Fathers and Daughters

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• 17^th anniv of the earthquake in Cali today….at 5:04 pm and they are still working on the new bay bridge Bay Bridge.
• I was in a café rewriting my legal memo….and it was right after school let out and three diff family’s came in.
• The dad, in one of the families, proceeded to ask his little girl how her days was, while he was perusing the news paper. What the eff is the point of asking your little girl a q, if you do not listen to her w/ your undivided attention? You are teaching her two things:

a. That you do not have to look at people and listen to them when they are answering a questions that you have asked.

b. That people, men mainly, are not obligated to give her their undivided attention when she is talking to them.

• Which brings me to my father. My dad has been in and out of my life for a minute. 20 years to be exact. Addiction destroys families. He is also one of the people that I have always adored.

• Having him in my life CONSISTENTLY for the last few years has had a significant impact on my ability to trust people, especially men.

• He was one of the first people I told that a. I was not getting married, and that I was moving out. He then was able to offer his perspective based on his experiences .

• I guess a lot of resentment grows- parent child relationships- out of when a parent is not there for their child during a crisis.

• I am happy to say that we are closer than ever, in my adult life, and that I have more forgiveness and more of an ability to express my love towards other people now.

I need to go get the new Danger Mouse….that Thelonious Coltrane archive was recently re-released….isn’t that a borderline miracle…that they found an OLD COLTRANE/MONK recording?

Beam me up scottie.... 

Getting My L-School Game Up....

That is how my brain feels, for real.

FULL METAL LEGAL

1. 40 hours of reading/ week is THE reality.

2. Keep in mind that YOU are responsible for teaching YOURSELF the material. The professor is a guide. Can you believe that ISH. We pay all this cash to TEACH OURSELVES.

3. Be prepared to get little sleep.

4. Get to your first day of classes 20 minutes early. You may have to sign a seating chart, and you do not want to be stuck in the back if you have a vision/hearing problem/.

5. Some people are friendly. Some are not. Expect it.

6. 3 ways of interacting with your professors,
During class, at breaks, during office hours.

7. Continue to exercise and take your vitamin C.

8. Build relationships w/ your professors at the outset. You will need them to write you recommendations before the end of the first semester.

9. Study group selection is like being picked out for the kick ball team in 3^rd grade. Its painful especially being a negro...but "Whatattygonnado?"

10. Going to the movies will become your friend....

New Books

Who wants to go see the slavery show with me?

There are also a couple of interesting books out right now on Slavery and New York.
I am most interested in the North Eastern shipping, insurance and banking industries. Has anyone ever written that book? (LIGHT BULB, DING!)

I googled slavery and New York and found this, and this .

On that note, I am going out to some Pete Rock, Donnie Hathaway.

Brotha', Brotha', Brotha'

Birthday Happiness

Lawyers that blog. Who knew?

I had crazy epiphanies this weekend. I almost caused a small riot at Ripple. This cat, was loud and boisterous and waited clean until my s.o. got up and went to the bathroom for him to tap me and say, "Hey girl, I like the way you wearn' that hat".
Mind you:
a. I am at a b-day party of my s.o.'s friend, so I don't WANNA get it crackin'.
b. I am gritting my teeth and moving my head from side to side in an effort to disengage this cat.
c. Ignoring him made it worse. His boy is trying to calm him down. The s.o. comes back. Dude is still loud though.
d.Cat then calls me a *itch and tell's me I need to go to midtown with all that cause THIS [my dear watson] is this hood.
e. Situation is diffused eventually and I am teased for having Started Trouble.

The conclusion pt I.
a. I am going to have a leaned back weekend. For real. Next weekend. Leaned back. You can tell I am trying to convince myself. Wink. Wink.
b. If I feel it in my gut that a *igga sittin' next to me is lifted and gonna flash...I will move. Not trying to go to jail. At least not for a reason like that.

The conclusion pt II.
a. The violence in Oakland, as wanton as it is, kinda made sense to me. This past two years we had murders in the triple digits, and they mainly occurred in about 4 neighborhoods on 6 blocks. I am exaggerating, but not that much.
Thinking about this use to depress me, but I am seeing now that some people just need to be hushed. The Town', like Texas, operates with a very Wild Wild West, street justice philosophy. With the way that cat was talkin'...I see WHY people get popped. Really. Yack, Yack, Yack. No respect. Can't appreciate nothing nice. Maybe no one hugged him enough when he was a little boy.

