Competition

As I was falling asleep last night I started thinking about competition. Competition occurs on many levels and at many different times. My interest in competion is primarily business focused, allthough competition occurs in academics, relationships, war and athletics to name a few. The more I thought about it the more I began to focus on resources and how critical they are to your success in any competition. The marshalling of resources is a key factor in your potential victory or defeat. (more later)

What do you think?

-Khris

Tips for the Entrepreneur

Tips for the entrepreneur:

I have had some pretty interesting experiences over the last five years. I was never trained as a salesman and pretty much learned on the job. Nothing motivates you to sell like paying a mortgage. My top 3 realizations:

1. If a customer wants to give you money, take it then and there.

2. If you have sold "it", shut up and let "it" be sold, all you can do at that point is "unsell" - "it".

3. Sometimes you have to tell the customer to buy "it".

4. In preparing your long winded, graphic heavy, presentation remember to include a moment for the customer to buy. If they take that opportunity -see item 2 above.

5. Remember that every customer evaluates your product based on their own set of priorities. It's up to you to determine what those priorities are and shape your "pitch" to show how your product realizes those priorities. For me those priorities can be fit, style, protection level, uniqueness, sameness, beliefs, etc.

6. People barter with small companies, but not with large established ones. No ones goes into Target and offers $10 less than MSRP, do they?

7. Someone has to be the boss, even in a partnership.

8. Know what you do or sell, and do or sell what you know. You can't be a conglomerate from day 1.

9. Don't be afraid to tell a customer NO.

10. Talk to your customers even when they don't buy.

11. Women can help you sell to to a market dominated by men.

12. People buy in herds....others will assume value, investigate, and possibly buy, if others are buying from you. I believe the inverse to also be true.

Seriously...

The Walmart-ization of America

Do you purchase the cheapeast products available? Is that the only factor you use to evaluate a particular product? Has everything been commoditized?

No probably not, but access to inexpensive smartly designed products can be had at most big box retailers. The combination of market competition and cheap labor rates have effectively produced products that are both inexpensive and of questionable quailty, but hey it's cheap right? Buy, break, replace....it's only two bucks. Did you know oil is used in the production of plastic? Forget about cars, what happens to my life if the production of plastic is limited?

This all brings me to producing items offshore. My company produces everything offshore. We have no US production capability. When we initially set up the company we visited several countries in Europe, but settled on one in Asia. I would have loved to set up shop in the US (i think it's better), but I didnt think I could sell enough $800 leather jackets to support a business. So what does this mean? Well, I guess there are manufacturing jobs in the US that weren't created as a result of my business, but the market get's a product it wants at a price it wants to pay. So who looses? I am really not sure.

What concerns me is, if the US eliminates most of it's onshore manufacturing capability what happens if one day the Chinese or another Low Labor Producer (LLP) suddenly decides to stop doing business with us, however unlikey? We will move to some other socio economically depressed area and continue to exploit exceptionally low wages in order to deliver inexpensive products, but the real threat I see isn't this. The real threat I see is that a LLP buys a strong brand or develops its own and can go to market agressively at a price point that an "outsourcer" cannot compete with. What happens then?

-Khristiano

Get On The Bus

You know, I just feel the need to say something about this dude at the bus stop. This cat tries to get his "I'm a REAL gentleman" brownie points by standing in front of the bus door when it's his turn to get on the bus. He's there holding up an insanely long line of people by letting all the women get out of line and on the bus first, then getting on the bus himself, followed by the rest of us that use this form of public transportation because some don't feel like driving, some can't drive, some don't want to pay for parking in the city, and some just love it because of the convenience. Sure it's cute and/or sweet but what does it mean if a couple of the women think you are a gentlemen and the rest thing your are as dumb as a bag of yak shavings for letting them get first dibs on the comfy seats with the scenic panoramic views. Now, I don't mean to stand on my soapbox and preach but I believe that I am speaking for us all when I say this from the bottom of my heart, nay, the bottom of my nether regions..."Man, get your stankin' ass on the bus. I need to get to my office."

If you want to be the fuckin' Golden Girl from Saint Ohloff, get to the back of the line and let us all on the bus ahead of you. Now that's chivalry!

2008 Model & Bike Shoot for TonyD Freestyle

We just got a copy of a bike shoot that our rider TonyD Freestyle sent to us. Can you find the Corsa sticker on his bike? The shoot features model Darlene Escoto. He will be stuntin' on for 2008. It's a 2005 Kawasaki 636 pimped out by Redline Motorsports.

Love::Speed::Glory

Alonna James- Love Her or Hate Her...She Doesn't Care!

You've seen her everywhere and you know the name. Most call her Alonna James but the close, personal few know her as AJ. She's one of the realest. I took time out from one of our famous Panama & AJ "GOOF BALL" sessions to pick her brain for ya'll. You can thank me later.



P*A*N: What do you want people to know about Alonna James?
AJ: I honestly have no idea
P*A*N: Yo, you know i'm gonna write that too! LOL
P*A*N: Anyways, you and I are very close and have known each other for a while. Tell everybody something about Pan and AJ that they don't know.
AJ: Panama is always there when AJ needs a shoulder to cry on, literally...(laughs)
P*A*N: (laughs) True.
P*A*N: Keepin' this real talk as you and I so often do, what are you NOT feelin' about the modeling industry?
AJ: Should I give names? (laughing her a** off)
P*A*N: (laughing) naw homie, don't hurt em'. I already know their names though.
AJ: I'm just kidding. I honestly don't feel as though everyone gets a fair shot because there is just so much bull**** to wade through.
P*A*N: Yea, funny thing is the people that say they are real have the most sh** on their breath. Those people are full of sh**. I can think of a few dudes right of the top of my head right now, b.
AJ: So so true
P*A*N: What are your expectations for the new alonnajames.com website?
AJ: I hope it's successfull and brings in a great fan base. I also hope that everyone will appreciate what I put out there for them.
P*A*N: Anything you want to say to the mainstream on behalf of the Underground before you bounce? (No pun intended)
AJ: I would like to thank everyone out there for the ever growing success of the Underground and personally thank the Unsigned Underground/Clutch Girl Magazine for much of the exposure that I've received thus far.
P*A*N: We've got much love and respect for you, fam.
AJ: I know, I know (laughing)
P*A*N: You're the younger sister I never had, son!
AJ: (laughs) son?

Vitals:
5'6" 145 lbs.
34-26-43
Fayetteville, North Carolina
African American
Brown Eyes

www.alonnajames.com

Check out AJ in the March/April 2008 King Magazine



On a personal note...I use to be Alonna's business manager. I know that you are reading this AJ and I may not tell you this like I should but you are special to me. We've gone through the roller coasters and walked through thick and thin together. I'll always have your back and you know that I am never too busy for you (most of the time). I love you very much, mayne. Just make sure that you stay away from certain folk and you know exactly who I am referring to.

-P

Man Up, Girlfriend.

Ok, here's the deal...I just received the following email from a lady friend of mine. Uh, you may not know this but I hate "MALE MUSH" emails. What's a male mush email? Well, it's some pro-WOMAN relationship manifesto in the form of an email or story that's conjured and written by a MAN. And yes, it's soooo gay. Now, he does make some very valid points in this message. I just think that it's lame because he didn't accompany it with a version for MEN about WOMEN. Below is a list of the things that he wrote in this "Declaration of Independence" with my own thoughts behind it.

"IF A MAN WANTS YOU" by some guy

-If a man wants you, nothing can keep him away. (Except a gun)

-If he doesn't want you, nothing can make him stay. (Except a gun)

-Stop making excuses for a man and his behavior. (If he's smart, he can make his own excuses)

-Allow your intuition (or spirit) to save you from heartache. (And future dates)

-Stop trying to change yourselves for a relationship that's not meant to be. (As opposed to staying the same jerk you have been for a relationship that is meant to be)

-Slower is better. (If you are falling off a bridge or building)

-Never live your life for a man before you find what makes you truly happy. (***Note, living your life for your man is what makes him happy. Anything else would be so selfish***)

-If a relationship ends because the man was not treating you as you deserve then heck no, you can't "be friends." A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend. (You remember what CHUCKIE did to friends that crossed him don't you? That's my case and point)

-Don't settle. If you feel like he is stringing you along, then he probably is. (Stringing you along is a lot more kinder than kickin' your ass for speculating)

-Don't stay because you think "it will get better." You'll be mad at yourself a year later for staying when things are not better. (And things are bound to get better once you start to ante up on your part of the rent)

-The only person you can control in a relationship is you. (And you can't quit seem to control yourself so the relationship is pretty much a crap shoot)

-Avoid men who've got a bunch of children by a bunch of different women. He didn't marry them when he got them pregnant, why would he treat you any differently? (Hey, Flavor Flav did it and he got three seasons on VH1)

-Always have your own set of friends separate from his. (Besides, your friends are hoes)

-Maintain boundaries in how a guy treats you. (As long as you don't put those boundaries in the bed)

-If something bothers you, speak up. (Or forever hold your peace. Don't bring shyt up a month later. All expressed warranties are null and void)

-Never let a man know everything. He will use it against you later. (That's just a nice way to say, "Shut the fuck up" from time to time)

-You cannot change a man's behavior. Change comes from within. (So does diarrhea)

-Don't EVER make him feel he is more important than you are...even if he has more education or in a better job. Do not make him into a quasi-god. He is a man, nothing more nothing less. (And after that, just kick him square in the nuts while you got him on the ground, why don't you)

-Never let a man define who you are. (But let Webster's define what you are. Look up the word "annoying")

-Never borrow someone else's man. Oh Lord! If he cheated with you, he'll cheat on you. (Just buy a man of your own)

-A man will only treat you the way you ALLOW him to treat you. (Good thing you have no say so in this matter. Whew! I was afraid we'd have to break up the band)

-All men are NOT dogs. (Some of us like to Monkey around)

-You should not be the one doing all the bending...compromise is a two-way street. (Your over-confidence after reading this blog is your ticket to a is a one-way, dead end street)

-You need time to heal between relationships...there is nothing cute about baggage... deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship. (Unless'n you are rebounding from a relationship you just got out of. In that case, who needs healin'? You need lovin!)

-You should never look for someone to COMPLETE you...a relationship consists of two WHOLE individuals...look for someone complimentary...not supplementary. (I think he's telling you to go on a diet. Read between the lines)

-Dating is fun...even if he doesn't turn out to be Mr. Right. (Wrong, dating is a total waste of time and the tax payer's dollars)

-Make him miss you sometimes...when a man always know where you are, and your always readily available to him- he takes it for granted. (Imagine if McDonald's subscribed to that same philosophy)

-Don't fully commit to a man who doesn't give you everything that you need. (Just commit to him when either of you is in need of sexual favors. Fair enough?)

-Keep him in your radar but get to know others. (Always have your next targeted victim in your sites. Remember...No Women, No Children)

Share this with other ladies..... You'll make someone SMILE, another
RETHINK her choices, and another woman PREPARE.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate
them, a day to love them and an entire lifetime to forget them.
Pass this on to at least 10 woman and 5 men.

BY THE WAY, THIS WAS WRITTEN BY A MAN, SO TAKE A HINT...

(I got the hint...Tyler Perry must have written this)

-Your Hetero-Hero, the Manly Man, the Panly Pan


***Don't get offended and walk around with your panties in a bunch. This was all done in fun, sheesh***

Disclaimer: The Corsa Group does not necessarily agree or approve of the content displayed in this particular blog. The expressed views are those of the writer and not CORSA or it's affiliates. Panama is a liar and he really believes everything that HE wrote.

P*A*N*A*M*A...All About Me

"Looks Attract...Personality Keeps...Actions Maintain"

First and farmost, I'd like to thank Dana for inspiring me to write this and for allowing me to ride her coat tail. How should I introduce myself? My name is Alpatrick P. Golphin better known as Panama, Pan, P. I am taking the time to Retrospect. I’ve thought about where I have come from and where I want to be in my adult life. Some of it has been good and some of it bad, but no matter what, I have no regrets. Sounds good doesn't it? Honestly, I regret a helluvalot but I can’t change any of it all. Now that I have that off my chest, the only thing that I can do is roll with the punches and concentrate on creating my future.

I am a movie junkie and will admit, I watch entirely too many movies. I love discussing law, politics and current affairs, you know, water cooler conversations. I have a passion for all things real estate and currently have a real estate company with my parents and brother called Golphin Properties, LLC. I also own The Clutch Group, LLC. and the Unsigned Underground. I`m a sincere, very inter-dependent, a fun person to be with, very versatile and can fit into any environment. CORSA allows me to be involved in the sports, fashion, and entertainment industries all at once so I can broaden my horizons. I am a homebody when I am not traveling for business. I'm into arts and culture and would consider myself a people person.

The most important things in my life are the happiness and well being of my kids and family, being successful in my career & anything I set my mind to do, helping others to succeed, my financial independance, and last but not least: Loving and being loved. I have various interests such as wine, motorcycles, swiss watches, arts & culture, photography, cooking and cuisine, architectural elements, poetry, jazz & neo-soul, the foreign exchange markets, vintage cars, ALL extreme sports, my blackberry, music production, film, golf, basketball, Import/Export, traveling, books, and I spend most of my TV time watching TV Networks like: Style, E!, HGTV, Discovery Channel, A&E, History Channel, TLC, Food Network, Cartoon Network (Adult Swim), Sci-Fi Channel, Comedy Central.

Past relationships have taught me the following...

