Hey, "Take A Look" at today's funny pics. You may say, "WTF" more than once. Enjoy!! By the way, the photos are courtesy of funlol.com, funny-games.biz, and lolpix.com
Weapon of Destruction Always You're Here Whoops!! Jealous of Japan (Lazyking was the inspiration for my choice of this pic.) Just a Small Request Wait Before Drinking Nike Air Burger
Today on “Musical Monday,” I want to introduce you to another local artist (local as in the MD,DC,VA area) who is on her way, Wayna. She is an Ethiopian-born singer/songwriter that has very interesting twists as she began pursing music.
At a very young age, Wayna knew she wanted to be a singer, and she displayed her talent in various theatre productions such as “Damn Yankees” and “Annie,” along with touring with a children’s musical review company. As she grew into a young adult, her musical favorites were Billie Holiday, Donny Hathaway, Minnie Riperton, and Stevie Wonder.
While attending University of Maryland College Park, Wayna founded a gospel quartet and performed at the world famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York; they were finalists in the well-known Amateur Night competition. In addition, she traveled with the critically acclaimed University of Maryland Gospel Choir and performed at churches and gospel showcases regularly, up and down the East Coast. Wayna was also crowned Miss Black Unity of the University of Maryland in 1995. This earned her a one-year tuition scholarship and special honors for “Best Response to Question” and “Best Talent” at the 17th Annual pageant.
Away from her music, Wayna became a writer in the White House for the Clinton administration after earning her Bachelor’s degree in English and Communication from University of Maryland. More sooner than later, the magnetic pull that she shared with music took over, she ended up leaving the White House to follow her dream of becoming a singer.
And that’s all she wrote.
Since then she has released two albums, her first in 2005, Moments of Clarity and Higher Ground in 2008. Wanya has also worked with an array of people including but not limited to Fantasia (singer), Bill Laswell (producer), Eran Tabib (producer), Chuck Brown (DC’s own Godfather of Go-Go), Amerie (singer), and Jaguar Wright (singer). She has also performed at the White House, Apollo Theater, the Lincoln Theatre, the Georgia Dome and more.
After you listen to the playlist, I’m sure you’ll agree that Wayna is a pleasure to listen to. Although she’s a slight newcomer on the Indie music scene, the combination of her lyricism and her appealing vocals command your attention.
Saddened by the recent loss of The K.O.P. (The King of Pop), our hearts remain heavy, but his music seems to put you at ease. Enjoy the playlist of some of my favorites. R.I.P.
The quirky indie film, 11:14, is a cleverly crafted comedy thriller that’s in the genre of criss-crossing and intertwining. This is a chaotic story where a half-dozen characters intersect on one lonely road at 11:14pm, which results in sought after cash, property damage, and the loss of at least one life; there are joy-riders, a drunk driver, a protective father, gunshots, and a deadbeat teen.
11:14 starts off with an incident that happens exactly at 11:14pm, then writer/director Greg Marcks, takes you on a journey for the duration of the film, showing various events that occurred before and after the incident, allowing you, the audience to piece the puzzle together.
My only problem with the film is that there are no consequences suffered by the characters. There is a decent amount of action, but it leads to a dead end, leaving certain plots unresolved. I did enjoy the unlikely character ensemble, which consisted of Patrick Swayze, Barbara Hershey, Hilary Swank, Colin Hanks, Ben Foster, and Rachel Leigh Cook. They somehow blended well on the screen and in the script. I can say 11:14 is an enjoyable film to watch, because of the cast and the winding roads of the script.
This is another film that forces me to bite my tongue. I don’t want to give away too much and reveal the story. The trailer says enough, check it out below.
Here’s another tale of inspiration, community and selflessness on “Tell Me Something Good” Thursday.
In 2003, Indian math wizard Anand Kumar, created the Ramanujan School of Mathematics, where he implements his Super30 program. An innovative math and tutoring program, Super30 is designed to help meritorious children from very poor families win placement at seven prestigious schools that train India’s top engineers and entrepreneurs. It is a self-supporting entity, generating revenue by holding evening courses for intermediate level students who are interested in various engineering tests, and charging a nominal fee for the entrance test, which is 15% less than any other institutions.
Over 200,000 Indian youths compete for the 5,000 spaces available at the seven schools by completing a six-hour entrance exam. Most of the students come from middle class backgrounds and receive private coaching, helping them prepare, but over the last six years, Ramanujan has helped over 182 very poor children, whom have been among those winning one of the 5,000 desired spaces; students whose fathers are brick kiln workers, landless farmers, rickshaw pullers or roadside vendors, receive free lodging, meals, and coaching once they are accepted.
Since the start of Super30, the number of students winning spaces has been on a steady upward climb:
in 2003, 18 of 30 students won spaces; 2004, 22 of 30; 2005, 26 of 30; 2006 and 2007, 28 of 30 2008 and 2009, an astonishing 30 out of 30 students won.
This is a great program that has given hope to many. We need more innovative programs such as this in order to ensure economic growth of the future. If the most gifted and talented youths, worldwide, are not sought after and challenged, old ideas and ideals will be relied on, halting growth.
