Thursday, August 20, 2009
The News of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Its been a long time since I have posted on here...A lot has changed, some for the better and some for the worse but the cycle continues. I will post more later but I wanted to say HOLLA...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
On a lighter but equally as scary note....
Here is my first official rant of this blog...I must try and do this without the use of "colorful" language. Not sure if my charming humor will still come across properly.
Nancy Pelosi is a piece of garbage and deserves to be kicked in the face then kicked out of her post...She has officially divided Congress and also the Senate. Any attempts for President Obama to work for Bi-Partisanship has been and will be eternally doomed as long as she continues to be the Speaker. She has a way of just, and I quote my father on this, "ruining a wet dream". The fact that this woman is still The Speaker of the House makes me sick because she is not speaking my voice. She is obviously not speaking for the entire Congress. She is a threat to both you and this country.
I will post again later, I just needed to vent for 3 minutes. She makes me want to puke.
-Bean
Nancy Pelosi is a piece of garbage and deserves to be kicked in the face then kicked out of her post...She has officially divided Congress and also the Senate. Any attempts for President Obama to work for Bi-Partisanship has been and will be eternally doomed as long as she continues to be the Speaker. She has a way of just, and I quote my father on this, "ruining a wet dream". The fact that this woman is still The Speaker of the House makes me sick because she is not speaking my voice. She is obviously not speaking for the entire Congress. She is a threat to both you and this country.
I will post again later, I just needed to vent for 3 minutes. She makes me want to puke.
-Bean
Friday, February 13, 2009
Means to an End...
First, please let me preface this. I am not a politician. I am not a Republican or Democrat, Communist or Socialist. I am a humanist. It’s not about what can I do to better myself, sometimes I see myself doing that, but it’s about the bigger picture. What can we do for each other? At first, most of you who read this will know me. Then as word of mouth hopefully spreads, you won't have a clue who Bean is. One thing is for certain, and u can quote me on this, I speak my mind. I don't care how many people I offend, who I anger, outrage or make agree with me. If I piss you off or you agree or feel anything, I did my job. I made you think. If you skim through this and write me off and you never give this a second thought, I failed. (I am in no way a writer. I used to copy encyclopedia entries and pawn them as my own work in grade school). This also maybe a little long, so please bear with me. I am winging this...
I live 2 completely separate lives. By day, I am a NY commuting, dress shirt wearing IT person for a financial company. By night but quietly throughout the day, I am an independent charity donating record company owner and avid music lover. But, I have figured out a way to mesh the 2 lives together. It’s more than listening to my music at work, handing out fliers in arguably the largest city in the world. Nope. I wake up every morning, shower, put of my "uniform" and drive to the bus and then get on the subway or as Immortal Technique has called it, "a multicultural slave ship" and go to work.
Its funny, I used to work at a clothing company before this job and we would make jokes that why are things treated so urgent, it’s not like we are curing cancer. Of course we weren't, we kept systems running so some spoiled kid could force their parents to spend 20$ on a T-shirt that cost $.50 to make in some sweatshop in Indonesia. But, again, I am a hypocrite because I wear Nike dunks. You know, overpriced, made in sweatshops, etc. I'm not perfect. I have flaws and but I at least call them out. Yes, you hear that knocking, those are the skeletons in your closet ready to jump out and expose you as a fraud. Mine is written on the internets... So let's start from the beginning...or at least from the first question that my friend Sammy K asked me tonight, what the hell are you talking about....
I ended up work 14 hours today, I looked at the clock and realized I had 30 minutes to walk 1.5 miles to the Port Authority to get some "fresh" air and clear my head. As I am walking down 3rd Ave listening to Off With Their Heads, I am stopped by an older woman. I thought she just needed some directions. I proceed to remove my headphones and say excuse me and she asks me for some change. I searched my wallet and pockets and had nothing. I felt horrible because it was genuine request for help not to get a bottle of Night Train. I then remembered I bought myself a 5$ veggie foot long and had change left over but I threw it in my change bottle on my desk. I apologized profusely, she just smiled and said thank you anyway. Now my mind is racing thinking what if that was MY mom?
I continue my journey and I see something I've never seen before. People like me and you, our parents and grandparents on the street. Working and living so close to NY, I've seen my share of homeless people, but they always look the same. Crazy and/or strung out, not people like my neighbors or the average person I sit next to everyday on the bus or walk past in the supermarket. Do you want to know how bad things are? They are bad. Imagine putting everything you own in a suitcase and you live on the streets....
