American Blog

This is an excerpt from author Mr. Michael Vass, from the www.blackentertainmentblog.com site, and creator of unique clothing lines found at www.cafepress.com/nova68:

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Now speaking of repeat offenders, guess who is back up to his seemingly old tricks. I am speaking of Mr. Calvin Broadus, aka Snoop Dogg. Like many rappers of the last decade or more, Mr. Broadus appears to draw charges like a light bulb. A growing favorite of his looks like potential criminal actions in airports. In this case his entourage was not involved, but Snoop Dogg did cause a stir trying to bring a police baton onto a plane.

The claim of Mr. Broadus, that he was unaware that such a weapon was banned rings false in my ears. In this day and age of enhanced paranoia at airports, where liquids are banned from flights, how does a reasonably intelligent person think a weapon is not banned. Equally tin sounding is the claim that this was a needed prop for a music video shoot. As if there is no prop manager in New York that could provide such an item for a video shoot. This is merely the hollow efforts of an entertainer to shift the blame from their own actions and to avoid punishment, as I see it.

Yet this belies the true question I have asked before. Why do rappers generate so many conflicts, violence and death? In this year I am sure I have mentioned a dozen times that one or another rapper was arrested for one thing or another. There have been several involved with deaths of individuals, and virtually all have involved weapons and/or violence not to mention drugs. And these entertainers are seen, especially in the Black culture and specifically by young African American males, as figures to be looked up to. I can’t understand why. Why would anyone want their child to follow in the footsteps of criminals and near-criminals. Who would want their child to grow up disrespecting all women and men. To be uneducated, apathetic, addicts, with multiple children and no hope of supporting or properly raising any of them.

Some may dispute this. But the truth is that all public figures are role models. Of all public figures, entertainers are where there is the largest concentration of African Americans. When those individuals promote base actions, subjective youth learn and follow this lead. It’s little different than when babies watch those around them to learn how to speak, learning language and accent. I see no argument that disputes this, but I’ve heard many that excuse it. Perhaps its time to stop excusing the poor actions of various segments of the Black community, and re-enforcing better actions.

This is what I think, what do you think?

We all get them. The emails that say that the stock is $2 and it’s going to $8 or the email that says the stock is 3 cents with big news coming. These are emails that troll for suckers. They’re looking for some person who is stupid enough to buy a stock based on one of these spam emails.

The question is how do your protect yourself. Let’s say, for example, that you are a stock addict and you can’t help yourself. Well, even gambaholics can discern from smart bets, long shots, and the type of bet that doesn’t have a shot in the world in being successful. Here is what we would do.

Let’s say you actually want to be stupid enough to follow the advice of one of these emails. Look at the address that the email is actually coming from. For example, the spam comes from the email address abcde@abcde.com. I would type in abcde.com into my browser and see what appears. Most of the time, you’re going to get a response that says “website not found” or you’ll find a site with just advertising links. I would also go to a site such as GoDaddy and check the whois directory. This allows you to check the ownership information on any domain name. If the owner wants to keep the domain ownership private, the whois directory will not display information on the owner and it will say something such as domains by proxy. This means it’s privatized. Here is what you should do:

1. If you type in the domain name and no website is not found and you still buy the stock, your investment rating is certified human moron.

2 If you type in the domain name and a website comes up with advertising links and you buy the stock, your investment rating is certified human moron.

3. If you see the whois information and the domain owner is privatized and you buy the stock, your investment rating is certified human moron.

4. If you see the ownership information on the whois directory and you actually reach a person and they actually talk to you, then you have certified yourself as a moron and the person who talks to you is actually the President of the Certified Moron Club.

Here’s the point. THIS POST IS MEANT TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC. ALL OF THE SPAM EMAILS THAT DO NOT DISCLOSE COMPENSATION FOR PREDICTING STOCK PRICES ARE VIOLATING THE SARBANES OXLEY ACT. MOST OF THESE EMAILS ARE COMING FROM SERVERS THAT ARE OUT OF THE COUNTRY. THIS EMAIL AND THE STEPS THAT WE SUGGEST YOU TAKE ARE MEANT TO PROTECT YOU.

