Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Upstart Poetry Magazine(Print) Seeking Submissions
Attention Upstate South Carolina. Don Savant and Krystal Klear Printing are teaming up to bring you a new magazine that will be designed to showcase some the area's poets and writers. We are currently seeking poetry submissions for the magazine's inaugural issue. We ask that you submit your original work in any genre along with a brief bio that will let our readers know a little bit about you and your writing. Submit your writing as a word document in Times New Roman 12 pt. Font. We will need your name, your pen name if applicable, address, contact numbers and e-mail address on a page in word separate from your bio and submission. Please Title your work. If the work is untitled, please let it be known. We look forward to working with the many known and unknown talents of Upstate, SC.
Please submit your work and any questions you may have by June 1st, 2009 to poeticvoices@gmail.com
Friday, April 24, 2009
Just Venting..
I just had to vent somewhere about this situation that I've encountered with a so-called book reviewer. I promised myself I wasn't going to get upset or say anything directly to the person but, tell me if you think this is as messed up as I do.
I checked my e-mail, it's probably been about a month now...it said, so and so wants to be friends. SO I check my myspace page, and there's a friend request from so and so introducing himself and what he does and blah blah..so basically he's a book reviewer, and I'm like great..I need book reviews...so, After reading his intro and him saying please add me especially if you feel you could use my services, I say cool..and i add him.
A few days later, I send him a messsage that basically says hello, i'm Don Savant, I have a book of poetry that I'd like you to review, and I wanted to know the fee for your services and the way in which you do what you do...
I waited a few days for and reply and when I got it, it was this...
"Got too many to do right now..."
That's it...I never responded because if I had, he more than likely would have removed himself from my friends list. I just thought that it was unprofessional of him to add me, tell me what he does, offer his services then come with, got too many to do right now. That's like someone coming to you saying, hey man, i wanted to see if I could borrow 50 bucks from you, my light bill is due tomorrow and i don't have it all. Then the friend says yeah, you can borrow it, and he goes to his house to get it and he says ahhh, don't have it right now.
What?
Maybe it's just me..but I mean, he could have said, hey, I'm tied up at the moment but get back with me at this time and I'll see if I can get around...I mean,....ah well..I'm done venting...
speak on it y'all.
Y'all be blessed.
I checked my e-mail, it's probably been about a month now...it said, so and so wants to be friends. SO I check my myspace page, and there's a friend request from so and so introducing himself and what he does and blah blah..so basically he's a book reviewer, and I'm like great..I need book reviews...so, After reading his intro and him saying please add me especially if you feel you could use my services, I say cool..and i add him.
A few days later, I send him a messsage that basically says hello, i'm Don Savant, I have a book of poetry that I'd like you to review, and I wanted to know the fee for your services and the way in which you do what you do...
I waited a few days for and reply and when I got it, it was this...
"Got too many to do right now..."
That's it...I never responded because if I had, he more than likely would have removed himself from my friends list. I just thought that it was unprofessional of him to add me, tell me what he does, offer his services then come with, got too many to do right now. That's like someone coming to you saying, hey man, i wanted to see if I could borrow 50 bucks from you, my light bill is due tomorrow and i don't have it all. Then the friend says yeah, you can borrow it, and he goes to his house to get it and he says ahhh, don't have it right now.
What?
Maybe it's just me..but I mean, he could have said, hey, I'm tied up at the moment but get back with me at this time and I'll see if I can get around...I mean,....ah well..I'm done venting...
speak on it y'all.
Y'all be blessed.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
When Will It End?
When Will It End?
Ladies and gentlemen, I don't normally do race pieces or rants but, I think it's time for some things to see the light of day and be discussed. This is long overdue and if you read this, and feel like I'm talking to you, then listen very carefully and please apply it to your miserable life.
I've come to a realization since the latter portion of last year. I now know, why I could never be a republican. Before anyone gets offended, allow me to explain and know that, I'm not speaking for the entire party when I say this. I mean, when I voted, I didn't go straight Democrat so that in itself shows that I do believe that there are some good republicans in this world. As a matter of fact, this isn't really about the politicians, but the people that support them.
