Time to Start Talking : The Reality of Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Vanessa Cullins, Vice president for Medical Affairs at Planned Parenthood Federation of America

How many negative statistics do we have to read before we get the message? When it comes to practicing safer sex, much work still needs to be done. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur in the U.S. each year. While STIs cross all racial lines, African Americans are disproportionately at risk for such common infections as chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, and syphilis. African Americans make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population, yet in 2009 we accounted for approximately half of all new cases of chlamydia and syphilis (48 percent and 52 percent respectively), and some 71 percent of gonorrhea cases. We also experienced more than half of newly diagnosed HIV infections; in fact a report last month from the CDC found a significant increase in the number of new infections of gay and bisexual African-American men between the ages of 13-29.

African-American women must take the first step to protect our health: Talk about sex. I know that can be difficult. Many of us live in communities that consider explicit discussions about sex embarrassing or shameful. Or we may be too worried about what our partners will think or do. Will he think I'm promiscuous? Will he get sex from another woman? Some women have been led to falsely believe there's a shortage of good men out here and feel pressured to please their partners, even when they refuse to use condoms. Some women falsely think they're not at risk.

Think again. The truth is all of us are at risk. The misconception that you have to be promiscuous to get a sexually transmitted infection just isn't true. We have to be just as honest with ourselves about our risks -- and the reasons why. For a number of reasons -- including a lack of affordable health care, men who have multiple sex partners, bisexual men, and the high incarceration rate of African-American men, who are exposed to STIs, including HIV, while in prison -- these infections are much more prevalent in African American communities. If you live in an area where an infection is widespread, your risk of meeting an infected partner is automatically higher -- and protecting yourself takes even more diligence. Untreated infections can not only lead to HIV/AIDS but to infertility, chronic pelvic pain, cervical cancer and other serious conditions.

Remember, you only know your own sexual behaviors and sexual history. And you trust that what your partner tells you about his or hers is true. But until you are feeling supremely trustful, or are in a serious, monogamous relationship, do whatever it takes to protect your health and wellness. When it comes to sex, that means honest discussions about sex, since dialogue and observation of his or her behaviors are the only way to determine trustworthiness. That doesn't mean you have to give up sex to stay safe. But you do have to use protection; there simply is no reason for anyone not to.

These things may not be easy to talk about, but the conversation has to happen. Start by asking your partner if he or she has ever been tested for a STI. Then explain that it's important to you to use protection -- to not only prevent an infection but an unintended pregnancy. Talk about the different kinds of protection, what will work best for the two of you, and then find ways to make using it fun.
You also need to get yourself tested every year. So does your partner. Don't let cost or embarrassment keep you from getting tested. Nowadays, the urine tests are quick, painless and readily available at Planned Parenthood health centers and other community clinics. And don't let fear hold you back. Any sexually transmitted infection can be controlled with medication, and many can be cured completely. Even testing positive is more an opportunity than a curse, both for you and your partner, because if you don't know you're infected, you can't get treated and stay healthy.

You can only protect your health -- and that of your partner -- by taking the first step. Talk.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vanessa-cullins/african-american-std-sti-prevention_b_959269.html

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Georgia Board Considers Troy Davis Case

ATLANTA — Supporters of Troy Davis made a last-ditch effort Monday to stop his execution for the 1989 murder of an off-duty Savannah police officer, asking the Georgia pardons board to grant him clemency.

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, which has the power to change death sentences but rarely does, did not issue an immediate decision.

A spokesman for the panel said they would not decide before Tuesday.

Defense attorneys and the victim’s family both said they were cautiously optimistic the five-member panel would side with them.

Davis, 42, has long claimed he’s innocent of killing Mark MacPhail, and the questions surrounding his case have attracted a host of high-profile supporters. After decades of legal wrangling, Davis is set to be put to death by lethal injection Wednesday, the fourth time in four years the state has tried to execute him.

Inside the closed-door meeting, a parade of attorneys and supporters asked the board to spare Davis’ life. Defense attorney Stephen Marsh said the legal team told the board there was too much substantial doubt about his guilt to allow the execution to go forward.

Prosecutors and MacPhail’s family presented their case on Monday afternoon. After the hearing, the victim’s relatives said they asked the board to reject Davis’ bid so they can have peace.

“A future was taken from me. A future we would have had together, the future he would have had with his family,” said a tearful Madison MacPhail, who was a toddler when her father was killed. “I believe the death penalty is the correct source of justice.”

Outside the hearing, dozens of Davis’ supporters hoisted a massive “Save Troy Davis” sign and formed a makeshift drum line at one entrance to the building. At another entrance, other supporters were holding a somber prayer vigil on his behalf.

