A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

February 27th, Friday/ I was watching ESPN this morning and there was coverage on the Lakers/Phoenix game in the NBA played last night. At the beginning of the piece, they showed a press conference featuring The Big "Whatever" and the "Black Mamba." When asked if these two wished that someday they could be teammates again, they both replied "NO."
You see, a "long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" these two players were teammates for the LA Lakers and won championships together. They were touted as the super heroes of the NBA. They were better than Batman and Robin, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and even Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor! But, alas, the relationship did not last and the two broke up in a messy divorce.
Well, for whatever reason, there always seems to be some member of the press who feels compelled to bring up the subject of these two getting back together when they are cornered in a press conference.
Look, even Robin wanted to be separated from Batman! (Oh yeah, it's true! I saw it in the movies. It was the flick when Robin's family was killed and Robin joined Batman to get his life together but became jealous of Batman when he discovered who Batman really was! I saw it! I did!)
C'mon fellas, let this go. Shaq and Kobe have moved on. Why can't you? Please stop blasting them with the subject of them wanting to get back together. That's your fantasy. In real life they do not want to share the light with each other. (I am wondering how they are going to share the All Star MVP trophy in these bad economic times? I mean, they both held up only ONE trophy for the photographers after the game and David Stern did just borrow several million dollars for the league the other day!) What you probably should ask them is what is what schedule did they work out for when the MVP trophy will be displayed in their respective homes?

A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

February 20th, Friday/ I just heard about a cartoon published by the NY Post the other day. The cartoon was of two cops shooting a monkey and the caption referenced that the country had to find someone else to sign the stimulus package. (The package was to be signed by President O'Bama!) Then I heard their excuse for publishing it. The excuse for publishing the cartoon was that they were referencing the monkey in the cartoon to the chimp that is in the news for ripping the face off of her owner. (By the way: The chimp has nothing to do with signing the stimulus package!) So, the inference is that the cartoon is a racist remark directed towards the President of the United States, who just happens to be a Black man. Now Al Sharpton is involved and there are picket lines in front of the Post's office building, to which the Post objects to and has dubbed Al Sharpton as a publicity hound. (Another animal reference towards a black man!)
Racism aside, there is another problem here; well, two really. There is a woman in Connecticut without a face and there is a chimp that has not received the proper therapy it probably needed for quite some time!
And, is yet another message being sent, by the cartoonist, that the President has the capacity to go crazy and rip off the face of his significant other, be shot by the SS, and thereby not sign the stimulus package? Where would we be as a nation if that were to happen?
Just look at the domino effect that could happen because of what someone considered to be a harmless joke!

A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

February 19th, Thursday/ Alex "Roid" Rigues. This guy is funny. Aside from what he has said that is a lie or not a lie or whatever, there is one thing he said that has flown over the heads of everybody listening. If there are parents that want to make a statement to their kids about how to live life in this society, here is the statement they should be making: In light of all the technology and general access to information, there is no longer a reason to think that it is acceptable to be young and stupid! Rodrigues said that he was "young and stupid" several times in his defense for what he did. I don't know... Maybe I'm stupid but I'm thinking that if I signed a "lottery money" contract with a pro team, I would think that I would be able to afford whatever technology that would keep me in the know. Alex said that he did not know what he was taking at one point, then said he knew and named what he did take.Sure I think he is lying but I have to get back to the lesson that should be taught here. You cannot be young AND stupid anymore. Is is now, officially, an oxymoron! You can either be young or stupid but you cannot be both! There are too many ways to educate yourself these days that negate the possibility to be young and stupid!
That being said, Rodrigues has planted something in my brain that I cannot get out. I would love to receive millions of dollars by any means necessary but I am now fearful of the results after receiving said money. My fear is that I will become "stupid!" Here is what I think. I think that Rodrigues was a fairly bright guy before he signed for the big money. Then, after he got it, he lost his moral mind and became stupid. I mean, look at all of what has happened to him since becoming a mega millionaire. He is exposed as a steroid user. He lost his beautiful wife and family. He does not seem to be a very endearing guy to his teammates and... and, he is linked to Madonna! Damn! Of all the women in the world to be linked to, he is linked to Madonna! All I have to say is if I were linked to any woman, I would at least want to be linked to a woman that I would want to ride in the same helicopter with when on a date. That's another reason why it is not attractive to be young and stupid. Young and stupid turns into old and stupid at some point if preventive measures are not taken.
So, get educated young people. Remember "...a mind is a terrible thing to waste" and "youth is wasted on the young" and stupid!

