#FacebookFoolery

Hey everybody!!! I know I have been off my blogging game but if you read my last post, you saw that I had a major lost in the family.  Simply put, I have not been in the mood to blog about anything.  But I am back and ready to discuss the foolery.

So lately on Facebook, I have been seeing disturbing things on my Newsfeed.  I will be strolling down my Newsfeed and out of the nowhere I will see a video clip of two people doing adult things.  When I first started seeing this, I thought that maybe that some were getting spammed.  But then I realized that these "friends" were purposely posting these videos on Facebook.  Is this what Facebook has become?  Should I get off now?

 I am shocked that this mess is going on on the Book.  Even Youtube is particular about the videos that are uploaded to their site.  Heck, even World Star warns you that a video is explicit.  Now Facebook has had it's questionable moments: complicated privacy policies, options to "check-in" at your current locations to make it easier for stalkers to find you, and the option to have ratchet names (i.e. Kesha TakeYourMan Jenkins). But now when you stroll down your Newsfeed,  you see pics of some one's newest baby, the latest recipe on Pinterest, and then *boop* two people getting it in.  Has someone notified Mark Zuckerberg about this? 

Now when you start to censorship, people start yelling about the 1st Amendment.  I do believe in freedom of speech.  The 1st Amendment is what allows me to have this blog and talk about whatever I want.  But I also believe that you have to have social responsibility to those around you.  Now, if watching porn is your thing then go ahead! But I do not need to know what your fav genre of porn is when I am looking at pics of my nephew's flag football game.  Save that for your private time.  People love to say if you don't like their content then unfriend them.  Well, you are right and please believe the culprits have been unfriended. 

I thought Facebook was going downhill when people decided to put every moment of their life  on a status.  But now Facebook has jumped off the cliff with these rated X videos.  Mr. Zuckerberg, I do not know what direction you are trying to take Facebook but we do not need another World Star Hip Hop. 

What are your thoughts?

#RHOAReunionPart1

Hey everybody!!! I want to start this post off by giving a shoutout to the best mother ever!! She is gone physically but her memory will be with me forever and always.

I know you all are like "You gave your mom a shoutout on this post!" but believe it or not, my mom and I used to watch this show together.  And I hate she missed this reunion show, part 1.  As you all know I do not give a full recap but hit highlights. 

That infamous fan Source: blog.zap2it.com 

Kenya and that fan Ms. Moore must have missed the episodes this season and seeing how crazy she looked on the TV screen and didn't realize that that fan would not make her look any less crazy.  Every time she popped that fan I jumped back in my seat.  And Kandi was over it.  She [Kandi] looked like if that fan touched her she was going to forget her surroundings and put them hands in Ms. Moore's life.  I hope that fan is gone by part 2.

Porsha corrects Kenya on her title It is no secret that Ms. Moore is not here for Porsha and vice versa.  Well, Ms. Porsha did her research and let us know who the real first African American winner of the Miss USA pageant was: Carole Anne-Marie Gist. Now my memory is fuzzy but I do remember Ms. Moore saying she was the first black Miss USA, but some blog sites are saying that Ms. Moore said she was the first brown Miss USA.  Well, Porsha threw some facts at her and Ms. Moore had no response. 



Phaedra READ Ms. Moore for her life

The Battle of the Bootys Phaedra and Ms. Moore continued their beef over their workout videos.  Phaedra continued to accuse Ms. Moore of stealing the booty workout video (which she did).  Ms. Moore claimed that when she was still working with getting Phaedra a deal that distributors said that she [Ms. Moore] should be in it (side eye).  Then the conversation escalated to who has sold more videos on Amazon.  And apparently, Ms. Moore had reviews on her video on Amazon before it was released prompting people to believe that they were fake reviews.  Even Andy Cohen said that he has not seen numbers of her videos topping Phaedra's videos.  But the delusional Ms. Moore held to her story that her video was doing better than Phaedra's.  Honestly, I am not looking to buy either of the videos.  Ms. Moore's body looks like she bought it and all Phaedra got is a big booty.  Nope, I am fine with my own skin.