Speaking of Oakland

Last week I realized that the source of my pain is also the source of my inspiration. My family. My childhood. Dude. When I get sad, I think of how real East Oakland was, how violent it was, and how that violence, lives in me, affects me. And HOW violent the world is as a whole. It depresses me further and makes me feel like danng, all that happened to me when I was a young buck AND I gotta go through this New York/ Subway/Terrorism/ Post Engagement/ L School/ One Year Older B.S. too!

However, when I am in class feeling isolated or even just at the Barnes and Noble glancing at new book titles, it crosses my mind that I CAN handle the ins and outs of living here BECAUSE of my family. My childhood. Wierd hunh? I guess this is an example of what my Civil Procedure professor saying that "It cuts both ways."

When we start the evolution all they prolly do is squeal....

Fader Magazine is dope this month.

There is a story on Hip HopÂ’s Untold storiesÂ….some vintage NY flicks of Biggie, LL Latifah and Jay-Z. It reminded me that everything that we see in HH evolved from another place. Remeber how Trace Mag useta be good.? Thats how decent this issue of Fader is.

Fader also represented the Bay quite lovely. There is an article on Baby Jaymes, Oakland’s own funkadelic, entrepreneurial, singing sensation. There is also an article and Rukus magazine which tauts itself a a magazine about Bay Area Rap Culture. It is good to see that there a people within the Bay writing about bay artist. Like Pfife said “I Never Let a Statue tell me how nice I am.” Sitting around waiting for external validation will have you DEPRESSED every time. Please believe it.

On L School

Speaking of depression. L-School is real. And I feel like I am getting the hang of it. After I had some major realizations last week about:

1. The importance of building relationships w/ professors in order to have them write reccomendations that I need for summer jobs.
   
2. How my colleagues are shameless about only interacting w/ me if they feel that I have something to offer them.
3. Why are very few Model Minorities in the profession to begin with. There is little if no support system and you are required to be focused, on, in the zone, at ALL TIMES.
   
4. The fact that I need to stop sitting on my mentor request letters and mail them out. Everyone is afraid of rejection, granted. But I also need to politic with the entertainment attorney that I know from NYU. ****That is a mental note.

On Loving the Love

Thank god for making SagittariusÂ’s. I have met one and I am good to go. Please believe it!

Step the Food Game UP

Someone needs to come up with a service at Craigs List where they will go to the Farmers Market (for veggies), Whole Foods (for berries for smoothies and natural sodas) and Chinatown (for Catfish, Tilipia and Salmon) ‘cuz I did all that *hit this morning and it was real. In the rain Fam. The good news is that I have some ingredients for these evenings Asian Salmon salad jump-off (Go Martha), but navigating all those people, with all those bags is tiring. From now on, when my friends say lets get something to eat, Imma say, *igga lets get some groceries so we can cook. Word.

New Music.

I canÂ’t wait to listen to this, this and this. Can you believe that they came out with another album?

Danger Doom Tuesday.

Tuesday 10/11/05

I know that everyone else except for me, (thanks Jase!), has had it since the summer. But honestly, I think I need the album now more than ever. So there!

I am going out to Black Moon a little Fiona and lately I have been feeling MosÂ’s Umi says....Shine your light on the world....shine your light for the world to see....

A little of this..A little of that....

Good Afternoon Blog Family.

What a beautiful day it is.

POST BREAK UP MAINTAINING

Big Up to my famy Tony Botas for holding me down last night.
I woke up with THE BLUES yesterday and needed some cheering up.

I finally dawned on me by leaving my ex, not only was I leaving the *hit I do
not like about him, but I also lost my best friend.

The good news is that I cooked this weekend. For the first time in almost 2 months. Roasted Organic chicken and baked ziti.
I cooked too much. Gotta learn how to scale, down, lean back and cook for one.

WHITE YALE MOMMAS

• The Times article about (White) women at Ivy League schools who want to be momma's has me *ucked up.

• The gist of the article is that the women at Yale are hyper educated, but are going to leave there professional careers to be mommas.

