In Honor of Social Media Day...Follow Me

Since today is Social Media Day 2011, I'd like to plug my forays into the genre.

Facebook: If you haven't yet, please "Like" my Grown People Talking Facebook page. I often post useful links and news bits there. www.facebook.com/GrownPeopleTalking

YouTube: When I occasionally shoot a video of something I've seen while I'm out somewhere, I upload it there. www.youtube.com/GrownPeopleTalking

Twitter: People often ask me why I don't have a Twitter account or tell me reasons why I should, but I've yet to be convinced.

Blog: Dusk Till Dawn is the nightlife blog I've written for Charlotte magazine since last December. It's a good place for you to find out about cool local bars, nightclubs, and parties. Also, you'll notice that the top of this blog features links to my most recent DTD blog posts. www.charlottemagazine.com/Blogs/Dusk-Till-Dawn

Blog: Grown People Talking is this blog, which I started in April 2008, that provides, I hope, "insightful and entertaining commentary about life in and around Charlotte." Also, if you look over to the right column on this blog, you'll find a couple of tools that give additional ways to follow GPT. You can enter your email address to subscribe to receive blog posts by email, powered by FeedBurner. And scroll down the right column a little more and you can click to follow using Google Friend Connect. www.grownpeopletalking.com

If you'd like a statistical account of how prevalent social media has become in our lives, read this list of social media records compiled by Guinness World Records.

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'Men Who Care' Want to Save Our Youth

A new organization and community effort has stepped up to address a problem that has become far too prevalent in Charlotte (as in many other cities and towns across the country): too many misguided/unguided, young black males. Men Who Care Global has recently launched, and in response to the violence and uncivil disobedience that occurred on the Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend in Uptown Charlotte, they're rallying around the upcoming Fourth of July celebration.

If you aren't familiar with what took place exactly one month ago today, seventy people were arrested in Uptown the night of May 28, mostly young black males, and even worse--a 22-year-old was shot and killed ("Tension rose for hours before melee, police say"). Some have blasted the media for their portrayal of the incident, saying that the published stories and newscasts exaggerated the level of chaos that actually took place. I say, if your focus is on how the media covered it, you're partly the reason we as a society can't solve our most troubling issues. I don't shoot the messenger, because we have too many actual shooters, too much gang activity, too much drug-dealing, too much violence in the black community and not enough people willing to do anything about it.

Looks like Men Who Care, whose mission is to "positively intervene in the lives of young African-American males through spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and financial knowledge transfer..." is attempting to do something about it.

The organization is trying to pull together 1,000 black men who'll be a positive presence in Uptown on July 4. Organizers say they're doing this because they recognize that "adult male presence where young people congregate is a deterrent to disorderly behavior." And in describing the objectives of Men Who Care, they state: "We believe that men are the problem; we believe men are the solution."

Amen.

Anyone who knows me personally knows I don't mince words when it comes to this topic. Aside from my mentoring of youth, I try to support positive causes whenever I can, including often on this blog. A couple of weeks ago, I vented my frustration on Facebook: "I'm still waiting on the Facebook pages and Twitter hashtags... Or did I miss them?"

The Men Who Care website has recently gone up at www.mwcglobal.org, and I'm presuming more content will be added soon. They're holding a press conference tomorrow (Wednesday, June 29) at 11:30 a.m. at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. Fourth St. And a prep-session is scheduled for July 2 at West Charlotte High School. For more details, call 1-855-MWCGlob (1-855-692-4562) or email MWCGlobal1@gmail.com.

If you need a visual as to why it is important that the community supports this cause, watch the video below that CMPD released of surveillance of Uptown on the night of May 28. We have to do a better job leading our youth.

