August 5, 2007 at 9:20 pm (Customer Service, Mental Health, Parenting)
Why didn’t Eddie come clean about this earlier. Why did it take all the drama for him to accept responsibility for this innocent child?
<a href=”http://www.etonline.com/celebrities/news/49285/”>Source</a>
<blockquote><span style=”font-style:italic;”>ET breaks the following statement that was released on behalf of EDDIE MURPHY in regards to MELANIE BROWN, who earlier this week had her attorney, GLORIA ALLRED, file a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court asking the court to name Murphy as the father of Brown’s infant daughter, ANGEL.
The statement reads as follows: “Eddie Murphy always has and will continue to honor his responsibilities as a father. Mr. Murphy and Ms. Brown dated very briefly and never made any plans of ANY sort. He acknowledges paternity of the child Angel, and has paid child support to Ms. Brown as well as covering the expenses of her pregnancy. Mr. Murphy views this as a private matter and as such, will not be making any further comments about it.”
Angel was born on April 3 and a DNA test reportedly established Murphy as the father several weeks later.
In a press conference last Wednesday, Allred alleged that Murphy has not provided financial support, nor has he seen the baby girl.
Murphy was quoted on Dutch TV during Brown’s pregnancy as saying, “I don’t know whose child that is, until it comes out and has a blood test.”
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I was thrilled to see Nicole Murphy & Melanie Brown introduce the children – very classy and shrewd move on their parts.
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August 5, 2007 at 9:18 pm (Mental Health, Parenting)
Apparently, some males believe that animal abuse is a more morally repugnant crime than rape. See below:
<blockquote>From Feministing.com
<p>The below transcript followed a short clip of <a href=”http://feministing.com/archives/003941.html”>Kobe Bryant</a> proclaiming his innocence, which Grace used to make a point about how Vick should speak up in the media:</p> <blockquote>SMITH: Yes, well, that’s — he’s been in a lot of trouble lately, when you think about all the other incidents, and this is just the worst one of all. Keep in mind, too, that while Kobe Bryant is a situation we can sort of compare this to, this really is much worse. Not only can you argue that <strong>the crimes are much worse </strong>in terms of, you know, killing dogs and that kind of thing, but as an NFL starting quarterback, you are the most visible face in that city. I`ve said all along, in fact, you know, if you go through and, you know, very quickly name 10 mayors of major cities in the country… <p>GRACE: Larry Smith, did I just hear you say…</p> <p>SMITH: … you could have a harder time doing that…</p> <p>GRACE: … mistreatment of…</p> <p>SMITH: … than naming 10 NFL starting quarterbacks.</p> <p>GRACE: Did I just hear Larry Smith, CNN sports correspondent and anchor, state that crimes on a dog are much worse than crimes on a woman? Did I hear that?</p></blockquote></blockquote>I’m not quite sure how to take this asinine statement. Surely this well educated brother that has a mother & probably sisters realizes that women are in fact much more valued in our society as they are “human” and that rape is a horrific crime against them. I’m not condoning the dog-fighting business…but you cannot compare the two.
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July 28, 2007 at 3:41 am (Customer Service, Mental Health)
As I’m typing this post, I’m thinking about my son graduating high school soon. – with all my excitement you’d think he was graduating from Harvard. You see, he should have graduated in May but I’m thankful he’s graduating at all. For the past 4 years I have pushed, pulled and drug him thru High School….Damn I’m tired. He is a handful, but a mothers love will endure and make us do things that others often scoff at. Several people have told me to let him fail, he’ll have to figure it out for himself. I do agree with this sentiment however I also realize that without at least a High School Diploma he had absolutely no chance and would probably never see the inside of a school again. At least since he’s graduated high school perhaps he can begin to realize the benefits of education.
I’m definitely encouraging him to go to college, but he’ll have to drag himself thru that. Moma’s tired.
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July 16, 2007 at 5:39 pm (Mental Health)
Imagine how you would feel if you just lost someone that is very dear to you. You would more than likely feel sad, angry, fearful, hopeless, helpless, disoriented? Imagine those feeling lasting day after day – week after week – month after month, year after year – this is what it feels like to live with depression only these feelings are not situational they are caused many times by chemical imbalances rather that life events.. Now imagine suffering with these feeling alone unable to discuss it with your loved ones? This is a reality for many suffering mental illness.
