Baltimore Blocks: Can somebody please translate the bottom red part of this sign, please?

I parked in front of this sign last night, got out, and tried to decipher this parking language and could not. So I ended up just saying eff it and took the chance. I don't know if I should be happy I didn't get a ticket or if I should be sad that I couldn't comprehend what the sign really meant.

I'm Not From Baltimore I Just Live Here

Here is yet another reason why whenever someone asks me if I'm from Baltimore I say "No, I just live here." That's not a shot at Baltimore though. I've been here long enough to come to like quite a bit of things the city has to offer. It's just to say that although I live here, I don't identify nor do I represent many of the stereotypes associated with the city. For an example of someone who does, check out the video below:


Some of the lyrics are completely hilarious, so much so that I want to transcribe them. But there's no way I'm taking the time to transcribe this ridiculous attempt at rapping. I wish I could say that I think this is a parody but I really think this guy is serious. The fake booty shake he did toward the end of the video forced me to stop watching, I'm not gonna lie, lol. Let me know what happened after that, lol.

Bonus Coverage: Newark Parody

This one is obviously a parody but equally as bad and hilarious.

Baltimore Blocks: Charles Village Mural

One of the hidden gems in the city of Baltimore is that there are a fair amount of pretty cool murals throughout the city. This one is in Charles Village by the corner of 25th Street and Charles Street. You can see it when you're walking out of the Charles Village Safeway.

I've got a few more Baltimore photos from around the city that have got my eye, including another mural shot. Check em out.

Robbies 1st Base, Baltimore

There's at least one awesome place in the Baltimore area, and it looks like there's going to be a show about it called "Ball Boys".


More info on the show at sportscollectorsdaily.com.

Sleep with me! And hopefully a whole lot of other guys too!

Now that I've got your attention, if you haven't already figured it out from the picture above this post is not going to be about what you think, lol. Feel free to close the window/tab now if you think this is going to be about promiscuity, lol.

This post is about an initiative that one of my best friends has started to bring awareness to a very important issue, homelessness. I'll give you background real quick.

• Baltimore (like many urban areas) has a problem with homelessness.
• Baltimore City has a plan called "The Journey Home" that seeks to address homelessness over the next decade.
• Most of us don't care until we see a homeless person: 1) at a light asking us for money or 2) somewhere we don't expect them to be. Sure we feel bad when we see a homeless person but we probably just keep on driving or walking away and five minutes later we're not even thinking about it (myself included).
• Homelessness is a problem most of us accept but do not act to mitigate or alleviate.

Now for the part where my buddy comes in. In his recent article in the Baltimore City Paper entitled "Please Don't End Homelessness" (click that link) my friend Lionel Foster applauded The Journey Home but also raised the question, "Can we go even farther [than what The Journey Home plans for]"? The answer is undoubtedly yes and for that reason Lionel has taken it upon himself to come up with the following proposal:

"I want to sleep with the mayor. Seriously. I want to sleep with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, whose name is printed larger than anyone else’s right on the plan’s cover, outdoors for a night in front of City Hall to bring real attention to homelessness in Baltimore. And I’d like all of you to join us. The mayor and I would, of course, sleep in separate spaces. She’s married."

He challenges the mayor to pick a night where anyone that cares (that means me, you, you momma, and don't hide ya wife or ya kids, bring 'em) can come and sleep in front of City Hall in Baltimore to bring awareness to homelessness in the City. He's even created a website (www.onenightstandforhomelessness.com - click that link too!) where you can learn more, sign-up to sleep with the mayor (ha), and I'm sure in short order he'll have information up there about local organizations that aim to achieve some of the same goals that The Journey Home lays out and that he envisions.

I have to be honest and say that I oftentimes poke fun at Baltimore (with me being from the DC-urrrea) and some of it's "shortcomings" comparatively but Baltimore definitely has it's good points and not unlike DC, Baltimore has a problem with homelessness. More importantly, a few years ago I realized that if you're going to live some place you may as well (while you're there) do your part to make that place a better one. And that applies even if you know you won't be there forever. People often talk about making the world a better place and larger goals of world peace, ending famine, finding a cure for AIDS and cancer, and so on. But you can make an impact right where you are if you just make a little bit of time to put forth the effort.

