Augsut Book

The verdict is in: The book selection for the month of August is, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. He is one of the wittiest and biting classic writers that I've ever read. For those who are unfamiliar with this legendary man, he wrote The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband, among others. He has so many quotables, I'm sure if you read him, you'll agree. He was a man too ahead of the times for his own good, and I admire his spirit greatly.

Happy reading!

Was it Independence Day for You?

Whenever July 4th rolls around and I really think about what the day means, as I shared with you last year. This year, the CEO of iZania.com (an interactive marketplace for African-Americans) has sent a public message about this debatable day. I thought I'd post it and see what you think about it.

Independence Day -- The Cost of Freedom

I recently read an article about research facilitated by The Ohio State University's Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, titled, Whites Underestimate the Cost of Being
Black. The basic observation of the research by Phil Mazzocco is "While there has been progress in making racial conditions in American more equal, there's clearly a lot more work to be done," he said. "Blacks and whites are not experiencing the same America." As we approach this Independence Day, I began to ponder the "cost of being Black."

Independence has a very different meaning for African Americans, and that leaves many of us ambivalent as we watch the fireworks and hear the marching bands and see the parades celebrating our nation's independence. Freedom for Black Americans came more than 100 years after the Declaration of Independence, and still is characterized by huge gaps in the fruits of independence.

Looking back on our own independence, and evaluating our progress, we are not far removed from the indignities observed by Frederick Douglass, in his Independence Day Speech on the fourth of July 1852. At that point in the history of our nation - he made this observation:

"At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh! had I the ability, and could I reach the nation's ear, I would today pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be denounced."

“The costs of being black in our society are very well documented," Mazzocco said. "Blacks have significantly lower income and wealth, higher levels of poverty, and even shorter life spans, among many other disparities, compared to whites."

While whites may underestimate the cost, most Blacks are not far removed from the sentiments expressed by Frederick Douglass. As we celebrate along with our fellow citizens, we must continue to advance, in spite of the costs. It is important to recognize that, while emancipation was officially announced in 1863, we are still paying a higher cost of being Black in America.

For me, this makes my freedom more precious, and provides the motivation to continue the struggle for equality. My vote is more precious. My education is more valuable to me. I appreciate the progress that my parents and grandparents made - as well as my own progress -- because I had to work harder for it. I have a greater commitment to work for the progress of others, because Frederick Douglass also taught us that "power concedes nothing without a demand."

Do we have something to celebrate on this Independence Day? Yes, we do. We are not experiencing the same America, but this nation is just as much ours as it is anyone else's. So I encourage you to enjoy the celebration. Just don't forget the cost.

Roger Madison

CEO, iZania.com

I think that was pretty well stated, do you?

Summer Fun

I was just reading my July issue of Glamour Magazine (with Katherine Heigl on the cover), and came across a cute list of things to do to put you in a good mood (July is peak happiness month, after all, duh). I'd like to share them with all of you who do not subscribe to gloss mags and don't know what you're missing...

