Join the Harrisburg Rally for stricter gun laws

Anyone who lives in Philadelphia knows that there is a huge urban gun violence issue here, which unfortunately isn't an issue unique solely to Philly. The Mayor of Philadelphia, John F. Street, has organized a rally in Harrisburg to convince state legislators to pass stricter gun laws in the state of Pennsylvania.

The city of Philadelphia endorses the following priorities to be addressed by the state:

Responsible Gun Ownership:
The Administration supports legislation introduced by the Philadelphia Delegation that requires gun owners to maintain guns in a secure lock box, requires trigger locks on all guns, and requires the immediate report of lost, stolen or missing firearms to the Police.

Limit the Number of Guns in Philadelphia:
The Administration supports legislation that limits the purchase of guns to one-gun-a-month, and legislation that cracks down on straw purchaser activity. It is important to note, that legislation in this category will only be effective if it is implemented statewide. A one-gun-a-month law that only affects guns purchased in Philadelphia will do little to stop the influx of guns into the city.

Increase Penalties for Crimes Committed with Guns:
The Administration supports legislation that makes possession of any illegal firearm a felony and moves more gun violations to state and federal courts

Why is this issue important to LGBT's?
Following is a statement from Michael Hinson who is a managing director for the city and the Mayor's liaison to the LGBT community:

"As leaders in the LGBT Community you might wonder, 'what does this have to do with me?' Remember that our community is made up of many communities. Through our various communities we face a myriad of issues including issues of violence and again specifically hand gun perpetrated violence. we can all think back a little about several high profile cases of LGBT individuals in particularly young people who have been the victims of such violence. Further, because the Mayor has outlined a model that includes social services as part of the solution, one doesn't have to think far about what we can do in our communities especially with young people if we were to receive additional supports for social services. Lastly, this is a "huge" opportunity for us as leaders in the LGBT community to stand side-by-side with other community leaders on issues that affect us all. This will certainly help us in our ongoing efforts to bridge our issues with those of the larger community... .'ally building'."

How can you do your part?
Join the Black Gay Men's Leadership Council, Outfront ( a local political group) and a variety of other LGBT organizations on a bus we have commissioned for the purpose of going to Harrisburg to support the Mayor's efforts. Here are the details:

When: Tuesday November 26, 2006

Time: Bus leaves Philly @ 8am, leaves Harrisburg @ 3:30pm

Departure: William Way Community Center- 1315 Spruce Street

A light breakfast and lunch will be served to attendees in our group. For more information call: 215.817.1417

Flavor Of Love Season 2

Ok, tonight's show was a mess. I missed the first 10 minutes, but the last 50 minutes were off the hook! I've been inconsistant with my viewing of the show, but I think this season is most definitely spicier than last season. From the first show the girls were starting to throw down, apparently setting a precedent for this entire season, because there have been at least 3 or 4 physical altercations since then. I don't really care about who wins the show, I just watch 4 the drama. Once again the show has an appeal to me, though I feel like I shouldn't be watching it because it's so ghetto and sideshow freakish, the way these girls act for a chance to date a washed up, crispy Flava Flave. It's so funny because in real life, would any of these girls really fight for Flaves attention like this? But alas, let me take the show for it's face value, which is entertainment, and that it is.

The Twist
As soon as I started watching the show tonight and saw that New York from last season was on it, I new all hell was about to break loose. I figured it was a matter of time before he bought her on the show and had her interview the girls, like he did with his former Celebriality flame Bridgette Neilson last season. Having your ex flame, who still has "feelings" for you, give you a report on what she thinks of the other women vying for your affection is like asking Tom the cat to guard Jerry the mouse (all you 30+ folks can appreciate that reference, unless you've seen repeats on CN). Having her on though, I'm sure boosted his ratings for tonight, because there was nothing but drama from the moment she stepped in the house.

The true twist was when he gave New York a clock at the end of the show, which now puts her back in the competition a second time for Flave's "love". This is nothing more than a publicity stunt to boost her career (whatever that is) and to give the show better ratings. New York is so exxxxtttttrrrrraaaaa, it makes no sense. It's really hard for me to sit there and see how she acts and treats others on the show and already has me secretly wishing to see her test the wrong girl and catch a beatdown.

The funny Part
Buckwild, had a rough night on the show. New York was so rude to her when she was critiquing the girls and told her "you look like a fairy princess.........who resides over the pit of hell". That is the classic extraness of New York.

But the true shade is when Buckwild got caught slipping out of her ghetto vernacular "role" she's been playing up on the show. Flave picked up on it immediately and called her on it, which was so funny. She said she loses her ghetto accent when she gets upset, but shouldn't it be the other way around? The ghetto usually comes out when you get upset. Buckwild resigned from the show once she saw New York would be living in the house, which I wish she would have stayed, because she might have been the one to give New York that beat down. She said she just got off probation.........hmmmm, I wonder for what?

The whole energy in the house will most defintely change with New York being there again, which really isn't fair to the other girls because she has more history with Flave. Especially since she was runner up on last seasons show, but stay tuned, because the previews for the upcoming shows look like DRAMA!

