Sound the Damn Alarms!


Situation:
It happens all the time. The statistics are astounding. Every second 2,000 women receive communication from their exes, just as they are getting comfortable with the next guy.  (No, that is not the actual statistic, but you get the point.)


She Says:
I am always amazed at the uncanny ability of the male species to always pop back up just when you are moving on with someone else in your life. You are spending time with your new guy, laughing at his jokes, flirting uncontrollably, gushing about him to your friends, holed up in his brownstone in NY--and then, all of a sudden, here come the ghosts of boyfriends past. Like clockwork you start to receive random telegraphs, text messages, Morse code signals, phone calls, tweets, FB messages, and smoke signals. Every single time the possibility exists that you might be happy with the next dude, ex boyfriends, boos, ex smangers--or whatever-- start falling out the sky, bringing with them profound confessions of love and admiration for you.  EXCUSE ME SIR, PLEASE GO THAT WAY! =======>Yes, all the way over there!
I want to know how they know that you are happy with someone else. I really want/need to know this because the timing of the reappearance of ex boyfriends, boos, ex smangers--or whatever--is more accurately timed than Bin Laden’s killing. It is my theory (and I really believe it to be true) that when you engage in physical contact with men they implant a homing device in you, and that when there is a “threat” that may compromise their position with their “girl” it triggers an alarm. When the alarm is activated, it then transmits radio waves or some other form of alert that simply states “DANGER: P*SSY ON THE MOVE.”
Stop laughing and think about it. It makes logical sense. Men have a small window of opportunity to resurface in this woman’s life before the deed to the p*ssy is transferred to the new guy. So the random telegraph, text message, Morse code signal, phone call, tweet, FB message, or smoke signal is the last ditch effort to claim stake as a joint tenant of the p*ssy. Makes sense don’t it?!
This is one of life’s great mysteries. How can men sense they have lost their p*ssy privileges? The world may never know.
A

He Says:
Every woman has an innate gift that is called “The Woman’s Intuition”.  This instinct allows a woman to feel it internally when a ninja is doing something wrong.  It is a beautiful quality that, oddly enough, usually gives women the correct notions about male behavior. 
Please allow me to explain how men have a more powerful and deadly intuition that, though not as widely recognized, has been messing up the lives of women young and old for years.  I like to call it simply, “The Cheeks Intuition”.   It is that feeling that a guy gets when he is on the verge of losing the hold on the cakes to another dude.  Ladies, we are not stalking you and we normally don’t know when you are even dealing with another ninja.  There is a trigger inside of us that tells us when the cheeks are about to be annihilated by someone else.  And being the true ninjas that we are, we will seek to destroy any chances that this other brother might have of getting on smash time.  Every man has this instinct and, unfortunately, most will act on it; normally initiating it through the use of the random text.
There are two types of approaches to re-claiming the cheeks. With the first approach, the dude will come hard at you.  He will try to see you, and smash you within the first week of this feeling gripping him.  He will not take the chance that he might lose “ownership” of the cheeks.  (And yes ladies I did say ownership.  Most dudes, once they smash multiple times, feel that those cheeks are theirs for life.  It is a messed up reality, but it is reality nonetheless.)  His hope is that if he works the cheeks well enough, you will forget about giving it up to this other dude, and that he will still have ties to you.  With the second approach, the dude will be a silent killer.  This guy is the gentleman.  He will reach out and have meaningful conversations with you; act as though he cares about your well being and happiness with the new guy; and connect with you emotionally on the things that you feel you are missing.  All the while, he is breaking down your guard and waiting for the perfect storm of emotional vulnerability.  Then, and only then, will he pounce and snatch the cheeks!   
There are many outcomes that can come to fruition as a result of a man’s experiencing The Cheeks Intuition; the majority of which end up causing confusion, stress and pain for the young lady involved.  But at the conclusion the young lad is proud, for he has used his prowess to grab hold of the cheeks one mo’ time.
K

Baltimore: The Greatest City in America?!?!

Situation:
Recently, our hometown of Baltimore received negative national attention– AGAIN! The latest Baltimore feature was the video of a brawl in a McDonald’s restaurant, where two teenage girls beat a transgender woman until she went into seizures; the video quickly went viral. Though the recent events that have plagued Baltimore are horrific, Baltimore is still a great big little city! 

