Sunday

Happy New Year

It's time for 06' to hit the bricks and time for 07' to come in like the wind. I'm not big on going out like I did in my youth, so I figured I'd make up my own New Year's Eve Show.

I'd like to thank you all for coming out tonight. We have a good show planned for you. We're going to give you a little bit of everything; music, poetry, comedy, and a little dramatic flair. You know, we gone mix it up real nice. So, grab whatever it is you are drinking tonight, sit back and enjoy the show.

We're going to start the night off with a little love fantasy. Everybody wants a little love on New Years.....right.



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We gone keep it rolling. Next up is the man lucky enough to be married to Paula Patton (you saw her in Idlewild and Deja Vu). Now check out her leading man. He has a new album out and if you haven't heard of him by now, you will in the very near future. Let's show some love to Mr. Robin Thicke.


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See that's what I'm talking 'bout, some smoothed out grooves. Unlike that Hip-Hop them youngsters like to listen to, because we all know Hip Hop is dead. Right?!



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We can't touch on Hip Hop without showing some love to one of the coldest rapper's ever!



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Here he is, for real. With one of his "new" songs.


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OK, we're going to switch gears a little and give you some cinematic flavor. This is by far one of the best movies I've ever watched.


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The preceding film is second only to the following.

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I just like this next cat. Stumbled up on him. Hope you like him, if not him maybe his music.

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Back to the love, and a little something for the bourgeois


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Well, that's it for our show. I just wanted to throw a little something at you, but before I go, I want to leave you with something to think about for the start of your New Year.


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Good Night and Happy New Year!


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Friday

For everyone who has to work today

I wasn't going to post today, but I didn't want to catch any flack from my man C-Mac, who I actually lured into this whole blogging arena with my passion for it. So for all of you who are like my man "C", this ones for you.
I stumbled up on these guys this morning. They are known as
"Dem Unknown Warriorz"
They are a Christian Rap group out of Atlanta who are putting the crunk (music with bass and synthesized brass) in Gospel Music to draw the youth who are overcome with the hip hop music and culture.
I can really appreciate what they are doing because I'm a big music fan and some Christian music (rap and gospel) is just lacking in appeal, I don't care how saved you are. I grew up on R&B and all the Hip Hop pioneers, so I'm not so easily moved to enjoy the music just because it speaks to my faith. I haven't heard these guys yet, but I'm going to be looking out for them. Until then, check out Canton Jones who actually has a really good album. In fact he has a couple albums, but this song that I'm going to feature should be close to what "Dem Unknown Warriorz" are attempting to do.
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Just for kicks, here's another cut off Canton Jones current album
Access Granted: The Passsword
You Tube won't allow me to embed it, so here's the link: Stay Saved

Wednesday

Sneak Peek

I've always had a love for the pen, but never really ventured into the land of the scribe, at least not professionally. My first love was actually drawing, which I stumbled upon at the age of 8. I continued with that up into my early teens, but as I got older it fell to the way side. As I grew into a young adult, I ended up falling in love with the paper chase. However, as life would have it, my running shoes are beginning to wear out and I've decided to concentrate on the things that really bring me joy and satisfaction and writing is one of those things. I'm currently working on several different writing projects, but this is the one I'm enjoying the most. Mainly because it's light and fun. Check out this excerpt and tell me what you think. I hope you like it. I do. I'm withholding the name of the book for now. As I get it completed, I will share more information with the masses.

Chapter X
Back In Stride Again

Lyndsey had to admit, it felt good to be out. She even decided to let the top down on her red Toyota Solara convertible. The full moon was coming into focus so she wanted to let the ambience of the night soak into the cars cabin. Having Miles Davis’ Tutu album playing in the background didn’t hurt the cause either. She was going to have a good time, she could just feel it; the magic of the night was flowing all through her.
As she made her approach into downtown, she could see the Arch lit up from the base. The metallic structure giving the illusion that as it rose into the sky that it became engulfed by the enormity of the darkness. It was a pretty site, she thought as she took the Pine Street exit and made her way to Market Street.