Davis has captured worldwide attention because of the doubt his supporters have raised over whether he killed MacPhail, who was shot to death while rushing to help a homeless man who had been attacked. Several of the witnesses who helped convict him at his 1991 trial have backed off their testimony or recanted. Others who did not testify say another man at the scene admitted to the shooting.

The U.S. Supreme Court even granted Davis a hearing to prove his innocence, the first time it had done so for a death row inmate in at least 50 years. The high court set up a hearing, but Davis couldn’t convince a lower federal judge to grant him a new trial. The Supreme Court did not review his case. Federal appeals courts and the Georgia Supreme Court have upheld his conviction, leaving the parole board as his last chance.

The pardons board in 2007 decided to delay Davis’ execution for 90 days to grant the courts more time to review the case. A year later, it denied clemency and allowed his execution to go forward. Since then, though, three new members have been appointed.

“We are hopeful this tremendous outpouring of support will demonstrate there’s such a huge concern about this case, and that this message will resonate with them,” said Laura Moye of Amnesty International, who delivered thousands of petitions in support of Davis to the board last week. “The very reputation and faith that this public has in its justice system is on the line.”

Among those who support Davis’ clemency request are former president Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI. A host of conservative figures have also advocated on his behalf, including former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, ex-Justice Department official Larry Thompson and one-time FBI Director William Sessions.

The board, which meets in a closed-door session, heard hours of testimony from Davis’ legal team and witnesses, although Davis himself did not appear.

Attorneys said the board heard from Quiana Glover, who said she was at a friend’s house in June 2009 when another man told her he killed MacPhail, and Brenda Forrest, a juror who helped convict him in 1991 but is now having second thoughts.

“I feel, emphatically, that Mr. Davis cannot be executed under these circumstances,” Forrest said in an affidavit presented to the board.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Davis supporter who spoke at the hearing, said the board was attentive and inquisitive, peppering the speakers with questions. But he said it’s too hard to predict how the panel will decide.

“It’s a very difficult place to be. A man’s life hangs in the balance,” he said. “But we were very clear that an execution should not take place.”

Two of the panel’s five members have already reviewed the case several times: Gale Buckner, a former Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent, and Robert Keller, the ex-chair of a Georgia prosecutors group. The other three have been appointed to the board since 2009. They are: James Donald, the former head of the Georgia Department of Corrections, Albert Murray, who led the state’s juvenile justice program, and Terry Barnard, a former Republican state lawmaker.

MacPhail was shot to death Aug. 19, 1989 after rushing to help Larry Young, a homeless man who was pistol-whipped in a Burger King parking lot. Prosecutors say Davis was with another man who was demanding that Young give him a beer when Davis pulled out a handgun and bashed Young with it. When MacPhail arrived to help, they say Davis had a smirk on his face when he shot the officer to death.

The case prompted the Supreme Court to order the nearly unprecedented innocence hearing. In June 2010, U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. heard from two witnesses who said they falsely incriminated Davis and from two others who said another man had confessed to being the actual killer.

Moore said the evidence cast some additional doubt on Davis’ conviction, but that it was “largely smoke and mirrors” and not enough to vindicate Davis or grant him a new trial.

In a 60-page petition to the board, Davis’ legal team contends argue that a string of court rulings that upheld his conviction largely failed to address his innocence claims.

“The courts have determined that Mr. Davis’s conviction was constitutional,” the petition said. “That does not mean it was correct.”

Prosecutors have stood by their case through the years. They say ballistics evidence links Davis to the shooting and that many of the concerns about witness testimony were raised during the trial. The allegations that someone else later confessed to the shooting, they say, are inconsistent and inadmissible in court.

And MacPhail’s relatives say there’s no question that prosecutors charged the right person.
“They heard the truth – which is the most important part. I believe they will rule in our favor,” said MacPhail’s widow, Joan MacPhail-Harris. “He had ample time to prove his innocence and he failed.”

 http://newsone.com/nation/associatedpress4/georgia-board-considers-troy-davis-case/

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Why Do Women Dress Up

Yesterday while commuting to work I heard an interesting question being posed on the Russ Parr Morning Show. Russ Parr asked his listeners "Who do women dress for? Do they dress mainly for men, women, or themselves?" This has been quite the conundrum for me for quite some time. Day in and day out I watch women and girls alike put their "goodies" on full display. While a student at Murray State University I believed women were busy "dressing up" to distract men. Yes I did say distract a man. In my young mind they weren't trying to attract a man because most of them already had a man. These young ladies seemed like they just wanted to recieve the attention of every other man. She wanted to know if "she still had it." With maturity my mindset has changed.