30 Things to Put You in an Instant Good Mood

1. Google your first head-over-heels summer love. Consider sending him and email.
2. Get rid of some unhappiness: Let go of a grudge, forgive a slight, unload a worry.
3. Give dark nail polish the summer off. Yes, it's edgy, but nothing compares to looking down at 10 pretty pastels.
4. See The Bourne Ultimatum just for brainy Matty D's biceps
5. Eat plenty of pink: lemonade, grapefruit, champagne, frosting.
6. Run an ice cube all over him. Or if there's no him, you.
7. Marco? Polo!
8. Use your sexy walk. Take all catcalls as compliments.
9. Open drawer. Insert BlackBerry. Close drawer. Walk away.
10. Skip makeup for a day and call it your new nude look.
11. Sit in front of a freezing cold air conditioner in a darkened room and have an all day screening of winter movies like Doctor Zhivago, Never Cry Wolf, March of the Penguins.
12. Plant something. Watch it grow. Eat it with a nice vinaigrette.
13. Spend 15 minutes browsing for sandals at zappos.com, which has--no joke--338 pairs under $40.
14. Naked sleeping, naked TV watching, naked iPod updating, naked tub scrubbing...need we go on?
15. Download the singsongy ice cream truck jingle as your ringtone (for as long as you can stand it). Just search for "download ice cream truck ringtone"--it actually works!
16. Give the kid a whole dollar for the lemonade.
17. Dip your feet in a cool, crisp body of water (yes, a blowup pool counts).
18. Order the 2 1/2 pound lobster. Of course you can finish it!
19. Bikram sex. As in hot, sweaty, intense.
20. "Don't worry about a thing. 'Cause every little thing gonna be alright." Repeat anytime you need a Bob Marley moment.
21. Make sangria (check out mixdrinx.com). Wine-soaked fruit: Does it get any better?
*22. Get a dog. Do it! You know you want to.
23. Put a pair of sunglasses on a baby strictly for your own enjoyment.
24. Entertain your fellow drivers by singing out loud to the radio with the windows down. Also, make "air waves" with your hands.
25. Add fresh mint to all cold beverages.
26. Price a quickie weekend trip to Vegas. Yeah, it's hotter 'n hell there, but the fun is all indoors.
**27. Be barefoot more often than is socially appropriate.
28. Hit the pool or beach at sundown, when all the crowds have gone. Have yourself a lovely solo swim.
29. Celebrate Take Your Sundress to Work Day. Wear an office-y little sweater, but know that underneath it you have the day off.
30. Turn 360 degrees and identify five things around you that are making your life beautiful right now.

*I am anti this item. Why would I want to take care of a smelly dog in the summer and have to walk it in this crazy heat and humidity?!?
**I think this is highly unsanitary. I do not recommend this item, either.

Albeit, some of the list items seem corny and kooky, I think that's what makes a person happy sometimes. A little corniness might just be what it takes to get you out of whatever rut is bogging you down. Have fun!

Book Club

My girlfriend, Trish, who I met in a book club I still belong to, is our book club coordinator, until now. Due to a new job and hectic schedule, she has passed on the torch to yours truly. I think I will be quite capable at my new role, and have already started coordinating my first gathering. I am always encouraging people to read, read more often, and/or join our book club (which is in Miami). Some people are on our list who read the books from wherever they are in the country; they just don't participate in the discussions. Rather, they use our list and monthly selection to do some reading on their own.

All that said, I have decided to post our monthly selections here every time a vote takes place. I encourage you to join online and share your thoughts and questions of our books with me. I will even bring them up to my group when we meet. Our next vote takes place early in the new week, so I will be posting our August book here later in the week.

Are you game?

(I'm hoping it's going to be a book I already own. Last thing I need is to buy another book to add to the piles of still unread books lying around the house!)

Anti-Age?

Gotta get something off of my chest right quick (as is said in Chicago): I am so sick of the anti-aging campaigns that are saturating the market! There is no such this as not aging; you can prolong a youthful appearance, but you cannot stop this totally normal and natural progression. So, get over it! Embrace yourself at any age and celebrate it by living a healthy life that will keep you looking youthful for a longer period of time. Just please, please, stop this anti-aging crap!

Sunflower

The sunflower is one of my favorite flowers, although technically, it is a weed. I think that's what makes me appreciate it even more. Weeds are considered undesirable, ugly, and are treated like pests when they pop up in one's grass, or struggle through cracks in the concrete. Weeds are strong, sometimes beautiful, taken for granted, and pulled from the root in order to prevent anymore from growing. Sunflowers are the only weeds that are left to grow to enormous heights and are even cultivated and nurtured on farms. They stand majestically in fields and follow the sun as it passes in the sky, a wondrous thing and quite symbolic if you internalize these actions as I have.

Sunflower

In a field of wild sunflowers,
I sway among the stalks in the wind
and follow the sun as it passes.
My body dances to an inner rhythm
and I am a wild flower, too.
Dew saturates my skin, leaving
an iridescent sheen as I bloom
under the daystar’s warming rays.
Let the bees come and pollinate,
so that they might spread my love
to those wanting.

