"At Last"..

"At last, my love has come along. My lonely days are over. And life is like a song." These lyrics are recognized by millions around the world. The late legendary blues singer Etta James died 5 days before her 74th birthday on January 20, 2012. I personally feel like celebrities and people who carry big titles to their name are coincidentally passing away to send messages to the public that it doesn't matter who you are, you cannot escape death. And it may sound corny, but some people really think they can control when, where, and how they're going to die. Money cannot prevent you from getting in a tragic accident. These stars are leaving right before our eyes. We just lost Soul Train legend, Don Cornelius to suicide. Many people relate money to happiness....wrong! And this statement will remain false for eternity because we hear about and see these people with luxurious lives and we assume they must be the happiest folks in the world; then a weak later we see their obituaries in the newspaper. Now James didn't commit suicide, but her death is what I want this post to be focused on in addition to those notable people who have also made the transition. I want you to really stop and take the time to think if you are living your life for quality or quantity...or both? It's a question even I need to ask myself. Can you say that if you were to die today, your life has significantly effected those around you? Will you really be able to sing, "And now we are in heaven and you are mine, at last..."

New York's Saving Grace

One of New York's most historical and legendary teams in sports is the New York Knicks. If you ask a sports fam to name some legendary or notable players from the Knicks, you'll hear Wilt Chamberlain, Isaiah Thomas, Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and a host of others. All players you see listed were all pretty outstanding players in college and were noticed by the public early on. Fast forwarding to present day, take a young 24 year-old, Los Angeles born and bred, asian descented, undrafted Harvard graduate who lived on his brother's couch, and place him as the current face of the New York Knicks. Find it difficult to believe? Well, believe it! The LINsanity is real! He plays the point guard position and got his shot to stardom when he was substituted in for an injured teammate. He made fans question, "Where did this kid come from?" after he dropped close to 40 points in his debut. The Knicks' season was not looking promising with their stars out because of injury--Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. Sports news everywhere has been nothing but Jeremy Lin stories and why his talent is just now being revealed. Even Knicks' head coach Mike D'Antoni said that he was blown away by Lin's performance. Lin has now made a name for hinself. Madison Sqare Garden has raised ticket prices and filled their gift shops with Jeremy Lin apparel. Endorsements have been overwhelming Lin and his contract has been slightly adjusted to accomodate a few more zeros. But is this all hype? Will Jeremy Lin be named in the select elite when asked "Who are the legendary Knicks?"

Numbers Don't Lie - Happy Black History Month

There are many mixed reviews on new George Lucas cinema release, "Red Tails." Personally, I thought the movie was well illustrated. I had the pleaseure of attending a late night showing with a group of about 25 from my school on the date the movie was released. I found it interesting that critics expected this movie to do poorly in its opening week. According to www.washingtoninformer.com, "The movie brought in 19.1 million, second only to 'Underworld Awakening' which raked in 25.4 million." Why did critics expect this movie to do so poorly? The history of Red Tails is rich with its sole significance being that of the contribution of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators in the United States armed forces. They fought in World War II. Before they were known as the Tuskegee Airmen, they were the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corp. Especially with Black history month being shortly after the movie's release. Producer of 'Red Tails,' George Lucas, invested $58 million of his own money to make and distribute the film and explained on The Daily Show by Jon Stewart, that no Hollywood studio would produce the movie. This raised alot of question amongst the black community. but proved all critics and doubters of the movie's success wrong.