Note to black women: DON'T COME UP MISSING.

My stomach turns as I watch the Cleveland officials remove remains from the house of serial killer Anthony Sowell. As I watched officials and the coroner dig, bag up remains, report about the paper wrapped skull and knock down Mr. Sowell's home, something inside me is brewing. Something that I've felt voiceless about for many years. As I watch and listen to officials announce:

"We have identified the first set of remains. They belong to Tonia Carmichael."

"2nd and 3rd victims are identified: Telacia Fortson and Tishana Culver."

"We now know the identity of victim # 4... Nancy Cobb."

As I listen and watch this horrific story unfold that sleeping beast inside me is wondering where was all this media attention when these women first became missing? Was it a simple overlook? An administrative error? Or was it that the police just didn't care? I would hope it was the first two but I can't imagine a group of women in an area or vicinity coming up missing and it's overlooked multiple times or experience multiple administrative errors. It doesn't add up to me. But what does add up to me is the clear disparity of media attention when it comes to missing white women vs. missing black women.

Yes, I said it. And as much as I would love for it not to be a race issue, that's the only answer I can come up with. If you think I'm wrong, please name ONE black missing woman or child? A black woman that received national media attention, that is.

*waiting*

You can't. Nor can I. But I do know who I can name right off the top of my head: Laci Peterson, Natalie Halloway, Chandra Levy, Elizabeth Smart, Stacey Peterson, Jon Bonet Ramsey, the runaway bride and I can keep going. What do they all have in common? Skin color and national media attention. In no way am I saying that these missing women and children were not important. They were loved ones. They were sisters, wives, daughters, mothers, children, aunts. But so were these 11 women in Cleveland, Ohio.

Some people argue that the families and communities don't do enough on their own. That we saw hundreds searching for the women I named above. Yes we saw that but that's because of the media attention the cases received. They show this beautiful, petite, middle class, squeeky clean background, sometimes pregnant, women with a dashing husband, a great marriage, beautiful children.. all the ingredients that fuel its watchers that THIS angelic being is missing and needs to be found. Anyone that doesn't fit this 'mold' is written off by society.

This is where I have a problem. There's an assumption that when black women are missing they don't have a squeeky clean background or they do not live this upstanding lifestyle. I'm reading blogs and comments to news reports where people have assumed that these 11 victims are probably addicts, prostitutes or runaways BEFORE there are any reports that they were. So far the reports on a few of the identified victims do in fact show that they were addicts. There are black women missing that have all the same qaulifications and backgrounds of Laci and Chandra but even if they do not WHO THE HELL IS ANYONE TO PUT A VALUE ON ANOTHER HUMANS LIFE? Plus

Thanks to a foundation called Black and Missing but Not Forgotten, that sleeping beast inside me now has an outlet. Founded to curb the disparity in media attention, well the lack thereof, and to help loved ones of missing persons of color get the word out, Black and Missing but Not Forgotten is doing what others will not do. Some of you will ask why focus on just a specific group? Some will say it's wrong. Some will say that all missing persons are important. You are right. Why is the media focusing on just a specific group? Yes it is wrong to focus on a specific group. Yes ALL missing persons are important.

Oh and by the way...I'm still waiting for the name.

Regardless if every one of the remains of Anthony Sowell's crime turn out that they are all drug addicts, we are sorry you were forgotten by the media.

To the sister I met a few years ago, Leslie Adams of Lilburn, GA, we are sorry you were forgotten by the media.

To Ronkeya Holmes and her 3 year old daughter Masarah Ross from Savannah, GA, we are sorry you were forgotten by the media.

To Mitrice Richardson in Malibu..

To 12-year old Dalvin Maxie of Arlington who's been missing since he left a carnival...

To Pamela Butler out of DC...

To the ten women found slain in the Rocky Mountain, NC area (you didn't know that did you?)..

To Chicago honor student Yasmin Acree...

To missing BUSINESS SCHOOL student Jacques Similhomme...

To 13-year old Zatiya Ortiz out of New York...

To 20-month old Mariah out of Mesa...

And to 27-year old Grambling University student Michelle McMullen, we are sorry you were forgotten by the media...

BlackBerry Tour 9630

Because of technical difficulties from the BlackBerry World Edition 8830, I moved onto the BlackBerry Tour 9630. I LOVE it! Great size, 3.2 mp camera, Rhapsody for you music heads, 2GB micro SD card for extra memory, a nice sized keyboard and good web speed. You can add up to 11 emails for all you business moguls ;). This is by far my favorite phone. But I have to admit... the Blackberry Storm 2 that dropped earlier this week is very very tempting! I went to test it out the day it was released and it's MUCH better than the first Storm. Hhhmmmmmmm...

