Fruit for Thought: the Intersection of Education, Culture, and Performance

My Howard University ties to #41 ( Antoine Bethea ) and my allegiance to Indy for continuing the legacy of Black head coaches took a back seat to what a championship means to the post-Hurricane Katrina 9th Ward and the entire Who Dat Nation. In the grand scheme of things, people might be asking, “ What does this Super Bowl win really do for New Orleans? ” I too am a skeptic. Four and a half years ago, the Superdome was nothing short of a 21st Century Middle Passage. However, to see what one team’s accomplishments have done to transform, shape and hold a community together in the midst of rebuilding proves that New Orleans is the embodiment of resilience. The full extent of what this Championship will do has yet to be seen and the NFL attempt to successfully infringe upon the untrademarkable Who Dat did not deter the Saints Nations who would not lose: Brees: 1 Team: 2 
 Brees: Win Team: For You 
 Brees: 3 Team: 4 
 Brees: Win Team: Some More 
 Brees: 5 Team: 6 
 Brees: Win Team: ...

I can only speak for myself when I ask the question: In the aftermath of this disaster, what is my role/responsibility? Looking around this social network that is life, I see four groups I could join. Name: Don’t Know, Don’t Show, Don’t Care Type: misinformed and uncaring Members: the Rush Limbaughs , the Pat Robertsons and the like Description: We have the means and resources to help, but why should we? This doesn't affect us. This earthquake isn’t our concern. Let those people handle their own issued. Don’t we have better things to worry about? Let’s use this disaster as a way to push our own agendas and ideas and opinions to refocus the attention on us. JOIN GROUP Name: Money, Power, Respect Type: I have the resources and power, how can I help? Members: Tom Joyner, Wyclef Jean, Roland Martin, etc, etc, etc... Description: These are our friends, our families and our neighbors. We have a responsibility to lend a hand and if we have the resources it is our duty to support, assist...

It is a sad day when tabloids start reporting the news. As much as I refuse to read tabloids, the Rumor-Mill sucked me via the ESPN coverage of the Tiger Woods saga. I followed the paper trail from the ESPN to the US Weekly website for the EXCLUSIVE story . As I am writing this, there are bound to be new revelations surfacing, more golfers sound bites about how “better than thou” they are and sponsor shuffling as they worry about their bottom-line. Spectators watching this soap opera unfold will have to make a choice. They can either: a) criticize, belittle and hate Tiger for being (neither the first nor the last) unfaithful in his marriage or b) see him as a human who succumb to the temptations of being the “most recognized athlete in the world.” The line in the sand has been drawn and Tiger’s fellow golfers have decided where they stand . It’s not anybody’s business, man. It’s his and his wife’s and his children’s business. And the problem I have with it is all the people that are t...

Friday, December 11th now holds greater significance to me. For as long as I can remember, I have considered my mother a princess and once the release date was set I knew I wanted to take her to see it. So, my mother, father, brother, my girlfriend and my cousin and her boyfriend went to see The Princess and the Frog the Saturday after my mother’s Friday, December 11th birthday. I have been to a few opening weekend movies in my day, but never have I been given a survey to fill out as I walked in the theater. Still slightly bitter that Tiana did not have a black prince, I asked the people handing out the surveys, “Is there a question on here where I can respond as to why Disney decided to leave out the black prince?” To this I got puzzled looks from the survey employees whose job probably did not entail answering ridiculous questions from bitter moviegoers. Nevertheless, I was going to be heard. I had every intention on writing my suggestions and feedback on the back of the survey. I k...

It is 3:34 am on Black Friday and the Christmas season has officially started. Some stores have been open for three and a half hours, some will be opening in less than a half hour and there are others who are going that 5:00 am route. All this to accommodate those early birds who want to get those Christmas gift worms before anyone else does. I would be out there right now taking part in the madness, but I am heading to bed. There is no need for me to go shopping. I got myself an early Christmas gift: DJ Hero . I will say this: I was not all that excited about the whole Rock Band/Guitar Hero fad. I get what all the fuss was about. I love DDR (America) and Beatmania IIDX (Japan) – watching them being played, not playing them – as much as the next person. So bringing those rhythmic, hand-eye coordination games to the home console is pure video game innovation. With that being said, I am not a big rock person. I have always wanted to play the drums or the guitar, but my parents picked t...

Since early November, people have been disrespecting my favorite holiday by decorating their houses, advertising their sales and getting in the Christmas spirit. I only thought it fitting that I bring it back to focus. Friends and family flock for a fabulous feast of food while following the festivities of football. This is my Thanksgiving alliteration because the only preparing done in the 11th month should be for the last Thursday in November revolving around the 4Fs – friends, family, food and football. The friends, the family and the food are great, but for me, Thanksgiving means nothing without football. The retirement of John Madden also meant the retiring of a timeless Thanksgiving Day tradition: the turducken . An eight-legged chicken, stuffed inside a duck, stuffed inside a turkey made NFL Thanksgiving Thursday special . I sure miss that turducken. Maybe the Madden turducken should be revived at the Superdome for the festivities at the Bayou Classic . As a Historically Black ...

If this were Feudal Japan and I, being a loyal follower of the emperor, badmouthed him – even after he made some very questionable decisions – my only option would have been to fall on my sword – 切腹 or 腹切り. Good thing this is Twenty-09 US of A where football teams honor the 60s by wearing awesome throwbacks. As a loyal follower of the Broncos, I only want what is best for the Mile High Empire. However, my treacherous thinking first began after Pat Bowlen (owner) fired the same person he once called “Coach for Life.” My dissatisfaction with the organization continued when they brought in a young (officially the third youngest coach in NFL history ), New England trained (I dislike anything New England except clam chowder) head coach. Before he had a chance to officially coach his first game, he shipped out a QB with a once in a generation arm, brought in an average QB and beefed back and forth with a receiver who has once in a generation abilities (accompanied with the all too common wi...