darknomad

Back to my old obsession...

2008-11-20T15:15:00.001-05:00

For a while I thought skinny long things don't do anything for me...And then...

Back to my old obsession...Encore

2008-11-20T15:04:00.001-05:00

My estranged father and I.

2008-10-18T18:19:00.006-04:00

Well he didn't really say that. My father that is. But I do love my homophobic father though. Even after almost two years of absolutely zero contact. Yeah, so I was talking to my mother and we were just blabbing about this and that and then she mentions that he (my father that is)had been crying non stop lately. According to my mother, he has been feeling remorseful for our falling out. Right, so just briefly, this aunt of mine (my father's sister) whom I have never been fond of and she knows it, decided to "out" me to my father on her last trip back to Africa. She actually never got to say anything since I beat her to it. I didn't want my father to find out from someone else. The right thing to do, right? Well not quite. He basically wrote me off and said in no uncertain terms that no son of his can possibly be gay. And that as the head of the family (whatever the f_ck that means) he couldn't allow it. Allow? I shouted. Of course I cussed him. Just kidding. I simply told him to go to hell. Long story short, we haven't spoken ever since. That is up until this past Thursday when my mother told me how miserable his life has been for the last eighteen months. I asked her to put him on the phone and of course like the macho, controlling African man that he can't fail to be, he asked me about school and work and my sisters and all that except the yellow elephant in the room. Ugh! I was glad to hear his voice though. We didn't talk about anything that actually matters. Well not that my sisters and work and school don't but...Yeah so I was thrilled by the fact that we even talked at all.

He asked me to call him again next week, and I will. But I know that we won't be talking about my sexuality anytime soon. Oh well. Ç'est la vie!

Yet another homophobic article in Rwanda's NEWTIMES

2008-05-29T15:41:00.018-04:00

So I was at work, right? Bored out of my mind and I decided to browse Rwanda's NEWTIMES (the newspaper provides valuable information as to what's happening locally and for a homesick fellow like myself, this can sorta ease up the pain). So I stumbled upon yet another homophobic article from March 08 and I decided, yet again, to respond. The ridiculous article can be found here.

Of course I was all hot and bothered and immediately fired off an e-mail to the editor and cc'd both authors of said article. I have yet to hear from them. I'm not holding my breath though, since they never bothered to respond to an earlier similar letter that I had sent to them. My e-mail follows:

Sent: May 29, 2008 3:44 PM
To: 'editorial@newtimes.co.rw'; 'letters@newtimes.co.rw'
Subject: Re: Homosexuality in Rwanda? Yes, it lives

Good day,

I’d like to challenge some of your claims in an article in your March 2008 issue, and I dare you to read the entirety of my argument.

You claim that “…Homosexuality however, goes against nature and African culture. No wonder it has received enormous condemnation in most African countries especially in black Africa. And various African heads of state have condemned it.”

I’ll start with homosexuality being “unnatural”

This is an argument that many bigots like yourselves have used for decades now. I don’t know if any of you are well read in matters of human sexuality. You obviously aren’t since you apply “choice” to human sexuality and gender identity.
This is no more true than choosing your ethnic background, your race or even the color of your eyes. For you to suggest otherwise you need hard evidence to support your claim. And by hard evidence, I mean, scientific research done preferably in the last couple of years. Not some outdated religion-based “research”. I will go ahead and post two links (there are countless online if you cared to do some research) proving my point and I suggest you do the same if you are to be taken seriously.

Here they are:

http://apahelpcenter.org/articles/article.php?id=31

http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/publications/justthefacts.pdf

The websites referenced are both the work of world renowned psychologists and sex experts. Their reports are published regularly by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). So before you go ahead and grossly dismiss them, you need to read and understand their work. They extensively explain how human sexuality, from infancy to puberty to adulthood, evolves and how we all individually develop our own orientation based on various factors. And how, no one’s personal “taste” is similar to the next person. If you understand this bit then you will have no trouble understanding the fallacies in your next argument:

Homosexuality being un-African

Your first mistake was to quote two heads of state; Museveni and Mugabe, as the moral authority as to what’s acceptable by ALL Africans. This claim in and of itself is ludicrous. No one person decides what’s moral for the rest of his/her peers. Also need I remind you that Mugabe shouldn’t be quoted on anything with a track record of corruption, human rights abuse and fraud? Do you really want such an individual to write a moral code for fellow Africans? As for Museveni who “mocks” European leaders for their support of gays and lesbians rights, where’s the mockery when he’s courting the European Union and Common Wealth nations for a push on better relations between the two? For the record, an International Monetary Fund report from 2005-2006 ranks his government as one of the most corrupted on the planet. The report can be found here:

http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/Regional/Regional0.html

How is it that every time instability seems to rise within a nation, magically the president has THE answer off the top of their hat and tries to scapegoat a certain faction of society? If it isn’t “witches” in Kenya, it’s Tutsis in Rwanda (Kayibanda and Habyarimana division tactics ring a bell?) or gays in Muslim countries (Nigeria and Gambia come to mind) and now Rwanda? Did we not learn anything about discrimination?

Most scientists and sex experts agree that sexual orientation isn’t a personal choice. And by this logic, humans across the board are the same. So what would lead you to believe that Africans are any different? Is it fair and just that we -Africans- claim justice and dignity in how the West treats us as a people but yet turn around and treat our fellow Africans with second class status simply because we do not agree or in this particular case, understand them?

The religion argument

This argument in itself contradicts the one you made about authentic African customs. Surely you are aware, I assume, that Christianity as well as Islam are both fundamentally un-African? There’s nothing inherently African about these two Abrahamic religions. Period! This isn’t an attempt to give you a history lesson by any means, but anyone with half a brain knows these basic historical facts. They were both imported by European colonizers and Middle Eastern merchants with no intentions other than subdue Africans and exploit their lands. So if you’re going to root out every thing un-African, begin with your names, clothing apparel, hairstyles, music played on the radio and in clubs, etc. And I’m pretty certain you see how ridiculous such a task is.

If you’re going to use some biblical verses to back your claims, then go ahead and condemn everything the book deems “impure” or “unnatural”, from shaking hands with a woman in her menstrual period, to wearing clothing made of different fabrics to eating shell fish. While you are at it, why don’t you stone to death every single person caught in adultery?

I will not spend much time on this particular argument as it’s self destructive and quite frankly laughable.

You also claim that somehow criminals responsible for the 1994 genocide, rapists and the likes are the only ones practicing homosexuality in prison. Really? Would you be willing to do some research and publish your findings? If you can prove to your readers that homosexuality happens mostly in prison and boarding schools for boys, and that female homosexuality is unheard of in Rwanda ( by your logic this shouldn’t be hard to prove), then I’m willing to retract my statement and acknowledge that I was wrong. If you can prove that this NEVER happens in military camps, clergy retreats, etc, again do us all a favour and prove it to be so.

You proved absolutely nothing by mentioning it in your article and failed to demonstrate how these are isolated incidents. And again you contradicted yourselves a few paragraphs later by mentioning the practice happening everywhere else such as boarding schools for boys. And again I fail to see any mention of female homosexuality.

I could go on and on and try to refute all your claims but that would take time and quite frankly most of your arguments are so ludicrous that I can’t honour them with a reasoned response.

I will mention one thing though. For a country that suffered decades of state sanctioned bigotry, extremism and other social injustices, your memory sure is selective. Making such inflammatory claims and failing to back them up with valid evidence does nothing but alienate your readers but also hurts young gays and lesbians who are growing up in such a hostile climate. If the genocide and the climate that led to it are any indication, your article is just as divisive as Journal KANGURA, the only difference is that your target is gays and lesbians.

Regards.

Lincentia, libertas, quad pacis.

2008-04-11T18:12:00.004-04:00

I haven't blogged in a minute and since my beloved nation is in its GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION WEEK, mourning, I thought I'd use this space to pause and reflect on the genocide and silently "pray"-I don't really do that-for those we lost as victims and fighters for peace in our nation. And to all the freedom fighters AROUND THE WORLD, this is for you!

Open letter to a homophobic newspaper.

2007-11-22T16:21:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted anything since May, and that's because I've had such a hectic and ever so changing schedule but I've decided that until I post something new and of value, I might as well post this letter I sent to a leading newspaper in Rwanda in response to a very homophobic piece they had printed in a 2006 issue. Here's a link to the piece and my response follows below:

Sent: November 22, 2007 4:09 PM
To: 'letters@newtimes.co.rw'
Subject: Re: sodomy, animal sex un-african by Patrick Bigabo

To Whom It May Concern:

I just stumbled upon this article on your website and I was puzzled by the level of blatant ignorance and utter hostility that it was written with. I’m not certain the author has done their homework before publishing such rubbish, but to quote an ignorant and downright dictator such as Nigeria’s Obasanjo speaks volumes.

For ANY African to claim that homosexuality is “un-African” and back their opinion on the fact that “the Bible says so” itself is contradictory and ludicrous. Need I remind Mr Bigabo that the Bible itself IS indeed un-African? Need I remind him that the same book upon which he bases his assumptions was used in the enslavement and the colonization of our ancestors and many other “cultured societies” throughout history? If he fails to see such an obvious historical fact, then maybe he should consider history lessons as a part time hobby?

He pathetically claims that a survey conducted, not recently but well over four decades ago, and might I add, very biased, concluded that homosexuals were having sex with boys between the ages of 16 and 19. Well, Mr Bigabo needs to be reminded that the said homosexuals were in that age range themselves. Also known as the age of puberty! And so did and still do, heterosexual males when they come of age. They have sex with members of the opposite sex within that same age range. What an absurd comment to make!

The Western World is not “assuming superiority” by pushing gay rights within third world venues. This is a moral issue. If someone’s rights are being unfairly reneged based on brainless assumptions and archaic beliefs, how do you expect the World to sit and turn a blind eye? Didn’t Rwanda suffer a horrendous genocide EXACTLY because of the same attitude?

