Many vigils have been held across Metropolitan cities in the U.S. in anguish over the killing death of Trayvon Martin, allegedly in self-defence, by a trained neighbourhood watchman whose whereabouts remain unknown. At 17 years old, the age that Trayvon passed away, I remember well as the time where I felt great uncertainty at the future of my life just finishing high school, especially one where the September 11 attacks in the United States played a prominent role in giving a decreased feeling of safety, at least from the media's point of view. The state of that country proved rattling with greater emphasis was placed on getting the Union strong. Youth who were too young to remember the fall of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 or even the 1993 WTC bombings, now has a major life event as a marker. To many watching on television, it appeared to be a movie, but even though I have been to NY since, the reality of seeing that tragedy on television vs. being there in person does not seem worthy of comparison. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/trayvon-martin & http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/25/trayvon-martin-parent-conversation_n_1374289.html
The plight of black youth aged 12-25, is thought by some to be dire compared to many other 'races'. The representative killing of this young one on February 26th in a place like Sanford, Florida speaks volumes. I remember the old show, Sanford and Son only now, but the reference by POTUS that he felt like this kid could possibly look like his son that he could have had spoke volumes, as this boy was born in the year that the POTUS' mother passed. One month after, a livid African-American population has been adamant about highlighting the catastrophe, resulting in stars like Carmelo Anthony(New York Knicks), Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat) and Levar Burton (The Reading Rainbow and Roots) speaking out whilst undertaking a 'Black Hoodie' protest. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2012/mar/27/trayvon-martin-marches-across-us-pictures. These celebrities have all struggled through life's ups and downs and continue to persevere. The case should present itself with new information, but from reports it seems as though assuming a threat before and chasing after someone, then claiming that protecting himself in self-defense seems almost surely wrong. The significance of the two races involved, Latino and African-American, the nations largest minority 'racial' groups that make up approximately 28% of the 330 million Americans is interesting, as these have been know to pervade in larger metropolitan cities. The great Bob Dylan sang 'Gotta Serve Somebody' which was recently covered by the Pastor Shirley Caesar. Interestingly enough, I think of Gershwin, Freud, Einstein and Kafka, all smart at music, psychology, science and literature and hope that there is peace because we know that these great contributors all value their contributions to society. They belong to a similar people about whom you can find out yourself. The execution of Troy Davis last year also spoke volumes to possible insensitivity to the rights of blacks. The decision by the state of Georgia to execute him by electric shock pervaded black consciousness in a case many felt went unresolved. No political rhetoric could either explain or cover the incident which occurred in Savannah, Georgia. Both McPhail and Davis were veterans but one was resolved to be guilty, possibly for moving around too aimlessly or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. 'From Georgia to George'.
The Stephen Lawrence and Marc Duggan cases in the UK sparked similar outcry, with the latter resulting in 'riots' ,similar to the Brixton Riots of 1991, which will be remembered for some time. Darcus Howe, in a scantily rebroadcasted interviewed by a BBC reporter, said 'I have never taken part in a single riot, I've been on demonstrations that ended up in a conflict, have some respect for an Old West Indian Negro and stop accusing me of being a rioter, no need to get abusive, you just sound idiotic, have some respect, I have grandchildren......'. Indeed, the massive infrastructural damage he said was symptomatic of growing unrest among not just British youth but youth worldwide. Interestingly, it was announced that there will be not inquest at the pre-inquest into a case that may have incited further tensions in an already fragile structure. The John Terry (Chelsea)-Anton Ferdinand (Queens Park Rangers), Luis Suarez (Liverpool)-Patrice Evra (Manchester United) and Pepe Reina (Liverpool) debacles have proven to be the latest major public racial incident in the UK. According to an http://www.ibtimes.co.uk article, approximately 52,000 racist incidents were reported to the police in England and Wales. On the BBC, Jeremy Paxman recently gave a report on Newsnight on a leaking of a report on the Summer Riots and Reggie Yates (Radio 1 DJ of Ghanaian heritage who grew up in council flats) gave a report on Teen Gangs in Britain.
Luckily, Usain Bolt is free to imitate Richard Branson in many commercials starting with 'Hi, I am Richard Branson' while sitting at his desk, posing, acting as if he is going into space, using his laptop, playing his guitar, fixing up his face in the reflection of a space helmet and viewing his big screen.....all in good fun. He features on a number of campaign walls and posters in major places saying 'No more buffering..' in addition to a few Visa billboards. No more wax on, wax off Usain.
