Is Self-Love Considered A Sin???

The year was 1996 when Tionne Watkins better known as T Boz from the group TLC debuted her solo effort, "Touch Myself." I always felt that song was ahead of its time with its openness about masturbation which clearly was a taboo subject for many people. T Boz working a scantily clad black one piece and assuring it was okay when you were alone to make yourself feel good; it clearly was much different from the romping of her famous group. Needless to say, it didn't become a sensational hit and pretty much disappeared just as quickly as it came. Currently, masturbation is widely discussed in our music and on our television screens; even Oprah had Dr. Berman on her show who encouraged self-exploration to children. With so many diseases that are thriving in our sexual lives today it is urged to practice abstinence over safe sex. With that said, is masturbation considered a sin?

-Shani Anona

When Silence Is Broken

"F...Love," were the words that sat with me during an exclusive on Good Morning America featuring Rihanna. Those few words definitely held some heavy potency as Rihanna recollected on an embarrassing part of her past. It's been months since the very public incident with Chris Brown has happened and I was surprised that Rihanna wanted to revisit such a painful part of her life. Chris Brown has obviously been moving forward; he has done apologetic interviews, was heavily photographed as he committed to his sentence, and even made cameo appearances in other artists videos...Keri Hilson, being the latest. But after watching the snippet of Rihanna's interview with Diane Sawyer, I realized that she was sending a message of love to her legends of fans. Rihanna's realization about being a popular artist has it's share of responsibilities. She acknowledged that she's been put on an unrealistic pedestal, but she's still a human being. Her message of not reacting out of love was emotionally clear to abused young women. When love physically hurts, it's not going to work and it's a wise decision to move on. I'm glad that her silence is broken.

-shani anona

Anyone Got The Munches???

On June 22, 2009, Run's House hit a somber note with the arrest of Jo Jo for carrying an illegal substance otherwise known as marijuana. He spent the night in jail and wasn't released until 5pm the next day. This was the 2nd time that the Simmons family faced a grave situation, (In 2006 Justine and Run's lost their third child). Jo Jo had to inevitably confront the family and each of them couldn't mask their disappointment. That was tough and he faced it like a champ. He was even the pun of his sisters jokes. Angela's jab was the funniest when she opened his bedroom door offering a pizza pie and asking, "Anyone got the munches?"

(Photo by Samantha "Skillz" Wong on flickr)

What I found to be so moving with this episode was the family pitching in as a unit to address Jo Jo and their acceptance of his foolish mistake. To me, Russell Simmons kicked the science on the issue when he said, "weed makes you slow and stupid. It gives you short term happiness." All were true words of wisdom from the Uncle Rush that penetrated not only Jo Jo's heart but onlookers as well. I have mad love for this show and the messages that its promoting to our youths. We all make mistakes, its human nature and learning from them is part of the journey.

-shani anona