Whose America is it Anyway?Whose America is it Anyway?news and musings for hyphenated americans. black, latino, hispanic, african-american, lgbt, asian-american, islam, muslim, jewish, judaism, minorities, politics, religion, sexuality, gender Articles
Sexiest Men
2007-11-19 19:44:00 In no particular order:Clint MauroBoris KodjoeJeffrey Dean MorganSendhil Ramamurthy (Dr. Suresh on Heroes)Gerard ButlerDjimon HonsouDwayne JohnsonSexiest daddies:Will SmithBrad PittHugh JackmanDenzel WashingtonWhile I'm at it, here are some of my favorite new(ish) celebrities of 2007:Hayden Panettiere. Cute, talented and has a spine. Kudos to young women with "lady balls"Amy Winehouse. If she'd just get herself together, she'd rule the music world.Big in 07:Big Entertainer: Beyonce. Clothing line, concerts world wide, ads galore, class rings, dolls, phone, etc. To be perfectly honest, we could all use a Bey-break.Big TV Star: Rain Wilson.Big music artist: Kanye West. Amy Winehouse would win if it weren't for the crackhead bit.Big web hit: Lev or The Geriatric.It girl: Britney Spears for all the wrong reasonsBig powercouple: Brangelina still
Ode to procrastination, links
2007-11-18 17:38:00 NZ to couples: No fatties. Hey, the American government screens out HIV+ people including refugees while those with far more contagious and expensive diseases are allowed in. I would love it if a particularly healthy city like Minneapolis or Denver would ban morbidly obese people from entering. I need a break from the election circus.Forest Whitaker thanks Dr. Black for saving grandmother. The actor's nan had an inoperable brain tumor. The renowned neurosurgeon treated her and extended her life expectancy from a few months to ten years. Kudos to the good doctor.Chlamydia, gonorrhea and congenital syphilis way up. If you've ever been sexually active, please get tested. You do have to ask for these tests as well as an HIV test. Use condoms 100% of the time until you've been in a mutually monogamous relationship for at least 6 months with negative HIV tests 6 months apart. This PSA brought to you by... me.Jamati's 10 Sexiest African Women is missing some obvious people ... More About: Links , Procrastination
Happy Pills 4Eva
2007-11-12 00:12:00 I was reading an article earlier about antidepressants and it read like a cautionary tale. I have little patience for such stories considering my love-hate relationship with these substances. On the one hand, I hate being on them. Taking them infers that I am depressed which is not always necessarily true. I love them because they are what stand between me and my next relapse. I was diagnosed with clinical depression five years ago and I've relapsed four times. That's approximately one diagnosis a year on average. It's clearly a chemical problem and I've accepted the fact that I will probably always be on them. Why? Well, I have a >90% chance of relapsing again according to the author of Listening to Prozac Again.Anti-depressants have saved my life on multiple occasions. When I started on them, I was in such a state that an arrangement needed to be made for me to check in with a psychiatrist on call during the weekends. I wasn't going to class at all and was an anxious mess. Th... More About: Happy , Pills
Dog loves the word "nigger," links
2007-11-02 12:19:00 So Duane "Dog" Chapman of Dog The Bounty Hunter (who has 13 children total by 4 wives and other assorted baby mamas according to Sandra Rose) uses the word nigger. Shocking! I know one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all do it all the time. In the words of Dave Chappelle, "that nigger uses the word nigger all the time."Transcript:Duane "Dog" Chapman: I don't care if she's a Mexican, a whore or whatever. It's not because she's black, it's because we use the word nigger sometimes here. I'm not gonna take a chance ever in life of losing everything I've worked for for 30 years because some fucking nigger heard us say nigger and turned us in to the Enquirer magazine. Our career is over! I'm not taking that chance at all! Never in life! Never! Never! If Lyssa [Dog's daughter] was dating a nigger, we would all say 'fuck you!' And you know that. If Lyssa brought a black guy home ya da da... it's not that they're black, it's none of that. It's that we use the ... More About: Word , Links , Nigger
BET, black macho, vapid mags and cute kids
2007-10-29 05:20:00 Congrats to the Red Sox! So I won't even analyze this video because I was first shocked and then incredibly amused. So I see the stereotypes, but seriously, you have to be just this daft to watch BET, a company that makes it its business to play up the worst stereotypes of black people and feed it to said people along with white teens. Effective PSA? No. I suppose it was BET's intention. Debra Lee sits comfortably in her McMansion, sending her kids to prep school I'm sure, while poisoning the minds of other people's kids. She is the worst kind of sell-out.Black Mach o and the Myth of the Super Predator by Mother JonesA taste of Rediker's The Slave Ship: A Human History. Be sure to pick up your copy. It's a GREAT book and everyone should read it.Why my $6/year W magazine was not renewed. I am now down to Glamour from Glamour, Marie Claire, Town & Country, Essence, Fitness, Shape, W and Vogue. Despite current f-ups, Glamour is a good magazine and I proudly read it. ... More About: Cute , Kids
