Commentary by Val

Friday Flashback: Sharon Brown

2011-08-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is a classic dance cut from 1982! Enjoy!

A sleepless night and a great cover

2011-08-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

For some reason I couldn't sleep last night. So I decided I would listen to some music. I listened to a bunch of radio stations throughout the night and at about 5am I tuned my local Pacifica station. And right at the top of the hour they played one of the best cover songs I have ever heard. It's Al Green's classic Let's Stay Together covered by Tuck & Patti.. Check it out and let me know what you think! And now I think I'm going to try and get a couple of hours sleep.

Amy Winehouse (September 14, 1983 – July 23, 2011)

2011-07-23T10:52:00.001-07:00

Wow, is what I thought when I read the headline 'Amy Winehouse Found Dead'. I'm not sure why since I think most of us saw it coming. Maybe I was surprised because I had become used to Amy being the butt of jokes in the media. And when someone is considered a joke they are dehumanized. So despite the fact that the writing was on the wall with regard to Amy's untimely death most people, myself included, didn't really process how serious her drug problems were. That even after seeing the evidence of her problem as recently as a few weeks ago when video of Amy performing under the influence showed up in the media. Again, there wasn't much sympathy just more jokes.

So if there is a lesson in this I think it might be that we should not allow the media to dehumanize us simply for a jokes sake. Amy was a deeply troubled person. That's how she should have been viewed. Not as a joke. Had she been then maybe the outside pressure would have helped her to get the help she needed.

In the end she may have begun to see herself through the lens of her celebrity. If so imagine how sad it must have been for her to feel like a joke. And if that was the case then this is a tragedy that we all may have had a small part in by consuming but not pushing back against that kind of media.

The Royal Wedding!!!!

2011-04-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

(What Royal wedding did you think I was talking about? Ha!)

I'm still around. I guess I'm on an extended blogging break. Mainly I'm waiting for my blogging mojo to return. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing okay. I hope no one has been affected by the crazy weather in the mid-west and south.

I'll stop by your blogs soon! Take care.

Happy, Happy, Happy 30th Birthday Alicia!!!!!!

2011-01-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Baby Alicia

Teen Alicia

Alicia at the very beginning of her career. I have this as a framed poster.

Alicia Keys turns 30 years old today! Alicia has been my favorite singer for a very long time and except for a little tiff I had with her about something that I won't go into now, I absolutly adore her and think that beside being a stunning beauty she is a true talent.

Happy birthday Alicia!

Does African American mean anything?

2011-01-21T00:03:00.000-08:00

President Barack Obama is constantly in the news these days. He seems to take up a lot of space in the blogisphere and in the corporate media. Much of what's been said about him recently has concerned race as this past week the nation remembered the life of Dr. Martin Luther King.

One thing that I've noticed that continues to bother me concerning race and the President is that he is almost universally referred to as African American by bloggers and corporate media. This makes me wonder if the term African American really means anything or is it just a simple descriptor meaning Black?

For me the term African American refers to Black people that belong to a particular ethnic heritage. I've always thought that African Americans are descendants of Black Americans who were both enslaved in this country and those who suffered under Jim Crow.

The President is a direct descendant of an African man from Kenya. None of the President's ancestors suffered enslavement in this country. Although it can be said that his father briefly lived under the thumb of Jim Crow laws when he was a student in the late 50's here in the U.S.

So I do not think of the President as being the first African American President. Being African American, in my opinion, is not about simply being Black. It's about a cultural heritage rooted in the atrocity that enslavement was in this country and then being forced to live as second class citizens after slavery was outlawed.

The President is indeed Black but his particular ethnic heritage is different from most Black Americans. He has no direct blood ties to enslavement except that his wife is African American.

Am I the only one who cringes when Barack Obama is referred to as being African American?

Hopefully at some point the distinction between being Black and being African American will be more clear to people in general. In the meantime I hope that at least the decedents of people who were enslaved in this country will make the distinction for themselves.

What do you think?

P.S. I'll post about my vacation soon. It was really nice. ;-)

Happy birthday Aaliyah and Sade!

2011-01-16T08:38:00.000-08:00

So, somehow I have never realized that two of my favorite singers have the same birthday. It truly boggles my mind that I didn't know that Aaliyah and Sade share today as their birthdays. Aaliyah was born on this day in 1979, she would have been 32 today. And Sade was born on this day in 1959.

So today I remember Aaliyah and all of the music that she left us and celebrate Sade and all of the music that she is still giving us.

Happy birthday Aaliyah and Sade!

Lady T

2010-12-27T09:37:00.000-08:00

I'm not back from my blogging break yet but I woke to the sad news this morning that R&B songstress Teena Marie died yesterday at just 54 years-old. What an incredible loss. Teena Marie was a unique and powerful presence in music. But she has left behind her legacy of amazing music for us to enjoy.

Lady T will definitely be missed.

Read more about Teena Marie here

Hitting the road and Brandy was robbed!

2010-11-17T00:01:00.001-08:00

My fiancee and I are going to be taking a nice and well deserved vacation. We are going to do a little traveling! We are going by train and as some of you know I love traveling by train, even Amtrak.

Yippee!

My fiancee isn't as enthusiastic about trains as I am but I'm going to make sure she has a wonderful time so she'll begin to love train travel as much as I do so that we can do this again and again. (keeping my fingers crossed)

So I will be taking a break from blogging for a bit.

I don't celebrate Thanksgiving but I'd like to wish those of you who do and everyone else a warm and safe holiday filled with love and good times!

But before I go.

Brandy (Norwood) was voted off ABC's Dancing With The Stars last night. What a travesty! I wasn't an avid watcher of the show but I saw enough to know that what's-her-name Palin, Sarah's daughter, was not a better dancer than Brandy. In fact Brandy was about 100x better. But there was a conspiracy, apparently the Tea Party set up a website to show Tea Party people how to vote for what's-her-name. And looks like it worked. This show is a sham. Last time Mya lost to some dude named Donny Osmond and now this?!

That's it for now, talk with you soon.

Photo de Jour: Same ish, different year

2010-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

This photo of a Black man was taken in 1935 but it could have been taken today as the unemployment rate for African Americans remains at twice that of the general population.

Some things just never change.

Japanese electronics company Toshiba thinks women are bitches and hoes

2010-11-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

T-Pain/ Toshiba TV commercial

Have you heard that rapper T-Pain, real name Faheem Rasheed Najm, now has an endorsement deal with Japanese Electronics company Toshiba? That's right, the rapper, whose lyrics are below, is now representing a supposedly reputable Japanese electronics company. The T-Pain/ Toshiba TV spot can be seen above.

Lyrics from T-Pain's song Mr. Downtown

Bust it open. Ca-ca-call call me Inspector gadget go-go dick.
Up and down on the hoe, like a pogo stick.
Go stupid, retarded but don't go sick.
Don't put me on the couch like its 106.
(gasp!) now its hard to breath.
if i fuck her on the floor I can call it shag carpeting. (get it?)
and shes a freaky thing. if i ever wrote song about her it'll be hard to sing.
she got my, tongue tied ima give her the noose.
triple cider apple phone. gotta bitch gettin loose.

It seems to me that Toshiba is saying loud and clear that they are no longer interested in having women as their customers. What else can one think when a company hires a man to represent them who makes his living referring to women as bitches and hoes?

I won't ever be buying any Toshiba products. I don't do business with companies that hire misogynists to represent them. Nor with companies that think that women are bitches and hoes as Toshiba obviously does.

Sometimes there is a price to pay for your associations. Maybe not a big price, losing one customer for a lifetime, but a price none-the-less.

Verses by Val - Kick and Punch and Fight

2010-11-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Kick and Punch and Fight by Val

Being depressed is like being in a box
Everything is dark and still and tight
There's no air
The only way out is to kick and punch and fight

But the harder you kick and punch and fight the smaller the box becomes

That's when you realize that you have to breathe
You have to relax
You have to visualize your freedom

Then you feel the box fall away
You see the light
You feel the rush of fresh air

It's gone again
For now

I'll be ready the next time
I'll remember to breathe
To relax

But I'm sure I'll kick and punch and fight

Flashback Friday: Donell Jones featuring Left Eye - U Know What's Up

2010-11-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

People always seem to forget Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes when discussing the greatest rappers of all-time. She has one of the best flows ever. She definitely makes this song.

Beautifulness: AK in Vogue Italia

2010-11-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a shoot Alicia Keys did for the November Vogue Italia magazine. I love these shots they're very unique. And Alicia looks astoundingly beautiful as always!

I like this shot the best.

Spelman tops Harvard and MIT!

2010-11-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Jonecia Keels and Jazmine Miller

Spelman College students Jonecia Keels and Jazmine Miller are both Spelman College students who competed against colleges such as Harvard and MIT to design a mobile learning application and won. I love it that students from an Historically Black College won this challenge especially since some people think that HBCU's are sub-par and no longer a vital part of Black America.

--------------------------------

"AT&T is pleased to announce that Jonecia Keels and Jazmine Miller of Spelman College, a historically black liberal arts college for women, have won the 2010 AT&T Big Mobile on Campus ChallengeSM with their next generation e-learning mobile application, HBCU Buddy.

HBCU Buddy is a mobile application created to educate and inform users, including both prospective and current college students, about Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) across the United States. It is a fully-fledged mobile service application that provides detailed information about each and every HBCU in the nation and integrates all facets of college life."