I could go on and on about what Mr Bigabo or anyone else with similar beliefs, should consider before making hurtful and ignorant remarks, but my keyboard would have to be replaced. So I only have a few options here:

1) Take half an hour everyday to educate yourselves on human sexuality.
2) Research, extensively, locally or otherwise, and find out what indigenous attitudes were prior to the arrival of western colonizers into our lands in order to understand which is un-African. Homophobia or Homosexuality?
3) I challenge you to publish any findings of that research. Better yet I challenge you to publish this letter in your newspaper.

Lastly, I’d like to comment on Mr Bigabo equating same sex desire with bestiality. I’m sorry for having to lecture him but it appears he skipped his English Vocabulary lessons. Bestiality is a sexual relationship with an animal. Same sex desire is between two human beings. Is this really so hard to comprehend or am I missing something?

My humble opinion and thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Regards,

Feeling much better...

2007-05-22T00:20:00.000-04:00

What is it about vulnerable (and hot) men that's so appealing? I, sometimes, can't believe myself and the types of men I fall for. When I was 18 or 19, it was okay and made sense to fall for a straight guy in despair. Then I could just give them a shoulder to cry on without crying along. Then I could look them straight in the eyes and say that I understood what they were going through. Hell, then I could even make them cry by just...Well let's not go there. Topic for another day.
But now, in my late twenties, to think that I can still fall for anyone who happens to give me extra attention. Even if that attention is for a short while and only serves their own agendas, I should just slap myself real good.

This great friend of mine from childhood has been going through a lot lately. He's the sweetest straight guy you'll ever meet. I probably should mention that I had a huge crush on him when we were in high school. But...We parted ways at some point in time and kept very minimal contact, maybe because a part of me still had a thing for him or maybe because our families are close. I'm sure if they weren't I would have completely forgotten about him. Well, maybe not completely. Who am I kidding? I could never forget about him. Period!

So this poor kid is going through some sort of pre-mid-life crisis, and I use this term because I couldn't think of any other that would describe this condition. He just turned thirty and I know that mid-life crisis doesn't hit until you are between your mid-thirties to your mid-forties. So he's sorta rushing, if I may say. At least, I think so.

Without revealing anything about his life (that would be unfair), I happen to think that he has accomplished a lot. Great career, great goals about his life and also great shoulders...Ahem, I mean great future. No seriously, this kid is on the right track to an amazing future. So you're probably wondering. What the heck does that have to do with me?

Well, I honestly don't know how and when it started. But I tend to be very attentive to people's plights. And every time I'd sit through a conversation with him, I'd grow fonder and fonder of him. And before I could realize it, there it was again. Me falling for another straight man in need of "attention". He most likely didn't see it coming, but I did. And the interesting part is that I could tell he didn't seem to care or mind or even worry that I might get myself in a very hurtful situation. I don't know if it's because, like me, another Gemini, we are supposed to have this self centered personality and he was only concerned about his own issues. Or if it's because he didn't want to face it out of laziness (another trait of Geminis), or maybe because he was afraid he'd have to hurt me by rejecting me and/or pushing me away. Either way, it happened. These past few weeks were a heck of an ordeal for me. I would cook up a quick dinner, just because he said he'd drop by. I'd serve him dinner and even clean up after him. I'd play the kind of music I know he likes, just because it makes him happy. Hell, I'd even let him borrow my ipod for a few days just so he can listen to that same music I know he likes. Something I don't do, since I listen to my ipod when I'm at the gym or reading a book or traveling. My friends and family noticed and started making fun of me. Telling me how I behave when he's around and stuff.

But, thanks to that new book, The Secret, I realized that, no one else could get me out of the mess I had managed to plunge myself into, but my damn little self! As one of my favorite blogger, Kenneth Winfrey, so gracefully says it:"...being both black and gay, many of us really just function on instinct (auto-pilot) to survive. We are reacting to what is happening to us rather than choosing what we want to happen." I decided, much like Kenneth, that "we all deserve a mate that is affirmed and confident enough to fully acknowledge the relationship for whatever it is...Although I can remain the sensitive empathetic individual that I am, I won’t settle for less any more." The sad thing is though, remaining the attentive and caring friend that I am, has a unilateral impact. It only helps the other party. It does not however, help me with my feelings. So the first step was the realization that I can't afford to put my heart on the floor to be stepped on and that's a big step but I'm left with a big question mark. How do I manage to deal with my feelings without stripping Mr NOT of a great friend (which I think
I am to him)? Since, that would be an unfair thing to do. After all, he never pretended to be anything other than the same childhood friend he always was. Just because we enjoy each other's company to a great extent and happen to agree on most topics, from religion to sexuality to politics to the type of music we listen to and everything in between, this doesn't mean he was ever willing to go down that road. And he shouldn't have to pay for not meeting whatever my hopeless expectations might have been. Sad, this journey we call life, ain't it?

New French Justice Minister, highest ranking person of North African origin.

2007-05-19T16:04:00.000-04:00

Lawyer Rachida Dati, was born in 1965 in Saint Rémy, of a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother. She lost her mother when she was just 16 and she felt like she "had been punished", as her mother was everything to her and her 11 siblings.

She managed to study economics and law while working in a private clinic and got her degrees in both fields. She worked for both public and private companies, namely the oil giant Elf.

In 2002, she wrote a letter to the new French president Nicholas Sarkozy, then freshly appointed as interior minister. And she offered to advise her on matters of immigration. Which he agreed to and hired her as his adviser. She managed to help him keep a somewhat positive figure, after the notorious racist comments he made after the 2005 riots which, as we all know, included inner city youths of North African and Sub-Saharan origin. BBC online has more.

South African boy rescued after 13 years in captivity!!

2007-05-17T18:19:00.000-04:00

The boy, known as Bongani, according to BBC online, was held in a dark room for the last 13 years in a dark room in house in Durban, South Africa, and there's reason to believe that he may have been indecently assaulted while he was held captive.

The Durban police has been searching for his family, whom he doesn't seem to remember much about since he last saw them when he was just five years old. The young man seems to be traumatised and horrified by bright lights and can only respond to questions asked once the ligths are switched off. Read more.

Not feeling so well lately, so I went and did this...

2007-05-12T15:29:00.000-04:00

Oh la la Thierry...encore!

2006-12-10T15:09:00.000-05:00

Feeling kinda stalker-ish...

2006-12-10T15:06:00.000-05:00

"Pregnant" man fined for faking certificate, Gaddafi in Nigeria airport drama.

2006-11-28T20:46:00.000-05:00

Charles Sibindana, of Johannesburg stole a certificate from a clinic where his pregnant girlfriend was doing her regular check up and altered a few details and made it look like he needed time off work for maternity leave reasons. Obviously unaware that only women can take that kind of time off, he just went off for a seven day leave. His employers became suspicious and started investigating the matter. The issue ended up in court and magistrate Bruno Van Eeden warned Mr Sibindana "not to walk around faking sick letters from gynaecologists". Hilarious!!

On other African matters, Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has been involved in a diplomatic incident as he arrived in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, for a summit. Foreign ministers from Africa and Latin America have been preparing for the summit which starts on Thursday.

Apparently the very heavily guarded leader arrived with 200 of his personal all female bodyguards and they wouldn't hand in their weapons as required by Nigerian security policies. Only when Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo intervened did the bodyguards agree to hand in their weapons. Colonel Gaddafi had just started walking...off towards the capital Abuja, on foot, intending to walk about 25 miles. Talk about storming off!!

Rwanda cuts ties with France.

2006-11-28T02:00:00.000-05:00

The last couple of weeks have been the most heated as a result of Judge Jean Louis Bruguière's accusations of Rwandese officials. Rwanda halted diplomatic ties with France on Friday and recalled its ambassador to Paris. As some may already know, France and Rwanda's relations have been anything but smooth ever since the 1994 genocide that left about a million people dead in just a hundred days. France had a very close and tight partnership with the the former regime (the one that actually carried out the killings) and openly and publicly trained and armed its militias. France even attempted to stop the RPF (Rwandese Patriotic Front, which managed to put a stop on the genocide, all under the international community's watchful eye) from chasing out the killers by posing under the umbrella of a humanitarian force but the real intentions were to harbor and provide a quick and safe exit to those responsible for planning and carrying out the killings.

Ever since the country regained its sovereignty, it has tried to spark western interests and investments back into the country. Which so far seems to be working, at least up until Judge Bruguière decided to call for President Kagame to be tried for alleged complicity in the killing of the former head of state Juvénal Habyarimana. The assassination of whom triggered the genocide. Judge Bruguière says that the families of that plane's crew, being french, filed a case in France in 1998 and Judge Bruguière issued warrants for the arrest of nine aides of the Rwandan leader and himself over the killing.

The situation has now escalated and Rwanda has taken off the air Radio France Internationale and stopped all activities of French state institutions, including the French international school, Ecole Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the Centre Culturel Franco-Rwandais. The French ambassador left Kigali on Saturday, and all other French agencies had until late Monday to close and evacuate their staff.

Paul Kagame, the Rwandese President said in a radio interview that:"Le monde aujourd’hui est à un stade où les puissants n’ont pas forcément raison comme se fut le cas à une époque." Basically he said that the world today isn't a place where the almighty is right all the time as it used to be. And by almighty he means superpowers.

France to investigate Rwandan accusations.

2006-11-02T13:44:00.000-05:00

About 105 classified documents will be put forth for investigation by a magistrate after claims that French troops were complicit in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Four Tutsi survivors, aged between 25 and 39 have brought their case against the French military in the French courts.

Among the charges, rape, murder and complicity are cited, but France has always denied any involvement since the days of former French head of state, François Mitterand. Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie took the decision on the recommendation of France's defence secrets commission.

French troops were sent to Rwanda as part of a United Nations humanitarian force but failed to stop the massacres, and since they were stationed in the south west part of the country, all they managed to do was to give safe haven to the fleeing murderers. Another accusation vividly denied by France.

