If you are a New Yorker, especially an uptown Manhattan person, you've no doubt heard about, and probably even patronized, Copeland's -- the dream and product of hard work of Calvin Copeland. But times caught up with Mr. Copeland and Sunday was his final day in that famous space on West 145th Street. For $25 Sunday you could enjoy some wonderful live music and you could eat all you could. Believe me, some of the folks did just that.
People came from far and near. Some came because they'd seen or heard something in the news and wanted to represent. Some, including a celebrity baker, came as volunteers. Most, like myself, had once been regulars though the myriad choices now available in a booming Harlem made Copeland's less the must-go-there place. Star Jones Reynolds and her husband Al heard about the closing while vacationing in France and upon landing stateside Sunday made a bee-line for Copeland's where Star said she just had to have a final order of chicken wings from one of her favorite places. Rep. Charles Rangel, among the many politicians to attend or send representatives or issue proclamations, noted: "Calvin Copeland for over five decades has endured, through the riots of the 1960s, the crack epidemic of the 1980s, personal financial ruin and even fire, [and] found a way through his cooking to keep people like me, Muhammad Ali, Richard Pryor, Stevie Wonder, David Dinkins, Harry Belafonte, Dakota Staton, Natalie Cole, Bishop Tutu, Sammy Davis Jr. and Michael Jackson as frequent and enthusiastic customers...."
Malcolm X's daughter, Attilah Shabazz, stood on line with everybody else, some for more than an hour in the rain, trying to get in for that final meal. Mr. Copeland, 82, was the gracious host, chatting with everyone, posing for pictures.
There were parties of six and parties of twelve and parties of twenty -- and I couldn't help but think if all these folks had been more faithful, maybe Copeland's would still be around. But, on the other hand, Mr. Copeland did not keep up with the times and has said that he was caught off guard by this boomtown Harlem and its culinary tastebuds.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
I’m Cheering for Barry Bonds!
Even though this San Francisco Giants player is two home runs shy of tying the record set by Hank Aaron in 1974 and may do so during the current series against my beloved Atlanta Braves, I’m cheering for him to tie and break the record.
Probably because so many others – especially white people – are rooting against this man who lives by his own rules of media engagement. White sports journalists are not accustomed to this and have accentuated the negative. That has poisoned the history-making home run record chase for others.
I was disappointed Sunday by a commentary on CBS Sunday Morning by a journalist I ordinarily admire: Bob Schieffer. He said, among other things, “Barry Bonds is no hero. He is just a guy who hits home runs. Who would want a kid to be like him?”
See his full commentary at:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/22/opinion/schieffer/main3086258.shtml
A whole lot of white people hated the Braves’ Hammering Hank Aaron when he homed in on the previous record set by Babe Ruth. People then, as they are now with Bonds, sought ways to place an asterisk next to his record, questioning forever its legitimacy. Now he is the home run god and Bonds is the evil interloper. Because Aaron and a number of baseball’s bigwigs have said they won’t be present whenever Bonds ties or breaks the record, I’m cheering for this godson of the great Willie Mays all the more.
Go, Barry!
Probably because so many others – especially white people – are rooting against this man who lives by his own rules of media engagement. White sports journalists are not accustomed to this and have accentuated the negative. That has poisoned the history-making home run record chase for others.
I was disappointed Sunday by a commentary on CBS Sunday Morning by a journalist I ordinarily admire: Bob Schieffer. He said, among other things, “Barry Bonds is no hero. He is just a guy who hits home runs. Who would want a kid to be like him?”
See his full commentary at:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/22/opinion/schieffer/main3086258.shtml
A whole lot of white people hated the Braves’ Hammering Hank Aaron when he homed in on the previous record set by Babe Ruth. People then, as they are now with Bonds, sought ways to place an asterisk next to his record, questioning forever its legitimacy. Now he is the home run god and Bonds is the evil interloper. Because Aaron and a number of baseball’s bigwigs have said they won’t be present whenever Bonds ties or breaks the record, I’m cheering for this godson of the great Willie Mays all the more.
Go, Barry!
Amazon.com, I love you, but at the same time...
I greatly admire Amazon.com for its commitment to getting merchandise to customers at the time guaranteed. I live on an island for much of the year, and even here, books arrive at the appointed time. If not, then Amazon makes it up to customers.
My Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a prime example. The three copies I ordered did not arrive by July 21st, as promised. They did arrive on July 23d. So I get the books for no charge except the $5.97 shipping fee. That means three copies of Harry Potter for just under $2 (yes, two dollars!) per book. Not the $35 list price or the $18-$19 pre-release price of some of the big retailers.
But in dealing with customer service to straighten out a glitch in the initial order, I found myself talking to a customer service person in INDIA. Then when dealing with customer service to report that I had not received my books on the 21st, I found myself talking to a customer service person in THE PHILLIPINES.