And just in case you're immature (ahem, fellas)  and like to play along with the built-in joke to this awareness initiative, you can find a picture of Baltimore City's mayor (Stephanie Rawlings-Blake) at the Baltimore City website.

THROWBACK!!! B Rich - Whoa Now

If you lived in Baltimore around the time this came out, you'll remember this song, because you sang it out loud on several occasions, lol.




"Party like it's my birthday, drinkin' and still thirsty!"

"One night in Baltimore, I bet you never leave" ... Ummmmmm, oooookay.

I Respect Mos Def!!!

I went to see Black Dante last night in Baltimore at Club Sonar off the strength of my man Kevin having an extra ticket that he gave me the "homeboy hook-up" on. Sonar's one of those small venues that feels much more intimate than going to a large arena to see an artist. I prefer these smaller venues over arena performances but most of the artists I wouldn't mind paying to go see perform at the larger venues.

The point is this post is not to talk about Sonar, that's just my segue into what I really want to talk about which is the overall experience of the Mos Def show. I'll try to be quick:

1. A local band/group called Soul Cannon was performing when I got there. It took me a minute to get into their sound (the band was rocking by the time they got into the 3rd song or so) but in the end, I think they were a pretty good. They guy on the mic served as the group's Black Thought and he was a pretty solid rapper.

Sidebar: 1st beer purchased --> Natty Boh


2. The next act was some guy named Hussein from New York. I am really upset that I can't remember his full name because this guy actually held his own solo onstage for like 6 straight songs just spittin'. And not any party songs or dance songs, but like straight lyricism with bangin' beats for about 15 minutes or so. I really liked his set.
3. The next act was some cat who looked like a cross between Buckshot and Michael Pittman. Yes, I know that's random. What's worse is that he walked like Forrest Gump when he had the braces on his legs. Anywho, he sucked BALLZ. The end.

Sidebar: 2nd beer purchased --> Natty Boh AGAIN (they were $3, I'm just sayin)


4. The next act was Jay Electronica. A guy I will admit I've heard a lot of positive things about and even heard NaS give him props so I was anxious to hear his set. I have NEVER listened to a Jay Electronica song in my life. Not for any reason in particular though. And considering he impregnated Erykah Badu I was already questioning his sanity. Turns out that Mr. Electronica started off with a bang (came out and dropped the "Who Shot Ya" instrumental to do his "mic check" over) and had me siced! But it was all downhill from there. The rest of his performance seemed like a drunken stupor of half-performances of songs (like a verse and a half) and jokes that went over about 90% of the audience's head. At one point I actually felt bad and thought to myself: "This guy is actually going to lose potential fans who have heard good things about him because this performance was HORRENDOUS! He must be drunk/high." Needless to say, I was glad when his set ended. I really felt like he did himself and his music a disservice withe subpar performance. You could tell he was a decent rapper but his stage show was pathetic. I hope he reads this (because we all know he cares what I think).

Sidebar: 1st cocktail --> Ciroc and cranberry (LET'S GOOOOOO!!!!)


5. Next act, TALIB MF-ING KWELI!!!! I've seen Talib a couple times already so I knew what to expect. He didn't disappoint as usual. Did all my favorite joints (Hot Thing, Get By, Never Been In Love Before, Hostile Gospel, etc.) and he has a knack for controlling the crowd. Definitely a performance that set the tone for Mos.
6. Finally, MOS DEF. Before I start talking about Mos's performance I want to put this out there. I like Mos Def for the most part but I am not really a follower of his music. I am more so a fan of his features than anything else. I like Black Star far more than I like what I have heard from Mos Def as a solo act. I actually have all of his CDs but I haven't listened to any of them other than a little bit of The New Danger. So my goal was to assess how his show was and not the quality of his music necessarily. Especially since so many people already seem to think he's dope which I don't doubt as far as his lyrical content goes. But music is more than just lyrics.
   
   Mos came onstage in penny loafers, black jeans, and a black t shirt. He started off on those big-azz drums I saw him play on Letterman a few weeks ago. Oddly enough, I enjoy the songs where he plays the drums. I have no idea what the song's titles are but I like the sound of the drums a lot. Moving on though, I mention his clothing selection because he wouldn't stay in the black t shirt long and the penny loafers were foreshadowing what I think was one of the best parts of his performance.
   