After hearing testimony from witnesses, the Rwandan panel will rule on whether to file a suit at the International Court of Justice, BBC online reports.

Unicef to launch web game in SWAHILI to tackle AIDS.

2006-11-01T13:42:00.000-05:00

The United Nations children's agency (Unicef) has launched the first computer game in Swahili. "Ungefanyaje" which means "what would you do" in Swahili, is aimed at halting the spread of the virus amongst young adults and since it's a virtual game, it takes them through various scenarios explaining how the virus works, spreads, and the methods available to halt and prevent it.

The Unicef estimates that aproximately 80% of young adults do not know how to properly protect themselves from the disease, hell, the South African presidential candidate, Mr Zuma, once confessed to have taken a shower after having unprotected sex with an HIV+ woman, to "lower" the chances of contracting the virus.

In the Unicef game, players choose from different options as two male and two female characters embark on relationships and the game is set up in swahili which is a language spoken by more than 100 million people from North East Africa all the way down to South East Africa.

World's richest prize to be awarded to most effective african leaders.

2006-10-27T13:59:00.000-04:00

A $5m prize for Africa's most effective head of state is being launched by Africa's top businessman. UK-based wireless phone mogul, Mo Ibrahim, the mastermind, believes the incentive will motivate heads of states in poor nations to do what's best for their people instead of their bellies.

The prize will be exceeding the Nobel prize which is estimated to be $1.3m and was applauded by Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton and a few others. But spurred equal scepticism from some critics, including Patrick Smith, of specialist publication Africa Confidential, who believes those leaders already doing good will keep on, but the corrupted ones won't change anything because they know they won't qualify at the end of their term since Harvard University will be assessing how well the president has served his or her people while in office.

More than 300 million africans live on less than a dollar a day, but the continent has one of the richest concentration of precious minerals if not the richest on earth.

Muslim cleric compares unveiled women to "meat".

2006-10-26T02:44:00.000-04:00

Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali, Australia's senior muslim cleric has sparked outrage amongst moderate muslims and critics for remarks made in a public sermon when he said that some women are attracting sexual assault by the way they dress. He blamed women who don't wear their hijab (head dress) as the cause of sexual assaults and compared them to "uncovered meat".

Leading muslim women quickly responded and called upon him to apologize. Some even petitioned to have him deported. However, a spokesperson from Hilali's camps said the quote had been taken out of context and referred not to sexual assault but to sexual infidelity for people in commited unions. Keyword here is sexual infidelity. Now, I'm not one to speak blasphemy, since I'm an atheist, but isn't Islam the one religion mostly known for allowing polygamy? Since when did IT change its position when it comes to how many women a man can sleep with outside of marriage, or in some cases marriages? Maybe I don't understand Islam that well.

Now, Sheikh Hilali has been known for inflammatory remarks, namely claiming the attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001 to be "God's work against oppressors". Upon making the latest remarks, he also criticized women who wore make-up to be the ones to blame for sexual assaults and then cussed out court judges who gave harsh prison sentences to rapists some of whom were recently given up to 65 years for gang rapes that were commited in Sydney a few years back by gangs of lebanese australians.

Pop diva dies in car crash.

2006-10-23T14:40:00.000-04:00

Lebo Mathosa, one of south Africa's most venerated pop singers has died after her car hit a tree.
She was one of the stars of Kwaito, a South African fusion of hip-hop, funk and traditional rhythms, and was believed to be the Beyonçé of South Africa. She was 29 years old and she was so good that she got nominated for UK's MOBO (Music of Black Origin), she performed at Nelson Mandela's 85th birthday.

She debuted in the 1990s with the group Boom Shaka, before launching her solo career. And she's believed to have single handedly given birth to Kwaito. She was also known for her dyed blonde hair and energetic shows and her fans are left devastated by the unfortunate incident.

Forest Whitaker to play Ugandan dictator.

2006-10-20T16:53:00.000-04:00

I've always thought that Forest Whitaker was one of America's best actors. Especially after seeing him in Jason's Lyric (1994) and Panic Room (2002). I don't know, there's just something so penetrating about his acting.

He just does it so well that at the end of the day, it's almost impossible to distinguish him from the actual character he's playing. In this biopic of the Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin, Forest was so sunken into the character that it took him a while to lose the ugandan accent he had adopted. He also puts into light the tyrant's obsession with Scotland, at the peek of which he had adopted wearing a kilt and such.

Premiered at the 31st Annual Toronto International Film Festival, the motion picture is believed to be one of the best films of the year. But then again that's what critics say about each and every movie that comes out. Well at least this one deals with an actual real life character that has affected my life one way or another. I can't wait to see it.

The story is actually told from the viewpoint of his personal physician, Nicholas Garrigan, played by James McAvoy, and the hell that was Uganda in the 1970's. Kay Amin, his wife, is played by none other than beautiful Kerry Washington.

Someone is haunting me...

2006-10-16T23:23:00.000-04:00

Why do I always get to be last in "discovering" certain things? Why didn't someone tell me about Van Hunt, peoples? I am currently listening to Seconds of Pleasure and boy, what a pleasure. Lawd!! And apparently the album is as old as the universe. Well that is if you believe the universe to be older than my last diesel shoes. I also enjoyed Dust but for some reason Down Here in Hell tops them all. Speaking of topping, does anyone think he could be...? I mean...And he's a cutie too.

Philanthropy, Déjà Vu or both?!

2006-10-16T17:48:00.000-04:00

Madonna's adoption saga heats up even more. Some Malawian children rights groups are imploring the government to reconsider its decision to allow Madonna and hubby Guy, a temporary custody of 13 month old David Banda.

According to Malawian law, couples who want to adopt must wait almost two years before being allowed temp custody. In Madonna's case, this was just done in a matter of weeks. Some in her camps are adamant the case had been pending for quite some time now, the last two weeks were just to finalize the process.

Under the same law, child welfare officers are ordered to track an adopted child and its progress and see if there's anything that needs to be reported back to the judge who in return might revoke the order and the custody could be permanently withdrawn. In Madonna's case though, the country has no resources to follow her around, given the very highly mobile lifestyle she conducts.

Now if you ask me, I personally have no issue with the sudden infatuation that celebrities seem to have developped for Africa since the Shiloh-Jolie-Brad saga or whatever the name of that poor child is, however as someone mentioned in one of the comments I read somewhere, I think it'd make more sense to actually invest in a big time child welfare system onsite, where those kids not only will be taken care of but will also have a sense of security and belonging since they would be raised by and in their very native country. I mean, bless Madonna and the likes, who are trying to do their best to reduce the AIDS orphans plight in Africa and elsewhere, I just think they're going at it the "wrong" way. BBConline has some very interesting comments from around the globe on the subject.

Ethiopian women are most abused, research reveals.

2006-10-11T21:25:00.000-04:00

A report conducted by Ending Violence Against Women reveals that nearly 60% of Ethiopian women were sexually violated at least once in their lifetime while half of their Zambian counterparts revealed attacks from domestic partners.

The report also points out that the phenomenon takes place in most societies throughout the world and that more than 100 countries had no laws prohibiting domestic abuse while in 50 other countries, marital rape wasn't a crime to be prosecuted.

"On average, at least one in three women is subjected to intimate partner violence in the course of her lifetime." The report says.

African migrants drown...again!

2006-10-05T15:39:00.000-04:00

Seven adults and four children are the only survivors of a ship that was carrying more than twenty people and broke down in the middle of the Atlantic. They were picked up by a merchant ship that was passing by the high seas.

This year alone, more than 25 thousand people have reached the Canary Islands( Spain) but more than 3000 are estimated to have perished along the way.
Most migrants make attempt to reach the " western eldorado" by any means necessary. They embark on open, shaky wooden boats. Spain has invested billions of euros in preventing entry to those africans trying to cross over and is still unable to cope with the issue, calling it a humanitarian crisis.

Hug anyone...?

2006-09-27T04:21:00.000-04:00

Yeah I know...But it's one of those early mornings when you can't go back to sleep and you just feel like you need a hug from someone. Wait, not just anyone but more like...yeah you guessed it, Thierry bien sur. So I went ahead and did this...

Ex-deputy goes to trial on genocide allegations.

2006-09-26T04:27:00.000-04:00

Simeon Nshamihigo is accused of participating in the killings of thousands of people during the infamous 1994 Rwandese genocide that left over a million people dead in just a few days and millions more displaced.

Up until recently he was working for the international tribunal in charge of trying people who've been accused, falsely or not, of carrying out the killings. And he had been working as a defence investigator up until 2001 under a pseudo name. The Rwandan government has complained that several people implicated in the genocide were employed by defence teams at the Arusha based court, BBC online reports.

Just last week another lawyer was forced to resign after the Rwandese government issued a warrant on him since he's wanted for similar charges as well. Check out this link for details on the horrific killings.

Worldwide rallies for peace in Darfur.

2006-09-17T19:37:00.000-04:00

From Cambodia to South Africa to London, thousands of people are expected to gather in protest and call out to the Sudanese authorities to allow UN peacekeepers into Darfur, where tens of thousands of people have been killed. Up to two million have been displaced in three years of conflict in Darfur. France and the US are already calling the conflict a genocide and the US has publicly and directly accused Khartoum of responsibility.

In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, devastated by the Khmer Rouge genocide in the 1970s, a candle-lit vigil was held in the capital. Among those involved are Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, who headed the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda during that country's genocide in 1994 and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

"Unfortunately, the people there in the West, in Europe and the United States are moved by the media and the media is unfortunately moved by political agendas," Khartoum says. Sudan's junior foreign minister, Ali Karti, said the demonstrators were misunderstanding the situation in Darfur as the country is "defending the territorial integrity of Sudan against rebels backed by neighbouring Chad."

South African health minister called to resign over AIDS remarks!

