James Jones is the father of a daughter with cerebral palsy. She had just started middle school, and reported to her father that she was being tormented on the bus by other students. They had hit her, pinched her, taunted her, and thrown condoms at her. So, her father decided that he was not going to allow the bullies to get away with torturing his daughter.

He boarded her school bus one morning, telling his daughter to show him which children were the perpetrators. He then cursed at the students on the bus, and threatened them with bodily harm if the bullying continued. Police were called, Mr. Jones was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing a school function. Originally, charges of assault and false imprisonment were considered, but not pursued. He has since been released on bond, but his daughter was reportedly hospitalized and was on suicide watch due to the bullying, which continued EVEN AFTER the confrontation.

And, in an interview, the boy who was bullying her was smirking. He claimed to have been traumatized by the incident, but he had a grin on his face. And his mother did not hold him the SLIGHTEST BIT responsible. He is a 13 year old boy. He is old enough to know this is NOT how you treat another human being. But, apparently, he never learned that. As in so many cases, the parent had NO PROBLEM with the fact that her child was a bully. She excused his actions and instead portrayed him as an innocent victim.

To me, this man is an example of the kind of man that every child deserves in their life. He was willing to stand up for his daughter and suffer the consequences of his actions. He saw his little girl was hurting, and knew he needed to intervene in any way he could.

Obviously the girl’s school has not taken appropriate actions to prevent bullying. The girl has CONTINUED to be tormented EVEN AFTER her father resorted to this drastic measure. The child ended up IN THE HOSPITAL! But at least she knows that while school officials, teachers and bus drivers may not be willing to stand up and tell these bullies that enough is enough, she has a father who loves her enough to do it!

This story actually had me in tears. People who have not experienced severe bullying cannot possibly understand what a traumatic experience it is. I am 36 years old, and my life is STILL seriously impacted by the things I went through at the hands of bullies as a child. And, for the most part, there is NO ONE willing to stand up for the victim in these cases. The teachers, administrators, staff, and yes, even the parents, expect children to just “suck it up”. They think that kids should be resilient enough and psychologically mature enough to not allow it to impact them.

It is so unrealistic to expect a child to “handle” a situation in which they are being bullied without adult intervention. And for the most part, the faculty and staff at the schools ARE NOT willing to stand up for a bullied child. So, who can the child turn to? All too often, a child will turn all of that pain inward, and begin to develop low self esteem, or participate in self destructive behavior. So, I have to applaud this man who was willing to stand up for his child.

I wish someone had done it for me.

NOTE: You can join a Facebook page for supporters of James Jones. You can also call the DAs office to express your support for this man, and to request that the charges against him be dropped 407-665-4450

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Anyone one who knows me will tell you that I have a soft spot for the homeless, and downtrodden. Often, I bring to light the everyday madness on this site; but today, here’s some reality with an awesome ending.

So, check out the story of Orayne Williams (pictured above), and how he overcame serious odds to be granted a full ride college scholarship just about a month ago. Hopefully you’ll find this inspirational:
Homeless high school grad Orayne Williams is getting the ride of his life – a full scholarship to a four-year college.

Abandoned by his family and living alone in a Brooklyn shelter, Williams, 18, excelled at school with a 91 average at Bedford Academy in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The Daily News broke his story on June 15, and since then, he’s received more than $15,000 in scholarship money from readers.

Now, Manhattanville College in Purchase, Westchester County, has offered Williams a slot and a promise to cover any expenses he can’t pay.

“I was speechless,” said Williams. “I didn’t think it was going to happen, but it did.”

Born into a poor family outside Kingston, Jamaica, Williams was sent to live in Florida alone at age 12. In 2007, he was reunited with his mother and half sister at a Brooklyn homeless shelter.

In November, his mother kicked him out, and city Education Department social worker Wayne Harris found him a spot at a shelter for young men in Williamsburg.

Williams still managed to do well, taking three Advanced Placement classes, earning an A average, and winning a spot at an upstate two-year community college on scholarship.

All that changed after Manhattanville College President Molly Easo Smith read Williams’ story in The News. “His hunger for education really meant something to me,” said Smith. “It touched a nerve.”

Although Smith didn’t know if Manhattanville would be able to pay Williams’ way, she encouraged him to apply.

