Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 11/7/17
Meek Mill is headed to state prison
1:48 PMWhat’s up, squad? Hope your Election Day is treating you well. It’s another TV day for me, so please do tune in to Around The Horn at 5 p.m. Tuesday afternoon on ESPN.
Meek Mill was in the court house like pic.twitter.com/Usc89VebHZ
— Pastor Creflo Dollar (@PastorCreflo) November 6, 2017
So, Meek Mill is going to prison. Why? Because in a nation in which we throw people in prison for what feels like every conceivable reason, a guy violated probation and the judge felt she had no choice. Mind you, there are side theories floating around that because he didn’t do a song with Boyz II Men and shout-out the judge, she decided to put him behind bars. In all seriousness, though, this is a sad day for a guy trying to turn things around. Then again, posting silly violations on social media is never smart.
Harvey Weinstein’s fall from grace has had an incredible effect on Hollywood. A staggering number of other ancillary accusations have come out regarding sexual harassment, assault and coercion in the movie business. The concept of the “open secret” is one it appears we’re finally tackling. Yet, there are still details that make your skin crawl when you hear exactly how these smear and fear campaigns worked to protect powerful men. This story about the lengths people go to is really terrifying.
It’s an Election Day in America. Which means if you are in one of a couple of states that are having rather important races nationally, you’ll want to get out and perform your civic duty. For some people, it’s an afterthought they only participate in when they think they can make a difference. But in Virginia, where felons had their right to vote reinstated, it’s a privilege at this point. And for one man doing it for the first time, it was an incredible feeling.
Theodore Dortch,37, is a former felon who had his voting rights in Virginia restored this year. Today he voted for the first time pic.twitter.com/WNFlkwOyrc
— Sam Levine (@srl) November 7, 2017
Josh Gordon was a heck of a football player. He also is an addict. As a player for the Cleveland Browns, he was routinely mocked for having violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy on multiple occasions. But the reality is that Gordon wasn’t just a dude who loved partying, he was a guy with a real problem. A get-high-and-drink-before-NFL-games type of problem. I don’t doubt that many players over the years have done this, but to hear it discussed so explicitly is still fascinating.
Free Food
Coffee Break: We all know who Richard Spencer is at this point. If you don’t, he’s the Nazi dude who pops up from time to time trying to make points about white supremacy and other nonsense that sometimes gets him punched in the face. Well, a black man took the time to interview Spencer, and it got real.
Snack Time: 5Pointz is a place that means a lot to me. So when they buffed and whitewashed the whole thing sometime back over a land dispute, it was heartbreaking. It went to court, and now some decisions are being made.
Dessert: If you want to hear me do an interview with a college kid, here you go.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 11/6/17
Another church massacre: Gunman kills 26 in Texas
1:31 PMHappy Monday, kiddos. It was quite the weekend around the football world and, alas, another devastating one in terms of violence in America. Hug your friends and family a little harder tonight.
Guys it’s #DuragHistoryWeek
— de bleck penta (@fivefifths) November 6, 2017
Another day, another mass shooting. I don’t mean to be flip about the matter, but this is basically where we’re at in this country, which is really scary. A guy walked into a church in Texas and killed 26 people with a gun and injured 20 others. He was later shot and killed. Authorities believe the gunman had some type of connection to the specific congregation he chose to attack. The president is choosing to blame this tragedy on mental illness, not gun control, which seems like something that I’m not sure anyone can really call right now. But, yeah, guns kill people.
If you’re wondering whether an iPhone X is a smart investment, I’ve got some news for you. They are rather fragile. Of course, they look and feel incredible, but because the whole thing is basically made of glass, you’ve got to be EXTRA careful handling it, because if you drop it, the likelihood of it breaking is extremely high. No, like, for real, people have tested this and basically the phones instantly shattered. I’m sure you can get a case that’ll keep your worries down, but that’s gonna be one delicate device to deal with.
ComplexCon happened over the weekend. Basically, every hypebeast and tastemaker in America descended upon Long Beach, California, to celebrate all things related to what we’ll just call “the culture.” While there were quite a few news items to come out of the proceedings, for me, there was one standout. N.E.R.D unveiled a new album and performed for the first time in a couple of years. Obviously, the three of the group members are in completely different life places at this point, but I’m very much looking forward to the complete project.
Lamar Odom has suffered another setback. The former NBA basketball player and Kardashian-adjacent reality star collapsed at a Los Angeles nightclub over the weekend, which is extremely troubling. Let’s not forget that his battle with substance abuse is well-known, so while his people are saying that a heavy workout and hot conditions at the venue are to blame, we just hope he’s OK. It’s unfair to speculate about what he may be doing, but we do know his health has taken a major hit in the past few years.
Free Food
Coffee Break: The situation with Tyrese has taken another turn. While his beef with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has apparently subsided, his friends Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith threw some paper his way and told him to shut up. What did he do? He posted about it on the internet. This dude just doesn’t get it.
Snack Time: Remember that lady who flipped off the presidential motorcade while she was riding her bike, and went viral? Well, her boss found out and she got fired.
Dessert: San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich continues to be a national treasure.
