Do Things in Good Measure.. Someone Needs It

Why do people do good things. I am certain some charitable works are done with concept of receiving something in return. Reciprocity is the way of American society especially in any social construct that utilizes political measures. What bothers me the most is that in times like the ones we are in now, good things need to be done just because. Wars and rumors of wars, crime on the rise, and economic distress have made it very difficult for some to simply keep their heads above water.

I was driving home from work last week and I saw a bread line. An actual breadline! It dumbfounded me because I never thought I'd see something my grandparents experienced during the depression. My business partners and I decided to partner with a few promoter friends and host a food drive. I cannot describe to you how great it felt to turn that food over to people who need it. I turn on the news and I see stock market drops and corporate bailouts and sometimes I wish someone would come and bail me out from the mental drain of all the negativity of our world.

There has never been a greater time than this holiday season to do something good for someone other than yourself. I encourage you to pay it forward.

Why? We Must Stop This Now.

I will never be able to understand how this happens and how people have such little regard for life. She was 17... 17... you remember 17.. thinking about prom and college and all the promise that tomorrow had. There is no tomorrow for this young lady..

I don't know.. maybe I'm getting older and more frustrated or maybe my desensitization of city living is wearing thin but it seems as if every murder of a young person cuts like it was my own niece, nephew, or little brother or sister. We need a commitment from strong, brilliant young people to be mentors, community workers, teachers, and policy changers to alter what's happening in our community.

I read the words on ChicagoTribune.com of someone who commented about this story. He said, "I can't wait to move from this neighborhood." I can't blame him because if I had a wife and children to worry about I don't think i would subject them to the chance of violence our city streets have these days... but for those of us who have the opportunity to act. Let's do it...

I ask you to work through your church, local outreach center, or Big Brothers Big Sisters program to find these young people and give them another option. Let's open our condo, apartment, and home doors to show someone who may never see young people like us. Let's show them that there there are choices out there. I urge you to run for office and change the political machine that is stagnant and stalled on making policy that actually helps people. Finally, I encourage you to continue to climb corporate ladders to gain leadership positions in companies who believe in and contribute to the communal good.

I remember some years back I saw promise in a young man in my neighborhood. I didn't know him very well. He was my neighbor's son and he had always been the young fella on
the block who just played outside. From our conversations I could tell he was smart. I was just graduating from college when he was a high school senior and we talked about his plans. He said he wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do but he was either going to stay local and go to a tech school or work a while and then try and go to school. I found out he had a great ACT score and very good grades and I encouraged him to just apply to a couple of schools. I told him about my wonderful college experience and that he needed to go to get away from the old friends and trap of the neighborhood. I am so proud to say he did and graduated this past spring.

It only took 2 or 3 conversations and some encouraging words through the years to motivate him to make college happen for himself. That's it! It may not always be that easy and it may not always work but it's worth a try. I'm starting with the young men around me.. I'm picking my 16 year old cousin up to spend the day with him Saturday and taking one of the lil' brothers to lunch to talk about school on Tuesday.. It's time.. Our young people have hope and promise.. I know they do..

Jeff Beckham....

IF I TAGGED YOU IN THIS NOTE IT'S BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE OUTSTANDING NATURE TO CHANGE SOMEONE'S LIFE... YOU MAY ALREADY BE DOING IT>> PASS THIS ON PLEASE..

17-year-old girl shot to death on CTA bus
October 6, 2008 at 8:10 AM

Police said this morning that a 17-year-old girl may have been the unintended victim of a fatal shooting into a CTA bus on the South Side Sunday night.

Paramedics took Kiyanna Salters (right), of the 11300 block of South Racine Avenue, to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 10:32 p.m., according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Salters was a student at Julian High School on the South Side, according to WGN-Ch. 9, the same school as 16-year-old Blair Holt, who was similarly shot to death on a CTA bus in May 2007. Holt was the son of a Chicago police sargeant. Two teens have been charged in connection with his slaying.

