dreadgeekgrrl

TGIF blackfolk ...While we do have a couple of sports-related spin-offs, I figured I'd ask over here so the majority of BF who aren't members of those communities can join in the discussion: Who's winning their playoff games this weekend and why?

I like the Bengals at home over the Jets because last week's game at the Meadowlands was pretty pointless, so the Bengals decided to sit everybody and get ready for the opponent...which just happened to be the Jets. Cincy at full strength wins 24-10.

Eagles over Cowboys. Yeah, I said it. Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place, especially for a Cowboys team that hasn't won a playoff game since Shiny Suit Man made his debut. Eagles 27, Cowboys 17

New England by a hair over Baltimore. The Pats lost Wes Welker, but Julian Edelman is a competent replacement and they still have, as a colleague likes to call him, MOSS. That Ravens' D isn't as lockdown as it once was and if the Pats can keep Ray Rice from running wild, they're good to go.

Green Bay over Arizona. That game last week was not fool's gold - the Pack are for real and the Cardinals don't have that same magic they had when they went to the Super Bowl (THE CARDINALS? IN THE SUPER BOWL?) last year.
 

This is just my opinion of course, so all the blackfolk football fans can weigh in. Who ya got and why?

Portugal parliament approves gay marriage

LISBON, Portugal - Portugal's Parliament has passed a bill allowing gay marriage in the mostly Roman Catholic country.

The Socialist government's bill won the support of all left-of-center parties Friday. Right-of-center parties opposed the change and argued it should be put to a national referendum.

The proposed law now goes to conservative President Anibal Cavaco Silva who can ratify or veto it, but a veto can be overturned by Parliament.

Its approval would make Portugal the sixth European country to allow same-sex marriages.

Prime Minister Jose Socrates said the measure is part of his effort to modernize Portugal. Two years ago his government lifted Portugal's ban on abortion.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34765160/ns/world_news-europe/

GOOD JOB, PORTUGAL!! Still not necessarily enough to forgive you for your involvement in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and the colonization of the Motherland but hey, hats off to you. Now, if the U.S. could get its shit together...

I'd like to thank scrantonscribe for my new icon. Thanks!

G'morning y'all!

The exciting day is finally here!

Yes, it's Friday, which is enough of a reason to get excited! The real reason to get excited, though, is because at 8pm, all entries in The Flame's First All Stars Contest will be in, and voting will begin shortly there after!

We have eight All Stars competition entries submitted so far, and just over 12 hours for the rest of the competitors to Get Their Entries In!

Good luck, everyone!!!

I was driving to a class today and was behind a very slooow semi. As I passed him I looked over and he had his phone at eye level with one hand on the phone...looked to be texting..after I passed I looked in my rear-view window to see him swerve onto the shoulder and then back into his lane...scary. for a split second, I thought maybe I should report him. BUT I forgot my ear bud at home! hah.   oh and I wasn't about to pull over to call near that guy who had already exhibited an inability to drive:)  So would one get a ticket for calling to report someone who is probably being more dangerous by texting than making a phone call to report them?  or really any scenario where you may be unable to  to pull over  and stop your car to call and don't have a ear bud or such? Is it logical to even report such things anyway? really, i just found the whole scenario kinda funny...(not his crappy driving tho)

Long story short, had an argument with my (now ex ) girlfriend the other day and she became physical. She choked me, threw a shoe at me at hit me in the face scratching my nose and bruising my eye. We were having a horrible argument.

Would you be willing to try and work out a relationship with someone you REALLY loved, if you felt like an incident like the one described above was due to an underlying mental instability. (depression for example ), AND they agreed to seek help.

Call me nuts...but she isnt a bad person. She did however, grow up practically an orphan, her mother treats her like shit along with the rest of her family,she has no relationship with her father, and has pretty much had a shitty life lacking a single person to give her the unconditional love that everybody deserves. For as long as I have known her  ( 4 years ) she has been....disturbed. And I know why. This is the first and only time she has ever raised a finger to me.

Also, im not innocent. I can recall 1 time about 2 years ago, that I out right slapped her. I was BEYOND pissed off about something she had done. She didn't hit me back. I didn't fight her back the other day either. I realize that there is NEVER an excuse to hit a person who didn't hit you first, and while I didn't scratch or injure her at all, and it was 2 years ago, I still hit her.

Thanks in advance. This is the love of my life, the one I want to be with forever, and have children with and I feel like I am detoxing without her. This is horrible.

::EDIT::

I would just like to thank everyone who responded to this post.

As for my hitting her two years ago.....the circumstances were quite extreme actually, and VERY different from the one described in my post. Basically she along with her mothers boyfriend whom she had invited over put all my belongings in front of the front door, and upon my arrival home that night taunted and harassed me, and she followed me around the house screaming in my face about what a selfish stupid bitch I was ,  telling me to "get my dumb ass the fuck out of her house and take my shit with me". She was IN my face though. I kept warning her to get away from me, get out of my face and fine id leave but she needed to leave me alone. Her friend was co-signing in the background while she followed me and tried to block my path to rooms of the house and I warned her that I was going to smack the shit out of her if she didn't leave me alone. This went on for about 45 minutes. Right as I had gotten together what I intended to take with me, her, and her little friend got right up in my face and she said "goodbye and good riddance you funky bitch", he cracked up, and yes, I had reached my breaking point, and I smacked the shit out of her, and then I left. She at one time, was a severe alcoholic. She was drunk during all this.