A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

February 17th, Tuesday/ Oh that wacky world of the NBA! What a weekend! All of the fanfare and the activity this past weekend has my brain spinning... What? The Allstar Game? What about it? wait a minute... You think I'm talking about the allstar game? Noooooooo... I'm referring to the four month hiring and firing of Terry Porter! What the hell was that? How do you fix what is not broken, get rid of "The Matrix," bring in Shaq, bog the offense down, run a coach out of town (D'Antoni), bring in a new coach (Porter), expect massive improvement with all of the changes, not get it; then, fire (Porter), hire from within the system, shop (arguably) your best player and expect all to be well? Hire a blog writer named Steve Kerr , that's how!
Okay, I get it! He played in the league with MJ, who is teaching classes at the MJ School of NBA Business on how to be a NBA general manager. My question is, who is overseeing Kerr? MJ?
So, the other question I have is, when is Kerr going to be held accountable for his actions? If Porter is to take the hit for being the wrong man for the job, how is Kerr the right man for his job?
My hat is off to the NBA marketing machine. They do a great job of promoting the NBA. I wish I could make a suggestion to them for a promo: I would like to see them do that Where (Whatever) Happens promo. I would suggest that they do "Where Kerr Happens" and have his profile picture with his old uniform number underneath like they do on those police blotters! That would be (NBA) fan-tas-tic!

A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

February 17th, Tuesday/ Private education, as well as public education, seems to be a big mess in America. I understand that money is always at the base of many problems so... Considering the state of the economy and considering the priorities of those in charge of the money, it only stands to reason that the children will ultimately suffer./ I had the opportunity to have a conversation with two 11 year old boys that I know who attend a private "Christian" school. There is a school master who has no other adults working at the school. There are about 20 students ranging in age from 8 to 17and the school master is the only teacher. The students are divided by two classrooms and they are not taught any one specific thing by the school master. They are instructed to watch a selected DVD about "whatever," then they are to study and be tested on whatever the homework assignment is, based on the DVD. They receive grades based on how they do on the tests that are based on how they do with their homework. What I do not understand how they can receive grades based on what I described if no specific one subject is discussed? I mean, I asked if they learned anything about math formulas' and sentence breakdowns, to which they replied "no!" My question is how will they be able to get in an "accredited" college if admissions is based on a GPA that is not in place at their particular school? In other words, how are they going to achieve higher learning if they are not prepared in the early stages of their young lives? / Then there was some conversation about their recess sessions where there was no "present" adult supervision. One of the two boys had a broken arm and the other had lacerations and a torn coat received during a couple of those recess sessions. No accountability was was offered to the parents relating to those altercations. / Now, the other side to this phenomenon is how could a parent allow their child to attend such a place, with or without this knowledge, based on the, seemingly, lack of accreditation? When checked into, there was no knowledge of a governing body to regulate the school's curriculum. / So, what should be done? Should those kids stay in that particular school or should they be exposed to the harsh reality of public school and receive an accredited education while getting their collective asses kicked, while under adult supervision? In other words, where can a child attend a school their parents can be assured that they will be safe while studying to insure their future? The answer to this question is with those who are in charge of the money. For some reason they do not seem to think that this dilemma is all that important. I mean, let's get real: What is the alternative to any of this? What was that? Home schooling? Who's got time for that? Last time I checked, kids need to eat so that they can have the strength to learn but where is the money going to come from if the parent(s) have to work even when the economy is so screwed up?(By the way, is a Catch 22 related to Murphy's Law?)

A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

February 3rd, Tuesday/ Okay, now that the reality of having a Black president has set in, let's get back to reality. When are we, as a society, going to get off the deal of having a surrogate image raise our children? I am talking about this Michael Phelps person (character, caricature, whatever...). Olympic swimming champion? Right. Multiple gold metal winner? Right! Role model? Wrong! Don't get me wrong. What Michael Phelps has been able to accomplish is remarkable. It's damn near unbelievable! I'm thinking that it will be quite some time before we see another human being even come close to what he has done in a swimming pool./ That being said, he is also a drinker and a pot smoker. Now I raise the argument: Should he be allowed to just apologize for his transgressions and go on his merry way and be allowed to maintain his role model status in good standing, or should he be recognized for who he really is and afford the same scrutiny like everybody else? OR, should alcohal and canabus be reevaluated and reclassified as a necessity in the spirit of athletic achievement, therefore allowing the "average joe" to live his, or her, wildest dream of being super human in the pool, or on the court, or on the field? I mean, is apolgizing in an appropriate time frame (You know, like the five second rule when you drop food on the floor and be able to pick it up and eat it in five seconds) enough time for him to be able to repeat an offense out of the eye sight of a camera or video recorder to be posted on You Tube for the world to see? If image is driving sales of whatever product other than alcohal and weed, should he still be allowed to sell whatever product and rake in millions of dollars in the process while others his age be burned at the stake for the same offense?/ My bad! Maybe what I should be asking is could someone please explain what "double standard means?"