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New Ambra Projects
Contributing to the new Modesty Zone blog is one of the things I've spent my time doing the last few months. I became recently acquainted with Wendy Shalit (author of Return to Modesty) and have been very impressed with her vision (even though she bit my idea of "Know your Rebels"). She nominated me as a rebel, so I forgive her.

NBC's "The Book of Daniel" Controversy
Strapped for a hit and ratings, NBC's new primetime drama, "The Book of Daniel," which paints an intentionally over-dysfunctional picture of "Christians" (please note quotations) isn't sitting well with some. This isn't to say Christians aren't dysfunctional. To quote Lauryn Hill when confronted on her dysfunction, I would also add, "Like you aren't." More on this later this week.

Kwanzaaaaaaaa's Pagan Roots
For my thoughts on this holiday, I am referring to lengthy discourse La Shawn Barber has written the last few years on the topic. For whatever reason, speaking ill of the fairly new holiday seems to be this hot button issue with many of my black colleagues who don't even celebrate the holiday themselves.

Bono's Version of Religious Tolerance
A recent editorial on Bono's message of "co-existence" (i.e. that Christians, Muslims, etc. can all live together in harmony hogwash) is kicking up some dust with Christian-folk and I love it. I personally, have never quite "gotten" this world's obsession with Bono the humanitarian or U2. Sorry, but they weren't big around my "neighborhood," not even when Bono did a song with Kirk Franklin. Good conversation fodder.

What happens When beliefs and schoolwork collide?
Newsweek's break-off (younger) magazine "Current" published an interesting article about the consequences of conflicting worldviews in higher education. I reckon it's not just in colleges and universities these days. My brother and one of his best friends were recently overheard at the Christmas Eve dinner table saying, "Darwin is just misunderstood." We can thank their liberal high school education for that fantastic indoctrination.

More on Liberal Campus Bias
The New York Times recently published an article on a Penn State student who got fed up with her Physics professor spending too much class time berating President Bush and his administration. What's the result? A major Pennsylvania state legislative inquiry into whether or not college campuses have liberal bias. Umm, duh.

Kanye West, Crybaby
In a strange turn of events, I agree with something written in the Village Voice. Kanye West is about as genuine as it takes to uphold the public persona he's cultivating. More on that later too.

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The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Technology for a Better World
As far as I'm concerned, all the money being laundered on finding cures to diseases would be better spent on "The Life Straw." It's one of the many designs nominated for "The Index Awards," an international competition to celebrate practical design and innovation. For only $2, the Life Straw is an invention that could provide drinking water for one person for an entire year. It is absolutely incredible (and brilliant). Check out the list of top nominations which include the Toyota Prius, Google, and the $100 laptop.

The UNcategorized
This June, Paris France debuted book vending machines stocked with classics like HOMER. I'd eat Funyuns before I'd buy "The Odyssey" from a vending machine.

New to me blog: Dell Gines has impressed me with his content and insight. I also like that he doesn't play political sides.

Gas Prices from Around the World
Check out this table of prices. So you think we have it bad? Try $6.48/gallon in Amsterdam. No wonder they all ride bikes.

Rapper 50 Cent Releases a Book
Columnist Gregory Kane takes rapper Curtis James Jackson III (also known as 50 Cent and whom I affectionately call "Creflo Dollar's half-cousin") to task for the "fond embrace" of crime and ignorance in his his new book, "From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens." The number of times you get shot apparently likens itself to currency.

Tupac's Legacy Goes Altruistic
Here's some irony for your diet. Am I the only one who thinks a "Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts is just a bad idea? The newly opened facility in Stone Mountain, GA has plans set to unveil a bronze memorial statue of Tupac on the anniversary of his death. And get this, the statue will be placed in the center of the "Peace Garden." Enough, I'm getting sick to my stomach. This tripe deserves its own post. Let's all say it together, "Stronghold."

Adulterer Greeting Cards
Nothing says, "I want to cheat on my wife," like a nice greeting card. At least, that is the aim of the new Secret Lover Collection.

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Google Earth
This announcement comes late, but if you don't have Google Earth yet, you MUST download it. That program rocks my world. Now if they would just get it compatible for Macs.

CNet's Top 10 dot-com flops
Topping the list is one of my most missed services, WebVan a home grocery-delivering service. I know, I'm pathetic.

St. Michael Schiavo
Michael Schiavo given "Guardian of the Year" award. That is some serious cow manure if I ever saw it. The gall I tell you, the gall.

Newsflash: Jackson Did It
Apparently the Jackson jurors are telling all. Americans and their book deals. I'm having trouble having pity on two people who want to go on national television and cry because they let a child molester go free. I'm sure the breeze from the cash coming in as they wrack up book sales will dry their pathetic tears.

