Why I don't text and drive

Lately I have been focusing on many things that people shouldn't do. I know that we're in the age of new technology and such but one thing that I found to be so irksome and cumbersome is texting while trying to multi-task. Or how about texting and driving. This drives me nuts because I cannot fathom for the life of me why anyone would try to type and drive at the same time. Many people feel that they have the "skills" to do this, but how does one know? I don't buy it especially since a young girl fell down a manhole while texting and walking. Just today a woman nearly bumped into me while texting and walking. She was very apologetic, but where is the line drawn. Another sad story was of a young man who was decapitated while driving and texting. The pics of his recovered body are now floating all over cyber space for the world to see. These pics are not for the weak or for weak stomachs. My heart goes out to his family. Now New York state is in the process of banning those annoying drivers who text on their Black Berries. I can't wait for this law to pass. Even though we all know that there will be certain individuals who will break the law because they feel they have "skills" to multi-task while driving. While behind the wheel of any type of vehicle, there should only be one thing on the driver's mind: DRIVING AND PAYING ATTENTION TO THE ROAD PERIOD!! It just won't work. Sphere: Related Content

Flying has become so trivial!!!

So it's been a minute since my last post. I was away for about a week attending the CIAA tournament in Charlotte. I'm happy to say that my Alma mater won the tourney. Both the men's and women's basketball team slaughtered the competition and brought home the championship. The only problems I had was the traveling part. Why has flying become so trivial? I have been flying since I was a baby and I have witnessed how flying has gone from an ok experience to the worst I have seen in years. After 9/11, there have been so many changes in security measures. Take your shoes off, you can't bring liquids, put all your toiletries in a five ounce Ziploc bag. No lighters or matches are to be brought on board, $150 for the first checked bag (well not that much but it might as well be). No flying isn't a piece of cake any more. My inbound trip wasn't bad, it was the outbound trip. I had a connection in Washington, D.C. and can I say that I will never, ever fly with United Airlines. As a matter of fact I'm calling customer relations to see what can be done. First off the flight was delayed for two hours because of the following reasons: there was no flight crew, the flight hadn't returned on time from St. Louis and the lavatory wasn't working. Now when we finally board the plane in the frigid cold, the pilot tells us the bathroom is still not working and that we have to hold it for two hours!! Are you kidding me how fair is that? Not to mention that all you provide on the flight are drinks, you're going to tell the passengers to hold it? Then on top of that the plane had no heat! No heat for like the first hour into the flight! I was furious. It was so cold on that plane, the stewardess had on gloves!!

Now this was my first time flying on United and I usually don't like trying new airlines unless I have to. It was last minute and I got a good bargain online. Sometimes I think to myself "why me" it seems like delays always happens on the flights I wanna get on lol. The flight finally landed at 1 a.m. I was definitely tired and groggy and my feet were still cold from that cold ass flight. Why has flying become so complicated? It's irritating and annoying all in one breath. I think I'm gonna chill with flying for a while and just focus on other things. I travel so much as it is that I'm beginning to suffer from jet lag. Oh and one good word of advice: Don't ever, ever fly on standby or on a buddy pass unless you really, really have to. Flying on standby can have disastrous results! Over the past weekend due to the snow storm that blanketed the east coast, my friend nearly had a disaster flying on standby. Fortunately she flew out the next day with no problems. Thank God. On a lighter note, talking about going through airline security, please click on the link and watch this hilarious clip of Richard Simmons going through security at L.A.X. This really brightened up my day after dealing with the mess at Dulles Airport. Trust me when I say you will get a good laugh out of this.


http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=6eb26295-475a-4938-a94d-b81ebe5f9032 Sphere: Related Content

Who Comes to An Interview Cracking Gum and Wearing Stilettos?

The standard outfit to wear to an interview is a dark colored suit with shoes and a tie for men and usually a skirt suit for women. Even if the potential job states to come to the interview in business casual attire, still wear a suit. It is so important to dress the part for an interview, especially in this economy you have to sell your self even harder. If you come up short in the wardrobe department, it can mean the difference between not getting your dream job. I went on an interview for a temporary assignment. It was short term which fit perfect with my schedule. Even though the recruiter told me the interview attire was business casual, I still put on the matching blazer with my pant suit. He even went on to tell me not to wear jeans to the interview! So I asked him, "do people really show up to your interviews dressed in jeans?" He went on to politely tell me that not only do people come to the interview with jeans on, they also have friends and family accompany them! How in this day and age, do people not know how to dress properly for an interview?

