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#Water for Flint

Posted on by billjohnson2014

Its been a little over two weeks since concerns surfaced nationwide  about the amount of lead in water located in Flint, Michigan. The water literally and figuratively appears to get more murky by the day. The latest turn from a legislative stance involves a FBI probe into  the water contamination. The FBI in-conjunction with several other agencies are trying to see if any laws were broken.

In a yahoo.com interview Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State in Detroit was not optimistic when he was asked if charges would be filed against state officials. “You need something false (a false statement) to build a case, ” he said. Henning added “simply failing to recognize the seriousness of the situation would not rise to that level”. The below video shows just that (a false statement) from Governor Rick Snyder. The Governor claims the Flint water crisis is new but, he was notified a year ago. The below video shows a series of emails sent to the Governor by Chief of Staff Dennis Muchmore.

From a social perspective millions of Americans have not been waiting of government money to assist the people of Flint, Michigan. The the internet site gofundme opened a challenge on January 22, 2016 to see who could raise the most money for the crisis. As of  February 2, 2016 the site has collected over 405,000 dollars. The winner of the contest Marseile Allen of Flint, Michigan will receive 10,000 from gofundme to further the cause.

In addition to private persons several companies and high profile celebrities have donated. Anheuser- Busch donated several trucks containing over 51,000 bottles of water to Flint. A whose who of celebrities ranging from Jimmy Fallon, Seth Myers, Snoop Dogg, Big Sean, Sean Combs, Madonna, and Pearl Jam have all pledged support. Rapper “The Game” has even taken his pledge a step further calling Jimmy Fallon’s 10,000 donation “cute”. The Game went on to challenge celebrates and wealthy alike to match his 1 million dollar pledge.  

 

Marseille Allen's has raised over $39,000 on her GoFundMe page for Flint Image result for the game donates to flint

On a the civil rights front Russel Simmons was quoted “It’s not a natural disaster but, they should be able to do more. What’s happening here, this kind of environmental racism could be happening in many other parts of the county. If this were Beverly Hills, it would be a minute before we found out and a second before someone would be blamed and be brought up on charges”. Simmons, Sean Combs and Mark Wahlberg have partnered together in a pledge to donate over 1 million bottles of water.

 

 

 

 

Back to the Future

Posted on by billjohnson2014

The two wheeled self-balancing board commonly referred to as a “hoverboard” swept the nation in 2015. In actuality a “hoverboard” more closely resembles what Marty McFly rode in the movie “Back to the Future 2”  but, I digress. Due to China’s lax patent enforcement the “hoverboards” true creator is unknown. We do know that Chic Robotics released the “Smart S1” in August 2014 and patented technologies associated with the board. Again, I say we do not know for sure because Shane Chen is also credited for inventing “Hovertrax” in 2013.

Now, that we know where the boards came from let’s see how they work. The wheels of the hoverboard house the electric motors and also contain a tilt and speed sensor. This detects the rpm and sends it to the speed controls located next to the wheels. For example the more your leaning forward, the faster the logic board tells the motor to spin to catch  up with your body weight. The hoverboard reaches speeds between 6 and 12 mph.

Self Balancing Scooter Components

 

There are an estimated 13 different versions of the “hoverboard” as each company calls the board something differently.  Two of the more expensive hoverboards  the “lo Hawk” and the “Phunkee Duck” range from $1,000- $1,800. As the market has become saturated and demand has increased the median price has dropped between $300-$500. The price drop still has the boards rather pricey but, the average Joe is now able to purchase one. In addition on a single charge the board can last up to three hours and can support weight up to 300 pounds

With anything that is mass produced without regulations there will be…u guessed it…”pit falls”.  I believe the recent boards catching fire are a direct relation to  high demand and an  unregulated market.  Like anything that is unregulated manufactures can simply cut corners but, my assertion is unproven. Of the cases reported a general cause i.e defect nor problematic brand has not been identified.  We do know that the lithium ion batteries that are in the boards are highly volatile which could explain some of the explosions.

