UF beats Ohio State...Well Sorta

Now the Ohio State vs. UF basketball game was by no means a preview as to what will happen on January 8th, 2007 in Glendale, AZ, BUT I would be lying that if I wasn't hoping for the same outcome for the Championship Game. The basketball game was great, especially in the second half. By that time, the Gators had an ever increasing sizable lead, Greg Oden looked to be sucking wind and slowing down as the other Gator basketball player seemed to pick up their tempo twice as fast than compared to the first half. Ulitmately beating the ohio state buckeyes by the score of 86-60. Now in reading this don't expect a color commentary of the game, I was busy shouting, clapping and doing the Gator Chomp than sitting down quietly and writing notes. But if you do want a bit more of a story as to what happened during the game, below should be a link to an article I had found on ESPN.com.

ESPN's article: Horford's return sparks Gator in surprising rout over OSU
and the picture is from ESPN.com from about a year ago.

I'm a gator fan...there's no changing that fact.

Until next time,

Trying to Write Funny!

Trying to write a blogs in a comedic tone is harder than I thought. When starting The Underground Report (a name that might change, haven't found the right title for this blog site), I thought I could come in and start writing like I was a member of The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. That was not the case, that's not to say that I have even attempted to write anything funny or humorous. Just that to read news articles every day and then turn around and write something funny about it or present it in a funny tone, is harder than one seem. For example, take the speech Vice President Dick Cheney did for outgoing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. To paraphrase Vice President Dick Cheney, " Donald Rumsfeld was the best Secretary of Defense to ever serve this country." Wow, that is a very impressive and bold statement to come out and make. Yet, if anyone remembers Dick Cheney was President George H. Bush's Secretary of Defense from 1989 to 1993. So...pretty much he is saying he sucked ass as Secretary of Defense and Donald Rumsefeld was better than he is. I won't go in to diatribe about the foul ups by this former Secretary of Defense, the news media, current and retired generals have that covered.

Another example, how can you make a story of a Virgina congressman who makes what seems to be a very racially/ bigot like comment about an incoming Muslim congressman who wants to be sworn in on the Qur'an instead of the Bible, saying (again I paraphrase) along the lines of: "That because of immigration, these Muslim will come in and take over this country." Again, I am just a regular American citizen, but seems someone fail to recognize that the American Constitution forbids using religious testing for any public official to gain office, there is that First Amendment right of "Freedom of religion" and finally, that incoming congressman was born in the United States, but that is a simple mistake anyone can make. However, you have to give it to the Virgina congressman for saying he won't apologize for what he said, and the said the Republicans have lost their spines...

Well like I said before, it is hard to write news items in a comedic tone, but it sure isn't hard when people make it easy for you to do so.

Until next time...


Also a bit of a note, wanted to go ahead and just state where i get these pictures that I use in my blogs. Try to avoid any legal troubles that might arise. The picture of Ed Bradley was attained from www.cbsnews.com; The picture of the UF Gator Football teams were either obtain from www.foxsports.com or www.espn.com; Finally the picture of Walter Cronkite was obtained by www.coutant.org. There just a little bit of cleaning house.

Everybody Hates GreG

After watching an episode of Everybody Hates Chris a few weeks ago on TV (I think it was the episode title: "Everybody Hates Thanksgiving"). A few parts in that episode started to remind of things that happened to me while I was growing up. Now my family wasn't poor by any means, both parents had full time jobs and pulled in decent money, and there was never a time where we had to struggle to find money in order to have that night's dinner. However, families around the neighborhood and even the local church would drop off toys and food during the Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas holiday. My parents, took it for Christian kindness, however I took it for as any adolescent kid would, free food and free toys. For the kid who was about to get a SNES under his Christmas tree, getting a Monopoly board game or some other game, just meant one less gift my parents would have to worry about. Luckily, I can say that those rare times I was the ONLY black kid in my middle school/ high school class that the teacher did not launch into a rant about how the class should be sensitive to my cultural background and celebrate Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa wouldn't even apply to me since I am first generation American and my parents were born and raised in Haiti. Shoot, I didn't even know how Kwanzaas is celebrated, only that it deals with colored candles and somehow looks like Menorah...but no dreidel involved though.

