The Ghetto Grinch

So, I am walking around the Arlington, Virginia area today and noticed all of the Christmas decorations and lights. One of the first things that struck me was that I remember these lights and decorations being up at the end of October. What is up with that? See, I have a problem with Christmas and the holidays in general.

Does this make me a Grinch? Maybe, or am I just sick of the commercialization that the holidays have become. I remember when I was a young lad in Maryland, the holiday season was the best time of the year. Everyone was in a great mood, you had the family around to celebrate with and you received gifts. I fell for all the holiday madness hook, line and sinker when I was younger, but it all changed at the age of 8. My mother had suckered me into believing in Santa Claus, the North Pole and all the Christmas jazz. Hell, I loved watching those classic Christmas specials like Rudolph's Shiny New Year, A Charlie Brown Christmas and Frosty the Snowman, just to name a few. We were always told to leave out milk and cookies for Santa and make sure that we went to bed early. All the good children would receive presents. So, I fell for it. That Christmas I woke up early because I had to use the bathroom. In order for me to get to the bathroom, I had to walk down a hallway. The bathroom was across from the living room. When I went towards the bathroom I looked into the living room and who do I see?? My older sisters and mom putting together toys and laying out the presents. They saw me and told me to go to bed. I said to my mother, "I thought Santa Claus put out the presents?" What was her answer? "Yes he does, but he jumped behind the tree." Well, I knew that was a crock but played along with it anyway. From that moment on, Christmas would never be the same again.

Flash forward to today and my attitude towards the holidays has only become worse. Most people don't even know what the true meaning of Christmas is. Luckily, my mother sat me down when I was younger to tell me that Christmas was more then getting presents. I find it hard for me to say Merry Xmas or Happy Holidays when I truly don't mean it. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate someone taking the time to say it to me or whatever, so I feel obligated to respond. Christmas is way too commercial. Most people are mainly concerned about getting stuff. I remember a friend of mine gave her boyfriend a really cool hand made gift. Something from the heart and very nice. He got her a very expensive necklace. He was absolutely pissed that he just got some homemade present. That's what gift giving has come to. Buy someone something expensive and receive something inexpensive in return and see how you react to it. The holiday spirit just seems fake to me. Could this just be me? Am I truly the Ghetto Grinch?

Santa, please help me!

Tha Darkside Vibe #43

Show intro

The greatest house party ever!

News:

Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant
Survivor runner up plays the sympathy card
Amy Winehouse suicide pact

Nelly and Allen Iverson on OJ Simpson

WWE 15 Year Anniversary

Artist spotlight : Dre Robinson

21 Things about Men and Women

Show Outro/Shoutouts

An open letter to Prince....

If you haven't heard the news, Prince is suing several websites citing copyright infringement. Before you read this open letter, check out the entire story by following this link:

Prince sues fan websites

Ok, now that you have read the entire story and know exactly what is going on...can you believe this? Let me first start by saying I am a huge Prince fan. Anyone who knows me knows this is a fact. I will talk until I am blue in the face about Prince. Let me run into someone who is just finding out about him or wants to know more about the man and his music, watch out. I am breaking out the cds, playing important tracks and taking the person through his amazing career. I wrote a blog not too long ago about the first time I heard his music, that was almost 27 years ago. That day truly changed my thoughts and views towards music. Yea, I listened to stuff here and there, but was never really into music until Prince. He can definitely be credited for my overwhelming love of music, not just his but all types of music. This is why I am so saddened by what is taking place.

There are obviously two sides to this story, Prince's side and the fans side. Now, I can completely understand him having a problem with sites that are illegally using his photos, videos and music for some sort of financial gain. Claiming to be "official" sites connected to Prince. That is completely wrong and the man has every right to sue those entities. But come on, the 3 main sites he is after are: Housequake.com, Prince.org and Princefams.org. I am a member of all 3 sites as well as the official Prince site 3121. com. The interesting thing is on each of those fan pages it clearly states that they have no official affiliation with Prince and any companies related to Prince. They clearly spell out in no uncertain terms that they will not tolerate any illegal posts, selling of or asking where to purchase any music, movies and anything related to Prince. These sites are maintained by these folks absolutely free, because they love and respect his music. No money is being made on these sites, none. These sites are for information purposes only. Even though I have a huge knowledge of Prince, I can't know everything. These sites have come in handy several times when I wanted to find out some information.

