Sunday Praise & Inspiration

The Board Room Weekend Topic

Welcome to THE BOARD ROOM weekend topic.
Topic this week
"DATING SOMEONE WITH DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS BELIEFS,CAN IT WORK?"

-First,my opinion
I don't think there is any possible way for it to succeed. Personally,I think if two people have different worship styles there is a possibilty of a conflict.
EXAMPLE: If I belong to a church where people like to dance and run around the church and you sit there with your arms folded telling me,"It don't take all of that",we got a problem.
*my bad just had a flashback* ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know everyone has their own way of worshipping but wouldn't you like to feel comfortable around your mate? I just feel religion is a MAJOR if not THE MAJOR part of a relationship. And if I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living GOD who died for my sins. If I believe he was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven to sit on the throne at the right hand of his Father and you don't believe "in all of that stuff",WE GOT A PROBLEM! Or if you are Muslim,Atheist or something else,then I don't care how attractive you are,or how well we vibe together,our relationship can't go any further. That's just MY opinion. Step to the mic and give me yours

The Board Room Jam Of The Week

Glenn Beck Attacks Malia Obama

"This is the type of education they come from?"

No Mr.Beck,THIS is the type of education they come from. Her dad graduated at the top of his class from Harvard. Her mom graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law School.I know it pains Mr.Beck and other conservatives to be reminded of that,but those are the facts. What you need to understand is people like Glenn Beck, the dumb people who listened to him everyday and MOST conservatives is this. They view educated Black people as a product of Affirmative Action.
"They only got their education because the professors HAD to pass them because of Affirmative Action."
That's REALLY how many of them think. That's why it's so hard to accept the Obamas.It has very little to do with his policies. Many conservatives would love the Obamas if Barack was dunking a basketball or Michelle was singing a song and shaking her behind like Beyonce. But they can't deal with an educated,"uppity","arrogant",man of color who is a married to a beautiful,educated,"uppity","arrogant" woman of color. I guess since all the personal attacks on him aren't working,they will start attacking his children.
What if people started talking about Glenn Beck's former substance abuse that caused his first wife to leave him? What if people start talking about his dad leaving his mom because SHE was an alcoholic? What if people started making fun of HIS daughter and calling her stupid because she has Cerebal Palsy? What would happen then? I'll tell you what would happen. Conservatives would lose their minds!!!
But we're suppose to just sit by silently and let them make fun of Malia Obama? Sorry,but it ain't happening!!!

Georgia Teacher Allows Students To Dress Up In KKK Robes

Ooooooh,OK,I see where this is going. Last week in my home state of Alabama,a teacher allowed his students to discuss angles to take in a possible assassination of the President. Now,a teacher in Lumpkin County,Georgia allows her students to wear Klan outfits as a "history lesson". REALLY!? Ok first of all, I need to do one of those ancestry things,because I'm sure my ancestors were slaves on the land Mr.Lumpkin owned. I did a little research for this blog and found out Mr. Wilson Lumpkin owned a lot of land and slaves in the early 1800s.Sooooo,cut that check bro, reparations are due. Just kidding,not interested in reparations.But I do find it interesting that this country can cut checks for up to $1.6 Billion(with a B) for Japanese Americans after World War II but act like African Americans are suppose to shut up and forget about the contributions we made and lives we lost building this country. You know what? On second thought,I'm NOT kidding. Someone needs to cut me a check or deed me my 40 acres and you can keep that doggone mule. I'll take a BMW 760-thank you.
Back to the blog
It's obvious,especially in rural counties across the south that the comfort zone for racism has reached an all time high. Many of these small town people probably sit around and watch FOX "NEWS" all day. They probably believe Glenn Beck is a prophet and Barack Obama is a terrorist waiting to blow himself up in the White House in an act of Jihad. SERIOUSLY,some people actually believe that. I guess THIS is what that crazy lady from Alaska with the annoying voice and IQ of a doorknob calls "REAL AMERICA". Look here small town educators,I don't care if you were trying to "re-enact an event for your history class" or "teach your geometry class about lines and angles",your blatant racism will not go unchallenged and un-noticed.

Wonder if their parents noticed anything missing from their closets?

Stop Domestic Violence!!!!!!