2006-09-07T01:23:00.000-04:00

Manto Tshabalala-Msimang publicly told people living with HIV to eat garlic and beetroot. In a country where more than million people are HIV positive, and infant rape is rampant, the remarks came as a thunderous shock and more than 60 international experts on HIV/Aids have called for the resignation of Ms Msimang. In a letter sent to President Thabo Mbeki, the academics called the government's health policy "disastrous and pseudo-scientific", BBC reports.

The South African government has said it will change the way its Aids message is communicated. But Mr Mbeki, the president has rejected previous calls to sack Ms Tshabalala-Msimang.

Nick Lachey's gay themed commercial.

2006-08-21T02:15:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how quickly the world is changing. Just years ago, it would have been impossible to see any hint of guy on guy action on prime time tv. Heck, it would have been unthinkable to see guy on guy anything. But lately, we've seen anything from comedy shows to gay themed ads and everything in between.

As I was watching the Teen Choice 2006 awards last nite, I was amused and kinda surprised to see this Axe-Clix commercial where Nick Lachey gets lustful attention from both men and women and appears to have no issue with his masculine suitors. Way to go!

Thierry Henry Pepsi Ad.

2006-08-20T17:42:00.000-04:00

Thierry de moi!

2006-08-19T23:25:00.000-04:00

And Tease...

Rwanda to review the death penalty.

2006-08-18T02:24:00.000-04:00

Twelve years after a horrific genocide that left a million people dead and twice as many displaced, the country known to have been struggling to rebuild a rundown infrastructure, bring justice to the survivors and engage in talks with rebellious factions, is doing a hell of job in dropping some of its questionable practices such as the death penalty. After a well known genocide suspect, Emmanuel Nteziryayo, was apprehended in England and could possibly be extradited to the ICTR(the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, based in Arusha, Tanzania), the authorities in Kigali are considering discarding that extreme measure since a lot of western countries are continuously refusing to hand in some suspects due to the use of torture and execution. Details for the country's profile can be found here.

Child sex allegations against UN peacekeepers in Congo.

2006-08-17T14:37:00.000-04:00

The UN has started an extensive investigation on some of its own officers after allegations of child sexual abuse by locals as well as some soldiers. Young girls, some as young as 13 years old have been offered money and food in the south eastern province of Kivu, for sexual favors. The UN immediately implemented a ban on its troops to have sex with any locals. BBC online has more.

Needless to say that the said peacekeeping troops are there to oversee the congolese first ever democratic elections.

Africa catches on with the metrosexual frenzy!

2006-08-14T21:50:00.000-04:00

Congolese men, in Africa, are known to be sharp dressers since day one. But nowadays, men from all walks of life aren't afraid of getting their finger nails trimmed and toe nails varnished. Cedric Mukoko, 16, says he has been looking after the nails of Kinshasa (the capital)'s elite, men and sometimes women, for four years and uses colored varnish on women and clear varnish for men. In Congo, men have been known to pluck their eye brows since the invention of a mirror. With the scorching heat, most people wear sandals and, well, men just want to show what they got. For details, check out these interesting pictures!

International AIDS conference opens in Toronto.

2006-08-13T21:55:00.000-04:00

Over twenty six thousand people from 170 countries attended this afternoon the 16th International AIDS conference at the Rogers Center. Among them were guests of honor with opening remarks. For instance Bill and Melinda Gates; co-chairman Dr Mark Wainberg; Governor of Canada, Haiti-born Michaëlle Jean; Toronto mayor David Miller; co-chairwoman of AIDS 2006, Dr Helene Gayle and the Executive Director for UNAIDS, Dr Peter Piot.

"We are dismayed that the prime minister of Canada, Mr. Stephen Harper, is not here this evening," Dr Wainberg said, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd with signs that read "Sleep in Steve? HIV Never Sleeps!"
The prime minister is said to have turned down the invitation to open with a speech due to "previous commitments". Dr Wainberg also said that "...Mr. Harper, the role of prime minister includes the responsibility to show leadership on the world stage. Your absence sends a message that you do not regard HIV/AIDS as a critical priority and clearly all of us here tonight disagree with you!"

Bill Gates mentioned Microbicides which are products designed to help prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other STIs when applied either in the vagina or rectum. They can be developped in many forms, including gels, creams, sponges, etc. They are still being tested and are not available on the market as of yet. He also mentioned President Bush's promise to dedicate $15 billion in AIDS prevention, the mention of which the crowd booed in contempt. He explained how male circumcision has recently been scientifically proven to be effective in reducing the risk of contracting the virus. But also reminded the crowd that in some cultures women have no control over their spouses willingness to take those measures. Melinda Gates took a moment to raise awareness once again that stigma is one of the biggest obstacles to prevention and treatment. She gave the example of a hospital the couple visited in India where women and men are separated in a segragationist way, in which men have the best care from hospital staff and family members but right across the hall, the women's lives are wasting away. And finished her speech with a quote that prompted a standing ovation from the crowd. She said that "Saving lives is the HIGHEST ethical act!"

The week long conference will include speeches from actor and activist Richard Gere, former president Bill Clinton on Tuesday as well as NAACP chairman Julian Bond. There will be a vigil on Thursday and the closing on Friday. Click here for an in depth coverage of the ceremonies.

Drag queen disses Mugabe!

2006-08-11T16:55:00.000-04:00

Curvaceous Kudah, as I like to call him (stage name Kudah Samuriwo), one of Zimbabwe's out and about drag queens, has revealed what his life was like back in his native country. During the 90's, he was the first black drag queen to win the "Jacaranda" beauty contest. A crown usually limited to "colored" transvestites (mixed race). Standing over 6 feet tall, he is a rather impressive performer. He was disinherited after revealing his sexuality to his parents and had to flee to neighboring South Africa, where he modeled himself after such African female artists as Brenda Fassie and Yvonne Chaka Chaka.

He remembers constantly being harassed and abused by the police, whom he'd eventually bribe with sexual favors in order to be released. A practice imprisoned gays still follow nowadays. He now lives in England.
"I don't know what Mugabe has against pigs and dogs; he must have had the worst sex ever with them...Maybe he's had gays as well that's why he makes comparisons. Experts can be so one-sided," he sarcastically says during an interview with BBC.

Female DJ takes day off and gets suspension.

2006-08-10T17:44:00.000-04:00

As most of South Africa was celebrating a national holiday on August 9th, a well known female DJ took the day off without her employer's approval, to celebrate with hundreds of thousands of other women across the nation, only to get suspended for not following the station's policies. "Unathi Nkayi is facing a disciplinary hearing by her employer, youth station YFM, and is accused of insubordination", BBC online reports.

Historical anti-apartheid march re-enacted.

2006-08-09T20:59:00.000-04:00

On August 9th, 1956 over twenty thousand women from all over the country protested in front of the Union Buildings, in order to get a "pass book" law abolished. The said law was an attempt to restrict non white women on where they could live, work or travel. The march was led by former Mandela's wife and partner, Winnie, and current spouse Graça Machel, the widow of late Mozambican president Samora Machel. Early in the morning, women started pouring in. Estimated in the tens of thousands, they came in via hundreds of buses, some dressed in tradional others in more modern clothing. BBC online has detailed pictures.

Thierry Henry Nike Football

2006-08-09T20:29:00.000-04:00

I got the idea of posting this youtube commercial after finding out through Rod 2.0 that his double in the said commercial was arrested on robbery charges. Nothing fancy about the video...It's just that it's Thierry and by now everyone who visits this site knows how much Je l'adore.

Ethiopian floods " a disaster"...

2006-08-07T16:23:00.000-04:00

While most media networks are focused on what's happening in the middle east, not too far from there, precisely in the Horn of Africa, things are quickly getting out of hand. Heavy rains that poured non stop on saturday night caused the Dechatu river to burst its banks and sweep away a small township called Dire Dawa as its residents were asleep. The death toll is estimated to be between 150-200. My whole family is gone! Shouts a young man who had been out clubbing with his friends."The destruction caused to property could run into millions of dollars," one police inspector said. Let's hope that the Middle-east crisis doesn't overshadow the International Community's responsibility to intervene.

Long week end hotness-es!!

2006-08-07T14:29:00.000-04:00

Tearfund condemns the Church's attitude towards sex in Africa

2006-08-06T00:53:00.000-04:00

The Christian aid agency has expressed its concern and asked for more international funding to African Churches in order to fight AIDS.
It has applauded the progress made by some churches regarding their support for people infected with AIDS but also condemned the overwelming negative attitude towards sex by the majority of some Christian denominations.
The act was welcomed by some analysts who also worry that the Church ongoing practice of preaching abstinence instead of safe sex as well as their inability to talk openly about sex was getting in the way of such efforts. BBC online has more.

Nokia Face Of Africa 2006

2006-08-04T19:28:00.000-04:00

Nokia Face of Africa is the continent's own version of Next Supermodel. It started as a way to bring African beauty and fashion to the international stage. The finals are to be held next week. The top ten finalists will progress to the Nokia Face of Africa 2006 final, which will be broadcast live on M-Net (South Africa's entertainment channel) on Sunday, August 13. The finalists are Kea Basima from Botswana, Sandra Bigirimana from Burundi, Mirash Davis from Ghana, Catherine Hemans Yankey from Ghana as well, Andenyi Anjalo from Kenya, Venantia Otto from Namibia, Ishioma Onyebo from Nigeria, Melody Zulu from SA, Mulenga Mubanga from Zambia and Munira Namakula from Uganda.
Check out the official site for details on the young women who will be competing.

