It's The Return...

UPDATES COMING SOON...STAY TUNED!!!!!!!!

Life...

Many people have countless opinions about life, it's meaning, and our purpose. None of those people have the answers, though....at least not for others, just them. I can't tell you how many times I've asked myself those questions, and sometimes I even came up with answers. But they were never the same. I guess as time passes, our perspective changes. Everyone has a story to tell...we have all overcome something that we thought would be the end of us. Some may have wanted to quit, to give in, and give up. I know I did.

This post isn't really about anything, but it's also almost about everything. I remember what it felt like to Know without any doubt that I had been dealt a crappy hand. The trials and tribulations were just too hard, for too long, and just too much to deal with. I remember what it was like to pray to whoever or whatever was listening to just make it stop, because I couldn't take it....yet here I am. I'm back in college in pursuit of my goals. I've met some new, interestingly cool people, and I'm stepping further out into the space that was provided for me.

I just felt like saying how thankful I am that I was able to pick up the pieces and move forward with my life after my bout with depression. Others weren't/aren't so fortunate. It's not easy, but it's okay. Lauryn Hill said, "...what a joy it is to be alive...to get another chance...everyday's another chance...to get it right this time..." that's how I feel, and it feels great!

btw I didn't re-read this...just typed what came to me. So, sorry if it's mumbo jumbo : )

No Harm, No Foul? ...I don't buy that...

Just thought I'd share this:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#36155851

Some will want to discredit the report because of the source, but facts are facts and lies are lies. Those who are afraid of intelligent, fact-based debate are those with the least to offer to that debate. We need to hold our elected officials accountable for their misleading and outright false assertions that lead us to support unjustified actions.
It seems that we just react to what we hear or see...When did we stop thinking?

An organization that assisted an underrepresented segment of our population was forced into nonexistence...and for what? Nothing.

The truth is, what we don't know Can hurt us...a democracy is only effective when its electorate are knowledgeable and active...

What's Going On?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#36010598

This is America, Right?! Where we are entitled to opposing opinions, where we are free to voice our opinions... Why are people acting as if elections no longer matter? When an election takes place, the winner (who apparently represents the majority) then attempts to make good on campaign promises... Instead of working together compromise is now a career ending process in politics and extremists are growing in unsettling numbers, or so it seems.

And why aren't these actions being denounced by every member of congress?

WHAT IS GOING ON????

HCR

When I returned home Sunday night, I was welcomed by the sight of the electric company trying to turn the lights back on in my area....with no cable, and a laptop dead how was I going to witness the health care reform vote that I had been anticipating? Not too worry, after a trip to Wal-Mart to kill the time I arrived back home to the beautiful sight of lights!

So, I plugged up my HP and logged onto CNN to watch the live coverage and onto Twitter to view the reactions. I tweeted at one point that I felt hopeful, not only because health reform had passed the House but because of the TT (Trending Topics) on Twitter! (For those of you not familiar to the lingo - a TT is what everyone seems to be tweeting about) One after the other, tweet after tweet funny, mean, compelling comments and statements about what was taking place in our nation's capital. Regardless of the content whether substantive or irrelevant, we at least were paying attention...which is HUGE plus for the future of America.
In other MAJOR news! Health Care Reform has passed...ushering in a new day in America. There is still much to be done as it relates to health care, ie. personal responsibility among other things, but at least we finally took this step! So, I say GO AMERICA, GO!
And shout outs to the Twam (Twitter Family) who made HCR (Health Care Reform) a TT (Trending Topic) and maybe proved that we aren't as nonchalant or jaded by the nastiness that has become of our politics as the media would chose to insinuate.
This night of history has strengthened my optimism : )

But, one more thing...While on Twitter I ReTweeted a comment by Rachel Maddow "House under Pelosi has now passed stimulus, cap and trade, wall street reform, and health reform." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deserves special recognition.

