Stop on through and get yo shameless self-promotion on lol ; )
Tag: Post
The Radio
Love this! Objectification at its finest. I Love this kind of writing.
Your voice wants to be held. Close tucked into the palm of my ear and bent like crooked fingers curling, you smolder. Burnt notes crackle. You are the tip of an unfiltered cigarette. You ash where others breathe. When my hand opens, you’re caught, finger fried in the molding of what wants to be said and what slips behind. Forever binding, you fall in between the cracks of my hearing. Softer words were never said.
Movie Night Friday – Lean on Me
Good Morning everyone and welcome to another week of Movie Night Friday. Where I present some of my favorite movies and why I love them.
“Lean on Me” is one of my most favorite movies. In fact, as I think about it, this one should have been first! Then again, I’ll probably say the same thing about next week’s pick. This is after all my most favorite movie list.
“Lean on me” (’89) is a movie based on the real life story of a New Jersey High School principle, Joe Clark, who was called in to be principle of East Side High School. A former teacher of the school back in the 60s, the place to which he returns is anything but the way he left it. It is no longer a place of learning, but a place of drug abuse, gang violence, and despair. The premise of Clark’s return is built on the coming closure of the school. If Clark cannot get the children to pass the minimum Basic Skills Test, the school will close.
What I like about the movie is the dramatization of someone who truly cares about his students and their well-being. Joe Clark is a principle, a teacher, and also a father. I also like Clark’s no non sense demeanor. When he steps into the school to find it in such chaos, he focuses his attention on the teachers. He scolds them for their lack of authority and effort in maintaining the school. He does not accept their excuses, nor does he accept their advice; for if they had done it right the first time, he would not be there. His methods are strict yes, and he is in many areas arrogant and in need of a little scolding himself, however, his stern approach is exactly what the school needs. Why is the music teacher preparing her students to perform Mozart at a concert when they can barely read? The school is overrun by students who’ve been there over five years and have no intention of getting an education. As a result, those trouble-makers are thrown out and everyone, from student, to parent, to teacher, to Vice Principle, is held strictly accountable for their actions. Even the school board feels Joe’s rage.
But eventually, his unconventional methods lead to a clash with city officials and outraged parents of students who’ve been expelled. One parent in particular is out for Clark’s blood. If only she can be added to the school board to vote Clark out. And when Clark puts chains on the school doors to keep the gang members out, the Fire Marshall warns about the fire hazard, though Clark dismisses his threats. But if the Fire Marshall catches Clark with the chains on the doors however, it won’t be good for him, his students, or the new school he is trying to build from what’s left of the rubble.
Movie Trailer:
Funny Movie Error:
When Joe Clark is having his talk with Sams on the edge of the roof of the school, Sams is on the right and Clark is on the left (when viewed from the ground). When they’re done talking, Sams turns to his left and walks away – turning to his left would have made him fall off the roof after just a few steps.
LOL! Watch the movie and see if you can catch it!
“What’s your favorite movie? Why do you love it?”
#Ronovan Writes #BeWoW Weekly Blog Prompt – Connections
What connects one person to another? What provokes them to inspire, encourage, and to display characteristics of kindness? What makes them care so deeply about the whereabouts and well-being of others as if come from themselves? As if attached at the hip, what makes an individual go out on limbs, what makes them sacrifice?
In “A Child is Born” a great photographic look on life inside the womb, Lennart Nilson and Lars Hamberger begin their work with love:
“Love is an incredibly strong, enduring force and has been since time immemorial. The pattern is recognized in every culture in our world: two people are mutually attracted and feel the irresistible urge to unite.”
When a baby first emerges from his mother’s womb, he is looking for Love. It is the reason he comes out crying. Once safely enveloped in the serenity of his mother’s womb, he emerges into this strange place and must instantly reconnect with love. So he cries, and she cries for it. And in their innocence this love connection is worn like a sacred garment until we reach the age where we are taught to hate. This teaching may take many forms, but we are taught it and eventually we lose our innocence, we lose the ability to love. Maybe we saw something that disturbed us; maybe we were traumatized by an experience. Whatever the reason, when we reach a certain age, a world that is absent of Love eventually teaches us how not to Love, and we thus spend the rest of our lives in search of this connection.
I seek to re-connect with people through love. Despite the stigmatizing of this word, the carelessness in which it is handled, and the abuse it has endured, Love is not just a word. It is not just here for our convenience when we need something or when we think it will be of benefit to us. Love is not just a four letter word we use to justify our wrong, but Love is action. It is not just spoken, it is seen. We see it when people forgive each other. We see it when a homeless man is fed. We see it when a wrong person is corrected. We see it when a hug is distributed. Not only do we see it, we hear it. The beautiful thing about love and how it connects one person to another is that it surpasses language barriers, and culture clashes. If I travel to China and I see that an elderly man has fallen while walking down the street, I will move to assist him so that he stands back on his feet. I have no knowledge of Chinese, but I do know the language of love. Likewise, for many of you good people out there, if you saw that I was in distress, you will move to give encouragement when you see that it is needed. So love is also an interpreter. It has the ability to discern motives and acts as a guide. In this way, we build a bridge of cohesion that makes room for further understanding of one another as individuals. Because there is an absence of Love in the world, it has caused us to disconnect and forget how to treat one another and how to build positive relationships.
