More pics from my cruise several months ago.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Jena 6 Update

I mentioned the Jena situation earlier in my racism post but wanted to address it again.

Who are the Jena Six? A group of black students who are being charged with attempted murder for beating up a white student who was taunting them with racial slurs, and continued to support other white students who hung three nooses from the high school's "white tree" which sits in the front yard.
http://jenasix.org/timeline.html

Please sign the petition below, if you feel there has been a miscarriage of justice:
http://www.petitiononline.com/aZ51CqmR/petition.html

Additionally, make plans to be in Jena, LA on September 20th to stand in solidarity with the families and friends of the Jena 6 or Wear All Black on September 20th, 2007 --- Stop Racism!

Your Mia Michael's post for the week

You thought just because the SYTYCD season is over that the dance posts would stop?

BTW, Congrats to Sabre for winning this season's So You Think You Can Dance. She's the first female and person of color to win the title of America's Best Dancer!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Hair Debate



So, an editor at Glamour Magazine recently stuck her foot in her mouth while giving a presentation on the dos and don’ts of ‘corporate fashion’ at a New York law firm a little over a week ago.

According to August issue of American Lawyer magazine:


First slide up: an African American woman sporting an Afro. A real no-no,
announced the ‘Glamour’ editor to the 40 or so lawyers in the room. As for dreadlocks: How truly dreadful! The style maven said it was ’shocking’ that some people still think it ‘appropriate’ to wear those hairstyles at the office. ‘No offense,’ she sniffed, but those ‘political’ hairstyles really have to go. [SOURCE]
Glamour Magazine issued a statement:

In an e-mail statement to The American Lawyer, the fashion magazine
repudiated the beauty advice, and characterized the editor as a “junior staffer”
who spoke “without her supervisor’s knowledge or approval.” Moreover, the
statement said that Glamour has a “longstanding commitment to inclusion and
diversity.” [SOURCE]


What are your thoughts? I went to a HBCU and we had seminars suggesting that we go with "less ethnic" looks when interviewing in the corporate environment. Is it worse coming from a white woman? As long as your hair is well maintained and styled, should it matter if it is straight, natural, locked or a big fro? If we change our bohemian clothing for the work place, should we change our hairstyle as well?

Friday, August 24, 2007

CONGRATULATIONS EBONY AND ALVIN!



My bff Ebony just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Alana Jewel McKinley. Alana made her debut August 23, 2007 at 3:40 a.m. She was 8.5 lbs and 21 inches long.

I will update with pics when I get them.


SOOOO PRECIOUS!



Name That Child Star (or at least her role and show)




HINT: HER CHARACTER NEVER MATCHED AND WE ALL WATCHED THE SHOW! HER BEST FRIEND WAS A BLACK GIRL.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Im Back...Bitches!






There hasn't been this many ninjas at sea since that first boat ride over!

So, if you haven't heard about Festival Sea, it is an annual cruise for the African American population. An entire cruise ship is chartered and everything is geared towards our people. From the music played in the elevators, to the activities and even the performers...its all about black people.

Some of the performers were Morris Day and the Time, Rickey Smiley, and Joe.

Now a friend of mine, who is African American, happened to ask me why would I want to go on such a cruise. If you are wondering the same thing, then forget about it...you wouldn't understand.

We sailed out of Tampa and our first stop was Key West. I found the city to be an interesting mix of tourist, artsy, alternative, and military cultures. We went to the Truman Museum (because sometimes we are nerds) and learned a lot about the political history of the area.

Our next stop was Nassau, Bahamas and I was overwhelmed by the island's beauty (although I had been there before, I was too young to appreciate the beauty of the land and its people). We toured the Atlantis hotel and its many aquariums before heading to the beach. While there, we encountered a few rain storms which we would later learn would be the precursors of Hurricane Dean.
That night was the Hollywood formal, and it was wonderful to see all my people dressed to the nines. (of course I will only share a picture of myself but I'm sure you can imagine. =)) Every dinner on the cruise was at least 4 courses and my palate enjoyed every minute of it. I also had some great wines including a very nice Riesling and Merlot.