During the summer of my life,
I will dance under the sky,
lifting my head in thanks
to the splendor of my field.

And though autumn will come,
I will dance in the wind till my
end; for I will return in the spring.
Yes, maybe in a different form, yet
‘twill be a resurrection under the sun
nonetheless.

©2005 Vicky T. Davis

Dreams Ablaze

Every once in a while, do you get the eerie feeling that all your efforts are for naught? Like you can actually see your dreams crashing and burning right in front of you? Today is one of those days for me, when everything seems fruitless. Despair is winning the war today... Here's a tanka I wrote the last time sentiment defeated logic:

#8 (Cigar Smoke)

I puffed a cigar,
blew the heat from my insides.
My essence felt weightless
as the blood in my veins slowed.
“There go my dreams,” I sensed.

C. 2006 Vicky Therese Davis

VIP List or Racism

I purposely didn't post anything regarding Black History Month in February because frankly, I don't celebrate or acknowledge it. I will, however, post something I've been meaning to address for a while now about the blatant racism that is exhibited at nightclubs all over the country. Countless times I've seen people of color being turned away from the petty tyrants who guard the velvet rope because they were "outside their element" and made the club look bad in terms of image. Why should anyone be made to feel sub-par just to listen to good music, have a couple of drinks, and dance? Either the bouncers make people they don't like wait for hours in line, or act like they don't exist. These people are trying to spend money in these establishments and are getting humiliated and turned away.

I refuse to let anyone treat me so horribly and only patronize venues where I don't have to feel humiliated. Until people realize their self-worth, these brutes will wield their "power" over them. Why give them such control? Not only is this behavior racist, discriminatory, and tyrannical, it's bad business. I have copied the following letter, written by a black woman last year, that perfectly describes this experience. Once you read this, I hope you will realize that these atrocities are getting out of hand and will not stop until we take back the power we've relinquished.

On Saturday, August 12, my husband, soror and I had the displeasure of visiting Transit Nightclub. We were there supposedly as VIP guests of a friend for his birthday. His evite instructed us to mention his name at the front of the door and we would be admitted entry, free of charge into the club. We arrived shortly after 11PM and that is where the melee began. Let me preface all of this by saying, I don't take use of the race card lightly and am annoyed at people when they blame the ills of their life on being an African American. I am aware that racism exists, but I haven't experienced blatant racism since my time in Nashville as a college student.

We waited in line to enter the club, once we reached the front of the line; my husband was told that he couldn't enter because he had on sandals. We had on sandals, almost every woman that entered had on sandals, and so we were quite surprised when he said this. My husband had on a starched button down shirt, some jeans and dressy sandals- not $5 flip-flops, leather sandals he had purchased in Europe.

We questioned the doorman and he stated that men couldn't wear sandals in this club nor any other club in Chicago. I knew this was a lie because we've been to several clubs in Chicago and were admitted to all of them without incident. As we were talking to the doorman, another guest of our friend was told he couldn't get in because he had on a polo style shirt. I went into the club and to let our friend know that we'd be leaving and he was holding a conversation with one of the employees, where they stated that sandals were a liability issue because you could cut your foot on glass. If that were the case, why were women allowed to wear sandals? I informed our friend that we would be leaving and attempted to talk to the employee about his policy.

I left the club and again, since we had driven 50 miles to get there, attempted to talk some sense into the doorman. As I was talking to him, I noticed several Caucasian and Indian people entering the club, not only did they have on polo shirts, some had on plain white t-shirts, gym shoes and other garments that were not nearly as neat and professional as my husband. When I pointed this out to the doorman, he came up with a myriad of excuses, like they were repeat customers or their shirts didn't have stripes really a bunch of unreasonable excuses. At this time, it became apparent to me that the difference between these patrons and us was our skin color.

I explained to the doorman that I understand there is a certain element in Chicago that you want to keep out of your club. Trust me, I've seen many good clubs close because the wrong type of people started coming and fights, shoot outs and stampedes were the result. However, I explained that clearly we weren't those people and it was quite obvious that we weren't gaining admission because we were black.

