Given up the Green, For the Community

Larry Powell, a Fresno California school superintendent gives up his $230,000+ salary and for the same job is now earning $31,000.  Mr. Powell will be done with his term in 2015 and is also retired.  He is taking the pay cut because he knows budget cuts towards education will be fierce in California; chippintg to do his part to save education.  I think this is EXTREMELY commendable and deserves all the praise in the world.

But I don't know what his current living situation his allowing him to do such a noble

Is he in a position where he is able to take that kinda pay cut and be just fine as opposed to others who can barely survive with that type of salary? Probably so.

I just don't want folk to not forget that folk who are truly struggling.  So at the same time, I would like to share the positives in the world, as I usually attempt to do, but also raise the issue of education and lack there of, within impoverish communities and the teachers that are truly unpaid.

A respectful bow to you Mr. Powell BUT a salute to all the teachers, especially unpaid, out there in the world....

~juskev

Iceberg finds New Found Land.

Photo by Gene Patey

This picture takes place up north to our Canadian neighbors in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. If you know science and the history of our planet then you know another possible ice age is inevitable but us humans pretty much just sped up the process of the cycle...this is one of the many living proving examples of that.

Thought it was interesting enough to post...

Hometown highlights: Double the Value

Photo by LINDY KEAST RODMAN of TIMES-DISPATCH in Richmond, VA

While doing my usual cruising through the hometown newspaper website, http://www.timesdispatch.com, I came across a story on two high school students from Richmond, VA out of Armstrong High School; a set of identical twins that were co-valedictorians. Both have full scholarships to North Carolina A&T State University.  Congratulations ladies!!

I wanted to share this story to shed light on the youth, especially of color, for encouragement to others that you can do it.

In the words of my people over at On.Us.Tees, they are definitely "Doin' It Right."

Read more here...

Lil' DeMarcus, Yo Name is Toby!

Reportedly, a fourth grader teach of Norfolk city public school in Virginia implemented a mock slave auction.  She separated the children by race; white, black and latino.

Yes, yes, I know, how can these 10 year old kids understand enslavement and its extremely dramatic effects on the human psyche and destruction of a culture of people? Shameful we should show kids the reality of the history of our nation at such an early age, right?

Well this teacher is not the only one to have gotten this bright idea.  An elementary school teacher in Ohio also felt this was a great idea.

In this day and age, children at that age are comprehending much faster than my generation (80's babies) could even imagine and much much faster (no offense) than generations before that. But that is because of the world we live in, things can become obsolete with the blink of an eye.


So is this truly appropriate? At what degree of detail do we show our children these realities, if we are to give them a kick of reality in history?

It seems with this generation of adolescent, we are ready to give insert into their minds the realities of sexual conduct but yet don't believe their minds can handle understanding discrimination at the age of 12?  I remember my first encounter of being discriminated against was when I was 10, being called a "Nigger."  I am still not saying what this 4th grade teacher did was right OR completely wrong. But what if she did not separate the children by race at all and simply did a mock slave auction where everyone's ethnicity/race was involved?  Isn't it OK wanting the kids to have a foundation of compassion towards a culture that almost completely stripped and destroyed?

I know many of you still say that an activity like this does not belong in the classrooms but I think this was a good concept with HORRIBLE execution.

I wanted to make this a thoroughly researched topic but instead I'd rather just spark interest of others reading for their own purpose of researching if they want to.  Simple as that.  Now, I will leave you to "Do the Dishes..."

~juskev

News Tid Bits: Baked Goods Not for sale

photo taken by those at WTOP

• Hey a bake sale! Everyone loves delicious cookies and such, right? Well, this aint it... Some students at George Washington University decided to protest Affirmative Action and instead sell different Races. Wonder how they came up with the prices?....
• If you're single with kids, no more tax breaks for you, possibly. So you single folks and your kids are apparently a virus on our societal moral views of proper relationships so I guess they figured you got enough help from the government and anymore would look like a government sponsorship on broken homes....really?...
• Facebook in on the action on the Middle East?  Naw, not this time before anything sparked they pull the plugged on a page >> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12902273 So much going on and has been going in the Middle East for decades and now it seems like many volcanic eruptions and we are just among the "big one".  What that might be?  I really wish I knew or do we really wanna know?....
• A man who was on wrongly accused and convicted as well as put on "death row" filed a law suit against the DA office in New Orleans was denied reparations and blame to the DA office for tampering with evidence.....justice served or a unfair verdict or both?....

