Recently myself, the girlfriend and her 14 yr old daughter went to go see Red Tails – a movie about the Tuskegee airmen who overcame racist war restrictions to show that black men could fight Nazis just like their white brethren. During the movie the hot shot Ace pilot and resident “bad boy” Joe ‘Lightning’ Little hooked up with an Italian bird named Sophia and the fireworks went off. The two knew maybe 5 words of each other’s language, but through gestures and genuine attraction it managed to work – hell it worked out pretty damn well. Now beyond the fact that Lightning was charming, a prototype of what women love (smooth, mysterious and dangerous if crossed) and Sophia was quiet, lady-like and beautiful; there was something else that led to the unison of these two very different worlds. Lightning needed something to live for and Sophia needed an element of mysterious romance. When you… [Read more]

I would like to share my thoughts on a book referred to me by one of our Lady Dragons: Cherry Tigris. The book entitled Toilet Paper People is a quick read but has such a strong message that I found myself thinking about it weeks after finishing it. Toilet Paper People is about a form of bullying that cannot be remedied by telling your parents, fighting back or even standing up for yourself; the type of bullying that I am referring to is that of a parent bullying a child. Many of us remember the 1981 movie Mommie Dearest where a popular actress was shown to be a psychotic child-abuser behind closed doors. The movie was entertaining and shocking for its time, leading to many quotables and memories of the onscreen antics of Faye Dunaway portraying the film queen Joan Crawford as she beat her little girl with wire hangers and competed with her in the… [Read more]

Editor’s Note: I lost my grandmother and uncle to the war on Cancer due to their lifestyles of smoking like a cast member on Mad Men. From this personal experience and that of watching my little brother smoking and coughing like a coal engine from the 1800′s I have made up my mind that smoking is the last thing I would do next to playing Russian roulette and having unprotected sex with a prostitute (bear with me). Given this hardcore stance I was approached by a representative of Vapor4Life e-cigarettes to try out their brand of smoking alternatives to see if it was worthy of giving them some love in these Halls. Well I asked my buddy Robert to be the guinea pig (he quit smoking and has been fighting the urge for months) and he came back singing high praises of the V4L brand. Being that the truth was in the product I felt… [Read more]

I’ll never forget the day in High School after some big to-do about Martin Luther King (it was February, Black History Month) when I was in line for my lunch being stared at by a blonde haired girl who looked like she wanted to cry. Without warning this girl started asking me what I wanted for lunch and loading my tray up with items that I could have gotten myself, making me feel weird and uncomfortable along with the confusion that flooded my mind. I didn’t know this girl but I thought about it later (after politely telling her to leave me alone and putting back the items) and I realized that I was her chosen charity case due to the white guilt that comes along with tales of slavery, Jim Crow laws and lynching. Now I am not a veteran nor have I served in the United States Military but I can imagine that… [Read more]

As you know The Hall promotes fitness as if there isn’t any other way to be. We provide numerous articles on working out, getting motivated and dealing with scrutiny as a workout enthusiast. One thing that has always irritated me about the gym is the unqualified and unwarranted advice given by members. Sometimes these members have on a black T-shirt with the words TRAINER in bold white letters imprinted on the back and this may fool you into believing that they are experts. It irritates me because I feel that advice best comes from someone who is not only a student of the human body but a practitioner in the art of building it. I have known Terrell Rouse for a number of years as he was a member of my gym and one of the more serious lifters (despite his young age). While guys were running their mouths and trying to play the part… [Read more]

Here at Hall of the Black Dragon, I’m sure you’ve noticed the Lady Dragon’s Café and everything it has to offer. Both men and women frequent that part because beautiful women are interesting to look at. It makes you stop for a second because in this world, there’s really not a higher form of beauty. This isn’t a new concept. Ever since man learned to make paints and brushes, women have been the inspiration/focus of a large portion of art. As a photographer, I can see where this draw comes from. Now you can find beauty elsewhere: A beach sunset, a cityscape at night, a dirt road in the Midwest, etc. but nothing is quite as intriguing as the female form. I’m not saying these things aren’t beautiful, in fact I’ll provide some links later to examples of the contrary, but the human element is something special. Not Just “Any” Photographer… I’d like to encourage… [Read more]

Once in awhile we get a brave, unique artist or two with a different sound break through the clones and deliver music that we either cheer or shun. Typically when it’s shunned, we pick it back up years after and lament our closed-minded disdain at the time and then dare to wonder “where are they now”. When David Bowie dropped Space Oddity, the world paid attention and it sent ripples throughout the music world that futuristic, space-aged sound has its place. Unfortunately there is only one Bowie but people such as Jason Kay of Jamiroquai have bravely taken the baton and continued to keep a groovy space-aged sound pumping… In the Hip Hop world Del Tha Funkee Homasapien, Kool Keith and Andre 3000 of Outkast have shown that even in the most closed-minded of music forms the space-age has its place. And now new artist (new to some of you) Janelle Monae is bringing her… [Read more]

Today I am going to give some love to my favorite place of refuge from the rat race. Sporting a tasty menu of eats ranging from fat boy caliber to weight watcher friendly, you can take anyone to TGI Friday’s and have a good time. Most importantly for me, my local Fridays prepares the Tanqueray and Tonic correctly. If you ever want to keep me away from your bar or restaurant, just screw up my Tony Sinclair and feel the wrath. Fridays gets it right and whenever I want good food without the price rape, this is where I go. What does the Dragon order at Fridays? You know they used to have this kick-ass prime rib salad that had blue cheese and all sorts of other goodies to have me open. Sadly I was in the minority on loving it so they no longer carry it. Now I get the Tuscan Spinach dip as… [Read more]