I do have to add that all the ladies looked beautiful.  But they always do for the reunion shows.  I cannot wait for next week when Kim returns.  You know their will be some wig snatching (figuratively speaking). 

#RickRoss&RapeLyrics

Hey everybody!! I know it's been awhile since I have given a post.  But I had to come back because these artists are showing out!! This month has been the month of crazy lyrics from main stream artists.  First, we had Beyonce telling all artists to Bow Down, B!tch3$ and after she was just telling the girls last year that "Girls Run the World".  Well, Keisha Cole was not having it and tweeted about the situation, which caused an uproar in the Twittersphere.  My review of "Bow Down": Garbage, plain and simple.

Source: www.medievalbeatz.com

But I'm not here to discuss my dislike for Beyonce's new single but to put Mr. Double Ds himself, Rick Ross, on blast for his latest lyrics.  On his newest single, U.O.E.N.O, Rick Ross raps:

“Put molly all in her champagne/She ain’t even know it/I took her home and I enjoyed that/She ain’t even know it.”

 Yes... you read correctly.  Rick Ross is rapping about date rape.  When Rick Ross was asked in an interview about the lyric, he said that it was a "misunderstanding" but yet he didn't explain what the lyric was suppose to mean.  Then he goes on to say that women are queens and the hip hop community doesn't condone that type of behavior (probably was told by his record label to do some clean up). 

My main thing is this: how are we suppose to interpret that lyric?  You drugged her drink and went back to the house and played Monopoly?  Rick Ross, please save that lame excuse of "misunderstanding" for your impressionable fans.  Now, even though some young, stupid person is going to hear this lyric and thinks that it is cool to drug females' drinks, I do not believe that everybody is going to start putting mollys in people's drink.  But when you take something that is very serious and rap about it like it's nothing you are doing something dangerous: normalizing it.  As a society, we should never get to the point that we become desensitized to the seriousness of rape.  We need to understand that rape has lasting effects on it's victims.  Many victims show their strength when they speak up about their situation.  We do not need rappers trivializing their unfortunate situation. 

Give me your feedback on the song.  Remember to follow me on Twitter, @EbonyMarieRe

 

#RockTheRedPump

Rocking my red flats!!

Hey everybody!! Right now in the U.S., African American and Hispanic women account for 80 percent of AIDS cases. This is remarkable considering the fact that they represent less than one fourth of the women population in the U.S.  Women make up half of the adults living with HIV worldwide.  Even though these facts are alarming, I do not want to spend the rest of this post throwing out facts and statistics about HIV/AIDS.  But I would rather talk about how important it is we take of ourselves.

Ladies, we are something else.  Even if we have the flu we must continue to work, do chores, take care of husbands, pay bills, and whatever else.  We do not stop.  This is why it is so important that we take care of precious bodies. 

One way to take care of ourselves is by knowing our status.  If you are sexually active, do not be afraid to get tested.  Knowing your status can be life saving.  Knowing your partner's status can also save your life.  If your partner is not willing to get tested or show you proof of their test then don't let them touch the goods.  Go to http://hivtest.cdc.gov/ to find a HIV testing location near you.

Wrap it up.  I know you all remember the BET commercials telling you to "wrap it up".  As corny as this commercial became it's message was clear: put a condom on!  The average price of a box of condoms is $6.00.  I understand that in this economy that might seem a little steep but compared to cost of medications for AIDS and the stress from having a non-curable disease $6.00 is not bad.  Remember, your life is priceless.  Men love to say they cannot feel anything when wearing a condom.  But let homeboy know that if he doesn't want to wear a condom then he can have fun feeling the inside of his hand.

