Sunday, August 24, 2008

Why Do Mens Lie?

When I mean lying, I don't only mean lying to other women. Men will lie to each other with impunity about anything and everything under the sun, from the number of women he has slept with and his "alleged" size, to how much he bench presses at the gym.

Let's put the theory on the table. Men love to lie, but they are absolutely horrible at it. Women rarely lie, but when they do, it's a story so good that it could be the basis for 100 episodes of a Spanish soap opera.

You see, men who date have to lie. Part of the reason is that women force men to lie. An attractive woman comes down the street, and a man better say she's ugly and full of cellulite, or face the wrath of the dreaded Gucci handbag on the head.

Your woman put on a few extra pounds, you better say that she's in the best shape of her life, or else buying that handy bottle of hand lotion is as exciting as your love life is going to be for the next few weeks.

But beyond the faults women might have, men don't always have to lie. Yet they do as instinctively as they grab their privates on an hourly basis. Lies just shoot out of men's mouths with the ferocity of a machine gun.

These lies are often at the tip of their tongues, ready for any situation, and often so full of holes that they make Swiss cheese look like a water dam.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Woman accused of beating fiance at prenup party

A Poulsbo woman was jailed after being accused of beating up her fiance at their prenuptial party. Kitsap County sheriff's deputies said the woman's 12-year-old son told her he saw her fiance kissing one of her women friends early Thursday morning.

Deputies said the woman, 31, gave her friends the boot, told her fiance to leave, too, and then started hitting him in the face.

When he left the house, they say, she tackled him football-style, punched him some more, threw his watch into the bushes and broke his glasses.

Responding to a 911 call from her son, deputies arrested the woman for investigation of fourth-degree assault.

Sheriff's Lt. Kathy Collings said the woman was released from jail later Thursday.

There's no word on whether the marriage took place.

Rhythm and Blues pioneer Jerry Wexler dies at 91


Rhythm and Blues pioneer Jerry Wexler, who helped build Atlantic Records into a music powerhouse in the 1950s and 1960s with artists like Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, died in Florida on Friday at age 91, Atlantic Records said.

Along with Atlantic's Ahmet Ertegun, Wexler revolutionized R&B music and built a record label that had few rivals in its day, pioneering Atlantic's move into "Southern Soul" music.

But his influence was not limited to R&B. He helped guide the careers of many artists including rockers Led Zeppelin.

"Jerry brought a rare combination of creativity, intelligence, wit, artistic sensibility, and business savvy to the evolution of Atlantic from a small independent label into a major industry force," Atlantic said in a statement.

Wexler was born in the Bronx, New York, in January 1917 and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, he worked for music publication Billboard magazine as a journalist where he coined the term "Rhythm and Blues."

A passionate jazz fan, Wexler joined Atlantic in 1953 working alongside Ertegun, who died in 2006, as Atlantic forged a partnership with the Memphis-based Stax Records -- the home of Otis Redding and members of Booker T. & The MG's. Other music stars he produced included Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave and the Drifters.

Later in his career, Wexler was instrumental in signing Led Zeppelin to Atlantic, produced albums for Bob Dylan and Carlos Santana and aided the career of the Allman Brothers by helping their manager, Phil Walden, set up Capricorn Records.

Others in the Atlantic stable whose careers were guided, in part, by Wexler included Dusty Springfield and Willie Nelson.

Wexler was a partner at Atlantic and remained an executive until 1975 when he left his post as Vice Chairman. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Gospel singer Winans focuses on empowering youth


At a time when scantily clad female socialites are powerful enough to influence everything from pop music to presidential elections, it can be difficult to tout the virtues of a lower hemline and a life of purity.

But for gospel vocalist CeCe Winans, a multiple Grammy and Dove award winner, it is a passion — and a responsibility she takes seriously.

"I have to teach people what I know worked for me. I'm responsible. But what they poured into me, how they blessed my life — the older generation — now that I'm a part of 'the older generation,' it's my responsibility to pour into the generation that's come after me."

In 2005, Winans launched her first annual "Always Sisters" Conference in Nashville, Tenn. The conference targets women aged 13-26 with seminars like "The Power of a Princess." Invited guests have included Whitney Houston and Maya Angelou.

