Connect with us

Featured

Bad Kids? Blame Bad Parenting

Published

on

Ice Cream Parlor

There are no shortage of teenagers participating in tomfoolery on the Internet these days. Most seem to be simply looking for any kind of attention they can get, be it good or bad. But for those that go overboard with their antics, where does culpability lie? Most of social media seems to think that it is okay to blame bad parenting for bad kids…but is that fair?

Bad Kids? Blame Bad Parenting.

The Product of Bad Parenting?

This week, the “Idiot of the Internet Award” goes to the teenage daughter of a New Jersey State Trooper that decided it was a good idea to take to Twitter and post pictures of herself in “Nazi” regalia. As if the pictures were not bad enough, the anti-Semitic tweets such as “I really wanna drive around Lakewood (New Jersey) and run over every Jew with my car.” and another post of a crowded ice cream parlor in the predominantly Jewish community with the caption “perfect bombing time”, were as equally hurtful and disrespectful. Some would go as far to say that her words border on terrorist threats and had she been Muslim, and NOT the daughter of a State Trooper, she would probably be in jail.

d1

Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza (Left) and movie theater shooter James Holmes

So what exactly are the legal ramifications for a teenager dressing up as Adolf Hitler and threatening to kill Jews? In the minds of New Jersey prosecutors, there are none. According to this team of nitwits, the teen’s post were found to be offensive but were not a credible threat. And while the jury of public opinion has taken the complete opposite stance on the matter, an unlikely accomplice to the teen has also been named. Her parents.

I have to admit that it came as a bit of a shock to me that her parents were catching just as much heat for her behavior as the teen herself. Then again, this type of behavior has to be learned, right? It had to have come from somewhere. This incident made me think of two others (Adam Lanza and James Holmes) where the parents came under fire for the actions of their children. Here were two ADULT men acting on their own volition and still parenting skills became the focus of attention in each case. I believe we can claim it as fact, that bad people can come from good parents and vice versa, so at what age do we start holding people responsible for their own actions? And when does it stop being ok to blame parents for the actions of their children, if ever?

 

Article

Rest Easy Eric Curran a.k.a M.C Krispy E

Published

on

Almost every year for the past 6 years and on the same day, I’ve posted the same pic of me in the hospital  during my temporary and untimely demise  in 2015. A few weeks after I was back to “normal”, I asked Eric “Why’d you take the pics?” And he said, “I knew you would want to write about it if you lived.” Eric was right. Eric was often right and Eric always had my best interest at heart. I am going to miss my friend.

You ever meet someone and become friends immediately?! Well this was not the case with Eric. Before he was my manager at Morgan Stanley, I would often see this 6’4″, giant white guy walk up to the only black woman at work, say something then walk away without any hint of human emotion. Naturally I thought he was a jerk until I asked her “Yo, is that dude bothering you?” She laughed and proceeded to tell me he was a great person, which I ultimately got to experience first hand. Little did I know this Italian from Staten Island was more Brooklyn than most Brooklynites.

Eric was not with the shits!! If there were ever someone who lived their life in direct, honest and no uncertain terms, that would be Eric. He would ask me questions at work like “Why are the other consultants making more money than you?” I knew the answer to that question and so did he. Eric then proceeded to increase my salary by 15K. After arguing with all our managers that “You need to hire Alfred!”, they eventually did 1 year prior to the 2015 incident. In the hospital, one of my friends asked me, “What if you didn’t have health insurance when this happened?” I would be in debt for the rest of my life is the obvious answer. I still am in debt for the rest of my life but at least, it is to those who made sure I had a more enjoyable life and for that, I will gladly repay.

My mom loved to tell me the story of how she met Eric. After they told her I was going to be in the ICU for some time, she told the doctor “Well I’m not going anywhere.” She then hears a voice from that back of the room that says “Well I’m not going anywhere either!” That was Eric and in true form, he was at that hospital every single day until I was discharged.

Eric passed away in December 2021 of stage 4 cancer. After feeling faint on his way to my bbq, he went to get checked out and was diagnosed. During the past 5 years, Eric lost his mom, twin brother and dad. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like but I’m glad that pain he was feeling is no more.

It’s been a bit difficult to deal with it to be quite honest and I’ve been writing this in my head for years but never had the bravery or grace to accept that my friend wouldn’t be here soon. I also can’t imagine what it must be like to lose your entire family nucleus unexpectedly. In true Eric fashion however, I would like this to not be about me but whomever has lost someone and has been coping. I’ve always intimated that my life would not be as enriched as it was were it not for the people in it. The problem with that is there is also no way to deny that it feels empty without those who helped craft your path. Rather than focus on the negative, I would rather focus on the examples of duty, family and emotional intelligence. All concepts reinforced by Eric that have led me to have successful relationships since I’ve put them into practice.

From being my manager to my business partner, writer, book editor, artistic director, and most importantly, my friend, I am going to miss you MC Krispy E a.k.a “Enrique Pollazo!” And although you told me Enrique means Henry in Spanish and not Eric, it was too late!

Sidebar. The day I was discharged, while everyone was deciding what was best for me, no one had remembered that I would need clothes in order to leave the hospital. Eric shows up (unasked) with all the clothes I had on the day I coded, laundered and ready to go. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve friends like this but i need to keep doing it! Sidebar complete.

Rest in Peace Eric. “Be Good.”

Continue Reading

Article

Writing Your First Book / Should I Self Publish?

Published

on

 

I had the distinct pleasure of  participating in a panel discussion on writing your first book, presented by the Harlem chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.  Alongside Jim St. Germain, Author – A Stone of Hope: A Memoir and Dr. Keneshia Nicole Grant, Author – The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century.  We opined on pain points, benefits and strategies regarding our inaugural voyages into authorship. Feel free to watch for your self and I hope this provides some insight to all those looking to make the same voyage. Enjoy!

Continue Reading

Featured

What the NFT is a BEEPLE?

Published

on

On March 11 this year, the digital artist Beeple sold a collage of digital images from his “Everydays” series for nearly 70 million dollars as an NFT, or non-fungible token. And if that sentence confuses you, you’re not alone.

A non-fungible token is a unit of data on a digital ledger called a blockchain, where each NFT can represent a unique digital item, and thus they are not interchangeable. NFTs can represent digital files such as art, audio, video, and other forms of creative work. While the digital files themselves are infinitely reproducible, the NFTs representing them are tracked on their underlying blockchains and provide buyers with proof of ownership.” – Wikipedia

Still confused? Let the artist himself explain it, and learn how he went from NFT newbie to making the third most expensive artwork by a living artist in three months. Not to suggest Beeple is an overnight success. The “Everydays” series alone involved creating a piece of art every day since May 1, 2007 – and he hasn’t missed a day.

Check out some of Beeple’s amazing and controversial work below.

Continue Reading

Trending