The very next day she called me crying hysterically apologizing. She said herself that she deserved to be smacked.

Yes. It is never okay to hit someone, but im sorry. I warned her to get out of my face for nearly a hour,she was so close in my personal space she practically WAS touching me, and she tested me. So yes I hit her.

Just in case it matters, she attacked me the other day. I made a long story VERY short but yeah. I didnt do anything relevant to spark the attack either. Basically I said "im leaving", attempted to get my things, and she outright attacked me. Twice.

Details are in my personal journal.

I guess what I am struggling with is the fact that after I smacked her that one time 2 and some odd years ago, I felt HORRIBLE. The guilt was completely overwhelming, even after she called crying saying she deserved it and that I should not be sorry. And I told myself no matter what she did, I would -never- hit her, or anyone again. And I havent. Which is why when she attacked me the other day, I did not hit her back. I couldn't bare the thought of ever harming her.

So is once an "abuser" always an abuser always true? I had never hit a woman before her, and never hit a woman after her. Not even when it was called for.

Anyway, I appreciate the support  and  most of all, the realness of this community. Since you pretty much all said the same thing, I have a lot to think about. I guess I have a long, lonely, difficult journey ahead of me.

Thank you all very much <3

My lil' cousin is turning 13 this week and I want to get him off the crackpipe Xbox and back to reading books! I gave him the Ender's Game series last year (before I knew about the Hitler parallels) and before that I gave him The Giver, both of which he liked.

So I ask you fellow Blackfolks, what are some good YA novels for a rather maturer-than-average kid? Oh, and anything that would get his mind thinking about race in a critical/positive way is also appreciated, even if it's just a POC protagonist. Never can have too many of those.

Me, after going into the kitchen to kiss someotherguy on the shoulder: "Hi, cute boyfriend."

Him: "Hiya. Was I cute before I was washing the dishes?"

Me: "Sure. I didn't actually process that you were washing the dishes before I came in to say 'hi cute boyfriend'."

Him, laughing: "You came in to say hi to me and didn't know I was washing dishes? Did you think I'd developed some strange habit of standing near the sink with the water running?"

Me, laughing: "No, silly. I wasn't paying attention! It's not always about you!"

Him, laughing harder (and by the end of this exchange we were both laughing uproariously, to sogwife's bafflement): "It's not about me when you come say how cute I am?!?"

Me: "Well, up until I came to say how cute you were, I was paying attention to Vito, not you. It was VITO's turn to get my affection!"

Him: "Oh, I see!" *pause* "And I almost made the classic boy error of saying 'and you didn't CONSULT me about giving Vito your affection?' but now I know the error of my ways and I know that that, as well, is not about me."

Me: "Exactly!!"

I'm about to take a class in documentary filmmaking. We will be going through the whole process, beginning to end, of creating a short (5-10 minute) documentary.

I'm also new to Portland - but I would love to make something meaningful to this community with my assignment.

What would you like me to point my, albeit small, spotlight on? Something that hasn't been done already.

Anyone here know of brick & mortar store where I can find Loake Shoes?

Are taggers still cowardly douches if they're providing a community service?

Tell me about your experiences with nuptials held at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens, s'il vous plait. Doesn't matter if you were the bride, groom, guest, photographer, or random onlooker, I'm curious what the ceremony was like for you. I'm particularly curious about August events.

ljblackfolk

invite yourself

contact rufuschakakhan for questions and answers.

that is all


happy black girl day to you all

Someone posted once asking about vegan tattoo places. Well, that was months ago, but I just came across one so I thought I'd post it here for future reference. Scapegoat tattoo.
http://foodfightgrocery.com/index.php/pdx-guide/ - list of various vegan stuff around town, if you scroll down they have Scapegoat listed with a link to their myspace (or whatever) page.

1. Robin's dancing is cute.
2. Why he dressed like he's going to his senior prom?
3. This Nicki chick. Who is she, and why is she hollering like that? I forgive her though because her body is sick.


Anyway, what do you think about the song? It's grown on me. Robin could get it. Mmm hmm.

Here, in the mac_cosmetics community:

http://community.livejournal.com/mac_cosmetics/32540283.html

Some limited edition lipglasses/lipsticks, a limited edition 4-color eyeshadow quad, & more.

HALP! :)

OK, my 2 years out of college has made all of my gender studies major's materials congele into a big mush in my brain. I'm looking for a quote about the 70's women's movement pushing for women to 'own themselves'- that is, to stand up and not get pushed around. I know someone has written about this, but for the life of me, I can't remember who it is. I have googled to no avail. So if anyone knows what I'm talking about, please remind me. Even if you are not sure, if you give me possible names it might spark a memory. Thanks.

So I got one those little chickpea salad things at the grocery store yesterday for a snack and I forgot how awesome it is. So I got the urge to make it for myself (besides crazeehazel loves it). =)

How hard could it be right? I checked the ingredients on the container and used that to make up this recipe. I used the same dressing I use to make tabouli bc I had to try 4 dif dressings before I found this awesome one. So I know how hard it is to find a good recipe for that.

Anyway, it turned out fantastic. Besides, can you really go wrong with chickpeas? lol Yah, they are by far my fav bean and source of protein. =)



( My Chickpea Salad Recipe )

x-posted to vegancooking