Long Time Gone

As the end of the decade approaches, it is time to take stock into what has been a tumultuous year for everyone. Even if things have gone your way and you feel 2009 events didn't affect you, well, you're wrong. No matter what social or economic strata you belonged to, everything, from the economy, weather, crime, employment, science, all of it, affected everyone.

Our nation added trillions of dollars in debt during the past decade and this will affect everyone for the foreseeable future. There are those who opposed this, but not making tough choices that had to be made towards the end of the decade would have been catastrophic to our nation for years to come.

War, or whatever we are in, is now transitioning into the second decade with no end in sight. We face an enemy determined to destroy us by any means necessary, and we still have no idea who the face of the enemy is. There are those who want to continue the status quo, scare tactics, in order to promote their agenda, keeping the jihad going. There are those who are even in favor of "martial law" in order to achieve this. One of the greatest challenges for the coming decade is to firmly establish who these entities are and destroy them by fostering relationships with those who want peace. Sorry, more troops, bombs or drones, while effective, are not a viable, long term solution.

Another challenge we face is having our nation continue to move forward and not look to the past or the old days as a solution. We in this nation need to realize that the past is what it is, the past, and no amount of navel gazing is going to bring those days back. America is in transition and we, no matter how unpleasant must face that fact. However, that does not mean that opporunitity has taken a vacation. We must seize the day and moment when all is alinged in our favor. The days of false competition are over and the sooner this nation comes to grip with that fact, the better we are attuned to move on and become prosperous.

I have high expextations for our nation in this decade. In order for us to be successful we must shun and shy away from the naysayers who still believe our nation is 20th century urber allies. The next generation is ready to lead and we of the baby boom generation need to let them.

As for me, I am ready to make this decade mine. After all the pit falls and hard stops, I am more than ready to face the challenges we have before us. I am not afraid of the future, but I am afraid of the past because there are so many who still thrill to live in the moment.

HAVE A HAPPY NEW DECADE ALL!

Photo: Downtown Memphis New Year's Eve 2009

The Decade

Out with the old, in with the new. The last Sunday of this decade leaves me with introspection and reflection on the gain, loss, hopes and fears this ten year span brought on me and others.

The beginning for me was shaky at best, but as I sit and write this I look forward to brighter days ahead for me and our nation. The decade began with our nation achieving a balanced federal budget and ended it in the most red ink ever. Those who were prosperous at the beginning, with their 401k's, home equity, stocks, bonds and six figure incomes are now struggling, wondering where the good times went and if they'll ever return. People, like me, who struggled from the onset, found a way to cope and now are reaping the benefits of those earlier hard times.

Our grip on the rest of the world has slipped, with 9-11 being the reset button, making our nation reassess it's values and our dominance on the world stage. The caves at Tora Bora taught us that opportunity is fleeting and when it's lost the resulting consequences are terrifying. A tsunami showed that mother nature still rules and our earth, while still viable, cries for help. Katrina taught us that man, for all his supposed intellect is but a nascent nincompoop.

The decade for all of us was one of loss. The best and the brightest: Michael Jackson, Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding, Buddy Miles, Patrick Schawyze, Linda Lovelace, Yves St. Laurent, Soupy Sales, Caltain Lou Albino, Johnny Weaver, Sailor Art Thomas, Barry White, Luther Van Dross, Issac Hayes, Wilson Pickett, Miles Davis, Josef Zawinul, Walter Cronkite, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, James Dewar, Reg Isidore, Brad Delph, David Carradine, Percy Sutton, Oral Roberts, Bernie Mack, Philip Simmons, Maynard Jackson, Koko Taylor, Ike Turner,Bo Diddley, Steve McNair, Dom Deluise, Bea Arthur, Marilyn Chambers, Linda Lovelace, Karl Malden, Dolla, Billy Mays...the list goes on and on. I lost my grandmother, Evelina Carruthers this decade (2003) as well as my dear friend, Randy Washington. Also a gone are Ethyl Mae Washington, Ms. Frazier, Ms Mazyck, Mr. Scott, Katherine Chillman, so many friends and neighbors, gone.

But all was not lost. Joia Williams was born in this decade, as was Annie and Erin Stancel, Christian Johnson, Samone Patrick, India Talbert and her sister, Mya Chillman, all were born this decade, just beginning their journeys.

Our nation elected the first president of color, Barak Obama, who is doing an excellent job despite the odds and naysayers.

As for me, the decade was a mixed bag, but as we head into the second decade, I am hitting my stride, as confident and forward thinking as I've ever been. Leaving the yoke of Atlanta, I have settled in Memphis where I'm expecting great things to happen.

Time magazine's latest issue labeled this decade The Decade From Hell and in some ways that might be true. A perfect storm of financial risk, war, terrorism and calamity made this decade one that would be best to forget. However, I go back to the Great Depression as the standard when it comes to disaster and calamity. I wasn't born then, but photos and visual accounts by those who lived than gives me more than an eyewitness account of the sheer scope of that decade.