Toronto Caribbean Carnival 2006

2006-08-04T18:28:00.000-04:00

Yes you guessed it!! Caribana week end is upon us. I was supposed to fly back to Toronto for the festivities but I couldn't. Oh darn. Well, there's still next year.
As you all know Caribana began as Toronto Afro-Caribbean community's salute to the country centennial year, exactly 39 years ago. It's been going on ever since. Attracting more than a million participants from around the Globe, it has become one of North America's biggest celebrations. You could experience any musical styles from Jamaican reggae, African djembe rhythms, Brazilian Samba, Haitian zouk or urban sounds, mixed in with calypso and soca vibes.
Check out the official site for details at caribana.ca . The event coincides with Toronto Black Pride . An eventful week end indeed since they both happen side to side. Happy Pride for those who'll attend.

Bill Gates donates almost a million dollars for AIDS facilities.

2006-08-04T17:09:00.000-04:00

During a recent quick trip to the Great Lakes region of Africa, the wealthiest man on earth funded a Center for Training and Operation Research to serve five nations: Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The center to be built and operated in Kigali, Rwanda, which he visited allegedly along side Oprah ( the latter could not be confirmed), will be an ultra-modern facility run by experts under the coordination of Rwanda's AIDS Treatment and Research Center, said Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, executive secretary of Rwanda's National Aids Commission. Rod 2.0 has an excellent article on the philanthropist couple.

Madonna "blasphemous" performance.

2006-08-03T16:56:00.000-04:00

Jews,Muslims and Christians alike unite to condemn Madonna for her latest stunt. A mock crucifixion during her latest show, where she appears on a giant cross wearing a crown of thorns. She defended herself saying that it was an attempt to appeal to her audience for an AIDS charity. BBC Online has more.
She made headlines almost two decades ago with her controversial black Christ (Leon Robinson as Jesus in the Like a prayer video) and burning crosses but she doesn't seem to be bothered by religious outrage prompted by her stunts.

Sexy Cissé.

2006-08-01T16:06:00.000-04:00

Born August 12th,1981 in Arles, France, Djibril is an international player for both France and Olympique de Marseilles. Of Ivorian descent he signed with Auxerre at age 15 and made an amazing debut on the international scene against Belgium in 2002. He had a leg injury that almost got him amputated. Which would have been unfortunate since we LOVE his notorious sexy legs.
Standing 6'1 and weighing 170 lbs, he is a handfull glass of hot chocolate.Yum!

Coupe de Boule...Zidane's "gaffe" turned into video clip!

2006-08-01T15:41:00.000-04:00

The now infamous headbutt from "Zizou" to Italy's Marco Materazzi during the World Cup final has inspired a new video clip that's making "ravages" in Europe as the new summer hit. Although it's sung with a heavy "African" accent and beat, for those who speak french, it's a pretty dumb but funny video. Check it out!!

Grenades kill three in Burundi.

2006-07-31T15:35:00.000-04:00

On sunday night, grenade blasts have killed three people and injured dozens in two different bars in Bujumbura. Gun traficking has become open currency ever since the FNL, a rebel group, has begun talks with the government. And although the rebel group hasn't admitted anything yet, it is speculated that the crimes were perpetrated by them. Some also suggests that it could be just another gang related issue. BBC online has more.

Oh La La Thierry!!

2006-07-30T19:26:00.000-04:00

Yes I've done it again..."Profiling" Thierry Henry!!
I don't know what it is but he just does it for me!

Profiling Rio Ferdinand

2006-07-29T17:08:00.000-04:00

I know the world cup has been over for about a month now but I just couldn't resist profiling this guy. Rio Gavin Ferdinand was born November 7, 1978 in Peckham, London and is half St Lucian and half Anglo-Irish. He is middle backer although he's played midfield in the past for Manchester United.
He made headlines in 2003 when he failed to attend a drug test because "he was moving" and got an eight month ban for that.
A self-professed AIDS activist, he's visited half of the world for AIDS awareness and he's been known for saying things like"...although I didn't grow as poor as you did, I know what it feels like to want things you can't have..."
A true hero indeed. Standing 6'1 and weighing 167 lbs, Rio is one tall of water and I would have him any given day. Damn!!

Happiest country in the World...

2006-07-28T18:19:00.000-04:00

According to researchers, Denmark is the happiest country and Burundi is "saddest". The research was conducted based on health provision, wealth and education. CNN.com has more.

N'SYNC member comes out!!

2006-07-26T15:26:00.000-04:00

Like we ever had a doubt about it, Lance Bass of boyband N'SYNC finally steps out of the closet. No, really!! In a recent interview, he acknowledges the incessant pressure to disclose his sexuality over the years but he was fully aware of repercussions if he ever did while still part of the band. He knew he would be playing with the careers of the other boys.
He is currently in a "stable" relationship with Amazing race's Reichen Lehmkuhl. You go boys!!

News from Africa

2006-07-25T14:25:00.000-04:00

-Congo is expected to hold her first ever democratic elections on July 30 to elect a president and parliament. A move that has been a luxury for every other nation in the region but the rich nation of Congo. More to come.

-"Dubya" is expected to meet with Darfur rebel leader Minni Minnawi in Washington who also happens to head the one rebel faction to have signed a peace deal. The other two refused citing "inadequate" terms.

-In entertainment news, MTV has launched an "African" branch of it. The same way there's MTV Europe, Canada, Australia and so on. But critics are sceptical as to what good that is going to do for the poverty, famine and war torn continent since about 70% of video clips played are mostly american hip hop.
African music and artists from the continent make up only about 30% of the output. BBC online has more.

It hurts...It hurts so badly...

2006-07-21T17:19:00.000-04:00

It was a rainy late saturday afternoon at the end of march in 1998 when I met him. It was on March 21st to be precise. I had never seen such radiance in anyone before. You know, the type that's actually contagious. He stepped into the SUV we were driving (my cousin and I) as we were headed out of town for a picnic organized by some friends. So we picked him up on our way to the countryside.
I didn't know him but my cousin did. I didn't know we were picking anyone up, so I kinda dozzed off a bit and was awaken by the door slaming shut. I opened my eyes and there he was. Fine as hell. He said hi and we introduced ourselves. Turns out we had the same first name. At the same time my cousin stepped back into the car and we drove off. As we picked more people up on our way, we had to kinda squeeze in and some had to seat on other people's laps. Yeah this is back home so the police really didn't care about such a security breach. Just use your imagination to guess who was seating on whose lap.
Anyways, as the day went on and darkness started to befall some "rubbing" occured of course. Which was to be expected given the circumstances and a few drinks that were being had during the 5 hour trip. Ahem...We finally reached our destination and started installing up our tents and our sound system. This is like around midnight. I think I had had one too many drink and I was still young, 19 to be exact. So I started vomiting. Moments later I hear someone holding me and helping me to get it all out. You know, with little taps on the back and shoulders. A very affectionate and sweet gesture indeed. So I finished up and got cleaned and went to one of the cars to just relax and listen to music.
He joined me just a few minutes later. We started talking and somewhere along the conversation he mentioned his girlfriend. Oh crap, I thought! He took my hand and started asking me if I had a girlfriend. Which I didn't but I lied to him. One thing led to another and the next thing you know we were kissing. To make a long story short, we were inseparable that week end and the days to follow. We'd talk on the phone for hours and my mom would barge in on me and yell at me since she was the one paying the bill. I actually believe she knew as she once smiled and shook her head after I asked her for money to get some medication for him as he had come down with a cold. She did give me the money. At that time I was getting ready to move to Canada and I had never felt helpless and desperate at the same time. So the day eventually came, June 28 of 1998. I almost missed my plane saying my tearfull adios to him on the phone. I don't think I would have handled seeing him in person. So off I went and that was the beginning of the end of a fairy tale. I knew then that there was nothing wrong with me since that love for me felt pure and natural. Nothing toxic about it, it seemed. We stayed in touch via letters and e-mails but the distance eventually got the best of a beautiful thing. He stopped writing and I kept writing and I guess he eventually heard of my coming out and simply switched gears. He would send a "hi" via one of my sisters, as they were in regular contact but never directly to me. He eventually came to Canada as well and went to live with his friends out west. Then the strangest thing happened.
As if I hadn't suffered enough, fate had me move as well to that part of the country, where I'm residing right now. I never would have thought that I would be feeling this way since I was 178% sure I was over him, done and begone. But no, seeing him last night brought back everything I had burried long ago. The same amazing smile, the same affectionate look that he gives you as if you mean the world to him, the same sweet scent that has been locked in my brains all these years. I was mad, angry and terrified. I always thought I was less vulnerable than that. I know, that was my ego doing its job.There was a time when I would have given up everything just to be with him and I prayed time and again for a chance to be with him again. And now I believe more than ever in the words of India Arie when she said "...watch what you ask for, coz you might receive..." . Taken from Ready for love.

Brown skinned hotties.

2006-07-20T01:23:00.000-04:00

Distinguished hotties.

2006-07-19T18:45:00.000-04:00

Mid-week hotties.

2006-07-19T18:12:00.000-04:00

Early Britain had an "apartheid-ized" society.

2006-07-18T23:47:00.000-04:00

It's a well-known fact that modern day Britain has a predominantly germanic gene pool and that fact is well reflected in the language.The English language being a West Germanic language heavily influenced, in comparison with other Germanic languages, by French and Latin.
According to experts, migrants from Denmark, Holland and Germany would have settled there with a much higher economic power than native Britons and might have changed the local gene pool by out-breeding the natives.
More details available here

A lot happening from around the Globe.

2006-07-18T22:58:00.000-04:00

I have been away for the past week or so and since I have so much going on in my life right now, I barely have time to post. I stumbled upon this case online about six teenagers killed and then burned in Nakuru, north-west of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, on charges of rape and theft. The full story is available here.

Also in other news, still in Africa, or more precisely in the city of Cape Town, South Africa, a controversial ringtone has become a public topic of gossip since the ringtone was launched. The said ringtone is a racist song with lyrics that treat black people as "kafir", a derogatory term used since apartheid to degrade black people and goes further in saying how they should be tied and dragged behind the back of a racing truck.
Dr Lionel Louw, chief of staff for the office of the Premier in that part of the country and also a rep of the Moral Regeneration Movement says that the form of behaviour reflected in that ringtone is criminal and punishable by law.
Although he recognizes that it's quite difficult to trace the originator since the file is distributed via wireless technology.

