MAn confesses...lol

i dont even know if this is a "bloggable topic" but i find this conversation or article quite funny. But the guy left his wife on a business trip and while hhe was gone cheated on her. 2 years later after he gets back ..he wants to tell his wife because they have a child and he wants to teach his kid honesty so he needs to tell his wife.. LMAO i would never tell on my self... I think he breakin the man rule ,... hahaha ... hope this constitutes as a blog

Teen Murder

17 year old Derrell Mason was charged with murder after a fight erupted in Hyattsville. It is amazing to me that a 17 year old kid could get aggravated enough to take another person's life. I understand how anger can take over but to not understand the long term consequences is beyond me. Not having the self control to keep yourself from murdering someone is something I cannot comprehend. It is unfortunate that someone so young can pretty much ruin the rest of their life with one poor decision.

Donavan I am glad your gone, you deserve much better than you EVER would have gotten from the Washington Redskins

As a sports fan I am very happy that the NFL lockout is over with. But as an African American male, I am very upset at how the Washington Redskins handled their discomfort with Donavan McNabb. Now I must agree that he did not have what one would consider Pro-Bowl worth, but let’s be honest, who on the Redskins did? As far as McNabb is concern, for a quarterback to be effective you need to be able to protect him or at least have some healthy receivers to throw to. During his time in Philly he constantly made the impossible work with very little to no name support (remember Freddie Mitchell or Todd Pinkerton...probably not outside of Philly fans), but he at least had some help from an offensive line. This past year this coach that up I had some admiration for, wanted to put the blame on him and instead of doing the mature thing and admitting that he had a lot of work to do and it would not be done in one year, decided to make it look like it was all his fault. Then to add insult to injury, when they played the Detroit Lions, put in a no name to run a two minute offense and when the quarterback tanked, state he didn’t think Donavan was in football shape to do it. Give me a break. But now, this season you want the fans to get a warm and fuzzy feeling about a quarterback that when he went to report to Redskin Park, the security could not even recognize his, and would not let him on the property. Redskin fans can you say “Houston, We have a Problem”. I am not a Redskin fan but must say I have plenty of friends that are and hate to see the misery that they go through year and year out. This coach and owner are a cancer that the Redskin fans need to voice “their discomfort with” and stop going to the games and hit them in their pockets. McNabb is one of the classiest dudes in the NFL and did not deserve to be treated the way Shanahan has treated him. I do wish McNabb would have spoken up a little more, but that is not how this man operates and if you look at him through the years, history supports my sediments (remember the Pittsburgh game when T.O was screaming in his ear). I just hope that when he gets to Minnesota, whether he wins a ring or not, that he can enjoy the last years of his NFL career, cause he has done nothing but brought class and dignity to the sport that millions of fans year for every year look forward to. When you look at great players like Doug Williams and their former racist owner George Marshall, does it surprise one to see this subtle racial undertone? McNabb deserves to be treated a helluva lot better than any dog off the street would be, but when you think about it, this behavior seems to be the norm, when you are a part of Washington Redskin organization.

Danger Lurks so Be Alert

Northern Virginia is generally considered a safe area, especially when compared to the District of Columbia which is relatively close in proximity. However, this past Valentine's Day Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax County was host to the first of several slashing and robberies. A young lady had her hands full of shopping bags ready to leave Fair Oaks Mall when she was attacked. The 20 year-old victim did not realize she was cut, only initially noticing that the 5-foot-6 heavy set Latino had ripped her leggings."'I didn’t even know I was cut, so I just yelled at him,' the woman said" (Q. Wu Washington Post). Apparently, this slash and steal strategy was used by the attacker several times in order to distract victims, and soon afterwards would escape with their belongings. The Post states "In most incidents, the man distracted the victim before slashing her, police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said. The women were attacked in the afternoon or evening, when stores are likely to be busy, she said" (Q. Wu Washington Post). Another incident occurred on July 25th as an 18 year-old was shopping at Forever 21. The report states "In the most recent attack, on July 25, an 18-year-old was browsing at XXI Forever about 5:30 p.m. when she noticed that a man behind her was bending down to pick up clothes that had fallen off a rack. She then felt a sudden pain and noticed she was bleeding. The suspect had cut through her denim shorts and underwear" (Q. Wu Washington Post). Two more attacks had occurred in June and another in May. Fairfax County is said to have one of the lower crime rates. However, being as though crime may occur anywhere, it is up to us the citizens to do our part and stay alert.