-I like a woman who dresses well (and owns a pants suit)
-I like the corporate look...at work.
-The way you start a relationship is how the relationship will be
-Love self driven women with ambition.
-Relationships should be more than 50/50. You give me 100% and I do the same.
-I want a good woman, but don't NEED one
-The adage “opposites attract” applies to magnets ONLY, not people.
-I gravitate towards people that are outgoing but laid back.
-I don’t like “Party Girls” or “Club Heads”
-Confidence is a plus, arrogance just sucks altogether
-Don't like stressers or Maggie McNagg Naggs
-I do not like weaves or wigs. I'd rather you have dreads, an afro, twists, a fade, or a bald head instead of weaves and wigs. Don't try to change my mind about it...You can't
-A woman that has her own hobbies, talents, and gifts is better than a woman that doesn't
-Communication is the key. Over-or-Under Communication is the key to the front door
-I like "YES" people. The answer is always YES. They figure out how to do what needs to be done or how to make it happen later, but the answer is NORMALLY yes. (Ex.
"Yo, you want to go to Brazil?...YES!". Notice there was no, "I don't know, or I'll have to see, or I'll let you know. The answer was fuckin' YES!!!)
-Arts, Culture, Wine, and Jazz...A MUST
-Tight jeans, baby-tees, stiletto's, and perfume...A MUST
(more updates as I think of them coming soon)

HERE ARE SOME MORE TIDBITS & FACTS ABOUT MYSELF

-I enjoy reading for new ideas.
-I am a righty.
-Treat people how I want them to treat me.
-Have a great smile & nice chocolate skin.
-Articulate and some people think I'm cute.
-Honest & Reliable, but not necessarily in that order.
-I have a sense of humor - I laugh at myself a lot, but I will laugh at you even more, not WITH you...AT you!
-I am extremely entrepreneurial
-Awaiting inspiration from an unknown source, probably an experience or a
person.
-I farted on an packed elevator in Macy's, stepped off and turned around to see the expression on people's faces...PRICELESS!
-My relationship mileage?...eh
-I am more private than public unlessin' I'm going public with my privates.
-More one-on-one than group or nightclub.
-Love to read but love to be read to even more.
-Currently operating within a small circle of friends.

-My best male friends and fam are Kevin Crosland, Rico Stowers, Keith
Williford, and Alvid Golphin, Emmanuel Bennett with honorable mention going
to Geoffrey Touch Livingston, Khris Gaines, Omar Hurt, William Oliver, Jaire
Aton, Canayda, Gary Murray, Dan McCutchen, Punchy, Damion, Gabriel Scindian

-My best female friends are Aisha Massac, Alonna James, Laura Pixley, Angela
Brooks, Nikki Herrington, Victoria Lawson with honorable mention going to Brandy Baker, Danni Bromfield, Shatonia Sheppard, Hunnie, Yvonne Fields, Ronda Basanta, Tia Little, katina Vaughn.

-I own too many pairs of jeans.
-I enjoy shopping, especially sales/clearance.
-I love good deals.
-I believe it's not important how much you make but how much you save.
-I've mastered the art of being "casually" late to just about everything.
-I have four mini me's.
-I like women with a fashion sense and common sense…in that order.
-Raised in the North but spent a lot of my summers in the south.
-I am fairly un-organized, yet there is organizaton to my unorganization.
-Love Microsoft Word.
-I have been known to keep a list or two...or three.
-I like sweet snacks and steak (not necessarily together).
-I've got a nice body but could stand to tighten the tummy area a little bit.
-I love the outdoors, hate the beach (unless it is in the tropics).
-Huge boob fan but not a fan of HUGE boobs.
-Hate Mosquitoes because they bite you for no logical reason.
-I really like Sangria.
-I love extreme sports.
-Not a candy eater.
-I cannot be in two places at once...without a government issued "clone".
-I've participated in them too.
-I vote, Even in smaller city elections.
-I`ll stop to be a witness to an accident.
-I can be off the wall sometimes, ok most of the time.
-When I lay down to sleep, ambitious thoughts fill my mind.
-I drink too much Pepsi.
Post Note: I have since cut down on my Pepsi intake and have increased my Ice Tea intake.
-I have 34 bottles of cologne. Post Note: Expanding to other scents lately.
-I’m flirtatious but charming.
-Crying solves nothing...neither will a calculator without batteries.
-I have broken my left arm before.
-I have never been to New Orleans.
-Both my ears are pierced.
-I am a Aries/Taurus cusp (the best of both worlds).
-I am a fashionable person, even when it comes to my timeliness (late) for a meeting or drinks.
-I can cook.
-I am not quiet or shy.
-Will stand SIDE-BY-SIDE with my woman and not BEHIND her (well, maybe sometimes, when necessary.)
-Not materialistic but I do like nice things.
-Makes mistakes, but tries to learn from them.
-I don’t smoke.
-Can listen just as well as I can talk.
-A shoe whore at times.
-I'm an extremely introverted extrovert (figure it out).
-Can rock a baseball cap & Tims just as well as an suit and tie.
-Can have as much fun staying in as I can going out.
-Willing to teach just as much as I'm willing to learn.
-Willing to be open about who I am (and NO I am NOT gay).
-Content with myself, but knows there's room for improvement.
-Likes to kiss - not everybody though.
-I am a social drinker, not a lush.
-Spellcheck whenever possible.
-Stand up for what I believe in.
-I may stand up for what you believe in.
-Likes to cuddle and hold hands but don't like to be smothered.
-Sensitive to certain things but NOT a DJ Kay Slay DRAMA KING - well most times I'm not.
-Believes there's more to a woman then just looks or how much money she has.
-Respects myself.
-Starting a wine collection.
-Has principles, but still open-minded about some things.
-I have a deep rooted fear of losing people or having them walk out of my life and if you don't believe that, you can just pack your shyt and get the fuck out.
-Consider myself a leader as well as a follower.
-When I see something that I want, I normally go after it. I don’t wait for it to come to me.
-Friends & family say that I am book smart although I don’t think that I could last a full ride in the Cash Cab.
-What I would do (occupational) for free is music.
-I’m a guy that sees the glass as “Half full”, meaning I’m an optimist…but I tame my optimism by being a realist.
-Thunderstorm are romantic.
-Planes, Trains, or Automobiles? I’d say automobiles.
-The last thing I said to someone, good or bad, to get a reaction was, “Yes, I would do that for you”.
-The first thing I think about in the morning is, “Why didn’t I go to bed earlier?”
-The last thing I think about before I go to sleep, “This is gonna hurt in the morning”
-The designer or clothes line(s) best personifies my style is Ralph Lauren, Timberland, Mark Nason, Corsa, 686, Cole Haan, Akademiks, Rocawear (JEANS ONLY), Kenneth Cole.
-If I were lined up with five other men and looks and/or personality were no issue, what would make me stand out is my way of thinking and speaking.
-If I took a lunch break and found out I’d won 50 million dollars I would call and tell them from Italy to say that I was not coming back.
-My ex-girlfriend(s) would consider me to be a talker and listener.
-I’m more of a planner than being spontaneous. I even plan time for my spontaneity.
-I prefer Brains over Body, but a combination of the two usually works best for me.
-My favorite season is Fall because I dig the changing color of the leaves.
-I’m a phone and face-to-face kind of person.
-I am a heterosexual.
-Friends & family say that I am street smart.
-Poster child for Blackberry addiction.
-My favorite color is black.
-The first thing that I notice about a person is their style of fashion.
-I DON’T CLUB. I only go to events for business then leave. If I am at a club, it is usually a Jazz club.
-The fondest (best) memory right off the top of your head is when my daughter was born.
-My favorite solo artist is Patrice Rushen. Favorite group is Incognito.
-If I had one motto for 2008 it would be…”We make noise noise noise noise” quoted from Digable Planets…Motto for 2007 was “Get the girl, grab the money, and run” quoted from Souls of Mischief.
-I’m down with public displays of affection like kissing, hugging, holding hands, putting hands in each other’s back pockets, yada yada yada as long as it’s tastefully done. Who am I kidding? I like it even if it’s distastefully done.
-Cameron is a cute name for a baby girl.
-I want to learn how to ballroom dance, salsa, and maybe krump.
-The one person in your life that I would consider your worst enemy is myself.
-My WORST quality is trying to please everyone.
-My BEST quality is my ambition, can do attitude and team spirit. Oh wait, that was three qualities.
-I am protective but not overly protective.
-When I come home from travel, I start using items out of the bag rather than unpacking them immediately.
-I hate my handwriting but I’ve come too far to quit now.
-I’m an April baby.
-If I were another person, I would be friends with me.
-My favorite food is Italian and Seafood.
-My favorite desert is German Chocolate Cake.
-Would I ever relocate to be with someone I was feelin’? Perhaps.
-I do not wear glasses, but I have 7 pairs of Ralph Lauren shades.
-The one that that I find myself doing more than anything else is reading.
-I use sarcasm a lot.
-My favorite ice cream flavor is Chocolate Chipmunk.
-Shoe size is 9.5
-Prefer kisses over hugs (That pertains to women. Fellas get a pound)
-Untie my shoes when I take them off.
-The car or truck that best personifies my style is the BMW 650ci, Jaguar XK8, and Mercedes S550 (all of the vehicles must be black on black).
-The cheapest watch I have cost me $2200.
-I do you think that I am weird. I don’t know why, I just do.
-I went to VA Beach for my last family vacation.
-I like boxers and boxer briefs. I’ve sworn off the tightie whities.
-I'm a Democrat.
-I’m an avid yahoo IM user. I hate AIM.
-I check my email all day, every day.
-I’m tech saavy, computer literate, and love gadgets.
-Hip-Hop sucks right now.
-I am not rich.
-Known to say what I feel, using discretion and being as tactful as possible.
-Always remember faces, not too great with names.
-Currently working on plugging the hole in the ozone layer, world hunger, global warming, the war on terrorism, legalized prostitution, and the colonization of mars. I'll get back to you once I have those problems licked.
-I'm an odd mix of creativity and logic.

Crosswalks

The city can be a busy place. For the amount of noise and confusion that can be found on a city block, I sometimes find it most peaceful. I get the weirdest thoughts at the strangest times. As my mind wonders aimlessly, I approach a crosswalk at an intersection. A car pulls in to the intersection and stops half way through the crosswalk. Clearly this lady is in the middle of the crosswalk causing me to have to walk around her Toyota Camry to get through the crosswalk. I got around the car and back onto the sidewalk then started to ponder, “Why do drivers stop directly in the middle of the crosswalk?” Maybe they are saying something about themselves without even saying a word at all. Maybe they are telling the world that they often cross the lines or maybe their view of the line is blurred so they cannot make the distinction between what is the line and what is not. Keep in mind that this is not some crazy new finding listed in the latest Scientific Journal but just my own personal observation. I don’t always pay attention to what’s in front of me when I drive. I find myself stopping in the middle of the crosswalk from time to time. Yes I do cross the line in my personal and business lives too. Do I go overboard? Am I “over-the-top”? Am I out of control? Yes, all the time. The downside to that sort of behavior is that it can injure or potentially kill anyone that is in the crosswalk during my time of approach. Not to mention the fact that I put everyone that is down with me in jeopardy as well. Therefore, I have resolved in keeping myself behind the line and out of the crosswalks for my safety and your own. I will try to work on my impulsive obsessive compulsive behavior. Be forewarned that some of the responsibility lays on you, the pedestrian. If you are in the crosswalk and you see me coming with no clear signs of slowing my approach, move your azz.

-Your Public Safety Announcer

10-year ban for popping a wheelie in Miami

South Florida has a motorcycle problem, and lawmakers are introducing legislation to show bikers that they'll go a long way to punish those who break the rules. Stunt riding (including wheelies), excessive speeding, and concealable license plates will get you a 10 year ban on your motorcycle license, mandatory jail time, and an impounded bike. If the punishment sounds like the medieval practice of cutting off the hand of a man for stealing, that's exactly how State Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera wants it.

Lopez-Cantera witnessed firsthand a variety of incidents during which reckless behavior was on display, including bikers flying down the highway at 120 mph, high speed wheelies, and more. Police officers can't even run plates since bikers will often flip them up to avoid detection, and it's very difficult to catch a motorcycle on the open road with a squad car. It's disappointing to see that things have apparently gotten so out of hand in South Florida that draconian enforcement policies are being seriously discussed.

Looks like we won't be going to Miami anymore.. Well, there's always Atlanta!!!

TonyD Freestyle officially with Team CORSA

We are pleased to welcome TonyD Freestyle to Team CORSA for 2008. We will be a clothing sponsor for him as well as the ON ONE Wheelie School, which he recently acquired from Keith Code of the California Superbike School. I've had a long lasting relationship with Tony since 2004. He's been like fam so I thought it only fitting to sponsor a stunter that is considered a veteran in the sport. Look for the release of his new DVD, TonyD Freestyle's "Focus Up". It will be released on December 1st, 2007. You'll find the Corsa logo on the DVD jacket as well as in the DVD content. Corsa will be in NYC at the 2008 International Motorcycle Show as special guests at the TonyD Freestyle/ON ONE Wheelie School booth. Stop by and check us out as we make noise, noise, noise, noise.

-Pan, Your Sponsor




Want more info?
TonyD Freestyle Website
On One Wheelie School website

Rants and Raves

Meet Laura Pixley, the green-eyed bandit featured in the new Corsa "Life.Style.Apparel" garment hang tag pictured to the left of this blog. I've decided to include her in my blog because she is rather, "blog-worthy". Here's the deal: I've know Laura for about two years or so. I met her through my boy, Derrick "DBrown" Brown, who happens to be a very hot photographer holding down Austin, Texas. By the way, Derrick was the photographer that shot both pics of Laura that you see so wonderfully displayed in said blog. Anyway, I was recruiting models for the Funk Master Flex/King Magazine model search with my man J. Fingaz at the time. DBrown put me in touch with Laura and we've been cool ever since. I managed her “briefly” but ended up letting things go because of a conflict that I had with Sean Cummings but more importantly was the fact that I was simply starting to get too busy doing my own thing to manage models.