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Cubby Tries to 'Run the World' In Latest Video Spoof

I'm not sure what Cubby Squires has been up to now that he's no longer on 96.1's A.M. Mayhem morning show, but one thing's for sure: he's looking for his next 15 minutes of fame. In late 2008, Cubby became an Internet sensation when the video spoof he made of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies"--complete with black leotard--went viral, garnering millions of views on YouTube. He rode the wave of fame for two years from that video, appearing on numerous television shows, as recently as a cameo on Tosh.0 in February and on Beyoncé's nationally televised concert special last November. Now, Cubby is back dancing like Bey in his newest spoof: Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)" video.

Cubby has no problem making fun of himself, but in the 4:45-long video, I didn't find myself laughing until about the 3:20 mark (when he appears in the green ensemble). Since he posted the video on YouTube last Wednesday, it's garnered a respectable 17,000-plus views. But the clip has actually been watched much more than that--it's been picked up by several gossip and entertainment websites, some who rip the video and upload it onto their own servers, often making it difficult to track the number of views. Those include PerezHilton.com, Bossip.com, and WorldstarHipHop.com, the latter of which has received more than 75,000 views in the first four days.

Looks like Cubby's trying to rock that black leotard all the way to the bank. And if it appears to not fit as tightly as it once did, that's because Cubby says he's lost more than 40 pounds in the last eight months.

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Avett Brothers Concert to Be Shown on World’s Largest HDTV at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Concord's homegrown folk rock band, The Avett Brothers, are playing a sold-out concert on July 9 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. And when they do, fans in Concord, Charlotte, and surrounding areas will be able to watch it live, simply by going to Charlotte Motor Speedway. The speedway will air a live simulcast of The Avett Brothers' July 9 concert on its high-definition television screen. At 200-feet wide and 80-feet tall, it's the largest HDTV in the world, and it debuted last month during the May NASCAR races. The speedway will bring in concert-grade speakers for the event.

The Avett Brothers.

The massive HD screen is adding new life and entertainment options to Charlotte Motor Speedway. During the races and pre-race activities last month, music videos and tribute videos were shown on the big screen, and fans camping in the infield were treated to screenings of History Channel shows such as Top Gear and Ice Road Truckers and NASCAR-themed movies Talladega Nights and Stroker Ace. If the simulcast of The Avett Brothers' concert is a success, this could mark the beginning of similar showings for concerts or movies. Imagine how cool it would be if movie screenings of new releases are shown, like for Cars 2, or for a special premiere of Transformers 3. It would be like a drive-in on steroids.

The Avett Brothers are touring all summer, but are also recording their next album, the follow-up to their major label debut, I and Love and You, released in 2009. The band also released a live album last year, Live, Volume 3, which was recorded during a concert at Bojangles' Coliseum. They were exposed to a wider audience when they performed earlier this year at the Grammy Awards alongside Bob Dylan and Mumford & Sons. In a recent interview with Billboard.com, legendary producer Rick Rubin, who's working with The Avett Brothers again, gave a brief update on their upcoming album, which he says "is coming out beautifully."

For the July 9 concert simulcast, the speedway's gates will open at 8 p.m. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m., and The Avett Brothers will perform around 11 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $10 until July 1, when they'll increase to $15 until July 8; tickets purchased the day of will cost $20. Call 1-800-455-FANS (3267) to buy tickets or go to to the speedway ticket office. Visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com for more details.

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Summer of the Snapbacks

If I know anything about fashion, it's that what was once in style will go out of style, only to become a fashionable trend again years later. There's one particular item you've likely seen a lot of during the last few months that is only going to become more prevalent now that summer is upon us: the snapback hat.

I remember when snapback hats--given that name because they literally snap in the back to fit--were just normal hats and baseball caps when I was a kid during the 1980s and 90s. It's funny because I remember two snapbacks I had in particular. One was my Boy Scout hat (shout out to Troop 230); and the other was a Carolina Panthers cap my mom bought me when the team was first announced. But then came the mid-90s and the fitted hat began to take over. Not only did you have to buy that at a specific size to fit your head, but people liked the style of fit better than the square, wide-brim snapback. The fitted hat began the trend of bending your brim.