Prince, this is FREE PUBLICITY! WE ARE THE FANS WHO HAVE STUCK WITH YOU THROUGH THICK AND THIN! From the good times (Purple Rain, Dirty Mind, Sign o' the Times), to the not so good times (pretty much the entire 90's). From writing slave on your face, fighting your record label for ownership of your music. Your comeback at the Grammy awards with Beyonce to your amazing performance at halftime during the Superbowl. We have been there, every step of the way. I personally have been ridiculed and called a homosexual for being a fan of yours. Did I care? Not one bit, because the music is just that powerful. Your true fans are not here to take you down, but to enjoy the gift you have been given. Why would you want to hurt the people who have been there with you from day one? The only thing you are going to do is alienate this hardcore and loyal base of fans. Of course, the lawyers are going to try and spin this situation to make it look like it's not aimed at the fans, but it is..no matter how you try and paint it.

Instead of backing down, those 3 fan sites I mentioned earlier are getting together to fight back..I say FIGHT THE POWER! Sometimes you gotta spank big daddy to make him realize the mistakes they are making. You want to know the true definition of irony? Prince is the one of the main artists who pioneered the use of the internet to get his message and music out to the masses. Last year he won an award for "reshaping the relationship between fan and artist." Go figure. It just blows my mind how he can do this to his most loyal fans, truly blows my mind.

When I first started to write this open letter, I will admit it was filled with some curse words and a very bitter tone. I chose not to use that version, but tone it down and just say how I feel without being angry. All I can say to you Prince is, years of myself and others being loyal dedicated fans and this is how you repay us? If any of you are interested in finding out more about the movement called Prince Fans United, I urge you to go to their website and show your support.

Prince Fans United!

No matter what you do or how crazy you get Prince, your music will always be what keeps me as one of your fans. It's too bad you don't realize right now that this is hurting you more then helping you.

stay purple people...

Me, metrosexuality and Gay America

Ah yes, I sit here people typing this blog as a man who is COMPLETELY comfortable with himself. Some people may not be comfortable with who they are and that is a shame. Maybe one day you will be, but until you do, don't put down anyone or anything else. Being gay in this country has never been more accepted than it is now, in my opinion. Some may say that being gay, especially among the younger generation, is the "in" thing right now. I hope that isn't the case and they are just claiming to be gay just because it's cool or they want to get back at society. That just defeats the whole purpose.

Now, I am a person who is open to anyone and anything. Well, let me try that again. I am open to anyone who is proud of whatever and whomever they are, gay, straight, bi..whatever. I have many straight friends, gay and bi friends and I treat none of them differently. I even go to gay male and lesbian bars on occasion to hang with my friends. Now, when some of my straight friends here this, the ones who have a problem with homosexuality, they are disgusted and can't believe that I go to those kind of places. Again, I don't get mad, it's their opinion, even though I don't agree with it, I respect it. Going to these clubs is a totally different scene, but my thinking is they are having a good time, who gives a fuck about their sexual orientation. I have been hit on many times in the gay bars that I've gone to and have politely stated that I was a straight man.

To my friends and others who have a problem with homosexuality, could it be you are hiding something really deep in your psyche? That you despise the very thing you are trying to repress? I am in no way a doctor or psychologist, but it seems that may be the case with some of these people. Is being gay something that develops over time or are you born gay? I have no freakin' clue and won't even attempt to tackle that question...no one truly knows. What I know is, do what makes you happy and forget about what other people think. Life is too short to be worried about them and their opinions. As long as you aren't hurting anyone emotionally or physically.

Which brings me to metrosexual. The definition of metrosexual is:

n. A man (esp. a heterosexual man) whose lifestyle, spending habits and concern for personal appearance are likened to those considered typical of a fashionable, urban, homosexual man.

Now, judging by the above definition, I am a metrosexual. Granted, my whole lifestyle nor my entire spending habits are controlled by it, but I am concerned alot with my appearance and how I come across to people when I am in public. Do I go all out with the manicures and facials and so forth, no, well at least not yet :), but you never know. I think I will consider myself a part-time metrosexual. I think a man should take pride in his appearance and not have people think just because he does, he's gay..that's stupid. So fellas, who's with me on this metrosexual thing? Anyone? Any of you brave enough to tell the world, I AM A METROSEXUAL!!

Buffy, the pop culture phenom!

