Enter the Dragon. I am. Bruce Lee

Grew up with a picture of Bruce Lee on the bedroom wall
Bruce Lee
The Icon

Back in the day we used to enjoy Martial arts films alot.. you know the ones..with the out of sync sound..
Sometimes I'd watch til the early hours.. if the vibe was right

An old friend used to call me Bruce as a pet name from time to time...hey it was even more cool to have the surname Lee!!

It's super Friday... and we've made it through the week, and in honour of Chinese New Year, here's a selection of quotes and pictures. of none other than the man himself

Bruce Lee

On Love

'Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable'.

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On Life

'If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of'.

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'To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person'.

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More about
Bruce Lee

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Happy Friday x

Friday Dancehall Mix

Demarco

I can't get enough of this one.. pon repeat :)


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Tommy Lee
Guy dancing in the mask at 1:07..



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Annie Khalid Ft Beenie man



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Beenie man

Villagisation, Land Grabs and Development

Aljazeera's People & Power, explores this issue in this short film on Ethiopia. An interesting watch.



The world bank funding resettlement programmes or villagisation to make way for foreign investors?
Children, whilst waiting for school teachers promised to them as part of the resettlement deal, working on the land owned by the investors?

'Opportunities 'post conflict' are phenomenal'
Yes, that is true.

Ft Ellie Goulding & Rudimental Ft Ella Eyre

My breakfast tune..



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Rather Be

It's absolutely freezing out tonight!!
Wow..Gonna warm up now..



This Friday 31st January 2014 is Chinese New Year
The Year of Horse

The Horse is apparently one of Chinese favorite animals. The Horse provided people with quick transportation before automobiles. The Horse is a symbol of traveling, competition and victory. That's why the Horse is connected to speedy success in China.

Horses like to compete with others in pursuit of their freedom, passion and leadership. That implies that people will have busy schedule for their goals in the year of Horse. Horse hour of the Chinese Horoscopes is from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. Sunshine generates lots of heat during the Horse hour. Therefore, the Horse is connected to heat, fire and red. Horses like the social activities, because Horses like to show off themselves. The Horse is a social animal, and red is also connected to love, therefore, The Horse is treated as a Romantic Star in the Chinese Horoscope.

Genghis Khan built the Mongol Empire with the aid of Horses. The Mongol Horses were a smaller breed, they were bred for endurance, not for speed like stallions. Genghis Khan conquered Eastern Europe so quickly because Eastern European countries never realized Mongol cavalry can arrive their territories so fast and they didn't have enough time to prepare the defense. They said each Mongol cavalryman had three or four horses.

Mongol cavalryman even knew how to sleep in the saddle. That's why they could travel long distances without stopping. We know Horses can sleep while standing. Mongolian Horses had a better sleeping skill..when they ran in a group, the Horse in the center could sleep while running.

The Horse is an intelligent animal but without a human's guide, a Horse just a wild animal. It doesn't know where to go. There is no destination in its life.
source

Me personally?, I absolutely love Horses. I've long wanted to take riding lessons but I've just never got around to it. ( and I have stables not far away from me!!)
I think they're stunning looking animals, and extremely intelligent. I find them graceful and strong.
I think Horses understand when you speak to them. I think they love.
I was horrified and disgusted when I heard of the Horsemeat scandal last year.. and not just because I'm a 'so called' pescatarian
Someone said.. 'well what did you think they did with them?'
In truth I never did think along those lines.
I think it was wrong to pass off one meat for another, and anyway, I think Horses are special. How hungry are we to be eating Horses?
I love most animals but my favourite animal is a Horse - did you know that already?
Apart from our cats Rocky and Snoop that is!
( They're too cute for words)

On having a cold - and feeling soul safe

Wednesday evening and my eyes hurt.
and my head aches a little.
No… quite a bit.

I definitely could do with a Dawna day.
A nice day.
I still have a cold which is a little annoying if not simply inconvenient.
I wonder sometimes if it's possible to schedule colds or flu to more convenient times.
But who'd ever want one?
Have you ever noticed that if you take a day off work, any illness or aches and pains you may have been unaware of come rushing to the surface?