marriage, links
2007-10-25 00:51:00 So Marry-Your-Baby-Daddy day lives on. I don't know how to feel about this because of course, it's terrible that it's necessary but marriage is apparently not stylish in the African-American community. I cannot imagine having a child without being in a happy marriage. Marry the man you love AND LIKE then have babies when you're ready. Like Michelle did.If you're not committed enough to marry a person, you're not committed enough to make children with them. Also, "by the age of 30, 81 percent of White women and 77 percent of Hispanics and Asians will marry, but that only 52 percent of Black women will marry by that age."Are diet choices genetic? My guess is that even if genes make you like fatty, natural foods, they have little to do with our addiction to the crappy, unnatural crap like the chemical infused squirrel innards that we call "hot dogs."Trader Joe's accused of xenophobia in Chinese product ban. Uh, considering current controversies and the wide array of soci... More About: Marriage , Links
Sexiest African men; Answering the age-old question "why are you still sing
2007-10-23 18:09:00 Jamati has compiled a list of the 10 Sexiest African men. While I don't entirely agree, I would like a #1, #5 and a dozen or so #2s... with whipped cream and chocolate sauce on the side. Chiwetel Ejiofor is an amazing actor and quite handsome, but 6th sexiest African man? Not quite. Boris Kodjoe is a beautiful man and definitely my #1.Finger-licking, sop-him-up-with-a-biscuit good. I'm told that this usage of biscuit sopping is incorrect but you get the point. It's also less vulgar than the increasingly common "I'd let him get it."My "BFF" thinks I'm far too picky and stand-offish. The term "cold" was thrown in there a time or three. I refuse to go out in Boston because I don't know many people and so my social life is nonexistent. Before, I'd go out with friends and stick very close to them. I wouldn't trust my safety to the few people I know in this city.I will preface this by saying that I will likely never meet anyone from this or any website. There's an inh... More About: Question , Sing , Erin
Brazil, confirmation, links
2007-10-23 12:31:00 Can U.S.-style affirmative action work in Brazil ? It certainly hasn't worked that well in the U.S. This "Brazil in Black and White" series by PBS is interesting. It seems like the leading, overwhelmingly white class is happy with the status quo but the rest of the population would like more learning and employment opportunities. 54% can be classified as Afro-Brazilians but they hold less than 2% of the jobs in government, have fewer job opportunities due to the lack of "good appearance" and are far more likely to live in extreme poverty. Brazil has sold itself as some wonderful racially harmonious place. Even the people buy into that gimmick in spite of the poor conditions. It was the last country on the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery. Though there are no Jim Crow laws or Apartheid, Afr0-Brazilians have fewer opportunities than American blacks during the civil right era or South African blacks during Apartheid.I've started looking into confirmation. I am technical... More About: Links , Confirmation , Irma
for the kids, links
2007-10-21 04:45:00 Sox beat Indians 12-2. It's now 3-3 so one more. Go Sox. I am starting to care just a little.Dolls Like Me has the best toys. My god-daughter will be getting several from Santa. They have dolls galore, (Asian, Biracial, Black, Latino and Native American), and unlike Barbie & co., these ones don't just have a different color added to it. They also have puppets and books. Below are my favs:Black White, Just Right (biracial child)Nappy HairYou Be Me, I'll Be You (biracial child) Our Chosen Child: Adoption Baby BookWe're Different, We're the SameNew Clothes for a New Year (Lunar New Year book)Sosu's Call (disability, courage)Nina BonitaLinks :Sodi Braide and Glen Inanga, Pianists of Nigerian descent from Africlassical blogMitt Romney analysis by Down with Tyranny blogSlavery is something we should be proud of? Say what?! This view from a conservative blogger is one of the many reasons why I vote for Dems in spite of some conservative beliefs. Paternalism is less ha... More About: Kids , The Kids
I'd rather be on vacay, links
2007-10-19 20:14:00 It occurred to me that I haven't been on vacation in over 7 years. Funny that I'm looking forward to work so I can go on vacation. Well, the last 6 years have included school, school, school, work with school and more school. I'm hoping to go on 1 vacation each year plus at least 6 weekend trips each year. I'm beyond burned out.Ach. This day has been especially demoralizing so I'm going to get lunch and enjoy the nice weather while it lasts. I just now got why job hunters have such a high suicide rate.Links :Slaves until 1961 Yes, in America. They weren't told that slavery had ended.DNA model plagiarist James Watson: Africans are genetically inferior Funny. I managed to ace math and science classes through college in spite of ADD and average intelligence. Even tutored non-blacks.Said plagiarist, Nobel Prize winner suspended as chancellor of US lab, cancels book tourShould Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins change their names? Either way, they'll still be cra...