"Jonecia Keels and Jazmine Miller were recognized and awarded a $10,000 scholarship (divided between them) and a mobile device of their choice each at the Higher Ed Board of Advisors Meeting in Miami, Florida, on October 7, 2010."

Black dysfunction porn

2010-11-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Dysfunction Pimp?

So there's a lot of talk about Tyler Perry's latest film, "For Colored Girls". I haven't seen it nor do I plan to. Truth is I've never seen a TP film. I'm just not into Black dysfunction porn. That's what all of his films are about, aren't they, Black dysfunction.

I'm a believer in self-fulfilling prophecies. And I think all of these images of Black dysfunction serve to brainwash many of us into believing that dysfunction is not only normal but the norm in Black lives moreso than for other people. And once we begin to believe this then it's easy to internalize and act out the dysfunction we see portrayed in the media.

So rather than art imitating life, life begins to imitate art.

Five songs

2010-11-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

You are going to be on a deserted island, alone, for three months and can take only 5 songs along on your ipod. What are they?

My 5 would be;

01. Diary - Alicia Keys
02. Maureen - Sade
03. Amazing Grace - Meryl Streep
04. Somewhere In My Lifetime - Phyllis Hyman
05. A Love Supreme/ Part 2: "Resolution" - John Coltrane

500!

2010-11-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is my 500th post! I'd like to thank everyone who reads my blog. I'd especially like to thank everyone who takes the time to comment on my blog posts. Comments are food for my blog, without them it would starve.

Thanks very much!

Fall back, Yo!

2010-11-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour tonight. Daylight Savings Time begins tomorrow.

Verses by Val - Countermeasures

2010-11-05T00:03:00.000-07:00

Countermeasures

They attack us
They mock us
They measure us by the sum of our body parts
They examine our hair like its from another planet
They use us in their lyrics calling us out of our names

We learn
We love
We grow
We fight
We remember

They dissect us
They reduce us to numbers
They abandon us
They kick us when we're down
They laugh at our tears

We see
We hear
We nurture
We heal
We win

Flashback Friday: Jermaine Stewart - We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes off

2010-11-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

William Jermaine Stewart (September 7, 1957 – March 17, 1997)was born in Columbus, Ohio, to parents Ethel M. and Eugene Stewart, the family moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1972, where Stewart took his first steps toward a career in entertainment.

Eventually he gained recognition as a dancer on the nationally syndicated TV show Soul Train. He became a backing vocalist and dancer for R&B/disco group Shalamar, and a few years later he recorded backing vocals for Culture Club's 1983 album Colour by Numbers. As a result of this, the group helped him land a recording contract with Arista Records. - Wikipedia

Professor Obama got his ass kicked and seems okay with it

2010-11-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

President Obama held a press conference yesterday. He was his usual reasonable and conciliatory self. This on the day after he and his Party got an historic ass kicking by the Tea Party and Republicans.

He sounded like a Harvard law professor.

This Professor Obama stuff really needs to stop if he wants to avoid having a failed presidency. The American people, most anyway, don't like reasonable people. The reason they don't like reasonable people is that in order to deal with a reasonable person you must be reasonable in return and also you are required to think.

Americans, for the most part, are not reasonable. And more importantly most Americans do not like to think. Americans like to be told what to think. Why do you think Fox (cough) News, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are so popular. It's because they tell their followers what to think. They never leave it up to their followers to figure stuff out on their own.

Do you remember all of those Tea Party town hall meetings where Tea Party followers believed that the President's Health-Care Reform was going to include death panels? There were no death panels but those people believed that there were death panels because that's what the Republicans told them to believe.

Did you know that 58% of people who voted yesterday want the Health-Care Reform Bill to be repealed? It's true. Can you imagine people wanting the same old health-care system that we've had in this country? Sounds crazy but the Republicans told them what to think.

So now the President needs to tell Americans what to think. He needs to tell them the truth about Health-Care reform. He needs to tell them to support Health-Care reform. And that if they are against it they are against their own best interests.

He needs to tell them that Bush and the Republicans are responsible for the economic meltdown. If he continues to act like he was at the helm for the last 10 years then he's done.

He also needs to tell Americans that now that the Republicans run the House that absolutely nothing is going to get done in the next two years. And he needs to tell Americans that it will not be the fault of Democrats.

The President has two years to change his image. If he doesn't then yesterday's election results will be repeated in 2012. Obama has to stand up and fight. He has to let his opponents know that he is the President and he will lead this country.

A power vacuum exists in Washington and that's why the Tea Party/ Republicans were able to take control of the House. And that vacuum exists because the President is afraid to anger anyone. Yet all he's done is anger everyone. No one respects a wimp, no one. Not even other wimps. If the President wants to be successful then he needs to stand-up.

Photo(s) de Jour: Jean-Michel Basquiat

2010-11-03T00:01:00.001-07:00

Jean-Michel Basquiat (December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist and the first artist of African descent to become an international art star. His career in art began as a graffiti artist in New York City, and in the 1980s produced Neo-expressionist painting. Basquiat died due to a heroin overdose on August 12, 1988, at the age of 27. - Wikipedia

I feel as though Basquiat challenged us to understand his art.

Crappy celebrations, Sade, Chicago, backpacks, Sarah Palin, Tyler Perry and what time is it?

2010-11-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Baseball's World Series celebration is pitiful...no confetti...no on field celebration...nothing....but I'm glad the Giants won.

I guess every fall there's going to be a film about how pitiful Black women's lives are...last year it was Precious adapted from the book PUSH and this year it's Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls adapted from the play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf... What's next?... The Color Purple prequel?...

I'm so happy the election is here...I was going crazy having to see political commercial after political commercial on TV... They are so annoying...

Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday...I wish the government would leave time alone...It's a pain re-setting the time twice a year...

Huge crowds of people scare me...but I'm going to have to get over it because there are a few people I want to see in concert...like Sade, Marsha Ambrosius and Esperanza Spalding...

I almost always carry a backpack...I find most handbags awkward to carry...but as I'm getting older I think I need to start carrying handbags more...

I'm feeling the urge to go back to school...but for something totally unrelated to work...like cartography...

I'm really crushing on Chicago...I visited there a couple of years ago...And now I just can't get that city out of my mind...

I'm only a very casual football fan...but I predict that the Tennessee Titans will make it to the SuperBowl...Ha!..I can't believe I just made a SuperBowl prediction...

I'm trying to convince myself that Sarah Palin's voice isn't annoying...just in case I have to listen to it in 2012...

Dumbass Democrats, lying-ass Republicans

2010-11-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Well the Republicans are about to take over Congress after being out of power for just two years and after having been in power for eight of the last ten years. The economic disaster that this country is experiencing is without a doubt due to their economic policies.

Bush and the Republicans grew the government and increased government spending like never before and yet somehow the Republicans have apparently convinced a huge number of Americans that the economic meltdown is the fault of the Democrats.

That is partly due to most Americans being unable to think logically and partly due to the Democrats being brain dead.

If most Americans could think logically they'd be laughing like crazy at the lies Republicans are telling while voting the Republicans that are already in office out on the street. I mean how unbelievable is it that the Republicans are talking about the government being too big when they grew the government? And yet there are millions of Americans who are buying that nonsense hook, line and sinker.

And yes, the Democrats are brain dead. If they collectively had any sort of normal brain activity they would have been blaming the Republicans for the economy for the last two years. Every time a Democrat spoke they should have mentioned George Bush and his deficit.

But they didn't do that. They just sat around patting themselves on the back because they won control of Congress and the Senate.

Wall Street is going to throw a party on Wednesday

The Republicans are going to be a disaster once they take over. They are going to reward the rich for being rich with tax breaks and all sorts of goodies. Meanwhile they will cut all sorts of programs that help middle-class and poor Americans.

So, buckle-up folks we're about to fly through some serious turbulence. Unless of course you happen to be rich.

Sunday Music: Esperanza Spalding - Overjoyed

2010-10-31T00:03:00.000-07:00

Adorableness!

2010-10-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Parents Mia and Rozonno McGhee with Isaac, Rozonno Jr., Josiah, Elijah, Madison and Olivia.

I stopped by Curvy Gurl Chronicles and read her post about these adorable babies. They are the McGhee sextuplets and were born on June 9, 2010. If you'd like to read more about them check out their Facebook page here.

Six babies require a lot of food, diapers and other stuff so if you'd like to help them you can at their Facebook page. And as Curvy Gurl says in her post, we all know these kids aren't getting the same attention that certain other babies would get.

Photo de Jour: Alicia Keys est l'amour

2010-10-29T00:03:00.001-07:00

This would be great as album cover art.

Flashback Friday: Jade - Don't Walk Away

2010-10-29T00:01:00.001-07:00

Jade was an R&B group active during the early to mid 1990s. The group consisted of Tonya Kelly, Joi Marshall, and Di Reed. During their brief yet successful career, Jade released two studio albums, one live album, and a string of popular R&B singles. - Wikipedia

WTF Files: Why do baseball coaches wear uniforms?

2010-10-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ron Washington, the coach of the Texas Rangers

Can you imagine Phil Jackson, the coach of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers sitting on the bench in a Lakers uniform? How about an NFL coach standing on the sidelines wearing a football uniform and a helmet? Or better yet a NHL coach wearing a hockey outfit?

Can't imagine any of that can you? Why, because it would be silly if they did. So why then do baseball coaches wear uniforms? They look re-damn-diculous!

Wouldn't Laker coach Phil Jackson, above, look weird in a basketball uniform?

Go Giants!

