Am I Worth It?

I've always imagined that love was a symbol of trust, forgiveness, and feeling like you are worth something. How come I feel as if the magnificent process which we call love, skipped me as if I were nothing but an old crumpled up piece of paper that has lost all meaning.

Am I worth it?

You men claim that personality is key and that it takes a good and gentle heart to captivate yours, yet you become silent and are suddenly filled with lackluster when it comes to a beautiful soul and not a beautiful face.

Am I worth it?

I have a great heart, a great soul, and a great beautiful mind but you can't seem to get over my waist size. Why? You say there's more to us women than our beauty, our figure, or our curvaceous booty. Right when I try to open up my heart to you, you begin to close yours with the fact that you might actually be falling in love with a "5", when everyone thought that your type was a "10."

Am I worth it?

Behind closed doors you constantly remind me that I am beautiful, that I am worth it, and more impotantly that I am yours. What girl wouldn't feel like giving you her precious gift that no other soul has entered because she thought that you were true. But to no avail, when it's time to open those closed doors for the eyes to see, you quickly deny any form of relation, communication and you surely didn't show me any commiseration.

But, I thought I was worth it right? Was it something I said, or something I did? Why can't I be loved, why can't I be held and adored like everyone else? What did I do to not be wanted? Please free me from this continuous cycle that only seems to happen to me. For I may not be beautiful, but I AM WORTH IT.

 

 By: Chrysta Gary

 

 

1. Many of us have had our hearts broken, but how has that shaped you into the person that you are today?
2. Fellas, why do you think females feel the way that they do when it comes to not feeling worthy?
3. Ladies, what do males do to make you feel like you aren't worthy enough?

Phil Jackson Doesn't Think Steph Curry is the Best Shooter Ever

Steph Curry broke his own record for most 3-pointers made (288) in a season Saturday night, as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-118 in an overtime thriller.

Curry hit the game-winning shot for the Warriors, pulling up from approximately 36 feet with three seconds left in OT.
His ability to consistently hit shots well beyond the three-point line has many people calling him the greatest shooter in NBA history.
Legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson doesn't seem to think so, however.
Jackson tweeted that Curry reminds him of players like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who had a short stint in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, averaging 16.0 points per game on 35.4 percent from the three-point line.

Never seen anything like SCurry? Remind you of Chris Jackson/ Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who had a short but brilliant run in NBA?

— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) February 28, 2016

Curry also recently drew criticism from NBA legend Oscar Robertson, who believes that Curry is shooting so well because of poor perimeter defense. Curry is not like other players in that he can make shots once he passes half court. In response, NBA defenses are beginning to press him as soon as possible to take away time and space. But this is not a revolutionary strategy. Curry is a phenomenal shooter with a quick release and textbook form. He is a natural born shooter, which is why he continues to amaze NBA fans with his incredible circus-like shots.

Curry may not be unique in Jackson's mind, but he has the respect of many of his peers. Several NBA players tweeted about Curry's game-winning shot.

@StephenCurry30 needs to stop it man!! He's ridiculous man! Never before seen someone like him in the history of ball!

— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 28, 2016

Back to back game with 10 three's??!?????! Video game....

— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) February 28, 2016

Maybe with a few more circus shots, he'll have the respect of NBA legends as well

Do you think Steph Curry is the best shooter ever ?

