Bougie News Round Up: Heroes, Weis, Fat Students and Fines

It's that time again… a quick look at what's been going on in the world for the past week or so. And yes, I'm starting on an up note for a change:

CNN Heroes: Thursday night while many of us were sleeping off the turkey watching football or Beyonce, CNN showed their 2009 Hero of the Year Award show. Efren Peñaflorida, a 28-year old man from the Philippines, won for his work educating youth as an alternative to gang life. Efren rolls pushcarts through the most unsavory neighborhoods teaching children to read and write. His unconventional business called Dynamic Teen Company sets up classrooms in the middle of the street, in a cemetery or by the municipal dump. His incredible story is worth a read and a great reminder that you don't need to have a lot to give a lot.

Charlie Weis gets the kick: Two questions only… what took so long and does Ty Willingham get an apology? For those not in the know, Charlie Weis, best known as offensive guru for SuperBowl winning teams of the New England Patriots, was hired to be the Great White Hope at Notre Dame after they summarily dismissed Ty Willingham before the paint could dry in his office. It took five seasons and a 35-27 win-loss record for Charlie to be shown the door. Word is he already has two NFL Offensive Coordinator offers pending. And where is Ty Willingham? Nuff said.

Failing Fitness: Students at Lincoln University (a historically black college) in Pennsylvania with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 30 are required to take a fitness class and must pass in order to graduate from the university. The Hell You Say? My first question is – what ya'll need to know my BMI for? That kind of personal information stays between me, my physician, my trainer and my damn Wii Fit. Can you say, prejudicial much? The story came to light when Tiana Lawson, age 21 wrote an article for the school newspaper. The school administration says they feel it's their duty "to be honest with students." While I appreciate the sentiment (obesity in America is at epidemic levels), I don't think it's a secondary educational institution's role to moderate health. We have a hard enough time getting folks educated without this sort of stipulation.

Serena Williams smacked: The women's tennis number one player in the world was slapped with a $191,000 fine and two years of probation for her outburst at this year's US Open. If she stays on "good behavior", her fine will be halved to $82,500. Yeah, um – calling BULLSHIGGITY. John McEnroe's total lifetime fines were under $5,000. Now even rounding up for inflation… that's complete and utter crap. Let's just put the cards on the table, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) doesn't care for those Williams sisters because they play by their own rules, do not kiss ass and can beat down any Russian Starlet on any given day of the week all while remaining chocolatey brown. This fine is not about her outburst, it's about her.

What am I NOT discussing?

The Tiger Woods incident. No one but Tiger and Elin know what really happened but all of a sudden, everybody has an opinion and a law degree. TMZ has ruined real news (which already sucked). SO until I hear something fact-based from the Woods camp, I'm just glad he's okay.

The so-called party crashers that bust all up into the White House State dinner the other night. They aren't party crashers, they are terrorist insurgents and need to be made an example of… post haste. I guarantee if their names were Malika and TayShawn Samuels instead of Michaele and Tareq Salahi they would be under the downtown DC jailhouse with indictments galore pending.

Thoughts? Comments? News to share?