As we head into the next decade, it is important realize that in the depths of despair opportunity

abounds. My first trip of the new decade will be to Shanghai, China in several weeks. For all the talk of economic gloom and doom there are nuggets out there. What we have to do as a nation is forget what has happened in the past and concentrate on the future. The last WWI vet is long gone. WWII, Korean and Vietnam vets are next in line. The 20th century is history. If we continue to think and live our lives like the last decade or century we won't make it. Now is the time to seize this moment and I fully intend to do just that.

Have a Happy New Year

- Population Reference Bureau

- Population Reference Bureau

Change Has Come

This photo of me was taken in Centennial Olympic Park on 20 January 2009 during the inauguration of President Barak Obama and I chose it on this day for a reason. This is the last Christmas Eve of the decade, a decade which started with me clinging onto dear life in the nether world of underemployment and culminating in a new career in Memphis, TN. For me, the move from Atlanta to Memphis is my Christmas present, one I know will keep on giving for years to come.

Some people, you know who they are, take the critical path when President Obama talks about change, but his message is one that everybody needs to let sink in and reflect on. Government can only change so much, it is the individual who must start changing themselves. Naysayers never want to change because they feel they have the upper hand, controlling the lives of others, but they are only fooling themselves because that control is ever so fleeting.

Ten years ago Ricky Martin, Kid Rock, Whitney Houston, Brittney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, etc all were riding on a crest, a wave of change in the music industry. Now, none of them are quite what they were. Recently, this bug hit Tiger Woods with a thump, putting his whole professional career at risk. The most important thing to remember is that: Just because you're in control and on top today doesn't mean you'll be there tomorrow.

To me, that lies at the heart of President Obamas message. Whether we like it or not, change is coming and whoever is the swiftest at adapting to that change will be the winner - for that period.

The Rolling Stones learned this fact long ago, that is why their fan base ranges from tween to seventy somethings. They kept their core, but changed the fringes. In order for our nation to progress we must harness the change of the 21st century. Now when I see a bunch of silly looking middle aged white men take the podium railing at President Obama I laugh because that is so 20th century. You can use Twitter, FB and other social media outlets all you want but if your message is one of the past, well, you are still a fossil.

America is not in decline, but in transition and we as a people and nation have to come to grips with that reality. The rest of the world is changing rapidly with a population fast approaching 8 billion souls. If you continue to believe global warming is not man-made you're living in the past.

President Obama never had the lock and key to change, he was the messenger. We The People hold the key and we must acknowledge it and act. Naysayers love to talk about how all this change will affect future generations. Doing nothing versus doing something is not only worse, but dangerous.

The time for change has come. We must seize the day.

Have a very Merry Christmas

To The Bitter End

We will resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have any tendency to bring out social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our(Southern) states. Richard Russell (D-GA) March 30 1964

This statement, one of many, was part of a 54 day filibuster by the Southern bloc of conservative Democrats during passage of the 1964 Voting Rights Act. Then as now, you have a cadre of senators from the GOP, cut from the same southern racist cloth who want to relive the magic of those days by derailing health care bill.

It is ironic that on this day an African-American president leads this nation while 45 years ago this same president wouldn't have been able to cast a vote because of his skin color. People need to ask the real reason for this protracted war with our president. Yes, we have heard the same worn out mantras about higher taxes, adding to the deficit and our children's future. Yet, it was this same cabal of senators who fell in lock step with the Bush mafia who rammed tax cuts for the wealthy down middle class America's throat.

Every step of the way these senators claim they weren't racists, but sat idly by as their constituents called President Obama a racist, socialist, communist, terrorist, Muslim, monkey, etc. To this ilk they would rather see more than 10 percent of citizens in our nation continue to go without health care than give them the tools to help improve their lives.

Well, just like in 1964, good prevailed over evil. No matter what these senators do this time around it won't matter. The House and Senate Republicans are on the wrong side of history, just like those southern Democrats in 1964. Their votes will forever be linked to their narrow, selfish interests that are as extinct as a quiche eating dinosaur.

Yesterday on C-SPAN, a handful of old, senile, silly looking white men took to the podium to rail against the evils of this bill. So much like 1964, these old 20th century toothless cadavers looked so much like their 1964 inbred cousins. What they fail to grasp is that our nation has changed and moved on. Occupying the White House is an African-American who was in diapers when the first batch of near-do-wells took the podium to rail against evils of race mixing.

Last time I looked our nation still stands as vibrant and prosperous as ever....

I LOVE OBAMA WAFFLES!

Photo: Slave Cabins at Boone Hall Plantation

Christ Church Parish - Mt. Pleasant, SC

Keep On Reading

Within the past 24 hours two events occurred while not perfect, set the stage for change in the coming decades. President Obama brokered out a deal between rich and poor nations to at least start a framework for future climate change agreements. Copenhagen will be looked upon as a mixed bag at best, but the events there clearly showed what I had been stating all along. America, while still the premier power on the global stage is quickly being eclipsed by China and other "up and comers" who want to have a place on the mantle. China flexed it's muscle, not giving into the transparency other nations wanted, dug in it's heels and held out. While they can afford to do this short term, long term stubbornness will be futile because their vast resources will be under stress forcing them to change. At least President Obama laid the foundation, but he is beginning to realize that for all the change he is seeking there are others who still want the status quo. Which brings us to....

