Mashonda Still Goin

I HAD to post this. Theybf.com has a portion of an interview in Sister 2 Sister magazine with Mashonda saying plain and clear that Alicia Keys is an adulteress. She said A.Keys was trying to make her son call her mommy as well as some other kid Swiss has with sum chick from England. I'm not Mashonda so no I don't have to take it so personally but this is just why I can't in good conscience f* with Alicia Keys anymore. I know ppl do stuff all day that is just as bad, but I'm tripping how hers came to light and well, her stature keeps growing like no one has heard a word Mashonda said. And for the record, Mashonda looks way better than Keys.


S2S: Were you guys dating other people before he got with Alicia? Were you guys separated?
Mashonda: We were married. Sleeping in the same bed and having sex every night while he was seeing Alicia. Okay? It was an affair. 100 percent. I don’t know why people want to change that rule so much. We had just had a kid, for crying out loud. Our child was 8 months. I found out about Alicia two days before my son turned 1. They had been doing their thing for months before that.

Is it Because Oprah's Leaving?

You've probably heard that the Wendy Williams Show has fired its producer and had their hair and makeup team glam Wendy down a bit, but apparently they want her to reign her personality in as well.

Idk...Wendy is not the type of talk show host who appeals to soccer moms, and you can tell that by the studio audience, which looks to primarily be young women and gays, as well as by the fact that her show did well when it was tested in certain markets. (like Detroit, for example)

I understand Oprah's exit leaves a huge audience that can be taken advantage of, but Wendy isn't the woman to do it. But we all know there aren't many things that'll make a person change faster than money. If Wendy plays along, though, I think it'll be a great disservice to her fans, who love that she is both fabulous and messy.

However in the grand scheme of things, I think it was naive of Wendy to think she could really be herself on network television. We've seen this happen so many times H(ask Dave Chapelle, Kevin hart, Keenan Ivory Wayans, etc, etc) where they sign u up as you are for a minute and then force you to change.

Chain Reaction (of the Recession)

So get this:

Burger King has been sold to an investment group backed by a bunch of Brazilian investors because supposedly, BK is having a harder time recovering from the recession than Mickey D's.

But here's the reason why: "Burger King’s heavy user -- young, male, and more likely to be a minority -- has had a higher rate of unemployment than the McDonald’s consumer,” analyst Tom Forte of New York- based Telsey Advisory Group told Bloomberg.

I didn't know the fast food chains had diff demographics or whatever, but I guess that McCafe upgrade paid off...

http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2010/09/burger-king-sold.php

D'Angelo decides to come out of hiding

Maxwell's comback - very successful
Sade's comeback - uh, not so much, but still very anticipated
Lauryn Hill's comeback - never gonna happen

BUT here's another one we've all been waiting on:

D'Angelo is back in the studio, working with Mark Ronson. Ronson produced many of the songs on Any Winehouse's album,and if I remember correctly, black folk loved that joint when it dropped in '07. I'm hoping for hotness with this one, people.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/music/news/e3i4dc46381a1986fb0562e68a96598bb04

So Sue Me

One of the inherent implications of our instant access-society is that ppl expect you to be, well, instantly accessible.

Thanks to facebook, twitter and texting you can contact someone literally at any time. But keep in mind, that doesn't mean they'll available to answer you "at any time."

There are legitimate times when someone may not be able to reply to you.

They include but are not limited to:
being at church, attending a meeting or conference, sitting on the toilet, working on an intensive project, being baptized, going out on a date, taking granny to the doctor, standing in the shower, spending quality time with a friend or family member, getting arrested, driving in a city that doesn't allow TWD. Maybe one saw you and made a mental note to chat at a more convenient time. Maybe they became distracted. Maybe they had facebook or twitter open while they were browsing other sites. That doesn't qualify as ignoring you.

It happens, right?

Don't take it so personal.

Justice Served ?

Did you all hear that a settlement has finally been reached in the Sean Bell case? Bell, 23, was shot by police the day of his wedding in 2003. Police fired 50 shots into the vehicle he was driving. Two other men were in the car, but he was the only one who died.

His two children will receive about $3 million dollars (not apiece), his fiance gets nothing because they weren't married when he died. The other two victims are getting about $3.5 million (not a piece).

While no amount of money will make things right, I do think the settlement is lower than figures I've seen in recent times. And honestly, if you read a quote in the story, it's clear the police department didn't want to give the victims anything. Someone from the detectives' association said the whole incident was Sean Bell's fault - that's crazy. And the officers were cleared of any criminal charges a while ago.

