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July 2013 Archive

7/19/13

Floyd Mayweather Wants Adrien Broner to Act More Professional

I don’t pay attention to boxing the way I used to but I still consider myself a fan of the sport. Adrien Broner fascinates me because I can’t quite figure him out. Sure, lots of boxers are wild and crazy but Broner seems to take it to new heights.  Is he just young and having fun? Is his mental jar missing some marbles? Is he pretending to be someone he’s not by trying to outdo his “mentor” Floyd Mayweather? Or, is it some combo of all of the above? 

Broner stopped by The Breakfast Club a few weeks ago (yes, I’ve had this post in my queue for a while, so!), and talked about his outrageous reputation. He mentions that Mayweather has pulled him aside and told him to be more professional and start cleaning up his act. If it were me, and Mayweather (of all people) told me I was doing too much, I’d reevaluate my behavior. But not Broner. Broner says he understand what his “big brother” is saying but he has no plans on changing any time soon.

He also shares some interesting views about women and dating and his tryst(s) with his last opponents ex girlfriend. 

 

Speaking of Money May, he definitely seemed more “subdued” when he stopped by the same show separately.

7/19/13

On Johnny Football: When Is It Okay To Be An Asshole?

Johnny Football poses with Kevin Durant. Just another day of the good life. (photo via Manziel’s instagram @JManziel2)

Johnny Manziel keeps the sports world on its toes. If you’re not familiar, Manziel is a student-athlete at Texas A&M who likes to party a lot, feels he’s too famous to attend classes like normal folks, and may or may not be good enough to do anything in the NFL.

Most recently, he was sent home from Archie and Peyton Manning’s prestigious Passing Academy for oversleeping?. After ward, according to Daddy Manziel, he was hospitalized for “dehydration” which appears to be a common celebrity condition.

For the past year, writers have gone back and forth between arguing that Manziel should be cut some slack because he’s young and having fun. There have been some who have argued the opposite, as well…but certainly not as many who would argue it if Manziel were a non-white player.

Racial politics aside, I have to ask: When is it okay for an athlete to be an asshole?

And by asshole I mean someone who is not only unconcerned with how the public feels about them but seems to go out of their way to throw the behavior in fans’ faces. I’m talking about guys who snub their noses at doing what is deemed appropriate for an athlete to do and goes about their business in the most ridiculous and public way possible. And when confronted about it they essentially give everyone the verbal version of the finger.

One of the arguments I’ve heard from folks is that Manziel hasn’t accomplished anything at the NFL level so he has no right to be as arrogant as he is. But on the other hand I hear folks saying that Manziel won’t make it at the NFL level. If I believe that, wouldn’t right now be the time to be an asshole? If he isn’t good enough to be a successful pro player this is the peak of his celebrity and he should probably take advantage of it now. 

But let’s put Manziel aside…does a player who doesn’t do things “the right away” always have to be lambasted? I was thinking about this as I perused Eagles WR Desean Jackson’s Instagram page. I  felt myself becoming enraged as I scrolled through party pic after party pic thinking about him trying to train during summer time with copious amounts of Peach Ciroc flowing through his tiny bloodstream and exhaustion from hitting every party spot from California to Washington DC. The idea that athletes need a lot of sleep doesn’t seem to apply to Jackson at all and quite frankly I found myself becoming both jealous and worried about how he will perform during the season.

I calmed myself down by reminding myself that Desean doesn’t belong to me and the season will tell the story. If Desean performs well then his blood alcohol level is really none of my concern – assuming it ever was.

But when it comes down to it, whether it’s Desean Jackson or Johnny Manziel, an athlete’s life is his or hers to run or ruin and I’d prefer not to get riled up either way.

I know that fans at home think to themselves “if I had all that money and opportunity I wouldn’t shit it away in some sweaty club with Drake…” but 1. I’m not sure that’s true, 2. I know that’s not true for me, and 3. So!

I guess I’m asking…does it bother you when players seem to be pushing the limits of social boundaries? Or are results on the field or court the only thing that matters?

