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Archive for April, 2008

Sunday morning jazz brunch

April 23, 2008 Leave a comment

Are you missing your Sunday morning jazz brunch? Well for those of us in the Washington, D.C. metro area, 97.1 WASH-FM has a new Sunday morning jazz brunch from 8:00am to noon. According to Washington Post columnist and blogger Marc Fisher former WASH radio personality Glenn Hollis is hosting the show.

Glenn Hollis, the longtime evening voice of the Washington area’s lovelorn and love-smitten, is returning to the airwaves after a two-year absence. But while WASH-FM (97.1) is putting Hollis back on its air, this won’t be the old “After Hours” show of love songs and dedications. Rather, Hollis, who has spent his radio exile starting up a picture framing shop in Frederick with his wife, Irene, is hosting the station’s new Sunday morning jazz brunch show, which airs from 8 a.m. to noon.

Categories: music

Khandi Alexander leaving CSI: Miami

April 23, 2008 3 comments

I read last weekend that actress Khandi Alexander is leaving CSI: Miami.


Is this a good thing or bad? Well another black actress is out of a regular acting gig and they will probably replace her character with a white male. But they underutilized Khandi’s talent. As usual with most black actresses she was relegated to a supporting role and the few scenes she was in she just talked to dead bodies.

Well I wish Khandi the best in her career. Watch out Hill Harper!! You might be next, lol.

Categories: Khandi Alexander

Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel

April 23, 2008 Leave a comment

This song was playing on my gigabeat this afternoon. I downloaded it from Amazon.com.

Categories: music Tags:

Peace!!!!

April 10, 2008 Leave a comment

April 4th was the 50th anniversary of the peace symbol. The Washington Post has an interesting article about this unique anniversary.

For 50 Years This Has Been the Symbol Of Peace. Far Out.

By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer

The peace symbol — three simple lines within a circle — turns 50 today. It’s had a colorful and often turbulent life, which is odd considering that it’s supposed to symbolize, you know, peace.

Unveiled at a British ban-the-bomb rally on April 4, 1958, the peace symbol’s peak of potency was in the 1960s, when it was the emblem of the anti-Vietnam War movement and all things groovily counterculture. (Said its late creator, British graphic designer Gerald Holtom: “I drew myself . . . a man in despair . . . put a circle around it to represent the world.”) The symbol has marched in service of many causes over the years: civil rights, women’s rights, environmentalism, gay rights, anti-apartheid, the nuclear-freeze movement and the latter-day antiwar crowd.

Conservatives once denounced it as a lefty tool (“footprint of the American chicken,” etc.), but not all the peace symbol’s politics have been so easily classified. During the Soviet era, it was a ubiquitous totem of resistance in such cities as Prague and Berlin.

In its spare time, the peace symbol has done plenty of commercial work, much of which it probably isn’t very proud of. Suffice to say, most anything that can been manufactured or marketed has at some point come with a peace symbol. Ben & Jerry’s (“Peace Pops”) turned it into an ice cream novelty. In 1999 the U.S. Postal Service put it on a stamp.

At least it has always been more serious and thoughtful than its frivolous cousin, the smiley face.

The peace symbol became a hieroglyphic superstar because of its simplicity and adaptability, says Ken Kolsbun, co-author of the new book “Peace: The Biography of a Symbol.” The symbol can be rendered in a few strokes, even by the least artistically gifted, he points out. What’s more, the symbol has never been trademarked (although a shoe company once tried), which means that anyone who wants a piece of peace can have at it.

Peace never goes out of style, but at the half-century mark, Holtom’s creation has grown so recognizable, so often replicated and so drearily commercialized that it raises the kind of question they used to ask all the time in the ’60s: Has the peace symbol sold out, or is it indeed still “relevant,” man?

The peace symbol has always appealed to me. I own a peace sign ring and necklace. I wear my ring almost everyday.

Peace out folks!!!!

Categories: culture

Black women and their childrens names

April 10, 2008 6 comments

An email with this news item was going around the internet and it ended up at the Urban Legends website.

After Judge Cabrera’s historic ruling, little Clitoria Jackson will likely undergo a name change.