Obscure Heroes: Before Rosa Parks there was Octavius Catto

2010-10-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia

Octavious Catto fought fearlessly for the desegregation of Philadelphia’s trolley car system. The May 18, 1865 issue of the New York Times ran a story discussing the civil disobedience tactics employed by Catto as he fought for civil rights:

Philadelphia, Wednesday, May 17—2 P. M.

Last evening a colored man got into a Pine-street passenger car, and refused all entreaties to leave the car, where his presence appeared to be not desired. The conductor of the car, fearful of being fined for ejecting him, as was done by the Judges of one of our courts in a similar case, ran the car off the track, detached the horses, and left the colored man to occupy the car all by himself. The colored man still firmly maintains his position in the car, having spent the whole of the night there. The conductor looks upon the part he enacted in the affair as a splendid piece of strategy. The matter creates quite a sensation in the neighborhood where the car is standing, and crowds of sympathizers flock around the colored man.

(New York Times, May 18, 1865, p. 5)

"...enlisting the help of US Senators Thaddeus Stevens and William D. Kelley, Catto was instrumental in the passage of a Pennsylvania bill that prohibited segregation on transit systems in the state."

Read more about Octavius Catto here

Are you sleeping on The Good Wife?

2010-10-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

The television drama The Good Wife airs tonight on CBS at 10pm and it is, in my opinion, the only truly good drama on network TV.

The show has an amazingly diverse cast including Anika Noni Rose, Archie Panjabi, Michael Ealy, Joe Morton, Sonequa Martin and Michael Boatman. And the show features very smart storylines. Check it out and let me know if you agree.

Archie Punjabi

Michael Ealy

Anika Noni Rose

Some things that I just don't understand

2010-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Willow Smith

I just don't understand

Why Black people watch Mad Men and then complain when there are no Black people on the show

Black Tea Party members

How PBS became White Supremacist television and why tax payers are still supporting it

Why Jada and Will are trusting their daughter with a misogynist

Why more people can't see that Oprah is a modern day 'mammy'

Why Clarence Thomas is on the Supreme Court

Why track and field isn't more popular in the U.S.

How anyone couldn't respect Nicki Minaj's flow

Why people drink Starbucks coffee

Why Barack Obama is still so popular with African Americans

How any woman singer could tour with R.Kelly

Why it took so long for NPR to fire Juan Williams

How the Democrats could be losing control of Congress after only two years

Why anyone would watch the World Series if the Yankees aren't playing

This post was inspired by this post by Don.

Photo de Jour: Nice Shoes!

2010-10-23T00:01:00.001-07:00

I found these shoes over at one of my favorite fashion blogs, "Allergic To Vanilla". I love them! They are by JC Cheetah.

Are you Black? Do you need a job? Are you willing to say all sorts of racist crap? I've got just the job for you!

2010-10-22T00:03:00.001-07:00

It's a bad economy, we all know that. Jobs are very scarce especially if you are an African American. But there is work if you are willing.

Have you considered becoming a Black conservative?

The pay is great and so are the perks. But you will be required to say some crazy stuff. Like you may be required to talk about how when you fly and are seated near someone who looks all kinds of Muslim-ie how they scare the bejeezus out of you.

Also you will be required to defend the crazy racist stuff that White conservatives say. That's a given.

If you are willing the sky is the limit for you. Just ask Black conservative Juan Williams who talked about his fear of Muslim looking people on Fox (cough) News the other day. Of course those lefty crazies at National Public Radio, with whom Williams was employed as a news analyst, fired him because of those remarks. But who cares because on the same day that he was fired he got a big attaboy from Fox when they signed him to a multi-year deal reportedly worth a little over 2 million dollars. Not too shabby for a days work, right?

If you are so inclined just listen to a few Rush Limbaugh shows, a couple of Glenn Beck shows and at least one Bill O'Reilly show then take a glance at Michelle Malkin's blog and you're ready! Just put on your best business attire and head over to Fox (cough) News and tell them that you are ready to be a resident Black conservative. And wham, you're in!

Anyway, somebody's got to do it so why not you!

Oh and you'll have to just hold your tongue when the Tea Partiers start uncontrollably spouting the N word.

Flashback Friday: De La Soul - Potholes In My Lawn

2010-10-22T00:03:00.000-07:00

Read about De La Soul here

Barack are you listening?

2010-10-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

"Despite Fenty's defiance, his advisers were concerned about the anger toward the mayor that simmered in black neighborhoods." Washington Post

Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty lost the Mayoral Democratic primary recently. His loss can be attributed to a lot of things but one that caught my eye was Fenty's disconnect from his African American constituents. Many African Americans, who supported the soon to be former mayor in the past, voted against him.

According to many Fenty seemed tone-deaf when it came to hearing the concerns of African American constituents. This seems, in my opinion, to mirror President Barack Obama's own tone-deafness to the voices of African Americans.

Could Fenty's loss be an omen of things to come in 2012 for Obama?

Common Sense Val says

2010-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

I was waiting at a bus stop, on Monday, when an older man walked up to me. He said, "Hey little sis, can I get a quarter so I can get on the bus?".

Well I was about to give him a quarter but fortunately common sense Val intervened. She said, "Hey non-thinking Val, that fool is actually talking on a cell phone while he begs a quarter from you! If he can afford to have a cell phone he ought to be able to pay his own bus fare!".

So I said no. He walked away. Once the bus arrived I noticed that he didn't even use money to get on the bus, he used a transfer.

Thank you common sense Val!

Please stop by and say hi to my blog sis

2010-10-19T00:01:00.001-07:00

Please stop by my blog sister Desertflower's blog, "A Woman" and send your good wishes and prayers her way as she is fighting a serious illness. Thanks!

Thank you so much, Lin, Mizrepresent, Liam, Jason, Nellie, Penny Wize! :-)

WTF Files: Tip goes back to the hoosegow

2010-10-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Stupid is as stupid does and rapper/ actor T.I., also known as Tip, whose government name is Clifford Harris is a perfect example of that saying. This past Friday T.I. was sentenced by a Federal judge to go back to jail for 11 months for violating the terms of his release on a gun possession conviction. This after he and his (cough) wife were stopped by police in Los Angeles and found to have drugs in his possession a few weeks ago.

Tip is lucky I wasn't the judge. I would have just sent him to prison for life and saved law enforcement, the judicial system and the penal system a lot of time and paperwork. That's because this will not be his last time in lock-up.

When he's released, at some point, he'll find another reason to be sent back to jail. I suppose some people just like jail. Maybe it's the food? Or maybe they like the company? Or the prison attire?

All I know is I've never been to prison. It hasn't really been hard not going to prison. In fact I've never even had to conscientiously say to myself that I'm going to stay out of prison. I've just sort of naturally stayed out.

So when a person goes in and out of jail I have to assume that they've made a conscience decision to be an inmate. And if people like T.I. or Lil' Wayne or Lindsey Lohan really want to be locked up then we as a society have a duty to lock their stupid asses up! And not just for a few days or months either.

Anyway, like I said Tip is an idiot.

Then and Now: Alicia Keys plus Alicia has a baby

2010-10-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

Alicia as a baby with her mom

Alicia at 18

Alicia now

According to news reports Alicia gave birth to a baby boy on October 14. She and her music producer husband have named their son, "Egypt". Congratulations to Alicia!

Is this Nicki Minaj's new album cover?

2010-10-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Supposedly this is the album cover for Nicki's upcoming release (Pink Friday on November 22) but in the past album art has been leaked to the internet that turned out not to be the real album art. If this is her album art I love it! It's just so Nicki!

Do you like it?

Flashback Friday: Chubb Rock - Treat'em Right

2010-10-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Chubb Rock whose real name is Richard Simpson was born on May 28, 1968 in Jamaica, W.I. and is a New York-based rapper who released several commercially successful hip hop albums in the early 1990s. A former National Merit Scholar, Chubb Rock was a pre-med student who dropped out of Brown University to pursue his musical career. - From Wikipedia

A Verse by Val - Just a Laugh

2010-10-14T00:03:00.000-07:00

Some people laugh because they see or hear something funny,
Some people laugh when they are nervous,
Some people laugh out of politeness,
Some people laugh out of deference,
Some people laugh out of defiance,
Some people laugh because their mind is playing tricks on them,
and some people laugh just before they kick your ass.

Marshall Mathers attacked because he's White?

2010-10-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

Rapper/ lyricist Marshall Mathers known professionally as Eminem was interviewed on the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes this past Sunday. During the interview journalist Anderson Cooper asked the rapper about his misogynist and homophobic lyrics and the media controversies surrounding the lyrics. Eminem's response was,“I felt like I was being singled out, and I felt like, is it the color of my skin?”

Eminem then went on to say, “There’s certain rappers that do and say the same things that I’m saying, and I don’t see no one saying anything about that.”

There's something to what Eminem says. The mainstream media has and continues to embrace rappers like 50 cent and Jay z despite their blatantly misogynistic and homophobic lyrics. And although the mainstream media mostly treats both 50 and Jay like idiot savants they continue to exult them. Jay Z was recently on the cover of Forbes magazine for instance.

But the mainstream media has never taken 50 nor Jay z to task for their hate lyrics the way Eminem was. Could it be that 50 and Jay z are referring or it's assumed they are referring to Black women and it's assumed that Eminem is referring to White women?

Yep.