I'm an African American male and, I believe that I have a sense of humor far greater than most people. However, jokes that are directed towards myself and my race just for the sake of being ignorant to me is not humorous in any way. When will people let go of this racial mentality? Even the so called Christians walk around sneering at us and why? Because we are a different shade? The way I feel about it is, if we weren't wanted here then we should have been left where we were. None of us asked to come here. I guarantee you though that if it weren't for us, none of the things everyone takes for granted on a daily basis wouldn't exist. I know that's a strong statement but it holds true. Where would this world, especially the United States be without black people? Think about that.
Back on topic. Ever since Barack Obama won the Democratic party nomination I've personally experienced a level of racism that I've never before encountered. I live in the south, South Carolina to be exact. My state voted overwhelmingly for John McCain. Why? Because this state is full of "good old boys" that can't let go of the past. Most of the older people here still believe that slavery should be legal. You can see it in their eyes and in their mannerisms. This mentality has been passed down through generations of their families. Now you have a bunch of mud slinging, Confederate Flag toting' wannabe "Massas" running around here thinking they own the world. Now I'll be the first to admit that, as a race, some of us are a tad uncultured. That's because we struggled for so long that we're not used to having anything so, when we do get something, we normally don't know what to do with it, which would explain all the old Caprices, Crown Victoria's, etc riding around here with wheels on them looking like they belong on a tractor trailer. I'm not saying that we should all walk around with briefcases in suits and ties but we could do a little better by making wiser decisions financially. We aren't taught how to do that though, which is one of the biggest differences in the races. We try our best to keep each other down while Caucasians try their best to look out for each other with financial tips. My question is though, why aren't there more individuals, black white or other trying to assist each other and help one another become prosperous? I believe it's because deep down inside, we're still not wanted here.
Ever since the election, there have been racist whispers in the winds on the state. So many undertones in daily conversations. I'll give examples. My current job is selling electronics. That means I have to talk to a lot of people every day. Some I get along with very well, and others, well, anyone in a customer service based field knows what I mean. Occasionally, I encounter people that just want to come through and talk. Lately, those random conversations have taken a turn for the worse. I get things like, "you think your brother can really fix the economy?" My brother? Last time I checked, my brother lived in Atlanta, GA attending art school. So I say, what do you mean? To that I get the elbow in the side and the snicker..."you know your brother, you voted for him didn't you?" Then they walk off laughing as if they just made the best joke ever. Here's another example: I was walking through my department and I saw a guy staring at one of our Sony LCD Televisions. The man was darn near drooling so I approached him. I said to him, would you like me to load one of those up for you? His word for word response was, "Yeah, go ahead and load it up, we'll let Obama pay for it. Since he's supposed to be passing out all this stimulus money and cutting taxes for those of us that make under $250,000 a year and oh yeah, tax cuts, that is unless you buy gas or groceries or cigarettes or anything else. They won't call it taxes, they'll call it fees." Sir, I didn't ask you all that. I simply asked you if you were interested in buying a television. If you were not interested, a simple no, not at this time would have been sufficient
Comments like that make me realize exactly how far we have yet to go for equality in this world. That change needs to start internally by removing ourselves from the stereotypes that plague us as a people. We need to fight harder to have, secure, and keep our rights. It's already been said that Black History Month may be abolished. First they give us the shortest month of the year, and now they want to take it away completely. I do agree that our history should not just be taught in that time period but I also know that it won't be taught otherwise, especially if there's no reason to do so. That month raises awareness and keeps us in the know about people that school will never include in regular textbooks. Even big named papers like the N. Y. Times has individuals on its staff exhibiting that same childish behavior towards our new President. Presidents have been ridiculed before so that's nothing new, I mean, look at whom we just got rid of. The thing is though, you can make jokes about people without making it racial. The bottom line is, we're all here, the best thing we can do is get along, the worst things we can do is what we've been doing for the last 200 plus years. Wake up people. It's time.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Stand Up!!!!!!!
How many of you are leaders? Who feels that they were naturally born to lead? I'm talking about real leaders, not someone doing dumb stuff and have dunb friends doing the same thing just because you're doing it. I mean the type of leaders that when others see what you're doing it makes them want to either go out and do the same or fix their own situations so that they can get things in order as well.