Driving down Market at night gave the feeling of walking down an isle, because it seemingly ushered you to your destination. It had the perfect balance of Architecture, Nature and Art. She could hear the excitement from the Cardinals game as she passed the Marriott. The new ball park was just a block to the left on the other side of the Marriott Tower, but the lights and the spirit of the home team had seemingly made its way onto the surrounding streets. There were people walking around Kiener Plaza, the park like setting that played host to the pre-game hoopla, in their Cardinals gear still enjoying the excitement of the night despite the fact that they were obviously outside the realm of the ballpark festivities. It didn’t matter, they were still having fun. Lyndsey headed further down Market and as she made her way across Tucker Boulevard, Miles Davis’ Backyard Ritual began to play. It was the perfect song for a night like this. She bobbed her head back and forth, checked the clock on the dash and decidedly drove a little slower in order to get the full effect. The city sure looked nice. This was definitely one of the nicer stretches of downtown, she thought. As she drove past Union Station, she couldn’t help but notice that the fountains across the street were all aglow with classic Greek figures set in a Nautical setting. Just as she was taking in the beauty, the music and the moment, her phone rang. She noticed the number, it was her girlfriend Felicia. They had been friends ever since their college days. She turned down the music and tapped the button on her Bluetooth.

“Hi Felicia” Lyndsey said. You could hear the smile in her voice.

“Hey Girl! Where are you? The club is starting to fill up and I’m trying to give you first crack at some of these fine brothers up in here. You need to hurry up before I change my mind,” Felicia said half jokingly.

“Girl you’re so crazy! I’ll be there soon. I’m turning onto Jefferson right now and approaching Olive. I’m almost there.” Lyndsey said , with the residue of the chuckle still in her voice.

“O.K., I’ll order you a shot of Patron with a twist of Lime. See you in a minute.”

They both hung up. Lyndsey turned the music back up. Track six was playing by now. She wasn’t in the mood for that so she skipped to the final track, Full Nelson, a funkier tune that caused her to do a little bounce in her seat. It was time to get more into party mode.

When she walked into the club she immediately began looking for Felicia’s familiar face as she scanned the room. As she looked to the right, she saw her hand waving wildly into the air from a booth that appeared to be in some sort of VIP section. That figures, she thought, Felicia knew everybody. Being in Advertising with one of the major urban stations, Majic 104.9, allowed her access to all the city’s hot spots. Her position catapulted her into the circle of the local black glitterati.

“Hey Girl! It’s so good to see you,” Lyndsey said as she embraced her girlfriend.

“Girl, it’s good to see you too. I’m so glad you decided to come out. I’ve been telling you that you needed to get out so you could get over what’s his face”

“Yeah, I know” Lyndsey said following a sigh. “But I needed a little time. I can’t just jump back out there like you can.”

“What do you mean, like I can”, Felicia said defensively but with a smile.

“Nothing girl! Stop tripping. It’s just that you seem fine with dating a new guy within days of ending a relationship. I need weeks, sometimes months, but definitely not days. Besides, I really cared about James, but I’m not putting up with a man who puts his hands on me, period! I mean, after all the bullshit Kevin put me through after five years of marriage, I just don’t have the time for any drama. Life is too short for that!”

“I know that’s right! Here, take a sip of this Patron, and by the end of the night all your drama will be washed away. Enough of all this serious talk, it’s dragging me down. We’re here to have some fun,” chided Felicia.