So while it's perfectly okay, in the opinion of the mainstream media, for 50 and Jay to disparage Black women they were not going to sit by and let Eminem do the same to White women. We all know that White women are historically the most protected group in America while Black women are the least. Then is it any wonder that there was a media dust-up over Eminem's perceived attack on White womanhood while Black rapper's attacks on Black women were just seen as normal?

I think Eminem was right. I do think he was attacked by the mainstream media because of Whiteness but not because of his. He was attacked because his misogyny was aimed at White women. And that is not acceptable in America.

Eminem should have known better. If he had attacked Black women the mainstream media wouldn't have said a single word about it.

Obama says to Black voters: Do not ask what I can do for you, ask what you can do for me!

2010-10-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

President Obama has been ignoring African American voters since the day he took office but no more. Now he's remembered that we exist. Why? Because it's time to get us out there to vote in the mid-term elections, that's why.

"Head to your beauty shops and your barber shops, and spread the word", the President told a group of African American voters in Philadelphia recently.

And we all know that the only places that African Americans hangout are beauty shops and barber shops, right.

Isn't it amazing that when Obama speaks in front of groups other than African Americans he tells them what he will do for them but every single time Obama speaks in front of an African American audience he is always asking us for something or worse, telling us to do something.

I learned long ago that people who are always asking for something from you but don't ever seem to be able to return the favor are just dead weight in your life. Barack Obama has become dead weight in the lives of African Americans.

During non-election times Obama is adept at ignoring or belittling the needs of African American voters. The President talks about unemployment to White voters but refuses to acknowledge the higher than the general population unemployment rates among some groups of African Americans.

Obama never seems to have anything for African American voters and yet he breaks his neck trying to assure White voters that he's keyed into their needs. The President never misses an opportunity to make promises to groups of White voters and never misses an opportunity to ignore African American voters concerns.

African Americans and in particular African American women have suffered disproportionately in the mortgage meltdown and yet it's Whites who have lost their homes that the President seems to focus on.

Remember Mrs. Velma Hart?

The President made sure that White farmers in Missouri got over a billion dollars in aid this past summer while Black farmers who are owed billions by the government didn't get a cent. In 2009 Obama took funding away from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and in 2010 gave it back. And I suppose we were supposed to ignore the fact that HBCU's gained nothing in all of that and are in fact still underfunded?

And when it comes to education policy for public schools Obama hired Arne Duncan who ran one of the worst public schools systems in America in Chicago and since Obama has done nothing but talk about firing teachers. And the teachers who he is ready to fire are mostly African American women who teach in failing inner city school systems.

And do I have to remind you of the list of Black people Obama has fired from his administration?

But forget all of that, it's election time and Obama needs us to get out to vote for those wonderful Democrats. According to polls quite a few incumbent Democrats will have a fight on their hands in November. And trust me if they didn't have a hard way to go to re-election Obama would not even be speaking to African American audiences. He's desperate and that's why he's coming calling.

Well many of us are desperate too. The unemployment rate in many Black communities is double the White unemployment rate. Many of our schools are failing. Many of our communities are ridden with crime and despair. Many of us are lacking basic health-care despite the Presidents fancy new health-care bill.

So it seems to me that when President Obama comes knocking on our collective door that we should treat him like the friend that is always asking for something but is never there when we need something.

Don't answer the door.

Columbus Day?

2010-10-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

Sade announces 2011 tour dates

2010-10-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Sade has announced that she and her band will be touring next year! Tickets go on sale October 16th. This will be her first tour in 10 years. Her first tour date is June 16, 2011 in Baltimore. See below for additional dates.

I can't wait!

On Sale Sat Oct 16:

Thu Jun 16 - Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena
Tue Jun 28 - Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre

On Sale Mon Oct 18:

Tue Jun 21 - Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
Fri Jun 24 - East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center
Wed Jul 06 - Boston, MA TD Garden
Fri Aug 05 - Chicago, IL United Center
Fri Aug 19 - Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
Tue Aug 30 - Anaheim, CA Honda Center

Additional dates will be announced in the following markets soon: Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Calgary, AB; Cleveland, OH; Dallas, TX; Detroit, MI; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Houston, TX; Kansas City, MO; Las Vegas, NV; Louisville, KY; Memphis, TN; Milwaukee, WI; New Orleans, LA; Oakland, CA; Orlando, FL; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Sacramento, CA; San Diego, CA; San Jose, CA; Seattle, WA; St Louis, MO; St Paul, MN; Vancouver, BC.

More info on concert dates here

Flashback Friday: Joe Public - Live and Learn

2010-10-08T00:03:00.000-07:00

"Joe Public is a new jack swing group from Buffalo, New York. It consisted of lead singer and bass guitarist Kevin Scott, keyboardist and guitarist Jake Carter, percussionist and drummer Dwight "Mr. Dew" Wyatt and lead guitarist Joe "J.R." Sayles. They are best known for their hit single "Live and Learn," which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1992." - Wikipedia

I have a few questions about my blog

2010-10-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

One of my blog friends has been having issues seeing my blog properly. She is seeing a red x above the videos I post. As well some of the things on my sidebar don't look right to her. I haven't seen what she's seeing. So I'm wondering if anyone else is seeing anything 'off' about the way my blog is looking?

Please let me know if things look normal or not, thanks!

I'm posting this video to see if everyone is seeing it normally.

Then and Now: Neneh Cherry

2010-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Neneh at age 23

Neneh today at 46

Read about Neneh here

Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance (1989)

Malika Saada Saar is a real American hero

2010-10-05T00:03:00.000-07:00

Mailika Saada Saar

Remember the big dust-up about Craigslist and their erotic services postings? Did you know that it was a Black woman who finally convinced Craigslist to take their erotic services postings down? Well it was and her name is Malika Saada Saar.

Malika Saada Saar, the founder of The Rebecca Project for Human Rights , is a prisoner's rights activist. The reason that she fought to have Craigslist remove its erotic services postings was because she noticed that a lot of juvenile girls who were in jail had been sold as prostitutes on Craigslist's erotic services board.

So how did she do it?

At first Malika tried to contact Craigslist founder Craig Newmark. When that didn't work her foundation The Rebecca Project for Human Rights bought a half page ad in the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper. Craigslist in located in San Francisco.

In the ad two minor girls describe how they were sold for sex by men who used Craigslist's erotic services board to advertise. One girl who was called "MC" in the ad wrote the following.

“I was first forced into prostitution when I was 11 years old by a 28-year-old man…The man who trafficked me sold many girls my age, his house was called ‘Daddy Day Care.’ All day, me and other girls sat with our laptops, posting pictures and answering ads on Craigslist, he made $1,500 a night selling my body, dragging me to Los Angeles, Houston, Little Rock—and one trip to Las Vegas in the trunk of a car.”

The ads were not enough to move Craigslist to remove the ads. That 's when Saada Saar enlisted the help of U.S. Attorneys General Eric Holder. And once Mr. Holder became involved Craigslist pulled the erotic services board.

It's amazing isn't it that back when this was a big story in the mainstream media Malika wasn't even mentioned. The media likes to try to turn a bunch of people into heroes who don't deserve it. But they have almost ignored Malika who is without a doubt a hero!

Good job, Malika!

Read more about this story here

Nicki Minaj on The Late Show with David Letterman

2010-10-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Nicki Minaj performed on the David Letterman show last night. As soon as I find video of her performance I'll post it. These photos are of her arriving in the rain for the taping. Nicki looks beautiful as always.

Update: As promised, here is video from Nicki's performance last night on Letterman with Will.I.Am.

Does the UN know something that we don't about space aliens?

2010-10-04T00:01:00.002-07:00

The United Nations has named a scientist, Mazlan Othman, a Malaysian scientist, Official UN Alien Spaceship Greeter. Nope, I didn't make that up.

So the question is; does the UN know something that we don't? Has there been some kind of contact made with aliens? Are they on their way?

If there has been no contact and the UN doesn't have any more information about aliens than the general public then I think maybe it's time the UN is disbanded because, well, they're idiots.

And just who does the UN think it is anyway; if aliens actually do come to earth they will come to the United States, right? I mean they always come to the U.S. in the movies. So the President will greet them, right? Ha!

The Sunday Report: The BBC wants to help African American women find a mate

2010-10-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

If you have time please listen to this BBC Radio report. It's about 22 minutes long and is the subject of this post. The BBC report is about the supposed difficulty college educated heterosexual African American women have finding a mate.

The mainstream media it seems is obsessed with this subject. And is it because the mainstream media is concerned about Black woman? Hell no. In my opinion they are simply gloating and promoting the idea of Black pathologies. I mean how many stories on this subject really need to be done when it's the same exact story over and over again?

In this BBC report a reporter at first talks to a Black woman, Renee, who says that she's looking for a professional Black man. In the next segment the reporter talks to a Black guy, named Andre, who says he's a convicted felon. Huh?

So why the hell is this reporter talking to a convicted felon?

The reporter continues in the next segment by talking to some White guy who runs a non-profit that helps ex-convicts. He goes on about how dysfunctional the men he attempts to help are. He even apparently is an expert on Black women as he basically calls Black women goldiggers.

Then inexplicably they set-up Renee on a blind date with the convicted felon, Andre, who has already admitted earlier in the piece that he's unemployed and is currently selling drugs. WTF?

After the supposed blind date the reporter talks with both Renee and Andre. Renee basically calls this guy out for what he is, a dealer. And Andre talks about how much he enjoyed the date and that he hopes that Renee will see him again. But he then, after being prompted to do so by the reporter, goes on to give his thoughts on, "hood sistas". He says that usually after talking with a, "hood sista", for the first time that in his experience they are ready for sex. Why miss an opportunity to put Black women down, right?