Media Regret

I've been relatively quiet about the health care debate....not because I didn't have anything to say, but attributed to the fact that I was surprisingly shocked by things that took place, and I wanted to see how it all played out. All the false talk about death panels and government run health care, etc.

The actions that surprised me most were that opposition to the process based on falsehoods went often times unchecked by our media, which made me wonder....after the disaster the became of the Bush Administration could the media be suffering from guilt of some kind? You know how when you mess up really bad, you overcompensate in attempt to make up for your mistake? Well that's what I mean. When we needed them to "grill" our government about the decision to invade Iraq or the Bush tax cuts, the media was mostly MIA. Afraid to speak up I suppose, but at the very least shouldn't they have given us the FACTS?! Now FAST FWD to the Obama Administration's attempt at health care reform. Instead of providing substantive information, the media spent a HUGE amount of time talking about death panels, Obama's citizenship, and other ridiculous topics. Another analogy...you know they say that when a child is desperately seeking attention, you should ignore them and eventually they stop and move on to something else? Same idea here. Instead of the media saying unequivocally, "These statements are false!" and moving on, they talked endlessly which emboldened some people who thought, "well if they're giving it this much attention something must be up...". They focused an enormous amount of time on those who chose to disrupt town hall meeting instead of making their concerns heard in a civil and productive manner. The point is, that while the media should have been providing the truth about what insurance companies do to their clients or what out of control health care costs were going to do to our economy or even encouraging individuals to take personal responsibly for their health in terms of making lifestyle changes, they just focused on nonsensical BS.

We suffered from all that hoopla....those oppose to reform of any kind were able to just stand by fueling fires and not be challenged.

I saw this yesterday and I think it sums up they hypocrisy that is slowly taking over our political system. When are we ordinary citizens going to say to our representatives and our media that "we're not going to be spoon fed lies and nonsense anymore...when you lie or contradict yourself someone is going to call you out..." it's for the betterment of our country and for the stability of our democracy that something changes in the way we govern and are governed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#35941339

"They Sayin' Luda's Back..."

Okay...first my disclaimer: Ludacris is by Far my favorite rapper EVER! I think he is ridiculously underrated...Ludacris is one of the most versatile, creative, and consistent rappers in the industry. And, I know when some people first read that they'll be like "What?!", BUT it's my opinion. I mean, he currently has songs out with Justin Bieber (Baby) and DJ Khaled (All I Do Is Win)...and has been featured with artists ranging from Jesse McCartney to The Game, among others. And if I'm not mistaken, he has sold 20 million albums. So people should stop hating on his success and keep it moving.
Now to Battle Of The Sexes... I think this is throwback Ludacris. Even though his albums, for the most part, have displayed a good mix of good times and real talk, his 7th studio release is reminiscent of his early work (meaning more fun oriented). This effort is more commercial than his recent releases and for that reason I think it'll sell really well.

The "Intro" sets the tempo for the album and makes it clear that it's going to be a fun ride. Then it's on to the club with the platinum single "How Low" and the good times continue to roll with tracks, "Everybody Drunk" feat. Lil' Scrappy and "Party No Mo" feat. Gucci Mane who to my surprise didn't ruin the song...because Luda didn't let him rap! LMAO (thank goodness).

Dime Divas (as Keri Hilson calls them) get their shout outs on the 2nd single "My Chick Bad" featuring Nicki Minaj (whom I don't particularly care for, but did her thing). On the "My Chick Bad (Remix)", which Ludacris calls The P***y Rules The World version, Diamond, Trina, and Eve hold it down.

Relationships are discussed on tracks "I Know You Got A Man" feat. Flo Rida, and "Hey Ho" feat. Lil' Kim (she killed it) which addresses double standards. "Can't Live With You" feat. Monica is self-explanatory and chronicles the back and forth, should I go should stay questions about relationships. On "B.O.T.S. Radio" feat. Shawna and Lil' Fate both perspective are expressed about various scenarios in relationships.

