Tired Iron: Forged to Win

 All over America, at least once a year in elementary school the teacher will ask the children in class what they want to be when they grow up. Millions of kids raise their hands and yell out :  "race car driver" or "astronaut","fireman" and even president.
A few of them might already race. They may do mini-bikes or bicycle motor cross. Others, who want to be President of The United States may be running for class president or in the debate club. Same with sports, little league Pop Warner, AYSO. We know everybody "aint gonna make it to the big leagues"
As life goes, we rarely hit the bullseye when it comes to 'childhood dream job'.
Most of us, due to circumstance take advantage of some immediate opportunity that pays the bills; change our minds and ultimately don't come within striking distance of NASA or even class president. But for a few, the childhood dream is an adult reality and they began living it the moment they raised their young hand.
We all have something we do well and under the right circumstances we can hone our talent to a level of perfection that will awe any that behold it. Not all of us never get the discover or take advantage of our god given gifts but sometimes we do and the results can be incredible.
Auto Racing is a competitive sport, it requires discipline, patience, good reflexes and the ability to balance all those attributes with sheer recklessness. An instinctive endeavor with consistent winners and losers.
Pretend you've been at it (racing) twelve years . You are on your fourth season, double mortgage, wife wants you to quit this expensive hobby. What if you looked over in the other lane and saw an eight yr old pass you by?
That's exactly what happened when Claude Hutchings Jr. first got hold of the racing bug.
He was The eight yr old.
In his words "Well my dad had this Slingshot Go-Cart with about sixty horsepower and he just entered me into the race" According to Claude Sr. it wasn't that simple. "I entered The Slingshot and he drove it, we didn't ask, Junior had been driving on our property for four years by then" shrugging his shoulders "he knew how to drive".
Indeed he did, the competition was either to embarrassed or didn't notice The Tired Iron Repair Driver's age, just his consistency.
Junior made history at eight years old, as the youngest driver to get behind the wheel.
He quickly was entered into Junior II Pro Series. He was a younger driver but was not outclassed he placed third in points his first season behind the wheel.
He stayed in The Junior Pro series but still couldn't get enough so Claude Sr. entered him into he 4cyl Super Stock where the little boy became a Man behind the wheel.
Between 2007-2009 Tired Iron Repair driver Claude Hutchings Jr. has wracked up 42 first place wins and three Championships at tracks all over the Northeast.
"Its a Team, our crew Chief Mark Hale, Chief Mechanic Al Laraby and Of course my wife, Carol, we all make it work, those guys have been with us since 2008" revealed  Hutchings Sr.
Last season he entered the team into a regional  multi-race multi-state competition with a very savvy draw. The ROC Race of Champions .. Despite the higher level of competition Claude Jr was the youngest ever to win The First Place Trophy.
A Highlight of his career
"Its getting to the point where people see Junior on the board and its like, 'oh no' I guess where racing for second" Hutchings Sr bragged.
He has a reason to be proud his young son is a Junior at Clark University majoring in Mechanical Engineering and he's entering his 13th yr as a successful Race car Driver.
Tired Iron Repair Saqiout, where they make race car driver's.



   

Medical Marijuana where do we Stand?

Medical Marijuana is on fire. Literally and figuratively, the controversial (dated) topic of legalization has finally made its way into the forefront of The New York State Legislature. Right now, as I write this article, there are twenty States (including The District of Columbia) that have allowed the legal possession of Marijuana.

 Progressive, practical, cutting edge, States and municipalities that have agreed to unburden themselves of a legal responsibility that sometimes overwhelmed limited resources.

 I'm not writing this to champion the success of repealing marijuana law. The point of this article is Utica. I'm not concerned with the rest of the country. I'm wondering what role, if any, we stubborn Utican's play in the inevitable change in laws.

When pot is legalized, will Utica accept this with open arms; poised to take advantage?  Or will she resist due to moral or personal conflicts of interest? Like the some States did with Affordable Care Act.

Just like the local Democrats initially rejected the possibility of an Obama nomination (over Hillary), many people around here don't think its possible Marijuana will ever be available legally. How backwards can you get?  All the evidence points toward a legal Medical Marijuana law and better yet, an economic boom from it.

There are two Senate Bills -SB1682 & SB4406- submitted by Sen. Velmanette Montgomery and Sen. Diane Savino and one Assembly Bill -AB6357- submitted by Richard Gottfried.

All three bills will allow the distribution acquisition and production of Marijuana for medicinal uses.
The fact is, people are already acquiring it for recreational and medicinal uses. These laws will relax the burden of shame from those terminally ill people that really need the relief that potent strains of marijuana have been proven to provide. Currently the only way they can get relief is by breaking the law.

