On my Mind

The Future of the NBA – Drafting the next NBA Champions

  The dream of every NBA city is to be able to contend for a title and bring a championship to the city. The NBA is an ever changing landscape and the competition is always evolving with new youth that develop from the College rankings to overseas international talents that bring professional league experiences. Building a championship contender is not a perfect science but there are generally…

The other night I was listening to Chance the Rapper’s new Mixtape Coloring Book and I thought man, what if different artists from different eras and genres would collaborate to make these super albums. Kind of like how Jay-Z & Kanye did with Watch the Throne. Sometimes it works, sometimes it falls flat. But, in an alternate reality where hypothetical pairings are everything, we could match any artist we wanted to briefly map out our dream artist collaborations. So, I went ahead and jotted down some of collaborations that I’ve always wanted to see and some that I know would never happen but just would be fun to stir up some shit. I came up with a pretty sizeable list that has grown each day but for this first volume I had to limit it to 7 dream matchups and I think they are pretty damn enticing. Some possible than others. I’m hoping that this is the first of quite a few volumes of this artist pairing. My only real rules were:

1)      Match Artists that generally wouldn’t not mind working together

2)     Don’t clash styles that really don’t make sense

3)     Have fun and be creative

Kendrick Lamar x Eminem (Produced by Dr Dre)

At their peaks, Kendrick and Eminem can arguable be dubbed as the best lyricists/emcees the game has seen. Critically acclaimed and often mentioned among raps best, here we unite two of Dr. Dre’s protégé’s produced by none other than the Doc himself. The album would bring the grittiness of Compton & Detroit together. Could you imagine if they remade Guilty Conscience with Kendrick Em & Dre?! Take a new school spin on some of the old school classics. We’ve got decades of rap history packed into this one. The 90’s Dre, 00’s Eminem, 10’s Kendrick. That’s a solid 3 decades of primetime legends. This is like taking 1990’s Jordan, 2000’s Kobe, and 2010’s LeBron and throwing them on the same team for one season just to see how they kill the competition.

Adele x Rihanna

Other than girl bands, it’s a rarity that we ever see Female x Female collaborations. I can’t even think of one off the top of my head. I don’t know why there haven’t been many because female artists have such great voices and are so incredibly talented. So, let’s take two female artists at the top of their games and unite them as one. Rihanna is arguably sitting up there with or above Beyoncé as the top female recording artists right now. Adele burst onto the scene just a few years back and has impressed with her incredible voice. Here you get a mix of soul, R&B, hip-hop, and reggae which is a very wide range. That would be intriguing to hear Adele sing on a reggae beat. I don’t even know what that would sound like but I’m sure she’ll find some way to make you cry. I’m sure it would be the first time in history someone cried to a reggae song.

The Weeknd x Bruno Mars (ft. posthumous Michael Jackson & James Brown)

We’re raising guys from the living dead just for this one time tribute album. Michael Jackson & James Brown were pioneers of music that were often praised for the vindication to their craft. After the Weeknd’s last album Beauty behind the Madness, it’s very clear it was an ode to MJ in his beats and singing approach. So, why not mesh these two on the same track. Since we can’t literally bring MJ from the dead, ala Thriller…OH SHIT, what if he rose from the dead in a Thriller remake with the Weeknd. We can have like a CGI MJ and they can just sample MJ from the original Thriller audio with the Weeknd leading an army of new aged zombies.

We also got Bruno Mars and James Brown on this album. Why? Because Bruno Mars is one of the love child’s of James Browns from someone he probably met in Hawaii during some luau afterparty in the 1980’s. How cool would it be to see James Brown and his son Bruno Mars on the same tracks? Bruno Mars is extremely talented and often gets the comparison to James Brown in his performance style. B-Mars & JB would make the funkiest of funky funkadelic albums.

Now combine all four of these artists and you get a mix of modern day emulators of past legends. The ultimate tribute album.  

Andre 3000 x Justin Timberlake (Produced by Timberland)

Andre 3000 is one of the most underrated artists that we often sleep on. He really was the gem in Outkast and had a successful short solo stint. Justin Timberlake was very successful in his early Boy Band career and super-duper successful as a solo artist. The guy sings/acts/dances/comedian and he married Jessica Biel. There are few people who didn’t wish they were living the life of Justin Timberlake. What’s unique about these two is they are so versatile in their style and could easily work with any artist out right now. The only way to bring two high profile artists is to have this produced by none other than Timberland himself. Timberland is an incredible producer, so this one will feature some next level beats.

Sam Smith x Adele

Adele is the female Sam Smith and Sam Smith is the male Adele. It’s like identical twins were separated at birth each who had these super powers that enabled them to bring grown men and women to their knees filling them with emotions and pushing them to the brink of tears each time they openly sung a melody. Quite similar to the Midas touch, but everything they touch started crying. But that’s not a bad thing, these are happy tears. This album would be the most emotionally overwhelming collaboration known in recent history. Every 30 seconds one of them is hitting a high note and activating billions of goosebumps throughout your body. In a way, this music could be used as a defense weapon. Imagine this, put the Adele x Sam Smith album on the speaker system/megaphone in the middle of the trenches and you could instantly distract opposing soldiers and foreign intelligence. They would be so overcome with emotion, the music will disrupt their radio frequencies and have them question their motives. They’ll then pack up shop and run back to their loved ones and apologize for all the bad shit they did. Yes I know this sounds kinda crazy but I’m almost 100% sure it will work in some capacity.

Childish Gambino x Chance the Rapper x Vic Mensa (Produced by Kanye West)

Most of the other artists on this list are well known seasoned veterans in the music industry. This one is a bit different. Wanted a collection of the rising future of the rap game. It’s been rumored that Gambino and Chance are working on a collaboration album together. A lot of times those are the best rumors that never come to fruition. So, let’s throw Vic Mensa in there because he’s pretty cool and like Chance, he hails from Chicago and the Chicago rap scene has pumped out a lot of great artists in the past decade or so. In one corner you have the ultra-versatile Comedian/Writer/Rapper Childish Gambino. Funny story, when I first discovered Childish Gambino’s music I thought it was a parody joke album by Donald Glover and I was waiting for the punch line through the whole album and it never came. I was shocked, I didn’t see that shit coming. Vic Mensa is still pretty unknown in the general rap community but he’s on the rise. Chance the Rapper, he’s somewhat new but he’s slowly pushing towards a trajectory into heaven with his gospel like uplifting rap style. All these artists are very modern as they rap to cater towards the millennial generation. We’ve got three young budding artists that need to be united by one guiding force. That force is Kanye West, their Master Yoda or rather Master Yeezy. Master Yeezy is only right because he’s an excellent producer and is very much tied to Chance & Vic Mensa having been featured on Kanye’s latest The Life of Pablo. I was tempted to replace Gambino with Kid Cudi and have all of Master Yeezy’s disciples but Kid Cudi got kind of weird in the last couple years. In any case, you never see a collaboration of three artists like this, so this is the ultimate rap treat. Sidebar: It would be pretty epic if Kanye’s ego grew so immensely that he literally believed he was Master Jedi like Yoda and started dressing like one and then over time shrunk into a small little green dude.