Well, now the snapbacks are, well, back. And people are once again flocking to buy them of their favorite sports teams. Do a Google search for snapback hat and you'll see the many options out there.

In hip-hop culture, all it takes is for a few popular artists to start wearing something or, equally important, rap about it and you're going to wish you owned stock in certain brands because that style is going to take off. Artists like Chris Brown and Big Sean are some of the most prominent snapback wearers. And artist/producer Swizz Beatz is even endorsing a line of them through Reebok. Some of the other popular makers of the snapback are New Era and Mitchell & Ness, while the Adidas brand is being sold in the NBA's official online store.

And there's one more thing that's interesting about the snapback phenomenon: the popularity of the Charlotte Hornets hat. While many of the styles of snapbacks pay tribute to vintage team logos, colors, and lettering, it's even more nostalgic since the Charlotte Hornets no longer exist. (I'm not trying to get any of the natives riled up.) I'm frequently seeing the legendary teal and purple hat popping up in photos, at events in places far beyond Charlotte, as if it was 1994 all over again (shout out to Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning).

This Charlotte Hornets snapback hat is currently a top-seller.

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2011-12 Lady Cats Announced

I love this game.

Click here to see more photos of the 18 members of the recently announced Lady Cats dance team, for the Charlotte Bobcats' 2011-2012 NBA season. And you can meet them in person this Thursday at the Bobcats Draft Party.

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Cullen Jones to Celebrate Olympic Day at Double Oaks

I found out about this event last night and wanted to spread the word about it. Plus, it happens to be a culmination of two figures I've written about previously.

Tomorrow, (Tuesday, June 21), from 12-2 p.m., Double Oaks Community Pool will celebrate Olympic Day. The event will feature Olympic gold-medal-winning swimmer Cullen Jones, who lives and trains in Charlotte with SwimMAC Carolina and also works with the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make A Splash Program to teach minorities around the country how to swim. The event schedule is as follows:

Double Oaks Community Pool, 1200 Newland Rd., Charlotte, 704-336-2653.

• 12-12:20 p.m.: Cullen participates in Q&A session with participants.
• 12:20-1 p.m.: Swim stroke clinic with participants. Park and Rec aquatics will assist.
• 1-1:30 p.m.: Fun relay races.
• 1:30-2 p.m.: Autographs session.

Cullen Jones leads a nationwide initiative to teach kids how to swim. Courtesy of newsone.com.

Olympic Day is an annual, worldwide celebration held on June 23, to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games. From June 17-26, 2011, communities across the United States will celebrate Olympic Day through educational programming and other activities, such as the event Double Oaks is holding on June 21. The celebration is an international effort to promote fitness and well-being in addition to Olympic ideals of fair play, perseverance, respect, and sportsmanship.

I've written about Cullen for Charlotte magazine and kept you updated on him periodically here on Grown People Talking. And coincidentally, two and a half years ago I wrote about Double Oaks for the December 2008 issue of Charlotte magazine, in a story titled "The $25 Million Hood." At the time, Double Oaks was one of Charlotte's poorest neighborhoods and was in the process of being torn down and redeveloped by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership. Over the past year, significant progress has been made, including two large housing units opening and dozens of families have moved in.

One of the new developments in Double Oaks. Courtesy of charlottemechanical.com.

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Despite Lockout, Panthers Still Giving to Community

With the NFL lockout more than three months in, the workout and training facilities inside Bank of America Stadium are probably collecting dust. But since the players for the Carolina Panthers aren't allowed to use their weight room, the team has decided to donate the equipment. Okay so, the lockout doesn't have anything to do with that--I just thought I'd poke fun at the irony. The Panthers organization is doing a charitable thing with its High School Weight Room Makeover.