Blackish

Last week an episode of Blackish premiered that stirred a reaction out of a lot of viewers. The episode pointed out events surrounding Black America and the controversial cases about police brutality against African Americans that ended in death. It also presented different points of view on the situations and did not present the information one sided. For instance the dad and grandfather in the episode had felt very strongly about the cases and the mother was less intense, trying to avoid imposing ideas on the young twins at such an early age. Basically the episode was about a case that the whole family was watching to see the verdict. The case was similar to ones that occurred recently and was about an alleged police brutality against an African American teenager. The younger kids did not understand why so many people were so upset about it and the mother, Bow,wanted to leave the younger kids blind to the information to give them a more hopeful outlook on life. The rest of the family, the grandparents and father wanted them to know and understand the type of world they are growing up in. At the end of the episode they announce the verdict and the officers were found not guilty. Angry, the older son wants to go to the rally and protest but the daughter, who seemed disinterested the whole episode, breaks down and begs her brother not go. She explains she scared for his life and that if he goes down there he might not come back. In the midst of the episode the grandmother said “You should only know seven words when approached by an officer, ‘Yes sir’, ‘No sir’, and ‘Thank you sir.’” She was promoting the idea that one should respect and listen to an officer when confronted no matter how violent or rude they are toward you. When the grandmother, Ruby, said this she was referring to how blacks should respond to police officers because it seems that blacks are more likely to fall victim to police brutality than whites. I thought the episode was a big eye opener to viewers, especially for those who aren’t black. It shed a light on the issue without making it a white vs black debate. The episode was not heavily saturated with notions putting all the blame on the police, it showed both sides. For those of you who saw the episode what did you think about it? Do you think they took a risk making an episode that was so controversial? But for those who didn’t see the episode what do you think about think about bringing social and racial issues like these into media such as this episode of Blackish or Kendrick Lamar’s performance on the Grammys? Do you think it is beneficial or adding to the problem? What do you think cases like Trayvon Martin, Freddie Grey, Sandra Bland, and Mike Brown reveal about the type of world we live in and how does it change the black’s views on police? This creates trust issues and complications between the people and the law enforcement since they’re here to help us, but killing unarmed men and women who pose no threat to an armed officer, makes society feel more threatened than protected. 

Bad Gal,🎈

I would like to start by off saying Rihanna is my idol! From day one Ri has given us a uniquely profound attitude that is sexy, chilled, unapologetic, bold, and strong minded. For this very reason every teenage girl desires Rihanna's swag; this is where the nipple piercings, the transparent tops, and wearing sneakers with dresses come into play. Ri is setting trends, she is giving hope, she is letting people know; "Hey! This is me, this is who I am, this is who I am going to be. Regardless of who is watching, she stays true to herself and that is why I envy her. In a world full of people with their opinions and their ability to rip your self esteem into shreds with one, we need more Rihanna's in the world today! Of course there are rumors of Ri being illuminati. Accusations I am not in full agreement with, mainly because I don't want to believe in it, but then there are people who come up anything in order to rectify why their success is not as great as someone else's. Straying away from that topic Rihanna has recently dropped her new album "Anti" this is her first album since 2012! I love it, although there are only a few songs that I really enjoy from this album. Needed me and Sex with me have to be my favorite, I am sure you all are wondering why I didn't include Work. The song Work is really a blur to me, the beat is amazing don't get me wrong, however the words...well there aren't any. All in all, if you aren't a big fan of Ri, you should be (my bias opinion).

Question:

• Who is your celebrity idol and why?
• How has your idol influenced you?
• Are there any accusations against your idol that you object?

Trivialities

Have you ever felt like someone discredited one of your passions? Have they not had the same understanding at the level that you do? I am talking about trivialism. It means to objectify something to be ordinary or have less than normal importance. People overuse this term to simplify things that they do not understand or might even thing is too difficult for them. As an example, I was watching a time-lapse video of someone building an entire city in a game called Minecraft. This city was like a scale model of Chicago or New York. My roommate walked up behind me and stated his opinion by saying that whoever built that must have no life. Let it be known that my roommate could not even build a simple house which makes me believe that he could not fathom the amount of hard work and detail it takes to accurately build a city to scale in a PC game. He discredited their hard work and dedication by saying they have no life. I told him about how he just judged them for their choice of style. He quickly rephrased his response and stated that he meant that they must have worked forever on that. I found it quite interesting that he could conclude something without even knowing much about the topic in hand. He does not know that building things like a city can be monetized or even result in opportunities as a result of skill. To people that do not game reading this, you might side with my roommate and believe games is a waste of time and simply not productive. A better example would be saying that partying is a waste of time and will never result in anything positive. I am automatically biased because I am downplaying partying just because I have never been a big party goer or enjoyed music and dancing on that level. In actuality, I am defending my lifestyle by saying parties are a waste. The best memories and strongest connections could be made at a party for all I know. It is almost ignorant and an insult to criticize anything without having knowledge of its process. It is 2016 and I believe that as long as you are a master of your craft, you are not wasting your time. I think that we sometimes instinctively judge things we do not know about just to make it seem like it is beneath us. There are people that live wealthy and all they do is record themselves and put the video on the web. With all the new fads going around I try my best to not kick something before I try it. I would like to know if you have ever discredited something then later came to value it because of your newfound interest in it? If it isn’t so personal, my roommate would like to know your position in the upcoming election? Pro-Bernie? Pro-Hillary? Pro-Trump? Let me know in the comments below.