I tend to say the reason that happens is because ‘we’ run on pure energy, and that energy - (or adrenalin) has the power, at times, to override all else.
Sometimes we go into fight or flight mode
Sometimes
We fight, when we need to, and flee, when we need to.
And both are equally powerful - right?
Yeah, sometimes

As I give myself a moment…
I feel deep down that I may miss a few things, even a few of my old acquaintances, from way back.
They're fine, but sometimes I miss spending my nights in the studio, leaving in the early hours. Miss Mike.
I miss being understood, unquestioned, miss connecting, feeling safe
Soul safe
Do you know what I mean?
I remember one summer travelling on the train and feeling completely free, happy if you like. I remember it also because a random commuter, a man , dropped a note in my lap written on the back of a train ticket as he stepped off
I still have it today.
Outside of that action, I have no real recollection of the person at all.
But it's a nice memory.
But then I have lots of nice memories.
Every time I walk across campus arriving or leaving is a nice memory.
We create them all the time.. we just tend not to notice

Being with your family?
Enjoying your friends..
Enjoying your solitude..
Lovers..
Exploring your interests..
New places, people..
Curling up on the sofa and watching your favourite show..
Candlelight meal in/ or out
I'm sure you could write a long list if you wanted to
I bet you'll smile

One of my James Baldwin Books arrived this evening!, I’m so happy about that
I can begin to dip in - in fact..i'll take it to bed.
It's small.. almost 'backpocket small'.. perfect

Okay, now it's time for me to shift this blasted cold,
I've lots to do, and to look forward to, and because outside of that...
I’m feeling fine
It's all new.. again
Guess I feel soul safe after all

I watched Being Mary Jane last night, caught it by chance
Pretty cool
I wonder.. will I get there
I'm sure I will
Someday
Cup of tea calls.. night x

Grammy pics?

Talented pairs

and talented couples

Pharrell's hat has received a lot of attention..
Hey I like his cool style

As has Madges outfit..

and In honour of that outfit.. a li'l sup'm for the Cane

Looked like a fun night at the 2014 Grammy Awards.. now let me be a critic :)

There's a lot of love for Pharrell in our house
and Stevie Wonder..

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Madonna turned up looking like an 80yr old extra from Django Unchained!!

Only thing missing from her were the words..
'..seriously.. y'all betta recognize...'
She sure is funny sometimes.

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I have to give this some more thought.. but I think there tends to be an assumption made that if a person is gay, they can't be sexist or racist.
Would that be a correct assumption?
Also, I'm not sure if it's helpful to equate the civil rights, or struggle for racial equality, with gender equality, and gay rights. Perhaps it makes sense to universalize..?
I'll think about that some more.
Maybe we'll discuss it this week, as we continue to deconstruct Identity

I am sure that is one cool tune

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Pharrell is like the King at the moment
so cute

I asked Ti if Pharrell's Canadian...





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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis beat - for Best Rap Song..

ASAP Rocky feat. Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar – "F***in' Problems"
Jay Z feat. Justin Timberlake – "Holy Grail"
Kanye West – "New Slaves"
Drake – "Started From the Bottom"


and for Best Rap Album..

Drake – Nothing Was the Same
Jay Z – Magna Carta… Holy Grail
Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City
Kanye West – Yeezus

Maybe next time Drake fans..

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Ziggy Marley - won Best Reggae over Beres Hammond... !?!
now just hold it right there.. !
..hold on a doggone minute..

These awards shows.. what's going on??
Hey I love Ziggy,but..
I hope the Grammys don't go down the Eurovision song contest route.
Am I being over the top..?
You bet cha

Beres deserved that award.
Reggae fans absolutely love Beres, and it would have been nice to shine the spotlight on him this time
Looked like a fun night.. and I hope we get to see it here in the UK

Snoop Lion was also nominated for Best Reggae?!?... yeah I love him, but.. seriously..'y'all betta recognize!'

on Lauryn Hill

Happy Sunday all x

The heavens opened and rain fell hard yesterday evening. I opened the door and was amazed at what can best be described as some kind of un-tropical tropical storm. The brightest lightening followed by the hardest thunder, and strong winds making seeing anything pretty difficult.
South London didn't get a drop.
and 10mins later.. it was gone.

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..'even with the gift I have now.. I've leaned on god for so long.. hey god you've just gave me this gift an' I'm gonna go out there and sing.. but it's only now that I'm realising how much larger, and how expansive my gift becomes when I actually pay attention to it, and try to practice, and try to perfect it..'


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James Baldwin

“All I know about music is that not many people ever really hear it. And even then, on the rare occasions when something opens within, and the music enters, what we mainly hear, or hear corroborated, are personal, private, vanishing evocations. But the man who creates the music is hearing something else, is dealing with the roar rising from the void and imposing order on it as it hits the air. What is evoked in him, then, is of another order, more terrible because it has no words, and triumphant, too, for that same reason. And his triumph, when he triumphs, is ours.”