Benazir Bhutto
2007-10-18 23:47:00 Benazir Bhutto , exiled former leader of Pakistan, has had two major attempts on her life in the hours following her return to Karachi. I can't pretend to understand why so many people choose violence to solve their disagreements. This is not unique to Pakistan or Islam as many people would like to think. At least 25 people have died as a result. I understand that people living in desperate situations who feel like they have nothing to lose are more likely to partake in these atrocities. I KNOW that violence has never really solved anything. Violence begets more violence. It's amazing to me that people who are appalled and miserable with the status quo generally are the roadblocks to change. More About: Benazir , Benazir Bhutto , Hutto
ANTM
2007-10-18 01:59:00 California-born Tyra Banks, 33, is a supermodel, actress (Fresh Prince, Coyote Ugly), video model (Black and White by Michael Jackson) and TV host. She hosts two successful shows: America's Next Top Model and The Tyra Banks Show. She sponsors the Tyra Banks Scholarship for African-American girls and is a patron of TZONE, a group that aims to help bring up strong young women.Nigel Barker, 35, (swoon!) is a British photographer, ANTM judge and former model. He was a pre-med student before his mother, a former Ms. Sri Lanka, entered him into a televised modeling contest which led to a decade-long modeling career. He runs StudioNB in Manhattan. He is the person I'm most likely to be thinking about when I'm kissing a guy. ShhhhhJ Alexander (Miss J) is a runway coach and a friend of Tyra's for 16 years. He has also coached Naomi Campbell and Kimora Lee. He modeled in NY and was sent to Tokyo for several years to model after the president of Elite Models saw him in drag.Jay...
More on black models
2007-10-17 00:38:00 Chloe showSo the New York Times had a WONDERFUL article on the situation. Fashion writer Guy Trebay did the wonderful piece titled "Ignoring Diversity, Runways Fade to White." Highlights:Black women spend $20 billion on apparel each yearCFDA president and designer Diane von Furstenberg has consistently used black models. There were 7 in her show. Heatherette and Baby Phat were the only lines with more black models.More than a third of the 101 shows on Style.com had no black models; most of the others had one or two.In London, Milan and Paris, designers Jil Sander, Balenciaga, Chloe, Chanel and many others had no black modelsAgencies receive requests that specify "Caucasians Only"Agencies include black models frequently but are often told that said models are not right for the show; this probably leads agencies to send fewer black models in the futureOn many runways, especially those in Paris and Milan, the 17-year old African-American and Korean-American model Chanel Iman Robin... More About: Models
Josie Natori, Tom Ford
2007-10-16 10:09:00 Filipino Josie Natori is the founder and CEO of 30-year old Natori, the luxury lingerie company. She was an i-banker in NYC prior to going the entrepreneurial route. In addition to running a very successful company, she's also a concert pianist, a wife and a mother. Check out her products at HerRoom. She is featured in the November issue of Town & Country.*source: T&C 9/07I've been nursing a giant not-so-secret crush on Tom Ford . He's so handsome and debonair plus think of the potential for free nice accessories, make-up and perfume. Oh, if only he were straight (or bi ) and local or bi-curious, I would throw myself shamelessly at him. I am not a fan of some of his ads. Oddly, my lust developed after being assigned this ad to critique for a communications class; he was with Gucci at that time. Well, he still likes featuring the pubic area of females in his perfume ads. There's something to be said for consistency. More About: Tom Ford
Come on People: The Path from Victims to Victors
2007-10-15 03:04:00 Bill Cosby has a new book titled Come on People . Here are excepts courtesy of Bossip. On criticism:“Certain people tell us that we are picking on the poor. Many of those who accuse us are scholars and intellectuals, upset that we are not blaming everything on white people as they do. Well, only blaming the system keeps certain black people in the limelight but it also keeps the black poor wallowing in victimhood.” On raising children:“All black parents can do right by their children, and all black children can succeed. There is no reason why not.” “Use standard English when you have your kids together, not Black English. They’ll hear enough of that in the streets…Watch the movie My Fair Lady. All cultures discriminate against people who have not mastered the standard language, and when race is involved, it is all that much harder for a nonstandard speaker to feel competent or even at home in the culture.” On the media:“Some of the most negative images of African... More About: Victims , Path
