Cam Newton turned 23 years old today. It has to feel awesome to be that young, that rich, and that successful with such a bright future ahead.
The Carolina Panthers quarterback said and did all the right things his first year in the NFL and in Charlotte. I'm not sure if he's celebrating his birthday here or in his hometown of Atlanta, but I would think he would want to spend time breaking in the condo at The Trust he recently purchased in Uptown.
If you read my blogs or other writings that have to deal with politics, elections, and/or voting, you might realize that I don't ever try to tell you what side of the issue you should be on, or who or what you should vote for. My only objective is that you are informed. Voting is a constitutional right that we're all fortunate to have in this country--something that wasn't always the case. But you shouldn't simply be motivated to show up at the polls; you should be inspired to read up on the issues before you go.
The North Carolina primary is tomorrow (Tuesday, May 8). President Barack Obama is the incumbent president on the Democratic side; Mitt Romney is the presumptive presidential nominee on the Republican side, with his main opponents having dropped out of the race. So many of you who only get drawn to the polls for presidential elections, might be tuning out Tuesday's event. That would be a big mistake. If you're a Mecklenburg County resident, a visit to www.meckboe.org will give you plenty of info on what you should know, including this list of Charlotte, Mecklenburg, and statewide candidates in your district who are on tomorrow's ballot.
I've received several candidates' campaign mailers over the last couple of weeks.
Do you know who you're voting for in the races for North Carolina Senate or House of Representatives? Or for Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners? Remember, this is a primary so you can't vote straight-party ticket--you're voting to decide which candidates are going to represent your party in the November general elections.
And then there's North Carolina Senate Bill 514, better known as Amendment One, which I'm sure you've heard of. This piece of legislation, on the May 8 ballot, is a proposed bill to amend the North Carolina Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, which would, in effect, ban same-sex marriage. That issue has garnered nationwide media coverage for the state over the last few months, especially over the last couple of weeks, as North Carolina becomes the latest state to put it to a vote.
On the April 30 episode of 282, we dedicated the majority of the show to discussing Amendment One and the May 8 primary. We featured a great panel who talked about all of the ramifications of the bill. One guest, a black female, opposes Amendment One, saying it would do unnecessary harm to families, including unmarried heterosexual couples with children as well as senior citizens. Another guest, a university professor, is also against Amendment One and he discussed it from an academic and civil rights standpoint. And then our third guest, a white male gay conservative, is in favor of Amendment One, saying that he believes marriage is between one man, one woman, and God. Yes, he's gay, and he said he's in favor of civil unions for same-sex couples like himself and his partner, but not marriage.
Do yourself a favor and watch this episode of 282.
Charlotte's platinum-selling R&B and soul singer Anthony Hamilton is featured tonight (May 6) on the newest episode of As Written on Centric. The series is described as: "Through candid interviews, live performances, and behind the scenes footage, As Written unlocks the door to the creative process and exposes the inspiration behind the work of some of your favorite R&B and soul artists." On tonight's episode, premiering at 11 p.m., we're taken inside all of those things of Anthony's musical career that has spawned several hits over the last decade.
Watch a preview of the episode in the video below.
Other artists previously featured on As Written include Robin Thicke, Jill Scott, Eric Benet, Musiq Soulchild, and Chrisette Michelle. Centric is a subsidiary cable channel of Black Entertainment Television (BET), and can be found on channel 458 on Time Warner Cable, 330 on DirecTV, and 515 on AT&T U-verse (which is what I have).
The popularity of mixed martial arts, simply known as MMA, has exploded over the years. UFC fights are more anticipated than heavyweight boxing matches these days (who's the current heavyweight boxing champion anyway?). MMA has really taken off in the Charlotte area, and I was surprised to learn of its growth particularly in the Lake Norman area. You can read about it in the story I wrote, "Tough Enough," for the May issue of Lake Norman Magazine.
I talked to trainers and fighters at The Rock MMA & Fitness Center in Huntersville, the Gracie Jiu Jitsu LKN Academy in Mooresville, and Crossface MMA in Cornelius. And, as you might know, Team R.O.C. in Harrisburg, just north of UNC Charlotte's campus, has produced two UFC fighters, Rodney "Sho Nuff" Wallace and Jordan Rinaldi. But the growth of MMA locally is being spurred largely by people who want to learn the techniques to stay physically fit; not to get kicked and punched in the face.
Rock at the Dock 5
You can watch MMA fighters up close at Rock at the Dock 5, taking place Saturday, May 12 at Queens Landing (1459 River Hwy., Mooresville). It's the fifth installment of the popular fight series put on by Matt Sredzinski, owner of The Rock MMA. About 2,000 fans are expected, and in addition to live cage fights, there'll be music by bands and DJs, food and cash bars, strong man demonstrations, babes in bikinis, and more. Visit www.therockatthedock.com for details.
Charlotte Startup Weekend is this weekend, May 4-6, and it's where you'll find techies, from software and hardware developers and designers to marketers, managers, graphic artists, and people who just love seeing ideas come together, huddled up over the course of 54 hours. Startup Weekend was founded in 2007 by a techie named Andrew Hyde in Boulder, Colorado; two years later it became a not-for-profit organization and relocated to Seattle. It's grown tremendously since its inception, now held in more than 120 cities, funded by the Kauffman Foundation in addition to support by companies like Google and Microsoft. This is Charlotte's fourth Startup Weekend, and participants say it's gotten bigger and better each year.
A team at work during last year's Charlotte Startup Weekend.
Led by local organizers and sponsors, Charlotte Startup Weekend is taking place again at Packard Place in Uptown, which is a hub for entrepreneurs and startups itself. The weekend kicks off with dinner and networking Friday at 5:30 p.m., and later that evening the pitches will start. Teams will form that night, and Saturday morning at 8 a.m. they'll get to work on their ideas. Sunday night, the teams will make their presentations. According to national organizers, about 80 percent of participants continue working with their team or startup after the weekend has ended, and 36 percent of them are still working together after three months..
Early bird registration has ended, but even now at the regular price of $99, the all-inclusive ticket is still a great deal. It covers seven meals, snacks, beers, and a T-shirt. For complete details, visit charlotte.startupweekend.org.
May is National Inventors Month
This is like a month filled with ingenuity and innovation. In recognition of National Inventors Month, Edison Nation, a Charlotte-based idea-to-shelf product development company, is leading a Twitter campaign by promoting the hashtags #IfICouldInvent and #InventorsMonth throughout May. And they're giving you the chance to win prizes. If you tweet "#IfICouldInvent... " and complete that statement with your own thought (for example: #IfICouldInvent a time machine I would go back to my sophomore year in college and ask that girl for her phone number), you could be among the tweets they select for prize giveaways. Follow @EdisonNation.