• First of all, childcare is an issue for everyone, from the poor to the affluent.

• Secondly, systematic problems deserve systematic solutions. I got that from Martha Burks book, Cult of Power.
  

• Why didn't the article talk about Europe and how they handle childcare?

• Why wasn't the article more imaginative about what kind of future this country would have if there was institutional child care for everyone!
• For that matter, it could have discussed the PRIVALGE of being able to graduate from YALE and be a full time momma. Cuz guess what, your baby daddy is workin 120 hrs/week to hold down the fam.
  

Terry McMillan on her Ex

Essence: Why did you fall in love with Jonathan? Terry: For the same reason that most people fall in love. He made me melt. [HOLLA].

New Books

• The Commitment by Dan Savage. Dan does the savage love column in the voice. It looks pretty interesting. I like when men write about their family. That is how R.M. Harris useta be, then he started writing 125th books, which is cool, but it is not real to me.John Edgar Wideman writes amazingly, honestly and vulnerably about his family.
• Tananrive Due has a new one out called Joplins Ghost. Can't wait to read it. She is simply someone who will keep me up all nite reading her book, and then it will follow me into my dream. With the way my schedule is now, I may have to get up early this weekend, go to B & N and handle it in one sitting.
• Gordon Parks has a new biography out titeld Voices in the Mirror. Seeing his book made me think that I should make a list of black folks who I would like to see a biography from.
  

My Single B-Day

Can you believe that I am about to have my first single B-Day in half a decade on Tuesday? It falls on the Jewish high holiday so...I can get me kick it on Monday night and go to brunch in the morning...heeeey.

Leave comments. Please. I like 'em blog family.

Anger and Fear

Number of days I have avoided listening to Donnie Hathaway: 7

Number of times Black Label has jumped off: 4

Number of times that I realized that listening to Nas is my Blues: 4

Number of hours I needed to read this weekend: 15

Number of hours I DID read: 6

Happy or Scared?

This gives photo gives a whole new meaning to "Rolling Sideways".
Peep the wheels. I don't know whether to be scared 'cuz, I ride J Blue to Cali 2-3 times a year, or to be happy 'cuz they have pilots who got handles like they been in a few East Oakland side shows.

If SHE don't have to go to L-SCHOOL to be an attorney, why I am wasting my time and money??? Hunh? What?

Looks like Suggie Suge paper got froze the uckf out by the courts.

So..I din't die afterall

Sooo. Could this weather be more amazing?
It really feels like the town out in BK 2night.

The good news is that my pod only needed a new charge cord.
So now, Fiona, Al, Redman and Prince are all one big happy family again.
I was so happy when the dude @ the genius bar walked back up to me and said there was something wrong w/ the cord. I could have gave him a wet juicy one RHAT THURE!

Yall know Dwele got a new joint coming out.
I saw it in Sister 2 Sister. Now before you start clowning the fact that I read S2S, understand that EVERYONE needs a magazine. Even if the articles do read like a conversation I had w/ one of my brother's girlfriends when I was 12:(

I saw an interesting discussion over at Crunktastical. They were hollerin' about them Stop Snitching and the We Got That Snow t-Shirts. Its HILARIUM. Please peep it.

Which reminds me of a moment I had in Harlem the other day.
So I am up there.
Went specifically to the Uptown veggie bar.
They have that warm back room eating area where it feels like you are eating your meal in a human hot house. Equisite.
After there, I went to Starbucks on 25th to get some studying juice and on the way out I heard this dude telling the ladies, who were no more than 25 and discussing buying a house/apartment,

"See if ya'll wanna buy a house, you need to let a hussla flip that money for you.
Watchu mean selling drugs.
Naww. It don't gotta be selling dope, It could be any kinda hussle.
I walk outside. And there are 4 middle age men, yellin/ New Ports
New Ports.
I chalked it up to another day uptown."

The first thing I am going to do as a Senator is introduce the :

2012 Negro Accountability Act.
Because "doin' what chu gotta do to survive is no longer an excuse".

Eff- Day by Day...Its Moment by Moment

I know that they were staging it in Atlanta, but I didn't realize that they were bringing it to the city. The tickets look reasonable starting at $26-100. I knew that they were doing the Color Purple. I wonder how much influence Alice had on the production? I wonder if it is intense and will make the audience cry.