How many of you are trendsetters and not trend followers. Do you go against the grain or just take things as they are? Do we have any potential Dr. Martin Luther King's here? I think that more of us need to stand up and be leaders than to lay down and watch others do so. We need to step up our intelligence and be something besides haters and addicts. Stand up and get your self respect back because somewhere down the line we lost it. If we continue to let it go we'll lose it forever. We've got to stop being a part of the problem through our excuses and start being a part of the solution by acting. We've got to get out of the get high and get laid mentality and adopt one that will motivate us to motivate others to get up get out and make something of ourselves. We are our future, and if we can't look in the mirror each day and see the potential for greatness then we'll never amount to anything as a whole. It's time for us to stop tearing each other down and start building each other up. What happened to us? When did we lose sight or glory? When did we stop caring about ourselves? When did we stop wanting more by accepting less?
Who's ready to change that? It all starts with self.
This has been a Don Savant Public Announcement
How many of you are trendsetters and not trend followers. Do you go against the grain or just take things as they are? Do we have any potential Dr. Martin Luther King's here? I think that more of us need to stand up and be leaders than to lay down and watch others do so. We need to step up our intelligence and be something besides haters and addicts. Stand up and get your self respect back because somewhere down the line we lost it. If we continue to let it go we'll lose it forever. We've got to stop being a part of the problem through our excuses and start being a part of the solution by acting. We've got to get out of the get high and get laid mentality and adopt one that will motivate us to motivate others to get up get out and make something of ourselves. We are our future, and if we can't look in the mirror each day and see the potential for greatness then we'll never amount to anything as a whole. It's time for us to stop tearing each other down and start building each other up. What happened to us? When did we lose sight or glory? When did we stop caring about ourselves? When did we stop wanting more by accepting less?
Who's ready to change that? It all starts with self.
This has been a Don Savant Public Announcement
Thursday, January 1, 2009
My Dream.....
My Dream
© 2009
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Public Rudity....
I work in retail, and I must say that the general public is a rude and spoiled bunch of individuals. When did we as consumers get so spoiled? When did we come to a point where we started to insist that salespeople make decisions for us? I know that as a salesman, I'm supposed to sell you on things but, what happened to the day when you did your own research and made your decision based on that research. It's cool to have a few basic questions or to want a few things cleared up that you may not have understood but, I'm not supposed to feel like I'm teaching a class every time I'm approached to assist someone. Then, if the customer heard something they don't like, here comes the rudeness. Honestly, why are people so rude? We're salespeople...we're only doing our jobs, but if the little spoiled customer doesn't get his or her way, here comes the tantrum, and here comes the requests to speak with a manager.
Let me tell you how retail works. A person is hired, usually based on his or her experience, and or his or her likability. After that, there is a training process. In that training process, all the rules, all the do's and don'ts are presented. You are told what to tell people in certain situations, and how to properly handle yourself. Most importantly, you're told to always smile because it makes them feel welcome. With that said, if you're looking for something, and I tell you that there are no more, don't get mad at me because you missed it. If I tell you that there are more on order, then that's what it is. Don't ask me for the display because I've already told you that we have some on order. When I tell you that per store policy we cannot discount the display then that's what it is. We do not make up rules as we go. If you do request a manager, you're going to get the same answer so why waste the time?
Now, everybody knows the retail busy seasons. Don't come in with an attitude because you had to wait 3 minutes for service. Look around you, it's busy..it's common sense. You are not the only person shopping and the ratio of customers to salespersons is usually pretty low. If you came in yesterday and there were 20 or 30 of something, don't be shocked because it's sold out. It kills me when people say...well I was just here the other day and there were plenty of them...guess what? You're not the only person shopping for this item. There have been hundreds of people in here before you, while you were here and after you left.
Every retail store I've been in has departments. If you're looking for something in a particular, seek as employee that works in that section. if you don't see one, ask for one. Stop asking random people where things are, and stop getting angry with them if they say that they don't know. You can't expect the guy that works in produce to know about a pressure washer, and you can't expect the electronics guy to know where something is in the grocery department. That brings me to another point. Did people forget what the customer service area is and what it's for? If you ask me something and I don't know and I direct you to customer service, don't stand there and look at me like I just gave you a jigsaw puzzle. Generally, the customer service area is located somewhere at the from of the store. This has been the case for years, yet people still look lost when you ask them to go there.
