they call me quiet girl, but i'm a riot!

2011-02-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

HI PEOPLE, I LOVE YOU ALL

I AM ON TUMBLR NOW::::

http://meronsays.tumblr.com/
http://meronsays.tumblr.com/
http://meronsays.tumblr.com/
http://meronsays.tumblr.com/
http://meronsays.tumblr.com/

i needed a place to rant

2010-11-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

... then i remembered i had a blog :)

ughgggggggggggggghghghhhhhgh today's Clasico was NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. Was I dreaming? no. What's funny is that I dreamt last night that the final score would be 4-0 to Barca. Why, idk. Close to real life huh? uuuuuffff. What happened on the pitch was weird. Weird. We were outplayed. And that's an understatement really. Oh okay oops, we had uh maybe ONE shot on goal. Thank you Angel di Maria. Besides that, we were slaughtered. And we didn't give any effort to stay alive while getting killed. Idk what to attribute our crap performance to. Our midfield, which is of good quality and our most stacked area, was in shambles. Our defense only had moments of bombness (credit mostly to Pepe). Our attack suffered with our midfield not completing passes/giving great options. Iker's face when it was 4-0 was one of dejection and it hurt. Not to mention Cristiano's embarrassing moment with Pep. The hell. And Sergio's moment near the end............. i understand the frustration/tension but it was uncalled for. Valencia's the next match, our defense is gone, UEFA has decisions to make... it's all bad. Mourinho has made me smile a little in the midst of everything though.

source

"I am not humiliated at all. This is the biggest defeat I have ever suffered in league play. It is hard to swallow because we never had a chance of winning. It wasn’t one of those defeats that leave a bad taste in your mouth because we didn’t deserve to lose or because the referee performed badly or because the ball hit the post. One team played as well as it could and the other played badly. It is a deserving win and a deserving defeat, which makes it easy to swallow."

"The difference between the two teams is a championship that will be even until the end. Barcelona is a finished piece of work after many years together. Real Madrid isn’t a finished product and needs a lot of time to be one. Today’s score is not the difference between the two teams. The outcome is a reward for the team that played well and a punishment for the team that played poorly. It is an easy score to explain and swallow. I am obviously saddened because no one likes to lose, especially by such a large margin."

"I hope this does not affect the players psychologically. I told them exactly that. That the championship didn’t end today. Who knows if we will return to this stadium again this season? Last year I lost here with Inter and a few months later we returned, qualified for the Champions League final and they got stuck at home watching it on television. We must have character. I always tell players that they have reason to cry with joy after winning important matches. You cannot cry when you concede four or five goals. You must be anxious to return to work and win the next match. I wish the Valencia match was tomorrow and not Saturday. After such a bad match you must go right back to work, play and win."

"We gave up two goals close to the net. The ease with which we gave up possession resulted in two goals that were our fault. Down 2-0 against a team that is deadly on the counterattack you have two options. You can settle for the 2-0 or you can try to pressure more. Barcelona played a fantastic match. I am only concerned about my team, which has played phenomenal football until now. Today we played bad and on Saturday we must prove that today’s score was a fluke by returning to our winning ways."

"This wasn’t a tense match. I didn’t feel I could really help. I tried to during halftime, but the game was over once Barcelona scored the third goal. I didn’t want my team to lose its balance and dignity until the end of the match. I knew early on that we had no chance and I felt a little helpless not being able to help accomplish what we wanted."

"I am disappointed because I expected much better, but so did the players. We expected much more. We all feel the same, but the match is over. There is nothing left for us to do. As of tomorrow, there is a lot. We must wait until the next match and continue two points off the lead."

Best start to La Liga in 19 years

2010-10-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

source

Mourinho's Real Madrid has scored 22 goals in eight games and is still undefeated
Edu Bueno / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

Mourinho's influence on the team goes beyond good performances and excellent results. His Real Madrid has had the best start to La Liga in 19 years thanks to taking 20 points in eight games (6 victories, 2 draws), a first in the Club's history since three points are awarded per victory in the championship. The team also remains undefeated at this stage, which hasn't happened since the 1997/98 campaign.

Mourinho's side has managed to score 16 goals in its last three league games (6-1, 1-4, 6-1) and 22 overall in the competition. At the Bernabeu, the Whites have scored 16 strikes and conceded only 2 so far. Overall, the team has only conceded 4 goals in the league this season, all in the second halves of games.

Since 5 August, Real Madrid haven't lost a single game, including three Champions League matches against Ajax, Auxerre and AC Milan.

Best start to the season since 3 points are awarded per victory
SEASON GP PTS. W/D/L
2010/2011 8 20 6-2-0
2003/2004 8 19 6-1-1
2007/2008 8 19 6-1-1

On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo stands out above his team-mates thanks to his impressive numbers. His four goals against Racing Santander marked the first time he's achieved such a feat as a professional and increased his goal count to 9 in La Liga and to 13 overall this season. Ronaldo has already scored 44 goals in 46 games for the Whites.

That's what I'm talking about!! A flawless start and a promising future... but I have to take Mourinho's side and say that we shouldn't get super elated. We have yet to play major ~~contenders~~ (Barcelona, Valencia, Villareal, Sevilla, etc aka those in the top 10) and those will be our truest tests. Until then, I'll bask in the fact that our goal difference is +18 and we're at the top of the Liga. I feel something special happening in the near future :)

Thoughts on "Runaway" by Kanye West.

2010-10-25T00:42:00.000-07:00

So. Kanye premiered his debut film called Runaway yesterday. I watched it live on MTV (there were commercials ugh) and as a stan, have a couple thoughts about it:

Nicki Minaj as narrator OH MY GOSH D: The accent is an insult to all people from the UK for real. But from :41 on, it sounded like spoken word lol
The first track on the film sounded like it could've been from "College Dropout"!!! YASSS!
The cinematography was stunning. Big ups to Kanye as a director.
This was the prettiest I have ever seen Selita Ebanks.
The TV was like in "Spice World"! yay
The acting (speaking-wise mostly) was horrendous.
The color pallette was gorgeous.
The music was so good!! I don't really get a "College Dropout" vibe from it though (booo). I get more of a ghetto-er "Late Registration" plus a more subdued "Graduation" vibe from his next album.
The dancing period during "Power".... LOL. But I loved what he did with that beat-maker thing. Super sick.
Rihanna is on a track?!? It sounded good, damn it. -_-
Michael Jackson head!!! hahaha why? but i loved it
oh Kanye, it doesn't matter if you don't want it to symbolize this... but a KKK hood is a KKK hood, sorry #kanyeshrug
Those who know me, know I love ballet. I also love ballet and hip-hop together. I was even thinking of choreographing a ballet routine to E-40's "Gouda" (don't ask why, I just think the two go well together lol). But the "Runaway" ballet sequence was stretched out tooooo long. It was pretty for the first 2 minutes, then it got old and repetitive. Props to them for staying still for so long though!
Selita's screaming when she saw the dead bird!!!! D: LOL
The bird speaks!!! & Kanye saying "I'LL NEVER LET YOU BURN" hahahaha
"Lost in the World" is my jam!!!! The beginning has a "Hide & Seek"-vibe! #lahv
"Monster" wasn't in the film :(

Final Verdict??:

Why. I didn't really get the purpose... Maybe him raising from the ~ashes and restoring himself to start anew? Idk. Call me dumb. Also, I think whatever he was trying to get across could have been cut in half aka like 10 minutes. It was just... extra. It was his prerogative to do it, I guess. I just don't know what he was trying to prove and why it was broadcast on like, 3 channels. It was pretty to look at, but that was it for me. I really hope other artists don't feel the need to and think just because they have the ~power to do so, will venture into something that they don't need to meddle in. Wow, I sound like a hater lol

two fail lists, i can't even...

2010-10-24T23:49:00.001-07:00

MTV and BET both recently released rap-related lists--the former releasing a "Hottest MCs of 2010" list and the latter releasing a "Top 10 Rappers of the 21st Century" list. Both lists fail:

MTVs Hottest MCs of 2010:
1. Eminem
2. Jay-Z (HE HASN'T DONE ISH IN 2010, SORRY)
3. Kanye West
4. Drake (NEEDS TO BE HIGHER)
5. Rick Ross (LOL)
6. Nicki Minaj
7. Lil' Wayne (EHH)
8. Waka Flocka (WHO IS THIS?? WHAT SINGLES HAS HE HAD ON THE RADIO)
9. B.o.B. (FINE.)
10. Ludacris (LOL)

I don't understand MTV's logic behind the inclusion of Waka Flocka. I ~keep up~ with rappers sorta and I don't even know one song by this fool. I don't get why people continue to kiss Jay-Z's butt by wrongly including him in lists, because the dude hasn't done anything in 2010 really. Not enough to warrant him a #2 spot on here anyway. Sure, Rick Ross is a ghetto hero but idk why he's #5 on this list. Are there not enough exciting rappers to include in a list like this? I don't get it. Rap music, step your game up!!

BET Top 10 Rappers of the 21st Century
1. Eminem (......................... REALLY?)
2. Lil' Wayne
3. Kanye West (HE'S MY #1, BUT OK)
4. 50 Cent
5. T.I.
6. Ludacris
7. Drake (WHO IS DRAKE? THIS LIST IS NOW INVALID)
8. Young Jeezy (HELL NO)
9. Jadakiss (SORRY JADA, BUT NOT ENOUGH COMMERCIAL IMPACT TO MAKE THIS LIST)
10. Rick Ross (LIST IS EVEN MORE INVALID)

I can't with this list. Firstly, what did they go by in terms of ranking these artists? Commercial appeal? If so, Nelly needs to be on here. Hip-hop consciousness? If so, Lupe Fiasco needs to be on this ish. Why Drake, who released his first album this year, is on this list (which ranks artists who came out from 1999 and on) is beyond me really. Young Jeezy & Rick Ross haven't done ish. And Jadakiss is too ~underground, in my opinion, to be on here.

My Top 5 Nicki Features! :)

2010-10-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

Okay so I've grown to like Nicki Minaj's verses -_- I hate to admit it, but she is hands down the most exciting new artist out right now. And in comparison to her fello female emcees, Nicki is one of the best lyricists. Her metaphors are relevant, she doesn't always talk about sex/drugs/etc., and she has garnered respect from male and female rappers alike. I saw a top ten list of the best Nicki features on ONTD so I decided to do my own version! I only included five songs because I don't think her other features warrant being on a "best of" list, lol

5. "Hello, Good Morning" (Remix) - Dirty Money feat. Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj

One of Nicki's most exciting verses, in my opinion. Why? The delivery of course! It isn't one of her lyrically smartest verses, but the way she spits in this verse is pure entertainment. She definitely "came up" in the game "a little self centered" with it and soon enough, I think she'll actually turn down shows in places like Dublin.

4. "My Chick Bad" - Ludacris feat. Nicki Minaj

This is the first proper Nicki feature that I memorized. The whole verse just cracks me up with the metaphors and ridiculous statements. She stuck with the ~cray cray~ theme and went hard... my favorite lines?

"But I take a left and leave them hanging like a testi", "It’s nightmare on Elm street and guess who’s playing Freddy", "damn, b!tch you been a fan"

3. BET 2009 Cypher

Maybe this counts, maybe not but this is my #3. This was her official introduction, in my eyes, to the music world and she def made her mark amidst a bunch of dudes. Her verse is a true "metaphor heaven", as she refers to Dracula of Sesame Street, Minnie Mouse, hair pieces, bees, Oscar the Grouch, 7th Heaven & Mike Vick and killing b!tches. Fun stuff.

2. "Up All Night" - Drake feat. Nicki Minaj

This verse is honestly what made me see Nicki as a real artist. With no phony accent, she came hard lyrically and delivery-wise. She has swagger on this record. And I believed every word she said. Plus, Nicki coined some of my favorite lines she has written: "Which b!tch you know made a million off a mixtape?", "F*ck I look like hoe? I look like yes and you look like no." Yeah, she's here to stay for a little while :)

1. "Monster" - Kanye West feat. Jay-Z, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj

What else??!!?! :D Literally I heard this on the radio cuz I wasn't home when Kanye dropped his Good Friday track (booo) and I was like "Mom... turn up the radio." I couldn't believe this was Nicki Minaj. Yeah I knew she had a knack for a fun delivery, but combining lyrical quality and delivery?? I was impressed. And with every additional listen, I was more and more convinced in Kanye saying that she will be the #2 Rapper Of All Time (okay maybe not, but I was convinced that I better get used to her, especially if she delivered verses like this one). Hilarious, fun to listen to, better than Jay-Z (on this track), shouts out my girl M.I.A. (the bish from Sri Lanka, btw), believable, etc. I obviously had this verse memorized within a week and I was too excited when I did x) Too many memorable lines as well:

"And I’m all up all up all up in the bank with the funny face/ And if I’m fake I aint notice cause my money aint/ So let me get this straight wait I’m the rookie?/ But my features and my shows ten times your pay/ 50k for a verse no album out!/ Yeah my money’s so tall that my barbies gotta climb it"

"She’s on a diet but her pockets eating cheesecake" !!! Her money aka cheese aka cake is stacking up but she's on a diet and not eating cheesecake!

"And I’ll say, 'Bride of Chucky' is 'Child’s Play'" Bride of Chucky is a movie in the "Child's Play" series! And cuz Nicki's a tough monster, 'Bride of Chucky' is child's play aka nothing! :)

"Just killed another career, it’s a mild day" lol get it girl

HONORABLE MENTION:

"All I Do is Win" - DJ Khaled feat. Nicki Minaj and everyone else

I'm including this only because of this line:

"You can talk slick all the way down to the welfare, ask the IRS b!tch I’m paying for your healthcare" ZING!

I. Want.

2010-10-17T23:54:00.000-07:00

SIIIIIICK!!!!!!!!!! The shoes and the Fabregas Spain jersey!

American Music Awards Nominations!

2010-10-17T01:19:00.000-07:00

POP or ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Justin Bieber (he's fun, sorry)
Eminem
Usher (you lost it babe :( )

Favorite Female Artist
Ke$ha
Lady Gaga
Katy Perry

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Black Eyed Peas
Lady Antebellum
Train

Favorite Album
Justin Bieber/ My World 2.0
Eminem/ Recovery
Katy Perry/ Teenage Dream

COUNTRY MUSIC

Favorite Female Artist
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts

Favorite Album
Jason Aldean/ Wide Open
Lady Antebellum/ Need You Now
Carrie Underwood/ Play On

RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
B.o.B.
Drake
Eminem

Favorite Album
B.o.B./ B.o.B. Presents
Drake/ Thank Me Later
Eminem/ Recovery

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Usher

Favorite Female Artist
Alicia Keys
Rihanna (i can't believe this)
Sade

Favorite Album
Alicia Keys/ The Element of Freedom
Sade/ Soldier of Love
Usher/ Raymond v. Raymond

ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Michael Buble
Lady Antebellum
Train

LATIN MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Daddy Yankee (ily boo but i want Shaki to win!)
Enrique Iglesias
Shakira

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Justin Bieber
Eminem
Ke$ha
Lady Gaga!!!!!!!!!
Katy Perry

T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist Nominations
B.o.B (ehh, but he deserves it)
Justin Bieber
Taio Cruz
Jason Derulo
Ke$ha
Lady Antebellum
Travie McCoy
Mike Posner

source

DIDJA MISS ME?!?!?

2010-10-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

hiiii lovelies, i haven't blogged in a minute and a half :( but i'm slowly coming back!

here's a funny picture i found in my files... when things were good :/

nearly 3 weeks late, don't hate

2010-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

The VMAs were a snore-fest this year basically, so this post is hella late. My most memorable moments though:

1. LADY GAGA

she looks stunning as hell, I loved everything about her outfit - she's killing the Alexander McQueen and her hair/make-up is gorgeous. Oh but let's not talk about the meat dress. And her singing after announcing her album name?? FREE, FIERCE BISH! I honestly felt that in my soul, it was crazy

fast-forward to 4:15 :)

2. FLORENCE & THE MACHINE!!!

Another free-spirited woman who put on the best performance of the night. She was phenomenal and her debut on an American award show was siiiiick.

3. taylor swift.

hilarious performance! care to read the lyrics?

I guess you really did it this time
Left yourself in your warpath
Lost your balance on a tightrope
Lost your mind tryin’ to get it back

Wasn’t it easier in your lunchbox days?
Always a bigger bed to crawl into
Wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything?
And everybody believed in you?

It’s all right, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you’ve been
You’re still an innocent
You’re still an innocent

There’s some things you can’t speak of
But tonight you’ll live it all again
You wouldn’t be shattered on the floor now
If only you would sing what you know now then

Wasn’t it easier in your firefly-catchin’ days?
And everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you
Wasn’t it beautiful runnin’ wild ’til you fell asleep?
Before the monsters caught up to you?

