Harleyboy's Blog

I generally don't make reference to other news affiliates, but I refuse to let this story go unnoticed.

I'm the child of a black father and white mother.

Growing up, you can only imagine the racial slurs that I have had to endure.

I've lived in a compilation of different states, provinces, islands and countries, and it's really hard to find somewhere these days that doesn't thrust racial indifference in your face at some point or another.

I noticed an article on CNN about a funeral held by the NAACP.

This is something that should have been expedited so long ago, it's not even amusing.

Let me know what your thoughts are on this.

Hey Lady,

I have a fellow employee who, on the way to work this morning, told me about an overturned semi somewhere between 45 and Hardy toll road on the 8 north loop.

Thought you might wanna send Mary to check it out.

The working day was long and the road is grinding on,

And your body's winding down again,

The tribal fire's here and the circle speaks so near,

And the simple truth so very much clearer....

I started a blog on Chicago's My Fox.

For all 'Jan' fans, let's flood the windy city with some southern hospitality, and show them how much Houston will miss her.

Howdy Chicago!

Just a quick note to point out that a MAJOR void has been created in Houston, and it's all your fault!

Ofcourse, I'm talking about your newest morning anchor, Jan Jeffcoat.

She's been the shining star of Fox Houston's morning news, and she's barely been gone a few days and we're feeling the loss already.

You guys are getting an angel who walks among men, so take good care of her.

Let her know how much we miss her.

I LOVE this webpage! I can just sit here and mess with this site for hours!

Check it out....

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=42.032975~
-101.425781&style=h&lvl=4&scene=1915478&vendor=google&p
kw=satellite%20map|623554351

Let me know what you think.

My heart goes out to the couple in Minneaplois, MN, who have been having so much misfortune with their sextuplets.

Apparently, a third has now passed, and I can't even come close to imagining what those parents must be feeling.

It's hard enough to lose one child, far less 3... and to have the other three in critical condition.

Considering it's Father's day, that's one father who won't be happy any time soon.

My thought and prayers go out to them both.

So we're shooting dolphins now, are we?

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail
?contentId=3510346&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TS
TY&pageId=3.1.1

Just when I thought things got as bad as I am willing to accept, things get even worse.

Let say, hypothetically, that they weren't on the endangered species list.... what would you consider a fitting punishment for the cowards that commited this crime?

As I step on my podium, I think back to the pride that I held onto for quite a while around this time last year.

The pride came from the whole Rita evacuation procedure that our city had the joy of having to endure. I ended up taking my crew up to Dallas for the 3 day period before we decided to head back home, but the pride came from my travel time.

I remember people telling me horror stories of a 25, 30, even 35 and 40 hour travel times. I can't imagine taking that long to make what normally takes 4 hours.

With pride, I told other evacuees about my 10 hour feat of amazement. Ofcourse, I had to follow an ambulance some of the way, create my own counter-flow for some and rely on a lead foot for the rest of it.

Either way, hoping that reversing all highways to exit the city actually works this year, I'm not depending on it.

So my question to you seasoned Houstonians:

What are other easy ways of exiting the city if this were to be a situation again.

Can you guys offer any unweathered side-roads or avenues that might make the commute a bit easier on those who only know I-45 as an exit route?

This is definitely a cultural difference, so I expect no reprieval what-so-ever, but here is small piece of how I was raised that I think the world could use a little more of.

When I was about 12, and I was living in the Caribbean, if my Mom saw someone on the side of the highway with a flat, she would pull over and tell me to go help them change the tire.

She did this so much so, that I now consider myself a tire-changing wizard!

Having said this, I still do it to this day.

And in Houston, that can be a risk to one's health as it is.

I fully understand that with safety, or a lack thereof, being what it is, not many people will help the average stranger anymore, it's acts of unconditional kindness that I miss seeing. It's so rare nowadays that when it does happen, it's branded as virtual chivalry, when it should be considered common courtesy.

I hate to admit it, but as much as I would rather be comforted in knowing that if and when my daughter starts driving, if she were in a time of need, someone would be willing to help her out, it's just not the way the world works anymore, and she would be more likely to end up on a milk carton if that were the case.

I know I sound like I'm living in a dream world, but I refuse to give up on human kindness, and think that there is some salvage to us as a community helping eachother rather than constantly fearing for our own safety.

Road rage in Houston?

I don't know what your talking about...

Just because noone uses thier indicators anymore in fear that it will 'telegraph' a lane change to other drivers, constituting someone to cut-off the one indicating, doesn't mean road-rage.

Just because noone flips anyone 'the bird' anymore in fear of having said finger blown off by a shotgun, doesn't mean road-rage.

And so what if we see more people screaming thier heads off in an empty car looking like a mime with tourettes, it doesn't mean road-rage.

Who cares if ambulances and fire-trucks are the one's holding up traffic?

Road-rage?... HA!

I know not of what you speak. Ask Captain Mary Kennedy.... we call it 'road-love' in Houston!

OK.....

So am I the only one who thinks that this whole 'i' craze has gotten just a little out of hand?

Are we going to reach a stage where if one doesn't have an 'i' related piece of technology, one can consider one's self out of the loop?

I always have and more than likely always will be loyal to IBM products, and commend Apple for thier continued success, but our consumer driver society is rapidly allowing 'technology possiession' to take over our ways and means of making contact.

We don't stop by for a visit anymore.... we text.

We don't ingage in conversation.... we put on our headphones and ignore the world.

What next?..... 'I' kids?

Not that I'm any kind of authority on the matter in any way shape or form, but lest we forget the importance of 'HUMAN CONTACT'.

As much fun as technology was, is and will be, it will never be a replacement for a smile, a touch, a hug or a gentle word from loved ones.

And neither an 80 Gigabyte nor an 800 Terabyte storage unit can hold the capacity of human emotion.

I can only giggle to myself in nervous wonder....

We live in a world where people can't go the store without worrying about getting abducted....

In a world where you go to jail and stay in jail for something as frivolous as a bum check, yet fully endorse the 'get-out-of-jail-free' card regardless of the crime if you have enough celebrity status or money....

Where education doesn't teach to broaden the minds of our youth anymore. It's now just there to allow all to pass so as to maintain the funding regardless of academic acheivement...

Where school isn't the sanctuary that prepared the youth of today to be the world of tomorrow, it's now the risk we take with our lives to get an education.....

Where criminal minds are locking our youths away for years at a time away from family, friends and a loving environment...

Where 'Mother' is no longer 'God' in the eyes of children....

Where we must fear for our personal safety, day in, day out, with virtually no recourse or retribution, andeventually finding it more and more difficult to find happiness in the simple things anymore....

I remember being so care free as a child, in the days when picking something off of the floor didn't mean life-threatening disease days later, and the worse that could happen to you was you got a spanking....

My Grandfather used to shake his finger at me telling me, "You kids today have no idea how easy you have it."

I wish he were alive today...... I'd have some finger shaking to do of my own.

All-in-all, I really am not trying to be all "gloom and doom", but collectively pointing out some of the gross misconducts going on around us that we just allow without question just because it isn't happening directly to us.

These days, it get's harder to find happiness in our time here in this world....

Where did we lose track of that?

Isn't the word 'human' in the word 'HUMANE' anymore?

Ahhh, to be a kid again..... things were so much simpler back then