In March of 1997, up and coming network the WB took a chance on a series that the other 4 major networks had passed on. Little did they know that this show would go on to become a cultural phenomenon, that show is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was originally a movie that starred Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry. The film was panned by critics and had very little success. Several years later that movie was turned into a television series. Now, you are probably asking yourself why is he talking about some stupid TV show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'll tell you why, because it was one of the best shows that has been on television in the last 30 years. TV Guide rated it #41 on the list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows of all time, not bad for a show that many people initially laughed at, including me. I actually was one of the few who sat through the horrible movie and thought for sure that the TV show was going to be horrific, but I decided to give it a shot. Man was I surprised. This show had it all, excellent writing from Josh Whedon and staff, great acting and chemistry between the cast, humor, emotion and at times the show poked fun at itself.

Why am I writing a blog about this show? Well, last week Best Buy put all 7 seasons of the show on sale for $15.99 a season, what a deal. I have seen all 7 seasons when they originally aired, but wanted to have the show on DVD. So, over the last couple of years, I have purchased a season here and a season there. Well, this was my chance to pick up a couple more seasons at a fantastic price. So, I picked up seasons 4 and 5 and went to the counter. When I placed them on the counter, the cashier looked at me and started to laugh. She asked me was I seriously buying them and I started to laugh myself. I told her I was not ashamed that I love the show and wanted to eventually have all 7 seasons. Now, when some of my friends find out I watch the show, they laugh to..initially. Once I get them to watch the show, they become hooked to! To date, I have converted over 20 people into Buffy fans. Do you want to be the next one I convert?? Don't be ashamed, it's just TV folks!! I say, grab the popcorn, a wooden stake, pull up a seat and enjoy one of the greatest shows ever created!

So, take a second, look at the show intro above and realize that you are going to enjoy this show! I do have one question though...why is it that every vampire on the shows knows kung fu??

B.L.B.

So, I am talking with a good friend of mine Doug the other day about how my vacation plans were all screwed up and I had to postpone my vacation to California. So, as a pity present to myself, I told him I was going to buy a bluetooth headset for my RAZR phone. There was a bit of silence, then he hits me with, "Man, brothas love bluetooth!" I was like, what are you talking about?? I told him he was full of crap and we kind of jumped off the subject and finished the call. I went to the store to find one, but didn't like what they had. The next day I went to Best Buy after some research online and purchased the one you see to the left.

What I didn't realize is that entire day I started paying attention to who I noticed with bluetooth headsets. I kid you not, out of the 40 plus people I saw with bluetooth headsets, 33 of them were brothas! Wait, could Doug have something? Is it in our genes to have bluetooth headsets? Why did so many of us have them? Now granted, this was no official poll or scientific experiment, just me counting the people I saw and making a note of it. So, as I setup my headset and put it on, I started wondering why did I purchase the headset. I can tell you now one of the main reasons is that I am a gadget geek, like most are. Have some cool new toy to play with is very exciting. Do I really need the headset? Heck no, but I wanted it. Could it be it gives me some sort of status in the world of cellular phones and accessories? Maybe, but that's probably all in my head. I am thinking the reason I have it is because I just can. LOL! Does that make sense? Nope, but neither do many things in this world.

So, if you see my walking down the street talking to myself, don't fret or thing I am crazy. It's just me enjoying the wonderful gift that I purchased for myself and my ego, my lovely bluetooth headset!

A Dirty Mind

As I sit here and listen to Prince's 26th studio album Planet Earth, it makes me realize why I have been a fan of his for almost 3 decades now. The man is just dripping with talent, sometimes too much to comprehend. Some people think he is no longer relevant in today's music industry of one hit wonders, boy bands and manufactured music, but I say that is total nonsense. He may not have the radio play and albums sales of the 80's, but no one can touch him as far as stage performance goes..no one.

This brings me to the topic of this blog, Dirty Mind. I was a mere lad when I came across this album at the local record store where I grew up. The album cover alone was bad enough to were my mother said I couldn't get it. But, I went ahead on my own and purchased it, but never told her that I did. Realize, this album came out in 1981 and was the very first cd in the music industry to receive a Parental Advisory sticker. I played it several times and although I did enjoy it, I didn't actually realize what I was listening to....a groundbreaking masterpiece.