At this point, another employee approached us and told us that no one cares that we aren't getting in. He also informed us to tell all of our friends so that they wouldn't come to the club because we weren't wanted there. He informed us that it was a private club and if they wanted to refuse admission to anyone for anything that they were within their legal rights to do so. My husband was angry by these remarks and told the employee to please step away from us so that we could wait on our car from valet (it wasn't as polite as this, but the essence of his message). The employee then told my husband that he would stomp him like an ant and that he wished he would try to hit him so that he could beat him to a pulp. He went on with a barrage of other threatening statements until his coworkers asked him to step inside.

This was a horrible incident and honestly, I think I had gotten comfortable in my little suburban life and had turned a blind eye to these types of incidents. It was a slap in the face and honestly, in addition to being angry, my feelings were very hurt. However, this caused me to think about other clubs in Chicago. The trend right now is to say you have to be on the "VIP" list to gain entry into clubs and lounges (Rednofive, Le Passage, Slicks, Transit, Bella, Sugar, etc). The reality of the situation is the VIP list is an excuse to exclude certain people. These people can be African American and typically are, they can be some other minority, they could even simply be unattractive people that don't fit into the image of the club. A columnist in Chicago even wrote how one Chicago establishment made African American patrons wait in line to gain entry, while countless Caucasian people walked in.

I went to Metromix.com to read the reviews on Transit and another woman, who seemed to be African American, had a similar experience. It is appalling and absurd, that in 2006, in a city as metropolitan as Chicago, that racism is still blatantly used to exclude minorities from clubs. Socioeconomic status doesn't preclude you from experiencing blatant racism, I am aware of that. However, I was silly enough to think that my friends and I, with all of our degrees and careers, would be sheltered to some extent. Silly me.


[Submitted by Jennifer Lee-Gilbert via CityAlert.com Message Board (http://www.cityalert.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.pl?board=nightlife)]

Invalid

I pulled my calf muscle almost two weeks ago; this is my first injury ever. I've been pretty upbeat about things until today. I'm usually a very active person, and this is a very hard pill for me to swallow. I'm officially sick of TV, and this is the first time I ever thought I'd be able to say this, but, I'm sick of reading! It's come to the point where the thought of reading or even writing makes me sick. My creative juices have dried, and I have a serious case of cabin fever. All I want to do is go for a walk, and I can't even do that.

I know this isn't an original thought or feeling, but I'm going to say it anyway: You never know how good you have it until it gets taken away from you. I feel like I've taken mobility for granted. After I heal from this mishap, I don't think I'll ever take for granted the gift of mobility.

What the New Year Should Bring

Every new year brings with it changes and expectations. I've always been a firm believer in making as many improvements in my all aspects of my life as possible. Mind you, I don't make "New Year's Resolutions," I simply want to take the steps necessary to build on the things I've accomplished the year before, or try to correct the mistakes I made that prevented me from achieving certain goals on my timeline.

Toward the end of 2006, I reflected long and hard on what I failed to accomplish, and searched within to figure out what I can do in the new year to improve. I have so many lines in the water this time around, and a pretty good plan--better than I've ever devised hence--and have decided that this is the year I will not procrastinate. Truth be told, I have a few secret goals that I tend to achieve by the time I turn 30 (which is next year), so the fire is burning a little hotter now, and my booty is feeling the heat.

So here's to everyone who plans to make the quality of life for themselves and others in the new year!

Cheers!

Firefly

A special person in my life recently broadcast his feelings for me in a very public way. This is my response:

Firefly

With the innocence of a child in summer,
Let me capture your light in a jar
So you can twinkle just for me.

I will not smother you,
But will answer your mating call with
My own fire.

Let us release ourselves to fly
Together in the balm of summer
Glowing for each other with the stars.

© 2005 Vicky Therese Davis

I love you more than you will ever know; I don't think my feelings for you will be fading or get smothered any time soon.