Harry Belafonte's Definition of "Tyranny"
Linda Chavez sticks it to Harry Belafonte regarding his recent remarks that black Republicans are tyrants. La Shawn Barber had her say too. I shared the stage at a benefit show with Belafonte some years ago. He's a very nice and cordial gentleman, but I think he might need to go back to the dictionary. I find it hilarious that Belafonte has labeled a group with even less power than black Democrats tyrannical.

The Fat Girl's Beauty Pageant
Last week Comedienne Mo'nique (known for flaunting her fuller figure) hosted the first ever "Full-figured Beauty Contest" called "Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance." Ahhh, I have mixed feelings on this one. I'll expound later, but in the meantime, I'm going to do something out of character and link a new-age (they call themselves 5-percenters now) blog that mentions the word, 'Allah.' Why? Because he makes some good non-Allahified points about how we wrongly celebrate obesity in America.

Three down, an infinite number to go
So I met another cyber black conservative friend last week. Conservative Brotherhood founder Michael Cobb Bowen recounts the tale of eating dinner and me getting him lost in Seattle last week when he was in town. I must be getting a bad reputation because his second sentence to me was, "Does my outfit pass the test?" Also there's a reference in his post I have to clear up for consistency's sake. For the record, I didn't drink. I don't drink, and I never have. Cobb is even smarter in person than he is on his blog, which pretty much qualifies me for having a kindergarten-level blog.

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• Macaulay Culkin Denounces Charges Against Jackson: Today Culkin testified that Michael Jackson never sexually molested him. He also admitted to innocently sleeping in Jackson's bed a dozen or more times between the ages of 9 and 14. Does anyone think this odd? Odd? Hello? Anyone? But I guess it's okay considering how stable Culkin is and all. Blog Critics has more details.

• The Chronicles of Narnia: "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" Trailer:
  It might be one of the most anticipated films of the year, but I'm not looking forward to seeing Disney jack up a perfectly good book.

• Microsoft's New Xbox Details Leaked:
  Ouch. I'm currently doing some contract work for the Xbox's competition and I must say, this is a hurter for Microsoft. Most producers of gaming consoles are expected to release teasers of new products next week atE3 in California, the biggest interactive media conference of the year. My claim to fame is that my mother plays one of the voices on the game HALO.

• PETA Kills Animals:
  At least that's what this watchdog (no pun intended) website says. I never have much trouble believing PETA is hypocritical. Why? Because they are wicked. See "7 Things You Don't Know About PETA."

• No Handcuffs Necessary:
  Joanne Jacobs points to a program in Lowell, Massachusetts that hopes to curb student tantrums and chair-throwing by teaching "Self Control" classes to elementary school students. If only they'd had a self-control class for 42nd presidents.

• Booker Rising's First Blogiversary:
  A shout out to Shamara Riley, proprietress at the fabulously informative Booker Rising for completing a full year of blogging. This is a great feat. If you can pass the one year mark, you're headed for longevity.

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• GoDaddy's Boobs Pay Off
  It seems the Superbowl publicity stunt paid off. GoDaddy is now the top registrar of domains. Yawn.

• Al Gore Awarded Lifetime Award for Internet
  This must be a joke. Oh but it isn't.

• International Respect for Chickens Day
  There is a disturbed group of people called "United Poultry Concerns" that are calling for chicken amnesty. Why are they disturbed? The answer can be found in a statement on their website: "Chickens are people too!" No you fools. They are animals, and they are here for my consumption. In honor of the day, Matt at Rosenblog is calling for your best chicken recipes. Personally, I like mine greasy and fried or baked in herbs.

• South Park Conservatives
  I'm gonna have to agree with Michelle Malkin on her latest column in which discusses her disappointment that First Lady Laura Bush recently stooped to South Park-level masturbation humor to win a crowd. Everything was peachy keen until she went there. Brian C. Anderson's new book "South Park Conservatives" is one I think I'll skip. I must say, never have I encountered a more foul and unpleasant group than some of the conservative male bloggers on the 'net.

• Star Wars is for Nerds
  In her birthday post on her love of Star Wars, La Shawn Barber (affectionately known as L-Breezy) confirms a suspicion I long had...She is a NERD. All you "Star Wars" fans can have it. I've never made it out of a Star Wars film awake. Never. Incidentally, Happy Birthday L-Breezy.

• Is Bill Cosby Right?
  Such is the question asked by Michael Eric Dyson in his latest capitalization efforts (read: his new book). Molotov at Booker Rising takes Dyson's arguments to task. I on the other hand refuse to read anything that man writes. He uses too many big words. I think he confounds even himself.