Many people ask; Why is this important? For one, marijuana is proven to be less harmful than alcohol and just like prohibition from alcohol the societal effects of the marijuana prohibition seem to be worse than the substance itself. College Educations derailed, families broken up and young peoples lives altered beyond repair from being caught in possession of a small amount of a pretty harmless drug. Even more sinister are the stop and frisk laws in New York City that primarily targeted young black men in a disproportionate manner resulting in thousands of arrests for marijuana possession.

Upstate New York has enjoyed an unholy alliance with downstate for decades. They help keep The Prisons full and we vote for the ridiculous "Rockefeller Type" legislation that insures it.  This law will relax the flow, making room for the type of people that should be behind bars instead of creating them behind bars.

I envision a ripe future with multiple dispensaries employing a few hundred jobs per city.
We are perfectly located in the center of the State and with the high quality offerings from The Adirondacks I'm sure we would quickly earn a reputation among Gourmet Cannabis circles.

Can you see it?  Just close your eyes. Full Coffee shops in downtown Utica? Wholesalers along Broad St? The Mayor cutting two ribbons a week.
I can.
I am allowed to dream.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Comes Down To Earth

 On Wednesday November 20, 2013 world famous Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson came to Mohawk Valley Community College to give his latest lecture aptly entitled: "Latest Discoveries in The Universe".

If you don't know who Neil DeGrasse Tyson is you either have no interest in science and no television or you never read the names of the special correspondent on the news during International celestial events. He is the contemporary 'Carl Sagan', original host of the popular television series The Cosmos and author of many books on Space. In fact. Tyson does not have a problem admitting his fondness for Sagan and he even credits him for his success. But there is no doubt Tyson is carving his own terrestrial path in the world of astrophysics.

 Neil DeGrasse Tyson is the 'go-to-guy' when it comes to simple, digestible explanations for complicated phenomena in Space. When the Chelyabinsk Meteor exploded over Russia last year, The Today show called Tyson. If there was a sci-fi laureate for The United States he would be It. Taking the grand dimensions of that explosion into a package fitting 30 Hiroshima's...whoa.

       Degrasse's relative popularity can also be measured by the many media projects he is involved with. He is currently the host of NOVA on PBS and is scheduled to appear in a re-make of Carl Sagan's popular science series The Cosmos (14 episodes). In addition he is The Director of The Hayden Planetarium.

What more can he do? Perhaps write a few books. Which he has managed to do as well. All this, while keeping a tight lecture schedule. The event at MVCC treated at least 1,500 people to a wide ranging powerpoint lecture that focused on Discovery. New Discoveries, knowledge and the 'state of the art'.

On stage, swishing in comfortable loafers, dressed in Blue jeans and a blazer, the charismatic 'uber nerd' chomped/smacked on, local product, Mercers Ice Cream, shattering the uptight image of proper, quiet preparation. The mostly twenty something crowd chuckled at his numerous, witty asides throughout the lecture and paid attention for the entire two hours without interruption.

Sitting still wasn't easy for everyone. MVCC President R VANWAG donated 25 seats to local non-profit For The Good Inc for the struggling Study Buddy Program. As a result, twenty three kids got to see Neil DeGrasse Tyson break down black holes and magnetic pole shifts. His broad appeal was obvious from the ripples of laughter pulled out of the younger kids.
The Black screen with nothing on it....Black Hole..."A perfect picture".

That joke really cracked up the seven and eight year olds, they had to be quieted down. It was refreshing to see some kids challenged and others intrigued. At the end of the day, science was 'cool'. The dire predictions about our future promoted by some climatologists and politicians were skillfully avoided. the overall tone of his lecture focused on discovery, curiosity (Mars Rovers, pun intended) and possibility.

As an adult I was excited to go but it was equally exciting to see this experience through a child's eyes. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is important for multiple reasons. His knowledge has propelled him to the front of the class and the camera. He didn't catch a ball, he can't rap, none of that. He is good at math. You can see the rest.
   

Black Men of Substance(what are we full of)

 

What if you could be on the cover of a magazine? A well respected publication read by millions? Flipped through by bespectacled professionals in Dr. offices all over the country. Read cover to cover by people who have college degrees, houses, businesses, children in College.

People that hire, fire, vote and educate could read about you; able to get a peek inside your easy or difficult life. They could fill in mental gaps of curiosity about people they think are similar to you.

You could explain , in detail how you make it day to day, how you got to where you are. Why you do what it is you do. Obviously you would probably take great care to leave out any unsavory or illegal activity. Why would you or the very mainstream publication that chose you for the cover want to celebrate that?