Last Tuesday, Smith learned that the school had enough scholarship money available to cover Williams’ expenses, which will work out to about $47,000 a year.

She called Harris – and that night the social worker broke the news to Williams at a support meeting for homeless teens. The room erupted into thunderous applause.

“I felt like I hit a 3-point jump shot,” said Harris. “I clenched my fist, like, ‘Yes!'” (source)

Williams will be moving to Westchester this month to attend the college, where he plans to major in biology. “Of course I’ll miss Brooklyn, but I’ll be back,” Williams said. “Life is just taking its course.”Having worked and volunteered in homeless shelters in recent years, this story really warms my heart. More than anything, what really bugs you when in the shelter environment, are the faces of the many kids you encounter. It’s truly a hard-knock-life for many of them, and breaks such as this one doesn’t come too often…

Especially for a kid from the Caribbean with similar circumstances.

To understand how poverty affects the education of children CLICK HERE!

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Anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time can tell you that I have a soft spot for children. From time to time I feature stories where children suffer neglect at the hands of the very adults who are supposed to love them. Believe you me, I’ve featured a host of stories like this and this tragic event, but this next story out of Reno Nevada has me wondering if parental licenses to have and raise children should be issued:
Reno, NV (RGJ.com) – A 41-year-old Reno, Nevada woman is behind bars after police said she was grossly intoxicated when she tried to bring her 1-year-old daughter – riding in a stroller wearing minimal clothes – into a bar.

Around midnight Wednesday, patrons and staff at Russo’s Tavern on Clearacre Lane prevented Christine Yvette Lobe from coming into the bar, and called police. Officers later learned she had also left her 2-year-old daughter at home alone, walking to the bar after the toddler fell asleep on the couch.

“She never got inside our bar,” said bar owner Jamie Russo. “She tried to get inside with the stroller and they wouldn’t let her. The bartender asked what she needed and she was incoherent.

“We did the right thing and called police,” he said. “She was never served a drink.”
Russo said Lobe tried to leave, but that customers had held her until officers arrived.

Sgt. Chuck Lovitt said the child was wearing only a “Onesie,” which is a one piece body suit for babies, and had to be taken into a neighboring business to warm up because of the frigid temperatures.

Officers said Lobe’s blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

The baby and her sister were not harmed, and placed in the custody of their father, who was called while he was at work, police said.

Lobe remained in the Washoe County Jail on Thursday on two counts of suspicion of child neglect in lieu of $3,000 bail. She declined to comment through a jail official.First of all, I have a hard time believing that the woman pictured above – the mother of these children – is actually 41yrs old. And no offense, but doesn’t she look like she could be Carrot Top’s meth addicted brother?

No seriously,  if I saw this woman walking the streets pushing a stroller I’d automatically think something wasn’t right, and the authorities would be notified; yeah, I’m a snitch like that especially when kids are involved.

Thankfully neither of the children were hurt, but who’s to say that they may not be endangered again? In this case I’m glad that there was a father available to take custody rather than have them end up as wards of the state. Now I have to wonder if the parents of these kids actually live together, and if so, how safe will they be.

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I wonder if her mother’s last name is Leakes…

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I mean the media has us all now believing that this guy pretty much ruined his kids by beating their ass. Let’s be honest, there’s a big difference between abusing your kids and beating their ass. But somehow this man has been made out to be a villain. A villain which was created by his very famous son and what he disclosed to the media probably to gain sympathy.

Back in the day my mother did what teachers couldn’t; she beat some sense into my ass enough so for me to get good grades. Trust me, while pissed at the time, those beatings paid off. I kinda feel the same way about the Jackson family. If Joe Jackson didn’t beat his kids asses like he did, and as much as he enforced discipline or as strict as he was, would we even know those Negroes from Gary Indiana? Would we have had the outpouring of love for Michael Jackson and the rest of his family in his death as we have? I doubt it.

Joe Jackson and his wife had nine kids. You cannot be on the lower end of the totem pole economically, have nine kids and not whoop some ass. Joe Jackson beat that ass and they’re all better off right now because of it. There are plenty of derelict delinquent people right now who could have used some Joe Jackson in their lives. Yes, we see them every day, and we encounter them on our daily travel along the road of life. I don’t know about you, but I know I have met some fools who could have stood to have had their ass whooped a lot more than they ever had as a child.

