If the answer is yes

Sanaa !

One of the biggest mistakes

Quote of the day- Robin Roberts

"Life provides losses and heartbreak for all of us - but the greatest tragedy is to have the experience and miss the meaning."

-Robin Roberts

She said goodbye Thursday to her "Good Morning America" co-workers and audience. But only for a while.
"See you later. See you soon. I'll get back as soon as I can," she promised at the close of her emotional send-off from the show.
The "GMA" anchor was making her final appearance before starting medical leave for a bone marrow transplant. Her departure had originally been set for Friday, but in a last-minute change of plans she chose to exit a day early to visit her ailing mother in Mississippi, she told viewers.
During her absence, a number of famous faces will be subbing for her, including previously announced fellow ABC News colleagues Katie Couric, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer and Elizabeth Vargas.
In addition, Roberts announced that Oprah Winfrey, Chris Rock and Rob Lowe will be among the stand-ins, as well as the cast of the ABC comedy "Modern Family."
In June, Roberts had first disclosed that she has MDS, a blood and bone marrow disease. She will be hospitalized next week to prepare for the transplant. The donor will be her older sister, Sally-Ann Roberts, who was on hand for Thursday's broadcast.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer ‘Endorses’ President Obama At Republican National Convention

OOPS!

Steve Harvey's Facebook Status this morning

"Survey Says:


1. Love

2. Money

3. Sex

4. Fame

5. Peace "  

  (He didn't post the question though. What do you think the question was?)    

Michael Jackson would have turned 54 today

 

-about judging / Note to self

-about empathy

Listening to...

Call it like it is. Racism.

Michelle Obama Undressed: Lost in Translation or Just Racist?

by Althea Legal-Miller



On newsstands across Spain, Michelle Obama can be seen gracing the August 2012 cover of Magazine Fuera de Serie, a lifestyle supplement to the newspaper Expansión. She is seated on a chair draped in the American flag, partially nude in slave attire, complete with one of Aunt Jemima’s chicer headscarves. Perhaps because it seems so obviously offensive, the mind attempts to rationalize; “Did this get lost in translation, or is this as racist as I think?” As a black British woman, born and raised in London, I am acutely aware of other recent European racist train wrecks concerning the representation of black womanhood: the Dutch magazine Jackie “deconstructing” Rihanna’s style under the obscene headline “De Niggabitch” and Sweden’s minister of culture cutting into a cake depicting a caricature of a naked black woman to name but two. Unfortunately, this Michelle Obama/Slave Woman mash-up sees Europe produce yet another epic fail in black female representation.
The magazine cover for the feature article “Michelle Tataranieta De Esclava, Dueña De América” (Michelle Granddaughter of a Slave, Lady of America) is the brainchild of white French/English fine artist Karine Percheron-Daniels. Her mixed-media portrait superimposes Obama’s head onto the famous art-historical body of an African Guadeloupean female slave painted by French artist Marie-Guilhelmine Benoist in 1800.
Percheron-Daniels’ portrait, First Lady, was not commissioned for the Spanish magazine cover, but is part of a larger series of “famous nudes” that includes Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II, Abraham Lincoln, and President Barack Obama. In defense of her controversial series, the artist argues that she offers the viewer an “alternative unexpected reality” that allows us to “view famous individuals in a different way.”
But what does the composite of Obama’s face with the nude body of a nameless slave woman say about the way we have been invited to “view” the first lady and, by extension, black female communities of the diaspora?
According to Percheron-Daniels, her decision to transform Benoist’s black “negress” into Obama was “for obvious reasons” that she chose to leave unspecified. Based on such obvious (read: unchecked racist ideology) logic, Percheron-Daniels vacates Obama, and fills in a 19th century European fantasy, which evokes a black female body that can be dominated and possessed, especially sexually. To add insult to injury, Percheron-Daniels declares in blissful ignorance, “I’m sure Obama would love it, and I hope that someday she can see it.”
Let’s be clear: This image has nothing to do with acknowledging Obama’s enslaved foremothers, and everything to do with reinforcing and extending the historical denial of black women’s individuality and agency. The portrait robs Obama of her identity, voice, and intellect, and visually shackles her to a politically passive subject, resigned to an assigned role as slave. I do not support the censorship of art. However, the mass reproduction of this nude portrait on the cover of a national newspaper supplement is a legitimate concern. Of all the stock images that might have been pulled for the cover, I find the editorial decision to portray Obama as the embodiment of enslavement and colonization extremely troubling. This is all the more perplexing given that this image severely undermines the cover story article, which acknowledges the political significance of Obama and champions her intuitive and intellectual prowess. So sad, then, that this image has in some way become a part of the Spanish popular imaginary.
We must be vigilant. The history of our image in Western art is deeply rooted in representations of our nude or semi-clothed bodies. These images – largely determined by stereotypes used to legitimize racial and gender oppression – speak to a painful history of exploitation and erotic objectification, which continues to manifest in multiple contexts across the black female diaspora.

