IRRESPONSIBLE WHITE PERSON WEDNESDAY!!!



Sean Delonas

Whether or not Mr. Delonas is implying that a monkey wrote the stimulus bill, or he is referring to the recent chimpanzee attacks in Stamford, CT is open for interpretation... HOWEVER, the negative connotations alone associated with this image has earned him a spot as this weeks IWP. This isn't Mr. Delonas' first controversial cartoon. A couple of years ago he was accused of making a anti-gay cartoon as well. What do YOU think about this image?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBERT PARK!



So, today is the day for lovers*. However, during this made up holiday (but aren't all holidays 'made up?' oh well...) I am choosing to honor influential individuals that were born on this day. Shout out to the urban sociologist Robert Park (google him.)

A friend of mine's philosophy on Valentine's Day..

Brandon: happy valentines day midget
Me: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY whore!
Brandon: if u say so... but for real niggas aint thinkin bout valentines
Me: I know, but I was conforming to the ideals that all of the excessive marketing campaigns have put in my head
Brandon: valentines is either a chance to get at new p****
Brandon: or a chance to keep ur gurl happy
Brandon: if u aint got a girl..or u aint chasin new p****
Brandon: its just feb 14



and on that note...





...and Happy Valentine's Day to ME :)















*According to Hallmark

GUEST BLOGGER!!!

I introduce to you... Joelle Bayaa. This amazing writer is one of my many muses... Remember that 'burn book' I confessed to writing in my 25 things? This dashing individual was the co-author. While I do admit that we work better as a team, as a result she will be gracing you with her thoughts from time to time... TRUST, you won't be disappointed...

Chris Brown, the demise of urban music, and why the Grammy's sucked?



The Grammy's this year sucked. Really bad. Okay... well, maybe they didn't suck, but they weren't good. And, watching the Grammy's, I couldn't help but reflect on the night's drama, as well as the state of urban music.
Rewinding back, before the infamous Janet Jackson-Nipplegate fiasco, Beyonce-itis, and commercialism of soul and R&B music (I'd say the late 90s to the beginning of the millenium, circa 1999-2001), urban music (I will use the term 'urban music' to incompass all things soul, R&B, hip-hop, and rap) was at a different point. We had our 'pop' stars (Janet Jackson, Michael... at the end of his era, Destiny's Child), rap and hip-hop was just emerging and taking hold of mainstream media (thanks to hit-makers Jay-Z, Ja Rule, and Nelly), and urban music was experiencing a resurgence of depth, spirituality, and maturity in its music (Jilly from Philly and D'Angelo with his Voodoo to name a few). Urban Music was in a good place.
But circumstances (budget cuts in promotion and A&R in the record companies, slumping sales, digital downloads, Janet Jackson's nipple) brought urban music down into the current rut it's in, and to the Grammy's last night.
Watching the Grammy's gave me an eerie case of urban music deja vu as it seemed like it was nothing but a recycling and rehashing of the same artists throughout the whole night (the only ones missing were, Chris Brown and Rihanna, and Beyonce... probably because she wasn't up for any awards). The few R&B and hip-hop performances sprinkled throughout the evening were okay... okay, for what they were for, they were cool (the 'Swagger Like Us' performance wasn't half bad and Lil' Wayne's tribute to New Orleans was actually decent). True; Jennifer Hudson did give a moving performance and did win the first award of the evening... but, that was it. For the majority of the night, we were treated to mash-ups of what few urban artists were allowed on the show, renderings of old Motown and soul hits (which seems to have become a staple for 90% percent of the urban artists enlisted to perform) or, my favorite, blue-eyed soul artists (Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke) that are serve as our helping of urban artists for the night (Now, don't get me wrong; I love Robin Thicke just as much as the next one and Future Sex/Love Sounds as much as the next one... but still).
And, I honestly think that the Grammy's in itself wouldn't have been half bad if the focus was on the music, and the urban artists who were there contributing the music of the night, and not Chris Brown.
Chris Brown was our last beacon of urban music: an urban artist who was clean, wholesome, and had universal appeal. He is cute. He could sing. He could dance. He could sell records. He was our 'Micheal Jackson'. We'll never know what happened that night, but we do know what it will mean. Chris Brown went from cute, all-around likeable singer to another write-off as the stereo-typical black male singer. He will be used, along with examples from the past, of why urban artists aren't invited to perform on mainstream music programs or any program for that matter. Our urban artists will continue to be reduced to singing hits of the past, instead of the current hits they sing.
True; we can never go back in time. There will never be another Motown-era, Disco, 80s, or 90s Neo-Soul movement. But, there is hope. Good urban music is still being made and created (God bless Jazmine Sullivan). We just have to start listening and supporting our artists, and shut down the slander and smearing of urban music (Chris Brown; please get it together! Stop fueling the fire!). And until then, I'm on protest-mode with the Grammy's.