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“People can cry much easier than they can change.”

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“Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within. I use the word "love" here not merely in the personal sense but as a state of being, or a state of grace - not in the infantile American sense of being made happy but in the tough and universal sense of quest and daring and growth.”
― The Fire Next Time -

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“Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.”

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“Freedom is not something that anybody can be given. Freedom is something people take, and people are as free as they want to be”

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“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.”

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“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.”
― The Fire Next Time -

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“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”

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“Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves in totems, taboos, crosses, blood sacrifices, steeples, mosques, races, armies, flags, nations, in order to deny the fact of death, the only fact we have. It seems to me that one ought to rejoice in the fact of death--ought to decide, indeed, to earn one's death by confronting with passion the conundrum of life.”
― The Fire Next Time -

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“I can't believe what you say, because I see what you do.”

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"Fires can't be made with dead embers, nor can enthusiasm be stirred by spiritless men. Enthusiasm in our daily work lightens effort and turns even labor into pleasant tasks".

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"The responsibility of a writer is to excavate the experience of the people who produced him".

- Interviews -







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I do love me some Toni Braxton

If I ever had a girl crush.. Toni would be on that list

I have a cold from Hellelujah
Gonna wrap up warm today
Stay home n stay sweet

Toniiiiiiiiiii

Toni Braxton - Libra

Tracks taken from Toni's Libra Album.

Mellow Friday evening.
and after a busy week.. it's ...
Nice x

The weekend is upon us.. have a great one all :)




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'baby ama call you later..'


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Toni & Babyface

You got me; The Roots

Somewhere in C.A.R

2 women have very different stories to tell.
and I would love to interview them both

Who is Catherine Samba-Panza?

I've never heard of her until now.

But after a series of coups and ongoing conflict, Catherine is the new Interim president of the Central African Republic. [click]
She was born on 26 June 1954 in Chad - her father from Cameroon, and mother from CAR

She is reported to have stated in her victory speech

"I call on my children, especially the anti-balaka, to put down their arms and stop all the fighting. The same goes for the ex-Seleka - they should not have fear. I don't want to hear any more talk of murders and killings... Starting today.. I am the president of all Central Africans, without exclusion,"

As an outsider, this came as a surprise to me, so I wanted to find out more about her, but I haven't found out much yet.

Apparently she has been the Mayor of Bangui,and previously studied corporate law in Bangui and then in Paris.
When she returned from France to the CAR, she founded a firm of insurance brokers
She entered politics in 2003 after then president Ange-Felix Patasse was overthrown in a coup led by François Bozizé, who was himself deposed by Djotodia last year. (2012)
(partial source FRANCE 24 with AP)

Her appointment also has the approval of France

I'm sure there is a very compelling story here, and will be interesting to see how things progress in CAR (in the hope that they do of course).
Apparently, it was important to appoint someone with no links to either side..
So just who is Catherine Samba - Panza?

Poverty Porn?

Could actually be a very neat way to describe a show like 'Benefits Street'
[click]
But can it really turn anyone on to watch people on welfare benefits living in relative squalor in the UK today?
Hmmm.. not sure.. but I'd love to know

Perhaps those on the right get a rush of blood to the head, and a wave of euphoric adrenalin as they bay for blood in the knowledge that dependency culture is 'real', and they witness what they consider to be good money being thrown away as people do nothing yet get 'free' tax payers money.

And then perhaps those on the left get an equivalent rush also, as it appeals to the softer hearted among us who want to care for, nurture, and 'understand' the pressure people are under in this policy created bout of new poverty.

I'd heard about the show a few times, and it was mentioned in class last week so I thought I'd take a peep last night.
From what I can gather it’s a street in Birmingham, where almost 80% if not more of the residents are unemployed.
I'll save you a little time.
It's a horrible show.
and yes..I suspect there are some really nice people taking part in the programme
Yet, I felt a little dirty after watching it..



But then I remembered it’s a show like any other, and from what I understand, reality shows are relatively cheap to make.
It's not a documentary or film about welfare necessarily, and it’s not a film that showcases or discusses the largest group of new welfare claimants, (the so called 'in work poor') toying or making fun of the premise that work is always the best route out of poverty ( which it is right?)
No.. It’s just a show ( interestingly..of the entertainment variety)
and it's a show about people ( who occupy the lower, or underclass's)
So I guess It's a show about class... or depending on how you use the word.. a lack of.

