Well, last night, I attempted to watch the Oscars, but they were boring as hell. So boring that I didn't even bother to try to catch the Dreamgirls performance. But congrats to Jennifer Hudson, and here is the footage of the performance for those who missed it as well. Warning: There's a lot of hollering! I never realized how strong the Dreamgirl's voices really are until seeing this performance. But regardless, it was good hollering that was on key, I won't name any names, but some of the other R&B singers might want to take note on hollerin' 101. Enjoy!
Monday, February 26, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
WOOF. AND WEEKLY WORD: MOONWALKER
It's pretty damn cold outside, which means that you probably are wearing your thick socks. I have no problem wearing thick white socks with heeled boots to give my toes that extra cushion, and to make sure they are nice and toasty. However, it's CRUCIAL that your pants cover up your sock situation! I have been known to throw on a pair of Halloween socks during laundry time, but you better believe they are not visible. If you plan on throwing on a pair on gym socks, prior to leaving out of the house, do a test run by sitting in a chair to make sure your socks are incognito. I just so happened to come across this WOOF at my day job. Not only are the socks visible, but the athletic logo is also very visible! This is a definite no no for work, lol. This person has now acquired the nickname "Socks".
This brings me to another WEEKLY WORD: MOONWALKER
Moonwalker - Moonwalkers are women who visibly wear thick socks with dress shoes/boots. Moonwalkers can also be used to define the thick sock and shoe combination. Only Michael Jackson can get away with thick white socks and black loafers, and I'm sure that if he was on the street in the 07 wearing moonwalkers, he would get a WOOF too.
Need a job? by Smart Cookie
For those of us who are still obtaining degrees, on the brink of graduation and the entrance to the most dreadful 9 to 5, it's almost that time to start looking for work. It's no longer cool to walk from business to business with a resume in hand, in hopes that someone is hiring. There is a web full of opportunities, and most corporations are relying on the Internet to post their job openings. Here are a few helpful online job sites...
HotJobs.com and Monster.com
These are the most obvious online job sites. Though there are a lot of job postings on these sites, there are also a lot of scam jobs. Not to mention that everyone goes on Monster and Hot Jobs, so the competition will be pretty tough. Everybody and they momma will be applying to the job that you find interesting.
Job-hunt.org
Rated the best site for finding work by Forbes, this site doesn't play games. Not only does it have a large search engine for finding work, but it also provides job research help, online job searching basics (how to begin searching), and online resume advice!
Job-Central.com
This site is a search engine that searches through overs 2600 company/employer sites, then finds the appropriate postings and delivers them in daily e-mails and RSS feeds.
Indeed.com
This is another search engine that goes after postings not just on employer sites, but also on major job boards, blogs and newspaper and professional association listings.
Mediabistro.com
If you are interesting in media careers this is the site for you. You can find jobs in television, magazine publishing, pr/marketing, radio, online/new media, etc. Just a side not, Harpo Studios tends to post their job openings on here, so you know it's legit.
Idealist.org
This site is dedicated to nonprofit jobs.
Chronicle.com
If you check on the career page, there is a ton of information for those looking for work in higher education.
College/University online job boards
Also, utilize any online job postings that your school might have. These are great because the employers have established a relationship with your institution which means if your credentials are on point, you are likely to get hired over someone from another school. If you are out of school already, get a hook up and get one of your friends to search their university's job board for you.
Company sites
For the most part, every business has a website. So if you are interested in a particular company, simply search their site for job openings. If they don't list them on their site, they will more than likely direct you to the site where they list them.
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR SEARCH!
WEEKLY WORD: CLOWN CAR
Clown Car - An extremely small car, more than likely a two-door, that is always packed beyond capacity with the driver's friends and/or family. Though the clown car is quite snug, it's always the first option amongst friends to take to the club because it doesn't take much to fill up its tank, and it has the ability to get into nearly any parking space.