The Panthers, who have a 9,000-square-foot weight room, will donate $250,000 worth of equipment to four high schools in North and South Carolina. The winning high school athletic programs will receive the actual weight training equipment previously used by the Panthers for the team's strength and conditioning program. In addition to lower and upper body equipment, each school will get more than 1,000 pounds in free weights. The equipment has been expertly maintained and is said to be in excellent condition. All high schools in the Carolinas are eligible to apply by the July 15 deadline. Click here for more details and for the application.

The Carolina Panthers at Alexander Graham Middle School last year for the Play 60 Fit City Challenge. Courtesy of Panthers.com.

Even though the NFL lockout has been labeled as billionaires (team owners) vs. millionaires (players) and being too greedy to come to an agreement on how to split $9 billion in revenue, teams and players are usually very charitable in their cities. The Panthers do a lot for the community (www.panthers.com/community). In addition to this weight room makeover grant, the Panthers and Fisher Athletic will award 10 equipment grants, each with a retail value of $1,000, to youth football organizations and middle and high schools in the Carolinas. The grants are to provide new and advanced equipment and to promote increased participation in football. The deadline to apply for this grant is July 22. Click here for more details.

Lastly, the Panthers along with the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas are hosting their fourth annual "I Bleed Black & Blue For My Community" blood drive. It takes place Thursday, July 14 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium. All donors will receive a special T-shirt and be eligible to win Panthers memorabilia. Stadium tours will be given at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. for pre-registered donors, and Panthers mascot Sir Purr will make appearances throughout the day. Come out and support this blood drive, which will benefit 19 area hospitals. Click here for more details.

Individual Panthers players do a lot of good as well, and I often chronicle it on this blog. But it sure would be nice if they could get back to playing soon.

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'Who's Who In Black Charlotte' Book Unveiling and Reception this Thursday

The third edition of Who's Who In Black Charlotte will be unveiled at a networking reception this Thursday, June 16, 6-8:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Atrium in Uptown (301 S. Tryon St.). The book chronicles the achievements of African-Americans in the city, primarily focusing on their professional careers, and also spotlighting some of the companies and organizations that do a great job with diversity.

I wrote a few of the "Interesting Personalities" articles in the book, where about a dozen or so people were chosen to be featured, each of them interviewed and profiled in two-page spreads. Other profiles in the book are shorter, about the length of a standard bio. And then there are sections on companies, and tribute stories, which are in-depth history pieces. It all comes together to highlight Charlotte's African-American culture in a way you don't often see in mainstream publications. At about 200 pages, it's a tall, coffee-table-style book. It's also a good book for our youth to see, so they can learn about the wide-range of career possibilities that exist, that might be far from what they can imagine in their current surroundings.

Who's Who In Black Charlotte is produced by Who's Who Publishing, a Columbus, Ohio-based company that publishes these books in 25 cities across the country that have large African-American populations. The Charlotte book debuted in 2008 (I wrote for that edition), while cities like Atlanta have been published for more than a decade. However, as resourceful as these books are, I look forward to the day when they aren't needed. When minority groups will be featured more regularly and prominently in mainstream publications. But for now, they are a valuable tool.

The unveiling reception usually draws a who's who type of crowd, ranging from the people being honored and their supporters, to representatives from corporate sponsors, to elected officials, and other prominent people in the city. So it's a good opportunity to network. Tickets for the event are $50, which you can purchase online, and that includes a copy of the book. There will also be hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar, and a performance by R&B/hip-hop singer Ida Divine.

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Read About It: Flight 1549 Finally Arrives In Charlotte

I had the pleasure of attending the "homecoming reception" Saturday evening for Flight 1549 at Carolinas Aviation Museum. The plane from the "Miracle on the Hudson" will become the signature exhibit at the little-known Charlotte museum. After seeing all the national news coverage the plane was receiving as it embarked on a seven-day journey by flatbed truck--something this big has to move relatively slow--from a New Jersey warehouse to Charlotte, and seeing how tens of thousands of people were lining the interstates and highways along the way just to get a sight of it, I knew I wanted to tell a part of this story. You can read about it in the article I wrote for Charlotte magazine's website, "Miracle at the Museum," posted online today.