The 60th vote by Sen Nelson (D-Neb) sealed the deal for the health care reform bill to finally become reality. Yes, this bill too is not perfect and much had to be sacrificed to get it to pass, but again, this is the first step in a long process. What is important is that President Obama reached a point where other presidents failed. For all their blather, bluster and bluffing, Republicans have to relegated their leadership to reading the bill page by page in order to slow a fast moving freight train. At this point who really cares what they do. The party has become one of an irrelevant bunch of faces average Americans could care about. No one is listening and the public had relegated them to junk bond status.

A couple of weeks ago the naysayers kept crowing that President Obama has not accomplished a thing. To them I say: READ ON, READ ON!!

Photo: Indian Space Painting
Artist: Howard Daum (1918-1988)
Oil on Canvass

Distant and Irrelevant

Late last night a major piece of legislation in more than 40 years passed the house of representatives. The overhaul of health care is one of the pillars President Obama assumed ownership of after his election last year. With other pressing matters on his plate, he got this done. The leaders in the house last night were praising themselves, but at the end of the day my gratitude goes to the family in the White House.

President Obama accomplished what no other President since Lydon Johnson could, he got people to seriously look at changing the way our nation does business. Everything, even the bath water was thrown at him, but as always, common sense and reality ruled the day.

What people fail to realize is that the mechanics and dynamics of health care has changed. Very soon the "artificial competition" and bullying of the insurance industry will be curtailed. The insurance companies now will have some form of competition they have to contend with and some will be fighting for their own survival - true free market principles will prevail.

People who could not afford or were rejected because of pre-existing conditions now will have some recourse to get the insurance they need. This bill is far from being perfect, but it is a starting point from which changes will be made with time. What is important however is that a seed has been sown, one from which there is no return.

In it's aftermath comes a serious blow to the Republican brand. With all their bluster, blunder and sheer idiotic ignorance, whatever so-called momentum the GOP thought they had on Tuesday has blown up in their faces. One Republican voted for this bill, one too many for the GOP's liking. Everyday they crowed about having a "united front", but in the end the chink in their armour was exposed. That one "yea" vote was their death knell because other GOP lawmakers who were wavering(and there were many) are now going to have make a serious decision; switch sides with the winner or become distant and irrelevant - that choice is theirs.

THANK YOU PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA!

Photo:

Camilla Roe Jenkins

43 Line St Charleston

Mid 1950s

Ninety Days (Give Or Take A Few)

Time flies and it sure has for me. Ninety days since I moved from Atlanta to Memphis, starting a new live, a new journey. I have a long way to go, but I have grown and learned so far in these 3 months. At times I sit back, marvel on how I did this. Moving from Charleston to Atlanta more than twenty-two years ago was painless, I knew the city. This was completely different. I've never lived this far from home and I don't know a soul here, sans my co-workers.

To arrive here under the circumstances I was under was pure triumph. As I look back on Atlanta and my former employer, I see nothing but hard times for both. Until those entities realize that they aren't as great as they claim they will always be stuck in a morass, especially the latter because of the incompetent people they always seem to promote.

It's a new day, a new time for me. This time I am the hunter, not the hunted. That may seem and sound corny but my DNA today says that I'm second to no one. I'm in attack mode and I'm out to take the reins and run with whatever is in sight. That rainy day in March, the summer of reflection and this move cemented that. It's been ninety days, so short, so long, I'll stub my toe but at the end of the day I'm kicking ass!

Harry and Louise (1992-2009)

In the early 1990s, then President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, set out on a mission to gain affordable health care for all Americans. Just when it looked like victory was at hand, a series of commericals appeared depicting a thirty-something married, yuppie couple. Not one ever knew their true party affiliation, but it was clearly implied that they were conservative leaning. Those commericals put fear into the hearts and minds of Americans that the government was going to dictate what doctors they saw and what medicine they took. Adding to this was Hillary Clinton, standing in front of cameras showing all America the new health care card they would have if the bill passed. Well, the bill didn't pass and while Bill Clinton went on to do some good and not so good things for the rest of his presidency, losing the health care battle is one that still haunts them both.

Last week a big ruckus was made about awarding President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. There are who claim that he hasn't done a thing to deserve the honor. Well today he took one major step that will become an avalanche in the years ahead. The Senate passed a health care bill that few would have ventured would be possible weeks ago. The lone Republican, Olympia Snow, listened to her conscience and voted for the measure, the lone Republican to do so.

Yes, the bill has a long ways to go before it hits the President's desk, but the glass ceiling has been broken. Yesterday the insurance made one last desperate attempt to derail the measure with their usual scare tactics, but this time it fell on deaf ears, except for the GOP. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) yet again became a unashamedly apologist for the insurance industry. One has to wonder who he truly represents, the people of his state or the corporate welfare minions sucking up cash at our expense.

The fact our President has gotten this far, further than any other before him is a victory in itself. And what of Harry and Louise? Well in 2009 neither one has health care, their yuppie jobs outsourced, they have to go without health insurance, like I have in the past.

You know what? I hope our socialist-commie President doesn't accomplish a thing!

Accomplished What!?