Ex. Gurrrl, I heard Kristen couldn't afford the car note on that benz she just bought. And she had to trade it in for a clown car. I guess she'll be driving us to the party this weekend.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Even A Passionately Peaceful Being Must Vent with a Vengeance
Well well, how to start. I guess I’ll start with waking up in the morning…. Well it was rough getting up at 5:30am again since I did it the morning before and Im a late bird, I like to wake up in the early afternoon, like 11am, 12pm.
Either way, my bf pushes me out of the bed gently and Im up and slowly running. We are late getting me to the train (blue line) from Long Beach to Los Angeles. I was going to pick up the front door key to my dad’s apartment. So I was going to have to take the blue line to the green line…..get off, say hello to dad, get the key and then get back on the train, back to the blue line, to the red line, to the orange line and then one final bus to my street and then walk to the crib…. (and I’ve done this whole charade before and it’s tiring) So after all that, I get in the apartment and piss cuz I had been holding it since the red line. And take a bath to relax and slowly get prepared for this passion party I had coming that night and maybe take a nap for my tired ass.
I finally lay my ass down to fall slightly into a dream when the nerve wrecking door bell buzzes.
Now, Im not here at my dad’s crib continuously, Im all over the place and no one should have been visiting anyway, so I didn’t know to answer or not. So I call dad to make sure it wasn’t him at the door. And the door bell kept buzzing, and frantically. After grumpiness and almost getting pissed I talk to the person at the door through the raggedy intercom to find out it’s the crazy DHL man dropping off a package of mine. (Now, Im glad he has as crazy as he was to get me my sh*t)
In the package was my brand new business cards that I think are f*cking awesome (to get tubular on ya) So that put a smile on my face, also when I was looking through the package I’ve receive since I was gone, I got one from one my College soror sista, Lydia. It was a late Valentine gift and card, and the words on the card made me cry from joy. I was loved!!
So after half-way taking a nap I just decided to just get dressed. Now I already knew that I was going to be late to this Passion party that was supposed to start at 5Pm!!! Which is ridiculous in whatever city you live in to have a party at 5pm on a Friday night…. Its way TOO f*cking early… people gotta get off work, get through traffic and still get to their destination, beit their homes to change their clothes or just to get to the part itself. And that’s true in Chicago and definitely true in California. So I don’t know what the Hostess was thinking, oh yea I know, SHE WASN’T thinking at all!
And plus, I had already warned the hostess two nights previous that I knew I was going to be late because I would be waiting for my father to get off work to borrow his car. Now, this day, Friday…. My dad doesn’t get to me with the car until 6pm and this chick lives at least an hour east of where I was coming from. And there was HELLA traffic…. I mean, 20mi per hour, stop and go traffic for long stretches of road. And the chick kept blowing up my phone!!!!
Now, at this time, Im feeling all the energy from her and her people through her voice and her replies…. It was nothing I could do, I couldn’t do any magic to make the traffic disappear, I couldn’t have said “biddy-boppity-boo” and then be in her house all set up and everything. Naw, it didn’t happen that way. I got to the party 3 hours later (2 and a half in traffic) and I felt the frustration as soon as I got in the door. But I didn’t care, cuz in my mind I was thinking “Sh*t, my services are free!! Free!! They don’t pay for my gas….sh*t they don’t pay for sh*t of mine, they just sit there waiting to be entertained! Which Im happy to do for those that are grateful and receptive… not for the b*tches that’s just looking for the next come up. And if I feel like Im getting too much flax from these heifers then I won’t even unpack and I’ll get back In the car and drive right back home.”
So I didn’t play any passion games with them, I passed out the rest of the gifts I had left. And I presented just a bit of the stuff I had, and then I started taking orders…and still got over $300.00 in retail sales!! I still got ya da money, and for the travel and attitudes I was receiving, I had better had left with something instead of nothing. So all in all, I vented to my other college soror Lindsay all the way back home on my celly. I talked to my mom and some friends from college, even my sponsor. People that love me!
So now I'm done venting, now on to the positive side of things.
