Top 60 Black Ghetto Names….Really?

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By Ayize Ma’at

VIDEO: Today I saw this video for the first time.  To say the least I was offended.  As someone who takes the naming process very seriously, I felt like this video totally disrespected, devalued, and trivialized one aspect of the uniqueness of African American culture.  You see I changed my name 10 years ago as an affirmation of my Africanity and to symbolically advocate self determination and self definition for myself and my community.  Without getting too deep, I got mad respect for those who use their god given creativity to name themselves.  For the life of me I can’t understand why names created by African Americans that are unique to the African American cultural experience are called GHETTO?  Not only are these Latino boys calling our names ghetto….but as evidenced by the multitude of spinoff videos made by African Americans…we are calling our names ghetto too. BLAM Fam…do yall see this as a problem…or are these names really “GHETTO” and I’m making it too deep?  Let me know what you think.

BLAM’s HOT TOPICS for 7/7/11

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Stay up to speed with the current events of the day. Check out BLAM’s HOT TOPICS as it relates to the black experience and beyond. Updated throughout the day!

1. A DAMN SHAME: BLACK MAN RUN OVER, KILLED IN HATE CRIME 2. T-BOZ ENCOURAGES AFRICAN AMERICANS TO BECOME BONE MARROW DONORS 3. TOP 25 AFRICAN AMERICAN CELEBRITIES THAT AREN’T AGING AT ALL 4. THE LIGHTER THE SKIN, THE SHORTER THE PRISON TERM?  5. CELEBRITIES GOT MONEY PROBLEMS TOO!!!  6. OPRAH WINFREY’S NEXT ROLE: HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER

A DAMN SHAME: BLACK MAN RUN OVER, KILLED IN HATE CRIME

“Dedmon murdered this victim because he was a black man,” Smith said. “We do have information that they were rejoicing after killing the victim.” Smith said Dedmon called a friend after the alleged crime and said, “I just ran that nigger over.” (CLICK HERE to read the full story)

T-BOZ ENCOURAGES AFRICAN AMERICANS TO BECOME BONE MARROW DONORS

Sickle-cell disease is inherited and affects 75,000 Americans, many of them African American….our son is one of them.  (CLICK HERE to read T-Boz’s article.)

TOP 25 AFRICAN AMERICAN CELEBRITIES THAT AREN’T AGING AT ALL.

Dark skin like Don Cheadle’s is rich in Melanin, a skin pigment produced by the body that works as natural skin protectant from the sun’s rays. The darker the skin the more Melanin is has, the less likely it will wrinkle. Want proof? Check out these fabulous, age 40-and-up celebrities; living proof, that “blacks don’t crack”…(CLICK HERE for the slide show of all 25 black celebs)

THE LIGHTER THE SKIN, THE SHORTER THE PRISON TERM?

The researchers found that light-skinned women were sentenced to approximately 12 percent less time behind bars than their darker-skinned counterparts. Women with light skin also served 11 percent less time than darker women. (CLICK HERE to read the full article.)

CELEBRITIES GOT MONEY PROBLEMS TOO!!!

Prince in foreclosure???  Russesl’s Rush Card Investigated???? Forest Whittaker got tax troubles????  Everyday people ain’t the only one’s with money problems.  (CLICK HERE to read the full stories.)

OPRAH WINFREY’S NEXT ROLE: HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER

Oprah revealed that she would be returning this fall to teach a class called ‘It’s Life 101’ about all the stuff she wished someone had told her about how the world really works.  CLICK HERE to read the full article.


BLAM’s HOT TOPICS For Today 7/6/11

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Stay up to speed with the current events of the day. Check out BLAM’s HOT TOPICS as it relates to the black experience and beyond. Updated throughout the day!

NOT ONLY WILL CHILDREN DO ANYTHING TO GET OVER…BUT ADULTS WILL TOO.

Based on preliminary reports it appears that not only will children do anything to get over but…ADULTS WILL TOO.  Atlanta public schools are rocked today by reports that PRINCIPALS and TEACHERS have been cheating by inflating the results of standardized test scores.  Click HERE to read the full article from AOL Huffington Post.

WOULD CASEY ANTHONY BE FOUND GUILTY IF SHE WERE BLACK?

This is a question that many black folks will be talking about in the barbershop and the beauty salons.  Whether it’s in the back of your mind or on the tip of your tongue the overwhelming majority of people thought WTH when Casey Anthony’s verdict was announced.  It’s not that we’re so invested in her case….but I think more than anything we want justice to be served…especially when the death of a child is involved.   What if she were black…..would she be found guilty?  Click HERE to read the full article from THE GRIO.