Caution Slippery Road Ahead

Awwww....the fun of being newly single.....
The cool part-
1. Being able to come and go as I please.
2. Flirting w/o an fear of remorse.
3. Not having to think of a wedding day that gets closer with each night I rest and wake up.
4. Eating what I want, when I want and not having to coordinate the food jump off's.


The not so cool part-
1. The absolute silence of living dolo.
2. My old apartment was mad loud. I could hear ambulances, the police, kids, mommas. Everything. And then last night, all of a sudden, I could hear a pin drop.
3. There was also the easiness of familiar conversation where someone knows all the characters and nuances in your day to day life.

Luckily for me, I opened up the window in the bedroom and I have some city background noise.

Now that I have some pictures up and Black Moon playing in the background, it is starting to feel more like my space.


Why did I talk to my college ex and his girl moved out yesterday too.

That demonstrates that life truly does go on, because when we broke up
I could not stand his ssa. Now we are commiserating about our pain and how
we thought we were going to marry our s.o's.


New plates, new begining. I bought some new plates at Target yesterday. Don't wanna be eatin' on plates that remind me of times where I experimented cooking Thai food, Teryaki salmon or veggie lasagne for us.

Unintended Consequences

Whenever I go back home to Cali I come back o NY tfeeling strong.

When I was out there a month ago, unbeknownst to me, the seed was being planted for me to bounce.

You see, I ran into an old friend (as in my high sweet hearts best friend), who is also a libra and as usual with us, he was having some relationship fonk.

Philly was complaining about his lady friend and how she would only kick with with him on Friday's. So you know me, I would immediatly figure that she was married and/or shacking up, but just keeping it on the low. He went on to explain that she was unavailable and terse, sometimes also.

So I asked, dude, if she is like that, why bother?
He looked at me, intently and said,

She looks at me.
She smells good
&
she says my name.

I told him that would be a dope hook for a song. And as innocent as it was for him to say that to me, it resonated. He captured something in those three sentences that I knew that I needed. A few yesterday's ago.

Be Careful What You Ask For...

5 Ways of Getting Over a Break Up.

1. Black Label on the rocks.
2. The self help section at Barnes and Nobles at Union Square.
3. NOT playing Donnie Hathaway.
4. NOT thinking about how severe this winter will be.
5. Listening to Tiombe sing "At the end of the daaaay, I have nooooo fear, cuz, I got chuuuuu."

She did what?????

Just for a change of pace...I am going to go a little more personal in the post. I got inspired by Humanity Critic's blog.

I gave him back the ring yall' and I am moving out.

I had to do it. And you know why. It was the classic, Passion v. Stability argument.
And it really is not good for either of us to STAY TOGETHER just because it is comfortable.

I have 40 hours of reading A WEEK. And I already have a new man. His name is TORTS/CON LAW/ CRIM LAW/ CIVIL PROCEDURE. L-School is so real.

So, all 8 of my blog readers....understand that I am growing new gray hairs from going through this, my dad lovingly calls it "getting wisdom". To a certain extent it is true.

I am sad, relieved and scared. Honestly too, looking at the devastation in New Orleans, and having grown up and witnessed earthquakes AND drive by's. I KNOW Life is precious, and you never GET ANY MINUTE BACK.

As for someone who has NOT been on the scene in a minute....I DID not get the memo that MOSTLY ALL (and I mean the vast majority) of these dudes wanna do is get in your lower bottoms. I mean, I be listening to Big Pooh talk about lets just be friends....but daaaaaaamn. They are really 'bout it like that.

Anybody got that new DOOM MOUSE?
I got the Sean P. It is cool. His verse on Chemistry is hot.
I have been meaning to tell yall that I figured out how to hook my POD up to the radio.
All you have to to is get jack from Radio Shack. It cost $30. Now I can listen to my Fiona/ Prince/Michael mixxx at home. Yippie.

What is that new Roots song I keep hearing all over the city.
You heard that Jay-Z 'bout to put the Roots on. First Kanye, now this.
What if Jay gave Doom, De La a deal. That would be bananas!