If the shoes fit, PUT THEM ON.

Interesting thoughts and points have been made already; not just by this man here. Don't usually focus on government politics, so I will claim I am not focusing on that, but this is about the representation of a working class deserving of fair treatment or at least supporters of those who are to stand with them....

That is all I will leave you with, now, "You do the dishes..."

DOING IT RIGHT: 100%

Big UPs to the young men of color graduating from Urban Prep Academy in Chicago, Illinois.  100% of these highly bright and intelligent young men have been accepted to 4 year accredited institutions.  Definitely want to share this story to the world! CONGRATULATIONS GENTLEMEN!

>> Read More...

Funny Friday: You're gonna foreclose us!? BUT we're....

Wells Fargo!  A man in Philadelphia discovers he has been wrongfully taxed on his mortgage by Wells Fargo.  Because they did not response to his letter after 3 tries and more than 20 business days, he took them to court and won a legal settlement....Wells Fargo did not even show up to court so he also then took a foreclosure out on the bank...NO REALLY... How ironic...

Read more....

and I think Dave Chapelle said it best...

In the news: World Democracy or World Domination?

The people of Tunisia overthrow their President of 23 years...

 Southern Sudan succeeds from Northern Sudan, peacefully....

Egypt's people remain at unrest as they rally against their current ruler of a 5th term in which I'm pretty sure he will not get another one...the people have spoken...

NOTE:  Egypt is a republic like ourselves here in the U.S.

Many of these nations, once ruled under a tyranny of some sort,  are joining in the ranks of Democracy.  Even China was "jumping out of their seats" a little bit on hearing the news of what is going on with many countries....

**UPDATE: We can now add Yemen to follow their fellow brothers and sisters of Egypt and Tunisia in their protest for "democracy."

Yo quiero Taco Hell...

Well 50, you might get your possible revenge....?

That's riiiiiiight, finally someone is attempting to prove my theory that the mess Taco Bell (or as I refer to them as Taco Hell) sells is not really beef.

A law suit has been set for against them, no they have not been proven guilty and if this suit is thrown out, please believe, it is still horrible meet.  They use the lowest grade of beef, Grade D.

Why do you think your tacos are $.99???

Ima do me, so you need to do you.....

Is Narcissism really some physiological deformity or just a societal fungus? We live in a society of "doing me" "miss independent" "I don't need your help" "communal-less" people. I've always wondered myself if Narcissism was just something to get grant money like diagnosing children with ADD....  (photo take from ericstores.com)

A 92 year old woman finishes a FULL marathon in Honolulu If this doesn't motive you to get off ya ass, then your bad karma may be in the form of some heart attack unfortunately....

War of truths?  In NYC, Atheists and Christians are having their fun with billboards.

A 6 Hour Rant, For the People

"I now call to the Floor the gentleman from Vermont, Senator Sanders."

A 6+ hour filibuster on the Bush tax cuts?? No way? Yes, way.

Incredible? Watch, the video cause I probably will not watch it;  a senator talk for 6 hours though, would help me go to sleep....

I am posting something about this because from the Democrat Independent side of things, you don't usually hear about big time filibusters...and also because we know that many of the Obama supporters may in fact be no more because of this one big promise that looks like is not going to be kept...no blame here though....

We, the middle class, were defended well as Senator Sanders taught a semester of the U.S. economical history in 6 hours....

Who makes the top 10?

