The Mystery of Suri Cruise

FINALLY! SURI CRUISE HAS FINALLY APPEARED! Vanity Fair has a special 22 page issue featuring photos of Suri, Kate, and Mr. Mapother (aka Tom Cruise).

Click here for the article: http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/pressroom/

But why, oh why, has it taken 4 whole months for this kid to make an appearance? A few theories have been circulating:
1. They needed time to get the baby from overseas and make sure the kid didn't look too distinctly "Asian"
2. Katie was being a "good mom" and shielding her child from the nosey papparrazo
3. There is/was no Suri Cruise

After the gossip rags started reporting that #3 was really the answer to the Suri mystery, all of a sudden celebs only had 3 words to say when asked about the missing member of the Cruise clan: "I've Seen Suri". Check out Penelope Cruz, Leah Remini, and Jada Pinkett Smith's attempts to instill faith in the common people that THERE IS a Suri Cruise.

But lo and behold, the kid has now arrived. Is it real? Is this another publicity stunt? Better yet - does the kid even look like them?

You tell us. Tons of folks are putting the pieces together and stuff just isn't adding up. Check out these links. Tell me what YOU think. Is it a conspiracy? Or are these just 2 good wholesome folks who are trying so hard to stay out of the public's eye, like they've done in the past by jumping on Oprah's yellow leather couches...making public motorcycle appearances....getting engaged after a month of knowing each other....or taking enough pictures to make sure the papparrazi have enough photos for EVERY cover of US Weekly, Star and In Touch magazine.

The strangeness continues to surround Suri Cruise:

Birth Certificate Oddities - http://www.tmz.com/2006/07/10/exclusive-suri-cruise-birth-certificate/

Suri's First Poop Gets Bronzed - http://www.caplakesting.com/danedwards/index.htm

What do you think? Real or fake?

Women in Sports: Why Are They So Underpaid?

As the NFL season begins, I am constantly amazed at how much professional athletes earn. As some of you know, my brother is currently a rookie in the NFL, vying for a position on an NFL team like many of his former teammates from Tennessee. However, I was floored when I read an article about how much one of my brother's former teammates will earn this year (approximately $8M - click here to read). However, in the arena of women's sports, few (if any) female athletes earns that sort of money. Not Lisa Leslie, not Mia Hamm, not Jackie Joyner Kearsey, and not even Laila Ali. In fact, not only do women not earn as much as their male counterparts in the sports realm, but women sports leagues constantly struggle to maintain attendance and generate decent profit levels.

Check out this article about the discrimination women face in professional sports in term of pay: (Click Here)

This article theorizes:

"The norm for females in the workplace remains a covert guiding hand into the “Pink Ghetto” -- a place of limited advancement where women (and people of color) end up when segregated into lower paying, undervalued occupations."

Why are women in professional sports so grossly underpaid?

Is it due to the lack of huge audiences at their events, or is the lack of perception in that people are used to being fans of male sports and believe the professional male sports' teams are just better to watch?

On an even broader note, have women gotten closer to breaking the glass ceiling, or are we all still stuck in the "Pink Ghetto" when it comes to equality in the workplace?

The Mystery of Suri Cruise

FINALLY! SURI CRUISE HAS FINALLY APPEARED! Vanity Fair has a special 22 page issue featuring photos of Suri, Kate, and Mr. Mapother (aka Tom Cruise).

Click here for the article: http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/pressroom/

But why, oh why, has it taken 4 whole months for this kid to make an appearance? A few theories have been circulating:
1. They needed time to get the baby from overseas and make sure the kid didn't look too distinctly "Asian"
2. Katie was being a "good mom" and shielding her child from the nosey papparrazo
3. There is/was no Suri Cruise

After the gossip rags started reporting that #3 was really the answer to the Suri mystery, all of a sudden celebs only had 3 words to say when asked about the missing member of the Cruise clan: "I've Seen Suri". Check out Penelope Cruz, Leah Remini, and Jada Pinkett Smith's attempts to instill faith in the common people that THERE IS a Suri Cruise.

But lo and behold, the kid has now arrived. Is it real? Is this another publicity stunt? Better yet - does the kid even look like them?

You tell us. Tons of folks are putting the pieces together and stuff just isn't adding up. Check out these links. Tell me what YOU think. Is it a conspiracy? Or are these just 2 good wholesome folks who are trying so hard to stay out of the public's eye, like they've done in the past by jumping on Oprah's yellow leather couches...making public motorcycle appearances....getting engaged after a month of knowing each other....or taking enough pictures to make sure the papparrazi have enough photos for EVERY cover of US Weekly, Star and In Touch magazine.

The strangeness continues to surround Suri Cruise:

Birth Certificate Oddities - http://www.tmz.com/2006/07/10/exclusive-suri-cruise-birth-certificate/

Suri's First Poop Gets Bronzed - http://www.caplakesting.com/danedwards/index.htm

She must be the biggest non-celebrity of our time!

Is It Okay To Mix Church & Politics?

Everytime I attend a new church, I am surprised at how many pastors speak about political issues during their sermon, such as the war in Iraq, the faults of the President, and the direction the nation is headed politcally. Even when I think there might be one instance where a pastor doesn't hit on any of these issues, it always comes out near the end of their sermon.

This begs the question - Is it okay to mix church & politics?

Click Here for Article


In this article, a megachurch pastor spoke against the conservative politics that his town upholds, and therefore lost a significant number of his congregation because they felt he should hold the same conservative views that they do.

What "got me" in this article is that so many pastors of Megachurches are approached by political leaders to endorse their views. So, sometimes the message that you get a church may be not of your pastor's, but of the politicians he aligns himself with.