Fake Id's are becoming easier to get nowadays. At some places 21 and up if you know the bouncer or whatever then you dont even need a fake id. College students love to party and drink and at alcohol stores some dont even scan the id they just look and make sure the face resembles you. The overseas Chinese store that is selling these Id's to younger kids needs to be shut down but even if so, people underage will still be drinking because they will find a way.

Summer Jobs

Its been in recent time that its been harder to find summer jobs especially because of the recession. Many people are holding on to there jobs and not letting them go in the summer which is making it harder for college and high school students to find jobs in the summer let alone during the year. Understanding how the economy is it would go to show the strain in the summer jobs and that there is a high demand for workers during the time and its all booked up. Washington Dc is one of the biggest cities in the country and it is even hard finding a job here.

Fake IDS

Its amazing how many people have and use fake IDs. The good ones are supposedly coming from China and they must be making a fortune on the US population who can't wait till there 21 to get a real ID. Most people I know started drinking before they turned 21. This is a problem in the US but in other countries they are allowed to drink at much younger ages and I wonder why that is different here.

Summer Learning Program Seeks to Close Opportunity Gap

At the end of the school year, summer vacation can be an exciting time for many upper and middle class kids in the Washington DC area. They look forward to vacations and summer camps that would engage, excite, and reinforce their educational needs. However, the same cannot be said for poor kids living in Washington D.C. While the D.C. government funds summer programs through the public school system, the majority of poor kids spend summer vacations without access to many educational activities. Emma Brown of the Washington Post, quoted Matthew Boulay, the interim chief executive of the Baltimore-based National Summer Learning Association as saying that “There’s a real disconnect between how much we know about the negative impact of summer learning loss and what is actually being done in terms of policy and programming.” He suggests that the school system spends nine months educating the nation’s children, but that in the summer months a great deal of what they have learned is lost. While many of the upper and middle class kids spend their summer vacation bolstering their education and other skills, the poor kids forget much of what they have learned in the previous school year. Emma Brown explains that the D.C. public school system provided 10,720 slots in their summer program for children last year; however, this year only 5,100 slots were offered due to shrinking budgets which forced the school system to “curtail summer offerings.” Many private organizations like the Horizons Greater Washington, the Wallace and Bill and Melinda Gates foundations, and the Wal-Mart Foundation are providing funding so that children from low-income families would attend camps like the one held at the Maret School in Woodley Park. The goal is to provide an educational program alongside all the fun-filled activities of summer.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/summer-learning-program-seeks-to-close-opportunity-gap/2011/07/22/gIQA1JvObI_story.html

McNabb

Donovan McNabb a former Philadelphia Eagle quarterback was traded in April 2010 to the Washington Redskins. He was just recently traded to the Minnesota Vikings. They were not happy with McNabb's performance because they were looking for him to be the problem fixer. This is the Redskins 17th quarterback in 13 seasons. This is no surprise that McNAbb has been traded and now he headed to his preferred destination Minnesota.

Gang leader involved with prostituting young girls

I find this story quite disturbing. I can't beleive someone could be so sick to sell young girls for sex. These girls don't realize they are the victim. The gang leaders prey on these young girls who are looking for someone who they can trust. Then once their trust is earned the gang leaders send these girls out to earn money by selling themselves. This is just sick to me.

