Euro 2012

We're already 12 minutes into the match and the tension is gripping. So many tried so far from both England and Italy.

Come on lads you can do it! let's get to the final and beat Germany once again, do us proud

Remembering

History is full of unlikely heroes. These historic individuals never set out to be heroic but their inadvertent actions serve as the spark that drives what poet Amiri Baraka  calls “the motion of history”  to change our world for better or worse. Such a man was the late Rodney King , who died Sunday.

King is known for being the victim of a brutal beating at the hands of several Los Angeles police officers whose subsequent acquittal resulted in sparking the L.A. riots of 1992 . To many, this was Rodney King’s main contribution to American history, but the truth is his contribution is way more complex than that. It wasn’t just the brutal beating that King suffered that sent Blacks, Latinos and whites into the streets.

The acquittal of accused officers Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Stacey Koon , who were caught on tape beating a helpless Rodney King, was the real spark that lit the racial tinderbox that had been brewing in L.A. and other urban areas across America for years.

LAPD brutalizing Blacks and Latinos  in the line of duty wasn't new to L.A. residents. In fact, it happened quite often. But this was the first time that it was captured on tape and broadcast for the whole world to see. The videotape of King getting beat at the hands of cops may have shocked many white middle-class suburbanites, but to the Black and Latino community, many of whom had either been victimized by police brutality and misconduct or knew someone who had, the tape didn’t shock them as much. Instead it served as a graphic vindication of their own experiences with racist, rogue cops.

To the outside world, Rodney King became a symbol of racial tension, but to the thousands of victims of police brutality, he became a symbol of justice long overdue. When the officers were acquitted by a predominantly white jury in Simi Valley, Califonia , all hell broke loose in L.A.

That uprising led to the death of more than 50 people and more than 2,000 injuries , more than 9,500 arrests and more than $1 billion in property damage. It also forced the resignation of Los Angeles Chief of Police Daryl Gates , who over the years had become a symbol of the LAPD’s institutional racism. He was succeeded by Willie Williams, who quickly implemented many of the changes recommended by an independent committee looking into the riots.

Most important, for a brief moment in history America was forced to look in the mirror and admit to itself that the myth of justice and equality for all only applied to a privileged few. Sadly, we’re still looking in that mirror seeing the reflection of images like that of Trayvon Martin, whose innocent eyes echo the immortal words of Rodney King: “Can we all get along?” 

http://www.bet.com/news/national/2012/06/18/commentary-remembering-rodney-king.html

Looking forward

Over the years most people change and have regrets, those that don't change have no regrets and live in the bubble of the past.

Sometimes people aren't who they seemed to be and sometimes people are so much more than you originally thought.

Without freedom from the past, there is no freedom at all, because the mind is never new, fresh and innocent. Very often a change of ones-self is needed more so than a change of scene.

Look in the mirror and delve deep into yourself asking the question, 'would I be friends with me?' and if the answer is no, that means you can't be friends with anyone.

Moving forward is a process in our lives that many of us dislike because moving forward is a time that requires us to make changes. Being able to move forward in life is a true test of our maturity level, and a true test of the confidence that we have within ourselves. In order to succeed in the accomplishment of the dreams and goals that we have in our hearts we must be able to not only look forward, but also have the capacity to move forward as well. We must resist looking back, and trying to relive the past, because our past can only be lived once, and the mistakes that we made in it can not be redone. We can choose to make wiser decisions, and learn from the experiences that we went through in order to become the best person possible in moving forward in our lives.

Laughing like a baby

Hugs

WTF

It's the Queens Birthday today and St Georges day on Monday....Publicity for these events please!!