An All White Basketball Team: Racism or a White Opportunity

I recently read an article titled "Commentary: Race has nothing to do with being an athlete or a scholar" by Leonard Pitts Jr. from The Miami Herald. Don Lewis, the commissioner of the All-American Basketball Alliance, wants to compose a basketball team of only American born players whose parents are both Caucasian. Despite this new league, Lewis states he is not racist. He claims that white Americans are tired of seeing African Americans excel in professional basketball. He believes their talent is based on "street-ball athleticism" rather than "fundamental skills." Some people question the basis for the new league. Is it really set up on a rascist block or are white Americans really tired of seeing black Americans taking over basketball? Don Lewis's league seems to be in response to the decline of white athletes in major sports. Some people say that African Americans are just physically superior than their white counterparts, but Lewis thinks race should have nothing to do with athletic ability. Even many of the white players that dominate the National Basketball Association are not even American, such as, Manu Ginobli, Dirk Nowitzki, and Steve Nash. Talent should not be based on race but on how well someone works to succeed. If one works harder than another, than of course they will go farther. An all white basketball team is pushing racial boundaries of this country. The United States is not exactly racism free yet and it probably will never be. The creation of an all white basketball team seems to be moving backwards on the timeline of the human race. I do not think this team will be welcomed with opened arms by everyone. Minorities will be against and so will those that favor any type of diversity in any part of life. It almost seems like racist people or people that strongly agree with Don Lewis will only favor the team. Why is the team all white? There are other groups of people that do not have a major say when it comes to professional basketball, like Hispanics and Asians. A league formed with people from backgrounds that do not really succeed in sports would be better than an all white team. This way, everyone gets a chance and one seems less racist when creating or supporting it.

Advertising Advantage in the Role of Politics

According to the article in the L.A. Times, corporations and unions will now be able to indirectly support their favorite candidates through advertising. They might not be able to contribute their funds directly to the candidate of their choice, but they can basically sponsor their own commercial in favor of that candidate. Some people argue that this new legislation will make a candidate's ads more important than the candidate's views on important issues. Some even say that these new ads may be like scare tactics for future candidates. If the advertising is too harsh, future runners may think twice about getting involved in order to avoid commercial harassment or embarrassment. Others argue that the new legislation will have little to no effect on the political world. People will still vote for who they want despite the battles present in advertising. Advertising before an election is hard to come by anyway, therefore, this legislation may just make the price of ads go up because more people are fighting to get a spot. It is basic supply and demand. Democrats believe Republicans will have more of an advantage when it comes to major corporations showing support for their candidate. In relation to the Florida article on National Public Radio, it seems like the reformed legislation may provide a way for bondsmen to gain more business by trying to demolish the Pretrial process. If a bondsmen company or union comes up with enough money, they can produce their own ads that attack candidates that are for the Pretrial process and encourage those that are against it. An example of a bondsmen ad might say something like this: "This guy wants to give criminals another chance by letting them live somewhat normal lives until trial. Our guy on the hand keeps criminals in the place they need to be, jail." Taxpayers know jail is more expensive than the Pretrial process, therefore, these ads need to be powerful enough to get people to change their minds about who to support. This legislation is a welcomed opportunity for the bondsmen, who were previously losing a lot of business to criminals being released on the Pretrial process. Originally, the Pretrial process was working fine until bondsmen decided to attack it with a lobbyist. I guess they need to make a living, too, and the Pretrial process is preventing that. In the end, it seems like politics is all about who is spending the most money.