It's Wednesday, and I'm sure you're in need of a little mental stimulation to get you through this "hump day." Put on your thinking caps and see if you can crack this teaser.
Can you take the letters found in the word CATASTROPHE, using the clues below, and figure out the words that can be made?
Good Luck!!
1. The tube extending from the larynx to the bronchi. 2. A diplomatic official attached to an embassy. 3. A former title held in countries under Turkish rule, usually placed after the name. 4. A single bed of sedimentary rock, usually of one type of material. 5. A person who trespasses on private property to illegally fish or hunt. 6. To proclaim or make known by sermon. 7. A main division of a book, sometimes with a title or number. 8. A person who looks on or watches, such as an audience member. 9. Appearance to the eye; countenance. 10. A fastener consisting of a wedge or pin used to hold two other pieces together. 11. A toothed bar in which a pawl engages. 12. Pure, decent, free from obscenity; celibate.
Today I want to showcase the work of photographer Sam Javanrouh, a native of Tehran/Iran. He now lives in Toronto with his wife. I visit his blog, Daily Dose of Imagery, from time to time and I find his work to be very interesting. Sam can take the most mundane thing and make it interesting, which is a characteristic of a great photographer; finding the beauty in what may be oblivious to others.
Friday, I went for a run in the park near my house; it's a trail which is about 1.5 miles around a lake. It was early morning, so the birds were chirping, the ducks were feeding, the squirrels were chasing each other, rummaging through the leaves, the turtles were sunbathing, and the fish were biting (at least for one fisherman I saw). As I was running, I thought to myself, "ah, nature." The quote below goes along perfect with that day, last Friday, as I was running.
"All the sounds of the earth are like music." - Oscar Hammerstein
The man I’m about to write this post about needs no introduction, reigns supreme in the world of hip-hop; Kurtis Blow, aka Kool DJ Kurt.
Born Curtis Walker, he was one of the first commercially successful rappers that signed a major record deal. Growing up in Harlem, Blow jumped on the scene as a breakdancer and block party DJ in 1976. During that same year, he became the program director for the college radio station at the City College of New York; he also became apart of a group called “The Force,” which was led by none other than Russell Simmons. “The Force” promoted parties in and around Harlem, but later moved to Queens. With the persuasion of Simmons, his manager, Blow changed his name from “Kool DJ Kurt” to Kurtis Blow (as in (body blow) and the two began promoting him as “the number one rapper in Queens.” In the late 70s, Blow recorded his first single, “Christmas Rappin,” which was co-written by Robert Ford (a Billboard reporter that had previously given Blow and Simmons magazine press) and J.B. Moore (a music industry insider who funded the recording). Although the single was a success, no major record labels wanted to touch it; many thought the single would be a one hit wonder. Eventually, an executive at Mercury Records offered Blow a deal, after hearing the song; this became the first major label hip-hop release. His next single, “The Breaks” became an instant hit, breaking in the top five on the Billboard R&B charts, then going gold.
Struggling to crossover and find the same success as “The Breaks,” Blow stayed persistent and it paid off. In the early 80s, he opened for the legendary Bob Marley at Madison Square Garden, performing for an audience of over 20,000. In addition, he opened for the English punk band the Clash at their outdoor concerts on Pier 84 and collaborated with Bob Dylan on his 1986 album entitled, Kingdom Blow. He had now crossed over to non-hip-hop audiences. Around this same time, Blow became a record producer, helping groups get signed deals; the Fat Boys were one of the groups he helped. He also released a few more songs and appeared in the hip-hop film Krush Groove, where he performed his smash hit, “If I Ruled World,” which saw the same success as his chart-topping single “The Breaks.” This was the last of his hits and his mainstream vibe slowly declined as new artists emerged.
Blow has remained active over the years, appearing in a documentary, contributing rap material to several projects, DJing, attending college (Nyack College, class of 2009), and collaborating with others.
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little about one of the TRUE “Kings of Hip-Hop.” Now, go ahead and groove to the head-bopping lyrics of Kurtis.
Assault on Precinct 13, directed by Jean-Francois Richet, was a pretty fast-paced, gritty film. After doing some digging, I found out that this film was a remake of the 1976 version, which was directed by John Carpenter (The Fog, The Thing, and Christine); I haven’t had a chance to watch the older version yet.
In the opening scene we are introduced to Sergeant Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke), in an undercover drug sting. Portraying a coked out dealer who’s ranting and raving about whatever comes to his mind, Sgt. Roenick’s sting goes horribly wrong, getting his partners killed.