Well that's it for now!

On one last note, it was a year ago I had first attempted to create a blog. Let's just say I didn't keep up with the blog entries or the upkeep of the page. I do remember that my first blog entry was about how I was deciding to take the year off from studying the GREs and Graduate school application to relax and enjoy myself, and 2006 has not yet disappointed me yet. I wonder what 2007 has in stored...guess time will tell.

Until next time,

What A Difference...

Wow...what a difference 2 weeks can make. Looking at my previous blog entry, I would of have sworn that no matter what the Gators did, that they would not get the chance to play for the National Championship game. But with a strong finish (okay a semi-strong finish, a win is a win right!) and other teams being eliminated from contention (talking about you USC, losing to those Bruins). The Gators by a tenth point differential, in comparison to Michigan, was granted the chance to play in the Tostitos Championship Game (not the Fiesta Bowl...that is going to be Oklahoma and Boise State).

I am nothing less than psyched that I get to be part of a town atmosphere where there is the possibility that the University of Florida could win two National Championship Titles (one already in basketball and hopefully another on January 8th, 2007). Already I get the feeling people are reserving their tickets to leave town and reserving whatever table at whatever sports bar to watch it on the big screen. Makes me wonder if there won't be some special viewing of the game at the O'Dome.

Well Gator-mania is in the air and there is no signs of it slowing down.

Go Gators!!!

The Downfall of the Real News Division

Nothing like starting out a serious, thought provoking blog, by skewering the very medium of which I am communicating that thought. Don't understand? Do not worry I will hopefully try to clear this all up very shortly.

Now, one would think that the most important news item of this week would be, the rising hostilities that are occurring in Iraq; the President's visit with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, or any other world events that affect us, this country, and the world in profound ways. However, that was not the case. The huge headlines to rock the nation: NBC deciding to call the Iraqi conflict a civil war. Brittany Spears showing her crotch all over town,and Pamela Anderson divorce from Kid Rock (aka Bob Ritchie).

Now I don't make any qualms about how much I hate entertainment news, every time Entertainment Tonight comes on the television. I can feel my body break out in convulsions and want to go into a coma. However, it is not Mary Hart trying to act 90 years younger than she really is that has me pissed off. It is how the country as a whole seems to get fixated on these people and seem to forget that there is shit going down outside our borders. Just this past elections, news outlets said that the 2006 Elections would be a referendum on the Iraq War. And you know what, yeah...that could be true. But for how long? How long will the American people be interested in a war before the next glamor news headline item distracts them and places them back into a state numbness we had found ourselves earlier this year.

Now on to about NBC deciding to call the Iraqi conflict a civil war. I have no problem whatsoever, calling the conflict a civil war. I guess my problem with the whole thing is when did the news divisions become news. Did they really need to come out with fanfare and confetti and announce to the nation that, "we are taking a stand against the other networks and call this conflict a civil war first!" Honestly, there was a time, when Network news did not make the news, they just reported it. That is the reason I have Walter Cronkite picture on this days blog entry. Back then the news in this country carried weight. It was the voice of the people and was not afraid to ask the questions that needed to be asked. President Lyndon Johnson once said of Cronkite, " If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost the country." You would be hard press to find any president saying that about any of the Network news outlets now.
I guess, what I'm trying to get at is that we become to easily distracted with news items that don't really need to be news items. If it be a white girl from an upper middle class home who has gone missing for weeks, or a celebrity who just committed double murder. Yes they are news worthy, but not to the point they need to be headline news for three straight weeks. In this country many people go missing, and many people are murdered, however where is their media coverage.

I think I'm gonna bring this blog entry to an end now before it becomes a full blown essay. Plus after re-reading it seems my thoughts are all over the place. Next time, I think I'm going to actually pre-write my ideas before attempting to write it out from scratch.

Well until next time...

Gators 'Cock Block Entry into BCS Title Game!

Wow! what a game. If there was ever a time when everything in the world seemed to stop for a few seconds, it happened on Saturday when the University of South Carolina (headed by former UF coach Steve Spurrier) enter the SWAP to take on 8-1 Florida Gators. To say the game was an ugly one, is an understatement. I do not think there was one person in the city of Gainesville, who did not think we were going to lose that game, and it almost did in the last eight seconds of the game when USC tried to go for a field goal to win the game. A field goal that was ultimately blocked by the UF Gators.