Records of Freed Slaves to go Online

A really good friend of mine sent this to me a while back, and I thought it should be shared to all the black people in America who want to find records of their ancestors in this country. I know I'll be looking into this once it becomes easier to access. As of right now, the website hasn't been updated in a long time, so this article will have to suffice for now, and I'll have to wait with baited breath.


Records of freed slaves to go online


RICHMOND, Va. - Records the Freedmen's Bureau used to reconnect families — from battered work contracts to bank forms — will be placed online in part of a new project linking modern-day blacks with their ancestors.
ADVERTISEMENT

The Virginia Freedmen Project plans to digitize more than 200,000 images collected by the Richmond bureau, one of dozens of offices established throughout the South to help former slaves adjust to free life.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on Thursday unveiled the project and a state marker near the site where the bureau once stood in downtown Richmond.

"This is the equivalent for African Americans of Ellis Island's records being put up," said Kaine, who was joined by Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor and a grandson of slaves.

Researchers will eventually transfer data from all of the southern states to an online database, said Wayne Metcalfe, vice president of the Genealogical Society of Utah, a partner in the project.

Records from Virginia should be ready to go online by the middle of next year, Metcalfe said.

"It was one of the larger states and one of the most complete collections available," he said. "It's a gold mine, as far as a genealogist is concerned."

About a half-million slaves were left to establish a new life following emancipation, Metcalfe said.

Established in 1865, the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands — also called the Freedmen's Bureau — helped former slaves find clothes, food and jobs.

Bureaus kept meticulous records, documenting marriages and work histories. Those records will be scanned from microfilm and compiled into an electronic index families will eventually be able to access, Metcalfe said.

Twenty-four years removed from slavery in rural Virginia, Hawkins Wilson had established himself as a respected Texas minister. But there was something missing from his life as a free man: the mother and sisters he left behind.

In a letter dated May 11, 1867, he offered bureau officials details of his family's old home in Caroline County, and urged them to pass along a note to his sister, Jane.

"Your little brother Hawkins is trying to find out where you are and where his poor old mother is," reads the letter, which will be included in the database. "Your advice to me to meet you in Heaven has never (lapsed) from my mind."

Historians don't know if he ever found his family.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061027/ap_on_hi_te/slave_records

The Passage of Time

A lot has happened since my last post: Halloween; the deaths of Ed Bradley and Gerald LeVert; new business ventures on the horizon for me and a couple of good friends; more bombs and attacks as governements continue in their pursuit of world domination; the forging of new (and hopefully long-lasting) friendships; a visit from my as-always-entertaining father and his lovely wife; Thanksgiving (or Thankstaking as I like to call this "holiday"); the Miami International Book Fair; the reading of several good books; the release of Barack O'Bama's new novel; Michael Richards's racial rant; and a long overdue trip to China with my mother and grandmother. To top it all off, I got to hang out with Farnsworth Bentley and Lord Jamar last night and listen to them record. How cool is that?

So because of all the events of the past couple of months, I sincerely apologize for my absence. I will try not to let this happen too often. I hope everyone else has had a wonderful couple of months and that the nearing holiday season will be fruitful for us all, whether or not we all follow the same
traditions and/or customs.

In Memoriam: Cleopatra Jones

Simply because I didn’t know this, I thought I’d post the following information. Even though it’s a few months old, it’s news to me. I was a big fan of Cleopatra Jones and her character has influenced pop cultures in more ways than can be recounted in this little blog. So, here’s to a strikingly beautiful, intelligent, strong, and influential black woman. You will not be forgotten.

Wednesday, 04 August 2004

Tamara Dobson, star of Cleopatra Jones, dies

Tamara Dobson, the tall, stunning, model-turned-actress who portrayed a strong female role as Cleopatra Jones in two "blaxploitation" films, has died.

Dobson, 59, died Monday of complications from pneumonia and multiple sclerosis at the Keswick Multi-Care Center, where she had lived for the past two years, her publicist said.

At six foot two, Dobson was striking as the kung-fu fighting government agent Cleopatra Jones in 1973. She reprised the role in 1975's "Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold."

"She was not afraid to start a trend," said her brother, Peter Dobson, of Houston. "She designed a lot of the clothing that so many women emulated."

