Fresh line up for the Fall

The Lineup: September ‘12

What I can’t live without: Experiences.  Material things come and go but experiences provide memories that last far longer.  Earlier this year I wrote a post inspired by Jay-Z’s historic announcement that he was curating a two-day music festival in Philly and thanks to a surprise by my fiancée, I had the opportunity to experience it.  I’m too young to have gone to the 2^nd iteration of Woodstock and probably too old to go to Coachella, but this was perfect.  I saw some great live performances including the return of Run DMC,  hometown heroine Jill Scott (with a guest spot from Eve), Janelle Monae and many more.  I even got hip to some new artists from different genres including Miike Snow and Passion Pit.  They created a whole community for two days on the Ben Franklin Parkway and with an epic peformance from Jay-Z which included a G.O.O.D. music performance and a “B” sighting, I’ll never forget the experience.

Is Tyler Perry a Coon?

King Coon

The concept of coons and “cooning” has been an issue that I have tried to tackle for the past two years; first analyzing the possible motivations for someone who can be considered a coon and then assessing whether being a coon was exclusive to the black community.  This time, I would like to discuss what actions can lead to the accusation that one is “cooning” and there is no better place to start than with the current "World Coon Champion" – Tyler Perry.  Walk into most rooms and start bashing Tyler Perry and you’ll get a lot of head nods and possibly a round of applause.  He’s been the target of many - from comedic satire on “The Boondocks” to famed director, Spike Lee, telling Tyler that he can, “go to hell.”  In response to such harsh criticism, the question begs to be asked, “What did Tyler do so wrong?”

I don't want to help you die...

Almost Non-Hypocritical

It’s been two years since I made my pledge not to text and drive and I can safely say I have not sent one single text while driving in the past 12 months and no more than a couple of times did I pick up the phone to read something – only to instantly notice it and drop it in my lap.  I’ve conditioned myself to only text when the car isn’t in motion (technically, by law, its considered texting and driving but as long as the car isn’t moving, I don’t see the harm.) and if I am driving, I pull over to the side if I need to send or read a crucial text or email.  It makes me happy to know that I've set a goal and have managed to stick to it; especially when I know I could possibly be saving my life or someone else’s.  Having said that, I still have one major flaw…