However, I guess my only criticism of what happened Saturday are the effects that carried over onto Sunday evening. Where for some weird reason the UF Gators remain at #4 on the BCS standings, while USC~Southern California jumped from #7 to #3. The whispers that is going around the sporting community as of right now is that the whomever the winner of Ohio State/ Michigan will be going against the winner of the USC/ Notre Dame game. Meaning that even if the Florida Gators where to go all out and win it's last three games, that we would still have no chance to make it to the National Championship game in January.

I guess you don't hate the BCS until it comes around and screws your team.

So, here are some upsets and outcomes that are needed this weekend in order for the Gators to have a chance to play for the National Championship:

• Florida Gators will need to win against Western Carolina (a blowout of a score would be even better...no more close games guys!).
• Michigan needs to beat Ohio State
• Mississippi State needs to defeat Arkansas
• Cal needs to beat USC (by double digits)
• After being beaten by Cal, USC needs to come around and defeat Notre Dame. I don't see Notre Dame losing to Army this weekend.

...so this upcoming Saturday, we will see what teams falls and which one will rise to the top, but I have a feeling that Ohio State vs. Michigan game is going to be a great tight shootout.

Until Next Time,

And So It Begins...

For some time now I have been mulling over the thought of starting a blog. Seems like everyone has a blog site, blogging on everything and anything (not dissing them, just saying that's all). I wouldn't be surprised if people have blog sites for the pets. I am not going to write and proclaim that my blogs will be the greatest thing since slice bead, but hopefully it shines some light on the inner working that is my mind.

Well, on to the thoughts for today...

It has been three days since Democrats have taken control of the House away from the Republicans and two days since the Democrats took control of the Senate. And you better believe that I was sitting and watching each race closely (sad I know). In the aftermath, Bush and Cheney were both left in shock after their "thumpin'" on Election night, because both men had felt confident that Republicans would keep control of both House of Congress. Apparently looking at polls and other indicators are not a strong point in this administration. So where does that leave the us, "the people", now that the dust have settled? Well we are going to atleast have a Congress that worries about real issues rather than focusing energy on changing french fries to freedom fries. Hopefully now that we have some balance back in government issues likes Minimum wage, prescription drugs, health care, and correcting our standing in the world will finally be addressed. The only one thing I am worried are those rogue democrats who wants revenge for all the years the Republican party kept them down in the muck. If both sides can take an important lesson from the 2006 Mid-term Elections, is that people, constituents, voters, everybody is starting to get sick of the childish partisan fights and bickering that's been plaguing our institutions for the past couple of years. However, as one professor told me a while back, the House of Representatives is not really an effective institution because as soon as they are elected to office they spend the next 2 years working on their re-election campaign, well see if they prove my old professor wrong.

In another surprise this week, both Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield and RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman handed in their resignation. Even though rumors of Rumsfield being ousted were being whispered through the grapevine for a while now, the stepping down of Ken Mehlman is by the far the one that seems the most odd and shocking (even though he claims to say that his decision to leave was made before the results of the 2006 elections---yeah, okay!). What can most people take from this, well one can take that the President former rhetoric of staying the course, in his eyes is not working and that is time to infuse the remaining years of his presidency with something positive. I do have to say this, for a man worried about his legacy, he really needs to start focusing on the here and now. I doubt you'll find any historian who said that George Washington did the things he did because he was worried about this legacy and how history would view him 40 years down the road.


Well it's time to end this blog. Instead of ending on something happy and positive, I want to end it on a sad note. On November 9, 2006, CBS 60-minute reporter Ed Bradley, passed away after losing his fight with leukemia. Now, I did not know the man personally and I never met him, but he was a model of what a real educated African-American person should be in today's time. Too many times have I seen young African-Americans focus wealth rather than getting an education. Have we as a race of people gone that far down the ladder that the lessons of Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Dubois, George Washington Carver, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. are forgotten to the likes Li'l Jon and the Ying Yang Twins. To Mr. Bradley, you will be greatly missed, but you will never be forgotten!

Until next time,
GreG