I’m ever grateful for these shining stars that live in my life. Thank you Universe for all the blessings you have given me and are giving me! You’re the best! I love Earth, Mother and Father. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Peace n blessings to all,
Kiwi
Either way, my bf pushes me out of the bed gently and Im up and slowly running. We are late getting me to the train (blue line) from Long Beach to Los Angeles. I was going to pick up the front door key to my dad’s apartment. So I was going to have to take the blue line to the green line…..get off, say hello to dad, get the key and then get back on the train, back to the blue line, to the red line, to the orange line and then one final bus to my street and then walk to the crib…. (and I’ve done this whole charade before and it’s tiring) So after all that, I get in the apartment and piss cuz I had been holding it since the red line. And take a bath to relax and slowly get prepared for this passion party I had coming that night and maybe take a nap for my tired ass.
I finally lay my ass down to fall slightly into a dream when the nerve wrecking door bell buzzes.
Now, Im not here at my dad’s crib continuously, Im all over the place and no one should have been visiting anyway, so I didn’t know to answer or not. So I call dad to make sure it wasn’t him at the door. And the door bell kept buzzing, and frantically. After grumpiness and almost getting pissed I talk to the person at the door through the raggedy intercom to find out it’s the crazy DHL man dropping off a package of mine. (Now, Im glad he has as crazy as he was to get me my sh*t)
In the package was my brand new business cards that I think are f*cking awesome (to get tubular on ya) So that put a smile on my face, also when I was looking through the package I’ve receive since I was gone, I got one from one my College soror sista, Lydia. It was a late Valentine gift and card, and the words on the card made me cry from joy. I was loved!!
So after half-way taking a nap I just decided to just get dressed. Now I already knew that I was going to be late to this Passion party that was supposed to start at 5Pm!!! Which is ridiculous in whatever city you live in to have a party at 5pm on a Friday night…. Its way TOO f*cking early… people gotta get off work, get through traffic and still get to their destination, beit their homes to change their clothes or just to get to the part itself. And that’s true in Chicago and definitely true in California. So I don’t know what the Hostess was thinking, oh yea I know, SHE WASN’T thinking at all!
And plus, I had already warned the hostess two nights previous that I knew I was going to be late because I would be waiting for my father to get off work to borrow his car. Now, this day, Friday…. My dad doesn’t get to me with the car until 6pm and this chick lives at least an hour east of where I was coming from. And there was HELLA traffic…. I mean, 20mi per hour, stop and go traffic for long stretches of road. And the chick kept blowing up my phone!!!!
Now, at this time, Im feeling all the energy from her and her people through her voice and her replies…. It was nothing I could do, I couldn’t do any magic to make the traffic disappear, I couldn’t have said “biddy-boppity-boo” and then be in her house all set up and everything. Naw, it didn’t happen that way. I got to the party 3 hours later (2 and a half in traffic) and I felt the frustration as soon as I got in the door. But I didn’t care, cuz in my mind I was thinking “Sh*t, my services are free!! Free!! They don’t pay for my gas….sh*t they don’t pay for sh*t of mine, they just sit there waiting to be entertained! Which Im happy to do for those that are grateful and receptive… not for the b*tches that’s just looking for the next come up. And if I feel like Im getting too much flax from these heifers then I won’t even unpack and I’ll get back In the car and drive right back home.”
So I didn’t play any passion games with them, I passed out the rest of the gifts I had left. And I presented just a bit of the stuff I had, and then I started taking orders…and still got over $300.00 in retail sales!! I still got ya da money, and for the travel and attitudes I was receiving, I had better had left with something instead of nothing. So all in all, I vented to my other college soror Lindsay all the way back home on my celly. I talked to my mom and some friends from college, even my sponsor. People that love me!
So now I'm done venting, now on to the positive side of things.