The shooting happened around 10 p.m. at Cottage Grove and 71st Street on a No. 71 bus that runs from 69th and 112th streets, said Chicago Transit Authority spokeswoman Sheila Gregory.

Police said a man on the bus got into an argument with another person, then got off and fired back into the vehicle before running in an unknown direction.

It was unclear if victim was the gunman's intended target, police said.

No one else on the bus was injured, officials said. Calumet Area detectives are still investigating the incident.

The Relationship Forum - Are We Doing this Right?

So I was thinking this morning about the state of relationships in this country and moreover in the Christian community. I thought in context of dating relationships and marriage and began to ask myself have we really screwed things up.

It's a known fact that over %44 percent of American marriages end in divorce (2005 National Center for health Statistics) with the rate being about %43 percent in Illinois. That tells us that somewhere along the line the decision making process people select to operate under is broken with regard to marriage.

Where does the process fail?

Dating is not a biblical principle. At least not how we go about it. It is something that is man made and created to accommodate how we live and operate in present day society. In the time of Jesus and the early church people were betrothed via arranged marriages. Shortly after a process of Christian courtship developed where men and women courted for the purpose of getting married. Now I'm not saying that everything that isn't in the bible is wrong. The blackberry isn't in the bible either but I'd never want to give that up. I just think the parameters we've placed around dating really screws things up..

Those Parameters:

Dating for money
Dating for status
Dating on looks
Dating for convenience
Not thinking about yokes...
Dating out of desperation or loneliness.

what are your thought?

The Miracles We Don’t Appreciate

I was driving downtown looking at the Chicago skyline last night and I realized how majestic view outside my window truly was. When you think about what God has inspired men to do in this world you come to the realization, that in essence, these feats are God’s miracles in modern form. No, this isn’t the water and wine kind of miracle that Old Testament and Pre-crucifixion men needed to see in order to believe in the Messiah, yet they are miracles in their own right. They are the kind of miracles that God inspires through us to remind us that he is still here.

In the wake of recent tragedies such as severe hurricanes, flooding, fires, and earthquakes I wonder if God is trying to symbolically wake us up to realize we still need him. If you look at his Word you will find what Jesus says in the matter. When John the Baptist was in prison Jesus spoke about the judgment cities would face for not recognizing the miracles he performed.

Matthew 11:20-24 (The Message Bible)

20 Next Jesus let fly on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way.

21-24"Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you."

It’s interesting to me that the cities Jesus accomplished the most in were the very ones who appreciated him the least. Think of America if you will. New York, Chicago, and Washington DC are all cities where in just taking into account the architecture you would have to realize that God truly inspires men to do great things. Miracles are still being performed daily. Take into account the great advances in science, medicine, and technology and how could you not be astounded by the brilliance of God. How often do we see it like that? What would a child in new Tafo, Ghana say if he woke up tomorrow and had a fully furnished house like yours erected in his village. Would he drop to his knees in a minute? What would an old woman working in fields of India say if she walked out her home to see a building as nice as the one you probably work in right in front of her. Do you look at the Washington Monument and say, “God you are truly awesome” or do you allow life’s routines paralyze you to the God-inspired beauty he’s created in this world. If so, what judgment does that hold for us on earth in His kingdom in Heaven?

God created so much beauty in this world. Some through us and some on his own yet we don’t appreciate his work. I’m trying to take more time to recognize his miracles daily and suggest you do as well.

He Doesn't Need Defense... Just a Platform

I was in church yesterday and the sermon was really good. The minister spoke of exercising a violent passion in your faith. He also talked about truth. He said, "truth doesn't need a defense only a platform."

What is truth? Websters defines truth as : truth (noun) : the simple, unvarnished, unembellished, non-dyslogistic non-eulogistic (truly neutral) statement of a fact. It an undeniable, unalienable, assertion.

When you think about it in the context of religion then in it's very essence (if you are a believer) God's Word is truth. His Word doesn't need a defense only a platform to be heard. His Word is truth.

Just a thought.