(DETROIT) In a decision that’s expected to send shockwaves through the African-American community—and yet, give much relief to teachers everywhere—a federal judge ruled today that black women no longer have independent naming rights for their children. Too many black children—and many adults—bear names that border on not even being words, he said.

“I am simply tired of these ridiculous names black women are giving their children,” said U.S. Federal Judge Ryan Cabrera before rendering his decision. “Someone had to put a stop to it.”

The rule applies to all black women, but Cabrera singled out impoverished mothers.

“They are the worst perpetrators,” he said. “They put in apostrophes where none are needed. They think a ‘Q’ is a must. There was a time when Shaniqua and Tawanda were names you dreaded. Now, if you’re a black girl, you hope you get a name as sensible as one of those.”

Few stepped forward to defend black women—and black women themselves seemed relieved.

“It’s so hard to keep coming up with something unique,” said Uneeqqi Jenkins, 22, an African-American mother of seven who survives on public assistance. Her children are named Daryl, Q’Antity, Uhlleejsha, Cray-Ig, Fellisittee, Tay’Sh’awn and Day’Shawndra.

Beginning in one week, at least three white people must agree with the name before a black mother can name her child.

“Hopefully we can see a lot more black children with sensible names like Jake and Connor,” Cabrera said.

His ruling stemmed from a lawsuit brought by a 13-year-old girl whose mother created her name using Incan hieroglyphics.

“She said it would make me stand out,” said the girl, whose name can’t be reproduced by The Peoples News’ technology. “But it’s really just stupid.”

The National Association of Elementary School Teachers celebrated Cabrera’s decision.

“Oh my God, the first day of school you’d be standing there sweating, looking at the list of names wondering ‘How do I pronounce Q’J’Q’Sha.’?” said Joyce Harmon, NAEST spokeswoman. “Is this even English?”

The practice of giving black children outlandish names began in the 1960s, when blacks were getting in touch with their African roots, said historian Corlione Vest. But even he admits it got out of hand.

“I have a niece who’s six. I’m embarrassed to say I can’t even pronounce her name,” said Vest, a professor at Princeton University. “Whenever I want to talk to her, I just wait until she looks at me and then I wave her over.”

Cabrera’s ruling exempted black men because so few of them are actually involved in their children’s lives.

Note: This article is satire, brought to you by the creative minds at The Peoples News. It’s not real, but we hope it made you think.

Yes folks this is just satire but let’s face some facts. There are some black women out there who are giving their children outrageous names and those names have nothing to do with our African roots. Clitoria and Tequante are not African names.

Check out The Peoples News, a satircal look at the lives of black folks.

Categories: black folks

Teacher beaten by student

April 10, 2008 2 comments

This is just pathetic. A Baltimore teacher, Jolita Berry, was beaten by one of her female students at Reginald F. Lewis High School. Ms. Berry is an Art teacher at the school. One of the students recorded the beating.

The trouble began, Jolita Berry said, when she asked a girl in one of her art classes at Reginald F. Lewis High School to sit down.

The student did not obey, coming closer to confront the teacher. “She said she’s gonna bang me,” Berry said. “I said, ‘Back up, you’re in my space. If you hit me, I’m gonna defend myself.’”

But Berry, who is 30 and started her job teaching art at the Northeast Baltimore school in December, did not defend herself. The girl caught the teacher off guard as other students cheered her on and screamed, “Hit her!”

“She just started beating on me relentlessly,” Berry said, recalling the Friday morning incident that left her with a sore shoulder and a broken blood vessel in her eye.

As it turned out, one of the kids in the class was recording what happened on a cell phone. Video footage was posted on the social networking site MySpace and aired on local television news, showing a teenage girl hitting a woman lying on the floor.

The woman’s face is not visible.

By yesterday, the head of the Baltimore Teachers Union and Mayor Sheila Dixon were pointing to the incident in calling for the city school system to dedicate more resources to reducing classroom violence.

State Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick told WBAL Radio that she was “horrified” and said that increased character education, community partnerships and parental responsibility are needed.

It’s bad enough when you have young folks beating each other up and filming it like the recent incident in Florida. But to beat up your teacher? Who’s raising some of these young folks today? Some of these young folks act like they were raised in the wilderness.

It doesn’t surprise me that girls are involved in these incidents. Some of these young girls today are more violent and angry than the young boys.

