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...but I support the Mud Island Skate Park.
I don't have any kids (yet) that skate and I don't anticipate attempting to skate anytime soon.
So why am I supporting this venture?
Because I have had my eyes opened to the stunning, near-unbelievable fact that people in this sad sack city actually *care* about something.
Memphis is a city with a terminal case of low self-esteem. Oh how we love to complain! Wahh, the crime is terrible! Wahh, racial tension! Wahh, our Coach abandoned us! If there is one thing Memphis excels at it is Monday morning quarterbacking. We will gripe and complain while never getting our hands dirty.
But not the skaters.
I’ve been to the Mud Island meetings. Two of them, actually. And I have seen a group of people willing to participate in “the system” ™. And it may stun you to realize that these people are not whatever stereotype you managed to cobble together in you mind. They are kids, parents, working adults, black and white.
They represent [brace yourselves] diversity. Yes, I know, it’s hard to believe! In a city where the ground is supposedly salted with racial hatred, the skaters are about as varied an amalgamation as you will meet.
Detractors will cry “the only reason these skaters are involved is because they want something!”
And they are right.
The skaters are, to a degree, operating with their own interests in mind. They do want something: they want Mud Island to become an integral and vital part of the city. They want it become a destination. They want people from around the worlds (yes, including skaters, professional and otherwise) to make it a “must see” hot spot.
The skaters I’ve spoken with are fully aware that the proposed skate park will only take up a small portion of the Mud Island Park (a fact that a lot of opponents seem to have trouble grasping). The Skaters are there, offering other ideas, from family friendly ventures to more local-oriented (less corporate) retail and restaurant ventures. They have ideas. They’re rolling up their sleeves and they are participating.
Finally, I know critics will want to deride this post by picking apart positive buzzwords like “hope” and “change”. Feel free. I know it’s easy to tear apart wide-eyed optimism, I’ve done it for years. I’ve griped. I’ve complained. I’ve sat on the sidelines offering people reasons why their ventures would fail.
And look how productive that has been.
I’m going to try something different now. I’m going to take something of a leap of faith and actually try to fathom…not a perfect Memphis, just a better one.
MEMPHIS DOESN’T (have to) SUCK! |
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First of all, some how my default icon got changed to a banner reading "One party, One God : Republicans for a unified theocracy". I wish I could say that was the weirdest thing to happen to me in the last 48/72 hours.
Ok, I'm going to keep this as general as possible because...well...you'll understand...and I only bring this up because I know some of you out there only keep in touch via the facebook and livejournal accounts.
In the last 48 hours Katie and I have lost our unborn child to a rare neurological tube disorder called Anecephally.
We are understandably distraught.
Our child was 20 weeks old.
My wife is a beautiful woman who I admire for her grace, compassion and courage. She is doing exceptionally well considering the situation. Thank you for your prayer regarding her healing and coping.
We are handling the situation as well as can be expected. We are very fortunate in that we are surrounded by friends and family who 100% stand by and support us every step of the way. I appreciate any sentiments or well wishes you may have regarding our healing. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we still have a ways to go regarding closure.
Those of you with children, please appreciate the blessings you have. Life is a rare, unique gift that can be torn asunder with one misplaced chromosome or gene. God bless you all and thank you.
Love, Ben |
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Ok, folks no more political nonsense.
It's divisive.
And we got a new guy coming in, so I think that we all can agree that no matter what you believe or who you voted for, we all can hope for the best. For the sake of the country.
Let me tell you about something I think is awfully damn cool - not having cable tv.
Yep, NOT having cable is awesome.
And understand something right now, my wife and I loved (I stress - LOVED) cable. We watched all kinds of nonsense and Tivo'ed stuff that we were marginally interested in. There was no real filter, we were tv-junkies. Anything and everything. We would waste nights sitting in front of the tube watching bottom of the barrel Reality TV junk.
We knew it was bad. We knew we could 'cut it' and save money. And we had the best of intentions...but it took awhile.
About three months of debating and procrastinating.
Then we did it.
We bought a HDTV tuner card off of woot.com and hooked our PC to our HDTV, creating a Media Center pc. Using the computer as a dvr and connecting a good antenna got us all the basic channels in HD plus a few weird televanglists...we were set.
We saved a ton of dough. We watch only the essential shows we love, instead of nonsense. And if we miss something, it's easy to watch online via Hulu.com or the networks.