Dressing the part for the interview is critical in the decision process. It is the first impression that a potential employer can use to determine if they want to hire you or not. Even before you open your mouth! Neatness is also important in the business attire dress. Don't come to the interview in a suit that leaves you looking disheveled because you woke up late and rushed. Make sure you take a good look in the mirror before you leave for that interview, from head to toe. Make sure your hair is neat, shoes are shined and please don't wear perfume or cologne. Believe me when I tell you that fragrances may offend others and I know when a guy slathers on a whole bottle of BRUT does not leave a nice lingering smell while in a small conference room with three interviewees.





Continuing on my interview for the temporary assignment, the other candidates were dressed appropriately. There were a couple of candidates that were out of line because of their attire. One young lady had on a bright turquoise blouse with matching turquoise shoes and bag. No way can you wear that to an interview. The ironic thing was that she kept looking down at her shoes as if she knew she made a bad choice. The next girl trumps all I have ever seen in life of a an interview going from bad to worse. A young lady about 19 years old came to the interview 15 minutes late. Yes 15 minutes late! Not only was she late but she came into the establishment cracking gum, and her attire was a summer outfit to say the least. Gum at an interview? That is an ultimate no, no! She wore red stilettos with the silver pencil heel. Then on top you're cracking the gum like it's POP ROCKS? How about you should KICK ROCKS if you think you're getting that job! Her attire was unacceptable, stilettos with no hosiery, pants too tights and a low cut shirt with a plunging neck line. I felt embarrased for her for some reason.

Here are some tips on how to prepare your wardrobe and yourself for an interview:

**The standard outfit for an interview is a dark colored suit-i.e. black or dark blue.**
**Women can wear a suit with pants or a skirt. Make sure the skirt at least comes to the knee caps!**
**Men wear a tie with your suit**
**Don't wear any perfume or cologne**
**Leave the multiple face jewelry at home**
**Don't wear excessive or noisy jewelry**
**Bring a portfolio showcasing your work**
**Arrive 5-10 minutes early**
**Make eye contact with the interviewee**
**Be confident and sell yourself**


Good Luck... Sphere: Related Content

I vow not to be a blabbermouth in public while talking on my cell phone!

"The cell phone is the most inconsiderate piece of technology ever made," my mom said. Now this wasn't something she just said a few months ago. I remember her saying it years ago while we were walking down the street and saw a woman on her cell talking loud and not thinking about her surroundings. She was arguing with someone, I'm going to assume her boyfriend. This woman, yes I said woman, cursed, berated this guy on a cell phone in the middle of downtown Brooklyn. You know how some people say get a room? Or maybe bring back phone booths so that people can go in there and hold personal convos, business calls and the like. So I have vowed not to answer my cell phone in public unless I know it is an important call beforehand. At the Starbucks on my school's campus they have a sign at the register-"please turn off cell phones so we can serve you better." Customers will come up to the register talking on the phone and they can't decide if they want a latte or who was acting out on the latest reality show.

The kicker for me was when I was in NYC for the holidays and this professional looking woman was having a really personal conversation with a guy. She was telling him in very explicit language how he should wash his private area because she was tired of "going down" on him for obvious reasons. Shocked and appalled I wondered if she knew how loudly she was talking on the phone. For that matter do we ourselves even realize how loud we talk on our cell phones in public? When in the comfort of your own home you can talk as loud, laugh as loud and talk about whatever explicit material your heart desires. There was this woman in the grocery store who was trying to work out her differences with her boyfriend after a breakup. She was distraught and was pleading to mend a relationship that he didn't want to continue.

Talking loud in public on the phone is just not cool. Sometimes there are some calls that have to be answered. Calls from family members as well as business call are important at times. If you can help it, try and answer the phone in a corner, bathroom or even speak low. Yes sometimes hearing someone on the other end of the line can be annoying but it's more annoying hearing why your boyfriend was cheating on Tyqueesha with her best friend. Some things need to be kept in private. Are cell phones sometimes intrusive in nature? Why do people sometimes say "we don't need to hear your whole conversation", while standing at the bust stop? Some commuter trains have implemented "Quiet Cars" on trains for commuters who don't want to spend their ride home hearing someone yakking on their cell phone. It's a great idea, now if only we can have quiet zones on the sidewalks and in the grocery stores. I know it's pushing it and asking for a little too much, but hey you never know.


