And these times are hard
Harder than you know.
They say if it doesn't kill you
It's got to help you grow
Guess he won't come out the same height
Because on this same night
Me and my little brother cried together
And I don't know how I'm able to keep it together
My father is on a machine. I am baffled
And he was just fine. How about them apples?
He was at my home on Sunday. Tuesday, a tumor
And I swear, I wish this was just a rumor
But I'm sitting in his hospital room or
Prison or whatever listening to the doom or
Death sentence or whatever they're speaking
Proclamation of emancipation as if they're Lincolns
But I'm not interested in eating that continental breakfast
So I'm just going to pray that the best is
About to happen... Yep. It will
Really, I just pray for His will
And I thank Him that no pain is endured
And I sit here assured
That my dad is going to a better place whenever he goes
And I am also certain that no man knows
The minute nor the hour
Only my heavenly Father has that power
I'm watching the numbers on the machine change
Praying that the Doctors say "42-11 stabilized. Praise His name."
But until then, I just hear his favorite song playing
"Aja" by Steely Dan plays as I am praying
As he is laying
In a bed. Not leaving. He's staying
I have faith that God will make believers
That He can bring you from strokes, comas and seizures
All which my father had in 2 days
He who knows nothing or all else prays
Because that is all I was taught
By Pops so I will pray at all costs
And I will hold his hand until it's chilled
I Deryle A. Daniels, Sr. so you know it's real
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
For The Teachers!
*I did not come up with this and am not taking credit. I'm merely reposting it because it needs to be read by the powers that be -- the voters.*
Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year! It's time we put thing in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit! We can get that for minimum wage. That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45am to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan--that equals 6 1/2 hours). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children.
Now how many students do they teach in a day... maybe 30 an hour? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations. LET'S SEE... That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).
What about those teachers with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6.5 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year. Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is! The average teacher's salary (nationwide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!! Make a teacher smile; re-post this to show appreciation for all educators!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
What's in a Name? Shame.
Nashville Niggers. Florida Seminoles. West Chicago Whops. Cincinnati Reds. Jacksonville Jiggaboos. Kentucky Kikes. Atlanta Braves. Washington Wetbacks. Charlotte Coons. Washington Redskins. Clayton Klansmen. Seattle Spics. Philadelphia Pickaninies. Kansas City Chiefs.
Those are some extremely derogatory names for sports teams to have. Sad thing is, some of them are real. Has America not harmed our Native American brothers and sisters enough without throwing that harmful history right back in their faces? And, though you may think that names like "Seminoles" and "Braves" are not bad, look at the stereotypical (and possibly sacred) hand-motion and vocal sound associated with the FSU Seminoles or the overly comical Atlanta Braves' mascot. These depictions of Native Americans are grossly biased and offend me, so I am sure they offend those persons who are supposed to be represented by them.
And while we are on the topic of Native Americans, let us address one thing - this is not a White nation. It is a land which was the home to many Native American nations, many which were murdered by the thieves who utilized their superior technology to kill those who were rightfully here. (Funny that technology is always invented for good but always ends up doing some evil). Anyway, this Thanksgiving, please tell your kids or little cousin or someone what happened after the Native Americans helped the pilgrims. Let them know the truth about Disney's Pocahontas.
And to those of you who think I'm being too serious, do something for me. It might take a minute and a half. Think about the names at the beginning of the post. Then think about which one(s) represent(s) you or a close friend. Finally, look up "The Trail of Tears." If that were your culture that had been raped by America would you want the same America to turn your culture into a joke?
Food for thought.
Those are some extremely derogatory names for sports teams to have. Sad thing is, some of them are real. Has America not harmed our Native American brothers and sisters enough without throwing that harmful history right back in their faces? And, though you may think that names like "Seminoles" and "Braves" are not bad, look at the stereotypical (and possibly sacred) hand-motion and vocal sound associated with the FSU Seminoles or the overly comical Atlanta Braves' mascot. These depictions of Native Americans are grossly biased and offend me, so I am sure they offend those persons who are supposed to be represented by them.