I’m ever grateful for these shining stars that live in my life. Thank you Universe for all the blessings you have given me and are giving me! You’re the best! I love Earth, Mother and Father. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Peace n blessings to all,
Kiwi
Thursday, February 8, 2007
The broke & the fameless, by Smart Cookie
So, tonight, I was able to sneak my way into Fashion Week. I know, I should be frontin' like Threescoops just has it like that, but we keep it real here. Luckily, I had a major hookup and was given an unused name on "THE LIST". I avoided the black girl with a list like the plague and went to the white woman, lol. Ya'll all know damn well the black woman would have busted me out and called me on my fake name. I mean, how many black women do you know named Elizabeth? After telling the people with "THE LIST", that I was Liz __________, a marketing director, while sipping my free Chambord Manhattan, and talking on my Blackberry (you have to play the part)I was able to get in. It's amazing how after loads of dramatics, the show is really only about ten minutes long. However, I had a great time, and enjoyed the taste of the "good" life. While at Custo Barcelona's show, I ran into Michelle Williams, who was extremely friendly, but really that's no surprise, you can't sing gospel and be a bitch; That clearly would be unethical. After snapping a few photographs, me and Keith (who will soon be contributing to Threescoops...stay tuned) were able to manuever our way to the third row!
But after ten short minutes of being rich and famous, I returned to my normal life, and the harsh reality of the fact that seriously, there weren't any black people there. And that is really quite upsetting that we are not rightly represented in an industry that we obviously have more than a great influence on. Ofcourse Diddy and Russell Simmons were at Zac Posen, but other then them, me and keith, there were only sprinkles of African-Americans there, and half of them were passing out flyers at the door. With that said, get on your hustle, and don't be taken advantage of. African-Americans have so much influence on fashion, music, pop culture, etc. If we were to just start taking ownership of our ideas and realizing our power, we could really turn the tables. We should be running things, and we can.
Sorry, I had to turn a simple hookup story into a lecture, but it's black history month, what do you expect.
Fight the Power!
ps. Kudos to Keith for manuevering the hell out of the tents, I owe you one!
But after ten short minutes of being rich and famous, I returned to my normal life, and the harsh reality of the fact that seriously, there weren't any black people there. And that is really quite upsetting that we are not rightly represented in an industry that we obviously have more than a great influence on. Ofcourse Diddy and Russell Simmons were at Zac Posen, but other then them, me and keith, there were only sprinkles of African-Americans there, and half of them were passing out flyers at the door. With that said, get on your hustle, and don't be taken advantage of. African-Americans have so much influence on fashion, music, pop culture, etc. If we were to just start taking ownership of our ideas and realizing our power, we could really turn the tables. We should be running things, and we can.
Sorry, I had to turn a simple hookup story into a lecture, but it's black history month, what do you expect.
Fight the Power!
ps. Kudos to Keith for manuevering the hell out of the tents, I owe you one!
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Passionate Partying, by Cinnamon Spice
Well well well, before I get started with my story I would like to introduce myself.
I am CinnamonSpice and Independent Sensual Consultant for Passion Parties, Inc.
You may ask yourself what is a Passion Party, well the corporate office would define it like this:
Passion Parties® is the premier sensual products, party-plan company in the United States and Canada. For more than a decade, our Passion Consultants™ have been enhancing the sexual relationships of our clients with sensual products designed to promote intimacy and communication between couples.
While I define it as a Girl's Night in party with a personalized theme where they laugh, giggle and order some sexual goodies for themselves or some they can share with their partner.
Now that, that part is done with I'll let you ladies in on my most recent Passionate night.
This past Saturday I had a Passion Party scheduled in Burbank, Ca and I also had promised my sponsor (another Consultant) that i would drop by to one of her P parties afterwards.
The party in Burbank was fabulous. As soon as I got there the ladies were alread drinking and snacking on shrimp cocktail. These ladies were so kind as to invite me to have dinner with them before we started the festivities. I obliged happily because the hostess had already put a tantalizing drink in my hand with penis ice cubes floating in it with the added bonus of a penis on my straw, hehhee. So I sat there ate with them, listened to their stories of previous nights they have partied together and got to see their personalities a bit. (which i found very beneficial for when it was time to present I knew what kind of audience i had, plus by that time all the ladies were nice and tipsy)
So I presented to them, they listened, we played some passionate games like "Complete the Willies" which is a penis draw off, the woman with the best drawing gets a prize. And at the end of the night these lovely ladies left me with a nice amount of money in my pocket.
