Thursday, June 23, 2022

My Opinion on the US Supreme Court's Decision: On Guns


I think the Republican lead SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) is now party to the business of killing Black people--IF nothing changes with policing.  Their decision concerning New York gun laws has made it more of a problem for people of color to stand their ground against police, who either misuse or misinterpret their authority, like White-Americans do.  (Because as we have seen in videos, they rarely get shot)

I didn't think their jobs were to manipulate the laws of this land.  It looks like they  have done that on several occasions.  So--I guess there is no more settled law.

Police are already claiming they fear for their lives when African-Americans breathe wrong or turn to walk away from a situation escalated by the police.  Now, with this new ruling by the Supreme Court about concealed weapons, I believe

Monday, May 30, 2022

Bertie County's Tall Glass of Water Project (TGOW)

Looking at the Bertie/Edenton Bridge afar.

Have you visited the beach at the Bertie County’s Tall Glass of Water Project?  It started gaining steam back in 2019.  I’ve linked to the Bertie County page above.  It tells all about the project and I encourage you to go and read about it for yourself.  I got so interested in it, I took a quick trip out to take a look for myself. In my opinion, it looks like it could be a great start to a good thing.

However, I must mention a few things that you might need to be aware of.

Things that made me go…Hmmm

  1. The GPS is slightly off if you are using it to travel to the location (video link from a revisit to the site).  And signage could be better.  I drove smooth past the entrance when I saw a little graveled road and the GPS said I had farther to go to get there. 
  2. The gravel road.  Big rocks. One and a quarter lane.  Which means you have to share the road going in and coming out. It wasn’t a difficult maneuver, but was still a little awkward.
  3. Parking.  There is a big grassy field where you park… much like some makeshift concert secondary parking; but it was doable. 
  4. The actual beach fronts.  Country is what country does. 😎  This actually reminded me more of a cove situation. In some places you had more space to put beach chairs and what not, but in all situations, the shore was narrow.  There were rusted engine blocks and tires—which made for good exploration and adventure, but Nags Head twin… it was not. 🙂☺

 

But, I can say that there were a good number of people out there having a great time, and more were coming in as I was leaving.  I think this will be a well-used beach/water access.  Congratulations to the project planners!  And I look forward to many more great things.  I took pictures!

 
 


Image of me at TGOWP
Hey Y'all!


Monday, April 25, 2022

"Don't Take It Personal"… Really?


Has anyone ever told you-- "Don't take it personal"?  My response is, How can I not?

  1. You are personally talking to me.  
  2. I am the one standing in front of you. 
  3. I am the one you are addressing.  

So, if we are being real, I think saying "Don't take it personal" is a cop out.  Because, people want to say what they want without having an actual discussion and coming reciprocation.

I've heard the term used especially in business.  As if, them, adding that little jewel of a phrase, is going to emotionally detach you, but...   

No, sir… It was me personally putting in the time, thought and effort into doing whatever it was that needed to be done, so I am personally invested.

As a matter of fact, it is my belief that everything we do is "personal" … that's why when someone offends you, or says or does something that you don't agree with, you want them to take "Personal Responsibility". 

So, please-- speak your truth, but don't try to patronize or belittle the situation by dismissing the personal.  You said what you said, or did what you did... So now, just be prepared for the follow up. 

Peace and blessings.

What do you think? Click the short survey and leave your comment!

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Mobile Institute: Community Issues and Solutions


Summary:

This is our 2022 Mobile Institute sponsored by The Vanderbilt Divinity School, in cooperation with Dr. Teresa L. Smallwood.  We talked about several topics and had a great conversation  about issues in rural communities and black America.  It was a two day event having conversation with young professionals-- interesting and informative.

---------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to the page for our upcoming Mobile Institute!  Community Issues and Solutions is the theme for the institute and we'll be covering several topics.  Our goal for the 28-29 January 2022 institute is to create thought and action for addressing some of the common issues found across communities. Have you ever wondered who to contact for voting questions or if a certain resource was available in your community?  Come join us for casual conversation and a great learning experience!  The institute is intended to be start to another conversation to better our communities!  As we add speakers and officials, they'll be listed below! 

UPDATE:

Mobile Institute Links for Friday, 28 January 2022 Time: 2:00 p.m. Central / 3:00 p.m. Eastern




photo of Dr. Lassiter F. Speller
Dr. Lassiter F. Speller

Dr. Lassiter F. Speller is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Eastern New Mexico University-Portales. He received his BA in Psychology from Winston-Salem State University, a public HBCU in North Carolina, before earning his MA and PhD in Cognitive-Experimental Psychology from The Ohio State University. Dr. Speller's focus is primarily on cognition & psychophysiology, however he has a wide range of research interests, including linguistic reality monitoring in politics, human factors/ergonomics and user interface experience, as well as design research and environmental design.





photo of Dr. Dewayne Williams
Dr. Dewayne Williams

Dr. DeWayne Williams is an Assistant Professor of Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. He earned his BA, MA, and PhD in Psychology from The Ohio State University. With a broad interest in social health psychology, Dr. Williams’ research specifically focuses on social psychological factors and physiological mechanisms underpinning self-regulation, health, and health disparities found between African and European Americans.





-------------------------------------------------------


FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/VDSTheoJustice YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txPmFvPIQIk Be sure to watch and participate through chat!


Dr. Danielle Speller

Danielle Speller is an assistant professor of physics at Johns Hopkins University.  Dr. Speller’s research involves looking for new particles and rare particle interactions that would lead to a deeper understanding of how the world works. 

Dr. Speller is an alumna and Park Scholar of North Carolina State University, and earned her doctorate at the University of California at Berkeley.  Her postdoctoral training was at Yale University.  As a graduate of K-12 public schools in eastern and central North Carolina, Dr. Speller maintains an interest in the academic engagement and flourishing of students of color at all levels of education, and in particular, broader impacts of an education in physics.





Image: Community Issues and Solutions Resource Guide
Community Issues and Solutions Resource Guide







#MobileInstitute  #CommunityIssuestalk #