   He started off doing that singing bullshyt that I do not really enjoy but it appeared the crowd (aside from me) was really into it. After about 3 songs of that he brought it to some of his more recent stuff for 3 or 4 songs. Again, it appeared everyone was really enjoying the show. I however, didn't know the words so I just nodded to the beat. By the time he got to something I actually knew the words to (and not just the chorus) you can guess who was on stage beside him...TALIB KWELI. Turns out they were doing a Black Star set. YESSSSS! After the Black Star set Mos decided to do some more singing type ish, then channel James Brown for a quick sec, then gave a shout-out to none other than Kanye TuDa.
   
   Peep the audio of him taking up for Kanyeezy.
   
   And that is why the title of this post is "I respect Mos Def". After shouting out Kanye to what seemed to be a good amount of boos from the audience he said something along the lines of how Kanye is his friend and he is sticking by him even though he made a mistake. He also said that Kanye didn't touch or hit Taylor Swift so the amount of hate and castigation and media coverage isn't commensurate with the mistake he made. He then drove home the point that Kanye is getting more coverage and hatred for what he did than Joe Wilson and his "you lie" comments during Obama's specch. He also mentioned how he felt Jay Leno should not have pulled the Donda West card during the interview in which Kanye apologized. I definitely agree with Mos on that point. It was after that comment that I whispered to my man Kevin: "Now watch this room divide along racial lines". It was one of those half-serious-half-joke comments but it was pretty obvious to me that the people clapping were mostly Black (the audience was definitely diverse) and most of the people booing Kanye or putting up their middle fingers were white. I'm just saying. But I respect Mos for sticking up for Kanye even though he didn't have to say shyt about Kanye during that performance. And not just sticking up for him but giving what he definitely thought was a plausible reason to not hate Kanye or find him unforgivable. Kudos to Mos Def and his loyalty. His logic though, I'm not sure I agree with 100%.
   
   After that my favorite part of the show came up. Mos channeled Michael Jackson and did Rock With You (my favorite MJ song of all the times) and covered Billie Jean. And he actually covered Billie Jean pretty well doing the MJ dances and all. After that he did one of the funniest things I've ever seen at a concert. He took the audio from "Randy Watson's" performance on Coming to America and he covered THAT. LOL. It was completely hilarious as he went word for word with the infamous Randy Watson and shouted out "sexual chocolate!" After this he did "Umi Says" which is a song I actually like a lot. From there he ended the show with some old school tunes and although some of the audience had cleared out (it was 1:30 am on a Wed.), lots of people stuck around and made their way up close to the stage just to get a closer view of him before he left.
   
   Overall, the show was good. I definitely enjoyed Talib's set more than Mos's but that was probably because I'm far more familiar with Talib's music. But I definitely like the show that Mos Def put on and wouldn't advise against going to see him in a venue like Sonar.

Wine Sale in Baltimore: Buy 1 bottle get the second for HALF PRICE

My favorite wine & spirit (ie - liquor) store in Baltimore - which also happens to be less than a mile from my place - is having a Spring Wine Sale starting next Wednesday. But since I am on their email list I get early access to the sale starting (you guessed it) TODAY!

That's what's up!!!

But I wanted to share the coupon that they sent me for "early admission". If you're in the Baltimore area and you enjoy a nice bottle of vino or you'd like to stock up since it's a good sale, I HIGHLY suggest printing this coupon and going to get yourself a few bottles.

Don't forget to get a bottle for ya boy!

Baltimorians Looking for Employment, this post is for you!

Congressman Elijah Cummings 2009 Job Fair
Monday March 30, 2009
9:00 AM TO 3:00 PM
Fifth Regiment Armory
29TH Division Street
Baltimore, 21201

Participating employers:

BCDept of Rec and Parks
Baltimore City Joint
Apprenticeship Program
BC Schools
Chimes
HC Health Department
and Police Department
HC Public School System
Kennedy Krieger Institute
MD Dept of Juvenile Services
MD Dept of Labor, Licensing
and Regulation
MD Dept of Environment
MD Dept of Education
Whiting-Turner
Towson University
Census Bureau
*and more*

Baltimore Blocks

27th Street and Greenmount Avenue

My new office

Recently my job relocated about 100 feet south of our old building (no lie). The move went over fairly well and now I'm located on the 6th floor of an office building sharing an office with two of my co-workers. The best part of this new location is the view I have from my window. It looks southward toward downtown Baltimore.

