NYC: JANUARY REGENTS FOR H.S. STUDENTS ELIMINATED, MY OPINION

It was yesterday early evening when I heard the breaking story on the news that The Board of Regents made the decision to eliminate the January administration of state exams which is required to graduate High School!  I am thinking my goodness these children are stressed out enough! This is their so called way of closing budget gaps?!  Teacher's laid off, schools closed down, test eliminated..well looks like the current and next generation is shot to hell when it comes to education.  Unless that child is naturally gifted then we will have children that will not receive a decent education!  This is 2011 and we should be moving forward not backwards into the Flintstone Era!  I have observed one of the lowest grades which is kindergarten and it sure is a far cry from my school days! Children these days are required to obtain so much advance information at a younger age they don't even have the freedom to be children. Sorry to get a little off subject but what I am saying is overall our Education System wants students to become these robotic geniuses, but where is the budget to keep them on point!?  Overcrowding schools equal overwhelm teachers and students in need of more attention with their academics suffer even more, schools closed down equal overcrowding of schools or students trying to squeeze into charter schools!  Educational material outdated.... Ok back to the elimination of January Regents!
In the mid to late parts of the nineties I was a high school student, stressed out with all the statewide test I took in order to graduate high school, I took a few Regents Exams..however at the time back then we had it easier because a Regents Diploma was not a requirement for students in this era to graduate.  Literally the following year after I graduated it became a requirement to pass all the Regents in order to earn your High School Diploma!  Regents Exams are extremely challenging (from my experience taking them & knowing over the years they have become even more complicated)and the January test assisted in upping the chances of students passing the Regents in the final analysis.  January Regents became the method to spread out all of these test so students wouldn't experience burn out! 
Students will experience the hard hitting pressure taking all of these exams in the month of June! Especially high school seniors set to graduate will fell the wrath of stress!  They could be the best of students but not exactly the greatest test takers and failing a Regents can leave them back!?!? How crazy is that!?  True they have regents in August but the January Regents increased students chances to graduate on time!  High school students in 2011 are sitting in overcrowded classrooms with the increasing cut of their teachers with the lack of educational attention that they deserve!  Students are learning to take test only and barely comprehending these skills due to the teacher shortage! They are not receiving an enriching education that goes beyond test taking, the education system is trying to mold these individuals into robots.  In my opinion the elimination of the January Regents will lead to increase rates of high school students not graduating on time and student stress which will lead to h.s. drop outs.
I feel like this if your trying to built a child into a robot know that with anything "electronic" it
eventually will crash if you don't upgrade it..well this means bringing our teachers back and opening the door for new teachers,  this means updating educational materials, keeping our schools open and last keep the January Regents into effect!

Showcase: The D. Buchanan Collection

D.Buchanan Collection

Brentwood Long Island, N.Y  May 15th 2011. I attended The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Fundraiser event which showcased Talent, gorgeous jewelry, baked goodies, make your own pocket books, art exhibitions& etc.  It was an all day event that breezed by with all the excitement of the days events!  A resident of Bronx, N.Y. It was not exactly a baby step, but I was determined to come out to show support for the Dennis Buchanan Brand.  What is the Dennis Buchanan Brand?  It is a unique line of strikingly gorgeous neck-ware which comes in matching cases according to the design of the tie.  To order check out http://www.dennisbuchanan.com/.  I met up with Dennis Buchanan himself and partner Evans P. Bercy, their third partner Vladimir Bercy was not there due to prior business engagements.  I arrived to Long Island just when the heavens above decided to clean the highways and water natures plants! I had no clue where I was going..I called Mr. Buchanan and the humble man that he is came out in the rain sharply dressed in a suit with a striking fire engine red silk tie from his brand!  Dennis helped me with all my lighting equipment as we headed to Knights of Columbus center.  I chit chatted with both Evans and Dennis regarding the line and enjoyed the festivities.

D. Buchanan&Evans P. Bercy

Dennis and Evans emphasized giving back to their community by participating in various fundraisers and throwing events within their hometown of Long Island, New York.  After hours of talent shows and raffles the main event began showcasing the D. Buchanan Collection!  If you never paid much attention to neck-ware, Buchanan and his team will have you develop a new fetish!  Models from young to old showcase the versatility of how stylish and classy men can look with the touch of the Dennis Buchanan brand!  The event came to a close, I interviewed these savvy business men (interview coming soon with the launch of Recognition Magazines official site Summer 2011) and thanked them for their time.  They officially have a new customer and that is me!  I will be sure to scoop up a few ties for father's day next month!  Make sure you grab a few of these ties for your loved ones or even yourself! Go to http://www.dennisbuchanan.com/.  I have included pics from the event on Recognition Magazine's facebook, click here to view the pics.

Backstage @ The Lawrence Blake Summer Fashion Show Preview

Friday the 13th a night that could either bring dread or delight I hop on the train to head out to Lawrence Blake Summer Fashion show preview.  This event held by PR tycoon Lawrence Blake showcases all the up and coming fashion designers summer clothing line.  I met up with my good friend and we traveled through the city lights as I lugged my lighting equipment and camera to The Trump      World Bar.  The scene was laid back as the bartenders served drinks and I snacked on some cheese and crackers waiting for Blake's arrival.  To my surprise the electric violinist/viola artist Lorenzo Laroc whom I blogged about last month (Underground Magic: Electric Violinist/Viola Artist: Lorenzo Laroc)was there as one of the performers!  Well my blogging has indeed touch some viewers hey! I converse with Mr. Laroc and filled out the scene. 
Lawrence Blake walked into the spot with his staff , already you could see the urgency that he met business!  He politely greeted his guest, myself and gathered his models and staff upstairs to get the show on the road.  Previously I have attended two fashion shows managed by Mr. Blake but never had much insight on what went on behind the scenes of his events.  I floated to the upper level to interview Blake for my upcoming website to this very blog coming online this summer.  The room was swimming in colorful fabric, clothing, stilettos, models, Blake staff, fashion assistants and makeup artist.  It was an overwhelming experience  seeing such a massive amount of people working in this fast forward type of grind.  The Lawrence Blake backstage experience was like Times Square in a tiny glass room!  I observed Blake juggle running up and down the stairs greeting incoming guest and speaking with staff regarding the blueprint of how the show will operate.  He was like a ping pong ball, back and forth..forth and back..making sure  attendees sitting on the lounge couches, standing etc were comfortable.  What looks so flawless and easy going to the guest isn't smooth as it may appear.  One man as the nucleus of the show defiantly gets all of my respect.  Managing staff, gathering guest, recruiting talent, renting out venues is challenging but is overcome by the quick wit of Mr. Blake.  Sitting backstage observing everything alone had me exhausted! If you were unable to witness this event you can view the pics on Recognition Magazines Facebook  CLICK HERE FOR PICS enjoy!

Gone For A Minute

Hello everyone I know it's been an extremely long time since  my last blog post.  In real life basically LIFE happens between busting my behind to finish up all these term papers and final exams for school and losing my stepfather recently, everything was set on the back burner. Recognition Magazine however is my passion and never will I plan to give it up, this is not some type of fad for myself, there are individuals out there that deserve Recognition for all the gifts God has given them and I will  put everyone that I can to the forefront.