On a personal side, I suppose I am benefitting from this outsourcing of jobs from the U.S. to countries with cheaper labor costs. But as an American I am angry that Amazon is paying foreigners to do jobs that Americans would be perfectly willing to do even for minimum wage, which just today went up to $5.85.
My Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a prime example. The three copies I ordered did not arrive by July 21st, as promised. They did arrive on July 23d. So I get the books for no charge except the $5.97 shipping fee. That means three copies of Harry Potter for just under $2 (yes, two dollars!) per book. Not the $35 list price or the $18-$19 pre-release price of some of the big retailers.
But in dealing with customer service to straighten out a glitch in the initial order, I found myself talking to a customer service person in INDIA. Then when dealing with customer service to report that I had not received my books on the 21st, I found myself talking to a customer service person in THE PHILLIPINES.
On a personal side, I suppose I am benefitting from this outsourcing of jobs from the U.S. to countries with cheaper labor costs. But as an American I am angry that Amazon is paying foreigners to do jobs that Americans would be perfectly willing to do even for minimum wage, which just today went up to $5.85.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Genarlow Wilson: Update
The Georgia State Supreme Court now has the ball in its court: to find a way to release this young man from a mandatory 10-year prison sentence for having had consensual oral sex with a fellow teenager (He was 17; she, 15) or to let him rot behind bars when not only his lawyers say this is cruel and unusual punishment but so does almost everybody else – including members of the prosecutorial side.
The former legislator who sponsored the bill that became an anti-child molestation law in 1995, told the court: "The General Assembly never intended for the Child Protection Act's harsh felony sentences designed to punish adults who prey on children to be used to punish consensual sexual acts between teenagers close in age."
No one has come up with a face-saving way to rectify this situation – even to free Wilson, now 21, on bond while “the wheels of justice” move ever so slowly and judges prepare to take off the month of August for vacation and politicians run for cover.
See my posting on this subject from earlier this month.
The former legislator who sponsored the bill that became an anti-child molestation law in 1995, told the court: "The General Assembly never intended for the Child Protection Act's harsh felony sentences designed to punish adults who prey on children to be used to punish consensual sexual acts between teenagers close in age."
No one has come up with a face-saving way to rectify this situation – even to free Wilson, now 21, on bond while “the wheels of justice” move ever so slowly and judges prepare to take off the month of August for vacation and politicians run for cover.
See my posting on this subject from earlier this month.
Who Knew? Michael Vick, Abused Dogs and the Federal Government
Vick, the star $105 million quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons (not counting endorsements), has been indicted for involvement in a dog-fighting ring associated with his estate in Smithfield, Virginia. Who knew that this was a federal crime? Who knew this side of Vick’s life?
Nike has postponed releasing the latest in a line of $100-plus sneakers named for Vick, whose nickname is said to be "Ookie", though it has not yet dumped him. The Falcons are taking a wait-and-see approach. But there’s a groundswell out there among sports commentators, sports fans and animal rights activists to ban him from the National Football League.
My best friends among the four-legged species are cats – specifically, Frank Sinatra and Sammie Dee. But I understand the outrage among those for whom dogs are best friends. I don’t understand, however, why dog-fighting is a federal crime when other things orchestrated by humans against other humans or other animals are not. That’s another story.
But back to this Vick thing. He has been charged with "conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture." Not just one dog, mind you. He and his pals are charged with trafficking in dogs for not just Virginia but also from New York and North Carolina. As Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post has written: “No burst of speed is going to get him out of this one. There are no linemen to follow toward the pylon.” He apparently purchased for $34,000 a parcel of land at 1915 Moonlight Road that became Bad Newz Kennels. The “bad newz” was apparently Vick and his sadistic friends and the people attracted from far and wide for their pitbull prizefights.
The Smoking Gun reports: In the indictment's most harrowing parts, federal investigators describe what happened to some Bad Newz Kennels dogs that either lost matches or did not perform well in test fights. After a March 2003 loss by a female pit bull, codefendant Purnell Peace, “after consulting with Vick,” electrocuted the animal. In April, prosecutors allege, Vick, Peace, and Quanis Phillips, “executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing' sessions. These animals, the indictment claims, were killed "by various methods, including hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."
You can check out the indictment at The Smoking Gun website:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0717072vick1.html
Michael Vick is an embarrassment to civility. Remember him giving the finger to fans? In a more dignified way, I think fans should do the same to him. Don’t wear his No. 7. Don’t buy his shoes. Don’t support his lifestyle.
Nike has postponed releasing the latest in a line of $100-plus sneakers named for Vick, whose nickname is said to be "Ookie", though it has not yet dumped him. The Falcons are taking a wait-and-see approach. But there’s a groundswell out there among sports commentators, sports fans and animal rights activists to ban him from the National Football League.