Merengue Restaurant Boston, MA

Although I've moved away from home and do not miss Boston at all (except for the friends and family) one thing that I absolutely love about that city is the diversity. With diversity comes all kinds of good eats!

I went home recently and finally went to a restaurant that has been 5 blocks away from me my entire life that I always walked by. Merengue Restaurant located at 156-160 Blue Hill Avenue, brings Dominican Republic cuisine to the heart of Roxbury. With dishes like Langosta al Gusto* (Lobster in Garlic, Vinaigrette, Creole or Coconut Sauce) and Combinacion de Mariscos al Gusto* (Seafood Combination with Lobster, Shrimps, Calamari, Octopus & Mussels) you will enjoy something on the menu. When you walk in all your senses are greeted with something Dominican. The aroma, the sounds and the authentic Dominican decor gives the feeling that you are on their island enjoying their food.

Unfortunately, my first experience wasn't great. We waited 35 minutes for salmon, salad and rice and beans. The waiter did not come over one time to apologize for the delay or just give us an update on our food. When the food finally arrived my salmon was as hard as an over cooked piece of steak and my beans were cold. I was completely thrown off by this because I've heard nothing but great reviews. Will I go back? I'm thinking about it because everyone's food looked and smelled really good. Luckily I'm in the mood of giving second chances.

If you're ever in Boston go check them out. I think they just had an off day.

www.merenguerestaurant.com

Chicago's own Aki Fort...a rebirth of Hip Hop?

I had the wonderful pleasure of doing some work with a hot artist out of Chicago. If you've read my past posts on music then you know I'm a lover of hip hop. Not this current imposter that we have sneaking its way onto radio and TV but the real thing. The hip hop that makes you move or start a movement. You know that feeling of breaking up then making up. That's the hip hop I love.

Other than Raekwon's Cuban Linx II, which by the way is amazing and worth the 15 year wait since the first Cuban Linx in 1994 and Jay-Z's Blueprint 3, everything else on the airways is borderline garbage.

Then Chicago's own "Butta Da Prince" mix cd landed in my lap. I have to be honest. I was not expecting anything spectacular. I popped it in my Bose and when the last song finished, in disbelief I said to myself "naaahh.. he can't be that good." I thought maybe I was fooled by the Bose technology. They make sound give off ear orgasms. Played it again and it was even better than the first time. What a pleasant surprise.

Butta: Millionaire Minded mix CD presented by Atlanta's own DJ Holiday is a blend of hot tracks and lyrics that pierce right through you. His voice is magnetic. His style and flow is not anything like you've recently heard. He's not the typical artist who can barely put a sentence together. His vast vocabulary and profound knowledge is the icing on the cake. With songs like "Action" and the "Intro - Butta", what sets Butta's music apart is his ability to narrate the harsh realities of Chicago’s story allowing you to close your eyes and almost see what he's talking about. Mr. Fort IS what the game has been missing. I look forward to him replacing what's out now.

And ladies, not only is this man sexy as hell but he's intelligent. So the swag is phenomenal ;)

Chicago STAND UP.

Fatal Attraction... Keep Your "Stuff" In Your Pants!

We all saw the 1987 thriller where Michael Douglas enjoys the time away from his loyal wife to spend 2 days with a crazy ass, Glen Close. In 1987 I wasn't allowed to watch this movie but when I finally became of age, I couldn't help to think what dummy would cheat after seeing that. That bish was crazy!

Of course cheating never ended.

But with the horrible murder of Steve McNair and now the mess unfolding with Steve Phillips at ESPN, I wonder if the young crazy chick is the new thing? If you haven't heard already, Mr. Phillips, an analyst for ESPN, a 50 SOMETHING year-old analyst for ESPN, cheated on his wife with a 22 year-old production assistant for a very VERY brief period over the summer. He ended the affair and apparently she wasn't having it because she went all "Fatal Attraction" on Steve. Well not completely Fatal Attraction. There were no boiling pet rabbits or sliced wrists... that we know of. But she was damn close to it. This basket-case "friended" his sons on Facebook by pretending to be a classmate to muscle family information from them, harassed Phillips and one day the wife comes home to see the psycho leaving this wonderfully written letter on the door http://www.nypost.com/r/nypost/2009/10/21/news/media/lettermistresstowifea.pdf .

Phillips claims he only slept with her 3 times and after he broke it off she became obsessive and delusional. Let this be a lesson to all men. Keep the wee-wee in your damn pants! Oh and Steve, dude if you were gonna cheat, at least CHEAT UP! Have yall seen this chick? LOL! I know I know.. that was a low blow but damn.