Taking some time off...

2006-07-10T04:50:00.000-04:00

I love Toronto but every now and then I just feel like getting the heck outta here...So I'm doing it...I'm going to Edmonton (pictured here) to spend the summer with friends and family...I will be posting less often but will try my best to have the site running as usual.Cheers and see you in September!

World Cup fever...Thierry Henry's bulges.

2006-07-07T02:21:00.000-04:00

I have a new found obsession. Thierry Henry's bulges...Although I'm not particularly crazy over him,something about his lower body just gets into me. I can't wait to see the sexiest pair of legs hitting some ball against Italy this sunday for the World Cup finale.

Africa gets her own biblical version.

2006-07-07T00:50:00.000-04:00

For a long time, the Bible has been considered by Christians of all creeds to be the one book if ever, that God has inspired humankind with. There has been controversies after controversies and conspiracies after conspiracies as to who really wrote the Bible and what adjustments if any, have been made over the centuries by authorities. The latter have always been adamant that the scriptures are the closest they can get to the original books the Bible was flocked from.

And now Africa, the continent that has been, time and again until modern day, been subjugated by tyrants and invaders of all sorts in the name of all that is holly, gets her own version. How ironic.
It's not the actual Bible written in some african language. God knows there are enough of those. It's just a "sellection" of commentaries made by some "experts". I grew up reading the Bible in my native language so I know there are at least hundreds of other bibles from all corners of the continent. It's actually called The Africa Bible Commentary and its purpose is to explain the Bible from an "African point of view" or "African perspective", whatever that might be. It uses African folklore, proverbs, songs and illustrations since it was put together by some 70 theologians from 25 countries and 250 different cultural groups.

The editor Tokunboh Adeyemo says that since Paul's writings were inspired by local hebraic customs and similarly should african customs be taken into account when teaching the scriptures to the locals. He says that it's "a weaving of word of the Bible and the word of Africa."

What is actually interesting is that most african nations still hold onto their old animistic beliefs and still fuse them with whatever Abrahamic religion they've adopted. I've seen it first hand in my paternal grandma's house when I was growing up. And as much as it didn't mean much to me because I was still young, I saw how much fervour and passion they put into it.
Although I am an atheist now, I understand the need for them to have those spiritual rites.
I have my own personal beef with Abrahamic belief's impact on African societies but that's a whole different show.

Egypt's parliament wants movie about homosexuality banned!

2006-07-06T21:55:00.000-04:00

The Yacoubian Building is a movie about contemporary Cairo, Egypt. It deals with issues such as corrupted Imams, sexuality and poverty through the lives of residents in a downtown building called The Yacoubian. The movie is molded from the best selling novel by the same title.

Marwan and Wahid Hamed are Egypt's most celebrated father and son screenwriters. They have written well over 40 screenplays and in the father's own words he says "...I think the movie will be like a document of the time we live in..." and that "...the movie says in public what many citizens are thinking in private."

A hundred and twelve MPs have demanded censorship of the homosexual scenes saying that they are "defamatory and spread debauchery and obscenity" and that the movie goes against Egyptian values. One MP Mustapha Bakri said:"...as a citizen I felt hurt when I watched it. I respect freedom of expression and creativity, but this is neither."

The movie deals with the intertwined daily lives of residents of that building and according to Mr Bakri, the MPs did not actually call for a complete ban on the movie. Just asked that the "profane" scenes be deleted. He went on to say that "...novels and movies are not made to promote tourism, but to deal with real issues of life..." and asked "...it's a pity. How can a movie defame a great country like Egypt?Why aren't Italy, France or the US defamed by movies dealing with homosexuality?".

It's worth noting that Egypt is amongst the most conservative islamic countries in the World and issues like sexual behaviour are a big taboo. The most prolific example is the Queen Boat case, where 52 men were arrested on May 9th,2001 on counts of homosexual practices.
So much for a country that was once the sole superpower on the planet for an uninterrupted 4000 years!

"I am not my hair"...

2006-07-06T15:31:00.000-04:00

When I first saw the video, no, let me get this straight! I LOVE INDIA ARIE. So when I first saw the video, about a few weeks ago, I re-fell in love with her. And then last night, a couple of friends from out town and I decided to treat ourselves to a strip club.
This stripper that one of my friends liked and that I also happen to know from the community comes up to me for a chat and somewhere in the conversation he tries to explain to me why he doesn't go out to black clubs anymore and get this. Apparently most black guys hate him because he is light skinned!I know,eh! My jaw dropped. I was like, what? He goes on to say:"...well you guys don't understand, you guys are not really black, black!"
I go: "what do you mean we are not really black?" He goes on to explain that the fact that we are not "blue black" and also like to wear our hair in either mohawks or natural curls like some of my friends, and the fact that we are of African descent, the other dudes don't really care or even want to "compete" with us because we are not from the islands, you know, west indians!!! Oh my god, I was flabbergasted!!
So this morning I wake up and tune to BET and guess what video is on? India's I Am Not My Hair. Then it hit me. It actually wasn't about other guys hating his light-skinned ass but more like his discomfort towards his kind. I have seen him around and I know that he is into either brown guys or light brown, near or middle eastern looking guys like my friend he was talking to all night.
I have heard him before referring to some of my darker skinned friends as "the african boys". But he never calls me that. Apparently I am not african enough, or damn straight not black enough.
So in 2006 black people are not only still dealing with poverty, racism, and homophobia but we're also still dealing with self-hate in the form of skin shades, hair texture and the likes.
It's all going to be alright though. We shall overcome all this nonsense!

Nigerian Anglican bishops compares US branch to "cancer" to be excised!

2006-07-04T19:34:00.000-04:00

The US branch has for quite sometime now been estranged from the rest of the Church ever since the ordination of openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, as well as the blessing of same sex unions. The Archbishop of Canterburry, Dr Rowan Williams has written a proposal to implement some kind of associated branches to avoid full disintegration of the church; in which the Episcopal Church( the US branch) would have a lesser role.
The Nigerian church which is Africa's largest anglican church, with an estimated 17.5 million members fired back saying that his idea was as "brilliant" as "...the heartbeat of a leader who wants to preserve the unity of the Church by accommodating every shred of opinion no matter how unbiblical" and that "...A cancerous lump in the body should be excised if it has defied every known cure," they say.

"The Overwhelming" currently playing at the COTTESLOE THEATRE

2006-07-04T14:34:00.000-04:00

This is a play about the 1994 Rwandese genocide and it's taking place at the COTTESLOE THEATRE in London,UK. It runs 2 hours 25 minutes approximately,ends 30th August 2006. Captioned performance on 27th June 2006 at 7.30pm and Audio described performance 7th July 2006 at 7.30pm as well as 8th July 2006 at 2.30pm.
I hear it's staggering but I have no way of knowing,seeing as I'm on the other side of the Atlantic.

Male models that just do it for me.

2006-07-04T04:38:00.000-04:00

From top to bottom: Dante, Toby, Brent, Chris, Datari, Troy

More of them...

2006-07-04T04:29:00.000-04:00

From top to bottom: Brent, Darren, Antony Gallo, Troy, Brandon.

Arkansas man wakes up...19 years later!!

2006-07-04T01:17:00.000-04:00

Terry Wallis was barely 17 years old when he was hospitalized after a car accident back in 1984.
The car had plunged into a creek and his driver friend was unfortunately killed.
It's a well known fact that although patients in such a vegetative state can't move a finger in most cases their brains are still fully functional and they may exhibit some reactions such as cry,laugh or grimace.
In Terry's case, doctors believe his unbelievable recovery was partially due to weekend trips with family and friends which might have helped him remember certain things.
His first word was "Mom".
His 19 year old daughter was born shortly after the accident.

Witchcraft "legalized" in Zimbabwe...Ironically not same sex practices.

2006-07-04T00:54:00.000-04:00

The Zimbabwean government has lifted a centuries-old ban on witchcraft which first appeared back in colonial times when the hunting and burning of witches was rampant in Europe.
Of course like many other indigenous peoples, Zimbabweans have always believed in the supernatural and from day one they have believed the ban to be absurd since most of them are superstitious to an extent.
This comes as no surprise though. With the most notorious homophobe as its head of state, the government has long been known for using minimal issues as scapegoats to avoid dealing with the country's declining economy and so forth.

Europe's own "alien immigration" turns deadly...Again.

2006-07-03T15:07:00.000-04:00

For decades now Europe has faced an issue that requires more than just national guards and the likes on its borders with Africa. Sub-saharan Africans trying to get on the other side by way of sea-crossing techniques so dangerous that many of them have perished. That and the fact that Spanish guards (Spain being the closest to Africa) don't hesitate to shoot at sight at any one they see trying to climb the tall fences installed by the authorities.
So over the week end another boat carrying as many as 18 people sank off Morocco and two men fell off the 6 metres high fences on both sides of the fence and died instantly.
A few weeks ago another boat was discovered off the coasts of Trinidad & Tobago with everybody on board dead. Some had written good bye letters to their families explaining that they were dying of starvation and dehydration.
Unbelievable!

Tax exemption for baby items: Europe.

2006-07-03T14:54:00.000-04:00

As absurd as it may sound, the European Commission is split on whether or not young parents or old for that matter, should be exempted from paying taxes on babies' nappies.
Some say they're not medical items and they should not be exempted and others say Europe's low birth rates are a concern that should be tackled vividly and using tax exemption as an incentive should be implemented. Tough one!

Profiling hottie David Odonkor.

2006-07-03T14:28:00.000-04:00

Born Feburary 21st,1984 in Bunde,Germany,to a Ghanaian father and a German mother, Odonkor is a forward who happens to be very flexible that he can play left ,right and center.
Having had a knee injury and surgery,David is still a good prospect for the future of German soccer. Standing 5'9 tall and weighing just 163 lbs, Odonkor is just one delicious bundle of joy.

