The Sky Is The Limit: The Notorious B.I.G. May 21, 1972-March 9, 1997

By admin | Published: March 9, 2010

“If the game shakes me or breaks me
I hope it makes me a better man
Take a better stand
Put money in my mom’s hand
Get my daughter this college plan, so she don’t need no man
Stay far from timid
Only make moves when ya heart’s in it
And live the phrase Sky’s The Limit”

–Christopher Wallace/The Notorious B.I.G.

D.U.M.B. Questions:  What is your favorite quote from Biggie Smalls?  What have you learned from his lyrics? From his life? Leave a D.U.M.B. Comment Below!

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World Peace: A Nobel Idea

By admin | Published: March 8, 2010

On October 9, 2009, the United States was divided by one of the most pressing issues facing our nation today:  Whether or not Barack Obama deserved to be awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.  While political pundants seemed outraged, and Mr. President himself seemed surprised, I began to wonder how many of these pundants, tweeters and facebookers could tell me the least bit of history about the Nobel prizes and in particular who was last year’s peace prize winner? Or the last ten winners?  Just a D.U.M.B. question I thought… Read More »

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Welcome To The New World

By admin | Published: March 8, 2010

Somewhere between kindergarten and the high school graduation stage, students in U.S. schools learn that “in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”  This rhyme is so important in fact, that in 1971 President Richard Nixon declared the second Monday in October a national Holiday. Read More »

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Knowledge Is Power?

By admin | Published: March 8, 2010

Is it often said that “knowledge is power.”  I would have to disagree.  There are many knowledgeable people athat are powerless.  I would argue that it is the application of knowledge that gives us power and the ability to create change.  In the United States, students enter a cycle of homework and standardized tests—a system of rankings and percentiles and various tracks of ability at an early age.  Most students can memorize the facts needed to complete at worksheet, quiz or project but often forget the material they’ve crammed the next week—let alone the following year.  What is lacking in most classrooms is the power of purpose:  How can students use reading and writing, math and science in the real world? Read More »

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The ‘F’ Word

By admin | Published: March 8, 2010

D.U.M.B. Question:  What four letter word do we learn in elementary school and continue to use throughout our lives without a second thought?

Without a doubt, people give their words power.  F@%! Is a word that can motivate people to succeed.  Yet, for most people, the ability to F@%! Keeps them rooted in environments where they cannot grow. Read More »

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An Unbelievable Journey

By admin | Published: March 8, 2010

Today I was looking for some motivation to write.  Sometimes, when writers block occurs it helps to just step back and do something else.  So I turned on the television.   Everyone knows you can’t learn from watching TV anyway right?

My channel changing finger paused on VH1 so I started watching Eddie Griffin:  Going for Broke, a reality series where comedian Eddie Griffin (Malcolm & Eddie, Undercover Brother) realizes that he has to stop living beyond his means and regain control of his finances.   Read More »

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Select Your Character: Who Will You Choose To Be?

By admin | Published: March 8, 2010

When I was in high school my English teacher spoke seven words that were simultaneously simple and life changing.  In my successes and in my failures she was always quick to remind me that:

“LIFE IS ABOUT THE CHOICES YOU MAKE.”

The short film Turbo, a University of Southern California graduate thesis project directed by Jarrett Lee Conaway and produced by Garrett T. Thompson, takes my teacher’s classroom motto to the next dimension.  In Turbo, the ideals of the Karate Kid meet a futuristic interactive 4-D gaming world similar to that of the Nintendo Wii. Read More »

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Is There A Doctor In The House?

By admin | Published: March 8, 2010

Just the other day, I decided to stop by my local video store and pick up a few movies.  Often, I’ll buy pre-viewed DVDs and have a movie marathon with what I think is a good deal on movies that I love.  I am a bit of a snob when it comes to movie purchases—I won’t buy DVDs from book stores unless I’d like to lose an arm or leg; I try to purchase new movies on their release date to take advantage of limited sale prices; and I refuse to buy a DVD if it is in the “cheap” barrel.  You know the barrel I’m talking about—the one with films you may not have ever heard of.  The one where you would probably get tired if you tried to dig to the bottom of.  Yeah—you know…THAT barrel. Read More »

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Fear

By admin | Published: March 8, 2010

Between checking my email, updating my facebook status, tweeting life’s second to second occurrences, and watching hours of film and television, I have “rediscovered” one of the original forms of communication—the book.  This week I happened to come across a nugget of wisdom by author Curtis Jackson.  In collaboration with author Robert Greene, Jackson discusses a single word and how that word impacts us all.  That word is FEAR. How does the author Curtis Jackson handle fear?  Even more meaningful to youth today, how does Curtis Jackson, (aka 50 Cent) overcome fear in order to achieve the success he has achieved today? Read More »

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The Definition of Success

By admin | Published: March 8, 2010

Success:

1)       Accomplishment of an aim; favorable outcome.

2)      Attainment of wealth, fame, position.

3)      Thing or person that turns out well.

These are the definitions of success.  But how is success attained?  Some say luck.  Others say hard work and determination.  Still others say that the key to success is education and the ability to learn.  I believe that success in any shape or form is a combination of all of these factors.

In his 2009 “My Education, My Future” speech, President Barack Obama directly links education and success by repeating the word ‘success’ a total of eight times in the speech itself.  In fact, in one of the defining moments of the speech he says that people succeed because “they understand that you can’t let your failures define you—you have to let them teach you.  You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.” In his address to students, the President focused on the first definition of success:  the accomplishment of a goal.  “I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education—and do everything can do to meet them…Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.  I want you to really work at it.”

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