President Barak Obama won the Nobel Peace prize today, stoking the fires of an already angry, lynch mob conservative movement. Their bogus argument is "what has he accomplished". Yes, our President has been in office just short of nine months and his plate is plenty full. But I turn that back on those same conservatives with that very question. Rush Limbaugh, what have you done to advance the lives of Americans. Glen Beck, Michael Steele, where are you. The latter is especially a joke because he has been neutered by the other two that he has become a puppet, completely irrelevant.

My answer to those who posed that question to our President is...PLENTY! Ask the Tuskegee Airman, or any person of color, they will tell you loud and clear. Barak Obama accomplished what every African-American thought would be impossible in this lifetime. HE BECAME POTUS!

He accomplished that under incredible odds, confounding every naysayer, including this author. He made people like me dream again, that we can live in a world of peace and tolerance. President Obama's message has always been that WE are greater that the differences that divide us. He has the world thinking that maybe, maybe this time we can get it right.

Almost a half century ago another young man won the Nobel Peace prize. Dr. Martin Luther King's message was much like our President preaches now. They are no different. That day Dr. King won the prize, there were also naysayers, segregationists, asking that same "what has he accomplished" question. The seed Dr. King and others sowed has reaped a thousandfold. Those same doubters are here, they claim they're not racists, but let's be real here, they're no different than the hood wearing Klansman from Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Our President has a long way to go and the ideas and policies he's implementing will reap benefits for decades to come. Rush Limbaugh needs to go and do what he does best, pop pills.

Room 306

Today I went hunting for a new address with a real estate agent. I think I have a place I can call home. It's near the heart of downtown and is called the Fogelman YMCA building. Funny, when I was looking on the Internet, I discounted this place but when I saw it in person, I was hooked. Hopefully all will work out and I can get this deal done. I still have to sell my loft in Atlanta, but I'm confident that in time things will work out.

After eating at the Memphis's oldest restaurant, Arcade, I set out walking about the city to get more familiar with the place. All of a sudden I see this sign, National Civil Rights Museum and realized I was near the Lorraine Motel. Turning on the next street off S. Main I saw it. To be honest it was a very surreal experience setting foot on hallowed ground.

The museum is wonderful, a true gem of the story of our people's struggle. Just peering into the room where Dr. King spent his last hours was eerie in itself. There is so much history to be told in both the motel and the flophouse James Earl Ray occupied one can't take it all in in one visit.

This is a must see for anyone visiting Memphis, this city has a story to tell.

PARADOX

Since my arrival to Memphis last week I have been able to see some of this beautiful city which has created quite an impression on me. One of my goals was to find a place that would substitute Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. Found it!

Tom Lee Park is one of those treasures every city should have. Located down on the shores of the Mississippi. this park contains all that I was looking for. The history and man who the park is named after is very intriguing.

In the throes of segregation, Jim Crow laws and the Ku Klux Klan in the early 20th century, one man, Tom Lee, pushed all of that to the side to save fellow human beings that were not his color.

On 8 May 1925, Lee saved the lives of 32 Civil Engineers whose steamship, M.E Norman , exploded on the Mississippi river 15 miles south of the city.

Lee, who could not swim, disregarded his own life to save human beings bent on keeping their boots on his neck. It mattered none that these same people saw him as inferior for on this day he held their lives in his hands, he was God's instrument of life or death.

On that fateful day he saved as many as he could, 32 in all and in the end 23 did perish, but for that one day, whites in one of the most segregated cities in the south were grateful that a black man cast away his prejudices and saved lives.

Two years after Lee's death in 1952 the city erected an obelisk and dedicated a park in his memory. A storm destroyed the original statue in 2003 so three years later a new obelisk was erected along with a bronze statue.

So many things have happened here, from the assassination of Dr. King to the death of Elvis Presley. No one should ever forget Tom Lee because he to this day means so much to so many.

Including me.

Clunker Of A Party

The much anticipated "Cash for Clunkers" program started last week and already the GOP is calling it another failure in the young adminstration of President Obama. While heading to Memphis on Friday the "genius" of the right, Rush Limbaugh, railed against the program, even going as far as putting a "car salesman" on his show to derail the program.

Funny, seems like the average American see things a little differently because every car show room in America has been filled with people wanting to participate in the program. Yes, there has been glitches and the program has been so successful that the initial $1B USD allotted has almost run out. Well, that is a good problem to have, especially since most of these dealerships were teetering on the brink of bankruptcy the day President Obama took office.

What Rush and others of the G no P won't share with you are ideas they might have to make things better. Why? Because this is a party devoid and bankrupt of ideas. Every move President Obama has made, the G no P has tried to obstruct and delay. They don't want our nation or the President to succeed because if the latter does pull it off it will only highlight their ineptitude over the past eight years and besides, cash for clunkers was not their idea to begin with.

This is yet another example of a party completely out of touch with reality. When you have dimwits like Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin rail about the evils of ACORN as this nation struggles to pull itself out of an economic morass then you know that these people have no ideas or credibility. These and other conservatives are in continual denial mode, hoping that the American people will somehow forget the past eight years; the messes they created to get us here.

Well, sorry, we're not going to forget and every time you shout to the top of your lungs we will shout even louder. Conservatives are morally bankrupt, lusting for the day they can get back in power to screw the average American again, but it is not going to happen. President Obama didn't cause this mess, but he is the one entrusted to clean it up.