Dobson also appeared in "Come Back, Charleston Blue," "Norman, Is That You?" "Murder at the World Series" and "Chained Heat."

She had TV roles in the early 1980s in "Jason of Star Command" and "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century."

Dobson lived most of her adult life in New York, her family said. She was diagnosed six years ago with multiple sclerosis.

Last Updated (Thursday, 12 October 2006 )

Nesting Iinstinct

As you know all well know, I'm all about the upliftment of people in less fortunate circumstances than average. So when I came upon this email from Daily Candy, I couldn't help but spread the word of this new organization that offers interest-free loans to women in developing countries start their own businesses. What's a more "me" topic than that?!?!?

Nesting Instinct

As a child, your piggy bank held a meager 38 cents (counting the few pennies stuck in the mouth). As an adult, your savings still reside in a pink ceramic pig.

New rule: No more frivolous shopping.

Loophole: Nest, the new nonprofit shopping site.

Nest provides interest-free loans to women in developing countries (like India and Madagascar) who are trying to start their own businesses. A co-op of sorts, Nest sells clothes, housewares, and jewelry made by both loan recipients and up-and-coming designers. Portions of proceeds then recirculate into the Nest community.

And the rewards for your charity are downright pretty: The Benefactress wristlet, which was designed in Istanbul, has gathered retro fabric adorned with an aquamarine charm. The cheery red and white Kukka (“flower”) throw, made of ecofriendly materials, is created in Lithuania.

It’s all guilt free, so go ahead and shamelessly spend what’s left in your piggy bank.

You’ve always been a big advocate for change.

Available online at buildanest.com.

October Joy

I know I've been away for a really long time, and I apologize for not keeping up with you. I just got really caught up in working and writing for other purposes, and then my birthday came! So a special thanks to all those who sent me their well wishes and celebrated with me.

I will be back soon!

In Memoriam

Today was my grandmother's birthday. She passed away two years ago, yet it feels so fresh. Today's entry is dedicated to her, so here is a little something she wrote. She remains in the forefront of my mind and probably always will in some form or another; every time I write, I think of her and how I wish she could read my work and tell me what she thinks.

To think she wrote this about my dad and uncle makes her life lesson even dearer to my heart.

The Most Important Lesson I've Learned in my Life
By Maurine Davis

The most important lesson I’ve learned in my life is to love each and every day as if it was the last day I'd have on this earth.

My husband and I lived on the second floor of my in-laws' frame house. I had six children at this particular time and was expecting twins. I was always anemic along with very low blood pressure and this created a grave problem. All the other expecting mothers in the group gained some weight, while I constantly lost weight. I began to look like a broomstick with an old fashioned #2 tin tub attached in the middle. Every time I came down the stairs, my mother-in-law would almost have a heart attack. She thought I would fall over on my face and thus cause a catastrophe.

To make bad matters worse, my blood count dropped so low they almost couldn't take a count. To keep a closer check on the problem, I had to go to the hospital every other day. This really became a chase. I would go by myself but had to call home for someone to come and pick me up. To add to my problems, the doctors told me they didn't see how I was going to make it.

At this point, I began to reflect back upon my life so far. I hadn't done anything so far to speak of, hadn't been anywhere or seen too much. It all seemed so blank. However, I had only one hope and that was the Almighty God. If he would see fit to let me live to see my children grow up, I would be forever grateful. And in case he didn't, I asked for my uncle and his wife to take all of my children, raise them, and keep them all together.

So the twins were born! I didn't die and I named that hereafter I would love each and every day to the absolute fullest, for tomorrow may never come.

So true. She was one of the busiest women I knew who never had enough hours in her day. My grandmother lived her life to the fullest and traveled the world; she was making travel plans before he died. Maurine Davis was truly an exemplary woman, and I can only dream to follow her lead.