And while we are on the topic of Native Americans, let us address one thing - this is not a White nation. It is a land which was the home to many Native American nations, many which were murdered by the thieves who utilized their superior technology to kill those who were rightfully here. (Funny that technology is always invented for good but always ends up doing some evil). Anyway, this Thanksgiving, please tell your kids or little cousin or someone what happened after the Native Americans helped the pilgrims. Let them know the truth about Disney's Pocahontas.
And to those of you who think I'm being too serious, do something for me. It might take a minute and a half. Think about the names at the beginning of the post. Then think about which one(s) represent(s) you or a close friend. Finally, look up "The Trail of Tears." If that were your culture that had been raped by America would you want the same America to turn your culture into a joke?
Food for thought.
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
Friday, October 21, 2011
Yuppies...
So many of us good old 9-to-5-wanting, white-picket-fence-dreaming, college-educated young adults have exploited and watered-down hood culture. I see college students talking about their "connect" who got them a job at a marketing firm. No genius! A connect gets you a brick. Your network got you a job. Or these hard core accounting students talking about whose ass they will beat on Thursday night at the club knowing they will be spending Friday morning studying for their 12 PM midterm. Please, stop playing people. You don't believe this stuff. I definitely don't. If you know real people who live that life or if you have lived that life, you don't want to go back. And don't go into the wrong place acting like that. You really might not make it out in the same condition.
Rappers are making money to act hard. Most of us yuppies are just acting. Some of us don't have to act though.
Just a word of advice to all of you hardcore gangsters.
Rappers are making money to act hard. Most of us yuppies are just acting. Some of us don't have to act though.
Just a word of advice to all of you hardcore gangsters.
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Lazy post
People don't like reading and, right now, I don't feel like writing but I feel like posting... That being said, here are some recent photographs of my life.
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
Oh!! So You're the Person I'm Dating? Cool.
Technology hinders our ability to connect with people, as well as to think. We watch shows with our significant others while texting our friends the entire time. We leave work only to come home knowing that our personal time can be consumed with e-mails from our supervisors. We tweet our simplest thoughts and then feel as if, because they are published, they are complete. We shop online as opposed to searching the world for what we really want, not so much out of convenience but moreso because we do not truly feel comfortable speaking face to face with others.
What ever happened to quality time to relax? Why do we feel as if we have to be connected to others every second of our lives? Why can't we just sit, relax, and think sometimes without the help of our flat screens, Playstation 3s, iPads, iPhones, BlackBerrys, laptops, MacBooks, and every other piece of technology that we own.
Food for thought.
What ever happened to quality time to relax? Why do we feel as if we have to be connected to others every second of our lives? Why can't we just sit, relax, and think sometimes without the help of our flat screens, Playstation 3s, iPads, iPhones, BlackBerrys, laptops, MacBooks, and every other piece of technology that we own.
Food for thought.
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
What Will They Write About Us?
Back in the 1950's and 60's, only the grocery store and gas station were opened on the weekends. Back when family time mattered. The black family wasn't perfect but it was more solid. Education was valued but manual labor wasn't devalued. Americans paid cash for what we purchased. There were absolute rights and wrongs. Language was not so coarse. People were less material-driven and self-centered. Males knew how to be men and females knew how to be women. Chivalry was expected. Fraternities and sororities played a major role in what was done in the community. Movements lasted for longer dawn a week. Cursive was taught in school. Sex was not the driving force of all entertainment.
The problems with that time period:
It was legal to beat your wife. Rapes were often swept under the rug. The church was a center for gay-bashing. The way you looked in church was more important to many than your relationship with Christ. Women could not move up in society. Men could not express their emotions openly, causing them to hold in their anger. Segregation, though it yielded many positives, led to hate and inequality which allowed the system to be more to minorities' detriment than our benefit.
Why couldn't we find a balance? Why did we have to go off the deep end? Now we have a society that lacks a moral compass. What will it be like in 20 years when I am raising teenagers? I can only wonder where we are going from here...
The problems with that time period:
It was legal to beat your wife. Rapes were often swept under the rug. The church was a center for gay-bashing. The way you looked in church was more important to many than your relationship with Christ. Women could not move up in society. Men could not express their emotions openly, causing them to hold in their anger. Segregation, though it yielded many positives, led to hate and inequality which allowed the system to be more to minorities' detriment than our benefit.