Had an eye opening conversation with an old friend this past weekend,who told me she was involved in an abusive marriage for the past 5 years. Sad thing is,looking at her marriage,you would have never known it. She's been slapped so many times she is deaf in her left ear. Her jaw has been broken twice.I could go into further detail but it sickens me too much to repeat what she told me.If you are a victim of domestic violence,please PLEASE get help and get out of that relationship.I repeat,GET OUT OF THAT RELATIONSHIP! If the person is controlling,extremely insecure,jealous or gets very upset at the least little thing you do,GET OUT OF THAT RELATIONSHIP! If you are afraid to speak or act a certain way because you don't want to "set them off".......GET OUT OF THAT RELATIONSHIP!!!
It's not worth losing your hearing.
It's not worth not being able to bear children.
It's not worth losing your life over.
IT'S NOT WORTH IT!!!
Get out before they carry you out.

Need a little motivation?

Check out this video from Sonya Renae.

I normally wouldn't post anything with foul language in it. But this video is too powerful for me not to share.
Offensive language(one word)occurs at 1:40 of this clip.

Teacher Used The Shooting Of Obama In Geometry Lesson

I tell anyone who will listen,Alabama is one of the most beautiful states in the country. The rolling hills with their tall oak trees is truly breath taking. I'm also quick to tell anyone who will listen Birmingham(my city) is about to become the new IT place to be in the south. In 2007,Birmingham was voted by Black Enterprise magazine as the 8th best city in the country for young black professionals to live. Many people who are....how can I say this.....(ok,I got it).Many people who are IGNORANT and NOT WELL TRAVELED think the state of Alabama is one big place with dirt roads where people stand on the side of the road picking cotton. They probably think the city of Birmingham still has KKK members walking down the streets in hooded robes. Come on people,those days are long gone. There are many coalitions consisting of blacks and whites trying to get the word out about this beautiful city and this beautiful state. But just as we begin to gain some traction,a certain segment of people reminds us what we're up against. Whether it's Gubernatorial candidate Tim James' commercials about "This is Alabama,we speak English,LEARN IT!" as he plays on the "fears" of the growing Hispanic population. Or the BIG(and I do mean BIG) Confederate flag that flies over interstate 65 near Montgomery on property owned by The Confederate Sons of America. There's always something we're up against when trying to convince people that we're not like the movie Sweet Home Alabama or Forest Gump. Now we can add yet another embarrassment to that list.
Last week GREGORY HARRISON, a math teacher at CORNER HIGH SCHOOL in Warrior,Al which is 15 miles north of Birmingham,was teaching his Geometry class when a student used the example of shooting the President. You would think any responsible teacher would have said,"That's inappropriate,use another example." But not Mr.Harrison,he continued right along with the student and even made the comment,"Ok,if you shoot off his ear,this would be the proper place of tangency". I think tangency has to do with a curve touching the line at an angle......or something like that.I haven't been in a geometry class in over 20 years.
But this is BIG news in Birmingham right now. I was hoping it would settle down after the secret service paid Mr.Harrison a visit and the board of education suspended him without pay. But of course,the "great people of the state of Alabama" aren't going to stand by and let that be the end of it. Some parents are making excuses for what he did,some don't see anything wrong with it at all and I heard on a local talk show today that some people are trying to get one of the gubernatorial candidates to come support him because "his freedom is under attack from liberals"....SMH!!!!
Malia Drummond,a tenth grader said,"What's the big deal? He was just talking about Obama.Everyone makes jokes about Obama. It's not like Mr.Harrison was seriously talking about assassinating him."
*And the parents of the year award goes to,Mr and Mrs. Drummond* UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!!!
Y'all better come get ya daughter b4 Shameka n'nem put dey hands on her.

Stay tuned, because this has yet to hit the national media. But when it does and they start interviewing every toothless radical right wing conservative they can find in this state,please know that there is more to the state of Alabama than that.........PLEASE!!!???

The Board Room Weekend Topic

This past weekend,I started a new feature on The Board Room facebook fan page called "The Weekend Topic". I raise a topic on Friday,members comment on it over the weekend then I give my opinion on Sunday nights and we can discuss it.

This weekend's topic: Is It Possible To Fall In Or Out Of Love With Someone You're Not Physically Attracted To?