Trayvon Martin Reflection

On February 26th, 2012, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a white neighborhood watch volunteer named George Zimmerman. Trayvon Martin was walking home wearing a black hoodie and holding a pack of skittles and an Arizona in his hand when Zimmerman shot him, claiming he looked suspicious. 

On February 26th, 2016, just 4 years later North Carolina A&T supported Trayvon Martin in front of the reflection pool, with spoken word, poems, songs, and a discussion. In the discussion many people talked about where they were when they first heard about what happened and how they felt about it. Many people said they were at home and when they heard about it. One person stated that race had not even been a factor at the time. He just felt that the whole situation was messed up in general. Other people felt that we go to an HBCU and almost everyone should be out by the reflection pool to support and share their ideas, however there was only a good 15 of us outside. The discussion went as deep as to talking about how everyone felt when they found out Zimmerman was acquitted. They felt that it was officially going to be a war. This whole situation officially opened everyone’s eyes and showed people what has still been going on in the world. We had candles with people’s names on them who died in the same situation that people never even heard about before the Trayvon Martin case. Travon Martin sparked the Black Lives Matter Movement, the peace riots, etc. One boy stated that he had went into a store with his mother and a white man was following him around and the boy stopped and the man said “May I help you?” And the boy said, “I’m just shopping in the store with my mother is that okay?” And so he went and told his mother what happened and his mother approached the man and said why were you following my son around and the man said “Because your son is resembles the type of people we are looking for.” And his son had on an A&T hat a hoodie and some sweatpants. Another person stated that African Americans as a whole should stop worrying about what people see them as and what people are going to think and just go out and do what they feel is right and what needs to be done. They stated that people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had people behind them supporting them in what they were doing. It wasn’t just them by themselves but they had a whole community supporting what was right. And that is what we need to do as a whole and as an HBCU.

 My personal experience of the whole Trayvon Martin case was when I participated in the Trayvon Martin march in New York. It surprised me when some people rolled up their windows or even yelled out that we should listen to the police. I couldn’t believe that they felt it was okay to just shoot a random boy who did nothing wrong. I remember when I found out Zimmerman was acquitted I was personally hurt. There were black mothers on the jury who had sons and they still felt that Zimmerman had a right to be free.

Winning the lottery leads to bankruptcy?

During all the commotion of the record amount of the Power ball lottery everyone everywhere was discussing what they would do with the 1.6 billion dollars. That includes me, and all I could was think about was what all that money could buy me! I am sure I wasn't the only one buying lottery tickets in this class. One evening while watching the news a segment caught my eye. The news anchors were discussing how many of the past lottery winners went bankrupt. I just could not figure out how someone could just lose all that money. It seems like 1 billion dollars or even a million dollars could not disappear but several winners found out it can be gone before you know it fortune-lotterywinnersgobroke This link discusses just how many people have done it. I would like to think I could be smart enough to avoid losing the huge amounts of money you could win playing the lottery. So many key factors play into having that much money, and it would be much tougher to manage it than you would think. We all have those certain people we would give money to if we won like our parents, close family, and close friends. You would have more friends than you would have ever thought you would if you had that much money, and more people than you know would be asking for money. I would definitely try to be gracious and share with people that have been good people to me. I would also give to  multiple charities. Even after all the money you would give away you should still have plenty left right? Don't forget about taxes which would take about half of your winnings away. We would all go buy nice cars, a house, and everything we ever wanted. I thought it would have to be hard to spend all that money, but it seems it would be pretty easy. I know if I won the lottery I would invest a good amount of it. My goal would be to keep as much as I could. Of course I would have a financial advisor  because there is no way I could control all of that money at 19 years old. My life dream is to have a big farm and a lot of land. That would be the first thing I would buy if I was to win! I honestly would probably quit school and work on my farm everyday. That doesn't sound like the smartest thing to do, but oh well. The reality is the odds are stacked against us of winning the lottery but we can dream right?  We better stick to college and try to make something out of  ourselves cause winning the lottery just isn't gonna happen. You never know what could happen though.

My question for you are:
What would you do with all the money if you won the lottery?
Do you think you would go bankrupt or do you think you could handle all that money?