Enter Jay-Z , in Vanity Fair, explaining why he will be a good sports agent for the November 2013 Issue :

Jay’s checkered past taught him a few things that he says will come in handy in his new role as a sports agent: “I know about budgets. I was a drug dealer,” he tells Robinson. “To be in a drug deal, you need to know what you can spend, what you need to re-up. Or if you want to start some sort of barbershop or car wash—those were the businesses back then. Things you can get in easily to get out of [that] life. At some point, you have to have an exit strategy, because your window is very small; you’re going to get locked up or you’re going to die.”

Lets dissect this. Look at this closely. He is on the cover as a successful businessman. Chosen for that cover by other successful businessmen. The same type of men that chose Kendrick Lamar as a coverboy for The GQ Man of The Year issue( ironic choice considering the unflattering 'new minstrel' article they wrote).

The difference is Lamar, an emerging voice in contemporary hip-hop, shunned the short shrift he was given in the article which depicted him and his crew as a malt liquor drinking, ho pimpin' mob without knowing them. He was so angry he refused to enter the annual, star studded bash in Los Angeles a week ago. The writer of that article tried to portray the same low brow path to riches that all black boys gone good achieve after they master the game of crack dealing and hustling. A path too many are ready to sign on the dotted line to pave. A path that is also avoided by thousands of hard working kids today.

So Jay-Z A man who has built an empire based on wise, well timed decisions. About whether to kill someone or not? No, he runs a  label and has clothing deals. He owns publishing rights and is involved in multiple business ventures. I'm sure he is done with decisions relating to transport and safe houses. I'm inclined to think he never really sold drugs for a living, he would literally be jeopardizing all his childhood friends by even admitting it, which they would probably resent. The fact is, real hustlers don't go on magazine covers and talk about it. But it sounds good in an interview and on a make-believe album bio doesn't it? Even Vanilla Ice lied to get 'street cred' (who made that up?)

Equally shocking is Jay's quote relating to a re-up. Backing up the subtly, sinister notion that every car wash and barber shop in a Black Neighborhood is involved in drugs. With that quote, he is even validating , in a way, profiling by law enforcement. Thanks Jay.

The dude can buy city blocks and he is using 'couch 'mack' terminology. Belittling the powerful platform that he barged onto.It would be different if he was a white dude talking about a moonshine empire, but he's not. He is a black man. Much maligned and rarely trusted. He is part of a group of men that go to jail at an exponentially higher rate than anyone else. Often for doing the same thing as everyone else, drugs.

Because of shit like this we are getting close to minstrel status and no one wants to say a word. I'm sure his knowledge of the pros and cons of buying a car wash or barber shop with kilo profits will help a lot with all the clauses that can be in a multi million dollar sport contract.

It is time rid ourselves of The old 'crack dealer gone good' narrative, it is not doing us Black Folks any good. Like dealing somehow 'prepares' you. His success, and the celebration of it, in this context, is an insult to all the Black MBA's that still sell crack (see where I'm going here?) and aspire to Rap.

We also have to consider the readers of the publication. Crack dealers are exciting to them. They don't know any better, Jay-Z does know better and more importantly, Jay-Z needs to remember what he knows, bstarting with who we really are, who he 'really' is. Inventors, builders, survivors, Warriors and Leaders.

The Question lingers: Why do they, GQ, Vanity Fair, choose Jay-Z, Kendrick and write what they write?

Each and every African American that has people around them that 'really' achieve need to ask that question as well.

Ok enough of that, we will revisit Jay-Z later. Harvard is up next. Did anyone know there is a fellowship of of Nas at Harvard University? Its rhetorical, I'm here to tell you there is. They are attempting to canonize, what I consider to be the most desperate form of art in existence.

Unlike singing and dancing which makes the person doing it feel good. Hip-Hop often describes (it didn't at first) and even glorifies the struggles in life. The tight fitting, suffocating existence in poverty that stifles dreams and can offer escape through clever use of words. The goal? To be rich. Pretty simple right?

I consider myself a hip-hop historian. A product of Generation X that helped cement the artform into popular culture. But I don't need to defend it or attack it, I'm just wondering why Harvard wants to discuss Nas and ignore the phenomenon of Mass Incarceration.

Apparently an anonymous donor put up the money. A quote from Nas in The Guardian about The Nasir Jones Hip-Hop fellowship at The WEB Dubois center for multicultural studies alleviated some of my apprehensions :  

"Hip-hop is important like computer science," he said. "The world is changing. If you want to understand the youth, listen to the music. This is what's happening right underneath your nose."
The fellowship was first announced in July, when Nas declared himself "over-the-top excited" about the scheme. "My hopes are that greed for knowledge, art, self-determination and expression go a long way. It is a true honour to have my name attached to so much hard work, alongside great names like Henry Louis Gates, Jr and WEB Du Bois and to such a prestigious and historical institution, and all in the name of the music I grew to be a part of."