The world is full of f*cked up people; some of them as adults are in need of an ass whoopin. Hell if Joe Jackson didn’t beat his kids Tito would probably be as old as he is and selling dope in some crackhouse in Gary. Shit, LaToya may have turned out to be a hoe or freak. Wait a minute; she did turn out to be just that anyway; yeah, maybe he didn’t beat her ass enough. Janet may have had six kids by now, and on welfare; thus far she’s done well for herself by not being a mother and in her 40’s. Lord knows what the rest of them would be doing right now without Joe in their lives.

In the end, I’ll say that Joe did the right thing. He beat his kids just like parents of old did. And because of the Joe Jackson beatdown, they all came to enjoy the fruits of their labor. I’ll also say that Donnie & Marie Osmond’s parents probably beat their asses back in the day as well. The difference is that we don’t hear about it. I sincerely doubt time out worked for them; yeah, and there were like fifty of them living under the same roof.

The Jackson’s however whenever the subject is them in the media will always be remembered as the kids that Joe abused. You know what? Child abuse is child abuse; however, whooping your kids ass is just that and not child abuse. I don’t know how you feel about beating your kids. Shit, say what you want about Joe, at least his kids didn’t do something like this:

Somebody needs to give Joe Jackson a call.
Yeah, tell him America needs his services by way of ass whoopins.Tell him he can start by giving the parents of these kids…
and the adults in attendance a serious well calculated beatdown.Tell him we’ll pay him for it… After all, Michael didn’t actually leave him a dime in the Will.How’s that for thanks?

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Being a kid in the summertime was the best times ever. Well at least until they started showing those “Back To School” commercials on TV. That’s when depression would set in and the realization of it coming to and end was evident. Just the thought of going to bed earlier than normal made me sick. It was like becoming a crack addict for two months and then suddenly waking up in rehab after an intervention. Even though it was good for you, it was still bullshit. That’s why parents take time out in the summer to do stuff for, or with their kids. It gives the kids stuff to talk about when they get into “rehab”, or go back to school. I mean who wants to be the kid that didn’t do shit all summer, right?

Remember when going to the zoo as a kid was cool? It was the closest you could ever get to wild nature. Well that’s only if you didn’t grow up in a Jerry Springer-like family. As an adult, I’ve been to the zoo a few times with my daughter. But its different when you’re grown. Its like a lot of unnecessary walking; walking that you paid for. But your kid loved it, and that’s all that matters. The only reason I’d go to the zoo by myself is because the monkeys might be throwing turds that day. Feeding time used to be entertaining but most zoo animals are fed at night or early morning so they spend the rest of the day sleeping. And even if you do get to see them eat, it’s some weird vitamin rich special lion diet that’s fed to them in a pan through a trap door. You don’t get to see a lion chase down prey like it would it in the wild.

Every now and then a TV show will give you video of a polar bear biting a spectator or a Tiger biting a zoo keeper. I know these events are horrible but when I see the footage there’s part of me that goes, “DAMN I WISH I WAS AT THE ZOO THAT DAY!!!” Those people got their $7 worth. And then there was the guy back in 2004 who jumped into a Lion’s den in an attempt to convert the Lion’s to Christianity.

“The 46-year-old man leaped into the den of African lions and shouted “Jesus will save you,” according to the report. He also said, “Come bite me” before one of the male lions attacked and bit the man. Video showed the lion ripping a jacket off the man at the zoo in Taiwan’s capital, clawing him and then biting the man in the leg.Zoo workers were able to drive off the lion with water hoses and tranquilizer guns.The lions were fed earlier in the day otherwise the man might have been more seriously injured or killed.”[SOURCE]Apparently the Lions weren’t feeling his Jesus sales pitch because they bit his ass. If the zoo had properly promoted this event they would’ve sold HUNDREDS of tickets and DVDs. A man reading bible verses to lions is well worth my $7 and If “Lion Jesus Man” came to Memphis I’d sleep outside the box office the night before. I want to be front row for that rush. I bet the kids that saw his ass had a lot to talk about in school that semester. Matter of fact, just a few weeks ago a zoo keeper was attacked by a tiger here in Memphis. I wish I was there to see it, but hey that’s just my luck. If you can’t afford to do a whole lot this summer, take time out to go to the zoo. Take the kids, show them a good time. You never know, somebody just might get ate up that day, and I know you wouldn’t wanna miss that. Besides, it’s a lot cheaper than Six Flags.