Lyndsey knew her friend Felicia had good intentions, but in her mind Felicia was a borderline whore. She wasn’t going to be getting too drunk. If not for them being friends for so many years, she probably wouldn’t hang out with her much at all. Felicia was a real cute girl, but she gave it up too quickly. When she didn’t give it up right away, she was willing to give a guy head, figuring she’d maintain some of her self respect by not giving him the booty so fast. How the heck she came up with that logic was something Lyndsey just didn’t get. So rather than make her friend feel small, she usually stayed out of the clubs with her, but tonight was different. She was trying to get her swagger back and she had long wanted to check out the Jazz Loft. The club’s decorum was plain, mainly dark except for the huge flat screen on the east wall. There was a musician playing some jazz pieces on his saxophone on the stage, which was located across the room from the TV. He was currently covering Everett Harp’s song, “There’s Still Hope”, an uplifting melodic tune that she recognized from her personal collection. Lyndsey was totally engrossed in her thoughts as the music played, closing her eyes and bobbing her head from time to time. She never noticed the attention she was getting until the waitress approached with two drinks for her and Felicia. “Compliments of the gentlemen at the bar,” she said as she set her serving tray on the ladies’ table. The waitress turned in the direction of two guys standing at the bar, to signal which guys she was referring to. The guy at the edge of the bar was about 5’ 10”, athletic build, teeth spreading from ear to ear, with his gold tooth clearly visible due to the light shining from above the bar. His partner was about 6’3”, a fairly good looking guy, but the cowboy hat and cigar he was sporting did him in. Lyndsey and Felicia looked at each other, and as if on cue, both responded “their joking, right!” Lyndsey reached into her purse and retrieved a $5 bill, asked the waitress, “could you tell the gentleman thank you, but we’re fine with the drinks we have.” “Sure,” she replied. She understood exactly how they felt. It was always the guys who had the least chance of getting some play that approached first. It never failed. I guess they figured if they struck first, it would buy them some brownie points or something.

As the evening progressed, the music evolved into some of the popular R&B, and the clientele was beginning to increase in numbers. It was actually a little too crowded for Lyndsey’s taste, but she wasn’t complaining, she was enjoying the conversation with Felicia, who despite her freak like tendencies was really smart and provocative.

Copyright Richard F. Dix, 2006 - All Rights Reserved

That's if for now, the rest you will have to get later.


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The Holidays Are Upon Us

Enjoy the Holidays.

Sleep in late, play with the kids, eat, drink and be merry.

BUT

Come back and see us for a special New Years Lineup of Entertainment on 12/31/2006.


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Friday

Multicultural Comedy

This guy is pretty funny. He's Indian, but is from Canada. I had a blast watching his entire routine, but I just decided to show the last two parts.

Give it up for Russell Peters





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Wednesday

Peer Pressure: The Real Culprit


Teenagers do crazy things. They take drugs, have unprotected sex, ride with drunken drivers, and pretend to be asleep when it's time to do the dishes.

But it's not that they don't ponder the the potential consequences. In fact, a new study finds teens spend more time weighing risk than adults and in fact often overestimate the odds of a bad outcome. But the desire for acceptance among peers wins out in the decision-making process of a young mind.
Cornell University researcher Valerie Reyna and Frank Farley of Temple University conducted a review of scientific studies on the topics.

Compared to adults, teens take about 170 milliseconds more weighing the pros and cons of engaging in high-risk behavior, the researchers conclude. Adults scarcely think about risk, perhaps because they think they recognize risk intuitively. Teens, on the other hand, take time to mull the risk vs. benefit equation.

"In other words, more experienced decision-makers tend to rely more on fuzzy reasoning, processing situations and problems as gists [the essence of their actions] rather than weighing multiple factors," Reyna said.

Teens often decide that the benefits of risky behavior immediate gratification or peer acceptance—outweigh the risks, Reyna said. She figures its better to teach teens some "gist-based" thinking skills, such as putting risks into general categories rather than lecturing with specific data and details.

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Let them speak now or forever hold their peace!


A Chinese man, backed by a dozen knife-wielding accomplices, ambushed his ex-girlfriend's wedding convoy and kidnapped the bride, a newspaper said on Tuesday.

The men blocked the convoy at a crossroads in rural Shaanxi province in northwestern China on Sunday, the Beijing News said.

"They smashed the windows of the wedding cars with knives and steel pipes, dragged the bride out and put her into one of their cars before fleeing," it quoted a witness as saying.

