Carolyn's Opinions - April and May 2014

Former Sesame Street Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash has had all three sexual charges against him dropped due to the statute of limitations. What next for the puppeteer?

Kidnap Prevention: Every child should be given a secret word that will let him or her know its safe to go with a person. Even if it’s a relative-if the person doesn’t know the secret word, teach children to not go with the person.

I recently dyed my hair. Now every time I pass a mirror, I scare myself.

One could make an argument that United States citizens are an unforgiving people. I was watching a story about writer Jayson Blair. He was a reporter for the New York Times newspaper that was caught falsifying news stories. It made me curious about others who have made national mistakes, like former Washington Post journalist Janet Cooke (30 years ago) popular cook Paula Deen, golfer Tiger Woods, R&B singer Chris Brown, and more recently, the infamous Monica Lewinski.

Interesting to see that even the very, very rich have family problems. In the case of the elevator fight between Jay Z and Beyonce’s sister Solange, money apparently couldn’t give Solange class. I guess Jay Z has one more problem. Um, Um, Um.

What kind of heartless man goes into the children’s section of a public library and steals the pet turtle? What was on his alleged mind?

I don’t believe ex-Patriots football player and alleged murderer Aaron Hernandez will ever leave prison.

How many &#@*%$! Times are they going to show The Day After Tomorrow with Dennis Quaid on TV? What are they trying to tell us?

Prank Call or a Call for Help?

I received a telephone call this morning from a gentleman who apparently had nothing else to do but call strangers. After we exchanged hellos, he started to talk to me, initiating a conversation. He spoke as if we were friends. For a minute, I thought we were friends, and I just didn’t recognize his voice.

When I asked who he was, he expressed surprise and said he must have called the wrong person. Then he continued his conversation. It was clear to me that he was one of those weird guys who call strangers, and pick up idle conversation. I admit that I was a little intrigued.

After listening to his one-sided chitchat for a short time, I told him that I was going to get off the telephone so that he could call the person that he originally intended to call. He said, ”Well, to be honest with you, I like talking to you and hearing your voice rather than her”. That ended my superficial interest. I thanked him and hung up.

This type of prank call is something that has been going on since my college years. It's probably gone on even further than that in the telephone world. Strangers call your phone and begin a conversation, initially making you think you know him. Invariably, talk starts to veer into a sexual discussion. They try to keep you on the phone as long as possible, desperate to talk to anyone.

I sometimes wonder if these really are prank callers. It’s always a man. These guys are looking to connect with the outside world. I sometimes feel sorry for the person on the other end. The desire to have human contact so much that one just dials the telephone to speak to anyone who answers is a little compelling.

Of course, it’s probably just a man who pleasures himself as he talks. Either way, it’s best to hang up as soon as you discover you don’t know the person. Prank call or not, he’s someone taking up your valuable time.

Carolyn's Opinions - March 2014

Singer Chris Brown was thrown out of anger management rehab and was immediately tossed into jail. He will stay there until April 23rd. Mr. Brown has continued to be under court jurisdiction since he beat up singer Rihanna in 2009. Clearly, several stints in rehab could not rehabilitate Chris Brown. Maybe jail will.

Legendary R&B singer James Brown died in 2006, but is still buried in his daughter's back yard because the family is fighting over his 100 million dollar fortune. Pitiful.

Some hospitals are allowing long term patents to receive visits from their pet dogs. It improves morale. I hope they extend these visits to all hospitals, and allow cats, too.

Belated Black History Info from Wikipedia: Jester Joseph Hairston (July 9, 1901 – January 18, 2000) a Kappa Alpha Psi member (1925) was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor. His notable compositions include "Amen," a gospel-tinged theme from the film Lilies of the Field and a 1963 hit for The Impressions, and the Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child".

Talk show host Conan O’Brien has the thinnest legs I have ever seen on a man. He’s 6’4” and his legs look like stilts. When he does his monologue, it’s very distracting.

Good for Jimmy Fallon for bringing comedian Joan Rivers back on The Tonight Show after a 26-year ridiculous banishment. This courageous act shows his maturity and clout in show business. Boo on Jay Leno. Long live the new King of Late Night!

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The Day After Tomorrow

There must be a reason why they keep showing the movie The Day After Tomorrow, about global warming and catastrophic climate changes, on television, released in 2004. Scientists said the movie was propaganda. Considering the extreme climate changes we’ve been experiencing lately, maybe it’s becoming closer to the truth. Maybe we need to start learning Spanish and thinking about moving below the Equator.