We all get them. The emails that say that the stock is $2 and it’s going to $8 or the email that says the stock is 3 cents with big news coming. These are emails that troll for suckers. They’re looking for some person who is stupid enough to buy a stock based on one of these spam emails.

The question is how do your protect yourself. Let’s say, for example, that you are a stock addict and you can’t help yourself. Well, even gambaholics can discern from smart bets, long shots, and the type of bet that doesn’t have a shot in the world in being successful. Here is what we would do.

Let’s say you actually want to be stupid enough to follow the advice of one of these emails. Look at the address that the email is actually coming from. For example, the spam comes from the email address abcde@abcde.com. I would type in abcde.com into my browser and see what appears. Most of the time, you’re going to get a response that says “website not found” or you’ll find a site with just advertising links. I would also go to a site such as GoDaddy and check the whois directory. This allows you to check the ownership information on any domain name. If the owner wants to keep the domain ownership private, the whois directory will not display information on the owner and it will say something such as domains by proxy. This means it’s privatized. Here is what you should do:

1. If you type in the domain name and no website is not found and you still buy the stock, your investment rating is certified human moron.

2 If you type in the domain name and a website comes up with advertising links and you buy the stock, your investment rating is certified human moron.

3. If you see the whois information and the domain owner is privatized and you buy the stock, your investment rating is certified human moron.

4. If you see the ownership information on the whois directory and you actually reach a person and they actually talk to you, then you have certified yourself as a moron and the person who talks to you is actually the President of the Certified Moron Club.

Here’s the point. THIS POST IS MEANT TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC. ALL OF THE SPAM EMAILS THAT DO NOT DISCLOSE COMPENSATION FOR PREDICTING STOCK PRICES ARE VIOLATING THE SARBANES OXLEY ACT. MOST OF THESE EMAILS ARE COMING FROM SERVERS THAT ARE OUT OF THE COUNTRY. THIS EMAIL AND THE STEPS THAT WE SUGGEST YOU TAKE ARE MEANT TO PROTECT YOU.

Mr. Michael Vass is author of http://www.blackentertainmentblog.com/ and http://www.mvass.com/, in addition to designer clothing lines found at his online store www.cafepress.com/nova68 : 

Now this sucks. I’m sure there are many other men like myself that have grown up with video games. At 38 I’ve seen quite a few games come along. Perhaps not all will remember Pong, Atari, Colecovision, Donkey Kong, and other early games. Still the interactive gaming industry generates 30 billion dollars a year, and teens aren’t getting all that from mom and dad.

 

While it’s nice to know that video games can appeal to a wide range of people, there have been changes over the years. The trend in creating open ended games was a good one (like Elder Scrolls), the greater graphics look fantastic, and real time strategy can be intense. On the other end there is the growth in violent games, violent without any cause like Maniac, or others that I find insulting, like Grand Theft Auto. Even so there is one trend that really irritates me. Ads.

 The growth of advertising in video games has grown quite a bit in recent years. At this point you can find dozens of ads filling sports, racing and other games. It’s annoying, and not a reason I buy a game for. I don’t find the inclusion to be subtle or add to the atmosphere. I don’t know of anyone who thinks they do. And any game that features an ad prominent enough for me to notice is a distraction to what I am doing. Yet the money that an ad can provide is too lucrative for a video game company to pass by.

It’s similar to ads at the movie theatre. No one likes to arrive and watch an ad for anything in-between future movie clips and the show itself. Whoever thought that up was brilliant, in a sadistic kind of way. But there is too much money to turn them down, and now its just gone too far to stop.

