Started From the Bottom Now We’re Here

Koch Deng dunks in South Sudan’s 82-61 victory over DR Congo (photo from FIBA Basketball World Cup Twitter).

UCLA and USC Big Ten Moves are a Sad Day for the Pacific and Unnecessary – From a UCLA fan

Leading the Pac, dominating the West, and working with our colleagues have made our identities as Bruins and Trojans, and it has been a true honor to represent the PCC/Pac-10/Pac-12. However, now, we have chosen to abandon our leadership and optimism, plus our tradition, families, neighbors, and longtime friends for a better contract at least in terms of money in the short term. But, regardless of how it turns out, it has created a stain on both of our legacies and especially on our historical tradition! We practice everyday to be the best in the West from the time we are young, and this challenge has excelled us to create the internet, to create the technology to reach the Moon, to win Olympic and World titles. Our athletes successes and our universities becoming some of the most sought after brands are directly because of the competitors we have faced for over 100 years! This competitive greatness created the legend of John Wooden, the grit and determination of The Boys in the Boat, the speed of Marcus Allen, and the ingenuity of Phil Knight. We owed it our region and to our competitors who made us who we are to respect their competitiveness by leading the Pac-12 and the Pacific into better times. Yet, just a few years of poor performances in our sports and in our management has led to our regional demise. I think the Big Ten will provide a lot of opportunity for both UCLA and USC, but loyalty, tradition, and honor, as well as leadership was an opportunity we passed up, a much greater set of opportunities because they cannot be bought. UCLA and USC moving to the Big Ten is severely disappointing and sad for the unity and family we shared as a Pac-12 Community. The Pacific looks to Los Angeles and we have abandoned it for the Midwest. We owed it to the region that made us who we were to stick with it to the end. We did not show leadership, we should an ability to follow the temptation of money at the cost of over 100 years of tradition. That is not what our academic institutions teach. There was no loyalty and a lack of respect for our competitors that got us to the position where we are now.

Labels do not Equal Truth

Labels do not equal truth, but for many people, simply labeling yourself as one thing seems to present a dichotomy where those opposed to you, mean they are opposed to your label, or to what your label’s description is. For example, on many occasions, when people criticize Black Lives Matter (BLM), a lot of defenders

Instead of Arguing for Banning CRT, “Conservatives” Should Implement Their Own Theory to Balance the Education System

Proponents of free speech have long stated how they prefer a free market place of ideas where the best ideas will inevitably come to the top and win out. Sort of like free market capitalism, the good speech like the good companies do well. Now, whether this is true or not, is not the point.