Check out New York's My Space page

Savior or Sambo?

Okay, when you look at this picture of Terrell Owens on the cover of the new ESPN magazine what do you think? Please, use free association. One of the first words that comes to my mind is Sambo! Why on earth would he take a picture like this and allow them to put it on the cover of their magazine? I think this picture looks incredibly racist and too closely resembles the racially inflamatory charactures Whites used to draw of Blacks in the early 1900's.

Maybe I'm taking this too seriously, but I think this picture is incredibly offensive. Yes TO has a bangin' body and no one can deny that, but he's a mess. He's a had a stormy career for a while now and left a bad taste in my mouth, as well as many Philadelphian's with his antics while he was with the Eagels. Now he's starting them all over again in Dallas. I don't follow TO closely, but it seems that he needs to be more careful of how he presents himself to the public.

I bet there are a bunch of rednecks in Texas having a field day with this picture and I can only imagine what they're saying as they drink beer at their favorite saloon and use this photo as a dart board while watching the Cowboy's play.

While image isn't everything, it definitely means something and TO just keeps damaging his, but of course that is just my opinion. What do you think of this picture?

The Evolution of Absolutelee

Life has been traveling at the speed of light, with no signs of slowing down. I'm glad to be home this weekend, with no plans to travel for a little while. I have pretty much been gone almost every weekend since June and I am perfectly content chillin' out with no real plans until tomorrow evening, when I'm planning to go to a party with my partner and some friends. I'm not one that is big on holidays, but I am glad for the extra day off for Labor Day on Monday, so it's all good.

My summer has been enjoyable, though I have been back home more times this summer than I would have liked, but each time I went was for important occasions. The most important of those being my 'lil sisters wedding. It was great and she was absolutely beautiful and I was pleased to walk my mother down the isle to light the ceremonial candle and a few other things I was involved in that allowed me to be part of the special moment. Initially I was planning to post pictures on here of the wedding, but because of some of my recent media exposure, I've seen how easy it is for people to find out personal info on me, so that has caused me to be a little more cautious. Hence my decision not to post any pictures of her or my family on here.

Just this week I have come to a couple of conclusions about my professional direction. First, I am planning to sit for my social work licensure exam by early November. I am just entering my 2nd year post master's, which is what is needed before you can take the clinical exam, which is the one I would like to take. The problem is that I don't work in the field full-time, and in order for me to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), I need to have 3600 hours of practice, which has to be completed in a 6 year time frame. I don't know that I'll be able to make it as I currently only work approximately 10 hours a week doing therapy. I talked with my supervisor where I do my mental health work and she told me that not all of that time has to be direct clinical, and that some of the work I do at my full time job may apply toward those hours. I need to clarify all this with the licensing board to know which exam I need to take. The clinical exam is the most difficult. Really the main benefit that I can see getting the clinical licensure versus the Masters level licensure is that the clinical allows me to bill Medicaid and other insurance sources should I want to go into private practice. Even if I got the Master's level licensure, it would be a step up from what I have now and I could always take the LCSW exam later. If anyone comes across this post and is going through this process or knowledgeable of it, let me know.

The other decision I've made is that I am planning to apply for a doctoral program. This will be a major commitment should I get accepted, because it'll be like 6 years of school. This decision came out of the blue this week, which is the same way my decision to go to grad school came when I applied back in 2001. I mean, I had some fleeting thoughts of returning to school, but never really entertained the thought until this week. There are three degrees I am thinking of, which are to get my doctorate in Public Health, Social Work or Psychology. I am heavily leaning toward Public Health though. The program I'm most interested in is at Drexel and the other is at Temple. I have been researching both programs and at this point I think I prefer Drexel’s program.

As I have been researching the requirements for admission and the expectations for the doctoral programs, I have to say that I feel a bit intimidated and wondering if I have the intelligence and skills to complete the program. I know there are a lot of people who start a doctoral program, even master's programs that don't end up completing for various reasons. I'm also not thrilled AT ALL about taking the GRE's, which are required of all the doctoral programs I've looked at so far. Hasn't academia realized that these standardized tests aren't good measures of intelligence or academic ability? It would be wonderful if they figured this out before the fall of 2007.....LOL. But I've made up my mind, that I will do what I need to do to get into a doctoral program. Paying for it is a whole other issue, but I'll cross that bridge if I get to it. One thing I'm looking into is seeing if my job can help me out. They are partnering with Drexel to provide financial benefits, such as tuition breaks for employees who want to get their Master's degree in Public Health, so I'm hoping this benefit, if it actually materializes will also extend to employees who want to pursue a doctoral degree.

These are lofty goals, but so far, I have been able to accomplish all of my academic goals, so I hope these will be no different. If I were to obtain my doctoral degree, I believe I will be the first to do so on both sides of my family, which would be a great accomplishment.

Anyone else out there in a doctoral program or thinking of applying? I can use any insight or support that's out there.

Have a good Labor Day weekend and try to stay dry!