Military Woes

2012/05/14 Reply

There are many battles a Marine has to go through while serving their country. You have the obvious battle with the enemy overseas; you also have the battle that you fight missing your family while you are overseas fighting. Some battles you fight are big others are small but the battle no Marine wants to fight is the one with the Veterans Affairs for a service related disability.

 

David Dure is fighting that battle now as we speak and as of right now he’s losing without them even breaking a sweat.

Military Woes from Maurice Stevens on Vimeo.

Greener on the Other Side

2012/05/07 Reply

When looking for a place to live, what distinguishes whether you turn left or right on a street? Well in Orlando Florida on a simple street called Raleigh Street making a left could put you in the lap of luxury and making a right could put you in the heart of the hood, but what makes one side of the road better than the other? Maybe the fact that there’s no litter on one side, the grass is not dead on one side, there’s properties around the lake on one side, there’s newly built stores and communities on one side. Why is it that one side of Raleigh Street is invested in fully, but the black side of Raleigh Street is poverty torn? This is how you know where to turn when looking for a place because the grass is greener on the other side.

 

 

 

Greener on the Other Side from Maurice Stevens on Vimeo.

Transitioning Pain

2012/04/30 Reply

Look into the life of a former Marine whose life has been changed drastically due to a condition possibly given to him by a simple shot.

20120429_Transitioning Pains_001 from Maurice Stevens on Vimeo.

Serving the Celebrity

2012/04/17 Reply

Last week I was at the Gaylord Palms and I ran into a young lady who was running around the hotel like a chicken with her head cut off. Later that evening I seen her again so i stopped her and decided to ask her what she did at the hotel. She told me that she was a celebrity service agent and had to run off, so I took her card and sent her an email asking her if she would be interested in doing an interview about what she does and how she does it. She agreed and we met up Sunday and conducted the one on one.

 

Her name is Michele Ramos and she works at the Gaylord Palms. The Gaylord Palms is a four diamond hotel and convention center in Orlando Florida.

To understand more about what Michele does and how she does it listen to my interview with her. There’s also a sound clip of the kitchen at the Gaylord playing during the interview.

 

The Hunger Games

2012/04/02 Reply

“Former United States Marine David Dure holds his stomach as he suffers from hunger pains. While siting at the Stevens residence watching the Knicks vs. Bulls basketball game on Sunday April 1st In Orlando Florida.(The Black Tie Society/Photo Maurice Stevens)”

“Former United States Marine David Dure still suffering from the hunger pains gets up and decides to do something about it and leaves the Stevens residence on his way to find something to appease his hunger. (The Black Tie Society/Photo Maurice Stevens)”

 

“Former United States Marine David Dure selected his destination and cranks up his 2003 Ford Explorer with the intentions of feeding his hunger. (The Black Tie Society/Photo Maurice Stevens)”

 

“David Dure in front of the Taco Bell menu awaiting to make a huge, a decision that will help fight to appease his hunger and satisfy him for the rest of the night. (The Black Tie Society/Photo Maurice Stevens)” 

 

 

“Former United States Marine David Dure bites down into the new Dorito Locos Taco back at the Stevens residence, celebrating a monster victory in the fight against hunger. (The Black Tie Society/Photo Maurice Stevens)”

Is It Really Living MAS (More)?

2012/03/26 Reply

This is a look at the then and now from a popular story that caught our attention last year and made us second-guess where to eat at late night after a night of alcohol and music.

Kirkman rd. Taco Bell Orlando Florida.

Figure T1

“ At Taco Bell, we buy our beef from the same trusted brands you find in the supermarket, like Tyson Foods. We start with 100 percent USDA-inspected beef. Then we simmer it in our proprietary blend of seasonings and spices to give our seasoned beef its signature Taco Bell taste and texture. We are proud of the quality of our beef and identify all the seasoning and spice ingredients on our website. Unfortunately, the lawyers in this case elected to sue first and ask questions later – and got their “facts” absolutely wrong. We plan to take legal action for the false statements being made about our food. “

 

Greg Creed, the President and Chief Concept Officer of The Taco Bell Corporation made this statement on January 25, 2011. At this time the image of Taco Bell was tarnished, consumers were asking the question is it real meat or is it some type of artificially made substance? The Alabama lawyers who were suing the fast food company said Taco Bell only had 36% beef in the meat they were serving to the public and 64% of the meat was mostly tasteless fibers, various industrial additives and some flavoring and coloring. Everything is processed into a mass that actually looks like beef, and packed into big containers labeled as “taco meat filling.” These containers get shipped to Taco Bell’s outlets and cooked into something that looks like beef, is called beef and is advertised as beef by the fast food chain.