Having a Marriage Vs. Getting Married

In my job I have the privilege of running across numerous people throughout the day and today I had the opportunity to speak with a doctor in the south suburbs who presented me with a very interesting thought. She said far too often people get married because they want to get marriage but they don't want the impending marriage that comes with it.

I've been in a lot of weddings this year and thankfully I can say the couples I've witnessed get married truly seem to value the concept of marriage much more than the ceremony.

What do you think?

I think this is a very true statement. I think people get married for the wrong reasons these days. They do it because they've been together a long time or they're at the age where they should be married. I think that they look past the work required to have a long term successful marriage. It takes a lot of work as I've witnessed my parents do it successfully for 29 years. It's an interesting thought though...

Some of Palin's Political Positions.. BE INFORMED NOT FOOLED

Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." 1,2

Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" 3

Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.4

Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." 5

Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. 6
Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. 7

Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. 8

As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." 9

She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." 10

Cognitive Dissonance.. A Look At Persuasiveness

Cognitive Dissonance

Virtually all of the conservative commentariat, and a greater-than-would-care-to-admit-it share of the liberal commentariat think that Sarah Palin hit a home run tonight. I guess I'm just going to have to stick my neck out (along with Josh Marshall) and disagree.

You can tar-and-feather me with this later if I'm wrong. I will make this disclaimer: I'm not necessarily offering a prediction about how the polls are going to move over the next several days. Almost all conventions produce bounces, and this one probably will too (though whether it comes from Palin's speech rather than McCain's, or Fred Thompson's or Rudy Giuliani's, we probably won't be able to tell). But I don't think the speech will be effective beyond the very near term (the next 3-7 days) at moving votes in McCain's direction, if it moves them at all. And here's why:

I think some of you are underestimating the percentage of voters for whom Sarah Palin lacks the standing to make this critique of Barack Obama. To many voters, she is either entirely unknown, or is known as an US Weekly caricature of a woman who eats mooseburgers and has a pregnant daughter. To change someone's opinion, you have to do one of two things. Either, you have to be a trusted voice of authority, or you have to persuade them. Palin is not a trusted voice of authority -- she's much too new. But neither was this a persuasive speech. It was staccato, insistent, a little corny. It preached to the proverbial choir. It was also, as one of my commentors astutely noted, a speech written by a man and for a man, but delivered by a woman, which produces a certain amount of cognitive dissonance.

In exceedingly plain English, I think there's a pretty big who the fuck does she think she is? factor. And not just among us Daily Kos reading, merlot-drinking liberals. I think Palin's speech will be instinctively unappealing to other whole demographics of voters, including particuarly working-class men (among whom there may be a misogyny factor) and professional post-menopausal women. As another of my commentors put it:

Not only does Palin's inexperience trump Obama's... her "otherness" also trumps his. Where she comes from, the way she talks, her bio, lifestyle, and all the moose and caribou stuff... it makes her seem more exotic than Obama, who after all lives in the middle of America and has a life that people can readily understand.

Palin may be just as American as anybody, but she still seems to come from Somewhere Else.

This would be fine... even interesting and appealing... if she weren't attacking. But we have a deep, instinctive aversion to people who are part of us (even if we don't really like them much) being attacked by people we perceive as outsiders. Our instinct is to stiffen up, to protect.

This point may be a little bit overstated, but the fact remains that Barack Obama is extremely well known and Palin is largely unknown, and when that is the case, your perception of the known commodity is more likely to influence your perception of the unknown commodity than the other way around. If there's a certain Italian restaurant that you've been going to for years, and some stranger stops you on the street and tells you that they don't know how to cook their pasta, you're going to think that the stranger is a kook -- not that the restaurant is poor.