My best friends among the four-legged species are cats – specifically, Frank Sinatra and Sammie Dee. But I understand the outrage among those for whom dogs are best friends. I don’t understand, however, why dog-fighting is a federal crime when other things orchestrated by humans against other humans or other animals are not. That’s another story.
But back to this Vick thing. He has been charged with "conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture." Not just one dog, mind you. He and his pals are charged with trafficking in dogs for not just Virginia but also from New York and North Carolina. As Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post has written: “No burst of speed is going to get him out of this one. There are no linemen to follow toward the pylon.” He apparently purchased for $34,000 a parcel of land at 1915 Moonlight Road that became Bad Newz Kennels. The “bad newz” was apparently Vick and his sadistic friends and the people attracted from far and wide for their pitbull prizefights.
The Smoking Gun reports: In the indictment's most harrowing parts, federal investigators describe what happened to some Bad Newz Kennels dogs that either lost matches or did not perform well in test fights. After a March 2003 loss by a female pit bull, codefendant Purnell Peace, “after consulting with Vick,” electrocuted the animal. In April, prosecutors allege, Vick, Peace, and Quanis Phillips, “executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing' sessions. These animals, the indictment claims, were killed "by various methods, including hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."
You can check out the indictment at The Smoking Gun website:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0717072vick1.html
Michael Vick is an embarrassment to civility. Remember him giving the finger to fans? In a more dignified way, I think fans should do the same to him. Don’t wear his No. 7. Don’t buy his shoes. Don’t support his lifestyle.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Poverty
While John McCain's presidential campaign is suffering from a poverty of ideas in which he really believes and that the conservatives he is courting really believe, John Edwards is touring some of the poorest areas of our country and, reminiscent of Bobby Kennedy, reminding us of how too many of us live. His message is about "presidential failure and governmental neglect." Sometimes celebrity, even political celebrity, is a good thing. Check out this site and all the links, which make my point:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12017456
People may poke fun at Edwards, a rich man, focusing so much attention on the poor, but I say: God bless!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12017456
People may poke fun at Edwards, a rich man, focusing so much attention on the poor, but I say: God bless!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Ultimate Perp Walk of Dumb and Dumber
Start with stealing a luxury SUV from a car dealership to which they were connected. And then move on to shooting two NYPD officers who had pulled them over after verifying that the plates on the SUV were not registered to that SUV. And then fleeing, leaving behind the vehicle, shell casings, unfinished fried chicken dinners from a fast-food joint and guns traceable to them. Despite a circuitous route, they were easily tracked in the Poconos Mountains of Pennsylvania. Dexter Bostic and Robert J. Ellis earn the title of Dumb and Dumber. Throw in an “alleged” if you want. They, and the driver of the SUV (the boyfriend of Bostic's sister apparently), were identified from surveillance video. Those chicken plates yielded fingerprints and DNA. Bostic and Ellis both had ties to a car dealership from which the SUV had been taken. They were caught woefully unprepared as would-be hikers in the Poconos. Ellis was pulled from bushes with a jar of peanut butter.
As I watched their mug shots being telecast while they were on the lam with a reward pool of at least $64,000 on their heads and then after watching them, apprehended, being trotted out for the cameras, all I could think was: Heaven help them.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says that all the resources of the department will be used to see that justice is done. But the police officers, especially the colleagues of Officers Russel Timoshenko, 23, and Herman Yan, 26, are in a vengeance-is-mine mood, especially because Timoshenko is paralyzed and on life support from being shot in the head. This is a telling sign, from The New York Times today:
“Officer Yan’s handcuffs were placed on Mr. Ellis’s hands. Officer Timoshenko’s had been used on Mr. Bostic earlier. ‘It’s an important symbol, and I think it shows that this is a very close-knit organization,’ Mr. Kelly said."
The perp walk is designed to humiliate and intimidate a suspect in a crime with extensive media interest. Law enforcement gets to show off its work; the hungry press is satiated; the rest of us, supposedly, can breathe a sigh of relief that we and the streets are a bit safer.
So, in a carefully choreographed show, and at an appointed time, the cops bring the suspect to the precinct or out of the precinct en route to an arraignment – a first appearance before a judge to determine basic details about the case, about the suspect, etcetera.
The ultimate perp walk took place in Brooklyn yesterday. Not only were reporters and photographers present for the show outside the 71st Precinct, but also were dozens of NYPD officers, men and women in blue, many of them black, forming a phalanx, there to let Dumb and Dumber know that, as that Sting song goes: “Every breath you take/And every move you make/Every bond you break, every step you take/I'll be watching you.”
They have a serious whipping in store out of view of the public. That’s the way the system works. So, with that in mind and as much as I think that Dumb and Dumber are reprehensible, their civil rights must be assured. Let’s be vigilant and, while holding our noses, demand that they be treated fairly.