Bling it Back

Walt Handelsman Cartoon/Newsday/Tribune Media Service 8/31/05

A poem for New Orleans

Drooping Willows
Sexy moss leaves

White one story bungalows,
Clap board windows
The location of my future nuptials

I pronounce it New- or-Leans
Jus’ like my momma

You are not suffering alone
We are watching, planning,
Evaluating and assisting

My heart

Ventricles,

arties and all

Goes out

To you and yours.

We Fugees now hunh?

Big up to my girl T who brought to my attention the MAJOR problem with calling displaced New Orleaneans REFUGEES.

New Orleanians are NOT refugees. For all intents and purposes refugees tend to be discarded by this country. Wait, maybe I need to rethink this argument. These are tax paying citizens of the United States. "Refugees", are left to perish at the hands of the “corrupt” Haitian, Sudanese or government.

The folks in New Orleans are people. They have, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grand mommas, godmommas etc. Calling them refugees undermines both the suffering they have experienced and their rights to post disaster FEDERAL assistance.

Ann Rice recognized the folks down there for what they are when she stated that,

Thousands didn’t leave New Orleans because they couldn’t leave…..and they did what they felt they could do­--- they huddled together in the strongest houses they could find. ….What’s more is that thousands more that could have left stayed behind to help others.

Bling it Back

On a more personal note I am keeping a close watch on EXACTLY what Universal records does for New Orleans. Home to the Cash Money Millionaire's, a very profitable group for Universal. Universal has made A LOT of money off rap music from New Orleans, (and we won’t even get into Jazz). The dudes at Cash Money invented the term Bling. Lets see if Universal, not withstanding the fact that they ARE a corporation that is ultmatley responsible to their share holders, will help the folk down in N.O.

The folks in N.O. supported these artists when they were hustling their music locally. This success ultimately provided proof to Universal that Weezie, Juvie and Baby had a sound that was bound to go national, it was just a matter of when.

Black folks are notriously forgiving, think R. Kelley, Kobe. Lets see if we forgive Universal if they fail to assist the town that has produced music that has made millions of dollars for them.

August Wilson, the playwright is dying. He was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer in June. I still remember reading the “Piano Lesson” and high school and thinking to myself “Wow, this man has an amazing sense of the context of Black folks lives within the U.S., and REFUSES to portray us as violent, greedy, animals.” He is currently working on a play titled “Radio Golf” which will be on view at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.

Movie News

Puff’s version of Carlito’s Way is coming out soon. I think we have Mario Van Peebles to thank for thatJ

Bullets in the Hood, a film about gun violence in Bed-Stuy. The two filmmakers, Terrence Fisher and Daniel Howard were friends of Timithy Stansbury, the young man who was killed by an NYPD officer on the roof of the Louis Armstrong projects. Timithy was on the way to a party with a friend.

There will be a FREE screening on Tuesday the 6^th at BAM as well as a reception.

New Book

When Affrimative Action was White by Ira Katznelson

Talk about provocative. In Nick Kotz’s New York Times review of the book he states that there were two major ways issues that undermined with Black wealth development and transfer that, there White counterparts, were able to receive.

The book mainly focuses on the FDR’s new deal, and how it affected Black and White veterans differently.

“The G.I. Bill in the south was designed to accomadate Jim crow…Southern Congressional leaders made certain that the programs were directed not by Washington but by local officials, businessmen, bankers, and college administrators who would HONOR past practices.”

“By October 1946, 6500 former soldiers had been placed in non farm jobs by the employment service in Mississippi. 86% of the skilled and semi skilled jobs were filled by white….92% of the skilled by blacks. "

[Home ownership and college attendance are the two main perquisites for wealth bulding and transferance. You gotta GET the house and then you gotta pass it on to some after you die. By attending college, offers greater insurance that you will be employed and able to pay the taxes so you can pass it on to your children.]

Diversity for Dummies

Jonathan Kozol calls it like he sees it.

That fool said diversity is a synonym for segregation meanin ½ black students, ½ latino students, and three white kids.

A lot of the problems that we enounter with public education have to do with the lack of financial transparency. How can we advocate more money for the shcools when we do not know, in plain speak how the money is being spent.