While researching this very topic I came across an article written by an evolutionary psychologist. She explained "Women with men that dress in this manner are following their primal drive to provide the strongsest, most virile productive father for their children. Out of this primal drive comes the need to attract a great mate. Apparently this drive is so powerful that women unconciously try to attract a better mate!" Being a man that deeply respects science I could have taken the psychologist's answer and concluded women dress for men but this didn't sit well with me. What about the women who don't have a man that dress up. The women that dress sexy.

I don't know about you but I am not willin to accept an answer that states anyone "unconciously tries" to do anything. Our creator gave us the ability and the right to make a choice. Now this psychologist wants us to believe that we make decisions based on "unconcious" thoughts." So women dress provocatively and even dress up because they want to "attract a great mate." If that is the case, why does it seem like places where few men frequent them are filled with women who still dress up and still dress very sexy? Let's look at Spellmen College in Atlanta. This college is an all girl school and it is known for having a large crop of well dressed women walking to and from class. These women were the business suits, the power pumps, and some even wear the outfits that are formfitting. Yet there are no men in sight. Unless you want to say these young ladies "unconciously" want to find themselves a sugar daddy. Are they dressing for their professor? I doubt taht. At least the majority of them aren't. I guess in this case we can assume that women dress for other women right? Well you know what they say about assuming anything and I am not about to go down that rought.

So what is it then? Do women dress for men or do they dress for other women? There also is a pocket of society that says women dress for themselves. Some women take the time to look extra sexy and extra nice while they relax at home alone. Some of them are very meticulous in their actions. Taking time to do their hair making sure it looks good. They take the time to wear the sexy underwear and brassiers because it makes them feel sexy. But guess what? They are doing this for themselves. Not for a man or a woman. To these kind of women, clothing is just an extension of their inner beauty. To her it doesn't matter what any man or woman thinks about. She wants to feel good for herself. This woman doesn't wear makeup because she loves her natural beauty. Once again we are left asking the question. Why do women dress up? Now we are saying women dress for themselves. Clearly this must be a small pocket of women, right? Now I find myself in a dilemma. On one hand I have women who dress to find a "better mate." On another hand I have women who want to outdo other women. Last but not least we have spoke about those that want to dress for themselves. Now we are back to square one. After this breach in my research I decided I should do my own case study.

After concluding I didn't have enough evidence to argue either way I took Russ Parr's question to the comment lines of Facebook and the answers really gave me a clear look at what "everyday" women thought. The women gave a totally different view then the psychologists who claimed women follow "unconcious primal drives." For instance, Amanda Bochert of Tennessee stated that she believed women dressed for both men and women. Lauren Horton, a native of Louisville, KY, argues that insecure women dress for men, while women with low self-esteem dress for other women.

Finally a break through. Now we were getting somewhere. It seems like these two women were in agreement with Matthew Winters who argued that "what women wear speaks volumes about who she is, how she values herself, and the message she wants to give off." He also added, "Many dress with these three main points in mind." Could Matthew of Texas be onto something? Lauren Horton chimed back in "that confident women dress for themselves." Looks like the man from Texas could be correct. Depending on the woman's image of her self will determine how she dresses. I am fully aware there are exceptions to the rule. Understand these are teh findings from the Facebook Case Study.

Shelley Strickland, a woman from Tennessee, explained, "I could care less about what other women think because men like women in different clothes." She also added, "If a woman were dressing for a man she'd be in jeans a t-shirt with her natural body." Honestly I have to agree wtih Shelley. A woman who wants to attract a man doesn't have to do all that extra stuff. I had a great opportunity of meeting a very beautiful young lady at church. When I met her there was an instant attraction and an instant chemistry between us. I will admit when I first saw her she did have on a little make up, jewelry, and she was dressed in professional attire. Whats crazy is the fact that when I had the opportunity to see this woman in a pair of jeans, a green t-shirt, and no makeup I melted like a bag of M&M's in someone's pocket on a hot summer day. Ever since that day I have found myself seeking the courage to remove the lump from my throat so I could let her know how I truly feel.

Ladies and gentlemen I must leave you with a question. Who do you think women dress for? Clearly the jury is still out. Please leave me your comments. Remember the Truth Speakers Seek the Truth in everything we do. Please chime in and give us the TRUTH!!!!

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In Tribute to Tupac Shakur

In The Event Of My Demise

By: Tupac Amaru Shakur

In The Event Of My Demise
- Dedicate 2 Those Curious
In the event of my Demise
When my heart can beat no more
I Hope I Die For A Principle
or A Belief that I had lived 4
I will die Before my Time
Because I feel the shadow’s Depth
So much I wanted 2 accomplish
Before I reached my Death
I have come 2 grips with the possibility
and wiped the last tear from my eyes
I Loved All who were Positive
In the event of my Demise.
- The Rose That Grew From Concrete © 1999 by The Estate of Tupac Shakur

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What Black Men Think

WHAT BLACK MEN THINK

WHY IS THIS A CRITICAL ISSUE?