Laura has a very nice look and a body to match that look. Her measurements are something like 36-24-40, she has a great set of abs but she can’t cook a lick. Her ethnic background consists of Brazilian, Italian, African American, Polish, French and Puerto Rican.
She has been featured in Show-Mag, XXL, FHM, Maxim, Black Men’s, blah blah. She’s done promotions for Apple Bottoms and others. Corsa also has her on our hang tags and she’ll be in some of our ad campaigns. The thing about Laura is that her personality is the total opposite of the woman you see in the pics. She’s a bit of a weirdo, and she knows it. I can honestly say that this chick is one of the funniest chicks I know. For those of you that do not know, she is a beautician by day. She’s also in school taking journalism or literature or something like that. I can’t remember what she said exactly, but she is indeed a very good writer. I scream on her for not writing enough. I love her viewpoint and outlook on matters. Besides our silly little phone exchanges like, “What’s up, Butt-Munch?” and despite the fact that she did a botch job on the myspace page I did for her, she has the illest of imaginations. You should hear the foolishness that comes out of her mouth. I mean random foolishness. I recall someone leaving a picture comment on her myspace page. It said something to the tune of, “Where’s the white girl” or “Cute white girl”. Her reply was “I’m not white, fuck face”.

I believe that we get along so well because we are just like each other. I’m known for my Disney-Like imagination and my vain babblings as well. I wouldn’t say that we inspire each other and I wouldn’t necessarily say that we don’t inspire one another. I’ve arranged for my web designer to create her new website. I needed some content to put on her site. Ever notice how great writers can never write about themselves? She didn’t know what to say about herself. I do remember a line that she used to describe herself one time before and I would have to agree, “Laura is Dope”. Ask her about me and she’d tell you that I owe her a snake for her birthday from two years ago. Maybe if I get her the snake, she’ll put me back in her myspace “Top Whatever”. I recall a conversation we had and she says, “Everybody on the east coast has a nickname. I want a nickname too, dammit”. We sat on the phone thinking up the right street name for her. I can’t remember what we came up with but I have new names for the both of us. I will henceforth be know as “Yada Yada” and her name shall be “Blah Blah”. I know right? FRESH!!! We agreed to be best male friend/best female friends with each other but neither of us have had the time to hang out like we would like due to our respective busy schedules. I’ll try and fix that in the upcoming year. Her hero is Master Shake of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force cartoon on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, although I don’t think the ATHF can hold a candle to The Venture Bros. (my favorite cartoon since Ren & Stimpy). She’s into things like UFC, Korn, Vampires, Gore, Blood, Guts. Sure I like gore just like the next guy, but I do have a limit. She’s like Master P with NO LIMIT to her love for that shyt. That dude Sean Cummings so un-eloquently nicknamed her "Sweetie". I don’t know why. To me, she’s more like bitter-sweet. She’s the chick that you’d want to take to the prom because CARRIE already has a date.

-Count Panama

You can check out Laura's website by going to the following link:www.lauradore.com
Check back often because Touch is re-doing the botch job that someone did on for her site.

You can also see DBrown's work by going to the following links:
www.dbrownphotos.net
www.dbreedz.com

Below is one of Laura's Rants. I'll be posting them ever so often.

Rant of the Day

Obesity (Move your ass out of my way)

First and foremost, let me clarify my intentions. I am not interested in uplifting society. I am simply stating my thoughts on a particular subject matter. Obesity is a large (excuse the pun) problem for modern man. Now the cause might vary but nonetheless, ends in the same result, people in my way. The grocery store is one of the main places this problem frequently arises. Successfully completely my shopping through people that have assumed the form of cattle is the first step. After packing all my groceries into the trunk, I am faced with the obstacle course of overweight people to maneuver my car around. Moving at a snail's pace, they mean mug you as the car starts and the brake lights appear. Hitting them is not an option because then you're faced with a substantial body shop bill. Therefore, your only viable choice of action is to yell obscenities out of the window. Just yesterday, I was passing through a doorway and had a woman get angry at ME because we both couldn't fit. The gym is another place where this problem runs rampant. While I do applaud anyone trying to make a healthy lifestyle change, it does irk me to see people show up at the gym to do nothing but get in the way. There should be a rule enforced that doesn't allow anyone without a specified heart rate onto the machines for a prolonged period of time. With this becoming an increasing problem, how will we get anything done?

-Not so Sweetie, Laura P.

Rootie Tootie

Doesn't today just seem like one of "those" days? I had a full night ahead of me but my day was pretty free at that particular moment. "Maybe I'll go to Macy's to kill some time.", I thought to myself. You know, Macy's is such a happy place. They have employees running around and it always seems so, so festive! Macy's has everything that you could possibly want for yourself in one convenient spot. I'm in the children's section admiring the fact that they now carry The North Face coats for kids. My daughter has one already so I was thinking about getting one for my eldest son. While I stood there pondering the cost of the coat and the amount of currency that was left in my pockets, I see this kid that looks to be about five or six years old walking by with a tootie in his mouth. You don't know what a tootie is? A "Tootie" is just a cute little make-believe fantasy word for PACIFIER. What the hell is a kid that big still doing with a pacifier? The kid looked like he was enjoying it. Like he needed it and it needed him. I can't imagine what it's doing to his breath or his teeth. This is a bad habit to start your children off with. If you are not careful, the pacifier can easily be transformed from necessary to a necessary "evil". For those of you trying to deal with the problem of getting your 6, 10, or 15 year old off the toot, I've come up with something that just might be right up your alley!...BEHOLD...

The Fruity Rootie Tootie

Hey gang, great news...We accept food stamps and certified 24k gold fronts as payment!

WARNING: The fruity rooty tootie herein referred to as the FRT may cause severe internal bleeding, nausea, dry mouth, dry hands, heat flashes, night sweats, chills, uncontrollable public unrination, violent mood swings, sudden weight loss, rage equal to the virus in the movies 28 days and 28 weeks later, hallucinations that your dead ancestors often appear and visit you for brunch (your treat), irritation of the vaginal area, heart rate increases, delusions, above normal flatulence, bleeding nipples, red eyes, pussing, or the strange feeling that your asshole is on fire as if you shytt'd a molten lava brick. If any of these symptoms persist, please consult a physician.

-P*A*N*A*M*A

Re-InVintage de Classico!!!

Khris and I had to make a run up to our storage facility. We stopped by a coffee house so he could get something to drink. We talked about ‘this, that, and the other thing’ until we were buckled up in his van and on our merry way. Khris says to me, “Dude, I just bought another bike.” I’m looking at him in shock. Khris hadn’t had a bike in a while and although I am in between bikes myself, I’m happy that one of us had a ride. Obviously, I am anxious to find out what he’d spend a grip on so I asked him, “What’dya get?” He says, “I bought a café racer”. Ok, I knew what a café racer was. I just wanted to know his reasoning for purchasing a bike like that. He says, “I have it parked in the back of my crib. You wanna check it out?” Is that a trick question? “Hell yea I want to check it out.” So we drive through an alley on Capitol Hill and pulled into his drive port. When I saw the bike, I immediately thought, “Damn, I’ve gotta get one of these”. But before I would make a move I wanted to know what was the reasoning behind purchasing a café racer rather than, say a Yamaha R1 or Suzuki GSXR 1000. We spoke about it and exchanged notes and thoughts. I’m going to buy a café racer soon. This is our reasoning…

That style of bike is historic. British and Japanese Café racers, Vintage Racers, Rockers and Tonup bikes are what the bad bays back in the day use to ride before people were riding choppers. They were built for one rider. People use to race them on the street and dirt tracks. More importantly, it’s not the type of bike that you see every single day. You can buy a gixxer 1000 and put $5,000 to $10,000 dollars worth of custom parts to it but it’s still going to be a gixxer 1000. It’s the same bike that everyone and their momma had. No matter how you fix it up, it’s still not unique. Now don’t get it twisted, I still want both the R1 and the Gixxer 1000 in my arsenal. I just think that having a different style of bike is a welcome addition. CORSA is going to get into vintage styled clothing. Khris said that when he rides the bike around Capitol Hill, the older white dudes are pointing at him and giving him the thumbs up. It’s nostalgic to them. Perhaps some remember riding a similar bike when they were younger. Maybe memories of leather jackets, white t-shirts, boots, Marlboro or Camel cigarettes start to resurface. Whatever the case may be, you’ll see me this upcoming summer cruising the area from time to time in my racer. I wouldn’t define my new style as "Retro". I’d say its more like "Retro-Active".

-P


Khris' Yamaha Cafe Racer

For more information about Cafe Racers, Check out these sites...
www.caferacer.net
www.cb750cafe.com
www.mycaferacer.com

Seeing is Believing?

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. ? We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." - A. Einstein

This has to be the best illusion ever created.



If you look at the above images from your seat in front of the computer, Mr. Angry is on the left, and Ms.Calm is on the right.

Get up from your seat, and move back 12 feet, and PRESTO!! They switch places!!!


***

It is said this illusion was created by Phillippe G.Schyns and Aude Oliva of the University of Glasgow.

Does this prove that we sometimes may not be seeing what's actually there? or you still fried from drinking the hooch late last night?

Worst List According To Panama

I just read the list of "Worst Lyricists" According to Blender Magazine. This is what they came up with...

1. Sting
2. Neil Peart
3. Scott Stapp
4. Noel Gallagher
5. Dan Fogelberg
6. Tom Marshall
7. Paul Stanley
8. Dianne Warren
9. Donovan
10. Jim Morrison
11. Larry Henley & Jeff Silbar
12. David Crosby
13. Pete Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett & Phil Collins
14. Will.I.Am
15. Bernie Taupin
16. Ben Gibbard
17. Jon Anderson
18. Ian Anderson
19. Queensyche
20. Ryan Ross
21. Alanis Morisette
22. Jon Bon Jovi
23. Robert Plant
24. Fred Durst
25. KRS-One
26. Simon Le Bon
27. Will Jennings
28. Greg Graffin
29. Timbaland
30. Kevin Federline
31. Carli Simon
32. Matisyahu
33. Diddy
34. Henry Rollins
35. Dashboard Confessional
36. Common
37. Bryan Adams
38. Paul McCartney
39. Billy Corgan
40. Anthony Kiedis

Now we can sorta understand having Will.i.am, Diddy, Timbaland, Fred Durst, and Dan Fogelberg on the list. But Common? Alanis Morisette, Sting, Phil Collins and KRS One???!!! Someone over there needs to not only be slapped, but they need to be slapped SILLY and have the floppy disk version of Windows 95 'rectumly' installed...All 15 of them...One by one.

-Not so MicroSOFT!!!

BIG PUN-ishment!!!!

Ok, this is SOOO wrong in SOOOO many ways and on SOOOO many levels. I honestly don't know what to say. When this came across my desk all I could think was, "DAMN, who is standing behind the camera taking this picture for her? And more importantly, who in the hell is she sending it to?" Did the person behind the camera suggest that she open the 'gates of hell' when she took that pic like, "Yea baby. Spread em like that." (snaps picture and looks at camera screen) "Oh hell yea, hell yea. That's the money shot right there!!!". As if the weight alone doesn't pose enough of a heath risk, she's smoking too, WHILE leaning back in that frail ass computer chair. The chair looks like it's thinking, "Fuck! I can't hold you up like this very long. Stop playin' around Quasinda...Alleyoop!" I dare not post her "sexy" pics, you know, lingerie and shyt. Never let it be said that I didn't take a bullet for the team. I spared you all from a fate far worse than Christmas fruit cake.

Ok, enough jokes. I'm seriously trying to keep my McDonald's Filet-O-Fish from swimming upstream. I wanna puke...So if you'll excuse me...(shoving employees out the way as I make a mad dash for the bathroom to embrace my porcelain girlfriend)


"I assure you, Sir, there are no lights at the end of that tunnel"

-Louis and Clark

I Love My Hair

Here's an entry from the blog of one of my closest friends, Angie Brooks. I thought it was quite interesting and sends a positive message. Enjoy!!!

I’ve never imagined how my life would be without my hair. I’ve been blessed with an ever-shedding super thick mane that could potentially represent the most expensive “revitalize and volumize your hair” shampoo on the market – without the product. I had gotten so busy with life not realizing how long my hair had grown, but the Florida heat soon reminded me. I always felt like my hair was a mess while it was long, but people would constantly comment on how beautiful and healthy it looked. Little did they know how hard it was to get a good night’s rest without adjusting my hair with every toss and turn, how much shampoo and conditioner I went through, and how much time I spent flat-ironing, curling, twisting, flipping, gelling and moussing my hair. Well, it finally got unbearable last week. I made an appointment with Aimee and told her it was time to chop it off. As I sat in the chair other stylists were walking by saying, “Your hair is so beautiful, you shouldn’t cut it off.” Easy to say when they all had ear to shoulder length hair. As Aimee put my hair in a ponytail I could sense her hesitation as if she was giving me one last chance to change my mind. Nope, chop it off! She gasped as I breathed a sigh of relief. I mean, geez, it wasn’t like I asked her to pull the razor out. Free at last, free at last! It was amazing how liberated I felt, and it wasn’t because I had just gotten out of a bad relationship or had some major life-altering change, I was just ready.

The most gratifying feeling came after the cut – I get to donate my hair! I can’t even express in words or writing the overwhelming joy I have inside just knowing that my 12.5 inch pony tail is going to change the life of a child who really needs it. I am sure that she/he will enjoy all of the things I complained about…and that is LOVE.

-Angie

Notice the hair is still long even after the cut. It's Pantene!


The Locks of Love Organization
The Being Angie Brooks Blog

Taste The Rainbow

Dig it, we are working with a new graphic artist/re-toucher by the name of Mandy Strong. I won't tell you where I found her but I will tell you that she is insane with Photoshop. I know my way around PScs2 but I really dig her style. She's going to be "popping" our pics for the new CORSA website showroom and pics from upcoming shoots. Here is a sample of what you can expect to see. Here's a before and after picture...Notice how the colors just "POP" off the screen? Kind of makes you want a skittle, doesn't it?





-Panama The Skittles Whore

You can check out Mandy's style by going to:
www.mandystrong.net

Science NON-Fiction

The Klingon Warrior. Strong, brave, ritualistic in their conquest for galactic supremecy. The Vulcan People. Wise, devout, and thirsty for knowledge. There are those of us who believe that space men/women walk amongst we humans. I believe that Klingons and Vulcans are real. No? Can you actually tell the difference between the fake Klingon from Star Trek and the "REAL" Klingon? Have you seen a Vulcan in person? I have sources that have sighted this type of humanoid outside of the Star Trek conventions. We have conclusive evidence in the form of pictures that proves our theory correct. I've studied these pictures and I remain baffled. I cannot tell which one is real and which are fake. I'm looking over the DNA samples as we speak. I've lost many a night's sleep over this issue. The evidence is mind-boggling.