Tuesday 27 March 2012
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Young
The Indian Wells tennis tournament in California has always generated tons of excitement to me. The Desert of California poses an significant obstacle to the players because arid, windy conditions counter playability and consistency while testing fitness. After the racial row involving Venus Williams pulling out of a highly anticipated match against Serena Williams in the semifinals of the 2002 tournament, I questioned the legitimacy of the event. They were both young.
Serena's lacerated foot after the famous Wimbledon win in 2010 and subsequent cut in a bar in Germany reminded of the Battle of the Somme. The British were proud in all their glory but then Germans stole their pomp and circumstance at the river of tranquility. How Serena's peace was stolen, not by Hurricane Irene, but by systemic infections which threatened her life. Despite her stance against the tournament, she contemplated playing there just to be in the game.
While SW (who won her first slam at 19) was out, an upper-and-comer was emerging. Donald Young, who was the former junior Australian and US Open Champion at 16, faced the highest ever ranked British player, Andrew (Andy) Murray. The interesting thing about Murray was that his brother Jamie had won a mixed title with Jelena Jankovic. What proves interesting also is the he was a student at Dunblaine in Scotland. That traumatic event has been brought up time and time again. There must be obvious concern for the youth of his country. He was the youngest ever to play Davis Cup for Britain and the seventh player in the history of the game to reach the semi-finals of all-four majors in the same year. I remember another famous Murray, James, after whom his brother may have been named. The convenor and editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. Could Andy Murray be a lexicon? Losing to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in 2012 proved defining as a 6-4 6-2 loss seemed worse than the 7-6 6-3 loss a year to Donald earlier. I just had to ask what was similar. What about Indian Wells irks Murray so? The surface is slower and conditions are difficult, but we are talking about excellent service technique and athletic prowess that is a combination of the motions of a cheetah, gazelle and a long distance runner. What caused him to lose? Well as coincidence has it, the name Garcia, which is very famous in Spain, originating from the Basque region in northeastern Spain and Southern France means young. Famous Garcias include Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize winning author of the book One Hundred Years of Solitude, Maria Garcia, Ms. Universe from Peru in 2005 and Andy Garcia, of the Oceans Trilogy (11, 12 and 13).
Could the Fountain of Youth be in Indian Wells?
How Secure Is It?
The world of smartphones has opened up new possibilities to me. Having been the type of youth who has shied away from the finer things in life, i.e. I don't have a car yet, I marvel at what RIM, Apple, Google and Microsoft have been able to do with cell phones. As a child, I lived in the remote community of Hellshire Heights in St. Catherine where extreme fun was taken out of walking or riding to the community phone booth. The line at the phone booth was utilized as a social interaction cascade, as countless individuals would utilize calling cards to call overseas. Now we had cable so it was understood that it was different out there, but interestingly, as a kid, the adventure of living in a closed community posed interesting dynamics. The roads were named after Pirates after all and the nearby attraction of Three Sisters Cave and Hellshire Beach (where Sting used to be held) were particularly appealing to tourists. Granite mining in the area revealed to us precious stones, and trips through 'macka' aided or dodging and weaving. No less, growing up among acclaimed stars, folk that I never imagined would become noted names, was an interesting dynamic. Not many in the community has cell phones. I'd like to claim that my mother's at 14 Annie Bonnie Way was the first. Cable and Wireless installed the phone that was mighty expensive. It was one of those huge C-shaped phones that featured in the 1990's and wireless no less. How did this quick method of calling change the dynamic? I had a phone before, the turning dial type, but never had any enduring interest at the time. A good run with cartwheels and a look at Yogi Bear proved more interesting.