But I'm glad his fiance kept fighting and I hope police - even when having to make split-second decisions - will try to avoid a situation like that in the future.

wth?

Yall, what is that? My neighbors have that thing - those are cats, by the way - situated along the bottom of their door. I've never seen anything like that. What is its purpose? I'm tempted to throw it away....

Overkill

I swear, between all these tiny store club cards and library cards and rewards program cards, I don't have any room for keys on my keychain!

Red, white and green

So this is pretty random, but it's occurred to me that black people and Italian people have a lot in common.

We both can have nappy hair, we both love to eat and have family dinners. They have "Big Mamas" just like we do, referring to matriarchal figures, here. They can be loud and boisterous and we know they don't really play no games - all about the paper, all aobut their business, don't take the bull.

We're about the same. And it's notable that the tip of Italy is veryyy close to Africa.

I'm covering a town where there's a large concentration of Italian-Americans, so these observations recently struck me. But of course, we could draw parallels to just about every ethnic group.

Miss Keri, Baby

Is Keri Hilson the new Ashanti?

Remember when EVERY rapper had Ashanti sing their hooks?

This thought occurred to after hearing Keri on this new T.I. song where he's singing as well. comedy. Of course, as a songwriter she has the edge over Ashanti in the talent category, but as far as this hook-singing goes, she's the new go-to girl, looks like.

brutha - can't get enough (music video)

Lovin this song. LOVIN it - even before I knew it was by Brutha. Quit sleepin on these kids, they really can sing. And now, I guess they're sex symbols as well. lol. Thanks, Trey Songz

Fantasia, Bittersweet it is

Lord, bless her. Radio is really killing her song "Bittersweet," and while I can relate to the content, it's not her best work.

But the killin part is her breakdown in the middle where she decides to talk on the track. If you have a speaking voice like Fantasia's, that's thee LAST thing you should do. Never speak, Fantasia. Esp. not in a song.

MPO: Most Proud Of

I don't want to include links to the story because I don't want to directly name where I work...but it wouldn't be hard to google it. Honestly. Anyway, here's a follow-up story to an article I previously wrote.


July 10, 2010


Riley Sharpe's death prompts flood of support

Driadonna Roland
Staff Writer

The family of 3-year-old Riley Sharpe will never forget their "angel," who died July 1 after being hit by a vehicle in front of her home on Jay Street.

They also won't soon forget the support of the Rochester community, whose donations paid for the costs associated with Riley's funeral and burial Thursday.

After hearing news reports about the accident, several people came forward to offer the family help with funeral expenses.

"There's a lot of love in this community," said Jamie Sharpe, Riley's mother.

"There's so many people that I have to thank, words can't even express."

On Friday a couple from West Irondequoit spoke with Riley's family and learned the cemetery plot would cost $1,150.

The couple sent a card with a check inside for that amount the same day.

One of the owners of Chester's Check Cashing Center on Broad Street also contacted Riley's family to see what their needs were.

Matching all the donations taken over the Fourth of July weekend, Chester's Check Cashing on Tuesday presented $2,720 to Sharpe — enough to cover funeral parlor costs — along with a floral arrangement created by a customer.

Sharpe said she has seen many similar examples of the generosity of Rochester residents. She said the day after news spread of Riley's death, strangers began coming by with donations and condolences.

"One lady came up and donated $1,000 cash," Sharpe said.

The woman did not leave her name.

The pain is still fresh, but Sharpe said she wants to find a way to thank everyone after things have calmed down a bit.

"I have to find some way to thank everyone for all the prayers, the love and the support," she said.

Mon, July 12: RIDIN DURTY Pt I

Yesterday was a light day. On Sundays I am general assignment, which means I don't have a beat - I just cover whatever randomness occurs. Fortunately for me, I had done my reporting beforehand, so I just needed to show up and write it all up....but that was the hard part. I could NOT seem to focus for anything. I was disappointed in myself. I just wanted to leave and go outside and play in the sun! Rarely do I feel cooped up; that's one of the great parts of this job. But since I didn't have a reason to leave yesterday, maybe it made me a little stir-crazy.

