My Nephew...Our Soldier...

My son, Tone (soon to be 17) mentioned the possibility of him going into the Marines. I gave him the look of death...but not for the reason you may think. Before he can put on that proud uniform, he must be able to pass the ASVAB exam-he had forgotten about that part! lol

However, the conversation naturally turned towards his cousin Adrian...excuse me, Captain Adrian Massey...who is doing the doggone thang overseas.


(Capt. Adrian Massey, abv)

I met Adrian thru his uncle (Tone's father), some 18yrs ago. My goodness, I think he was about 10, 11 at the time.

What stuck out about this young man were his manners (GREAT JOB, PAT!!), that he had a maturity, that's seen more often in adults than children-common for children who grow up in single parent homes.

While Adrian's younger brother Darren (who's in the armed services as well!!) was shyer and more serious, Adrian was more engaging.


Well, I heard that my nephew has a book of poetry out, so I googled him. Well, not only does he have a book



But he also has a blog called
The Musings of U.S. Army Captain Adrian Massey

I'm highlighting Adrian, not because he's my nephew, or my son's cousin. But because he and his regiment and other soldiers around the world need our love and support.
Just go on over to Adrian's blog and holla at him. It means so much. whenever I see a soldier...and I mean EVERYTIME I see them...I always say THANK U for what you're doing. I don't care if they're in the reserves. I thank them too!

Adrian is not only a soldier, he's:

• A college graduate-Eastern Michigan
• A a husband
• Father to a beautiful baby girl
• Minister
• Big brother/Big cousin
• Son of a proud mom
• Mentor

I'm very proud of Adrian...who would've thought the kid with the easy smile would turn out to be such a fine example!
Adrian I'm proud of you, and thank you for being a great example to your cuz, Tone :)


love u,
bree







Come See What's Poppin'at Bria's Own Words, my OTHER blog!

Technorati...and Ur Authority

Ok...for all of u 'technorati heads' if you've experienced a drop in your authority..like I have-u may have wondered, why?


I know I asked.
So after a little research, this is what I learned:

'

No you’re not being penalized by Technorati and no the blogs that once linked to you are not being deleted….

The answer to this problem is that the incoming links to your blog are simply getting old.

Technorati calculates how many links are pointing at your blog from other blogs (your blog’s ‘authority’) based upon the last 6 months activity. This means that a blog that links to you today will be counted - but in 180 days it will not be counted any more.

This is how Technorati attempts to keep things fresh and not disadvantage new blogs entering he blogosphere. If they didn’t do it, old blogs would have an unfair advantage in terms of overall rankings. It means that all blogs need to keep active in order to maintain their ‘authority’.'

Ok...got it?
Good.

source

Come See What's Poppin'at Bria's Own Words, my OTHER blog!

Tagalicious...

I got this tag from My Girl Shae-Shae:

Here are the rules:

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.
2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).
3. Pick your month of birth.
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you.
5. Tag WHOMEVER YOU'D LIKE!
6. Let the person who tagged you know when you've done it!

Now I'm going to pass this tag to my blogger buddies... that means YOU are tagged! lol
Feel free to pass it to your friends if you have done it already;) Cheers!


The Twelve Months

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality ( Ehem) Sexy (Ehem) Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others.
Revengeful - Mmm,Nah! Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners.Nah! Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody. BINGO!!! Most of these traits are true for me .

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.


source




Come See What's Poppin'at Bria's Own Words, my OTHER blog!

For Kicks And Giggles...