And not only is Barack Obama exceptionally well known, but perceptions of him are exceptionally well entrenched. In today's Rasmussen numbers, 63 percent of voters had either a very favorable or a very unfavorable perception of Obama. This is an extremely high figure. I looked up the Rasmussen numbers for other prominent politicians, and this number was the highest I could find ... actually tied with Bill Clinton for the highest:

Percentage viewing as Very Favorable

OR Very Unfavorable



Obama 63

B. Clinton 63

Gore 61

H. Clinton 60

Bush 60

Cheney 59

Pelosi 51

T. Kennedy 48

Palin 45

Kerry 45

McCain 43

Romney 38

Biden 33This is why folks like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton (and Hillary Clinton, for that matter) are Teflon politicians. It's not that they have some magical quality that keeps them out of trouble ... it's just that a very high percentage of voters have already made up their minds one way or the other about them, and can't possibly be persuaded otherwise. With John Kerry, the swiftboating worked because voters didn't have particuarly strong feelings about him. With Obama, the Republicans spent tens of millions of dollars in an effort to brand him negatively, and moved his favorables by ... a point or two at the margins.

Ultimately, it's not that I don't think there aren't people who will find Palin's performance effective -- I just don't think there's much overlap between those people and the universe of persuadable voters.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again I highly rec www.fivethirtyeight.com Hands down the most accurate polling and trend site for the election.

Obama and Palin.. Her Experience Can't Compare

1980 - 1984

Obama: B.A. in political science with a specialization in international relations from Columbia University.

Palin: Wasilla High School, captain of the state-champion basketball team. Miss Wasilla, runner-up in the Miss Alaska pageant, also Miss Congeniality, although that is now disputed.

Him: Ivy League degree. Her: tiara.

1985 - 1990

Obama: moved to Chicago; became a community organizer as director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization on Chicago's far South Side. During his three years as the DCP's director, its staff grew from 1 to 13 and its annual budget grew from $70,000 to $400,000, with accomplishments including helping set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization.

Moved to Boston to attend Harvard Law School. Selected as an editor and then elected president of the Harvard Law Review, a full-time volunteer position functioning as editor-in-chief and supervising the law review's staff of 80 editors.

Palin: Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism, with a minor in political science from the University of Idaho. Brief stint as a sports reporter for local Anchorage television stations; left to join her husband in commercial fishing.

Him: sterling legal education. Her: sportscaster.

1991 - 1995

Obama: graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School; received contract and advance to write a book ("Dreams from my Father") as well as a fellowship at the University of Chicago Law School. Directed the Illinois Project Vote from April to October 1992, a voter registration drive with a staff of 10 and 700 volunteers that achieved its goal of registering 150,000 of 400,000 unregistered African Americans in the state, leading Crain's Chicago Business to name Obama to its 1993 list of "40 under Forty" powers to be. Appointed as a Lecturer in constitutional law at the University of Chicago. Joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a 12-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and neighborhood economic development. Active in several community organizations, usually as a board member.

Palin: member of the Alasaka Indepence Party which advocates "Alaska First". Elected to Wasilla city council.

Him: Expert on our nation's fundamental legal principles. Her: plotted to leave the Union; thinks Pledge of Allegiance was written by our founding fathers.

1996 - 2000

Obama: promoted to Senior Lecturer in constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. Elected to the Illinois Senate. Sponsored more than 800 bills. In 2000, lost a Democratic primary run for the U.S. House of Representatives to four-term incumbent Bobby Rush by a margin of two to one.

Palin: elected as mayor of Wasilla (population 5,470), defeating the incumbent by a total of 616 votes to 413. Town budget, $8 million (3 millionths of the Federal budget), approximately 100 employees. Reduced property taxes but increased sales taxes. Fired the Wasilla police chief, citing a failure to support her administration. (He then sued Palin on the grounds that he was fired because he supported the campaign of Palin's opponent, but his suit was dismissed when the judge ruled that Palin had the right under state law to fire city employees, even for political reasons.) Hired a DC lobbyist to bring $8 million in earmarks to the city.

Him: sponsored 800 bills. Her: swayed 616 voters.

2001 - 2004

Obama: reelected in 2002 and became chairman of the Illinois Senate's Health and Human Services Committee.

Publicly spoke out against the invasion of Iraq BEFORE the congressional authorization in 2002, and then again before the actual invasion in 2003.

Wrote and delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

November 2004: elected to the US Senate, receiving over 3.5 million votes, more than 70% of total.