Laurie Crane, one of the Flight 1549 passengers I interviewed.

Click here to read the article, where you'll also find a gallery of photos by Jon Strayhorn.

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Nourishing North Carolina Launches In Mecklenburg County

Last Tuesday I attended the launch of Nourishing North Carolina, a new statewide community garden program that seeks to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in the 100 counties in the state. Sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and the North Carolina Recreation and Park Association, Mecklenburg County was chosen as the first county, and the site is Winterfield/Sheffield Community Garden, located next to Winterfield Elementary School in east Charlotte.

According to BCBSNC, more than 30 percent of children ages two to four years old in North Carolina are considered overweight or at risk for becoming overweight. Two-thirds of the state’s adults are considered obese or overweight. This program helps to address these alarming obesity rates. Many communities in Charlotte don't have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables. You'd be surprised how many low-income people do the majority of their grocery shopping at convenience stores, where fresh produce isn't among the offerings. Or some just have never been taught healthy dietary methods.

Winterfield/Sheffield Community Garden is the first to benefit from this new program.

Another great thing about this program is the garden is being maintained by neighbors and students, so they're also learning how to garden in addition to learning to choose a healthier diet. About 25 community members and 80 Winterfield Elementary students tend the garden weekly, and they had it in great shape when the public was invited out to Tuesday's launch.

Nourishing North Carolina is expanding to all 100 counties over the next three years, with plans to eventually provide 190,000 pounds of produce, enhancing the nutritional value of nearly 150,000 meals, and leading 17,000 hours of physical activity through garden maintenance.

Click here for the Nourishing North Carolina website, where you'll find more details including garden locations. You can also "Like" it on Facebook.

Below is a slideshow of photos I took at the launch event (or click here to view).

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Free Community Workshops, Plus Sister Souljah

There are some great, free events for the community this weekend you should know about, if you weren't already aware. Tomorrow morning (Saturday, June 11) the Urban League of Central Carolinas Young Professionals Auxiliary is presenting Health Focus: Know Your Numbers. Also, tomorrow afternoon, the Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists (CAABJ) is presenting its Sixth Annual Secrets to Accessing the Media Workshop. And tonight, recently added, you can meet Sister Souljah.

The Health Focus event will be held 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Saturday at the Urban League, 740 W. Fifth St. It will be an informative session on what you need to know to achieve living a healthy lifestyle, presented in partnership with Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy. Registered nurse and personal trainer Dave Eaker will discuss body mass index (BMI), body fat, and information on African-American health disparities. There will also be free blood pressure checks, weight and BMI screenings, and a healthy brunch will be provided. Organizers suggest that attendees wear workout attire. Click here for more details.

Then from 1-3 p.m. Saturday at Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. Seventh St., CAABJ is holding its Secrets to Accessing the Media Workshop. I'm a member of CAABJ and have been involved with this event for each of the last six years, and can tell you it's a very informative session. A panel of journalists from newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, and Internet will give tips and advice on how to get your stories told, explain how news at individual media outlets is produced, and answer questions from the audience. The panelists are: April Bethea, reporter, The Charlotte Observer; Glenn Burkins, editor, Qcitymetro.com; Chris Dyches, web producer, WBTV; Eric Frazier, reporter, The Charlotte Observer; Carlton Hargro, editor-in-chief, Creative Loafing; Trey Harmon, associate producer, WCNC-TV; Davida Jackson, associate producer, News14 Carolina; and BJ Murphy, on-air personality, WGIV Radio.

Carlton Hargro, editor-in-chief of Creative Loafing, returns as a panelist for the workshop.

Members of nonprofit organizations, HOA’s, community organizations, church and civic groups, etc. are encouraged to attend. This is a great opportunity to learn how to get media coverage for your events, fundraisers, organizations, and even small businesses. Light refreshments will be served. Guests are asked to RSVP at rsvp@caabj.com. Click here for more details.