DC and Medical Maijuana

As some people may know, nearly a year ago the District passed a law legalizing the medical use of marijuana. This has become a trend throughout the united states. However in the District it has been moving rather slowly, nearly a year after the law was passed no one is selling or distributing the drug, legally at least. Many people view this as sign that our society is easing its view on weed as a drug. I do agree with this but I don't think that it is a step towards all marijuana being legal. We as a society are still far away from saying that weed will be legal. I do think that it is a good thing for D.C. to allow medical marijuana because it allows many people with painful conditions to lessen pain and live more comfortably.

D.C. Not Quite So Top for Single Ladies

"DC is not attractive for single women as it was last year, according to singlemindedwomen.com." First I would like to start by saying I have never heard of a single minded woman website. In this day and age I feel that there are websites for every aspect of life. Second I feel that this is an intersting article is great to share with the fellow men in the class about women in D.C. The website states that the "Districts ranking dropped because of the cost of living, employment outlook and the ratio of men to women." This article is saying that there is a slim chance that a woman living in D.C. is single because of these factors. Most of the women have a significant other and they maybe both pooling the money for expenses. So this goes to my conclusion that the best oppurtunity to find women may be right here in PG county men. Good luck finding them in D.C.

Black professionals Leading the Charge of gentrification

In Dc it is a general consensus that Whites are usually the cause of gentrification, however a few African Americans have started to realized that they are the gentrifiers. "I used to think it was about race — when white people moved into a black neighborhood,” Said lawyer Charles Wilson, 35, president of the Historic Anacostia Block Association. “Then, I looked up the word. It’s when a middle-class person moves into a poor neighborhood, and I realized, I am a gentrifier. I couldn’t believe it. I don’t like that word. It makes so many people uncomfortable. The g-word.” Many African Americans like Wilson have been able to afford the high priced row houses of nearby Capitol Hill or the condos of U Street or Adams Morgan but instead they have chosen to live in Ward 8, which was once filled with violence , poverty and drugs. They prefer to live east of the river, they say, because they feel at home in the black community and because they take pride in living near historic sites like the Frederick Douglass House. This is shocking because the stereotype of most middle to upper class African Americans is to get out of the troubled inner city to a more safer environment.

Donovan McNabb gets traded for...

In last night’s commotion about where and for what Donovan McNabb will be traded for, local artist Wale tweeted the following, “So the redskins traded mcnabb for a practice jersey and a gallon of powerade”…That just about sums it for what the current knowledge of the situation. According to the Washington Post, McNabb will be traded to the Vikings for two sixth round draft picks in years 2012 and 2013…that’s if the world doesn’t end before that. With the Vikings and incoming quarterback Christian Ponder, McNabb will naturally play the grandfather role in raising the young man to be the complete NFL quarterback that McNabb once was.Who would really trade six-time Pro Bowler for two sixth-round draft picks though? The Washington Redskins would after finishing last in the NFC East, while sporting a 6 and 10 season. I guess that is all he’s worth though- a practice jersey for some free agent to slip into, and some powerade for the big fell Albert Hanynesworth and his several attempts to pass the Redskin’s condition test, which proves to be more challenging than that Japanese obstacle course- but that’s only if they decide to bring him back for another year…

A murder case reopened

In 1998 a young woman lost her life to a criminal that knows no bounds; Christine Mirzayan was murdered while on her way to her home in Georgetown. Now 13 years later police and investigaters want to recontinue the search for her murderer with a new found lead. They believe the suspect has committed a series of other similar crimes going back as far as 1991, a link in the DNA evidence of the victim helps better identify the crime with the others from 7 years ago. Now that they have to capabilities and the technology to find and arrest this man, it is more than likely he won't see the light of day once he's prosecuted. The article I read in the post did a decent job at recapping the crime and , they also did a fair amount of coverage on Christine (tried to build that personal connection with the readers). One thing I think they failed to do was probably focus on the killer and what their course of action will be to catch this maniac. Supposedly there was a witness that got a good look at his face when he came out of the woods, she was able to match her description with a forensics drawer and they came up with a pretty good photo of him. Now me, I'm all for catching this guy who killed this innnocent woman but I will be honest; a little part of me sank when I say the forensics photo. I was taken aback and all I could do was shake my head: the killer/sexual assulater was black. Maybe it was becauseI didn't really expect him to be black, or maybe it's because I knew that this would be just another setback for the good black men in the world. I can't really pinpoint the reason for my awkward reaction, but I do know that I do want him harshly punished and put behind bars. I also know that we as a Black nation just have to do better, we just gotta do better.