Many US cities have banned the riding of hoverboards in certain public places that include the airport and the mall. In New York for example the NYPD deems them as illegal and persons can be fined $200 for riding. At the opposite end of the spectrum effective Jan 1, 2016 a California law will allow hoverboards to be ridden in bike lanes and pathways.  In addition most  US Airlines have banned hoverboards on passenger flights.

Words with Friends

Posted on by billjohnson2014

I have a love of words and have for as longs as I can remember. I love playing with words or word play which is actually a play on words.  If you have ever told or laughed at a “that’s what she said joke” you witnessed a “double entendre”. A double entendre is a figure of speech or particular wording that is devised to be understood in either of two ways.

I was recently having a conversation about communication and I would learn quickly that I was out of my element. You see I like to converse about a variety of subjects and I have been told I can be long winded like a Baptist minister. I can talk endlessly about sports or life lessons but, I learned I was not always communicating or being an effective communicator.  Communication is defined as the verbal/non verbal exchange of information that requires a response.

I think we all could agree that being an effective communicator means conveying an articulate message with easy to follow directives.  In addition an effective communicator needs to listen showing verbal and nonverbal cues. The cues if used properly ease the speaker therefore he/she communicates openly and honestly. After receiving the information the receiver  needs to respond in a way that affirms the speaker i.e repeating the information back to him/her.

If you know anyone that is married they will tell you that marriage is difficult especially the first year.  In the opening scene we find Whitley waking up early in the morning to brush her teeth so Dwayne will be affectionate. In the episode Whitley continues sending subliminal message to Dwayne before  turning to talk show host Montell Williams for advice. In the end she turns to her  friends  before finally opening up to Dwayne.

I can attest to being passive aggressive at times and also simply  not being a good active listener.  I also can attest to speaking with friends/family instead of the person that I have the issue with. At the end of the episode like in life we learn that genuine care, concern and selflessness goes along way in the art that is communication.

The episode in its entirety brings to light poor communication practices  that are displayed in  relationships. I used Dwayne and Whitley as an example for interpersonal conflict more so than men vs women.  I chuckle as I advise this blog was not intended to solve the conundrum that is man/female communication.

 

 

What of Love?

Posted on by billjohnson2014

In looking at my early writing to this point I point to the work of Langston Hughes for giving me great clarity as a writer. In Hughes work I found that a book, poem or quote can be as long as you want it to be. I gained the confidence and liberation that comes with doing what you love to do more than anything else on earth. Langston Hughes words and work shinned like the lone light in a desolate land. The freedom and hope that dripped off every word he wrote gave me hope and made me yearn to find such a freedom in my work. I laughingly joke that if I had a little Langston Hughes voice in my head he would say “just write what you feel son and if people enjoy that’s fine but, if not the sun will rise in the morning”.

I have written quotes, poems, comedy sketches, blogs and even started a book. I have written the funny, the witty, the dark, the reflective and the introspective. I have not written much about the conundrum that is love. I heard a pastor say that you better be sure that the person you love, loves you the way you love them. He told a story of an old man that died and left his wife to be a widow after man years of marriage. The wife wrote this long beautiful obituary that she took to the newspaper. While at the paper the wife was advised that she would be charged 50 cent per word to which she replied “I will have to revise this”. The wife returned with the new obituary and she was informed that the obituary had to be at least 7 words long. The final obituary read “Henry Brown died, 88 Oldsmobile for sale”. I think its safe to safe that was funny but, also a word to the wise.

I think when we understand what love is we can understand what love is not. Love is not putting someone before god.  Love is not being unhappy. Love is not something that someone can explain to you in a paragraph. Love is not simple. Love is not something that you fall in or out of. I think the starting point of love is similar to faith in that it’s the substance of things hoped, the evidence of things not seen until you___. From the novice to the expert to the miserably married to the happily single I don’t think it’s ever too late to reassess how we look at love.