So anyway today I started early in the hopes of riding along with a police officer, which excites all reporters, right?? I was really hoping to get a great anecdote to start my story with. Yes, the code enforcement story:

Mon. July 12: RIDIN DURTY Pt II

Here's the outcome of the very exciting cop ride-along :/



I understand everyone wants to be seen in the most favorable light, but it sucks for you to say, "Sure you can ride with the officer," then when I get there say, "But you can't do this, this, this or that - or anything that a reader would find remotely interesting. Here's what we want you to see." I shoulda got in my car and followed his butt!

Then I get to the office and my editor says the story is pushed back again anyway. I told the officers it would run Thursday. Now I don't know when it's due.

Oh, but as I was parking after the ride along (that took all of 30 minutes :( ), my editor texts me like when are you coming back? He tells me to grab a camera and go cover a police chief being sworn in. It was a short ceremony - always good - got to see a buncha men in uniform (that's a plus), and it was a gorgeous day weather-wise. SO that was cool.

But as a sidebar, I got a picture of the entire police force in the town...I erased it mistakenly, but there's a huge lack of melanin on the force. I mean, not one black cop. Maybe that's representive of the town iteself ... ?

July 8: Knock, Knock Part II

Here's how it turned out:




I certainly need to find more ppl to interview, but I gotta say the sista I did speak with had me cracking up! Always nice to meet cool folks who don't mind talking.
That's actually one concern I always have when I get sent out to do stories - "Will these ppl wanna talk to me?" Learning to transform that into a more positive thought, sumthing like, "Of course ppl will talk to me. I have a story to do and everyone/everything will cooperate and submit to the favor of God within me."

Thurs. July 8: Knock, Knock Pt I

Hey Good People!
Here's an intro about my mission for Thursday, July 8. My editors are really interested in this story about code enforcement violations, and they wanted me to find ppl who were guilty of said offense. In 90+ degree heat.
I also went to a theater camp and saw sum amazing kids rehearsing for "Footloose!" I'm a sucker for musicals, so this story appealed to me, but I was def expecting sumthing amateur-ish, to be quite honest.

DEVA'S ON THE ROAD!

So I had the idea to start a seperate blog to chronicle this very exciting phase of my life....it's called the "First Real Job Phase."
It's also more significant for me because as a colleague said recently,"You really don't know too many reporters." And that's true. You might know some doctors or lawyers, and plenty of teachers, but how many people can really say they know a reporter?

The funny thing I've learned is that whenever I tell people I'm a "newspaper reporter," they only seem to hear "News" and "Reporter."

No, I'm not on TV! Not yet, anyway. I am, however, a multimedia journalist at a paper in upstate New York, and I'd like to let you know what such a job is really like. I welcome you to check back with me regularly as I detail the triumphs, setbacks and thought process behind newsgathering.

I don't mind sharing my climb.

E Badu in VIBE Mag

I haven't seen the "Window Seat" video, but I love the song. However, Erykah's interview in this month's VIBE magazine is largely about that video and her decision to be nude. I had to pull these quotes out from the article because I loved them:

"Society has a problem with female nudity when it is not packaged for the consumption of male entertainment. Then it becomes confusing."

She reiterates it later: "People are uncomfortable with sexuality that's not for male consumption."

BUT HERE'S PERHAPS THE REALEST STATEMENT I'VE HEARD IN WHILE:

"We're just not fashioned for [nudity]. Especially the Black women, the 'Hottentot Venus' women, big-booty women, the large posterior, with no shoes on and a scarf on her head, you know that ain't sexy."

SPEAK for us, E. Badu! Cuz that's the absolute truth. Yes, you can find pictures of those kinds of women on the cover of King or Smooth magazines - but that's hardly what we mean when we say the black woman's body is not celebrated as sexy in the mainstream media and in American culture.

Don't Forget to Remember

Don't know if you can read this or not, but I'll sum it up for you - It's an advertisement for a slave auction.

Yup - I'm at a flea market last week, looking for items to fill my apartment, and I see this framed poster for $35. Once I read it, it blew me away. I started to buy it, just as a reminder because seeing something like that, ladies and gentlemen, reinforces how real it is.

It says something like, "Uncommonly Prime and Orderly Gang of 89 Negroes accustomed to the culture of rice, cotton and provisions Amongst them are valuable carpenters. Will be sold at public auction, by P.J. Porcher & Baya, On Monday, the 6th day of February, 1860. at the mart in Chalmara Street."

It goes on to say that you can pay for them over one, two or three year-periods.

This is the kinda thing, when you get that office or big house that you dreamed of, that you hang up just to attest to how far we've come...