I paid a visit to a blogger who visited me, and before I could post my comment...I was struck by a Naomi Campbell commercial she was talking about...I'll be back, let me see if fellow blogger gives her name ( 3 minutes later)--ok, I'm back. Well, her blog is entitled The True Urban Queen...and that's the only name that is emblazoned on her blog. That title is polysyllabic, therefore I dub her T.U.Q. ( "Tuck") . I simply went to reciprocate her visit...but upon reading her blog, it seems TUQ and I have some definite commonalities: working on 1st novel (so am I), has two children (so do I), love high heels (so do I), believes men/children ages a woman-no disrespect to either class (but so do I), was horrified when she saw a pic of Jasmine Guy-who did not age gracefully, God bless her (me too!), don't agree with Naomi Campbell's antics-but dig her anyway (me too!). Anyhoo, needless to say I have to add TUQ to my blogroll.
Oops, I've digressed enough...here's the Naomi commercial I was talking about--F.Y.I. Naomi will be 38yrs old in May 2008 (laughing so I don't cry):

You Go, Nay-Nay!!

This video was klept'd from T.U.Q.

**scroll to the bottom and get Recognizd! Sign my "Slide Guestbook!**

The Emancipation of Mimi::: Chocolate Covered Imperfections...

A young lady named Mimi found my blog on Blog Catalog and came by and checked me out.
I noticed she visited me several times, but wouldn't comment.
She added me as her friend on Blog Catalog, and I reciprocated.
Subsequently, Mimi has started commenting on YBR.
Blog Family please welcome Mimi who's blog is called
Chocolate Covered Imperfections
Visit, comment, and add her to your blogroll :)

Welcome, Mimi!

**scroll to the bottom and get Recognizd! Sign my "Slide Guestbook!**

Regina (Regina's Family Seasons) Is Interviewed...

My undercover-sister-from-another-mister, Rosemarie of Miscellaneous Matters



has interviewed YBR's favorite Matriarch, Regina of Regina's Family Seasons

Click the link below, and get to know Regina.
And check out Rosemarie's site as well :)
source


**scroll to the bottom and get Recognizd! Sign my "Slide Guestbook!"

When "Villager" (Electronic Village) Speak, You BETTER Listen!

How To Market Your Blog in 2008

There are over 600 Black blogs included in the Black Blog Rankings this month. We share the list of the Top 10 Black Blogs on the 1st day of each month. However, there are many blogs with great content that are not being widely recognized. They aren't getting comments ... they don't have high traffic rankings ... and their pagerank is low.

I read an article last year that inspired me to share similiar information with villagers in 2008. For those bloggers who want to improve their rankings and blogosphere influence in 2008, here are 42 ways to do so:

Persistence: All the marketing in the world won’t help you if you have a lame-duck blog. You must write well and write consistently. You can never give up! In your search for more traffic, more promotion, and more publicity, never forget it starts with great content — and needs to continue with great content on a regular schedule. There’s no question that maintaining quality and regularity is difficult while you’re starting out, particularly if you’re time strapped … but hang in there, because if you sacrifice this, all of your marketing efforts will be for naught.


Become an expert on something: It's my view that if you read one book per week on a given subject ... you will be a world-class expert on that subject within a year. Most people don't read regularly. You can develop a keen interest, continue to read and write intelligently, and after a while, your experience will make you an expert. Bloggers will seek out your expertise, your reknown will grow, and it will be easier to be noticed, linked to, and get cross promoted.


Design is more important than you think: You can only make a first impression once — first impressions count, and they can count for cash money. If you’re serious about blogging, you need to separate and elevate yourself from the blogging masses, and its impossible to do if you look exactly the same as them. Easy to say, hard to do, but absolutely necessary. I redesigned my blog using the services of someone who's work I kept seeing as I surfed the Internet. Do what you have to do to ensure that your blog looks professional, stands out, and screams "yes, I am worthy of your attention!".


Get Your SEO On: SEO = Search Engine Optimization — get your own domain name, host your own blogging software, enable permalinks, create keyword rich headlines, create unique title tags, enable trackback and ping functionality, ensure your blog pings pinging-services.


Publish full feeds: Publishing full feeds can increase your traffic. Feed subscriptions are critical; get your feeds burned through Feedburner so you can track how many are subscribing. People who subscribe to feeds rarely unsubscribe, and every single feed subscriber is a potential source of traffic to your blog.


