Atlanta Pastor Accused of Sex Claims

I was reading the New York Times online this morning and came across this article about this pastor Eddie Long down in Atlanta. I find it quite disrespectful to the Christian faith, that there continue to be occurrences such as these with in the religion. I cannot understand why the press would publicize an issue as serious and embarrassing as these situations are. I only chose to blog about this article because I found it interesting. If anyone could please offer any opinions or logical reasons to why this is a reoccurring issue within the religion, it would be very appreciated. 

From my personal knowledge, I do not know of or have not heard of any instances within Islam that can relate to this circumstance. From prior knowledge, this may be the first time that I have been aware of a circumstance such as this happening in the Black church.

The DC New Balance Mystic. . . ??

For about as long as I can remember, New Balance has been the unofficial designated shoe for the city of Washington, DC for about 25 years. Just like any and every American city, there is always a popularized shoe or certain type of fashion that is sported by the majority of city. For Washington, DC, New Balance has been the sole provider for the signature District shoe. For DC it happens to be a special and rare opportunity, that the District happens to be the only city in America that casually sports New Balance as a city wide fashion fad. For many cities like New York, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, and all of the other major metropolitan cities; shoes like the Nike Air Force One are very common. 

From the information that I have gathered from native Washingtonians, DC has always had it's on style for as long as they could remember. There is something about Washington, DC that sets apart from every other city in America. To be a city with a little over a half of a million citizens, DC has a very distinct uniqueness that other cities lack. 

NB 574. . Highly popular in the mid and late 90's. 

NB 1300. . Popular in the late 90's and early 2000's. 

NB 993. . Classic and the official shoe for the District. Has been sported every since the early 90's.

NB 1700. .

NB 580. . Made famous by the great Kanye West, adopted by the great city of Washington. 

Who Steals Bricks?

I was skimming through the NY Times today, and I stumbled upon this article about how bricks are being stolen in St. Louis. I was kind of confused and interested at the same time, so I proceeded to read the article. The article went into detail about how it has become a major problem for the city to stop brick harvesters. Thieves illegally harvest the historically precious St. Louis  bricks by setting fire to entire buildings, and removing the bricks, selling them down south for $100 per a palette of 500. 

I thought that this article goes to show the extent of the American recession that has plagued the nation. People are resorting to stealing bricks and burning buildings to provide for their families and keep their businesses running. The American economy is in a terrible position for small business owners and low class citizens. The poor people are always affected first by national finical difficulties. If people are resorting to burning buildings now, what's to happen in the next few months or years if the crisis does not improve anytime soon? 

Im my opinion, American has more problems to worry about than people stealing bricks. If things continue on he path that they are on. The robbing of armored cars, banks, and homes will be more of an issue than some old bricks. With all of the technology and resources that the US retains, I believe that America is more than capable of pulling itself out of the whole it has dug. 

Whats's F R E S H ?

Fresh is defined as being one that is up-to-date on the latest urban fashions, more importantly being one that keeps up with the latest K I C K S. There is a V E R Y distinctive difference between being Fresh and having the title and respect of being F L Y. Being Fresh focuses more on shoes than anything else dealing with the fashion. The basis of being considered Fresh is based solely on ones "Shoe Game". The other contributing factors to be considered Fresh are having good judgement on denim, watches, tops, and hats. Having on the wrong jeans, shirt or sweater can totally ruin the integrity of a outfit. 

Who and what's considered Fresh varies on where you are in the world. More specifically in the US, the standards for what's Fresh can vary state to state or city or city. Sometimes the difference can be very menial, others they can be on totally different levels Here are some examples: 

Pharrel Williams - Virginia Beach
Pharrel focuses more on the overall look of his  outfit. Every element is balanced from the fitted, watch, and shoes. Individuals in he Virginia Beach are heavily influenced by the Skateboard look, that is famously styled y Pharrel. 

Wale - Washington D.C.
Wale is a someone that focuses more on the shoes of his outfit. His outfit isn't to complicated, not much care put into the coordination of the accessories. But not much is need to compliment the $200 Kicks he's sporting! 

Wiz Khalifa - Pittsburgh
Wiz Khalifa focuses on the coordination of his entire outfit. The shoes are cool and simple. But the overall look is what he is shooting for. Skateboarder/Backpacker/Roamer. Classic! 

Big Sean - Detroit
Big Sean is a perfect example of someone that focuses on the overall aspect of his  outfit. The classic retro Jordans are the most important part of the outfit. The royal blue jeans are a little much for my personal taste, but is highly favored in the Mid-West. Classic! 

Next weeks blog will focus on the elements of being Fly.

Worldwide Qur'an Burning Controversy In Florida

Bismillah Rahman ir-Raheem 

In the past recent weeks there has been a massive wave of attention turned toward the U.S. in concern for a pastor in Gainesville, Florida, who had allegedly planned to burn more than 200 copies of The Holy Qur'an. Terry Jones is a pastor of a small church in Florida, and claimed about two weeks ago that he was planning to burn copies of the Qur'an in commemoration of the September 11 attacks. Mr. Jones attracted the attention of President Obama, many celebrities, and other significant political officials all over the world; that expressed their opinions and denounced Mr. Jones's actions. Despite the criticism that Mr. Jones received, he still continued his plans with the burning up in till Thursday; where he announced that he was postponing the burning, because he was in negotiations with Islamic leaders. The burning was later cancelled, Mr. Jones stated, "We feel that God is telling us to stop,". 

I personally feel that Terry Jones is a perfect example of the ignorance that fuels the hostility and misunderstanding towards Islam in the US. This whole fiasco was a publicity stunt in my personal opinion. Terry Jones wanted some public attention to stir up things for Muslims before the anniversary of 9/11. Making the situation worse, Eid Al-Fitr started thursday, to celebrate the ending of the month of Ramadan. One of the most important holidays that exists in Islam. Terry Jones is a severely ignorant individual that has cased more wrath than he even knows! He has caused the death of two Muslims over in the Middle East, and has possibly drawn more terrorist attention toward the US. 

Who Am I?!

My name is Ke'von Miles, and/or Khalifah Abdul-Nafi. I am currently 16 years of age, and I reside in Washington, DC. I was born and raised in the District, in the NW quadrant of the city. As a young fellow I attended The Art's & Technology Academy, where I developed my love and passion for the Art's. My attraction and diligence toward music allowed me to attended The Levine School of Music, and also opened many opportunities for me to advance in my musical studies. 

I like to consider myself to be a Urban Renaissance Man & Gentleman. I have many interests such as religion, sports, music, photography, literature, politics,  street/urban philosophy and sociology, fashion, women's studies, and many others. I have extensive knowledge in street/urban philosophy and sociology, music, women's studies, and religion. Music is my passion and main hobby. I play a plethora of musical instruments, and in the past year, I have become more involved and skilled with digital audio production. 

Simply, My current focuses in life right now are to stay focused in my school work, stay committed and become more skillful at my music, try not to become a statistic, and enjoy my last few years of adolescence. Becoming a successful Black Man and making a difference in my community is very important to me. Thus, motivating me to do the best in everything I attempt.