Cleveland's "Teddy Bear" goes home!

Once again I am left numb as I sit and listen to the many remembrances of Cleveland's own Gerald Levert. I can't believe he has passed on at the tender age of 40. Cleveland has lost one of their favorite sons at the prime of his life. His body is gone but his spirit will forever live in this city where in the last few hours everyone is recalling how they knew Gerald or they knew this person who was friends with that person etc. If you live in Cleveland you know how it goes.
Above all the last two days have once again proven that we are not in control and the Master has drafted a plan - today could be your last so make the most of it. Live, love and enjoy each day you have.
My deepest condolences are sent to the Levert family and the many members of Gerald's inner circle. You will be missed.

A Trailblazer Makes His Transition

Hearing that veteran CBS journalist Ed Bradley had passed away left me numb yesterday. I admired Bradley and found that he was one of the best interviewers in the business. Ed Bradley asked pointed questions. He pressed for a response when the subjects tried to evade him. Yet he went from serious to light as he laughed and joked with Tiger Woods or flirted with Lena Horne and cooked up a meal with Aretha Franklin.
Through it all he made you feel as though you were in the room as he interviewed countless celebrities and news makers over the course of twenty-five years on CBS' 60 Minutes. Before ascending to 60 Minutes Bradley was one of the first black journalists on network television and as a youngster I recall watching and admiring this man who was a foreign correspondent as I once hoped to be.
Over the years the number of black journalists on television has continued to grow, but Ed Bradley and Tony Brown of Tony Brown's Journal were the early ones and I am truly saddened to hear of Bradley's passing.
The tributes have been wonderful and Mr. Bradley will be greatly missed. God Bless you Ed Bradley for opening the doors for so many that have followed you, but also for bringing the world into the homes of millions.

Tomorrow's the Big Election Day!

Ok, we're not electing a President tomorrow - ah shucks, can we please! Instead we are electing the next Congress and in Ohio the Governor among other statewide elected offices and I can't wait until the polls close.
We have been inundated with the worst smear and smut that I can recall in a non-Presidential election. All of the political pundits are analyzing the elections and issues and declaring victory in most cases for the Democratic Party and laying the blame at the feet of the Republicans and President Bush for his inaction as it relates to the War in Iraq.
Listening to talk radio today I heard an interesting comment and referral to the mega preacher Creflo Dollar and I was a bit surprised. Maybe I shouldn't have been after talking with a few people who follow the mega ministers. It appears that the right Reverend Dollar (and I am assuming here) has joined forces with the right-wing ministers in a "United We Stand" campaign in support of the War in Iraq. To see more stop here.
I am opposed to the War in Iraq for a number of reasons with the Number 1 Being - We Don't Belong There! Let's think back to how we became engaged in war with Iraq. As you may recall we were attacked September 11, 2001 and all arrows pointed to Osama Bin Laden, but our President decided that now was the time to go after his father's nemesis Saddam Hussein and the infamous Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Fast forward five years and there are no WMD's, Osama is still laughing at the U.S. and we have now captured, tried and sentenced Hussein to death. Do you feel safer? Have the terrorist attacks ended? Well it's been quiet on our Western front, but the terrorist cells are still very active and continue to hate the US.
As to Dollar a friend said to me 'he's just that Creflo Dollar' and I'm sure he's being paid for his endorsement. This truly saddens me because I recall how a few years back in the early days of the mega ministries Dollar was one of the leaders and he brought many men and women to the Word, but now I wonder how many did he lead down a dark path.
I'll continue to think on this as I prepare my thoughts for my posting on Good vs. Evil.

No More Procrastination!

I have decided to commit to my craft and no matter what life throws my way I am going to work diligently on a novel. Beginning on November 1st I will join thousands of other participants in the National Novel Writing Month campaign.
If you're not familiar with this concept it was designed for people like me who have to have deadlines or life will just get in the way of completing some tasks. I'm sure there are other reasons as well, but I prefer to us life as my excuse.
I have several ideas floating around but I have not determined which I will tackle for November and it has to be new - that is not in progress so the two chapters I have of "Daddy's Girl" don't count.
Wish me luck!

It's too early for SNOW!!!!

October 23, 2006 and what do I look out my window and see - SNOW!!!
Normally weather changes don't bother me, but fall is my favorite time of the year and here in C-Town that season has been MIA!
Yesterday's snowfall sent me into a real Funk!

Michael Baisden hits Cleveland airwaves!

It seems that Radio One has stirred up a little controversy in Cleveland with the addition of the Michael Baisden Show weekdays from 3-7 p.m. The self-proclaimed "bad boy" of radio has brought hot and steamy to local airwaves. From the Kama Sutra to multiple sex partners, Baisden's show is aimed at the "Grown & Sexy".
When I first began this post I was unsure of whether I liked the new addition to the Cleveland radio scene for a number of reasons:

1. The content seemed a little risque for the time slot
2. It was totally uncharacteristic for Cleveland's urban radio
3. I wasn't sure if we really need to be talking about "swinging, plural relationships etc." on the radio.
4. Was the show coming to any conclusions or were we being presented "shock" for the sake of entertainment.

I've come to the conclusion that it is a little too risque at times for the time slot, and while it appears Baisden wants to be the black "Shock Jock" he does try to bring home a message.

As an example when discussing swinging and plural relationships one of his arguments is that we have to stop the cheating that seems to be pervasive in some circles and thus if everybody is honest from the beginning this will decrease the number of cheaters. While I'm not sure I totally agree with this opinion I can see where one might believe this would help.

On the other hand I believe that often times men and women cheat for the sake of cheating. For the thrill, the adventure that is associated with trying not to get caught. Thus they may practice swinging with you, and still cheat on you because the thrill is in the cloak and dagger, the undercover and not getting caught. There are also people who just live for drama, it is what adds spice to their lives.

One segment was "Men Cry In The Dark" and featured Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu and they discussed the fact that many black men are taught that it is not macho for men to cry so they harbor their emotions and manifest them through drinking, drugs, violence etc. One thing that Kunjufu stated was very true and that is that women have a number of avenues to vent - their girlfriends, journals and God. We will dish all the dirt to our best girlfriends and tell even more in our journals and most importantly when we%

Blue Angels

I've never been a big fan of Air Shows but this year I will admit I got caught up! Not enough to pay for a ticket mind you, but enough to venture outside my office on several occasions to shoot some photos of the spectacular planes as they did a regular "fly-by". Here are a couple of the images I captured.
Not the greatest shot, but a pretty good shot utilizing a digital camera without a true zoom lense.
I must say that the thought of free falling in an airplane never looked more peaceful to me. I don't know if it is all of the chaos that has been my life of late or what, but I could imagine myself thousands of miles away soaring with the clouds and being totally at peace!