Do interviews with other bloggers: Score interviews with newsworthy individuals (who may be linked to newsworthy content), to create link worthy content, but more importantly, create news on THEIR blog to get back to YOUR blog.


Break important stories: If you have an interest in an area, it is possible to break important stories as long as you’re willing to put in the time and energy to find stuff. Benefit: being picked up by A-list blogs, mainstream news outlets and more.


Have a contest: Or, have regular contests, which encourage participation and buzz in your corner of the blogosphere.


Publish original research: If you’ve got the time, start with a question, try and figure it out with the data available, and "publish it". My fledgling efforts at researching and publishing the Black Blog Rankings is an example.


Put out Press Releases: Particularly if you have something new, unique, or particularly important to say (such as an important story, or research)


Work your long tail: A tip based on your SEO efforts; there is a free service called Hit Tail that will analyze the search terms leading to your blog traffic, and yank out high quality key words you should be focusing on that you might not immediately think of. This can help you focus your future posts as you are already getting traffic for those key words.


Answer your comments, in your comments, and off blog: - When you do get comments, answer as many as humanly possible, and if its an interesting enough issue or question, contact the poster directly for a friendly follow up. Treat every potential poster as a potential subscriber to your feed, and a future friend (we call them villagers) and contact.


Spend time to create links and trackbacks: In every post spend as much time as you can to create outbound links to relevant and high linking blogs; many blogs automatically have trackbacks enabled, so in their comments section they will have a link back to your blog. If its a highly trafficked and ranked blog, this can mean traffic BACK to your blog, and it can draw notice from the author themselves — because, let’s face it, we’re all vain ... even the big bloggers ... and we’re all interested in who is linking to us.


MyBlogLog My traffic on this blog tripled last year when I subscribed to MyBlogLog — I encourage you to know it, love it, and embrace it. Since its been acquired by Yahoo, it has exploded all over the blogosphere. MyBlogLog offers a free widget that enables you to build a free community around your blog, and to easily see which other bloggers have been to your blog. You can "add" friends, and generate traffic, but more importantly, your own network of like-minded blogging colleagues in a way that is relatively easy and efficient. Just go easy on the unsolicited messages.


Join a blog carnival: Where every blogger who joins one blogs about a topic, then each blog gets promoted. Here’s an index of blog carnivals to get you started.


Join blog network: Between Afrosphere Bloggers Association, The AfroSpear and others, there is networking potential, income potential, and a link-a-palooza waiting for you (through the linkroll as every member may have to link to every other member) if you’re able to get into one.


Participate in forums: Forums with tons of pages, huge lists of members, and a responsive community are an easy way to not only connect with other individuals, but an opportunity to tastefully demonstrate your expertise and a link back to your blog. I recently created a forum for Black IT professionals.


Participate on larger blogs in comments: By participating directly in another blogger’s comments you a) get their recognition and b) get the recognition of the blogging community. Also, here’s a tip: try and be one of the first few commenters on heavily trafficked sites to get recognized — most people won’t read past the first 10-20 comments. Here’s another tip for traffic: IF (and ONLY IF) you have posted something relevant that is pursuant to the ongoing conversation and IF the blog has a commenting policy that will allow you to do so, post a link back to a post on your own site ("hey guys, I wrote about how we can solve this problem! — check out the link over here, but let me summarize it for you … "). Sometimes you’ll be surprised at how much traffic comes back.


Join Blogburst: Blogburst is a type of "blog network" (see #16), that syndicates content across American newspaper’s websites, such as USA Today and Reuters. Highly ranked inbound links + traffic + bragging rights to your crew that your post got featured in a newspaper. Not too shabby. Also on the upside, they have a new revenue sharing scheme. The bad: read their terms of service carefully — you give up certain rights when they republish your content, and the revenue sharing works on the top 100 publishers only.


Participate in Wordless Wednesday meme: They publish links to all of the participants.


Submit to blog directories: So people can find your blog.


