Mannie Fresh Dropping Knowledge

      

         When I say Mannie you say Fresh! Mannie Fresh! Mannie Fresh! When I say Mannie you say Fresh; Mannie Fresh! Mannie Fresh! Mannie Fresh is and always will be considered a Super Producer by those who truly know, and appreciate his work. Born Byron O. Thomas and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana; Fresh was introduced to music by his father at a very young age. During his adolescent days Fresh began accompanying his father who was a neighborhood DJay, at local clubs, and house parties. Fresh was amazed by the response his father received when he played, and was inspired to do the same. In a interview with Slava Kuperstein Fresh stated

  

"My Christmas gifts used to be instruments," explained Fresh. "I was like,

 'Okay, my friend got a bike. Why did I get a turntable?' Or somebody got an.

Atari game. I got a trumpet. I was just like, 'Okay, this stuff is just starting

to stack up.' [Laughs] My dad must've seen something in me. I would say

somewhere around twelve is when I took an interest in it. Like, you know

 what? I'm just gonna go through my pile of what I thought was junk at the

 time: my keyboard, my drum machine, horns and all that, and start fiddling

around with it”.

            Fresh is most commonly known for his stint with Cash Money Records, in fact Fresh help catapult Cash Money into a major conglomerate. From 1993 – 20005 Fresh produced a plethora of music for CMR, but abruptly left the conglomerate when he and the label heads began to dispute over royalties. Fresh’s departure from Cash Money was immediately felt by Hip Hop world, in fact its been rumored that his departure hurt the sell of Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter II” album. After leaving Cash Money Mannie Fresh signed with Def Jam South and started his own label Chubby Boy Records.

Mannie Fresh is, and will always be one of my favorite producers. I grew up on his work, I know his tracks when I hear them, and I would love to work with him in the near future. Mannie Fresh is a great inspiration for anyone looking to be successful in the music industry. What does the name Mannie Fresh mean to me? It means Cash Money, it means amazing drum patterns, it means greatness!

 Full interview can be viewed at:  http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.17754/title.mannie-fresh-talks-getting-started-in-music-early-days-of-cash-money  

Sources:

Kuperstein, S. (2011). Mannie Fresh Talks Getting Started In Music, Early Days Of Cash Money. Retrieved November 27, 2011 from:  http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.17754/title.mannie-fresh-talks-getting-started-in-music-early-days-of-cash-money

Ines Sainz hindered by her beauty

Ines Sainz hindered by her beauty

Last year reports surfaced that New York Jets coaches, and football player’s hounded sports journalist Ines Sainz during, a practice session. Sainz who finished 33^rd in the Miss Universes pageant in 1997 is noted as being one of the sexiest sport reporters in the world.  Sainz who is more known for her looks than her work said

she ignored the player’s antics, and focused on her job. Her goal was to interview Jets Quarterback Mark Sanchez and that’s what she did. The jets were accused of catcalling, whistling, gawking, and intentionally metaling Sainz.

Sainz, who has pictures and videos all over the web that captures her poising in the most intimate form, claims that she did not file the sexual harassment report against the Jets.  In fact, it’s been noted that other reporters in the facility filed the report with the AWSM sparking a major uproar between reporters, and athletes. Some will argue that the AWSM took action, because their worried about the safety of their women. They have fought hard for their respect in a male dominated field, and a worried that their women may be judged by their appearance, and not their accomplishments. Others may argue that AWSM are overreacting. Sainz stated

“A group of news people and communicators, eager to make an even bigger
scandal out of this situation, have moved women’s rights backwards at
least 50 years,” Sainz added.  “I am surprised by how easily some colleagues skip the basic rules of
journalism:  one should investigate, inquire, and look at the facts
before giving an opinion.”

        Sainz colleagues frowned upon her belief that AWSM blew this situation out of proportion, most believe that she loved the attention she was given. Caroline Howard asks “Did Sainz cross a professional line by positioning and marketing herself as babe-sports-reporter. “I am very well known for my image,” Sainz says. “I am not pretending to be provocative, only to be attractive. “This unfortunate situation forced the media to revisit the labor rights that once hindered women in this arena.

Should female reporters be allowed into the NFL locker rooms after games/practices? Clinton Portis a former running back for the Washington Redskins stated          

"I think you put women reporters in the locker room in position to see guys walking around naked, and you sit in the locker room with 53 guys, and all of the sudden you see a nice woman in the locker room. I think men are going to tend to turn and look and want to say something to that woman," Portis said in his weekly appearance on 106.7 The Fan.”

As a former football player, I know what goes on behind the walls of a locker room. Granted no one in the locker room is thinking about sex, especially if the game was lost; however if a beautiful woman enters the locker room someone is bound to say, look, or think something provocative. Moreover, I firmly believe that male reporters entering a WNBA locker room have to check their loins at the door to maintain their professionalism.  Please do not confuse my opinionated rap with sexism, for I ‘am simply trying to convey the thoughts of an educated jock.