Renee of course says that Andre is not for her. That though she understands all of the problems Black men face that she would not want to date Andre as their lifestyles are too different. Wow, big surprise. Did they really have to set this blind date up to figure this out?

Then the piece really goes no where. They talk to a couple of Black women. Oh, and they throw in an incorrect statistic about the number of Black men who marry non-Black women. The reporter says it's 14% of Black married men when actually the figure is about 6%.

Finally at the end of the piece they set Renee up with a professional Black guy, an attorney. Isn't that the kind of guy she said she wanted in the first place?

After the short date Renee says she likes him but she doubts his interest. And she seems right as he says that he always feels as if something better is just around the corner.

Seems to me the BBC reporter went out of her way to prove a point; that educated Black women have a hard time finding a suitable mate. This report might have actually been worthwhile had the reporter gathered several professional Black men and women in a social setting to see what would happen.

But I guess that might expose the fact that there really is no Black pathology involved in this. The truth of the matter is having a hard time finding a mate is just part of being human in a modern world.

Photos by: Cauquil Claude

Saturday Flashback: Prince covers Right On! Magazine (1979)

2010-10-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

Before there was Lenny Kravitz there was Prince.

Favorite Models Series: Fatima Siad

2010-10-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

Fatima Siad is a Somali-Ethiopian American fashion model. She was born (1986) in Somalia and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Fatima placed third on cycle 10 of America’s Next Top Model. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College which is a women's college in Pennsylvania. Fatima also attended New York University briefly.

Fatima is signed with New York Model Management and L.A. Model Management in Los Angeles, Ace Models in Athens, Greece and Ice Models in Milan, Italy.

My wet dream come true: Alicia and Sade together on the same stage live!!!!

2010-10-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

Last night in New York Alicia Keys held the 7th annual Black Ball to benefit her Keep A Child Alive charity. And the high point of the evening was Alicia performing with Sade! The two sang Sade's classic Love Is Stronger Than Pride. Check out the photos and the live performance below.

Friday Quote: Arundhati Roy

2010-10-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

"...To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or to complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget..."

Arundhati Roy, From her book, The Algebra of Infinite Justice

Flashback Friday: Snap! Vs. Chill Rob G

2010-10-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Basically Snap!, which was kind of a fake group, made The Power using stolen samples from Flava Unit rapper Chill Rob G and also Jocelyn Brown. Chill Rob G sued and Snap! re-recorded the song without the samples. Anyway, this whole thing is pretty convoluted but I think that's the gist of it.

Chill Rob G (The Original)

Snap!

The fashion industry: Turning White women into Black women but not really

2010-09-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

Model Constance Jablonski in Blackface

The model in the photo above is Constance Jablonski. She's actually a White woman but for some reason fashion photographer Greg Kadel decided to shoot Constance as a faux-Black woman for a Numero Magazine editorial.

Maybe because there were no Black models available?

Constance Jablonski without Blackface

The fashion industry will continue to do this because there is no actual price to pay. It's not like Black people en mass are going to stop buying designer clothes because of this sort of thing, right?

Anyway this happens at least once a year and sometimes more. So either the fashion industry just doesn't give a damn or the fashion industry just doesn't give a damn.

Twitter Quotes: Keri Hilson

2010-09-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

"People may not tell you how they feel about you, but they always show you. Pay attention."

Keri Hilson - September 27th - 2010

Jesse Jackson, Jr's Tiger Woods/ Harold Ford, Jr. moment

2010-09-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

Jesse Jackson, Jr. and wife Sandi, who is on the Chicago City Council

Apparently a scandal has broken out in Chicago politics. Not the first time to be sure. This time the scandal involves one of the best known names in the Civil Rights movement, Jackson. Reverend Jesse Jackson's first born son Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Giovanna Huidobro

It seems that Jesse Jr. has had an extramarital affair. And what makes it worse to some people of Chicago is that said affair was Tiger Woods style with a blond waitress/ model named Giovanna Huidobro.

Harold Ford, Jr. and wife

In 2010 so-called interracial relationships are no big deal in general but in politics it's still the 1960's as far as how many view such relationships. Just ask another Junior, Harold Ford, Jr. His quest for the Senate in Tennessee was ruined, many say, by political ads which spoke of his penchant for blond White women. A lot of people thought those ads were just political dirty tricks southern style until Mr. Ford actually married a blond White woman. And that marriage seemingly ended Harold Ford, Jr's political career in Tennessee. He has now moved to New York and was considering making a run for office there.

Prior to this revelation of Mr. Jackson's affair he was pondering a run for Chicago mayor. He was also fending off allegations that he conspired to try to buy a seat in the Senate from the former Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich.

So this affair, which Jesse Jackson, Jr. has admitted to is just another brick in the wall of problems facing him at the moment which threaten to derail his political career permanently.

But the underlying and more interesting question seems to be would this affair have rocked his political career had the woman been Black or at least of color? I think we all know that America is no where near post-racial. In fact in some ways it seems that we are regressing as a nation when it comes to matters of so-called race. So it's not really a surprise that the racial aspect of Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s affair is being talked about in Chicago.

Nicki Minaj would be better off without Lil' Wayne

2010-09-27T00:03:00.001-07:00

Nicki will cover the October/ November issue of Complex Magazine.

Nicki Minaj is certainly getting her share of the limelight. She has crossed over from being a topic on gossip blogs to being talked about in the mainstream media. That is a major accomplishment for a femcee these days. And unlike Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown she hasn't resorted to using sexually extreme lyrics or getting arrested to get noticed.

I have stated before that I think she is very talented. I just hope that she doesn't let Lil' Wayne and his craziness get in the way of her success. I mean Lil' Wayne doesn't seem like the sort that really likes women beyond having sex with them. So Nicki being associated with him and his label may become problematic over time.

I really love Nicki's style and her flow. She is a unique talent.

It's already going to be hard enough for Nicki as a femcee to maintain a career in an era where commercially successful femcees are almost extinct. So being surrounded by people who are totally unprofessional and criminals, as Lil' Wayne and a few of her label mates are, will not be good for her in the long run.

My hope is that at some point Nicki will break free from Lil' Wayne and his label and sign with a more reputable entertainment company. If she does Nicki just may turn out to be not just one of the top femcees of this decade but one of the top rappers of the decade period.

Anyway, I'm pulling for Nicki. I hope her album, Pink Friday, is a success.

The Sunday Report: Can $100,000,000 make a kid learn?

2010-09-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

This is a long post so please bear with me.

Recently the CEO and founder of the online social network Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg , gave 100 million dollars to the Newark, New Jersey Public Schools. There has been a lot of media hoopla about it from online stories to a big production on this past Friday's Oprah Winfery Show.

So what will 100 million dollars do for Newark Public Schools? Well I suppose they could build a few new schools, fix some old ones, buy text books, hire teachers, buy computers and stuff like that. But will that fix the problems of this inner city/ urban/ mostly Black school system?

No.

Buying a bunch of stuff and building new schools won't fix this or any other troubled schools system. I know this because history tells me so. Money has been thrown at inner city schools for decades now and it has not helped one bit. In fact Newark Public Schools already spends more per student than any other school system in the nation, over 20,000 dollars per student each year.

So what will work?

Well lets go back in time. Back before the so-called integration of public schools in this nation. Back to a time when Black children went to all Black schools. When those schools were short of everything they needed. There were shortages of text books. The facilities were poor and the teachers underpaid.

But something amazing or maybe not so amazing happened at those segregated Black schools. Kids learned. They excelled. Those are the kids that today are of the so-called baby boomer generation that have gone out in the world and done very well for themselves.

So what was the difference that caused kids then do so well and kids today to do so poorly?

Once again we have to look back. We have to look at Black communities before the Civil Rights Movement. Those Black communities were often very prosperous. And even the ones that were not so prosperous were much better off than most inner city communities of today.

In many Black urban communities around the country there were good jobs. Beginning around the time of World War 2 Blacks moved in huge numbers to metropolitan areas around the country. They moved there for well paying jobs in factories that were making all sorts of things for the war effort.

And both African American men and women experienced a great prosperity beginning in this period that extended until the mid 1960's when commercial factories began to move to the suburbs along with Whites during what was called White flight.

As Whites moved to the suburbs and factories with them Blacks were left in the lurch. Unemployment during this period skyrocketed for Blacks. And where there are no jobs crime fills the void. And where there is crime there is violence.

And another little thing was going on as well that kept business out of urban areas. It was called redlining. A practice in which banks would refuse loans to businesses wanting to operate in these urban areas.

So in the 1960's Black kids were no longer living in communities where their parents and neighbors went to work everyday and brought home salaries that could provide for a family. Now they lived in communities where almost no one was working a legitimate job.

These kids now had to deal with homelessness, deal with worrying if the lights would be on or whether there would be heat in winter, deal with worrying about street violence that often entered their homes either through the incarceration of a parent or losing a parent to that violence.

Black kids no longer had the luxury of just focusing on their school work, now they had to focus on very serious issues. Poverty became apart of millions of Black kids lives beginning during this period. And unlike in previous times when Blacks mostly lived in the South being poor in an urban environment was harsh in ways that they had not seen since before World War 2.

In an effort to help inner city Blacks in the 1960's the government expanded what was then known as welfare. This program would offer help in paying rent and buying food. But there was a catch that came along with that help. That catch was that fathers would be pushed out of homes.