Submit to Google sitemaps: Google will be able to find you so much easier when you use Google sitemaps. As you gain more Google juice, you'll get more traffic, resulting in higher rankings faster.


Submit to article directories: You might want to submit your favourite posts to article directories, where they will enable you to have a biobox / blurb with a link back to your own blog. Again, demonstrating your expertise, and moreover, the article might get picked up in a ezine or another blog, leading to more traffic and more inbound links.


Get interviewed: If you’ve demonstrated your expertise, or have done something newsworthy, or reported on something newsworthy, try and get interviewed. As long as its done in a fair way (doesn’t need to be a completely puffpiece) by a site or blogger with some reknown, its more traffic for you.


Get listed on a news aggregator, or blog aggregator: Like Techmeme for technews, or Tailrank for blogging news.


Create free stuff for yourself and give it away: Like ebooks, digests of your favourite posts, pdfs, and so on. Make sure to include a link back in the document, back to your site.


Create free stuff for other people: the same, let them distribute it, get a link back.


Pay for pub: Efficient means of using your cash is to buy targeted Adwords, or keywords in Yahoo’s advertising network; you could get other bloggers to write about you using PayPerPost or ReviewMe; or you purchase text link ads through Text-Link-Ads.com


Make friends with other bloggers: Ridiculously simple, but its true. Benefits of "networking" (making friends) include more mentions on other blogs, more requests for interviews, more partnerships in future deals, more "ads" into their MyBlogLog network, more "ads" into someone else’s blogroll (and therefore links back to your blog) — it goes on and on.


Guest blog: Offer to do it for free, and you’ll be able to demonstrate what you know to an entirely new audience. Gives you great credibility, and of course, most will allow a courtesy link back to your own blog. A free foot-in-the-door to some communities as well.


Volunteer, intern, scut-monkey your way into a blogger’s graces: Maintaining a highly trafficked site is a lot of work. Offer to volunteer your time with menial behind the scenes stuff (moderating posts, acting as a bird dog for news) for free and with a smile, and you’ll get a foot-in-the-door with the blogger, their network, and future opportunities.


Get hired: You never know which blog organizations are looking to hire new bloggers; again, an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, meet new bloggers, and open tons of professional "doors" … because now that you’re getting paid ... you’re a "pro-blogger"


Network in person: Find other local bloggers using services like Meetup, and see if they’re literally getting together to commiserate about blogging or their topic of blogging. If you’ve got the time, there’s nothing that makes an impression as actually meeting someone in person. Tip: bring a business card; Another tip: if you don’t have any, make some; yet another tip: if important people are going to be there, really — try and go. A great opportunity is coming up later this year at the Blogging While Brown conference!


Join virtual groups: Through Yahoo Groups, Google Groups, CollectiveX, and more; then bring the conversation off the group with emails and instant messages. Be friendly, be helpful, and it will pay dividends.


Cross promote: Once you’ve gotten to know people, you can kindly remind them to promote posts that you’re particularly proud of; or, vote for your submissions on Digg or your social bookmarking site of choice. Reciprocate.


Facebook: Its a social network that has opened its doors behind its college beginnings. Anyone can sign up. Start connecting with old friends and colleagues, like any other social network. You can import your own blog’s RSS feed, so that your connections can see what you’re blogging. Who knows where that might lead?


Join Helium: Helium actively looks for people to head new categories of content. Think a paid "about.com" — for its authors. If you have a particular interest that isn’t yet served on Helium you might want to check it out; besides giving you cash for content, it’ll also demonstrate your authority in a topic, and you’ll be able to leverage Helium’s own traffic for your own blog through a linkback on your profile.


Yahoo Answers! A similar idea; but this time, you’re answering questions that people are posting. Yahoo! is quite careful about spam, however, and including a "signature" is a dicey proposition at times. There is a fairly sophisticated registry and voting system that tries to prevent "gaming", but given how much traffic yahoo! answers gets, AND its inclusion as a separate result area in Yahoo SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages) it might be something worth looking into.