The new bank transfer mechanism from Barclays called 'Pingit' featured in the news one day. What I did not understand was the need for someone to even want to send money electronically within the same bank. What about the smell of new money, meeting someone randomly at the bank, the interaction with the tellers. Speaking of pirates, Jack Sparrow loves to say, 'Where has all the Rum gone...Elizabeth!!!' People must be asking, 'Where have all the jobs gone'? The truth is that having learned and understood credit cards as a mechanism for the wealthy, I can side with Bank of America and others for wanting to increase account fees. I hate fees, and will only accept them if jobs are attached. Innovation is great, but innovation with job possibilities should be a must. I must confess that I learned to type using a typing software called Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. It was challenging and I recommend it. As an adult, however, I wonder how many jobs are provided if I can send it to the house versus going to buy the CD taking a communal typing class. There is distress and working at an electricity company seems to be a greater guarantee, as everything runs on it. I look at the movies and wonder what the possibilities are that I would go and see one in the theatre. Do we now penalize easy or hard? If we continue to penalize hard, do we end up like the characters on Wall-E http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/synopsis ?
There are some like myself who love classism for what it is. It is a pity that that preservation is accompanied by intellectual congruity. 'Bring Classic Back' may be a good title for an R&B song.
The new bank transfer mechanism from Barclays called 'Pingit' featured in the news one day. What I did not understand was the need for someone to even want to send money electronically within the same bank. What about the smell of new money, meeting someone randomly at the bank, the interaction with the tellers. Speaking of pirates, Jack Sparrow loves to say, 'Where has all the Rum gone...Elizabeth!!!' People must be asking, 'Where have all the jobs gone'? The truth is that having learned and understood credit cards as a mechanism for the wealthy, I can side with Bank of America and others for wanting to increase account fees. I hate fees, and will only accept them if jobs are attached. Innovation is great, but innovation with job possibilities should be a must. I must confess that I learned to type using a typing software called Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. It was challenging and I recommend it. As an adult, however, I wonder how many jobs are provided if I can send it to the house versus going to buy the CD taking a communal typing class. There is distress and working at an electricity company seems to be a greater guarantee, as everything runs on it. I look at the movies and wonder what the possibilities are that I would go and see one in the theatre. Do we now penalize easy or hard? If we continue to penalize hard, do we end up like the characters on Wall-E http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/synopsis ?
There are some like myself who love classism for what it is. It is a pity that that preservation is accompanied by intellectual congruity. 'Bring Classic Back' may be a good title for an R&B song.
The Youth Debate
The new paradigm for the dimensions of youth leadership in 2012 has undoubtedly changed. The British Youth Riots of 2011 and the constant youth unemployment in Europe speak to an internal anguish at the possibilities of the future. The opening up of streams of information due to technology, has worked to make things easier but has simplified things and is indicative of a problem facing Anglophonic Youth.
A number of emerging markets in the developing world are being opened, to increase sales of technology like the Apple IPad 3, Windows Phone, Android and Blackberry mobiles, creating an increasingly connected world. Is it truly more connected? The emergence of Facebook seems to indicate a need to connect the world as televisions did for Generation X and radios did for those in the earlier segment of the 20th century, using the timeline to share as we did albums. The problem faced in terms of changes in socialization and labour now threaten the very core of what we imagined to be 'work'. There seems to be a bit of trepidation as to the mechanisms that are needed to ensure that satisfaction can be felt from one's work. Simply pushing paper is difficult and we face a throughput issue. How far and how fast can technology go? Are we going too fast, deviating from that Moore's Law curve? How do we maintain the sanctity of academia, restoring it to the prestige with which is was once seen?
It is true that there is a lot of information out there, but good academics know exactly what to highlight as relevant. Development simply isn't enough. As youth my age who are a tad concerned continue to ask, what's next for development. As a child, I was only allowed to watch 2 hrs of television on a Saturday till I was six years old, after which, I had the luxury of cable television. At 11, I was introduced to my first computer, using Windows 3.0 and eventually Windows 95. The computer speed was 16 MHz speeding up to 33 MHz on turbo resulting in a 10 minute wait time. It was only in 1997 that I ever used the internet. The first websites I remember logging onto were PBS and Nickoledeon. Everything was still on paper and email was a social phenomenon. How could one communicate by instant messenger to someone in another country. Still, I may have been introduced earlier than most. Technology jobs have increased, forcing users to select between numerous applications. Filtering is difficult. For instance, I just gave up my Facebook just to see if it mattered that there was diasporic interest or not. It is just a more live world in which egos wishing to be relevant simply have to wait their turn as folk who 'got in' first, still and seemingly will always rule. I find it quizzical that my education minister is called The-waites. What are the rules one uses to get one to come out to major events when it can be seen on Google StreetMap or Bing StreetMap?