Pictures of the Klingon and Vulcan female provided by FBI sketch artist


Honestly folks, I dare you to try and find the real Klingons/Vulcans.
YOU TOO, WILL BELIEVE!!!

#1


#2


#3


#4


#5


#6


#7


"UN-Honorable Mention"




***Note***
All 6 have had both Civil and Criminal suits brought up against them by Revlon and MAC for malicous and heinous abuse of their products. The charges for #2, #4, #6 have been reduced to just De-facing property, however they will still serve life without eyebrows.

CORSA...Better Protection than a Trojan

We were at a trade show in NYC. Yes, CORSA does the trade shows. A guy walks up and shows us his jacket. It looked like he was in an accident. Turns out that he had been hit by a car and knocked into a barrier, slid for several hundred feet, and only broke his ankle. Here's the kicker...The CORSA jacket protected him so well that his "MOM" made him come to the Convention Center, find the CORSA booth, and buy another one. We bought the old jacket from him and gave him a discount on a new jacket. Now, you try and take a fall like that wearing just a condom.







-Youknowhatimean?

High As "Shyt"

New Drug- “JENKEM”…On 09/19/07 Cpl. Disarro received an email from a concerned parent regarding a new drug called “Jenkem”. The parent advised their child learned about this drug through various conversations with several student at Palmetto Ridge High.

Jenkem originated in Africa and other third world countries by fermenting raw sewage to create a gas which is inhaled to achieve a high. Jenkem is now a popular drug in American Schools.

Jenkem is a homemade substance which consists of fecal matter and urine. The fecal matter and urine are placed in a bottle or jar and covered most commonly with a balloon. The container is then placed in a sunny area for several hours or days until fermented. The contents of the container will separate and release a gas, which is captured in the balloon. Inhaling the gas is said to have a euphoric high similar to ingesting cocaine but with strong hallucinations of times past.

Once ingested the onset of the high takes approximately 10 seconds with the most severe hallucinations happening in approximately 20 minutes. Several articles indicate that the subject immediately passes out after ingesting the gas then regains a magical/hallucinogenic state within seconds of regaining consciousness. The high has been described by subjects as a feeling of “being out of it” and talking to dead people. The feeling of being “out of it” may last for several hours or days. All subjects who used the Jenkem disliked the taste of sewage in their mouth and the fact that the taste continued for several days.









Slang terms: Winnie, Shit, Runners, Fruit from Crack Pipe, Leroy Jenkems, Might, Butthash, and Waste.

***Note***
Chocolate Yoohoo is known to have the same effect.

-Pizzay

Food For Thought

Decisions are made by people who have time, not people who have talent. Talented people are busy fixing the problems made by people who have time...Think about it.

-Crabby Patty

I'm Gonna Get You "SUCKA"

OK I’ll admit, it was cute when you were like, 6 months old, but as a teen or a full grown, tax paying adult it has to be one of the grossest thing I have yet to see. It’s worse than chronic in-traffic gold digging. It’s sucking on your nasty ass thumb. Some say it’s caused by insecurities while others blame the parents for letting the habit form. Bucked teeth, foreskin fingers, and bad breath are just some of the physical side effects of this addiction. The social side effects would be name calling, long stares, finger pointing, snickering/laughing, and perhaps the occasional ass kicking.

Whatever the case may be, it’s totally not cute. It makes you wonder though. In today’s society people are making “bad habits” and “stupid things” that are not too cute, cute. Smoking cigarettes is not cute. It’s a nasty habit just like sucking your thumb. Who knows? Maybe sucking your thumb will be as popular as smoking a cigarette one day, for all we know. There’d be magazine ads with gorgeous women sucking their thumbs in the club and holding a drink. Joe Camel ads would have a camel sucking on a human thumb (picture that). Music videos would have thugs putting up signs with one hand and sucking a finger on the other hand. Giving someone “the finger” wouldn't be so profane. It would bring around responses like, “No thank you, I don’t suck” or better yet, “No thank you, I’m already up to two thumbs a day. I’m trying to quit. After all, sucking has been proven to be habit forming”.

-Panama



*** Mental Note***

Did you know sucking someone's thumb while they are simultaneously sucking on their other thumb would be considered second hand sucking? I think Nicorette makes a "patch" for that too.

The Rainman Commeth (Speaking with Ken Abbott)

Here's a conversation that I had with Ken Abbott a couple of years ago. I met Ken when he was working for Clear Channel. He'd just become the General Manager over Team Jordan Motorsports (Michael Jordan's Race Team) and invited us down to Daytona for bikeweek. I had a chance to hang out with MJ, Ken, the rest of team Jordan, and Bullystyle Racing that weekend. It was all love. As much as things have changed, some things stay the same. I decided to post this interview so people could feel what we were thinking a few years back and see if there has been any change since then.

Chit Chatting with Ken “Rainman” Abbott...

[Panama] I’ve mentioned your name to various people within this industry and they all seem to know who you are. That can be a bad thing for some folk but for you, it’s all been good…Just like the raisin toast they make at The Waffle House!!!
[Panama] How long have you been involved in the motorcycle industry and what have you accomplished so far?
[Rainman] Since 1987. I heard about motorcycle races at a local race track outside near Winchester VA, only an hour from my house at the time. I went first as a spectator, then I started working with the Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Club (MARRC). While working with the club on motorcycle race weekends, I also started attending advanced riding schools like Pridmore's STAR School. I started racing at the end of 1987, and continued until 1997. That 10 year period included regional and national racing with CCS, WERA, and AMA Pro competition.

Within that time frame I also helped coach several riders based on my rider education with Pridmore and other professional racers like Randy Renfrow, David Sadowski, Wes Cooley, and Kurt Hall. Acting as a team or personal rider manager, we collaborated to win over 50 Regional Championships (in 2 different regions), and almost 20 CCS and WERA National Championships. I also acted as a sponsor coordinator for the teams that I worked with.

Within that 10 year span I also had the opportunity to sit on the MARRC Board of Directors which has helped establish the safety standards for motorcycle safety procedures since the early 80s. For a period of time when I was injured, I made a transition where I announced events for CCS, WERA, and AMA. I raced on and off through that time as well, but liked the idea of coming home with money in my wallet, instead of spending it all on tires. In 1994 I also started working with Dunlop Tires at select AMA Pro rounds.

In 1998 I started working for Dunlop - Race Tire Service full time and moved from the Washington DC area to Nashville, TN. Working from Nashville, I helped manage the business as the Regional Manager of Trackside Operations. We ran all of the East Coast AMA Pro tire testing, AMA Pro race support, as well as CCS and WERA regional race support programs. We supplied tires for about 50 events per year, as well as helped with the testing and development programs.

From there, I met my future wife and moved to Indianapolis to be closer to her... still working for Dunlop, but relinquished my office and warehouse duties. In January of 2000 I accepted a job with (then) PACE Motorsports in Fort Worth, Texas to manage their newly purchased Formula USA National Road Race Series. (PACE later became SFX Sports Group, and finally Clear Channel Entertainment - Motorsports).

With the Formula USA and CCS program - we have built the program (which started as an East Coast based racing program) into the largest motorcycle racing series in North America and maybe the World. We now operate in 10 regions of the U.S. from coast to coast and operate over 80 events per year from New Hampshire, to West Virginia, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nevada, Arizona, California, and adding more. We have grown in double digits each year and expect to have almost 6000 licensed racers by the end of 2005. We have also added LockhartPhillipsUSA.com Sport Rider (Track) Days to almost every event catering to street riders. This program introduces street riders to the safe environment of the race track and introduces them to our race program and instructors that can help them with their riding.

[Panama] What do you want to accomplish with the sport in the future?
[Rainman] Hard to say... I have learned a lot in my time... and would like to continue to contribute. I really want to bring another Moto GP event to the United States (maybe Road America in Wisconsin). The Elkhart Lake facility is so cool, and has a ton of room, over 650 acres. Large enough to host all Moto GP teams, have a concert, a Supermoto race, Freestyle MX, Street Freestyle shows, accommodate camping, with great on-site restaurants, etc. It is such a great facility, and I would love to see the World's largest motorcycle racing event come to the Mid-West region.

I really want to help riders make a living at this sport. Television and licensing revenue, sponsorship programs, connecting outside industry corporations with the motorcycle industry and helping the sport grow to more mainstream recognition. That would be a good goal to accomplish.
[Panama] I know right?!!! We need to bring big money and big players into this game.

[Panama] Well tell me, what happens in the typical "Ken Abbott" day? If I were, YOU, what would I be doing tomorrow?
[Rainman] It all depends on the week. What's going on? Preparing for a Formula USA event, I try to spend time with my family knowing that I am going on the road again... but normally I am sending press releases, working with the facilities and local media sources to insure coverage of our event and media presence. Then packing all of my files to attend the show, working the media, press and rider relations for 4 days... a non-stop feeding frenzy normally. Then back home to see the family and download all of our notes and data from the event, and prepare for the next one.

With Jordan team related weekends, it is the same except that I am also helping to coordinate the hospitality and catering, security, and special promotions for Montez Stewart. The effect that Jordan has had on the World is very inspiring. It is a very exciting time to watch an athlete of his stature enjoy something so much and be a real fan of a sport that I love as well. He is a truly huge enthusiast and it's exciting to watch him at the events. He really has a good time.
[Panama] True. I am noticing more celebrities and athletes catching the ole’ motorcycle fever. I mean, what can you say? It’s a very hot sport right now and duh, all the cool kids are doing it mom!

[Panama] How are you involved with Clear Channel and how did that come about?
[Rainman] Bill Syfan, who I worked with at Dunlop, had accepted a position as Director of Road Race Competition at PACE, and brought me out to Texas for an interview with Mike Kidd (VP Operations at the time). They hired me on the spot as their Nat'l Road Race Manager, and I reported for work February 1st 2000. I moved away from Angi (future wife) for about 4 months and had rented a little loft apartment at the TCU campus in Fort Worth while there. At the time that I started, our first event was only 28 days away to be held at Daytona Speedway (Bike Week)... so we literally had only 24 days to build a successful professional racing series. We amazed the industry when we announced our program and presented it at Daytona. The races were so competitive! We could not have had a better debut. There were about 10 riders fighting for the lead in each class for 20 laps. Some of the best racing that I have ever seen. The key was matching horsepower and weight limits for each class... not mechanical advantage; it all came down to the rider. The format for our racing is still the same, and still provides some of the best racing in North America.

[Panama] What is your involvement and role with Michael Jordan’s race team?
[Rainman] The Jordan team is an SFX / Clear Channel thing. Jordan is one of our SFX Sports clients. (SFX Sports Group manages a large number of pro athletes in the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, Olympic athletes, etc.) Jordan decided that he wanted to be involved in racing with his friend Montez Stewart. His management office contacted Clear Channel Worldwide for support, through The Synergy Group, the Motorsports Department was introduced to Jordan to help consult on the project and I was assigned as a consultant to Jordan and the team, and to help coordinate the effort. With a great deal of industry support, we again pulled off the near impossible by building a team in less than 4 weeks to debut at Daytona Speedway for Bike Week 2004.
[Panama] That was a Jedi move right there. The force was with you. I know because I felt a disturbance.



[Panama] What do you think needs to happen to make stunt riding a legitimate sport, or
at least legitimate enough for the X-Games?
[Rainman] X-Games / Gravity Games... they are all the same, just different promoters and networks. The sport has to first be recognized as an "organized", "sanctioned", series of events; Something that will also bring television ratings. Think about it. The X-Games isn't about giving X-Treme sports an opportunity to shine... it's about TV ratings. They only highlight sports that get good TV ratings. So let's make an argument that shows how and/or why MotoFreestyle / Street Freestyle is appealing enough to get good TV ratings.

It certainly isn't the professional image of the bikes, teams, riders, or competition areas. It isn't because of the beautiful settings of the competition facilities. It isn't because of the large corporate appeal or support of sponsorships that would be turned into advertising revenue. So why? Because it's cool? Cool doesn't always translate into TV revenue and ratings. Because a very small demographic of people, within the very small percentage of motorcycle owners, which is a very small percentage of the primetime TV audience want to perform at the X-Games / Gravity Games? Because they think that they deserve it? Why?

The riders / teams in the Moto Freestyle industry have not listened to me/us over the past 3 years when we tell them that the industry will not support the sport until the safety issues are dealt with. Riders need to wear helmets, leathers and boots. They complain because they are too cumbersome, so is a body cast. They complain because they can't slide back and forth on the tank and seat with leather pants, but don't think about how difficult it will be to slide in and out of a wheel chair if they don't get serious about their personal safety. They complain because road race (type) boots are not flexible enough to do their tricks, but somehow a cast from a broken ankle is appealing. They don't make sense. It's like the dumb no helmet law arguments that argue (quote)" That helmets cause whiplash when a riders head hits the pavement at high speed." How much sense does that make? Your head either hits the ground with or without a helmet... which would you choose?

Look... I have had crashes in my 10 year race career. Everything from a 10 mph street crash, to a 140 mph high-side at Daytona Speedway. Regardless of marks on my helmet, leathers, or damage to my bike... I am glad that I had on the highest level of safety equipment that I could afford at the time. Good helmets, leathers, boots, back protectors, gloves, etc... Why not? There is no good reason.

I have even tried to reason with them and compromise. We have always insisted on helmets and leather jackets, not too much resistance there, but instead of wearing leather pants (to match jackets) we allowed riders to use full knee/shin guard protection under their blue jeans. This would at least protect their knees and possible tibia breaks on impact. It still doesn't protect their ass, but so be it. We have seen riders cut a foot open with sharp rectangle scrape bars, lower back (spine) abrasions, and so on. Boots and at least a MX kidney belt would prevent most of these accidents. It's too simple... but they all think that they know best.