It’s all right, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you’ve been
You’re still an innocent

It’s okay, life is a tough crowd
32, and still growin’ up now
Who you are is not what you did
You’re still an innocent

Time turns flames to embers
You’ll have new Septembers
Every one of us has messed up too

Lives change like the weather
I hope you remember
Today is never to late to
Be brand new

It’s all right, just wait and see
Your string of lights are still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you’ve been
You’re still an innocent

It’s okay, life is a tough crowd
32, and still growin’ up now
Who you are is not what you did
You’re still an innocent

4. Robyn!!!

She werked and sang my favorite song "Dancing on my Own"!!! flawless!

5. KANYE WEST.

making beats on stage, ballerinas, half of Clipse = amazing. He's back.

2010 MTV European Music Awards Nominations - my choices!

2010-09-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

Best Pop
Lady Gaga!!
Usher
Katy Perry
Miley Cyrus
Rihanna

Best Hip Hop
T.I.
Eminem
Kanye West!!!!
Lil Wayne
Snoop Dogg

Best Live Act
Bon Jovi
Lady Gaga
Muse
Kings of Leon
Linkin Park

Best Song
Usher “OMG”
Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg “California Gurls”
Eminem feat. Rihanna “Love the Way You Lie”
Rihanna “Rude Boy”
Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”

Best Male
Eminem
Justin Bieber
Usher
Enrique Iglesias
Kanye West

Best Female
Lady Gaga
Katy Perry
Miley Cyrus
Shakira - this goddess is my second choice :)
Rihanna

Best New Act
Ke$ha
B.o.B.
Jason Derulo
Plan B
Justin Bieber

Best Video
Thirty Seconds to Mars “Kings and Queens”
Katy Perry “California Gurls”
Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce “Telephone”
Plan B “Prayin’”
Eminem feat. Rihanna “Love the Way You Lie”

Best Push Act
Ke$ha
Alexandra Burke - my second choice :)
Jason Derulo
Justin Bieber
Selena Gomez & The Scene
B.o.B
The Drums
Professor Green
HURTS
Mike Posner

Best World Stage Performance
Green Day
Muse
Thirty Seconds To Mars
Katy Perry
Gorrilaz
Tokio Hotel :D

I.Want.: Gwen Stefani's entire look!

2010-09-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

head-to-toe perfection! her hair, her lipstick, her dress!!, the footless tights, the funky shoes... there's a reason why she's my style icon! :) she's pictured her on September 10th, 2010, pimping out her Harajuku Lovers brand.

BET Hip-Hop Awards Nominations! my choices... :)

2010-09-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

Best Live Performer
Busta Rhymes
Drake
Jay-Z
Kanye West!!! - no competition
Lil Wayne

Lyricist of the Year
Drake - ughhh eff this, but i pick him
Lil Wayne
Nicki Minaj
Eminem
Jay-Z

Rookie of the Year
Chiddy Bang
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Roscoe Dash
Waka Flocka Flame - get outta here ew

Hustler of the Year
Diddy
Drake - he's been on so many tracks
Jay-Z
Nicki Minaj - she's been on so many tracks as well!
T.I.

Made-You-Look Award
B.o.B.
Jay-Z
Nicki Minaj
T.I.
Kanye West

People's Champ Award
B.o.B.
Nicki Minaj
Eminem
Gucci Mane
Cali Swagg
Drake
Kanye West

Track of the Year
B.o.B. - Airplanes
DJ Khaled - All I Do Is Win - i love this song though
Young Money - Bedrock
Rick Ross - B.M.F.
Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind

Perfect Combo Award
B.o.B & Bruno Mars - Nothin' On You
Diddy-Dirty Money, Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj - Hello, Good Morning
DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, T-Pain, Busta Rhymes, Diddy, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Jadakiss & Nicki Minaj - All I Do is Win (Remix)
Drake, Lil Wayne, Kanye West & Eminem - Forever
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind

Best Hip Hop Blog Site - RAPUP should be the winner!!
Thisis50
AllHipHop
NahRight
WorldstarHipHop
Rap Radar

DJ Of The Year
DJ Drama
DJ Holiday
Funkmaster Flex
DJ Khaled
DJ Tony Neal

Producer Of The Year
Boi-1da
Drumma Boy
Lex Luger
Swizz Beatz
Polow Da Don

MVP Of The Year
Jay-Z
B.o.B
Drake

Eminem
Rick Ross

Best Hip-Hop Video
B.o.B - Nothin' On You
Drake - Find Your Love
Jay-Z - Run This Town
Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind
Jay-Z - On To The Next One

Best Club Banger
Diddy-Dirty Money "Hello Good Morning"!!!!!!
DJ Khaled ft Snoop, Ludacris, T-Pain "All I Do Is Win"
Rick Ross ft Styles P "BMF"
Young Jeezy ft Plies "Lose My Mind"
Waka Flocka "O Let's Do It"

CD Of The Year
Drake "Thank Me Later"
Eminem "Recovery"
Jay-Z "Blueprint 3"
Rick Ross "Teflon Don"
B.o.B "The Adventures Of Bobby Ray"

2010 MOBO Nominations! my choices... :)

2010-09-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

Best Newcomer
Tinie Tempah
Professor Green - love his flow!
Scorcher
Labrinth
Devlin

Best U.K. Act
Tinie Tempah
Jay Sean
Tinchy Stryder
Taio Cruz
Chipmunk
N-Dubz - multi-faceted, talented, etc.
Giggs
JLS - my second choice!
Roll Deep
M.I.A - love you so much, but your recent album....
Dizzee Rascal
Alexandra Burke - love you girl but no...
Sade
Plan B
Leona Lewis

Best Song
Taio Cruz ft Ke$ha - "Dirty Picture"
Tinie Tempah - "Pass Out"
N-Dubz ft Mr Hudson - "Playing With Fire"
Mark Ronson & The Business INTL ft Q-Tip & MNDR - "Bang, Bang, Bang"
Professor Green ft Ed Drewett - "I Need You Tonight"

Best International Act
Drake
Alicia Keys
Jay Z
Rihanna
Eminem
Janelle Monae
Black Eyed Peas
Nicki Minaj
Ne-Yo
Usher
Beyonce - just because! lol
Jason Derulo
Lil Wayne
Travie McCoy
Trey Songz

Best Album
Plan B - "The Defamation of Strickland Banks" (679/Atlantic)
JLS - "JLS" (Epic)
N-Dubz "Against All Odds" (UMTV)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chipmunk -"I Am Chipmunk" (Jive/Columbia)
Dizzee Rascal - "Tongue in Cheek" (Dirtee Stank)

Best Video
Mark Ronson & The Business INTL ft Q-Tip & MNDR - "Bang, Bang, Bang"
Tinie Tempah ft Labrinth - "Frisky"
Tinchy Stryder - "You're Not Alone"
Alesha Dixon - "Drummer Boy"!!!!!!!!!
Dizzee Rascal - "Dirtee Disco"

Best African Act
K'Naan (Somalia)
P-Square (Nigeria)
Hip Hop Pantsula (South Africa)
JJC (Nigeria)
Banky W. (Nigeria)
Concha Buika (Equatorial Guinea)
Mulatu Astatke (Ethiopia)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wanlov the Kubolor (Ghana)
Angélique Kidjo (Benin)
M3NSA (Ghana)
Yuri Da Cunha (Angola)
Tinny (Ghana)
Waldemar Bastos (Zimbabwe)
Staff Benda Bilili (Congo-Kinshasa)
BLK JKS (South Africa)

Terry Jones: Burning Korans 'Meant to Be a Warning'

2010-09-08T02:32:00.000-07:00

Preacher Says Bonfire of Holy Books Will Send a Message to Muslims
source

As far as Terry Jones is concerned, he's just supplying the kindling -- several hundred copies of the Koran, Islam's holiest book.

He said the spark was ignited nine years ago when a band of Muslim terrorists boarded planes and turned U.S. citizens into weapons against their own people.

Now, as symbol of fiery retribution, Jones plans to build a giant bonfire and set ablaze the Muslim holy book on Sept. 11.

International Burn a Koran Day has become a flashpoint. What was seen for weeks as a strange front in the culture wars, this weekend became a front in America's real war, when Gen. David Petraeus weighed in to say he believed the display would be detrimental and dangerous to U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan.

What started as a simmering page on Facebook, Burn a Koran Day has become an international conflagration that the White House has been forced to discuss, if only to condemn.

Despite weeks of complaints -- and also, he claims, several death threats -- Jones has shown no signs of relenting.

When ABC News' "Nightline" caught up with the controversial preacher, who always keeps a pistol close at hand, he said he and his flock would consider Petraeus' advice and continue to pray about whether to go ahead with the book burning.

But, all the signs point to an inferno. There is panel truck full of wood on the Gainesville, Fla., church's 20-acre campus, as well as a clearing set aside for the fire pit. The Facebook page has more 8,000 members.

And there's the rhetoric.

"Of course it's insulting, of course it's not a nice thing to do," Jones, a former hotel manager, told "Nightline's" Terry Moran. "But this is a very dangerous religion. If we don't do it, when do we stop backing down?"

On the road leading up to the church are a series of signs that read, "Islam is of the Devil."

That also happens to be the title of Jones' book, a screed on Islam's violent history and the dangers Jones said it presents to the U.S.

As far as Jones is concerned, there is one true faith and it is Christianity. To Jones, Islam is tantamount to Satanism and Muslims are trying to force sharia -- strict religious law -- on the United States.

"This is meant to be a warning to the radical element," Jones said of Muslim extremists. "Jesus said, 'I am the only way.'" Jones said his message was intended to be a radical response to what he sees as a radical religion.

"We feel that a radical message is necessary," he said. "We expect moderate Muslims to agree with us. ... All Christians should agree with our message that radical Islam is dangerous and we should say no to that."

A fan of Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" -- a poster of the film adorns a wall of his office -- Jones launched an online video series called the "Braveheart Show," which he uses to preach anti-Islamic sermons to an audience larger than the 50 families who belong to the church.

On Sunday, some two dozen people including children and a few Germans were in attendance at church services at Jones' Dove World Outreach Center. The subject of the sermon? International Burn a Koran Day.

There is so much fail with this pastor bish. I can't even. Where do I start? First off, he is a complete and utter dumbass for his actions. I dislike religious intolerance, but this is far beyond that. He probably thinks all Muslims look like Osama bin Laden. No. How does he think burning a Koran, esp. around Eid, will be beneficial? Extremism is such a small sect of the entire Islam religion... hell, I personally don't even consider extremists as real Muslims. Why must he burn a Koran to "scorn" only the trouble-making few, if you look at the grand scheme of things? Peaceful Muslims don't deserve this ish at all. "This is a very dangerous religion"... no it isn't. The religion itself isn't dangerous. The people who contort the religion to fit their personal, twisted vendettas are dangerous. Their radical 'Islam' is dangerous. Just like Christianity can have the potential to be dangerous... radical 'Christians' killing doctors who perform abortions, anyone? "Islam is tantamount to Satanism and Muslims are trying to force sharia -- strict religious law -- on the United States." If I were him, I'd be more concerned with atheism. Of any belief system, I think secularism/atheism is what is being "forced" on the United States. Muslims believe in God, atheists completely don't. Can we focus on similarities rather than differences please? "We expect moderate Muslims to agree with us. ... All Christians should agree with our message that radical Islam is dangerous and we should say no to that." I am a Christian, a human being, that believes that radical Islam is dangerous. I'm sure most people, regardless of religion, believe radical Islam is dangerous. But the method by which this pastor is going by to condemn radical Islam is so off.

I will continue to pray for this man's sanity, for God to open his eyes and help him wake up to see that what he is doing is wrong and counterproductive.

hi

2010-09-07T02:05:00.000-07:00

i've been so unmotivated to blog. i think it's because lj and twitter have taken over my life :( i miss blogging though.... you know what's funny? i blog more when i'm busy as hell and in-school. i think i use it as an escape from the real world, a place to write about whatever the hell i want, etc. so thank God school is starting soon and i'll have a place to escape to again! x)

Just How Far Is the "Ground Zero Mosque" From Ground Zero?

2010-08-19T01:25:00.000-07:00

source

The "Ground Zero Mosque" that we have been and will be hearing so much about is not exactly a mosque, nor is it at Ground Zero. Here's why: you can't see Ground Zero -- the former site of the World Trade Center -- from the future site of the Cordoba House.

When the new World Trade Center rises, you'll be able to see it from 45 Park Place, because it'll be by far the tallest thing around. The planned Cordoba House will be dwarfed. It certainly won't overlook or overshadow Ground Zero.

Why is the distance between the two sites so important? Simple accuracy, for one. It's frustrating to see so many commentators blithely disregard an obvious, physical problem with the "mosque at Ground Zero" formulation: it's not at Ground Zero.

Clyde Haberman of the New York Times further explains the significance:

There's that "at." For a two-letter word, it packs quite a wallop. It has been tossed around in a manner both cavalier and disingenuous, with an intention by some to inflame passions. Nobody, regardless of political leanings, would tolerate a mosque at ground zero. "Near" is not the same, as anyone who paid attention back in the fourth grade should know.

I understand the journalist's impulse to use the "Ground Zero Mosque" shorthand to instantly remind readers why they should care about the story. Headlines leave out qualifiers like "near" all the time for brevity's sake. But in this case the elision is critical; leaving out the "near" clearly takes sides -- against the "mosque" and against accuracy.

In addition, the building planned for 45 Park Place is a cultural center with a prayer room -- not a single-purpose house of worship for Muslims, which is probably what we should reserve the word "mosque" for. As Haberman also explains, "That it may even be called a mosque is debatable. It is designed as a multi-use complex with a space set aside for prayer -- no minarets, no muezzin calls to prayer blaring onto Park Place."

The 92nd Street Y, on which the Cordoba House is explicitly modeled, has a whole host of Jewish events take place inside of it, but no one calls it a synagogue. There's no good reason why Cordoba House should be misleadingly called a "mosque." I've been guilty of using this word too, in conversation and in writing, but it's inaccurate. Muslims already read the Quran and pray at 45 Park Place, but that does not and will not turn it into a "mosque."

There's one more catch for the opponents of the so-called Ground Zero mosque: by the same logical leap you can call the Cordoba Center a "mosque," you can also call Ground Zero as it already exists a giant, open-air mosque. Muslim prayers are already taking place right on the edge of the construction site, and not for world domination. Families are going there to pray -- for the souls of the dozens of innocent Muslim victims who died on September 11.

I love this article so much. All that was written needed to be said. Head to the source to watch a youtube video of the author walking from the Muslim center to Ground Zero and back.

LOL bye bish - Dr. Laura To END Radio Show After N-Word Rant

2010-08-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced Tuesday night that she would end her radio show following her N-word rant on air last week.

"My contract is up for my radio show at the end of the year and I've made the decision not to do radio anymore," she told Larry King. "The reason is I want to regain my First Amendment rights. I want to be able to say what's on my mind and in my heart and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry, some special interest group deciding this is the time to silence a voice of dissent and attack affiliates, attack sponsors. I'm sort of done with that."

Dr. Laura emphasized that she is "not retiring" but rather just ending her radio show.

"I'm not retiring, I'm not quitting, I feel energized actually," she said. "Stronger and freer to say the things that I believe need to be said for people in this country."

source

bahahaha First Amendment rights?!? You surely used your First Amendment rights to say whatever the hell you wanted on PUBLIC radio, yes. And everyone else used it as well when they blasted you with their opinions about your words and your all-around foolery. I never liked your RUDE ass after hearing your radio show for a couple of years, and I surely still don't like you. LOL & "I've made the decision not to do radio anymore" is code for "I actually got fired but I can conveniently say I am choosing to leave now that incidentally my contract will be up." Ugh, I'm sure she'll get hired by SIRIUS Radio or XM or something. You'll have tons of opportunities to exercise your First Amendment rights there hun.

Obama backs mosque near ground zero, as he should.

2010-08-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

source

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday forcefully endorsed allowing a mosque near ground zero, saying the country's founding principles demanded no less.

"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for the first time on a controversy that has riven New York City and the nation.

"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."

Obama made the comments at an annual dinner in the White House State Dining Room celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The White House had not previously taken a stand on the mosque, which would be part of a $100 million Islamic center two blocks from where nearly 3,000 people perished when hijacked jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. Press secretary Robert Gibbs had insisted it was a local matter.

It was already much more than that, sparking debate around the country as top Republicans including Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich announced their opposition. So did the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group.

Obama elevated it to a presidential issue Friday without equivocation.

While insisting that the place where the twin towers once stood was indeed "hallowed ground," Obama said that the proper way to honor it was to apply American values.

"Our capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect towards those who are different from us — and that way of life, that quintessentially American creed, stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that September morning, and who continue to plot against us today," he said.

Obama harkened back to earlier times when the building of synagogues or Catholic churches also met with opposition. "But time and again, the American people have demonstrated that we can work through these issues, and stay true to our core values and emerge stronger for it," he said. "So it must be and will be today."

