"Blessed"

18-year-old gives his $40,000 scholarship to other teens
The Story (MSNBC) This is a story of a teenager who did something so generous — so big-hearted — that it’s making plenty of adults swoon.

Allan Guei, 18, was a star basketball player at Compton High School in the Los Angeles area before he graduated last month. He also had a GPA above 3.0, and his good grades made him eligible for an unusual competition: A free-throw contest in the Compton High gymnasium. The top prize: $40,000 in scholarship money.

But Guei couldn’t stop thinking about the seven talented runners-up from the free-throw contest. They, too, had dreams — and very real needs. So, he asked Principal Jesse Jones to make a surprise announcement at Compton High’s graduation ceremony: Guei wanted to donate the $40,000 to the other seven students.

Guei elaborated on his decision to give the money away in an interview with ESPN: “I was already well taken care of to go to school, to go to university for free. ... I felt like they needed it more than I did.”

The Analysis: Honestly, I can’t even imagine having a full scholarship and then receiving a $40,000 scholarship. I would be thinking about buying my mother a car or buying my dad some new gadget as an 18 year old. But for Allan to do what he did, it’s a blessing for not only those seven students, but for him as well. The video below is a shout out to him. As a 17-18 year old, what would you have done?

"I'm Coming Out"

Nooo, not me, but former and current athletes and those associated with college and professional athletics.  I think its neat that straight athletes (so they say) like Michael Irvin are supporting the cause.

Former Dallas Cowboys great Michael Irvin appears shirtless on the cover of this month's gay men's magazine Out and discusses his passion for equality issues.

Michael Irvin appears on the latest cover of Out Magazine. He tells the publication that he would support any athlete who comes out.

Irvin publicly acknowledges that the impetus for taking a stand comes from his relationship with his gay brother, Vaughn, who died of stomach cancer in 2006. Irvin had not spoken publicly about his brother previously, according to the magazine.  In the article, Irvin describes how his brother's sexual orientation contributed to his own issues.  Read more on the article here.

Bottom line, it is what it is.  What are you going to do about it?  Stop supporting your favorite team because they have an athlete or general manager or coach who is gay.  Probably not!  Does homosexuality have a place in sports?  I'm not totally sure but its slowly creating a comfortable spot for itself with the recent coming out parties of Will Sheridan, former Pitt player, and Phoenix Suns general manager Rick Welts. 

Now all they need is Rajon Rondo to come out, then they will be all the way in there...no pun intended.  WHAT...don't judge me, I just said what many of you were thinking. 

12, 17, 16, 1...Let's Go!

Kevin Hart is a fool...

"Follow Me"

Shout out to the "Great Hall"  and UNC! The real great hall and NOT the remodeled great hall.  This song use to go hard...Shout out to the Class 2004...Summer Bridge, PU, and the list goes on...

I think there's a two step that go with this song as well...

Any way, the purpose of me finding this song was for all my blog followers to follow me on Tweeter...yeah, I know how it's spelled...SO WHAT(in my OSII voice)!

"Follow Me" @iTooDream

Leave your twitter name in the comments section...

"Metta World Peace"

Ron Artest has and his people filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday seeking the change. The 31-year-old NBA star was born Ronald William Artest Jr but now wants to change his name to Metta World Peace.


In the court documents, Artest cites personal reasons for wanting to make the change.  And people thought Artest was crazy for thanking his hood and psychiatrist after winning an NBA championship.  Turns out he just might be.
Sidenote...I think he should have changed it to "Mo Betta Blues," it sounds better.

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"My Bad" - @iTooDream

Macy's ad wrongfully congratulates Heat

My bad, well not my bad, but their bad.  Nevertheless, a full-page ad that ran in Monday's Miami Herald reads "Congratulations Miami" next to photos of Heat championship T-shirts and hats from Macy's. One T-shirt reads "Heat 2011 NBA Finals Champions" and the ad shows the Heat's logo on a hat with the words "NBA Champions."