 The same applies to interactive gaming. If you thought it wasn’t too bad then you are unaware that Nielsen Media Research will start giving ratings on games. This is so advertisers can be charged more money to include ads, and to target the ads demographically. And in that one move the floodgates have been opened. Like to drive? Hope you like passing unlimited miles of Pepsi and Coke-a-Cola billboards. Basketball your passion? Expect to watch Adidas and Nike ads in that slow motion replay. Yeah, that sounds appealing.

Like advertisers think that this will get me, or anyone playing a game to stop, run out and get their product. More likely it will stop me from doing so. With potentially up to 3 billion dollars in ad revenue though, games will be built around the ads and not the other way around. Just like how ads are even in DVD’s especially the ones you can’t fast forward past.

 I hate this idea. I don’t see it helping to get any innovation. It will probably go the other way if you think about it. Wait and see. One game will sell well, and advertisers will love how their ads did. They will pay enough money that there will be a cheap knock-off sequel made. Not to be outdone, competing companies will see how much money was ponied up by the advertising companies and make their own crappy knock-offs. Before you know it all the innovation and imagination of the industry will go the way of Hollywood movies and broadcast network television.

The future has rarely looked so dim.

This is what I think, what do you think? 

 

Rating 3.00 out of 5

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Mr. Vass is the writer for www.mvass.com, and all comments are his opinion solely.

Of late there has been a lot of politicing on issues that really aren’t political. The main item has been former Representative Mark Foley. The way the various talking heads have been going you would think that this was motivated by the political parties as opposed to an individual man’s actions. And as time goes by, it just gets bigger and worse.

 

I do not like that Mr. Foley has gone after pages. I’m disturbed by his attempts to sexually contact underage children, as the mounting information appears to state. I’m not surprised that this has been going on for potentially years. I definitely believe many in both parties were aware, to varying degrees, of what was happening. Neither party is innocent in there actions, but this has nothing to do with the general elections.

 

The real questions are whether those in the Republican party were aware and when, and most importantly to what degree, of Mr. Foley’s actions. If some knew of these actions and did nothing, then they need to be removed. As representatives of the public they have an obligation, higher than others, to protect the youth especially when they are in their charge. Given that this is the question, it has nothing to do with policy nor the ‘war on terror’ nor any other individual.

 

I don’t think that Gov. Schwarzenegger has anything to do with Mr. Foley, yet they are both Republican. Anyone choosing to vote one way or another based on this man’s actions solely is a fool and has sold their vote cheap. If a politician is not involved in this matter, as the overwhelming number of representatives do not, then the issues of their constituents should be the only factor.

 

The Democrats give me pause as well. As information is found the real question of what was known and when becomes more apparent. Anyone who knew and held this information based on the potential effect during elections needs to be removed as well. They are no better than someone covering up the situation. As I said, they have a higher obligation to protect the youth, not the party. I agree with many that the timing is odd.

 

This is not the first time that a politician has abused their position. Many throughout the decades, if not centuries, have committed abuses. I would say that just as many or more do not abuse their position. But there have been bounced check scandals, sexual misconduct, nepotism, and favoritism in each party. Power corrupts as the saying goes. But that has nothing to do with the work going on in state X, when an unconnected individual in state Y is caught. It has nothing to do with the President or international policy. To say it does is just purely smoke and mirrors. It’s a way to buy a vote cheaply, like showing up to a church but not being devout or religious at any other point besides election time.

 

Let’s not lose focus of certain things. We are fighting a war in Iraq. It did not stop when the President claimed it did years ago. We are actively trying to prevent terrorist attacks on our nation. We are weakening some constitutional rights to be able to ensure the general safety of the nation, but the nation will be attacked again given time; and we need to be aware of what we are willing to bend on before it snaps and is gone. We are trying to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons, especially in nations that have been preparing to fight a war with us for 50 years, or actively aiding those that would attempt to terrorize us. While some may disagree with the steps the nation is taking now, none have stated a clear and defined alternative. At the least I have yet to hear or read one, even when interviewed and asked that question directly.

