William Bradley has posted a very revealing article about the truthfulness of John McCain's latest attack ads against Senator Barack Obama. Check it out for yourself (but only if you can handle the truth!)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
13 Things To Know About The 3rd Straight Mac Attack Ad
William Bradley has posted a very revealing article about the truthfulness of John McCain's latest attack ads against Senator Barack Obama. Check it out for yourself (but only if you can handle the truth!)
Monday, July 28, 2008
We're back!!!
We had an awesome time in Mexico. Flew to Cancun, stayed in the Riviera Maya and played in Playa del Carmen and Chichen Itza. Awesome vacation. I would highly recommend Mexico as an ideal vacation spot, especially for families. There is so much to do there. And there is "nothing." Fantastic. Here are some photos from the trip:
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Lewis Family Reunion
On Saturday, the Lewis Family had a reunion celebration that was long overdue. My mom, all of her brothers and sisters, their spouses and children and all of their grandchildren (as well as some close family friends) got together for a barbecue and swim party. It was a wonderful day! Check out some of the photos from the event.
The Whole Gang!
Ryan, Bryce, Freddy, Shirley & Sammy
Look! There's Cierra! :-)Charles, Max & Andrienne
Ryan, Lesley, Milo and Chase
Sandra, Casi and Lesley
Monday, July 7, 2008
Oogles-n-Googles
Trouble finding an original idea for your child's birthday party? Been to Chuck E. Cheese's one too many times? Here's a wonderful alternative guaranteed to be a ton of fun for all of your guests!Oogles n Googles of Central New Jersey offers unique and zany "all inclusive" themed birthday party rental packages for kids ages 3 to 10. From set-up to clean up, you place or theirs, they do the work so you don't have to! These parties will provide your child with an unbelievably memorable birthday experience.
If you live in the Central NJ area, check out the Oogles-n-Googles website for more information!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Your Whiteness is Showing
An Open Letter to Certain White Women Who Are Threatening to Withhold Support from Obama in NovemberBy Tim Wise
For former Clinton supporters that are threatening to stay home or vote for McCain rather than cast a vote for Barack Obama, this is an article directed at you. Please take the time to read it and pass it along to undecided or "improperly" decided friends and neighbors. The facts speak for themselves and Tim Wise, aptly named, speaks for the rest of us!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
So... Omar Tyree is retiring with an attitude!
I have so much respect for writers. As an avid reader, I would love to be a writer myself. To hold the gift of storytelling in your hands and to be able to spread it to anyone who chooses to take it is magical to me.
But Omar Tyree, who clearly has that gift, is leaving the business that has made his a household name because he doesn't like the direction that "urban" writing has taken. I tend to agree with him in the fact that "urban" readers and writers tend to migrate toward street life, drug dealing, sexcapades, and whatever else sells books. Heck, even 50 Cent has written some gun and drug-soaked gangsta novels. I'm sure, based on his name alone, that they are selling like hotcakes.
But I think that Tyree is missing the boat on this one. I understand that he wants to be an inspiration to his devotees, but maybe his marketing team is directing his new brand of novels toward the wrong readers. Maybe he can keep writing good quality novels that just happen to contain black characters and sell his books to the mainstream. Maybe he doesn't have to pigeonhole his titles on the African-American shelves. Why can't he put them out there on the mystery, fiction, thriller shelves? Because that's where I look for books.
Don't get me wrong, I've read books by a myriad of black authors; not specifically because they were black, but because they were good writers. I'm still waiting for Marcus Major to come out with a new one. His characters are definitely among my favorites. But I also like Dickey, Baisden, Harris, McMillan, Hurston, Weber, and Channer.
I've also read books by Zane, Roby, Karen Grigsby Bates, Stephen L. Carter, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison and even "The Coldest Winter Ever" by Sistah Souljah. Once was enough for me of those authors. (Sometimes it clicks with me, sometimes is just doesn't.)
But I didn't grow up in the "hood." Gangsta life is something I see on TV and in the movies. If you look at my Shelfari shelf, you can clearly see that I also enjoy fantasy (MacHale, Sage & Rowling), humor (Evanovich & Rivenbark), thrillers (Patterson & Deaver) and chillers (King and Koontz). None of these are found in the African-American section. And I am a black woman who loves books.
And although I've never read a book by Omar Tyree, I hope that his "retirement" article was just written in the heat of the moment. I hope that he continues to hone his gift and to realize that he's not the one that needs to change. Maybe it's just his audience.
But Omar Tyree, who clearly has that gift, is leaving the business that has made his a household name because he doesn't like the direction that "urban" writing has taken. I tend to agree with him in the fact that "urban" readers and writers tend to migrate toward street life, drug dealing, sexcapades, and whatever else sells books. Heck, even 50 Cent has written some gun and drug-soaked gangsta novels. I'm sure, based on his name alone, that they are selling like hotcakes.
But I think that Tyree is missing the boat on this one. I understand that he wants to be an inspiration to his devotees, but maybe his marketing team is directing his new brand of novels toward the wrong readers. Maybe he can keep writing good quality novels that just happen to contain black characters and sell his books to the mainstream. Maybe he doesn't have to pigeonhole his titles on the African-American shelves. Why can't he put them out there on the mystery, fiction, thriller shelves? Because that's where I look for books.
Don't get me wrong, I've read books by a myriad of black authors; not specifically because they were black, but because they were good writers. I'm still waiting for Marcus Major to come out with a new one. His characters are definitely among my favorites. But I also like Dickey, Baisden, Harris, McMillan, Hurston, Weber, and Channer.
I've also read books by Zane, Roby, Karen Grigsby Bates, Stephen L. Carter, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison and even "The Coldest Winter Ever" by Sistah Souljah. Once was enough for me of those authors. (Sometimes it clicks with me, sometimes is just doesn't.)
But I didn't grow up in the "hood." Gangsta life is something I see on TV and in the movies. If you look at my Shelfari shelf, you can clearly see that I also enjoy fantasy (MacHale, Sage & Rowling), humor (Evanovich & Rivenbark), thrillers (Patterson & Deaver) and chillers (King and Koontz). None of these are found in the African-American section. And I am a black woman who loves books.
And although I've never read a book by Omar Tyree, I hope that his "retirement" article was just written in the heat of the moment. I hope that he continues to hone his gift and to realize that he's not the one that needs to change. Maybe it's just his audience.
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