Why couldn't we find a balance? Why did we have to go off the deep end? Now we have a society that lacks a moral compass. What will it be like in 20 years when I am raising teenagers? I can only wonder where we are going from here...
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
College Days Swiftly Pass
"College days swiftly pass, imbued with memories fond." -- Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Hymn
As of late, I've had a lot of things that told me I'm really moving out of the age range in which it's cool to have too much fun. I went to a party at a club and wondered why people had baseball caps on. Two consecutive weekends I saw my best friend pass out and thought, "Wow, I'm glad that wasn't me." Last week I went on campus for a meeting and saw the new dorm which I had never been in and realized that I don't really have a legitimate reason to check it out. I'm done. College life has passed for me and it no longer interests me. The idea of it will always be fun but I'm really just too old to do most of this stuff and still be a responsible, ambitious adult.
And all of that isn't even taking into account the generational differences. I think at higher level than most of the people in my age group (18-24) so those who are at the lower end of that spectrum are rarely going to be able to hold a conversation with me, especially if they don't read. The girls who are at my fraternity's parties were in middle school when I started my undergraduate experience. I'm in the same tax bracket as many of their parents.
I've moved on from kickbacks to "having a few friends over for drinks." From the cafeteria to cooking four course meals. From juice boxes in the fridge to a chilled beer after a rough day. I am looking at my relationship and asking myself if she is the one I will take the next step with. I'm buying scotch, not to drink regularly, but because I heard it is an acquired taste but one that business is done over. I am meeting with financial advisors, trying to set myself up so that I can retire at $10,000/week of today's dollars in 30-40 years, without penalties. I am thinking on a level that I never thought at in college because, while in college, I thought at a level that most persons in my demographic group didn't think at.
I have to make it and living 2 blocks from my alma mater is a hindrance. In short, I have to get out of Greensboro, if not North Carolina as a whole. If I don't, I will never come close to reaching my full potential.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
As of late, I've had a lot of things that told me I'm really moving out of the age range in which it's cool to have too much fun. I went to a party at a club and wondered why people had baseball caps on. Two consecutive weekends I saw my best friend pass out and thought, "Wow, I'm glad that wasn't me." Last week I went on campus for a meeting and saw the new dorm which I had never been in and realized that I don't really have a legitimate reason to check it out. I'm done. College life has passed for me and it no longer interests me. The idea of it will always be fun but I'm really just too old to do most of this stuff and still be a responsible, ambitious adult.
And all of that isn't even taking into account the generational differences. I think at higher level than most of the people in my age group (18-24) so those who are at the lower end of that spectrum are rarely going to be able to hold a conversation with me, especially if they don't read. The girls who are at my fraternity's parties were in middle school when I started my undergraduate experience. I'm in the same tax bracket as many of their parents.
I've moved on from kickbacks to "having a few friends over for drinks." From the cafeteria to cooking four course meals. From juice boxes in the fridge to a chilled beer after a rough day. I am looking at my relationship and asking myself if she is the one I will take the next step with. I'm buying scotch, not to drink regularly, but because I heard it is an acquired taste but one that business is done over. I am meeting with financial advisors, trying to set myself up so that I can retire at $10,000/week of today's dollars in 30-40 years, without penalties. I am thinking on a level that I never thought at in college because, while in college, I thought at a level that most persons in my demographic group didn't think at.
I have to make it and living 2 blocks from my alma mater is a hindrance. In short, I have to get out of Greensboro, if not North Carolina as a whole. If I don't, I will never come close to reaching my full potential.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
Saturday, October 8, 2011
I Have To Leave
I have to get out of North Carolina. I love the state. I was born here. This will always be my home. But it's just not doing it for me anymore. I need to get away. Preferably to New York or New Jersey. I just really need to make moves. If nothing else, I need to leave Greensboro. Charlotte, please open your doors. I have to go sooner than later. Yes, I know this post was random, but it's just how I feel.