SO I left with a smile and with 2 women willing to book a party with me in the near future.
Beautiful!
But then....dun dun dun duuuuuuuunnnnn.... I got in my dad's jeep to drive to the next party in LA (that i had promised to go and help at with my sponsor) and it was complete chaos.
First off, this party was a birthday themed Passion Party which was, for lack of a better term, GHETTO FABULOUS!! I mean, the house was tiny and in it was close to 50 or more women smashed into it. Why? Why were these women willingly smashed into this little crib? Well because the birthday girl had 2 strippers on the way and the ladies were nice and DRUNK by the time I had arrived. Nevermind the fact that my sponsor had got there late as well because her previous party went over time. We were there no longer then 20 mins when a fine ass black man and a attractive woman walks into the house (the strippers!) Now, any other time i would have been amped for some stripper fun and drinks, but i was tired and I was there on business...
and most of all I didn't know these women like that. Oh yea, the party also had men coming in, so it turned into a full-fledge party, which is optimal is this is what you're going for, but for a Passion Consultant, this is the wrong atmosphere to get people to sit down and listen then order something.....
The stripping started around 10:30 and went until 1:45am and longer, and i was asking myself why i was still there but i remembered that i was there to support my sponsor and plus I didn't want to leave her alone in this strange and chaotic place. Also the hostess(birthday girl) still wanted my sponsor to present and demo after all that time, which is F*cking ridiculous when our services are free to come out, we get our money off the sales and it was like 2 something in the damn morning. I was irritated, grumpy and tired and waiting for my sponsor to woman up and tell the hostess that it's time for us to go, 'give me a call when you wanna book another party where it is the right atmosphere and timing.'
Either way, we got out of there around 2:30 am and I got home around 3 or 3:30am and passed out into dreamland.
Now being that it is nearing Valentine's Day, I will leave you all with some positive and sensual goodies to ponder over:
Ladies, do your Kegels!!! To enhance love-making with even the smallest guy if you're doing your kegels you can internally tighten up on him to feel every bit of friction to get you to esctasy.
What is a Kegel? It is the muscle you use when you are holding back the intense urge to pee and there is no bathroom in sight. If you practice your kegels you'll be able to strengthen that muscle to the point of being able to hold him inside of your longer, be able to push him out, be able to control the sensation to something that makes you tingle and tremble all over.
How: Tighten your PC muscle (Kegel) and hold for a minute, and then release.
So practice your KEGELS!
Ladies, take care of yourself!
If you don't give enough love to yourself, how can you give to others, especially your partner.
Take time for baths, throw some Dead Sea Salts in their and soak away your blues (soak for 20-30mins) Massage yourself, surround yourself with pleasants scents and candles.
Recommended Salts: Masada Dead Sea Salts (www.masada.com) (Women's Formula, Cold & Flu, Skin Calming, Euclyptas, Lavender, and many more), RomantaTheraphy Sensuous Dead Sea Salts w/phermones (www.passionparties.com)
And on that note,
Peace n blessings sistas.
"Live the Spicy Life"
I am CinnamonSpice and Independent Sensual Consultant for Passion Parties, Inc.
You may ask yourself what is a Passion Party, well the corporate office would define it like this:
Passion Parties® is the premier sensual products, party-plan company in the United States and Canada. For more than a decade, our Passion Consultants™ have been enhancing the sexual relationships of our clients with sensual products designed to promote intimacy and communication between couples.
While I define it as a Girl's Night in party with a personalized theme where they laugh, giggle and order some sexual goodies for themselves or some they can share with their partner.
Now that, that part is done with I'll let you ladies in on my most recent Passionate night.
This past Saturday I had a Passion Party scheduled in Burbank, Ca and I also had promised my sponsor (another Consultant) that i would drop by to one of her P parties afterwards.
