You're From Atlanta if You Remember

Check this out. I stole it off of a guy's Facebook wall. I'm not from Atlanta, but I am familiar with a majority of the things listed below. Partly because I indulged myself in the ATL culture once I got here 5 years ago, and partly because I grew up two hours away and the ATL culture made its way to Gadsden, AL. Check it out and see how much you remember. P.S. I really have no explanation for the missing numbers.

If you are really from ATLANTA u will answer yes to all these statements.
-Remember when the only area codes were 404 and 770
-You know who Chris Luva Luva is
-You remember Kilo Ali, Raheem the Dream and Willie B
-Been to Magic or AMC @ Southlake
-You remember Stewart Avenue and Ashby Street
-You remember listenin' to who da crunkest and who da lamest
-You remember Who U WIT from Golden Glide, Sparkles or Skate Town
-You knew what Krunk meant before 6th grade -You've been to Birthday Bash
-You remember Esso, 559, MBK, The Gate
-You've been to high school football games at Lakewood
-You remember when battle of the bands was at morris brown
-You remember Freaknik
-You remember when Outkast actually were strictly rappers
-You remember the Greg Street theme song
-You remember when Underground was actually the spot
-You remember when V-103.3 was the only station in town
1. You knew bout Lil Jon before he got on TV.
2. You know Ludacris as Cris Luva Luva
3. You remember when 107.9 was 97.5
4. You remember Ryan Cameron from V-103
5. You remember "Diggin It" or "Dishin It"
6. You remeber when Deon played for the Falcons and the Braves
7. You know that at the Douglas vs. Mays football game...somebody gettin' shot
8. You remember the good ole Battle of the Bands when SWD used to be the best without a doubt.
10. You remember Jim Crow.....Holla at a Playa!!!
11. You remember "U-Way" "85" and "Shake Em Off"
14. You remember the songs "Cocaine" "Donkey Kong" and "Whitehorse"
15. You got offended when the Welcome to Atlanta remix had people not from the A on it.
17. You know that "Head Bussa" and "Neva Eva" are AT LEAST 3 years old
18. You know that it would be a waste of your 40k education to be hangin' out on Bankhead Hwy if you don't know nobody...cuz you know how them bankhead niggas act...u just might die!
19. You remember Carver Homes before they got fixed up
20. You remember Stewart Avenue before it turned into Metropolitan
22. You know about 5 Points
24. You know that going to Magic to enjoy a movie is pointless...cuz u know how the niggaz up in there be actin'!!!!
25. You call everybody Shawty regardless of their size
26. You remember when "tight" came out
27. You remember Raheem the Dream
32. You know niggas wit Rims that cost more than their car
33. You think JJs rib shack and the Beautiful are some of Atlanta's finest dining
34. You know that West End Mall ain't got nothin but sneakers and baby clothes
35. You know South Dekalb is supposed to be the upscaled Greenbriar
36. You know that don't nobody shop at Greenbriar on the weekends...cuz niggaz too busy flossin' in they cars.
38. You know not to act a fool in East Point cuz the cops don't PLAY shawty!
42.You get out of school if the temperature gets below 18 degrees
43. You believe that the most it should ever snow is once a year...and ONLY if you're gonna get out of school because of it.
44.You went to the filming of Drumline
45. You remember when Club Kaya and Frozen Paradise were the hotspots even though you were too young to go.
48.You remember the Bankhead Bounce and you remember when it had all kind of variations (the driving motion or fishing motion)
51. You use shawty and folk in EVERY sentence.
52. Da only lyrical content you worry about comes from tha hook
53. U keep a pair of white and black Reeboks and Ones 55. U got at least 5 hats with an "A" on em
57. U know about Big Oomp and how he still got Baby D and Intoxicated working in the Discount Mall selling his CD's even though both them niggaz been making hits in the A since middle school.
58. U use to rock the hell outta some Saucony's
60. You would fill ur tank up and JUST RIDE,
61. U Wear ya hats off tha top of ya heads
62. U remember the blizzard of '93
64. U remember when the braves actually WON the world series in 95'
67. You ever been shopping at the Discount Mall. ...
68. You can walk 5 minutes in any direction and see 10 Beauty Supply stores on the way. ...
70. You've ever spent hours upon hours explaining to these NY folk why the "A" is just so damn CRUNK .... !.
72. You knew it wouldn't be long before these wack a$$ folks realized just how crunk Da A was!!!!!!!!
73. You remember the Omni
74. You went to the Zoo to see Willie B
75. You got friends wit colors as nicknames...(Black, Red, and Blue)
76. You've been kicked off da Marta
78. You remember people beatin' on the tables and freestylin' while niggaz was "tickin'"
79. You couldn't wait to turn 21 so you could go to Vision
80. You like your freeways to go in a complete circle around the city
81. You miss Freaknik
82. You've ever started a fight just cuz a Pastor Troy song came on
83.You and your boys go to Lenox on the weekends just to look at girls
85. You were wearing white tee's waaaay before the song came out
87. If you remember "Shawty Swing My Way"
88. You listen to the Phat 7 at 7, then turn to V103 to hear the Top 8 at 8.
89. You remember and always will call it Bankhead, not Hollowell, and Hightower, not Hamilton E. Holmes.