As I watched their mug shots being telecast while they were on the lam with a reward pool of at least $64,000 on their heads and then after watching them, apprehended, being trotted out for the cameras, all I could think was: Heaven help them.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says that all the resources of the department will be used to see that justice is done. But the police officers, especially the colleagues of Officers Russel Timoshenko, 23, and Herman Yan, 26, are in a vengeance-is-mine mood, especially because Timoshenko is paralyzed and on life support from being shot in the head. This is a telling sign, from The New York Times today:
“Officer Yan’s handcuffs were placed on Mr. Ellis’s hands. Officer Timoshenko’s had been used on Mr. Bostic earlier. ‘It’s an important symbol, and I think it shows that this is a very close-knit organization,’ Mr. Kelly said."
The perp walk is designed to humiliate and intimidate a suspect in a crime with extensive media interest. Law enforcement gets to show off its work; the hungry press is satiated; the rest of us, supposedly, can breathe a sigh of relief that we and the streets are a bit safer.
So, in a carefully choreographed show, and at an appointed time, the cops bring the suspect to the precinct or out of the precinct en route to an arraignment – a first appearance before a judge to determine basic details about the case, about the suspect, etcetera.
The ultimate perp walk took place in Brooklyn yesterday. Not only were reporters and photographers present for the show outside the 71st Precinct, but also were dozens of NYPD officers, men and women in blue, many of them black, forming a phalanx, there to let Dumb and Dumber know that, as that Sting song goes: “Every breath you take/And every move you make/Every bond you break, every step you take/I'll be watching you.”
They have a serious whipping in store out of view of the public. That’s the way the system works. So, with that in mind and as much as I think that Dumb and Dumber are reprehensible, their civil rights must be assured. Let’s be vigilant and, while holding our noses, demand that they be treated fairly.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Genarlow Wilson Needs Your Help
If you aren’t familiar with the name, check out my piece at BET.com, under “news.” The long way to find the piece is to use this link:
http://www.bet.com/NR/exeres/4927A8FA-C78B-4A7F-BA42-580C489DAD91.htm?
Wilson behaved rather irresponsibly when he was 17 and, at a raucous party in 2003, had oral sex with a 15-year-old girl. No one – not even the girl’s mother – denies that the sex was consensual. But under a law then in effect in Georgia, Wilson was charged with child molestation and was ultimately sentenced to a mandatory 10-year prison term in 2005. If he did the same thing today, the maximum sentence he would face is a year in jail. Even though the law changed last year, it does not cover him.
Of course, something CAN be done about that if enough people pressure the right people. These include:
Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker, Office of the Attorney General, 40 Capitol Square SW, Atlanta, Ga. 30334. Phone: 404-656-3300. Fax: 404-657-8733.
Douglas County District Attorney David McDade
dmcdade@co.douglas.ga.us
Phone: 770-920-7292
According to the Rev. Raphael Warnock of Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, various officials say they are afraid that freeing Wilson – though it’s the right thing in his case – would “open the floodgates” and lead to chaos in the criminal justice system because other sex offenders would demand reconsideration of their cases. But, Warnock notes, of the roughly 1,300 sex offenders behind bars in Georgia, only seven involve people who were minors when prosecuted and not all of those seven were involved in consensual sexual acts.
“It just boils down to basic politics,” Warnock said of the officials hiding behind the old law and passing the buck – while Wilson remains in prison with an uncertain future.
http://www.bet.com/NR/exeres/4927A8FA-C78B-4A7F-BA42-580C489DAD91.htm?
Wilson behaved rather irresponsibly when he was 17 and, at a raucous party in 2003, had oral sex with a 15-year-old girl. No one – not even the girl’s mother – denies that the sex was consensual. But under a law then in effect in Georgia, Wilson was charged with child molestation and was ultimately sentenced to a mandatory 10-year prison term in 2005. If he did the same thing today, the maximum sentence he would face is a year in jail. Even though the law changed last year, it does not cover him.
Of course, something CAN be done about that if enough people pressure the right people. These include:
Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker, Office of the Attorney General, 40 Capitol Square SW, Atlanta, Ga. 30334. Phone: 404-656-3300. Fax: 404-657-8733.
Douglas County District Attorney David McDade
dmcdade@co.douglas.ga.us
Phone: 770-920-7292
According to the Rev. Raphael Warnock of Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, various officials say they are afraid that freeing Wilson – though it’s the right thing in his case – would “open the floodgates” and lead to chaos in the criminal justice system because other sex offenders would demand reconsideration of their cases. But, Warnock notes, of the roughly 1,300 sex offenders behind bars in Georgia, only seven involve people who were minors when prosecuted and not all of those seven were involved in consensual sexual acts.
“It just boils down to basic politics,” Warnock said of the officials hiding behind the old law and passing the buck – while Wilson remains in prison with an uncertain future.
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