Confessions From A Black Rose

Once again, another year has flown by me. In a couple of weeks, I will be ringing in the new year in Florida. I am not too eager to kiss 2014 goodbye because it has been an interesting year for me. 2014 has been a year full of  triumph, heartbreaks, set backs and adventures. As 2015 approaches, I feel like this new year will be a continuation of the previous year. If you turn on the news, it feels like a movement is being born. I am hopeful that true progress will be made. I admit I took on a more serious tone that I intended, but over the past few weeks we have been living in crazy times. I am going to shift gears and focus on what is light in the world. Some of my favorite television shows are coming back next month and I can't contain myself. In no particular order, here is what I am most looking forward to in the new year. 1. Broad City If you have not watched a single episode of Broad City , you are missing out. Starting on January 14 I get to see my wife Abbi Jacobson ...

The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them   Lois McMaster Bujold A few hours ago, I watched as  Prosecutor Robert McCullough announced that the grand jury chose to not indict Darren Wilson. I was not surprised, but the announcement was still  painful. I could only imagine the pain the Brown family fe lt  when they heard the decision. Different emotions hit me a ll  at once: anger, sadness, hopelessness. History was repeating itself and I could not stand it. Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe. Frederick Douglass   There were calls for peaceful protests from several officials and I believe that is the only way to proceed. I just do not understand how you can call for peaceful protests when you make the announcemen...

If you ever feel bad about your life choices remember you weren't Peter Andre in the 90's. I am pretty sure the ocean got pregnant from all the gyrating. All jokes aside, I really enjoy this song and I admit his body was on point.  

Today I will be presenting breaking news across the African continent. I will be keeping up to date with the Ebola Outbreak on my blog but I wanted to focus my attention on other news today. There is some good news coming out about the fight against Ebola. The Sierra Leone government is reporting that British effort to fight against the outbreak has been a "game changer". News coming out of Liberia is the spread of Ebola is slowing down. I am hopeful that things will turn around in the next couple of months. Burkina Faso When news broke out that constitutional changes would allow President Compaoré to extend his presidency for five more years, all hell broke loose. Police were firing tear gas at protesters. Today protesters set ablaze the parliament, the city hall and the ruling party headquarters. For all those that do not know President Compaoré   has been president of  Burkina Faso for long as I been alive. That is no exaggeration, he really has been president for 27...

I came across the sexiest music video the other day and I thought I should share it. This music video is like a moving art piece. Timothy Bloom and V had me mesmerized. This is the edited version, you can find the unedited version on VEVO. If anyone argues there is no good music nowadays, let them hear this amazing duet.

We are less than three weeks away from the Mid-Term Elections in the United States. There is a lot at stake this elections for both parties. It is possible that the Republicans can win the Senate. Which means that they would be in control of the House and the Senate. Both parties are in full campaign mode. There are also few Governor races taking place as well. The one in Florida gained nationwide coverage over a bizarre debate that took place last night. Where the candidates( I kid you not) had a disagreement over a fan. Regardless of whom you vote for, it is important to exercise your right to vote. It would be great if there were more positive tactics to winning an election. Instead of smearing the name of the other candidate, you could just ran a better campaign. A campaign that highlights your strength and your leadership. I am not surprised that several campaigns have chosen to use the recent Ebola Outbreak to stream votes. It is disheartening but not surprising. Historically,...

This post has been a long time coming, to be honest I have been avoiding writing it. Four years ago, I made my first visit to my parent's home country Liberia. It was an interesting experience that I chronicled in my previous blog posts. If you click on the Liberia label, you can read all about my adventures in Liberia.  During my time in Liberia, I saw a country that was emerging from a devastating civil war. It was a country with a bright future ahead of it. Never would I imagine that a few years later, the country would be facing another crisis. Last December, the first case of Ebola was reported in Guinea. Nearly one year later, there has been a reported 8,399 cases (as of October 10) that has affected seven nations: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, United States, Spain, Senegal and Nigeria.  The majority of these cases are in three West African countries: Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Out of the reported cases 4,033 people have lost thei...