Have You Heard of Asa? Well Now You Can!

I seriously this love this Nigerian artist! Listen and watch her and let me know what you think.

Legalizing Prostitution in Botswana to Combat AIDS

As many of you are well aware of, today is World AIDS day. I read an interesting story about the fight against AIDS in Botswana, which has been applauded for their stringent and bold efforts to combat the virus. It's government has reported that 97% of babies born in Botswana from HIV positive mothers are HIV free. However, AIDS is still an issue amongst truck drivers and prostitutes along the truck routes.

Botswana, one of Africa's most stable nations and economies, is now considering legalizing prostitution as a way to control the spread of the virus. For example, even though condoms are free at any health facility in the country, sex workers have reported that police men confiscate their condoms because the police say what they are doing is illegal. With measures in place, police men would not have an excuse to take condoms away from sex workers.

Of course, I believe that it takes two for prostitution to exist and if you really want to stop prostitution, you would need to have strict laws and consequences for the johns. But in this case, since it doesn't sound like that is being done, maybe implementing laws that protect the sex worker in order to keep the virus at bay may not be a bad idea. Read the story and let me know what you think.

Shuga - Episode 3

I don't know who all has been watching this, but it has definitely been heating up!

Shuga Episode 3 from mtv staying alive on Vimeo.

Would This Alter Hyper-Masculinity in the African-American Culture?

Overall, if you haven't noticed yet, the mainstream culture of the United States is is caught up on masculinity and defining what is a man. More so, African-American culture has and is dealing with hyper-masculinity, an exaggerated stereotype of being masculine. I don't know why African-American men are so caught up in being the ideal African-American male, but it is evident in many predominantly African-American arenas, especially those that are educational institutions.

Early last month, when I brought up the new dress code policy at the HBCU Morehouse, I was going to talk about homosexuality in African-American culture. Just when I thought I was going to lose people since it has been a month since I have said anything, the question of repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" clause in the army came about and I stumbled upon this video from CNN.

After watching this video, consider the following:

• What is masculinity to you? Why do you define it as such?
• Apart from Anthony Woods stating his sexual orientation, would you have thought he was gay? Why or why not?
• Does sexuality determine one's level of masculinity? How?

A Fight in Chinatown

About a week ago, some friends and I finished a delicious lunch in Chinatown and were headed back to the South Loop. For those of you that are not familiar with Chicago's public transit system, the CTA, Chinatown is literally two stops south from the South Loop, so about a 5-minute train ride at most.

Anyway, we got on the platform and waited for the train to pull up and as the doors opened, a group of about six guys were in brawl that moved onto the platform. Stunned and rather curious, I moved back in shock and watched to interpret what was going on.

As the fight unfolded, I noticed that the fight ratio was 5-1 and the subway train remained stalled and the doors ajar. The lone guy screamed and begged for help and eventually a woman from the train yelled for the assailants to get off of him. The victim was helped onto the train and the assailants ran off.

I later came to understand that the altercation took place because the five assailants were trying to steal the victim's iPad. Luckily, they did not succeed and for the most part, the victim is okay, and one of my friends called the police.

Typically, I would not share stories like this all the time because I think it could give people the wrong image, but this was important for the purposes of this blog. The assailants were young black men; the victim was a young white man. Even though I did not jump in to help (I regret that and even though this does not excuse my "bystander-ness" I was in shock for the whole time), I was rather irritated with the situation.

As a black person, I feel it is imperative for me show that I am more than my race and the diversity within myself to break down the stereotypes and misconceptions of black people (the main purpose of the blog, if you haven't noticed). Of course, this blog would not exist if there was not widespread ignorance within American society and in many places abroad, but also exist because of the black men that assaulted this white man that help perpetuate the negative stereotypes of black people.

These men are luckily a small facet of black people in this country. This image of barbarism is commonly applied to black people in American media, but is not the reality. This is what I want everyone to understand. More so, to the black readers of this blog, we need to encourage our youth who are engaged in this kind of behavior to understand that not only do they make black people on the whole seem barbaric, but they self-title themselves as hoodlums - a title that takes a lot of time and effort to remove from one's self. I personally do not care what people think about me because I know and understand the image of myself I portray and I really don't care who or what likes it, but one thing I have gained is respect from the right people who will get me to where I would like to be in life. If I was labelled as a hoodlum, I wouldn't have that respect at all.

So, please, spread this story to everyone you know so they can understand these two things:

• Not all black people are violent and dumb (because these boys were definitely violent and dumb).
• The way you view yourself will be the image you project to others, so make sure its positive to gain the right kind of respect.

The End of the LRA? Finally?

Usually, when I talk about Uganda, I refer to the horrible and deplorable Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 (which is still up in the air), but here is another sinister and deadly issue that (thankfully) the Ugandan government has been paying more attention to instead of finding a way to kill (suggested) homosexuals.

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is a militant rebel group that is notorious for abducting children in Central Africa as young as 5 years old to transform into lethal child soldiers. The group started in Uganda earlier this decade and has spread to neighboring nations. The have forced thousands from Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo to flee since the began their ruthless terror campaign on Christmas 2008.

Now, based on the efforts of US President Barack Obama and others in the international community, there is a conscious effort to disarm the LRA. YAY! I am hoping this initiative works.

Groups like the LRA piss me off, and I hope they do the same for you. For a group that shouldn't have been around to begin with, they have been the part of hindering Africa's progress as a continent, let alone the nations they directly affect. They perpetuate the images of danger in Africa due to whatever selfishness they have by stealing children and turning them into killing monsters when these kids should be in school to become the future of a cultural and mineral rich continent. I have another story coming up later today, that is more personal that aligns kind of with this issue, but talking about things that I had witnessed last week on American soil that pissed me off just as much.

Anyway, to learn more about efforts to end the LRA's terror campaign and to see how you can contribute, go to: http://www.invisiblechildren.com/

Scandal, Witchcraft and Cheaters - OH MY!

The stuff I am reading today is serious off the chain. I mean, some of this stuff sounds like a storyline for a Lifetime movie.

In short, a 47-year-old South African woman had an affair with a South African rugby player by the name of Deon Helberg who was dating her daughter. Because the Deon called off the affair, she plotted with Nigerian "crooks" to kill the him. However, her plan backfired because the "crooks" immediately informed authorities of her plot. She supposedly dabbled into witchcraft and visited witch doctors. I think we should all read the whole article and I will give you updates on this madness as it come around.

I have a problem with this crazy lady on many levels (as I am sure many of you do after reading the story). First of all, why were you sleeping with your daughter's boyfriend? That is some low level stuff that a mother should not be doing. Secondly, I know the stereotype of Nigerians on the continent is that they are crazy and crooked, but not all of them are like that, which was shown here (however, since she paid them, they may have taken the money then told the authorities, something I would have done, LOL). Lastly, she's visiting witch doctors and experimenting with witchcraft? Was this rugby player that good that you had to get into the supernatural? She has lower herself and it is sad.

The people I wonder about is the rugby player, Deon Helberg, and his now ex-girlfriend. Of course, Deon was stupid and weak, as many of us know, but how would this affect his career? And the girl...how would she look at her mother now? As this story continues to develop, I will have more information. I can see this being a made-for-TV movie within the next year.