SONG OF THE WEEK!!!!

So after a long deliberation I have decided to remove Mr. Mano from my "list." <---- (click here if you haven't a clue what I'm talking about) I just think he'd be fun to hang out with... 'I get a crush every 5 seconds, it dont mean ish, I'm just looking for muses (c) Drea. And even though this wasn't a crush (because with me I normally find someone interesting from afar, and then once I learn more about them, my interest is non-existent, PLUS I don't even KNOW him) truer words have never been spoken than that quote from Drea, when it comes to me... lol
He Say She Say "Crash Test Dummie" from Noah Banks on Vimeo.

Artist: He Say She Say
Song Title: Crash Dummie
Stolen directly from their myspace...DREA AND MANO MET IN 2004 WHEN DREA CAME TO CHICAGO FOR SCHOOL TO BE A SOCIOLOGY TEACHER. SHE PLAYED A SONG FOR MANO, ONE DAY (AFTER MANY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MUSIC) ON HER GUITAR AND MANO TOLD HER SHE WAS MAKING A WRONG CAREER MOVE...... THANK GOD FOR CHANCE MEETINGS ...OTHERWISE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF HEARING THEIR MUSIC....


THEY ROCK! Check em out HERE

Don't give in to peer pressure! (c) D.A.R.E




Well I clearly failed that test, to an extent... I am gonna give in to the quadrillions of people that tagged me to the '25 Random Things About Me' note on facebook. However, you know I had to put my own little twist on it. So instead, I will be giving you 26 things about me... (I'm such a rebel) See, I DID NOT CONFORM! ENJOY!!



1. I like my left foot more than my right foot... My right foot is just weird

2. When I was younger I would tell people that I wanted to be an actress, a singer, and a lawyer. My mother quickly told me that I could not sing... I wish I could sing sooooo badly and I know I can't, but boy do I try (AMAZINGGGGG GRACE *inside joke)

3. The only time in my life that I have broken a bone was when I went snowboarding (I still have two screws in my ankle and was worried that I would always beep when I went through a metal detector because of it... but, they're stainless steel :-p)

4. My hair is 100% natural... I just have a KILLER flat iron

5. I play 4 instruments, but only those closest to me have ever heard me play a note (I secretly dream of being in a band)

6. If by some odd chance I woke up and were white... I would hope to be a red head.

7. I have been blessed with the ability to make people laugh and often write jokes for a couple of people that I know that are stand up comedians.

8. I am uber secretive... My facebook page is pretty cryptic. I figure, those that matter know what's going on in my life and those that want to know should just ask... I MIGHT tell them... I also have trouble asking for help (Example: My car hasn't started in over a week, and I dunno what the heck is wrong with it.. I have told practically no one, but me and the bus have been kickin it HARD son!)

9. I have an unhealthy relationship with reading, music, hats, guitar hero, shoes, comic books, and Tim Burton.

10. My best female friend (I'm a Gemini so I have one bestfriend for each personality lol)nd I have two loves.. calling each other biatch and old nickelodeon tv shows. Hence, we nicknamed each other Bia and Bia (after the show adventures of Pete and Pete :)

11. I have a Nintendo DS whose name is Adamantium Rex and I want a Macbook so bad it hurts to look at them! I already have a name picked out for him when he is finally mine; Banksy Lee*

12. In high school my friend B and I were the authors of a real life Mean Girls-esque 'burn book.' Our principle found and confiscated it. I really want that back...