Now I am not going to claim to know how to fix this situation we are in but I can tell you how we got here. Greed. You want more, so you take and take and take and never think about what the consequences are. I look at the news on a daily basis, listen to the one sided doom and gloom that is thrown in our faces and we never once stop and think what our part can be. Here is the irony, we got into debt because we wanted things we could not afford or over extended ourselves and when we couldn't pay them back, the downward spiral happened. BUT, now that people are saving and not buying, companies are forced to layoff and/or close. We just continue this cycle over and over. So now our fiscal responsibility is causing this problem to continue and the cycle to flourish. It’s time to take a step back and look at things. Let’s go a FEW steps back...
We have 1 major problem...Bush is out of office. Now that in of itself is a GREAT thing but right now, we have no one to lay the blame on. Obama inherited a MAJOR catastrophe. He is the hope of the people and I firmly believe that but WE must do our part to put the pieces back together. I fear that if things do not change fast enough, people will start to blame him and write him off. However, the fact that he said that the "Government is our only hope right now", scares the ever living crap out of me...You mean the people who brought us WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Bay of Pigs, Watergate, Contras, etc are your only hope? No I refuse to think that this is our last hope. We the people are the final hope. We have it in all of us and I believe music is the catalyst for change...It brought a community together in Harlem during the 1920’s to form the Harlem Renaissance, helped stop a war and bring the people together in the 70's and now we can bring the world together in the 21st century. Sounds ambitious right? It is but it’s easier then you think...
Question 2...What the hell can I do about it? I'll tell you what I am doing about it. I am taking the money I make from my day job and investing it into my night job. I am finding friends and bands that have similar ideas and ambitions, putting out records and donating the money. But, this is not enough. The 500$ we raised for The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation is not going to change the world. Of course not, but it’s a path to change. Let’s get people across the globe together to put on shows from basements to Arenas and everything in between. But let’s not stop there. Lets get EVERYONE in this world, with the means, to donate a penny, quarter, 1$ or more to a food bank, a charity, or some local organization that is working towards change. We live in the age of the internet; this is not an impossible task to do. Take that change that is in your pocket, bottom of your purse, in the jar on your desk and help someone. You have warm food and cloths, help those who don't. And not just the homeless, everyone.
This is not a perfect science, I am an IT major for Christ sake but I have an idea of a world I would like to live in. But I need your help and your ideas. Together we can fix this. No matter what your age is, we can change the world because the world is in trouble, not just one country or state.
Ideas for Change:
• Instead of your morning Starbucks, donate the 3$ you would normally spend on your coffee and donate it to a food bank so people can stay fed. (Go buy a pound of coffee and a travel mug for the price of a single cup)
• If you are a music lover, put on a show. Donate the proceeds to local charities and organizations working on issues in your area. I am not talking the Red Cross. Their CEO can bring home $500K+ a year and you want me to donate there? No thanks. Charge money and canned food at the door to get in. The more food, the cheaper the price. Pay the bands for gas but see if they will donate money for the cause. They have the talent and they should have the heart.
• VOLUNTEER! Find organizations in your area that you can give 5 hours on the weekend to help someone less fortunate then you. Together we will overcome this but we must stand united. We proved it worked in the election, let’s show it can continue.
• If you are younger and in school, start a band or spread the word. Get your teenage angst out in music while raising money and awareness for organizations you support. (when I was growing up Food Not Bombs was HUGE and so many benefits were held for them)
This isn't easy but if we all do our part, it will be not as hard to swallow. This is a call to arms for EVERYONE across the globe to make a change. 1 Penny or 1 hour could change the world. I need your ideas and opinions on this. Please spread the word and comment on this. My thoughts are scattered but together we can streamline them. We need a name for this movement also, so let’s figure that out also...
I live 2 completely separate lives. By day, I am a NY commuting, dress shirt wearing IT person for a financial company. By night but quietly throughout the day, I am an independent charity donating record company owner and avid music lover. But, I have figured out a way to mesh the 2 lives together. It’s more than listening to my music at work, handing out fliers in arguably the largest city in the world. Nope. I wake up every morning, shower, put of my "uniform" and drive to the bus and then get on the subway or as Immortal Technique has called it, "a multicultural slave ship" and go to work.
Its funny, I used to work at a clothing company before this job and we would make jokes that why are things treated so urgent, it’s not like we are curing cancer. Of course we weren't, we kept systems running so some spoiled kid could force their parents to spend 20$ on a T-shirt that cost $.50 to make in some sweatshop in Indonesia. But, again, I am a hypocrite because I wear Nike dunks. You know, overpriced, made in sweatshops, etc. I'm not perfect. I have flaws and but I at least call them out. Yes, you hear that knocking, those are the skeletons in your closet ready to jump out and expose you as a fraud. Mine is written on the internets... So let's start from the beginning...or at least from the first question that my friend Sammy K asked me tonight, what the hell are you talking about....
