Archive | June, 2008

The Kansas City Royals Honor The Kansas City Monarchs

By on June 24, 2008 in General Interest, Society

The Kansas City Royals honored Jackie Robinson’s last Negro Leagues team by wearing the old school uniform as their latest throwback uniform on Sunday. Check the link.

If you’re a baseball fan you know that during the season all the teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) wear any number of past versions of their team gear at various points during the season. They go “retro” or “throwback” as a fun ride back down memory lane for some and a good basic baseball history lesson for younger fans.

It could be old baggy wool uniforms from way back in the day or a powder blue road uniform reminiscent of the 70′s and 80′s. Either way it’s a fun promotional thing the MLB has been doing the last few years.

Kudos to K.C. for honoring Black history in June. If any of you want to combine your love of sports and history into a nice road trip, try making the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri a point of destination.

Comments { 0 }

Juneteenth/Jubilee Celebration

By on June 19, 2008 in General Interest

Today is a momentus time of remembrance for African Americans all around the country. Many of you many not know why though so let me enlighten you. It was almost a century and a half ago on Jan 1, 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Due to the obvious limits of communications technology and a degree of social resistance of that time it took a few months to a couple of years for the news to spread around the country.

It was specifically two years later by the time the news got to the state of Texas. When it did it became the genesis of the Juneteenth celebration, a tradition started by black Texans, but shared by many in various parts of the country. You’ll see some of my fellow AfroSpear bloggers writing about that particular comemoration. I’m going to let you know a little more about it’s celebratory cousin, Jubilee.

That’s how the holiday is known in the state of Kentucky. My old church began to help revive the idea and bring it back to memory in the Louisville area a few years ago. What began as a heritage and history celebration in the neighborhood of the church has grown to be a major festival downtown not far from the banks of the Ohio River.

As it turns out other states refer to the occasion in the same way. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine released this proclamation to the citizens of his state recognizing the 145th anniversary of President Lincoln’s historic federal legislation.

The origin of the word Jubilee is Biblical. It comes from the Old Testament scripture Leviticus 25: 40-54. The entire chapter covers the concept of redeeming goods and property of all sorts to families or individuals and dealing justly with one another in assorted ways every 49th year. Be sure to read the entire chapter for context. But, these particular verses deal with the redemption of slaves to their personal freedoms.

Interestingly you will notice some references to forms of slavery that were allowed. Makes you wonder if that was one of the scriptures Americans and Europeans used to justify the evil institution in modern times. The most important part for us however is the redemptive spirit of this section. If only the concept of a fifty year cycle had existed in America just think of where we could have been much sooner as a nation.

Thank God that we have advanced as far as we have. Check on local or near-to-home Juneteenth and Jubilee celebrations in your area and share the remembrance and the heritage.

Comments { 5 }

Toastmasters International and Golf, An Unbeatable Combination

By on June 17, 2008 in General Interest, Toastmasters International

Last week I wrote a couple of posts on upgrading your golf game and improving your public speaking skills and perhaps you thought they were interesting yet unrelated subjects. Not so, friends. I just wanted to give you time to digest both topics and allow them to sink in really well. Now I am about to give you an “actionist plan” – way better than your typical action plan – that will make you more competitive than you’ve ever been. Do what I’m doing. Fine tune your golf game and your communications game at the same time.

These two subjects of interest are powerful tools individually. But collectively I call them the Quantum Combo. One reinforces the other. They feed off each other by their complimentary natures and the two together will catapult you forward in ways you haven’t imagined up to this point.

Read Andy Dlugan’s link on how better communication and presentation skills will push you ahead of the pack for leadership opportunities on the job. The golf gatherings for fun with the office mates are gold mines of opportunity. They are also another chance to show off your outstanding communication talents.

Couple this with being able to hob-knob with your boss and his boss and her boss and all of their bosses along with every lateral peer and every subordinate below you in the organization at the next company golf scramble. You can’t help but elevate your career to another level. It’s a can’t miss proposition.