Quick Popovich reaction… basketball not important after what occurred today in Texas #Spurs pic.twitter.com/8Iu7iWNJGy
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) November 6, 2017
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 11/3/17
Tyrese is struggling, and it’s all very public
3:21 PMWe made it to Friday, y’all. Hooray. It also happens to be National Sandwich Day, which means it’s the perfect time for me to remind you all that a hot dog is not a sandwich. Because without the bread, it’s still a hot dog.
During a compulsory all-media broadcast, when he thought no one was looking, President Maduro opens his desk drawer and eats an empanada. pic.twitter.com/waFS07dqUL
— Emiliana Duarte (@emiduarte) November 2, 2017
The NFL is a complete mess right now. It appears that the Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot will be playing this week, after yet another stay was granted to him in court. If you’ve lost track of how many times they’ve gone back and forth, I don’t blame you. In addition, the national anthem situation has gone completely nuclear, with owners now being deposed and told to turn over documents and phones to see if they were colluding to keep Colin Kaepernick out of the league.
Appropriation is something people of color take seriously. Blackface isn’t cool, and wearing traditional garb as Halloween costumes is typically considered insensitive at best. The holiday just passed and there are per usual, any number of violations, one in particular stood out. One guy dressed up as a member of Omega Psi Phi, and the black Greek-letter community was NOT having it. As someone who is not in a fraternity, I don’t really know what to feel about it, but Twitter definitely got these jokes off.
Tyrese is really going through it right now. The singer and actor has been embroiled in a messy family situation, in which his wife accused him of abusing their child. After a lot of legal fees, he is apparently hard up for cash and not afraid to admit that publicly. In between all that, he’s accusing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson of somehow thwarting his career, for various choices the former wrestler made around The Fast and the Furious franchise. Tyrese also has a new album out and the whole thing feels like it’s going to end poorly.
The Washington Wizards are my favorite basketball team. But in my life, they haven’t exactly been a franchise of any real impact in the NBA. That said, now, they’ve got a nice little squad between John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and my man Markieff Morris. In this short season, they’ve already found themselves in a scrap with the Golden State Warriors, and as a team, are still trying to figure out who they are. What comes with that is a bunch of wild proclamations, such as Beal saying Thursday that the Zardos are the best team in the East. This is not true.
Free Food
Coffee Break: There’s nothing cool about getting arrested for a DUI. It’s dangerous and typically can result in a lot of things going wrong in your life from a legal standpoint. But for one lady, she was riding a horse when she got hers, which is hilarious.
Snack Time: If you’re a fan of The Lion King and black folks, you will definitely be very excited about the full lineup of people for the upcoming live action film. One word: Beyoncé.
Dessert: Banger for the weekend! Stalley and Migos linked up.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 11/2/17
Donna Brazile has all the tea
3:11 PMWhat up, squad? Hope your weeks are going well. I got to watch baseball with my dad Wednesday night, which always makes me happy. I’m still amazed, though, at the fact that Sports Illustrated nailed its Houston Astros cover three years ago. Dope.
THE JINX IS DEAD pic.twitter.com/d4OVj1BFcR
— Ben Reiter (@BenReiter) November 2, 2017
I’m not one for conspiracy theories at all. But this latest news that there has been a new secret vault uncovered in a pyramid in Egypt is a little tough not to speculate on. So many movies and stories have been told about finding mysterious rooms in old tombs and temples that unlock God knows what, and to find out that we’re actually living in a time when this happened is rather spooky. Scientists apparently don’t know what this recently discovered room was for, to which I say all the better. Leave that thing alone.
Donna Brazile is ready to spill. The former head of the Democratic National Committee talked to Politico about exactly what happened before her ouster, which was brought on by the revelation that she gave candidate Hillary Clinton questions for a debate beforehand during the presidential campaign. In light of recent weeks that seems so tame, but now she’s accusing the onetime first lady of rigging the election against Bernie Sanders, which is a pretty serious charge and a clear indication of exactly how messed up that party has become as an organization.
If you don’t already have a fire extinguisher, get one. It sounds basic, but house fires happen, and for many folks, they’re not equipped to handle it once something goes even slightly awry. They also make a great gift for someone if you’re out of ideas for the holidays. But, as it turns out, a lot of the tools that we use to keep our homes safe are actually not working and need to be recalled. In a word, this is terrifying. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to use one in a crisis only to find out it’s inoperative. Yikes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the NBA’s most exciting players. Hailing from Greece, he’s single-handedly turned the Milwaukee Bucks into a force to be reckoned with in the league, and his personal story is great. Unfortunately, his father died recently, a development that for a young star could be a devastating blow. But he’s dealing, and he’s doing it through an obvious therapy: basketball. This story about exactly how much he loves the game is a fascinating and fun read.
Free Food
Coffee Break: Arranged marriages are an awful, outdated practice still occurring in many parts of the world. Basically, young women have their entire lives decided by greedy and gross family members, which is messed up on so many levels. One Pakistani woman decided to fight back in a major way.
Snack Time: We can’t say that Google never tried to do anything for us. The tech giant announced recently that it was giving $1M to a group dedicated to getting more young black men into the field. Very cool.
Dessert: Just in case you didn’t know or forgot that this ever existed, I present: rapping Jerry Jones.
Have we talked about the Papa Johns commercial with Jerry Jones rapping pic.twitter.com/wva29AwhqF
— Gene Park (@GenePark) November 2, 2017