When you think of the influence that Megachurches have, is it any wonder that they are approached in this manner? Men such as Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Charles Stanley, and Joel Osteen have huge audiences who hang on their every word -- and rightfully so sometimes.

But when a pastor begins speaking about political matters, how can you tell whether his words are spiritual in nature or driven by politicians?



In your opinion, is it okay to mix Church & Politics?

Or better yet, is it the church's responsibility to lead its followers in all ways, including politically?

Does Breastfeeding Offend You?

Does this offend you?



This Baby Talk magazine cover offended quite a few women. Some reasons were:

1) A boob is sexual, and I don't want my sons/husband seeing it
2) It's gross to see
3) It should be a private thing between mother & child


Click here for the article.

Even mothers of infant children are disgusted by the cover:
"Gross, I am sick of seeing a baby attached to a boob," wrote Lauren, a mother of a 4-month-old."

One woman rebutted the notion of mandatory breastfeeding in private:
""My kid needed to eat," says the 29-year-old from South Abingdon, Mass. And she wasn't going to go hide in a not-so-clean restroom: "I don't send people to the bathroom when THEY want to eat," she says."

Statistically speaking, the article states that:
"In a survey published in 2004 by the American Dietetic Association, less than half — 43 percent — of 3,719 respondents said women should have the right to breast-feed in public places."

Do you think women should be able to breastfeed wherever they want, or should it be kept strictly private?

Whose opinion matters more - the nursing mothers' or the rest of society who sees them nursing in public?

Keep it real - does it gross you out to see a woman breastfeeding in public?

Check out what other bloggers had to say about this and how other women commented on this issue at www.loxyfady.com !

Sony's New PSP Ads: Are They Racist?

New article from Ad Critic, a media industry publication, on Sony's new PSP ads for the white PSP (play station portable gaming device): Click Here

In the world of media and entertainment, what we see is what we think. Media influences every aspect of our lives from TV to magazines to billboards and radio commercials. So, it's important to consider the implications of any media we consume. How do these ads affect you? Do you get a gut reaction when you see them? Or do you think it's just an ad?


This is the ad that is up in Amsterdam.

Other shots which were taken for the ad are below:



Personally, I think they would've been better off with one of the other shots. Funny enough, the shot with the Black woman clutching the White woman doesn't offend me as much...I almost think they should've gone with that shot because then the ad would show the Black PSP not wanting the White PSP to take its spot...and it's willing to fight for it. That's just one interpretation.

What are yours?

The Non-Right To Vote

  


Due to the election time-period, I thought it'd be appropriate to write about voting. I'm the least politically charged person I know, however I do understand topline issues that take place in our government and that's what I'd like to discuss.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was recently renewed in July 2006 which allows for the federal registration of voters in states that had 50% or less registered minority voters, rather than voters being registered by individual state or locally.

Now, the issue comes because minorities do not have a Constitutional or federal right to vote. The Voting Act of 1965 just tries to ensure that minorities won't be discriminated against when registering to vote. Our Caucasian counterparts have an implied right to vote.

I know that I, for one, have not yet voted and it's not because I'm lazy or because I don't want to. The fact is that I applied for my voting card and it was rejected for having a PO Box, which I blindly overlooked. The other reason I haven't voted is because I face an issue that many young potential voters face: I do not know the issues. With all of the voting campaigns bum-rushing the television screens in the month before the election, each candidate seems good and bad at the same time. I wish that each year someone would publish "Voting for Dummies" and outline just the basic lists where I can compare candidates.

But the truth of the matter is that candidates' past voting records are all in flux because of other surrounding political issues. For example, one candidate may vote against the right to an abortion, not because or moral issues, but because if they do that, then someone else may have promised them their vote on another bill. All of the corruption surrounding elections, as evident with candidates stealing monies for their personal campaigns, I just don't know if there really is a good candidate for any office. But, if I don't vote, I basically feel like I've neglected my duty to voice my opinion, especially since 40 years ago African-Americans and other minorities were not permitted to vote at all.

So, I think it's up to us to inform each other about the facts, or what's left of them, when these critical election periods arise. I can't "Rock the Vote" if I have no idea what or whom I'm voting for. When I read a brief op-ed article on Why We Need The Constitutional Right to Vote, a movement largely led by Rev. Jesse Jackson, I realized that:

1. I need to vote while I'm still allowed and
2. If I'm confused on who to vote for, I'm sure others are too and it's up to me to find out as much info as I can and share the unadulterated, organic facts with others before these election periods arise.

Does anyone else out there feel that they need help when it comes to voting? Is this something that affects young people, all people, or just minorities?

Not sure if anyone will respond to this one, but I just wanted to voice a few thoughts I had been having.

Emergency Contraception: To Prescribe or Not?

WWRT reader Karen sent us an email newsletter with this article in it (Thanks, Karen!).


Article Here: Link to Washington Post Article


This article talks about a 42 year old woman who felt forced to have an abortion because her doctor would not prescribe her an emergency contraceptive, otherwise known as the "Plan B" pill. While abortion is a divided issue, contraception overall is not. However, if emergency contraception is truly contraception, why would doctors forgo prescribing it to a patient? I guess in some respects, it's seen as an immediate abortion, although when a patient takes the conctraception, she does not know whether she is pregnant or not because the pill has to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse in order to be most effective.

Is emergency contraception the new abortion? Should doctors be allowed to not prescribe it based on individual discretion, or should all doctors be held to prescribe it to women in need?

What do YOU think? (Don't forget to read the article. It's an interesting story.)