13 YEAR OLD AUTUM ASHANTE’S ACCEPTANCE TO UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT RESCINDED

When I first read this I immediately thought …..”it figures”.  You see Autum Ashante got a lot of shine last week in the blogosphere when her acceptance was announced.  We actually did a post on our site about it and included in that post a “controversial” poem she did back in 2006.  I wonder if any of what she did or said in the past had an impact on UCONN’s decision to rescind her acceptance.  I mean if she’s accepted she’s accepted….right?  Something smells fishy.  Check out the full article from AOL BlackVoices

SHAUNIE O’NEAL SAYS “BASKETBALL WIVES DOES NOT PORTRAY BLACK WOMEN NEGATIVELY”

After sitting and watching a couple of episodes of Basketball Wives with Aiyana…I had to ask her…”Do Black Women really act like this?”  I mean really?  While some of it was comical..the great majority of it was flat out embarrassing.  Check out THE URBAN DAILY and see why Shaunie doesn’t feel the show is a negative representation of black women.

OBAMA TWITTER TOWN HALL (LIVE)

For all the social media folks check out the live thread of President Obama holding a town hall meeting on twitter.  This is pretty tight. CLICK HERE to view the twitter feed.

KWAME KILPATRICK MAKES IT PLAIN IN HIS UPCOMING BOOK ABOUT HIS AFFAIR AND LEGAL AND LEGAL DRAMA

“Surrendered! The Rise, Fall and Revelation of Kwame Kilpatrick” Is the true tale of his saga, according to Kwame. While he takes responsibility for an affair with an aide and lies told during a civil trial, he also blames plenty of others for his downfall. Check out HuffingtonPost.com for more on this story.

6 Sizzling Ways To Bring The Sexy Back Into Your Marriage (…And Your Bedroom)

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By Ellie Johnston

The first year of marriage is like an amazing dream, the sex is usually good, the woman or man you have chosen is willing to do almost anything for you and you for them and you feel like butterflies are living in your body. Your body feels light and your head feels right. The constant fly past of imaginary lovebirds circling your head makes you feel as if all is right with the world. Your heart is fit to burst. The love is strong.

However, like everything in this world of ours if you use something too much it can break, become dysfunctional or simply fade away in to non-existence. Love can have this fading effect as well as your sexual relations with your partner. The big trick in this game is to keep both the sex and the love equal and continually try to keep your love life hot, hot, and HOT!

In a sexless loveless marriage something will eventually suffer. So, for this reason, you seriously need to concentrate on having a healthy sex life and love life.

So, just how do you bring the sexy back into your bedroom?

There are lots of ways you can do this. Here are a few…

1) Sexy Lingerie for her and sexy underwear for him

There are many styles of lingerie to suit many peoples taste including babydoll, corsets, pvc leather lingerie, chemises, bras and panties as well as sexy club wear style lingerie, stockings, etc. My suggestion is to try them all out at least once and find something you are comfortable and then go with that.

2) Explore each others sexual fantasies

Be vulnerable with one another. Share your secret desires. She may want to role play and dress up as a sexy cheerleader or a hot teacher. He may want to dress up as a doctor and inspect you with the tools of his trade.

3) Maybe you both want to explore sex toys

There is nothing wrong with a sex toy or two if you want to explore your sexuality with your partner. There are soooo many options that I would say it is impossible to not find something that tickles your fancy. Go to a sex toy shop or browse online together. Plan a “hot sex” night and bring out toys that you each bought to surprise each other. This can be so fun and will give you both something to look forward to and wonder about.

4) Play food fights and wrestling

Some men and some women love to be covered in food, jams, honey, cake cream, chocolate, raspberry and other sweet and delicious body condiments. The wrestling can be performed after you are covered in sweet gooey goodness. You trying to lick his off and him trying to lick yours off. You can have rules, no licking any erogenous zone before 5 – 10 minutes of sugar wrestling is done. Maybe even set a small alarm clock so there is a round one, round two and so on. The best of three rounds then it is a free for all. This food wrestling or food play is ok and can be fun to explore but as with many things revolving around love and sex, you have to be careful where your kids are (if you have kids) and make sure your Mothers are not on their way over to you. The last thing you need is to be covered from head to toe in cake mixture only to hear the doorbell ring and have the embarrassment of trying to explain why you are “playing” with your food.