90’s Jay-Z x 90’s Nas

NBA season is back in action tonight after a 3.5 month break and it’s time to make a few predictions for the season.

Always wanted to do pre-season predictions, so I’ll give it my best shot.

Greg’s Bold predictions for 2015-2016 NBA season

1) Surprise Sleeper from Western Conference - Utah Jazz

Jazz have collected a plethora of great young talent over last few years and organization has molded team into a great defensive unit, #1 in 2nd half of season last year I believe. I am expecting this team to give a lot of teams out West trouble. I see them potentially contending for the 8th seed, though it will be tough out West, they will be in the Mix

2) Surprise Sleeper from Eastern Conference - Orlando Magic

Similar to the Jazz, another team that has collected a ton of great talent through the last several drafts. As the new Coach, Scott Skiles is well known in turning bad teams into top tier defenses. Players like Vucevic/Gordon/Harris could continue to develop as one of the better young front courts. Key is to get Elfrid Payton to cut down his turnovers as a ball handler. I expect them to finish around 0.500 but to contend throughout the season for one of the lower seeds out East.

3) Western Conference Team on the Decline – Portland Trailblazers

Lose 80% of your starting lineup and your entire Conference gets better. Portland won their division last year and locked up the #4 seed. Kevin Durant is back and ready to make noise. I expect Portland to fall out of the playoff standings and end up becoming a lottery team. I love Damien Lillard but I just can’t see how this team can recover after all the departures this offseason.

4) Eastern Conference Team on the Decline – Atlanta Hawks

So, this one is interesting. I am not predicting the Hawks will completely fall out of the playoffs after locking up the #1 seed last season. I am expected the Hawks to fall a few spots and finish in the lower half of the playoff seeding. Though they adding Splitter, they also lost Demarre Carroll to Toronto who was a huge for them last year. I would have liked to see them add some quality shooters this offseason because Korver had a career year last year and I can’t see a repeat. The Miami Heat should be healthy and have a ton a great talent that should help them reclaim the South East division. I expect Atlanta to lock up the 6th or 7th seed.

5) Western Conference Team to make Huge Leap – Oklahoma City Thunder

This one might be more of an obvious prediction because the Thunder just missed the playoffs this past season. Russell Westbrook had an MVP like season while Durant was down but with Durant expected back, this team should be back to immediate contention. I expect them to replace the Portland in the playoffs and contend for a top 3 seed out West. Expect Durant to comeback better than ever and a whole new Angry Durant. New coach, but I’m hoping Billy Donovan kick starts this team again. He’s playing in a contract year, so I expect him to prove again why he was the 2013-2014 MVP.

6) Eastern Conference Team to make Huge Leap – Miami Heat

Again, maybe not the biggest surprise. Miami had been a force with LeBron competing for titles every season. One full season after LeBron has departed, the Heat have redone their roster and look like a much better team in terms of depth. Bosh should be healthy and back, Dragic will have a full off-season (and new contract $$$) to have become acclimated into the offense. I expect big things from Justise Winslow who may have been the steal of the draft falling to #10. Wade has more support and other guys to lean on in the offense, so they can play him on reduced minutes to preserve him for the playoff stretch. Hassan Whiteside looks like a talent at the Center position. This team just missed the playoffs last year, so with all the new additions and banged up players back, I can’t see why they don’t make a huge jump. I expect this team to claim a top 4 seed and reclaim the South East division crown. This team should give the Cavs a run for their money.

7) Sixth Man of Year – Andre Iguodala

Finals MVP proved his worth in the most desperate of times in last year’s playoffs. He will prove his worth again and claim 6th man of the year award.

8) Coach of the Year – Brad Stevens

As he did at Butler, Stevens knows how to get the most out of his players without having a ton of raw talent. This may be long shot, but Boston could push higher in the playoffs standings and build off of the superb 2nd half last year. If Bostotn surprises, I expect Stevens to get the nod for coach of the year considering all the inexperienced youth on the Celtics.

9) Rookie of the Year – Karl-Anthony Towns

Not going to get cute here and pick a sleeper rookie pick. Love the skill set and love that he gets to play under the mentorship of KG. He should prove why he was the #1 overall selection by the Timberwolves.

10) Rookie Bust of the Draft – D’Angelo Russell

If you look back at the last 10 or so years, either the #1 or #2 pick in the NBA draft has been a bust (still too early for 2014 Draft as Jabari got injured so we haven’t seen enough). Since I am locking in Towns as my ROY, I am sticking with the trend and selecting Russell as my bust of the draft. Lakers should have drafted Okafor like everyone was predicting. Russell will struggle in a shaky offense in a difficult conference. He may still be a decent NBA player but amongst the top 5 selected, he is my bust candidate.

11) Defensive Player of the Year – Rudy Gobert

This is sort of in line with my Sleeper team from the West, the Jazz. I think Gobert is going to build on last year’s campaign and become one of the top tier defensive stars in this league. He has got incredible size, athletic and he is young. We haven’t yet seen his ceiling. The Eifel Tower is going to make his presence felt this season.

12) Most Valuable Player - Anthony Davis

New coach, fast paced offense, new three point game. Sky is the limit for Davis who is the focal point on a young budding team. We have seen the MVP dominated by Durant/LeBron and a handful of PGs (Curry & Rose) the last 5-6 years. This year Davis takes another step and elevates his efficiency. Hopefully Gentry implements the Warriors/Suns style of offense which will allow Davis to overpower his defenders. He’s tall and strong enough to wrestle with the Big Boys but he is quick enough to blow by the slower big men.

13) Western Conference Champion – San Antonio Spurs

When you finish as the #6 seed and then end up adding talents like Aldridge and a veteran in David West, the only way to go is up. I am predicting a Warriors vs Spurs Western Conference Finals and giving an edge to the Spurs, though it will be a tough battle. Aldridge will thrive in the San Antonio offense and the new system should help revitalize him. As long as San Antonios vets stay healthy, I see the Spurs making a return trip to the Finals.  