 No this is not a "David Letterman" top ten but hilariously interesting nonetheless.  Just randomly came across this article....Amongst the top ten in this list are Francis Scott Key's son and Democratic congressman Barney Frank....

Yes, a good quick read......congressional scandals

New Water, the Bloody Banks, and more...

For you seafood lovers in the DMV area, you should all know about the "Warf"....well there are some new plans for the "Warf" and Southwest Waterfront in DC....check em out here

Greece, Belgium, Spain, Romania, France, ect....remember the big European Central bank bailout talk that happened in 2008, well lads the reality is near.  Strikes all throughout the European Union are happening and it's REAL.  We aren't the only coming upon a 3rd depression....

Muslims saved Jews during WWII...yup that's right.  All extended from a strong root of faith known as BESA; which are collections of traditions of the Albanian customs and culture which altogether represent "faith" and "keeping honor"....some Christians could take a lesson from that...take that O'Reily, yeah!...




Not much more caught my eye for the small moment I had to concentrate on what's going on in the world as i continue to travel the world myself...next up...COSTA RICA.

Poverty is a crime....

Or a reason for job termination.


Kirsten Arianejad, a Compass Flight Attendant, was terminated from her job her sharing publicly that she receives food stamps.

Remembering my paved path....

Dr. Charles L. Yates, the first African-American graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, passed away August 12th, 2010.

I am ever so grateful for the courage of Dr. Yates and his fellow classmates of color for helping to pave a path so that I may attend such a prestigious university as Virginia Tech.  Tech's education and environment made me well-equipped for the world.  Involved in everything from the Computer Science clubs, to Student Government, President of the Black Student Alliance, and associated and work on several committee with much of all of the top administrators of Virginia Tech...Marching on the steps of Burruss Hall and busting into the President's administrative office when they decided to do away with affirmative action

It is both an honor and privilege to be able to follow the footsteps of those,who in some cases gave their lives, to prove equality for all.  Dr. Yates may not have thought he was doing anything grand by wanting to simply attend a great University and receive the same quality of education as everyone else, but to those students and alumni of color, it meant receiving a quality of education that some never dreamed that could ever afford or have;  it meant becoming one the first in their family to attend a 4-year University;  it meant, still in this day, fighting the odds that one day they'd be incarcerated or selling drug soon to be 6 feet under.

Big Up to you, Dr. Yates! Thanks....

May you rest in peace at your heavenly home.

-juskev

Car Camp Out....YAY!!!.....

9 DAY TRAFFIC JAM...OUCH!

For all of us here in the DMV, those in LA and NY as we complain about our traffic, imagine being stuck for an entire week plus some....No you can't.  Put that in perspective on your next commute...

DC Love, gets No Love....

To my DMV "sophisticated" clubbers out there...seems like the owner of the Park and Love had a good handle on the social scene but not the finances....hopefully next owner has some sense with economics..

More, no love,  on the DC's metrorail....70 person brawl happened yesterday....come on DMV!...on the  metro???...dag gone it...arleady dealing with the horrible traffic, now fights on the metro...guess we are gonna have to join Ed Stafford in the walking venture.....

Talk about walking forever....Ed Stafford is the first person to walk the entire stretch of the Amazon River.  He walked 865 days















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Yeah, it's been a minute since I have posted but my traveling usually starts near the end of the summer for me, so I am going to post my next music post this week.  It will be a little short but still good music as usual....peace fam!

~juskev

Dance grooves and Argentinian Rainbows...

Aiight my hokies always doing it big. First we win the global competition for the greenest house and now we re-create gravity through dance, this joint was hot!....done by PKA, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

This is definitely BIG...the 1st South American Country to legalize homosexual marriages...and the winner goes too.....ARGENTINA...hmm, i really believe this could get ugly and be ugly for a while....

Ron Paul, the only one

Just thought it was interesting that Ron Paul was the only person to vote in the House of Representatives against giving the BP oil spill panel, commissioned by the Obama administration, subpoena power. Not too suprising since he is and always has been against big government intervention but he holds tight to his morals...