Fast-forward eight months, it’s New Year’s Eve and Sgt. Roenick is now a desk cop, struggling with guilt and the deaths of his partners. He’s in charge of the last shift of cops manning the soon-to-be shutdown Detroit Police Precinct 13. Amid the cumbersome snowstorm, the crew had high hopes of bringing in the New Year with a happy uneventful night, including dancing and boozing, but little did they know their fun would be interrupted by a rerouted prisoner transport; they were headed to a high-security prison, but the storm was too much. The four prisoners who are to be housed at Precinct 13 are Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), a vicious crime lord, who is wanted by “bad guys,” Beck (John Leguizamo), a full-fledge junkie, Smiley (Ja Rule), a street hustler, and Anna, a gang member. Irked by the distraction and the influx of prisoners, Sgt. Roenick allows the prisoners to be housed there until morning; the crew soon returns to celebrating until two-masked gunman break in and kill the prison guards from the bus. Bringing everything to a halt, this incident alerts the crew of cops and prisoners that more danger is ahead. The amount of armed gunman seem endless and they won’t stop short of extracting “Bishop” from the prison; there is no reluctance on their part, they are willing to shoot and kill whomever is in the way of their goal. Those remaining inside of Precinct 13, what are they to do? Will they pull together, cops and criminals to defeat the outside forces?? Guess you’ll have to watch and witness the happenings, the twists and turns this film takes.
Overall, I think the cast did a good job. Laurence Fishburne as Marion Bishop was awesome! He effortlessly exudes power, fear, and no nonsense attitude, even though he’s locked up in a prison cell. Fishburne’s subtle intensity is very similar in that of The Matrix. John Leguizamo (Beck) gives another great performance. If you had the chance to watch the film Spun (if you have not watched it or have never heard of it, check out my review), his role is reminiscent of Spider. John adds non-overbearing humor to the film. This is not a “must-see,” but it’s a decent film, something to watch on a boring Sunday afternoon.
Whether it’s good or bad news, people never cease to amaze me. In this case, though, it’s good, as well as inspirational news. Browsing CNN.com, a headline read, “Manicurist sells house, car to build school,” of course I had to read further.
A Washington, DC manicurist, Lidia Schaefer, was born in Feres Mai (a large village in Northern Ethiopia), but moved to the U.S. in the mid-70s due to the civil war that was taking place. During the 90s she visited her native village and was disturbed by what she witnessed, children walking three hours each way to attend school, which was held under a tree, not even in a building. What further put Lidia over the edge was learning about the death of Medhine, in 1989; she was one of the girls Lidia had met on her trip. While on her long trek home from school, Medhine was attacked and killed by hyenas. Itching to do something, Lidia began setting aside all her tips, a third of her pay and eventually sold her house and car to raise enough money to build a school for the village.
With such a huge task at hand, Lidia’s clients, colleagues, and friends began donating money, holding raffles, created items to sell, all the while she was lobbying the Ethiopian government to donate land in a central location so the school could serve as many children as possible in nearby villages; the nearest school was about 18 miles away.
To sum up the story, Lidia raised over $250k for the school, which was completed in 2006. Today, nearly 1500 students are educated in the school, which is an eight-building campus that houses 16 classrooms, a library and a science lab. She was honored with a village wide procession when she went back for the dedication, along with the school being named after her (Lidia had planned on naming it after Medhine, but the government, which runs the school named it after her).
Inspired by her deeds, Ethiopian communities around the U.S. followed her example; they launched efforts to build more schools in her region. So far, they have raised enough money to build 12 schools, which are due for completion next month, July 2009.
It's another "Hump Day." The weekend is near, but until then, here's your dosage of mental stimulation to keep your brain working. This is for those who thought last week's brain teaser was easy. Let's see if I've stumped you with this one. :-) I"ll be waiting to hear from LazyKing, Kavita, and Ledrose34.
Some of you may or may not know, but I’m really into photography, as a hobby. I’m always looking to learn and explore with the camera when I have time. One thing I do very often is visit the Digital Photography School blog (great resource for those with an interest in photography). It offers tips, tutorials, forums, information on equipment, contests… Yesterday I was reading a few post about shutter speed, aperture, and motion, and it led me to the Fine Art Photoblog. This photoblog is a unique mix of between an art gallery, search engine, and photoblog; the site is dedicated to collectors of fine art photography, as well as admirers. The images displayed and for sale on the site are from nine semi-pro to professional photographers.
I wanted to share the work from two of the nine photographers. The first images are from David Ziser, a professional photographer from the metro Cincinnati area. I love his eye for color in his landscape images. This set of images is from street photographer Andreas Manessinger, from Vienna, Austria. His work really caught my eye, given the posts I’ve read; the use of aperture and shutter speed, allowing depth and motion to be shown.
Hello and welcome to my cyber residence! Why don't you "sit a spell?" While here in my atmosphere, you will be exposed to my latest unsigned artist finds (I am a total music lover), my daily rants and raves, visual artists (I must say, I have a pretty good eye. At least in my opinion.) things I stumble upon and my personal movie reviews (I'm a self-proclaimed movie critic). I have thousands of interests, so you never know what I may be chatting about.
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To Homebody readers & visitors
I hope you all enjoy my posts. I welcome you all to leave your feedback, suggestions, and comments. If you are an artists of any kind and would like to have your work featured or if you are interested in interviewing with Homebody Blogger, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am always looking for new and undiscovered talent. Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to hearing from you.
**A Note from the Editor: Music files, artwork and photographs displayed on this site are the property of the artists who created them. We make a point to link back to the sources we use or cite where we get our information from. Any material can be removed at the artist request.
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