Ahhh, Bmore!
She Says:
Yet again, Baltimore is in the national spotlight for awful reasons, adding to the growing stigma of Baltimore as an unsafe city. It is extremely disheartening that Baltimore is always portrayed in this fashion and rarely highlighted for anything positive. Baltimore has a lot of charm that very often gets overlooked in favor of showcasing its gritty alter ego.  Baltimore is more than beating s, drugs, and the Inner Harbor. Let me tell you how:
1. Crabs -- Where else can you get steamed crabs, soft shell crabs, and crab cakes both easily and cost effectively? I would be willing to wager that a crab cake from the local carryout is better than those in some 4 or 5 star restaurants in other cities. One of the best ways to spend the summers in Bmore is to grab a few friends, head to the harbor, sip beer and eat freshly steamed blue crabs on the dock!
2. Free Festivals – I know many cities host free festivals. However the charm of Baltimore’s summer festivals is that they are ethnic in focus: African-American, Polish, Greek, Hispanic, Caribbean, and more. Often these events feature major national recording artists as entertainment.  In addition to those that are ethnically themed, you can also attend events like Artscape and the Baltimore Book festival. (I can’t wait for summer!)
3. Great Neighborhoods – Baltimore has many quirky and fun neighborhoods like Canton, Hampden, Mount Vernon, and Fells Point. Venturing out in these neighborhoods is a nice weekend activity due to all the cool eateries and boutiques. However – beware that you don’t go too far out of the boundary of the neighborhood. In Baltimore, you are just 3 blocks away from the hood at all times!  
Another thing you’ll note once you venture into Baltimore’s neighborhoods and communities, and interact with their inhabitants, is the rivalry that perpetually exists between those residing on the East Side vs. those that live on the West Side. There is no competition in my mind, of course—the west side is better. If I am going to hike over to the east side, then I might as well keep going up 95 and head to Philly!
4. Lexington Market – Ohh there is nothing on earth that compares to the World Famous Lexington Market. I don’t even think that I can fully describe the atmosphere, but let me try. You can get one of the best crab cakes on earth at Faidley’s,  then venture outside and watch crack head magic tricks. You will see a crack head, as high as a kite, do a lean better than MJ himself (#ripMJ), all while holding their jumbo half and half—never falling or spilling one drop of their beverage. Oh, and there’s no need to be afraid of this phenomenon; the Lexington Market crack head is a peaceful creature.
Baltimore truly is a great city when the weather is warm :). Now, if only someone could provide stable nightlife for the city! *deep sigh*
A
He Says:
I love my city. There is something beautiful about being able to still be proud of a town that is best known for murders, STDs, and good Heroin. But alas, I will tell you about three of the wonderful things I most enjoy about my city:
1. Baltimore Club Music - Club music is the staple sound of Bmore culture; it is the sound of the people in this city. I remember being a little kid and sneaking my headphones into my room so I could listen to Frank Ski mix during the late night shift on V-103FM. Over the years, our music has spread outside of Baltimore, and up and down the east coast, but it remains native to us. One note of caution: make sure to watch out if you are in the club when it comes on. There’s a possibility you may get elbowed, stabbed or impregnated. (R.I.P Miss Tony and K-Swift.)
2. Norma Jean’s/Eldorado’s - I know some of you folks in upper class urban cities like Atlanta think y’all have the best “skrippers”, but there is nothing in the world like seeing a mother “butter ball” naked on the pole. I would venture to say that Baltimore might have the most amazing looking strippers on the east coast. Not to mention the unique excitement of knowing you’re going into an establishment where you will most certainly see a woman fully tatted, with fresh stretch marks and gold teeth; only in my city can you look this way and still get enough money to support 4 kids!
3. Korean Fried Chicken - I know, I know--some of you folks believe that the best fried chicken is from Popeye’s or KFC. But, being the fried chicken connoisseur that I am, I have to let you know (and this may be shocking) that you have not had the best fried chicken until you have been to a hood establishment in this here great city of Baltimore. My Korean brothers and sisters have truly mastered the delicate art of frying the chicken wang. Head on over to Royal’s in The Village, or down to Super’s at Lexington Market and Mrs. Kim will bless you with the best fried chicken of your life!
Baltimore is, in fact, a wonderful place for family and friends to enjoy each other. From the outside it may not seem that our city has much to offer, but there is so much here to enjoy. Now that you know where to go and what to do, buy your bullet proof vest and condoms, then head out and enjoy my city. And remember, eat the crabs--don’t let the crabs eat you!
K
P.S. This blog post was brought to you by the fine people at Jesus Christ Bail Bonds. Enjoy the video below! :) 

May 1, 2011


She Says:
K slept through history last night—just wanted to put that out there that. I g-chatted and texted him, and he did not respond to either; this was at 10:30pm, by the way. After a long while without a response, I finally remembered that he is the Chair, Co-founder, and President of the Old Man Brigade; so he was definitely asleep. LOL


An Intense Moment for the Obama Administration

We Say:
Anyway, as we should all know by now, President Obama announced last night that Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces. The announcement of this momentous event has provided closure for the horrific events that transpired on September 11, 2001. As we head toward the 10th anniversary of 9/11 we must be even more mindful and vigilant than ever. Despite the fact that the figurehead for Al Qaeda is now dead, the ideologies still live on.
We at FDLF have to express pride in the Obama Administration being the one that gets to take credit for the capture of Osama bin Laden. And in a perfect world, this would be the accomplishment that silences his doubters and naysayers.
It’s weird…We never thought we would witness so many ground breaking moments at such a young age. Last night’s announcement will definitely be another story to tell our grandkids!

