High School to NBA . . . via overseas? That’s one scenario for Brandon Jennings, a top incoming freshman at the University of Arizona. 

Instead of abiding by the NBA’s ‘One Year Removed from High School’ rule and being forced into college ball, this prep star is thinking why not get paid for a year and then see what the NBA has to offer.  And Xpinionated says ‘Go for it’.

In a country where the majority of citizens never attend college, I find it preposterous that so many folks use their own selfish reasons to insist that prep basketball players attend college for at least a year before getting entering the NBA.  These people fear a decline in the level of college basketball while at the same time touting the importance of getting a college education.  Give me a break, most college basketball fans didn’t attend the college for which they cheer and they definitely did not throw their support to the college because of it’s Entomology department.

In a country where we will give an 18 year old an assault rifle and send them to the other side of the world to fight a war for a reason they barely understand, I find it preposterous to suggest an 18-year-old does not have the right to forgo college if he so desires.

If it were anything other than a pro sport (in my mind, even if it were pro baseball or hockey), folks would have no problem with an 18 year old forgoing college to make his way in the world legitimately.  College is not for everybody.  And though studies show those who attend college make more money, there are exceptions — and one of those exceptions is the sporting world. 

If a kid has god-given talents and gifts that can be used to secure his place in this world as well as his family’s place, why should we force him to provide those talents to an institution for an education that he doesn’t necessarily value?

Kentucky Gunman

Yet another coward with no moral fabric and little social skills gets a gun.  I am really getting fed up with the stories of people opening fire over what usually amounts to trivial issues.  I’m even more fed up with cowards such as these ‘turning the gun on themselves’ after their dastardly deed. 

In my opinion, if you’re ‘man’ enough to shoot someone, and man enough to boast to your girlfriend that you’re going to kill your boss, then you should be man enough to face the families you’ve destroyed, to face the consequences you’ve earned. 

<—Face of a coward — and yeah, I’m intentionally not putting his name here for he deserves no fame or recognition.

Zimbabwe Elections

Every time I think U.S. politicians are some of the lowest of the low, situations such as the current Zimbabwe elections reminds me of how lucky I am.  Do you realize that people are being killed as a means of deterring votes for the challenger Tsvangirai.   And we in Georgia are worried about Voter I.D. laws? 

It saddens me sometimes to think of how people in other countries live and fear — fear of doing things to make a better life (hopefully) for themselves.  It angers me to think that the incumbent Mugabe has run a country through fear for this long yet my country, who often feels it must police the world, has done nothing to step in — not enough oil I guess…..

DSCF2016

Originally uploaded by Xpinionated

I promise you, Devin just insisted that I take this photo…and all the others too!!

I’m not a T.D. Jakes fan.  Or Creflo Dollar or any televangelist.  I think most, oops I mean all, are using religion as a money making machine which doesn’t sit right with me.  But this story caught my eye.  The formerly Atlanta based Megafest Christian get together is moving to South Africa in 2008.  Apparently, folks found traveling to Atlanta and lodging expenses too much of a burden.  In response to that, Jakes is moving the money machine, I mean get together, to . . . wait for it . . . . South Africa?!?!

This makes sense how?  In addition to getting together for some worship — on another continent, Jakes’ organization is also going to be offering 11-day tours around the same time as the get together for five to six grand per person.  And this doesn’t strike anyone as fishy, odd, conniving, or scammish?

“When you’re the mother of a couple of kids, it’s not something that you can do on an annual basis, ” said Williams, who managed MegaFest for Jakes. “We want to be sensitive to the needs of our delegates.”

Sadly, the quote above is referring to the good ol’ days when the get together was in Atlanta……

In this article from The Record, a newspaper (used loosely in this case) in Stockton, CA, aggression is being attributed to the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. 

Stockton’s Mark Wellis, 19, said he was involved in an altercation a week after he purchased “Grand Theft Auto IV.” At the time he noticed that he had become less sensitive to violence.

Wellis doesn’t completely blame the game for his violence, but it did affect him.

 

So after 19 years of life, one week with GTAIV and the kid is no longer sensitive to violence?  Wait there’s more….