Boycotting the Oscars

There has been a lot of conversation about the Oscars nominations. The 2016 nominees were revealed to the nation and there were no African American nominations. This caused great uproar because this is the second year in a row. Many great celebrities are boycotting the 2016 Oscars such as Jada Pinkett Smith, along with her husband Will Smith. After Jada released her video on Facebook explaining her feelings about the Oscars multiple other actors and actresses joined her movement. Spike Lee commented his feelings about the Oscars also explaining how he would also not be attending because of the racial problems that are going on and he will no longer sit around and stand for it. Idris Elba also explaining that some of his main reason for coming to America was because of the diversity and the American Dream that has been portrayed. Obviously this portrayal is not true because great actors like himself are not getting the recognition they deserve because of the color of their skin. Comments from Stacey Dash was totally opposite from some of the actors and actresses I’ve mentioned earlier in this segment. She believes that as blacks we are doing things and trying to live our lives as an double standard. She explains, “If we don’t want segregation, then we need to get rid of channels like BET, and the BET Awards and the Image Awards, when you’re only awarded if you’re black”. I completely disagree with Stacey's opinion because if there are no awards being given at the award shows that suppose to be “integrated” then as an African American community we must show our own their recognition and appreciation. As a black entertainer in the industry it must be very frustrating to put in so much work and to even be smacked in the face without even being given an nomination. There needs to be a change within the Oscars because obviously this is not something that a coincidence because it is not the first time this has happened. If nobody speaks up about the problem then it will continue to happen and there will be no change. There are actors like Michael Caine who responded to this problem and said that you can’t just vote for someone because he is black, “you have to give a good performance”. This is also a contradiction to what the problem is because it seems that people are looking passed the problem that is actually being addressed. As a black entertainer the problem is when you continue to put on multiple good performances and to be addressed with the ignorance of people responding and saying things such as Michael Caine did. African Americans are not looking for a hand out they are only looking for fair nominations and to be rightfully awarded for their great performances.

How do you feel about the different responses such as Michael Caine or Stacey Dash?

If you were an black entertainer in the industry, how would you respond to the problems of the Oscars?

Do you believe that their should be a boycott for the 2016 Oscars?
-Mikal Wheatley

How the Internet gets into our heads.

 Read this article first, then my blog post response:  Google Search Results Can Influence an Election 



Someone sent me a link to this article about how Google can influence an election and I found it to be a little frightening. We are all so connected to our devices these days, that I think we forget that the constant stream of information coming at us can affect the way we think about things without us even realizing it. I know for a fact that Facebook has done social experimentation on its members. They admitted as much in 2012 when they altered the feeds of 700,000 member to see their reactions to a variety or negative posts. (Facebook's Not-so-secret Mood Manipulation Experiment ).

I've also heard rumblings about the"gay marriage rainbow profile filter" app that was made available to Facebook users following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold gay marriage. Rumor has it those were a social experiment too. I've read various reports that never definitively corroborate or disprove that it was, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if it were true. Can you imagine what an immensely powerful tool that would be to have access to the thoughts and feelings of a wide and varied range of the population? Old, young, conservative, liberal, crunchy, hipster, religious, atheist, ethnic, white...they're all represented on Facebook.

To be fair, marketers and politicians have always tried to figure out which ways work best to sway us, so none of this is really new.  There have always been polls and surveys and even controversial social experimentation, like the Obedience Experiments conducted by Stanley Milgram, but I think there's a fine line between trying to figure out what makes humans tick so you can learn about human nature either for purely academic reasons or to hopefully persuade them to choose something, and controlling people with manipulation. Some of this stuff just plays out to me a little bit too much like some of the dystopian literature I've read (Fahrenheit 451, A Handmaid's Tale, Nineteen Eighty-Four etc). What are your thoughts? Do you think the "powers that be" are using our Internet activity to manipulate and control us (or at least working hard to figure out how to do so)? If so, what can one do to counter it?