Flash forward years later and several Prince albums later, I was home one night and decided to dust off the cd and play it again. It had been a while since I had listened to the entire cd. I was completely floored at what I heard coming from my speakers. How could this album be from 1980? It was truly groundbreaking, it had elements of funk, new wave, rock and pop. But how could an album that was only 8 tracks and 30 minutes long accomplish this? One word, Prince. Every instrument, every vocal and every lyric was Prince, unprecedented at the time. His touring band was made up of different races and women, another first for that time period. As I continued to listen to this album, I thought to myself, I can't be the only one realizing the greatness of this album. So, I searched the web and found many critics agreed with my opinion. Rolling Stone magazine named it one of the 500 best albums of all time. Here is a review from AllMusic.com that pretty much sums up this album:

Neither For You nor Prince was adequate preparation for the full-blown masterpiece of Prince's third album, Dirty Mind. Recorded in his home studio, with Prince playing nearly every instrument, Dirty Mind is a stunning, audacious amalgam of funk, new wave, R&B, and pop, fueled by grinningly salacious sex and the desire to shock. Where other pop musicians suggested sex in lewd double-entendres, Prince left nothing to hide — before its release, no other rock or funk record was ever quite as explicit as Dirty Mind, with its gleeful tales of oral sex, threesomes, and even incest. Certainly, it opened the doors for countless sexually explicit albums, but to reduce its impact to mere profanity is too reductive — the music of Dirty Mind is as shocking as its graphic language, bending styles and breaking rules with little regard for fixed genres. Basing the album on a harder, rock-oriented beat more than before, Prince tries everything — there's pure new wave pop ("When You Were Mine"), soulful crooning ("Gotta Broken Heart Again"), robotic funk ("Dirty Mind"), rock & roll ("Sister"), sultry funk ("Head," "Do It All Night"), and relentless dance jams ("Uptown," "Partyup"), all in the space of half an hour. It's a breathtaking, visionary album, and its fusion of synthesizers, rock rhythms, and funk set the style for much of the urban soul and funk of the early '80s.

That review right there sums it up. To give you even a better taste of this album, here is the video of the title cut:



So, if you are a Prince fan and don't own this album, shame on you! If you are not a Prince fan or want to get into Prince, this is the first album to pick up. This is the one that showed the world exactly what was about to hit it, the artist known as Prince.

Media whore??

When I was a young man growing up, my mother always taught me to be proud of who I am and where I came from. I was also taught not only to embrace my culture and heritage, but to learn and embrace the cultures of others, making me a more diverse and affluent individual. One person my mother would always bring up as an excellent example of this kind of individual was Jesse Jackson. Now granted, she also was a great admirer of Martin Luther King, Jr and was actually at the march on Washington in 1963. As well all know, King was gunned down in his prime, before he could finish the work he was put on this earth to do. So, with King gone, she took a notice of Jesse Jackson and constantly told me what a great man he was and what great work lies ahead for him. This was an exciting time, to see someone like me on television, debating , representing himself as a proud black man. But, as I became older, I started to notice that it seemed to me that he began to change...yes, he was still one of our most valued leaders in taking up the black cause, but to me it seemed like it was more for him than us.

Jump forward to today and the reason I am writing this post. I happened to be on YouTube as always, looking for something and came across some Jackson press conferences and speeches. It seems that Jesse has become a media whore. What makes this so unsetteling to me is that he has become a media whore ONLY when it is something that is major and will get him some serious tv time. Let's look at a couple of recent examples:


1) The shock jock Don Imus had made a comment about a women's basketball team. Calling them "nappy headed hos" while on the air. Now, when I first heard this, yea it wasn't in good taste, but he is a shock jock, duh. Jesse took it upon himself to not only call for the firing of Don Imus, but began picketing outside the studio were he did his show and going on every televison and news program that would have him on. Did Imus deserved to be fired? Not my call, that was up to his bosses, but I think Jesse made the situation much bigger than it needed to be. There is a columnist for the Kansas City Star named Jason Whitlock, who also happens to be black and totally agrees with what I am saying here. He said it best by saying the Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are a couple of opportunists. Look at this clip:



2)The second situation that he put himself in was the Michael Richards issue. Mr. Richards used the "N" word while at a comedy club in Los Angeles. I am in agreement with everyone who says that the "N" word should not be used by anyone, not even black people. But yet, here comes Jesse with his super cape..jumping on the bandwagon, protesting Richards, the release of a Seinfeld season dvd set. Here is a clip of Richards on Jesse's radio show:



All I am saying is that if you are going to call yourself a leader and represent the common black man, white man, yellow man, make sure you are doing it for the RIGHT reasons and not for personal gain. What has his Rainbow Push Coalition actually done? What the hell does Jesse do for a living? Can anyone tell me???

