SAD STORY
Doug E. Fresh is one of my favorite rappers from the 80's and I came across this story in the NY Post regarding his recent financial troubles. Here are some of the highlights from the article, but you can click on the link to see the entire article. His real name is Douglas Davis and has been served with three foreclosure actions by banks looking to collect more than $3.5 million in unpaid mortgages on a trio of his Harlem homes. The rapper, 46, also is being chased by American Express for nearly $60,000 in credit-card debt, and the IRS just slapped him with a $367,000 tax lien on top of more than $40,000 owed to the state tax collector, records show. He fell behind in payments and, according to a foreclosure suit filed in Manhattan in late August, 2008, he now owes more than $1.73 million. This story came as a big surprise to me because I was under the impression he was still doing well. Hopefully he will find away to get his finances in order and come out of this okay. For my list of the Best Rap/Hip Hop Songs of the 80s (where Doug E. Fresh is highly ranked), just click on that link.

HAPPY STORY
I saw this story recently and it brought a tear to my eye, so I thought I would share it. Kensley Penney is a 3 year old little girl in North Carolina who had just two wishes for Christmas, a toy truck and her daddy. Her daddy is Sgt. Scott Penney and he had been serving in Afghanistan since March. The moment when Sgt. Penney came home to surprise little Kensley and make her wish come true was caught on camera. The joy in her tiny voice when she says, "Daddy! I miss You! I love you!" is what the holiday season is all about. Here is a link to the video so you can watch a news report on this happy story and see that emotional moment for yourself. It is very touching.

WEIRD STORY
Earlier this year, there was a weird story about NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson officially changing his last name to "Ocho Cinco" which is Spanish for the two numbers on the back of his jersey. I thought this was a weird story. But now I came across a story about another NFL player who changed his name, but this time the story has an 80's angle to it. Here is a link to the story, so you can check the accuracy for yourself. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Greg White has officially changed his name to Stylez G. White. White said it wasn't that he didn't like his own name, but really liked the name of a character in the 1985 movie Teen Wolf, starring Michael J. Fox. In the movie, Fox's character's friend is named Rupert "Stiles" Stilinski. White changed the spelling and adopted the name as his own. Of all the great names from 80's movies, how do you choose a minor character from Teen Wolf? "Stylez" is a pretty cool name, but how about "Donger" White or "Duckie" White or "Boba Fett" White or "Lloyd Dobler" White? Feel free to leave your favorite character names from 80's movies in the comments section below.

That will do it for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the return of this feature. You can always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any past issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.

Check this out: You can never get too many valuable tips like this one below. I will try to find the other 36 before it, but hope you enjoy (and heed) this #37.  If you can't read it, it says "Never catch snowflakes with your tongue until ALL the birds have gone south for the winter."

Quote of the day: "Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time." -Laura Ingalls Wilder