Wade in the Water

The above video is a clip of AMC’s newest show Hell on Wheels.  It takes place post Civil War when the country was still developing its western roots and recovering from the carnage that had recently took place.  The key to the video is the white “Bossman” referring to the black “Freedman” saying, “That man needs to be put in his place.”  Last night, on December 8, 2011, 150 years after this show takes place, David Stern (AKA NBA Bossman), basically said in reference to Chris Paul, “That man needs to be put in his place.”  Before you huff and puff, and dismiss this correlation as BFox being angry that arguably the best pure point guard in a generation was prevented from being traded to his beloved Los Angeles Lakers, just know I was not completely sold on this trade.  That is the least important part of this situation; basketball is second; morality and what is right and wrong take precedence over my favorite sport/team.  Last night the league and David Stern set an extremely dangerous precedent (yes I used precedence and precedent in back-to-back sentences, grab a dictionary if you can’t keep up). 

A Hero, Resurrected

An eight year old boy arrived home after school on November 7, 1991. He walked into his room and turned on the television. Like always, his television was tuned to ESPN, as his affinity for sports had him waking up early to start his day watching SportsCenter prior to getting ready. As the tubes warmed up and sound came before picture, he heard “Because of the HIV virus I have attained, I will have to retire from the Lakers.” The video caught up to the audio, and there stood Magic Johnson. As the adolescent’s jaw dropped and his book bag slammed to the floor, he was glued to the television. Not fully comprehending the situation, his blue eyes became engulfed by the redness that surrounded them. His favorite basketball player, his favorite athlete, his HERO will not be playing for the team he loves anymore. As the press conference continues, he began to grasp what is at stake here. The first question by reporters asked Magic about his mortality and the youngster realized this is bigger than just basketball, this is life.

What If? (Dedication to Tupac Amaru Shakur)

Foreword:
Tupac Shakur is one of the most influential people in my life. Not only as an entertainer, but as a individual as well. Throughout the years of his life and since his untimely death, I have immersed myself in his movies, music, and interviews. I have used that knowledge to write this dedication to him on the 15 year anniversary of his death. Many people merely know the public profile of Tupac, and saw him as a rapper with a bad attitude. However, if you were to delve deeper into his work you would see that he was a complicated man with many great ideas and intentions. This will be educational for those who had not researched his life, and to those who have, I hope it is entertaining. I have used a creative way to relay the message that I heard through his music and interviews. 2Pac lives on through his music and will continue to do so into the future, but what if?...

15 years after surviving his second shooting in two years, Agree Two Disagree’s BFoxHF was able to sit down with Tupac Shakur for an exclusive interview, here is how it went down:

Open Thank You Note to the Heat & Mavs

Thank you JJ Barea for showing us that vertically challenged is not always a detriment. When I was around 11 or 12 I remember going to the doctor and being told that I was going through puberty too fast and that I was going to be no taller than Danny Devito. I went home and cried, my dreams of being a professional basketball player died that day…because I gave up on them. JJ Barea has proved that height is not always a deciding factor in the game of basketball. Listed at a ridiculously generous 6 foot tall (he is no taller than 5-9), Barea controlled numerous games throughout the playoffs and somehow rarely got his shot sent to the 15th row. I don’t know how he did it, but he is an inspiration for all us Lilliputians out there.

Han

Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. So when Jesus says “Love your enemies,” he is setting forth a profound and ultimately inescapable admonition. Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies– or else? The chain reaction of evil–hate begetting hate, wars producing wars–must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. – Martin Luther King Jr.

I’ve never forced myself to write…until now. The conflict within my brain, heart, and soul is something I had never imagined, especially something that is seemingly so outside an actual direct influence on my life. Turning the news on around 10:30 pm May 1 I saw the headline that will forever be remembered by Americans; “Sources: Bin Laden Dead.” Much like my normal stoic self, I did not immediately react. I texted a few people I had been texting off and on all day to see if they had heard the breaking news. As I slid in bed, my eyes stayed glued waiting for President Obama to lay it out for us. After the seemingly endless two minute warnings he finally came on. Along with a majority of the 56 million other viewers I felt the pride when he said:

Class Is In Session

Alright ladies and gentlemen, settle down, settle down, find a seat I would like to begin. Hey, Michelle Bachmann and friends, stop beating up on John Boehner and making him your (female dog), we all know he is very sensitive. It’s okay Johnny boy, you don’t have to cry.

Ok, ok, ok, welcome to Economics 101, I will be your professor. I know the economy may be a dry subject but I will try to make it as interesting as possible for such a short attention span audience. Since it is our first day, I figured we would have a little bit of a discussion about the current state of our country’s economy and what principles may be used to improve our situation.

Unless you dwell with the earthworms, you know that it is rough out there. Unemployment has skyrocketed while our country’s debt is steadily rising as well. The global financial crisis has led us to the worst economic performance since the Great Depression so I was wondering if anyone in the class had any ideas about what we could do to help rectify this situation…..anybody?