It is time for all of us to flush these idiots down the toilet for good!

Time Capsule

July 31 will be a day I'll never forget. I closed out 22 years of living in Atlanta and moved to Memphis, heading for the "wild blue yonder". Closing the door of my loft was like the a pharoahs tomb being closed, only to be reopened at a later date. The art and artifacts are there, just as I left them. The finality of it all got to me as I headed west on I-20 to an uncertain future.

I am not afraid, but I'm curious as to the nature of my living here on this city on the Mississippi. I can say that I'm close to water again, even though it is not close to the body of water that I grew up living in Charleston.

The people, the scene, it's so surreal, different and I know it is going to take some adjustment. This is the furtherest west I've ever lived and I know abosolutely nothing about the city, sans from what I have read.

To have lived in two cities that marked the birth and death of Dr. King is surreal in itself. I must admit that I am drawn to this place. For some reason I feel like I belong here and a a lot of questions will be answered - finally.

As I arrived on the outskirts of the city yesterday the first thing I muttered was, "Why in the hell am I here". We All know that God wants me here for a reason and the whys will be answered.

His work is mysterious...

129

Sometimes the devil is in the details. The number, 129, in the title tells of the days between 27 March and 3 August 2009. This period will be one I take to the grave, whenever that day may be. The beginning of this journey was one fraught with relief and dread the day I was let go at Georgia-Pacific. I truly did not know what direction I was headed, no plan was in place and all of a sudden, the world opened itself up to me.

No longer would I be one to be put on a shelf or back burner, bringing up the rear while others bask in the glory. Even though I did not have a plan that rainy Friday morning, I finally felt liberated of the artificial constraints of that place. This time I made a pact with me that the silliness that transpired between 2001 to 2009 would be no more because this time, I determined to do things differently. The only plan I had were fuzzy ideas in my head.

Now some 129 days after that fateful, liberating day I can say that I have transformed and reinvented myself into someone who has no fear. Georgia-Pacific is in the financial straits it is in not because of me, Kenneth Webb or those 14 others let go in the last several months. Georgia-Pacific and Koch are in their dire positions because the individuals running those companies don't have a clue.

Koch and GP have rested on their laurels, claiming that they have profited over a zillion per cent over the past 40 years. Well, that was 40 years ago and the world was a lot different then. What companies like Koch and GP faced was "artificial competition" where all the players were cut from the same cloth. Those days are long gone and if these same companies rely on the same narrow minded people to run their ships, they won't survive another 10 years, let alone 40.

The people who were let go were the wrong folks, we only followed orders and when we suggested different we were slapped in the face. Now, the chickens have come home to roost, with their profit margins falling rapidly, Koch and GP are at a lost as to what happened. Well, look at the leadership, it all starts from the top. For all their blather, both of these companies are run on 20th century models that were outdated long ago. It is going to get worse for them, not better because the rules of the game has changed and the leaders in those companies are to ossified to move rapidly and change.

I head to Memphis tomorrow on a mission, and that mission is to do all I can to advance ideas, be innovative and take business away from my former employer. Why? Because these narrow minded people don't deserve to have it - that's why!

Stronger Through The Years

Today was a day of pure joy and sorrow. I got to spend most of the day with Joan and her daughter, Joia. Joan will be the gatekeeper of my loft after Friday, she has the keys and the garage door opener, making her the only person besides me having keys to the kingdom.

What today taught me is that in all of the hurt, pain and struggles I went through with Joan, in the end we have become closer and more as one than we have ever been. All those years I loved her, never realizing that she loved me too, but not in the same way or intensity I did. She dated other men, I dated other women, but in the end, here we are, still in each other's heart.

Even after eight years of me saying that I would never see this woman again, I knew had had too because if I didn't then I truly hadn't moved on.

Now she has Joia, an angel who to me feels like my daughter. It's very strange, but I feel like I have more kinship with her versus her biological father. Today, I felt like husband and dad all wrapped into one and I loved it!

All these things are happening in a maddening span of less than a week before I leave Atlanta. I now realize that what I had before is gone - forever. Things will never be the same after I set foot out of my loft on 7/31. A woman who I loved for most of my life is leaving me and that is not a bad thing. God showed both of us what could have been, but I now see that God has other plans for me, plans that I must follow through.

Today was another lesson in "me having no control in my fate 101". The things that are happening were decided long ago by a higher power. I am a pawn in a chess game trying to figure out the next move. Today showed that after it was all said and done I was the last man standing. That is my victory I carry with me next week.

I love Joan and Joia with all my heart and soul, but I have business waiting in Memphis. My time is now!

Atlanta, GA April 1987 - July 2009 (RIP)

Twenty-two years. It seems like only yesterday that I came to Atlanta, Ga seeking a dream and sense of self. I'll be leaving next Friday with the same mission and ambition.

My years here have seen the good, the bad and the ugly, but through it all I have perserved and survived. Just when I thought the end was near and about to give up, something happened that turned my fortunes around, made me believe in my self.

Next week I leave for a place I've never visited, albeit for a day, a region I never would have considered as a place to lay roots and westward, the farthermost I have ever lived in my life.