Say what you mean...mean what you say!

Boy, I am on a roll this week. Got alot of stuff on my mind. Today's blog is going to center around political correctness. I can't stand it! This country has become too PC and it's really starting to drive me nuts. People are scared to say what is really on their minds in order not to offend someone. Fuck that noise! Say what you mean, mean what you say. You can't make everyone happy and if you are trying, you will fail. Case in point, I was at a club this past weekend with some friends and struck up a conversation with a very attractive looking female. She happened to have a friend with her that in my opinion, was not that attractive, but she was nice. So the attractive friend and I are talking and during our conversation I find out that she has a boyfriend, good for her. No harm, no foul on my end. She then proceeds to try to set me up with her friend and I kindly say that I am not interested. She asks me why with a how dare I not want to talk to her friend attitude, to which I reply, I don't think she's attractive. No sooner did I finish saying that, this girl starts getting all hissy with me and telling me I don't look that good, blah blah blah. First of all, I have never and will never go around thinking I am the best looking person out there, I am far from that..but I think I am decent enough to were I can make a statement like I did about her friend. So, she asks me why I just came out and said that...I told her, why lie? Why beat around the bush? Tell the truth, it will save you a bunch of drama in the long run.

So then she hit me with the, beauty is measured by the person inside not outside crap. What's that saying, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but ugly goes straight to the bone?? More PC bullshit.

That's my point, don't sugarcoat anything, but don't be overly mean either. People get offended if you call someone retarded, that's the word that I grew up on, it wasn't meant to be cruel, just a fact. Now they are mentally challenged. All I know is that the "mentally retarded" kids went to a different classroom and got out early, just in case. Don't call me black anymore, call me African-American. What the fuck does that mean? I am African, hm, the last time I checked my roots go no further than Maryland and don't give me that go to Africa and find your roots shit. I'll be damned if I am gonna fly on a plane for 14 hours or whatever just to find out that my great times 10 grandfather was a tribal leader, wow, that's nice but it isn't helping me here. If some of us black folk went to Africa, we'd be back on the plane in a minute. As soon as we found out they don't have any KFCs or kool-aid over there, we'd be homesick. Plus,that's a long flight you guys. Imagine the slaves on the boats coming to American. That boat ride was so long, I think there are still slaves on ships on there way to America right now!

People are too afraid of someone not liking them, wanting to appease everyone. Screw that, I live for just the opposite. I say what is on my mind, whether you like it or not. Whether you will be my friend or not, I dont' care. Can't call someone dumb, they are educationally challenged, no, you're dumb. Nope, he isn't a dirty person, he is just hygiene challenged. Whatever happened to people just being filthy or crazy or just plain stupid? Can we go back to the old days when I was growing up. Stop trying to kiss everyone's butt and take a stand.....

you may like yourself more when you do. :)

Pardon my rambling, it probably doesn't make any sense! LOL!

Can the Lord save you in a theatre?

Apparently the Lord can and I wasn't aware of this. Let me start from the beginning. Saturday night I went out with my good friend Kevin to meet up with some friends at a club called UltraBar. One of the people in the group was Jen, who is becoming a good friend of mine. Well, we are all drinking having a good time and Jen is kind enough to tell us on several occasions that night that she went shooting earlier in the day. Very impressive and also a bit frightening..lol. Anyway, during our conversation I asked if she had seen the movie 1408 yet because I knew she wanted to see it as well as I did. So, we made arrangements to go see it the next day.

Jen sent me a text at 10am the next morning to meet up with her at the 4:05 showing of 1408 at Potomac Yards 16. Cool..everything is lovely. So, I get there and purchase the tickets. On a side note, is it me or has the price of movie tickets just become insane??