The party in Burbank was fabulous. As soon as I got there the ladies were alread drinking and snacking on shrimp cocktail. These ladies were so kind as to invite me to have dinner with them before we started the festivities. I obliged happily because the hostess had already put a tantalizing drink in my hand with penis ice cubes floating in it with the added bonus of a penis on my straw, hehhee. So I sat there ate with them, listened to their stories of previous nights they have partied together and got to see their personalities a bit. (which i found very beneficial for when it was time to present I knew what kind of audience i had, plus by that time all the ladies were nice and tipsy)
So I presented to them, they listened, we played some passionate games like "Complete the Willies" which is a penis draw off, the woman with the best drawing gets a prize. And at the end of the night these lovely ladies left me with a nice amount of money in my pocket.
SO I left with a smile and with 2 women willing to book a party with me in the near future.
Beautiful!
But then....dun dun dun duuuuuuuunnnnn.... I got in my dad's jeep to drive to the next party in LA (that i had promised to go and help at with my sponsor) and it was complete chaos.
First off, this party was a birthday themed Passion Party which was, for lack of a better term, GHETTO FABULOUS!! I mean, the house was tiny and in it was close to 50 or more women smashed into it. Why? Why were these women willingly smashed into this little crib? Well because the birthday girl had 2 strippers on the way and the ladies were nice and DRUNK by the time I had arrived. Nevermind the fact that my sponsor had got there late as well because her previous party went over time. We were there no longer then 20 mins when a fine ass black man and a attractive woman walks into the house (the strippers!) Now, any other time i would have been amped for some stripper fun and drinks, but i was tired and I was there on business...
and most of all I didn't know these women like that. Oh yea, the party also had men coming in, so it turned into a full-fledge party, which is optimal is this is what you're going for, but for a Passion Consultant, this is the wrong atmosphere to get people to sit down and listen then order something.....
The stripping started around 10:30 and went until 1:45am and longer, and i was asking myself why i was still there but i remembered that i was there to support my sponsor and plus I didn't want to leave her alone in this strange and chaotic place. Also the hostess(birthday girl) still wanted my sponsor to present and demo after all that time, which is F*cking ridiculous when our services are free to come out, we get our money off the sales and it was like 2 something in the damn morning. I was irritated, grumpy and tired and waiting for my sponsor to woman up and tell the hostess that it's time for us to go, 'give me a call when you wanna book another party where it is the right atmosphere and timing.'
Either way, we got out of there around 2:30 am and I got home around 3 or 3:30am and passed out into dreamland.
Now being that it is nearing Valentine's Day, I will leave you all with some positive and sensual goodies to ponder over:
Ladies, do your Kegels!!! To enhance love-making with even the smallest guy if you're doing your kegels you can internally tighten up on him to feel every bit of friction to get you to esctasy.
What is a Kegel? It is the muscle you use when you are holding back the intense urge to pee and there is no bathroom in sight. If you practice your kegels you'll be able to strengthen that muscle to the point of being able to hold him inside of your longer, be able to push him out, be able to control the sensation to something that makes you tingle and tremble all over.
How: Tighten your PC muscle (Kegel) and hold for a minute, and then release.
So practice your KEGELS!
Ladies, take care of yourself!
If you don't give enough love to yourself, how can you give to others, especially your partner.
Take time for baths, throw some Dead Sea Salts in their and soak away your blues (soak for 20-30mins) Massage yourself, surround yourself with pleasants scents and candles.
Recommended Salts: Masada Dead Sea Salts (www.masada.com) (Women's Formula, Cold & Flu, Skin Calming, Euclyptas, Lavender, and many more), RomantaTheraphy Sensuous Dead Sea Salts w/phermones (www.passionparties.com)
And on that note,
Peace n blessings sistas.
"Live the Spicy Life"
Monday, February 5, 2007
Paris Exposed.
I know we are focusing on Black History Month, however, it's still important to keep up with current "pop cultural" events especially when they are regarding the N-word. First Kramer, now Paris Hilton...
It's funny how she talks about public schools when she barely has an elementary education.
It's funny how she talks about public schools when she barely has an elementary education.
