Earthquake...Hurricane - I'll Take the Mild

The SEVEN
August 28th, 2011

I. This Was What?

So I was in the shower and felt a little rumble, but assumed that it was from the nearby commuter train line…never thinking it could be an earthquake here in the Northeast! But then again, perhaps a soothsayer-like individual, one Kurtis Blow, envisioned this happening some thirty-two years ago in one of the earliest and still classic rap recordings:

"I'm Kurtis Blow on the microphone
A place called Harlem was my home
I was rocking one day, it started to shake
It sounded to me like an earthquake
I packed my bags, I said goodbye
I kissed my woman and I started to fly
I came to Earth by a meteorite
To rock you all on the mic"

- From "Christmas Rappin'"
(I believe the credited writers were Lawrence Smith, Kurtis Walker, Robert Ford and J.B. Moore.)

II. And Now This?

One day we have an earthquake; another day a Hurricane…is this week sending a message here? To be honest, my expectation had been that at the present time I would be on the field coaching at Newark Bears-Eagles Stadium as my son's summer team played their final game…as opposed to being on the computer. Hopefully no one else will have lost their lives as a result of Irene, but this leads me to think that if I have to prepare for hurricanes and earthquakes in the summer and massive snowfalls in the winter, maybe I should consider moving - at some point - to a place where at least I wouldn't have to worry about snow…which is what a bunch of my cousins have done.

III. The Boss

For a while it seemed that it would take an earthquake or hurricane to free former International Monetary Fund president Dominique Strauss-Khan from his Manhattan luxury prison in which he was forced to remain and rent after being charged with the rape of a hotel maid. Then questions emerged about the maid's credibility, and now the Manhattan district attorney's office has dropped the charges, enabling DSK to return home.

I wonder if they are aware of, or remember, the story of the boy who cried wolf? This boy, in the middle of his town's workday, shouts "Wolf," and all of the adults come racing to his aid, only to find that he was just kidding. Another day he shouts "Wolf" again, and again they raced to his aid, only to find he was kidding yet again. Then one day the wolf came, and when the boy shouted "Wolf," no one moved.

This story may be relevant because the prosecution felt their case was weakened by issues of the accuser's credibility - but as in this story, the fact that someone's credibility may have been called into question in the past doesn't mean that they couldn't be telling the truth now.

IV. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Also leaving the building in New York City were several balls during the Yankees recent 22-9 NFL-like victory over the Oakland A's. The Yankees - in the persons of Russell Martin, Robinson Cano, and serious MVP candidate Curtis Granderson - hit more grand slams on Thursday afternoon than the Mets have in almost 2 ½ years. All the more reason for the Mets to remake their team to match their stadium - i.e., build around Jose Reyes, create a squad focused on speed/defense/pitching - as opposed to remaking the stadium to try to approximate another team.

V. Reach Out And Touch Somebody's Hand

Remember when Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton were pointing guns at each other or something like that in the Washington Wizards' locker room a couple of seasons ago? Now Crittenton has been charged with murder after having shot at someone that he believed had previously robbed him - because he missed the alleged robber while striking and killing another passerby.

Ironically enough, this information has come out on the weekend of the 48th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, the weekend on which - prior to the visitation of Hurricane Irene - the new Martin Luther King Memorial was scheduled to be officially dedicated. This memorial will forever stand as a monument not only to the greatness of Dr. King, but also to the concept that so much can be accomplished without resorting to violence - as evidenced by the life of this Nobel Peace Prize winner. If only we would all take heed of this.

VI. It's My House

Unfortunately the violence continues in Libya, even after the insurgents stormed the residence of the absent Col. Gaddafi. The latest info indicates that talks may be on the horizon; we can only hope that such talks will occur and bear fruit.

But meanwhile, who would have thought that as a result of the actions of the insurgents, we would learn that Gaddafi has kept any number of pictures of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, along with various writings indicating his admiration for her and her intelligence? I wonder if he was admiring her while her then boss was declaring Libya (along with Iraq and Iran) one of the countries comprising the (so-called) "Axis of Evil?"

VII. You're All I Need To Get By

With the exception of the earlier "Christmas Rappin'" lyric, the musical references herein are in tribute to a legend, a man who was one-half of arguably the greatest songwriting team of all time. We could be here until Christmas and beyond just talking about the awesome catalog of Nick Ashford/Valerie Simpson songs written through the years for artists such as Diana Ross; Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell; Chaka Khan…and themselves. My favorite happens to be "You're All I Need To Get By;" what's yours?

The most earth-shaking event of the past few days is the passing of Nick Ashford. Rest in peace, Nick…job well done.