over for yourself.  Linux, being foreign to the average computer user, requires much of the same repetition and experience of hands-on activity.  We got none of that for 5 weeks.  A term at Westwood is only 10 weeks.  So, we basically wasted half the term dealing with an issue that should have never arisen in the first place.  Subsequently, we paid for it over the course of the last 5 weeks because we were forced to play not only catch up on all that we had missed out on in the first five weeks but, also, learn everything planned for the second five weeks.  Three students dropped out of the class because the strain of keeping up in class and frustration over the unfulfilled promises of the program director was overwhelming.  That was a travesty!

I only wrote this because I wanted to illustrate how very fortunate it is to work around and for people who are sincere and desire to efficaciously perform their job.  I encourage everyone to take some time out of their month to volunteer for something you believe in.  Sometimes the sheer experience can be humbling and encouraging despite whatever you may be going through at home or at work. 

If you just don't have a job, I encourage you even more to volunteer your time.  Supplement your period of unemployment with a period of philanthropy.  The references, work experience, and networking potential can lead to some great employment opportunities.  There are many jobs that become available on a daily basis that are never advertised or shared on a job board.  The positions are filled by word of mouth.  In these days and time, "It's all about who you know," has become even more evident.  Most important to you all who are out of work.  Keep it pushing!  Don't get discouraged.  Keep filling out those applications and keeping the faith.  Make astute money management decisions with what you do have and expect that change to come because it's on it's way.  No matter what keep your head up.

Who's Really To Blame?

During a time when race relations in this country are tentative due to us having a Black President and the most recent Tea Party debacle; you would think that the NAACP would be a bit more lenient or accomodating to the circumstances, or in the least to Shirley Sherrod, a recently resigned USDA official. What happened in this situation was clearly a well devised plan by the conservatives, that probably ended up producing even better results than they anticipated.

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Even if the video was produced for the express purpose of pointing out the hypocrisy of the NAACP, they still hit their target. The blogger responsible for releasing this tape was a pawn in a scheme to embarrass the NAACP. And, what happened?! The NAACP embarrassed themselves! This is a travesty, to say the least, for all parties involved.

Why does everyone want to blame Andrew Breitbart? Yes, he's an idiot but, this would never have been an effectual tactic if everyone would have done the proper investigation. It's called Critical Thinking! This could have easily blown up in the faces of the conservatives who would have made the blogger the scapegoat for such a childish attempt at slinging mud. He would have become the focus of derision. So, no I don't blame him for this. I blame the Secretary of Agriculture, the administration, the NAACP, and anyone else who jumped at the opportunity to be duped and throw this respectable woman under the bus.