Lets Dissect this. Look at this closely. Nasir was approached by Professor Henry Luis Gates (A Black Man). He mentions computer science, a greed for knowledge, art, self-determination. What is more important is what he left out. The obvious asides about 'the hood' and dead homies. That narrative is tired, out of style like The Doo rag. One that we all, including Nas, know has not served us well.
Here Here for Hawvud!!!!!

366 Days

Yes it has been that long.
366 Days.
Dayum!!!!
What was I doin with meself?
What was David Bass Dancy up to?
All I can say is: "I have thought of this day for a long time"
During my hours long travels throughout Upstate New York I would often think about what My next post would be about.
But you need to understand
I have been a participant in the chaotic maelstrom that I routinely ducumented while living and surviving as a Freelance Journalist.
Have you ever seen a House with Deerskin siding?
I have.
Have you seen rural poverty up close?
Fuedal Lords in the Backcountry?
I have.
The choice between Gas and diapers is daunting when the closest Wal-Mart is eight miles away.
You Get it right?
This pliable, manipulatable populace is the backbone.
The Law?
To many, the courts and law enforcement are just simple symbols of Government. The sheriff doesn't bring by Deermeat or preserves, firewood, bullets...no ...he brings trouble.
I have been able to see, up close, rural poverty and, of course, Urban Poverty.
I have seen Hoarders on an epic scale.
America is Strange.
I am a Witness.
A humble observer.

Asbestos Claim at New Census Building

An area man who previously worked at The Doyle Hardware Building, new home to the Utica branch of The U.S. Census Bureau, claims Asbestos was removed from the building improperly possibly endangering workers and the new tenants.
These bombshell allegations are being made by a man who says he witnessed firsthand, the illegal removal and possible dumping of dangerous toxic substances from the historic Doyle Hardware Building across from Utica's historic Union Station.
Dan Olah, a local contractor and the ex-owner of Elwoods's- a popular eatery located at 614 Columbia St. that burned down in a death related arson on Dec 20 2007- stands behind his claims and said he has also brought the situation to City Hall's attention.
"I personally went down to City Hall on two occasions" he said. "I spoke with Angelo Roefaro, the mayor's secretary and Robert Sullivan." Shrugging his shoulders, he continued. "Nothing has been done." he said
Olah did not stop at City Hall, he also went to the Labor Department's office at the State Building. "I spoke with a guy named Robert, he told me personally they found asbestos in there"
Olah was referring to Robert Varano a state worker in the Labor Department that deals with asbestos. At press time GCN was unable get a quote from him.

Why Speak Now?

Olah worked at the building for three months and says he walked off the job because he felt his health was at risk.
"I was actually working on a restaurant (remodelling) that was going in another part of the building. I have been a certified Asbestos Abatement Contractor so I know when you are dealing with dangerous substances and the proper way of removing them...they were loading up U-Hauls and taking them somewhere to dump" he said.
Olah had enough when he realized what was allegedly going on. "C'mon man, you got these young guys who need money to feed their families and this guy has them doing stuff for $15.00 an hour that can make not only them sick but it can get their kids too" he said, showing obvious emotion.
The guy he was referring to is Stewart Banntyne, a developer and the current owner of The Doyle Hardware building. Since Bantyne purchased the building he has put his money where his mouth is as an advocate of Downtown Utica and its financial potential. Banntyne's sizeable investment and the fact he made it in an area that has been ignored for decades during hard economic times is exactly why, Olah says: "no one has done a damn thing."
Robert Sullivan, head of revitalization for Utica said Olah has an ax to grind. "From what I know he has a few claims against the city already and he is frustrated" he said.
Sullivan made it clear he passed Olah's complaints to the proper people and it was all handled. "This thing all went above me, beyond my authority" Sullivan said.
Regarding Sullivan's assertions Olah admits his frustration with Utica and his treatment after his building burned down. "My building, business which I invested $500,000 in was damaged by arsonists...damaged" he emphasized "then they (City of Utica) go and raze my property within a week without proper notification...I mean, you tell me what is going on."
Olah likens his treatment to being chased out of town. "I helped turn around that block (600 Columbia) a lot of other businesses were happy with me there...one little incident and everything changed."
That incident was a fight and subsequent beating that started inside Elwood's. "These guys beat the crap out of some kid...I stopped it and they said they were going to burn me down." Apparently they did ( burn him down) and that is where Olah's complaints begin. "They ignored me then and they are ignoring me now" he said.
At press time we were unable to obtain a response from Stewart Banntyne but there will be lot more on this in future postings. As far as Angelo Roefaro is concerned he denied ever speaking with Dan Olah and does not recollect any conversations regarding Asbestos at The Doyle Hardware building.

Tougher Questions are Coming

This is a link to the latest video. It is me at The Common Council meeting. The excellent production was done by Larry T. Jr. who is in charge at Acumen Media check em out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjzTCkll6Ow