Educate yourself.  When AIDS first hit the scene there were a lot of misconceptions.  Let's be clear, this is not a gay, black, white, or Hispanic disease.  Anybody can contract AIDS.  This disease does not discriminate.  We know how to protect ourselves from AIDS; we have to be willing to put that education in action.  Also, by educating ourselves we will not stigmatize those with the disease.  AIDS is not a bad person's disease or contagious. 

Do not be afraid to have conversations with your friends, daughters, cousins, and nieces about AIDS.  Emphasize the importance of protecting their bodies from the disease and how to treat others that have the disease.  Let's teach our young girls to value their bodies.  Teach them to stand firm in protecting their bodies. 

Thank you for reading this post and if you didn't get anything else out of this post please get this: Know your status! 

#ReallySVU?

Hey everybody!! The last few days I have been able to catch up on shows that I missed throughout the week.  One of the shows that I got caught up on was Law & Order:SVU.  Usually, I am on the edge of my seat watching this show but this episode I had to side eye it with all the energy I could muster up in my soul. 

I am aware that the Law & Order series get their scripts from real newspaper headlines, but not only was this episode obvious taken from the real life situation of pop stars Rihanna and Chris Brown and my I add, poorly written. 

First let's talk about the slang.  Beef cookie?  Is this what the youth are saying?  And what exactly is a "beef cookie"?  Oh, let's not forget the golden line "Get me my jew" where Caleb Bryant (the faux Chris Brown) is referring to his lawyer.  I do not have my own personal lawyer but I was not aware that that was the slang term for them.  Dear writers of SVU, please hang with black youth the next time you are going to write dialogue for them.  Yours truly, EBONY Eyes.

Besides the horrendous slang, the plot follows the Rihanna/Chris Brown antics to a tee: Micha (the faux Rihanna) going back to the abusive boyfriend, Micha and Caleb disregarding the restraining order, Caleb making a public apology for his actions to save his representation.  But then the story has Caleb (the faux Chris Brown) killing people!! I get this is a dramatic show but taking a real story and portraying the main character (who is representing a real well-known person) as a murder is pushing it a bit much, right?

I get it, SVU. You are trying to teach young women what happens when you stay in an abusive relationship.  I get it and I respect it.  But having Caleb kill Brass (the faux Jay-Z) is really reaching.  I will also admit that Chris Brown has not done a good job of ridding himself of a violent image but SVU had Caleb Bryant tattooing Micha's beaten face on his lower stomach.  Do the writers always let their imaginations run wild when they use these real headlines?  I just want to know. 

Besides this copy-cat storyline being 4 years too late, it was an interesting episode.  With the very dramatic storyline and poorly written script, it still provided an important lesson:  if you are in an abusive relationship get out as soon as you can. And I strongly agree with that lesson.  No woman deserves to be beaten and men should pay for their actions regardless of their social status. 

Stay tuned for a special post that should be up on Sunday!! Follow me on Twitter @EbonyMarieRe!!

#MyMomIsBlackHistory

Hey everybody!! And welcome to the last Black History Month spotlight of 2013.  I have enjoyed bringing bits of Black History to you all this past few weeks.  I hope that maybe I taught you something new. 

For my last spotlight I want to highlight my mom.  In some of my past posts you might have heard me talk about my mom having cancer.  Even though her condition has gotten worse in the last few months, she has lived courageously with her cancer.  If I can have  a fourth of the strength she possesses, I will be able to do anything.

Exnor Marie Read (she goes by Marie) was born September 27, 1948 in Memphis, TN.  She was born into a world where everything was segregated: schools, bathrooms, bus seating, water fountains, parks, and so on and so forth.  For us born years later, this was abnormal but for my mom this was the only world she knew.  At the age of 6, my mom was called a nigger by a streetcar repairman because she was looking at him.  When this happen there was no Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton to protest this happening.  Nope, she had to live with it.  Even though she lived in a time where racial  tensions were high, she did not hold any harsh feelings towards any race or raise her children to only think that our race was superior.  Marie would make friends of all races. 