Depression is a real issue affecting the life’s of many African Americans. I would venture to say that many of our young men and women that are incarcerated suffer some form of mental illness. Unfortunately many in our community refuse to see mental illness as an “illness” but rather a character flaw. Mental illness is no more a character flaw than is diabetes…it is a bona fide medical illness which is in many cases is a result of hormonal of chemical imbalances in the brain. Unfortunately we have difficulty accepting things we cannot see – depression is one of those types of ailments….but so is diabetes. If you have diabetes you go to an endocrinologist if you have a mental illness you should go to a psychiatrist or medical doctor to receive proper treatment. All treatments do not include pharmaceuticals – cognitive therapy has been known to be just as effective as anti-depressants in treating depression in some individuals. There should be no shame in seeking help when you have any type of illness and mental illness is a serious illness.
Because of the stigma associated with mental illness in our society and in our culture – many people suffer needlessly and their families suffer along with them. We need to educate ourselves about the symptoms and treatment of mental health disorders. We then need to educate our families, friends, churches, etc. about the negative effects of these illnesses and the treatments available to manage them.
We can no longer afford to act like none of us has an “Uncle Pete” in our circle whether it is a family member or a friend….we all know someone who is in need of our love and support with what can be a debilitating illness. Unfortunately many suffer in silence and isolation out of fear of revealing their illness to others. In many cases treatment and support will allow those suffering to live a very fulfilling and rewarding life.
Is there someone you know that needs your support to deal with their illness?
To learn more about mental illness visit the National Alliance on Mental Health.
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July 13, 2007 at 9:17 am (Mental Health, Parenting)
Chicago Tribune:
In a symbolic move to erase the controversial “n-word” from the English vocabulary, the NAACP held a mock funeral in Detroit on Monday, complete with a horse-drawn carriage and a pine box coffin that will be buried in a city cemetery and marked with a headstone.
“Today, we’re not just burying the n-word, we are taking it out of our spirit, we are taking it out of our minds,” Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said before hundreds of cheering supporters. “To bury the n-word, we gotta bury the pimps and the hos and the hustlers. Let’s bury all the nonsense that comes with this.”
Although I applaud the efforts and believe all of us (black & white) need to refrain from using this word “N” word – the NAACP is not going to effect that change. Quite frankly we have bigger fish to fry in this country concerning the state of African-Americans. Many do not have health care, jobs, affordable housing, etc. We need to ignore the word and remember what our elders taught us: “It’s not what you’re called it’s what you answer to”.
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July 12, 2007 at 8:24 pm (African American, Mental Health)
Imagine how you would feel if you just lost someone that is very dear to you. You would more than likely feel sad, angry, fearful, hopeless, helpless, disoriented? Imagine those feeling lasting day after day – week after week – month after month, year after year – this is what it feels like to live with depression only these feelings are not situational they are caused many times by chemical imbalances rather that life events.. Now imagine suffering with these feeling alone unable to discuss it with your loved ones? This is a reality for many suffering mental illness.
Depression is a real issue affecting the life’s of many African Americans. I would venture to say that many of our young men and women that are incarcerated suffer some form of mental illness. Unfortunately many in our community refuse to see mental illness as an “illness” but rather a character flaw. Mental illness is no more a character flaw than is diabetes…it is a bona fide medical illness which is in many cases is a result of hormonal of chemical imbalances in the brain. Unfortunately we have difficulty accepting things we cannot see – depression is one of those types of ailments….but so is diabetes. If you have diabetes you go to an endocrinologist if you have a mental illness you should go to a psychiatrist or medical doctor to receive proper treatment. All treatments do not include pharmaceuticals – cognitive therapy has been known to be just as effective as anti-depressants in treating depression in some individuals. There should be no shame in seeking help when you have any type of illness and mental illness is a serious illness.
Because of the stigma associated with mental illness in our society and in our culture – many people suffer needlessly and their families suffer along with them. We need to educate ourselves about the symptoms and treatment of mental health disorders. We then need to educate our families, friends, churches, etc. about the negative effects of these illnesses and the treatments available to manage them.
We can no longer afford to act like none of us has an “Uncle Pete” in our circle whether it is a family member or a friend….we all know someone who is in need of our love and support with what can be a debilitating illness. Unfortunately many suffer in silence and isolation out of fear of revealing their illness to others. In many cases treatment and support will allow those suffering to live a very fulfilling and rewarding life.
Is there someone you know that needs your support to deal with their illness?
To learn more about mental illness visit the National Alliance on Mental Health.
Leave a Comment