Perhaps a federal bill requiring all school budgets to be published annually could empower more parents and students. Instead of No Child Left Behind, we could call it the School Budget Sunshine Act. or the School Cash Transparency Act. I know, my idealism is showing. But hey, I can dream:)

Bobby and Rich

There is nothing like Labor Day weekend, in the spot, singing-a-long with my folks to DWYCK, Passing Me By and other 89-94 treats. Table 50 was live then a mug last night. I forgot how much fun that party could be. The wack part was when some one set off the fire alarm. Other than that, I couldn’t think of a better way to chill on a breezy summer evening.

Get Open!

First I don't post for hella weeks now I can't stop postin'.

When I was in Cali of all places I caught a Hip Hop panel on C-Span.
It was sponsered by Third World Press and Institute of Positive Education, Betty Shabazz International Charter School.
The panelist were:

Coval, Kevin - Artistic Director, Young Chicago Authos

Kitwana, Bakari - Author

Norman-Hawkins, Amina - President, Chicago Hip Hop Initiative

Paniccioli, Ernie - Photographer

Rivera, Raquel Z. - Correspondent

Wang, Oliver - Critic

Wimsatt, William Upski - Author

Talk about something that was inspiring.

I did not get to see all of it.

I just may purchase the video to soak up some of that game.
If C-Span was right, they would stream that ish, but that is another story.

At first glance you may groan and say, just another afternoon w/ egroesn talkin'.

But peep. It still sticks out in my mind that one of the panelist said, only when people congregate will they make it congress.
That isn't to say that that is our Ultimate goal, but I am not mad at that.
William Upski is mad inspiring. He was on some "The people in this room have the power to use Hip Hop to change the world type 'ish." It was easy to believe That pre '96, but not in recent memory has someone said something to that affect AND had me thinking of ways to harness HH's appeal with the young bucks.

It Get Hot at Night

I cannot believe that I am just now hearing about it.
So Spike has a new book out. As much as a book snoop that I (Get the Black Issues book review on the phone A.S.A.P. ....ii captain MM).

Jay-Z was in the Times this weekend.
The dopest part of the article was when, wait it minute I have to get the clip out my purse, was the exchange between Jay and Ghostface that the author translated.

Around 2, Ghostface Killer....showed up for a meeting..."What up, family?" Jay-Z said with a strong handshake and a quick man-hug. [Men do BE having man hugs too, especially brotha's.]

I just wanted to dump some heat on you," Ghostface replied...Its extra meaty already, but I just want you to add your little extra." (Translation: Iv'e got some great new music that I'd like you to hear and I would appreciate your input).

I swear there are few times that I feel more alive than when I read some beautiful language.

Town Business

Does anyone else love, wireless, but hate Explorer? I mean damn. That 'ish is so wack. I don't know how I have been living without Firefox for so long. The damn Blogger menu bar has like two options when you don't use Firefox.

The Sideshows are thought to be over, at least a recently as last week. Ionno. The young hyphies may just be waiting for Raider season to start to have an excuse to go dumb. Robert Gammon, of East Bay Express fame was talking about it.
According to Slinky, iggasn did start shootin' at the end of Summer Jam in the Bay. It will probably be the last one. Everyone was cool when, Kanye and Common and 'nem were on stage, but brotha', brotha', brotha' when E-39+1 gets on, and yer smobbers get to smobbing, it was pretty much a wrap.

On the political side of things, appears the Ron Dellums is running for Mayor of Oakland. I left last week, and he was still on the fence. That could be really interesting, seeing as he has had such a lofty career as a state representative.

Some town sista's are coming to NY (SOB's). Keyshia Cole on 8/31 and Goapele on 9/21.

1520 Lakeside Drive is up for lease. 1520 is the former location of several of the administrative offices in the Town. I guess the city is trying to make some cash off of it. That's hella wack. I see the importance of trying to make better use of lakefront property, but there is something very uncanny and sad about a city leasing its administrative offices to a resturant.

New Ish about to come out:
Brand Nuban: Solo Material an EP. I do not know which label is putting this out, but it is interesting to see that they are still at it.

AZ's new joint is titled AWOL. He has allways been one of my favorite "I am hungry ma, and Im gon' shine" kinda individuals.

I picked up the Turf Tawk Collaboration, the new Madlib.
But what I am checkin' for is the new Sean P. His verse on one of those Chemistry joints was NIIIIICE. I almost wanna transcribe it.