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent who has been a strong supporter of the mosque, welcomed Obama's words as a "clarion defense of the freedom of religion."

But some Republicans were quick to pounce.

"President Obama is wrong," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. "It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of ground zero. While the Muslim community has the right to build the mosque they are abusing that right by needlessly offending so many people who have suffered so much."

Entering the highly charged election-year debate, Obama surely knew that his words would not only make headlines but be heard by Muslims worldwide. The president has made it a point to reach out to the global Muslim community, and the over 100 guests at Friday's dinner included ambassadors and officials from numerous Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Seated around candlelit tables, they listened closely as Obama spoke, then stood and applauded when the president finished his remarks.

While his pronouncement concerning the mosque might find favor in the Muslim world, Obama's stance runs counter to the opinions of the majority of Americans, according to polls. A CNN/Opinion Research poll released this week found that nearly 70 percent of Americans opposed the mosque plan while just 29 percent approved. A number of Democratic politicians have shied away from the controversy.

The group behind the $100 million project, the Cordoba Initiative, describes it as a Muslim-themed community center. Early plans call not only for prayer space but for a swimming pool, culinary school, art studios and other features. Developers envision it as a hub for interfaith interaction, as well as a place for Muslims to bridge some of their faith's own schisms.

Opponents, including some Sept. 11 victims' relatives, see the prospect of a mosque so near the destroyed trade center as an insult to the memory of those killed by Islamic terrorists in the 2001 attacks. Some of the Sept. 11 victims' relatives, however, are in favor.

The mosque has won approval from local planning boards but faces legal challenges, and New York's Conservative Party is planning a television ad campaign to pressure a New York City utility to use its power to block the project.

2010 MTV Video Music Awards Nominees!!

2010-08-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

BEST COLLABORATION
B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams – Airplanes
Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga – Video Phone (Extended Remix)
3OH!3 featuring Kesha – My First Kiss
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind

BEST FEMALE VIDEO
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance - no competition.
Ke$ha -Tik Tok
Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg – California Gurls
Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga – Video Phone (Extended Remix)
Taylor Swift – Fifteen

BEST MALE VIDEO
Eminen – Not Afraid
Usher featuring Will.I.Am – OMG
B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams – Airplanes - it's so pretty :)
Drake – Find Your Love
Jason Derulo – In My Head

BEST HIP HOP VIDEO
B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams – Airplanes
Eminem – Not Afraid
Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem – Forever
Jay-Z & Swizz Beats – On To The Next One
Kid Cudi featuring MGMT & Ratatat – Pursuit Of Happiness

BEST NEW ARTIST
Ke$ha – Tik Tok
Jason Derulo – In My Head
Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris – Baby - for his impact, absolutely.
Nicki Minaj featuring Sean Garrett – Massive Attack
Broken Bells – The Ghost Inside

BEST POP VIDEO
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance - no competition, once again!
Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dog – California Gurls
Ke$ha – Tik Tok
Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga – Video Phone (Extended Remix)
B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars – Nothing on You

BEST DANCE MUSIC VIDEO
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull – I Like It
Cascada – Evacuate The Dancefloor
David Guetta featuring Akon – Sexy Chick
Usher featuring Will.I.Am – OMG

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over
30 Seconds To Mars – Kings and Queens
Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé – Telephone
Eminem – Not Afraid
B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams – Airplanes

BEST ART DIRECTION
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
Florence + The Machine – Dogs Days Are Over
Eminem – Not Afraid
30 Seconds To Mars – Kings and Queens
Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga – Video Phone (Extended Remix)

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance - FIRST CHOICE
Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé – Telephone - SECOND CHOICE
Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga – Video Phone (Extended Remix)
Usher featuring Will.I.Am – OMG
Janelle Monáe featuring Big Boi – Tightrope

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Eminem – Not Afraid
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind - because I love New York.
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance - I stan for this video hard!
Mumford and Sons – Little Lion Man
Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over

BEST DIRECTION
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind Director: Hype Williams
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance Director: Francis Lawrence
Eminem – Not Afraid Director: Rich Lee
P!nk – Funhouse Director: Dave Meyers
30 Seconds To Mars – Kings and Queens Director: Bartholomew Cubbins

BEST EDITING
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance Editor: Jarrett Fijal
Eminem – Not Afraid Editor: Ken Mowe
Rihanna – Rude Boy Editor: Clark Eddy
P!nk – Funhouse Editor: Chris Davis
Miike Snow – Animal Editor: Frank Macias

BEST SFX (SPECIAL EFFECTS)
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance Special Effects: Tim Jarvis
Eminem – Not Afraid Special Effects: Animaholics-VFX
Muse – Uprising Special Effects: Sam Stevens
Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown Special Effects: Laundry
Dan Black – SymphoniesSpecial Effects: Corinne Bance & Axel D’Harcourt

.............. well that was boring. Kind of predictable, but then NOT. Where's Rihanna?! Justin Beiber?? Black Eyed Peas??? They all had big singles, but are poorly represented here. hmmm.

it's my birthday tricks!!

2010-07-22T02:12:00.000-07:00

the big 2-0!! it's weird to say i'm not a teenager anymore :/ here's to a blessed, healthy and happy day & life! :)

wish I was celebrating with the German NT!~

omg I died of cute

2010-07-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

lol: USC to return Bush’s Heisman

2010-07-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

By Charles Robinson and Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports

The University of Southern California will return the Heisman Trophy won by former star tailback Reggie Bush in 2005, incoming university president C.L. Max Nikias announced Tuesday.

Nikias delivered the news in a memorandum, adding that he has instructed the athletic department to remove murals of Bush and former basketball star O.J. Mayo from university grounds. Improper benefits taken by Bush and Mayo during their time at USC prompted wide-ranging NCAA sanctions leveled against the school last month.

Nikias also announced that athletic director Mike Garrett would be replaced by former Trojans star quarterback Pat Haden and that the school would take other steps to ensure compliance with NCAA rules.

Said Nikias in his memo: “The Trojan family honors and respects the USC sporting careers of those persons whose actions did not compromise their athletic program or the opportunities of future USC student-athletes. Accordingly, I have instructed the senior vice president for administration to remove athletic jerseys and murals displayed in recognition of O.J. Mayo and Reggie Bush by mid-August – before the incoming class of students moves on campus – from Heritage Hall, the Galen Center , and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The university will also return Mr. Bush’s 2005 Heisman Trophy to the Heisman Trophy Trust in August.”

Go new USC president!! I don't particulary like Reggie Bush and his dumbass (along with stupid asses in the USC Athletic Dept.) caused all this ish to happen so they (or at least Reggie) needed to be punished. Sad that Reggie and O.J.'s memories at USC will be removed though :(

The Best and Worst of the 2010 FIFA World Cup!!!!

2010-07-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

It’s been an electrifying, emotional, funny and infuriating past four weeks since the start of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Every facet of my life has been affected by this global phenomenon. I have been financially, emotionally and mentally spent and it’s been worth it. My own blog has suffered in its lack of posts! Websites like ontd_football and kickette have been giving me life for the past 4 weeks (as they usually do)—due to the lack of football fanatics in my social and familial circles. As an ode to what has breezed by, here are memorable moments, memes, the best and worst, etc. of the World Cup!

THINGS I'LL MISS:

- Vuvuzelas! The bane of existence for fans and players alike, but I loved them! Sure, nothing beats the sound of chanting fans, but for a country to represent the way they celebrate at a tournament as major as the World Cup is amazing!

- The fans! They best part of any competition besides the action on the pitch. Their energy, enthusiasm, costumes, etc. kept the tournament alive and kicking in its darkest and brightest times!

- Paul the Octopus! The least likely celebrity of this WC is the psychic octopus that predicted the winner of 8 (like the number of its tentacles!) games correctly! My faith in this sea creature skyrocketed after it correctly predicted Spain would win over Germany, the octopus' home. Long live el pulpo!!

THINGS I WON'T MISS

-
THE REFS. This WC was marred by horrendous calls. Despicable. Disgraceful. Potential game-changers. I teared up, screamed, etc. at the calls made, or those NOT made, during this WC. Which in particular you ask?! USA's TWO disallowed goals. Wooo, I raged so hard for the first one especially. So did the rest of the world. The CLEARLY offside goal made by Carlos Tevez during the Argentina v Mexico game. Poooor Frank Lampard's disallowed goal during the England v. Germany game. Goal-line technology PLEEZ, Sepp Blatter!!!

- BS RED CARDS. Another ref-centered dislike about some WC games--the red card decisions. Three in particular stand out to me because of their sheer ridiculousness and unfairness: Kaka in the game against the Ivory Coast (you would have thought the ref had something personal against poor Kaka), that red card to the Chilean player for what he "did" to Fernando Torres, and Australia's Tim Cahill's super harsh red card for his tackle against Bastian Schweinsteiger (the latter who believed Tim did not deserve the red card... maybe you shouldn't have dived the way you did bb!).

On to the award portion...

BIGGEST TEAM FAIL

Is this even a question?? France, by a mile. Insults, throwing of badges, strikes, cancelling practices, losing to South Africa, name-calling, etc. France is brimming with talent, but what they had more of was disgusting egos and apparently, high school mentalities. What a shame to go out in the fashion they did. Clearly the hottest mess of the entire tournament.

MOST *FACEPLAM* WORTHY MOMENT

I feel like this happened ages ago, that's how early it happened in the WC. Poor Robert Green had the entire world ridiculing him for his yikes moment at the WC. It was great and lol-worthy for the US, but not so great for England. At least we got a lot of laughs from it and an epic David Beckham meme from it?!

MOST HYPED UP GAME

Clearly the award goes to the USA-England game. I was literally shaking and sweating before this game even started knowing I had major loves on either sides. The media had a field day with the epic match-up as well, with the lulzy headlines coming from both American and English newspapers.

MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM/PLAYER

Team - Italy. although this could many teams, I was disappointed by Italy's performance. They were the reigning champs for Pete's sake! I know they had to take a lot of flack for being "old", but hell, not even making it out of the group and losing to Slovakia?! They need some serious rejuvenating asap. It was hard to watch such prominent players crash...

Player - Wayne Rooney. Wayne bb, we were rooting for you, we were all rooting for you!! Again, I had a lot of choices for this one, but Wayne stood out most for me. Like, what did he do. Messi at least set up lots of goals. Drogba had a chance or two and was injured. Ronaldo at least made one goal. Torres... let's not talk about him. He was injured! I know Rooney led his club team almost single-handedly and was tired but what happened?! His quote summed up his, and England's, poor performance this WC.

“Nice to see your own fans booing you. That’s what loyal support is.”

BEST COMEBACK GAME

USA - SLOVENIA!!!!! Jesus Christ that game had me on the edge of my seat like no other. 2-0 at half time, to draw 2-2 at the end!! The goals had me screaming, the now disallowed goal had me near-crying, the satisfaction of coming back to still be alive in the tournament was immense. I love my USMNT boys.

BEST GOAL CELEBRATION(S)

First place goes to South Africa in the WC opener. Truly amazing and exciting!

Second place goes to Ghana for their "ayyyeee!"-worthy celebration! Wish I was with those boys getting down like that.

BEST GOALS

There were so many mint goals, including perfect free kicks and flawless headers but I have FOUR in mind:

- Maicon's goal in the Brazil v. North Korea game. He finally broke through their defense and scored a very pretty goal on top of that.

- Landon Donovan's winning goal against Algeria. Without the goal, the USA would have gone home... It was in the last minutes of ADDED TIME and was completely euphoric!!

- Giovanni van Bronckhorst's killer strike from nearly the middle of the pitch during the Netherlands v. Uruguay game! It was amazing.

- Iniesta's goal in the Netherlands v. Spain final!!! Not the prettiest, but the steam I let off after the goal (the shaking and bawling) is so memorable.

WORST MISSED GOAL

MOST STRESSFUL GAME(S)

First place goes to USA v. Algeria. If USA lost, they would have gone home but after that immense goal, we finished first in our group! We had a disallowed goal and many chances, it was so frustrating and stressful to watch. I was literally on the edge of my seat watching.

Second place goes to Germany v. Spain. Shouldn't have been as stressed as I should being that I adore both teams, but I rooted for Spain way harder :) I couldn't sit down for a portion of the game, that's how jumpy I was. I just stood and watched.

The very close to second-place third place goes to the WC final itself. I could not physically watch some moments. My head was in my knees watching the duel between Holland and Spain, scared to see if my bbs would score just one goal to be crowned champs. And when they did, I let loose they only way I know how-- lots of screaming and bawling!!!! I'll never forget it!

Fourth place goes to all of Spain's other games. Esp. the Paraguay game with back-to-back penalty kicks, with Xabi Alonso's goal being disallowed and repeated. wooooooooo.

MOST RAGE-WORTHY GAME

Ghana v. Uruguay. Watching this in my hotel lobby during my vacay to San Jose was so entertaining but crushing at the same time. The length was unbearable and I came into the game semi-neutral, but leaning towards Ghana for African purposes. By extra time, I was team Ghana all the way. Then, the handball. Can I call it that if it was done on purpose/in that fashion?!? It was so against the philosophy of football. FOOT.BALL. Then the missed penalty. The Uruguayan goalie kissing the crossbar. Luis Suarez cheering while he was doing the "walk of shame." The loss on penalties. I never felt boiling and blatant anger for a match like that and I still get pissy thinking about it and Luis Suarez's quote:

"The Hand of God now belongs to me. Mine is the real Hand of God. I made the best save of the tournament."

Alright trick. It was the "hand of the devil" as Ghana's coach Milovan Rajevac said. Damn, but the good person in me felt bad for him during the Uruguay v. Germany game when the entire stadium booed at him. Yikes.

MOST ENTERTAINING TEAM TO WATCH

Germany, hands down. I love Spain, but they frustrated me more than excited me. Germany was top-class this WC and it's a shame they weren't in the finals. From the consistency of Klose, to the magic that is Muller, to the hard-working Schweinsteiger, Germany amazed me time and time again. Sure there were blunders along the way, but I was excited to watch all of their games and expected nothing but greatness from them. This generation of German players deserve trophies, so I hope they get the Euro 2012 title, if not WC champs in 2014!

MOST ENTERTAINING GAME TO WATCH

Mainly because of the slaughtering of the Argentines, a WC front-runner, I would have to say Germany v. Argentina. Argentina were exposed to say the least. Their defense was near non-existent and Germany took advantage of that. They beat them in such great fashion, with goals coming from different players and pretty set-ups by Bastian Schweinsteiger. It was just fun to watch as a German supporter!

THE DIDIER DROGBA "IT'S A F***ING DISGRACE!" AWARD FOR THE GREATEST "WHY WASN'T THAT A RED CARD." MOMENT

De Jong kung-powing Xabi Alonso!! 'nuff said.

BEST GOALKEEPER

My love Iker Casillas, tricks. He had critics during this last season at Real Madrid and was ridiculed for his performance in Spain's WC opening game. BUT he quickly changed minds and blocked goals left and right as the competition continued. I found myself shouting "THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!" when he made saves, esp. that penalty kick save during the Paraguay game and all those saves during the final. BEAST!! Honorable mentions go to Portugal's goalie and bamf Tim Howard of the USA.

AAAAND THAT'S IT!!! Phew, that was long. Here's to a beautiful World Cup! Thank you South Africa for repping Africa hard and wonderfully and for hosting a successful, memorable WC!! Here's hoping I go to Brazil and watch this LIVE!!!

yeeeeeee!!

2010-07-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

I normally don't get excited over ish like this, but this is Kanye West!! His *hopefully official* tracklist for Good Ass Job has been leaked!!

Tracklisting

1. Hell Of a Life (feat. Lil’ Wayne) [Kanye West x DJ Toomp]
2. Dark Fantasy [RZA]
3. Power [S1]
4. Chain Heavy (feat. Eminem x Jay-Z) [Kanye West]
5. Ghetto University (feat. T.I.) [Kanye West x DJ Toomp]
6. That’s My Girl (feat. Katy Perry x Kid Cudi) [Kanye West x Jon Brion]
7. Runaway [Kanye West x Q-Tip]
8. Lost In The World (feat. Nicki Minaj x Rick Ross) [Kanye West x No I.D.]
9. Gorgeous (Ode To Kardashians) (feat. Drake x Game x Ludacris) [Kanye West]
10. Monster [Kanye West x DJ Premier]
11. Holding Me Back (feat. Mos Def x Talib Kweli x Phonte) [Kanye West x Madlib]
12. Devil In a New Dress [Pete Rock]
13. The Joy (feat. Common x John Legend) [Kanye West]
14. So Appalled (feat. Drake x Jamie Foxx) [Kanye West x No I.D.]
15. Blame Game [DJ Toomp]
16. Sweat On My Face [DJ Premier]
source
------

thoughts:

1. Why Katy Perry?!
2. DJ TOOMP!!!!!! I love his beats.
3. "Ode to Kardashians"? oh lawd... no thanks. I'm excited to hear it nonetheless!
4. Why is Drake on 2 songs? hahaha
5. I could already see myself rocking out to this!!