A & K

Black Folks and Their Damn Religion!

 Situation:
Hopefully we do not lose any readers with this post. It is filled with topics most people do not discuss with friends -- Blacks, Religions, God, Church, etc... Just read below!
Indeed!
 She Says:
Blacks and religion…Blacks and religion…Blacks and religion… This is a tough topic, and I have conflicting thoughts about it, so it’s difficult to know where to begin. However, when all else fails, it’s best to draw on personal experience, so I’ll apply this to my life.
Oftentimes, I feel like I am being judged by church-going Black people when I openly admit that I probably haven’t attended a church service since Easter 2010. The only reason I attended then was because my elderly and recuperating grandparents were going back to their service for the 1st time in months and they asked me to go. I recognize that there is nothing worse than a “holiday Christian” – you know the ones you only see on Easter, Mother’s Day, Christmas and the 7:30pm NYE service (lol)--so please don’t label me one of those based on this instance.
Do I believe in God? Yes!
Do I have faith? Yes!
Do I have anything against attending church? NO!
Do I believe that you have to go to church every Sunday in order to be a good Christian? NO!
I feel that you can have a great relationship with your Savior without being a frequent attendee of church. It is my belief that church is for fellowship.
Yesterday, I was having a conversation with a few people, who I felt all tried to demonize me for poor church attendance. It was quite disheartening, and the potential of facing more attitudes like theirs definitely didn’t do anything to sell me on attending any time soon. I feel like many religious people, regardless of race, often have blinders on that affect their ability to think critically about the alternate position to theirs. Said blinders are also often accompanied by judgmental tones and the combination can turn people off.
There is hypocrisy in religion itself—including the church’s stance on homosexuality, pre-marital sex, and other taboo topics--that can also be off-putting. While I do not have a degree in theology or divinity, this is the opinion that I have developed based on personal experience; I won’t go into further detail in order to avoid any potential attacks by those with opposing opinions. Suffice it to say, however, I am not in agreeance with religion where these topics are concerned.
Ultimately, it is my wish is that more Christians would be mindful of their tones when talking to those who share different ideologies than they do; it would potentially aid in both parties gaining a mutual understanding. But I digress. I am curious to know what opinions some of our readers have on religion, whether you are uber-religious or atheist. If you disagree that is okay. I just hope you can express your thoughts sans the judgment I feel I receive by a large number of Black people when I admit my “ugly truth.”
A
 
He Says:
I want to preface this by saying that I love God.  I have been raised in the church and still attend church on a regular basis.  This is a very touchy subject, and we might lose some readers for this.  But I love y’all none the less. 
Real talk, a lot of church folk get on my damn nerves!  Church folk have to be the most conniving, gossiping, backstabbing people I’ve ever seen.  Have you ever sat around a table of church folk to eat a chicken dinner?  Nine times out of 10, these people will start going in on Sister Martha or Deacon Jones.  It amazes me how so many of the conversations among church folk are based around the analysis and verbal destruction of their fellow church folk.  I even reflect on my own family.  We have dinner every single Sunday, and every Sunday someone is talking about so and so at the church and how they looked a mess or did something crazy. 
I think one area where the church fails is in the promotion of honesty between Christians.  Why do we feel the need to dissect an individual every time we seen them, when in fact, we have been presented with an opportunity to help them grow?  If it bothers you so much that Sis Johnson’s skirt was too short, tell her instead of running and talking about her right after service is over.  I’m sure none of our readers partake in these activities---but the lack of honesty in the church is one area that is contributing to its demise.  We have to learn to be honest with ourselves and others before we will ever be able to grow as a people in God.
Besides the phoniness and dishonesty, many Black church goers are slightly self-deluded. They cite sources outside themselves as explanations for negative acts they’ve committed or unfortunate things that have occurred in their lives. We can’t blame the devil for every wrong in our lives.  If you go out tomorrow and cheat on your girl---don’t get back in your car and justify it by saying the devil made you do it (Yes, I’ve actually heard this said many times). 
Additionally, there is a common belief among this community that the church will bring one out of his or her darkest moments without any effort on their part.  I have been raised in church for many years and have heard many of the same people ask God repeatedly for the same things.  It seems that what these folk fail to realize or accept is that God has given us all free will.  An assumption is made that if you ask God to do it, he will make sure that your blessing is given to you.  This is not quite true as asking is only half of the equation. The remainder lies in something called “work”.  This is when an individual puts in time and effort to see the things they desire come to fruition. 
For example---I have consistently heard folk ask God for their financial blessing, and then watched them sit aside and wait.  They even ask God to help them hit the Lotto (shout out to my Pop-Pop) to avoid working for additional financial gain.  Don’t get me wrong---God is all powerful.  But God is not just going to give you a house or get you off crack because you asked, unless you do your part as well. 
We have to be willing to put in the work and effort to create change in our lives.  Just because a preacher sits in front of you every Sunday, doesn’t mean his words are sprinkled with fairy dust that will cause your life to magically change.  Make your own sacrifices, put in your own work, and watch God bless the work that you have put in. 
K

