I usually post an article to go along with my thoughts. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an article that shed a positive light on the Bobcats' home opener. I completely understand why people don't believe in Bob's Cats. They got destroyed a few days ago and some of their best players are hurt or out of shape. Nevertheless, I am still rooting for the hometown team and I hope you do the same. The Bobcats' opponent tonight, the New York Knicks, are pretty much the northern equivalent of the Bobcats. I see Larry Brown's team winning a close one.
Janelle Monáe, Mary J. Blige, Salt-N-Pepa's Spinderella and -- oddly enough -- Anthony Hamilton are among the honorees for the fourth annual Black Girls Rock! Awards, which take place Saturday (Oct. 17) in New York and recognize women of color making strides in arts and entertainment.
Monáe, who is currently working on the followup to her debut album "Metropolis, Suite I: The Chase," will receive the "Who's Got Next" award. The alt-R&B singer tells Billboard.com that the honor feels like a call to duty.
"Black girls have always been rockin,'" says Monáe. "I just want to make sure I'm also leading by example. I want to continue to inspire other young girls of color to be artists and express themselves creatively."
This is a great event and it saddens me that it didn't get more media coverage. I'm pretty sure it wasn't televised. I had to scour the Internet to find a decent article on it. Young girls, especially those from ethnic minorities, don't always see positive role models that look like themselves on television. Society, as a whole, gives too much attention to women who are ignorant and/or sexually explicit. The aforementioned women are pretty entertaining, but they give impressionable girls and young women the wrong idea. I am glad this group of classy upwardly mobile sisters got together to recognize each other's accomplishments. I hope the Black Girls Rock! Awards get more attention in the future.
Instinct leads me to another flow Every time I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a ho Trying to make a sister feel low You know all of that gots to go
North Carolina is a proud member of the so-called Bible Belt of states that take their religion seriously. So some eyebrows were raised when James Nichols was arrested for attending church.
His offense? Nichols, a convicted sex offender, had chosen to worship at a church that has a nursery where kids play while their parents pray. Now Nichols, 31, who only recently got out of prison, is fighting back, challenging the legality of a new law that took effect in December prohibiting registered sex offenders from coming within 300 ft. — nearly a football field's length — of any facility devoted to the use, care or supervision of minors.
As more states have adopted laws regulating where sex offenders can go, it was only a matter of time before the noble goal of protecting children butted heads with the sacrosanct First Amendment right to worship where and when you choose.
Churches are supposed to welcome all people into their doors. They are supposed to help people get in touch with their spiritual selves and serve as a refuge for those who are overwhelmed with life. Consequently, I don't think anyone should be banned from going to Church.
Sex offenders should do a long bid in prison for violating and potentially ruining a person's youth. I know a number of young women who were molested when they were younger. Most of them are well-adjusted, but the burden they carry from being molested adversely affects other parts of their lives. I don't believe any amount of money or happiness in adulthood can overshadow a traumatic childhood experience. Sex offenders must pay a hefty price for stealing their victims' innocence.
I'm a man of Faith, but I rarely go to Church. The church, as an institution, doesn't serve the community the way I think it should. I try not to pass judgment, but I have seen too many churches that aren't committed to the Word. Don't even get me started on the prosperity ministry. Nevertheless, I have seen several of my family members transformed by their commitment to organized religion. The Church will always play an integral role in the rehabilitation process, which is why I believe banning sex offenders from them is counterproductive.
People get ready, there's a train a comin' You don't need no baggage, you just get on board All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin' Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
After more than 14 hours of discussion, the heirs of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. reached a settlement late Monday that will keep the family from a public jury trial.
Martin Luther King III, Bernice King and Dexter King had aired their grievances in open court for more than a year. The siblings began negotiations Monday morning as the threat loomed of a civil trial that was expected to reveal personal and financial details about King Inc.
Dexter King's brother and sister sued him in July 2008, accusing him of acting improperly as head of the their father's estate, which the three of them control as a private corporation. In the lawsuit, they claimed he shut them out of decisions involving King Inc. and refused to hold a shareholders meeting since 2004. The three have been largely estranged for months as Martin Luther King III and Bernice King said their brother continued to make decisions on behalf of King Inc. without their input or knowledge.
The events leading up to this resolution are sad on so many levels. I am glad the problems were finally resolved. I was taught as a child that family issues should remain private and should be resolved internally. There is no reason to put all of your family's business out on the street. I understand that the King family has a much higher profile than mine and that it's harder for them to keep things quiet. Nevertheless, the shenanigans some of the King kids have pulled over the years are sophomoric. They are just as bad as James Brown's family.