Later on as child, my mom would go on to live with her teachers because of my grandma's mental illness.  Her foster mothers were not very supportive or nurturing towards her.  Whenever she wanted to do anything, her foster mothers would down play it.  Even when my mom tried to get involved in social justice her foster mothers vetoed it.  Marie wanted to do a sit-in with her fellow students.  She rushed home from work to get all her chores done before she asked for permission.  Her foster mothers refused to let her go (But after seeing how the folks were treated at the sit-in, she wasn't all that disappointed that she didn't go).

Only my mom would think it would be a good
idea to smoke with her oxygen tank.

After high school, she would have my older sister and three years later my older brother.  And then 17 years later, me.  She would join the military, become a nurses aid, work in a Chinese restaurant (I told you she made friends of all races) and later run her own business.  Despite not always having loving guardians, she gave nothing but love to her children.  She would raise three beautiful, independent children all by herself.  She would make friends all over Jacksonville, AR with her wit and humor.  And even with living with cancer, she would impress family, friends, doctors, and nurses with her strength.  I love my mom for every lesson she taught me.  I think about her and pray for her daily.  I will never be able to repay her for what she did for me but I can at least share with others how awesome my mom is!!

#Oscars2013

Hey everybody!! Today I am bringing you my review of the Academy Awards.  This year's award show was hosted by Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy).  If you have ever seen the show, you know that Seth is not the most family-friendly guy.  ABC certainly took a risk having him host the show.  Even though there were moments that reminded you of an episode of Family Guy (the Boob song), the FCC will not have write ABC any pricey fines. 

Was it just me or did the opener go a little long?  Usually, the host comes out in the beginning and tell a couple of jokes, take some shots at the audience and that's cool.  But I felt like Seth's part went a little long.  It was a cool concept (William Shaftner coming from the future to tell Seth how he was going to do as a host)  but went a little long for me.  Also, the Chris/Rihanna joke?  4 years too late. 

As I do with all my award review posts, I will just hit some highlights:

Cartoons I've Seen Won: Even though I watch the Oscars every year, I do not always get to see the movies nominated.  This year I saw both the winners of the Best Animated Short and Best Animated Movie: Paperman and Brave, respectively.  Paperman is a cute short about a guy finding girl.  Brave is about a girl who does not want to be a princess.  This is very different from previous Disney movies.  It not my fav Disney film but congrats on the win.

Best Actress: Best actress was competitive this year.  You had the oldest woman to be nominated and the youngest lady to be nominated.  You also had someone nominated who was in a movie that you do not expect to be nominated for an Oscar.  I was rooting for Quvenzhane Wallis (not only because she is black but also because she is crazy talented) but I had a feeling they would not give it to her.  But I have no problem with Jennifer Lawrence winning.  She seems like a cool chick.

My SISTAH and 1ST CUZ showed out: Anybody that knows me knows I was waiting for my SISTAH to perform... and she did not leave me disappointed.   Effie White, I mean , Jennifer Hudson, showed us why she won the Oscar back in 2007.  I felt that pain that Curtis caused her through my television screen.  Some people say she is loud but I say she sings with her whole mind, body, and soul.  She might be loud but you will never doubt that she is singing live.

My SISTAH recieved a standing ovation

 



Also my first cuz, Adele, won an Oscar and performed.  I am not a huge fan of Skyfall but I love to hear her voice (another artist you do not doubt about singing live).  I loved her sultry look while performing Skyfall.  She is pure talent, not relying on over sexualized clothes or stripper moves on stage.  Nope, just pure talent. 

Lastly, the show was soooooooooo long! But I guess that is the complaint every year.  Seth, overall, did an okay job.  As far as I am concerned, if it was for the musical tribute, this show would have been hella boring.  Basically, it was an okay award show.

Stay tuned for the last Black History Month spotlight!