14) Eastern Conference Champion – Cleveland Cavaliers

I am predicting a Heat vs Cavs Eastern Conference Finals that will be fairly evening matched. But the key is health and I think the depth the Cavs have will help propel them. If I remember correctly, the year after LeBron lost to the Mavs in the Finals in 2010-2011, he subsequently went on a rampage in 2011-2012 and played “Angry LeBron.” He is motivated, he’s tasted defeat too many times, and he’s got the weight of the city of Cleveland on his back.  

15) NBA Champion – Cleveland Cavaliers

Well well, we have LeBron vs Duncan volume 4! Yes, another Spurs vs LeBron Finals. Though, this is Angry LeBron season and he’s ready to push to another level and will not stop at anything to claim a title for Cleveland. This will go down as LeBron’s greatest career accomplishment, no matter the attempts or complimentary players. This should be a good NBA Finals but should not be as one sided as 2014. The King reclaims the throne.

I'm coming home I'm coming home Tell the world I'm coming home Let the rain wash away, all the pain of yesterday I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes I'm coming home I'm coming home Tell the world I'm coming...

Ring the church bells, roll out the red carpet, the King has come back after a 4 years!

Could you have imagined that this was even a possible reality after the debacle that was the exit in 2010? 

The best way this situation can be described is with the following analogy (paraphrased from some YouTube comment I saw):

You grow up falling in love with the girl next door, you become high school sweet hearts and fall madly in love. Despite your love for each other, you go through several rough years. And then when things begin to really teeter, she tells you she is leaving you. But instead of saying it to your face, she tells you via Facebook message. She leaves you for a much better looking guy who is rich and has all the nice things to tempt her.

You are in a state of shock, you loved her so much but you are so hurt that she left you that you are struck with sadness. That sadness channels anger that burns furiously. You destroy and get rid of everything that reminds you of her because you can’t stand seeing her with her new boy. You spend the next few years having nearly hit rock bottom. Your day to day activities consist of eating Ben and Jerry’s sitting on your couch watching old sappy love movies on Netflix. Meanwhile, she is having a great time with her new BF. They travel the world; he even showers her with expensive jewelry. You try dating hoping you find that one girl that will help you get over her. In and out of faulty relationships, no one really is the same.

After some several years, having the best time of her life, the glamour of her new BF starts to fade off. She realizes that she wants to be with you and start a family. Though you had to go through rough times without her, you both realize how much missed one another when she was gone. You embrace her with both arms. Though the fallout was bitter and it looked like she was going to marry the other guy, you forgive her and set forth new beginnings.

I may have added a bit too much detail in there, but the last 4 years for Cleveland Cavs fans is probably best described as above. The Cavs had the best player on the planet but could not retain him because they could not provide him the support he needed and desired so he left. Everyone else outside of Cavs fans knew he was going to leave. But they couldn't part with the idea that they could keep him forever and he would be the redeemer that brought the city its first championship of any major sport in over 50 years. But like any naive fan, they would be hit with that harsh reality during "The Decision". The decision was likely the worst move LeBron could have ever made, sure it was for a good cause raising nearly $200K for the Boys and Girls club of Cleveland. But dude, come on! What came after may have been one of the worst falling outs of any athlete switching teams ever. People burned jerseys, rioted in the streets, even his family received death threats. Some pretty classless acts went down (see below)

Exhibit 1

Exhibit 2

Exhibit 3

A town was devastated, they lost their crowned jewel. Not only was this guy supposed to be the best player the league had seen since Jordan (Sorry Kobe) but he was born and brought up in the same area. The stars had to align for all of this to be perfect. I mean really, how many great athletes were born and brought up in the greater Ohio area? Brooklyn, LA, Oakland, Chicago, and many others top the list over Cleveland/Akron. But the city had their King and they watched him walk out the door because in all reality, they weren’t good enough. The team that is, the city I am sure he still loves.

I myself am a lifelong Warriors fan. I have watched so many great players leave because the team couldn't build as players did not want to play for a losing franchise. And even when we were able to lock down a talented player, we either had to overpay or watch them walk after only a few seasons with the team. So, I can somewhat sympathize with the fans of Cleveland. When you think you have the answer to your championship drought, it feels as if the stars have aligned and the world is paying you back a favor for the years of misery.

When LeBron left Cleveland for Miami he went from one of the most loved players in sports to one of the most hated individuals in sports practically overnight. For a player of that caliber, I wonder if a similar star of that stature would have felt the same type of backlash. Imagine if Michael Jordan after his first retirement had come back and signed with the Pistons or Celtics? Maybe it’s because the media is such a foundational piece of today’s sports scene but I've never seen a city revolt/react so terribly after losing a player in free agency. Poor taste?

2014 is a new year. Cleveland has its King back: a smarter, more well-rounded LeBron who learned to become a true leader while in Miami. Cleveland feels like they won the lottery twice! Being able to draft LeBron James and also being able to sign him as a free agent after they had lost him. Well, actually the Cavs literally won the lottery 4 times, in an 11 years span! Conspiracy? Possibly. Or just incredible odds? Maybe…

No matter how it happened, the story is just something to cheer about. The public image or LeBron has been restored and he has once again become the hometown hero. I don’t know of any recent sports story that is this amazing other than maybe when Jordan came back out of retirement and returned to the Bulls to win another 3 championships. Small market teams never get any love, so this is a huge win for all the small market teams out there. One day your city could birth the next LeBron, watch him leave, and then wait for him to return and bring your city its first title! It could happen!

When we think of athletes, we just think they are out to grab titles and trying to make top dollar. We tend to get mad when we see them sign these $100 million deals. “Oh, that’s just too much money.” “He’s not worth that much!” But really, if a company tried recruiting you and were offering you twice what you currently make, would you not sign the offer letter?! Interesting thing about this story is that LeBron could have stayed in Miami but he chose to go home, not because he was trying to redeem his image. He put his family first, saying he wanted to raise his kids where he grew up. Where he became to be known, a place with a great hospitality and great community (no offense Miami :p) He also brought up a point, that he could set an example for the kids in the community. That they could grow up and help invest and create business in Cleveland and even start a family. Whatever the real intentions were, that is a strong statement. Amid the burning of jerseys, threats, the public humiliation from Dan Gilbert, being called a quitter, being dubbed as Queen James, being dubbed as LeChoke. LeBron pushed all that mess aside and dusted it off. It takes a really strong person to push that all aside and that’s what makes this whole homecoming so special. He could have put Cleveland is the rear-view mirror and finished his career in Miami, but he chose to turn the other cheek and accept the Challenge.