13. I started watching Sex and the City in the 8th grade (Nia Seymour and I were avid fans at a young age) and freshman year of college (the last season) I downloaded each episode a week after it aired because we didn't have HBO in the dorms.

14. When I was in the 6th grade I told my mom 'I want to be a stripper because I want to make men happy'

15. (Ironically seeing as though #14 would suggest otherwise) I'm a virgin.

16. I love the show 'Queer as Folk.' A friend of mine from high school named Danielle was the only other heterosexual black female I knew that watched the show...

17. My younger brother and I have the weirdest sib relationship I've ever encountered... We tell each other EVERYTHING... no censors lol.

18. I've always been a weirdo, but I distinctly remember the ONLY time that I've tried to hide it... I went to go buy an Alanis Morisette cd at lunch in high school and came back and accidentally dropped it on the table. When I started getting ridiculed for it, I lied and said I got it for my Mom.

19. My mom has worked in radio for as long as I've been alive, so I've met a lot of stars; from Immature/IMX/WUTEV to Whitney Houston... from DL Hughley to TLC... WILL SMITH LEFT ME A VOICEMAIL... that I have saved to a cd lol. That being said, because of this I never really get star struck.

20. In high school a friend used to call me 'Baby Pharrell' and I secretly/perhaps not so secretly long for a skateboard p of my very own... However, my taste in the opposite sex is pretty random... see HERE for proof

21. I have friends that believe I was a nazi killer in a previous life.

22. Even though I'm 'doing the law school thing' I haven't decided if I'm actually going to practice law... I've always been obsessed with the law, and I love school... that's why I had 50 million majors lol. I'm an indecisive nerd, so if I could be a full time student all my life and live comfortably... I would do it.

23. I don't like sweets very much... but for about 4 months of my life I was obsessed with birthday cake. When I was about 15 I would have my mom buy birthday cakes from the grocery store for my enjoyment... if I was offered ANY other sweets I refused.

24. I have always loved fashion, sometimes I wish I could have added art on to my long list of majors... or dance. I like to dance... lol.

25. My most common facebook message (outside of those stupid event invitations) is... "How is your mom doing?" I have accepted that she will ALWAYS be cooler than me.

26. I know BY HEART all of Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven


*BONUS* Three people have my name/alias tattooed on their body...

*Two points to you if you can figure out why I wanna name my mac that

IRRESPONSIBLE WHITE PERSON WEDNESDAYYYYY!

MICHAEL PHELPS
Mr. Phelps was recently caught smoking the ganja at some party, and I am surprised (but not really surprised) at the amount of media attention it has NOT received. Columbia police departments as well as the University of South Carolina have decided not to press charges, AND the International Olympics Committee (IOC) has accepted his apology. The IOC concluded that Mr. Phelps' "recreational activities" outside of olympic competitions was not really their concern. What do other people have to say about "America's Hero" gettin high? Well, Elisabeth Hasselbeck of The View discussed how if he was caught smoking this, then what would prevent him from taking drugs such as steroids that might enhance his performance? I would say let this 23 year old young adult live... But that is precisely what he's doing. As of now only one endorsement deal (Kellogg) has been snatched, and outside of slight embarrassment Mikey is chillaxin... Probably laid up somewhere, smokin a blunt... lol

Have your own! (c) Carol Ann




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Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world.

The people you see on Kiva's site are real individuals in need of funding - not marketing material. When you browse entrepreneurs' profiles on the site, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates and track repayments. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else in need."

Yup, you heard read this right... Kiva is a website in which entrepreneurs can receive funding from well... anyone. I find this pretty amazing, and am somewhat refreshed at how well this site is doing. Kiva.org will have facilitated loans totaling $100 million by 2010. Check it out HERE