I.Want.

2010-07-14T03:01:00.000-07:00

Katy Perry's adorable dress was worn during the USA v England game on June 12, last month! Although that is NOT an English flag (style over substance?!), it's the Union Jack and I love it regardless!

African football: a carbon copy of continent’s own economy?

2010-07-14T02:36:00.000-07:00

from Jimmy Kainja's Blog -- source

"African footballers’ huge presence in the riches of European leagues is not accidental, they have the talent and they are very capable. The Economist recently had an audacity to suggest that footballers in Ivory Coast might yet overtake Cocoa as the country’s main domestic export product. Indeed, of the 23 Ivory Coast players at the tournament, only one plays in Ivory Coast. But why is it so hard for African teams to do well?

Like with economy, the answer to this question it depends on who you are listening to. In my view, football management on the continent has a lot to with it. Incompetent football associations coupled with distasteful mentality of the people in charge who wrongly believe that only foreign coaches are always the best has left the game in dire straits. Of the six African countries represented at the current tournament, only Algeria had an Algerian coach, Rabah Saadane. Ivory Coast had a Swede, Sven-Goran Eriksson. Another, Sweede, Lars Lagerback was in charge of Nigeria; Cameroon went for a Frenchman, Paul Le Guen and the hosts, South Africa settled for a Brazilian and former World Cup winning coach with Brazil in 1994, Carlos Alberto Parreira. Ghana opted for Milovan Rajevac, a Serbian national.

The logic behind the choices of these coaches is curious as is interesting. Ericksson, just as the rest of the group, is no doubt an experienced coach with a good record, especially in club football. Yet he was hired to manage Ivory Coast barely four months before the tournament. This means that he did not qualify the team to the tournament therefore he had little time to familiarise himself with it. Ericksson had earlier in qualifying rounds been sacked as a Mexico coach for the country’s bad performances that left Mexico in danger of failing to qualify to the tournament. Yet Ivory Coast found a saviour in him and eagerly discarded the manager who had qualified the team.

Nigeria sacked a Nigerian coach, Shaibu Amodu who qualified the team to the tournament and hired Lars Lagerback. Lagerback had failed to qualify his own country, Sweden to the same tournament. Unlike the two Swedes, Cameroon’s choice of Paul Le Guen made a bit of sense in that he could at least converse with the players as Cameroon is a French speaking country but he had never coached any African team before and he had unrealistically short time to organise a team, which again, a different coach qualified to the tournament.

South Africa’s choice of Carlos Alberto Perreira is understandable in that they gave him enough time to prepare for the tournament and being a former World Cup winning coach meant that his credentials were unquestionable. The same rings the truth for Ghana’s Milovan Rajevac who was given enough time to prepare the team - he managed to take Ghana to African Cup of Nations finals in January where they lost to Egypt in the finals. He was the only foreign coach among the African teams to have qualified the team himself. Interestingly, it is Ghana and South Africa of the six teams that have looked organised, failing to win games convincingly notwithstanding. Ghana have managed to qualify to the last 16 of the tournament without scoring a goal from an open play. They have scored on two goals on penalties.

Malawi national football team coach, Kina Phiri, a Malawian, recently told the BBC World Service that African must build trust in their own coaches and give them chance to prove themselves:

“It’s not fair for us African coaches not to be given a chance to run our own national teams because in the first place most of us are well trained, I trained in Britain; so to me I think it’s just because of our own mentality as Africans that we do not believe in our own people.”

Interestingly, the previous 18 World Cups tournaments have never been won by a foreign coach. In Africa, Egypt recently completed a hat trick of African Cup of Nations’ wins with an Egyptian coach, Hassan Shehata.

It is the same case with all the teams that are doing well at the tournament. They all have coaches from their own countries and they clearly know how to use the talent they have. On the other hand, African countries cannot use the vast pool of its former footballers and qualified coaches to coach their own countries. It is the same case that Africa does not use its resources for their own benefit yet always happy to receive handouts in the name of aid from the developed world.

African football will not improve with foreign coaches that have failed in their countries."

There is so much amazing in this article, I don't know where to begin. Although I knew about the lack of African coaches coaching the African sides, I did not know the history behind each coach and the extremely interesting tidbits/facts all throughout the article. Kina Phiri's quote is so accurate--many Africans just don't have faith in their capabilities. I loved the article until I got to this bit: "It is the same case that Africa does not use its resources for their own benefit yet always happy to receive handouts in the name of aid from the developed world." I thought that was a little unnecessary/irrelevant but truth hurts I guess!

underrated but oh so talented!

2010-07-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

The music industry is a brutal battlefield, where standing out is what gets you to stay afloat. There are some artists who are below-average singers, but paired with audio techs and amazing production, unfairly sell millions of records. There are other artists who solely succumb to the sadness that is "sex sells" and force their body and image onto the eyes of consumers. Then there are those artists who possess true musical ability and vocal capability, yet fail to garner the attention and success as those who are below-average and use the "sex sells" tactic. The below artists, to me, are the epitome of the latter statement. They belong to the teen category, but all sing like they've been doing what they do for decades. It saddens me that someone like Miley Cyrus can make her millions and be around the same age category as these girls, but not sound as good as they do. Sure they appeal to different audiences, but who can say that they've touched and appealed to more people? Miley Cyrus. ..... So please, check out these amazing singers!

JoJo

Although JoJo has had moderate success, even making the Forbes Top Twenty Earners Under 25 List in 2007, she has been underrated & overlooked for too long now. I really hope with her new album dropping in mid-2009 people really notice her amazing vocal ability... because this girl can SING! Favorite Tracks: "Anything", "Too Little, Too Late", "Let It Rain", "How To Touch A Girl"

Karina Pasian

Karina Pasian is one astounding singer. She is a pianist, polylingual, was fought over by Jay-Z, Diddy & Jimmy Iovine, & was nominated for a Grammy... and she hasn't hit 18 yet. So why haven't you heard of this Dominican-Armenian from New York City yet? Beats me, but I hope she has a bright future ahead of her because her vocals rival those 10 years her senior and then some. Favorite Tracks: "Winner", "16 @ War", "Can't Find the Words", verses on the remixes of "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" & "With You"

Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato is popular for her role in the Disney Channel movie "Camp Rock" & her lead role in the sitcom "Sonny With A Chance", but this Disney "teen queen" should be revered and best known for her killer pipes. Demi can sing her butt off but is often overlooked because of more popular Disney stars like Miley Cyrus & Selena Gomez. Her rock-tinged vocals have even gotten her compliments from another great artist, Paramore singer Hayley Williams. Favorite Tracks: "Get Back", "Trainwreck", "La La Land", "Two Worlds Collide"

My Style Icon.

2010-07-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Gwen Stefani.

If I were asked whose celebrity closet I would want to completely raid, I would say Gwen Stefani in a heartbeat. Her mix of quirky, street chic and tomboy-glam is effortless and a perfect blend of comfort and style. I have two Harajuku jackets & a L.A.M.B. purse, all three of which take me a step closer in emulating her unique style. Here are some of my favorite looks by my style icon.

my fangirl heart is rejoicing!

2010-07-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

I've always wished for a shoot with both Yuri Pleskun + Micky Ayoub! They're a otp for me, hahaha Here, paying a cheeky nod to high fashion’s recent fascination with street culture, Micky Ayoub and Yuri Pleskun are sagging partners in crime for the New York Times.

credit to the fashionisto

Vaseline launches skin-whitening Facebook India app.

2010-07-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI — Skincare group Vaseline has introduced a skin-lightening application for Facebook in India, enabling users to make their skin whiter in their profile pictures.

The download is designed to promote Vaseline's range of skin-lightening creams for men, a huge and fast-growing market driven by fashion and a cultural preference for fairer skin.

The widget promises to "transform your face on Facebook with Vaseline Men" in a campaign fronted by Bollywood actor Shahid Kapur, who is depicted with his face divided into dark and fair halves.

"We started campaign advertising (for the application) from the second week of June and the response has been pretty phenomenal," Pankaj Parihar from global advertising firm Omnicom, which designed the campaign, told AFP.

In 2005, Indian cosmetics giant Emani launched the first skin-whitening cream for men, called "Fair and Handsome", 27 years after the first cream for women.

Since then a half dozen foreign brands have piled into the market for men, including Garnier, L'Oreal and Nivea, which promote the seemingly magical lightening qualities of their products in ubiquitous advertising.

In 2009, a poll of nearly 12,000 people by online dating site Shaadi.com, revealed that skin tone was considered the most important criteria when choosing a partner in three northern Indian states.

source

I'm not sure I'm in the position to comment, being that I'm not Indian. This whole "changing your skin color" thing is ridiculous to me. Both ways- wanting to be darker and wanting to be lighter. Maybe it's because I have "chocolate" skin and don't know what it is like to want to be tanner. I guess I semi-accept people wanting a tan, only because that can happen naturally through staying in the sun. But I'm hating all this "fair skin" propaganda happening in countries like India and China. It deeply saddens me and I honestly think that a lot of it has to do with Western influence. I like fair skin people as much as I do darker skinned people but I will say I LOVE MY INDIANS WITH BROWN SKIN :)

currently obsessed!

2010-07-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

playing these songs to no end! enjoy the songs that have been giving me life lately!

U MAD?!

2010-07-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

So, you may have heard that Lebron James made THE DECISION to leave Cleveland and play in Miami. If you haven't heard yet, it was a decision that infuriated many including Dan Gilbert, the Cavs owner. In a response to the tragedy, the grown man wrote an open letter for fans and regular folk alike to read and ~~feel his pain~~ laugh at his foolery!

Dear Cleveland, all of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers supporters wherever you may be tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several-day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight: "I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA Championship before the self-titled former 'king' wins one."

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our homegrown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland. Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day...

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue...

Dan Gilbert

Majority Owner

Cleveland Cavaliers

#damn!
source

oh hi.

2010-07-07T01:04:00.000-07:00

I've been disgustingly MIA from my blog... blame it on the World Cup. But, I will now interrupt my daily non-posting to bring to you the disturbing news of Cristiano Ronaldo becoming a father. What in the actual hell does this mean?! I know CRon is absolutely wonderful with children and I have no doubts that he will be a great father. But is he ready (personally, heeellll no he isn't ready)?? Me thinks he needs to let go of his whoreish habits (he now has a real gf, so that's a good start) and stay focused on what's important. Sure, this doesn't work for everyone (see John Terry, most of the EPL actually, etc) but as high-profiled as Cristiano is, he needs to prove haters wrong by showing he can be a great dad. Now, I would have preferred that the child had his mother present in his life but times have changed, I guess. :/

Here's the facebook status he made (he also tweeted it and his managment confirmed it):

The best part of this hot mess is the brilliance of tumblr users who created hilarious macros for this situation... starring one of my fave OTP/bromances: Krika/Cristikaka/etc.

LOL I love the internet :) basically, I hope to have regular posting after Sunday. Back to freaking the eff out over this match in 10 hours!!!!!!!!!!!:

allow me to reintroduce myself.

2010-06-25T23:54:00.000-07:00

I'VE BEEN GONE FOR A MINUTE!!!

here's a fun meme :)

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.

SOMEONE SAYS ‘ARE YOU OKAY’ YOU SAY?
"Bump Bump Bump" - B2K

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
"We Made You" - Eminem

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"Oh! Darling" - The Beatles

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
"Raise Up" - Petey Pablo (wtf)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
"Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" - Mika (hahaha yay!)

WHAT’S YOUR MOTTO?
"Bring It All Back" - S Club 7 (I APPROVE.)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"Got Me Going" - DAY26 (lol)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"Don't Want Apartheid" - Israel Vibration (ha)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"I Want You" - Thalia feat. Fat Joe

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
"He Ain't Gotta Know" - Bow Wow and Omarion

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"Jogi" - Panjabi MC

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"Anything" - JoJo

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"Take A Chance On Me" - A*Teens

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Dreams" - Milkman

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Diamonds From Sierra Leone" - Kanye West

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Send It On" - Jonas Brothers, Demi, Miley & Selena Gomez (lol)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"I Got That (Boom Boom)" - Britney Spears feat. Ying Yang Twins (pretty much!!)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
"Black Man" - Stevie Wonder (LOOOL!)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"All That I Wanted Was You" - Erik Hassle (awww)

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
"Ease Off the Liquor" - Timbaland

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"Easy To Please" - Drake feat. Richie Sosa (lol)

A year ago today...

2010-06-25T23:40:00.001-07:00

Michael Jackson. August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009.

I’ve read many tributes and open letters to Michael Jackson, but this is by far the best I have read. It expresses everything I’ve ever wanted to say about Michael Jackson. Bless Phonte of the rap group Little Brother for writing this stirring essay.

My Hero Ain’t Molest Them B*tch Ass Kids: Phonte’s teary-eyed tribute to The King.

I haven’t been compelled to blog in a long time.

In an era where everybody is twittering and text-messaging their lives away, a well-thought out essay that extends past 140 characters is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

But when our universe lost its brightest star on June 25, 2009, I felt a deep, overwhelming sadness that I haven’t experienced in many years and I felt moved to say….something.

My hero, Michael Joseph Jackson, is dead.

Honestly I’m still trying to process it, almost like the loss of a much-loved family member. I mean, hell, to many of us Michael WAS family. Much like Nike, or Coca-Cola, or McDonalds, Michael Jackson wasn’t so much a person as he was a living, breathing, American institution; a ubiquitous force that has seemingly existed forever and one that we couldn’t imagine a world without. Seeing Michael onstage was less like watching a musician perform and more akin to witnessing a magician at work.

But contrary to his otherworldly stage presence and magical aura, the man we called The King of Pop proved to be a mere mortal. And now my hero, Michael Joseph Jackson, is dead.

What isn’t dead, unfortunately, is the cloud of false accusations, unsubstantiated rumors, myths, slander, and outright lies that surround his life and his legacy. The greatest myth regarding Michael Jackson is that he was a pedophile who preyed on young children.

It is my belief now, just as it was 16 years ago, that the charges brought against Michael during his 1993 sexual abuse case were false. The allegations made by Jordan Chandler (the accuser) and his father Evan Chandler always seemed suspect to me for a few reasons:

1. Ask the average parent whether they’d want justice or money for their abused child and more than likely they’d say justice, if for no other reason than to protect their child (and other children) from a future attack. The fact that Evan Chandler was willing to essentially let Michael off the hook for a few million (reportedly 2-3), made their case seem like a well-orchestrated extortion attempt. In regards to the case, Evan was later caught on tape saying, “If I go through with this, I win big time. There’s no way I lose. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever…Michael’s career will be over.” Notice that homeboy ain’t mention jack shit about his son. So much for being a concerned father…

2. Generally when victims of abuse come out with allegations against someone, other victims come forward to corroborate their story (i.e. the Catholic Church scandal, where a few parties came forward and it later led to thousands).

Very rarely do child molesters stop at just one kid, or even two for that matter. An alleged pedophile with only two accusers is kinda like an alleged serial killer with only one body. Or an alleged sneaker addict with only two pairs of Jordans in his closet. It just doesn’t make any logical sense, nor does it coincide with the recurring psychological characteristics of most people who fall into those categories.

In the case of Michael Jackson vs. the Chandler family, not a single corroborating witness could be found to help prosecute the case and after raids were conducted on several of Jackson’s homes, no hard evidence of sexual abuse was gathered.

Michael later settled the Chandler case out of court, not as an admission of guilt, but at the behest of his lawyers and financial advisors who warned him that a criminal trial could cost him millions of dollars in legal fees, as well as the loss of hundreds of millions in touring and endorsement revenue. With the Chandler case finally over, Michael continued to tour and released his greatest hits package “HIStory” in 1995. Ten years later though, he would face another trial that, in my opinion, would be the one to literally and figuratively, kill him.

Martin Bashir’s heinous, Machiavellian documentary “Living With Michael Jackson” aired in 2003. It was in this documentary that Mike (albeit foolishly) talked about his fondness for sharing his bed with children, and was seen holding hands with a young boy. Shortly afterwards the young boy from the documentary, 13 year-old Gavin Arvizo (a cancer survivor who had all his medical bills paid for by Michael), accused him of sexual abuse.

When Mike’s case against Arvizo hit airwaves in 2005, I must admit that I had my doubts. Much like the Chris Rock joke, I too shook my head in disbelief and said “ANOTHER kid!?! Mike, what the fuck?!! How could you be THAT stupid?!?!” As the case unraveled though, the financial motivations of the accuser’s family became much more apparent.