Wednesday we hit Ocho Rios, JA and I was ready to party. Each day, my drink diet consisted of at least 4 Rum Punches and I was ready to expand my menu. We took a shuttle to the Mahogany Beach and headed straight for the bar. I dined on Jerk Chicken and a Dirty Banana and was feeling great. As expected, within minutes I found a green connect and was all set with the herbal refreshments. I was weaseled into buying a straw bag and other souvenirs. We then headed to Soni Station, and really started to shop. There was a swap-meet area, and every vendor had GAME. They would hassle you to come look at their shop, tell you their story, fan you like you're a queen (which I am), and before you knew it you'd dropped $50 or more on knick knacks. I am the ultimate consumer so they must have known I was an easy target, but I did come away with some cool gifts, jewelry, and artwork. I pray for those people along with anyone affected by the hurricane.

That evening was the White Linen night. Unfortunately, the deck party had to be moved inside due to the storms but it still went down. After amazingly getting through dinner unsoiled, I partied at the Firebird Lounge. At midnight, Damon Williams gave a comedy show that was off the hook! Dude is hilarious and had me crying the entire time.

There are sooo many other details that I could discuss but nights are starting to run together in my mind. I would be remiss if I did not mention the Emergency 911 Costume Night and the fact that my parents won the Best Couple Award.


Other highlights on the boat include the African Night, where we surprised my parents with an anniversary dinner at the ship's Supper Club. Karaoke, African American Idol, line dancing (although I will stab myself if I hear the Cupid Shuffle one more time), Water Balloon Wars and the eating at the Sushi bar were also some very memorable activities.

Our last stop was Grand Cayman and the beach was breathtaking.
By this time, it was known that Hurricane Dean was headed to the area and even some of the locals were considering leaving. Our cruise ship left Friday night and headed back for the states. We outran the storm and the water was a little choppy at times. Although I am glad to be home, I had a wonderful time and would recommend the Festival At Sea experience to anyone who loves our culture (there were some others on the boat as well). There were no fights, major drama, or problems that many like to associate with large gatherings of black people. The camaraderie and energy among the passengers was touching and beautiful to witness. I will probably post a part II when I get the rest of my pics uploaded and can remember more details--certain stuff is foggy. I will say this (yes I am corny): Ain't no party like a black folks party, cause a black folks party don't stop!

Friday, August 10, 2007

Are You a Genius?

Whats your IQ?

If you have the time, you can take this IQ test online.

http://web.tickle.com/tests/uiq/index-pop.jsp?sid=&supp=&z=

You have to skip through a few ads at the end, but then your score is revealed and what type of intellectual you are (if you're ranked an intellectual).

This site is also cool because you can create your own quiz (some of you may remember I sent one out before).

Deadbeat Dads


So, my bf and I had a long discussion about the current drama between Eddie Murphy and Mel B. Eddie basically claims that she is a liar and a gold digger. Scary Spice has reported that they were deep in love, got each others tats, and planned the pregnancy. Eddie has said that she was cool and funny, but didn't know how to act (in that classless, British, hood sort of way) and was loud, obnoxious, and potty-mouthed. When she began to offend his mother and children, he had to bounce (allegedly). Eddie claims they never planned on having a kid and she told him she was on the pill.

Mike seems to think this makes Mel B shady, and that she trapped him to get paid. She also, allegedly had the labor induced so baby Murphy-Brown would have Eddie's same b-day. I say, it doesn't matter because NO ONE made him go raw dog. He is worth millions! His mama never told him not to trust these chicks? He never saw Boys in the Hood? "Pill ain't gone keep your D from falling off!" His bad! The pill is not 100 percent effective anyway, and he knew there was a possibility of his being the father. I felt he handled the situation very badly, and I feel bad for Angel Murphy-Brown. No matter what he feels about the mother, that child has nothing to do with it, and these cold statements and lack of contact will definitely affect the child in the long run.

With that said, how can these successful men think its OK to not support their children? Now I know in some cases, the mothers are gold diggers and are asking for extravagant settlements. But if you can put 500,000 around your neck, you should be able to put that each year on your baby!

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Name That Child Star (or at least her role and show)



This is going to be a hard one. What do you think?


YOU GUYS STINK!
It's Vicki the Robot from Small Wonder!

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Countdown to Cruise Time!