Profiling Henrik Larsson.

2006-07-02T20:56:00.000-04:00

Born September 20,1971 in Helsingborg, Sweden and of a Cape Verdian father and a Swedish mother, Larsson has played for such prestigious teams as Scotish Celtics and Barcelona.
He won the Golden Boot in 2001 for being Europe's most prolific goal scorer, with 35 league goals. A few months ago Henrik announced his decision to leave his current club F.C. Barcelona and return to Sweden which he represented at the World Cup.
An outspoken militant of anti-racism, Larsson stands about 5'10 tall and weighs 171 lbs of yummie-ness!!

After months of televised political unrest,massacres and the likes, Bush still "unaware" of the proceedings in Sudan's peace agreement!!

2006-07-02T14:18:00.000-04:00

I couldn't believe my eyes when I stumbled upon an article online about how "misinformed" Bush is when it comes to the Darfur conflict. In a World where England's defeat to Portugal, that of Brazil to France and Beckham's resignation as England's captain are histerically "mourned" and where even the remotest town south of Chile knows the scores of the games the minute they happen, I find it unbelievably disturbing that the most powerful man on the planet is actually getting the wrong information in regards to the dying peoples of the world.
Does that mean he doesn't read? Or watch the news on tv? Okay maybe he's way too busy to do his own research online. That I can actually understand. But for people to have been agonizing for years in what is now unanimously called the World's Worst Humanitarian Crisis and to still be using such excuses as "my informants are not that well informed" is not laughable but alarming.

Profiling England's Aaron Lennon

2006-07-01T13:29:00.000-04:00

Aaron Justin Lennon is a winger for Tottenham Hotspur and now for England's national team for the World Cup. At age 16 and 129 days he became the youngest player for Leeds United.
He was named man of the match several times after playing against Belarus and then Trinidad & Tobago and there have been some suggestions about him replacing Beckham on the right side of midfield. Born on April 16th,1987 Aaron stands only 5'5 and weighs about 140 lbs. I could care less about his height and weight though, the boy is still hotness!!

Profiling two soccer players today...

2006-06-28T00:53:00.000-04:00

Lilian Thuram was born on January 1st,1972 in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe and With the French national team, Thuram helped win the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He is currently considered one of the best defenders in the world. He plays for Juventus FC(Milan,Italy) and is also known for being a vivid activist in matters of race relations as he's been time and again subjected to racial slurs from some european fans.
He's about 5'10 and weighs around 160 lbs. I wish I had a sexy creole word for him but I'll just go with " très chaud "!

Like his teamate Thuram (Juventus FC), Fabio Canavarro is an excellent Italian player. Although not very tall for a central defender, Fabio is so good that he's the 2006 captain of Italy. Born on September 13, 1973 in Naples, Fabio stands 5'9 tall and only weighs 165 lbs. So much for this bel ragazzo.

BET's Humanitarian Award goes to Harry Belafonte and the Lifetime Achievement Award to Chaka Khan.

2006-06-28T00:08:00.000-04:00

I have always been a fan of Chaka Khan. Two of her songs that really give me the chills are Through the fire and Sweet thing. I also love I'm every woman but somehow I prefer the Whitney Houston version.
Having said that, I also have to mention a newfound respect for Harry Belafonte that I acquired tonite after watching BET's awards show. Honesty I had never thought that he was that much involved in humanitarian matters.
I have also been "mad" at BET for a few years now that most of the time I just skip through channels without even checking what might be on BET. And this, ever since they fired Tavis Smiley.
But tonight, BET just managed to win a few points from me by honoring two of the best (in my humble opinion) that Afro-America has given birth to.
Harry Belafonte stressed out how "un-fixed" these issues still are: two million men in jail, HIV/AIDS, famine and diseases in Africa and the rest of the third world,etc.
I felt moved and touched by his speech.
I honestly feel like BET could and should do much more than it's currently doing in terms of what our struggles as a people are, but in all fairness, they did well in honoring these two as their contribution is unparalleled.
Kudos BET!!

Profiling Ashley Cole.

2006-06-26T23:05:00.000-04:00

England and Arsenal defender Ashley was born in England on December 20,1980 and is of half Barbadian descent. He's been at Arsenal since his teenage years but signed as a pro soccer player on February 25,2000. He usually plays left wing and has helped his team win some of the biggest championships including the UEFA Champions league that Arsenal won to Barcelona this year.
The caramel skinned left winger is about 5'9 and only weighs 147 lbs. Although I like my boys tall and athletic, Ashley just happens to be one petite glass of hot chocolate.H-O-T!!
I will have to move on to the next hottest player though because this babe is totally engaged and soon to be married to Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy. I ain't mad at you,girl!!

Somali man jailed in Sweden on female genital mutilation charges.

2006-06-26T15:24:00.000-04:00

Swedish citizen Ali Elmi Hayow of Somali origin was sentenced to spend four years in prison for forcing his daughter to be circumsized back in 2001. He was also convicted of failing to obtain an approval from his ex-wife prior to making the trip with their children.
The little girl's lawyer were adamant that the father held her down while two other people were performing the operation, despite the dangers involved in the risky practice.

Female genital mutilation is widespread across the world but especially in Africa where the practice goes as far back as ancient Egypt. And it pre-dates Islam in most countries. Although the practice is now banned in most African countries, some traditions just never die.
The practice consists of removing the clitoris, stitching up the "lips" and leaving a small hole just to allow urine and menstrual blood to flow through. It is believed that the practice is meant to keep women chaste and faithful to their husband and some believe that it's also a way of giving maximum pleasure to the husband due to a tightened vagina.

It is estimated that 130 million women have under gone FGM in Africa, the Middle East and some Asian countries, and some 3 million women and girls are mutilated each year, according to the World Health Organisation.

Pride Toronto.

2006-06-26T15:19:00.000-04:00

Profiling Patrick Vieira.

2006-06-24T15:01:00.000-04:00

Senegalese-born but of Cape Verdian origin, Patrick Vieira is one of France's top assets. The chocolate skinned midfielder was born in Dakar on June 23rd,1976. He and his family moved to Paris when he was 8 and debuted at the age of 17 with AS Cannes and captained the team only two years later. He has played for such prestigious teams as AC Milan, Arsenal, Juventus and now France's national team for the World Cup.
The tall, dark and handsome Vieira is 6'4 tall and weighs 182 lbs.
Good Lord!

'Breast ironing' widespread in traditional Cameroon.

2006-06-24T14:36:00.000-04:00

I was shocked to read in the news that in some rural areas in Cameroon, overly possessive mothers and aunties actually try to prevent their daughters and nieces from giving in to the advances of young boys or grown men who see them as potential sexual partners.
So young girls who hit puberty early and start developping breasts and other female attributes will be seen as easy targets for men, and their breasts will be literally "hacked off" using some un-orthodox methods.
In some cases young girls will mutilate themselves with such horrific practices just to fit in. Or to avoid going through it forcibly by members of their family.
The most widely used instrument to flatten the breasts is a wooden pestle, used for pounding tubers in the kitchen. Heated bananas and coconut shells are also used.

There are some good news though. Although the practice is widespread, it's actually punishable by law. That is only if the matter is reported within months. Which means that if the young girl is intimidated by their torturer and has to wait until she heals, the authorities may not do anything about it. However with a doctor's report they can always file some sort of complaint.
Also some teenage girls have gotten together and formed the "Association of Aunties" to launch a campain with the main focus of exposing the practice and it's potential permanent damages.

What a world!!

Profiling David Trézéguet...

2006-06-23T16:17:00.000-04:00

I've made it a lifelong...I mean a World Cup-long commitment to profile those players that I find to be H-O-T. And in my opinion David Trézéguet is one of the hottest...I will make sure to post the top 20 hottest players by the end of the Championship.
"Dave" (yeah, it's that personal), was born on October 15,1977 in Rouen, France to a French mother and a French-Argentinian father, who was a pro football player himself.
Trézéguet won the 1998 World Cup with France, and scored the golden goal against Italy to give the French the2000 European Championship. He also played for France in the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. Trézéguet was named one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
He stands at 6'1 and weighs about 165 lbs of pure FINE-NESS... Yeah, uh-huh!!

Dictator threatens...Again!

2006-06-23T15:43:00.000-04:00

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe warned opposition movements who are planning to boycott a national day of prayer the President is expected to attend, that they are "dicing with death if they went ahead with a planned wave of street protests."

The country is suffering an unprecedented economic crisis and the President camp is explaining it away as a "result of a Western plot by those opposed to his seizure of white-owned farms."
Yeah they're actually serious.

Ola papi...Ribeiro Adriano...

2006-06-22T02:23:00.000-04:00

Yeah that's about all the spanish I can pull off for now. Okay,Okay...I know I said Malouda was one of the hottest soccer players for this World Cup but I didn't say he was the hottest!! Don't get it twisted now! Ribeiro Adriano IS!! Holly Mother of...Adriano! F-I-N-E. His full name is Leite Ribeiro Adriano and was born on a sunny (can you prove me otherwise?) Wednesday, February 17,1982 in Rio de Janeiro. He weighs about 189 lbs, stands at 6'2 and experts consider him the best player raised in Brazil in the last decade, that is since the appearance of Ronaldo. His body is chiseled in the long hours spent in a Milan gymnasium, you know since his day job is to play for Inter de Milan (Italy). As for his boots (size 43)...Well, let's just say that they give me chills...I've added a couple of pictures of him just for my own "well being".

I made a discovery today...Ozwald Boateng!