One of the stipulations for a family to receive welfare was that there could not be a man present in the home. From the late 1960's until well into the 1980's this would destroy what was left of cohesive Black communities all over the country.

So now the stage was set for inner city Black kids to become the poster children for academic underachievement.

Nothing much has changed in many urban areas of the country. In most of these communities the unemployment rate was high before the current recession and has become astoundingly high since.

So when a Black kid in Newark goes to school can they focus on school like their more affluent mostly White counterparts in the burbs?

We all know the answer to that. No, they can't. Kids in most of these communities are more concerned with making it to and from school in one piece. They are constantly tempted by the drug trade and other illegal enterprises. They have to deal with drug addicted parents. They have to deal with incarcerated parents. Or parents that are just absent.

Many inner city Black kids are already suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder by the time the reach first grade.

So how can we expect kids to learn in environments like this?

We can't and we shouldn't. In order to fix urban public schools we have to look outside of those schools to the communities in which they exist. We have to fix broken parents and families. We have to bring jobs into these communities so that parents can work. We have to get rid of the crime that infests these communities.

If and when we do that then Black kids in inner cities around this country will have a fighting chance to do well in school. But if all we do is talk about firing teachers and throwing more money at schools then we will see Black kids continue to fail in large numbers.

So in my opinion if Mark Zuckerberg really wants to make a difference with his 100 million dollars he could do so by using it to create jobs for the parents of the kids in Newark Public Schools. He could help by using that money for counseling for drug addicted parents and parents with criminal records. He could use that money to get drug dealers off of corners by hiring them too.

If Mr. Zuckerberg and other well meaning billionaires and the government did this then Newark Public Schools would be transformed and so would the lives of the kids who attend them.

But what do I know.

Zoë's dad's style

2010-09-25T00:03:00.000-07:00

Lenny Kravitz in NYC this week

When I first saw this photo of Zoë Kravitz' rocker dad Lenny I thought, WTF. But then after giving his clothing choices more thought I had a different reaction. I thought that is really cool that he is so comfortable in his own skin that he wears what he wants to wear without worrying what others will think.

We all should be so well adjusted that we could live our lives sans worry about what others are thinking. I mean he's not doing anything wrong. He's not bothering anyone nor breaking any laws. He's just wearing clothing that one might assume only a woman would wear. So what's the problem with that? Nothing I say as long as he feels comfortable.

Now if he would just grow his cool 'fro back.

Friday Quote: Staceyann Chin

2010-09-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

"Every day I get better at knowing that it is not a choice to be an activist; rather, it is the only way to hold on to the better parts of my human self. It is the only way I can live and laugh without guilt." - Staceyann Chin

Flashback Friday: Amazulu - Montego Bay

2010-09-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Eddie Long is a hypocritical, lying, pedophile (allegedly)

2010-09-23T00:03:00.001-07:00

Cry Eddie Cry!

Wednesday's lawsuit, filed in DeKalb County, Georgia, State Court, was brought on behalf of Jamal Parris, now 23, who was a teenager at the time he joined Long's church.

The suit, which claims Long encouraged Parris to call him "Daddy," also names the church and a youth academy as defendants.

Believe it or not sometimes evil people do get their comeuppance. And Bishop Eddie Long is an example of just that. Long is the biggest gay bashing preacher in this country and has been for quite some time. And now we find out that Long has been chasing young men for years.

The suit, also filed by attorney B.J. Bernstein, claims Long engaged in sexual acts with Parris. The young man eventually became a church employee and served as personal assistant to Long and traveled with him, the suit says. The pastor continued to engage in sexual activity with Parris and gave him money, trips and gifts, the suit says.

Three lawsuits have been filed alleging that Bishop Eddie Long had sexual relations with at least three young men on several occasions over several years. They suits also claim that Long took the young men, some were teens, on trips and bought them lavish gifts.

All of this was going on while the Bentley driving, private plane flying Bishop Eddie Long was making life hell for gays and lesbians with his hate speech from the pulpit of his mega-church the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta area.

So now all of those idiots in Long's mega-church know that their tithes have been going to a man who is nothing more than a alleged pedophile. Religion it seems is the perfect place for evil people to take advantage of weak people.

I hope that Bishop Eddie Long ends-up where he belongs and that is in hell with all of the other pedophiles and thieves. In the meantime it's likely his parishioners will make a way for him to stay exactly where he is, in the pulpit, and continue to give him their money like the good lemmings that they are.

Maybe Eddie Long should have been a Catholic priest, he would fit right in.

No Wedding No Womb?

2010-09-22T00:03:00.000-07:00

So there's a new movement now online to combat out-of-wedlock births. It's called No Wedding No Womb. The online movement begins today throughout the Black blogisphere.

I'm not sure how this will be received or if it will gain enough exposure to make a difference but nothing beats a fail like a try, right?

You can see a list of bloggers who are participating in this post at Gina's blog as well as an interesting discussion in the comments.

No Wedding No Womb even has a theme song. Check it out below.

No Wedding No Womb Theme Song! by LJpress

Here are they lyrics to the theme song:

No Wedding No Womb

© 2010 by Lorraine Spencer
Inspired by Christelyn Karazin
Performed by Kyndra
Composer Brian Alexander Morgan
Executive Producer N. Maurice Williams
Producer/Manager Leland Sharpe

I know you want it, but no wedding no womb.
I know you want it, but no wedding no womb.

I look around and I see a tragedy
Happening to the children of our community
Answer me this
Can seventy percent be something we can fix?
I say yes it is.

Now think about (what you’re asking me to do)
It might feel good to you (so good but we will lose)
When we have a child with no security
We choose (woh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh)

I know you want it, but no wedding no womb
I won’t be a baby mama cuz I got my rules
I told ya no wedding no womb

I know you want it, but no wedding no womb
I deserve marriage if your love is true
Until then no wedding no womb

Now go on get your stuff (get your stuff) as you hit the door
A lesson hard and tough I gave in before
Now my little girl
Wants her father
He’s not here unfair to her
(Responsibility)
Responsibility
Falls on only me
Two parent home is always best
I’ll never again fail this test
That’s one thing that you can bet (woh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh)

I know you want it, but no wedding no womb
I won’t be a baby mama cuz I got my rules
I told ya no wedding no womb

I know you want it, but no wedding no womb
I deserve marriage if your love is true
Until then no wedding no womb

Bridge
Let’s get this right (kids are the future)
Look in their eyes (it might not suit ya)
We must be wise (vows are beautiful)
No wedding No womb (woh oh oh oh)

63% of teen suicides come from fatherless homes
90% of all runaways come from fatherless homes
71% of pregnant teenagers lack a father
80% of rapists with anger problems come from a fatherless home
No wedding no womb I know you want it
85% of children with behavioral problems come from a fatherless home
No wedding no womb I know you want it

No Wedding No Womb
I know you want it, but no wedding no womb
I won’t be a baby mama cuz I got my rules
I told ya no wedding no womb

I know you want it, but no wedding no womb
I deserve marriage if your love is true
Until then no wedding no womb
Repeat 5 x

Once we get married
We can have a baby
I know you want it, but no wedding no womb
First we get married

So what do you think? Will this have any impact?

Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim

2010-09-21T00:03:00.000-07:00

Twin sisters Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim were born in the U.S. and raised in Somalia and are two of the most exciting new fashion designers in the fashion world. Their line is called Mataano, which means twin in Somali.

"Born to Somali parents and raised in both their native country and Washington DC, identical twins Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim are anything but ordinary. Having fled Somalia at the age of nine to escape the country’s civil war, both Idyl and Ayaan completed their college education at University of Michigan and Boston University, respectively, before making the bold move to Manhattan where they aimed to stand out from the rest in the world of fashion and design. Experiencing the industry from the ground up through careful study and practice, they slowly crafted their talent, weaving their cultural influence throughout each meticulously designed piece in their studio with only distant dreams of launching a collection."

The fashion world is super excited about the Mataano spring 2011 line. And so am I! Check out a few pieces from it below.

WTF Files: Where do they find these negroes?

2010-09-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

Yep, that is a washboard that negroe on the left is carrying.

This photo was taken at a Republican event in South Carolina recently. It's an Antebellum re-enactment. In other words, those two negroes are portraying slaves. If this isn't a WTF Files classic then I don't know what is.

A day of rest?

2010-09-19T00:03:00.000-07:00

I used to live in the South and one thing I miss is that on Sunday people were really quiet. Now that I live in California my neighbors, though generally quiet, don't have any problem pulling out the weed eater on Sunday morning and trimming up the yard or pulling out the hammer and nails to fix the dog house.

My grandmother, who was raised in the South, had lots of rules about what not to do on Sundays. Like, you don't do laundry on Sunday and you certainly don't hang clothes on the line on Sundays. According to her you just take Sunday as a day of rest and try to be as quiet as possible.

Anyway, I miss quiet Sundays.

Photo de Jour: I love these shoes!

2010-09-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

I found this photo at one of my favorite blogs, Allergic to Vanilla. The blogger is posting pics from her European vacation and posted pics of herself on a stop in Spain wearing these amazing shoes. They are by J. Simpson Dany. I love them!

"Hey pretty girl, do you want to go to jail now?"

2010-09-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

(liar)Bethany Storro

"She claimed her attacker said "Hey pretty girl, do you want to drink this?" before splashing the acid that burned her face."

Remember the story of the White woman who said a Black woman threw acid on her face outside a Vancouver, Washington coffee shop? Bethany Storro, 28, even gave a detailed description of her alleged attacker from which the police made a sketch and gave to media outlets which then plastered the sketch all over the media for about a week.