I have no idea who is truly at fault, but I do know the situation could have been handled much better. Their parents are luminaries in the Black community and around the world. Even if MLK's kids hate each other, they should respect the memory of their parents enough to handle their affairs in a civil and private manner.
I really like Dr. King's "I Have Been to the Mountaintop Speech". I hope you will as well.
Congress could be receptive to President Barack Obama's pledge to end a 16-year-old policy banning gay people from serving openly in the military, a top Democratic lawmaker said. The Pentagon also signaled openness to a change.
Speaking at a human-rights dinner in Washington Saturday, Mr. Obama pledged to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which allows homosexuals to serve in the military as long as they don't disclose their sexual orientation or act on it. The president, who made a similar pledge during the campaign, didn't provide a timetable for reversing the policy.
I honestly do not understand why removing "Don't Ask Don't Tell" from the law books is such a big deal. I fail to see how someone's sexual orientation has anything to do with their ability to serve. This policy is even more disturbing when you consider the fact that Blacks and Latinos are kicked out of the military the most because of "Don't Ask Don't Tell". The life of a double minority in America is already tough. The last thing people who fall into that category need is occupational discrimination.
"Don't Ask Don't Tell" is an antiquated policy that should have been discontinued a long time ago. I understand why President Obama didn't immediately make "Don't Ask Don't Tell" a thing of the past. Paradigm shifts require a lot of political capital and months/years of "negotiations". I trust that Barack will do the right thing. Homosexuals, like everyone else, should have the right to openly be themselves without societal ridicule and discrimination.
I want to thank you for letting me be myself again
In a first for the state, a man spoke Tuesday at the 12th annual Silent Witness memorial, a tribute to South Carolina's victims of domestic violence held on the south lawn of the Statehouse complex.
Dale Wells, a 358-pound Columbia restaurant manager, is the sort of self-assured guy you'd think no one would mess with. Until that day when his stalker ex-girlfriend, who had threatened to kill him, put five slugs from a .357 through his back, lungs, arm and head.
In South Carolina, domestic violence is the state's "No. 1 crime," said Attorney General Henry McMaster, who sponsors the annual event.
McMaster said during Tuesday's ceremony that domestic violence was responsible for 36,000 complaints to the police last year.
I have expressed my feelings on domestic violence via my Chris Brown/Rihanna post, so this post won't be lengthy. The South Carolina police received 36,000 domestic violence complaints last year. I shutter to think how many actual cases of domestic violence occurred. I am pretty sure the number is significantly higher than 36K. I'm not a pacifist, but I do believe that violence is not the answer. This belief is especially true in regards to relationships. If you feel the need to physically or emotionally assault the person you are with, you need to develop a coping mechanism, civilly discuss your issues with your partner, or end the relationship.
N.C. A&T’s Homecoming celebration draws thousands to Greensboro every year — students, alumni, families and music fans who want to see the hottest names in R&B, hip-hop and rap.
But this year’s celebration is also drawing controversy.
At issue: Gucci Mane, a headlining rapper at the event whose lyrics center on drug dealing, violence and his ties to the Bloods street gang. University officials said they began hearing complaints earlier this month from students worried about the rapper representing A&T at homecoming. But by then, contracts were signed.
“After the contracts are signed, it’s very difficult for us to come back and say there are concerns,” said Sullivan Wellborne, the school’s vice president for student affairs.
I don't like 99 percent on Gucci Mane's music. "So Icey" is probably my favorite song in his catalog, but I like that song because of the dude who sings the hook and the bridge. My personal feelings about his music aside, I still think banning him from performing at A&T is a good idea. Institutions of higher education should always welcome people who offer dissenting points of view and thoughts that are "off the beaten path". Doing so often sparks a healthy dialogue among students that can help them in the long run. Everything about Gucci is drenched in ignorance and recklessness. His music has almost no redeeming value and having him perform at Homecoming is a bad idea.
This isn't the first time that people have protested a performance by Mr. Mane. The City of Albany (GA) also wanted to cancel a Gucci Mane show. In fairness, Gucci isn't the only rapper in the game who glorifies the street life. Hell, Fabolous is performing at A&T for its Homecoming and he lots of songs that promote negativity. The saving grace for Fab, in my humble opinion, is that he has lots of positive songs for the ladies. Gucci's subject matter starts and stays in the gutter.
Take a listen at Gucci's newest track called "Wasted" and I am pretty sure you will agree with my POV.
Rock star lifestyle might don´t make it Livin life high everyday click wasted Sippin on purple stuff rollin' up stanky Wake up in the morning 10 clock drankin Party party party lets all get wasted
