Kidney donor reality TV show

DUTCH broadcaster BNN plans to air a television show next week in which a terminally ill woman will decide who out of three young patients will get her kidney. What?? I don't know much about Dutch culture or media but this should be crossing the line whether you're Dutch or Yugoslavian! The three contestants will compete to get the kidney ...soon we'll start "selling" our kidney's. The kidney transplant process can be performed while the donor is still alive, so the donor can select the recipient as long as their is a relationship between them. But to have a contest is plain ole unethical! Nevertheless, I am sure the reality show will receive the highest ratings that BNN has ever seen.

What if My Life Was Different?

The other day I had dinner with a friend. It was one of those "let's try to give a brief overview of our entire life" conversations. We talked about what new things were happening in our lives. And somehow we got on the subject of college. I told him that I applied to Hampton, Fisk, FAMU along with some other Ohio colleges. He asked me why I didn't apply to Spelman. I immediately started laughing because the reason I didn't apply is quite embarrassing. Spelman was one of the colleges I considered but not seriously because it was an all girls school and there was no way I was going to school without the opposite sex. At the time I was not aware that Morehouse is a neighboring school. So I told him... "Nobody told me the boys were right across the street- I would have applied!" We both laughed uncontrollably.

But I thought about the difference between my Alma mater, Cleveland State University, and Spelman College and how the focus on education was uniquely different. Would my life have been totally different had I attended Spelman?- probably. If I had to do it all over again, would I do it differently? nope. My early adult life was pretty intense and I don't know if I would've matured the way I have if I had not gone through those experiences.

We always wonder if we had made different choices what our lives would be like. But I can honestly say that my only "regret", and its not really a regret, is that I wasn't seriously focused on my career after graduating from college. Although, I wasn't extremely focused... I did have a blast!

Where Have You Been All My Life?

Tonight I was channel surfing and stopped on the O'Reilly Factor. There were two guests: I have no idea who one of the guests was but the other was Marc Lamont Hill. They were discussing the Rosie O'Donnell comments about the war in Iraq and the explosive argument on The View earlier this week with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. And I was pretty impressed. Now, I am sure all my political savvy, intellectual friends know who this guy is..but I have never seen him before but his name seems remotely familiar. I was hanging on to his every word. Needless to say I Googled him as soon as I could get to my laptop. It is official I think I have found the new love of my life ( hopefully he is single and straight - if you know otherwise KEEP IT TO YOURSELF - a girl needs her fantasy guy.) Anyway, I read through several of his articles on his website and posted a comment (no, I did not include my phone number but I did list my blog- thank you very much.)

Ok in all seriousness, from what I read he seems like an improvement from Michael Eric Dyson and I can't wait to read some of his books and also secretly "comment" aka stalking... just kidding...ahh maybe not!! LOL

To read more visit his site: www.marclamonthill.com

I Can See Your Heart...

....Well that will no longer be a figure of speech. Today, Canadian researchers announced that they have developed the most detailed model of a human, a movable "4D" image that doctors can use to plan complex surgery or show patients what ailments look like inside their bodies. Called CAVEman, the larger-than-life computer image encompasses more than 3,000 distinct body parts, all viewed in a booth that gives the image height, width and depth. Doctors will now be able to show you how a disease is progressing and encourage a patient to get surgery right away. The researchers also claim that it will help to study genetic diseases. The progam will be able to use in conjunction with CAT scans, x-rays, etc to show the patients result in a 4D image. Whether my pcp will be able to afford this type of machine who knows and I am not sure if I want to pay the medical insurance premium to cover such a cost but it would be cool to see.

For more info: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/virtual_human_dc

The Element of Surprise

Do you ever have those days when you don't know what's going to happen next? When it appears that your life will play a little hide and seek with you. Each hour presents new issues, decisions to be made, and rather interesting phone conversations. My day, which started quite early, well actually yesterday never ended since I stayed out late, but nevertheless it started out quite well to say the least. And as I began returning phone calls and text messages each one delivered a new situation, dilemma, opportunity for me to consider. Many times on days like this I feel a little anxious, not sure if I should lay low or embrace the possibilities. I have still not decided which strategy to take because neither will stop the day from unveiling itself to me.

