Getting ready to lineup for the Summer

The Lineup: May ‘12

What I can’t live without:  The Sixers?  Anyone that knows me, knows that I love basketball.  I’ve been lucky enough to grab a few tickets to some Sixers games since I moved to Philadelphia and unlike last season, I decided to buy some playoff tickets.  I had never been to a playoff game before but being able to see basketball played on the highest level when the stakes are highest, was an experience that I’ll never forget.  Game 6 of the Bulls series was undoubtedly the best basketball game that I ever saw live.  They’ve been eliminated but I’m still glued to the TV waiting to see who’s going to win the NBA Championship.

(Related: Inside the NBA is still king of NBA coverage despite having Shaq)

Huey Freeman would be proud...

Take a Stand.

Life is complex.  This isn’t breaking news but worth mentioning because we as human beings, try to do everything possible to combat that.  We use technology to do things faster, we automate anything that doesn’t require our immediate attention, and we come up with clichés and mantras to help simplify what takes place in our lives.  If you really think about it, the entire study of philosophy only exists because life can be difficult to comprehend.  The following statement has always been one of my favorites and explains exactly why I made a particular decision.

I don't wear jerseys, I'm 30 plus...

Growth.

On May 14^th, Jay-Z made a huge announcement that he is headlining and curating a two-day concert Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia.  Essentially, Jay-Z is shutting down one of the busiest sections of one of the most populous cities in America.  These types of announcements were typically reserved for guys named Bono and Springsteen but somehow a former drug dealer from the Marcy projects is making it happen.  Despite the magnitude of this announcement and what it means for Hip-Hop culture, the Internet was also buzzing about another rapper in Philly.

April showers bring, more Lineups baby.

The Lineup: April ‘12

What I can’t live without: AMC Television. Seriously this is getting a bit ridiculous.  I try not to talk about the same things every month but every time I check out a new AMC show, I get instantly hooked.  This time it’s a show that I came in late on… The Killing.  It’s a unique spin on the cop-style crime drama (think 24 meets Law & Order).  The way that they lay out the clues and the suspects, you feel like you’re trying to solve the crime along with the detectives.  It's an amazing show.

(Related: Game of Thrones)

Can't we all just get along?

Gray Areas (Pt. 2)

If you haven’t read part 1 of this Trayvon Martin discussion, click here.

Let’s talk about the fact that George Zimmerman wasn’t arrested for nearly a month and a half after, admittedly, shooting and killing someone.  Let’s talk about the fact that the Sanford Police Department took George at his word and had no intention to question him any further after his initial report.  If you’re paying attention, this is exactly why black people rioted after the Rodney King verdict and jumped for joy after OJ was set free.  More truth:  Black people couldn’t care less about Rodney King or Orenthal J. Simpson.  To quote Chris Rock, “I ain’t get my OJ prize in the mail”.  The riots were an angry response to those officers being set free despite having their brutality against a black man caught on videotape.  The jubilation after OJ was found “not guilty” was about vindication because white people finally got to feel what its like to be on the short end of the legal stick.  I don’t care how you word a “stand your ground” law, if you kill someone and there are no clear witnesses or video, it must go through the courts.  George Zimmerman claimed self-defense. To which I ask, what other explanation did the cops expect him to give?  Did they think he would say, “hey look, I was racially profiling, got scared and things got out of hand?” 

Squeeze first, ask questions last...

Gray Areas (Pt. 1)

Rodney.

OJ.

Trayvon.

What do these three individuals have in common?  All three of these individuals took the nation by storm with highly publicized cases.  All three of these individuals have or will have (in Trayvon’s case) their entire trials play out on television like some poorly written reality show.  And the facts all three of these cases took a back seat to emotions because this country still can’t talk about race.

They screaming Tupac's back, Tupac's back.

Blown Away.

My parents just got themselves a Mac and are taking classes to learn how to operate it.  Over the past 10 years, it wasn’t uncommon for me to get a random phone call to help with a computer issue. I quickly realized that skills that I take for granted are major tasks for them.   My mother has admitted to me several times that she’s intimidated by technology and that she’s awestruck by what you are able to do with a computer. It just shows how the times have changed.  Put my dad under a car and he will handle his business; put me there and I might as well take a nap.  Since the mid-90’s, my generation has experienced such technological growth, that we’ve become desensitized to it.  I can recall the early days of the Internet, my 1^st MP3 player and playing with a touch screen capabilities for the 1^st time.  These adaptations came so quickly that I never had time to be amazed…