Bad News Bears
Too bad the Chicago Bears couldn't squeeze out a win yesterday. However, divalicious Prince did his thing while wearing a doo-rag (head scarf, they're all the same). As long as you are black, rain and perm don't mix no matter how famous or wealthy you may be. Needless to say, Prince tied the hair up and brought down the house. I admit, after the halftime show I popped in a movie, but I did manage to catch a rather cute commercial featuring Oprah and David Letterman. It's always interesting to see Oprah in everyday, "real life" situations, seeing that she is a ga-billionaire. It's rather hard to imagine that Oprah is leading a normal life, complete with mediocrity and mundance activities such as sitting on a 10+ year old sofa and stuffing her face with bbq beef sandwiches, while the Super Bowl plays on a 32" television resting on top of a broken floor model. A bit of an exaggeration I know, but you get the point...Oprah doesn't do the same things we do.
Hmmm...They actually don't look that bad together. I'm sure if Oprah was to get involved in an interracial relationship, all other black women would follow suit, lol.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Where's My Receipt? by Smart Cookie
Earlier today I purchased Jill Scott's recent release, "Collaborations". Being a huge Jill Scott fan, with no hesitation I tossed the cd into my cart. I didn't even bother to look at the tracks; Jill Scott never puts out trash...so I thought. This cd is straight garbage! I came home from a long, hectic day, expecting to chill and relax to some new mellow tracks. Instead, I sat on my couch in shock, desperately skipping the tracks to find at least one hit single. "This can't be right," I said to myself, hoping that the bonus Target cd contained a completely new set of tracks. Unfortunately, it only included the footage of the making of another wack song. The only good tracks on the cd are "Daydreaming" and "Love Rain", both old tracks that we've all heard. I hate to do this to you, Jill, but I have to give "Collaborations" a 1/2 of star out of 5, and hope that in the future, you collaborate with different producers.
After wishing that I hadn't thrown away my receipt, or even opened the cd in the first place, my mistake of a purchase was redeemed by my other instinctual buy...Mos Def's "True Magic". After what I had just went through, I was immediately weary of what I was about to hear, especially after realizing that Mos Def's cd had no type of insert, and had appeared to be made
on his personal computer. However, after listening to the cd, I can say that it's truely magical revolutionary music at it's best. And, I'm sure that Mos Def intentionally understated the "image" of the cd packaging to draw attention to what's most important...the actual music. Just in the packaging, Mos Def has snidely critiqued the state of music, black culture, etc. "True Magic" is a phenomenal cd; No bells and whistles, no collabos, just straight hotness. Every track can be listened from beginning to end. And ofcourse, Mighty Mos has a few singing tracks, which are more informed and modernized versions of Umi Says. If you are into revolutionary, underground hip hop, black panther-esque, music, then by all means pick this cd up. "True Magic" is an intelligently written, positively, conscious album. Pick this one up, it offers a great start to the month of February. And I give it 5 stars and the fist, POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Saturday, February 3, 2007
A Taste of Black History, by Chocolate Therapy
In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to inform those who do not know, and remind those who do, about Nat Turner. On October 2, 1800, Turner was born on a plantation in Virginia to his African-born slave mother. At the time his slave master’s name was Samuel Turner, hence Nat’s last name. Turner was known as an intelligent person and was seen as a prophet by his people; He had several visions which led him to believe that a slave revolt was necessary, including signs in the heavens and lights in the sky.
In February of 1831, an eclipse of the sun was the sign in the heavens Nat Turner needed to commence with his revolt. He then told 4 others he trusted of his plan. On August 13th of the same year, an atmospheric disturbance where the sun appeared bluish-green was the go-ahead final sign, and on August 21st Turner and six of his men met in the woods to eat and make plans. At 2:00 a.m., they headed to their master’s house killing the entire family in their sleep. They continued throughout the neighborhood going from house to house freeing slaves and killing any white person they came in contact with. They eventually amounted over 40 slaves and free blacks to assist with the rebellion, many on horseback.