Who Run This Motha? Apparently Beyoncé?!

Situation: It’s here! The 2011 moment we have been dreading – we are on the brink of Beyonce season! *sobs* (There’s really not much left to say, except…)







At least the artwork for the single is dope!

She Says:

I knew it was coming. I felt it in my bones – Beyonce was coming back and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. Let me get this out of the way before all of the Beyonce stans label me a ‘hater’ because I criticize their beloved: Beyonce is beautiful, talented, skinny, light skinned, rich, married, and accomplished. I never deny these things about her – EVER!

And now that we’ve covered that, I’m free to go in! Beyonce’s new single, Girls, dropped this week and you would have thought Jesus had come back to earth to save us from the rapture. The song is mediocre at best, save for the beat and that isn’t even original to this track. Just like all of Beyonce’s recent songs, I cannot say that I don’t like it because I am sure after the ridiculous amount of airplay both the video and song will receive, I will be forced to. With all Beyonce songs you have no choice but to like them after they’ve been drilled into your head.

In my opinion, it seems that Beyonce is getting progressively lazy in her approach to song choices and lyrical content. She has reached a level where she can put out mediocre music and still hit platinum status because of her stans. However, this song, in terms of quality, would be better suited for Ciara or Keri Hilson; yet if either of them had released it, this single would have quickly been labeled as trash! I’m just saying…let’s be real here; it’s disheartening because Beyonce has the ability to make a classic album with lyrical content and vocals worth commenting on, but instead she releases this crap.

Lastly, it just always turns me off that a Beyonce single mysteriously drops when her “sister” Kelly is back on the scene. It just seems a little odd to me that Queen Bey cannot allow anyone to have a flourishing career—not even her former group mate/ sister/ friend. If we were to compare the songs, there is no competition -- Motivation is the better.

A


P.S – I listened to Girls on repeat while I wrote this, and by the last note I’d caught myself nodding my head! The vicious attack of Beyonce season has begun…


He Says:
The AUDACITY of this jawn! Who does she think she is? Better yet--does she think we are stupid? Beyonce has once again flooded the urban music market with a piss poor use of her vocal talent. Yes, I did say PISS POOR. This new song “Girls Run the World” is an embarrassment for someone with that much talent. Beyonce can blow. But she has continually put out underwhelming tracks and albums for her cult-like fans. And she must have put up a lot of money; because if I was Major Lazers, there is no way those rudimentary lyrics would ever touch my production.


After driving to work and hearing the trash for the first time, I thought it would be a good idea to test the power of Bey. I went into work and asked four black female co-workers if they knew there was a new Beyonce track out. All of them looked at me in shock—you’d have thought I told them I saw Jesus physically lowering gas prices. One woman even proceeded to tell me the story of how she had previously driven up the east coast to see Beyonce in six different cities! Each woman, within 30 minutes of my initial question, had sent an email saying that “the track was hot” or “Bey is back!” Since I consider myself a smart man, I know the one thing you don’t do is argue with a member of the Holy Temple of Bey. So I decided not to respond with any ignorant comments for my personal safety. I was even told on twitter that my comments about Bey might get me un-followed and/or my car keyed. C’mon people!

So for you ladies and gentle-ladies that worship Beyonce on a regular basis, let me breakdown exactly what she is doing. In basketball, there is something called the “Heat Check”. This is when a shooter thinks they are able to hit any shot on the court. They proceed to shoot a ridiculous and unwarranted shot just because they think everything they throw up will go in the basket. This is exactly what Beyonce has done with this song---and actually what she did with her last album as well. She knows that any and everything she puts out will be flocked to by all of her worshippers. So she throws out a piece of sh*t song, just to check to see how hot she is. Now don’t get me wrong---many major artists do this often, including Michael Jackson with his “Blood on the Dance Floor” disaster (#ripMJ --addition courtesy of A, lol); and Prince deciding to change his name to a dumb ass symbol. But this is the time that people need to stand up and put an end to this. Don’t go around saying how hot this song is, because you damn sure know it isn’t. If you do, we will all have to suffer thru many more summers of Beyonce’s trash for years to come!

K