If and/or when we include riders in our scheduled shows in 2005, we will mandate specialized motorcycle boots above the ankle, knee/shin guards if not leather pants, jackets, helmets, gloves, as well as back protectors. No safety gear, no riding. Period. We have a few cool things coming up in 2005. I am working with the Gravity Games (AST) Action Sports Tour, 5 rounds of Gravity Games, as well as several shows that will include XSBA Moto Freestyle shows with Freestyle Moto-Cross. These shows will mandate the proper safety gear. You want in? You play by our rules... same as XSBA has been in the past.

Once everyone accepts and follows our safety standards, plays by the rules, cleans up their acts, and starts acting professional... then we can start looking at legitimacy in the Motorsports market. Until then... it's going to remain an enhancement for local drag strip shows.

[Panama] I hope that people catch on because we really need to organize this sport. There is no organization when everybody is doing their own thing. Stunting on the streets to NO audience is for the birds, yo. No organization means no big sponsorship and no big prize money.
[Panama] So what are some of the problems that you have encountered with stunt riders as a
whole, that seem to be holding them back from mainstream stardom?
[Rainman] Attitude would be first on my list. Everyone thinks that they know best because they have been riding for 3 years. Normally, stunt riding is all that some of these guys know about motorcycle industry. They don't know about road racing, they don't know how it all works, and they think that because they won the "Longest Coaster" Contest at Stuntfest, that they "deserve" sponsorship opportunities in the industry.

Let's put this in perspective again using professional road racing as a comparison. We have the AMA Pro series where there has been a consistent TV package on SPEED TV and other networks for dozens of years. We have AMA Pro riders and teams who cannot obtain sponsors who are finishing in the top 5 at AMA Pro national events and currently sit in the top 5 in AMA Pro Superbike point standings... in the highest level of motorcycle racing in the World next to Supercross, World Superbike, and Moto GP. This is the top level of motorcycle competition in North America! But for some reason, the guy who wins Del's Wheelie competition "deserves" sponsorship. This is the real world attitude in the Moto Freestyle industry.

We need to understand where this sport is at, and what role it needs to take for the moment. Right now, it needs to be a professionally run enhancement at larger Motorsports events so that it can gain mainstream recognition and make the transition when the motorcycle industry allows it to do so. If the riders focused on a more professional attitude, wearing the proper safety gear, and cut the attitude... the whole sport would be better off. That... or give me $1 million. I will have it mainstream and successful within about 4 weeks.

[Panama] It seems like Moto Freestyle is waiting, or should I say NEEDS, something big to
happen. Do you think The Clutch could be the answer?
[Rainman] The Clutch has the ear of the networks at this point. The networks have great advertising affiliates. The Clutch could bring those affiliates together to invest in a promotional program that COULD launch the sport, given that the correct staff is in place to guide and direct the program. The program must focus on TV programs, must be entertaining to watch, must include the motorcycle industry manufacturers, and must provide adequate funding for the riders for them to commit to the program.

There are so many good options for this sport. The best thing for the sport would be a dedicated, no-nonsense staff that can drive it in the direction of success, on their own terms. But without proper funding... it will be hard to make it happen. The motorcycle industry is all about paying dues. Most of the young riders out there right now want something for nothing. Others are willing to keep their head down, pay their dues and continue to make good contacts. There are a few riders that are on my "short list" that know the score, and do shows for me around the country. They have taken my input seriously and have set a course for themselves. They have sponsors, events, and are included in any event that I can coordinate for them. My "boyz" include: Ronnie & Ryan – “Team DV8”, Nick & Matt – “ScooterTrash”, Teach & Chauncey –“ Core 6”, Mark & Jeff – “MotoPsychoZ”, Joe & Chris – “Vertical Outlaws”, Scott & Kevin – “Star Boyz”, Corey & Dan – “dAces”, Johnny & Grant – “KC's Most Wanted”, Anthony – “TonyD Freestyle”, Darius Khashabi – “SBF Freaks”, Dustin Apgar – “Somethangfierce”, and of course Thew Blankstrom – “1096” and Dan Jackson – “Team XMX”. These guys stand by me and are important in the future of this sport.

The 2004 Team Jordan Promo Reel (filmed & edited by Bullystyle Racing)



Check Out The Team Jordan 2007 Footage.



On A Personal Note...

[Panama] People always ask me if I am from Panama because my nickname is Panama. By the way, the answer is no. The next logical question is asked, “How did you get the name Panama?” Okay, you have got to hip me to this…How did you get the nickname "Rainman"?
[Rainman] LOL!!! It's two-fold. The first was the reason that I always went very fast in the rain. There are only a couple of races that I remember that I did not win in the rain. Two were at Road Atlanta (old configuration) where I crashed twice while leading, and won 4 other events that weekend, and the CCS Race of Champions at Daytona where I came from the 3rd wave (of almost 80 bikes) in 5 laps to finish 8th. So "Rainman" referred to me always winning races in the rain. The second is the fact that I am normally very detail oriented. I gather data, and when it gets messed up, or is not organized correctly, I used to (and probably still do) act like the Dustin Hoffman movie character "Rainman".
[Panama] How much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck couldn't chuck wood?
[Rainman] I will have to defer to my friends in Portland for that question. I will let you know. If I had to guess, I would venture to say that if a wood chuck could in fact chuck wood, he would chuck about 2 cords a day.
[Panama] Would you agree that Star Wars is the greatest movie of all time? If not, what is?
[Rainman] For a period of time I would have agreed that Star Wars (and it's follow up sequels) was the best movie of all time. However I have seen some pretty inspirational movies. My favorites would include: Rudy (about a Notre Dame football player Rudy Rudiger), Forrest Gump (a simple Alabama boy who never made life too complicated), and Miracle (about the 1984 US Olympic hockey team). There were good lessons to be learned from all of them about dedication, commitment, team work, and never giving up on yourself.
[Panama] Yea, but did Rudy have a light saber?
[Panama] (trying to use the Jedi mind trick on Ken)…”You WILL love Star Wars… I am your father.”
[Panama] Is it just me? Or does J.Lo have a big head, literally?
[Rainman] If so, it matches her other A$$ets.
[Panama] You do have a point there. I hear Celine Dion has no A$$ets. She must be FLAT broke.
[Panama] Do you think that "The Artist FORMERLY Known as Prince" who is actually "The
Artist PRESENTLY Known as Prince", wears lace boxer briefs?
[Rainman] I have always believed that he wears anything that you could find in a couture women's undergarment department.
[Panama] What are the chances of Phil Knight giving me a Nike riding boot endorsement deal?
[Rainman] Slim to none today... and Slim is out of town. Let's talk Jordan boot deal... j/k
[Panama] For real?!!!...dag, man.
[Panama] Have you ever thought about getting into the movies, or at least a rap career?
[Rainman] You wanna make me a movie star? I'm all for it. But just so you know... in real life, I never get the girl. I was an announcer for 3 years... does that come close to rap? I'm a great MC!
[Panama] Not really rap, but I guess that does make you a MC. Keep that UNDERGROUND. Besides, the way rap music is today, anyone can do it! All you need is a gold chain and/or teeth, weed, and some scantly clad women dancing around you and your squad 24/7. Oh and let’s not forget the most important part…Be sure to murder oh, let’s say about 35 people on a regular basis, without leaving any forensic evidence behind to get caught. Obviously, no rap career is complete without this.
[Panama] How many bikes do you have now? What are they?
[Rainman] I have a '99 Honda XR100 that I bought for training, to use as a pit-bike, and to teach my wife how to ride. I also have a '81 Honda CX500 Deluxe. You will have to look that one up. My dad bought it in '84 with 1000 miles on it for about $1000. It still only has about 6500 miles on it and it has been kept inside covered up the entire time... so it's in mint condition.
[Panama] What's your favorite food?
[Rainman] I love pizza…Could eat it every day. I like eating at the "Y" too. Figure that one out...
[Panama] Aww man, you got me on that one….the “Y”?…hmmm (thinking). That doesn’t have anything to do with The Village People, does it? Oh, I get it. You pimp you.
[Panama] Hey, I’m a people person and I love conversation. Sometimes people do tend to get on my nerves. You're a pretty "Laid Back" kind of guy though. I peeped that when we were at the club in Daytona...Are you always like this?
[Rainman] Pretty much... it takes a lot to get me worked up (mad). I really get psyched up at pro road race events though... hard to beat Superbike racing a few feet away from you, while sliding both ends, at over 120 mph! The way to get me revved up is it to get me to the races. But normally, I'm pretty calm and collected. I can have someone yelling at me for something stupid, and it doesn't faze me. I just answer them back in a very low calm tone... it throws them off. They want you to fight with them, so it frustrates them when I don't get upset. Plus, the calmer you are under pressure... the more time you have to think about the situation and react with a clearer head.
[Panama] Now that’s wassup!!! Obi Juan “KENobi”

Team Jordan General Manager, Ken Abbott (filmed & edited by Bullsytle Racing)



Check out the Team Jordan website and tell Ken that Panama sent you...
www.23race.com

~~<<< Panama >>>~~

Men Rule!

We always hear "The Rules" from the female side. Now, here are the rules from the male side...

These are OUR rules
*Please note...these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Breasts are for looking at and that is why we do it. Don't try to change that.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Saturday = Sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tide. Let it be.

1. *Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. *Cryings is blackmail.

1. *Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one:
*Subtle hints do not work!
*Strong hints do not work!
*Obvious hints do not work!
*JUST SAY IT!

1. *"Yes" and "No" are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. *Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. *A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

1. *Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. *If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.

1. *If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. *You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done...
*Not both
*If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. *Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. *Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.

1. *ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
*Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit.
*We have no idea what mauve is.

1. *If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. *If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing", we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. *If you ask a question you don't want an aswers to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. *When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine, really.

1. *Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as:
-Sex
-Sports, or
-Cars/Bikes

1. *You have enough clothes.

1. *You have way too many shoes.

1. *I am in shape. Round is a shape.

Thank you for reading this; Yes, I know, I'll have to sleep on the couch tonight, but did you know men really don't mind that, it's like camping.

US Healthcare Needs Major Surgery

It's about 5:30pm and I just hopped the train. I'm sick. Not physically sick, thank God, but emotionally and mentally sick (even though I feel the mudd butts coming on from eating that McDonald's). You know the type of sickness that you get when you find out that Santa isn't real or Aunt Danielle use to be Uncle Dan? I'd say its more like a "shock" rather than a sickness. I had been reading up on how bad the US healthcare system has been. What brought this on was the new spotlight being shed on the NFLPU (National Football League Player's Union). In particular, their treatment of veteran and injured players having had their insurance claims denied by the Union for no legitimate reason. I won't get into that now because that's an entirely different can of worms. Anyway, while researching some articles on the internet, I came across the entire documentary put together by Michael Moore about the US healthcare system called "Sicko". How ironic?! I sat there and watched the whole thing for FREE. I was BLOWN. Our healthcare system is such an effin' sham. I encourage you to watch the clip. Yo, I found my emotions going from shock and disbelief to anger and really feeling screwed by the government.

I have a close friend that visits the doctor a lot. We sometimes joke about how she is falling apart. I never let on or let her know that I worry about her in that regard. I think to myself, "What if she were my wife and had to visit the doctor like she does now? As a small business owner with a health insurance plan, what would my healthcare premiums be for her, myself and kids? What stupid claims would they inconveniently deny? How big of a bill would they hit us over the head with should major surgery be required?" So those questions led to the most important question of them all..."How do you win a game that you are already predisposed to lose? Hmmm...I thought about it long and hard until the obvious answer became clear...How do you win a a game that you are already predisposed to lose? You cheat...Cheat like a muthaphukka!!! Its time to wake up and get your hustle on, people. The american system obviously isn't gonna give it to you. I no longer think of the U.S. as the land of the free. It has become the land of the FEE. How in the hell can a country rich in resources that we steal from other countries rank #37 in world healthcare ratings? Costa Rica is ranked #36 and Slovenia is ranked #38. Our healthcare system is only one position or so from "CUBA". Yes that's right. The mighty mighty United States has a healthcare system that is equivalent to a fuckin' cigar making "Third World" country. On average, the poorest people in London will live at least three years longer than the richest people in the US.

So now what do we do? Move to Canada, France, or Great Britian? I don't know. When it comes to the well being of my family nothing is ever ruled out. Other than that, I'm just gonna represent CORSA to the fullest and sell this hot street shyt to you guys until I amass a small fortune that will cover my family doctor's mercedes payments and private wine collection. Isn't that the american way? If I can't get what I need for 'me and mine' by performing these "legal" armed robberies, I'll be doing a foreign exchange of catch phrases from "God Bless America" to "God Save The Queen", that's my word.

***Watch the "SiCKo" Movie by clicking on the "SiCKO" movie pic below***




July 10th, 2007 12:19 am
'SiCKO' Truth Squad Sets CNN Straight

[In response to Dr. Sanjay Gupta's biased reporting on 'SiCKO' during the July 8th, 2007 broadcast of... The Situation Room (VIDEO)]

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN: "(Moore says) the United States slipped to number 37 in the world's health care systems. It's true. ... Moore brings a group of patients, including 9/11 workers, to Cuba and marvels at their free treatment and quality of care. But hold on - that WHO list puts Cuba's health care system even lower than the United States, coming in at #39."

THE TRUTH:

"But hold on?" 'SiCKO' clearly shows the WHO list, with the United States at number #37, and Cuba at #39. Right up on the screen in big five-foot letters. It's even in the trailer! CNN should have its reporter see his eye doctor. The movie isn't hiding from this fact. Just the opposite:


CNN hides the facts on Cuba



But 'SiCKO' puts the facts right up front


The fact that the healthcare system in an impoverished nation crippled by our decades-old blockade (including medical supplies and drugs) ranks so closely to ours is more an indictment of the American system than the Cuban system.
Although Cuba ranks lower overall than the United States, it still has a lower infant mortality rate and longer life span. (see below)
And unlike the United States, Cuba offers healthcare to absolutely everyone. In an independent Gallup poll conducted in Cuba, "a near unanimous 96 percent of respondents say that health care in Cuba is accessible to everyone." ("Cubans Show Little Satisfaction with Opportunities and Individual Freedom Rare Independent Survey Finds Large Majorities Are Still Proud of Island's Health Care and Education," January 10, 2007.
http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/brlatinamericara/
300.php?nid=&id=&pnt=300&lb=brla)

CNN: "Moore asserts that the American health care system spends $7,000 per person on health. Cuba spends $25 dollars per person. Not true. But not too far off. The United States spends $6,096 per person, versus $229 per person in Cuba."