Movie Night

Tonight I decided to break normal Monday night tradition (also known as sit my butt on the couch all night and watch TV) and shifted locations to the Woodruff Arts Center Urban Movie Review night. It was really nice and they served really good appetizers. I was eating so fast everyone was staring at me - it was hilarious! Anyway, the movie presented this evening was Motives 2: Retribution, a really good suspense movie. Vivica Fox, Sean Blakemore and Bryan White starred in the movie. Vivica Fox was also one of the producers. Nevertheless about midway through the movie Joe Torry's character enters the plot to connect the storyline. And the people in the theatre started behaving as if they were at home in their living room. And I was really trying not to resort to my usually snubbery but I tell you ...these people had no movie etiquette.

I assumed because of the venue that it will draw a "different" crowd but I was wrong. A friend sitting next to me kept saying.. "I missed that did you hear it" after about the 5th time I just looked and said "Of course I didn't hear it." Nevertheless, I plan to attend another viewing soon. Although the crowd was a little rude the Urban Film Review is dedicated to showing quality African American movies and I am willing to overlook a little audience participation.

The Power of Friendship

This last week has been a difficult week to say the least, but I have kept busy and kept a positive outlook. On Saturday, I was so exhausted that I decided to mope I mean sit around the house and just eat and look at movies. But a good friend of mine heard the lull in my voice and decided to hijack me from the slump I was headed in by having a girls day out. We did normal girlie stuff like eating really good-artery clogging Mexican food, hanging out at the pool, and then hitting up Brewsters with a little bit of window shopping in between.

After I got home I realized that I had forgotten about all the really important decisions I had to make and had a wonderful day. My spirits were uplifted and things didn't seem so tragic. Many theologians believe that we meet God only through our interaction with each other. I would not go so far as to say that we only meet God through human interaction but God definitely was in our midst yesterday. By being a friend to me when I needed it God allowed her to reignite my hope in the promises God has given to me.

Little Shop of Creepies

Just yesterday I had an awakening about people who frequent bookstores and coffee shops. I was biding my time before meeting a friend for an exhibit at the High Museum at Starbucks. I took my moleskine and my favorite pen and sat in a cozy chair and began to write. I took a quick break and observed my surroundings. Some people looked busy, others looked bored and lonely and many looked weird! I wonder why coffee and books attract weird people?

New Immigration Bill!

The Senate just announced they have finally developed an Immigration Bill that will give immediate "green card" status to over 12 million undocumented workers! I am so excited about this bill and the temporary protection it can possibly provide to millions of immigrants who are trying to improve their lives and care for their families. Boy the conservatives are probably loosing their minds.. I think they thought the Senate was going to charter a busline or cruise line and send them back to their countries.(Correction: I stated that the Senate passed a Law but it is a bill)

King & Falwell

This week Jerry Falwell and Yolanda King passed away. Falwell (responsible for the formation of the Moral Majority and later the Religious/Christian Right) and Yolanda King the daughter of MLK Jr. represent an era in American politics that had a huge significance of America as we know it. There have been questions about Falwell and what his death will mean to the Christian Right. The movement will continue but possibly the new emerging voices such as Rick Warren and NT Wright will change to focus on relevant social issues such as poverty and AIDS. It will be interesting to see. Unfortunately for the King family they have lost their matriarch and now their oldest sister. My prayers are with both families.

Mase: from Bad Boys to Bad Boyzzz

Ok. I am in no way attempting to turn this blog into a gossip column- not my speed. But, I think that recent media events forces me to acknowledge an incident that speaks to larger issues than just plain ole gossip. It was reported, unofficially, that Rev. Mase Betha, formerly Bad Boy rapper turned rapper pastor, was allegedly driving in a gay area in Atlanta (near Bulldogs on Peachtree) and was trying to pick up a tranny (transvestite) and accidentally ran into the back of a woman’s car. He was so embarrassed that he placed a towel over his head while the cop wrote out his ticket and even asked to be left in the car while it was being towed away. I hope that this is a nasty rumor that will be cleared up immediately. But if it isn’t, how should his church respond?