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As a family we spoke about it, and decided that since we’re financially strapped like so many, we would donate the old toys of the kids. Now mind you, we donated old used toys, but please believe, the majority of them were like brand new. Some of them were hardly even used over the years. My wife met the lady, gave her the toys, and she was truly appreciative. She even sent us an email expressing her gratitude, as she said that she was unable to provide for her kids due to financial constraints. I must admit, it felt really good to do something as small as that for someone else. Hopefully God caught that act on surveillance tape.

Thinking of toys, and seeing commercials for toys this year, I couldn’t help but to think of the impact these toys have on kids. They have so much of an impact that there’s a rating system for appropriateness. And hell why not? Violent acts are often blamed on video games these days. I guess its just the sign of the times. Back in my day, as a kid, playing with those little green army men and the many cap guns didn’t have a negative effect on me.

But then again, maybe its because I had responsible parents. Not saying that parents today or in recent years are irresponsible and not in tune with the type of toys they give to their kids. But if you’re gonna blame toys for today’s violent and insensitive society on video games, and toy guns, can’t we blame today’s problem with teenage pregnancies on little girls receiving baby dolls? Seriously, let me know in your comments your thoughts on this.

I don’t have a son, but if I did, I’d be conscientious of the toys I gave him as I am with my daughters. Trust me, I took good care not to buy the pregnant teenage project Barbie years ago for my now teenage daughters. As a matter of fact, what they need to produce are doll babies that actually spit real puke on little girls. Sure they have fake ones, but nothing is as good as the real thing. I’m willing to bet (since I can’t blame parenting…*wink*) that the trauma of having real puke on your face. Or even having to clean stinky baby doll poop, might be a deterrent for teenage pregnancies.

This is why next Christmas I’m gonna have a special charity in my heart. Thanks to my wife, I now have a new focus for the holidays. Starting next year, I’m gonna do my part and donate toys. I’m gonna concentrate my efforts on boys. Yup, I sure am. Matter of fact, I think I’ll just start a foundation. Its gonna be called…

Toys For Jehovah Witness Tots.

What?!!!

Have you seen Michael Jackson lately?

He grew up in a Jehovah Witness household; a very strict one I might add. And look at how fucked up he turned out. I mean look at him. He looks like a cross between the Green Hornet and a Ninja Turtle. And you wanna know why? Because as a Jehovah Witness kid, he grew up in a household where they didn’t celebrate Christmas. He played with mice for Christ sakes!

Sure he was/is a talented entertainer, but had he gotten toys for Christmas, he would have probably been a normal kid. Seriously, were he given baby dolls as a kid for Christmas, he probably would have never grown up to be an “alleged” molester of little boys. He may have been more like RuPaul if that had happened. But at least he would not have been hanging babies out of windows. The same thing could probably be said for kids raised in Jewish or Muslim homes, but they don’t walk around looking lost like poor Mike.

I’m just sayin…

maybe it could help reduce the door knocking thing…

its the thought that counts.
QUESTION: Do you believe kids are impacted by the toys they receive? Are gender roles defined by the type of toys they receive as opposed to the effect of parenting?

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Now Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu….

get that fuck outta here with your bullshit!Buh bye

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Not just her, but society who is always lurking in the recesses of our minds says its not masculine for a man to hug another man in public, but it is to carry an unregistered gun into a nightclub. I don’t know, but maybe its cool, to hug another man behind closed doors just as long as your pastor doesn’t see it, but in public, its a no no. I can’t help but to think that this stems from a lack of affectionate interaction some boys have with their fathers.

Somehow, I think we’re conditioned to think that such displays of affection between two men isn’t masculine because of it. Come to think of it, its probably why the whole “gimme five” thing was invented. Yup, and ironically the giving of “dap” is a Black thing, or invented by a Black man. Damn! No wonder. Black men have a way of being absent in the lives of their kids. Now I have to wonder who that man was, and wonder if he had a daddy.