Where has all the mystery gone? What magnanimous thing is required to garner the attention of many to some even of perceived relevance? What about the fun of the process and not of the result? It is clear that the new paradigms of youth are connection and understanding. The old find it difficult to explain antiquity, the youth try not to understand. The dinner table has lost it's relevance despite prestigious attempts by stations like Nickelodeon to stand it. Work hard was the paradigm and buy a house. Now many are struggling with housing payments with entities like Wells Fargo for repayment. The dream deferred as Lorraine Hansberry posits seems to be the new paradigm. Development or fun, which is it? Peace seems unsettling, noise seems relaxing. How do we really quantify a job well done, that is, without the 'unending' pain of not knowing if did your best. Retro seems to be the new paradigm as well. Chuck the inline skates and revert to four wheelers, these kids are doing it. We may need to follow the deputy Prime Minister and C-Legg. Part and parcel is that unification of say a 'Cosby Show' or some other national icon has made selling points across the world that much more difficult.
It used to be cool to be a billionaire and still is to some. Recent attention, however has pointed to natural disasters such as the Haitian earthquake, the Indonesian tsunami, the Japanese tsunami and nuclear fallout, the BP Oil Spill, numerous aeroplane crashes and bus crashes that have filled the news. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the fact that these events occurred but these seem to be our blockbuster events. I find myself asking 'What's God gonna do next' rather than trying to find excitement from a show. Centralization of power is seen as bad, but at the core, the human need to be united by a single force is still existent. That is why Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Yale should still be relevant, even under a system of open education. People have to be really special to run for office or have some electrifying talent. It just seems to be harder and harder to contribute with a sense of meaning, but was it really ever like that? Paint a picture like VP in 2009 and hope that the your vision is seen. Let's get about the business of understanding that the world is mixed. American has had integration for centuries, albeit a somewhat tumultous one. Mainland Britain faces the same issue. In 1940's I read that there were only 11,000 blacks in Britain, but now there are over two million, evenly split between African continent origin and Caribbean. More children are mixed (how do these deal with their sense of identity?). From a diasporic point of view, I see as interesting examples a Usain Bolt interface with Richard Branson (albeit a corny one), Levi Roots and his Reggae Reggae Sauce, Dianne Abbott running for leadership of the Labour Party and getting me to take her seriously (now is Shadow Public Health Minister), Oona King bravely attempting to becoming Mayor of London, an attempt at Meeting the Adebanjos, Samuel Benta in 'The Cut' in what I term a mistreated character, Ricky Norwood in EastEnders and Tosin Cole, who has appeared pretty much everywhere, . The interesting moment of hearing someone of Indian descent sing 'One Man' by Gaza Slim seemed to some up a generation who culture will undoubtely be mixed.
With file-sharing possibilities abound and data-services rolling back data allowances (in what I think is a good move), I can understand that the intricacies of policy with respect to future generations is interestingly complex. Yes, I hate to say it, computers are everywhere (even on islands). I wonder where Gilligan is? How do we linearize when we need to? How do we attract attention? How do we provide jobs? How do interesting things happen without damage to one's person or property? Will we ever be amazed again and do we need to be? Bringing classic back, yes, that old black and white so that we imagine in colour, is that the way? I would love to find rhetoric for my rhetoric.
A number of emerging markets in the developing world are being opened, to increase sales of technology like the Apple IPad 3, Windows Phone, Android and Blackberry mobiles, creating an increasingly connected world. Is it truly more connected? The emergence of Facebook seems to indicate a need to connect the world as televisions did for Generation X and radios did for those in the earlier segment of the 20th century, using the timeline to share as we did albums. The problem faced in terms of changes in socialization and labour now threaten the very core of what we imagined to be 'work'. There seems to be a bit of trepidation as to the mechanisms that are needed to ensure that satisfaction can be felt from one's work. Simply pushing paper is difficult and we face a throughput issue. How far and how fast can technology go? Are we going too fast, deviating from that Moore's Law curve? How do we maintain the sanctity of academia, restoring it to the prestige with which is was once seen?