PS: I promise I was not wearing a foil-hat while writing this.  :)

Karrueche Tran is a former girlfriend of Chris Brown. When they broke up last year, because of Chris Brown having a baby in the relationship, Karrueche Tran was very hurt and she called the quits on their relationship. Considering they been dating for some years now, and having on and off relationship. However, recently Karrueche has been doing well since the breakup. She has been on a television show, making her own lipstick brand and will be starring in a movie that’s coming out. Chris Brown on the other hand has been making music and his new album has been out “Royalty” which is named after his daughter, but I think is about him missing Karrueche and wanting to get her back. Though, Chris Brown has been doing his father duties and doing a good job at it as well.  However, Karrueche was really hurt after the break up and said she wouldn’t go back out with Chris. There was an occasion where Karrueche and Chris had an interference where Karrueche didn’t want to speak to Chris Brown at all. I believe Chris Brown still has feelings for Karrueche, though he tried to hide it in the beginning when they first broke up. Which is what a lot of guys do. In his album “Royalty” Chris brown made a song about Karrueche in his song “Kae” on the album. Though. Chris brown did make a comment under a picture of him and Karrueche, in a way of a diss, it was because she wouldn’t talk to him. Karrueche also explained that it was very hard for her to move on from Chris Brown and hasn’t been looking for a relationship since the breakup between the two.

 I believe the Chris Brown still has love for Karrueche and even has made a remix with artists Usher and Zayn to his song Back to sleep, where he yelled Karrueche name at the end of the verse. Chris Brown truly wants Karrueche back and he sees her doing good so of course he wants her back even more. Karrueche probably still has love for Chris and probably wants to be with him but her heart won’t let her. With them being on and off for multiple reasons for Chris Brown actions I believe she is fed up, but then another part of me believes that she will be back with him. In her interview about Chris Brown she became very hesitant when she was asked “Would she go back out with Chris brown?”. Though, she still said no she would go back out with Chris Brown. After, a while Karrueche might see the effort that Chris Brown is giving and give it another chance. However, the comments that she will receive if she does go back out with him may be rude, people may call her dumb for going back out to Chris Brown.

So the question is should Karrueche go back to Chris Brown though he had a baby in their relationship and basically embarrassed her? Or should she try to give him another chance to see if Chris Brown has truly learned from his mistakes

Titanic II: To Ride or Not to Ride?

A billionaire has built a replica of the RMS Titanic (see the article) and it is slated to sail in 2018. I wonder if they will completely flout fate and sail its maiden voyage for April 10?

Titanic set to sail in 2018

To ride or not to ride? That is the question. Not that I could afford it, this is strictly a rhetorical question, but is an interesting quandary. On the one hand, statistically, it should be safe. It should also technologically be safe. I mean, what are the odds that TWO Titanics would sink on their maiden voyage? Right?

On the other hand, the first Titanic was also supposed to be "technologically safe" too and my primitive, superstitious inner monkey-brain thinks it goes against all sense of self-preservation to ride anything that is modeled after such an ill-fated ship.

Jane McGonigal: The game that can add ten years of life.

The speaker is Jane McGonigal and I just love her. She's got a PhD Performance Studies and is a game developer.  She has long been a proponent of gaming and has been trying to convince everyone for years that the world would be a better place if everyone would just play more games. She put her money where her mouth is a few years ago when she suffered a severe concussion and almost died and made up a game to help her heal.

This video is from a TED Talk lecture where she challenges the audience to earn 7 1/2 extra minutes on their lives by playing a game with her. The video is 18 minutes, but well worth the watch.

PROMPT:

How do you feel about what Jane McGonigal has to say about games helping people to live better lives?

What makes me laugh

Hello my name is Aajah McArthur,
one thing that always makes me laugh when I may be bored or a little down is either watching videos of babies laughing or the famous "Gingivitis" video.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3iy2MUP8VE

Welcome to our vision quest!

Welcome to the blog for Professor Jamy Gearhart's 2:00 pm English 101 class at North Carolina A&T.  These kind souls manage to stay awake in my class, even though we all know that 2:00 pm is prime napping time. They not only stay awake, but lead lively discussions with great insights. 

Instead of keeping a journal this year, my students and I will embark on a blogging journey where we will polish our writing skills, improve our technique, and explore how we can use writing to benefit ourselves while in school and into the future.

Writing Prompt:

Introduce yourself and tell me about something that makes you laugh every time you think about it, see it, or hear it.  You can create a new blog entry to respond or reply directly to this blog post.

For me, there are a lot of things that make me laugh every single time: movies, commercials, pictures, even that stupid guy, Markiplier, who my son and his friends are into, he can make me laugh. There are, however, some things I like to take out when I'm having a bad day because I know that no matter how rotten my day is going, they will pull a laugh out of me.  This dreadful Walmart commercial is one particular favorite. I laugh until the tears squeeze out of my eyes every time I watch it.