The father of the 22-year-old nurse said he was certain his daughter's former boyfriend had staged the kidnap.

"He was being treated at a hospital when my daughter was interning there and they had been in a relationship," the father was quoted as saying.

Fifteen police officers had made little progress in finding the ex-boyfriend and the bride by Monday night, the daily said.

The groom had gone on without his bride to complete the remaining wedding rituals, which according to local custom cannot be stopped once started, the newspaper said.

He had fallen ill afterwards and been admitted to hospital, it added.

Ancient Chinese literature is littered with tales of heroic kidnappings of brides by devoted lovers rebelling against family-arranged marriages, but this real-life version, in which a woman was slightly injured, has apparently shocked some.

"It's the first time I've ever seen a bride kidnapping in daylight," the witness was quoted as saying.


She must have had that CA-POW-YOW! That's all I'm saying.


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It was an accident, I didn't mean to do it!


Many a man has used this line when caught for relational discrepancies, but now one man has gotten paid for it!

A devout Christian who said an accident at work boosted his libido and wrecked his marriage as he turned to prostitutes and pornography was awarded more than 3 million pounds ($5.89 million) in damages Tuesday.

Stephen Tame, 29, from Suffolk, suffered severe head injuries in a fall, transforming him from a loyal newlywed into a "disinhibited" character who had two affairs.

He was in a coma for two months after falling from a gantry while working at a bicycle warehouse shortly after his marriage in January 2002. Doctors said it was a miracle he survived.

Awarding him 3.1 million pounds in compensation at London's High Court, Judge Michael Harris said: "His life and the life of his young wife were shattered."

His former employer, Professional Cycle Marketing, of Essex, had argued through their lawyers that his injuries were not as bad as suggested in court.

I wonder if he plans to try and get ole' girl back. Money and gifts seem to help the healing process.
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Monday

Hope YOU can live up to this

CONGRATULATIONS!
All of you have been declared
"Person of the Year"


According to Time Magazine
The winners this year were anyone using or creating content on the World Wide Web.

While I would like to say I'm happy to be a part of this, it seems like a cop out. So, since they won't do it, tell me, who would be your person of the year and why?



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When tempers flare

Well, I haven't done one post on sports, but I couldn't let this pass. It seems the NBA can't clean up it's image fast enough. What with suits and new rules, you'd think these millionaire ball players would be beyond being "punked" (not in the Ashton Kutcher fashion, but the Junebug and Ty Ty version).
'fraid not!


It was late in the fourth quarter. The New York Knicks were losing badly. The Madison Square Garden crowd was cheering for the Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony. So by the time Denver's J.R. Smith went in on another fast break Saturday, the Knicks had had enough.

Mardy Collins figured he'd put a stop to the fun with a hard foul. Instead, it was the start of a wild brawl — the last thing the NBA needed two years after its last melee, and the last thing the Knicks need in a season already spiraling downward.

The fight went from one end of the court to the other. Carmelo Anthony dropped Collins with a punch, Smith and Nate Robinson went flying into the stands while fighting, and six other players were ejected.


If you didn't see it, thanks to our friend YOU TUBE, you can. (you know you like seeing fights)




Friday

No wonder my daughter doesn't have her license

Today, you get variety!


Never mind how careful you are behind the wheel or how long you've been driving, the signs of the zodiac may be bigger factors behind your ability to avoid car crashes -- or why you have too many.


A study, which looked at 100,000 North American drivers' records from the past six years, puts Libras (born September 23-October 22) followed by Aquarians (January 20-February 18) as the worst offenders for tickets and accidents

Leos (July 23-August 22) and then Geminis (May 21-June 20) were found to be the best overall.



Yahoo: Astrology Driving?
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Skinny Cooks


I saw this book in Walmart the other day and decided to open it and was surprised that it was a very good cookbook. It also had some comedy sprinkled around which made it worth the read, because it's hard to get happy about a cookbook, if you know what I mean. But, this one is good. Go check it out.