Introducing "Ghetto Fabulous"

Ghetto Fabulous Cartoon

When I first saw this headline, the tiny hairs on my arms automatically began to raise. Then I read further and calmed down slightly. I received this bulletin a while back from iZania about an African, now American, named Manny Otiko, who has written a satirical comic strip exposing the idiosyncrasies he's observed in the African and African-American communities. I am always for the pointing out the silly things in our society and trying to make light of them while at the same time bringing them to light. If we take a closer look at our actions (as a whole, of course), I think we will realize some the stupid things we do and hence, discontinue some of them and eventually all. Initially, we never like it when someone holds a mirror to our flaws, but ultimately, with an open mind, we begin to appreciate the gesture.

Manny Otiko, creator of the urban satire Ghetto Fabulous is a firm believer in the old adage truth is stranger than fiction. Otiko, who created the comic strip which runs in several newspapers across the nation, now offers his creation to the iZania audience. The cartoon will run in the iZania Newsletter and on the home page.

Apart from commenting on hip hop culture and current events, the comic strip also deals with edgy subjects such as "“black names,"” tensions between African Americans and African immigrants, and racial profiling.

Otiko was raised in Britain and Nigeria before moving to the United States in the early 1990s. He says that being an outsider helps as a writer. "“When you grow up the way I did, you are constantly looking from the outside in,"” he said. "“You learn to analyze cultures and point out their flaws and contradictions. It makes you an excellent commentator."

Ghetto Fabulous is the brainchild of Manny and his brother Chris. They launched the strip about two years ago after conceiving the idea during a cross-country road trip to California. The comic strip has been published in The LA Sentinel, the African Independent, Our Weekly (Los Angeles), Westside Story, (San Bernardino, Calif.,) City News Ohio, The Washington Afro Am, The Tennessee Tribune, The Pensacola Voice and The Riverside Press Enterprise. Ghetto Fabulous is also featured in "“The Melting Pot of Black Humor,"” a compilation of humor from African, African American, and Afro-Caribbean writers.

"”Ghetto Fabulous started out as a satire on life in urban America," Otiko said. "“I commented on absurdities such as rappers who get million-dollar contracts in jail and grown men who live at home with their moms but drive $50,000 SUVs. But some of the more recent cartoons have veered into political commentary. If you watch the news and keep up with politics some of these jokes literally write themselves,"” he said.

Below, we will introduce you to some of the characters:

1,000 Voltt: (famous rapper who survived electrocution) He has a lightening bolt tattooed below his left eye; Corporate America loves him.

Chief Adedas: hard working Nigerian immigrant who works as a telemarketer and cab driver (at the same time): drives cab in bad neighborhood wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet; also has African magical charms for double protection. He is called Adedas because of the three tribal marks on his cheeks; was a doctor in his country and has three wives, and several family members to support.

Latrell Jackson: Part-time drug dealer, dog breeder, security guard, big-screen TV owner, who lives in mom's basement and dreams of "“making it big" in something; obsessed with Don Ravioli attire, and even has a gold tooth with the "“DR"” logo etched in it.

Trent Bagwell IV: a.k.a. T-Bag. White hip hop fan; yuppie by day, hip hopper by night.

Sharon (pronounced Sharone, not Sharon) Edwards: strong black woman. She is an over-worked public defender who'’s number one client is Latrell Jackson. Her husband looks like John Lennon/Jesus Christ with a head band, and is stuck in the 60s.

A Preacher ex-con who became born again in jail; still fighting the devils temptations: booze and women.

Lacreatia St. James: the single mom cashier who dreams of driving a Lexus. She has two kids, Shaqkobe and Klamideeya; grandma is from Jamaica.

Sports mad Dad (Jerome Jordan): wants his six-month old (Lyon Jordan) to be the next Michael Jordan/Tiger Woods/ Venus Williams of snowboarding/skiing.

I'm curious to see if this comic strip will catch on in wider circles...

Bleeding

Woohoo!

The New York Review has posted one of my poems on their website: newyorkreview.org . It's called "Bleeding." I can't believe it. They sent me a nice note and everything.

OK, I'm finished. I just wanted to brag a little. In the meantime, check out the site and look at my poem. Just click here.