On August 22nd, word had gotten out concerning the rebellion, and Turner and his rebels were confronted by whites causing them to scatter. After more encounters with whites, several rebels were captured. Turner was able to escape and hide near his master’s farm, but was eventually captured on October 30th. He was tried and sentenced to execution on November 11th of that year, in which he was hanged, skinned and dismembered by whites for souvenirs. In the aftermath, close to 200 black people were eventually accused of having a connection to the rebellion and/or were hanged or murdered by white mobs. In the end, the Turner revolt led to the killings of at least 55 white men, women and children.
Information provided by http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p1518.html.
In February of 1831, an eclipse of the sun was the sign in the heavens Nat Turner needed to commence with his revolt. He then told 4 others he trusted of his plan. On August 13th of the same year, an atmospheric disturbance where the sun appeared bluish-green was the go-ahead final sign, and on August 21st Turner and six of his men met in the woods to eat and make plans. At 2:00 a.m., they headed to their master’s house killing the entire family in their sleep. They continued throughout the neighborhood going from house to house freeing slaves and killing any white person they came in contact with. They eventually amounted over 40 slaves and free blacks to assist with the rebellion, many on horseback.
On August 22nd, word had gotten out concerning the rebellion, and Turner and his rebels were confronted by whites causing them to scatter. After more encounters with whites, several rebels were captured. Turner was able to escape and hide near his master’s farm, but was eventually captured on October 30th. He was tried and sentenced to execution on November 11th of that year, in which he was hanged, skinned and dismembered by whites for souvenirs. In the aftermath, close to 200 black people were eventually accused of having a connection to the rebellion and/or were hanged or murdered by white mobs. In the end, the Turner revolt led to the killings of at least 55 white men, women and children.
Information provided by http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p1518.html.
PROFILE: Wangechi Mutu, by Smart Cookie
Wangechi Mutu, a Kenyan-born artist based in New York, and Master's graduate of Yale School of Art, makes luscious yet grotesque pictures of female figures. Her painted and collaged works serve as social critiques on contemporary society’s obsession with physical appearance.
33-year-old Mutu is an internationally recognized artist. Her work belongs to the permanent collections of the MOMA in New York, the Whitney Museum, and the Studio Museum of Harlem. Don't count on purchasing one of her masterpieces for yourself. Her paintings can command as much as $40,000!
However, it wasn't too long ago that Mutu couldn't afford to work on any other material besides paper. Upon finishing her master's at Yale, a school that supplied all materials, studio space and tools, Mutu was faced with the reality of being a recent graduate with low funds; a starving artist. But paper, ink, and pencil carried Mutu a looooong way. After a studio visit with a very influential and well-connected curator, Mutu's luck changed dramatically. Her work was put into an exhibit at the Studio Museum of Harlem and the response to her work was extraordinary.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Rum Raisin Presents: The Volcano
I know the SuperBowl is this weekend, and most of ya'll will be at semi-triflin party. Meaning you will be eating "catered" chicken from your local chicken joint, stale chips, and babysitting a Miller High Life (yucko) cuz someone was too cheap to get Heineken. Kick things up a notch and make a Volcano. It will be an explosive party...
Ingredients:
1 bottle sparkling wine or Champagne
4 cups cranberry juice
2 quarts orange juice
2 quarts orange sherbet, softened
Vodka
15 pounds dry ice chips
Directions:
Pour sparkling wine into a large bowl. Add cranberry and orange juice. Scoop sherbet into bowl until it has produced a nice coating over the top. Add Vodka.
Drop in pieces of dry ice for volcano steam effect, but WARNING: No one should put dry ice in their mouth.
Ingredients:
1 bottle sparkling wine or Champagne
4 cups cranberry juice
2 quarts orange juice
2 quarts orange sherbet, softened
Vodka
15 pounds dry ice chips
Directions:
Pour sparkling wine into a large bowl. Add cranberry and orange juice. Scoop sherbet into bowl until it has produced a nice coating over the top. Add Vodka.
Drop in pieces of dry ice for volcano steam effect, but WARNING: No one should put dry ice in their mouth.
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