Carolina Panthers and CPI Security End Partnership

BREAKING NEWS:  The Carolina Panthers have cut ties with longtime sponsor CPI Security after a racially insensitive email surfaced that was sent from the company's CEO

The Carolina Panthers have become the latest Organization to sever its ties with a Company who doesn't quite get the impact of George Floyd's murder at the hands of  white police officers and what the Black Lives Matter Movement is all about.

According to a published report by the Charlotte News and Observer, a community organizer in Charlotte, NC sent out a mass email to local groups and organizations calling for action after Floyd's death.  The CEO, Ken Gill decided to respond this way:

Please spend your time in a more productive way,” Gill said in an email, via the Observer. “A better use of time, would be to focus on the black on black crime and senseless killing of our young men by other young men.

“Have a great day, Ken Gill.”

Well, as I've heard many, many times before, good ol' boy Ken should've re-read that email or asked for a second opinion before he hit SEND.  After the email went viral, you know what happened next.  He issued the "Forgive me for being a misinformed white person" apology:

“Let me say that CPI, and I personally, stand against racism and discrimination of any kind, and we are actively supporting solutions like the new CMPD de-escalation training facility that will bring positive change to our community. I fully support the call for racial equality and justice in our community and our country,” Gill said. “We (at CPI) take a great deal of pride in our inclusive culture and in protecting the families and diverse communities we serve. I apologize if my comments did not reflect those values.”

His apology didn't help much because the Panthers decided to cut ties with the NC security company, along with Michael Jordan's Charlotte Hornets Basketball Team, the Charlotte Knights and Durham Bulls baseball teams and NC State.

I guess Mr. White Privilege will think twice before he decides to share his thoughts on racial injustice in this country.  But, obviously from his remarks, he doesn't see any.

Social Media May Be Hazardous to Your Health

I went to the doctor this week and learned a rather interesting lesson about social media.

When the scale reflected the fact that I had GAINED and not LOST some weight, my doctor wanted to know what kind of activities I was involved in. I told her I was spending a lot of time on my computer these days. Sometimes I spend more than half of my day between Twitter and Facebook.

Not good, according to my doctor. She says spending hours at a time at a computer can create havoc on the body. In addition to the middle age spread, one might also develop knee, back and vision problems.

Another point she made was the stress factor. If you're looking to your computer as a means of financial support, you may find yourself with many frustrating days---especially if money is slow to come your way. That frustration, she says, can lead to high blood pressure and depending on heavily involved you are, it could also lead to something more serious.

So while many folks are busy singing the benefits of social media, a least one health expert--my trusted physician--says social media, just like alcohol, should be used in moderation.

Summer Break

My daughter has officially completed her first year of college. Now she is back home for summer--but it will be ME who will be taking a much needed break.

That's right. After acting as primary caregiver for her two-year-old son, I have relinquished my duties so she can step back into the "mommy" role. That means I no longer have to get up in the middle of the night when I hear my grandson cry out that he needs to go potty. I can sleep later in the morning without having to worry about making sure he gets to daycare before 9:30am. And I won't have to rush to pick him up by 4:30--especially if I'm in a meeting that ran long. I'll be able to spend countless hours on Twitter if I want to and more importantly, hubby and I will get to spend some quality "we" time, which has been next to impossible with our grandson hanging on to our every move.

Are you a grandparent who has given up your retirement or your own plans in order to take on the diapers, daycare, teacher conferences, and everything else that comes along with raising children? Many baby boomers, like me, are stepping in to raise their grandchildren when the children's own parents are not able or willing to do so. According to the U.S. Census, over 2.4 million grandparents have responsibility for their grandchildren. I consider my contribution as an investment in her future.

Taking care of her son has become my daughter's summer job. Nope, there is no pay involved but the rewards she and my grandson will receive will be more valuable than all the money in the world!

A Charlie Brown Christmas Tradition Lives On

Earlier this week, A Charlie Brown Christmas came on television. Ever since my daughter was a little girl, we used to sit and watch it together---the same as I did with my parents when I was little. This year, however, my daughter was away at college so I completely forgot about that particular mother-daughter holiday tradition. (My two-year-old grandson was spending the night with his other grandparents so he wasn't available).

But while on Twitter, one of my followers, Carla Nix, announced that she was watching it with her daughter, which sparked some memories.

So in keeping with the tradition, I called my 18-year-old college freshman and we sat on the phone and watched it together. She knew the part I would cry on and we laughed together as we reminicsed about the Charlie Brown Christmases of the past. She reminded me of the crazy dances I would do during the Charlie Brown gang rehearsal scene and the times I used to call her from work when the show was on.

As a baby boomer parent, I am discovering there are some traditions that should live on no matter how old we get. Those traditions live on even unto death.

What traditions do you still celebrate with loved ones?

Your Teacher Hates Your Child

As a baby boomer parent, I am disturbed to read more and more stories about teachers and students connecting on social networking sites for purposes other than school work. But what is equally as troubling is the fact that some teachers are using their web pages to say derogatory things about the kids they teach. Recently, a high-school special-education teacher was suspended for using a Facebook “mood box” to post “I'm feeling p----- because I hate my students!”

In another NC case, the Superintendent has recommended firing a Thomasboro Elementary teacher whose page said she was “teaching in the most ghetto school in Charlotte” and described her students as “chitlins.” Her lawyer said his client intended no offense to her students and was simply telling the truth about resegregated schools in CMS.

Some teachers say what they do on their own time is their business and as long as it doesn’t affect the way they teach, it shouldn’t matter. Is this a generational thing?

What do you say?