7/18/13

Standing Up to Work is Changing My Life and Health

For the past few years I have suffered from severe back spasms and I’m finally getting serious about fighting them. They can be debilitating and I refuse to let it get me down. In addition to working on my core strength, I’ve decided to start standing up to work. Obviously, as a blogger, I spend a lot of time sitting at the computer and it’s really not good for your body.

I started researching stand up desks a while back and everything I saw was too expensive and didn’t fit my needs. I did find some stuff on Walmart’s web site that might work but before I ordered anything I ended up figuring out a system with a piece of  $20 “furniture” from Ikea of all places that I already owned

Just so you know, Ikea hacker has a few posts detailing how you can jury rig your own standup desk and that was also an option I considered. Just go to the site and search “stand up” and you’ll find quite a few options like this one. But thankfully, using this ended up working for me. I’m 5’4 so it’s obviously not a solution for the whole entire world. But the point is to think creatively unless you have $500 or so to throw in the air. 

Along with the Lerberg from Ikea I also use a Contour roller mouse and a Goldtouch Ergonomic keyboard to prevent carpal tunnel.  I have a blue snowball mic, a logitech web cam, a macbook pro, D-link USB hub, and Wacom graphic tablet for when I’m feeling creative. 

So far, I feel more energized when I’m working and dare I say…important? I’ve talked about my ADD diagnosis before and it’s something that I still struggle with. Standing up seems to keep me more focused and more productive. But even when I’m messing around on the web, like watching my fav you tube channels, I still stand up. 

 

 

My homemade “stand up desk.”

 

The best tips I’ve seen for transitioning to standing up to work are:

  • Don’t force yourself to do a whole day at once…work your way up to it
  • Walk away from the desk every hour just as you should when you sit down to work
  • Try working barefoot or in running shoes. I alternate between being barefoot, wearing my Nike frees, and my Nike comfort flip flops. No, Nike did not sponsor this post…I wish they would though! 
  • Keep your core muscles engaged as much as possible, don’t allow your body to flop or be sloppy. Keep your abs tucked, squeeze the glutes etc. 
  • Move around as much as you want. I sometimes bend my knees and squat a little, I twerk, I fidget, I dance, I do the yoga tree pose…whatever I feel. 

 

7/14/13

After Trayvon: A Word of Love to Every Black Person I Know

So many wonderful and thoughtful and insightful pieces have been written about the brutal and senseless killing of Trayvon Martin. I will leave links at the bottom of this piece so that you can read should you choose to do so.

This is a time of great sadness for most, if not all of us. At different times over the past year of knowing that a beautiful teenage boy was followed at night, accosted and shot dead I have felt any combination of rage, fear, guilt, anger, sadness, hopelessness and emotional drought. I have also felt the flames of prejudice heat up in my heart as I question the beliefs of every white person I know. Which of my colleagues, if a stranger, would follow me at night and shoot me? Which of them are aching to carry out some false sense of retribution against people who look like me? Which neighbors and classmates support George Zimmerman and have prayed the opposite of which I have prayed? Which of them cannot for a second view a black child over the age of 5 years old as a child? Who, behind their smiles and shared Starbucks runs, views me as less than whether consciously or subconsciously? The drive to know and the desire not to know both haunts and weakens my psyche. 

No doubt we have all felt this stress before. We have all experienced or been a witness to the American institutions that fail us on a daily basis laying blame at our weary feet. We know that the police are to be feared more than respected. We realize that steps continue to be taken to block us from quality educations and safe spaces to live and work and play. We know this. Still, as we live through an era in which the President is black, the magnitude and sheer audacity of new age Jim Crow policies seem to be increasing. One day it’s Oscar Grant and another day it’s massive school closings. On a different day it’s a SCOTUS repeal of the voting rights act and on still another different day it’s a big city mayor’s embarrassing defense of “stop and frisk.”

I am exhausted. You are exhausted. We are exhausted. Everything is exhausting.

The tragedy of Trayvon Martin has changed who I am to the core. Certainly, as I explained above, I am no stranger to the injustices doled out to black people. After all, my favorite superhero is no other than Nat Turner. A man who revealed his faith in God led him away from his master and then back to him on more than one occasion before he finally led an uprising that redoubled American efforts to keep black people enslaved.