Slinky, Imma try and post that NWA you an I were talking about.

And last but not least a thank you goes out to J. Douglas Allen-Taylor. I have been reading his work since he was a writer for the "Oakland Urbanview".
I can allways depend on him to provide an insigtful interpretation of town events.
Most recently he wrote about a concert series taking place at Arroyo park in East Oakland.
He attributes the lack of gun clap, the hyphies being present at the event to the fact that there was more of an "Older" crowd, and their children at the event.

Dwayne Wiggans organized it. Council woman Desley Brooks paid for it out of her own budget. The following has performed:
Rose Royce
Lenny Williams
Midnight Star
Dwyane Wiggians is set to perform in September.


Mr. Allen-Taylor could not have said it better when he stated that "the road to Oaklands well-being does not pass down Broadway. It passes through the neighborhoods where all of us live."

He admits that one of the reasons why the event ran so smoothly was because the cops were "easy going and professional, acting as if all of us were part of the same community." I would imagine that this is what good police work is all about.

'Town Educational Seminars

Okay Dame. So you know I had to do some diggin' and thinking.

Being the pathological reader I am (wussup Joneze) I have to do a book list on town books. Keep in mind that this is partial, yet a start.

#1. Drive By Gary Rivlin. It is an account of the murder of Kevin Reed who as Kevin was former classmate
of mine at King Estate Middle School. He was murdered on Aeseon and Dowling on July 9th, 1990. I think that was the first funeral that I went to for someone so young. Not only does the book talk about Kevin's murder, but about Kevin's family, and Oakland's history.

#2.More Like Wrestling by Danyel Smith. A tale of two sisters, coming up at the height of the Crack era. The book resonated with me on about 8 different levels. My copy has about 20 pages highlighted.

#3.Blues City: A Walk in Oakland by Ishmael Reed. Is was wonderful book that drops some jewels about the town and the history of some of our neighbohoods. Despite the fact that Ishmael and Alice do not get along, this is a fast read about our beloved town.

#4.Too Beautiful for Words by Monique Morris. This book is inspired largely by The Coup Song, Jesus the Pimp. Monique is real cool too.

#5. The Dying Ground and The Last King by Nichelle Tramble. Nichelle is a FIRST RATE myster writer who uses the Bay as her backdrop. My heart skips a beat every time I hear that she is publishing a new book. I cannot WAIT until the third installment of this serious.


Next up is a lil' piece on the Mac Dre phenomenon.

The Marriage Post

Good Morning Blog Family. There's a war goin' on outside no one is safe from.......

It appears that the Army divorce rate flying sky high. So much for family values hunh? Why is there no news coverge of this phenomenon?

Maryanne Reid is taking an unorthodox route to promoting her new book Marry Your Baby Daddy. Her publishing company along with other sponsors are putting on a Marry Your Baby Daddy Contest. Applicants wrote in, were selected and will be married in a mass 10 couple ceremony. 10 new couples. I hope they throw in some counseling sessions too.

This months Essence has a few articles that focus on relationships.
One is about the importance of relationship skills and statistics on marriage and divorce.

They also took the analytical approach by listing by city and state where you are likely to find some eligible brotha's. I ain't mad at that.

Danyel Smith wrote about falling in love with her new husband (Elliott Wilson of XXL and Ego Trip Fame). It was special for me to read about her for several reasons. First off, I ran into them on the street at the begining of the year right after they got engaged. Secondly, not only did I used to read Danyel when she wrote for the Guardian in Cali, but I also use to read Ego Trip but I remember the first XXL. It was sort of like my play sister and cousin getting married. Read the article. It is enjoyable. Rarely are articles about black women and love published where we are not angry, bitter and vengeful.

As someone who has been engaged for almost 15 years ( it seems like it :), it was nice to read some information about how to gain some skills, instead of just people say marriage is good. Go for it.

Thank you for reading. Have a good weekend. And leave some comments, Please (in the high pitched sqeaky voice).

Buh-By

Looks like Aj and Free out outta here. I mean, really, how long were they suppose to be on 106 & Park anyway's, 15 years? The story is appealing because of the apparently sheisty that the situation was handeled. Even beloved talk show folks get gaffled:(