I thought about the old system in the Baptist church where a young minister is groomed before given leadership position. If he (normally not she because Baptists are a little behind on women’s liberation) proves commitment through serving first as a deacon then moves up to minister in training then he has his “trial sermon” and if approved by the leadership he is licensed by the church. With the influx of non-denominational churches anyone can have a church now and obviously anyway will follow them. I know there is usually an accountability system in place for many of these churches but usually there is no real repercussion behind behavior that is not conducive to a pastor. Just because one wants to preach or believes she is called to pastor --does that make her qualified to lead others-immediately? You will have to forgive me- my father was a stern Baptist pastor and being a member of the pulpit was very serious matter and not everyone was qualified to be on the “roster.”

Being a Christian does not make you exempt from making mistakes or doing things that hurt other people. But the difference between a mature and immature Christian is when you know that your life does not necessarily reflect what you stand for and you acknowledge it, ask for forgiveness and ask God to help you as you make steps to change it. In our church my dad would talk about “sitting people down” from leadership. It basically is a time for that person to take the necessary steps to deal with issues in their life that keeps them from true ministry. He would take a leave of absence from working in the church. I hear people saying Judge not our you will be judged – The same measure you judge will be judged back to you. I use integrity, honesty built on Christian principles as my judging stick. And therefore when things are not up to par in my life, I do not participate in ministry, I may not announce it but I am definitely taking time to work on me and I think that is fair to ask of anyone.

Forehead Readings

A good friend of mine celebrated completing his Masters degree on friday. A group of us met up on Friday at the Harlem Bar, which is basically a hole in the wall but it has alot of style with a nice ambiance. After dinner, he and I decided to head out and hit the town. Well we finally ended up at the M Bar (a great lounge with an awesome DJ.)He and I were having a good time ( I think he might have been in better "spirits" than I but nevertheless it was good times)

If any of you have spent more than 2 hours in public with me you know that I attract "interesting" people. Before I knew it two guys sat down next to me and one bought me a drink, since I don't drink I offered it to my friend who was happy to accept. Before I knew it we (the guy who sat next to me) were in the middle of a conversation about how you can tell a lot about a person from their forehead..huh? Now I have heard some crazy stuff but what in the world!!! He continues on to read my forehead..I promise you I am not making this up. All of his "readings" were correct but I don't think it takes looking at my forehead to tell that I am a no nonsense person. It was just hilarious. He finally left and two other guys took his seat. I was afraid to even make eye contact for fear that he might say something that would top the other guy. Fortunately he didn't. He was a just a regular, normal ex-Marine :-)

So this summer if you're bored or want to study personality traits just head out to your local bookstore and read a book on Forehead Reading... let me know what you find out!

This Week's Biggest Joke

The biggest joke this week was the release of Raising Kanye!

Kanye West's mother released her book on raising her hip-hop celeb son this week.

Here is a book review:
Speaking frankly about her son's reputation as a "Mama's Boy," and his memorable public outbursts about gay rights and President George W. Bush, Donda supports her son without exception, and here she shares the invaluable wisdom she has taken away from each experience -- passion, tolerance, patience, and above all, always telling the truth. Ultimately, she not only expresses what her famously talented son has meant to her but what he has meant to music and an entire generation. (Source:Urban Network.com )

Ok is it me, or is this a joke? You have raised a very talented son and he has an enormous drive for success - great! But he's a jerk! An egomaniac-a flat out adolescent. (Did anyone see the MTV award show where he threw a temper tantrum, the cover of Rolling stone, or Punk'd?) Why would any mother want to know how to raise another Cain..oops I mean Kanye? Please help me understand this JOKE!!!

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

You remember this? Well my encounter tonight was not as interesting -uggh!

