REVEREND WRIGHT'S FULL SERMON

When I saw the soundbites and the political ads I thought to myself this guy may be a little bit crazy he's really hurting Barack. I myself am well aware of what sound biting and editing can do to change the message and take it out of context. After hearing the whole speech I realized that I too had been manipulated to a degree by the media. If you have 10 minutes take the time to listen and make your own decision. I thought that it was a very good sermon. The only controversy is that Reverend Wright is telling the truth, and sometimes we can't handle the truth very well as Americans.

CANDACE PARKER INKS DEALS WITH GATORADE AND ADIDAS

Candace Parker has seemed to singlehandedly bring new life to women's basketball. She is a great representative for African American women. Her combination of skill, beauty, and intelligence is breaking down many of the stereotypes of the woman athlete is an overly masculine female. I have to admit that I am not a big women's basketball fan but this year's final four drew my attention due to the excitement created by Parker and Stanford's Candace Wiggins. I think Adidas and Gatorade made very smart marketing moves by signing her. Financial details were not disclosed but they say the deals total between $3-4 million. She will be the only black female athlete on Gatorade's roster of endorsers. Adidas has plans to release a signature shoe and use her as the centerpiece for their women's athletic apparel line. Think they will get more than adequate returns on their investments. Hopefully she provides the WNBA with the boost it needs.

ARTICLE
CANDACE PARKER SCORES WITH ADIDAS, GATORADE

IS VIDEO GAMING AMERICA'S LATEST ADDICTION EPIDEMIC

We all are well aware that as Americans we have major issues with addiction. We have battled the traditional addictions of alcohol, drugs, and gambling and still have not found adequate solutions. The problem is that there continue to be new and innovative ways to prey on our addicts. Such are the problems we seem to have to face in a capitalistic free market society. Well it seems that there is a new addiction problem that is getting a lot of mainstream media attention, video games. I saw an article this morning "What Makes Video Games Addictive?" I had no idea that video games were destroying careers, breaking up marriages, leading to child abandonement, and in one known case death.This new addiction is certainly widening the client base for psychiatrists, psychologists, and other less trained "therapists," but does it really warrant much attention? I'm not sure but from reading the article I'm led to believe that Video Gamers Anonymous will be coming soon. If video games are getting in the way of your normal everyday life I suggest you look into first helping yourself from yourself. If that doesn't work there definitely are plenty of willing people to help you for a small fee. Check with your insurance company maybe they will cover it.

ARTICLE
WHAT MAKES VIDEO GAMES ADDICTIVE?

NOKIA SIGNS SONY BMG FOR FREE MUSIC OFFERING

The music industry continues to try to find new ways to generate revenue as cd sales continue to decline. It seems to me that phone companies such as Nokia have read into the state of panic the major labels are in and are jumping on the opportunity to take advantage of them. Nokia has started a program for its phone customers "Comes with Music." As a benefit to customers purchasing their phones, customers can receive unlimited music downloads from Universal and Sony BMG artists. The customers can keep the music that they download forever. The article states that this would give the music industry a shot in the arm as cd sales continue to decline. It seems to me that this is simply a band-aid trying to cover a gaping wound. The music industry really needs to focus on a broader plan to adjust to the changing music industry. It seems they are always a step behind the market. Although I'm not a major label executive it really doesn't seem like they have a clear plan. Many people include the nation's touring companies believe that there is an opportunity to eliminate the necessity for the traditional record labels. Its very hard for me to understand why these companies with huge R&D budgets can't seem to figure it out. Congratulations to Sony and Universal for at least taking a step whether that step was a good one we shall see.

ARTICLE
SONY BMG TO OFFER MUSIC THROUGH NOKIA PHONES

GRIFFEY KEEPS ROBINSON's LEGACY ALIVE

Baseball recognized Jackie Robinson again recently with Jackie Robinson Day to celebrate his accomplishments as the first African-American player to cross professional baseball's color line. Ken Griffey Jr. honored Robinson by requesting to wear his MLB wide retired #42 jersey to honor him. Although Robinson opened the doors for African American players there is still an alarmingly low percentage in baseball. The article states that only 8.2 % of players in the MLB are black. Ken Griffey Jr. offered some very interesting commentary on why the numbers are so low. I remember when I was a kid Ken Griffey Jr. was the face of baseball, he was promoted at a Michael Jordan level, and had crossed over into popular culture. The MVP last year was Jimmy Rollins an African American player and the majority of people don't even know who he is . It's good to see a player like Griffey to become active in bringing attention to thsi issue.

ARTICLE
GRIFFEY KEEPS ROBINSON'S LEGACY ALIVE

SMALL BUSINESSES OFFER ALTERNATIVE TO GANG LIFE

I was recently in Los Angeles and the effects of Gangs and Violence not only on people's physical safety but mental peace of mind can't be explained. It is extremely refreshing to see a non-profit organization like Homeboy Industries that it tackling the issue head on. The organization is not just dismissing gang culture as a problem that can't be fixed. The company is creating jobs and opportunities for those affected by gang culture ti get themselves out of the life and become productive members of society. The money that is generated by the businesses is being used to offer those affected by gang culture many free services. These services include mental therapy for former gang members, housing assistance, job development counseling and tattoo removal treatments. Shout out to Rev. Gregory Boyle for starting this uplifting organization and creating a positive impact.

ARTICLE HERE:
SMALL BUSINESSES OFFER ALTERNATIVE TO GANG LIFE

HOW TO BE A MORE EFFICIENT ENTREPRENEUR

Those of you out there who have decided to go own your own business and go the entrepreneurial route, here's a helpful article for one of the biggest problems we all face; getting all the work that's needed to be done in the 24 hours in a day. The fact of the matter is that the problem isn't always the limited time but our limited efficiency as human beings. Check the article from the New York Times.

FOR ENTREPRENEUR'S ITS ALL ABOUT TIME

AN APOLOGY

For those who visit my blog regularly I want to apologize that we've fallen behind on posting on the blog. Schedule has been crazy and hasn't allowed a lot of time but we're back!!!!