But, in my lifetime, I’ve never seen such an active unabashed disregard for black human life. And in today’s world of hyper-news the connected among us are even more informed about the racism happening all over the country. And still this retains a sting like no other as it has brought to light a question that will haunt us for some time.

What do we do next? 

I believe there is nothing that black folks can do to dismantle racism. What the master has built, no slave can destroy. Racism is a learned behavior and personal choice. Black people do not have the power to change the minds of every person who believes they hold superiority over blacks. And that includes other blacks who have purchased the master’s book, had it printed, and its contents permanently stored within them.

Still, I think there are things we can do so that Trayvon’s death is not just another bump in the road.

 

Make Every Effort to Be Kind and to Educate Black Children

Our community loves to talk about keeping kids in line, but it’s time to pay more attention to showing them love. Black children of both genders need more hugs and kisses. They need you to talk to them more, explain things, compliment them, and be kind. The world will show them cruelty soon enough, there’s no need for us to be their first experiences with violence and fear. Please think about how you treat the black children in your lives and where you could be a better example and giver of love. Also, look for ways to teach black children to be proud of black culture. Like Italians and Jewish people, and Mexicans and any number of other ethnicities, Black people have a culture to be proud of and a rich indisputable history of contributions to the establishment of America.

Stop Apologizing for the Actions of Racists 

This year I was very disappointed when the President and First Lady chose to speak in front of graduates of Historically Black Universities with a “pull up your bootstraps” message. In a time when schools are closing in black communities all over the country and our right to vote is in peril, lecturing black folks (accomplished ones, no less!) about behavior was tasteless, crass and embarrassing. But I find that we, as a community, do this often and it’s time to stop. It may be comforting to believe that speaking perfect mid-western Anglo-American English, dressing up to go to the mailbox, watching CNN rather than Scandal, and forgoing parenthood until socially acceptable is a way to stop racism. But, what’s comforting to believe is not effective, nor is it fair. In fact, this belief is not only impractical, it is damaging and cruel. I would encourage every black person to reexamine their beliefs about black people. You may be surprised to learn what biases against your own culture and community you’ve accepted as truth.

Encourage Civil Rights Organizations to (re)Focus 

Civil rights organizations have entered a period of virtual uselessness as having “national conversations” on issues ceased to matter. Now, action is all that matters. When it comes to social progress, the most important thing today is controlling elections and media. I believe it is time for organizations such as the Urban League and NAACP to follow the lead of the Koch Brothers and Rupert Murdoch and focus less on small issues and more on the larger picture. Black people need our organizations to help more progressive black folks get elected at all levels of government, to seek ownership in media, and to change the curriculum in schools in terms of what is taught about race.

Know the Facts of the Zimmerman Case or Shut Up About It 

One of the best things any one can do right now is be fully informed about the facts of the Zimmerman case rather than simply acting on or against emotion. The facts of the George Zimmerman case are important to know for the sake of conversation and history. Please do not disrespect other black people by speaking about the Zimmerman trial without educating yourself. Likewise, if it is a clear that you are speaking to a person who is uninformed about the facts of the case, do not be afraid to cut the conversation short. To engage on a subject of importance with someone significantly less educated on that topic is a stress that most of us cannot afford at the current time. The Zimmerman case was explained very well by Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/what-happened-trayvon-martin-explained. Moreover,  looking for ways to justify the “not guilty” verdict when it is not necessary to do so is also dismissive to the circumstances in this case. To quote the 911 operator who spoke to Zimmerman that night “Sir, we don’t need you to do that.”

To the family of Trayvon Martin, in particular Sybrina Fulton, Tracy Martin, and Jahvaris Fulton, you have been beacon of public strength and resolve. I wish you peace and I hope that you are able to somehow experience moments of pure unadulterated joy as your remaining son goes on to become a successful adult.

With love to all of Black America,

 

-jessica

 

To donate to the Trayvon Martin Foundation link

Zimmerman Jury Tells Black Men What They Already Knew link

What the Zimmerman Trial Was About link

What Happened to Trayvon Martin - Explained link

Why It’s Important to Study the History of Slaverylink

The Success of Rupert Murdoch link

Koch Brothers Foray Into Media Already a Success link

 

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