Plastic Surgery: Good or Bad

Personally, I believe people can do whatever they want to their bodies. It is their body and they have to live with the consequences if something goes wrong. People get plastic surgery in order to better themselves. Sometimes they look better than before and sometimes they look awful. But some people just do not know when to stop. It is like plastic surgery is some type of addictive drug that they can not get away from. Some people actually need plastic surgery for legitimate reasons, like health problems, while others want it because they just do not like the body they are in. Others just go too far with plastic surgery. They no longer look natural. Even when this happens, they still see themselves as more beautiful than before the plastic surgery while the world thinks that they should have stopped a long time ago. I found a video for plastic surgery and one against it. In the video for plastic surgery, women speak about why it is important. Judging by their appearances and styles in clothing, plastic surgery may have been something new for them. One woman talks about how people spend thousands of dollars on a house on a street but will not spend thousands of dollars to fix up their personal house, meaning their own bodies. An actual house is a better investment because at least you know what you are getting before hand. If something goes wrong with the plastic surgery or one is left with scars or problems they thought they would not have to face, then they are just stuck with them. At least one can repair or sell a home without too much physical damage to themselves. You get what you pay for. Most of the time plastic surgery can not be reversed. One woman states that the success of plastic surgery depends on one's "raw materials." A comment left about the video addresses her quote asking, "Are you building a machine?" In the video against plastic surgery, a man name Lionel discusses when people go too far with plastic surgery. They end up looking fake and sometimes uglier than before. People need to know their limits when it comes to plastic surgery.

Where is Osama?

I read the article "The Conspiracy: Osama Bin Laden, Dead or Alive?" by Mike Rudin from BBC News. According to the Conspiracy Files Documentary, Bin Laden has been sick with kidney disease for a while and is supposedly dead. Some leading news organizations even back the kidney disease claim. According to the French newspaper, Le Figaro, and Radio France International, Bin Laden was given emergency kidney dialysis in the American Hospital in Dubai while CBS states he had the same treatment at the Pakistan Military Hospital in Rawalpindi prior to September 11th. Both hospitals deny these accusations. No one can really be sure where he is because there is never a decent trail to come up with anything related to Bin Laden's whereabouts. A former CIA officer named Bruce Riedel says that the United States has not had eyes on a specific target in eight years. Despite his prominence in the past, not much about Bin Laden has been mentioned in the media. To be the most wanted man in the universe, it seems like the only person that knows where Osama Bin Laden is is Osama Bin Laden. Supposedly, these claims of Bin Laden's death originate in smaller newspapers, such as the Pakistan Observer. This newspaper claimed that Bin Laden had died due to lung complications at the end of 2001 and was buried somewhere in the mountains of Eastern Afghanistan. As soon as that article was released, the world picked it up. Hamid Mir, the last man to interview Bin Laden, says that these conspiracy theories are actually benefiting Bin Laden. Who is to say whether or not this man is dead or alive? Will the world ever locate this man or will he die as a ghost? Personally, I have no idea what to think about Osama Bin Laden. He has a terrible record and all but what can be done about a man that no one can find. No one has even a hint or a guess about where this man can be. I guess if he does not want to be found then he won't be.

This Journey Called Life

What should one expect from life? Can we really accept or change what life throws at us? Are our futures inevitable despite different paths we may take to get there? Should we be happy or scared to see the future? People say that life is what you make of it. What if what we make of it has nothing to do with how or why our lives ended? Unfortunately, there are always unforeseen roadblocks that try to keep you away from your final destination. People often say that we are put on this earth for a reason. Does anybody know what their true reason is? They may think it is to get an education, work for a big company, and then settle down. What if those are just dreams and not one's true calling? I am certain that no one is 100% positive about what their lives mean for or can do for the world. These unknown lifetime achievements can be small as apologizing to a friend or as big as destroying world hunger. No one's outline of how their life should be is completely accurate. The unexpected events and unknowns manage to slip their way into those broad thoughts and aspirations that one hopes to achieve. Some religious people believe that when you die, then you have completed your life's task. Before a person dies, does anything major normally stick out that just says that was what they were suppose to do before their end. Can we ever know why we are on this planet or why fate puts us in situations most of us would love to avoid at all costs? Life is nice to some and extremely cruel to others. Life is a journey with an unmarked destination. You do not know where you are going until you get there. One may think they are there but life has a few more miles to go. It is amazing how we are born innocent just to be corrupted by the world that society helped create and helped destroy. Is it even possible to stay innocent? No matter how nice and holy a person may be they still have a negative thought from time to time. They may get mad at the person who cut them off in traffic. Everyone is guilty of something. All we can do is hope that we truly can accept whatever life throws at us.