The kind of show that may provide a laugh or too, tug at a tear duct or too, or simply annoy you immensely.
A show which may make some say.. thank god that's not me
Or.. I can relate
Either way,
It’s a bear baiting kind of show, so bad it could suck you in. Children up all hours, lots of shouting, sob stories, etc.
But then I only saw one episode.

They're good folk, ( Hey!!..I suspect that there are times when having a neighbour like 'White Dee' could be a blessing) and I wish them all well.

Will I see more?
Only if I'm horny for Poverty Porn (I'm liking that phrase) ...but that's a long shot.. as it's really not my kink.




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taken from the Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey - edited by Amy Jacques-Garvey

On women..

What the night is to the day, is woman to man. The period of change that brings us light out of darkness, darkness out of light, and semi-light out of darkness are like the changes we find in woman day by day. She makes one happy, then miserable. You are to her kind, then unkind. Constant yet inconstant. Thus we have woman.
No real man can do without her

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On Love..

A happy but miserable state in which man finds himself from time to time; sometimes he believes he is happy by loving, then suddenly he finds how miserable he is. It is all joy, it sweetens life, but it does not last. It comes and goes, but when it is active, there is no greater virtue, because it makes one supremely happy. We cannot hold our love, but there is one love that never changes or is mistaken, and that is God's. The longer we hold our love, the nearer we approach like unto our Creator.

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“The pen is mightier than the sword, but the tongue is mightier than them both put together.”

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The world has now reached the stage when humanity is really at the parting of" the ways. It is a question of "Man Mind Thyself."

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Men who are in earnest are not afraid of consequences.

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We are living in a civilization that is highly developed. We are living in a world that is scientifically arranged in which everything done by those who control is done through system; proper arrangement, proper organization, and among some of the organized methods used to control the world is the thing known and called "propaganda."

Propaganda has done more to defeat the good intentions of races and nations than even open warfare.

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You can be educated in soul, vision and feeling, as well as in mind. To see your enemy and know him is a part of the complete education of man; to spiritually regulate one's self is another form of the higher education that fits man for a nobler place in life, and still, to approach your brother by the feeling of your own humanity, is an education that softens the ills of the world and makes us kind indeed.

-Amy Jacques-Garvey -

Monday?

A good day.
I heard someone mention that today was 'Blue Monday'
A depressing day when many people feel 'blue', higher bills to pay, broken resolutions, etc etc

I wonder how many people felt fine before they heard that...
( the subliminal power of words and all that)

Fortunately, I haven't found today blue at all.
No blue Monday for me.
Today has been alright.

So happy Monday all x.
Take it in your stride.
If you felt 'blue'... be kind to yourself.. one step at a time
and.. just because, here is a bad joke to get you smiling..

"A woman comes into the kitchen to talk to her husband and says, "Honey just look at me. My legs are heavy, thighs are getting big, and boobs are sagging. I could really use a complement right about now." The husband replied, "You have really good eye sight!"

The Mask

Run on Sunday

Sounds like some type of city shenanigans
But it's not.

This Sunday is a late morning start, and finds me with a bit of a cold and stomach ache.
Nothing major, but enough to have delayed my morning run.
Burn off some of that post Christmas extranicebuttness. Well not burn off exactly, just.. take care of it. ( blink and you'll miss it)
Yet here I am, drinking tea.

I'm sad to hear the news presenter Komla Dumor has died. 41yrs young.
I remember the 1st time I saw him reading the news it was really late/early morning BBC, and I thought.. cool.. nice change.
I followed him on Twitter after that. He came across as a really nice man
By all accounts he has had a wonderful career [click]
RIP Komla

Myself?
I will catch up on some news, finish my weekly reading, cook, maybe watch a movie, rest.. oh and run.
No big plans.. hoping for an easy like Sunday morning kinda day
Have a nice day all
Happy Sunday x.

On 12 yrs a Slave.. and a comment

In my opinion, the trailer and poster do little justice to the film.

In fact, after having watched the trailer I was unmoved, more interested in seeing the likes of the Wolf of Wall Street, or Anchor-man 2
Anyway marketing aside... I finally went to see it.

I took a stroll over to the Picturehouse in Hackney, which is fast becoming my favourite cinema (rating it as one of the finest in London), and not just because of the screen size (big) and quality (crisp), or even the seat size (big) and quality (plush), but due to the amalgamation of the overall new- 'niceness' of the auditorium.
Anyway, venue aside..

I was surprised by the number of people in attendance. In fact I was quite fortunate to get any seats at all. At first glance it looked mainly like an after work crowd, (which made sense due to the time I went), yet in comparison to the Best Man Holiday 2 which had an predominantly black audience, the audience was predominantly white.. Okay... this is interesting, I thought
Thru a sociological lens it stoked a few questions...
Anyway, audience aside..

