"The View" from Chicago: An Informal Gabfest

Women and talking go together like a hand in glove.
This past Saturday I ventured over to Malcom X College in Chicago to cover a story on an annual event produced by Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-7). In essence it was a Town Hall meeting held for constituents of the 7th Congressional District. various workshops were held on a myriad of topics of interest to district residents. There were vendors from area social services agencies, government agencies and private retail businesses. It was a good time.

As I was leaving, about 2PM I happened by a vendor I'd not seen and stopped to admire her original art. Her name is Marchel'le Barber. To my delight she is a fellow journalist and an entrepreneur I'd remembered reading about from the South suburbs. While we were chatting about a myriad of topics, browsers and potential customers wandered by to admire her artwork display, occasionally speaking. Suzanne Hanney, also a fellow writer was one who stopped to chat for a minute (how awesome is God?). Engaging and full of opinion, Suzanne made Marchel'le and I laugh out loud with her unique perspective on a slew of topics including the presidential race (on which we spent an enormous amount of time offering commentary and perspective).

Finally, we met our last 'gabfest panelist', Ms. Phyllis Powell, an IT specialist, a strong, opinionated woman who is "unashamedly" and "unapoligetically". For over 2 hours (my son says closer to 3), we chatted and laughed; offered rebuttals and agreed (seldom); and reiterated how wonderful it was to have met. At the end ( as security was threatening to lock us inside overnite) we offered huggs and exchanged contact info.
Three black women from totally different backgrounds and some similarities; together with one blonde from a different background, culture and some similarities; four women with respect for each others' differences in backgrounds, ideas, ideals, political views, sexual attitudes, gender attitudes, race relations and faith beliefs.

On the ride home I was left with two thoughts:
1). The magic of the "sisterhood" is that we (as women) are more alike than different.
2). That given a platform, indeed women will talk to each other until we've resolved all of this world's social ills.
My son later told me it reminded him of watching a live episode of "The View"-- only funnier. I hadn't thought of that, but maybe that's why that show works.

"Textual Intercourse" and Other Acts of Indescretion

Mayor Kilpatrick, Former Mayoral Aide, Christine Beatty and Mrs. Kalita Kilpatrick

Technology is off the chain these days. And now, a simple thing like typing a series of private messages into his cell phone has cost the Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Malik Kilpatrick, political office, his mayoral pension, his law license, his historic legacy, his freedom to move about the country and the world, his societal status, and a cool $1M fine.

Last week I watched to my utter dismay, a young man, from a prominent family; who was raised right; who was college educated, be stripped of everything dear to him and given the promise of 120 days behind bars for lying under oath and poor decisions he made regarding an extra-marital affair, and his desire to cover the facts. In this instance his cell phone betrayed him. His text message history was brought forth and his own typed words to his affair partner, a former mayoral city worker and confidante, brought him down.

Would your own text message history convict you of adulterous behavior? Are you using test messaging for what you consider harmless flirting but which could easily turn into "textual intercourse" ( a phrase I borrowed from a brilliant friend and fellow blogger, Reverend Lutionary) with someone other than your spouse?" Could your text message history bring you down and shed light on your own indescretions?