On the eve of the 2014 World Cup, I felt awe inspired to write a post about the World’s game: Futbol. I wish I was more than just the average casual fan that tunes in just for the major cup events, because there is just something very special about this game.

Sports in general have always been categorized as a pure form of entertainment. We look to see athleticism, intensity, and high scoring affairs. It’s an outlet to be able to scream/shout and be belligerently drunk in public and for it to be totally socially acceptable.

American Football is special because of strategy and incredible playmaking ability. Basketball is unique in that it displays accuracy and dribbling ability. Baseball focuses on pin point precision with pitching and catching as well as hitting. Hockey is fast paced yet balanced as men carve through ice on single blades.

What is truly intriguing about futbol, specifically matches played on the international stage is that the whole world is watching. We forget about our regional differences at least for month during the world cup. It doesn’t matter if you are from SF/NY/MIA/SEA you all root for one team (unless you have another allegiance of course). Same goes for any other national club in your respective country. What is special is that this unity brings a better bond to our society; we forget our differences and prejudices even for just a few moments.

What is really inspiring is seeing the passion in the eyes of the players and fans. I can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone show such volatile emotions at a baseball game or basketball game on the court or in the stands. Futbol fans wear their hearts on their sleeves, which is tattooed on their countries flag. The elation of victory and the agony of defeat, it means everything.

A handful of these players grow up in the slums or underprivileged having to fight their way through adversity to seek their dream. Many a time, futbol represents their way to cope with life and channel their frustrations and anger. They grow up idolizing the players that came before them hoping that they can once sport the national team jersey on their back under the lights of the world’s stage. That they can play hero, fulfill their playground dreams, and win one for an entire nation. You can be idolized for years/decades and be part of something greater than the sum of its parts.

You just don’t see that equivalent passion in other mainstream sports. Maybe because it feels like there is much more on the line when you play for your country as compared to playing for just San Diego or Miami.

When each team fields their national team, you get a flavor of each culture. Each team has a different style and it really shows the character of that nation whether it be very structured like Germany or poetically flowing like Brazil. You see 90 minutes with minimal to no stoppages of how team’s adjust and react to each move by the other team. No matter the score at the end, you are bound to see some athletic display on either side.

Saw this image on Linkedin a couple weeks ago and it really got me thinking. Many of us wish to be covering at least two of these areas, and very few of us are lucky to be in the "Win" section covering your passion, doing what you are good at, and getting paid well to do that. 

It's been a while since I wrote a post, and as I am changing jobs, it really got my thinking. Why do we do what we do, profession wise. Ultimately we wish to be doing what we are truly passionate about. But most of the time, that happens to be a field that doesn't seem as glamorous or doesn't compensate well. Often we chose professions like engineering, medicine, business, law because they are thought of highly in society and pay well. The rode is not is not easy, and the competition is tough, but the benefits are immense. 

I'm not trying to hate on the other professions. You can be an English major, get a book published and become the next J.R.R. Tolkien. Not as easy task, but if you have the drive and get the right opportunities, it can be a reality. 

I think if we all had it our own way, we would be our own bosses, running our own business. Autonomy is liberating, when you have the option to make your own decisions and decide your own fate. Obviously, there are obstacles and struggles you face before you are able to establish a self sustaining business. What drives us away? The cost of capital, rate of failure, bad partners, poor performance of the market. There is a high risk of failure, which is why most of us don't start our own business straight out of college. It also depends on your appetite for risk, your resources, network, and a bit of luck. This is the American dream, running your own business, investing in something you are passionate about, and making a boat load of money to support yourself/family/and your future. 

Most of us opt for a less volatile and conservative route: Go work for another established company. The risk of failure is much lower because you aren't making all the tough business decisions that are keeping you up at night. But we all generally have some similar goal in mind: Grow your career path, build your skill set, and move up in society. Maybe I don't see the world the same way as others, but I imagine people don't want to be stuck doing the same task for the rest of their life, like some cog. We like variability, something that changes the pace and keeps us motivated. Career progression if anything helps build confidence and establishes your rank in society. 

But at this point, I started to think. What do we want to achieve in our lifetime?

 I have had this thought in my mind the past several years as a sit there at my laptop at work, just pondering during the working day. I was able to isolate the biggest factors to be the following: 

1) Innovation and improvement of society

2) Building your own accomplishments and own personal status

3) Working to provide for your family

I am sure there are many other things to consider, but I felt these represented the reasons why we get up each day and continue to work.

If money grew from trees, you could argue how many people would feel encouraged to work. So, do we do it for the love or for the money? You could say both, but I would like to think either or. To each their own opinion.

I was talking to a friend the other day about what a career means to our generation compared to what it meant to the generation before us. Many of us are 1st generation Asian Americans/Latinos/etc. Most of our parents came to the US for opportunity for a better life. You could say many of our parents didn't have the opportunities we have today. We get to chose what we want to do for the rest of our life, change our career as many times as we wish, have the opportunity to fail and get back on your feet. Most of our immigrant parents didn't have that same opportunity, they worked to survive and to build a better world for their family. 

Now, let's think about our generation. We have the opportunity to anything we want. And most of our parents make that very evident that they did not have access to the same resources we do. What it all comes down to is motivation. You can change the world if you wanted to, but is that your prerogative? You could develop your own theory, accumulate receive multiple distinguishments for your research, if you wanted to. Or you could just get a stated job, make a decent income and provide for your family and be content. Of course, you could do all of the above, but not all of us are able to achieve that goal.

I'm a bit late on this but I thought this was a very relevant topic that woke up some beasts.

The state of hip hop just got a huge wake up call. A call that was long overdue. If you have paid attention to nothing this past week, you may have missed one of the most game changing verses in Hip Hop. I'm talking about Kendrick Lamar on Big Sean's new track Control. Yeah, yeah, it's not even one of the top 5 diss tracks around. People will try to play it down. But it's much more than that. Kendrick took about 3 minutes to verbally punch the rap game in the gut and KO all the current mainsteam rappers out there with one blow to proclaim himself the King of Hip Hop. All hail, King Kendrick!