Well it was all a big fat lie!

"A woman who claimed she was the victim of an acid attack (by an African American woman) has admitted her injuries were self-inflicted, Vancouver, Wash., police said Thursday afternoon.

Police Chief Clifford Cook said at an afternoon news conference that Bethany Storro, 28, told detectives the truth during an interview after discrepancies emerged in her story." - MSNBC

This is the sketch resulting from Bethany Storro's fake attack

Well thank God no Black women were taken into custody or worse because of this crazy racist religious wacko.

Yep, religious wacko:

"Storro said she held the news conference then to draw attention to efforts to find the attacker, but also to talk about her faith.

"I'm here today because of Jesus Christ," she said at the time, adding that the strength of her faith would allow her to move forward." - MSNBC

Meanwhile African American women were under attack all over the internet because of this story.

"Oh shiiiiet! She`s deaf? Holy smoke, she could have been blinded as well. Daaaamn, talk about hell on earth if that happened. BTW anyone ever notice it's always black chicks and transsexuals who always do this acid in the face stuff? WTF is that all about?"

"FAT ebony women jealous of a pretty white women? I can see why black men are going for white women and i dont blame them,"

The police are already sounding as if they are going to let this woman off the hook:

"They said they were not ready to discuss Storro's motivations. Storro is remorseful and in a "fragile mental state," police said." MSNBC

I hope they throw her 'fragile' ass in jail for a long, long time because I'm sure if the police had picked up an innocent Black woman matching that bogus description Bethany Storro gave she would have gotten no mercy from the criminal justice system nor the media.

Flashback Friday: Kwamé and A New Beginning - Ownlee Eue

2010-09-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Kwamé Holland is an American emcee who enjoyed brief popularity in the late-1980s and early-1990s. He is currently a music producer sometimes credited as K-1 Million or K1 Mil.

As a child, Holland was inspired by Stevie Wonder, Lionel Hampton, and Abdullah Ibrahim, who were family friends.

He was 16 when he released his debut album Kwamé the Boy Genius Featuring A New Beginning in 1989, which was produced by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor.

A New Beginning was his backing band and Kwamé was one of the rare emcees at the time to use a live band.

The album spawned the singles "The Man We All Know and Love" and "The Rhythm." The accompanying music videos featured a polka-dot motif in the costumes and production design. This was to become Kwamé's trademark and started a hip hop fashion trend as fans began wearing polka-dotted clothing.

In 1990, his second album A Day in the Life: A Pokadelick Adventure was released. It was a concept album about a day in the life of a high school student. The album spawned the hit singles "Oneovdabigboiz" and "Ownlee Eue."

Holland is a cousin of Vin Diesel, who danced in some of his early music videos - Content Wikipedia

Then and Now: Halle Berry

2010-09-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Halle in high school

and Halle now

Somebody is lying and that's the truth

2010-09-15T00:03:00.000-07:00

"This summer the Obama White House promised Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche L. Lincoln that farmers in her state would receive $1.5 billion, ostensibly for disaster-relief aid. Cynics, however, say the money is a payoff to the farmers along with their relatives, friends and other Arkansans to get them to vote for Lincoln in November."

But "Obama says the black farmer settlement is a high priority for his administration."

So Black farmers who won a 1.25 billion dollar settlement against the USDA years ago can't get a freakin' dime but a bunch of White farmers in Arkansas get 1.5 billion without even asking for it?!

This summer the U.S. Senate twice blocked payment of the settlement to Black farmers. But in total the Senate has blocked payment to Black farmers seven times. But Obama says that paying Black farmers what they are owed is a high priority. Yeah right.

Somebody is lying.

WTF Files - Gabby Sidibe's Elle cover?

2010-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this photo I thought it was a fake Elle cover. In the past Elle has done good covers as a rule. So seeing this horrible cover my initial reaction was to think it was a fake.

But unfortunately it's not a fake.

This is the October Elle cover featuring actress Gabourey Sidibe. There's a lot going on here. First is the weave/ wig thing on her head, it looks really bad. And does she have on a sari? Finally, why is she 5 shades lighter than her actual color?

And as someone else noted, why is Gabby's cover shot so tight? Normally Elle covers are not that close-up. Maybe they are trying to minimize Gabby's size?

Gabby and her real skin tone

If they couldn't handle putting a big, dark, Black woman on the cover they shouldn't have attempted it. A nice inside spread would have sufficed. Gabby's cover is the worst Elle cover I have ever seen. And it is not her fault.

Liya Kebede covering Elle Italy

Rihanna's Elle cover

Photo de Jour: Nicki Minaj signs an autograph (Not Safe For Work!)

2010-09-13T00:03:00.002-07:00

Nicki Minaj is unique. And that's really saying something these days with so many cookie-cutter singers and rappers out there. Though she is associated with Lil Wayne and mainstream rap I think of her more as sort of a punk rapper. Between her rap flow, which reminds me of punk singers musical deliveries, to her very unique outfits and her fans, she is definitely a punk rapper.

I haven't bought a rap album in a very long time but I plan to buy Nicki's album.

Nicki has been known for signing her fans breasts and now I guess she's signing booties too.

Saturday Funk: Foxy - Get Off

2010-09-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

Photo de Jour: The Twin Towers

2010-09-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

Growing up in N.Y.C. I remember that my friends and I never referred to the World Trade Center buildings in any other way than calling them the Twin Towers.

They are building a new building on the site called One World Trade Center.

I wish the City had decided to rebuild the Twin Towers exactly as they were. I miss them.

Flashback Friday: Crystal Waters - Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)

2010-09-10T00:03:00.001-07:00

Crystal Waters facts

Born October 10, 1964 in Philadelphia

Crystal is a graduate of Howard University.

She is the great-niece of singer/actress Ethel Waters.

Gypsy Woman reached number 8 on the Billboard Magazine top 100 in 1991

WTF Files: Would you like some Silly Putty with those fries?

2010-09-09T00:03:00.000-07:00

In case you were thinking that food in the United States couldn't possibly be less healthy, McDonald's is on the scene to prove you wrong. CNN reports that McDonald's restaurants in the United States put petroleum products in their popular chicken McNuggets. That's right, Texas Tea in your McNuggets!

"CNN has revealed that the fast-food chain makes this popular menu item with the chemical preservative tBHQ, tertiary butylhydroquinone, a petroleum-based product. McNuggets also contain dimethylpolysiloxane, an anti-foaming agent also used in Silly Putty."

Yep, the same stuff they put in Silly Putty. But eating a little Silly Putty never hurt anyone, right?

Apparently Mickey D's only puts these petroleum products in McNuggets in the United States.

"McDonald's says the differences are based on the local tastes: In the United States, McNuggets are coated and then cooked, in the United Kingdom, they are cooked and then coated. As a result, the British McNuggets absorb less oil and have less fat.

Dimethylpolysiloxane is used as a matter of safety to keep the oil from foaming, [Lisa McComb, who handles global media relations for McDonald's,] says. The chemical is a form of silicone also used in cosmetics and Silly Putty. A review of animal studies by The World Health Organization found no adverse health effects associated with dimethylpolysiloxane.

TBHQ is a preservative for vegetable oils and animal fats, limited to .02 percent of the oil in the nugget. One gram (one-thirtieth of an ounce) can cause "nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse," according to "A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives."

Aren't you glad you live in the U.S.!

Photo de Jour: Cutie pie Alicia

2010-09-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

These are photos of Alicia in New York City recently

Despite my having been disappointed by the circumstance surrounding Alicia's pregnancy, there is no denying that she really looks beautiful. Pregnancy definitely looks good on her.

Question de Jour: Do you think White people would watch TV if 99.999% of the people on TV were People of Color?

2010-09-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

I don't have cable TV. I haven't had it in a couple of years. It's one thing to be ignored and not pay for it but another to pay for being ignored, as people of color are on TV.

As the new fall television season nears I have noticed that nothing much has changed, at least on network TV, as far as diversity is concerned. There are three shows on NBC, one with Boris Kodjoe, one with Blair Underwood and another with Jimmy Smits. I'll give NBC its due for that but NBC is also the network that will air a show about a call center in India that from the promos looks dangerously racially offensive.

Other than that the new TV season seems as lily White as ever. It gets so bad sometimes that I find myself just scanning channels looking for a person of color on the screen. And when I see one I stop and watch. It doesn't really matter whether it's a commercial or an actual show I'll watch it. Well except for anything produced by Tyler Perry.

I can remember hearing older people talk about how back in the day they essentially did the same thing, looked for a person of color on TV and then if they saw one they watched no matter what it was about.

So it seems that in the new millennium, as the world changes by leaps and bounds, some things never change. Namely, television is as White as ever, heck even more White actually. In the 80's and 90's there were quite a few People of Color on network TV. So TV is actually going backwards.

PBS even seems to be less diverse than ever.

According to people who are supposed to know; African Americans and people whose ancestors hail from Spanish speaking countries (sorry but I really hate the word Hispanic*) watch more TV then other groups.

Which makes me wonder; if most of the people on TV were People of Color would White people watch?

*I hate the term Hispanic because it tells you nothing about a persons heritage. People whose ancestry is from Spanish speaking countries have very different cultures and histories. So the use of the term Hispanic seems like a way of ignoring a persons culture and lumping everyone in a cultureless pot. This country has already taken away most of African Americans pre-American history and culture and now its trying to do it again with the term Hispanic.