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
Friday, October 7, 2011
Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth
If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know I rarely use profanity on here and, when I do, it gets no worse than "damn" or "ass" in a poem. Issue is, this guy is saying EXACTLY what I want to say and didn't put out and he didn't put out an edited version. Some people think I have a problem with cursing. I don't. I have a problem with unnecessary cursing. This is necessary. I love his passion. So I am going to post his video.
That being said, if you have a problem with a lot of cursing or if you have kids around, don't click play until you feel it's appropriate.
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
That being said, if you have a problem with a lot of cursing or if you have kids around, don't click play until you feel it's appropriate.
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Unimpressed
Why do we value people who entertain* us so much more than anyone else? I will be honest with you, I care as much about Steve Jobs' death as I do about anyone I hear about. Unless I have a personal relationship with someone, I feel that each life has the same value at the end. If John Doe, the homeless Vietnam vet, wasn't born, we might have lost the war and Steve Jobs wouldn't have had a chance to impact the nation. Because I think this way, I think John and Steve's deaths are equally important. Some people say I'm insensitive but I beg to differ; I'm not insensitive - I'm unimpressed. A life is a life and a loss is a loss. I pray that both Steve Job and John Doe know Jesus. That's really all that matters.
*I know Steve Jobs wasn't an entertainer but Apple's primary function in our generation has been to entertain and sedate. It has made us lazy. Microsoft too, as far as sedation goes.
*I know Steve Jobs wasn't an entertainer but Apple's primary function in our generation has been to entertain and sedate. It has made us lazy. Microsoft too, as far as sedation goes.
We Are Slaves
*Self-imposed shackles, no longer literal
It might be offensive but I'm just being critical
Of myself, my friends, my family, my church
So if you're sensitive stop reading. Truth hurts
We don't own most of the products we buy
We buy it on the white man's credit from a white guy
Well, a white guy's store, company, or site
And, before you get offended, this isn't a shot at all things white
This is just me telling us to stop and think
Why the hell do you need iPad 2s and minks?
So you can keep up with basketball wives
Who are trying to keep from their own demise?
So you can keep up with 1-hit having rap stars
Who rented each of their videos' fast cars?
We went to college to think and yet, still, we bleat
I should have said "Still We Rise," but still, we sheep,
Are being led to the financial slaughter
Not saving a dime for our sons or our daughters
All this money padding the accounts
Of Phil Knight and Steve Jobs like that counts
Toward our cool points. But damnit, we're fresh
Our ancestors see us and say "Damnit, they're blessed"
But we don't know how to use it so, in all actuality
We're cursed worse than slaves. That's some reality
For our Perception TV loving asses
If we were smart, we would have paid attention in Af-Am studies classes
I can't get mad at the way my people were done
Not if, before his birth, I have already sold my son
*This illustration by Paul Kuczynski inspired this poem
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
Sunday, October 2, 2011
School Daze
"At the time, I thought the s*** was so whack but what I wouldn't give to go back. Back in the days when I was young. I'm not a kid anymore but some days I sit and wish I was a kid again. I'm a little grown but still reminisce. Close your eyes. You remember this? Friday night football games; something I'll forever miss." -- J. Cole
I'm on my way home from a weekend in Charlotte. I decided that I was going to listen to J. Cole my whole way home and I am really feeling this track "School Daze" on his mixtape "The Come Up." It got me thinking and the thinking got me writing. College was great but it was mainly adulthood with a safety net. High school was so much fun. Between playing football, going to work a couple nights a week, hanging with my brother and sister, and getting on 3-way calls every night to see who was talking to who and how strong my boy's game was, I couldn't have enjoyed life more. I was just living. Looking forward to rival games that were always a week or two a way b/c we played East in every sport. Wearing Dickies and Air Force Ones with matching fitted caps, jerseys, and shoe laces. Trips up to NY and NJ every summer to see family. It was just a fun experience. Now, I look back and I thank God for the memories. They make the present worth it.
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
I'm on my way home from a weekend in Charlotte. I decided that I was going to listen to J. Cole my whole way home and I am really feeling this track "School Daze" on his mixtape "The Come Up." It got me thinking and the thinking got me writing. College was great but it was mainly adulthood with a safety net. High school was so much fun. Between playing football, going to work a couple nights a week, hanging with my brother and sister, and getting on 3-way calls every night to see who was talking to who and how strong my boy's game was, I couldn't have enjoyed life more. I was just living. Looking forward to rival games that were always a week or two a way b/c we played East in every sport. Wearing Dickies and Air Force Ones with matching fitted caps, jerseys, and shoe laces. Trips up to NY and NJ every summer to see family. It was just a fun experience. Now, I look back and I thank God for the memories. They make the present worth it.