Similar to the Chandler case from ‘93, the prosecution couldn’t produce any credible witnesses to corroborate Arvizo’s testimony against Michael. Many of the prosecution’s witnesses were either former employees of Michael who had financial disputes with him, or had criminal convictions themselves. Arvizo’s testimony contradicted previous statements he’d made to officials saying that nothing ever took place between him and Michael, and Arvizo’s mother Janet Arvizo, an eccentric woman with a prior conviction for welfare fraud, single-handedly killed the case with her flippant remarks on the witness stand and overall bizarre courtroom behavior.

Actor Macaulay Culkin came forward in Michael’s defense and testified that no inappropriate behavior ever took place during their many times together, as did many other associates who had spent time at Neverland. Ultimately, Michael emerged from the Arvizo case with a Not Guilty verdict on all counts, but it proved to be a pyrrhic victory. The damage was already done. In the court of popular opinion, The King of Pop was an unrepentant child molestor.

When defending Michael Jackson against his detractors, I am often asked if I would let one of my sons sleep over at his house. The answer is no. Shit, I wouldn’t let my sons sleep over at YOUR house. But that doesn’t make you a pedophile, it just makes me a concerned and protective dad who doesn’t leave his kids around people I personally don’t know well enough to trust.

When it came to children, the only thing Michael was guilty of in my opinion, was naivete. While cuddling in the bed with children isn’t technically illegal, it does violate several social norms; norms that a man who dresses funny, lives at an amusement park and refers to himself as “Peter Pan” would certainly pay a higher price for breaking. When I hear the tales of Michael laying in bed with those children, watching movies, tickling, and engaging in general horseplay, it sounds less like the work of a pedophile and more like the actions of a man trying to experience a childhood he never had.

During his investigation for the Arvizo trial, Michael was examined by Dr. Stan Katz, a clinical psychologist who concluded that Michael didn’t fit the profile of a pedophile but instead that of a regressed 10 year old, an analysis which I agree with wholeheartedly. I mean after all, only a person with the simple, unsuspecting mind of a child could truly believe they could sleep in the same bed as their pre-pubescent buddies and not pay a price for it.

Still, the most saddening myth surrounding Michael’s life is that he was ashamed to be Black. During the mid 80’s, in the midst of his ever-changing skin complexion and facial features, popular opinion in the Black community was that Mike was a sellout. This was an opinion that would unfortunately haunt him for the rest of his life, but a closer look reveals quite the opposite.

As echoed by my man Scorpeze of the house music duo Windimoto in his excellent blog, Michael Jackson never tried to disown or separate himself from his Blackness at any point in his career. In fact, he was probably the most openly pro-Black pop entertainer of his time. Michael Jackson ashamed to be Black? I mean, this was the same guy who:

-portrayed Black people as kings and queens in ancient Egypt (“Remember the Time” video)
-called Tommy Mottola (his then label boss) a devil and a racist
-sang “white man’s gotta make a change” live on the Grammies in ’88
-sang about a beautiful African woman in “Liberian Girl”
-featured an African chant at the end of “Wanna Be Startin Somethin”
-donated over $25 million to the United Negro College Fund
-sang “I ain’t scared of no sheets” in “Black or White” and upped the ante by morphing into a BLACK PANTHER at the video’s end
-wrote a song called “They Don’t Really Care About Us,” with a Spike Lee-directed video that featured prisoners raising the Black power fist
-uhhh “We Are The World” and USA for Africa, anyone?

What about this man wasn’t Black enough? Was it his battle with vitiligo and how it caused skin discoloration? Was it his excessive facial surgeries, due I’m sure in no small part to the teasing and ridicule he faced about his looks as a teenager?

Why did we turn our collective backs on a man who always reminded us that he never forgot who he was, or more importantly, whose he was?

This essay is my plea to all people who consider themselves a fan of Michael Jackson, but especially to Black people: Don’t let them talk about our Brother. Don’t let his naysayers convict him of crimes that were never proven. Don’t let people reduce the memory of one of our greatest heroes to that of a weird guy who wore a shiny glove and molested little boys.

When Elvis Presley died, did the media remember him as an overweight, drug-abusing racist who dated a 14 year-old, or was he eulogized as The King of Rock and Roll?

When Woody Allen dies, do you think the media will focus on the controversy behind him marrying his own stepdaughter, or on the films “Annie Hall” and “Manhattan” and how great they were? (Ditto for Jerry Lee Lewis, the rock and roll pioneer who married his 13-year old cousin.)

When people accuse Michael of being a pedophile or a child molester, ask them to provide hard evidence. Ask them to provide an opinion rooted in fact, rather than one based on gossip, hearsay, and conjecture. Chances are, they won’t be able to. The Black community has done a great disservice in not reciprocating the love that Michael Jackson showed us when he was alive. The least we can do in honoring his death is ensure that his legacy is remembered properly for future generations.

Was Michael Jackson a weirdo? Of course he was a weirdo.

But maybe if you had been in the public eye since you were 7, had grown ass women throwing themselves at you since you were 13, suffered physical abuse at the hands of your father, watched your father and older brothers engage in sex with groupies on tour as a child, were called “Big Nose” and “ugly” by both family members AND fans, developed a skin disease that took away the one thing you repeatedly expressed your pride for, and spent the last half of your life as the most famous person on Earth, you’d probably be a bit of a weirdo too.

I am not attempting to paint Michael Jackson as a saint, as no man ever lives up to such a lofty title. But to me, the phrase “no good deed goes unpunished” seems to sum up Michael Jackson’s life more than ever.

Why would people try to tear down a man who constantly used his power, money, and influence to help others?

Why would people express such disgust and contempt for a man who constantly sang of love and peace, and used his talent to entertain, uplift, and inspire millions?

Tell em that its human nature, I suppose…

Rest in Peace, Brother Michael. I love and miss you dearly.

Phonte

source

rewind: "Let Me Clear My Throat" - Dj Kool. Biz Markie. Doug E. Fresh.

2010-06-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

90's hip hop. enough said.

Katy Perry has choice words via twitter...

2010-06-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

I agree with her. If it's about Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" video, I especially agree with her. BUT, I also dislike hypocrisy. From Christian-music singer to "I Kissed A Girl" as her first single?! Alright trick, sit down.

& here's a scary ass Lady Gaga "Alejandro" gif just for fun!

2010-06-09T00:38:00.000-07:00

"I struggle with my feelings about the Church in particular....in terms of religion, I'm very religious. I was raised Catholic. I believe in Jesus. I believe in God. I'm very spiritual. I pray very much. But at the same time, there is no one religion that doesn't hate or speak against or be prejudiced against another racial group or religious group, or sexual group. For that, I think religion is also bogus. So I suppose you could say I'm a quite religious woman that is very confused about religion. And I dream and envision a future where we have a more peaceful religion or a more peaceful world, a more peaceful state of mind for the younger generation. And that's what I dream for." - Lady Gaga on Larry King

inneresting...

2010-06-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

5 Bands/Musicians I’ve been Listening to A lot Lately:
1. Daniel Merriweather
2. Sleigh Bells
3. The Script
4. Janelle Monáe
5. Girls Aloud

5 Things I’m Currently Addicted To:
6. getting a twitter
7. WORLD CUP on FRIDAY
8. summer insanity
9. blogging
10. ONTD.

10 Crushes (OF THE MOMENT and in no order):
11. Marco Borriello
12. Iker Casillas
13. Yuri Pleskun
14. Bastian Schweinsteiger
15. Nani
16. Cesc Fabregas
17. Marvin Humes
18. Taeyang
19. Tom Kaulitz
20. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Songs I Can’t Stop Listening to at the Moment:
21. "Mala Conducta" - Alexis y Fido
22. "La Vida Es Asi" - Ivy Queen
23. "El Tigeraso" - Maluca
24. "XXXO" - M.I.A.
25. "Cold War" - Janelle Monáe

Best TV Shows:
26. American Idol
27. Making the Band, Season 4
28. Skins
29. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
30. Full House/All That/I Love Lucy/S Club in Miami/etc, etc

Your Dream Future: 1 Job/1 City/1 Car/1 Partner/1 Pet:
31. Broadcast Journalist
32. New York City
33. Range Rover!
34. Cesc Fabregas
35. A Maltipoo :)

5 Things that Always Cheer Me Up:
36. footballers
37. good music
38. funny stuff
39. good food
40. good impersonations

5 Artists I’ve Seen Live in Concert:
41. Beyonce
42. Chris Brown
43. Tokio Hotel
44. Bow Wow
45. Ne-Yo/Lil' Wayne/Soulja Boy/Sean Kingston/Nina Sky/much more

5 Favorite Sports Teams:
46. Arsenal FC
47. Real Madrid
48. Los Angeles Lakers
49. Spanish National Team
50. USA National Team

Put Your iPod on Shuffle-What are the First 5 Songs that come up?
51. "Last Name" - Carrie Underwood
52. "I'm Scared" - Duffy
53. "Keep Your Head Up" - Girls Can't Catch
54. "Grace Kelly" - Mika
55. "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" - Craig David

anybody else feel this way?

2010-06-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

a white t-shirt.
black basketball shorts.
white socks.
and those adidas slippers.

my favorite outfit on a dude. simple, yet effective :)

[lol] The Human Super-ego.

2010-06-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

super-ego: noun, plural -gos. the part of the personality representing the conscience, formed in early life by internalization of the standards of parents and other models of behavior.

The human’s super-ego is comical, stubborn and justifiable. I have learned so much in a short time and have taken progressive, real steps toward losing that super-ego. Towards realizing no one really cares, how much I’m really worth and that there are many bumps along the road… but you have assistance all throughout and the fact that a finish line is waiting for you. No matter how long it takes.

this is a post from my old blog 21st century life. Thank God for me not being in this point of my life anymore!

artist spotlight: Sleigh Bells.

2010-06-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

Who: A boy and girl duo based in Brooklyn, NY.
What: Noise pop/electro/hip-hop/grimy/dance/punk/heavy guitar... An amalgamation of loud musical yummy-ness, really. She sings, he does the beats.
When: They released their debut album last month on the 11th, partly under M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T Records. Prior to that, they were underground (they still are?) and released bomb songs on their MySpace.

Meet Sleigh Bells, the energetic and rowdy duo from NYC! Their music is best when played loud as hell. I first heard of them when lurking on M.I.A. sites after I was sick of no new music from her... I learned she created a small record label of her own and decided to check out her artists, knowing that they'd probably sound like her. Not surprisingly, Sleigh Bells does often get comparisons to their mentor M.I.A., but I really don't think they sound like one another. Sleigh Bells is heavily influenced by this "post-hardcore" punk thing, as evidenced by the producer, Derek Miller. He was previously a guitarist for Poison the Well, a post-hardcore band. After finding singer/fifth grade teacher Alexis Krauss at a restaurant, the two collaborated and became Sleigh Bells. A favorite at indie festivals like Coachella and South by Southwest, Sleigh Bells is slowly garnering attention and making a name for themselves with their genre-bending music. Check out some of my fave songs off their album, Treats:

2010-06-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

"The atmosphere in Hollywood in general is very anti-conservative, very anti-Christian. The liberal segment of Hollywood, which is 80 percent of it if not more, they look at Christians as hypocrites that are false and fake. The tough part is that in many cases I can’t argue with them. My job on my set, I believe, is to first just love people and gain that trust with people where they know that I really do love them and care about their well-being, so that when they are running into problems, they will hopefully, at some point, come to me and ask me, “What is your peace all about? What is your comfort all about? Where do you get your love? Where do you get your talents? And I can turn to them and say without blinking, "Jesus Christ.” You can’t just come out there and say "Hey, I’m a Christian, and I’m gonna beat you into thinking the way that I do." You can’t do that. It’s not about manipulation so much as it’s about getting in on someone’s life on the ground floor. So more than anything, that’s what I’m trying to do now. Just build relationships with everyone that I work with." - Zachary Levi (who I totally thought was Jewish), star of NBC's Chuck talks to RELEVANT Magazine

I love it when celebrities talk openly about religion, especially when it's Christianity... and the celebrity is adorkable:

World Bank cancels Haiti's debt.

2010-06-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

Wow! Congratulations to Haiti... this is an immense blessing and help for the destitute country.

source

(AFP) – May 28, 2010

WASHINGTON — The World Bank said Friday it had cancelled Haiti's remaining debt to help the impoverished country recover from a devastating earthquake four months ago.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, will not have to repay 36 million dollars owed to the International Development Association (IDA), the bank's fund for the poorest countries, the Washington-based institution said in a statement.

"Haiti now has no further amounts payable to the World Bank," it said.

The IDA debt cancellation was made possible by contributions from 13 member nations: Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Shortly after the massive earthquake in January flattened the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, the 186-nation World Bank announced it had suspended repayment of the IDA debt and would seek to cancel it.

"Relieving Haiti's remaining debt is part of our effort to pursue every avenue to help Haiti's reconstruction efforts," Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank, said in the statement.

"We will continue to work in close cooperation with the Haitian government and our international partners to support the country's recovery and longer-term development."

The World Bank noted it has made available 479 million dollars in grants to support Haiti's post-quake recovery and development through June 2011 and is also the trustee of the multi-donor Haiti Reconstruction Fund.

I.WANT.I.WANT.I.WANT!! World Cup Edition!

2010-06-07T01:43:00.000-07:00

To bad this isn't on sale and it's for the Dutch team, but THIS IS SO AMAZING!! Wish this was available and for other countries as well (ahemSPAINahem). Whatevs, I'd take Robin van Persie's! This is just too cool! source

I've been dying to get these shirts and they finally will be on sale at MANGO stores starting June 10th! They are seen on football players in the "Waka Waka" music video out now! :) Proceeds go to the Barefoot Foundation, founded by Shakira, to expand early childhood education initiatives in South Africa! source

This shirt I'm actually 100% buying! ONTD_football created it of course (yay ladies!) and proceeds go to Plan, an international organization that promotes child rights to end child poverty (it's an org that Iker Casillas actively supports!). A shirt with my love Iker & a way to donate to a great cause?! Double win. source

Meet Nikki & Rich!

2010-06-07T01:31:00.000-07:00

I am immensely excited for their album to drop (hopefully this year!), after playing their singles "Cat & Mouse" and "Next Best Thing" over and over and over again. This video below is the perfect intro to this crazy talented pop-soul-r&b duo! The music industry needs their talent!! If you can, youtube their performance on the Ellen show--it's one of the best live performances I've ever seen!

gorgeous m.i.a.'s just being gorgeous

2010-06-07T01:19:00.000-07:00

source

youtube-central.

2010-06-07T01:07:00.000-07:00

You know I looooove the UK, right? Well, I love entertainers from there too. I kind of went on a UK-youtube-user binge and out came these results I wanted to share with you!

One my fave youtube singers starting in 2008 until now, Mike Hough, unsuccesfully tried out for Britain's X Factor, but remains today amazing his fanbase and youtube users. Here's his beautiful rendition of Daniel Merriweather's glorious song "Red"

Jessie J, another artist I have loved for a while, with her classic song "Big White Room"

Leon Jackson, WINNER OF X Factor regularly blogs videos of himself singing. He is often called the "British Michael Buble" (sry, but no comparison!) and his sound here is so refreshing. He and his friend KILL "Broken Strings"

To celebrate World Environment Day (this past Saturday)...

2010-06-07T00:57:00.000-07:00

...here are breathtaking pictures of our planet!

For captions of these images, click here.

I love this commercial!

2010-06-07T00:53:00.000-07:00

Spice Girls looking amazing in this cute Christmas advert a couple years ago! Please come back girls!!

THAT'S RIGHT TRICKS!!

2010-06-07T00:45:00.000-07:00

"Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is under contract with the Club until the summer of 2015. He is a highly-valued member of the team and part of our future plans.

We have followed recent speculation linking Cesc with a move away from the Club but as there has never been any official approach for him, only two informal exchanges, in which we made it abundantly clear that we have no interest in transferring Cesc, we have refrained from publicly passing comment. However, yesterday evening we received an offer from Barcelona for Cesc and in response, we immediately and resolutely told them once again that we have no intention of selling our captain.

To be clear, we will not make any kind of counterproposal or enter into any discussion. Barcelona have publicly stated that they will respect our position and we expect that they will keep their word. "

- Arsenal’s official statement after Barca’s meager offer of 29 million.

He's ours (at least until 2015 hopefully!)!!! This came out a couple days ago, but I had to celebrate this good news as my 400th post! Yay!

2010-06-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

I was crying like a baby when this showed during the American Idol finale a couple weeks ago! So many memories, lovely contestants... I feel like the show is ending!! :(

Did 2004 Olympics spark Greek financial crisis?

2010-06-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

can't believe I didn't think of the '04 Olympics as one of the factors behind this mess... this is an interesting read...

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- When it comes to overspending, Greece gets the gold medal.

Governments in the Greek capital of Athens haven't balanced a budget in nearly 40 years, and the country narrowly averted bankruptcy in May before panicky European partners grudgingly put up massive rescue loans.