Join LinkedIn Network: More of a professional network that is an important part of any blogger's toolkit. Here is my Linkedin Profile.


Create a Squidoo Page Lens: On a given related topic to your blog; participate in the Squidoo community; Squidoo has a ton of traffic, and you could funnel traffic and tastefully include links to other relevant sites and perhaps your own blog.


Use MySpace Marketing: The idea is to capitalize on the HUGE amount of traffic MySpace gets (some interesting thoughts over here). Create a profile, create relevant content and links back. Start adding friends. Comment on your friends space. Join groups. Start enjoying the trickle back traffic. Here is my profile on MySpace.


Get Dugg / Netscaped / Reddited / Stumbled upon: Whole articles (and sites) are written about the intricacies of socially bookmarking. Here’s a tip: focus on creating great content, make friends on these sites if they allow you to, and submit your stories judiciously. source

You Are An Inspiration: MZ DEIDRA!

Mz. Deidra of 'Black And Missing'
A Voice In The Wilderness...

While working on the post for Karyn McConnell Hancock, I researched via Google, the subject of missing black women and little or no media coverage.

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon a blog that is dedicated to missing/found/or recovered black people who's garnered little or no media attention.



Check out Mz.
Deidra's blog and add it to your blogroll:
Black and Missing but Not Forgotten

The dedication that's necessary to continually update a blog of this type is nothing short of divine.

Deidra refers to herself as "Just a concerned black female :)"
I beg to differ.
Deidra has chosen to become a warrior in the fight against disparate treatment of minorities in the media-and has wielded her blog as her weapon.

And for that I say


Not only is keeping up this type of blog an arduous one, but it can be frustrating, as well as rewarding. Check out an interview with Deidra: Deidra Speaks. I too remember the case of Stepha Henry and the planned interview surrounding her disappearance. I also remember MSNBC decided Paris Hilton going to jail took precedent over a black woman who was missing. Ratings wouldn't be high enough.
I was heated!


Deidra, I just wanted to throw some love your way...I can't imagine how much comfort you've brought to the missing people's families and loved ones-knowing they indeed are not alone.
God bless you!
-IVBB

((((TWIN))))) This Is Why I Blog My Booty Off!!! I'M ADDICTED!!

91%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I belong in London!

I promise...stop by my girl's Regina blog Regina's Family Seasons and you're going to find SOMETHING on there that you'll want for yourself: a link, badge, quiz-something! It' bloggers

' delight at Regina's blog!Need proof? This little doohickey was on her blog (actually her city is Rome,but you catch my drift)...click on the link and see what city you belong in!

I agree with the definition as to why I belong in London.
I'm a little bit country and a little bit o' rock-n-roll, you know, like Marie Osmond! ;)

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique soul like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

Yep-This Be Me!

Your Blogging Type is Logical and Principled

You like to voice your well thought out opinions on your blog. And if someone doesn't what you write, you really don't care! Serious and blunt, sometimes people take your blog the wrong way. But you're a true and loyal friend to those who truly get you.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

From The Files of Brian Clay...

SEAN TAYLOR'S SONG!

source, Brian's blog

Hello World!

The tragic death of Washington Redskin star, Sean Taylor has me deeply troubled for several reasons. There is the obvious loss of a young black man that has the entire world in front of him. The unreal loss the Taylor family must feel losing a loved one over a senseless crime, the painful reality that crime is unarguably Black America's greatest health crisis, is just a few issues that live with this tragedy. Yet what disturbs me most is how Sean Taylor was demonized in the media!

Now the reality is Sean Taylor did have some issues in life. He made mistakes , yet his mistakes were magnified because of his celebrity status. Yes, Sean Taylor was from Miami , a city known for its crime and its dark culture. Yes Sean Taylor wore braids, was a vicious player in the NFL , and was was suspended for his play on the field at times, yet is that an excuse for society to take an open season on his character and play judge on how he lived his life?