“My son Peter was never really aggressive, but once he got into video games, ‘GTA’ being one of them, he started to push, hit, talk back, and just become a different person,” said Stockton parent Greg Within, 46.

Does Peter sound like he is 17 or older?  I ask because GTAIV is rated Mature meaning you have to be 17 or older to purchase the game.  Seems to me like Greg Within may need to look ‘within’ for the root of the kid’s new personality (pun intended).

Critics seem to want to paint this video game and others like it as the source of the debauchery of the world.  They seem to think that if we can reduce or remove this ‘influence’ entirely, the world would be a better place.  But maybe, just maybe, the world would be a better place with fewer critics and politicians…just maybe.

Here’s an interesting take on the ‘jobs Americans won’t do’ stance of those supporting illegal immigrants from CNN’s Glenn Beck:

The Journal article offered an example of a couple that sells food at fairs around California each summer. They say that because of the H-2B visa shortage most of their seasonal employees aren’t able to enter the country.

So why don’t they just hire Americans instead? Good question. Her answer? “This is a hard job.”

I find it pretty hard to believe that there aren’t a few college students who wouldn’t want to drive around California and work outdoors all summer, but let’s assume that’s true. Let’s even assume that none of the other 1.1 million Californians who were unemployed as of April are interested in the job either. Isn’t anyone wondering why?

Well I’m not a labor consultant, but I am a thinker. Maybe the problem isn’t that the job they’re offering is “too hard,” maybe it’s that the wages they’re offering are “too low.”

No one paints the undersides of bridges for fun, they do it for the money. That’s how capitalism works.

How capitalism does NOT work is when we collectively look the other way as companies exploit illegal labor for their own benefit.

The unspoken truth is that these businesses don’t hire illegal aliens because they can’t find American workers, they hire illegal aliens because they don’t want American workers. And it has nothing to do with wages.

The survey showed that households with discretionary income of more than $1.35 million now view real estate as a bargain.

Arthur Blank, owner of the Falcons and Atlanta it seems, has put his mansion on the block for $10.9 million.  Blah blah blah.  The gem of the article above is the ‘discretionary income of more than $1.35 million’ statement.  How many people does then encapsulate?  Seriously, 135,000,000 pennies of discretionary income?  Hell, in these times, what is this discretionary income of which they remark?  If I have discretionary income now, it’s only because I forgot to pay a bill. 

Virginia Tech — We remember.

The 39-year-old rap performer was arrested Thursday night at the couple’s Wellington home in South Florida. Police said his wife called 911, saying he had kicked and hit her during an argument over buying a bedroom set. She later told deputies he had only pushed her.

Again, as seen in some other posts I’ve made (of which I’m too lazy to find) about the media’s tendency to ensure rap is associated with as much negativity as possible, Vanilla Ice who has one successful rap song (which in actual hip hop circles is still debatable — like calling the Super Bowl shuffle rap) is identified as a rap performer in a story about domestic abuse.  It’s sad really.  Vanilla Ice, 18 years removed from a successful rap song and attempts at everything under the sun from heavy metal and acting to reality star(used oh so loosely) and current bull riding contestant on some celebrity (again used oh so loosely) CMT affair, is still considered a rapper. IT would be different if he at least had a current album that someone outside of his immediate family purchased but his current moneymaker is bull-riding on CMT.  So REALLY, the story should say ‘The 39-year-old bullrider. .  . .’.  Alas, that will not happen.  Since Brokeback Mountain’, cowboys have been really sensitive about their image….

An Australian couple has come forward admitting their incestuous relationship including the birth of two children, one of which died on congenital heart problems.  The other child is now nine months old. 

The 61 year old father/grandfather has been having relations with his 39 year old daughter since they fell in love back in 2000 after 30 years of separation.

A judge has ordered that they stop doing the nasty and also given them a fine for their ‘behavior’. 

Oddly enough, I don’t even have a funny joke for this.   It’s kind of disgusting, well not kind of, it is disgusting.  On the other hand, it’s been eight years since they started so they may ‘love’ each other but I still think there is a huge psychological research project here just waiting for the undertaking.