Friday, August 6, 2010

Can Tiger Regain His Form?

Every week that Tiger Woods tees up for a tournament I think it's the week that I'll see the old Tiger, sinking putts that no one else can sink in pressure situations and hitting shots that only he can pull off on a regular basis. With each passing week though it appears that the old Tiger is no where to be found at least for this year. Yesterday in the first round of the Bridgetone Invitational, Woods shot a 4 over 74 and is 10 shots off the lead. His putts were either to the left or right of the intended target and let's not begin to discuss the wayward tee shots.

Tiger Woods has never gone through a year without winning a tournament, but it's looking like this may be the year. He just looks like the fire isn't there and he's just going through the motions. With the turmoil that's taken place in his life, his performances this year are understandable but still surprising given Woods legendary focus on the links.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Billionaires Giving Away Half Their Fortunes!

Years ago, billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffet committed to giving large portions of their fortunes to charity. Weeks ago they launched The Giving Pledge" campaign targeting other billionaires and encouraging them to give up to half of their fortunes to charity. They began a phone campaign, and as of yesterday we can count Ted Turner and Bernie Marcus on the list of billionaires who have made the commitment according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Bill Gates, specifically started the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia years ago that targets African American Students and located in a low income section of the city. The billionaires have to be applauded for their commitment to give back to the less fortunate.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

End of Kilpatrick Dynasty!

It appears that the sins of the son have derailed the political career of the mother as Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick's tenure in Congress came to a stunning end last night when she was beaten by Sen. Hansen Clarke in Michigan's Democratic primary. The Congresswoman has served in Congress since 1996 and raised up to 3 times more money than her opponent, but was still soundly beaten according to the Detroit Free Press.

Cheeks Kilpatrick's son is now infamous Kwame Kilpatrick who destroyed all political credibility of the Kilpatrick name. Despite the money that she spent, it would've been surprising for Cheeks Kilpatrick to survive political baggage left by her son.

Queen of Soul Breaks Ribs In Fall!

The Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has been forced to cancel 2 free concerts she was scheduled to perform in New York next week due to breaking her ribs in a fall over the weekend. Get well soon Queen!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The Article ESPN.com Didn't Want You To See About LeBron!

This story has flown a little under the radar, but Deadspin has the article that hit the ESPN.com site last week about LeBron James' fun times in Las Vegas written by Arash Markasi. The article which depicts how any 25 year-old with millions of dollars would probably behave isn't exactly flattering to James, and was pulled because Markazi failed to identify himself. All I can say is that James, who isn't married but has 2 children by his baby mama, clearly is enjoying his time in Vegas, but in this case what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas.

Roy Barnes Ignores Obama Visit!

President Barack Obama made a visit to Atlanta yesterday to speak in front of a group of disabled veterans and raise money for the Democratic party. More interesting is the fact that present Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue greeted the president at the airport, but present Democratic nominee for governor Roy Barnes was nowhere to be found, campaigning in the southern part of the state. Barnes clearly felt that he had nothing to gain by greeting the president, and that perhaps he even feels that President Obama is a liability.

A lot has changed for our president in the last year and a half. The euphoria that he once generated has been replaced by second guessing and skepticism. He's putting his presidential face on, but he needs to regain the trust of the American people and his party in order to change his fortunes.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Homeless To Scholarship!

It's amazing that students born into this country don't take advantage of educational opportunities to master the simple skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. Orayne Williams of Brooklyn overcame being abandoned by his family and homelessness to earn a full scholarship to Manhattanville College where he will major in Biology. Born to a poor family in Kingston, Jamaica, Williams' thirst for knowledge lead him to become an A student in high school, and when his story was profiled by the New York Daily News in June, scholarship money started flowing in from readers of the article including the college that he will be attending.

This is a heartwarming story that gives all of us a break from the normal stories of violence and crime that cloud the news on a daily basis as a result of teen behavior.

Link