Mack Burnett III

Yesterday, I was watching a barrage of romance movies online, for no paticular reason at all, other than it’s slow at my office. I was also feeling as though I should update my MySpace page, as I have not done so in quite some time. In the process of watching movies, working and updating my page, I decided to update my “mood”. – I never had before, but WHY NOT? Live a little… I can’t make it to Amsterdam for lunch… This week…

Now the tirade of “lovey dovey” themes that weaved through the films that I was ingesting, had me feeling rather “Love Jones-ish”. The Love Jones dynamic was so prevalant that I decided to change my mood to “romantic”.

I awoke this morning to a hail of notes in my Inbox that ranged from a comment congratulating me on my new found love, to an inquiry of when the new said love interest was going to come to a friends house for an introduction (that was from a “real” friend that I interact with in “real” life, whatever that means) and even a note that was borderline “hating”, if you will.

Now, i’m all for keeping up with your friends, be they MySpace or “Real World”, but I was shocked that such a minor modification to the clutter which is my unorganized space caused such an uproar .

I love you all for taking the time to read this or indulge my logic path for this, but I just wonder am I overreacting to the response?

I won’t deny with a birthday that just passed, I have been reflecting on when “she” is going to help me change the world, travel it and write about it. She, being that mythological special someone who makes me defy all logic and call my dad so we can “talk”. Maybe, I know her, I just met her or she’s sitting on the A train, going downtown to eat some Vegetarian in the Village with friends.

Whatever the case, I’m still feeling the buzz and perhaps my estrogen levels are inbalanced due to cinematic genius or maybe I just need a nap… I decided to share a little bit of my mood below, with you, my friends. I hope you enjoy…

and by the way… if you got a problem with me being romantic, tough. I’ll be old school tomorrow and gangsta on Monday. – peace

It has been an event filled week. On Saturday, May 5th, 2007, I attended the very exclusive African Voices Magazine tribute to Toni Morrison. Now I met Ms. Morrison, which was amazing. She’s so down to earth for a Nobel Prize Winner. (smile)



Former NYC Mayor, David Dinkins was in attendance and presented the award. We placed an ad in the journal that was pretty well received, but no business. I’m beginning to question the legitimacy of print advertising at this point. The Boob Tube is still a staple, but beyond that… ONLINE!



Now the HIGHLIGHT of the evening for me was that Cassandra Wilson got up and performed pieces from Thelonious Monk. It was surreal. Because there were only a few in attendance, it was like having the performance in your home. Absolutely awesome.



It was held at Columbia University and we almost got locked in as we were rushing out to watch the De La Hoya Fight with Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather. More on that later… (ahhahahahaaaaa)

The other evening I had the privilege to be invited to the New York Urban League’s Frederick Douglass Awards Dinner. Honorees included Deborah Roberts and Al Roker. It was a long event, but very well put together.



I had the pleasure of sitting next to Ms. Norma Jean Darden, who is the owner of  Spoonbread Too Restaurant in Harlem. She was sweet and charming to say the least. I have to say, that it was nice to see the donations flying hot and heavy.



The one thing that I’m not sure about is the bravado of our own success. I had a great time, but there were a ton of people complaining about what was wrong with the event, instead of discussing what they could do to contribute to the cause of the organization. Almost anything can be improved upon, so why be overly critical? Not sure, but an effort to me is a success within itself. Thank you to those who invited me, who wish to remain nameless in my blogging and thank you to the NY Urban League for throwing a nice evening.



I had a great time and I think so did Ms. Darden. Save me a plate Ms. Darden

Today, as I haven’t posted in a while, I decided to revisit posting as not only a necessity of the intellectual mind, but a therapeutic means of digesting the ills that infect our existence. Beyond the facade of having a viewpoint for the sake of just shouting from the top of the mountain, blogging provides the opportunity to reflect, record and monument your day.

Blogging also allows me to address a few outstanding issues. For one, the officers in the Sean Bell shooting were indicted and I have been seriously reviewing the Barak Obama possibility as reality, instead of myth.

After working my usual ten hour day, I sat down and listened to some of the pundits laud Obama for being the future. However, in my opinion, I think that Obama is the superstar that he is, not because he’s the future, but in all actuality, he is the present. Moreover, he is literally, the truth. The truth in undeniable and anything that cannot be denied is therefore knighted with a moniker of righteousness.

Beyond today, we are all a vision of each other. Today, the comfort that comes with knowing that I can walk the streets of my hometown of Jamaica, Queens, New York and know that the possibility of me being shot has at least been addressed let’s me sleep a bit easier. I didn’t protest, I didn’t raise my voice, as many did and maybe , I should have, but the fact of the matter is that race, poverty and justice aren’t equal. Yet in still, blogging is one of those things that allows me to voice my frustrations to the void and Obama gives me the hope that HOPE itself is viable concept to be indulged, digested and embraced.

I’m back and I’m back with a vengeance. So let it be written, so let it be blogged…

See you in cyberspace.

- Mack Burnett III

Well Jay-Z banned Cristal from all of his 40/40 clubs after the managing director of Cristal parent Louis Roederer, told the magagzine The Economist that he felt a certain way about his brand’s being synonymous with hip-hop culture.

Jay-Z felt that the comments were racist and has decided to let his years of promoting the brand understandably go out the window. What bothers me is in the article below, is not that that Jay-Z banned them, it’s that the “CEO of Hip Hop” drops them from his “Baller’s Checklist” and they don’t even BLINK! Wow…

In my opinion, that is adding insult to injury. Let’s find another brand of champagne to indulge ourselves with during our celebratory jaunts.

