Volume 1, Issue 75, June 1, 2010: Vintage African Dress

I really love African fabrics; they are very colorful, vibrant and versatile. I always wanted a nice dress made from Kente or Ankara fabric. So I decided, when I get a little bit of money, I'll construct an dress from a vintage 1950s-early 1960s dress pattern. I really love 1950s silhouette they are very flattering to my hourglass type figure. These are just some random fabrics swatches that I like. I want this dress to be very feminine, flirty and be able to be worn during the daytime and the evening.

Here are some dress patterns that I like:

Volume 1, Issue 74, June 22, 2010: Racist Casting in Hollywood

I've been having my issues with Hollywood lately. More and more each day I grow to detest them. Not only do they make shitty remakes, but their colorblind casting is deplorable. I heard today that Angelina Jolie was being casted as Cleopatra in an upcoming Cleopatra biopic. I really like Angelina Jolie but this bothers me. This isn't the second time that she has been casted like this.

Racism is over my ass!

Jolie played Marianne Pearl who is real life was a biracial woman in the movie "A Mighty Heart".  They basically gave her a bad tan, crusty cheap curly wig so she can play Pearl. I don't give a shit how full Jolie's lips are, she's white end of story and her lips don't give her a pass to play a Black character. Why go through all that trouble trying to make a White woman Black when you can find a biracial or fair skinned Black actress who could have easily played Marlene Pearl? Does Thandi Newton ring a bell?

On the topic of Cleopatra. I'm so tired of people thinking that she is white. Cleopatra VII(69 BC-August 12, 30 BC) was the last ruler of Egypt and she was apart of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. The Ptolemy's ruled Egypt 300 years prior to Cleopatra's birth; Egypt was conquered by Alexander the Great and the Macedonians. When Alexander died, his generals, including Ptolemy I, divided up his conquered lands and they each ruled a province. Cleopatra VII was the daughter of Ptolemy XII, the identity of her mother is unknown. Her sisters and brothers all shared the same father but had different mothers who were unknown to history. The remains and tomb of Arsinoe IV, Ptolemy's youngest daughter and Cleopatra's half-sister, is only proof of how the Ptolemy's looked. The researchers who found her say that her skull shows an admixture of Black African/Egyptian and Macedonian Greek facial features.

Cleopatra VII wasn't a White woman. Sorry Hollywood, you can't win with your Mighty Whitey propaganda this time.

This is how Cleopatra and Arsinoe possibly looked.

This is how Hollywood wants Cleopatra to look.

There are some other notable and recent cases of the whites casts as minorities are DBZ, The Prince of Persia and Avatar: The Last Airbender. I previously wrote about DBZ and all of the problems I had with the American adaptation of it. One of the big flaws of the film is Goku being played by white actor Justin Chadwin in the Dragonball Evolution film, when we all know damn well that Goku is clearly Asian.

Avatar the Last Airbender(not to be confused with James Cameron's Avatar) is a live adaptation of the Anime Avatar. It's being directed by M. Night Shamaylan. Already it sounds bad but here's where it get worst. The original anime series, which I love,  follows the main protagonist Aang and his friends Katara and Sokka who must save the world by defeating the destructive Fire Nation. The Avatar series is heavily influenced by Japanese, Chinese, Indian and Native American cultures; the series contains many references to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shamanism.

The heroes of the story are Aang, Katara, and Sukko. Aang is an airbender(possibly Tibetan?) and Katara/Sukko are from the Inuit/Eskimo inspired water bender tribe. The villains are the Fire Nation who are Chinese/Japanese including Prince Zuko and his sister Princess Azula. But in the live action movie, Kara and Souka are turned into WASPy Abercrombie-like teenagers and Zuko is turned into the Indian from Slumdog Millionaire? M. Night Shamalayan should be ashamed of himself. He is an Indian American and he should know the troubles that minorties face in Hollywood with the limited roles and oppurtunies. Why isn't he doing anything about this? This is his movie after all. SMDH.

Ahh, good ol' Hollywood racism.SMDH

I love how Hollywood tries so hard to be liberal and open-minded when they are neither. They are racist, out of touch and they like to promote propaganda. I'm tired of Asians, Latinos, Blacks and Native Americans being stereotyped and blacklisted from Hollywood. I'm sick of Asian men being only in martial arts movies, playing the villains, and never getting the love interest/sex scene. I'm sick of Black women having to act out ghetto streotypes and as jezebels in movies to get an Oscar nomination.