THE TRUTH:

According to our own government – the Department of Health and Human Services' National Health Expenditures Projections – the United States will spend $7,092 per capita on health in 2006 and $7,498 in 2007. (Department of Health and Human Services Center for Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures, National Health Expenditures Projections 2006-2016. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/proj2006.pdf)
As for Cuba – Dr. Gupta and CNN need to watch 'SiCKO' first before commenting on it. 'SiCKO' says Cuba spends $251 per person on health care, not $25, as Gupta reports. And the BBC reports that Cuba's per capita health expenditure is… $251! (Keeping Cuba Healthy, BBC, Aug. 1 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/5232628.stm ) This is confirmed by the United Nations Human Development Report, 2006. Yup, Cuba spends $251 per person on health care. (http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/indicators/52.html). As Gupta points out, the World Health Organization does calculate Cuba's per capita health expenditure at $229 per person. We chose to use the UN numbers, a minor difference - and $229 is a lot closer to $251 than $25.

CNN: In fact, Americans live just a little bit longer than Cubans on average.

THE TRUTH:

Just the opposite. The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report's human development index states the life expectancy in the United States is 77.5 years. It is 77.6 years in Cuba. (Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, 2006 at 283. http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/pdfs/report/HDR06-complete.pdf)

CNN: The United States ranks highest in patient satisfaction.

THE TRUTH:

True, but even when the WHO took patient satisfaction into account in its comprehensive review of the world's health systems, we still came in at #37. ("World Health Organization Assesses The World's Health Systems," Press Release, WHO/44, June 21, 2000. http://www.who.int/inf-pr-2000/en/pr2000-44.html ).
Patients may be satisfied in America, but not everyone gets to be a patient. 47 million are uninsured and are rarely patients - until it's too late. In the rest of the Western world, everyone and anyone can be a patient because everyone is covered. (And don't face exclusions for pre-existing conditions, co-pays, deductibles, and costly monthly premiums).
It's not that other countries are unhappy with their health care – for example, "70 to 80 percent of Canadians find their waiting times acceptable." ("Access to health care services in Canada, Waiting times for specialized services (January to December 2005)," Statistics Canada, http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/82-575-XIE/82-575-XIE2006002.htm )

CNN: Americans have shorter wait times than everyone but Germans when seeking non-emergency elective procedures, like hip replacement, cataract surgery, or knee repair.

THE TRUTH:

This isn't the whole truth. CNN pulled out a statistic about elective procedures. Of the six countries surveyed in that study (United States, Canada, New Zealand, UK, Germany, Australia) only Canada had longer waiting times than America for sick adults waiting to schedule a doctor's appointment for a medical problem. 81% of patients in New Zealand got a same or next-day appointment for a non-routine visit, 71% in Britain, 69% in Germany, 66% in Australia, 47% in the U.S., and 36% in Canada. (The Doc's in, but It'll be AWhile. Catherine Arnst, Business Week. June 22, 2007 http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2007/
tc20070621_716260_page_2.htm)
"Gerard Anderson, a Johns Hopkins health policy professor who has spent his career examining the world's healthcare, said there are delays, but not as many as conservatives state. In Canada, the United Kingdom and France, 'three percent of hospital discharges had delays in treatment,' Anderson told The Miami Herald. 'That's a relatively small number, and they're all elective surgeries, such as hip and knee replacement.' (John Dorschner, "'SiCKO' film is set to spark debate; Reformers are gearing up for 'Sicko,' the first major movie to examine America's often maligned healthcare system," Miami Herald, June 29, 2007.)
One way America is able to achieve decent waiting times is that it leaves 47 million people out of the health care system entirely, unlike any other Western country. When you remove 47 million people from the line, your wait should be shorter. So why is the U.S. second to last in wait times?
And there are even more Americans who keep themselves out of the system because of cost - in the United States, 24 percent of the population did not get medical care due to cost. That number is 5 percent in Canada, and 3 percent in the UK. (Inequities in Health Care: A Five-Country Survey. Robert Blendon et al, Health Affairs. Exhibit 5. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/21/3/182)

CNN: (PAUL KECKLEY-Deloitte Health Care Analyst): "The concept that care is free in France, in Canada, in Cuba - and it's not. Those citizens pay for health services out of taxes. As a proportion of their household income, it's a significant number … (GUPTA): It's true that the French pay higher taxes, and so does nearly every country ahead of the United States on that list."

THE TRUTH:

'SiCKO' never claims that health care is provided absolutely for free in other countries, without tax contributions from citizens. Former MP Tony Benn reads from the NHS founding pamphlet, which explicitly states that "this is not a charity. You are paying for it mainly as taxpayers." 'SiCKO' also acknowledges that the French are "drowning in taxes." Comparatively, many Americans are drowning in insurance premiums, deductibles, co-pays and medical debt and the resulting threat of bankruptcy – half of all bankruptcies in the United States are triggered by medical bills. (Medical Bills Make up Half of Bankruptcies. Feb. 2005, MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6895896/)

CNN: "But even higher taxes don't guarantee the coverage everyone wants … (KECKLEY): 15 to 20 percent of the population will purchase services outside the system of care run by the government."

THE TRUTH:

It's not clear what country Keckley is referring to. In the United Kingdom, only 11.5 percent of the population has supplementary insurance, but it doesn't take the place of NHS insurance. Nobody in France buys insurance that replaces government insurance either, although a substantial amount buys some form of complementary insurance. ( Private health insurance and access to health care in the European Union. Spring 2004. http://www.euro.who.int/document/Obs/EuroObserver6_1.pdf)

CNN: "But no matter how much Moore fudged the facts, and he did fudge some facts…"

This is libel. There is not a single fact that is "fudged" in the film. No one has proven a single fact in the film wrong. We expect CNN to correct their mistakes on the air and to apologize to their viewers.

Darling Nikki

Thoughts are constantly running in and out of my head all day long. Things I have to do, things I want to do, and things that I’m not going to do usually take up the most space. After that, it’s just random thoughts and traces of absolute madness or sheer genius. From time to time I think about the people that are closest to me. This isn’t a tribute and no, she did not die, but I’d like to take the time and tell you about someone very special to me. Her name is Nicole Herrington, better known as Nikki or Nik. I met her about two and a half to three years ago and in that time we have grown to be the closest of friends. As a matter of fact, she is one of the top five females in my life. That’s saying a lot considering the fact that my mother and my daughter hold two of the coveted positions in my top five favorite/closest females.

What can I tell you about Nikki? She’s an enigma at times. She’s the friendliest person you will ever meet but she won’t trust you further than she can throw you. She’s a great mom, very loving but stern. It’s funny to listen to her discipline the kids while we are on the phone. She can switch from being Princess Lea to Lord Vader in the blink of an eye. She sounds like, uh…ME!!! She’s very well traveled, living in Japan and other locations. Nik is very cultured and artsty, being a wine, art and jazz lover. You can’t very well say you are artsy without being cultured in some sort of way can you? She has a Master’s degree in Medical Administration and will soon pursue her Phd. She held an A or B average in college. That is very impressive. What I like about her most is the fact that she is a follower as well as a leader. She’s a student as well as a teacher. She’s always willing to try new things. Being a model and having a fashion sense and shoe fetishes are pluses as well. We’ve gone through a lot, respectively, and we are both still here shining. Nicole keeps it real and I can keep it real with her. If she calls me while I am in the bathroom and on the throne shytt’n, she makes jokes about it. I’d say that we were pretty damn comfortable with each other.

Nikki knows me well as I know her well. She supports me and my career as I support her and her career. We’ve made mistakes and we have never judged each other on it. I may joke with her about it but the love is real. She doesn’t ask for anything but she gives great gifts. If there were one thing that I could change about her what would it be? I don’t know. Maybe I’d change the fact that she’s so very well spoken that sometimes I am able to catch her at a loss for words. I would want her to find those words. My wish for her is to continue to get back what she lost (she knows what I am talking about) so the 2008 version can experience Starr before the transformation almost 13 years ago. Don’t let ANYTHING stop you from getting it back. Restore that Starr from 1976. I’d really like to see what it looks like first hand after you make your move. I see some of it starting to come back to you now. Keep it moving.

Soooo, I’d like to propose a toast (holding up my Pepsi can) to Nikki…A woman with a heart of gold, a dog like Cujo, and a bright future ahead of her. She's my heart, my soul, my friend, my damn shirt!!! (I just spilled Pepsi on it)

<~~~~P*A*N*A*M*A~~~~>

Black Men's Magazine Swimsuit Competition- DC

I was invited to the Black Men's Magazine Swimsuit Competition at the Zanzibar a few weeks ago by MixCast TV. They were covering the event and asked me to bring a model to do interviews. I decided to go because I hadn't gone to a model competition in a while. I usually blow those events off. It was cool to hang out with my homies Canayda and Terra Monique (model), Ronda Basanta (model) and her homegirl, my dude Omar aka Big Hurt, Ron Self (videographer), Will Creative (photographer), and Mr and Mrs. Gary Murray (MixCast). I ran into a lot of people that I knew like Streetz Magazine owners Chris, Buck, and Pharoh Talib, I hammed it up with John Blassingame (owner of Black Men's Magazine), Mike Styles of Style Entertainment, Prince Dajour (now on TV-One), Victor Hou (Victor Hou Designs), blah blah, yada yada yada.

I was able to set things up so that Ronda could interview DJ Kay Slay and Terra would interview John Blassingame for MixCast TV. Thankfully the security dude remembered who I was and I was allowed to chill on stage with the girls in the competition and meet them at the end of the contest when they were picking the winners. Nobody else could get on the stage...SWEET!!!

People know that I can "work a room". I'm a professional schmoozer. I'm not really star strucked at all so that allows me to get a decent conversation going with anyone. I met a few good girls that were in the contest and I am still in touch with a few of them today. I met Ebony Hawkins (never did hear from her), LaShae Way (cool shorty but its a crap shoot on her reliability), Ashley Bowens (my ace boon from now on), Gem Fatale (havn't called her yet), Ashley Rivera (We're suppose to meet but I had to blow it off. Gotta reschedule with her b/c she was cool), Leah Rinaldi (Cool Italian chick).

Here's a couple of pics and a video of that whole effin'...uh...FIASCO!!!! It looks good on video but from where I was standing, up close in personal, it wasn't so pretty. I have never seen so much cellulite, stretch marks, implants and/or lack of implants, weave, tummy gut, bad feet, and colligen in one single gathering in my life...WTF?!!! Is this a model search or are they herdin' cattle on stage now? As "blown" as I was by the whole ordeal, I can't wait til the next one ;-)


Panama and Alexiis


Prince Dajour, Panama, James


Ronda and Panama

CORSA and CLUTCH GIRL...Match Made In Heaven

Ok, CORSA is now the official manufacturer of the Clutch Girl Apparel line. We have some hot designs that will be hittin' you over the head in 2008. Our innovative designs will take Clutch Girl to the next level. Didn't I sound like some sort of $5 commercial? Sheesh, I hate the $5 commercial sound.

-Panama

We All Need A Little Venture In Our Lives

It's no secret that my favorite cartoon is The Venture Bros. It's kind of a spoof on the old cartoon Johnny Quest. It's like a DIRECTOR'S CUT version Johnny Quest. It's just RAW. Not for kids. Team Venture consists of Dr. Venture, Brock Samson (Dr. Venture's Body Guard), Dean and Hank Venture (His cloned sons), and Dr. Orpheus (A necromancer and a tenant of Dr. Venture). I was sent a couple of clips of "The Venture Bros. 10 Best Supporting Characters". You can catch more clips on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim or by hitting the website at www.adultswim.com or www.venturebros.com. Robot Chicken and Venture Bros. are the best shows on Adult Swim, TO ME.

This first clip is called "THE MASTER". Telling off know-it-alls like Dr. Orpheus? Sounding like Jon Benjamin? Licking his own genitals? The Master is pretty much the best teacher ever.

This second clip is "Molotov Cocktease". Brock has a battle royale with her. The only way in which Brock and hard core fanboys are in any way similar is that none of them will ever be able to have sex with Molotov.

The next clip that I care to share is "The Order Of The Triad", which is Dr. Orpheus own little "super natural" hero group. Close your eyes and pretend Orpheus, Mace Windu, and Master Shake have formed a supergroup.

The last clip features Master Billy Quizboy and Pete White, two Venture sidekicks that work at Venture Industries. Pete and Billy go together like honey mustard and french fries. You wouldn't necessarily think of putting a heavily injured hydrocephalus-suffering boy genius and a New Wave albino together, but once you have you want to eat them that way all the time. Or maybe we mixed the metaphor too far.

Keep Your Shirt On

People have been asking when the CORSA t-shirts will be available. We're working on it man. We've got some nice designs. I'll post some of them later on. Here's a couple of pics for our standard t-shirt samples. To the curious...I salute you!

Lemony Snicket

I had a little bit of time to kill this morning so I decided to watch a movie. The movie of choice you ask? Eh, Lemony Snicket’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events”. I bought the DVD a while ago for the kids but I watch it too, for real. Jim Carey plays the villainous Count Olaf, WELL. Dude is fun-ny. It’s strange how some of the craziest things can make you think about your own life in general. The characters definitely went through a series of unfortunate events but at the end, justice was served, all wrongs were right, and everyone lived happily ever after. I believe the message that the movie was sending is no matter how many things go wrong, other things turn out right. There’s definitely a balance point somewhere. We never know what’s around the corner and we can’t see what’s being worked for us or what’s been done on our behalf. I believe that I never know what will happen in my favor. On Saturday, Sunday, Monday, I felt like I was just shytt’d on (cause I was). Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I am on top of the world, in sense. This is Panama's reasoning why…”Nothing takes your mind off of an unfortunate event better than a consecutive series of fortune events.”

