That's Philly for you. Don't say we didn't warn you.  

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Couldn't have said it better....

While I am fashionably late responding to the beef between MJ and Eminem over his latest video, Just Lose It, I did not hear about it late. I went as far as to seek out a copy of the transcript but my sleuthing skills fell short.

Nevertheless, Ambra Nykol, whose blog I have admittedly fallen short on reading/commenting, said just about all there was to say. I do happen to like Eminem, because he is one thing people are squeamish about admitting: entertaining. Call him what you want, the man knows what he is doing. He knows that this whole farce of a sham is going to increase his fanbase and sales, no matter what. He's been the media's "epitome" of controversy since 1999.

That all said, I am befuddled by this whole nonsense, because I don't understand why Michael Jackson is such a precious icon that we must ignore his shortcomings and just plain ole 'not-rightness' just because he's black. In the words of Star, don't patronize me with your silly tribalism. What, am I supposed to support (dry heaves) R. Kelly even though he is a friggin pedophile, because he's black and so am I? Give me a break, really. So BET has decided to keep airing UnCut (read: the porno versions of videos) but has pulled Em's video just for the MJ satire. How predictable. And, since I mentioned R.Kelly, how many of his videos have been pulled at BET, you know the ones with barely legal girls clad in handkerchiefs and liquor a-flowin?

I just don't understand the whole logic behind this. So, Chris Rock can joke about Michael ("I'm handing in my glove!"), Saturday Night Live can satirize him, and newspapers can even call him "Jacko" but for whatever reason Eminem is a no-no? And...whatabout the other people he mocks in the video? Hammer? Pee-wee Herman? Paris Hilton? Madonna? Who hasn't the man mocked? Why is this even an issue? Because, he's white, and it's always a race issue if a white person happens to have commentary on something that a black person may have done.

I'm torn between what is worse here: that we are expected to ignore the obvious failings of our "icons" simply to promote and unite the "black race," thereby skirting the core issue (eg. these men need help); or that it is unrighteous for folks who are not black to chirp one critical word about our people, lest they be deemed racist.

And, as a journalist, I question the merit behind Steve Harvey's interview(s) with Michael on the Los Angeles' The Beat station in the first place. Since when can you even interview your "friends" anyway? Ahem, ethics anyone?

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A New Low

What has it all come to? I've seen cars 10 years old with rims, even a minivan with spinners. But this is just unacceptable. Spinners for your FEET? For the record, I have to say as a woman that any man who has spinning rims and lives in the hood does nothing more for me than illustrate how frivolous and irresponsible his spending is. I ain't a financial saint, but the line must be drawn somewhere. The spinners for shoes? Done.

***But wait! There's More! Click Here for your very own Pimp Cup!***

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(Don't) Just Do It.

Since I did an article about this organization that recently received a $2.4 million three-year grant for abstinence education, my flame has re-ignited. I said this in high school and it remains my belief: Abstinence is NOT a form of contraception.

The Random House Websters College Dictionary defines contraception as: the deliberate prevention of conception or impregnation by any of various drugs, techniques, or devices; birth control.

Therefore, abstinence does not fall under that definition. I say this because it literally makes no sense. It made no sense when I was 16 and it still doesn't. You can not go to the clinic, or your ob-gyn, or the drug store and ask for a prescription for abstinence the way you would for the Pill, injections, and condoms. Birth control is what is used to prevent STDs and pregnancy when a person has sex. You can not "use" abstinence when having sex to prevent the transmission of disease. The total inaccuracy of this education bothers me (likely why teens who pledge to abstain from sex have high STD infection rates), but it also bothers me when people say that abstinence is in the same rank as birth control methods-which are all physical, tangible preventative techniques-and not think twice about it.

We need to stop miseducating our youth. Rather than totally avoid discussion of sex (read: Abstinence-Only Education) or the reproductive system so that 18 year old girls don't know what a cervix is, we should instead inform them about their bodies, and arm them with as much information as possible. Teach them about abstinence, but only as an "alternative" to sexual intercourse. Birth control is the contraceptive method for sexually active indviduals; therefore it nullifies the concept of abstinence=birth control. Clearly it's not effective in practice, when teens who are only knowledgable about abstinence don't know how to use a condom. It's just plain silly to even entertain the thought that showing a teen how to use a condom, or what a female condom looks like is going to "encourage" them to have sex. And in any case, they were probably already going to have sex anyway so at least you have given them a way of protection. Much like the woman from Advocates for Youth whom I interviewed for my story said, to believe that sex education leads to sexual deviancy is likened to saying giving out umbrellas will cause it to rain. Just foolish.

Much like you cannot apply abstinence as a form of birth control, you do not see women walking around wearing diaphrams for GP. I deliberately omit the Pill in this part of the discussion because it can be prescribed for women who have other female health issues (a two-fer!). But the point remains: just as you can not have abstinence as your method of contraception when having sex, you do not see men walking around wearing condoms just because. One implies the other. Abstinence is the opposite of sex. It is a choice, not a contraception method.

Therefore when we teach our children about sex, we should inform them that they either choose to engage in sexual activity, or they choose not to; however should they choose to have sex, comprehensive sex education will prepare them with contraceptive methods. Abstinence not being one of them.

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I must explain myself

It appears to be true that I haven't written in 17 whole days, which is rather embarrassing for a so-called blogger. And for that I am sorry. My excuse: well, I work at a job that requires constant brain-power, where I'm writing, thinking and writing. When I am not thinking or writing (or sometimes while I'm doing it), I am on the phone. Good grief, if someone had told me that being a journalist meant talking on the phone to people I would have stayed an English major. Such is life. All this to say is that my 9-5 is pretty demanding on the brain. Not to mention that my beautiful eyes (20/17 i think it was last checked) are being ruined from looking at a computer so much. So many times when I get home I don't even want to think about thinking, let alone writing.

There are things I have wanted to write about, like the Los Angeles Sentinel last week publishing on the front page a picture and story about Kobe's accuser. Or even Beanie "I'm a Moron" Sigel being sentenced as "state property," but acting like he's a changed man even though he still faces attempted murder charges. I even want to write about the manifestation of a person's stupidity from behind the wheel. And how could I forget, I always want to post my poetry.

But in addition to my (sigh) job, I have another, equally demanding job: Mommy. That job alone makes it hard to crank out daily blog entries. Try writing a story, a poem, or even an email with "mommy I want some ju-u-u-uice!" ringing in your ear for an entire hour. This also explains why my posts will most likely be during the average blogger's "off-time"--the weekend. And why I'm in front of the computer after midnight during the weekend. So right now, my blogging is minimal, but I am hoping for a more balanced day in the future, so here's to it.

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