Million Father March

Always the advocate of parents stepping up to the plate and actually raising their children, rather than passing them off to teachers and other people not in charge of rearing them full time, I was happy to come across this bulletin this morning and had to share it with everyone. Yay for the fathers who won't have the adjective "deadbeat" associated with them. Just remember, we need the number to continue to grow!

Below are excerpts from the press conference on August 30, 2006, ahead of the opening of Chicago Public Schools on September 5, 2006

For the second year, the funding for this national program is provided by a grant from the Schott Foundation on Public Education. Please see their work on high school graduation rates for Black male students in your packets.

For the first year of the Million Father March, we were in 25 cities, and we estimated about 35,000 to 40,000 men took their children to school across the country. Last year, the second year of the March, we were in 83 cities, including Auckland, New Zealand, and we estimated about 200,000 men took their children to school. This year to date, we are in 123 cities including London, England, and Tamale, Ghana, and we expect more than 350,000 men across the world, through this program, to take their children to school as we move towards the million father figure.

The honorary Chairmen for the March this year are Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Jr., and Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan.

What if I told you that I knew of a proven way to get students to learn more, faster, and better? A way to help children get higher test scores, higher grade-point averages, better attendance, and a way to make them more likely to graduate from high school and to attend college? Many of you would say "What has Phillip been drinking before 12:00 noon? This sounds too good to be true."

And then if I went on to tell you that I know of a way to reduce discipline problems, suspensions and expulsion rates, to decrease dropout rates, to reduce violent behaviors in school and at home, to lessen the use of alcohol and illegal drugs by students, and to have fewer students engage in teen-age sex. You would want to know, wouldn't you?

Well I do have a solution. I do have an answer to these overwhelming problems in our schools and our society. It is simply getting men substantially involved in the educational and social developmental lives of their children.

And so today, we launch and celebrate the Million Father March 2006. Not men marching to Washington D.C., not men marching to our state capital, not men marching to city hall, but men marching to their neighborhood schools with children. And by doing so, these men will be marching into the hearts, minds, and spirits of their children and they will make an impact on these young people for the rest of their lives.

To this end, our volunteers and staff have gone door-to-door in the Dearborn and Ickes Public Housing Communities here in Chicago to remind fathers--and all parents -- to take their children to school on the first day, Tuesday, September 5, 2006. We have passed out flyers around the city at bus stops and train stops, at barber shops and beauty shops, and at grocery stores, night clubs, basketball courts, churches, and parks.

We have been on radio shows and television shows, and we have had great printed press on this event nationwide. In Chicago, there is only one thing left for fathers to do--show up at schools to support all of our children on this first fall day.

On Tuesday, September 5, 2005, we are hoping for 100% attendance at every Chicago Public School and we want an army of strong positive men at every school because it will:

* jumpstart the academic learning for most

* generate much needed revenues for the schools

* connect men to children in a way that will improve our children's lives and make the world in which we live a better place.

So on the first day of school, we want men and women of all races, Asian, White, Latino, Native American, as well as African American, to be at a school on the first day and to take a child to school on the first day. Our motto for the Million Father March in America and around the world is: Any Man, Any Child. Any School! The Million Father March won't end on September 5. After that, we are working on year-round programs to flood schools with strong, talented, giving men who want to make a difference in the lives of children as tutors, mentors, coaches and volunteers.

I especially want to thank the staff of The Black Star Project who manages the great programs of The Black Star Project such as the Toyota/Black Star Parent University, The Student Motivation Program, The Silas Purnell Destination College Program, and Men In Schools Program. They are Eleanor Perrone, Marques Williams, Briana Nichols, Catherine Jackson, Marcus Mundy, Abel Henry, Ivory Harris. And of course, I want to thank our fantastic Director of Operations who makes Black Star go, Kirsten Rokke.

Thank you for this time.

For more information about the Million Father March
or the programs of the Black Star Project, please call
312/842-3527, visit www.blackstarproject.org , or www.millionfathermarch.org

We all need to do our part in raising our future leaders. Moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents, family friends: TAKE AN INTEREST IN YOUR LITTLE LOVED ONES!!!