Palin: elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. Unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor, coming in second in a five-way race in the Republican primary, receiving 19,000 votes. Appointed to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, served as chairman from 2003 to 2004 and also served as Ethics Supervisor. Resigned in protest over the "lack of ethics" of fellow Republican members. Exposed the state Republican Party's chairman, Randy Ruedrich, for doing party work on public time and working closely with a company he was supposed to be regulating. Director of Ted Stevens' 527 group.

Him: demonstrated the wisdom to oppose the Iraq folly before it even began. Her: hasn't really thought much about it - despite the fact that 17 Alaskans have died there

2005 to present

Obama: Sworn in as the fifth-ever African-American U.S. senator. Worked with Republican Senator Lugar to author and implement a program to locate and dismantle stray Russian WMD's. Designated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as the party's point man on ethics. Worked with Russ Feingold to pass a major ethics/lobbying reform bill. Cosponsored, with John McCain, the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act. Called for increased fuel efficiency standards (3 percent every year for 15 years). Assignments on the Senate Committees for Foreign Relations, Veterans' Affairs, and Homeland Security. Chairman of the Senate's subcommittee on European Affairs. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. Waged a tremendous battle to become the Democratic presidential nominee. Currently manages 2,500 campaign employees and a budget of $40-$50 million/month.

Palin: 2005: board member, Valley Hospital Association, which runs the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Wasilla.

Became youngest and first female Governor of Alaska, taking office in December, 2006. Auctioned off the Governor's jet on eBay. Took on fellow-Republican Senator Ted Stevens to come clean about the federal investigation into his financial dealings. Promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska. Helped pass a tax increase on oil company profits. Formed a sub-cabinet group of advisers to address climate change but does not accept that it is man-made. Objected to listing polar bears as an endangered species because it might hurt oil and gas development in the bears' habitat. Was for the bridge to nowhere before she was against it. However, Alaska kept the federal money. Denied her daughter was pregnant before she confirmed it. Supported abstinence-only education.Currently under a bipartisan investigation for abuse of power for dismissing Alaska's Public Safety Commissioner. Commander-in-Chief of the Alaska National Guard, but has played no role in national defense activities, even when they involve the Alaska National Guard. (The entire operation is under federal control, and the governor is not briefed on situations.)

Obtained her first passport in 2007 to perform visits to the Alaska National Guard in Kuwait and Germany. (Foreign experience so limited that a stopover in Ireland listed on her resume.)

Him: Impressive figure on the national stage who knows how Congress works and is engaged with foreign policy issues. Her: small state governor for 21 months; "next to Russia", but that is just 1 of the 190 countries in the world she has never been to.

Conclusion: the word "executive" is not some kind of magic force multiplier when placed in front of the word "experience".

They Say The Good Die Young

A young man from my church passed a way today. Drake Penn was 24, saved, humble and kind. A person who made this place a little better. God, I know it's not for me to understand your way or will so I won't try. I will thank you for all you've done and all you allowed Drake to do. I didn't know him extremely well we had a few church outings and praise team rehearsals together but I always

I sat on a prayer conference call with his family and I was amazed at their great faith and strength. I listened to a father pray for strength and a mother praise for the life her son had despite their pain and I learned so much. I learned that believing in God can provide a resolute peace and comfort in the worse times.. RIP Drake..

Doctors Vs. Lawyers Part 2 @ Royale

A Night of Networking for all Professionals!

This Thursday join me as we host the second installment of the heralded Doctor's Vs. Lawyers Social. Last year over 500 of Chicago's top professionals from the medical and legal realm joined for an evening of networking and formative thought at Crimson Lounge. This year we again introduce a new venue and invite Chicago's best and brightest to join us again.

Visit www.jefferybeckham.com for event details or join our email list at www.artofprofessionalis.com today

Right & Wrong Way.. Which Was Better?

Which one is better.. So I wanted to ask real music lovers.. which one is better.. I myself prefer the original but Mario is a much better singer..