--courtesy clutchmagazine.com

I am so very offended by this depiction. There are no words. I'm speechless.  I am BEYOND offended.

Can't get it out of my mind

If there's a cure for this, I don't want it, I don't want it. If there's a remedy, I'll run from it I'll run from it. I think about it all the time, can't it get out of my mind...

Love.

Diana

Afrodesia is up and running too.   Check it out here

songs in my head

 
 

Sister and the Sisters

Look at these gorgeous black women.

Tika Sumpter, Jordin Sparks and Carmen Ejogo at the Los Angeles premiere of "Sparkle" on August 16, 2012.

Rest In Peace

Aaliyah Dana Haughton,
January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001

More Friday Flashback (s)

Mpendwa Mungu, ambapo ni upendo wangu?

Tafadhali hebu mimi alikutana yake kabla ya kufa,

 Amina

Friday Flashback

 I sang this song for the final exam for my Voice Class when I was in college. My professor was tired of my singing Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass and Barry Manilow songs. Their songs seem to fit my lower register. Anyway, she wanted me to challenge myself. Back then there was only Barbra Streisand's version of this song, so I bought the sheet music and I worked with the pianist to 'lutherize' it ( my professor's term). My boss was disappointed that I did what I did (do you have to lutherize every song?), instead of singing it plainly, but I received a standing ovation. She told me later on that the standing ovation was what kept me from getting a B. I got an A.

I've loved that song ever since. I know this sounds sappy, but I imagine singing that either  to the woman that's going to be my wife, or at the wedding reception. Or maybe having her sing it with me.

 Yes, I'm a romantic. I can't help it.  

Maybe that's the problem.

Song in my head

Word

WORD

 

     

        I show love 'cause it's a terrible thing to hate.

                                                              --Peace of mine, by Guru   RIP

Psychos

BE ( Basement Elevation )

When you stop trying so hard, bending over backwards to be liked and just be yourself, you will be amazed at who includes you in the important events of their lives, and at those who show indifference.   Those who show indifference are the ones whom you shouldn't have been hanging out with in the first place.  Their lack of connecting with you shows they could care less if you lived or died. They don't care if they never hear from you again. And you can tell.  If' you're the one who has to initiate the communication,  then stop calling,  or emailing,  or texting,   or facebook-messaging those people. 
Who will be the first to want to know how come they haven't heard from you?  Who will be the last? Who will never contact you again?  I've done this, and I'll tell you, there's been a significant decrease in my phone usage, and I'm saving money. And time.

If you love yourself enough, you will care less about who you are to others and more about who you are to yourself.


Amen.  

That used to be my problem, but not anymore. 

Think for yourself

       To find yourself think for yourself.

                                            -Socrates

   What did he mean?

   It means you will never be who you are until you can independently think for yourself and make your own views on life and the world no matter what anyone else says or does. When you accept everything you're told without question, you open the door to being manipulated. I was inspired to write this when I saw a black woman on the bus today, wearing a Mitt Romney 2012 T shirt. I had to do a double-take. It was the strangest thing. She was obviously spoon-fed some bullshit, some lies about how Mitt Romney cares about black people. I wanted to tell her to do some research. I would told her to look into the statements made by others. I was also inspired when a friend of mine in Seattle told me yesterday that he saw a gay couple with wedding bands, holding hands while wearing Romney 2012 Tshirts. Unless they've been living under a rock, everyone knows that Romney feels they don't have the right to marry. It's shocking to me that people don't think for themselves.  Do some research, folks!

 You'll be amazed at how many times you'll find lots of evidence to contradict the statements of others. Yet, these people spout this erroneous information and never question the accuracy or truth of what they're saying. Use Google or  go to the library, and search for information to prove or disprove the statements made. Remember where you get the "evidence" from. Be aware that, just because you saw it in a book or on the internet, that alone does not make it the truth. Once you've found evidence, one way or the other, you can speak up about it. "Yes, you know after we talked last time, I was so interested that I looked that up. That's amazing, isn't it, hard to believe, but true!" Or conversely, you can say, "I know that sounds amazing, and I hate to burst the bubble because it's fun to believe that could be true, but I looked it up, and it looks like it isn't true. I feel bad to be the bearer of bad news, but I just don't think that's true. You can look at ____________ (wherever you found your disproving evidence) and see for yourself."