-Take that, Take that, Take that (Dancin' like Puff)

My Personal Official Blog Disclaimer

My fellow citizens,

Let me start this blog by saying that I do not write these blogs for your therapy. Writing these blogs is intended to be therapeutic for ME. I normally don’t write them with anyone particular in mind, honestly. I mostly write about situations or things that I have noticed after experiencing them personally and others are just observations of other people's experiences. I often write them on some boring day and might not even post it until days, weeks or months later. I am saying this because I don’t want people thinking that I wrote/write a certain blog(s) about them because after reading, it may closely match up to their situation or point of view. There is a method to my madness. After reading a post and you feel the glove does indeed fit, I cannot acquit. If the glove doesn't fit, you get to go home like O.J., alrighty? Eh, chances are I really “am” talking about you though. Just keep in mind that the chances are pretty slim to none.

~Panamazing~

I Found The One For Me

I was in a discussion with a lady friend of mine about relationships. To be specific, we were talking about “Soul Mates” or “The One”. I know that we have all met that one special person a dozen times or so and thought they were “The One”. After being in a countless number of relationships (long term, short term, and over-nighters), I have come to realize a couple of things. As far as “The One” is concerned, there is no “The One”. The world is too big and there are too many people in it for there to be just ONE magical person. That only happens in the movies. In real life, I feel that there is a lot more than one, “The One”. There are probably more like 1,000 “The Ones”, so in actuality “The One” is who you decide to make “The One”. The odds of crossing paths with TWO, “The Ones” at the same time may vary but it does happen. Decisions about love shouldn’t be based on love at all. It has to be based on "T & A"...tolerance and assets. Love comes into play later on. Love don’t mean shyt, for real.

I now look at relationships like a business. It’s a partnership. Anybody interested in being in a business has to bring something to the table. You can't come to the table empty handed. You have to have some sort of asset, whether you can cook, clean, you have education, and/or have the potential to make money even if you are not making it now. But for a chick or a guy to not have a job, her own place, a car, goals, or whatever you would deem an good asset would simply be a bad partnership. Nobody has to have all of her assets in order, just the potential. Some assets can make up for the lack of others. I can't let "LOVE" blind the real fact that tolerance and assets play the most important role. You can't partner up with a bad business partner in the real world and you sure can't partner with a person you have no patience for and doesn't bring anything to the table in a relationship.

Outside of love, vibe, butterflies, and all that romantic shyt, all relationships boil down to tolerance. The adage, “Opposites Attract”, applies to magnets ONLY, not people. Everybody has their own quirks and issues. That goes for EVERY MAN and EVERY WOMAN. So with that being said, it's a matter of who has the LEAST amount of issues or who has issues and quirks that you are willing to tolerate and deal with. Screw love. I may love you but can't deal with your issues or the way you do things. I might not be able to tolerate the fact that you sleep with the lights on or something crazy like that. On the other hand, I may love some other chick and can tolerate the fact that she wants to push the shopping cart while we are in the store or I might be able to deal with the issues she has with not liking big dogs. Digest on that and think about it. One times one doesn’t amount to “The One”.

-MR. W.T.F.

A Super Hero

I’ve noticed that they have been making a lot of comic book heroes into feature films lately. These super heroes possess some super human power or characteristic that sets them apart from mortal man. As much as they try to live normal lives they can never escape the fact that they are who they are, underneath the seemingly obvious disguises. I often wonder why they do not make real super heroes that real people can relate to like, “Bad Credit Man”, here to restore credit for mail ordering to all the universe. He fights against THE BIG THREE on our daily planet better known as The Bureaus. Or what about lightning fast “Lush Lady, The Super Drinker”…Tossing down the hooch faster than a speeding liver transplant. She’d have two sidekicks. One sidekick is named just that, “Sidekick”. She posses the ability to continuously flip the screen on that fuckin’ sidekick toy phone telepathically to see “Where da part-tay at?”. Her partner is no other than the “Good Time Girl”. She’s able to magically appear in any given club’s VIP, uninvited. With one blast of the mystical fu-fu dust to the face of her victim, they’ll sleep with her and not even bother to call her afterwards. No celebrity, athlete, or fashion designer is immune to her powers.

I can’t relate to being faster than a speeding bullet or bending steel with my bare hands. I can, however, relate to road rage so why not make a hero called, “Road Rage”? There’s no disguise needed for road rage right? When you are disrespected while sitting behind the wheel, it makes you mad. Can’t you feel the adrenaline rushing your veins as you are getting stronger? “Bastard cut me off”, you’d say to yourself while putting your foot on the gas. Pull up to the window of the other driver and flash them the super secret road rage signal with your middle finger. Why not? In most cases it’s just as effective as using the bat signal. Um, you know what? I forgot where I was going with this story. So uh, reach deep down inside, use your super human brain power and draw any conclusion from this story that you want. I’m “Tapped Out” man.

-Pan Man

Re: What Is Love??

I recently came across a blog entry on a myspace blog belonging to a friend of mine. The title was:

What is LOVE??

I left a comment to that blog and decided to leave the same comment here in my blog. Enjoy!!!

C’mon man. You KNOW you can’t post a blog like this before I eventually take the time to respond to it. Yea I’m about two months late but nevertheless, I’m going to “LOVE” responding to this one…

To know what love is, we would first need to know the full definition of love. After knowing the full definition of love, we can then see how love matches up with our respective situations. If our personal situations fall within the context of the definition of love, we would then have to figure out if we are part of that definition or not a part of that definition and “if” we are a part of that definition (or not), why do we accept or reject the notion, prospect, or inevitable possibility of being in love (or not). The dictionary defines love as the following:


Love (noun)

1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. (ever have that?)

2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend. (or maybe that?)

3. sexual passion or desire.(I know you’ve had that before)

4. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart. (this?)

5. a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour. (What about one of these?)

6. sexual intercourse; copulation. (This is a no brainer)

7. a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.(and this?)

8. affectionate concern for the well-being of others. (of course, you’ve had much love for that Cujo dog after it pissed on your carpet and got into your trash)

9. strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything or anyone. (I think this counts too)

10. the object or thing so liked. (need we say more?)


Love (verb)

1. to have love or affection for.

2. to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person).

3. to have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in.

4. to need or require; benefit greatly from.

5. to embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover.

6. to have sexual intercourse with.

For these very definitions of love, people have fought wars, conquered the unconquerable, changed their lives, put themselves in awkward positions on the phone and in person, made plans for the future, forgotten the past, robbed banks, and liberated a nation. Sometimes love makes you want to hold on like, “I’m going to fight for him/her. They belong to me”. And sometimes loves make you say, “Damn this, I’ve held on long enough. It’s time to bounce”. So, good, bad or indifferent, love is as easy as love does. Sometimes love is uncomfortable and you can’t figure the shyt out. Other times you shouldn’t try to figure it out. I do know that it not hard to articulate love or to articulate your feelings in general but then again, sometimes it is. Some people say that there is a point in which it is too soon to say I LOVE YOU to a person, object or an ideal that fits within the above definition of love. Some experts say that it is never too soon to articulate and/or convey this message. True indeed you must always begin with inner love and the loving of one’s self but we must also remember that love is not selfish and love is also giving of one’s self to another person or ideal. So if I felt love for someone or something, I would be selfish in NOT articulating that feeling to that person or ideal and vice-versa so I have resolved to just break it down to its purest form: Either I love you or I don’t. Sure, there may be different levels or degrees to that but it’s as simple as that. You don’t rationalize or try to figure out love. As you can see by the above definitions, love is a FEELING as well as an ACTION. Sometimes they are packaged in that very same order and sometimes it’s the reverse. So if you have been on the giving or the receiving end of the actions or the feelings that are defined by love, what the fuck is the problem? Love is where the heart is, not necessarily the rest of the body...


-p*a*n*a*m*a

Worth A Thousand Words?

A picture is worth a thousand words. Seeing that same person live (video) or in the flesh is only worth two words. Those two words are either “Hell Yea!!!” or “Hell No!!!” I’ve been dealing with models for the last five years or so. Some come and go while others are very close and personal friends of mine to this day. Most are very unreliable and the few that I call “my pals” have always remained on point. During my stint as a model recruiter for various projects from Capitol Cuties to Funk Flex/King Magazine model search, I’m always flooded with pictures. The funny thing about that is most pics look pretty good especially with the advent of Adobe’s Photoshop. Yes, Photoshop is one of the best software packages known to mankind. It can turn an ugly duckling into a swan. It can work in your favor but it can also work against you. I’m an avid Photoshop user. I’ve processed plenty-o-pics before, removing stretch marks, cellulite, acne, bags under the eyes, adding airbrush for that magical doll baby look and I’ve even shrank some waist lines. In my experience I have learned a couple of things: People rarely look exactly like their pictures. They either look better than their pictures or they look worst than their pictures. Photoshop has worked against me in this situation. I’ve gone to meet up with chicks based on a picture only to be disappointed when seeing the real thing. Has this ever happened to anyone? ...Ladies? ...Gents? So now I’m forced to sit through a brief introduction and conversation about their lives and experience in modeling, while simultaneously trying not to make it look so obvious that I am staring at her “man hands”, those extra pounds and spare tire in the waste line that magically seemed to have grown overnight, or the ever elusive “perfect skin” that seemed to have mutated back into blemishes and blotches in the blink of an eye. I always end these meetings with a sigh of relief because these are not my dates or my love interests, only models that I will probably never see again in life. Weaves, colored eye contacts, cat-like fingernails, tons of make-up, irritating high squeaking cartoon-like voices, bad wigs, bad breath, clothing three sizes too big or three sizes too small, bodies three sizes too big or three sizes too small, amazons, midgets, extremely large breasts with flat asses or extremely large asses with flat breasts, coke bottle glasses, hairy chins, beards, mustaches, skin craters, moles, hairy moles, witchie pooh moles on the end of your nose, no fashion sense, no common sense, overly sensitive, over dressed, under dressed, over worked, under paid, bad lisps, stutters, ghetto and loud as f**k, chipped tooth, a chip on her shoulder, horny as hell, celibate, jealous boyfriend, bad relationships, butchy girl lovers, kids, no kidding, no bra, no panties, no douche, no duh, yellow teeth, cheap perfume, fake diamonds, fake furs, $2 sunshades, fake gold chains, chain smokers, weed abusers, lushes, intervention worthy alcoholics, good time girls, big boned-ed, newbies, vets, teacher’s pets, emotional wrecks, and extremely dry skin are among the choice props of the circus-like misfits that have crossed my path. I often reach the point that I get fed up with meeting these misfires in person, but I try to keep in mind that very phrase, “Some people look better than pics and some look worst”. Normally the people that I think look average in their pics actually look better than their pics. Reversely, the people that look hella fine in their pictures turn out to be “not so hot” in real life. Adding insult to injury is the fact that those same people have the most problems, whether it be mental, social, or just their lives in general. There are exceptions to that rule, of course. I mean, what is a rule without exceptions? Molds and rules are broken on a daily basis. I recently visited someone who looked cute in her pics but looked better than her pics in person. I actually found myself saying, “dayum” when I saw her. Pictures can’t account for height to weight ratios, measurements, and a dozen other things, namely personality. You can’t watch a person’s walk or the way they carry themselves by looking at a flick. Subtle nuances and the proverbial poetry in motion are missed in still photography. I had another friend whom I had not met in person at the time introduce me to some new online webcam/IM service. As a model, her pics were always on point. I use to wonder if she looked as good as her pics in real life. After seeing her on the webcam, I realized that her pics were no fluke. She was the real deal. Now that I think about it, she actually looked better than her photos...Picture that.

-PANAMA

PS,
Here's a clip that will keep things in perspective the next time you are stalking your favorite model...

Find more videos like this on Unsigned Underground

I'm Back From ATL

Recently, I went to Atlanta again for a little rest and relaxation, you know, ye ole mental break. Originally the trip was supposed to be business based. I opted not to tell members of my family that I would be in Georgia because my family is a close knit family. They can take up so much of your time. They’ll want to drag you off to some distant cousin four times removed and show them how tall you are. I still love them but “iowno”, I just didn’t feel like being bothered, youknowhatimean? Although I am a true hip-hopper many people know that I am a contemporary jazz lover as well, so I had my boy Jicasso set something up so we could hit a jazz spot on that Friday. I like checking out jazz clubs in other cities especially if the atmosphere is on point which reminds me: I need to see who’s coming to the Birchmere or Blues Alley this month (mental note).

Never one to be with an additional plan, my boy Amiss told me that he would be down in ATL at the exact same time that I would be there. What are the odds? Son rolls with those cats from So So Def (Jermaine Dupri’s record label). He was on the VIP list for some So So Def event and would get me and mine in on the VIP thing too. Man is it good to have friends all over. True, I don’t really care about celebs or the VIP list. This was just more of an opportunity to hang out with my boy. I also had a chance to chill and vibe with my girl Quin. Her friend Tonica and Tonica’s 11 year old brother, Terrell, were cool as hell. I had other things on my agenda for but ended up just blowing them off and relaxing with my friend.