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I'm Coming

I haven't forgotten about y'all. I just need a minute. My computer at home is acting up (no sound). I will post from work.
Peace.



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Wednesday

It All Falls Down


This is seemingly a bad time for the church, especially in the Smoky Mountain region. I guess the Lord ain't taking too kindly to all these undercover shenanigans going on. He's cleaning house. I guess that old church song "Get Right Church" would be in order.

A second Colorado evangelical leader in little over a month has resigned from the pulpit over a scandal involving gay sex, church officials said on Tuesday. Paul Barnes has resigned from the 2,100-member Grace Chapel, a church he founded in suburban Denver, said church spokeswoman Michelle Ames. Barnes' resignation follows last month's admission by high-profile preacher Ted Haggard that he was guilty of unspecified "sexual immorality" after a male prostitute went public with their liaisons.


Yahoo: Second Colorado Evangelical Resigns over gay sex

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Another way of getting into college


I guess someone really wanted to get into college.

An unknown hacker has infiltrated a massive University of California, Los Angeles database with personal information on 800,000 people, the school said on Tuesday, in one of the worst computer breaches ever at a U.S. university.

The highly sophisticated attack exploited a software flaw to crack the computer system in a bid to obtain Social Security numbers, UCLA said in notices sent to all 800,000 potential victims, most of them current or former students and faculty members.

The University had no suspects despite an emergency investigation that began shortly after the hack was discovered on November 21, said Jim Davis, UCLA associate vice chancellor of information technology. The FBI has also begun a probe.


If you don't have it already, you might want to consider some form of identity theft coverage.

Hacker infiltrates UCLA: 800,000 peoples data comprimised

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Tuesday

Killing Two Birds


Looks like Al Gore might be in for a couple of nods. His documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" is on the Oscar short list. It's not a shoe in, but the way he's marketing it, it just might make it.

This Saturday Gore is hosting a network of 1,600 house parties across the country to watch and discuss his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," with the Democrat planning to address the gatherings by satellite hookup.

In addition to that, some of the heads in the Democrat Party want him to consider running for President in 2008. I would rather see Barack Obama get the nod, but Gore would be better than Hillary. I just don't see her making the cut. She's smart, but she's just not as likable as some of the other candidates. I just hope nobody caps my man Barack, because he's getting a lot of love these days. He just left New Hampshire and they were all smiles. A black President may not be as far off as we think; wouldn't that be something. He could even go for the conservative move and run as Gore's Vice President and increase his chance of getting into the top spot down the road. Either way, I would love to see him hitting the campaign trails next year. I'd even give money towards his campaign, a move I have never made or considered.



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Going To Great Lengths


I've heard of doing dumb stuff to impress someone you like, but I've never taken things to the criminal area. It seems some people don't mind breaking the law to impress their significant other.

A married woman stole items worth tens of thousands of dollars in a string of burglaries to make her boyfriend think she had a high-paying job, authorities said. Nickey Davidson, 25, is charged with three counts of aggravated burglary and theft in a series of house burglaries that seem to have been used to finance a double life. "She told her boyfriend in Coffee County that she had a high-paying job, so all these crimes were committed in trying to keep up with the lie she told him," Warren County Sheriff's Department Capt. Tommy Myers said. "When we told her boyfriend about what had happened, he was shocked. He was even more shocked to find out she is still married," he said. Myers said the thefts involved items that would not immediately be detected as missing, such as checks from the back of a checkbook or guns from a large collection. In the last burglary, $15,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from a home, though thousands of dollars worth of jewelry sitting in plain sight was left behind.


Now, she's what I would call "Young, Dumb, and Full of Cum". The most I remember doing to impress someone was to drive a couple hours to see them, but I was too cool to do anything stupid. So, what about you, have you done anything "crazy" to impress someone? You can all post as anonymous if you like :-)

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Thursday

Funny Friday??