 

These are some of the questions that any potential leader, of any political level, needs to answer to gain a position. At least that is how I vote. Blaming a party based on the actions of one person does not give answers. Hiding information does not do it. Saying that there needs to be a change will not do it. Claiming that its someone else’s fault does not improve the situation. My vote is not that cheap. Nor is yours.

 

This is what I think, what do you think?

 

Writer Michael Vass is author of www.blackentertainmentblog.com and designer of custom clothing lines.

I’ve heard some odd things over the years. I’ve probably seen even more. Yet I do not think I’ve heard anything quite as stupid as what this one mother did to her child. There was no direct physical violence, and I bet that the mother was sure she was doing nothing wrong. But this is a case where social Darwinism would have been useful.

Basically the mother let her 18-month-old daughter take hits off of a bong. On more than one occasion. Yes, the mother gave the baby drugs. It seems this improved the baby’s appetite and calmed her down. Let me be clear on my thoughts, the woman should never have had children. She needs to have her child taken away, never be allowed to have children again and jailed.

On the point of jail, courts in Montana agreed with me and gave her a sentence of 5 years. Sadly this was more than the law allowed and it was later reduced; and that is a shame that this was the only penalty allowed by law. I presume that the state has taken the child. I can only hope there was no permanent damage, but that may well be unlikely. As for the mother, her defective genes should be excluded from the world gene pool. Preventing her from continuing to introduce her genes to the world is a benefit to mankind, in my opinion. I find her similar to the various fools that wind up killing themselves through acts of intense idiocy. Occasionally the television show Mythbusters deals with situations that reportedly happened with these types of individuals. A recent program detailed how a man killed himself via a lava lamp he placed on a stove.

My reaction may be extreme. Given. Any fool that would give a baby drugs, even one as debatably benign as marijuana, should not be allowed to have children. It’s a violation on multiple levels. I have no tolerance for an individual like this. No matter what an adult may do, I feel it’s a genetic imperative of the human race to protect children. I feel sad that there is no law in place to properly punish individuals of this nature. I feel worse that it would seem that a law dealing with this is needed.

I only hope that this woman never has another child. There are more than enough problems in the world, more than enough threats to children. This shouldn’t have to be another.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Mr. Vass is author of Black Entertainment USA and creator of designer clothing lines.

Sometimes I wish that one of the benefits of the numerous cable channels available was the ability to get foreign programs. There are gems out there, whether the program is from England or Japan or wherever. On such program is Sin Tetas. The title alone catches the attention, if you understand Spanish.

The basis of this program isn’t as great though. It’s based on a true story, which is troubling. A young girl, poor and without hope derived from a good education, decides to take the only option she is aware of. Get a boyfriend from one of the drug cartels so she can live the ‘good life.’ That may not sound like a logical conclusion in America, but this television program is created and shown in Columbia. Sadly this is more real than The Shield or any ‘reality programming’.

Don’t think that this young woman has an easy task in front of her. Let me correct that, this is a young girl. And the largest obstacle to her achieving her dreams is the less than bountiful nature of her breasts. Thus surgery is required, as no self-respecting drug-runner would have a girlfriend without ample cleavage it seems. But that costs money, which she doesn’t have. The answer to that of course is prostitution. Considering her meager endowments though she again has a difficult time. And the problems roll on from there.

If some African Americans found Mr. Bill Cosby’s truthful remarks hard to deal with, imagine the town and people this television show is based on. Few things put into perspective the quality and benefits of living in the United States. And I think a lot of kids today should see this.

This is the true ‘thug life’ under a microscope. This isn’t the vanity of cosmetic surgery for the sheer benefit of self-indulgence. It’s not using her body as little more than meat for the ability to keep the high going, or for food. It’s not accepting violence and drug addiction because of how cool and popular it is. This is worse, and its real.

