Headlines

-condolences to Whitney Houston's family and friends ... I'm not gonna front and say that I was a longtime fan ... But it's just sad to see the fall from grace of someone who quite literally seemed to "almost have it all" ... While a life ending from (what everyone suspects to be) drug-related reasons isn't surprising, 48 years of age is definitely a life snuffed out way too premature ... God Speed ...

-It should be no surprise that I've sipped the Linsanity juice ... It's definitely more than the fact that it's an Asian in the NBA ... It also definitely goes further than the fact that I predicted the New York Knicks to start the year ... It's the fact that the hype (or over-hype for the haters) and immediate success of Jeremy Lin has breathed new life in what I believe is a stale NBA product ... Before the Lakers/Knicks game last week the last full NBA game I watched was Lakers/Bulls on Christmas Day, the one before was Mavericks/Heat Game 6 ... I've been perfectly content reading box scores and watching highlights on the web ... I've been looking for an excuse to get a Knicks jersey, but I'm not exactly a fan of either Melo or Stat, but if Lin-vincible can sustain his success and have a meaningful playoff run, you can bet I'll be in the NBA store this coming Labor Day doing just that ...

-another 2008/2012 connection ... A U.S. Presidential election ... Barack Obama in my opinion has seen some of the harshest criticism of any president that I can remember ... Not that I didn't see it coming since his victory back in '08 ... Society today, especially American society, has become incredibly impatient, always looking for a quick fix and/or instant gratification to everything ... Instead of placing blame on others, many of today's world crises can be solved merely by common sense ... Perhaps the biggest at the forefront is the financial crisis ... It simply comes down to spending within one's means and drawing a line between material needs/wants ... It's unbelievable how many people I've seen living off credit cards or lines of credit ... Essentially today's generation is working to pay off debt ... Sure the cost of living has increased exponentially and at a greater rate than average wages, but those in debt still find a way to kill each other to purchase the latest in fashion and electronics ... People seriously need to get their priorities straight and stop placing blame or relying on people in power to bail them out of their idiodicy ...

-Haters are proof that your words/actions carry weight ... Doubters are a reminder that you are in full control of your successes or failures ... So make your words and actions count by making things happen for yourself ...

~J-Smooth~