I ended up work 14 hours today, I looked at the clock and realized I had 30 minutes to walk 1.5 miles to the Port Authority to get some "fresh" air and clear my head. As I am walking down 3rd Ave listening to Off With Their Heads, I am stopped by an older woman. I thought she just needed some directions. I proceed to remove my headphones and say excuse me and she asks me for some change. I searched my wallet and pockets and had nothing. I felt horrible because it was genuine request for help not to get a bottle of Night Train. I then remembered I bought myself a 5$ veggie foot long and had change left over but I threw it in my change bottle on my desk. I apologized profusely, she just smiled and said thank you anyway. Now my mind is racing thinking what if that was MY mom?
I continue my journey and I see something I've never seen before. People like me and you, our parents and grandparents on the street. Working and living so close to NY, I've seen my share of homeless people, but they always look the same. Crazy and/or strung out, not people like my neighbors or the average person I sit next to everyday on the bus or walk past in the supermarket. Do you want to know how bad things are? They are bad. Imagine putting everything you own in a suitcase and you live on the streets....
Now I am not going to claim to know how to fix this situation we are in but I can tell you how we got here. Greed. You want more, so you take and take and take and never think about what the consequences are. I look at the news on a daily basis, listen to the one sided doom and gloom that is thrown in our faces and we never once stop and think what our part can be. Here is the irony, we got into debt because we wanted things we could not afford or over extended ourselves and when we couldn't pay them back, the downward spiral happened. BUT, now that people are saving and not buying, companies are forced to layoff and/or close. We just continue this cycle over and over. So now our fiscal responsibility is causing this problem to continue and the cycle to flourish. It’s time to take a step back and look at things. Let’s go a FEW steps back...
We have 1 major problem...Bush is out of office. Now that in of itself is a GREAT thing but right now, we have no one to lay the blame on. Obama inherited a MAJOR catastrophe. He is the hope of the people and I firmly believe that but WE must do our part to put the pieces back together. I fear that if things do not change fast enough, people will start to blame him and write him off. However, the fact that he said that the "Government is our only hope right now", scares the ever living crap out of me...You mean the people who brought us WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Bay of Pigs, Watergate, Contras, etc are your only hope? No I refuse to think that this is our last hope. We the people are the final hope. We have it in all of us and I believe music is the catalyst for change...It brought a community together in Harlem during the 1920’s to form the Harlem Renaissance, helped stop a war and bring the people together in the 70's and now we can bring the world together in the 21st century. Sounds ambitious right? It is but it’s easier then you think...
Question 2...What the hell can I do about it? I'll tell you what I am doing about it. I am taking the money I make from my day job and investing it into my night job. I am finding friends and bands that have similar ideas and ambitions, putting out records and donating the money. But, this is not enough. The 500$ we raised for The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation is not going to change the world. Of course not, but it’s a path to change. Let’s get people across the globe together to put on shows from basements to Arenas and everything in between. But let’s not stop there. Lets get EVERYONE in this world, with the means, to donate a penny, quarter, 1$ or more to a food bank, a charity, or some local organization that is working towards change. We live in the age of the internet; this is not an impossible task to do. Take that change that is in your pocket, bottom of your purse, in the jar on your desk and help someone. You have warm food and cloths, help those who don't. And not just the homeless, everyone.
This is not a perfect science, I am an IT major for Christ sake but I have an idea of a world I would like to live in. But I need your help and your ideas. Together we can fix this. No matter what your age is, we can change the world because the world is in trouble, not just one country or state.
Ideas for Change:
• Instead of your morning Starbucks, donate the 3$ you would normally spend on your coffee and donate it to a food bank so people can stay fed. (Go buy a pound of coffee and a travel mug for the price of a single cup)
• If you are a music lover, put on a show. Donate the proceeds to local charities and organizations working on issues in your area. I am not talking the Red Cross. Their CEO can bring home $500K+ a year and you want me to donate there? No thanks. Charge money and canned food at the door to get in. The more food, the cheaper the price. Pay the bands for gas but see if they will donate money for the cause. They have the talent and they should have the heart.
• VOLUNTEER! Find organizations in your area that you can give 5 hours on the weekend to help someone less fortunate then you. Together we will overcome this but we must stand united. We proved it worked in the election, let’s show it can continue.
• If you are younger and in school, start a band or spread the word. Get your teenage angst out in music while raising money and awareness for organizations you support. (when I was growing up Food Not Bombs was HUGE and so many benefits were held for them)
This isn't easy but if we all do our part, it will be not as hard to swallow. This is a call to arms for EVERYONE across the globe to make a change. 1 Penny or 1 hour could change the world. I need your ideas and opinions on this. Please spread the word and comment on this. My thoughts are scattered but together we can streamline them. We need a name for this movement also, so let’s figure that out also...
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