Redskins moves after lockout

I believe this is a good move for the redskins to trade or release Haynesworth from the team. He has been nothing but a big problem to the organization. He is getting paid too much money for him to not cooperate with the coaches and team. Removing him from the program would free up a lot of cap space and money for the team. It would allow the redskins to pick up quality free agents and rookies who are still on the market.

To Pay or Not Pay College Athletes?

ESPN recently did a fantastic story about college athletes and whether or not they should be paid. Bomani Jones, a respected black sports writer for ESPN, wrote the piece and compared college athletes and their rights to what Martin Luther King Jr. said. Click here to see it.

Jones cites college athletes as those that are under privileged and connects race to it. He goes on to point out that scholarship money doesn't cover all the nuisances of the college experience and that, especially basketball and football players, help generate millions of dollars but are stuck eating top ramen.

He points to the Ohio State football scandal and Terrell Pryor seeking money for his awards as a cry for money.

Its interesting that King is connected to the NCAA and the idea of paying athletes and giving them part of the pie. Definitely worth a read.

PG man attacks troopers..

On saturday a state trooper was attacked by a man from PG county. James Howard was pulled over later saturday night because he ran into a guard rail and Trooper Byron notice it and pulled him over. Once he was pulled over and got out of his car and ran over to the passenger side and pulled a 7inch kitchen knife out and started to attack the trooper. One trooper that was riding by on a motercycle saw this happening a jumped on Howard back and stopped him from killing Trooper Byron. He was stabbed in the hand and was treated by the local hospital. This type of action make the stereotypes about blacks right. When things like this happen it makes people have no choice but to think that the black is a trouble race.

Mumbo sauce and gentrification

Last summer when I was in the dorm and talking to the other students about what to order from the carryout. I recall someone saying it doesn't matter what you get as long as you get mambo sauce with it. Then when I asked what is that a huge discussion started and the other student said you must not be from the area. The students from the area explained to us not from the area that we must try the sauce because of how good it is. Ever since then I associated the sauce with the DC and I tried the sauce and liked it so I see why its such a big deal.
When reading this article in the Washington Post and seeing how Arsha Jones had an incredible craving for the mambo sauce. The urge had to do with her being pregnant but also because she is from DC and was raised on the sauce. Mambo sauce is big in the DC among the black community and it goes back generations. White community doesn't relate to the sauce as much mostly because with less than 15 percent of the white population being born in the city they don't know about it. Where as 60 percent of the black population was born in the city they are introduced to the sauce as children. As Jones mention in the article she moved out of the city so she had to drive 30 minutes just to get the sauce she feared her children wouldn't get to enjoy it because they won't grow up in DC. That is a major concern in the city With gentrification and the black community moving out of the city. Will the heritage of the sauce be lost because the children in the city won't be raised around the sauce and will not know about it. The bigger issues is with gentrification what other taditions will the black community lose because they are being moved out of the city.

abortion doctor

An abortion doctor from Nebraska who travels to Germantown, Maryland is under heavy fire for performing late pregnancy abortions. He is currently the top focus for non-abortion groups and protestors who are against abortions. I'm not against abortions but i think that if you are under that much fire then maybe you should find something else to do. He states that he refuses to keep his name anonymous because he wants to expand his services, and feels that he is doing the right thing because the girls that decide to get these abortions because they would rather die then to have a baby. He has installed security cameras around his office and has metal detectors in his building to avoid trouble from protestors. His tenacity to continue these abortions despite all the legal and moral issues is intriguing because he continues to face these problems yet feels that what he does is right. I have no right to decide what someone should do, but I feel that he is helping the community because there arent many doctors who actually want to perform these abortions.

Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon finally has found the perfect fit

After Gary Williams announced that he was retiring as head basketball coach at University of Maryland after 22 seasons, it took a toll on Terp nation. Not only did the Maryland men’s basketball team lose a great head coach in Gary Williams, but also some key players from the previous season. The team is now in the hands of Mark Turgeon, who has big shoes to fill and a crazed fan base to impress. Only in Maryland after big wins, does the fan base have to be patrolled by Prince George police in case of riots. So to Coach Turgeon, from one Terp to another, keep the wins coming.

Amy Winehouse Drug Abuse

Its interesting how many celebs get into drug abuse and end up overdosing. She was only 27 years old with a lot of money and a great life. If the people that are suppose to be role models are having trouble abusing some of these drugs I can only imagine the drug addictions that take place in the city of DC and how it affects some of the important things that are causing are youth to fail. Understanding how serious drug addiction is can help some of these problems but I thought it was an interesting point to see how people with so much money mess there lives up over a substance.

roc carmicheal

This article is really inspiring to me. He was my highschool teammate and the crazy thing is when im not doing football activity with maryland, im learning how to break down tape and doing football drills with Roc. He is a humble young man and this article was done great. Hope my man ball out in Texas, because he put in alot of hardwork in during this lockout and he has gotten me better in the process

Robbed, Stabbed and Killed for Electric Blue Foams? | News

Only in DC and Maryland, I read an article that on July 1, the Nike Electric Blue Foamposite’s were released and the $200 shoes had shoe heads lined up outside the Prince George Plaza Mall for hours waiting to add to their collection. Some came willing to pay for their pair of Nike Electric Blue Foamposites while others came with the intention to steal/rob other of their sneakers. That night at there were 3 victims stab and 2 victims killed for the Nike Electric Blue Foamposites. What has the world come to, when people are getting killed over shoes?

DC Past and Present

I came a cross this fascinating article that took a look at DC in the past and present. Click here to see it. In the article a photographer takes old black and white pictures of DC and takes pictures from the same spots to show changes in the city. It was very interesting to see how much the architecture and culture of the area changed from the black and white photos to the present day. Some of the segregated areas and signs were even visible.

Casey Anthony

I read an article about the Casey Anthony trial from the newspaper the Afro entitled, “What if Casey Anthony had been hispanic, asian or black”, highlighting the inconsistencies in ethnic and class media coverage. The writer of the article questions if the trial of Caylee’s murder garnering so much attention if it were under the pretext of another racial group. The interesting thing they pointed out was that unlike the JonBenet Ramsey case of the 1990’s, Anthony lacked “wealth, celebrity and good looks”, rather, they were simply an ordinary family with a child the victim of an evil deed. These cases usually involve a white, typically middle class, but not upper middle class female said the reporter. An unfortunate truth of the world is that media coverage and other common occurrences are seen through a blinder that equate white with good, black with bad; young is good, old is bad.

According to unknownnews.net 200,000 cases go unsolved a year in the United states, the average growing by 6,000 ever year that follows. I suppose in support of these claims, I couldn’t find a statistic enumerating the amount of unsolved cases specifically for minority victims. I think that, almost like in rape cases, the victim is blamed for dressing sluttaciously, inviting the predator to have their way with the person, or having been in a place that by nature may have potentially dangerous consequences by simply being there. The same with minority victims. If there is a case for instance a teenager who in a fury kills his grandma and her kitten Beatrix, i feel that a white juvenile would have more leniency in the presses delivery of the case, probably blaming his parent’s recent divorce, the pressure they may have put on him to excel in school and extracurriculars, maybe his recent clinical depression and difficulty making friends at school. Rather, the black youth is either characterized as having a past criminal record, that being a product of his environment is not an excuse; his destiny was always up to him to decide. Either that, or the report of the black youth would never had made it to the media.