Open Letter to Love

I'd like to take this time to thank you, Lord, for being the sovereign controller of my life,

for being the Final authority in every situation,

for placing me in situations I couldn't understand and therefore didn't know the purpose they were serving,

for teaching me patience, happiness and loyalty to my true self,

for surrounding me by my people who allow me to be myself and appreciate who that person is,

for giving me TWO jobs when many people don't have one, and for allowing me to enjoy each and every coworker I have - THAT itself is a blessing,

for teaching me that I can only move on to the next level after I pass the current test - and for allowing me to recognize when I am being tested,

for revealing yourself to me in subtle, unexpected ways,

for allowing me to speak your truth and serve as a vessel to confirm your realness in other people's lives,

for convicting me when I'm wrong, thereby letting me know you are still guiding me and that I answer to a higher adjudicator,

for people who love me even when I don't deserve it - far too many people to name,

for parents who love each other and put their kids only second to You,

for serenity, courage, wisdom, peace, faith, hope and strength,

for sunshine, cool breezes, literature, genuine smiles and a sense of humor,

for turning my sister from an enemy to a best friend,

for the "random" angels you send to share divine revelations and insights,

for the blessings you bestow upon others, because those examples increase my faith as well.

for not blessing what I'm doing, but rather teaching me to do what You're blessing,

for the simple fact that even though I'm not where (I think) I want to be, I have sense enough to follow where You lead me.

I'm a little overwhelmed by your grace and your mercy; I'm grateful that you think enough of me that you make the effort to "Perfect that which concerneth me," as the psalmist says. I take comfort in the fact that I never walk alone. Sometimes your presence makes me smile, sometimes it makes me cry, other times it gives me chills.

And I don't care if another soul never reads this...I just needed to thank You.

Every Idle Word

Sooner or later I'll learn to stop fussing and complaining because MOST of the time what I find myself dreading doesn't even turn out to be that bad.

My godfather called me an hour ago like meet him at the gas station so he can buy me some T-shirts. For the record, I HATE those on-the-corner ill-fitting T-shirts. I was online trying to read e-mails and news and whatnot so I just kept on being busy. He called me back, of course, so I came up to the gas station, quickly looked at the shirts and told him I was not interested in any one.

What happened next really surprised me - He pulled out some money and told me to go buy myself something I like. After all that fussing I did, it turned out to be a much-needed blessing!

PRAISE HIM!!!! Yet another reason to keep your mouth shut and let ppl work on your behalf!

Tell the Whole Story

You know we church people know all the Bible catchphrases. But instead of just repeating what we hear, we really should go find the verses for ourselves. I'm saying that because an excerpt taken out of context really does little good.

And reading half a verse still leaves you with half the truth. On Sunday, the preacher directed us to the book of Isaiah and had us read 54:14. But my eyes skimmed down to verse 17 and saw the ever-popular "No weapon formed against me shall prosper." I thought, cool, now I know where it is. I highlight and underline all in my Bible and do all kindsa stuff like that. So then I read the rest of the verse.

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD."

That's giving you victory over a LOT, even over words and critics and 'haters,' as we like to say...Now that's good stuff.

(Rick Ross said it pretty eloquently too, though: "Who gives a **** what a hater got to say?" JUST KIDDING!!!! :P)

"Recessionary Times"

I know a lot of people don't believe what I believe, but let me just remind you that almost every cliche, every saying and every theme or motif you've ever heard or seen has a Biblical basis.

I ran across II Corinthians 4:17 while in church on Sunday and the verse really struck me as an answer to the tough times many people are going through right now. It says, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;"

What does that sound like to you? It sounds like, "Trouble don't last always"...."Everything happens for a reason"....or "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

I know we all have problems and issues we don't understand, but in reality, it's a "light" affliction that has a definite ending and serves a lasting purpose for you.

I'm not anybody's preacher...I just got my own understanding of this as it seems my own light affliction is finally passing. :O)

Re: Detroit 187

So here's the trailer for new ABC crime show "Detroit 187" It focuses on police and detectives responding to homicides in the nation's murder capital. Um.....I can tell it's gonna make me mad. I almost wish they'd have just made up a city, cuz this aint one of those pretty, glamourous "CSI:Miami" type joints. However, if they ever shot more than just cover shots here, I would like to work for the show. Not gonna lie.

http://video.hollywoodreporter.com/services/player/bcpid86250324001?bclid=86130038001&bctid=86633001001