While many factors are behind the crippling debt crisis, the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens has drawn particular attention.

If not the sole reason for this nation's financial mess, some point to the games as at least an illustration of what's gone wrong in Greece.

Their argument starts with more than a dozen Olympic venues -- now vacant, fenced off and patrolled by private security guards. Stella Alfieri, an outspoken anti-Games campaigner, says they marked the start of Greece's irresponsible spending binge.

"I feel vindicated, but it's tragic for the country ... They exploited feelings of pride in the Greek people, and people profited from that," said Alfieri, a former member of parliament from a small left-wing party. "Money was totally squandered in a thoughtless way."

The 2004 Athens Olympics cost nearly $11 billion by current exchange rates, double the initial budget. And that figure that does not include major infrastructure projects rushed to completion at inflated costs. In the months before the games, construction crews worked around the clock, using floodlights to keep the work going at night.

In addition, the tab for security alone was more than $1.2 billion.

Six years later, more than half of Athens' Olympic sites are barely used or empty. The long list of mothballed facilities includes a baseball diamond, a massive man-made canoe and kayak course, and arenas built for unglamorous sports such as table tennis, field hockey and judo.

source

Don Porter, president of the International Softball Federation, said his organization made an offer several years ago to maintain the Olympic softball venue and use it to host events but never received a reply.

"The softball venue is still standing, except it is overgrown with weeds, unmaintained and unused," Porter said in an e-mail. "Of course it is not only the Olympics that caused Greece's current problems but it probably added to it."

Deals to convert several venues into recreation sites -- such as turning the canoe-kayak venue into a water park -- have been stalled by legal challenges from residents' groups and Byzantine planning regulations.

Criticism of the Olympic spending has sharpened in recent weeks, after parliament launched an investigation into allegations that German industrial giant Siemens AG paid bribes to secure contracts before the 2004 Games.

A former Greek transport minister has been charged with money laundering after he told the inquiry that he had received more than $123,000 from Siemens in 1998 as a campaign donation.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said linking the debt crisis to the games is "unfair." He argues that Athens is still reaping the benefits from its pre-games overhaul of the city's transport systems and infrastructure.

"These are things that really leave a very good legacy for the city ... There have been expenses, of course. You don't build an airport for free," Rogge told The Associated Press in Lausanne, Switzerland. "Had Athens still been outmoded, the economy would have been much worse probably than it is today."

Greek Olympic officials insist the scale of the country's dire financial problems -- and its staggering national debt of $382 billion -- are is simply too big to be blamed on the 2004 Games budget.

Some financial experts agree.

"Put in proper perspective, it is hard to argue that the Olympic Games were an important factor behind the Greek financial crisis. It is, however, likely that they contributed modestly to the problem," Andrew Zimbalist, a U.S. economist who studies the financial impact of major sporting events, said in an email.

"The empty or underused facilities are a problem and the maintenance and operating costs continue to impose a burden. That said, Athens also benefited from infrastructure development and the Greek public debt is $400 billion."

Before the games, Greece's densely populated capital got a new metro system, a new airport, and a tram and light railway network, along with a bypass highway, while ancient sites in Athens' city center were linked up with a cobblestone walkway.

It's those advantages that organizers of the 2012 London Games are quick to point out, as Britain now also faces high public debt levels.

"I think the underlying issues in the Greek economy were far greater than a snapshot of the Olympic Games," Sebastian Coe, chairman of London's organizing committee, told the AP.

London's main Olympic budget now stands at $13.3 billion. Last week, Britain's new coalition government announced $38 million in Olympic budget cuts as part of efforts to slash the nation's budget deficit.

Over the last decade, Greece's budget deficit remained well above the limit set by the European Union of 3 percent of gross domestic product, but rose abruptly last year to reach an estimated 13.6 percent -- the highest level since Greece was previously in recession in 1993.

Greece will get up to about $135 billion in bailout loans through 2012 from the International Monetary Fund and European governments worried the Greek crisis could damage the euro.

Prime Minister George Papandreou blames the debt crisis on decades of poor management, putting off unpopular reforms, and vast clientele networks set up by political parties, promising government jobs, social security perks and loss-making regional projects to win votes.

Nassos Alevras, the lead government official for Olympic projects, insists that, overall, the games carried a net gain including a tourism boost.

"The issue of venue use is a sad story ... Plans for post-Olympic use were later ignored," Alevras told the AP.

But he added: "The money spent on the Olympics is equivalent to one quarter of last year's budget deficit. So how can the amount spent over seven years of preparation for the Olympic Games end up being considered responsible for the crisis? That's irrational."

AP Sports Writers Graham Dunbar in Lausanne, Switzerland; Stephen Wilson in London and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed to this report.

2010-06-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

A 100-foot deep, 66-foot wide circular chasm in downtown Guatemala City.

2010-06-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

United States Men's National Soccer Team at the White House!

"I want to join the team to get the shoes" said Mr. Clinton. After Mr. Obama spoke, Mr. Clinton made a point of showing him the shoes.

"Those are nice looking shoes" said the current president. "This is best dressed soccer team I've ever seen," he added.

I love this country!

why am I just finding out about this now?!

2010-05-31T03:05:00.001-07:00

LOL... Artie from Glee is Kevin from boyband NLT! hahahaha what *spot him...it's obvious :)*

For those who don't know who the hell NLT is, don't fret, they weren't that famous. They're a now defunct boyband who had this one bomb ass song:

go him for moving on to bigger and better things!! #thatisall

so basically i feel very noob because i know nothing about kpop (although this may make me want to know about it) but...

2010-05-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

...I love hood guys. No matter the race, ethnic background, WHATEVER. I think guys who dress hood are adorable. I think it's even better when they dress hood and are not African-American/of African descent/whatever (because it is stereotyped that most people of African descent dress hood, whatever)! As the title expresses, I feel hella n00b because I know this guy has been around for a while in the Korean music scene and has a large following and yes, I barely found out about him. Better late than never?! Yes. And as a female, I feel it is one of my responsibilities to educate the masses on fine/hot/adorable men (ie: model roundups, footballers, etc.). So here is a beautiful Korean man and I'm excited about where my exploration of Kpop will take me, lol.... Meet (or reintroduce yourself to) Taeyang, of R&B/hip-hop boyband Big Bang.

oh yeah, and he has 'body'.

gifs, if you need more convincing.

he can sing also!! *swoon*

Also, he's 22, can dance, and according to Wikipedia, has never had a girlfriend and is very shy. x) Awww!!

2010-05-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

Ethiopians play football outside a polling station just prior to the close of voting Sunday May 23, 2010 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Meaning of Wealth Translated Around the World.

2010-05-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

source:

a very interesting read... it's fascinating to read of these different reasons and what influences them...

We like to think the reasons for seeking wealth are universal. Humans, by nature, like to be comfortable, like to have power and like to have the choices and freedoms offered by lots of stuff and money.

Yet it turns out there are some regional variations in the meaning of wealth around the world.

The new Barclay’s Wealth Insights study, released this morning from Barclay’s Wealth and Ledbury Research, finds that the emerging-market rich view wealth very differently from the older-money Europeans and the slightly less nouveaux Americans.

The study surveyed 2,000 people from 20 countries with investible assets of $1.5 million or more. They shared some common themes: a vast majority of rich people from all regions agreed that wealth enables them to buy the best products and that wealth gives them freedom of choice in their life. Most also agreed that wealth is a reward for hard work.

But the differences are more interesting:

Respect
Asians and Latin Americans were more likely (49% and 47%) to say that wealth "allows me to get respect from friends and family." Only 28% of Europeans and 38% of Americans said respect was a byproduct of wealth.

Charity
About three-quarters of respondents in the U.S. and Latin America said wealth enabled them to give to charity. That compares with 57% in Europe and 66% in Asia.

Happiness
About two thirds of Europeans and Americans said wealth made them happy. But it had a greater happiness affect in emerging markets, with 76% of Asians and Latin Americans saying wealth made them happy.

Role Models
Less than half of Americans and Europeans say the wealthy "set an important example to others to be successful." That compares with 71% of Latin Americans and 61% of Asians.

Spending
Wealthy Europeans are far more likely to spend their dough on travel and interior decorating. Latin Americans seem to put the highest spending priority on education, while the U.S. surges above the rest in philanthropy (which the report counts as spending).

We can read several things into the differences. Most obviously, the U.S. has a more formalized and tax-favorable system of philanthropy than the rest of the world. (It is too sweeping to say Americans are the most "generous.")

What is more, the global financial crisis may have tarnished the image of the wealthy -- even among the wealthy. And finally, the longer a country has wealth, the less it craves the attention and respect wealth brings.

lol - Cesc and Arsene discuss why Cesc is leaving...

2010-05-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

so many laughs... their awkward/hilarious dancing/movements, the quotes, them being in Beijing, just everything...

NYC community board OKs ground zero mosque plans.

2010-05-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

inneresting...

NEW YORK – After hours of contentious public comment, a New York City community board voted late Tuesday to support a plan to build a mosque and cultural center near ground zero.

"It's a seed of peace," board member Rob Townley said. "We believe that this is significant step in the Muslim community to counteract the hate and fanaticism in the minority of the community."

The meeting was unruly, with project opponents jeering at speakers and yelling comments such as "You're building over a Christian cemetery!" while holding signs that read, "Show respect for 3000," among other things.

Many said they were not opposed to a mosque — just not one that's two blocks from ground zero.

The families of Sept. 11 victims "would be wounded by erecting a mega mosque so close to the place where their loved ones were massacred," said Viviana Hernandez, a chaplain. "Even though they may have altruistic reasons, the real terrorists will see it as a win on their side."

The organizations sponsoring the project said they are trying to establish a vibrant and inclusive-world class facility.

Plans for the Cordoba House include a performing arts center, swimming pool, culinary school, child care facilities and worship space.

It would provide 150 full-time jobs, 500 part-time jobs and an investment in more than $100 million in infrastructure in the city's financial district, according to Daisy Khan, spokeswoman for the Cordoba House.

Khan's husband, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, executive director of the Cordoba Initiative, one of the project's sponsors, said he understood the pain that people have about 9/11. But he said his community and congregation were among those that died in the attacks.

"We have condemned the terror of 9/11," he said. "We have worked to ensure that our mosques are not recruiting grounds for terrorists."

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said in a statement that by supporting the multi-faith community and cultural center, the board "sent a clear message that our city is one that promotes diversity and tolerance."

"I don't think anybody wants to do anything to disrespect those families. They made the ultimate sacrifice," he said. "At the same time, we have to balance diversity and look for opportunities to bring different groups together."

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said there were no security concerns about building a mosque in the area.

The American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Initiative have said that they bought the building in 2009 and planned to break ground later this year. It could take up to three years to build the Cordoba House. A Friday prayer service has been held at the building since September 2009.

Besides the political and social opposition to the project, city officials say the plan also could be hindered by a decades-old proposal to give landmark status to a building that would be replaced by the mosque and center.

City officials say the current building, constructed between 1857 and 1858 in the Italian Renaissance palazzo style, is historically and architecturally significant.

Bruce Wallace, who lost a nephew on 9/11, said the center can change the misperceptions about Islam.

"The moderate Muslim voice has been squashed in America," he said. "Here is a chance to allow moderate Muslims to teach people that not all Muslims are terrorists."

source

Here's my 2cents: This is a really touchy topic. I am supportive of religious diversity and I'm even more supportive of religious tolerance, for that's one way the world goes round. I can understand both aspects of this argument. It's almost like a stab in the back for those who lost loved ones at the WTC. Building a mosque, the worship center that represents the place where their loved ones' murderers fervently attended and studied at, is a bit heavy to swallow. But then again, who said all of the people who died at the WTC were CHRISTIANS?!? I love my religion and everything, but I'm also tolerant of other beliefs. To say "You're building over a Christian cemetery!" is quite ignorant. What if an "atheist center" were to be erected right next to Ground Zero? Would an atheist center (where there is no mention of God, simply because atheists don't believe He exists) or a mosque (a place where people worship the same GOD as Christians do... and has zero terrorist linkings) be better for those who believe that Ground Zero is a Christian cemetery? Also, there are churches and Jewish temples in the same area, I'm sure, so why not build a mosque there? I also whole-heartedly agree with what Bruce Wallace said in this article: that moderate Muslims will now have a voice and can show millions of ignorant people that not all of Islam is evil. This mosque would serve as a brilliant way to showcase Islam in a positive light. The amount of hate normal Muslims have encountered since 2001 is crazy. This mosque can give the voice they need to show that Islam has no color and that the religion is actually a greatly intellectual and peaceful one (if interpreted correctly... with no personal pursuits in mind... as with all religions--Christianity included!). So yeah, cool beans.

2010-05-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

Six-year-old Rahel Williams holds up a United States flag during a ceremony where she and 24 other children became U.S. citizens at the Sully Historic Site May 21, 2010 in Chantilly, Virginia. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Washington Field Office held the ceremony for children hailing from 14 countries, including Bangladesh, Iran, China, Turkey and Uganda. Rahel was born in Ethiopia and now lives with her adoptive parents in Virginia. The children said this oath, 'I promise to love this country/I promise to defend her against her enemies/I am proud to be an American/So help me God.'

God bless them. May they grow up to be amazing hyphenated Americans. :)

2010-05-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

"Kanye leaned over and said, 'Play track three.' They all went nuts, Kid Cudi was dancing on the table, and then we cut it off at about a minute-and-a-half. We went to another record, and that got everybody excited, and Kanye said, 'Play number seven.' That's how it kept happening. By the end of the process, we played four records," the DJ added.

According to Jones, there was no microphone announcement made by West — he just asked for the records to be played and "kind of took over the spot." Jones wasn't able to identify the titles of the tracks he spun but described them as "real hip-hop," sans Auto-Tune, singing, or even West's trademark soul samples."

source

NEED. NEW. KANYE. MUSIC. NOW!!!!!! I am so freakin excited, it's bananas. I'm mad the DJ said "no soul samples", though. How can he neglect his College Dropout sample-filled roots?! Maybe it was just those 4 songs. I'm looking forward for "real hip-hop" and anything Kanye, as he makes almost everything sound amazing.

I. Want.

2010-05-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

I adore this two-toned animal print Dolce & Gabbana number. So adorable!

O_O

2010-05-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

50 CENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG.

50 Cent is starring in a new movie titled “Things Fall Apart” which required him to lose almost 60 pounds. In the movie, he plays a football player who has been diagnosed with cancer. It took nine weeks for 50 Cent to lose the weight resulting from a strict liquid diet and three hour a day treadmill run. He now weighs 160 pounds.

I hope this movie doesn't go straight to DVD...........................

o rly?

2010-05-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

Miss Kelly Rowland and Letoya Luckett reunite at the red carpet last night for E! 20th Anniversary Party celebrating 2 Decades of Pop Culture. I'm happy to see an ex-Destiny's Child-er posing with Kelly. Love the love!

London's horrendous mascots for Olympics 2012!

2010-05-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

OH MY GOSH. They can't be serious?!! Here is the explanation for Wenlock and Mandeville, the names of these creatures:

Wenlock is named after Much Wenlock, a village in Shropshire which held an event in the 19th century which inspired the modern Games. Mandeville is named after the hospital at which the Paralympic Games were founded. Though both sound like Tolkein characters, the names are quite good and are the only thing that makes the mascots distinctly British.

ewww and a video of their origin:

Regardless of this ugliness, I AM GOING TO LONDON IN 2012. Mark my words. lol

lol - Lil' Romeo's underwhelming USC career comes to an end.

2010-05-26T17:15:00.001-07:00

In a decision sure to disappoint opposing hecklers far more than USC basketball fans, Percy Miller is packing up his trademark aviator shades and oversized jewelry and leaving the Trojans program.

Miller, best known as rapper Lil' Romeo, will not return for his junior season, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. The 5-foot-11 point guard logged a mere 19 minutes in two years at USC, appearing in just three games last season in part due to a sprained left shoulder.

That Miller was even recruited to USC at all is one of the more bizarre decisions of former coach Tim Floyd's scandal-tainted tenure at the school.

"It's very rare to give a scholarship to someone who may never play," All-Star Sports recruiting director Bob Gibbons told the Wall Street Journal at the time.

"He is a very unselfish point guard who plays exceptionally hard," Floyd said. "You can't have enough guys on your team who you think are reliable and dependable and have a tremendous upside. He is going to be playing on one of the better high schools in the area and it is always been important to us to have point guards coming in that know how to win."

That "tremendous upside," as Floyd so amusingly put it, not surprisingly didn't translate into tremendous production on the court.

source

rewind: "Hide and Seek" - Imogen Heap

2010-05-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

released in 2005. infamous for OC/Marissa-shoots-Trey scene. trash-ily sampled for Jason Derulo's "Whatchu Say". Remains one of my favorite songs EVER.