And finally, Saturday evening, Red@28th, a new literary lounge in NoDa is bringing in Sister Souljah for a book signing, reading, and Q&A. But as word spread about this event, RSVPs have reached capacity. So to accommodate the popularity of the best-selling author, recording artist, and film producer, Red@28th's owners are bringing her to the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, 551 South Tryon St., tonight (Friday, June 10) for a similar event at 7 p.m. Copies of Sister Souljah's new book, Midnight and the Meaning of Love, will be available for purchase and to be signed, as well as her other titles, including The Coldest Winter Ever, No Disrespect, and Midnight: A Gangsta Love Story. If you wish to attend, you should RSVP to contact@realeyesbookstore.com. Click here for more details.

All of these events are culturally enriching, being held free of charge, and are well worth your time.

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Deadlines Approaching for TEDxCharlotte 2011

Planning is underway for TEDxCharlotte 2011, which takes place October 15, and two key deadlines are approaching. Organizers are accepting nominations from the public for speakers for the event and the deadline to apply is June 15. Also, the deadline to apply to attend the all-day conference is a month later on July 15 has been extended to July 25.

TEDxCharlotte, now in its second year, is a local, independently organized event held under the guidance of the world-renowned TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), which has held annual conferences since 1984 now in Long Beach, Palm Springs, and Edinburgh, Scotland to "bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers." On a smaller scale, hundreds of TEDx events are held worldwide, and TEDxCharlotte is seeking to solidify its place as an annual gathering for Charlotte's creative community. The theme for this year's conference is "Dream-makers & Risk-takers."

Communications impresario Tracy Russ and poet Quentin Talley presented at last year's TEDxCharlotte conference.

If you're interested in being a speaker at TEDxCharlotte, you can submit an application and an optional three-minute YouTube video. Ideal candidates will address their idea, what has been done to move it forward, and why their idea should be heard. Their concept should also resonate with the TEDxCharlotte 2011 theme. More details can be found at www.tedxcharlotte.com/speakers.

The process to register to attend is selective as well since seating is limited. Prospective attendees should apply at www.tedxcharlotte.com/attend where after entering your basic contact information you'll be asked to answer four open-ended questions such as "Imagine you can travel back in time...what advice would you give to your 11 year-old self?" The interesting--and commendable--thing about the application process is that all identifying markers such as applicant’s name, job title, and organization are removed before being evaluated--so who you are or who you know won't necessarily get you in. Confirmed event attendees will be charged a fee of $20, which will include a continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks all day.

TEDxCharlotte 2011 "Dream-makers & Risk-takers” will be held October 15 at Dana Auditorium at Queens University of Charlotte, the host partner. For more information, visit www.tedxcharlotte.com, or on social media at facebook.com/TEDxCharlotte and twitter.com/TEDxCharlotte.

UPDATE: There's a TEDxCharlotte 2011 Open House scheduled for Friday, June 24, 6:30-8 p.m. at Dolce Vita in NoDa, 3205 N. Davidson St. Click here for more details.

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CNN Is 'Defining America', Starts with Charlotte

Around noon today, a story started popping up in my News Feed on Facebook as several friends were sharing the link to the article posted today to CNN.com, titled "What Charlotte learned 'when the world flipped'." I'm always intrigued to read these articles or watch broadcasts by national news outlets about the city in which I live. Charlotte has been in the national spotlight a lot over the last few years, from the growth of banking and NASCAR, to North Carolina becoming a political swing state, to our growing population, to the meltdown of the financial industry, to the announcement of the city being awarded the 2012 Democratic National Convention, and so on.

Some national media outlets do a good job of depicting life in Charlotte, while others make it obvious they just parachuted in, talked to a few people, and didn't get a keen understanding of the lay of the land. For this CNN article and writer Thom Patterson, I would give a grade of B. The profile on Charlotte is part of CNN's summer-long Defining America project, in which the multi-platform news network "will be traveling the country with the CNN Express to explore the stories behind the data and demographics."