So, Jen shows up and immediately lets me know that it's freaking hot outside! LOL! Hell yea it was hot outside. We get into the theatre, find a seat and prepare to watch a movie we both had been looking forward to. The previews start which really didn't do anything for me. Some western with Russel Crowe, a very cool looking movie with Elisa Cuthbert and the new Lindsay Lohan movie. In the preview of that movie, she was dancing as a stripper, hmm..gonna have to pass on that one. So the movie begins and everything is lovely, starts out nice and then it happened. 30 minutes into the movie a, how can I put this, rather plump black couple sit right behind us. The man behind me, the woman behind Jen. The woman is carrying what looks like a white hefty garbage bag with a bunch of food in it. We were the lucky ones to hear the crinkling and cracking of such bag and the bags of food they were consuming. Both Jen and I were also lucky enough to be on the receiving end of many kicks to the back of our chairs because the couple could barely fit in to seats and aisle. Back to the flick, it is very entertaining and moving along at a nice pace, when the first gotcha moment happens, the black woman let's out a scream that I swear woke up 2pac and Biggie. Then she did something I'd had never heard before at a theatre, she asked for the Lord to help her. Oh Lord, Jesus! What the fuck??? Not only did this happen 3 more times, but their constant talking during the movie didn't help either. Each time there was a gotcha moment, she put the Lord on standby, what is up with that??

Anyway, if you want to see a well acted and suspenseful movie, go see 1408. John Cusack does an amazing job in the lead role. But, if you want to see the movie and not worry about a ear damaging Jabba the Hut scream, go to a white theatre, they are much more quiet! LOL!!

White Boy Can Dance!!

There is an epidemic in this country. White kids listening to rap, watching rap videos and thinking they can dance and rap. Before you say it, no I am not a racist, I am a realist. Reality is telling me I need to stop these kids from making fools of themselves. Ladies, if this guy came up to you at a club, would you dance with him?? LOL!

Roid Rage?

Roid rage? Unless you have been living under a rock, you are aware of the tragedy involving WWE wrestler Chris Benoit and his family. If you haven't heard, the short version of the story is that Chris Benoit was scheduled for several appearances over last weekend and contacted WWE officials to tell them basically he couldn't make the events because his wife and son were sick. He sent several very strange text messages to 2 WWE officials which led them to contact the autorities to go investigate what was happening at Chris Beniot's home. The text messages were strange to say the least. Here are the first 2 messages he sent:

* 3:53 AM - Chris Benoit’s cell phone: “My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane, Fayeteville Georgia. 30215″

* 3:53 AM - Chris Benoit’s cell phone: “The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open.”

Now if that isn't a hint and a half for your ass that something is definitely up, I don't know what is. When the people do finally arrive at the residence, they find Nancy Benoit tied at the hands and feet and a cord around her neck were she had been strangled. Beside her was a bible. Upstairs they find his 7 year old son Daniel dead with a bible beside him. He had been smothered with a pillow. Finally, they found Chris Benoit in his gym hanging. A murder/suicide. This sent shockwaves through the wrestling community. What would cause a man who was so well respected in his profession to just lose it and commit this horrible act? According to police, Mr. Benoit killed his wife sometime Friday night, then the next morning killed his son and finally commited suicide on Sunday.

Now granted, none of us were there when this all took place so no one REALLY knows what happened. But the first thing I started reading and hearing about was roid rage. So what exactly is roid rage? I kind of had an idea, but did some checking around and found this simple answer:

Roid rage, in many ways, I would characterize as a form of loss of impulse control. It provokes overreactions via a stimulus that normally doesn't produce such a severe reaction.
So say somebody says something to you that you don't like. You may put your fist through a wall. The impulse is there; it's overreaction. Forget the roid, for the moment. It's a rage ... and that rage is precipitated by the brain being exposed to anabolic steroids.

Now this is by no means the definitive definition of roid rage, but you get the point. An impulse, severe overreaction. So, here is my problem with the roid rage theory. If that was the case, wouldn't he have killed his entire family right then and there without any thought? I mean, this man tied up and strangled his wife, then laid a bible right next to her. Waited several hours later and then smothered his son. Then the following day decided to take his own life. Doesn't that seem to be a bit more on the pre-meditated side? Am I way off base with this one? There is going to be nothing but speculation as to what really happened..did steroids have anything to do with this horrible crime. Now, for anyone to deny that Chris used steroids is crazy. I have been a fan of wrestling for over 30 years and was quite aware of steroid use in the WWE. That is one reason the WWE calls itself "Sports Entertainment" instead of a regular sport. That way it is not governed under certain rules that regular sports have to follow. In recent years several wrestlers have died and others have tested positive for steroid use. The WWE has now created the Wellness Program which does not tolerate the use of steroids and will punish anyone in violation...yea right. As long as these guys are making money for the business, they will always have a way around the Wellness program.