• Blogger Conferences
  As blogging grows as a medium, conferences on the subject are popping up everywhere. First there was BloggerCon in California. Now there are conferences by city and specialization. I've heard of conferences in Canada and Paris. BlogNashville is happening this weekend, GodBlogCon is in October, and plans are in the works for "BlogHer," a blogging conference for women in July. Curious tidbit: in October, I've been asked to teach a class for the county here on "How to Blog Like a Rockstar." This will be grand.

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• Racial Affiliations: There's an interesting if not typical conversation going on at Wizbang Blog (a place that too frequently lacks civility IMHO) about the "reverse racism" (barf) of "The Conservative Brotherhood. The conversation jumps off of course with someone making a comment that goes something like this: "The Conservative Brotherhood is racist," and "I'll bet it wouldn't it be alright if I started a White Conservative Brotherhood." Call me crazy, but I think there already is one.

  I'm a part of the CB, and the fact that people would even burden their thoughts with us in such a manner is completely hilarious. Baldilocks eloquently offers her take on the matter, as does Michael King, Cobb, and Uncle Sam's Cabin.

• Moral Stupidity: In his post, "Experts in Stupidity:
  Conservatism and the Moral Intelligence of Society," Joe at the Evangelical Outpost points to some new legislation out of Texas,outlawing booty shaking and other sexually suggestive behavior in cheerleading, school performances, and other extracurricular activities. Is this one right up there with Richmond, VA's "Droopy Drawers Bill"? Interestingly enough, Joe notes Conservatives' unique ability to recognize a sick governmental structure, but inability to know how to build a healthy one. Hmmm, why does this sound familiar? Ah yes, because I said it too. Legalism will never build a healthy society.

• The Big D: Speaking of Texas, I love it when people love what I love. Friend, blogger, and travel writer Bijan Bayne writes about visiting Dallas for the first time on business. Seriously. Give me Dallas, peach cobbler and an Apple store and I'm a happy woman. Speaking of travel, does anyone have any leads on getting a good deal on tickets to Montego Bay?

• Shiny New Digs: Speaking of Montego Bay, Jamaica, one of its former residents, and my used-to-be-favorite-liberal-blogger-until-he-started-slinging-insults-and-swearing Oliver Willis revealed a snazzy new newspaper-style weblog design. Unfortunately, no snazzy new thought. Same old same old (i.e. "Right wingers suck").

• Catholic Backlash In response to her pointed words on the pope's passing last week, La Shawn Barber published some "dislike mail" (the more civil version of "Hatemail") she received from folks who wrote to inform her of their intent to DE-LINK her. This my people, is how nerds fight. They threaten to de-link your website from their. Not only that, they also write you and email or drop a comment telling you so. NERDS NERDS NERDS NERDODIC NERDINESS!

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• Kids With Hoodrat Names: In light of the name conversation a few weeks ago, I found this Washington Post article (by way of JoanneJacobs.com) on a study that teachers to expect less from students with unusually punctuated names (like Da'quan). The study, "The Black-White Test Scores Gap" called the names "self-fulfilling prophecies." But hey...what about Oprah?

• The Posterchildren of Neo-Conservatism: In regards to the highly revered "conservative" writer-turned-blogger-turned-beggar, Andrew Sullivan, Joe at the Evangelical Outpost defines "Sullivanism" as "'Conservatism' for Non-Conservatives. Well. Can I get an Amen? For the record, I said this a long time ago, and got "corrected". This topic fits under the "Republican Does Not Equal Moral or Righteous umbrella.

• Phat Jesus Bling: There comes a point when Jesus merchandise crosses the line. I believe the line has been crossed. Speaking of this issue, the New York Times recently published an article on the "Pop Religion" clothing trend. As I've expressed in the past, I'm mixed on the issue. More on that later.

• MSNBC says, "Sex is Good for the Species": We are seriously drowing in a sea of intellectualism when we have to do research to figure out why exactly it is that sex is a good thing. What's worse is this scientific garble that declares the origin of sex an "ancient mystery." Adam and Eve got busy. It's as simple as that. Anti-creationists rear their pretty little heads.

By the way, if you don't have logins for the Washington Post or the New York Times by now, you probably don't have call-waiting and refer to Mp3s as "records." As a reminder, BugMeNot is a great resource.

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• Cobb on "Robots": My fellow brotherhood blogger, Michael Cobb Bowen (I refer to him as "the law firm") begins his commentary on the new movie "Robots" by reinforcing something I have been saying for years: Robin Williams is a crackhead. Being the Pixar devotee that I am, I refuse to see these washed up and tired step-children of animated flicks (Shark Tale, Shrek/2, etc.).