By bksis

Should there be a handbook accompanied with phones that gives tips on cell phone etiquette? Simple cell phone etiquette should be followed:

1. Stop talking loud on your cell phone if you're not in the comfort of your own home.
2. While in a meeting or in class, please put your phone on silent, vibrate or just turn it off!
3. Ladies please stop talking about personal things such as monthly cycles, hygiene and the like. That goes for guys too.
4. Stop talking on the cell phone and driving! Use a hands free hand set or bluetooth.
5. If you have to be on the phone in public, please refrain from using profane language.


Look at the guy talking loudly on his cell during a presentation. The nerve....


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What's Good With the Abundance of Movie Remakes?

If you haven't seen the recent trailer for the upcoming Friday the 13th movie, it looks like it may be ok. But for those of us who are 1970's and even early 1980's babies, know that this is obviously a remake of the 1980 classic. Is Hollywood running out of ideas that they have to resort to all these unnecessary remakes? I also heard there's a remake in the works for another 1980's cult classic The Last Dragon. Now please someone tell me why is this movie of all movies is being made over?! It was already a low budget successful film in its own right. Now why go and mess that up? And then of all things have an all star cast who lacks acting skills. So back to Friday the 13th. It's definitely coming out in a couple of weeks just in time for Valentine's Day. I'm only assuming because Friday the 13th will actually fall on a Friday. Let's not forget the slasher flicks of the 70's and 80's that had all of us shaking with fear and trembling. That was a time when horror films were just that. They were scary and intense and always left a feeling of suspense with an actual plot. When the first Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and even Friday the 13th first had its runs, they all had a story behind it's villain and hero or heroine. Then when the multitude of sequels followed, the quality of the films and the plots left much to be desired.


By bksis

Who can top Robert Englund as Fred Kreuger?-cha boo


So with that said, will Friday the 13th live up to the hoopla and the little bit of clips that are shown in a 30 second commercial spot during AMC's Friday Night of Fear? Probably not, but then again I'm no movie critic. But it seems that time and time again, remakes don't always surpass the original film. King Kong was remade twice. Each version was good, but personally I did like Peter Jackson's version. Godzilla was remade many times and had many different spin off movies. The 1998 remake was ok, but give me Godzilla from the 1950's circa. I just finished reading that there will be a remake of Nightmare on Elm Street!! Please someone tell me who New Line Cinema will get to play Freddy? Is there no creativity in Hollywood? Why oh why would they remake Nightmare on Elm Street? How is New Line Cinema going to pull this off? I would rather see another sequel than a remake.

Now the remake of Halloween by Rob Zombie was decent, but let's not get carried away here with Elm Street. Maybe I should just dig in the crates and pull out those dusty vhs tapes and watch Elm Street three times to remind me what the 80's horror films were like. Maybe just maybe I will feel a little at ease. Wes Craven needs to speak up about this! I would hope at least he will have some input in the creative process. Robert Englund has to be pushing 60 now, I think he's too old to be running around in a dirty sweater with his rusty claws. Please if this remake is set in stone, Freddy come and get me in my dreams and take me away now! Kill me now! lol. but for now I will have to see what this remake of Friday the 13th is looking like. Here are the two trailers from the original 1980 movie and the current trailer that comes out next weekend. The original does look a little corny, but we all know that the first installment of the original series was the business!


Friday The 13th-1980 circa



Friday the 13th 2008 circa-why does he have on a hockey mask? #1 inconsistency

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Why I'm So Addicted to African Cinema

Back in 2006 my friend and I who lives in Harlem, decided to walk down to 125th street to find some bootleg movies that pirates had just made in the Magic Johnson theater. Not satisfied with the random selections, we decided to go to another spot that carried blaxploitation movies that was located right next to the Apollo Theater. Not exactly impressed with the prices, especially since he had many of his movies on vhs, we decided it was time to leave there. So we keep it moving. We walked back up towards 135th street and come across the Nigerian man who has a shop that was tucked away in the cut. You know the shops that sells hats, scarves, gloves and movies. We go in and immediately I am drawn to the old Kung-Fu flicks from the 1980's circa.