Flashback Friday: The 900 Number

2010-09-02T00:03:00.001-07:00

If The 900 Number wasn't already on its way to being a classic, Ed Lover host of Yo! MTV Raps, turned it into one by dancing his famed 'Ed Lover dance' to it at the beginning of each show.

The 900 Number was originally released in 1987 by DJ Mark the 45 King or The 45 King (real name Mark James). The 45 King was a member of the Flava Unit whose members included Queen Latifah, Chill Rob G and others. He also worked with MC Lyte.

The song The 900 Number samples a song by funk artist Marva Whitney (pictured at top) called Unwind Yourself. In 1996 DJ Kool wrote a song called Let Me Clear My Throat in which he wrote lyrics and placed them over the beat of The 900 Number.

Rose Cordero's Paris Vogue cover

2010-09-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

This cover is from this past March, so I'm a little late. But I love it. Rose Cordero looks great!

The Palin family carpetbagging continues

2010-09-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin's wayward daughter Bristol will be a contestant on ABC's new season of Dancing with the Stars. And it is absolutely amazing to me that there are millions of people who don't see the Palins for the carpetbaggers that they are.

Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has taken carpetbagging to new heights by quitting her job as Governor of Alaska to write a book and go on a lucrative speaking tour. Since she quit on the people of Alaska she has raked in over 12 million dollars.

Also Sarah's daughter's baby daddy, Levi Johnston, has turned out to be quite the fame-whore as well. He is apparently running for mayor of the dinky town Sarah Palin was spawned so that he can be filmed for a reality show.

And now Bristol is extending her 15 minutes by joining the cast of Dancing with the Stars. And God forbid she should win because then we'll never see the end of her.

I'm afraid to speculate about what might be coming next from the ~~Kardashians~~ Palins.

Evil in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo)

2010-08-31T00:03:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine 200 White women being gang raped over a matter of 4 days by armed men anywhere in the world and it not being the lead story in the mainstream media for weeks or months after?

Two-hundred women in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been raped and in many cases gang raped by rebel soldiers during a four day period beginning July 30. And to make this even worse, the rapes occurred within a few miles of a United Nations peace keepers base.

I haven't heard anything about this atrocity in the MSM. That's not to say they haven't covered it. But it certainly hasn't garnered lead story status or anything near that.

This is not the first case of rapes or mass rapes in Congo. This has been going on for some time.

My heart hurts for the women of Congo.

Kelly (Rowland) covers Jet

2010-08-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is the best cover I've seen from Jet in a very long time. It looks retro.

WTF Files: 'As The World Turns' Detroit edition

2010-08-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

Otis Mathis

I remember several months ago hearing something about a Detroit school board member who was found out to be functionally illiterate. Apparently this member wrote an email to someone and the email was filled with all sorts of grammatical errors. After that email became public the school board member, Otis Mathis, admitted that he was functionally illiterate.

Oh and did I mention that Otis Mathis was not just a school board member but the president of the school board for Detroit Public Schools!

Well apparently in Detroit being functionally illiterate does not preclude one from being the president of the school board because he kept his job.

A fellow Detroit school board member, LaMar Lemmons Jr., when talking about Mr. Mathis' emails is quoted as saying, "I told him just last week that he should have his e-mails read by somebody before he sends them out."

All of this happened early this past spring.

So you might think that after it was revealed that he was illiterate Mr. Mathis might have considered himself very lucky to have his job and would mind his P's and Q's, right? Wrong.

Former Detroit School Superintendent Teresa Gueyser

Fast forward to this past June 16th. Mr. Mathis was in a private meeting with the then Detroit Schools Superintendent Teresa Gueyser and according to a complaint she filed, Mr. Mathis, "Fondled himself" during the meeting.

From Ms. Gueyser's complaint:

"On this day, President Mathis continued to fondle his genital area for approximately 20 minutes, or the entire time I was talking. He then unzipped his pants and pulled a handkerchief from his left pocket, put the handkerchief in his right hand and put his right hand with the handkerchief in the zipper area of his pants appearing to wipe himself. He then re-zipped and unzipped his pants again; again placing the hand with the handkerchief inside the zipper area; this time moving his hand as if to be masturbating in front of me."

So this guy, Mr. Mathis, is not only illiterate but he's a perv as well.

And according to Teresa Gueyser this was not the first time he had done something like this. This apparently was the straw that broke the camel's back though because she filed the complaint right after this meeting.

But that's not the end of the story.

After Ms. Gueyser filed this complaint, Mr. Mathis resigned from his job. Only to then rescind his resignation after getting support from some school board members. One member, Reverend David Murray, seemed not only supportive but willing to make an excuse for Mr. Mathis.

Reverend Murray said, "He’s a young man; maybe he didn’t know it was offensive to her. It’s not something I would do. He’s a young man. That’s just the way it is."

By the way, Mr. Mathis was 56 years-old at the time of the incident.

Fortunately Mr. Mathis was not allowed to withdraw his resignation and had to step down from his position as president of the school board.

On August 12 Mr. Mathis was arraigned in Detroit on felony and misdemeanor charges of misconduct in office and obscene conduct charges. He faces up to five years in prison.

Detroit police Lt. Monique Patterson with former Detroit police chief Warren Evans

And if you think the foolishness of former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick or the story I've outlined above is the end of the sad Detroit story, it's not. There is another text messaging scandal in Detroit. This time it's the former police chief and a very pretty police lieutenant.

I really hope someone somewhere is writing a soap opera about Detroit politicians.

Correction: Regarding the latest text-message scandal; apparently it's the acting chief of police in Detroit who is mixed up in the latest text scandal, not former chief Warren Evans above. Evans however is involved because he exposed the text messages between his replacement Ralph Godbee and Detroit police Lt. Monique Patterson, above. But it appears that at some point Lt. Patterson may have dated Evans as well. I'm scratching my head. Sorry about the error but it's really difficult to keep up with all the scandals in Detroit.

Photo de Jour: Remembering Katrina five years later

2010-08-29T00:04:00.001-07:00

This is a shot taken of the outer band of Hurricane Katrina as it neared the Gulf Coast five years ago today.

Sunday Music: Mos Def with Lenny Kravitz - It Ain't My Fault

2010-08-29T00:03:00.000-07:00

I heard this song on NPR a few weeks ago. Mos Def and Lenny Kravitz got together with Trombone Shorty and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to make this song. The song was to benefit those on the Gulf Coast affected by the BP Oil spill. I think it's a perfect song for today the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Saturday Funk: Yarbrough and Peoples - Don't Stop The Music

2010-08-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

The vocals on this song are really funky!

Photo de Jour: The real March on Washington - August 28, 1963

2010-08-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

"In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds'." - Martin Luther King, Jr. from his "I Have A Dream" speech delivered on this day in 1963 in Washington, D.C.

Flashback Friday: Brownstone

2010-08-27T00:03:00.000-07:00

Remember Brownstone? They formed in 1994 and were signed to Michael Jackson's MJJ record label. They had most of their success in the mid-nighties although they continued to record and perform as late as 2007. Brownstone is also one of those groups that has changed members. The trio Brownstone has lost and gained a singer 3 times. There are rumors that Brownstone is recording an album for release sometime this year.

The two songs which they are most known are, "If You Love Me" and "Grapevyne".

Shock and Awe 2010

2010-08-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

Seven years, over 100,000 lives lost and one trillion dollars later one question has yet to be answered regarding the American war in Iraq.

Who won?

Wouldn't it have made more sense to have just given Saddam Hussein 10 or 20 billion dollars to leave Iraq?

Aaliyah {January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001}

2010-08-25T00:03:00.000-07:00

I wonder all the time what would Aaliyah be doing now if she were alive.

Where would Aaliyah's film career be now? Would she have attained the 'it girl' status in Hollywood?

How would Aaliyah's influence have changed the often lousy R&B we hear today? Would Beyoncé be as big a star if Aaliyah was alive today? Rihanna? Ciara?

Obviously these questions can never be answered but I have a feeling Aaliyah's influence, had she still been alive, would have been huge in the last decade.

What do you think?

Need a job? Speak Jive? The DEA wants you.

2010-08-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) is looking for linguists who are fluent in Ebonics.

"Federal agents are seeking to hire Ebonics translators to help interpret wiretapped conversations involving targets of undercover drug investigations.

The Drug Enforcement Administration recently sent memos asking companies that provide translation services to help it find nine translators in the Southeast who are fluent in Ebonics, Special Agent Michael Sanders said Monday.

Ebonics, which is also known as African American Vernacular English, has been described by the psychologist who coined the term as the combination of English vocabulary with African language structure.

Some DEA agents already help translate Ebonics, Sanders said. But he said (he) wasn't sure if the agency has ever hired outside Ebonics experts as contractors." - The Associated Press

In other words the DEA doesn't understand what all those Negro criminals in Atlanta are saying to each other and they need a few Black people fluent in the Negro language of Ebonics to translate. Sounds more like something from a bad movie (see video below) than something a government agency would be doing.

Back in the 70's and 80's Ebonics was called jive, right?

Hey wait a minute! Don't we have a Black President now? Is he okay with the DEA looking for Ebonics translators?

I wonder if the DEA will have linguists who understand the Redneck language as well? Or is Redneck not considered another distinct language like Ebonics?

It's amazing how Black people in this country are constantly subjected to being 'othered'. Pretty much every culture uses vernacular but it's only with African Americans that it is supposed to be another language.