So for this week’s Positive #BeWoW Post, I am re-connecting through love. Continuously seeking to better understand what it is, how to distribute it, and how to accept it.
Technical Glitch
A post came through earlier about Movie Night Friday. Please disregard that post; it was supposed to be for tomorrow (obviously). I have rescheduled it to post tomorrow. My apologies for the inconvenience, but if you click on the one that posted today you will not find it. I have removed it.
Thank you for your patience.
– EC
The Only 12 1/2 Writing Rules You’ll Ever Need
Black Entrepreneurship
“Yes, let me get a beef and cheese please.”
I stood in observation as my husband passed the cashier the card to complete the purchase. It was nice and warm out yesterday and the Little Caesar’s boomed with life. The bright orange and yellows of the colors blended perfectly with the chipper atmosphere that always accompanies warm weather. The young woman in front of us bounced around, smiling and joking as she completed the purchase, buzzing around the restaurant to finish other things, like what the young man behind her (slightly older, I round him off to be eighteen) was pulling up on the laptop. Yes, the laptop. Maybe it too wanted to take part in whatever it was going on up front, eager to be cradled in the arms of its owner. As my nose preoccupied itself with fresh dough and pizza sauce, I let my eyes roam the rest of the store. The warm ovens and counter-top blocked my direct view, however the bodies spilling over the sidelines and walking back and forth did not allow for much obscurity. Plus, the cooking area that I could not see wasn’t very concealed, resounding like the halls of a high school, the chit chatter of non business conversation floated into the air. An older woman sat waiting for the remake of an order as if she’d rather be watching the news, and a young man with three small boys came in behind us. The itty bitty’s could not have been more adorable, though they looked like three little men. Two of which sported white t-shirts and blue jeans, Jordan’s, light complexion, and a head full of what we used to call bee-bees (when the naps let you know it’s time for another haircut). These boys looked to be no older than a year and appeared to be twins. The other boy was darker in complexion and a couple years older with softer hair outlining a Mohawk. He was, by far, more outspoken if you will and decided it was time to climb on top the counter and see what all the commotion was about. He even decided he’ll stand up and had plans of jumping until his father caught wind of his body in his arms. Whew, that was close.
A couple more customers came in, two young women. The sun was out and so were they. I smiled at my husband who preoccupied his eyes with his cell phone. I’ll tease him about all the booty standing in his way later. Let’s just say there were enough thighs to go around. They were there to see if such and such had come into work today and discussed this with their friends, emptying conversation over the tops of counters and over the people’s heads.
As I sat back and watched this scene play out before me, feeling more and more like this was my kitchen and my children had invited their friends to dinner, I began to wonder: “It would be nice if the same black people who worked this store could also own it”. They are so content right now, making the hourly wage that could support Jordan and cell phone habits. But, what if we taught young people to look at their 9-5s as potential businesses? Often we ask ourselves, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” But our interest never completely change as we transition into adulthood. They are just better developed but they never completely change. So instead of the ancient “What do you wanna be when you grow up?” Is it possible to start asking the question: “What do you enjoy doing?” And, “in what way can you turn that into a business idea?'” If you work part time at a restaurant, why not see what it takes to own one like it one day? If you like doing hair, why not set out to have your own shop and list of clientele? Housekeeping at a hospital? What does it take for you to become licensed and contract yourself out to hospital chains and apartment complexes?
I could go on and on about why I think Black Entrepreneurship is important, but it is best that we look at the facts together:
“Koreans own the beauty supplies and nail shops; Arabs and Mexicans own the fast food restaurants and liquor stores; Jews / Europeans own the banks, pawn shops, and other lending institutions, and east Indians own the gas stations. The so called African American owns little to no businesses in his own community.”
African Americans are the biggest consumers and yet they own no businesses within their own communities. To be a consumer means you are not an investor, you are not an owner, you are instead a spender. Before the collapse of one of the most prominent African American communities in the nation, the dollar in the greenwood community of Northeast Tulsa Oklahoma rotated 36-100 times before it left the community. This means, the people in that community spent money at the local stores before going outside that community. For instance: Clothes bought at Elliot & Hooker’s clothing at 124 N. Greenwood could be fitted across the street at H.L. Byars tailor shop at 105 N Greenwood, and then cleaned around the corner at Hope Watson’s cleaners at 322 E. Archer. Today, the dollar leaves the black community in less than 15mins.
The PBS Blog 