The ad ran under a story about the Heat's loss.  Way to kick a team while they are down.  I think it's crazy how all of this hate is in the air towards Lebron James. #Leavethemanbe. I know one thing, LBJ better not catch Deshawn Stevenson in the streets...just he might go ham on him!

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I'm following everyone who comments on this blog post...

"Pryor Engagement"

The Story (ESPN): Terrelle Pryor's career at Ohio State, which started with so much promise and potential, came to an abrupt and scandal-ridden end.

The Ohio State quarterback announced through his attorney Tuesday that he would not play for the Buckeyes this season. He had already been suspended for the first five games for breaking NCAA rules by accepting improper benefits from the owner of a tattoo parlor.

The Analysis:  One unselfish act could have prevented all of this from happening. When OSU discovered that Pryor and others had received improper benefits back in early December 2010, they should have suspended them from the Sugar Bowl, told the truth (including the coach), and moved on. Pryor most likely would have declared for the NFL draft and OSU probably would have saved a little face, especially for being honest and upfront. Jim Tressel would still have his job as well.



Yes, the Buckeyes (Shout out to Lorain, OH’s favorite son Eddie Kane) probably would have lost the bowl game and a few million dollars. But now they stand to lose far more than a bowl game and all because of selfishness, greed, and more importantly…WINNING. The NCAA which allowed Pryor and others to play by slapping a soft 5 game suspension should share some of the blame.

I just LOL at the thought of Maurice Clarett sitting back somewhere with his feet up saying “karma is a bi*tch…”  And he couldn’t be any further from the truth. 

Take the Fall Semester Off...w/ Benefits

To Expand Access, U. of Florida Prepares to Roll Out a No-Fall-Semester Option

The Story (Chronice of Higher Ed):  The University of Florida is planning to grow again, but in an unusual way—enrolling 2,000 students in a spring and summer cohort. They will be full-fledged undergraduates, but they will be allowed to live and take classes on the campus only during those semesters for the entire time they're at the university.


Those students could still participate in on-campus activities in the fall—yes, they'd be eligible for football tickets—and would be able to enroll in online courses if they wanted to move more quickly through their coursework. Others might opt to study abroad, work, or do internships away from campus in the fall.


To read the full article, click here.

The Analysis:  The news of UofF creating this option has implications that could impact public universities across the country, starting with UofF and those schools in the state of Florida.  The UofF alone has 35,000 undergraduates.  To give you an idea of how large of campus that is, there are roughly18,000 in Chapel Hill.  Offering a spring-summer term alone could impact course offerings, cost to pay faculty to teach, financial aid, and overall budget of the university.  Florida administrators I'm sure has thought this over.  But what about the overall student experience?  Academically, socially?  Can you think about the potential risk?  Are student athletes eligible for this option, especially the high profile ones?

Social groups/clubs/fraternities/student government take off in the fall, with planning and implementation and some groups initiate new members during that time.  During the summer, there is not entirely a lot to do other than to attend class and work.  How long will it take to graduate if they are attending only in the spring and summer?

Regardless of some of the questions I've raised, I honestly think this experiment will work although it may take a few years.  And as the article details, it may prove profitable for the university in the long run.  But at what cost and who expense?

"The Storm is Over Now"

And so are Classes at Shaw University in Raleigh, NC

The Story(WRAL):  Shaw University has canceled the remainder of its spring semester after taking a direct hit from the storms that rampaged across North Carolina. 
University president Irma McClaurin said Sunday that the damage is so widespread the college won't be able to resume operations in time to finish up the last two weeks of class.
Graduation ceremonies for the class of 2011 will still go on as scheduled on May 7. Students will be assigned grades based on the work they've completed to this point in the semester.
Part of the roof was torn off the student center and windows were blown out in two dormitories, along with damage to other buildings.



The Analysis:  I was initially shocked and wondering why would you cancel classes for the semester...but after watching a student's video of  the actual tornado and then the aftermath that he caught on camera, now I see why.  This video left me speechless. 
It will take the city to help rebuild.  Keep all folks affected by this past weekend in your prayers.

The Hangover II

Need I say more.  I promise I won't wait a year and half to catch this movie like I did with the first one...