Categories: Baltimore

Shine on Yahoo

April 2, 2008 Leave a comment

On Monday Yahoo launched a new site aimed at women in the 25-54 age demographic. The site is called Shine. The site focuses on beauty, entertainment, money, health and other important topics that interest women.

Yahoo hopes women take a Shine to site
The Web firm’s new offering focuses on female interests and buying power.

By Jessica Guynn
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

SAN FRANCISCO — Yahoo Inc. is making a fresh appeal to a key demographic: women.

Launching today is Shine, a Yahoo website aimed at women ages 25 to 54. It will delve into fashion and beauty, entertainment, parenting, work and other areas of interest to women.

Yahoo’s future is uncertain in the wake of Microsoft Corp.’s takeover bid. But the Sunnyvale, Calif., Internet giant is continuing to launch new products in pursuit of advertising dollars. With Shine, it’s banking that its highly trafficked brand, which has created such popular destinations as Yahoo Finance, Sports and News, can make a similar play for women.

Shine will collect content from women’s magazines and bloggers in a one-stop shop with a distinctive voice, said Brandon Holley, who joined Shine as its editor in chief from stints at Elle Girl and Jane. Yahoo’s Santa Monica-based media group is launching it.

“Shine is going to be a magnet for women looking to come to one place to get the best information built for women,” she said.

Women constitute a desirable audience for online marketers in part because they outnumber men. There are 81 million U.S. women aged 18 and older on the Internet compared with 77.8 million men, researcher EMarketer Inc. found.

Categories: internet

Angels Can’t Help But Laugh

April 1, 2008 Leave a comment

While checking out the blog Brown Sista, I read about a new documentary produced by actress Terri Vaughn titled Angels Can’t Help But Laugh. Terri use to be a regular on the tv series The Steve Harvey Show. The documentary is about the struggles of black actresses when it comes to finding quality roles in tv and film. You know I blogged about this just last week and back in 2006. Terri talked to 25 black actresses in the documentary.

Terri gave an interview to Essence.com discussing her documentary and the struggles that black actresses have to deal with.

Terri Vaughn: Giving Voice to Hollywood’s Black Angels

Actress Terri Vaughn’s debut docufilm challenges Tinseltown’s powerbrokers to change their perceptions of Black women

By Kenya N. Byrd

Terri Vaughn and her peers are fed-up—not only because of Hollywood’s dearth of diverse roles, but also because of its myopic view of Black women and culture. But rather than complain, the actress (Dirty Laundry, Daddy’s Little Girls, Soul Food, All of Us, The Steve Harvey Show) and mother of two became proactive. Her new film project, Angels Can’t Help But Laugh, is an introspective documentary on the struggles of Black actresses in Hollywood. Essence.com chatted with Vaughan about Angels, marriage the second time around and contributing to our young Black girls’ legacies.

Essence.com: Congrats on your documentary, Angels Can’t Help But Laugh, which has been circulating the film festivals. What is the significance of the title?

Terri Vaughn: When I began filming the documentary I was in the midst of making a bold move—out of my [first] marriage. I was reading A Woman’s Worth by Marianne Williamson, and there was a line I read that said, “angels can’t help but laugh.” Immediately, I knew that was the title for this project. For me, the title simply means that throughout all the trials and tribulations, we [as actresses] are still able to laugh and love what we do and stay motivated in the midst of it all.

Essence.com: In your docufilm, Regina King, Malinda Wiliiams, Tasha Smith and Sheryl Lee Ralph speak candidly about the struggle of Black actresses in Hollywood. Are you concerned that folks will perceive you all as ABWs (Angry Black Women)?

T.V.: I don’t believe we came off as angry, but informative. Sometimes having a voice means that people are going to judge you. For once, I wasn’t concerned about being judged by people because my focus was to create a forum to give voice to Black women and bring power and enlightenment. The film is proactive in creating dialogue and acknowledging the plight of Black actresses; its purpose is not to complain. If we just sit around and say nothing like we often do and no light is ever shed, then we’re as much to blame for our position or lack thereof in Hollywood.

You can read the entire interview at Essence.com. You can also check out the Angels Can’t Help But Laugh website here.

Categories: black actresses
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