I'm sick of Latino men and Black men playing thugs and hustlers. I'm sick of Latinas having to be Mestizo to get some work in Hollywood; Hollywood likes to make its viewers believe that Alexis Biedel and Zoe Saldana aren't Latinas because of their skin color. I'm tired of Asian women having to play sluts, dragon ladys and submissive geishas. I'm sick of Whites trying to pass for Native Americans. I'm sick of them casting the usual tokens like Halle Berry, Lucy Liu, etc in everything and anything while ignoring the lesser know and more talented minority actors.I'm sick of them being afraid to portray interracial romances; and it the do it's always between a white person and a person of color. Never two people of color from two different races. I'm sick of movies that have a minority characters in need of a "Mighty White" savior. I'm just sick of it all. That's why I prefer foregin films. The American film industry is still stuck in the 1950s.

Volume 1, Issue 73, June 19, 2010: Four Must Haves For The Summer

Summer officially starts on Monday June 21. To kick off the start of the Summer, I'm making a list of all the essentials for the Summer 2010.

MAXI DRESS

They are made in jersey, silk, cotton fabrics, they come in multiple colors and prints, and they are great for all shapes and sizes. They are extremely versatile, sexy and boho; you can wear a maxi at the beach or just on a nice day as a casual dress. Maxi dresses are my favorite type of dress to wear in the Summer. I love wearing long dresses because it protects my legs and lower body from insects and mosquito's and it is very easy to wear because I for one feel very uncomfortable in shorts and and pants. Maxi dresses can be dressed up for a nice evening out on the town. Silk scarves, bold jewelry and statement shoes can be perfectly paired with a Maxi Dress.

SEXY SWIMSUITS

Last Summer was my first time in years wearing a two piece. I used to think that I was so fat and dumpy but it's the complete opposite now. I'm in love with my body now and I feel very comfortable stripping down barely there bikinis on the beach. I have brought 3-4 swimsuits in the last couple of months; three came from Target and one came from Aeropostale. The best places to buy swimwear are Target, Aeropostale, VS Pink/Victoria's Secret and H&M has a swimsuits as well(H&M's swimsuits are fucking small. It's like the itty bitty titty committee at that store).

SEXY SANDALS

Sandals are some of the oldest shoes in the World. Everyone has worn them from the Greeks, Romans, Japanese, and SoCal surfers. They come in a variety of different styles and types. I prefer gladiator sandals such as the ones pictured above and flip-flops.

SUNGLASSES

Sunglasses protect your eyes against harmful UV rays, bags under you eyes, and they also make you look badass when you wear certain pairs. I'm not much of a sunglasses person. I don't really like any type of glasses but right now I'm looking for a pair but I'm not sure what type of frame and shape is right for my face. I have some pairs at home but i rarely wear them because I feel like they look funny on me and they make my face look big : /.

Volume 1, Issue 72, June 19, 2010: Adventures in DC-The Tibet Shop

I did some exploring in my old neighborhood the other day. I used to live in Adams Morgan/Columbia Heights/Mt.Pleasant neighborhood in DC a few years back when the neighborhood was turning from modestly inexpensive to gentrified and pricey. They are three separate neighborhoods but that are often seen as one whole neighborhood. This area of DC is the most densely populated, diverse and best part of DC. It has trees, parks, office buildings, churches, mosques, temples, everything and anything.

There is always something to do in this neighborhood; you could go to the park, the zoo was nearby, there are hundreds of restaurants, bars and a couple of clubs, the area is full of cultural centers and different religious organizations and I believe this area is one of the most racially diverse in the DC area and not just that you will see people of different races coming together, being friends, intermarrying. This areas also is great for walking and it's close to Columbia Heights and DuPont Circle metro stations. If money grew on trees I would love to live in one of the pre-war apartments that can be found in this area.

I went into the Tibet Shop, basically a Himalayan shop that sells clothing, furniture, fabric, jewelry and other crafts from Asia. Here are some pics I took:

Volume 1, Issue 71, June 19, 2010: THEY EAT THE POO POO!!!!