2010-05-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

"After a while, you start to go on automatic pilot. Too many times, I was sitting there [at the judges’ table] bored. The audience deserves more than that … and I can’t hide when I’m bored." - Simon Cowell, on the Oprah Show last Thursday

:(

2010-05-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

An Ethiopian woman waits to vote outside a polling station in the capital Addis Ababa. Ethiopia's opposition has accused Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's ruling coalition of rigging the country's election, though no major violence was reported in sub-Saharan Africa's second most populous country.

source

disgusted.

2010-05-26T16:47:00.000-07:00

Barely old enough to walk, a little boy is making headlines around the world for his shocking bad habit.

The Sun Newspaper says, 2-year-old Ardi Rizal, of Indonesia, throws tantrums if he can't puff 40 cigarettes a day.

According to the Sun, the toddler got hooked after his dad gave him a cigarette at 18months.

The boy's mother says, "He's totally addicted. If he doesn't get cigarettes, he gets angry and screams and batters his head against the wall. He tells me he feels dizzy and sick."

Ardi will smoke only one brand and his habit costs his parents nearly $5.00 a day in U.S. money.

Officials have offered to buy the family a car if he quits.

source

I have no words. His skill at blowing smoke just blows my mind. The government's Health Department in Indonesia desperately needs to do something drastic--implement "Truth"-like campaigns, add warning labels on cigarette packs, etc. SMH. The child's skin is not healthy, his insides are even worse, and he is obese for his age. This is sickening.

2010-05-26T02:37:00.000-07:00

R.I.P. JEMI: MARCH 2010 - MAY 2010

My fave Disney couple have called it quits. *le sigh* :

source
They're no longer a couple, but Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato say they'll remain close.

"Demi and I knew going into our romantic relationship that it may not be an easy one," Jonas, 20, tells PEOPLE. "I realize over the time we have shared together that I feel I care more about our friendship right now. It was my choice to break up but I love her as a friend. She's been there for me when I needed her. I will continue to be her friend and be there for her."

Lovato, 17, took to Twitter to shoot down what she labeled erroneous reports.

"There are so many crazy rumors flying around today," she writes. "I'd like to clear a few things up. First, Joe and I did split but it wasn't over the phone. Things didn't work out but we'll remain friends. Secondly, I am NOT dating anybody already. Nothing is more important to me than the relationship I have with my fans. Just thought you guys should know this."

The pair, who first met on the set of Camp Rock in 2007 and went public with their relationship in March, will still tour together, starting July 27 in Dallas.

2010-05-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

THIS IS THE BEST COMMERCIAL I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!!!!!! I DON'T EVEN HAVE WORDS TO EXPLAIN THE EPICNESS OF THIS FREAKIN MASTERPIECE. I CAN'T. NIKE HAS BLOWN ME AWAY WITH THIS CINEMATIC EXCELLENCE. SO MANY THINGS TO COMMENT ON: IVORY COAST WATCHERS, CANNAVARO'S SHOW THING, THE ENTIRE ROONEY BIT, THE US TEAM LOVING ENGLAND'S DOWNFALL, MY SPANISH BOYS HATING THE RETURN OF ENGLAND, ROONEY GETTING KNIGHTED, ROONEY PLAYING AGAINST FEDERER, RIBERY ON THE BILLBOARD, ROONEY LIVING IN A TRAILER, A RONALDO STADIUM, A RONALDO FILM FEATURING A REAL LIFE ACTOR, RONALDO+SIMPSONS (RONAL 'DOH!!), RONALDINHO'S FOOTWORK (HE WON'T EVEN BE AT THE WORLD CUP :(), THAT BEYOND EPIC YOUTUBE "LIKE" SEQUENCE AND PEOPLE IMITATING HIM ON YOUTUBE AND FACEBOOK, KOBE BRYANT IMITATING HIM........... JUST EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *DEAD* I LEGIT TEARED UP.

this one is hella amazing as well, since we're talking Nike:

can i just say....

2010-05-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

KAI ROONEY IS THE CUTEST FOOTBALLER BABY ON THIS PLANET!!!!!

thankfully he doesn't look like this, as many people thought he would:

BET Awards 2010!

2010-05-18T23:54:00.000-07:00

Best Female R&B Artist
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige
Melanie Fiona (a very close second place)
Alicia Keys
Rihanna

Best Male R&B Artist
Chris Brown
Raheem DeVaughn
Maxwell
Trey Songz (only because he really went mainstream)
Usher

Best Female Hip-Hop Artist
Ester Dean (really.)
Lil’ Kim (what has she released lately?!? wtf)
Nicki Minaj (hasn't had a debut album yet! ha)
Rasheeda (.....why?)
Trina (diamond princess deserves some love!)

Best Male Hip-Hop Artist
B.o.B
Drake
Fabolous
Jay-Z (this past year was his!)
Ludacris

Best New Artist
Justin Bieber
Melanie Fiona
Nicki Minaj
Wale
Young Money

Best Group
Black Eyed Peas
Clipse (love them)
Diddy-Dirty Money (mad potential)
New Boyz
Young Money (fun music)

Best Collaboration
Beyoncé f/ Lady Gaga – “Video Phone”
B.o.B f/ Bruno Mars – “Nothin’ on You”
Drake & Trey Songz – “Successful”
Drake f/ Lil Wayne, Kanye West & Eminem – “Forever”
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
Trey Songz f/ Fabolous – “Say Aah”

Video of the Year
Beyoncé f/ Lady Gaga – “Video Phone”
B.o.B f/ Bruno Mars – “Nothin’ on You”
Melanie Fiona – “It Kills Me”
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – “Run This Town”

Viewer’s Choice
Beyoncé – “Sweet Dreams”
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
Monica – “Everything to Me”
Rihanna f/ Young Jeezy – “Hard”
Trey Songz f/ Fabolous – “Say Aah”
Young Money (Lil Wayne, Gudda Gudda, Nicki Minaj, Jae Millz, Drake, Tyga) f/ Lloyd – “Bedrock”

Best International Act (THIS IS AWESOME!! 1ST TIME THEY DID THIS! Where's N-dubz?!)
Kojo Antwi (Ghana)
Chipmunk (UK)
Dizzee Rascal (UK)
Estelle (UK)
Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP) (South Africa)
K’NAAN (Somalia)
M.I. (Nigeria)
P-Square (Nigeria)
Corinne Bailey Rae (UK)
Sade (UK)

Centric Award
Melanie Fiona
Maxwell
Chrisette Michele
Monica
Sade

2010-05-18T01:22:00.000-07:00

"There's no feud with Nadine... we've just grown apart. With Cheryl and Nicola, it’s the same [type of relationship as with my oldest friends]. I don’t know why we’ve bonded like we have but I’d count them among my best friends."

- Kimberly Walsh of Girls Aloud on Nadine Coyle, Cheryl and Nicola

booooooooooo!!!! :( I really don't like this (the first sentence), as I adore ~~all members~~most members of Girls Aloud and I want them to be bffs/together forever!! We need more of this!:

Del. man charged with faking his way into Harvard

2010-05-18T01:16:00.001-07:00

WOBURN, Mass. - A Delaware man has been charged with faking his way into Harvard and duping the Ivy League school out of $45,000 in financial aid, grants and scholarships.

Adam Wheeler, 23, of Milton, Del., was admitted to Harvard and became a student in 2007 after he falsely claimed he had earned a perfect academic record at Phillips Academy in Andover and had studied for a year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, prosecutors said Monday.

Ultimately, authorities said, Wheeler's attempts to be an overachiever were his undoing: Harvard started to look into Wheeler's background after he sought the school's endorsement for Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships. A professor reviewing his application noticed similarities between Wheeler's writing and that of a colleague, prosecutors said.

Wheeler was indicted on 20 offenses, including larceny, identity fraud and pretending to hold a degree. He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Middlesex Superior Court.

Wheeler, who was studying English, was trying to transfer to Yale and Brown when he got caught in the "web of lies and deceit," Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone said.

"This defendant's actions cheated those who competed honestly and fairly for admissions and for the scholarships that this defendant fraudulently obtained," Leone said.

A number listed to Adam Wheeler in Milton, Del., had been disconnected. Leone's office did not know whether he had a lawyer.

In January, authorities say, Wheeler submitted transfer applications to Yale and Brown. In his applications, Wheeler said he was employed by McLean Hospital, a psychiatric facility affiliated with Harvard, even though he was not, Leone said. His transfer application included faked recommendations from an employee at the hospital and from his former Harvard dean, Leone said.

Harvard released a statement saying it could not discuss individual cases because of federal privacy laws and referred all questions to the Middlesex District Attorney's office.

Before attending Harvard, Wheeler was a student at Bowdoin College in Maine from 2005-07, but was suspended for academic dishonesty, authorities said.

LOL! I don't even know what to say... How was the possibly pulled off??!? What in the world... what a dumbass. Faking your way into Harvard?! WOW

another one bites the dust...

2010-05-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

"NOOOOOO!!!!!!" is what I whimpered out when I read of this f**kery...

Germany captain Michael Ballack ruled out of World Cup

Germany captain Michael Ballack has been ruled out of this summer's World Cup because of the right ankle injury he suffered in Saturday's FA Cup final.

The 33-year-old Chelsea midfielder has made 98 appearances for his country and played in the last two World Cups.

A scan showed damage to two ligaments but it is expected to be eight weeks before he can resume training and Germany's first match is on 13 June.

"It's bitter to get a diagnosis like that before the World Cup," he said.

Ballack was injured after a challenge by Portsmouth's Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Ironically, Boateng could be part of the Ghana squad that will face Germany in Group D at the finals in South Africa.

Ballack, who joined Chelsea in 2006 after four years with Bayern Munich, sustained a tear of one ankle ligament and a partial tear of another.

"There's naturally a lot of disappointment," he said. "But that's football. That happens. Life goes on."

Germany coach Joachim Loew said: "We were all naturally shocked this morning when we got the news. I talked to Michael. He's deeply disappointed. He put all his energy and power into playing in this World Cup.

"That's an immense disappointment for him to not be able to play in this World Cup."

Loew hopes the setback might galvanise his squad as the World Cup unfolds and added: "I called the team together and spoke with the team and passed along the information.

"It's very, very unfortunate for us. But it shows we have to pull all our strength together and look forward. We've got a lot of young players.

"We've now got to get to that point that our younger players get this self-confidence and can grew into the roles."

etc., etc., etc.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This news has made me so sad. I'm not even sure which is worse, this or Beckham's injury! Ballack is such a major force for the Germany NT and is basically an icon. He's always so motivational and happy (I'm acting like he died, lol), but seriously this is horrendous news for not only Germany supporters, but football fans. He's one of the two people who made me interested in football when I first started watching in 2006 and then in 2008 (the other being Cristiano Ronaldo). I thought Germany had a good chance of possibly winning this year (ehh, they do have some hurdles besides this one, now that I think of it...) but I'm not too sure now... this could go two ways--they become discouraged now that their captain and veteran teammate can't play, or they get inspired to win the World Cup for Michael (who probs can't play in another international tournament *waaaaah*). Hopefully it's the latter!

2010-05-10T02:04:00.000-07:00

"Well, I didn’t really want to be executive producer of Usher’s projects after Confession. Me as a producer, it’s kind of hard for me to go back into people’s projects when I gave you your biggest album ever…you sold more records than any other artist in this decade based on that album and now I have to ask you am I the executive producer of your next album? That seems disrespectful to me."

"I’ve had this same conversation with L.A. Reid, because I’m doing Mariah Carey’s album right now. And on her last album, I didn’t have one song on there. But I did Emancipation of Mimi and she sold more records than she sold in the last five years. What part of the game makes y’all not call me? But I’m not going to keep sticking my neck out. But I don’t feel like I’m supposed to ask to produce anymore. People are supposed to come to me and tell me that I’m the executive producer."

- Jermaine Dupri, on being overlooked in the music biz... I have to agree with him!

allow me to reintroduce myself.

2010-05-10T01:15:00.000-07:00

10 THINGS YOU CURRENTLY WANT:

1. To go to Hollywood&Vine and see Nike's amazing World Cup mural

2. For the month of May to be over!
3. WORLD. CUP. NOW.
4. Jerseys.
5. less work to do.
6. more $$ in the bank
7. a new real life crush. did I just say that?
8. Ethiopian soccer tournament to come faster
9. shopping spree
10. mental clarity

9 MUSICIANS/BANDS YOU LOVE (IN NO ORDER):
1. Amy Winehouse
2. Beyonce
3. Michael Buble
4. Kanye West
5. N-dubz
6. *NSync
7. The Saturdays
8. M.I.A.
9. Tokio Hotel

8 THINGS YOU DO EVERYDAY:
1. Eat
2. Sleep
3. Waste time
4. Blogger
5. ONTD_Football
6. Listen to music
7. Pray
8. Dance

7 THINGS YOU ENJOY:
1. Eating
2. Sleeping
3. Obsessing over things/boys
4. Quality time with family/friends
5. Mocking other people
6. Laughing
7. Feeling a sense of accomplishment

6 THINGS THAT WILL ALWAYS WIN YOUR HEART:
1. Good human beings being everyday heroes
2. Man-on-man love (without the need for "no homo")
3. Babies
4. Things that unite the world (ie. Olympics, World Cup, etc.)
5. Good food
6. Happiness

5 FAVORITES: MOVIE, SONG, BOOK, FOOD, SEASON:
1. too.many.
2. gaahhh *heads to iTunes*... yeah, too many to choose from.
3. "The Count of Monte Cristo". All others may bow down.
4. too.many.

5. all for different reasons, but summer is the best :)

4 SMELLS OR SCENTS YOU ENJOY:
1. Rain
2. Cologne
3. Fresh air?
4. The scent of Las Vegas (excitement+cigs+money) lol

3 PLACES YOU WANT TO GO:
1. NOO YAWK.
2. London
3. at the moment, Spain. but Brazil/Puerto Rico/Italy/tropical island could easily be substituted.

2 FAVOURITE HOLIDAYS:
1. Christmas
2. My birthday

1 PERSON YOU’D MARRY ON THE SPOT:
1. Cesc Fabregas

.......

Yeah, probably. There are hotter people without a doubt, but he's a complete package :)

~I love Vanity Fair~

2010-05-04T00:04:00.000-07:00

In 38 days, it begins. The World Cup captivates more people around the globe than any other event, sporting or otherwise. Every four years, in pubs and corporate boardrooms, thatched huts and flophouses, fans of “the Beautiful Game” gather around televisions and transistor radios—and now, for the deep of pocket, iPhones and 3-D flat screens—to cheer for their heroes. They watch and listen by the billions, holding their breath at every corner kick, falling to their knees or leaping for joy at every goal scored. That this year’s tournament is in South Africa, where apartheid was the law of the land until 1994, only adds to the heightened sense of celebration—this is about a whole lot more than just soccer.

For the June issue of Vanity Fair, Annie Leibovitz set out to capture some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, and Brazil’s Kaká. Leibovitz’s portraits are, well, revealing. And underwear has never looked so patriotic. In America, these men might not enjoy the same name recognition as the stars of the N.F.L.—that game that we call football—but for most of the planet, they are more than just showstoppers. They are gods.

A. A. Gill, in his accompanying June-issue essay, captures just how important football (don’t you dare call it “soccer,” he warns) and the World Cup are to the 6.8 billion of us who live on Planet Earth. “Football took to the world pitch at about the same time as the modern independent nation-state,” Gill writes. “After a flag, a national anthem, and a press release decrying Yankee imperialism, the next thing newly minted nations do is build a stadium and come up with a national grudge match.”

You don’t have to be a footie fan to enjoy the tournament. (How many of you follow swimming when it’s not the Olympics and Michael Phelps?) To keep up with all the news and festivities, check in every day with our soccer football blog, Fair Play, which will be filing from South Africa . And as you’re watching and reading, remember the closing quote to Gill’s essay, from the great Scottish player and coach Bill Shankly: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”

can't. wait. for. this. magazine. and. for. the. world. cup.

Also, WHERE ARE SPAIN and ENGLAND AT?!? Even France... jeez. They could've traded Pato with someone from Spain, seriously. Two Brazilians?! Kaka, Drogba & CRon look amazing, btw.

source

Obese kids more apt to be bullied, study confirms.

2010-05-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

NO SHIZ.

Obese children in grades 3 through 6 are more apt to be bullied by their classmates than children who are trim, regardless of their gender, race, social skills, or academic achievement, a study published today in Pediatrics shows.

This finding is "so disturbing to me," Dr. Julie C. Lumeng from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, who led the study, told Reuters Health.

She also admitted being a bit surprised. "Unlike in the 1980s," she explained, "so many kids are obese now. In some schools, half the class may be overweight...so I really thought that maybe being obese really doesn't result in being bullied as much anymore. I was wrong."

The study involved 821 US boys and girls 8 to 11 years old. In third grade, 17 percent of the children were obese and 15 percent were overweight.