Any kid that thinks they have no choice, no hope, no reason to care should see this program. This is an opportunity to do what television was created for, to educate and entertain. We are Americans (regardless of background) and we live a good life. A life that others in the world are willing to do anything, endure anything, to attain even in part. To toss that benefit aside to look cool, or emulate a pseudo drug dealing pimp, is a waste.

It is sad that this program is based on reality. But at least the lead character has the excuse that there really isn’t much choice to improve her quality of life. What excuse does a music video girl have? Or a rapper, and the movie/music video/concert stage characters they portray have?

This is what I think, what do you think?

An audio of this program can be found at Sin Tetas.

On September 14, 2006, we wrote a story in this blog about steroids in sports. Recently, the media has reported speculation about some of baseball’s biggest stars. There is no proof that Roger Clemons has used steroids. In addition, there is no proof that Bobby Bonds, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi have used steroids. However, one must question how an individual like Roger Clemons has had such a remarkable career after the age of 35. Of course, we’re not talking about a  resurgence. Roger Clemons has been one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball. Unfortunately, the fact is that no pitcher in the history of baseball has been the same pitcher after 35 as they were before 35 years old. With Roger, you can make the case that Roger has been better after the age of 35. Come to your own conclusion.

Bobby Bonds is another case. Bonds has actually gotten better after the age of 35. Once again, no hitter in the history of baseball has gotten better after the age of 35. In fact, no athlete in the history of sports has gotten better after the age of 35. Whether it’s Jordan, Orr, Montana or Ruth, none of the greatest athletes of the 20^th century have been better after the age of 35. Except of course, Roger and Barry.

I’m not sure if Clemons or Bonds have used steroids or in the designer sense, performance enhancing drugs. All I know is that you can make a very good case that they are better after the age of 35. When most people can’t run as fast or dance as well after the age of 35, the fact is that these guys have been able to defy the fountain of youth. Draw your own conclusion.

I would say that it’s about time that we just shut up about steroids in sports. After all, don’t steroids allow you to hit harder, run faster and jump higher? Isn’t that what we all want? The boys will juice because ultimately, that’s what we all want. Bunts are boring.

Mr. Vass writes for www.mvass.com in addition to providing custom designer clothing lines:

 

I was speaking with my best friend and we were discussing the fact that the dropout rate is currently in the realm of 50-70%. In discussing this we were both enraged at the complaints we’ve heard from some young African American students. Comments have been that school is too hard, or unfair, or that it’s not worth it. How such statements could be made verges on the incredulous. And it is insulting to those who have come before these students.

 

The current generation of kids in high school have the easiest time ever. There is just no excuse. While there is some risk lately from deranged individuals on a rampage, the same could be said of working in the post office in the 1990’s. Considering the number of schools in the nation, and the number of events, the risk is negligible and thankfully precautions do exist in many places to help minimize that risk further.

 

Taking out the random effect of a couple of sick people, what other excuse is there? Back in the 1980’s, in New York City – the Bronx in particular, several schools were teaching classes with books that were older than the students. I’ve mentioned how I had classes with books 3 years older than I was at the time, and this was in the advanced college bound classes. In the 1970’s and 80’s there were several instances of race riots between high schools based solely on race. In the 1960’s and 70’s there were frequent multiple instances of beatings and attacks motivated by race alone.

 

Inner city schools had worse conditions in virtually every aspect. And yes there were gangs. This is not a new thing, whether you are speaking of the Bald Meanies or Zulu Nation and the 5 percenters. I recall the chains and knives that were part of school in my day (Does that make me sound old? It was only 20+ years ago). Older burnt out teachers, suffering from little pay and class sizes of 40+ students for decades were also not a sudden new creation of the current decade.

 

There were drugs of course. Not the crack, addicted and ruined for life in one hit, kind of drugs but the up for 3 days, lucy in the sky with diamonds, nodding off wherever you may be kind of drugs. A bit more expensive but they did the trick well enough to screw up a decent portion of the generation. And easily the cause of the death of around a third of the friends I grew up with, whether from dealing or taking. I mean making it to 25 has always been a challenge, though the further back you go the more likely it was to be because of a lynching, or other racially motivated action. If you think the plunger abuses of the last decade was bad, you don’t want to think about the police dogs, fire hoses and more that were done by the authorities with impunity on a daily basis.