Progress of America's Racial Future

I have just finished reading the article I, too, am optimistic about our racial future by Cynthia Tucker in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Cynthia Tucker talks about her daughter coming into a world where racial turmoil is not as heavy as it was in previous generations. Since the United States has elected its first African American president, she hoped that racial generalizations would slowly begin to diminish. Unfortunately, Obama's election has seemed to do nothing for racial relationships in America. Tucker states, "The United States is not yet 'post-racial' and may never be. Because human beings have a primal instinct for fearing and hating 'the other,' even this diverse country may never completely outgrow the invidious distinctions of color and class." I completely agree with her statement. This country will not get anywhere if people constantly rely on generalizations. It seems that individualism has been killed in the United States. Some many people focus on the negatives of a group of people that they have no relation to. Every race has its negatives that people just do not want to own up to. Everyone wants to believe their race or culture is always right and that they can do no wrong. History and other statistics show that everyone has been in wrong at least some point in time. No one can own up to the past or admit they were wrong. Not everyone in a group of people is the same. Racism cannot be destroyed if this country continues to destroy the individual. America still faces racial tension, but there is still hope in the future. The progress of the world relies on the progress of its people. If we all hate each other, then we will get nowhere. Once the world begins to embrace the individual, the global community may have a chance. Stereotypes killed individualism. Now, it is up to the people of the world to revive it. If the world does not want to see the end so soon, then it must learn to accept and embrace its differences.

What If...

Everyone should show some type of sympathy or support for victims of major disasters no matter where they occurred, but when unpreventable disasters happen to one's own country, then their state of caring seems to increase. If the Haitian earthquake had happened in Washington, D.C. instead, I am pretty sure more Americans would be more willing to help. Most people care more about objects, places, and people that they are related to somehow. Someone is more likely to care if a disaster happens in their own backyard rather than if that same devastating disaster occurred in some random country that one has no major connection to. Most Americans take pride in their country despite what the world may think about its methods in global issues. American earthquake victims may have been better off than the Haitian victims. Economically, the United States is much more financially independent than Haiti. Therefore, more of the nation's money could go to aid in the crises and more resources would be available to those in need. The world would lend its usual helping hand as well, but there would definitely be more of a domestic effort in support than Haiti had when it came to tangible items (food, water, shelter, medical supplies, etc.). As a struggling nation, Haiti is not as advanced or readily equipped to deal with major catastrophes as other more powerful nations, such as the United States and other Westernized countries are. The city of Washington, D.C. itself would obviously be destroyed, but there would be a greater amount of resources available in an attempt to rebuild. Despite cultural and financial differences between Haiti and the United States, the people that called which ever country home would provide constant support whether or not they were affected. Everyone would play a role even if it was a minor one. No matter where someone is from, everyone should try to keep good fortunes in mind.

What Makes Me... Me

Talking about yourself is probably one of the easiest things to do. Here are the bits and pieces of my life that shaped who I am to this day. I was born July 11, 1991, in Montclair, New Jersey. At the delicate age of two, I moved to Georgia where the most important parts of my life would occur. Growing up, I was like any other child, extremely curious with too much energy for one little body. To make sure I became a successful youth and adult, my mother took that excess energy and made sure I did something productive with it. Thanks to my mother's efforts, I am pretty confident in knowing that I am a well rounded adult. I grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia. I attended Annistown Elementary, Shiloh Middle, Shiloh High, and Columbia High, once I had to move back to New Jersey. School was never a problem for me. I always had a good head on my shoulders and I was not easily distracted. Unfortunately, good years turned bad when my mother passed away from colon cancer at the beginning of my sophomore year. I was completely uprooted from the state I called home and was relocated to Maplewood, New Jersey. I hated it and could not wait to leave. Now I am back in Atlanta and loving it. Other than my life story, there are other things about me that one may find interesting. I love anything mildly related to entertainment, movies, video games, and especially music. If you looked through my playlist, you would find a little bit of everything ranging from John Legend and Common to Lilly Allen and Santigold. My favorite movies are action flicks and comedies. I like horror movies,too, but I haven't seen any good ones lately. My favorite movies are Bad Boys II, Juno,Transformers and any of the Disney classics. I never really had a favorite book. Growing up, I liked the Artemis Fowl series, but I haven't read any of those in a while either. My major is International Economics. I hope to get a job at a major entertainment label. My outlook on life is basically keeping an open eye out for opportunities because you never what life may throw at you, good or bad.