I'm sorry to announce that I will officially be on vacay in 3 more days! My entire family and I will be cruising the carribean on the Festival At Sea (Carnival) cruise line. Two thousand black people on on boat headed for the Grand Caymens, Bahamas, and Jamaica! I can not wait! I will have to reinstitute my Bob Marley while on holiday although I must announce that I have been smoke free for several months now. No more NICOTINE!

On a side note, I have been on the "lemonade" diet for the past 4 days and I am litterally wilting! Four days of liquids while my boyfriend decides to be Chef Boy-R-fuckin-Asshole (yes I think I'm a little grumpy) and make every great smelling dish known to man is killing me! I think chitterlings might smell good to me at this point though, and you know I don't do those funky things. The one thing about fasting I have learned is that it makes you appreciate food. I mean really appreciate food! Like even a tic tac, oh how I would love a gummy bear right now. Beauty costs though, so I will stick it out for 3 more days until I get on that boat! Then I'm putting on my bikini, taking a million pics (some will be uploaded immediately upon my return), and then gaining everything I lost right back when I hit the buffet!

Monday, August 6, 2007

50 Cent,Justin and the 10 hottest rappers


I was loving this song before the video, and now I'm SPRUNG! It doesn't take much to impress me with the current state of hip hop but I thought the video was dope. How cool was the Timbaland--Minority Report computer scene? Is it wrong I thought Justin was the hotter of the two?

Moving on, what do yall think of MTV's list of the 10 current hottest rappers?

10. Jim Jones
9. Common
8. 50 Cent
7. Jay-Z
6. Young Jeezy
5. Kanye West
4. Andre 3000
3. Game
2. T.I.
1. Lil Wayne

I thought it was BULL SH*T! Lil Wayne? LIL WAYNE? I dont care if he is on every remix, country rap song, pop song, and cereal jingle...he is NOT and will never be, in my opinion, the hottest rapper of ANYONE's time. "My leather's so soft"? Come on now, he did a ballad about his leather!

GAME at NUMBER 3? Seriously? Im from the west and cant comprehend that one!
What are your thoughts? Who was left out and who should get booted?

Friday, August 3, 2007

Your Mia Michael's Post For the Week

Mike, just for you--because I know how much you love them...I have decided to make the dance post a weekly occurrence. Here is Lacey and Cameron (who was voted off a couple weeks ago) performing a contemporary routine by none other than: MIA MICHAELS!

Thursday, August 2, 2007

My Prayers and Sympathies Go Out to Those in Minnessota

I just wanted to recognize the people of Minnesotta during this terrible tragedy. There are at least 5 fatalities, many injured, and at least 8 people missing. My thoughts and prayers go out to anyone affected by this.

Video Vixen


UPDATE!!!!!!!! So the exerts I mentioned that were ALLEGED are apparently not REAL! Miss Steffen's spokesperson had come out and denied that those quotes came from her book. The fact still remains that the book exists and she is kissing (and more) and telling again! I cant wait.

OK, so Karrine Steffens is back at it again and once again I am conflicted. Obviously, I think she is an opportunistic skeez that has no talent or skills other than laying on her back or blabbing about it. On the other hand, I could not wait to get my hands on her first tell all, and I rushed to my computer this morning to read the ALLEGED excerpts from her new book. What is wrong with me and the other millions of Americans that put her on the best seller list? What does this say to our children? You can be a successful writer if you sleep with enough famous people? The tell-all genre has been around for quite some time now and makes for a great read--but I must frown upon it as much as I love the gossip!

So OK, she says USHER IS GAY AND STINKS! Last book she basically calls out Diddy's sexuality, but wow! She runs down a list of everyone in the industry's length and girth! Too much Karrine! But I still read it! I can't believe some of the people she admits to hitting (i.e Trick Daddy, Twista, Missy Elliot).

That list, coupled with all the names from the last book, added to those supposed "actors" she wont reveal because she wants to still be able to work in that industry, equals over 50 or more men! Do you think she is honest? Do you think its cool to put people out there with families--wives and kids? How do you think her son will feel when he grows up? Is she an empowered female that doesn't fall into the constraints of society and wisely maximizes her situation? Is she just a slut? Do you think her scattered youth, sexual abuse, and poor parenting caused her to be this way? Are you going to read the book?