Check out the new digs.

Think before you shoot

I just received an email from my buddy L referencing an article on the Baltimore Sun website about Johns Hopkins University launching a gunfire detection system and I have to say that this is another example of how much I love technology. And it's also a great example of how technology can be used for good.

The way the system works is that sensors are put in place on buildings, lightposts, and other objects throughout an area and these sensors can detect a gunshot and distinguish it from other "similar" sounds like fireworks or a car backfiring with 90% accuracy (which is pretty good in my opinion). Once a gunshot is recognized, the sensor sends a signal to a receiving station that calculates the area of the gunshot and displays it on a GPS. From there, dispatchers can dispatch police to the area. This probably cuts down the police response time tremendously as it can all happen in a matter of seconds I'd assume.

Having done my undergraduate degree at the Hopkins Homewood campus where this system has been installed I can understand some of the issues/problems within the area so I think this is a great thing for the students and the community. It's a good testing area for a system like this because there aren't very many shootings in the area from what I see/hear so it's presumably a good low-violence starting point to see if this system may work city-wide. Anyone who lives in or near Baltimore knows that a system like this (if it really is affective) is probably a necessity in certain areas of Baltimore city. It's good to know that if someone shoots a gun that police and EMTs will be quicker to respond. This may help prevent shootings and also save lives in the case of a shooting. Now if we could only get these guns off the streets!

I work about 4 blocks from the Hopkins Homewood campus where the sensors have been installed and I think I am going to try to find a few of them just out of curiosity. I thought this was pretty tight considering the use of technology so I'm passing it along. For the full article and video, click here.

Public Service Announcement: Don't Sleep With this Guy!

The guy in the video below calls himself "TrashMan" and is allegedly running off the littany of women he "gave AIDS to." Needless to say, whether this is true or not it's pretty effed up.


After watching the video a couple times, I'm not so convinced that this thing is real. Especially considering this guy starts off with the premise that he (and I paraphrase) "gave these women AIDS." I always thought (and I'm pretty sure I was taught) that you contract HIV which could then turn into AIDS (unless you're Magic Johnson). But I could be wrong, although I'm a pretty sure I'm right about that. Also, he says he's had sex with over 15,000 women. Come on homeboy, those are Wilt numbers. I don't think a Jaguar (which he claims to drive) - even the XF - is gonna get you that much action. A Maybach, maybe (I'm joking). Aside from that, he just doesn't sound all that believable to me.

The messed up part is that you can't really be sure. So ladies, be careful! Guys be careful too! Especially if any of those names sound familiar. I'm pretty sure that this guy will end up getting sued whether this is true or not since he's spewing off names like this. That is, unless the names are fugazi.

My guess is that this is a scare tactic this guy is trying to use to actually do some good. Azz-backwards as it might be, it might also be super-genius. He may end up getting himself into trouble in the process but instilling some fear into people is probably a good thing at this point. Let's be for real, HIV/AIDS is really out of control.

Speaking of AIDS, I was watching the news last night (where I heard about this video) and there was a very scary statistic. Of all the cases of AIDS in BodyMore, something like 86% are African-Americans. Scary shyt, I know. But if you ever needed an excuse to holla at some white chicks...

Or a white chick named 'Black'.... Let me move on since I know that shyt is gonna get me in trouble.

Here are some even scarier numbers. Here's a list of the nation's top 10 cities where AIDS is spreading the fastest. This list is from 2005 data and is the number of cases and rate of spreading per 100,000 people.

Miami - 2,435 (number) 44.9 (rate)
Baltimore - 1,074 (number) 40.4 (rate)
Memphis - 420 (number) 33.3 (rate)
New York - 6,150 (number) 32.8 (rate)
Atlanta - 1,587 (number) 32.3 (rate)
Baton Rouge - 225 (number) 30.7 (rate)
New Orleans - 400 (number) 30.3 (rate)
San Juan, Puerto Rico - 746 (number) 28.9 (rate)
Orlando - 551 (number) 28.5 (rate)
Jackson, Miss. - 142 (number) 27.2 (rate)

Information taken from the BaltimoreSun.com website

And one last bit of interesting information is that if you take a look at the list above and cross-reference the cities on this list with a map of where Blacks live in the U.S....Some things just make you wonder.

Yet another reason why censusscope.org might be the most interesting things on the InterWeb.