I don't know about you guys but it is impossible for me to date,let alone fall in love with someone I'm not attracted to. I was "scolded" for even bringing up this topic by someone who shall remain nameless. That person gave me a "lecture" on how shallow the question is and how many people fall in love with a person because of their personality. If you feel the same way,let me ask you what I asked her. Wasn't there something about their physical appearance that attracted you to them in the first place? Another thing,if you're not physically attracted to someone,can you really be 110% committed to that person? Can you really keep your eyes from roaming when the eye candy walks by? Yes ladies,I'm talking to you too. I know some of you are saying,"People shouldn't put so much emphasis on physical appearance." I can hear some of you saying through the computer screen,"It's the person on the inside that counts and not what they look like." Ummm,yea,OK!!!!
What you like may be different from the next person but NOBODY wants to date,marry and wake up to someone they can't stand to look at. I know several men and women who have ended their relationship or marriage because they were not attracted to their significant other.In most cases,that wasn't the main reason but it was right up there. That lack of attraction lead to infidelity. A few of them said the activity in the bedroom was suffering because of the lack of attraction. That's why I think it's impossible to seperate physical attraction and love. I'm sure some of you will disagree but I'm just giving my opinion.
I know,nobody wants to address these types of issues but that's what we do here in The Board Room. We discuss PUBLICLY what others discuss PRIVATELY. And privately,there are a lot of people who agree with me when I say a person's physcial appearance plays a major part in the relationship. So much so,that major decisions are made based on it.

*Next week,this will be done differently. I will blog about the topic on Friday so everyone can comment over the weekend.

Next Weekend's Topic: Dating Someone With Different Religious Beliefs,Can It Work?
-Some of you already know my take on that.

Sunday Praise & Inspiration

The Board Room Jam of The Week

This song is a couple of years old but it's still hot!

Is Hip Hop Holding Back Young African Americans?

Author Thomas Chatterton Williams, has a book,“Losing My Cool: How a Father’s Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip-Hop Culture,” out where he claimed that hip-hop music is detrimental to African-Americans.
I haven't read the book,however,I think it's an interesting discussion and one that should take place. Many people don't want to deal with the negative influence of Hip Hop but it's real. Some rappers have made it cool to wear your pants hanging off your behind and to have visible tats all over your body. I would be doing a disservice to Hip Hop if I didn't point out the transformation of rappers like Jay-Z from "just a rapper" to Shawn Carter,the businessman. There are countless others I could name who has done great things within the world of Hip Hop. But THIS is a discussion worth having.Hopefully people can have it without accusing people who support this theory as being old,out of touch,selling out or hating.

For those of you that will choose to go that route,let me share this with you. The above rapper name is Plies. He is a self proclaimed "Goon"(GOON has replaced PIMP as the new "it" thing to be in Hip Hop).It was recently discovered that Plies was Valedictorian of his high school class. That sounds like something everyone should be proud of,right. "Not so fast my friend." It was such a "big deal" among some Hip Hop circles that Plies had to call into a radio station,defend his "Goon status" and "address" an article titled,"Plies & Other Smart Rappers EXPOSED". THAT in itself is enough to validate the point Mr.Williams is trying to make in his book.
We are in serious trouble when people have to "address" the "rumor" that they were smart. Sure,I understand the article was an effort to expose "studio gangstas". But the fact that they have to be 'studio gangstas" in the first place,is the tragedy in all of this.

Can You Be Healthy At Any Size?

(BlackDoctor.org) -- Americans are internationally known for being overweight, and it’s an especially big perception for African-American women. Seventy-nine percent of black women are overweight and 53 percent of all black women are considered obese. Those numbers represent a significant jump from ten years ago, when 39 percent of all black women were considered obese. Are these numbers the backlash of a rising fat acceptance movement?

Celebrities like Mo’Nique and Tyra Banks have been very vocal about their goals to expand the narrow perceptions of beauty ideals. Tyra Banks has incorporated plus size models in her popular reality show America’s Next Top Model. Her new mission is to cast a group of aspiring plus-sized models for the competition. "Plus-size is really the average American woman and that woman is healthy," Banks has said. Some doctors have supported this notion arguing that lifestyle and genetics are what determine health, not a woman’s dress size. Other experts, however, cringe at the thought of anyone associating being overweight with being healthy.

- Being "plus-size" is great if you're healthy. Please take care of your body.

Law & Order Canceled!!!!?????

*random blog*
HOLD UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Call the President,Rev.Al,Tavis,Jesse Jackson,SOMEBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LAW & ORDER HAS BEEN CANCELED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After 20 years??????????

They are bringing my show to an end????????????

They better not replace it with a reality show,they better NOT replace it with a reality show!!!!!!!!!!!

What's next!?

CSI MIAMI!??

Teacher Beats 13 Year Old Student

You know,I WANT to be appalled and outraged at this video,I really do. But I have too many friends who work in the public school system. Some of the things they tell me about these kids and their aggressive behavior towards them,makes me look at this video a little different.I don't condone the beatdown. But if he said or did anything similar to some of the things I hear about,I can definitely understand.

DON'T CONDONE IT....but I understand!!