This move has much more question marks than answers, but I know that at this point in my life I must take this journey because for all that is unknown, much will be reveled as to why God chose me at this time and place to seek my destiny.

I will be making more money than I ever have, setting me up potentially with a nice "nest egg" down the road, but that is not important here. What it important is that I finish what I started so long ago. I have come full circle, going between heaven and hell, back and forth. I now understand why those "lost years" were so important because those were the years that got me here.

Like the story of the tortoise and the hare. The hare starts out fast and swift, winning every race while the tortoise takes it time, plodding, going at a snail's pace. However, in the end it's the tortoise that catches up with the hare and passes him, crossing the finish line first.

I am the tortoise, things for me came slow and far between as others surpassed me. Now for those same people, things are not as clear, their futures blurred. The rules have changed and those people don't know what to make of it. I however do know and have seized the moment. There is no mystery why I'm headed to Memphis next week, I belong there, plain and simple. The mystery for me is what happens after I get there.

One thing I do know, it won't be like Atlanta.

In April 1987, I made a move that changed my life - forever. I left the cozy confines of my hometown, Charleston, SC and moved to an uncertain future in Atlanta, GA. Now, 22 years later I will go to the crossroad yet again, heading to an even more uncertain future in Memphis, TN.

All my life I have prepared for this challenge. Things happened to me in the past that made no sense, I felt I was being "picked on" for no reason, but it is very clear now. God lead me to this trail, He was behind this all along. All the craziness, drama and chaos lead me to this juncture. I have reached a defining point in my life where like Charleston, I have out grown Atlanta.

It's not like I want to go, I HAVE TO GO because the only way I can grow is to leave the things I love most. I have always had a love-hate relationship with this city and it has been a part of my life since I came here as a wide eyed kid in 1969. There was so much I had seen, the changes, the comings and goings. This city produced angst, triumph, tragedy, chaos, drama, silliness and downright stupidity.

For all it's positives, Atlanta is still a second tier city that is striving to become something that it will never be, but even with all it's shortcomings, I'm still intrigued with it's endless boosterism. Maybe it will become that "city on the hill", but right now it is a one that has seen it's glory days fade.

For me, it is time to move on because my destiny does not lie here. The ghosts I leave here will be laid to rest when I finally pull up stakes and move on. What will Memphis bring? Who knows, but I know the future lies there and beyond.

What that fateful Friday on 27 March taught me was that the end was just the beginning and I had gone as far as I could go. All of the learning's given to me has to be put in place because the present and future will be one like I have never seen. I now know why God put me to the test, like Job, I had to go through these things and there will be many more tests before I'm finally rewarded one-hundred fold with whatever God wants me to have.

My fate lies not with me, but with HIM.

Photo

Russian Suprematist Painting

unsigned

Origin: Bulgarian private collection

Nothing Stays The Same

Today I went to have my drug screen done as a requirement for my new position in Memphis, TN. I was sent to Concentra Urgent Care facility for the test. The building is located at 688 Spring Street in Midtown Atlanta. Most people visiting this site may not know it's history, but I do. This building sits on the site of the old Club 688, a punk club in it's heyday. I always wondered what happened to this place and now I know. Club 688 opened back in 1980 and was a venue for new acts to get their music out to the masses. The club quickly became known as a haven for alternative music, punk and new wave, but it was punk where the club really made it's mark.

All the famous punk bands played there and I saw quite a few like: Circle Jerks, Iggy Pop, Dead Kennedy's, TSOL, Fear and many others. It was always dark inside, with the floor in front of the stage being a mosh pit for mohawked punkers and the like. People may think that African-Americans were not into punk, but oh we were, we just didn't admit to such. I saw many a black mohawkers there moshing away.

Ironically, the club at this site shut down in 1986 and moved just down the street from where I presently live. At this site I saw the Mentors (2X) and other punk acts. This site didn't last long, closing down sometime during the early 1990s.

Today, a medical center sites on the original site, giving testament to the fact that nothing lasts forever, which is a true fact for me at the present.

I have lived in Atlanta for 22 years and have seen many changes come to the city, some for the better, a lot for the worse. I must say that since that time I have never seen this city like the state it is in - stagnant. The economy is in shambles and won't be back to it's previous level anytime soon. However, other places, like Memphis, seems to be showing signs of life. Thirty years ago I would venture to say the opposite was true.

Just because you were on top yesterday doesn't means that you will be on top today or tomorrow. Times change, people change, life moves on. I always wondered about those souls I met at Club 688. Did they move on or did they stagnate, thinking nothing ever changed?

As I embark on my new journey I realize now, more than ever I have to change, evolve into something that I previously wasn't. I used to be afraid of doing that, but not anymore. My destiny is cloudy and clear at the same time, with points of previous reference not important. What is important is the present and future state because in those, that is a true measure of the person.

In the end, I could either be Club 688 or Concentra. Frankly, I prefer the latter.

Sometimes You Have To Give Up What You Love Most

On 27 March of this year, change came into my life once more. It may seem like it wasn't a change for the better, but some 93 days later I would have to say that yes, it was for the best. My position was eliminated at Georgia-Pacific and I like the others out there, became a statistic, a number in a system that tells one of failure. But, I have been through this before 12 years prior and the lessons learned from that experience has gotten me to this point.