Bottom line, make no mistake about it, this is a horrible tragedy, but I think it has to do with a man who was deeply disturbed emotionally and not in a fit of roid rage. What do you guys think?

In the end, the WWE will go on and continue to entertain the thousands of fans it does every night. Maybe this incident will make the WWE take a hard look at not only drugs their wrestlers are taking/using, but also the emotional well being of these individuals. Although they are placed on pedestals to many, they are still human.

NuBlack...the movement!

Ok, I have had enough! The black community, yes I said black..I can't stand the label African American. What has come of our community, our pride and the things we hold dear to ourselves. All most of us seem to be now is curse words, broken homes, ignorance and lack of respect for each other.

I went to the movies last night to see Knocked Up. This is a rated R movie and contains nudity, graphic language and drug use. I will get to why I told you that later. We decide to go to the 6:40pm movie and made a decision to meet up at 6:30. Now, I was hoping we would go to a theatre somewhere in Northern Virginia such as Arlington, where I live. My friend asked if I wouldn't mind coming in to the city instead and see the movie. So with a little hesitation I agreed to meet here at Regal Cinemas at Gallery Place. Let me first say that any experience that I have had a an all "black" theatre has been horrible. If any of you have gone to an all black theatre, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. Now, some people may say, how can you say this about your own race.....do you not want to be black? First let me say, I am completely proud of my race and who I am. What I am saying to you in this blog is there is a section of our community that needs to be put in check...today!

So, I am standing outside of the theatre waiting for my date to arrive and I start people watching..something I love to do. First thing I notice is that there are many young black kids running around all over the place, don't see any parents in the picture. As I watch these kids who are no older than 10, I am startled by a male with huge headphones on rapping extremely loud, so loud that I can't hear the person I am talking to on the phone. Now, I am all for someone expressing themselves through music since I am a huge fan of music, but when there are kids around and there are curse words in the lyrics, keep them to yourself. Next I notice 2 gay black men with a black woman who is talking on the phone. Apparently, one of the men took a chicken wing of hers and she went off. Again, there are kids everywhere. She starts screaming, "Fuck you nigger", "Give me back my mutha fuckin piece of chicken!" I can't take it anymore...just when I am about to lose it, a Lil Jon wanna be pulls up right in front of the theatre with music blasting loud, gets out the car and wait for it......leans on his car and basically poses for 20 minutes! Are you kidding me??

Finally, my date arrives and we go inside to the theatre. We were a bit late so we had to sit in the front of the theatre. First thing I notice in my row, 4 of those kids I mentioned earlier who were cursing up a storm sitting in my row, none of them older than 10. The mother, no were to be found. Even before the movie starts, the kids are kicking each others chairs, yelling, talking on their phones and cursing like sailors. The theatre goes dark and the previews start playing with the kids still making alot of noise. Again I remind you, this is an R rated movie, what are these kids doing in here. Cell phones going off, kids yelling. Finally the mother arrives and she is no better, her phone rings and she holds a 5 minute conversation with someone named Darnell on the phone. Apparently, Darnell owes this woman money and he better give it up soon or she is going to whip his mutha fuckin ass! Oh and don't let me forget the 157 times they all got up to move around making us get up everytime they did...grrrrrrrr!

Why do I tell you this story? First, never go to an all black theatre if you WANT to see the movie. Second, this behavior only strengthens my point that a new movement needs to start, NuBlack. NuBlack is for blacks of all ages to finally stand up and put an end to this kind of ridiculous and embarrassing behavior. Now, I am in no way saying I am perfect, but I was taught what is right and what is wrong. But what about the kids that don't have a father in the home?? Fuck that excuse, I grew up without a father and turned out just fine. Knowing that education is key, respect is key and you have to work hard for what you want. Kids today want to take the easy road to get what they want. They have no respect for their parents, authority or even themselves. I want black kids and adults who allow and take part in this behavior to wake the fuck up! You are going to get NOWHERE acting this way. That is were people of the NuBlack movement will come in.

If you see a young girl or boy doing or saying something they shouldn't talk to them, let them know that it isn't the right way to go about things. It is up to us to stress education and respect to these kids before they end up in prison or in the ground, because that is where they are headed!

Join me in the NuBlack movement!