Question: Why do scientists say it’s not possible for the Earth to have another Ice Age?

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6 Reasons to Break Up with Your Man

Basketball star Dwayne Wade and actress Gabrielle Union were recently engaged. The pair had a close relationship for over four years. They then decided to take a ‘break’ away from each other. This was due primarily because Ms. Union had two movies scheduled back to back. Distance was an issue between the two.

During their break Mr. Wade had a baby with a close friend of his, the ex-girlfriend of Damon Wayans Jr. Four months later, the 32-year old Wade and Union got back together. Wade gave the 41-year old Union an engagement ring, which she accepted. This begs the question, if your man had a baby during a break in a relationship, would you take him back?

The term ‘break’ is one that needs to be explained and specifically defined. Technically, it usually means that a couple is separated and no longer a couple for a period of time. People are doing all kinds of things during a ‘break’ these days. And they usually believe that whatever they do during that period should not be held against them.

Taking a break means you are on a vacation from the relationship. But what you do during a break and with who should factor into whether or not you get back together. In my humble opinion, here are some circumstances about which I think it should be very difficult to go back into a relationship.

1. Your man has a baby with a woman during your break. This is such an egregious situation that it should now be called the “Union Break”

2. He has a baby by your best friend

3. Your man went back to his ex-girlfriend. Specifically, the one he had before you.

4. He dated your best friend - exclusively

5. He openly dated a coworker of yours

6. He married, and then divorced your best friend. If dating a best friend or having a baby by your former best friend is not enough, certainly his marrying your best friend should end one, if not both, relationships

Union says it was a mistake to schedule so much time away from Wade to make two movies. I say it shows his short attention span. Surely she will have to be away from Wade in the future for months if she plans to continue her acting career.

Why she took him back is a mystery. Still, the one good decision she plans to implement is to require her and Wade to sign a pre-nuptial agreement. She now understands his propensity to stray, and signing a pre-nup will ensure that her money, if not her heart, will be protected. .

Carolyn's Corner - February 2014

The U.S. is experiencing major snow storms. At the same time, the movie ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ is on TV almost every three days, every week. Are they trying to tell us something? And, who are “They”, anyway? Meanwhile, the West Coast is suffering from a major drought. Has the Earth turned on its axis? What’s going on?

I think Jimmy Fallon was an excellent choice to replace Jay Leno. I wish him luck.

Watched the 2013 TV documentary “Finding the Funk”, about the evolution of funk music. Great to see performers that I followed back in the Day.

‘The Biggest Loser’ TV show is a CONTEST. The premise is, whoever loses the most weight wins. Rachel Frederickson lost the most weight. The 24 year old lost 155 lbs. down to 105 lbs, a size 2 at 5’4”, continuing the diet plan given to her by one of the show’s dieticians. She won two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Now everyone is appalled that she looks too thin. This what happens when the program doesn’t place restrictions on contestant weight loss.

The 2006 movie ‘Dreamgirls’ and Jennifer Hudson’s Oscar winning performance still gives me chills every time I watch it. In my opinion, singer-song writer Siedah Garrett would have won an Oscar for one of her two nominated songs if the winning song the year before hadn’t been ‘It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp.’

Saw a Black History Month movie, the 1996 ‘Panther’, about the founding of the Black Panther Party. Many recognizable veteran actors and civil rights activists of the era are in it. Educational regarding the Panther’s Ten Point Program, and the times when we were trying to act as an organized community on the national level. Also surprising that the Movie Network would show it. Kudos to them.

As we stay cooped up indoors, let’s make sure we check and change our smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries so we don’t die in our sleep.

Jennifer Hudson’s singing tribute to Aretha Franklin on the BET Honors 2014 television program brought chills up and down my spine.

Carolyn's Opinions - January 2014

I am soooo glad I didn’t charge anything from Target for Christmas

I may be old-fashioned. But I remember a time when the word ‘bullshit’ never came out of anyone's mouth on television. Now people say it at will.

Why does the heat come on every time I pass my thermostat?

Watching ‘Cops’ on TV. If you’re carrying drugs and have a broken taillight, you’re going to jail. If you have drugs on you, and a pocket full of money, you’re stupid and going to jail. If you keep your hands in your pockets, and the police ask you to take them out, and you don’t, you could end up in handcuffs, on the ground, tazed, or in jail, or all of the above. What a show.

Justin Bieber used to be such a nice singer. Now he’s just ordinary.