As demonstrated on past tracks such as "Woozy" and "Contagious", Ludacris knows how to talk about a woman! And, he doesn't disappoint us female fans on this album. On "I Do It All Night" feat. Shawna they brag and go back and forth about their sexual capabilities. The following track "Sex Room" feat. Trey Songz......I don't really know what to say (you should just listen to it!)....very grown and sexy, and very smooth. "Feelin So Sexy" feat. Shawna is another sexy track portraying Shawna as a woman enticing her man, and on the next song "Tell Me A Secret" feat. Ne-Yo has Ludacris talking to his woman encouraging her to tell him a secret so that he can further please and satisfy her.

On the last track of the album, "Sexting" (which made me LOL), Ludacris pokes fun at Tiger Woods' marital issues, and is portraying a sex addict struggling to cope with his condition.

All in all this album is fun and also manages to keep it real as it relates to relationships. It has a lot of potential singles and I hope it does well for him. Even though the whole album is solild I figured I'd pick some favorites so here goes:
"Sex Room"
"How Low"
"I Know You Got A Man"
"Can't Live Without You"
"Tell Me A Secret"
"Everybody Drunk"
"Hey Ho"
"My Chick Bad(Remix)"
I will be jamming this for a while. This turned out to be kinda long....hope this helps.

Re: Obama's Question Time

For the first time in American history, the President conducted a Q&A with the opposition party on live TV!

If someone was keeping score, it was clear that Pres. Obama won this battle, hands down. As someone who has been attacked by Republicans for over-using teleprompters, and insinuating that he can't talk or think without them, he was poised and demonstrated intricate knowledge of the issues. The President was sharp, witty, and pushed back against false allegations, and called out the GOP on negative and irresponsible campaigning. Obama was also able to address concerns on both sides of the isle.

This experiment was not successful for the Republican party, as Luke Russert reported, a Republican stated off the record that allowing the cameras to stay on was a mistake. As a result of this question and answer session, the President managed to box in the Republicans and left them with two choices: help generate results or let your constituents and the country see you block progress that America desperately needs.

As I watched Obama's Question Time, I was encouraged because we have a President that is capable of standing on his own, and actually knows what the hell he talks about. The guy isn't perfect, but no one is. Political waters get murky, confusing, and the process is often discouraging and doesn't seem fair at times, but at least he is trying...which is more than can be said for the current Republican party.

WATCH Obama's Question Time

I tried to get the video, but was unable to for some reason, so click the link and watch the President yield questions from Republicans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1-jasxb7NY

Obama's 1st Sate of The Union Address

President Obama in giving his first State of The Union Address was tasked with taking aim at the history making divisive political games that have taken place in Washington, D.C. upon his arrival. He had a job to to and he did it!

Barack Obama proved tonight, that despite some thinking he is to passive and not "tough" enough, he has managed to get a lot done, and continues to generate plans to confront other items on his agenda. He also demonstrated that if nothing else, he has a pulse on "Main Street, USA", and that he hasn't been living in a bubble these past 12 months.

The President took aim at Democrats who were planning to run scared after the improbable election of a Republican Senator in Massachusetts, at the Republicans who have decided that stalling legislation and saying NO is there policy, and even the Supreme Court for overturning a precedent that stood three decisions over the course of 100 years. He set agendas and encouraged the House and Senate to move forward towards health care reform, tax reform, jobs creation, education reform, energy reform, among other things.

Point blank, the press will spin the speech the way that frames their ideology beliefs, but it is important to keep in mind that President Obama isn't stupid, he isn't bashful, and he isn't afraid of being unpopular. This is a man who knows what he believes and will do what he can to make his thoughts a reality.

The President was effective in relaying the necessary messages on the economy and other issues that he set forth during his campaign. Americans should not only continue to be hopeful, but we should all do what we can to propel out country forward and not wait on others to dictate the future of our lives.

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Let's go ppl!