Tomorrow I will reach a crossroads, the veritable fork in the road. I can let it consume me or I can consume it and move on with the next phase of my life.

I have lived in Atlanta since April 1987 and seen many changes in the city and it's people. Almost four years ago I made the plunge, moving downtown because I was sick and tired of the suburbs sucking my quality of life away. The move has been no less than a renaissance, a rejuvenation of my soul, food if you will. I said "this is it", making the Luckie-Marietta district my home for the duration.

My living here has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. The lifestyle is one I have been seeking since my youth. What I finally understood from the photo slides of my early years was that mom and dad exposed us to all that was good in the city of Charleston, with the good being the Battery, Hampton Park and Colonial Lake. It was these moments I held and still hold dear, making Centennial Olympic Park a new focal point of my rebirth.

Now the time has come where I may have to give this up, to a certain extent. If all goes well tomorrow, I will have to make a decision that could affect me for the next several decades. It is one I don't take lightly, but will if the opportunity presents itself.

The time has come for me to leave Atlanta and specifically where I have laid roots. But I also realize that in order to grow, new roots have to be laid elsewhere. For the past 93 days I have undergone a reinvention. Now is the time to take what I have learned about myself and put them to practice.

I love where I live, but it's time to grow.

Genius In A Glove And Anvil

Words cannot describe the sadness I feel inside at this moment. Several days after by birthday and in a week of inexplicable change we lost individuals of incredible talent and depth.

On Tuesday, one of the greatest artists of the 20th finally went on to do greater good in God's kingdom. Out of all the people lost this week the least one who received press coverage was Philip Simmons. Mr. Simmons, who passed away in his sleep at the age of 97 will be remembered as of of the greatest citizens the city of Charleston, SC ever raised. Listed as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century he grew up from humble beginnings to become a master blacksmith, crafting some of the most thought provoking and inspiring art pieces ever to grace the Holy City. If there is a gate on an Charleston home Philip Simmons crafted it. In his genius Philip Simmons remained a humble soul, becoming an ambassador for the city with in kind and gentle nature.

I remember as a boy when dad used to take me by his home and shop at 30 Blake St. The inside of where he worked was dark, with only the light of the hot fire giving pretense as to what he was creating, and the anvil, one of which now resides in the Avery Institute at the College of Charleston, where he used to take the hot iron, pounding and pounding on it with his hammer until he got it right. Little did I realize the genius he was creating with his work. We are lucky to have the genius of what he created in my parents home (see pics). But Philip Simmons was more than that, he brought people of different races, creeds and faiths together making us realize that we do share common hopes, dreams and desires. A man with no more than a sixth grade education who never let the lack thereof defeat his dream and purpose in life.

What else is there to be said about Michael Jackson, I'd just be repeating the obvious. The triumphs, tragedies and missteps, pale in comparison to the man himself. Always trying to get us to look within ourselves, accepting our shortcomings and overcoming them. An American Dream who was as simple as apple pie, but also a complex equation. Michael never was happy with himself or where he was in life. For him the four-letter word, life, was an open book for all to see even during the times he didn't want them to. For me, the Michael Jackson I take to me to my grave was the person Joan and I saw at the old Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, GA in 1988 during the Bad Tour. That night I saw an man in his realm , telling all who would listen that he was the greatest, bar none.

We also lost Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett and it would be a disservice to them if I leave them out, but it is Philip Simmons and Michael Jackson that will forever haunt my memory.

Photo

Open Gate created by Philip Simmons separating the living and dining room of my parents home in Mt. Pleasant SC (creation: late 1960s)

http://www.philipsimmons.us

It's A Gen Y Thing

Below is a very interesting article on where the future of our nation is heading in these uncertain times. This listing pertains to the twenty-five top cities that attract the "creative class", specifically those between the ages of 20-29. What is reveling are the cities listed. Out of the top twenty-five, only two those are from the South, Austin, Texas and Raleigh, NC.

No where on the list do you see Atlanta, GA, Charlotte, NC or Miami, FL. What is also very interesting is the number of "cold weather" cities listed. The South always tout it's temperate climate as one factor is attracting companies and people, but that doesn't seem to be a factor for Gen Y's. What seems to be a big factor is quality of live and the "coolness index".

Several weeks ago, Georgia welcomed a new corporate entity to it's state. NCR decided to pull up stakes and move it's world HQ and other facilities from Dayton, OH to Duluth, GA. While this is welcome news for a state nearing double digit unemployment, it is also a reminder that we have a long way to go in trying to attract the best and brightest to come here.

NCR is a company founded in 1884, more than 120 years ago. In it's heyday it employed more than 60,000 people, now it has about a third of that number. The question is this: Where will this company be twenty-five years from now? How many people will it employ and what will be the make up of it's work force.

Several years ago, Georgia was able to persuade Newell-Rubbermaid to move it's headquarters here. The fanfare was grand, touting this move as a new beginning for the state to grow economically. The results have been mixed at best. What has to be understood is that companies such as the one mentioned are mature ones that have seen the bulk of their growth take place. What this state needs are new start ups with a platform for future growth. If you can't get the creative class to live and grow in your state the final result is stagnation.