 Not only will some people be very perturbed by your refusal to take their statements at face value, but you will also learn to question your own assumptions, and that can make you feel lost and confused, like walking into a dark room. It takes courage to face uncertainty.

Beyonce was here

Beyonce, Ambassador of World Humanitarian Day 2012, commanded the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations during a heartfelt performance of “I Was Here.”  The inspirational tune, selected from her most recent album 4, is the event’s theme song.
“I was here. I lived. I loved. … I want to leave my mark so everyone knows I was here,” sings a radiant Beyonce in a sparkling white gown.
The visuals, directed by Kenzo Digital and Sophie Miller, include disasters images from across the world and the faces of workers, who donated their time to help others.

To get involved in World Humanitarian Day, visit whd-iwashere.org.

Shut 'em down

-Ralph Ellison

Life is to be lived, not controlled, and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me...
__Ralph Ellison...

Dead @ American Idol

I've watched every single episode of this popularity (under the guise of singing) competition.  I've even voted, and the shows have been topics of discussion between my boss and myself  the morning after the show, for years; one of a few things we've bonded over. I've endured the mediocre singers chosen as judges ( Paula Abdul and Jennifer Lopez). I've even endured the celebrity judges that used the show to bring their singing careers back from the dead, only to quit once they've used the show to successfully sell music and books ( Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler), but having Nicki Minaj as a judge?  That's where I draw the line. I don't even watch her on anything else. I'm not going to tolerate her on American Idol. Not on my tv screen. That'll give me an extra 2-4 hours a week to write.   Mariah Carey makes sense. She's an excellent singer, and she even writes alot of her music.

American Idol, in trying to increase the ratings, is grasping at straws.What demographic are they trying to get now?

Put this in a blog entry list of things that make no sense.

(glad I got that off my chest)

I support it too.

Happy Eid Mubarak

 

"A great sign of solidarity, pun intended. Hope this catches on and to see a wave of this for the next Eid in a couple of months. Talk to your church. This will be a big nail in Islamophobia's coffin."

I saw this on Facebook today and I had to share it. 

Ready.

About 15 years ago, the woman I dated at the time was getting her Masters in African American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she was responsible for getting lecturers and poets to come to the school.That was one of the benefits of dating her; through her I was able to meet  some very influential  people like Desmond Tutu, Louis Farrakhan. I was also able to meet two of my favorite poets, Amiri Baraka and Maya Angelou. I made sure I brought  my favorite books of poetry of  theirs to sign.

Maya Angelou had a Q & A after her lecture, and I was sitting in the front row. I asked her if there was any advice she could give to us aspiring writers, and she said :

"I can sum it up in three words. Revise, revise, revise. Before I first had Phenomenal Woman published, I wanted to revise it everytime I looked at it.I had to force myself to accept that it was ready."

That's how I've been for the past 10 years. 

My book of  poetry, The Love Experience, Pt 1 is ready, I believe. It's a collection of 150 romantic poems.  I've been revising the poems every time I looked at them, but there comes a time when I have to decide that it's ready for me to send to publishers. 

So, in my spare time, when I'm not looking for affordable vacation rentals for my trip to Paris in November, or writing novellas for my collection  Designer Strait Jackets & Other Novellas I'm also looking for literary agents, for book publishers, and even publishers of poetry magazines. 

Please pray for me!

My thoughts regarding the movie Sparkle

I just got back from seeing Sparkle. Great movie. It's still surreal, knowing that we will never see another new movie or see another new video of Whitney Houston, or to see her, except in old clippings. And that had me feeling sad all throughout the movie. I found myself looking forward to every scene with her in it.  And then towards the end of the movie when she sang His Eye Is On The Sparrow, I lost it. Yeah, I was tearing up, in my silence. 

Great movie though.

Hindsight is 20/20

Some people are in your life for a season and some for a reason. And some you shouldn't have let in your life at all. Get rid of them.


Just a thought.

Another thursday flashback(s)

I'm talking about you

     What have you done for you lately?  If you're like me, you're busy making other people happy, all day long. What have you done for you lately? Sometimes you forget what you need. What have you done for you lately? Sometimes you put your needs on the back burner, planning to get to it when you get the time. What have you done for you lately?You never get the time and while others' needs are being fulfilled to the point where they're able to leave and venture out on their own, you're left feeling resentful because you've neglected yourself and you're angry because you might feel it's too late to go after your dreams.  What have you done for you lately? What I've learned is that there's nothing  wrong with focusing on my needs, on going after what I want.What have you done for you lately? I have learned that no one is going to treat me better than I treat myself, besides God, so, I ask, What have you done for you lately?