Article

Many of you, who know me, know that I’m a big fan of Robert Kiyosaki. As if it being a Monday wasn’t enough to drive me up a wall, I had the pressure and the privilege to interview Mr. Kiyosaki today for Black Business Radio.

 

Now, somehow… WOW… doesn’t cut it. To me, Rich Dad, Poor Dad was a turning point in my thinking and is a cornerstone of my business and personal modus operandi. It helped me, to borrow a page from Apple, THINK DIFFERENT.

Now I don’t want to sound like a groupie or a man without his own identity, as I am constantly trying to revamp and correct what I know to be true. At the same time, Robert Kiyosaki hangs out with Donald Trump, his book, whatever you may think about it, has been on the NY Times Bestseller list for over five years and he has leagues of followers around the world.

I’m also a member of the NYC branch of the Rich Dad club: http://www.richdadnyc.com

For me, that was one of my biggest interviews to date. I think that it will be hard to top that from a personal standpoint. I know there are quite a few people more important to the Black Business community, but to me, Robert Kiyosaki is tops in my book. 

Interview coming soon at: http://www.blackbusinessradio.com/
Official Rich Dad Site  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On June 12th, 2006, I spoke about the importance of an education and the tools that it gives you to move forward.

I would like to thank the Education Talent Search Program for inviting me to speak to the kids at Maxwell High School.

What a great bunch of kids! Good luck in college and we expect great things of you…

Download Program of Event

Barbara Becnel, who championed the fight for Stanley “Tookie” Williams (see post), is running for Govenor of California. I think this is a great idea! What bothers me is that she, as with Al Sharpton in the beginning of his race, has been largely ignored in her process.  In this recent NY Times article, it mentions her opponents, both Caucasian and both men. Now is it that the power of the “Govenator”, Arnold Schwarzenegger, that strong to not even acknowledge or is it just that Ms. Becnel’s run is not of worthy mention. 

  I think that if Schwarzenegger is that strong then why not at least give her ample room to make her case to be Governor. I would love to see a second coming of a Willie Brown “type” that would bring the people together with intelligence and devotion. 

Former San Francisco Mayor, Willie Brown

Good luck Ms. Becnel, I hope the media gives you a fair chance to get your message out, no matter what the outcome of the election.  

Barbara Becnel – Official Site
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Site
NY Times Article
About Willie Brown 

 

WOW… Is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about this past Friday, May 12, 2006.

 

I spoke at Mahalia Jackson Middle School 391 in Brooklyn, New York for Career Day. The kids in the Achievement First Program are absolutely another level of engaged. We had a great time talking about empowerment, education and entrepreneurship.

I will share with you, what I shared with the kids… in a slightly different way.

What do I do as an Entrepreneur?

1. THINK

Thinking is the cornerstone of any good entrepreneur’s existence. To be successful, you have to master the ability to think critically. Without the ability to discern between a good decision, a bad move and a necessary evil, you can’t learn to leverage your moves. Learning how to surmount obstacles by THINKING is the entrepreneur’s best weapon. 
 

2. LEAD

There is a big difference between LEAD and to LEAD. LEAD is a toxic substance, which is comprised mostly of graphite, that they once used in paint, that somehow made it into schools and public buildings around the country. It is also so dense that when placed in water, it sinks right to the bottom. LEAD just sits there, dense and poisonous.
 

When you LEAD someone, you provide a vision, a focused direction to move in. Leading is the only way to get from here to there. When someone is a LEADER they can see what is not there, they make their own decisions based on the facts available and constantly seeks new information. Be proactive in your own life and lead yourself in the direction of success.

How can you lead people anywhere if you, yourself, do not know where you are going? Make a decision not to just sit on the bottom of the river.  Leading a fish to water is not as hard as showing him where to go once he’s wet.

3. MANAGE

Managing is both necessary and a nuisance. It is necessary to manage, not only a business, but your time and resources as well. You have to learn to manage your money, your time and your skills in such a way that move you towards success.

The biggest problem with management is that it takes away from THINKING and LEADING. You have to manage things and lead people. Without both, your ship is a Titanic waiting to happen.
 
New Seminar!

In any case, I had a great time with the kids and their energy was incredible! We have a full day seminar (6-Hours) about Making Empowered Decisions by Thinking, Leading and Managing. Feel free to email the staff for more information at: bookings [at] mackburnett.com. (sorry, but the SPAM is out of control!)
 

My man Star finally did it. I remember star from way back when he was doing Around the Way Connections. Star was running his magazine and I was running mine. We used to kick it. Then he took it to Public Access Television and started the Hater Show… Then he took it to MTV and the show didn’t last long, then he found the radio…The rest, as they say, is history.

Listen, I never agreed with the whole “hater” thing. I much prefer the positive direction that Steve Harvey’s show has taken. The thing is that I knew Star “back when” as they say. His recent attack on DJ Envy’s children is unspeakable. I can’t even imagine having a family member threatened on the radio, let alone, a child. First, it was the Aaliyah drama and now he’s threatening DJ Envy’s kids? For those who don’t remember, he used a plane crashing sound when Aaliyah passed.

What I want to know is how did he get here? How did he get to a place where he feels untouchable enough to make a statement like that? How does a man’s life turn in such a way that he looses touch with his humanity? No matter what issues that I have with those I don’t agree with, we agree to disagree with EACH OTHER! Not each other’s families…

Bottom line, I don’t know what happened over these years since I knew the man and I don’t fault him completely. He was provided with a platform where any “ANYTHING GOES” performance was not only indulged, but encouraged. It’s a harsh human fact, nobody wants to crash, but everyone will stop to watch an accident.  I send out my regards and only positive thoughts to both DJ Envy’s and Star’s family as well. May we find our common humanity somewhere in the cloud of the personal and tumultuous storms that most of us showcase on the surface.