Mario
Right & Wrong Way
http://www.zshare.net/audio/170906803515c36a/

Keith Sweat
Right & Wrong Way
http://www.zshare.net/audio/17091770a6b75f9f/

Prayer Does Make A Difference...

In this world of wars and rumors of wars I've noticed an increasingly rapid move away for God and His message. I don't understand it when God and His Word (the Bible) are exactly what we need. Just watch the news and you will see a body of people across the world that are a faithless Godless bunch.

I don't know, I know I don't believe in man's ability to be God over himself... That has never gone well. I only know to belive in His power.

Victorious Living.... I Can Do All Things Through Christ

1 John 5:4 (King James Version)

4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

I had to read this over repeatedly today because today I must admit I felt upset and defeated. I was leaving Best Buy in Homewood and a little boy approahed me and asked me for spare change. I asked him what he wanted the money for and he said "I'm trying to get some food." I proceeded to walk with him around the corner to McDonalds when 4 of his buddies, who were all in the street asking for change, walked up and asked me for change. At that point I asked them where they lived, they responded, "the Homewood Hotel." Homewood, Illinois a quaint south suburb comprised of middle class families and small town old fashioned American values. I then asked them where there mother was and they said she was out trying to find a job. I admit that I was heartbroken thinking that five little boys aged 10-13 were out dirty and begging on a summer day. I started asking how myself how could this be? Who could let this happen to these kids? Why was there no one helping them and why would every car just look and drive by them with total disdain? I then began to think about the millions of other children across the world who deal with poverty and hunger and I couldn't shake the defeated feeling.

I broke out the Iphone and went on Biblegateway.com to do some internal spiritual warfare.
I had to find this scripture to remind me that as a believer of Jesus Christ I am born to overcome this world. I am fearfully and wonderfully made and through Christ, who is my strength, I can make an impact. I spent time with the little boys and encouraged them to do their best in school and 4 Big Macs and 3 McNugget meals later I parted ways thinking of ways to impact our people. Those of us who know better much teach those who don't better! We have to partner to make impact on our people. I don't know... I know I'm not perfect, but God is perfecting me every day and that process will continue until I die. I do know that we are called to live in victory through Christ. We are called to be over-comers of all things.. addiction, sickness, hunger, poverty, and oppression. WE ARE CALLED!

What Happened? Remeber When Dru Hill was dope?

I was sitting at my desk listening to I-Tunes and my random mix started playing Dru Hill's first album "Dru Hill" and it's really hard for me to blieve how hard they fell off. They were such a talented group from writing and producing to of course great vocals... I mean from 5 Steps, Beatury, Share My World, Never Make a Promise, Somebody is sleeping in my bed, and I Love You they sold millions of albums only to fall into Obscurity.. Some great lyrics below...

We were 5 steps
From eternity
4 steps
4 steps past love
And 3 wishes
FromTouching the heavens above

I guess we can ask the same about Jodeci, Boyz II Men, 112, 7 Mile, H-town,Toni Tony Tone, Men of Vision, Ideal, Subway, Blackstreet, Mint Condition, (They had a new album come out last year that was decent!), and the start of them all New Edition! The time of singing groups has passed... but it was sure a good era for music.

I mean I'll be honest.. The new groups just can't compare... Pretty Ricky (Pretty wack) Day 26 (They get no pub on Bad Boy) and who else is out there... One of you groups need to come back with a hot album.. Do something..

God's Blessings.. God's Favor...

Man if I didn't know there was God this would all be hard to believe..
In a matter of 3 weeks... just 3 weeks... I went from a job that I didn't particularly enjoy and a company that left me feeling unappreciated and unwanted to a new position with a company that sought after me and even paid me a signing bonus... God is Good!

I also was given an opportunity to start my own Graphic Design business which has birthed other opportunities from it.. God is Good!

In a time where the world says business is bad.. jobs are hard to get.. and you should stay put.. I've been offered 4 interviews in the last 3 weeks and offered 2 jobs... God is Good!

This is not me or my doing but God's favor over my life and I am humbled by it.. CAUSE I know I DON'T ALWAYS DESERVE IT! I'm not telling you this to brag.. I'm telling you this so you can rejoice with me in His goodness because you're blessing is coming too! BE ENCOURAGED ... GOD IS GOOD...