The important thing is that while we still watch tv, we severed the nightly ritual of binging on crap. There are plenty of nights the tv stays off. We read, play games ( I suck @ scrabble - btw), we spend time TOGETHER in stead of sitting in front of the glowing tube. It's nice. |
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Obama ='s Socialist?
Really?
Have we been asleep the past eight years?
* The Bush administration gave us largest Government handout in U.S.history (the medicare prescription drug act)
* The Federal Government has grown 10 time's since the Bush administration was in Office
* The Bush administration has borrowed more money than the previous 42 Presidents combined
* The Bush administration took a record surplus and turned it into a record deficit
* The Bush administration wire-tapped American Citizens without warrant (including our own troops over seas)
* Nine banks were nationalized
* Our troops are being used for "nation building"
* The Patriot Act
* The Military Commissions Act
* Limiting free speech via the broadcast decency enforcement act
But hey, we got those sweet economic stimulus checks and no one took away our guns. So just keep on waving you little plastic American flags and telling yourself how scary-terrible it will be with Obama in office.
You know, because he's a socialist.
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"All right, you think you're all so smart?" said Campbell. Then he challenged them to play studio exec as he pitched one of his past projects. "I'm Frank Marshall," he began. "I've produced all of Steven Spielberg's movies. Interested? Okay, I've got a book written by Michael Crichton. I'm going to get John Patrick Shanley, the Academy Award-winning writer of Moonstruck, to adapt it. It'll be shot by Allen Daviau, who did E.T. Will you make this movie? Well, congratulations! You just made Congo." - BRUCE CAMPBELL |
| » To my fellow Obama supporters... |
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Ok guys and gals, first things first - how did your looting go last night? Get any good stuff in the riots? Yeah, me too! I even got an I-Phone! Wow! It was great! We even burned down a few white owned business' before setting City Hall on fire!
Next, conversion to Islam. I know all of the conversion centers and Christian Death Camps won't be going up until January but I've already started reading the Koran and preparing for our new Government mandated faith. This is going to be awesome!
Speaking of awesome, I got an application in at the new "Straight baby abortion clinic"! You know the place, right? It's where the government kills all straight babies to help build up the ranks of the "gay army". Anyway, I hope to get a job there this spring, if not I'll just sit back and collect my monthly $100,000 welfare check subsidized by traditional families that make more than $100 a week.
My favorite part about last night? The chant of "Socialism for all! Socialism for all! Soon we will crush the free market beneath our heels!" It really brought us leftist-intellectual-elite-traitors together!
And the fact that he beat Joe Biden to death - on National T.V. - and made Louis Farrakhan his V.P.?!? AWESOME!! Any day now we'll have the boarders open and have our North American Union!
OH WAIT!!!
None of that happened?!
Really?!?
Black and White celebrated side by side.
John McCain made a damn classy concession speech.
The world didn't end.
Our problems haven't instantly gone away, just as they haven't gotten worse.
But our country lived up it's potential and it's ideals.
Nov. 5th, 2008 @ 08:20 am
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| » Respect. |
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I never hated John McCain. I respect the guy. I didn't agree with his choice of running mate, but oh well. I think the guy himself is a decent fella with differing opinions. Note - I'm talking about the man. Not the party as a whole.
Anyway, it's 9:30 and things look to be going Obama's way. Which makes me happy, but I just wanted to say that I respect McCain. He has been a worthy, respectable adversary. My hats off to you old timer.
Also, I miss Tim Russert. The new guy is good...but he's no Russert.
Nov. 4th, 2008 @ 09:21 pm
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| » Want -vs.- Need plus WATCH THESE! |
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I wanna do a lot of things this weekend. Some will happen, some won't. Here's the list.
* Pass out candy and comix to trick r' treaters
* Go see Rock n' Rolla
* Go see Zack and Miri make a Porno
* Go visit former Step-Father in Dover, AR
* Start mega-cleaning house in preparation for in-laws visiting for Thanksgiving
* Go to Memphis Roller Derby
* Take a shot of Gentleman Jack every time Palin or McCain mention Joe the Plumber
So much to do, so little time...
Oct. 31st, 2008 @ 08:22 am
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| » SHOT IN THE ARM! |
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Gah!
Just got a flu shot. This is the fifth year I received a flu shot...they're free here at work. The worst I ever received was a sore arm but damn! This time I felt nauseated as soon as the needle hit my skin. I feel woozy and vomitorious.
Is that word?
If not, it should.
I should have listened to the conspiracy kooks, this potent combo of Government Nano-bots and the A.I.D.S. virus are getting to me!
Oct. 30th, 2008 @ 09:54 am
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pointblank75's journal
