Getting hot and heavy

The past year has been filled with some good dialogue.
Initiated by crazy posts and followed up with even crazier comments, we (and by that I mean us bloggers and ya'll readers) have talked about a little bit of everything - celebrities, social issues and personal triumphs.

Below is a list of the 10 blog posts that really got us talking and received the most comments. And feel free to take this walk down memory lane with us. To read the full post and all the comments, either click on the title or check the archives to the left.

April 10: Say What?!
By Donecia Pea
21 comments
"I’m so sick of folks hiding behind everything but the truth. You can’t ever make me believe that (Don) Imus, a man who's old enough to have lived through segregation, the civil rights movement, the second wave women's liberation movement and a host of other milestones in human history, wasn’t fully aware of what he said or the ramifications of what he said when he said it. Words rarely roll of the tongue without some thought behind them.
Whether intentional or not, words reflect conscious thoughts held in your mind based on your own belief system and perception. They're ingrained somewhere in your psyche, waiting to be used."

April 29: No more excuses
By Janelle Rucker
19 comments
"Ashley, our new co-worker Velda and I were at a popular downtown nightclub Friday when we encountered something we’ve come up against many times before – a Caucasian girl doing her best impression of a black girl. Or at least, what they think all black girls act like...
As always, I excused her. Told myself she meant no harm. But I’m tired of that. They always get excused. Always."

Sept. 30: Dr. Phil and the Jena Six
By Janelle Rucker
18 comments
"I thought it was interesting to see the Barkers discuss what has happened. Justin Barker was in the audience, instructed by a lawyer not to discuss the fight, but he said he’s doing OK now.
Dr. Phil asked his parents if they thought his life 'hung in the balance' after the fight where the six students punched and kicked him, to which they replied, 'yes,' to which I replied, 'then why did you let him go to a social function later that evening?'

April 17: A solution for the murderous among us
By Joel Anderson
15 comments
"While reflecting on the almost unspeakable tragedy at Virginia Tech on Monday, I couldn't help but wonder if our country's obsession with gun possession wasn't a major problem.
No one should be able to buy a gun as easily as they can purchase a car or a stereo or a cell phone. If certain drugs are off-limits to our citizens for their own protection, why wouldn't guns merit the same sort of restrictions? We apparently need to protect ourselves from ourselves more than ever. Rolling back some of our gun rights would be a good place to start."

Sept. 13: Ode to Kanye, Verse 2
By Donecia Pea
15 comments
"Yes, he’s known for throwing the occasional public tantrum and saying whatever’s on his mind (i.e. “George Bush doesn't care about black people.) But have you ever really listened to his lyrics?
They’re clever, gritty, humorous and at times relatable.
In case you hadn’t figured it out yet by our blog posts and comments, Kanye has quite the fan base here with some of us Link222 bloggers.
It was difficult to do, but we picked out at least 10 of our all-time favorite Kanye lyrics as well as 10 of our all-time favorite songs."

June 3: Bad Service
By Melinda Williams
14 comments
"At the end of meal, everyone got their checks. Into the little check-credit card holder thingamabob, I slipped at $10 bill to settle up my $4.35 tab. What I got back was a $5 bill -- that's it. The waiter had kept my 65 cents! I would've just asked him for it (not that I should need to considering it's my money) but I had to go back to work. But what he did really, REALLY aggravated me and I remembered his name, so I wrote him a note basically saying that I didn't appreciate what he did and had he not done that, he would have gotten a slightly better tip."

May 1: The final frontier: Help!
By Donecia Pea
14 comments
"Ok, so I haven't fully joined the 21st century yet in terms of technology. As hip as I like to think I still am, there's still one frontier I haven't reached – the land of the mp3 player."

Oct. 5: Missing a meal or two or three
By Joel Anderson
14 comments
"I was only back home for a couple days and I definitely couldn't eat everywhere that I wanted to. Man, if only I could have brought a few of those places back with me to Bossier.
Couldn't we use a PF Chang's? Or a Pappadeaux's (I know my friend Nishia is feeling me on this one)? What about places like Chipotle, Pappasito's, The Aquarium, Black Walnut Cafe?"

March 16: Serial adopters trying to save the world
By Ashley Northington
12 comments
"I had to choke back chunks of vomit when I read Angelina Jolie had adopted her third child. Sorry to be so graphic here but I just don't get it. It's Jolie's right to adopt whoever she chooses but this trend of adopting overseas is annoying at best. Madonna, Mia Farrow, and even Josephine Baker come to mind when I think of the cheesy, "We are the world", rainbow and cookie-cutter families. Maybe these people have good intentions but it seems as if Jolie is working hard to become the poster child for the serial adopters. She's making me sick."

Nov. 7: CNN no news updates
By Diane Haag
12 comments
"CNN Breaking News: 'Britney Spears files for divorce from her husband Kevin Federline, citing irreconcilable differences.' First of all, didn't we all know that was coming? And secondly, since when does that (I refuse to call it "news") deserve to be urgently shipped to my inbox with headlines such as Saddam Hussein's death sentence or a plane crash in New York?"