My last point is this....READ. If you see an item and you see a sign for the item read the sign. If the item doesn't match what the sign says then odds are, that's not that item. I admit that in some stores where they have multi level shelves and signs everywhere it can be a little confusing but, that goes back to what I said before...READ!!!!!!! People kill me getting all the way to the front of the store at the checkout and saying..oh, that was supposed to be 5 dollars but it's ringing up 10. Now...on occasion we do mess up...but if you read the sign in most cases you'll see that it was 5 dollar for the pop tarts and 10 for the case of peanut butter that you picked up. Speaking of reading. Most stores have signs on the end of each aisle letting you know what's generally on that aisle. If you read these...you'll more than likely find what you are looking for because to be honest with you, if you ask me where something is...I'm going to tell you...I don't know exactly which aisle but the sign on the end of it should tell you.
That's my rant for today..thank you for reading. I've got to go to work now...
Hold on, I forgot one.. If you bring 3 big burly dudes with you and you're buying a shop crane or anything heavy, bulky, whatever...don't stand by and watch that one associate load it all by himself.
Bottom line is...we don't get paid to be abused. Be nice to your associate and he or she will be certain to be nice to you and everybody will end up having a nice day.
Until next time....
Let me tell you how retail works. A person is hired, usually based on his or her experience, and or his or her likability. After that, there is a training process. In that training process, all the rules, all the do's and don'ts are presented. You are told what to tell people in certain situations, and how to properly handle yourself. Most importantly, you're told to always smile because it makes them feel welcome. With that said, if you're looking for something, and I tell you that there are no more, don't get mad at me because you missed it. If I tell you that there are more on order, then that's what it is. Don't ask me for the display because I've already told you that we have some on order. When I tell you that per store policy we cannot discount the display then that's what it is. We do not make up rules as we go. If you do request a manager, you're going to get the same answer so why waste the time?
Now, everybody knows the retail busy seasons. Don't come in with an attitude because you had to wait 3 minutes for service. Look around you, it's busy..it's common sense. You are not the only person shopping and the ratio of customers to salespersons is usually pretty low. If you came in yesterday and there were 20 or 30 of something, don't be shocked because it's sold out. It kills me when people say...well I was just here the other day and there were plenty of them...guess what? You're not the only person shopping for this item. There have been hundreds of people in here before you, while you were here and after you left.
Every retail store I've been in has departments. If you're looking for something in a particular, seek as employee that works in that section. if you don't see one, ask for one. Stop asking random people where things are, and stop getting angry with them if they say that they don't know. You can't expect the guy that works in produce to know about a pressure washer, and you can't expect the electronics guy to know where something is in the grocery department. That brings me to another point. Did people forget what the customer service area is and what it's for? If you ask me something and I don't know and I direct you to customer service, don't stand there and look at me like I just gave you a jigsaw puzzle. Generally, the customer service area is located somewhere at the from of the store. This has been the case for years, yet people still look lost when you ask them to go there.
My last point is this....READ. If you see an item and you see a sign for the item read the sign. If the item doesn't match what the sign says then odds are, that's not that item. I admit that in some stores where they have multi level shelves and signs everywhere it can be a little confusing but, that goes back to what I said before...READ!!!!!!! People kill me getting all the way to the front of the store at the checkout and saying..oh, that was supposed to be 5 dollars but it's ringing up 10. Now...on occasion we do mess up...but if you read the sign in most cases you'll see that it was 5 dollar for the pop tarts and 10 for the case of peanut butter that you picked up. Speaking of reading. Most stores have signs on the end of each aisle letting you know what's generally on that aisle. If you read these...you'll more than likely find what you are looking for because to be honest with you, if you ask me where something is...I'm going to tell you...I don't know exactly which aisle but the sign on the end of it should tell you.
That's my rant for today..thank you for reading. I've got to go to work now...
Hold on, I forgot one.. If you bring 3 big burly dudes with you and you're buying a shop crane or anything heavy, bulky, whatever...don't stand by and watch that one associate load it all by himself.
Bottom line is...we don't get paid to be abused. Be nice to your associate and he or she will be certain to be nice to you and everybody will end up having a nice day.
Until next time....
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