The Silver Lining

Hurricane Katrina has ravished the gulf coast. It is easy to look a television, see the lives lost and the suffering of the people, and become angry and disgusted. It appears that there is nothing to be thankful for, but wherever God is, there is always reason to give thanks.

We can thank God for individuals who are experiencing the ultimate glory with Him in heaven above. We can thank God for the thousands who are finding salvation and developing closer relationships with Him because of this tragedy. We can thank God for the favor He has placed upon the hurricane victims as the hearts of the entire world are moved to offer them assistance. And we can thank God for showing the true character of so many people.

In disaster, the true character of people is always revealed. People who have been able to hold everything together in peacetime and successful carry on their masquerade become completely different individuals in times of disaster or chaos. Hurricane Katrina revealed the true character of many individuals and organizations.

It revealed that despite post-9/11 preparations, FEMA and the government—on local, state, and national levels—are not prepared to handle large-scale disasters. Through media discrepancies in reporting, it was revealed that race is an issue in this country, even in disaster. It also revealed that the church is more than a religious institution and really does step up to the plate to feed and clothes God’s children. So, thank God for these revelations

Man is Pure Evil

I have always being under the impression that at his root, man (and woman for you feminists) was good. Yeah, he some times slipped up and did mean, bad, and selfish things, but I figured his deepest desire was to do good, and he only did bad when these desires became jaded or faded due to the complications of life and its circumstances. But in the wake of the past week, I can boldly say with all confidence and conviction: "MAN IS PURE EVIL!!!"

After 9/11, our country generally pulled together. We prayed together, we assisted each other, and we presented a united front that said, "We will not be defeated!!!" However, I can't say that we are doing the same after Hurricane Katrina.

Thousands of people have lost their lives and even more have lost the basic necessities (i.e. home, clothing, food, water) to live. Yet most of us a too caught up in our own bull crap to even try to help. My friend is a student at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL, and many families are coming over from Mississippi (I’ve loved spelling that since the second grade) looking for hotel rooms. But Alabama’s die heart football fans are refusing to give up their hotel reservations, because they’ve made plans to see Alabama’s football game over Labor Day weekend. Gas station owners are taking advantage of people’s fears, insecurities, and basic need to get from one place to another with $5.00 gas prices. Finally, Louisiana college students who have lost clothes, toiletries, etc. and have their money tied up in schools that are “closed indefinitely” are being asked for thousands of dollars worth of tuition up front from Georgia’s colleges and universities.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that your Labor Day weekend plans were made months in advance and you’ve never missed an Alabama football game in your life, but we are talking about people who have nowhere to sleep, live, or rest. Now that’s just evil. Your biggest worry is a football game when thousands are people are trying to regain the necessities you take advantage of everyday. And yes, I understand the concept of supply and demand (I took social studies and economics), but for gas to be $2.99 in one part of town and $4.99 in another is unacceptable. Why would you want to gouge prices when so many people are struggling to drive from one place to another, attempting to donate money to displaced families, and completely insecure about what will happen next. That’s just evil. And I know that it’s expensive for universities to operate, but these students aren’t trying to get over on you. They are just trying to get an education. You could not be so strapped for money that you cannot give these students until the end of the semester to pay the necessary fees. That’s just evil.

But what’s even sadder about this situation, is the people who are perpetrating these acts more than likely claim to be Christians. Again, I say with all boldness, conviction, and confidence: “THESE AREN’T CHRISTIANS!!!”

You see, being a Christian is about more than going to church once a week, paying your tithes, and praying at night before you go to bed. You don’t do those things for God; you do those things for yourself. You go to church so you can thank Him for what He’s done and get direction for what you should do next. You pay your tithes because God has given you the ability to make wealth and everything you have belongs to Him anyway. And most of us pray to ask for God’s protection and covering. In each case you get something from God; He doesn’t get anything from you. True Christians don’t just take from God; they give back to Him.

“How do you give to God?” you ask. You give back to God by serving His people. Mark 10:45 states: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” And since Christians should be living life like Christ, they should be doing the same. Serve God by taking care of His sheep, feeding His poor, clothing His naked, and caring for those in need.

I know you may not be capable of doing much, but we are all capable of doing something. Presently, I’m not in the predicament to give a dime to anyone, but I have a closet full of clothes I don’t wear that someone desperately needs right now. I have a cupboard full of can goods that I can do without for the next couple of weeks. And I have sacrificed a little extra time, so I can sit down and write this letter in hopes that it will be read and influence others.

Christians, let’s stop talking about Jesus and try harder to be like Him. Let’s take a second to stop worrying about what’s going on in our life and try a little harder to be concerned about others. I’m going to Hosea Feed the Homeless this evening to take some things and pray with some of the displaced families. I’m also writing letters to my alma mater, graduate institution, and other Georgia institutions that ask them to accept Louisiana college students without forcing them to pay fees upfront. What are you going to do?