Harriet Tubman once reflected wistfully, “If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have freed thousands more.” Now, that telling quote has been resurrected by Janks Morton ostensibly with the hope of shaking another generation of African-Americans out of the doldrums.
Morton employs the sage adage during his prefatory remarks to What Black Men Think, a thought-provoking documentary which he not only produced and directed, but also appears in it periodically as narrator, commentator and interviewer. The picture paints an enlightening and empathetic portrait of African-American males by employing some rather surprising raw statistics to suggest that we all reconsider some commonly-held beliefs about brothers.
~ Kam Williams

WHAT IS WHAT BLACK MEN THINK ABOUT?

IYAGO ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Presents WHAT BLACK MEN THINK – An In Depth View of How Myths, Stereotypes and Misrepresentations render Black Men Non-Necessities in their Communities and Families… In the most provocative Black film of the year, Janks Morton presents a searing examination of the role that myths, stereotypes and misrepresentations have played in the decimation of modern era black relationships, and how the symbiotic relationship between government, the media and black leadership perpetuates misinformation to further marginalize the role of black men in society. Since the triumphs of the civil rights legislations of the early 1960′s havoc and decimation has been wreaked on the Black family with a specific devastation on the Black man. With negative imagery of the media, the failed policy of the great society and modern era black leadership abandoning tenets that historically held the community together, a new form of mental slavery has perpetuated an undeclared civil war in the Black Community…

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Are Working Women Happy on the Job?

Are Working Women Happy on the Job?

Date: Monday, September 05, 2011, 6:20 am
By: Zack Burgess, Special to BlackAmericaWeb.com

For some reason, depression and unhappiness seem to be wreaking havoc inside the American home, writes Zack Burgess.

For me, women have always had this image as a larger-then-life hero. In my family, they were the engines that made us go, the mavericks who were feared and respected. They were the ones who taught you to work hard, dress well and always be a gentleman.

And no, I don’t come from the stereotypical fatherless home. There was a father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather - who all worked, by the way. But in their households, all of the women worked as well. That’s why the phenomena known as the “working woman” is puzzling to me.

As far as I know, black women have always worked.

So, as I watch people - men and women - complain about finding the so-called “work, life, balance” thing, I can’t help but think back to parents who made it through layoffs, graduate school, night shifts in the factory, job losses, raised children and still dealt with the customary rigors that go with life - without complaining.

It’s great that women have pushed, shoved and kicked in the door for equality. But for some reason, depression and unhappiness seem to be wreaking havoc inside the American home. I hear the grievances, as men have lost their jobs at record levels - not of their own doing, by the way - only to be berated as they have trouble finding work. Bear in mind, their wives or significant others have relatively good jobs.

I wonder: Are women really happy in the workplace?

“I’m very happy to be an achiever. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said a young lady, a third-year law student at an Ivy League university, who did not want to use her name. “It’s just our expectation that a man should work. I know that I will probably do very well in life if everything goes to plan, but there’s an expectation that I have for my husband. Ultimately, I think it’s really a gender thing.”

That seems to be the answer from every woman I talked to. And while many admitted that working put a strain on their marriages, made them tired beyond belief and/or gave them little time for dating, they also said it gave them a sense of empowerment and leveled the playing field within their relationships.

“I think every woman would love to be able to raise their children without the distractions of work,” said Shirley Brooks of Detroit. “For many of us, we don’t really want to work, but we don’t know any other way, especially black women. It gives us a sense of control that I don’t think we would have otherwise. Do we wish things could be different? Of course, we do. But I was always taught to have a back-up. And for me, that’s my job.”

Since the 1960s, tens of millions of women have reinvented their lives as they worked to accommodate careers. They married later and had fewer children. They turned to labor-saving machines and paid others to help handle household work, while men dealt with the reality of role changes in their households. At the peak in 2000, some 77 percent of women in the prime ages of 25 to 54 were in the work force.

Unfortunately, these changes have been proving harder to achieve, as many mothers of all income levels have reached their breaking point.

"What happened on the road to gender equality?" said Suzanne M. Bianchi, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, to USA Today. "A lot of work happened."

For example, Cathie Watson-Short, 37, a former business development executive at high-technology companies in Silicon Valley, admitted that it has been very hard for .....

Are Working Women Happy on the Job?

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What Would Your Immigrant Ancestors Think of the I-Word? - COLORLINES

Check out this video.

Today we have a lot of differing opinions on immigration. As history has shown many people came to this country illegally in it's early beginnings. Watch this video and then give us some feedback from your perspective.

What Would Your Immigrant Ancestors Think of the I-Word? - COLORLINES

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