Catwalks whiter than Greenwich, CT
2007-10-14 06:42:00 Just kidding. Greenwich is getting more diverse. Cos Cob is one of my favorite places in America in spite of the lack of diversity. "Everyone is always talking about the weight issue, I think they should be talking about race." -Nigel Barker (swoon!), ANTM judge and fashion photographer I was saving my pennies for a YSL Tribute Slingbacks when I came across a Washington Post article in which Stefano Pilati, YSL creative director, stated that "Sometimes, it's not your choice. You can't find [black models] that are beautiful and with the right proportions. I prefer them with lean proportions with no big hips." Oh really? Well, my gut told me that this was totally B.S. so I went to models.com and searched for models in the state of NY, fashion mecca in this country. There are loads. I went through the first fifty models (5 clicks with 10 models so no intensive searching), weeding out black models that didn't meet the height (5'9"-6") and measur...
America is Hispanic Woman of the Year
2007-10-10 23:30:00 Congratulations to America Ferrera on being named Hispanic Woman of the Year at the inaugural Hispanic Women in Entertainment breakfast. Get it girl.I get annoyed because this young lady is typecast like no other but she brings depth to her characters. Most minority female actresses face the same predicament. Kudos to America. I will be the first to not make any ugly-beautiful references (i.e. "America the Beautiful," "Betty gets Pretty," and the rest of that B.S.). It doesn't need to be said. She's a pretty girl and it got old after the first half of season one. I'm still mad that the writers jerked me around on episode one. I felt like I got kicked in the stomach.America Ferrera with Silvio Horta, Ugly Betty exec producerSofia VergaraOther honorees:Belinda Menendez, president of NBC Universal International Television DistributionSalma Hayek, actress, Ugly Betty producerLucia Ballas-Traynor, GM of MTV TresAlina Falcon, executive VP and operating manager, UnivisionDarlene...
Black Girls Rock! Awards
2007-10-08 23:18:00 Gabrielle Union & Mashondadesigner Tracy ReeseRissi PalmerRain PryorKerry WashingtonMissy Elliot and MC LyteSusan L Tayloralways gorgeous Michala Angela Davis & Bazaar Royale (husband of Beverly Bond)Chrisette MicheleMarsha Ambrosius & Emily KingGabrielle Union, Beverly Bond, Regina KingPhotos courtesy of Stereohyped and Crunktastical More About: Girls , Awards , Rock , Black
October Woman of the Month
2007-10-07 09:13:00 Mara Brock AkilInfo:age - 37Northwestern Grad - JournalismMember of Delta Sigma ThetaWrote for South Central, MoeshaProduced for Moesha, The Jamie Foxx ShowCreated Girlfriends, executive producer with Kelsey Grammar (Cheers, Frasier)Created The Game, a spin-off of Girlfriends; husband Salim is directorReceived a "Sexual Health in Entertainment" awards for Moesha episode Birth Control and Girlfriends episode The Burning Vagina MonologuesWriting a screenplay for a movie currently More About: Woman , October , Month , Mont
In defense of Karrine Steffans
2007-10-06 04:06:00 It's not that I like people that would be classified as "bad." It's not even that I would say I like people who seem like lost causes, or that I see whatever crumbs of goodness there might be in people. There are just particular people that society would categorize as "bad" that I sympathize with. Don't get me wrong. This woman's decisions have been poor and that's putting it nicely. I disagree with her choices, though I'd never go as far as calling her a home wrecker. Serial cheaters wreck their homes, not perennial mistresses.It's not what she says that makes me want to defend her. It's reading between the lines. I was in awe of this quote from an article I read about her. "I kinda felt sorry for him. So I f**ked him." When people who are all there feel sorry for a person, even a stripper, prostitute or a porn star, they pat you on the back to comfort you. They might sit down and listen to your problems. Pity f**king some guy you don't know signals some majo... More About: Defense , Karrine Steffans