A Thought on Chicago Nightlife..

Promoters book the same venues because there is a stigma for all black parties that limit opportunity with other venues. If you get other venues they won't give you a Friday or Saturday or hell even a Thursday... They offer you Monday or Tuesday and give you some insane bar deal that's nuts. So folks that's why you see people at The Victor, Vain, Redno, Mix, Radiostar, Boutique, Jet (or whatever damn name it is this week lol), Blu Coral, Wet, Tabu/Ice Bar, Ruby/151/Door 21/ Voyuer, Tini Martini, and Divine.

That's why we need to own! But we also need people in place to help make policy that don't limit largely african american events.. (This Promoter's Ordinance things is strictly to change how BLACK PEPOLE kick it)When my company has tried to do some different things we've taken huge losses despite an event that looked quite successful... NYE '08 we held a party at a movie studio with Dwele performing live.. had 1500 people attend and broke even.. Great Risk... NO Reward.. July 3rd we spent again to try Rainforest Cafe and the traffic beat our ass there... Great Risk... NO Reward

It was something different, great look, but not profitable... I can afford that though because I have a 9to5 that pays the bills and then some.. Promotions is the money I blow on Hyper Dunks and DVD's so it doesn't hurt me but in defense of brothers who do this to pay their mortgages... they may not be able to do that... Selfless Plug..

If you need a dope flyer holla at me.. (People do use the same 3 people to design everything in Chicago.. ) lol.. Peace and Blessings Ladies and Gents..

Question of the Week?

Is gold-digging a fair term? Or is it that some women look for security in the financial status of a man?

Thoughts?

If a man is looking for a woman that had certain physical features is he a "body-digger"?

Stepping Out On Faith

So I've decided to pursue this graphic design thing! It's fun, I really have become passionate about improving my skills and I think it's something I'm pretty good at. I've invested in making it a business and now I'm just praying for the business itself. If it goes well I'd like to exit this coporate world in under a year!

Longevity Does Not Mean Legitimacy

I heard a minister say this over the weekend and I began to apply it to my own life. No matter how long you've been doing something that doesn't mean you an expert. There is always something you can learn. I think of people in corporate American when I hear this quote. Many times, those in management and executive level positions perceive us to be naive either because of age and sadly sometimes because of color. We have to work twice as hard and do twice as well to get the same respect and praise as our older or lighter peers. I've been the youngest and usually only African American for almost every company I've worked for and have experienced this first hand. The funny part is that my experience and skill set is not that of the novice new worker. My pedigree is legit, yet I still get the same treatment as the rookie in every job. In my current position I probably have as much sales experience and management skill as anyone yet again the perception is that I don't.

Well longevity doesn't mean legitimacy. It's a formula that has a multiplier.

Experience + Intelligence X Achievement Drive = The Success Rating

That multiplier Achievement Drive is a variable that is as random as life itself. It's the innate gut determination to be and do better and it makes all the difference in this game called corporate America!

My Rap Single

For those who didn't believe I used to rap..

Here is the snippet...
My Rap Single... Click Here

Make Me Wanna Holla... 2008

The Price's High/So I Can't Drive
A nation/just trying to get by
Complacent/So We Don't Try
Watching/Our Brother's Die

Oh! Makes Me Wanna Holla
The Way They Do My Life
This Ain't Living..

Inflation/No Chance
To Increase/Finance
Bills pile up/Sky High
Send that child off/too die

Oh! Makes Me Wanna Holla
The Way They Do My Life
This Ain't Living..

Live free/no drama
Pray for change/Obama
Gun down/more peace
Violence/must cease

Oh! Makes Me Wanna Holla
The Way They Do My Life
This Ain't Living..

Marvin Gaye will live forever because history continues to show us that times of injustice are cyclical.