*I'm sure I'll get a lot of disagrees on this one*

Lawrence Taylor To Use "Masturbation Defense"

WHAT!?
Don't look at me like that!! I'm just reporting the news!!!!
I mean,there really is no good way to report this.But let's just say he does use this as his "defense". Are people to believe he paid $300 to only do that? Can we now finally admit that this dude has a SERIOUS problem? No,I'm talking about the drug problem.
Honestly,I could care less about what happens to Lawrence Taylor. What's lost in all of this is the sad story of a young girl forced into prostitution. Unfortunately,this is an all too familiar story. There are tens of thousands of young girls on the streets who are forced to "service" men(and women) who are not as famous as Lawrence Taylor. There is a great blog written by my friend Gaetane "G" Borders over at www.theparentingpundit.com that deals with Child Trafficking. Please check it out.

Good luck with your "Masturbation Defense" L.T.

SMH..............

One Woman Raises 36 Foster Kids

After spending 22 years of her life working in mortgage banking, Mollie Jelks admits she never found the sense of fulfillment she longed for. When her Citibank office relocated to St. Louis, Jelks wasn’t willing to follow. Instead, she picked up a temp job at the Children’s Bureau, a Southern California organization working with abused and neglected children, pairing them with loving foster and adoptive parents. She reflects, “I didn’t know what it meant to be a foster parent, I just wanted to help kids.”

Inspired by the children she saw daily at Children's Bureau, Jelks took in a foster child of her own. Jelks' biological children were grown, with the youngest finishing her last two years of high school. Jelks filled out an application, and before she knew it, she had a rambunctious five-year-old under her care. Jelks recalls, "Her name was Precious, but she was the opposite."

Despite Precious' best attempts to thwart her guardian's warmth, she soon found herself eager for her daily hugs from Jelks. A psychiatrist who worked with Precious was stunned at the difference. "What did you do to her? She's been in the system for 18 months. We thought she'd never give or receive love."

Jelks’ experience inspired her to keep going — over the last 16 years, she’s taken in 36 foster kids, many of whom came to her malnourished, scared by abuse or neglected by drug addicted parents. Four of the children that passed through Jelks’ doors never left — she adopted two boys and two girls.

To support her family, Jelks started a day care center on her property, based on the same principles she uses to raise her own children: "teaching love and sharing." Jelks now employs three staff members, each committed to her vision of fostering a "home away from home" for the youngsters.

*This story is courtesy of the Huffington Post*

The world could use more people like Mollie Jelks!!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to Mrs.Marian Shields Robinson,often referred to as "The First Granny". Mrs. Robinson who was born in 1937,only a generation removed from slavery,gave birth,raised and helped mold the woman who was and still is the backbone of the man who is now the leader of the free world. I think we all see some of our own mothers in Mrs. Robinson. I would like to wish her,First Lady Michelle Obama,MY MOTHER and the mother of my kids a Happy Mother's Day.
Also,Happy Mother's Day to all of you who has helped make THE BOARD ROOM one of the most talked about blogs in the blogasphere. I thank you and truly appreciate your support!!!!!!

Sunday Praise & Inspiration

May Is National Stroke Month

I know there are a diverse group of people who visit this blog on a daily basis.But I want to specifically address African Americans.

African Americans are twice as likely to die from stroke as Caucasians. The rate of first strokes in African Americans is almost double that of Caucasians, and strokes tend to occur earlier in life for African Americans than Caucasians. Additionally, African American stroke survivors are more likely to become disabled and experience difficulties with daily living and activities.
The statistics are staggering -- in fact, African Americans are more impacted by stroke than any other racial groups within the American population.

Not all of the reasons are clear why African Americans have an increased risk of stroke. Some risk factors play a major role. African Americans have a higher rate of:
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Smoking
Obesity
*These facts are courtesy of the National Stroke Association

I will be doing a weekly blog focused on health and fitness. You can also click on the Black Doctor link (on the side)to get more info about health issues.Hopefully everyone (of ALL races)will realize how important it is to take care of our bodies and maintain a healthy diet.

Denzel Washington,"MY MAN"

This past weekend at the 1st Annual Steve Harvey Foundation Gala,Denzel Wasington and his wife Pauletta donated ONE MILLION DOLLARS to Steve's foundation that mentors underpriviledged young men. Too often deeds like this gets overlooked in the media. But not here in The Board Room. We highlight and discuss things that won't get highlighted or discussed elsewhere.

This reminds me of something I heard a couple of weeks ago.The blessing isn't HAVING or MAKING a million dollars. The blessing is to be in a position to give it away.

Much respect to Steve Harvey for setting up the foundation and much respect to Denzel Washington for breaking out the checkbook.