But let's step back a bit. Let's digest this for a second. Because as much commotion was created about the rappers that were called out in his verse, this track was pretty well planned and thought out with much deeper meaning. Let me dissect for you:

In the background, you hear a boy yelling the same words in a foreign language that is faded in and out of the track in a loop. He is saying "el pueblo unido jamas sera vencido". This was a popular song used by the Chileans during the Chilean resistance against the government dictator regime in the 1970s. The direct translation to English is "the people united will never be defeated." I would imagine this was used to somewhat symbolize a revolution of hip hop, a time for change in attitude and actions. 

Now, let's step back even further. Let's look at the state of rap and the art of hip hop. It's a pretty saturated field with rappers that originate from the south, west, east, mid-west. You even have some pretty good talent coming from the UK (Tinie Tempah and Labrinth). However, the popular artists, though talented have seemed to sell out and cater their work towards the masses. Example - allowing a fusion of house on their tracks to expand towards greater audiences, rapping about their luxuries - promoting consumerism, degradation of women. When I talk to most of my good friends, there are very few that respect the Hip Hop culture, because it has become so skewed and driven on money. Some of these artists just flaunt their wealth. If you look at other genres, could you imagine if alternative rock was all about bragging about their groupies and wealthy they are? No, people would hate that crap. Music is an expression, it allows you communicate through rhythm and connect through the masses. I don't want to listen to people rap about gold and chains to help me to de-stress. I need something tangible, you are an artist. Paint me a picture with words. You are filling my thoughts with these images, scenery, this beautiful story. If you have made it this far, stay true to yourself and write your rhymes because you want that. But of course the records label doesn't want that all the time. 

So when you think about Hip Hop, you have four main elements: The MC (rapper), Bboy, DJing, Graffiti. The MC being the biggest component, but what an MC is, is a lyrical poet. The death of lyricist has been apparent in current times with a few bright spots here and there. 

What I am trying to say is that Kendrick is trying to bring it all back. The strength and power of Hip Hop. You have to give rebirth to the culture, generate new fans, give people a reason to believe in your music. There is such a huge fan base for Biggie and Tupac, why because they were artists in their own environments. It's like the Micheal Jordan debate, will there be anyone better than Michael Jordan? Maybe never. Will there be anyone greater than Tupac? Who knows. 

But you bring in this new cat into the game who has tons of confidence, a wealth of life experiences, and extreme potential. A lot of rappers rap for the money these days, but that should be secondary. It's all about the music, it's why you started writing lyrics at the age of 13, why you spent so much time in the studio, why you fought for what you loved. You have to trust your ability, don't go out and conform with the rest. 

Now that all that discussion is out of the way, let's go back to the song. I've listened to Control maybe 50 times in the past week and it never gets bores me. You know why? The fiery passion in the way Kendrick conveys his lyrics and spits in the mic (no offense to Big Sean and Jay Electronica's verses). It's just so vicious, grimey, and committed. You can tell when he went into that studio he was ready to go to war. That passion, it's something to admire. It's beautiful and brought a ton more credibility back to Hip Hop. 

You look at some of these lines and ask yourself, WOW, did he really just say that?!

"I'm Makaveli's offspring, I'm the King of New York. King of the Coast, one hand, I juggle them both" - Claims he's the the rebirth of Tupac, just claimed the crown from NY the birth of Hip Hop, and staked his claim as the best west coast rapper that it's so effortless.

"I'm in a destruction mode if the gold exists" - He's aiming for the top and lyrically is going to leave these other fellows out to dry. 

"This is the same flow that put the rap game on a crutch" - Predicting the future? Kendrick pretty much had the entire rap game in shock after he stated his position on the industry

I can go on an analyze all these lyrics but that would take too long. In any case, these lyrics aren't necessarily mind blowing individually but the combination of the beat, the meaning of the Spanish saying that is being looped with the instrumental, the absolute conviction in his voice, the very blunt statements. I mean this song has everything. Little did you know this was a Big Sean song when Kendrick took over.

The whole intention was to restore some faith in hip hop, raise the competition. Bring the best out of these talented MCs. And instantly you heard responses from a bunch of fellow rappers in the coming days. It was a fresh wake up call that guys like Nas, Talib Kweli have preached for years. The death of Hip Hop was hit with a defibrillator when this track dropped, now time to recover and get stronger.

A little over a year ago one of my favorite sports columnists, Bill Simmons, wrote a story about the history of the Warriors franchise and the ultimate annoyance, frustration, and defeat the fan base have endured over the past 30 years. Being a fairly young Warrior fan, I can't speak for the late 80's or early 90's. But what I want to highlight in this post is how the franchise has seen a significant change not just in personnel but in attitude. In Bill Simmon's article: "How to Annoy a Fan base in 60 Easy Steps," he chronicles the sad truth to the Warriors missteps and how the frustrations of the fans were evidently on display during Chris Mullins jersey retirement:

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMfn6-mb8_4

Bill Simmons Article: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7714701/how-annoy-fan-base-60-easy-steps

The article was posted shortly after the fans booing of Mr. Joe Lacob. Reason being, the fans were upset and they had every right to be. The team was having a bad season, their most talented player was traded away for an injured player that was unable to even play the rest of the season. The fans had every right to be upset. However, this happened to coincide with the retirement ceremony of one the greatest players to don the Warriors uniform: Chris Mullin. The fans were annoyed that their leading star: Monta Ellis was traded away for what was perceived at the time as a player that had no value. It was a slap in the face to the fans that they had lost their beloved hero and an ultimate "Hey we suck anyways, we're just going tank and try next year" statement. It was a shame that the fans reacted in that manner especially on public.  But, could you blame them. It was a public out cry. They wanted change and urged to express their distaste in the process. 

But low a behold, we would seem significant changes being made. Those which have resoundingly changed the face of the franchise. In Simmons' article, he walked through 60 steps that have demonstrated the frustration of the fan base and demise of the franchise. This article was posted in March of 2012. It is now July 2013 and things have changed dramatically. But not all changes were made in the span of just 1.5 years. No, this stems a bit further back. 

The following steps/events are what I believe to be the 5 most important steps over the past few years that have changed the franchise dramatically for the better (in no particular order:

2009

1) Drafting Stephen Curry

 Dubbed as the best pure shooter in the 2009 draft and as many considered a steal as he fell to the #7 pick in the draft. This was the first year in many that the Warriors finally made a legitimate first round draft pick. Looking at just the past 5 years:

Anthony Randolph - (2008)

Marco Belinelli (2007)

Patrick O'Bryant (2006)

Ike Diogu (2005)

Andris Biedrins (2004)

The only player that had longevity and decent value was Biedrins at Center. However, the Warriors became too optimistic after a couple of decent seasons and  gave him a monster contract, bad idea. 