Nadia Buari and Jackie Appiah


Van Vicker


Then the man told us to give the African movies a chance and that we would never regret it. Can I say that til this day, we have no regrets in picking up that first Nigerian movie called "Tom & Jerry". Yes I said it Tom & Jerry was the first African comedy that had us falling over in our chairs from laughter. First off the two guys who play the characters of Tom & Jerry look like little boys, but they are actually grown men. I have grown to love these two actors Osita Iheme and Chinedu Ikedieze. This popular duo in Nollywood are often cast in movies together either wreaking havoc on others or playing big money swindlers.

My personal favorite Nigerian actress is Genevieve Nnaji who gained success back in 1998. She was great in the movies: Blood Sisters, Games Women Play and Girls Cot. While all three of these actors have caught my eye, other actors are on the rise from the continent. Ghanaian cinema is also becoming popular. Nadia Buari, Van Vicker and Jackie Appiah are the dominant trio as they are always cast in movies together. Their most notable film "Beyonce" has become a hit worldwide. Yes, worldwide. In fact many movies in this genre are sold in Florida, New York and Canada.

While the acting is not like A list actors in America, it's still convincing in it's story lines and plots. If I were to compare the two countries in terms of overall production, story lines and the amount of movies produced, Nigeria would probably win hands down. But when factoring in audio, cinematography, setting, costumes and makeup, Ghana would win hands down. Both countries have found their niche in movie production while garnering the attention of a large fan base overseas. While I do agree with friends that the ending scenes of some of the movies are a little over the top, they still have my vote that they will take over the movie game. Not to mention the price is right on all movies. You will usually spend $5 a pop per movie, but I found a gold mine on Nostrand Avenue where the owner sells his movies for $4 per movie. I even negotiated with him to sell me the movie that comes in three parts for $4. Nollywood is and has been on the rise.

Here is a clip from Beyonce-The president's daughter:


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Are food portions becoming smaller in size?

While doing the usual grocery store run, I noticed the trend becoming more and more common among big food giants. The portions of food are becoming obviously smaller. Now I'm not talking about the extra air in the bag of potato chips that is always half filled with air and the other half chips. Cereal, cheese, sausage and other breakfast items are smaller in portion. Ground beef comes in half the size that it used to come in just five years ago. The family size is the way to go, even for consumers without families. The prices of the items either stays the same or increases, but the quantity of the product decreases. Imagine the households with multiple children who naturally have growing appetites. Mom and dad now have to double, even triple the amount of purchases. That means about five boxes of cereal for a family with let's say two kids (we all know how kids love to go through one box). As I stated in a previous post last year that I cringed when I saw the price of one block of cheese from Cracker Barrel that was every bit of $5. Is cheese becoming the new delicacy because of it's price? Cheese is a necessity in any household like eggs, milk and bread. Dairy products in general are unreasonably high and several of their products have fallen victim to the "smaller portion" trend.




The first thing that I learned months ago and have tried to stick to is buying generic brands of food and household products. I learned that some generic brands taste just as good as the name brand products. I never used coupons in the past because many of the coupons in the weekly circulars I didn't consume. I now look for coupons for many of the products that I consume now. Balancing and saving those pennies from coupons help out. Some local chain super markets also offer $10 off coupons from time to time. So while that family size bag of Lay's chips is filled with what seems like 20 chips, the consumer can find other ways to save at the market. It's kind of hard to stretch out smaller portions of food making leftovers for lunch the following day almost nil. If you can find your own ways to saving @ the checkout line, you can share your tips here. Sphere: Related Content

What Happened to the Adage of Don't Talk To or Go Anywhere With Strangers?

It's funny how far adults will go to talk to a stranger. It's one thing if you're networking at a party and you randomly introduce yourself to people as a means of gaining contacts. It's another if you're randomly picking up women to get into their pants. I remember my parents drilling my brother and I as kids on how not to talk to strangers and don't ever go anywhere with a stranger. No matter what the situation was I was definitely scared after watching the movie Adam back in the early '80's. I was scared to death, knowing that a stranger could walk up to me and lure me with candy or pull me into a car.

As an adult the same situation applies. I refuse to go anywhere with someone I don't know. While in the club a few weeks back, a man came up to me and asked me if I was having a good time. "Yes, this is a great party, nice atmosphere and cool people." The next thing that came out of his mouth was "Do you want to go home with me?" I looked at him like he was dropped on his head as a baby and just didn't have it all upstairs. "Do I know you? Why would I go somewhere with a total stranger?" Do you know what his lame excuse was? "We're both adults." I went on to tell him that his lame excuse had nothing to do with the price of tea in China.

