The Blog

The below quote was in response to a news article on CNN.com titled “Life inside a North Korean prison.” It is detailing what life could be like for jailed US reporters Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in a N. Korean prison camp.

Mark Primavera June 9th, 2009 12:59 pm ET

You play with fire you get burnt, North Korea is not like the US. You just cant sneak under a fence, or swim across a stream and cut grass for a living. You want to sneak into someone else’s country you pay the price. Too bad we don’t do the same with all the garbage from Mexico and Guatemala.

It is so tough to draw a line between ignorance, racism, and opinion. Unfortunately, decades ago, the three were tossed into a blender, pulse’d for generations, and now we all get to sip on the product - hate! Seriously, there are bad seeds in any race, religion, or creed… and to continue to label an entire group based on those bad seeds is, in my opinion, irresponsible. Before you can call someone, or some group, garbage, take a long look in the mirror and realize that the your disdain for “Mexicans and Guatemalans” or anyone for that matter who come here illegally is as shameful as the act of them getting here. So, as your taking the “garbage” out, realize your current way of thinking is merely a contribution to the pollution that is influencing the next generation. Hatred and ignorance are viral, they are contagious, and honestly I would much rather live a life with “garbage” than a virus. Garbage can always be recycled and turned into something useful, a virus destroys life.

The last couple days I have been in Los Angeles at The California Wellness Foundation’s Champions of Health Professions Diversity conference, and wow what an amazing experience it has been!! I really can’t describe the level of motivation and inspiration that comes out of this type of conference. The stories of the three awardees were absolutely phenomenal. For a long time I have been debating what career chice I want to pursue and where I want to obtain it… Well I can now say I have an answer and it feels great!! It feels natural. It feels right. It feels amazing. Can’t wait to see what the future has in store!!

I heard a discussion this morning about the new rule that requires high school basketball players to spend at least one year in college before they enter the NBA draft. Stars like Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and Lebron James skipped college and went straight to the pro’s right out of high school. I think it’s safe to say they are doing “okay.” Anyways, this issue is subject to debate for it’s own reasons…

What caught my attention was the piece where allegations and corruption were brought into the discussion (if you have ever heard a talk on college athletics, 9 times out of 10 there is SOME discussion of corruption). Essentially, the commentator made this point: People constantly blame the “NCAA” for being corrupt. They blame the “NCAA” for making decisions based on financial gain, not the student-athletes best interest or what will appeal to the fans. So, who is the NCAA? The executive director is Myles Brand. Their headquarters are located in Indianapolis, Indiana. They have an annual budget of ~$5.64 billion (yes, billion, with a BEE)!!!!!! But that is not who or what defines the NCAA. Rather, the NCAA is an association, as it’s name implies. As an association, there is a governing body that dictates the direction of the organization. The management team handles the day to day operations and have the authority to make decisions as long as they are parallel with the governing bodies agenda. If a decision needs to be made that will affect the direction of the association, or will divert funding or leverage from the constituents of the association, than the governing body will be called in to make that decision. The governing body represents the group of individuals or organizations (the constituents) that make up the association. In the case of the NCAA, the constituents are ~1,200 colleges and universities who have college sports at their institutions. The governing body, therefore, are elected university presidents and athletic director’s. They are charged with making decisions that are in the best interest of the universities, student-athlete’s, and fans. In my opinion, they do so in that particular order!!

What does all this mean? It means take a long look at what the association represents. Of course financial gain is going to of top priority. One of the longest running debates is whether or not the NCAA should do away with the BCS and move over to a playoff format for determining the national champion in college football. The BCS generates millions for the schools who participate in the bowl games. Yet, every year there are legitimate contenders who get left out because the algorithm the BCS uses to determine who plays for the national championship determines so. Forget the expression “Any given sunday…!!” I honestly believe if the financial gain were less, you would

NCAA Headquarter's in Indianapolis, IN

Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference kicks off this morning. The keynote begins in ~15 minutes….

What’s gonna be announced? New iPhone? Snow Leopard? Who’s going to do the keynote? Phil Schiller? Steve Jobs?

Can’t wait!!!!!!! I soooo want to make one of these conferences!!!

WWDC 2009 - Make Your Mark Here

Damn, ever have one of those “regrettable” weekends. I’m not talking about the “oops, I drank too much and have to blame it on the ah ahl alchohol” type weekends. I’m talking about a weekend where after weeks of discipline - eating healthy and working out - I go and eat things I know I’m going to pay for. The culprets? Pizza & Nachos. The reason? I’d love to say it was because I was out numbered so because that was the food of choice by the majority, I was left with no choice but to eat. BUT, accountability means accepting and dealing with your choices so I have to take the fall and pay for my actions. I easily could have just resisted the temptation and made my own dinner, eaten somewhere else, or eaten two  slices instead of four - but I didn’t. Only person I can blame is myself. Damn.

But oh did it taste so good
No more though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!