Here's Where I am Wit It

I've been a certified reporter for a year - according to my business cards - and uh, I used to take it personally when people said newspaper was a dying business. Now? They just might deserve it.

Because let's face it: At the point that your organization is more focused on what sells instead of what serves, it should face the same capitalistic hardships as any other commercial enterprise.
 
I look at what newspapers were founded for; ideals such as empowering the public. Arming them with facts to stand against an unjust and oppressive government. A belief that education and freedom were closely related. If this is the true foundation of newspapers, they should be non-profits. A gentleman made a suggestion to me once. "I know it's a radical idea," he said," but what if the newspaper was in city hall and each town's taxpayers paid for it?" It actually made sense to me. Why not allow journalists to truly focus on the aspects that help people. Provide me with news, analysis and investigative reporting that holds our officials true. The Bible says it best: You can't serve two masters. Do you want to be a vehicle for public good, or do you want to make money? Apparently, principles and profit can't cohabit the same entity.

But they've strayed from these altruistic principles.

I'm not a journalist because I'm nosy and I want "the scoop." I don't give a damn about beating everybody else to the story. The most meaningful aspect of this gig is the stories that have had some kind of impact, the ones that have led total strangers to help each other.

We're in an age where a newspaper lays off hundreds of people because it made $1 million less in quarter 3 than quarter 2. Where is that revenue? Try looking in the CEO's pocket. That's not what I'm here for.

I will defend journalism until I die. But I'm not writing for your bottom line, and I'm not writing to make sure your books balance. It's not that people are too busy and too distracted to read the paper. It's not that times are tough and people would rather buy things they need than purchase a subscription; it's that they no longer believe in what you stand for.

Reason No. 8,667 Why My BF is Great

Me: For my 25th birthday I'm cutting my hair. It's gonna look just like yours.

Him: I don't care. I don't have "Long Hair Syndrome."

Me: :D !

S.O.S.

A story in the local business journal caught my eye:

UR receives $5 million to support business major


The University of Rochester said Monday it has received a $5 million gift to support its new undergraduate business major. The gift was given by Barry Florescue, an alumnus and member of UR's board of trustees.

There you have it, people. I was horrified to hear of recent budget cuts at my alma mater. "We have to do something!" the outraged alums all cried. Yeah, we have to Save Our Selves.

The first part is getting a job (or creating a job) that will generate $5 mil in disposable income...But then again, if 1,000 alums all gave $50, we'd be on our way.
Homework for Self: One day I'm going to put in the research to see if any HBCUs have alumni that give on a comparabe level of those at Traditionally White Institutions. Considering that people like Oprah, Spike Lee, Bill Cosby, Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson and the founders of Rainforest Films all went to black schools, I would hope so. However, I'm also fully aware that a handful of affluent standouts can't be asked to carry the weight alone.

It's Hard Being a Man

I tend not to watch Pastor TD Jakes because his lisp is off-putting (yes, I've said it before: he sounds like Winnie the Pooh.) But on Father's Day I turned on TBN and though he was preaching about men, he said things women really need to hear.

To start off he shared a secret that women will never know because we are, well, women.
"It is hard being a man," he said. I think, ladies, that we should keep this in mind. Absolutely, it's difficult to be a woman as well, but in a country where most black children are born to single mothers, we should understand how much harder that makes it on a young boy who can't learn how to be a man from mommy. (And really, girls, I look at it like this: if I didn't have a father, who from my childhood would I have had to look up to as a good male role model? Not too many solid choices, and you likely can say the same...)

Jakes also said men have fewer role models to look up to for help navigating life. A mentor is so crucial because you need someone to see your potential and help nurture it. He said many men are just kids because no one looked them in the eye and said, "I see the king in you." External recognition of who you can become keeps you from straying toward vices that can stop you from achieving it.

So with that said, I'm not among the women out here who say there are no good men left. I know quite a few, and I'm proud of you - and whoever raised you! Life is hard for everyone, but we can't expect you to just shoulder it all and our problems too without acknowledging how much work that takes. Keep pushin', men!

I Always Want You When I'm...

There's an inexplicable phenomenon that occurs when you're in an altered state. I studied this in psyschology once, "mood-dependent memory," I think. Simply put, let's say you were high when you studied for a test. You should be high when you take it in order to recall the information.

But sometimes the mind does this without you even trying. You know what I mean,  how your not-right mind just associates itself with a certain person? No matter how out of it you are, there's that one number you call first when you drunk dial. Like your memory only conjures up this person when in an altered state.

I thought about it when listening to this song by new artist The Weeknd. The chorus?  "I always want you when I'm comin' down."

Comin' down off what? Oh, you don't need to ask...