 

Taco Bell Meat Filing Ingredients

Figure T2

Beef, water, isolated oat product, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, oats (wheat), soy lecithin, sugar, spices, maltodextrin (a polysaccharide that is absorbed as glucose), soybean oil (anti-dusting agent), garlic powder, autolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, caramel color, cocoa powder, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), natural flavors, yeast, modified corn starch, natural smoke flavor, salt, sodium phosphate, less than 2% of beef broth, potassium phosphate, and potassium lactate. 

 

Both sides went back and forward, but in the end Taco Bell was the victor they proved that their meat was 100% beef and took out spreads in Newspapers across the country saying, “Thanks for Suing Us”.

 

 

This helped Taco Bell clean it’s image in some people’s eyes, but in others they still aren’t sure whether or not it’s real meat or a bag full of concoction. Taco Bell decided to gain momentum and teamed up with Doritos and introduced a taco that would take the light off its beef, the new Doritos Taco Supreme; made from a Doritos shell this taco has made ways with the customers and has received a 9 out of 10 rating.

 

Asia Bryant a loyal Taco bell customer stated that “I love Taco Bell, the food has always been pleasing and I have never had any problems nor complaints. When that story came out about it being fake meat it didn’t bother me because my taste buds think it’s delicious. Michele Ramos another consumer went the opposite way when it came to Taco Bell, “I wont ever eat there again. I was already skeptic about their meat before the lawsuit because I’ve never seen ground beef like theirs before, but now I’m 100 times sure it’s not real and I wont step foot in there ever again.”

 

Even though Taco Bell proved their meat was real the jury is still out on whether this story is still done or is there MAS to come?

 

Will He Stay or Will He Go

2012/03/19 Reply

Will He Stay or Will He Go

When it comes to the limelight or the biggest stages, no other athletes are on a bigger stage than NBA players. NBA players don’t wear pads, they don’t wear things to cover up their faces so if you’re a fan of a particular team or of just the sport you know every NBA player and can spot them walking down the street or shopping in the mall. You notice when they get a new tattoo and when they just aren’t in the game mentally; it’s printed all over their face and all over their demeanor especially if it’s due to trade speculation. So what everyone is human everyone has bad days or just days they want to forget; why is this significant?

From the moment the NBA season is over and that team that had the worst record in gets that number one overall pick in the draft; dreams begin to form and that franchise believes they just got their superstar for years to come. Draft day comes David Stern walks out and says with the number one pick in the draft the Cleveland Cavaliers select LeBron James, the Orlando Magic select Dwight Howard; at that moment lives change and dreams are being formed on both the players side and the franchises side. Each of these players signed an extension with their team and both of them were surrounded in controversy for their ambitions to take their talents else where to bigger markets like Miami and New York, but is it fair to tell these players they must stay put because of the fans and the organization that drafted them number one overall and is it wrong that ownership wants to keep these type caliber players in their franchise until the day the player can’t play up to their liking anymore and trade them for someone younger faster and bigger?

Both sides have an argument to make and both sides are typically right in their arguments. Dwight Howard was quoted as saying “there’s more you can do in a bigger market” Being that Dwight Howard is only 26 years old the bright lights of New York or LA is appealing to any young millionaire, so the choice is simple leave and go enjoy your life and your career.

The problem with that is you ruin your relationship with fans that once loved you and the media pretty much destroys your image. LeBron James became the sixth hated sports athlete after his decision which left the city of Cleveland with no superstar nor any valuable pieces to help rebuild the team. Now he is the most hated man in Cleveland and gets booed in every arena around the country except Miami’s. The ownership argument is we seen your potential and drafted you number one instead of that other player, you owe the franchise and the fans your all, but is this fair to the players who don’t want to be in the city anymore, to the players on the team who are mainly affected by the superstar’s disconnect from the team, and the fans who put all their hope into this superstar.

At the end of the day this debate of is this fair or isn’t it fair can go on forever, because smaller markets are going to get Superstars, but depending on the player and where he is at in his life will decide will he stay or will he go.

The Race with the Heisman

2012/03/12 2 comments

Since 1935 there has been 30 black Heisman trophy winners, the first of those 30 was Ernie Davis; the younger generation might know him as the Express. Disney made a movie about his life and how he persevered through racism from fans, teammates and his competitors. Ernie Davis ended up winning everyone over with his play on both sides of the ball and his commitment to not just being the best black player but to be the best player. That drive led him to be the first black Heisman Trophy winner and opened the door up for 29 more to this date. There has been 5 black QBs to win the Heisman, Andre Woodson, Charlie Ward, Troy Smith, Cam Newton, and Robert Griffin III.

 

The question of the hour is if a Quarterback wins the Heisman and declares for the draft should that QB be the first QB taken in the draft since he is the clear cut best player in college football? That is the dilemma with this years NFL draft and it also could have been the dilemma with last year’s draft. Andrew Luck has been the clear cut #1 draft pick for the past two seasons even though he came runner up in Heisman voting the past two seasons in a row, both times to black dual threat quarterbacks. There has been no questions concerning will he fail but last year’s #1 Cam Newton was questioned up until the start of the season and even after he threw for 422 yards in the season opener.