It is true that there is a lot of information out there, but good academics know exactly what to highlight as relevant. Development simply isn't enough. As youth my age who are a tad concerned continue to ask, what's next for development. As a child, I was only allowed to watch 2 hrs of television on a Saturday till I was six years old, after which, I had the luxury of cable television. At 11, I was introduced to my first computer, using Windows 3.0 and eventually Windows 95. The computer speed was 16 MHz speeding up to 33 MHz on turbo resulting in a 10 minute wait time. It was only in 1997 that I ever used the internet. The first websites I remember logging onto were PBS and Nickoledeon. Everything was still on paper and email was a social phenomenon. How could one communicate by instant messenger to someone in another country. Still, I may have been introduced earlier than most. Technology jobs have increased, forcing users to select between numerous applications. Filtering is difficult. For instance, I just gave up my Facebook just to see if it mattered that there was diasporic interest or not. It is just a more live world in which egos wishing to be relevant simply have to wait their turn as folk who 'got in' first, still and seemingly will always rule. I find it quizzical that my education minister is called The-waites. What are the rules one uses to get one to come out to major events when it can be seen on Google StreetMap or Bing StreetMap?
Where has all the mystery gone? What magnanimous thing is required to garner the attention of many to some even of perceived relevance? What about the fun of the process and not of the result? It is clear that the new paradigms of youth are connection and understanding. The old find it difficult to explain antiquity, the youth try not to understand. The dinner table has lost it's relevance despite prestigious attempts by stations like Nickelodeon to stand it. Work hard was the paradigm and buy a house. Now many are struggling with housing payments with entities like Wells Fargo for repayment. The dream deferred as Lorraine Hansberry posits seems to be the new paradigm. Development or fun, which is it? Peace seems unsettling, noise seems relaxing. How do we really quantify a job well done, that is, without the 'unending' pain of not knowing if did your best. Retro seems to be the new paradigm as well. Chuck the inline skates and revert to four wheelers, these kids are doing it. We may need to follow the deputy Prime Minister and C-Legg. Part and parcel is that unification of say a 'Cosby Show' or some other national icon has made selling points across the world that much more difficult.
It used to be cool to be a billionaire and still is to some. Recent attention, however has pointed to natural disasters such as the Haitian earthquake, the Indonesian tsunami, the Japanese tsunami and nuclear fallout, the BP Oil Spill, numerous aeroplane crashes and bus crashes that have filled the news. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the fact that these events occurred but these seem to be our blockbuster events. I find myself asking 'What's God gonna do next' rather than trying to find excitement from a show. Centralization of power is seen as bad, but at the core, the human need to be united by a single force is still existent. That is why Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Yale should still be relevant, even under a system of open education. People have to be really special to run for office or have some electrifying talent. It just seems to be harder and harder to contribute with a sense of meaning, but was it really ever like that? Paint a picture like VP in 2009 and hope that the your vision is seen. Let's get about the business of understanding that the world is mixed. American has had integration for centuries, albeit a somewhat tumultous one. Mainland Britain faces the same issue. In 1940's I read that there were only 11,000 blacks in Britain, but now there are over two million, evenly split between African continent origin and Caribbean. More children are mixed (how do these deal with their sense of identity?). From a diasporic point of view, I see as interesting examples a Usain Bolt interface with Richard Branson (albeit a corny one), Levi Roots and his Reggae Reggae Sauce, Dianne Abbott running for leadership of the Labour Party and getting me to take her seriously (now is Shadow Public Health Minister), Oona King bravely attempting to becoming Mayor of London, an attempt at Meeting the Adebanjos, Samuel Benta in 'The Cut' in what I term a mistreated character, Ricky Norwood in EastEnders and Tosin Cole, who has appeared pretty much everywhere, . The interesting moment of hearing someone of Indian descent sing 'One Man' by Gaza Slim seemed to some up a generation who culture will undoubtely be mixed.
With file-sharing possibilities abound and data-services rolling back data allowances (in what I think is a good move), I can understand that the intricacies of policy with respect to future generations is interestingly complex. Yes, I hate to say it, computers are everywhere (even on islands). I wonder where Gilligan is? How do we linearize when we need to? How do we attract attention? How do we provide jobs? How do interesting things happen without damage to one's person or property? Will we ever be amazed again and do we need to be? Bringing classic back, yes, that old black and white so that we imagine in colour, is that the way? I would love to find rhetoric for my rhetoric.
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