Then I went as far as to break it down to him because he was so clueless as to why I was so disgusted at his attempt to woo me. "You didn't ask me my name and you don't know me from a hole in the wall. Why would you risk your safety just to knock boots with a stranger?" I could see the disappointment in his face as he started to turn red. "What if I were a psycho chick who you brought home and I decided to set you up or even what if i were to cut your throat?" He didn't like that at all. "I want to give you a few words of advice, when you approach a woman, don't be so overbearing, it's a turnoff. I know that as a grown man you have it in you to approach a woman in a polite manner. After I lectured him on how to be soft in his approach, he rolled his eyes and stepped off mad at the fact that I wouldn't go home with a total stranger. Then I thought to myself, obviously chicks do go home with him if he felt the need to step to women in this fashion. If that one woman didn't say "yes" then he wouldn't think he can go around asking women to go home with him. Maybe he thougnt he was flattering a sista, but I shut that down real quick. As he walked away he was mouthing something to me, but of course I couldn't hear over the loud music. Give me a break, you're mad because I had to break it down to a grown man who should know better even as an adult not to go anywhere with a stranger? As the world gets crazier and more blasphemous, people still put themselves at risk. Smdh.


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Why are people so out of control on the subway?

So like it was stated in some of the earlier posts, riding the NYC subway is a trial in itself. Then there are always stories about unruly passengers, sick passengers, dancers and the mirachi band that invades your immediate space by placing a cello in front of your face. This little boy got on the #3 train at Borough Hall in Brooklyn. He comes on the train stomping hard "Tell me why I can't have it", he yelled at his middle aged father. While dad was ignoring him as he clutched the hands of the little boy and his older sister, he looked around at the dissaproving stares. Again he exclaimed, "Tell me why I can't have it, and tell me now!" This little boy the proceeds to kick his father in the leg, punch him in the stomach and tries to swing on him, but dad quickly caught that upper cut. "You're outta control, stop it," he compromised. Then he hauls off and punches his older sister right in the head! "Are you ok honey?" She yelled back "no" daddy.I mean this kid was completely out of control, and all his father could say, was that he needed to calm down. I think everyone in the subway car wanted to take the kid home for a couple of hours and straighten him out.
As others were shaking their heads in disbelief I wondered to myself, why do I always have to see this type of foolishness on the subway? I always feel like if I board another subway car maybe I will be spared some kind of fuckery for the day. Whether it's morning or evening rush hour, it's guaranteed and almost inevitable that there will always be some kind of entertainment on the trains and buses. While most of the time I get a few good laughs out of all of it, there are times where I feel like I have to clutch my mace if I feel like my surroundings are being compromised. Sphere: Related Content

Will New Yorkers Contribute More to the MTA for a Greener Planet?

This is an excerpt from the local news station here in the NYC metro area. I'm sure other cities may use this as a model for their transportations systems.



NEW YORK (WABC) -- The transit agency that runs New York City's public transportation system is considering asking riders to make donations to help in its efforts at environmental sustainability.


Is this another way of commuters to close the "gap" within the system? The only incentive to making the donation is that it can be used as a write off during tax season. There is no other incentive other than knowing that your contirbutions are going towards saving the planet. Now I'm a stark advocate for the environment and I wish I could afford to buy a hybrid car. Yes I am as equally concerned about future generations who have to deal with the issues of climate change. But are the contributions really going to have the long lasting affects that should have been implemented years ago?
Is the system asking for too much even in the wake of a necessary fare hike in the spring that will also help close the gap?

How do you as commuters feel about the whole situation about the MTA going green? Is this the right time to go green and ask for charitable donations in a rocky economy? This issue isn't limited to only those in the NYC area. Other major cities may implement similar measures to make for a greener environment. With service cuts system wide and the elimination of a few train and bus routes, is it too much to ask the average commuter to dish out more? Riding the train is a hassle in itself. It can be uncomfortable at times and can be seen as a platform for daily entertainment. Maybe if the MTA would have consideration for all riders not just the subway lines, but buses, LIRR and Metro North, maybe people would be more giving. Sphere: Related Content