What’s that? Your company doesn’t have a golf scramble? Perfect! Start one and show yourself to be a leader once again. All the other duffers at work are just waiting on someone to do it. So why not be everyone’s hero and start a new company tradition?

June is halfway thru and July is upon us. Make it your business to make the second half of the year more profitable. Be an actionist and join your nearest Toastmasters International club and then sign up for a golf class at your nearest public course. Put the Quantum Combo into play and change your destiny today.

Comments { 0 }

Black Men and Cancer

By on June 16, 2008 in General Interest, Society

I did my blood test on Monday morning of last week for my first ever PSA exam. PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen. I turned 40 this year and it’s time to see if the family tendency for prostate problems is trying to minifest itself in me. Our old perceptions and taboos that we historically haven’t talked openly about have probably been killing us Black men needlessly for generations. Well I’m doing my part to help stop that trend.

It’s time to confront this health matter head on. Our family reunion is later this month. I’m going to risk angering and irritating some relatives for the sake of family health education. That’s O.K. though. If the effort saves lives I’ll give a good shake to the entire family tree (LOL).

The desired outcome is that in the process of updating the ancestral record maybe some of the folks in attendance will start talking, remember some past health events of their own and of those who have passed away, and perhaps begin to connect the dots. This should encourage my generation and younger to be more proactive about doctor visits and all of the important exams.

My doctor told me that getting started on the process early is important because men between 40 and 60 get lax on having the proper battery of tests done on a regular basis. That’s one reason this age group gets in trouble health wise. Unfortunately Black men in particular are still notoriously negligent about annual check ups and having problems checked.

We REALLY have an issue dealing with anything in remote proximity to our testicles. Yes I said TESTICLES in bold capital letters. Fellas, stop acting crazy and start being more sensible. All it takes to start off is a blood draw that gets tested. That’s what the PSA lab exam is for – to check for the appropriate levels of the important ingredients in your blood. If anything is out of whack the doctors will know and they can start working out strategies to solve any issues before they become real problems. If it’s already a problem, maybe they can solve it and keep you on this side of eternity with your families a few years or decades longer.

Contrary to movie and T.V. stereotypes, the anal exam is not the first step. For your information the formal name is DRE or digital rectal exam. But hey, even if it was the first step, so what. Do you really want to risk unnecessary problems by doing nothing? Go ahead and get checked to make sure you stay in the best health shape possible.

Before you do that though do some homework. I’ve been calling different family members who know “who died of what and when”. I’ve been finding out all sorts of stuff covering cancer, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease in my family. When I went back to see the doc later last week for my PSA test results I was able to have an intelligent health history discussion with him. You guys need to do the same thing. By the way, my test results were great. Just need to excercise more like most of us.

So let’s review what you need to do this week: (1) Call your relatives and document your family’s cancer history, (2) Call your physician for a PSA test. (3) Read up on the American Cancer Society and Prostate Cancer Foundation links high lighted through out this post and further educate yourself on the subject. Save yourself and help your family in the long run. Maybe we can all hang around for a while longer.

Comments { 4 }

…they shouted, “Play that funky music!”…”got to keep on playin’ funky music”…

By on June 16, 2008 in General Interest

I heard some Wild Cherry recently and since I haven’t hit you with a good oldie in a minute I figured now would be a good time to get your motors running again.

Ready to get your day started with a jam before you hit the door? Turn up your computer speakers and make your monitors shake.

Yeah baby! Now you can go to work. Make it a great day.

Comments { 0 }

Fathers Growing In God’s Grace

By on June 15, 2008 in Faith

This was the title of my pastor’s Father’s Day sermon this morning. It was great. The message was exactly what I needed to hear today. The scripture was from the New Testament, 2 Peter 1: 5-11 (New International Version) and it says:

5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

————————————————-

He hit a lot of good points. For instance:

We can’t love or forgive in our own strength and power. God’s grace is what gives us power to love the unlovable.