One of my favorite things to watch on TV is Current's Vanguard documentaries. They are very informative and it's refreshing to see real journalism that isn't covered by major news networks. Vanguard aired their fourth season premiere episode a couple of weeks ago; the first episode of the season was titled "Missionaries of Hate". Which featured the controversial subject of homosexuality in Uganda and how the country made international headlines by voting for the death penalty for homosexuals. The documentary showed how there was an American influence on the Ugandan views of homosexual and it influenced the sudden law change.

He's an expert at licking inus and eatind dah poo poo.

I loved this episode, the subject was very serious and heartbreaking because it featured how harsh life is for gays and lesbians in Uganda. My heart goes out to them and I believe that no one should be judged, killed and ostracized for loving who they want and being with who they want regardless of race, gender, etc. The homophobic preacher was hilarious. He hold seminars in Uganda against gays and preachs and protests on the streets about how the homosexuality was invented by the "Westerners" and how it was never meant to be in Africa.

He claimed that all homosexuals "recruit" and "trick" young children into being gay because they offer money, he also claimed that gays and lesbians like to "lick deh poo poo from the inus like ice cream" and they like to "put the fist in the inus." Not only that His fascination and obsession with the private lives of gays/lesbians leads to only one conclusion, he is gay himself and he is too scared to admit or fess up to it. The guy is a nut and he is hilarious and sad to watch at the same time.

Volume 1, Issue 70, June 12, 2010: Meals I Would Love To Cook Right Now

I promised myself that I was going to cook more this year and really get try to cook at least twice a week.  My mom hasn't been shopping and all we have are condiments in our refrigerator. What am I suppose to do with mustard, relish, syrup, ketchup and jelly? Individually these things are fine to eat but together that's just plain wrong. Anyways, here is a list of things I want to try to make in the near future:

Fried Green Tomatoes

MMMMM! One of my favorite dishes to eat are Fried Green Tomatoes. When I was little my great-grandmother on my mother's side, who is of  European, Native American and Black Ancestry, had a green thumb. She grew her own herbs, fruits, veggies, and flowers; we would help her to harvest the crops and she would cook things straight from her backyard. One of dishes that she made quite often were Fried Green Tomatoes.

Fried Green Tomatoes is an old Cherokee recipe that has a Southern twist. When Tomatoes are first harvested they are green and unripe. Tomatoes turn red quickly so you must quickly cook them while they are green. When they are green they have a much better taste and they are easier to fry because they are less mushier and more solid.

Recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes

Seafood Gumbo

I haven't had this for a while. This old Louisiana recipe has a combination of African, Native American and French/Spanish ingredients. It is a very heavy dish and very easy to make. When I make it I'm going to put some curry powder and jerk.

Recipe for Seafood Gumbo

Fried Okra

Okra which originates from West Africa was brought over to the Americas by African slaves. Ever since than, Okra has become a staple in Southern cuisine. Okra can be eaten by its self, fried, in salads, as a side and can be used in many stews and soups.

Recipe for Fried Okra

Macaroni & Cheese

Mmmmm, the real kind not that box crap!!! Mac n Cheese is real simple to make and it isn't time consuming. You can put any type of cheese inside of this. I like to use as many cheeses as I can. I like my mac&cheese with Cheddar and Monterray Jack.

Recipe for Mac n Cheese

Tamales

Tameles are a classic Latin American dish that orginated in Mesoamerica between 5000-8000 BCE. Aztecs, Mayas, Olmecs, Incas and even Taino/Arawak/Carib natives chowed on Tamale, s. Tamales are made of masa(strachy dough, made from corn) and they are wrapped in either leaves, leafs or conr husks. Tamales are are ubiqutious and varied as sandwhiches, they can be filled with meats, chili, cheese, or veggies.I've never made these before. I have eaten them many times. This will be a great challenge to me. I would probably use beef, beans, corn, and peppers.

Volume 1, Issue 69(lol 69), June 8, 2010: What should I do for my bday?

I'm not sure what I want to do for my 20th birthday I'm deciding between these choices:

The Beach/Picnic

Paintballing

Horseback Riding

Paint something at "Color Me Mine"

Picnic at the National Arboretum