In any case, none of the other players had really panned out and were just cycled out of the organization. Curry, on the other hand represented a player the organization could really build a foundation around. He represented a franchise type player with max potential. What Steph Curry really represented was exactly what the Warriors represented. Steph was not highly recruited coming out of high school given his frail frame. Having been slighted, Steph has shown his ability to work hard to prove his doubters wrong. He was a stud in the NCAA tournament marching Davidson to a surprise sweet 16 appearance. Going into the draft Steph was again overlooked by 6 other teams before he was drafted by the Warriors. And so it begins, the era of the baby faced assassin. 

2010

2) Joe Lacob takes over as CEO and majority stakeholder of the Warriors

During the summer of 2010, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber took over as majority owners as Chris Cohan sold the team for $450 million. A long tumultuous era under Cohan and eventual exit paved the way for a  fresh start for management to start on the right foot. From day one, Lacob has made the precedent that he wants to win and came in with an attitude that he will make the necessary moves to propel this franchise back to relevance. Just a year later, in the summer of 2011 Lacob brought in Jerry West as a head consultant. A bold move, bringing in a former 2 time NBA executive of the year. During his tenure, Lacob has shown to be a risk taker but the cards have gone his way. Something this management needed desperately, some aggressiveness. 

Another big win as part of Lacob's regime was bringing on Bob Myers as the new assistant GM, eventually becoming the GM of the Warriors. A guy who has played and knows the game well. This executive decision would come to fruition in the years to come. 

Heck, imagine if Larry Ellison would have ended up buying out the Warriors, he would have fired everyone and mismanaged the team. I mean, come on, the guy refused to have his own bar mitvah celebreation at the age of 13! Sometimes things work out for the better. 

2011

3) Warriors select Mark Jackson as coach

At the time, this was criticized as a head-scratching move. Why bring in a new head coach that has had absolutely no head coaching experience let along assistant coaching experience. I mean, the guy had not coached at any level before. He had spent his time as a color commentator on TNT and ESPN. Sure, he was a great point guard in the NBA but there was no way to tell if that translated to success as a coach. Well, seemed as though Lacob and the rest of management were very impressed. Why? Because he was cheap and available? Maybe. But really, because he had a poise to him. A demeanor that was calm and a likable guy. Most of all, he praised defense. An organization that was known to draft an acquire good offensive talent but never set the  foundation for a sound defensive scheme. Mark Jackson was ready to help redirect the play calling and he was serious. He got everyone on board and boy has he shown some serious confidence in just 2 years at the helm. 

2012

4) Warriors trade away Monta Ellis

And here...we..go. A highly scrutinized move by the fans, media, players.  Why? Because Monta was a fan favorite, a perennial all-star caliber player. Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut, and injured Bogut. Yes, a move that was very risky. The Warriors have lacked a true NBA Center for over a decade, and even longer. Bogut was promising. Although injured, he provided the foundation of what could be a steal of a trade. But still, why trade your star player away for a banged up big man? Well, the answer is simply: Curry. That an defense. Curry was a player with great potential but wasn't able to shine as brightly as he was in Monta's shadow. Monta was also a terrible defender and didn't quite fit in Jackson's master plan to change the defensive attitude of the team. It took a year for this move to really prove its worth. What was most important was that the organization was no longer willing to stay complacent, they were willing to endure a painful facelift, even if it meant receiving a shower of boos from an arena full of 19,000+ fans during a retirement ceremony. Well, fastfoward 1 year, yup Lacob you did it again. 

2013

5) Warriors make run at DH12 and sign Iguodala

Capping off a very impressive playoff run, the Warriors emerged as a surprising turnaround team. A team filled with great young talent with Barnes, Thompson, and Curry, the Warriors had much to cheer about. In normal times, the Warriors wound have been content and would have just tried to keep the talent they had together. Well, not this management group. With his desire and thirst to win, Lacob saw room for improvement and a thriving free agent market.

Playing the Grand Masestro, Bob Myers was able to stir up some black magic and free up enough Cap space to lure Iguodala in. The Warriors were significantly over the NBA salary cap going into free agency, with Landry and Jack demanding big pay raises and not money to play with without going over the luxury tax. Any ordinary GM/Owner would have stayed conservative and played with the chips they had. Not this time, management was too hungry. A three sign and trade between Denver, Utah, and Golden State turned out to be the defining moment this offseason (no offense Dwight). Not only did the Warriors dump 2 terrible contracts but they didn't have to move any members of their core group. The Warriors managed to dump $24 million in bad contracts plus 2 future draft picks in Utah (thank you kindly) and free up enough space to be under the cap and room to bring Iguodala in. The real shocker in all of this was that he wanted to play in Golden State.

The Warriors have never by any means been a free agent destination. Often, the team would have to over pay players to lure them in or settle with mediocre role players on decent to teams to play as a starter with the Warriors. The Warriors, in just 4 years, have built a strong culture, a winning culture. They have drafted well, brought in key personnel in the front office, made smart decisions in the free agent market picking up value players. The players are high IQ individuals, the coach is smart, the front office is persistent and calculated. In just 4 years the organization has endured an entire face lift. 

For most of our adolescent life (early childhood and all teen years) we spend our time in school which helps build the foundation of what we  become for the rest of our lives. We learn, we embrace, we befriend, and we question the facts of life and the knowledge of the world  our early life. 

Fast forward past undergrad/post grad/masters degree. Now we are in a setting where instead of attending classes on a daily basis, we work for a living in either in the service industry or in a industry that produces some sort of consumable good. 

We spend a good deal of our life as kids wishing we were older, had the responsibilities and freedom of an adult but we neglect to acknowledge the difficulties of being an adult as we daydream as naive adolescents. 

Now we are out of college, working our first "real job" salaried with all the nice little employee benefits. For the first few months, we struggle during the transition from college to the working world. Some of us shine and outgrow the rest of the field. We face the daily challenges of with bossy managers, unmotivated staff, and workaholic senior partners. With all the pressures and expectations, the stress builds up as high as the insurmountable workload can grow. 

We grow into this routine day by day, let's walk through a typical day:

- Monday morning, alarm goes off blaring at 7am, hits snooze. Fall back asleep. What feels like 3 seconds later, alarm goes off at 7:10, hits snooze. 40 minutes later, crap going to be late.

- Shower, brush teeth, put of snazzy clothes. 

- Put together some make shift breakfast and try to scarf it down in about 30 seconds.

- Walk out the door but before you close it. Keys, check. Wallet, check. Laptop, check. Cell phone, check. Glasses on face, check. Ok good to go.