• Who let the dogs out?: Watch out Randy Jackson, Rev. Wayne Perryman, author of "Unfounded Loyalty" (why Democrats are no friend of blacks), released a piece to Seattle press last week in which he lists 12 reasons why black men shouldn't call each other "dog/dawg." Ehhhhh. Terms of endearment aside, Perryman makes valid points--none of which I can argue with. Life and death is in the power of the tongue. All I'm saying is: I can think of 12 more important reasons why black men shouldn't do a lot of things--Like this. Ultimately, Perryman proposes that the term "brother" be used instead. I agree.

• The New SAT Strikes Out: Early feedback is in regarding the new SAT, which students were subject to for the first time this past Saturday. Overwhelmingly, students thought it was "boring." On the new test, which includes an extended math section, a perfect score is now a 2400. The good news is, analogies are out. The bad news is, writing is in. Whereas before students could opt to take the SAT II in Writing, now it's included in the standard SAT. Oh I could go on about my disdain for the College Board and all their silly little tests. I did fine on the SAT, but I totally bombed my SAT II Writing test. All my English professors hated my writing. They said it was too conversational. Go figure. Today's lesson: ignore your English teachers.

• Apple Beats the Bloggers: Apple won the case to go after the sources who divulged trade secrets. Scrappleface comments as only he can. I must say, Apple is making it very difficult for me to love them as I do. Oh but I think I'll manage. I'm actually considering selling a kidney on the black market to cop the new Powerbook. Have you pressed your cheek up against one lately? I know, I'm getting counseling for this really soon. In the meantime, do you think Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple and Pixar) will let me come live in his guest house? Right...counseling.

• Kids on Media Overload: Joanne Jacobs notes a Kaiser Family Foundation survey that found the average American child logs more than eight hours of media exposure per day. Considering that may 16-year-old brother does his homework on his laptop with the television on, his mp3 player going, and 6,700 instant message windows open, I believe it. Media, it's the opiate of the masses.

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I've stated in the past that I'm a bad linker. I embrace it. One of the unwritten rules of the "blogosphere" is that you're supposed to link frequently to other weblogs. I could write the book on how to break that rule. Do you know why? Because it takes so much bloody effort, and let's face it, writing every day takes too much time to be worried about trying to give props to the entire world wide web. Plus, I try to read everything I link and the minute I send someone somewhere, they take it as my endorsement and I'm not always comfortable with that. I think linking is great, but it's also very time-consuming.

While I intensely dislike it when people email me asking me for a link-exchange, I love when people send me links to stories, news, or blog postings. I'm lazy like that. This said, I'd like to go on record as stating that I always welcome leads, even if they're written by you (yes it's pretentious, but in this case, I'm asking. I don't link everything I get, but it sure makes my job easier. Thank you.

This has been a public service announcement.

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(because there aren't enough hours in the day)

World Barista Championship: Reinforcing the fact that Americans can make a sport of anything, Seattle will host the biggest espresso competition of the year in April. One can only imagine the hyperactivity present at those things.

What Their Mommas Named Them: See a listing of the real names of hip hop and R&B artists. Did you know Foxy Brown (the rapper) was born "Inga Marchand?" Or that "Snoop Doggy Dogg" was born "Cordazer Calvin Broadus." Cordazer!!? Oh I could play with that one for months. Some of these folks have the country bumpkinest sounding names I've seen in a long time. But hey, I think real names are significant. If Oprah (or Ofra, depending on geography) can make her real name popular, anyone can.

Morality TV: Just when you thought they'd done every scenario possible via "reality tv," Fox surprises us again. Their new reality show, "Who Wants to Live Forever," as described by the network, is a show on which " everyday people are confronted with their morality, motivating them to make surprising and dramatic changes in their lifestyles." I must say, I am very curious to know what standard of morality we're talking here....people who smoke? people don't make their beds? This one should be uh, interesting. Let me know how it goes.

Colorado University Keeps Churchill but Dumps Christian: Professor Phil Mitchell, a twenty-year CU veteran has not been invited back and he feels it's for both political and religious reasons. Kevin McCullough takes issue with this. Smart, young freelancer, Nicole Russell discusses Churchill's dishonesty and and poor example for younger generations.

Race and Retirement: Old news, but I thought "The Snob" made some interesting points in his piece on "Economic Apartheid and Social Security." I have a luxury of prentending to ignore the whole SS debate. Too bad I can't.

Abortion as Hate Discrimination: Joe at the Evangelical Outpost discusses a piece of Maine legislation that would prohibit abortions on unborn children who posses the "homosexual gene." The bill's sponsor, a conservative state representative is clearly strategic about this. I think it's ridiculous.

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