 

Will white QB’s always have the leg up over black QB’s? If Andrew Luck decided to stay in school for one more year and Robert Griffin III was the clear-cut number would the Colts have still let Peyton Manning go? Would they have invested their franchises future in the hands of a black dual threat quarterback? Even though Robert Griffin III was more proficient throughout the season and at the combine than Luck in the brains test they give to QB’s we will never know the real answers to those questions, but the facts are beginning to pile up. To lean more about the Heisman or race in sports check out these sites.

http://www.heisman.com/index.php/heismanWinners

http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/46165/video-andrew-luck-or-rg3-2

http://www.heisman.com/index.php

 

 

What would they say?

2012/03/05 1 comment

Cold concrete buildings with lack luster paint jobs, potholes in the road, dead and untamed grass along the way, siblings that all have different dads and sounds of rap music blaring loudly; this is the prime example of the black community today. The black community is in the state of emergency everything that our grandparent’s, great grandparent’s and great great grandparent’s fought for years ago is being taken for granted and has become down right shameful when you look at everything as a whole.

 

Mrs. Annie Louise Stevens the owner of Annie’s Café a profitable black business right in the heart of Lakeland Florida thinks back to times when everything was segregated and how the community then is so much different from the community now. Mrs. Stevens stated, “Black people didn’t sit there and wait for handouts like they do today with this welfare, unemployment and WIC. We worked and took care of our homes and our families. These kids these days are bringing our neighborhood’s that were once beautiful and prosperous down and now making it categorized as the hood”. Mrs. Stevens happens to be my 70-year-old grandmother and I have never seen my grandmother cry before this interview. The reflection on how things were and how things are going gives her a lot of uncertainty.

 

The core group of black people trapped in poverty today is not defined by lack of opportunity as much as by bad choices. Black youth culture is boiling over with nihilism. It embraces failure and frustration, including random crime and jail time, as the authentic expression of black life. “Keeping it real” and “street cred” in that destructive world require gunshot victims, the “N-word” and treating women as “bitches” and hos.” There is no arguing that this is a sick mind-set. http://www.newafricaradio.com/african-americans.htm

 

Here are some more facts 44% of the nation’s prison population is made up of black people, and blacks account for 37% of violent crimes, although black Americans are only 13% of the population. Who can make the case that this is anything but a social disaster?

 

The biggest question is who can do something about it, why isn’t anyone asking why today’s prominent civil rights leaders, such as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Maxine Waters, are not dealing with these problems. They prefer to call for more government programs and more white guilt. The fact is if we don’t figure out a solution the problem will get bigger like a ball of yarn.

 

http://cards6.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/our-issues-in-the-black-community-the-state-of-black-america/

 

 

Race Still Impacting Sports

2012/02/20 Reply

It is February the month when African American’s look back at all of the great history our culture in a whole has contributed over the last couple centuries. One area over the last century that African Americans has excelled in is sports. Whether it be football, basketball, golf, tennis, heck even horse racing in the late 1800s black jockeys dominated horseracing. Black jockeys won 15 of the first 28 Kentucky Derby’s and Isaac Murphy the most famous black jockey was the first jockey not just the first black jockey but the first jockey period to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Saratoga New York. You think that would’ve opened the doors more quickly for black athletes but that just wasn’t the case. Now we know what the times were like back then but the million-dollar question still remains is race still a major factor in sports today?

That question can be answered in several different ways; yes, maybe, perhaps, think about it and of course it is silly. Just look at sports today as a whole and how they handle different situations. Nov. 29th 2010 Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans and Cortland Finnegan of the Tennessee Titans got into a fight during a divisional game, both men were ejected but the backlash after the game is what was bizarre. Comments were made calling Johnson’s and Finnegan’s actions outrageous and not good for the sport of football. Also in 2004 when the Pacers and the Pistons had that brawl in the middle of the game and everyone called them savages and low lives, but yet when it comes to hockey and majority white sport they are allowed to fight and people enjoy it, as a matter of fact that’s the only reason people watch hockey is to see a brawl happen. It can be said about baseball as well, benches clear all the time and no one is calling them savages or animals. Last time I checked football and basketball are physical sports too so why are they held to a different standard?

Another reason why race is so prevalent in sports is because you can’t just be the first athlete to reach a milestone you have to be the first black one. In 2006 when the Colts played the Bears in the Super bowl the most reported topic of the weekend were the first two blacks coaches ever to coach a Super Bowl instead of these two great coaches that have their team at the highest stage to play for a championship. Granted theirs nothing wrong with being first but why is race such a broad topic still is it because we will never be equal in some peoples eyes or is it because we just need to know when a black athlete or black coach does something for historical reasons. This question can be asked to 100 different people and you could get 100 different answers but the evidence remains race just can’t go away.

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