-  Proceed to car, proceed to get stuck in traffic for 1 hour. Turn on radio, listed to same 4 songs about 3 times. Ah, finally at work.

- Open laptop, discover dozens of "Urgent" emails. Panic attack! Answer emails all morning.

- Spend about an hour trying to set up work for staff to do.

- Go to lunch, get bloated off some mexican food.

- Spend the rest of the the day battling the mexican food while speaking with the client and in meetings.

- Work day is over, pack up shop, get back on road to get stuck in traffic again. You would think there would be no traffic around 7:30/8pm

- Get home, decide to be ambitious and go to the gym. 

- Go to gym, looks like everyone else had the same idea, trying to burn the calories they put on during the weekend. Drive like like 2 blocks away to find parking. 

- Go in gym, place is packed. Irony, driving to the gym to wait for someone to get off a treadmill so you can jump right on.

- Exhausted, it's 10pm, you're starving. No time to cook something elaborate.

- Shower, whip up a sandwich. Turn on the TV/Netflix. Proceed to eat and watch a few episodes of your favorite TV series. 

- 12 o'clock hits, time to hit the sack

- ZZzzzzz

- 7am, alarm blares

Rinse, lather, repeat. And so goes the week, each day being somewhat similar with a slight variation of the above. We continue this cycle over and over and over. Weekend hits, time to forget a stressful exhausting week. 

Yay! Friday

Shot - Gulp

x2

Beer - Gulp

x2

Pizza - AmNomNomNom

More Pizza? - Amnomnomnomnom

Hangover - eh 

Saturday/Sunday - Whoosh, just like that 48 hours disappears!

Sigh - Monday?!

And this becomes much of what our early to mid to even late 20's are. A cycle, no matter how much we try to break the routine, we get pulled back in. We end up getting caught waiting: in traffic going to work, in the line for lunch, in traffic going home, in line at the gym. 

But things start to get boring again, so we buy cool things. Some nice new shoes, clothes, some electronics. But in the end, these were just simple luxuries that provided marginal satisfaction. What to do now? BUY MORE!!!

Much of what I have mentioned is comprehensively displayed and discussed in this enlightening youtube video, "This is Water"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4DkqQI-6V0, 

So, how do we break out of this routine? Do something different, make an ordinary day feel different. Take public transit as opposed to driving. Make your own lunch. Go to dinner with a friend. Skip the waiting game at the gym to do something different like, running an outdoor trail, biking, etc. Write a poem, a journal, read a book.

As we get complacent, we begin to settle and build the the routine of our daily lives. Shake it up, avoid the continuous monotony of adult life. Do something new,  live differently. We spend the greater part of our lives as adults going through the same routine and working the same type job. We either learn to cope with it and enjoy it or learn to hate that routine each and every day.

The hype, the attention, the pressure, the decision, the betrayal, the Big 3, the MVP, the Champion, the King.



There are a lot of critics of LeBron James, mainly because he has catapulted himself into the most dominant player in the NBA. With every successful superstar come those who will praise and criticize you for the smallest details.

When LeBron made the jump from Cleveland to Miami, many fans were betrayed. Those who weren’t fans to begin win created hatred and angst towards James. I admit it, I was very upset that he created such a stage for the decision just to spit in his home towns face and let them hold onto false hopes. Although this was selfish, this is possibly one of the only immature things LeBron has done during his career in the NBA.

 When LeBron left the Cavaliers, the talk of his chance of eclipsing his airness: Michael Jordan was put to abrupt stop. Why? Because he had to jump ship to win an NBA title? Because he wasn’t good enough to win it all in Cleveland? Because he wasn’t clutch enough? No, because he just isn’t Jordan and there never will be another Jordan ever. LeBron is his own type of player and the last thing he wants is a comparison to Jordan.

He could not get it done because the organization did not help him when he asked. No disrespect, but Zydrunas Ilgauskas is no Dennis Rodman. And for respect sake, there is no player on the Cavs roster that was comparable to Scottie Pippen. Mike Brown was no Phil Jackson. LeBron was a one man show in Cleveland. The NBA is a team game. Jordan had the luck of an amazing supporting cast and arguable the best coach of all time. I am not discounting Jordan’s accomplishment’s. LeBron made each one of the players on his team but Cleveland was just not talented enough. 

And the Chapter turns to Miami as LeBron exits…



Now with a supporting cast that includes 2 others allstar players from LeBron’s 2003 draft class, LeBron finally had the talent around him with Bosh and Wade to make a run at multiple titles. But what we failed to learn was that LeBron was not just going to become a piece of the puzzle while playing for the Heat. No no no. He would continue to be the dominant player we saw in Cleveland and even more. The Heat have unofficially become LeBron’s team, with the unfortunate injury prone Wade playing at decreased capacity. 

But what I really want to talk about is James’ repertoire as a complete player that makes him so unique from every other player in the NBA currently and what differentiates himself from many talented players:

Maturity

Coming out of high school, James already had the hype that he was going to be great, going to be the #1 pick in the draft, and potentially play in front of his home crowd as a professional athlete. Did he become cocky and choke? No, he embraced the expectations and exceeded all of our expectations. What makes LeBron so unique and what impresses me is that he is so mature for a kid out of high school has been given unrealistic expectations. He has embraced the leader role from day 1 and has shown his ability to throw his entire team on his back. He does not curse at reporters, he does not get into fights with teammates, he maintains his composure. And that is a skill that cannot be taught. That is LeBron’s true character. 

Versatility 

What critics and fans praise about LeBron more than any player in the NBA is his versatility. He is not a one dimensional player. Most NBA players who have success in the league are strong in a few categories but not all categories. For example, Carmelo Anthony, another one of Lebron’s 2003 draft class men. Anthony is one of the best scorers in the NBA consistently posting up one of the best avg ppg each season. However, Anthony is a terrible passer and a good reason he was so willingly let go from Denver. There are many examples of other players but I will not spend the time dissecting every player’s strengths and weaknesses. 

What makes LeBron stand out is his ability to play anywhere on the court, he can spot up for 3, shoot the elbow jump, mid-range jumper, drive in for the layup, span the length of the floor for an explosive alley-oop dunk, hit his free-throws. His explosiveness is almost unmatched, whether he is going up for a dunk, stealing a ball, or blocking a shot. He displays it with pure conviction. James is proficient from all sectors of the court and yes from time to time has his off days and forgets to “show-up.” But no one is perfect 100% of the time. 