What is most disturbing is African- American sports writers , specifically Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star Newspaper, writing a disturbing article associating the murder of Sean Taylor to the "Black KKK".

First, to allow a vile, racist, and disgusting organization to be associated in any article is irresponsible and flat out stupid. Even though he is making an attempt to associate the Taylor tragedy with the reality of "Black on Black crime", the pain and terror that the KKK spread in America, specifically toward African-Americans , is scar that may never be healed.

Second, Whitlock , a African-American, should be more aware that "Black on Black " crime is a byproduct of the poverty and the destitute state that many African-Americans that live in large metropolitan areas are faced with . What are communities need are more persons that are concerned about the crime issue and take action in solving the problem. African-Americans, who have attained a certain status in life, have a responsibility to lend themselves to their community in some mentoring roles. Be it literacy programs, apprenticeships, or peer to peer counseling, I truly believe we can put a dent in the crime problem that lives in so many of our neighborhoods. W.E.B. DuBois, stated that it will be the "Talented Tenth", that will help the masses. Now similar to Plato's "Republic" , which identifies the "Philosopher King"as the leaders of the cities, its our duty to get into the fight and help, not sit back and judge others as they make mistakes!

Third, these were isolated thugs who committed this crime, not the entire African-American community. Whitlock, wants to throw the entire African-American community under one umbrella and make it seem like all that Black people do is listen to Young Jeezy, watch girls shake their a--, and kill each other! Whitlock also made the assertion, that because of where Taylor lived and because of his past issues, was the reason he was killed. Now, I am not sure if Whitlock is aware, but Black people are not monolithic! We are different , with different life experiences that are as diverse as the United Nations. We do share the common experience of ancestry, which makes it just stupid that he would talk about KKK and Black people in the same breath.

The bottom line, the life of Sean Taylor should be celebrated! He was a father, a son, a man soon to be married, a leader in his family! Whitlock, a obvious self-hating Negro, wants to prostitute all whats wrong in our communities and state their is basically no hope. I don't know about you, but the only judge I know is our heavenly father! God knows all the dirt I have done in life I am not in a position to judge anyone, but I cannot stand anyone who wants to point fingers at someone else and say they are less than because of their circumstance!

As a people, we must lend ourselves to persons who have found it difficult to live in today's complex society. If God has the ability to forgive and show us "UNCONDITIONAL LOVE", what makes it so difficult for us to do the same? Are we like Jason Whitlock, so insecure in who we are that we find a perverse delight in the tragedy in others? I refuse to be negative! I will love my people ....HARD, no matter what society says! Now we are not foolish, and we won't ever purposely be naive to what lives in society, yet I will not fear my people!

I don't care where a person comes from, I believe all people desire to be good and productive. We must be solutions to our communities issues, we must warriors, ...... GOD BLESS YOU SEAN! WE LOVE YOU!

ATTN BLOGGERS:: IS THIS YOU??? *Have a laugh on me!*

My co-worker couldn't resist bringing this cartoon to me...

Is this really why I blog?!

Is this why YOU blog?!

Have a laugh on me...



Ok, maybe it's not THAT funny - but it is funny!

click here scroll down to today's cartoon!

:::::::Blogs of Interest:::::::::::::

We Love You, Black Man!

(image courtesy of Google Images)

Everyday, regardless of the media outlet, the black man is denigrated.
They're put down, lied on, abused, and maligned.
One media outlet is the black woman's mouth.
Just as mainstream media is guilty of creating an unpalatable image of the black male, our words have done the same or worse.
A brother I spoke to out of Detroit, is hoping to change the face of the black man.
Check out his blog BLACK MALE APPRECIATION.
RJ feels that enough of the tearing down and puts the ball in our court by challenging us to invest seeds (words) of hope in the black male.What are we doing as a community to build the black man up? If you, would like to be part of the "build up a black man" movement, how about contributing encouraging words,challenges, thoughts on upliftment.
Interested? Then become a writer for Black Male Appreciation
I WANT TO BUILD YOU UP BLACK MAN

Visit RJ's, personal blog I AM RJ and learn about transformation of self, unconditional love etc.
His newest post is on his fiancee Cheryl, and the discovery of a love that flourished not diminished despite Cheryl's hair loss to Alopecia Areata ( a condition that causes hair to fall out on a certain area of the body for w/out reason. There is no cure).
Read about RJ's love for Cheryl here: No Love loss with hair loss

Family, please add these sites to your blogrolls and pass the links. It's time we share the love.