I know it's not Friday, but I had to do a little traveling and would you believe I have no laptop. So, this one's a little early. Everybody have a good weekend.

This guy needs no introduction. He is the Godfather of Black Comedy, the one and only Richard Pryor.

I'm with Rich on this one!!

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With all the talk of having a brother in the White House (see post on Barack Obama), I thought it would be fun to see what Richard thought about having a black President. Check out some of the now famous actors/comedians getting their start on "The Richard Pryor Show" -- You Tube won't allow embedding on this one, but check it out on their site, here's the link.
President Pryor


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Wednesday

One Heck Of A Contest


Thinking of writing the great American Novel? Well, Simon and Shuster wants to see your story (fiction only). They currently have a writing contest where they will award the winner $100,000. Originally they were accepting manuscripts until December 31st, but they have pushed it back to March 31st, so if you are in the process of writing yours or think you can belt one out by then, this might be your big break.

Ohh, there's just one thing, it will cost you $85 to submit. That caught my attention, not for reasons of finding a deal, but they said they were accepting up to 50,000 entries, and at $85 a pop, that's $4.2 Million if they sell it out. Supposedly to cover administrative costs. I have one question, can I be a part of the administrative team?

All jokes aside, so far they have just over one thousand submissions, so this might be a decent investment for you if you don't want to self publish, especially if you think you are the man/woman! I say go for it!

By the way, check out Child of God (published by Simon and Shuster), it's a superb book and it will basically take you to school on how to write a great literary work.

News Story: Contest Winner to Get Book Deal
Submission Site: Sobol Award Site


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Special Kind of Flow

This year I'm getting into the holiday spirit early. I'm usually Mr. Bahh Humbug because I hate the commercialization aspect, but I'm not letting that get in the way of my good spirits.

Sunday morning, I was spending some time in front of the tube watching PBS with my kids and we happened upon the sounds of Celtic Woman.
Celtic Woman is a phenomenal group of Irish Women who have been breaking records with their unique sound. Their self titled album held the #1 spot on the Billboard World Music Chart for an amazing 81 weeks, only to be knocked off by their new release, Celtic Woman - A Christmas Celebration. So now they hold the number one and number two spots.

As World Music goes it's a non-traditional sound, especially if you grew up on R&B like myself, but I like them and so did my kids. The song that I like the most of theirs is actually a tune I have heard before, I just couldn't recall where I had heard it. It also took me the longest time to find it because I thought the name of the song was something other than what the artist entitled it. So, without further ado, I give you Celtic Woman performing Orinoco Flow.


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Celtic Woman: Online

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Monday

A new form of extinction?


The plight of single black women has received widespread attention in recent years - cover stories in Essence and Newsweek magazines and countless newspaper articles. This year, the movie Something New even opened up the possibility of dating outside the race since some 42.4% of black women might never marry because of the dearth of marriageable black men. Nationally, there are 10 single black women for every seven single black men. The picture looks worse if you subtract those who are incarcerated and unemployed.

But the obsession with the black female marriage problem has overshadowed an equally daunting fact: Many black marriages don't survive.

I can't say I agree with this conclusion since most of the married couples I know are making their relationships work. Maybe my view is based on anedoctal statictics. I can't say for sure, but I would hope our relationships as a whole are loving and lasting, but what do you all think? Are black marriages working as well as in the past? If not, why do you think that is? Share your stories, share your pain, let's learn together.

Another good conversation that I took part in surrounding a byproduct of this topic happened on one of our fellow blogger's site. Check out Dawnya's post on Why Do We Cheat.


Single Black Women, Count your blessings: USA Today Article
Shades of Love: The Black Relationship Magazine

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Friday

Funny Friday

It's icy and cold in the STL today. Schools are closed and I MIGHT go to work. Nevertheless, it's still Friday, so here's your dose of comedy. This one is kinda long (12 minutes) but I liked it so I thought I would share.
Everyone have a good weekend and, give it up for Kevin Hart!


[click "play" (the arrow button) to watch]


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