Here are a few notable things I feel the article on Charlotte did well:

• Described what the financial industry means to Charlotte and how the loss of thousands of jobs have impacted the city and people.
• Drew distinctions between the different neighborhoods: Uptown, NoDa, South End, Plaza Midwood, and even the 'burbs of Union County.
• Interviewed key people: local businessmen, journalists, civic leaders, and everyday patrons and neighbors.
• Highlighted the growing energy sector and how Duke Energy is emerging.

And here are things I feel the article could've done better:

• The video on NoDa, which was placed at the top of the page, should've explored the neighborhood more.
• More attention should've been paid to the city's growing diversity. It was mentioned in the paragraph about population growth, but wasn't elaborated.
• Education wasn't covered at all. How can you chronicle a city and not talk about its public schools or higher education offerings?
• Ballantyne should've at least been mentioned--with all the money and growth over there.

Those are just a few of my thoughts. The article is a good read whether you live in the Charlotte area or not. There are also a few videos included and there's one in particular I wanted to highlight. In the left column of the page is a thumbnail for a video segment titled "Chef turns profits into food for poor." It's about chef/restaurant owner Jim Noble and the great work he's doing for the community with his not-for profit restaurant, The King's Kitchen. I've embedded the video below.

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'My 1st Suit' Event Saturday at Macy's

There's a great event tomorrow for young men--and for the community to support them. The Magic of Macy's and My 1st Suit Men's Event takes place Saturday, June 4, 2-4 p.m. at Macy's at Northlake Mall (6801 Northlake Mall Dr.).

My 1st Suit is a nonprofit organization that works with men primarily ages 18 to 26 years old to help build their self-esteem and improve their lives. The organization puts the young men through a character-building program and at the end of it gives each one of them a custom-tailored suit, which oftentimes is that young man's first suit.

My 1st Suit has partnered with Macy's to put on a free, pre-Father's Day event tomorrow in the men's department (second floor) that will feature a men's fashion show, a DJ, complimentary hors d'oeuvres, and styling consultations by David Washington of DW Designs. The event will be hosted by my friend T. Strong a.k.a StyleMayvin. And My 1st Suit's founder, Chris Williams, will be present to tell the audience about the organization. Come out and support this great cause, and you will enjoy yourself.

For more details, visit my1stsuit.com. Below is a video of Chris's appearance yesterday on FOX News Rising in which he talked about the organization and the event.

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Me In Esquire At 25 and 30

You can check me out in the June/July 2011 issue of Esquire magazine. No, it's not a story written by me (though that would be a dream come true), instead it's a story I'm included in. This issue of Esquire, which features The Hangover 2 actor Bradley Cooper on the cover, is all about "How To Be A Man." In addition to the feature on Cooper, there are stories on etiquette for men, what makes a man, dressing like a man, and the whole section dedicated to drinking--all with the wit and edginess Esquire is known for. Then there's the "A Portrait of the American Man at 30" feature, and that's where I come in.

Back in 2006, Esquire profiled 51 men--one from each state and D.C.--who were all 25 years old about what life was like at that age and how it might differ from previous generations. I was the young man profiled from North Carolina. This past February, I received an email from one of the magazine's editors saying they wanted to do an update on each of us, since five years had passed, on how our lives had changed now that we're 30. They managed to catch up with and interview 40 of the original 51 guys, which I'm sure was a painstaking process.

So look for me on page 137 of the June/July 2011 issue (the mag now does a double issue for the summer, but otherwise is a monthly publication). It's on newsstands now, and Esquire tends to post individual features from print gradually online, but I'm not sure if this one will eventually make it onto the net.

UPDATE 6/16/11: The "A Portrait of the American Man at 30" feature has been posted on Esquire's website. Click here to read it.

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