He also mentioned that we can’t be good today and act any old kind of way tomorrow. We have to be consistent at all times and in all places.

And, we husbands must love our wives and children. We can’t do well by others without doing so by our own first.

Learn what God is saying to you, then apply it.

We fathers need to learn patience. The only thing in the world that is instant is salvation.

Kindness and love work together.

He wrapped it up by saying all these things are hard to do. That’s because the Christian life wasn’t designed to be easy. We can’t be discouraged because God is faithful and dependable in what he says.

————————————————–

One of the supporting scriptures I really like is Galations 6: 10 (NIV):

10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

I needed this one today. It’s going to give me a really good boost into the week. I hope it does the same for you too.

Comments { 0 }

Here’s How You Add the Linkedin Widget

By on June 13, 2008 in General Interest

Here’s a link to the section of Linked in that explains how to select the widget button you want to add to your blog. Click on the Promote Profile link on the page that this link sends you to.

The widget allows your readers to jump into your Linkedin profile in case they want to network with you more directly beyond commenting on your blog posts. You have your choice of a few different button styles so see what you like, copy and paste the script into your site, and see how it fares for you.

Comments { 4 }

Link Up On Linkedin

By on June 13, 2008 in General Interest

If you haven’t set up a Linkedin account go ahead and do it now. You’ll be amazed how quickly you’ll catch up with old friends and colleagues. I’ve already hooked up with a bunch of my fellow Tuskegee University alumni.

I’m waiting to be approved by the Toastmasters International, INROADS, AfroSpear and Entrepreneur.com groups. Click on my profile icon in the left sidebar next to this post. That’s where you can see all the detailed info you can add for friends and potential professional contacts to refer to you or even refer you to others.

I still have a bit of work to fill mine out but check out some of my contacts and see their online resumes and other key info they think is valuable for others to know. This is by far the best online networking tool I’ve found.

The only issue is that Linkedin doesn’t seem to be allowing new groups to be created at this point. Not sure why but the link says they are working on making their groups database more efficient searchwise. Hopefully they will get it together soon. In the meantime the only method to join a group is to go thru one that any of your contacts happen to belong to.

The Linkedin crew’s efforts to reformulate their search algorithm is no stumbling block though. Sign up today and tinker with your new online community this weekend.

Comments { 3 }

Embed YouTube Videos Into Your E-mails

By on June 11, 2008 in General Interest, Programming/Coding, Toastmasters International

I figured out a new trick! I feel like such a smart guy. Guess what? Did you know you could embed YouTube clips into your e-mails the same way you do on a blog? It’s just a code copy-and-paste. When you send the e-mail, your recipients will see the middle of the bracketed “object” embed link hi-lited.

When they click on that hi-lited part of the embed link, it will open a browser window. The recipient just clicks on the play button in the center of the video just like they would on your site. And voila!!! Instant movie. In case you’ve never played around with YouTube and you don’t have a blog or website to embed video clips into, just test it out in an email to yourself. I sent this one and another in an e-mail to my Toastmasters club yesterday. Look at the grey section next to the video clip. The computer code under the “Embed” title is the part you copy and paste.

Send yourself a link and click on it to verify it works correctly. Then share your favorite stuff with all your e-mail buddies. You should still sign up for a YouTube account so you can create your own personal library of music and movie shorts of all sorts. Then you can become true YouTube junkies like the rest of us.

Comments { 1 }

Missouri Has the Cheap Gas…So Far

By on June 10, 2008 in General Interest

With the ongoing national fuss over rising fuel prices, here’s a link from my home state providing some good behind the scenes analysis. Thanks to my home girl Tia Gigger for the email link to the story. Not everything is a conspiracy, people. It’s just good old world scale supply and demand.

The real problem is the politicians acting like whusses when environmentalists throw fake science in their faces. More refineries is the answer to the problem! But that’s another post for another day. Read on.

Comments { 0 }