it's the return of Terry Tate BABY!!!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Fury
How can a weekend with so much promise, become such a disaster? Some days, I wish I were that kid who threw passes to himself in the backyard. When mother told her son “…life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”, she surely got it right. In fact, life for me has become that dream deferred. I just don’t want to be left holding the bag when it pops.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
My Name Is...
"More people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, my friends, that is true perversion.” Harvey Milk
So the missus and I are watching the final debate last night. On several occasions, both candidates brought up 'Joe Plumber' and how their policies would benefit 'Joe Plumber'. In my opinion, there are so many different types of Joes out there, you can't focus on 'Joe Plumber'. Hell, there's 'Crazy Joe', there's 'Good for Nothing Joe', there's 'White Coat Joe' and 'Blue Collar Joe', there's 'Joe Jr' and there's 'GI Joe', just to name a few. What's good for Joe Plumber may not make sense for GI Joe or White Coat Joe. I think it's up to the candidates to identify among all the different 'Joes' out there how their plans and policies will benefit them all.
On to another subject. For years, as a child, i hated my middle name. Well, in the last couple years, i have yet another reason to hate my middle name. Since 9/11, I've had to fly to various client meetings and whatnot, and EVERY SINGLE TIME i go through the security checkthrough line, I'm stopped and have to go through the much longer pat down. I still attribute the additional pat down to my middle name.
So now you're all curious. What is my middle name? My middle name is famous due to a basketball player who played 20 yrs in the NBA From 1969 to 1989. His biggest rivalry was with the Boston Celtics and he played alongside two Hall of Famers in James Worthy and Magic Johnson. By now, i hope you've figured it out. If not, then wikipedia is for you :)
I've since learned to deal with my middle name. Unless i have to tell people, i typically don't share it. I've had people ask if I'm Muslim because of my middle name! The thing is, if i come to your company for a job interview, what does my faith have to do with me getting the job done, or being the best person for the job? For the record, I'm not Muslim and the only bit of Islam i know is "Assalamu alaikum" (read it in the Autobiography of Malcolm X years ago). By the way, if you haven't read that book, you should. Enjoy your day good people!
So the missus and I are watching the final debate last night. On several occasions, both candidates brought up 'Joe Plumber' and how their policies would benefit 'Joe Plumber'. In my opinion, there are so many different types of Joes out there, you can't focus on 'Joe Plumber'. Hell, there's 'Crazy Joe', there's 'Good for Nothing Joe', there's 'White Coat Joe' and 'Blue Collar Joe', there's 'Joe Jr' and there's 'GI Joe', just to name a few. What's good for Joe Plumber may not make sense for GI Joe or White Coat Joe. I think it's up to the candidates to identify among all the different 'Joes' out there how their plans and policies will benefit them all.
On to another subject. For years, as a child, i hated my middle name. Well, in the last couple years, i have yet another reason to hate my middle name. Since 9/11, I've had to fly to various client meetings and whatnot, and EVERY SINGLE TIME i go through the security checkthrough line, I'm stopped and have to go through the much longer pat down. I still attribute the additional pat down to my middle name.
So now you're all curious. What is my middle name? My middle name is famous due to a basketball player who played 20 yrs in the NBA From 1969 to 1989. His biggest rivalry was with the Boston Celtics and he played alongside two Hall of Famers in James Worthy and Magic Johnson. By now, i hope you've figured it out. If not, then wikipedia is for you :)
I've since learned to deal with my middle name. Unless i have to tell people, i typically don't share it. I've had people ask if I'm Muslim because of my middle name! The thing is, if i come to your company for a job interview, what does my faith have to do with me getting the job done, or being the best person for the job? For the record, I'm not Muslim and the only bit of Islam i know is "Assalamu alaikum" (read it in the Autobiography of Malcolm X years ago). By the way, if you haven't read that book, you should. Enjoy your day good people!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Right the Wrong
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform"
Mark Twain (1904)
My oldest son started fifth grade this year. Every week, his Language Arts teacher makes his class write a paragraph about some topic of her discretion. A few weeks ago the topic was "What does the flag mean to you and why". The purpose is to get the kids to write an opinion and to support it using at least 5 sentences that include an opening and conclusion sentence.
So I ask him "What does the flag mean to you?", and he begins to rattle off stuff that I'm sure he heard from his friends in school. He mentions it being the 'symbol of our struggle' (whose struggle?). I cut him off and ask him again, "No...What does the American flag mean to YOU?". By now, I think he understands what I'm asking. You see, he's always been one to not 'rock the boat' and as a parent, I want him to have the ability to speak his own mind and stand up for himself with what he thinks is right.
So now he's thinking. And after about an hour, he has a couple of reasons why the flag means absolutely NOTHING to him! Now keep in mind, i don't necessarily agree with him, but he's now thinking critically, and for that I'm proud. My wife and I help him with his grammar and spelling and on he goes to school with his finished paragraph, including revisions and our corrections. This past weekend, I got a chance to see his grade and the teacher's comments. He received a 100 percent, with comments from the teacher appreciating his 'break from the norm'.
Lately, I've found myself on the minority side of decisions and I'm content with being there. Now if i can only convince people to stop trying to persuade me to go with the majority! You can quote all the facts you want, my stance is my stance and i will not be convinced to sway. I have my facts too that support my stance and what it means to me. For example, I've had a co-worker try to convince me why John McCain should be our next president. And part of his argument was "as a minority, you should rejoice if McCain is our next president since he will continue to lower taxes to keep money in your pocket..." I won't go into what i told them, however, they will probably never discuss politics with me ever again.
So what's the moral of the story here? Don't be upset if you're not able to convince someone to side with your opinion. Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and prefers the smell of their own shit. Good day people :)
Mark Twain (1904)
My oldest son started fifth grade this year. Every week, his Language Arts teacher makes his class write a paragraph about some topic of her discretion. A few weeks ago the topic was "What does the flag mean to you and why". The purpose is to get the kids to write an opinion and to support it using at least 5 sentences that include an opening and conclusion sentence.
So I ask him "What does the flag mean to you?", and he begins to rattle off stuff that I'm sure he heard from his friends in school. He mentions it being the 'symbol of our struggle' (whose struggle?). I cut him off and ask him again, "No...What does the American flag mean to YOU?". By now, I think he understands what I'm asking. You see, he's always been one to not 'rock the boat' and as a parent, I want him to have the ability to speak his own mind and stand up for himself with what he thinks is right.
So now he's thinking. And after about an hour, he has a couple of reasons why the flag means absolutely NOTHING to him! Now keep in mind, i don't necessarily agree with him, but he's now thinking critically, and for that I'm proud. My wife and I help him with his grammar and spelling and on he goes to school with his finished paragraph, including revisions and our corrections. This past weekend, I got a chance to see his grade and the teacher's comments. He received a 100 percent, with comments from the teacher appreciating his 'break from the norm'.
Lately, I've found myself on the minority side of decisions and I'm content with being there. Now if i can only convince people to stop trying to persuade me to go with the majority! You can quote all the facts you want, my stance is my stance and i will not be convinced to sway. I have my facts too that support my stance and what it means to me. For example, I've had a co-worker try to convince me why John McCain should be our next president. And part of his argument was "as a minority, you should rejoice if McCain is our next president since he will continue to lower taxes to keep money in your pocket..." I won't go into what i told them, however, they will probably never discuss politics with me ever again.
So what's the moral of the story here? Don't be upset if you're not able to convince someone to side with your opinion. Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and prefers the smell of their own shit. Good day people :)
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