For all the talk of a fading "rust belt", that hasn't deterred the creative class from taking chances and setting up shop at least in some of these areas. As always, the youth of our nation overflow with boundless energy and spirit.

A new generation for changing times, it's so cool being young!

Photo

Kids at play

Fountains @ Centennial Olympic Park

2009

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/best-cities-for-gen-ys.html;_ylc=X3oDMTFwMnZhNjkwBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEX3MDOTc2MjA0NjUEc2VjA2ZwLXRvZGF5BHNsawNjaXRpZXMtZm9yLWdlbi15cw--

Hate 88

The subject resides in my memory like old road kill. What could have been a slam dunk turned to ignoble failure. I am getting near the end of the diving board

- James von Brunn

In what should have been a history lesson on the past turned into reality yesterday for visitors at the Holocaust museum in Washington, DC. White supremacist, James von Brunn opened fire inside this solemn, hallowed place, killing a security guard, with himself being severely wounded.

This is one of a series on incidents that have occurred over the past several weeks. From a Muslim convert killing an army private in Arkansas, to the murder of abortion doctor, George Tiller, in a house of worship, the most chilling aspects of our darker side have risen to the surface.

People, on society's fringes are making their voices known loud and clear that they are here and here to stay. The election of President Obama was the spark that lit a fuse that will only burn brighter with time. Even more so in this new century people who are being left behind or feeling slighted are letting us know that they will be heard, no matter how violent the act.

There are also those out there, full of rage and hate who will never pull a trigger, but are just as bent on killing with the veracity of their words. Charles Manson never lifted a finger on his murderous spree, but his words and manipulation was the catalyst for others of his brood to.

Sadly, there is no amount of pressure and persuasion that will change these people's minds, they cast their lot with Satan long ago. The rage and hate that consumed James von Brunn has only intensified in others of his DNA. In his failure they see hope and another chance that someone else will carry his mantle and succeed, no mater how sick the mission.

Why?

Photo

Fountain Jet at Night

Centennial Park

Atlanta, GA

2009

Things Ain't What They Used To Be

The link is an interesting article to recent changes in the law profession occurring in NYC. Seems like the profession isn't the lucrative business it used to be and the effects of the recession are giving law firms a chance to do an introspective criticism of themselves and the true value they bring.

People, when you make your money billing clients and potential clients as much as $900 USD/hr then you know that better ways will be found to solve ones problems. The go-go days of the 1990s and our young century have hit the pin-stripped crowd with a thud, with paralegals, lawyers and yes, even partners taking it on the chin.

Was there any realisation that this madness go only go on for so long, with kids fresh out of law school starting at $160K USD/yr? Were we that gullible that these times would forever last??

The one thing about this current recession is that no one is immune from it. In the past people would explain away why lower rungs of society would be caught in the recession vice. I used to hear what was said, about people not working hard enough or Unions being unrealistic about their wages. Well, what about these people!? The outrageous charges and fees law firms were offering usurped what any stiff on the production line was making.

Now, the chickens have come home to roost and Wall Street is all of a sudden beginning to look more like Main Street USA. People at the top see that they're no more special or different than no one else and they to are vulnerable to change.

Today, I had to take care of some legal business. I faxed my papers off to a lawyer representing me at pre-paid legal. I pay them $26USD/mo. for basic legal service and have been more than satisfied with their service. Take heed Wall Street law firms because your painful change has just begun!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/nyregion/07law.html?pagewanted=1&em

Slide Photo

Me

Hampton Park

Charleston SC

1964

A New Century Awakens

President Obama today opened a new chapter of American "can do" spirit and opportunity in Cairo, Egypt. He laid down the gauntlet to the Muslim, Christian and Jewish world that while we have differences, our ties that bind are stronger. The tone and content of his speech was less strident and bellicose than those who preceded him and that is the biggest concern to those who foster war, chaos and mayhem.

Osama bin Laden and his so called surrogate, Ayman al-Zawahiri, sent out interesting messages before President Obama's visit. For two people living in a cave (Bush's line) they sure are keen on current events. They knew down to the very second when this visit was going to occur which leads me to believe that they have a well organized and funded operation with no concerns about be caught or destroyed. Naturally, the message from these two are the same, tired worn out shouting and mantras we've heard before. They and others, even others in this country on the right, have failed to realize or grasp that the 20th century has faded into history and people are looking at other avenues and ideas for peace and prosperity.

The world is rapidly changing and President Obama is effecting that change. The last known Titanic survivor died several days ago. The last WWI soldier from Australia is gone. WWII vets are leaving us at a rapid pace with Korean and Vietnam vets soon to follow. 

The merchants of death sense this and are determined to keep the fires of war and death stoked because that is how money is made, or so the say. 

But I sense the dawn of a new age, where peace and prosperity abound in an endless energy of confidence and innovation. We are on the threshold of something great if we let go of our past. We must embrace the past and learn from it, but we must not let it consume us. 

Today could mark a turning point for America, our allies and the Muslim world. Heck, we're all living on one planet. That is where we must start. Our destiny lies with a youthful community organizer, not two old, bitter men living in a cave!

Slide Photo:

Dad

Dr. Martin Luther Kings original grave site

South View Cemetery

Atlanta 1969