Domestic Violence, Dunbar Village, Celebrating Latinas
2007-10-04 12:01:00 Can't sleep so worked on the other blog which is equal parts hilarious, painful and cathartic.It's Domestic Violence Awareness Month ya'll! What is the leading cause of death in pregnant American women?a) complications of child birthb) heart diseasec) suicided) homicideFMF FactsWomen age 16 to 24 are most likely to be victimized by an intimate partner. African-American women experience more domestic violence than White women in the age group of 20-24. However, Black and White women experience the same level of victimization in all other age categories. Hispanic women are less likely to be victimized than non-Hispanic women in every age group (except if you're rich) Women are most vulnerable to violence when separated from their intimate partner. The second most vulnerable ... More About: Village , Domestic Violence , Dunbar
My list of favorite celebs of color
2007-10-03 05:08:00 Top-picks for 9.9 out of 10 because my friends always have something bad to say about everyone:gorgeous, talented, great closet. other than a jab at her full upper lip, no one had anything bad thing to say about kerryinternational mega-star, humanitarian, great singer-songwriter, smart as a whip and girl can dance. the only complaints were about her roots. i happen to like them.talented, beautiful, all-American and STRONG. oddly again, the only thing bad anyone had to say about Gabrielle Union was that there was "something wrong" with her upper lip. whatevSo I had some guests come over to watch "Aliens in America" from yesterday and "Beauty and the Geek." We got to talking about underrated celebs of color. Here's what I jotted down. I'm sure there are MANY who deserve to be on the list who aren't, so tell me who I should add.There are people who are not of color listed because they kept coming up. Those people are marked with a *Most talented celebs of color:Regina Hall... More About: Color , Celebs , List , Favorite , Favor
Swastika bags, adoption, news and links
2007-10-01 06:52:00 Zara thinks this is okay:So my history class taught me that the swastika actually was a symbol of peace and unity. Though it's still used in Buddhist, Hindu and Jainist people as well as many others to mean good things, in the West, the symbol is undoubtedly linked to Nazis. For a Spanish company selling products in the West to use such a symbol on it's products is idiotic at best and hateful at worst. Plus the bag is fugly.I'd be glad if transracial and international adoptions were becoming more common, as long as it's not a fad and everyone doing it is educated and equipped to raise said child. That being said, I couldn't resist posting some pictures of my favorite adoptive families.Can I get a collective "awww" for Pax and Zahara Jolie-Pitt? I frown on stalking celebrity children though. Older brother Maddox and baby sister Shiloh are not pictured. Parents are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.Actress Meg Ryan only feeds Daisy whole foods. Kudos!Actress Mary-Louise Parker r... More About: News , Adoption , Bags , Links
To the boys
2007-10-01 05:04:00 Dear Nik,I know I said I was crying because I'd miss youI liedIt was because med school wasn't for meAnd that death sentence was months awayYou're not the kind of guy one cries overYou're a great summer fling9 bananas out of 10the bonus 1.5 is for making me feel gorgeousWhen I hated every inch of my bodyThank you fling of 04You and your condom-ripping penis owe me $15 for plan B**************************************** ***Dear Jack,You were a great temporary friendI'm glad I met youI'm even more glad that I didn't make amove on you that night at the towerwhen you kept bumping into me awkwardlyI was so desperate to get out of med schoolthat I temporarily considered getting pregnantI'm glad I went and dropped out insteadHaving the love child of my bipolar new friendat the age of 20 would not go over wellI still wonder if you're good in bedI wish we were still friendsParticular when I have to listen tomy friends talk to me about floral arrangementsand other engaged-people crapWh... More About: Boys , The Boys |
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