2006-06-22T01:35:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, I had never heard of O.B before today! And then as I sat home watching TV5...Yeah, one of my fave channels. Anyways...So this show comes on...Called D.
It's a Montreal-based fashion television show. And I see this tall ,lean black designer with an African last name and a british accent. The next thing I see, Ryan Seacrest, Jamie Foxx and the likes praising him. So I decided to google his ass and it turns out he used to be this great Creative Director at Givenchy. And now he's doing wonders to the straight male british populace and is coming to North America to take over thanks to Queer Eye For the Straight Guy or something like that.And it seems he once was named one of the Top 100 Great Black Britons. Sounds painful but hey...All the power to them.I checked out his designs...Oh my god...Dude can sew...Holly!!

Big plans for the week end...

2006-06-21T18:21:00.000-04:00

I just love it when it's sunny,not warm and dry but not humid in Toronto. You just want to hop on a bike and ride across town back and forth. And God knows there's so much to see in this city of ours. And to top it all off, some of my great friends from out of town are coming for Toronto Pride. Good times ahead, that much I can assure you.

Profiling Florent Malouda.

2006-06-20T21:51:00.000-04:00

One of the hottest soccer players for this World Cup Championship(both on the field and in my wild dreams... Ahem) happens to be Cayenne born Florent Malouda.
This french Guyanese born genius currently plays for Lyon, is one of France's best assets so far, weighs 161 and stands at 5'11...Mmmm sounds good to me.

David Morales in Toronto for pride festivities.

2006-06-20T15:33:00.000-04:00

Dance music's famous remixer David Morales will be giving us a taste of his recipe. As the pride week end festivities get closer and closer, the famed DJ is expected to awe us once more at Sonic on June 24th and will be at Stereo bar in Montréal tomorrow June 21st.

The genius of remixes has worked with a variety of artists such as Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Jamiroquai and so many more.

Ex justice minister to be tried in connection with Rwandan Genocide.

2006-06-20T13:00:00.000-04:00

Agnes Ntamabyariro, 69, was captured in Zambia in 1997 and had been awaiting her trial on alleged links to the awfull masacres of over a million people in Rwanda during the 1994 Genocide. She's the highest ranking person of the former government to be tried in a local court as most of the cases are being tried in Arusha, in neighboring Tanzania.

As we commemorate World Refugee day, we should take the time to remember that millions of refugees fled the war torn country and even though some of them managed to come back as the country rebuilds itself, thousands are still scattered across the dense forest of eastern Kivu (modern day Democratic Republic of Congo) in horrible conditions. Images of suffering women and children, who often find themselves forcibly being enrolled in the rebelious armies surrounding them, make daily headlines but the international community has yet to act. Neighboring Burundi is currently living the same fate as its cousin to the north where horrific acts have been perpetrated over and over against innocent civilians for well over a decade now.

If it's not famine and diseases, women and children also have to worry about being gang raped either by the soldiers or the rebels. I remember watching an episode on Oprah where a young woman from Uganda recalled the horrors of being used as a human shield by one of the army officials. It was unbearable to watch so I had to imagine what she had been through.

Tonight on Anderson Cooper 360, Angelina Jolie is going to sit down with the famed broadcaster and talk about the plight of refugees in Africa and the rest of the World.
Hopefully enough people will tune in to watch.

Debt relief for world's poorest nations,most of which are in Africa

2006-06-20T01:04:00.000-04:00

At the Gleneagles, Scotland summit last year, the most powerful nations agreed on 100% cancellation of the world's poorest countries; most of which are in sub-saharan Africa. On one condition though. The said countries had to complete a pre-requisite point which could be summarized as being able to maintain an economic stability and building the foundation for sustainable economic growth.
Here's a list of some of the countries which have successfully reached the completion point:
Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
------
“We have secured the total votes necessary to enact the Multilateral Debt Relief initiative,” said World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz. “Countries will now be able to put more resources into programs that directly help those who need it most - the poor who need better education, better health services and greater access to clean water, for example.”

Hijack attempt in South Africa.

2006-06-20T00:34:00.000-04:00

A University of Cape Town student, Tinashe Rioga, 21 was apprehended after taking for hostage an air hostess with a syringe, BBC online reports. The young man demanded that the plane be flown to portuguese speaking Maputo, Mozambique.
Needless to say that with South Africa having one of the highest HIV infections in the world,and the fact that South African criminals often use HIV as a possible weapon, the man must have used that potentially infected syringe on that poor stewardess. Thank goodness that some passengers actually overpowered him and handed him to the police after landing back to Cape Town.
Just sad...

Men more suicidal than women?...Errrr...not in China!

2006-06-19T23:55:00.000-04:00

This actually happens to be true and sad at the same time. I was just browsing through the web as usual, and I stumbled upon an article on BBC online which puzzled the living soul out of me.
China being the most populous country in the whole World, home to about one-fifth of the world's population and as anywhere else, women outnumbering men,there's a growing concern about societal pressures on women,mosty based on traditional beliefs that seem to belittle women in so many aspects. The full extent of this worrisome trend is available on the site below:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/5086754.stm

Matte Babel,the hottest VJ on tv today...

2006-06-19T22:14:00.000-04:00

This in my opinion is the hottest tv personality alive.
Matte Alexandros Babel was born in Thornhill, Ontario and graduated from Wilfried Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario with a double major in communications and sociology. After graduating, Matte showed up at MuchMusic and convinced the station to hire him as a VJ...Well, he would have convinced me of anything...Ahem...Moving on...His favorite artists are OutKast, Kanye West, Jigga, Spice Girls, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, BSB.Matte Babel has lived in New York City, Atlanta, Toronto, Milton and now he calls Hamilton,Ontario,home.He has an older brother, a young brother, and a young sister. Apparently he played semi pro football in Austria...Okay...He considers himself to be a "cool dude" who values originality in people. His advice: "Just be you."Way to go Matte!!

Quai Branly Museum Exhibit:Re-discovering indigenous art.

2006-06-19T21:16:00.000-04:00

From top left, clockwise : Marquesas Islands(French Polynesia),Kafir Bafhgali woman(Pakistan), Ife head(Nigeria), Aztec sculpture.

I just finished watching this amazing documentary on TV5 and I was just blown away.
It was a two-hour long exhibit of ancient art from "les quatres coins du monde", the full content of which will be displayed at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris when the museum officially launches off on June 23rd this year.
The museum will be displaying thousands of collections of ancient and contemporary art from as far away as indigenous Australia and China to the deepest forest of New Calédonia, via Africa.
I just wish I was in Paris when it launches off but I guess I will catch the exhibition some other time.
You can get a glimpse of the the show-in french I might add- by clicking on this link http://www.tv5.ca/horaire-television/details-emission/54/13270_SpecialmuseeduQuaiBranly.html

Toronto Pride week 2006...Goodies!!!

2006-06-19T15:03:00.000-04:00

Pride Week is the fun and fabulous arts and culture festival that happens each year in Toronto. Pride Week celebrates our diverse sexual and gender identities, histories, cultures, families, friends and lives. Check out this link for details http://www.pridetoronto.com/
But of course for some of us, pride week also means, hunky hunks with shirtless sweaty bods walking up and down the legendary Yonge Street (the longest avenue in North America?!?) as well as a display of numerous vendor booths, artisans and the likes on the famous Church Street.

For me it means all of the above but especially the "pride after-event" part of it. What black people here call "Blockorama"or "Homo hop" also refered to as "Fierce Fearless Fabulous".

Stage show includes the incredible Michelle Ross, DC king’s roKETT, vocalist extraordinaire Ashley Veronica and Homohop stars Deep Dickollective of Oakland, California.

"Include the un-included",says Katharine Jefferts Schori on CNN

2006-06-19T14:32:00.000-04:00

I knew that electing a woman as a bishop was a huge step for the episcopalian church but I had no idea that this particular lady was in favor of the ordination of Gene Robinson. Today on CNN, she briefly explained how she went from a catholic school girl to an oceanographer to faith and how essays from Einstein and the likes inspired her to ask the deeper questions in life. She was then asked whether or not she believes being a homosexual is sinful and she said " I don't believe so". She said that each and everyone of us is given a "different gift" and that some people find affection towards the opposite sex and others to the same. She was asked if the bible should be taken as black and white and she responded that a book to be written about the experiences of people who lived well over a couple of thousands of years before us doesn't tell us how to wear our clothes or even how to eat our foods, both of which are not observed today and that rather the book should be about how to love and cherish one another, as Jesus so vividly reminded us.
She also said that the teachings should be about "including the un-included". I just loved that last part. Now, I'm an atheist as some people know but I can't help it but applaude this woman.
I'm pretty sure she's bringing to the table what no one before has ever done.
Good job.

War crime dictator to be jailed in Britain.

2006-06-15T14:16:00.000-04:00

Excerpt from BBC online:

This paves the way for his trial to start in The Hague, after other European countries refused to host him.
A UN-backed tribunal in Sierra Leone, where he is in prison, wants the trial to be moved due to security fears.
Mr Taylor faces 11 war crimes charges after allegedly backing rebels in the decade-long Sierra Leone civil war.
"I was delighted to be able to respond positively to the request of the United Nations Secretary General, that, should he be convicted, Charles Taylor serve his sentence in the UK," British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett said
However, she said new legislation would be required. Mrs Beckett said the decision showed the UK's "commitment to international justice".
The Dutch government agreed to host Mr Taylor's trial, as long as he was imprisoned in another country if he was convicted.
Both Sierra Leone and Liberia are recovering from years of conflict, in which Mr Taylor played a central role.
Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who took office in January, said she feared that putting Mr Taylor on trial in West Africa could lead to renewed instability.
Britain, the former colonial power in Sierra Leone, sent troops to help oust rebels from the capital, Freetown in 2000.
Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front rebels were notorious for mutilating civilians, by hacking off their arms or legs with machetes.
The UK's minister for Africa, Lord David Triesman, said they started the process in Sierra Leone "and we want to finish it".
"We believe that this is a really strong - probably the strongest signal you could send anywhere in Africa - that there is no impunity, that major criminals will be brought to justice and if they are sentenced they will serve their time," he told Reuters news agency.