Stats

We all know LeBron can put up points and score. What people often overlook are the stats other than points. If you look at Lebron’s stats over the course of a season he averages close to 28 ppg, 7 assists, and 7 rebs. Those are amazing stats for a game, let alone doing it for 82 games in the regular season & 20 odd game in the playoffs! Not only that, he swipes around 2 steals a game, and has about 1 block a game. If there is a stat on the frequency percentage wise of how much a player touches the ball during his teams total possessions in a game, LeBron way up there because he hardly takes a possession off. Yes yes, he makes his mistakes from time to time and turns the ball over but we can’t expect perfection, we naturally judge on the mistakes we see. 

IQ

LeBron displays a very high level basketball IQ on the court. An example: his court vision. It is not easy to pass a basketball to set up a teammate for a scoring opportunity and still manage to score points. Lets get this straight, LeBron is a small forward. The responsibility of a small forward is to score, set screens, grab a few boards, maybe sink some mid-range shots. The responsibility of a power forward is to block out, get in position for a rebound, play tough. As a point guard, you are the quarterback of the team to lead the offense and make the good passes. LeBron manages to play all of these positions at the same time. How? Because he knows where to be, he knows how to read his opponent, he can predict his opponents decision before that decision is made. He can block out and grab boards away from the bigger centers and power forwards and then lead the offense like a point guard.

Conclusion

I am not proclaiming that LeBron is the greatest to play the game or even the next Jordan. All I am saying is to give the guy some respect and cut him some slack. He has had unreal expectations set on him since high school and has stood tall whenever faced with adversity. If you love him, you love him. If you hate him, then you hate him. But don’t hate the guy for his game because he is one of the most mature, athletic, composed athletes of our generation to play the game of basketball



I recently watched a TED talk by Malcolm Galdwell, the author of the Tipping Point, Outliers, and a few other NY Times best sellers. The title of the talk was tagged as "Choice, Happiness, and Spaghetti Sauce." The mere fact that the Spaghetti Sauce was included in the title intrigued me as it stuck out well. 

http://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html

In the video, Galdwell focuses his talk on the well renowned psycho-physicist Howard Moskowitz. He introduces the concept of horizontal segmentation amongst consumers.  In a nut shell, he explains Moskowitz theory of introducing product variability for major food brands focusing on embracing the diversity of consumer choices. Ultimately what he was trying to explain was that often as the consumer, we do not know what we want until we taste/see/touch the product in front of us. So, often we go to restaurants not knowing what we want or what we like until we are introduced to the product in front of us. From there we either embrace it or reject based on our own pre-defined preferences. 

Gladwell uses the coffee as a prime example as he states that people typically will state that they like a "strong, bold, rich coffee" when asked what type of coffee they like. However, in reality, people typically prefer a "weak milky coffee". What this proves is that we don't know what we truly want until we have been given options and can choose from a variety of options find our optimal level of happiness through choice. It is a simple concept that often gets completely neglected by most restaurants and stores and in some cases mastered. 

Going back to Moskowitz theory of food, we shouldn't think that there is one optimal choice which consumers will stray towards. As people, we all come from different backgrounds of which we are influenced from different environments which influences to have different choice preferences. So, in essence, there are  wide range of preferences of which we fall into but can still be grouped under. 

Applying this theory to the current restaurant industry, a few stand out fairly well. Chipotle and 5 Guys. More focused on Chipotle, but both have shown a great deal of success as franchises. Looking at Chipotle's product, Mexican food, they don't necessarily stand out as the best quality Mexican food. In fact, I would question if the preparation of their ingredients even that close to authentic Mexican food.  In any case, the success of Chipotle has been mainly driven by their business model. If you go into a standard Mexican retaurant and order a Burrito you will probably get to choose the meat, have some beans in there as well as rice cheese maybe a few other ingredients. For the most part you can customize your food, but nothing to the degree of Chipotle. I am not trying to praise Chipotle for their food but more so use their model as a basis of comparison. When you get to the front, you have all the ingredients in front of you of which you can add an subtract and double to your liking. You can choose white rice or brown rice, black or pinto beans which, chicken or beef, corn salsa, etc.

The point is that you can see what goes into your product and for a  consumer that is instantly gratifying because it's not pre-made so you don't have to conform to something you may not like. Instead, you have been given the choice to create your own finished product to your liking based on your preferences and choice. Not only does this engage the consumer to be more interested in their meal, they feel as they contributed towards the preparation of that meal. 

When you step back and look a Chipotle amongst other Mexican restaurants, it doesn't seem to stick out that great. But when you look at the level of success they have had, the numbers are insane. In just the past 2.5 years, the Company has grown 300% going from a little known brand to be as well known as Starbucks (at least in California). Why? Because they gave the consumer the choice and provided them with many options to put their personal touch on their final product. 

The other example is 5 guys burgers, of which I wont talk to much about but just to provide a 2nd example. If you look at the burger and presentation, the product is somewhat average. The thing that stands out really is that they allow their customers to add as many ingredients in their burger to their liking. Once again, the customer has been provided the choice to decide what they truly want. 

 I sat there at lunch browsing through random tweets and I see the CNN news feed update on an explosion that detonated during the Boston Marathon. As I skimmed through my twitter feed, all tweets were focused on this explosion. The first thought that crossed my mind was that there was no way this was an accident and that it was obviously a calculated attack. Watching the news, it has almost become normality to see a tragic event of this magnitude. 

Just stepping back and looking at the last few months we've seen mass stabbings and a string of several college campus and school shootings. Every step we take to prevent this doesn't seem to lead us in any better of a direction. After the Sandy hook shootings, we asked for gun control. Then we saw campus stabbings. Now pre-positioned explosives at a marathon. The mutual public response starts with sympathy at the time of the event, then anger when the mastermind is unveiled and we choose to persecute that one individual. But how do we respond to help the children growing up in today's society not have to live in fear where parents don't have to fear sending their kid to school only to lose their child to a crazed lunatic who had access to artillery.

The response is always increased security, but that only promotes fear of a looming attack and creates paranoia among the masses. There is no easy response but hopefully someday we can begin to live in a world where we don't have to fear leaving our house with the thought of not being able to see our loved ones again. 

The events that transpired today were cruel and the intention was to send a message. One that we do not fully understand yet. Sadly, events similar to the Boston Marathon explosion will continue to happen in our society. We are defenseless as civilians and there is no way to stay alert 24/7 of a pending attack. If we were to think that way, we would all be hiding in bomb shelters with fear of nuclear attacks and mass warfare.