Not only that, but I also have to wonder if this is the reason many of our women run around looking for men to hug them. I dunno, I’m just thinking out loud as usual. The last few days I’ve been shuffling the 14yr old to the library after school to do some school projects. I have to wonder if I wasn’t around or she didn’t have a man in her life to represent a father figure…would she grow up feeling the need to hug random dudes in succession all in an attempt to find love?

What do you think?

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But hearing about Breed’s death took me back to my days of living in the Midwest. Yup, my college years. I could remember when his song “Ain’t No Future In Yo Frontin” was hot on the airwaves back then. You see, back in that day, hip hop was still an east coast-west coast thing. There was none of the crap we hear now coming from the south. Nope, none of that bullshit. Not saying that there wasn’t any southern rappers. Hell, back then the “Ghetto Boys” out of Houston was my shit! But being from NYC, I was biased as hell, and refused to listen to anything other than my east coast shit. Of course, there was the occasional “N.W.A.” joints in heavy rotation, but thats where it stopped for me. I was living in the Midwest and I was reppin hard for NY.

Back then, it was inconceivable to think that a Midwest rapper would ever make it mainstream. I used to think that back then especially, and I used to laugh at all the “local” cats I knew who were trying to get in the game. And then I heard “Ain’t No Future In Yo Frontin”. The first time I heard the song I was blown away. The track itself, with that funk sample, and the shit he was saying was dope! He was tellin fake niggas to keep it real, and I loved it. I thought he was probably just another west coast rapper, but then I found out he was from Flint Michigan. Yes, the midwest. Who woulda thunk it? It was 1991, and that song went on to be a huge smash that summer, and probably for a couple years on the national scene. Back then I was drinkin 40’s and partyin my ass off. And trust me when I say muthafukas lost their minds when it came on in the club or house party. Damn those were good times, and I often wish I were 21yrs old again.

Because of this dude, the midwest got some shine. Think about it, back then there were no rappers blowin up from the midwest. A region which has since produced platinum selling artists the likes of Nelly, Eminem, and Kanye West just to name a few. These cats never mention him as a musical influence, but I’m sure they will acknowledge him as a pioneer in the industry, at least for the midwest. Hell, he was probably the first no name rapper to have Tupac Shakur featured on an album. Yup, the dude worked with Tupac. Fuckin Tupac!!! Shit there are dudes today who would kill to have Tupac on their tracks. You know Tupac is still alive, and I’m sure he’s gonna go to MC Breed’s funeral. Could you imagine all the dudes who would be there begging to get his phone number? Not to mention the chicks who still wanna give him some coochie??

As I look at all these rappers in the industry who “talk” about all the money they’re making ( and no I’m not talking about the ones who are obviously managing their money well enough to be listed by Forbes Magazine), you know, the ones who love to make it rain on bitches? You know, the ones who “say” they drive Bentleys to the grocery store? You know, guys like that? I often wonder if they have health insurance. In recent years there have been rappers who have fallen due to ill health, and not by the bullet. MC Breed was sick for quite some time, and now that he’s dead, I’m wondering if he had health insurance. I mean, he recently did time in jail for non-payment of child support. And from was exposed, he owed something like $200,000 in back support. Surely rappers are not dying sitting in hospital waiting rooms like poor people. But them muthafukas are getting sick and are dying. There are about 47 million people in America without health insurance, who as a result, are unable to get preventive care. Sad ain’t it? Thank God we don’t have that many rappers. I’d hate to hear them do songs about laying in hospital beds, or waiting in the ER for hours to be seen by a doctor, only to be given a prescription that they can’t even afford to pay for without insurance.

So next time your young’un comes to you for advice because he’s contemplating a rap career. Be sure to tell him that money, hoes, and clothes is cool, and it might look good on BET. But tell him that having health insurance and a 401K might be a better route. Tell him to get a job and do his best to keep it; staying out late at night making it rain on bitches in strip clubs might make him late for work; or get him suspended like NFL player Pacman Jones. Tell him that there’s always work at the post office because there is no retirement plan for rappers. Tell him to give up on that shit at least up until Def Jam has a pension. Shit, just show him a pic of LL Cool J’s old ass, and tell him that at 40yrs old he may be as lucky as LL to be able to hock Old Spice and get a check, but its pretty unlikely.

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