Happy Birthday, Angela Bassett!

Thursday Flashback

#realtalk

  Once you learn how to be happy, you won't tolerate being around people that make you feel anything less.

              --author unknown 

#dontputupwithnoshit

No excuses

 Now what can't you do?

The Color Purple

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.

-- Martin Luther

Help us to be ever faithful gardeners of the spirit, who know that without darkness nothing comes to birth, and without light nothing flowers.

--May Sarton

seek and ye shall find

“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”
―Rumi

 I'm looking.

Listening to....

The best thing

    The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity.
   --Francis Maitland Balfour

Lip Service

I believe none of what I hear and half of what I see.
--Benjamin Franklin

Thanks Reggie  @ http://reggiesblogspotrantings.blogspot.com/   for telling me about this quote!

Her own force field

Lauryn Hill's Mugshot

She Faces Jail Time For Tax Evasion

as per Lauryn HIll's post on her Tumblr page:

Over-commercialization and its resulting restrictions and limitations can be very damaging and distorting to the inherent nature of the individual. I did not deliberately abandon my fans, nor did I deliberately abandon any responsibilities, but I did however put my safety, health and freedom and the freedom, safety and health of my family first over all other material concerns! I also embraced my right to resist a system intentionally opposing my right to whole and integral survival.

The eight-time Grammy award-winning talent faces three years in prison for failure to pay taxes between the years 2005 and 2007. Hill was originally charged in June 2012.   According to The Daily Mail,  she is currently free on $150,000 unsecured bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 27.                

If Only

So be careful

Happy Birthday Halle Maria Berry

It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled
-- Mark Twain

Black Gold

After a botched handoff in Beijing, the United States women's 4x100m relay team felt it had something to prove. So they went out and ran an error-free, world-record race (a record that has stood since 1985) and won gold for the first time since 1996. 

Different Times

 So I close my eyes and kept on pushin'
I just kept looking and guess who showed up.

Black Gold

A couple more flashbacks

Friday!! Time for a couple flashbacks

The Future

History expects you.

The Latest

 I made a Maple Bacon Cake (above) last weekend for friends. I owed one friend a 7-up cake (below) and I didn't want the others to be empty-handed. They bought home slices of the Maple Bacon Cake, and they and their families loved it so much that I have to make 6 more of the same cake by saturday.  I'm going to be busy.

 Doing what I love. 

I always feel my grandfather's presence when I'm cooking, and baking and when people like what I've made, I imagine him smiling. I feel proud.  I don't know if I said this before, but my grandfather was a chef, and when my mother and her sisters were growing up, they never learned to cook. He did all the cooking. My quality time with my grandfather was spent in the kitchen, or the grocery stores, meat markets, and fish markets  of Montreal Quebec. Everything pertaining to food.  When I need to feel his presence, his strength, I go to my kitchen and I bake. I'm always baking cakes for the neighbors or I bring a cake to work.  I'm going to bake a Maple Bacon Cake to bring to work next week. Whoever with whom I'm in a relationship, or whoever I marry, she never has to cook if she doesn't want to. I'd rather do it.

That's real

Stupid people

So, this morning on the train  I overheard a woman talking to a guy next to her, and they were both complaining about the Affordable Care Act, and how much they hated the President shoving socialized medicine down our throats. Then she said :

‘If he wins the presidency again, I’m moving to Canada.’
And so I said,
‘Oh, where there’s socialized medicine?’

she looked at me, her face like a deer caught in the headlights.
Then the guy said, ' we should move to Australia then.'
And then I said,

‘Oh, where there’s socialized medicine?’
Then she  said 'somewhere in Europe then."
And then I said,
‘Oh, where there’s socialized medicine?’

Then they had nothing more to say.

Good Indeed

Happy Birthday, Meagan Good!

Happy Birthday Mr. President!

President Barack H. Obama turns 50 Today.

The shape of an hour glass

I needed a reason to post this pic. She's too gorgeous for me to bypass it.

Negative Space

Most of the shadows of life come from your own self blocking the sun.
   -- James Pickett

The deepest scars

  


               to be alive is to have scars.

--John Steinbeck, the Winter of our Discontent

 And 

sometimes the deepest scars are the ones we don't see.

--Rowan Meade