The deviance of whites is apparently made to be an oddity, and worthy of report. The minority crime though, is a natural, expected part of life, the way things have been always will be the way we can always count on FOX news doing their thing or Sarah Palin finding it difficult to make relevant, coherent statements. These gatekeepers in the media are changing the we think effectively; until recently, I usually sympathized with the skewed stories of the white criminals because it wasn’t they're character to act as such. Then I see shows like Gangland and Jail with predominately black criminals, and I feel ashamed at times, “knowing” my people simply can’t learn to cope with tribulations differently. This gatekeeping is simultaneously preserving and defining whiteness as understood by virtually every American. Job well done gatekeepers, I’ll admit you’ve had be going for quite sometime now but I’ve certainly caught on.

Martin Luther King Drive is Coming to D.C.

The D.C. Council unanimously voted to create "Martin Luther King Drive" to represent the late civil rights leader. Council member Marion Barry was an emotional supporter in this cause. Marion Barry states that the state will cover whatever costs there are to build this project. Twelve of the thirteen council members were present to support the effort in building this road. This brings us back to unit two and how we looked back at Marion Barry and his run as mayor. Marion Barry had a huge influence over the African American race during the period of segregation. He understood the races frustration and anger that they expressed, but him being apart of this road symbolizes the journey he and the African American race went through.

Council Member Harry Thomas Jr.: Is He a New Victim of N-breaking???

A Washington Post article spoke of how today, Friday, July 22, 2011, D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. agreed to settle a lawsuit by repaying the District of Columbia $300,000. The case he was settling was about his alleged diverting of city funds to finance his lavish personal purchases. As a result of the settlement Thomas will not be working with charitable donations for five years.

After reading the article I was struck with the thought that this could be an example of the “n-breaking” described by Reed. This was the public humiliation of a Black official and could have been meant to teach other Blacks a lesson. The nature of this story was similar to the situation that occurred with Representative Rangel and the crucifixion he received in the media. While I can see Reed’s argument in this situation, I still feel conflicted because I feel that this type of scandal deserves to be known by the public.

Martin Luther King Drive in Washington D.C.

The D.C. council has voted to create a Martin Luther King jr. that will stretch blocks through D.C. This is significant for our city because Martin Luther King is such an influential leader among the black race. Former Mayor of D.C., Marion Barry stated "Dr. King was not just an African American leader, he was a leader for American, progressive people" (washingtonpost.com). I think this is a great additional to the District of Columbia. Having the March on Washington led by Dr. King himself justifies his significance to this city and what he did not only for the black race but for the entire nation.

This is another step closer to completely erasing what is left of segregation and discrimination. At one point in time the black race struggled to have their voice heard on the radio, television or any other media outlet. Larson, author of "News Coverage of Black Candidates and Politicians", mentions that at one point the media coverage of blacks was limited and depicted them as unimportant by providing limited pictures, and less attention in important media stories (Larson, 218). For King's name to be honored as a major road in the Nation's captial is a sign that we have made a trememdous amount of progress. As well as have this article as one of the major headlines in the most dominant newspaper in the District of Columbia.

Heat Wave gives D.C suburbs a Tropical Feel

It has been extremely hot in the last week. Temperatures in the high 90's however humidity in the 100's and beyond. "Thursday in the District failed to break the record for July 21 - 104 degrees in 1926. The record high for a July day in the District is 106 degrees-set in 1930." I can only imagine what the temperatures are in southern states such as Florida and Georgia. These temperatures are unbearable. The article states that "Everyone is vulnerable to heat-related illnesses when their bodies are unable to properly cool themselves." There are already deaths that have been attributed to the heat. "Maryland has reported six heat-related deaths so far this year, while Virginia has logged three." "To prevent heat-related illnesses, health departments have advised people to drink plenty of water, stay in the shade or in air conditioning and to wear light-colored / lightweight clothing." These are the times when you just soak up the AC and watch Netflix until the Sun eases. There is no need to be outside in this heat unless you are making money. Stay hydrated people.