Crazy Encounters of the Un-Wanted Kind

Tonight me and Cantice hung out. Talking about life, school, our blog. And low and behold in the midst of our conversation a young man began chiming in giving his opinion. He then progressed to tell us about his book that he is writing on relationships. Needless to say after about 15 minutes into the conversation we realized that he was a complete WACK! What was really alarming about all of this was that some woman had married him and even scarier they procreated! I am convinced that women can be really desparate!

Stay tuned Cantice and I will definitely write about this encounter in the near future. You will not believe the foollywang garbage that came out of his mouth!

A new way of thinking

It is a proven fact that when I am in school, I am not really myself. It is almost as if I am functioning on 75% of my true self. Well, now that I am back to my normal self, I feel like I can take on the world. Not to mention I have gotten some much needed rest. Well anyway yesterday I made a trip to the bookstore to find a few Bebe Moore Campbell books that I had heard about but then made my way over to the New books table. I was immediately drawn to a book by Bishop Jordan and Bishop Jakes along with an older book by Rev. Run - Words of Wisdom. Normally, my eyes glide right past these type of books and I had straight for books like Freakonomics, or The Secret Gospel of Judas but for some reason I picked up these books.

I must admit I was slightly ashamed to be reading the Jordan and Jakes books. I think I negatively categorize people that read these type of books. Not sure where these thoughts were created but they are there (And I don't have time right now to pyschoanalyze so lets just take it for what it is.) I started reading the books and realized that some of the stuff, although I had heard a million times, was actually helpful for me. I am starting a new phase of my life and I think I need to hear positive reinforcement and the power of positive thinking.

Although I plan to incorporate more inspirational books into my library, please don't look for me at any -loosing or embracing conferences- reading I think will suffice.

The Pope Says ---- GET OUT!

Today Pope Benedict warned Catholic politicians they risked excommunication from the Church and should not receive communion if they support abortion. According to the Catholic Church if you go against Church law you can be ex-communicated. There is a saying from antiquity that goes as such, “I am glad that I was born a human being not a beast, next, a man and not a woman, thirdly, a Greek and not a barbarian.” (sounds like Gal. 3:28-huh) Well I am glad to be born a Protestant not a Catholic! Good grief honorable Pope!

If you’re not familiar with Catholicism, they believe that scripture along with tradition are regarded as authoritative, unlike Protestantism that believes in solo scriptura, only scripture is authoritative. I am not anti-Catholicism but I have significant issues with the primacy of the Pope and tradition. But I don't want to diminish all the things that the Catholic Church has contributed to history and the humanitarian work they do throughout the world. Catholicism has never been attracted to me duly because of confession and rejection of birth control…that’s just absurd. However, I do regard the tradition highly and in my senior year of college I spent a summer in Rome, Italy. I visited the Vatican on several occasions. I was even able to attend a Papal audience to see the late Pope John Paul the III. It was a memorable moment.

So who really is the church? Who really is a Christian? I sometimes try and draw a line in the sand, but then I am reminded of the parables where Jesus admonishes us to allow the wheat and tare to grow together and allow God to make the separation. But I also want to be a gatekeeper for my Faith. I am not always sure how I do that without being a hypocrite or being irresponsible. But I am pretty sure that I don’t want to enforce ex-communicating those who think differently than me.

Summer Dreamin'

Today I celebrated my last day of Spring Semester! At this point my performance is of no significance to me, I'm just glad I survived! Now that I can return to normalcy for about 4 months, I have already begun to book my social calendar. But I also decided to start this summer blog. I have wanted to do this for a long time but school doesn't allow me the time so I thought a seasonal blog would be fun. A Difference of Opinion blog will continue with some exciting new features. So, those who have been avid readers of A Difference of Opinion blog we will have the opportunity to get to know each other better.

I have a lot of plans for this summer: have fun, get swimsuit ready (too many late night value meals), lay out at the pool (after getting swimsuit ready), travel home to see my new nephew Jaden, do some writing, meet a cute guy, and did I say have fun! I like the motto "work hard and play harder" and I am up for it! Watch out summer because I am ready to do some damage!