The first conference hosted 600 young women. The 2007 conference drew well over 3,000 for two days of teaching on teenage pregnancy, building self-esteem and dating. This year's conference had to be rescheduled, but they were planning to accommodate 5,000.

Winans current dream is to take the conferences across the country. She recently held a Q&A session for teens throughout the New York City area at Brooklyn Tabernacle Church.

"It's about saving our youth. ... A lot of our youth don't understand their value. They just accept the lies that the enemy has told them about their worth, about what they can accomplish and about what they should settle for," Winans said. "I'm fired up about firing up young people to understand their power and their worth."

Winans, 43, lives in a suburb just outside Nashville with her husband of nearly 25 years, Alvin Love II. She was raised by two of the most famous parents in gospel music, David and Delores Winans, also known as "Mom and Pop Winans." She and her nine brothers and sisters are among the first families in Gospel music.

Winans' career first took flight as one-half of the brother-sister duo "BeBe and CeCe Winans." From 1988's "Heaven" to the 1996 release "Count on Me," Bebe and CeCe Winans released a steady stream of albums, many that are now certified gold and platinum.

Their R&B-flavored gospel was criticized for producing genre-crossing romantic ballads with lyrics like "I'm lost without you/so don't ever go away" where the subject of affection wasn't always clearly divine. Since then, R&B and Contemporary-styled Gospel has come to dominate the charts and crossover appeal has become the goal for many top artists.

After a nearly 10-year break, the two are working on a new album to be released sometime next year. Tour stops are planned in the U.S and Africa.

"I love singing with Bebe, we have a great time on stage, in the studio. ... We have a great time, we do what we do, and so, it's not something that's weird, I think I'm more at home with that than even by myself."

Though Winans says she'll be singing until she "takes her last breath," her passion for helping young women will always play a major role in her career. Last year she released a devotional journal for young women titled "Always Sisters: Becoming the Princess You Were Created to Be."

"I could do these girls' conferences full-time, because it's just life-changing. When you take out time and you see those faces and you see the encouragement, and you get them to realize who they are and whose they are, it's just nothing else compared to that to me."

____

On the Net:

http://www.cecewinans.com

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Author Linda R. Herman



Life for Sade Peters is picture perfect. With a fabulous home in upscale Atlanta, Georgia, Sade is living the life most of society only read about in magazines. A successful novelist, Sade is married to the man of her dreams, Andre Peters, an equally successful sports agent. Couple that with a set of fraternal twins, and you have all the makings of the contemporary modern day Huxtables. However, what life looks like from the outside, may not necessarily match the inner workings of this household. The Down Low is a real and earth-shattering truth, and Sade's happiness abruptly ends when she is faced with this reality. Life as Sade knows it changes within the blink of an eye when she soon discovers that both she and her husband are HIV positive. Imagine walking through life in Sade's shoes. Who is to blame when faith and trust is tested tremendously?

Author Monica L. Jones


Using her knowledge and talent to wheel and deal as a sports attorney, Gina St. John is an intellectual beauty in a career dominated by men. With clients who include some of the most talented, rich and famous individuals in the world of sports, Gina finds herself in the company of several virile men. After a failed engagement and two and a half years of selective social isolation, she considers a return to the dating scene.
Tall, Attractive, charismatic and popular, Steven had a reputation for being a gentleman who knew how to woo a woman. As one of the top automotive engineers at a top automotive corporation, he was a prime catch. After attending a Gospel Convention, Steven’s life is completely turned around. He hands in his letter of resignation, attends bible school, and becomes a Minister of the Gospel.
While attending homecoming at their alma mater, Gina and Steven’s path cross. It's a welcomed meeting for two friends who once shared feelings of affection. After years of missed opportunities, they decide to give love a try. Little does Gina realize that being the girlfriend of a minister brings pressure, gossip, pranks, and public scrutiny. As Steven’s church responsibilities become overwhelming, so does his inflated ego. When Gina lands Malcolm Jones, a premier, exceedingly attractive and charming Professional Basketball Player as a client, Steven’s confidence, security and ego may be deflated.
Will Steven be able to sustain his anointing as Gina is pursued by numerous rich, famous and attractive men, namely Malcolm Jones? Can Gina maintain her composure while being the victim of ridicule, lies, and pranks? Or will these and other issues threaten what they believe is a relationship that was meant to be?
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