Politcians in the Media

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-wire/post/gray-reacts-to-post-story-on-fundraising/2011/07/19/gIQAcSXpNI_blog.html

Mayor Vincent Gray has had some questions raised about were he has been getting some of his campaign money from and whether he has made any mistakes or received illegal cash donations. This article dealing with an African American Politician wasn’t a big story or anything , however it wasn’t a headline in the newspaper, it only was a small section of the paper with slightly bolder letters. This goes to support the “News Coverage of Black Candidates and Politicians” were they say that “black candidates received significantly more coverage in longer articles than white; however, white candidates’ coverage was more likely than blacks to be prominent ( on the front page and above the fold)”. This was also supported by the fact Governor O’Malleys article about the budget and other news was front page in big bolded letters.

Guns brought into the city

Do you guys think that it would be smart to allow more firearms into the district? I feel like the more guns we have in a city the higher the crime rates will be. Even if the guns are brought in legally, they can still be stolen or lost and found by someone planning to use it for the wrong reason. I know it is our right as citizen to have firearms but I just don't see the point. I think we should find a way to take guns out of the city, not ways to bring more in.

Martin Luther King Drive Coming to D.C.

Washington D.C. has decided to add to its great civil rights history by adding a 4 mile streech of streets will be named after the great Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Junior. Martin Luther King Jr. has given as much to this nation as many of our former great leaders, so I find it fitting that he has a part of the streets in the nations capital named after him. After all the Dr. King gave this country he is well deserving of the honor. To me this also serves as a way for the D.C. officials to use the media and public relations to help hem in public opinion. Media has always helped to shape the opinion of the public.This is Council Member Marion Berry's attempt to get some good public relations through associating himself with honoring this American hero. This is a clear example of a portion of what was referenced in "The Civil Rights Movement and Mass Media". It is not entirely what the article talks about, but it is an example of using media to help public perception.

Ban on Bath Salts?

In a Washington Post article dated July 21, 2011, Maryland health officials call for a ban on "bath salts" aka the pretty colored pieces of salt that you put in the bath tub to make it smell like roses or violets. According to the article these salts are considered drugs and have been inhaled, ingested, smoked or injected. Sounds to me like these people are having trouble finding or affording other street drugs so they are relying on their mother's bath salts that she bought from her local Bath and Body Works. In May, officials raided a town in Fredrick County where they found barrels of powder used to manufacture the "drugs" or the bath salts. According to the article, although they are called "bath salts," these so called drugs do not contain the ingredients of traditional bath salts. They even have street named such as "Ivory Wave" and "Red Dove." I would love to know what exactly these "bath salts" are because all I can think about are the scented, pastel colored granules of salt that you can put in your bath tub. I have never truly understood the purpose of bath salt, however it seems pretty ridiculous that something that is sold at your local drug store is now being ingested and smoked in order to get a high. According to the article users may develop cardiac and circulatory disturbances, agitation, delirium, etc. once they use this "drug." It seems to me that the government feels that since they can't seem to regulate the street drug trade, i.e. marijuana, cocaine, heroine, etc. they are attempting to remove products that could possibly be used as narcotics. Ironically, the article begins with "At least one death and 22 cases of poisoning have prompted Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to call for an emergency law to ban the sale on the synthetic drugs known as 'bath salts'." It seems a little ridiculous to me that there is an EMERGENCY ban when only one death and 22 cases of poisoning have been reported. But hey, maybe today was just a slow day on crime so they had to come up with some news story right?

DC Area and Dixie drifting apart

I came across this article a few weeks ago and this class helped me make sense of it. Click here to see it. The basic idea behind the article is that Dixie Liquors is one of the few stories with Dixie still in its name. It also claims that the DC area and the culture around is has shifted towards a more northern identity. The research used looked at popular grocery stores items and the popularity or country foods, store names and other cultural items such as southern hospitality.

This article is relevant perhaps not on a race level, but its relevant to the black Georgetown lesson. Its relevant because while Georgetown's identity shifted from a tight knight black community to a ritzy affluent area, the entire DC area could be shifting its identity into something new that we are not used to. Perhaps our children will see a completely different DC that looks more like New York than Chocolate City.