If you are looking to read some deep meaning within this episode you won’t find it. There’s no punch line or case n’ point. I was just chillin with my folk in ATL. That’s about the size of it.

~~~P~~~

Talk To The Hand

Today I saw a military man who actually had a hook for a hand. I was kind of surprised to see it. I was hoping that he didn’t accidentally hear me whispering to myself, “Wow, a genuine hook”. There were so many questions that I wanted to ask but was I too embarrassed to. Yes, I know that I do carry a mouth on me. I’m quiet from time to time but the people that truly know me, KNOW, that I can talk a lot of crap as well. So with that I started to think about today’s medical achievements in prosthetics. Why would he opt to go old school and get the hook? I’ve got to admit, it’s got to be sooo cool to show the chicks a genuine hook instead of the plastic hand. It seems to me like the hook is a little more “Bad Ass” then the prosthetic hand. After all, it’s not like there’s truck loads of people making the prosthetic hand look “Bad Ass”, although I have seen a handful (pardon the pun) of people make the prosthetic hand look “Ass Bad”. There was a dude on the subway that had a prosthetic hand. He was also wearing real rings, straight up jewelry, on his prosthetic fingers. To me, that’s like putting “hub cap spinners” on a Ford Focus (No offense to the Ford Focus). It’s like the only question that comes to mind is” Why? Why homie? Why?” Ironically, on the very next day I saw another guy with a prosthetic hand that had fingernails on the prosthetic fingers. I know right? This was crazy. I’m guessing that dude actually sat there and thought to himself, “You know what would make my hand look real? If I add Lee press on fingernails to my plastic hand…No one will be the wiser!!!" Ne-gro pullease…

I’ll tell you what though, don’t be surprised if you start to notice prosthetics with built in blackberry and Ipod connectors for the corporate user, burlwood and chrome trims for the ultra elite, custom tattoos or graffiti art for the street veteran, and for the pleasure seeker…the built in ribbed finger tip vibrating mechanism. Now with the hook, it is what it is, a hook. Its cold hard steel formed in the shape of a semi-circle. That rocks, Son! Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to do something to purposely get my hand lopped off. I’m perfectly happy with both the hands that God gave me. I find them very useful for everyday conveniences like pointing n****z out, hitch hiking, sending text messages to Quin, picking my nose and/or azz, changing motorcycle tires, clapping at the end of a Star Wars movie, shoplifting, starting bar fights, hugging my kids, pissing on cars seats, watering a garden, giving hand gestures after I have been verbally abusive to people that I do not know and have never seen a day in my life, pointing my fist to the sun in contempt because Je’lene didn’t not call me at the exact time she said she would call me which puts me behind schedule, and giving spankings (take that how you want to take it). If I had to make the choice between the plastic hand and the hook, I would probably opt for the hook too. Still, I may change my mind tomorrow and want the plastic hand. Eh, who knows? Perhaps I would change my rap name to “Hook Shotz” or something shytty like that. But I do know that there’s no need to dress the hook with diamonds, fingernails, kung-fu grips, or French ticklers. Any form of metal protruding from your limbs is making a statement. That statement is “I will kick your azz”.

-Panama

A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed

T’was such a beautiful day on this day, Wednesday July 11th in the year of our Lord, two thousand and seven. I decided to take a stroll up the ever so popular Georgia Ave in the northwest section of Washington, DC. I had my mind and taste buds ready for a McDonald’s “Sweet Tea”. I can’t front son, their sweet tea is the best product ever conjured up by the powers that be at Mickey D’s. After enjoying my well deserved sweet tea and exiting the spot, I was damn near tackled by a squad of vagrants, each saying, “Do you have any spare change?!!” My first reaction was to get mad but then something magical happened. I began to think about making the world a better place one person at a time. What ever happened to being my brother’s keeper? Where's my sense of decency? Have we fallen that far away from the tree as a society? I began to feel empowered. It sparked a sense of pride deep down within my soul that rocked the very foundation of my being. I immediately thought to myself, “Panama, who would you rather deal with? Seeing a man that put his hands in your pockets one time or the man that has his hands in your pockets everyday that you cannot see?” Being the wise man that I am, I calmly turned to my fellow mankind and said, “No thank you, my friends…I already have spare change.”

-Your friendly neighbourhood P*A*N*A*M*A

What have I learned from my experience you ask? I have learned that I can’t be supportin’ no grown-ass street folk. I have kids to feed.

We Need To Talk

“We need to talk”…The four words that some love to hear. The four words that I hate to hear. I tend to get nervous every time I hear someone tell me this, especially a female. Why? I don’t know. I just don’t like to hear it. I guess that I automatically assume that there’s going to be something wrong. I mean, if we are holding a decent conversation and there was something good that you wanted to tell me, you’d just tell me, right? You wouldn’t reserve a totally different conversation for good news. The only thing that you could possibly save for a totally different conversation is bad news. Maybe you needed time to build up to the bad news or you just need time to let me down easy, as it were. Usually when people say they need to talk to me, it’s because there’s something that I am required to do, never them. It also sends you into this deep abyss of thought trying to figure out what you could have possibly done wrong so you can fix it before this person has “the talk” with you. I know, crazy right?!!! Dig it, some of my life’s favorites “We need to talks” would be: “Golphin, we need to talk...Your work schedule is 8am to 5pm, not 11am to 3pm with at 2 hour lunch.” or the ever so popular “P, we need to talk. I can’t see you anymore…I’m gay now.”…and let’s not forget “Patrick, we need to talk. I’m pregnant…and no, it’s not yours.” I will admit that the negative affect that this phrase has on me is not always the case. I’ve had people say they needed to talk to me and it turned out to be nothing bad at all. So I basically went into convulsions and cold sweats for nothing. My stigma possibly derived from the fact that I have had more “bad” news followed by this phrase than “good” news. So what have I learned? I guess you could say that I have learned not to assume. They say when you assume, you make an “ASS” out of “U” and “ME.” I don’t know what they are talking about. I always thought that when you assume, it meant your “A” was going to “SSU” “ME”. Notice how things can get lost in translation? If there are others that feel the same way that I feel about this…we need to talk.

-p*a*n*a*m*a

Is THAT Your Baby???

I don't know what it is. Maybe it's in the water. Maybe it's a government conspiracy. It could possibly be accidental or even an act of God. Whatever it is doesn’t excuse the fact that in 2007 I have never seen so many ugly babies in my life. Where are they coming from anyway? Is this the Chinese year of the Dog? It’s not like there’s one couple in Minnesota making them all. I know I know…I could very well be setting myself up. You remember the adage, “Be careful not to talk about anyone else’s kids because your kids might come out the same way!” Well, as much as I have said about other people’s offspring I do take consolation in the fact that none of mine are blind, crippled, or crazy. Well, not as of yet even although I do believe the later of the three hasn’t been clinically proven yet. C’mon now, I know you’ve seen these “seeds” before. I use the word “seed” very loosely. Seed would suggest that they are sprinkled all over the place and come from plants or vegetables perhaps. Well, maybe they do. The Children of the Corn always comes to mind.

Here’s the deal: I’m sitting on the bus getting ready to hop the train to my destination. I tend to let my mind drift into whatever it wants. This is how “I” relax. I notice a couple sitting a couple of seats in front of me. They were the typical “ghetto” couple I suppose. The mom was dark skinned and about 400 pounds with calves that would rival Popeye’s. She put me in the mind of hmmm, I don’t know…the HULK?!! She was sporting a dress which was about 3 sizes too small. Adding to the visual assault were flip-flops and a braided Mohawk hair do. Now, let me emphasize that I “DO NOT KNOW HER”. She could very well have a magnetic personality, a prospering career, yada yada yada. I am merely speaking from what I saw. All of this is based on my perception and with that “What you see is what you get”. Her man was what I have come to expect in a man that would have courted such woman. He was fair skinned and kind of rough around the edges. Saying “rough around the edges” is really being too kind. Dude looked like a seasoned holiday drunk as opposed to a holiday season drunk. Like he was there but he wasn’t here. You know how post Vietnam drunks look, all glassy eyed with the 1,000 yard stare. Basically, I’m guessing he was with her to get a hot meal because you KNOW she’s eating well. There’s probably a liquor cabinet somewhere with a horn of “Plenty-O-Drink”. Clothing is obviously secondary or maybe closer to the point of being a necessary evil for him, from what I could see. How does he pay for all these street level niceties? Most likely it’s the occasional WWF “Smack Down” in the sizzack. This is where the horn of Plenty-O-Drink plays a vital role in his arsenal. How else do you forget the hellish war you’ve gone through in the bedroom the night before? It’s like she’s America and he’s some third world country. You get the funny feeling that after he’s consumed his Thunderbird and Grey Goose, she’s going to invade his restricted airspace and there’s nothing he can do about it. He’s in charge of “JACK SHIT” and we all know his name is not “JACK”.

So after a night’s worth of campaign efforts, a couple of tours of duty, and fighting a losing battle he throws up the peace flag and says, “no mas”. Please cease all hostilities towards me and my body. What’s left is the making of “Super Ewww” made from two lesser “Ewwwws”. Isn’t it funny how all of this can play out in Panama’s mind in a matter of minutes? You should see the movie! At any rate, they are sitting on the bus playing and displaying this love child that needs to be locked up in a cage next to the dog-faced boy. They are just-a-bouncing him around their laps and being extra loud with him to draw attention to themselves. “Haboobooboo” and “that’s my baybayaby” are just the beginnings of what was turning out to be the longest bus ride known to man. The kid would drop his bottle and the shit would roll to the front of the bus, just for someone to pick it up and hand it back to the hell spawn. Then he would do it again. I’m thinking, “Since when did they allow pets on public transit? Does the port authority know about this? And more importantly, where do they sell exotic pets in this area?” Then the missing link started tossing his shoes all over the place. I kind of understood that one though. What monkey wants to wear shoes? You can’t very well peel a banana with your feet if you have shoes on now can you? Proud parents don’t correct this kind of behavior. They encourage it. Now son is standing up slobbering on that dirty bus window and making madd noise. I’m feeling like, “Ok, alright, we know you have a kid so please shut it up, b!”

Trust and believe that some have home training and others don’t. How can you be an ugly kid and NOT have home training? At least that would balance things out. A lot of these goonies grow up to be rather nice looking teens or adults and give positive contributions to society. Is it better to be an ugly kid with a great attitude or a cute kid with an ugly attitude? I don’t know. It basically boils down to the parents. The same parents that have these ugly kids see fit to make us acknowledge that they have these loud, spoiled, ugly kids. So to them I would say, “Keep your pets on a leash and your over-the-top public displays of affection for these cross-breeds down to a minimum and we’ll pretend that this never happened.”

-P*A*N*A*M*A

Long Time No Hear?

Man, I have been crazy busy. I normally keep up with my bloggin' but not as of late. What I am going to do is post some of my old blogs for your reading enjoyment. I will do my best to keep up with going on in my life, in my business, or in my mind...like you actually care, right?

-P

Jennifer Pierre Corsa Ad

Here's a sample add that we were messing around with. I was in NYC for a meeting that got pushed back several hours. I just happen to have my Canon 10D with me and decided to call my buddy Jennifer Pierre and she if she wanted to kill some time by shooting around. Jenn hopped the train from Long Island and made it to Newark in good time. I love Jenn's look because she is mixed with Hatian and Italian. You may have seen her in STUFF Magazine or at some promotional party. She really gets around. This was one of the many hot shots that came about as a result of the shoot. Funny thing is, we were just playing around and making it fun.

-Panama

http://www.jenniferpierre.net/

Bullystyle Racing

I just got the word from my man at Bullystyle Racing that they had just sold the company. I know that Reg and York will be moving on to bigger projects but it just won't be the same without the Bullystyle "Brand" being run by them. They are going to be consulting for Bullystyle to make sure that it is headed in the right direction but it still isn't the same. Those cats use to lace me with gear for my photoshoots. I still owe them Corsa jackets and I plan on delivering. We've done everything with them from hanging out with Michael Jordan and Team Jordan Motorsports to a bunch of us on bikes, getting lost on the backroads for hours, being soaked down to the draws from the ride because we wanted to get into the Star Boyz stuntfest for free.

I also promised them a while ago that I would post a show reel that they put together. For those that do not know bullystyle, I am sure you know their work. Comedy Central, Spike TV, VH1, MTV, Team Jordan Motorsports, etc. Their film, graphic, and editing skills is on point. They were the designated editing team for The Clutch as well. We met them in NYC at the International Motorcycle Show in Jan 2004 and have been fam ever since. Big up to Bullystyle. Peep their game by going to http://www.bullystyle.com/

Ants In Your Pants

Staring down the Cracker Barrel of you ass in not a good look for a male or female, and definitely not a good look for a she-male (butchy girl). If you like for your pants to sag and hang under your ass, why in the hell do you bother to wear a belt while you are sagging? That would defeat the purpose wouldn't it? This trend has to be among the "dumbest" trends that I have ever seen in streets. Is that supposed to be gangsta? Are you saying that gangstas don’t like to wear belts? This is some elementary school shyt. Walking around with a snotty nose, shoe strings untied, and your pants saggin after fighting the school bully before he took your lunch money. Or maybe it’s supposed to be sexy. Is walking around showing your funky draws and stinkin’ ass bringing you closer to the dimes you want to get with? Man, that only seems to impress are those “rats” (hood rats). You need to start taking pride in the way you dress and how you carry yourself. How can you cry about respect when you don’t respect yourself? The one thing that I both love and hate about hip-hop culture is that it’s full of “GET-WITHs”. Everybody wants to do what everybody else is doing no matter how stupid it is. Funny thing is that everyone thinks you look life an effin' low class moron, except you. I’m not talking about anyone in particular. I am speaking about people as a whole. Stop being a follower and don’t be afraid to go against the trend and do your own thing. Just do you.

-P, without the Diddy...

And one more thing…"Your shirt told me that it’s having a party and it wants your pants to come up"

Look What I Found...Tony D Freestyle

I got this clip from my man Tony D Freestyle (www.tonydfreestyle.com). I can't front, this video is still nice. Go to his site and check him out at your convenience.

-P*A*N*A*M*A

Redman's Listening Party

Although I was crazy busy last night, I decided that I needed a break. I got an invitation to Redman's listening party and decided to romp. Why not? Plus, that would give me the chance to hook up with my people from VA. (Canayda, Joey Gallo, Monsee, Toyia, etc.) The vibe was very cool. No body guards and no egos. I'm not that much of a drinker but the words, "Open Bar" still remain among my favorites. In case you didn't know, I'm not the "VIP" kind of dude. Although the VIP is a perk, I'm good with just laying back in the cut and checking out what's going on. Hey, I'm no socialite...I just play one on the internet.

-Panama