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
"Today, nobody cares..."
"Today, nobody cares but, tomorrow, they will" -- Lupe Fiasco
So, I know for a fact that I'm in the wrong generation. Today while I was cooking for my girlfriend, I was playing some Gregg Allman and she said it was hurting her ears. So I tried to find some common ground by playing Wynton. She still couldn't get with it. Who can't get with Wynton?!? Come on people. We have to listen to more than this super processed music that they feed us. All this Lady Gaga and Beyoncè is not good for our creative genius. The Waka Flockas and, yes, even the Cam'rons hinder our ability to grow intellectually.
This leads me to one of two conclusions:
Conclusion 1 - The entertainers of these days are not true musical artists. To be an artist, you should be making something that has more than a surface level value. "BOW BOW BOW!!!" has no value Mr. Flocka. Neither does "Uh oh Uh oh Uh oh Uh no no" Ms. Knowels (yes, Beyoncè was born with a last name and it was not Child). What happened to songs like "What's Going On?" that served as conversation pieces, much like the works of art on my end tables do? I want to be able to have a talk with my girlfriend about the social value of music that I hear on the radio, as opposed to the lack thereof. These days, I get excited to hear an entertainer who intellectually entertains, but even then, the entertainer is not putting out any sort of social commentary but instead he is just a great wordsmith.
Conclusion 2 - We are too dumb to appreciate real art. When our generation does get a true artist who makes conscious social comments, we put him/her on the same level as the intellectual entertainers/wordsmiths. Fabolous and Drake should not be put on the same level as Lupe Fiasco and Talib Kweli. We use Jill Scott's music to serve as background music while we make love as opposed to discussing the value of the lovemaking she is singing about. That's like paying for a stick of gum with a $100 bill and asking for no change; It undervalues the $100 bill and is just plain stupid.
Come on people! This is why contemporary music is more of a form of entertainment than an art form. Let's ask for more from our musicians and of ourselves. I want to think!!!!
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
So, I know for a fact that I'm in the wrong generation. Today while I was cooking for my girlfriend, I was playing some Gregg Allman and she said it was hurting her ears. So I tried to find some common ground by playing Wynton. She still couldn't get with it. Who can't get with Wynton?!? Come on people. We have to listen to more than this super processed music that they feed us. All this Lady Gaga and Beyoncè is not good for our creative genius. The Waka Flockas and, yes, even the Cam'rons hinder our ability to grow intellectually.
This leads me to one of two conclusions:
Conclusion 1 - The entertainers of these days are not true musical artists. To be an artist, you should be making something that has more than a surface level value. "BOW BOW BOW!!!" has no value Mr. Flocka. Neither does "Uh oh Uh oh Uh oh Uh no no" Ms. Knowels (yes, Beyoncè was born with a last name and it was not Child). What happened to songs like "What's Going On?" that served as conversation pieces, much like the works of art on my end tables do? I want to be able to have a talk with my girlfriend about the social value of music that I hear on the radio, as opposed to the lack thereof. These days, I get excited to hear an entertainer who intellectually entertains, but even then, the entertainer is not putting out any sort of social commentary but instead he is just a great wordsmith.
Conclusion 2 - We are too dumb to appreciate real art. When our generation does get a true artist who makes conscious social comments, we put him/her on the same level as the intellectual entertainers/wordsmiths. Fabolous and Drake should not be put on the same level as Lupe Fiasco and Talib Kweli. We use Jill Scott's music to serve as background music while we make love as opposed to discussing the value of the lovemaking she is singing about. That's like paying for a stick of gum with a $100 bill and asking for no change; It undervalues the $100 bill and is just plain stupid.
Come on people! This is why contemporary music is more of a form of entertainment than an art form. Let's ask for more from our musicians and of ourselves. I want to think!!!!
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown
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