Sources:

Hoosen, Z. (2011) Sexiest 10 Female Sports Reporters. Retrieved November 19, 2011 form: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/863189-sexiest-10-female-sports-reporters/page/9   

Howard, C. (2010) All Eyes On Ines Sainz Sexual Harassment Controversy. Retrieved November 18, 2011 form: http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2010/09/14/all-eyes-on-ines-sainz-sexual-harassment-controversy/2/ 

Steinberg, D. (2010) A few words on women in NFL locker rooms. Retrieved November18,2011from:http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/09/a_few_words_on_women_in_nfl_lo.html

Waszak, D (2010) Ines Sainz, Azteca Reporter, Harassed By Jets? NFL Investigating. Retrieved November 18, 2011 form: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/12/ines-sainz-azteca-jets_n_713843.html

White, J. (2010) Women in locker rooms check out players. Retrieved November 18, 2011from:http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/portis_women_in_locker_room_check_BhHpzWsU34CZhuF9VibEkP

The Agony at Penn

Last week if one were to ask me what is the biggest recent controversy regarding employment law, unions, or torts. I would empathically utter the NBA lockout, however the Penn State controversy has stolen the crown.  When the news first broke the story I immediately thought about the victims, their families, and their mindsets now that the secret is out.  Next I thought about the sick individual that committed such a horrendous crime, and the mindset of his family. Thirdly, I thought about the most winningest coach in college football Joe Paterno. 

The victims in the Penn State scandal are the most important pieces in this puzzle, their livelihood, state of mind, and privacy have all been disturbed by this instance.  Happy Valley was not a happy place at all Saturday morning; in fact it was a rather somber moment for both Nebraska and Penn State. According to Joe Juliano, Mike Jensen, and Kristen A. Graham “ More than 100 former Penn State players gathered to support the team, which kneeled with the Nebraska squad at midfield before kickoff. Nebraska assistant coach Ron Brown led the teams in prayer”.  

One has to wonder if the victims will have sexuality problems, as they grow older. At that age a child’s mindset can easily be tainted placing them into a sea of confusion, especially when it concerns their sexuality. Grammy Award winning Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin openly admitted that he was molested as a child, and struggled with his sexuality. McClurkin also stated “ God gave him the wherewithal to get out of that and find out who I really am”. Lets be clear; there is no ill will towards the gay community for everyone has the right to choose, and the right to choose is the concerning factor in this case. One can only pray for those kids, and hope they want be scared to live their lives.

Jerry Sandusky, Jerry Sandusky, Jerry Sandusky. Jerry Sandusky can easily go from the heir to the Penn State throne, and the founder of the Second Mile foundation to spending the rest of his life behind bars. Sandusky is currently facing 40 counts of sexual abuse, which carries a maximum sentence of life.  Sandusky used his trusted foundation, and volunteer missions at local schools to attract young boys. Some victims claimed that Sandusky showered them with gifts, invited them for sleepovers, and took advantage of his times with the youngsters. Sandusky has brought shame to Happy Valley, and placed Penn State in a pool of scorn.  

“Penn State Athletic Director Timothy Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz have been charged for failing to report the abuse to authorities and misleading investigators. Prosecutors determined that a legal duty to report the alleged abuse applied to them, but not to McQueary and Paterno”(CNN Wire Staff).

Despites the anger, anguish, and unwanted attention Penn State is receiving, they may be facing some employment law issues. Its been argued that Joe Paterno, Graham B. Spanier, and Mike McQuery were wrongfully terminated, because neither were charged for their actions. In fact, they lost their jobs because they told their bosses about the problem, and not the authorities. These guys were fired for having a lapse in moral responsibility, even though they followed the chain of command. Wow! Everyone with a job has been told by their employer to report any issues they know of to management so they would not be held liable. However, passing the buck in this situation came back to hunt them. I understand where why some may say they should have reported the issues to the authorities, but according to the employment law they did nothing wrong. On the other hand I will say that Paterno’s loyalty to his friend did not help his stance nor did it show good judgment. Lastly, the head officials at Penn State that were fired for overlooking this matter were trying to protect the bottom line of the school. Reporting the matter could have possibly cost Penn State millions of dollars in fundraisers, and booster donations, and endorsements.  “Managers and executives face situations daily where cutting a corner or a little “white lie” could mean a big difference in the bottom line. You can’t succumb to that temptation and let the money dictate your actions”.

Reference:

Juliano, Joe; Jensen, Mike; Graham, Kristen A. (2011) Many Focuses on victims as Penn State loses game. Retreieved November 13, 2011 from: http://articles.philly.com/2011-11-12/news/30391414_1_joe-paterno-penn-state-abuse-scandal

CNN Wire Staff (2011) Pennsylvania Gov.:  Change law after Penn State Scandal. Retrieved November 13, 2011 from: CNN Justice http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/13/justice/pennsylvania-coach-abuse/

PBS (2011). Donnie McClurkin Extended Interview. Retrieved November 13, 2011 from; PBS Religion & Ethics News Weekly.  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/may-6-2005/donnie-mcclurkin-extended-interview/1876/  

Oswald, Dan (2011).  3 Leadership lessons from Penn State Debacle. Retrieved November 13, 2011 from; The Oswald Letter Insights on Business and Leadership. http://blogs.hrhero.com/oswaldletters/2011/11/11/3-leadership-lessons-from-penn-state-debacle/ 

Simon, Darran (2011) Penn State scandal alerting college to U.S. reporting law. Retrieved November 13, 2011. from: Inquirer Staff Writer (2011) http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/133758858.html