AJ Tagged Me!

My girl AJ of Over Analyze it has tagged me- aka "meme."

(image courtesy of Google Images)
What this means in laymens terms is...i have to pay this tag forward, but first I must provide information, more specifically I must divulge 7 facts to you,about me.
So without further ado here goes:

1. In conversation I will always find a way to segue to my blog and STRONGLY suggest they check it out and leave a comment.

2. When I was 11, I wanted to be the first black known gymnast.

3. As a child, I was PAINFULLY shy (you'd never know it today!)

4. Whenever I hear juicy or interesting news, I think IMMEDIATELY of my blog and hope I can provide "breaking news!"

5. I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness.

6. I've been a part of Weight Watchers 5 weeks and I've only lost 4lbs, but am losing major inches!

7. I'm walking as exercise with the ultimate goal being entering and completing a marathon!

The rules are:

A). Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog..

.B). Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself...

C). Tag 7 (or as many as you can) random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs...

D). Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

and

E). HAVE FUN! :)

I'm tagging:

AJ (I know she's been tagged but i'm new at blogging too)Over Analyze It

Lynn, my blog-mama HickTown Press

Mr. Ghetto Proverbs Ghetto Proverbs

Brian T. Clay Brian Clay

Shout Out to Ghetto Proverbs!

Showing Love To The South!
source

Family, I had the pleasure of meeting an astute, educated, poly-syllabic brother, by the name of Ray at blogcatalog.com, and I just wanted to throw some love his way.

Family when you can, show Ray some love by visiting

http:ghettoproverbs.blogspot.com

you'll be glad you did :)

Oh Lawd!

He's smilin' & profilin' but is he pimpin'?

(image courtesy of Google Images)

While perusing the ever informative blog www.independentconservative.com, I came across a post about a popular church here in Michigan called Detroit World Outreach, aka DWO. Needless to say it was an Channel 7 News expose on the pastor who is living in a $3.6m home. Must be nice. Did I mention, that he's living in a $3.6M as in million DOLLAR, home? Did you know the church is paying for it, and Michigan IS STILL in a recession, but he's living in palatial mansion??? Oh, ok. I just wanted to be sure.

Pulpit Pimp??? I'm not sure if he's pimpin' but he's living the life in the pulpit!
see for yourself:

Pimpin' Aint EZ, but it Sho' is Profitable--False Profits, Pastors, Perverts and Prostitutes are bad **Just say NO**

I had the privilege of being part of an awesome panel on internet radio called BlogTalkRadio-Hick Town Press-this is talk radio on the internet, if you're curious here's a link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/profile.aspx?userid=6380.

Today's topic was: Pulpit Pimps, Panhandlers, Prostitutes and Perverts. And let me add this in reference to CHURCH...not the world, listen here http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hicktownpress/2007/09/22/pulpit-pimps-panhandlers-prostitutes-and-perverts

It's spearheaded by a fabulously astute, and talented young woman named Lynn. Check her blog out at http://www.hicktownpress.com/.

I had the awesome privilege of sharing the panel with my Hicktown brother and sisters and they were COP, CBW, Franetta & Leslie. The broadcast is archived therefore you can listen anytime as we discussed the prominence of pulpit pimps, panhandlers, prostitutes and perverts in the church. Lynn, posed questions that caused you to search your soul! Amen.

Source of Image, Pulpit-pimps.org

You betta recognize, family!

Ivent ;)