A quarter of the children reported being bullied, although their mothers said about 45 percent of them were bullied.

According to the investigators, the odds of being bullied were 63 percent higher for an obese child, compared to a healthy-weight peer.

The higher odds of being bullied among obese children were "equally strong" for boys and girls, white and nonwhite children, children from poor and more well-to-do families and across all types of schools in all 10 study cities, the investigators note.

Although it's obvious obese children would get bullied more, it shouldn't happen :( At a young age, only the parents can be blamed.

source
Read more...
"Parents of obese children rate bullying as their top health concern," Lumeng and her colleagues note in their report, and obese children who are bullied suffer more depression, anxiety and loneliness.

The issue has received more attention since the suicide of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince in January. Prince was reportedly bullied for months by students at her high school in South Hadley, Mass.

"There is no simple solution to the problem," Lumeng told Reuters Health. "I think it reflects the general prejudice against obese people," and children, even at a very young age, pick up on this.

On a societal level, "it is important to fashion messages aimed at reducing the premium placed on thinness and the negative stereotypes that are associated with being obese or overweight," the investigators write in Pediatrics.

Lumeng is also concerned about the "pervasive view" that obesity is all about a lack of self-control with food and not getting enough exercise. And while overeating and lack of exercise are part of it, "it's so much more complex than that," Lumeng said, "and we really need to work on changing this view of what causes obesity."

Dr. Matthew Davis, who was not involved in the study, agrees. In an email to Reuters Health, he said he would encourage adults to "model good behavior for children, by not making negative comments about other people's weight.

"Schools are increasingly addressing the problem of bullying, but programs don't always -- or even frequently -- include kids' weight as a focus for bullying prevention," noted Davis, who directs the CS Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. "With obesity affecting 1 in 5 to 1 in 6 kids in the US, parents can encourage schools to make sure that bullying related to obesity is targeted in intervention programs," he added.

Didier Drogba is INFLUENTIAL.

2010-05-03T21:08:00.001-07:00

If soccer is a religion in England, then the Slug and Lettuce pub in Putney is its Vatican. There, over warm beer and soggy fries, middle-aged men pontificate on everything from the inherent sinfulness of the offside trap to the fallibility of Wayne Rooney's left foot. But like church officials confronted with Galileo's telescope, football's high priests can't quite make sense of Didier Drogba. "He's a weapon, not a footballer," says one. "A specimen," says another. "The scariest footballer in the world."

Drogba, 32, a striker for England's Chelsea Football Club and the captain of the Côte d'Ivoire team, has shown the world what's possible when power and grace fuse on the soccer pitch. Imagine the body of an NBA star with feet as nimble as a prima ballerina's. When the World Cup kicks off in South Africa in June, he will carry the hopes of a continent as Africa's best-known soccer star. (West African fans will toast him with a beer glass called the Drogba. It's nearly twice the size of a normal mug.)

No one knows the rickety and high-spirited but often heartbreaking touring bus that is African soccer better than Drogba. At the 2006 World Cup, his homeland ravaged by civil war, he organized a statement from the Elephants, as the Ivorian national team is referred to, calling for peace. Many credit the ensuing calm for allowing reconciliation to begin. At a match last March, 22 Ivorians were killed in the crush to see their beloved heroes play. After the game, Drogba resolved to donate every dollar he earns from endorsements to a charity he set up to build new hospitals in the country.

Drogba is conflicted about his stardom; the same love of No. 11 that brought Ivorians together in 2006 also led to the fatal tumult last year. "I'd like the country to ultimately be able to deal with political problems itself," he says in his soft, French-accented English. "It's not really good to depend on the win or defeat of the national team. That means there is something wrong."

On the pitch, Drogba is known for the strength with which he holds off opposing defenders; it's that awesome ability that scares and baffles the high priests at the Slug and Lettuce. But why should it surprise them? This sensitive young man already carries so much of Africa's weight on his wide, sturdy shoulders.

*Drogba says "that's what's up"*

I'm so happy for him! He deserves it!

Belgian vote on Muslim veils could echo in Europe

2010-05-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor - Analysis
Reuters
Friday, April 30, 2010; 1:41 PM

PARIS (Reuters) - Belgium's vote to ban full face veils in public is the furthest any European country has gone to confront a tiny minority whose choice in clothing has come to symbolize the issue of integrating some Muslim minorities.

The issue is being debated elsewhere in Europe, especially in France, and the example of two countries moving toward a ban has raised the stakes in a dispute pitting politicians and public opinion against Muslim leaders and human rights groups.

The lower house of parliament in Brussels passed the draft law almost unanimously Thursday evening. It could become law in the coming months as the Senate is not expected to block it.

France, home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority, is next in line, planning to debate a draft law from mid-May and ban all face veils in public within months. Polls say about 70 percent of voters want some ban, but not all back a complete one.

Full facial veils -- known as niqabs or burqas -- are extremely rare in Europe, but the number of women wearing them is rising. No exact figures exist, but estimates put the totals at about 2,000 in France and a few hundred in Belgium.

Promoters of a ban denounce the veils as a threat to public security, an affront to women's dignity, a negation of gender equality or an intrusion of religion on public life. Concern over radical Islamism echoes through their arguments.

In France this week, both the communist deputy Andre Gerin and the far-right leader Marine Le Pen used the same term -- "the tip of the iceberg" -- to urge a full ban on the veils.

"Once we solve the burqa problem, we'll still have the problem of polygamy, of praying in the streets of big cities, of banning pork from cafeterias, in short all the sectarian demands the French are confronted with daily," Le Pen said.

This is a really sensitive topic. On one hand, I wholly understand where the Belgian govt. is coming from. It is true that some female suicide bombers wore burquas while doing so. Here, they are protecting their country from a possible attack--that is if there is a population of extremist Muslims in their country... which the Muslim women probs won't confess anyway. BUT, these women wear burqas for a reason. I don't understand it and certainly if I was a Muslim woman, I would never subject myself to hiding what Allah gave me (my face, etc.). However, the burqa is worn for many reasons--privacy, religiously-inspired modesty, a way to create space, etc. How can a government tell these women to tell them all of a sudden not to wear what they want? Anyone can hide a bomb under what they are wearing at anytime. Also, I don't appreciate these politicians expressing that wearing a burqa is a "negation of gender equality" or demeans women. Who are they to say that when these women possibly feel empowered and in-control when wearing a burqa?? It's a complicated issue, much like this recent Arizona immigration situation.

source
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ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE

Bans are under debate in several other European states. Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said this week a veil ban was "conceivable" there and his minister for women supported one in public buildings, banks, hospitals and offices.

Far-right leader Geert Wilders, whose political clout could grow in the Dutch general elections in June, advocates outlawing face veils there. Right-wing groups in Switzerland and Italy have also urged bans, but no action seems likely there soon.

The moves toward a full veil ban have evoked protests from Muslim leaders in Europe, many of whom do not consider veiling obligatory in Islam but resent laws that single out Muslims.

"We have to condemn both the notion of imposing and the notion of banning," said Isabelle Praille, vice president of the Executive of Belgian Muslims.

In Paris, M'Hammed Henniche, head of a civic group called UAM 93, told officials the planned ban there was spreading "panic" in the city's sensitive northern suburbs. "The community feels like this is a rape," he said.

"The Belgian move to ban full face veils, the first in Europe, sets a dangerous precedent," said John Dalhuisen of Amnesty International. "Restrictions on human rights must always be proportionate to a legitimate goal. A total ban on full face veils would not be."

DETAILS OF BANS

Under Belgium's draft law, wearing a full facial veil could lead to fines of 15-25 euros (about $20 to $33) and imprisonment for up to seven days.

According to the Paris daily Le Figaro, Paris plans to slap a 150 euro ($200) fine on women wearing full veils, with stiffer penalties for people who force others to veil themselves.

Le Figaro said the government's draft bill, which has yet to be presented to the cabinet and parliament, says people who use "violence, threats, abuse of power or authority" to make women cover themselves would face a 15,000 euro fine.

"Nobody can wear a garment in public aimed at hiding their face," reads article 1 of the French draft bill, Le Figaro said. Article 2 says "instigation to hide someone's face because of their gender" is a criminal offence.

French officials say the law could include a six-month introduction period, during which police would stop veiled women on the street and explain the law but not fine them.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has described the full veil as demeaning to women, and most French are in favor of outlawing it at least from certain public spaces such as town halls, opinion polls have shown.

yay Sandra Bullock!!

2010-05-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

This magazine cover made me happy! She deserves the best and I'm glad she adopted a baby from the UNITED STATES. We need more adoption within the country! Team Sandra! :)

2010-05-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

"I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African-Americans are, on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent."

- Stephanie Grace, a 3rd year Harvard Law School student. She is an editor of the Harvard Law Review and graduated from Princeton University in 2007 with the highest honors and obtained a degree in SOCIOLOGY (you would think this will make her extremely non-judgmental and opposed to any "biological" reasonings behind intelligence).

BET Founder Ashamed Of The Network.

2010-05-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

yikes. Read what Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET and America's first African American female billionaire, had to say to the Daily Beast about the channel that she helped create (she sold BET to Viacom--they're in charge of MTV as well *side eye*--in 2000).

Don’t even get me started, I don’t watch it. I suggest to my kids [a 20-something daughter and a college-age son] that they don’t watch it… I’m ashamed of it, if you want to know the truth.

It wasn’t always that way. “When we started BET, it was going to be the Ebony magazine on television,” Johnson tells me. “We had public affairs programming. We had news… I had a show called Teen Summit, we had a large variety of programming, but the problem is that then the video revolution started up… And then something started happening, and I didn’t like it all. And I remember during those days we would sit up and watch these videos and decide which ones were going on and which ones were not. We got a lot of backlash from recording artists…and we had to start showing them. I didn’t like the way women were being portrayed in these videos.

Johnson says she no longer has any connection with BET. “I just really wish—and not just BET but a lot of television programming—that they would stop lowering the bar so far just so they can get eyeballs to the screen,” she says. “I know they think that’s what’s going to keep programming on the air; that’s what’s going to sell advertising. But there has got to be some responsibility. Somebody has got to take this over. Because with all the studies that are out there, this is contributing to an atmosphere of free sex, ‘I don’t have to protect myself anymore.’”

another annoying, fierce designer... who happens to be 10.

2010-05-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Move over Kira Plastinina! Meet Cecilia Cassini.

Her idol is Coco Chanel. She has a taste for vintage fabrics. She has her sights set on the runways of Paris. And she's 10.

While other children were reading "Cinderella" and watching "Dora the Explorer," Cecilia Cassini was polishing her reading skills by flipping through Lucky and Vogue, and preparing a third-grade book report on "The Devil Wears Prada." And now, what started with a birthday gift of a sewing machine has blossomed into a fledgling fashion business with the help of manager Pilar DeMann, the woman who plotted the Kardashians' path from C-level obscurity to branding juggernaut.

Cecilia, a spunky fifth-grader from Encino, Calif., is selling her collection of one-of-a-kind girls' dresses at Lifesize at Fred Segal Santa Monica, where she will have a trunk show Saturday.

Her look is homespun but sassy, with simple dresses constructed from a skirt in one fabric and a bodice - strapless or tank-style - in another. The pieces are quirky cute with sequin, fabric rosette or bow details.

Billed as "the youngest fashion designer in the country," she has already been a guest at New York Fashion Week (trailed by a German TV crew), launched a slick e-commerce site and garnered corporate sponsors and interest from several TV producers.

DeMann thinks she is an ideal role model for young girls. Cecilia is a wholesome kid who doesn't want to watch TV and play video games all day. "She just wants to sew dresses and inspire other kids."

Her parents are as baffled as anyone about where the young designer gets her fashion sense. "When she was a baby, before she could walk, before she could talk, she was pointing to the outfits she wanted," says mom Michelle Cassini, a yoga instructor who doesn't own a single piece of Chanel. "As soon as she could use scissors, she was turning clothes into something new."

At age 5, she cut up her older sister's Betsey Johnson dress when no one was looking, cinched it with ponytail holders, folded up the hem and taped it, customizing the design to her taste. "I have always loved fashion since I was little," Cecilia says. "I was painting my nails when I was like 2."

For her 6th birthday, she asked for a sewing machine, and she took a few lessons. "But the teacher wasn't so nice and told me something didn't match when I thought it did." The budding designer wanted total creative control.

At 7, she wrote her first letter at school to Coco Chanel. By age 8, she had designed a logo based on the Eiffel Tower. But her big break came last year at Tough Cookies, a children's shop in Sherman Oaks, Calif., when Michelle mentioned to the owner that her daughter made dresses. That led to a trunk show where Cecilia sold 50 pieces.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/04/29/1911094/fifth-grade-fashion-designer-cecilia.html#ixzz0muxViAtD

I. Want.

2010-05-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be my homeboy if I knew him :/ I luuuuuh Ibra... off the pitch :)

Poll: Black teens more optimistic than peers

2010-05-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

hmmm....

A poll released Thursday by Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., found that 70 percent of black students ages 15 to 18 thought their standard of living would be better than their parents, compared with just 36 percent of white students.

Overall, 39 percent of respondents thought they would have a higher living standard.

Those numbers and the level of optimism among black students appeared to be closely tied to their enthusiasm for President Barack Obama, making for what some called the "Obama effect."

Asked about the president's performance, more than two-thirds of black students rated his performance as "good" or "very good," compared with 23 percent of white students. Overall, about a quarter of the students who were surveyed rated the president highly.

It's an attitude that mirrored the findings of a recent Harvard Institute of Politics survey of 18- to 29-year-olds, and that could have ramifications on November's midterm elections, said John Della Volpe, the institute's polling director.

"Young African Americans have this serious afterglow that is not as strong with whites and Hispanics," Della Volpe said. "And that's despite (African American youth) having more serious economic concerns."

The Hamilton College survey involved 818 high school sophomores, juniors and seniors from across the country who were surveyed last month. The poll, funded by the school's Levitt Center for Public Affairs, has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.5 percentage points.

Stephen Wu, the Hamilton economist who oversaw the poll, said he was surprised by the stark difference in optimism among races and that black students' attitudes appeared to be so tied to their view of the president.

source

I died of cuteness!!

2010-05-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

Three day old pinto stallion named Einstein
Weighing in at just six pounds, the New Hampshire-born foal may be the world's smallest horse. Dr. Rachel Wagner, Einstein's co-owner, says the Guinness record for the smallest newborn horse is 9 pounds. Wagner notes Einstein shows no signs of dwarfism, unlike the current record holder. Photos of Einstein standing next to a young child and a bemused Saint Bernard really put the horse's 14-inch frame in perspective. All together now: "Awwww!"

2010-04-23T02:17:00.000-07:00

say hello to the *potential* members of the Italian National Team! :) thanks D&G for introducing me to the hotness that is Claudio Marchisio (lovely man in the front, to the far right)... his "i'm tough" stare! his light eye color-dark hair color contrast! oh right, the rest of him is cool too, lol

Finding out I got into UCLA via USC: a story in gifs.

2010-04-22T00:10:00.000-07:00

Me, seeing that I received the coveted email: "UCLA decisions are now posted"
Me, logging into the UCLA Admissions website and finding out I got accepted:

Me, when the news I got into UCLA semi-sunk in:

Me, when the news I got into UCLA fully sunk in: ~shaking & crying~

Hell yeah tricks, I'm going from a USC Trojan to a UCLA Bruin!!

The end.

Thank you God for making life so unexpected and interesting, to say the least.

~blessed~

*btw, people in gifs, from the top: Cheryl Cole, Lady Gaga, Alexandra Burke, Dawson from Dawson's Creek, & the last one... idk, haha*

50.DAYS.

2010-04-21T22:03:00.001-07:00

The World Cup is imminent, bbs.
*gifs shamelessly taken from ontd_football*

As a celebration for the greatest sporting event evaaa occuring in 50 days:

rewind: "Realest N*gga" - Biggie. 50 Cent. Eminem.

2010-04-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

2004. I was absolutely obsessed with this song.

2010. I am still absolutely obsessed with this song.

I. Want.

2010-04-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Beyonce's entire outfit is F L Y! I love anything military-themed, so I love this look oh so much! The hair! The earrings! The olive shirt and harem capris! THE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN SHOES!!! loooooove.

& of course, I want this shirt! Brilliant! haha, I remember the moment this happened... watching the Italy-France game with my family in the living room and being like WTF?!

hahahaha

2010-04-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

So when the Tottenham Spurs embarrassingly beat Arsenal last week (2-1), the Spurs website came up with this DVD less than a day later:

lol smh, I don't blame them... It isn't everyday one beats Arsenal! Here's what Arsenal should have put out as a response LOL:

but I have to commend the ~~Spurs~~ 19-year-old Danny Rose for this amazing goal!

get it girl!

2010-04-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite contestants on American Idol covers the May 2010 issue of one of my fave magazines, Latina! Go Allison Iraheta!