Marion Barry Imposing His Will on the U.S. Government… Yet Again

When Marion Barry speaks people may not like it, but they do listen. Councilman Barry, who has been quiet as of late (other than his son’s recent run-in with the law) has spoken out yet again. Barry has called for a halt in the construction of apartment buildings in Ward 8, which serve as lower class residence in Southeast, D.C., “Barry stated that 24 percent of residents in the ward are homeowners yet the area is riddled with the highest percentage of renters in D.C.—more than 76 percent” (Butler 2011). Barry believes that there are more than enough apartments in Ward 8 and would like to see more homes built as opposed to more apartments so that a sense of ownership may develop and trigger a sense of togetherness within the community. In the councilman’s opinion, this would help more minorities take a step forward towards the American dream. Needless to say, Ward 8 is seen as a transition stage for people within the lower class; temporary living apartments which residents cannot invest in for the sake of future ownership and therefore move to other areas to establish their future. “I think he just wants to see Ward 8 with some longevity as opposed to a transition area utilized by people that are in D.C. for a short-term basis,” the Ward 7 resident said. “If you have more homeowners, the sense of personal responsibility, community responsibility and cohesive culture will build,” says Ronald Jones who is a project manager. Councilman Barry has had a history of standing up and opposing the system which is how people originally began to back him for mayor, he does not seem to be slowing down either. This recent action reflects comments made in The Last of the Black Emperors “We also elevate people who were defiant of the system… We’ve respected those people who can stand up to the system, and Marion has told almost everybody in this town where to get off” (Barras 6). Whether more houses are to be built in Ward 8 anytime soon remains unknown, but it sure seems Councilman Barry has the city headed in that direction.

Authority Shutdown?

Pr. Georges County council passed an emergency bill tuesday that will allow police and other authories the right to shut down dance halls and nigt clubs. If is a threat to public safety. These night clubs and dance halls are located in black areas of Prince George's County. This law is supposed to help eliminate and bring crime down in the community. But if authorities have the right to shut night clubs and dance halls down, how can owner's maintain their profits? If people are attending and paying to come and enjoy their time,when authories shut down those people may want their money back. Being that the location is in a black area, riots,fights, or anything else may happen. So does this new bill make things better or worse?

Police harassment in DC

The police in DC are starting to be more aggressive towards the youth. The police are starting to take preemptive action by cracking down on eve minor offenses such as disturbing the peace and things like that. I believe the police in DC are being too extra towards the African Americans youth in the city. Two  young girls got locked up for walking across the sidewalk, but there were other people doing the same thing and they were the only ones targeted. The police are being aggressive towards black youth because of a few misbehaving. This is not fair to the rest of the youth of the black community and makes it hard for them.

dc gun law

I don't think it is a good idea to allow guns to be prohibited in the District. The crime rate it is already high in the District and this would only make the situation worst. If anything they need to stricken the gun laws in the District.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-wire/post/dc-council-poised-to-reject-gun-bill/2011/07/12/gIQATk0sAI_blog.html

Cars Vs Trains in the DMV

Here in the DMV we are constantly stuck in traffic throughout different hours of the day. During rush hour it could take up to five hours to get back to your place of living when on the regular it would take way less. Also with gas prices skyrocketing it is becoming more of a major problem financially. In my article Robert Thompson suggest streetcars, amtrak and the local metro as better alternatives to save money. The only issue is this idea is being shut down by political figures.

In Thompson article he suggest, that we eliminate the usage of cars and planes and this will reduce our addiction to oil saving our country tons of money. He provides a blueprint to where these transportation system will reach and payment alternatives. I feel Thompson may be on to something. Driving in the DMV can get hecked and does cause a hugh problem financially with gas prices rising. Although we have this issue, I feel that it would be a longer process traveling places by trains and street cars. We have to remember that Americans are not that patient. Therefore, oil will continue to be purchased and cars will continue to be used until a soild blueprint is created to eliminated the traffic and escalating gas prices.