Heaven Watching

"HEAVEN WATCHING"
Heaven Watching Closely Waiting
For A Man To Take His Path
Heaven Watching Anticipating
Roadblocks A Rigid Path
Heaving Watching A Young Man Praying
For God To Direct His Path.
Heaven Watching A Young Man Saying
This World's Pain I'll Outlast
Heaven Watching Black's Laying
Their Lives on Broken Lines
Heaven Watching Society Slaying
Blacks With Unchained Minds
Heaven Watching Mother's Craving
To Save Their Kids Before They Die
Heaven Watching Initiating
Strength To Stop The Cries
Heaven Watching A Young Girl Lying
Down Before Her Time
Heaven Watching Our Leader's Raping
Our True Leaders Vision Of Civil Rights
Heaven Watching Closely Waiting
For us to Make Life Right
J

God Is!

I woke up today. I began to think about God's infinite blessings and resided in the fact that the very idea of waking up is a blessing. Some people didn't wake up this morning. Some went to sleep fully expecting to see tomorrow and they didn't that opportunity. It's by grace and mercy that we are able to be.

I just want you to take a secong and think of those you love. Those people God keeps everyday safe and out of harms way. When you think about that kind of grace it's very hard not to be overwhelmed by God's goodness.

Peace,
JB

Diddy is Poison ..:Have You Seen This:..

Hilarious but kinda true huh?

The "You Suck" Award of the Week

This was a tough one for me being that I've had one of the worst work weeks imaginable but I had to go with Joseph C. Philips a.k.a Martin Kendall from the Cosby Show. First, I didn't like you character on the show (I thought you were kind of lame then). Then I watch the "Black in America" documentary last night and I have to say I so strongly disagree with so many of your statements it's ridiculous. I too like you Mr. Philips grew up in what our race would consider a privileged class but I'm not too self-righteous to believe that all the ills in the black community are self-inflicted. No a kid from the hood can't go to Harvard as easily as a kid from the burbs. After watching yesterday employers said that being black was no better than being white with a felony record in terms of hiring. So tell me how self determination and self sufficiency will fix that problem? So winner of the First Weekly "You Suck" Award goes to Joseph C. Phillips.

Runner Ups

John McCain

Mayor Daley for talks of cancelling the Bud Billiken Parade

ADD YOURS NOW!

The Coporate Complexity....

Lately, I've been realizing how difficult it is for Blacks to assimilate into corporate America.
I had a pharmaceutical ride day (that's where your manager rides with you to observe your work) and my manager got in the care and asked me to turn to the old school rock station....
The interesting part is that is tottally acceptable but I wonder what would have happened if I turned on the new David Banner CD or Nas...

I wonder..

Where Are My Brothers?

So I was sitting in the parking lot of Walgreen's today and I looked next to me and I saw a young black woman with two kids, no husband or man visible and I watched her struggle to get the kids together, get inside the store and run her errand. Then I looked over at the car next to me and I saw almost the exact same thing, except this woman had three kids. I proceed to look at the faces of both women and I saw strength, frustration, and a determination to be and do for their children. I got out the car and helped both women put their groceries in the car and God told me to"bless the woman with three kids with gas money for the week." Being obedient I proceeded to give the woman $25 (all the money I had) and I told her God told me to do it and that her breakthrough was coming. The woman was in shock and with a face welled with emotion she said, "thank you, you have no idea how bad I needed this." I began to think, where are the men?"


I was a fortunate one growing up. My dad, despite being young and probably very scared, stuck in their with my mother. He raised his children and worked hard everyday to assure that my sister and I had the best he could provide. My father, like his father before him, aspired to be more than just sperm donors they wanted to be real fathers and real men. They were men who disciplined their children, worked tirelessly to make sure their kids progressed in career and education further than they did during their time. Therefore it's hard for me to watch so many black women do it on their own.

Where are the men? Where are the fathers? Where?... I can't help but ask the question after looking at the world outside my window. I watch children hang out on the street late at night and watch young women dress and act in very womanly ways and I wonder where is dad to say, "come home."

As I anticipate watching the upcoming CNN documentary "Black in America" I'm expecting to see a large part of the discussion to be the absense of the black father.