 

So when kids say that school is too hard, I don’t know if I should laugh or smack them upside their heads. It’s not like we had computers that could make ENIAC look like Pong, or the internet to look up even the most obscure historical, mathematical or scientific facts. The only channel of discovery I recall was going to the library and picking up a book (not an eBook, or audio book, or a downloadable .pdf).

 

The complaints today, and the surge in dropouts is sad, stupid and painful. It’s taking all the strides and efforts, made by Dr. Martin Luther King, Mr. Malcolm X, and the various men and women that were beaten or killed, and throwing it into the sewer. There is virtually nothing that a kid in school encounters now, that was not more difficult 20, 30 or more years ago. So I can’t understand what in the world they are talking about. As I mentioned, there is no excuse. I’m reminded of an old television commercial (back when there were only 3 networks and cable was what you used to tie things) by the NAACP, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

 

This is what I think, what do you think?

Additional posts by Mr. Michael Vass can be read at www.blackentertainmentblog.com : 

I recently wrote Do you qualify to be black? - 10.01.2006.1 on my www.mvass.com site. This got me thinking. Who are the leading African Americans today. Who is creating the trends, leading the politics and making the most money.

When considering American leaders money is always a factor for many. Black Americans often focus on how much someone has, in my experience, equating it with prosperity and influence. Money is a focus of music and black culture today, moreso than at any time previous in my lifetime at least. So that is a factor I looked at though I don’t find it to be as significant as many others do.

Taking that into effect I have also tried to figure out the reach of influence of each individual. This is hardly scientific and based on my own calculations. Taking age, medium, wealth, and an assumption that the primary focus of African American celebrity influence is primarily focused in the U.S. where ~13% of the nation is African American and 14% are Hispanic (Latino) American. Based on these factors I have made an equation, which is as follows:

(Net worth/medium) * age     / 
            percentage               /        world pop.   =   (the sum) squared = final value

Where medium is an approximate of the main reach of people (ie. Television viewership or my best estimate based on company sales) and world population is 6.6 billion, and percentage is 13%.

So in the case of Ms. Oprah Winfrey the final value is 9.18. As I said this isn’t scientific, but it’s something of interest. The final value equates to influence on the world. A comparison is that President Bush has a value of 91.97.

The ranking breaks down as such for several noted African Americans.

Mr. Robert Johnson – 2.66

Mr. Russell Simmons – 3.35

Mr. Tiger Woods – 12.18

Mr. Michael Jordan – 13.61

Mr. Colin Powell – 52.46

Now what these numbers are saying [based on the figures I could find which may not be accurate. If you are aware of better reliable numbers, please let me know.] is important. While apparel and music related sales do bring wealth and some influence it is very limited in the overall scale. Sports and athletic achievement is also limited though it does improve the numbers. But the real influence is held in the political realm. There is just no comparison.

With only 27 million in assets, Mr. Powell staggers over everyone else in my grouping. I would say that this group, while small is somewhat accurate in description. It comprises 2 billionaires, a broadcast television mega-star, 2 sports legends, 4 business giants, and one politician. The fact is that so much attention in black culture is focused on the wrong avenues.

Money may feel like a equal to power, but it is not. Sports may seem like a ticket to power, but it fails as well. The most important tool is direct involvement in what is going on. The richest woman, and most powerful television figure does not come close to the effect of Mr. Powell.  The math may not be perfect, but you can see that the influence over 300 million people is more directly tied to power than entertaining smaller portions of the nation.

So I must ask, why is the current theme of the culture focused on entertainment and income? When did that become more important than influence and change? Why is the superficial and transient desired above the integral and stable?

This is what I think, what do you think?

Rating 3.00 out of 5

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