5) Role Play

You can role-play and act like a stranger to husband or wife, and arrange to meet in a place you both do not know and dress up as a business man or woman and pretend not to know each other. Really get into it. The build up through the night will make for one wild sexy night. Maybe even be the naughty maid at home and your other half could be a butler and you steal away some sexual satisfaction together while cleaning “at work”. Or maybe if you are a woman you could be the lady of the house and the plumber has arrived to check your pipes but instead he starts checking your pipes. 😉

6) Naked resorts

You may think this is similar to swinging but it is not at all. Many people the world over like to try exhibitionism. They just show off their bodies, they probably get some excitement out of it but usually they only want to show their bodies and they do not necessarily want to have sex with anybody. They are quite different from swingers. Different strokes for different folks.  And you never know just showing off your body to your partner and to other individuals and getting used to your naked body could also be a marriage (and self image)  builder.

I hope you have taken notes! Now, get started!

Ellie Johnston is a sexy lingerie specialist. She helps promote a website that has many different types of sexy lingerie and sexy accessories called lingerie2order.com

Landmark Legislation Legalizes Marriage For Same Sex Couples..What Do You Think?

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By Team BLAM

If you turn on your T.V. set, look in your newspaper, or go online today you’ll be flooded with cheers and jeers regarding the landmark legislation that was passed shortly before midnight making New York the 6th and largest state to legalize gay marriage.  WOW…this is big!  The legal and social implications of such ruling will have a ripple effect.  Whether you agree or disagree both you and your children will be impacted.  So we’re curious BLAM Fam….how do you feel about gay marriage being legalized?  In case you’re confused about this whole thing…below are arguments (from about.com) by both supporters and opponents of gay marriage.  Check them out and chime in and let us know whether you’re for or against gay marriage….and why.

Supporters of Same Sex Marriage – What is Their Case?

What arguement do supporters use in their fight to legalize same sex marriages? Here are some points in their platform.

  • The right to marry is a fundemental right protected by the United States Constitution.
  • The traditional definition of marriage is a union between two people of the opposite sex. Supporters insist the definition can’t be allowed to be a basis for discrimination.
  • Without the legal right to marriage, same sex couples lose their right to health care coverage, family leave, child custody protections, tax protections, inheritance protections, and pension plan options.
  • Civil marriages and religious marriages are not the same. Therefore morality and religious arguements against same sex marriages are flawed and should have no standing.
  • Permitting legal same sex marriages will not force any religion to perform such ceremonies against their beliefs, doctrine, or morals.

But what about those who strongly oppose same sex marriages or unions. They feel their case is just as compelling. Here are the points they make.

Opponents of Same Sex Marriages – What is Their Case?

The opposition’s argument against same sex marriage is primarily based in religion, and the interpretation of what is moral and immoral. Cultural norms also play a role in the following points.

  • Biblically, marriage has been cited as a union between a man and woman and in such a union procreation must not be ruled out. In other words, religion says a man and a woman get married and have children. Same sex couples can’t fulfill that expectation and therefore should not be permitted.
  • The natural difference between man and woman, including sexual differences, is what draws them together and forms the basis of their relationship. Without those differences, a committed relationship can not occur.
  • Scientifically, marriage between a male and a female is the natural order of life.
  • Many religious figures view homsexuality as a sin and therefore any union based on such a relationship is also deemed sinful.
  • Some religious leaders believe that allowing same sex marriages or unions will somehow undermine the traditional family unit, the foundation for many religious communities.
  • Others feel that the gay community can’t be allowed to redefine marriage and the family unit to suit their own needs.

BLAM Fam what do you think?

Spoken Word Video: “Relationship Management”–One Of The Most Moving Pieces You Will Ever Hear In Your Life

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VIDEO: This is hands down one of the most passionate, moving, and on point spoken word pieces we have ever heard in our lives. Yeah, you read that right…..IN OUR LIVES. In this piece Marcus Jones challenges and inspires us all to step up our game BIG TIME when it comes to what we demand for ourselves and our relationships. He calls this piece “Relationship Management” and there’s really nothing more we can say to convey the importance of his words. Just click play and be moved to think, feel, and DO better. Stop Playing. Start Pushing.

RADIO: BLAM’s Aiyana Ma’at, Michael Baisden, & G. Dub Rap About How Marriage Is For Grown Folks

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RADIO INTERVIEW: Do people really know what they’re getting into when they take that life changing walk down the aisle? This is the question that Michael Baisden, George Wilborn, & Aiyana Ma’at attempt to answer in this interview where they discuss an article written by Aiyana: “Marriage Is For Grown Folks”. Sit back, listen & as always let us know what you think.

Oprah Is HUGE..Because of WHO She Is….and WHAT She Represents

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Today was Oprah’s last day doing the Oprah show. In this video Aiyana is giving her a little shout out and letting everybody know that “It’s bigger than Oprah”…..”Oprah represents an idea”. Check it out and let us know what you think.