The film itself is captivating.

Quite harrowing, yet I didn't take my eyes off the screen.
There is a look of absolute bewilderment on the face of Chiwetel Ejiofor, throughout the film that he captures so well. It's a look of bewilderment, fear, confusion, perhaps aghast at the ability of human beings to not only possess, but to express, and action, such a level of inhumanity.

Ironically, it’s a look I feel I've seen many times.

What is striking about the film, is not what is said... but what remains unsaid.
Not what is shown, but what isn’t shown.
As graphic as certain images may have been, they were relatively few in number. I was required to read several accounts of slavery last year, that were explicitly violent. We are given a 'snapshot'

We are provided with an insight into the mental sexual and physical abuse, which cast aside any Marxist views or assumptions that slavery was purely an economic venture.
Classifications of so called races began years before exploration into Africa even occurred.
But mud sticks.
The film is a reminder that the African slave trade is our recent history. That even after some slaves bought, or were granted their freedom, they were still often treated as slaves, and this particular story (which I’d not heard of previously) is the story of one such free man being kidnapped and sold.
Is there a difference with regards to whether one is born into slavery, or is captured and violently forced to become one?
I would argue there is.

Chiwetel's portrayal of a man (Solomon Northup) ripped away from his family and cast into hell was tortuous to watch.
Yet as I watched the film, I was constantly reminded that this, despite being one man’s story, Is an example of the story/s of many men and women, no doubt.

There are scenes which perhaps offer an insight, into a number of contemporary issues, and whilst there are many who argue that there were Africans who willing sold their fellow man to slavery for little material gain, it’s worth remembering that those who lived under colonialism suffered greatly. I suggest that even those who decided to work for their oppressors, suffered great loss... Whether they realised it at the time or not, and the legacy of that, exists to this day.

At the end of the film a few clapped (as is often customary) but not many. and I didn’t clap either. I didn’t much feel like clapping.
What I felt, was an overriding sense of respect for those people who found the strength to carry on, and even those who didn't.
To fight against such a debasing system of cruelty.
For generations to have lived through such trauma, scattered and left to redefine and recreate themselves, to face such oppression yet still love, still smile, and still, generation after generation bring ‘it’ every time. How is that possible?
Yet it has been, and it is.

NB. I really don’t wanna hear the N word again.

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That comment?

During a recent discussion a lady stated that she was uspet because her young 5yr old daughter came home (equally upset), and asked her..
'Mummy... am I black??'

I wanted to let it be, but I said..
'That can only be an issue... depending on what you think being black is'

Hope she speaks to me next week but if not.. sod it. You gotta be kiddin me.

Saturday singalong - Jah Cure - Before I leave

My Day - T Riley

Hey Mr Riley.. wait for your royalties.. some might call that 'shop lifting' lol - nice vid



Morning all

Orientalism? sorted.. :)

I'm really pleased because my presentation went really well tonight. I did quite a lot of work last night writing up the supporting script. It was me and one other student. He's so cool with his commanding voice, very animated, and an ex headteacher so I was taking no chances… I went first!!.
I needn't have worried. We were both on point, and our presentations were both great!
I was nervous at the start :)
Not sure why but I think it may be because I know, that they know, their stuff.
Got good feedback from my lecturer which was very cool

Now.. I can relax on that, focus on my essay, and enjoy the presentations to come!

My presentation was on Orientalism, so I spoke on the work of Said, Anderson on Nation/Nationalism as a counter discourse, Huntington, on the Clash of Civilizations, and Hall on the West and the Rest
Fit quite a bit in for 5-10 mins

Anyway.. off the bedfordshire soon
Hope you all had a nice day

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Edward Said

'The essence of orientalism is the ineradicable distinction between western superiority and oriental inferiority' (Said 1985)


Stuart Hall

‘In a sense, Orientalism was a library, or archive of information commonly held..'

Ideas or a set of values that enable Europeans to explain the behaviour, of Orientals, supplant them with a mentality, it can be argued that Orientalism equipped Europeans with a system to manage, explain, and deal with .. difference.

Monday's child..

Remember this..?

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child that's born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny, blithe, good and gay.

This came to mind because it's Monday.. ( odd huh?) perhaps.. but Monday's child we be..

I've got to put a presentation together on Orientalism ( fortunately it's only a short one that's required)
unless.. I decide on Orientalism as my choice of essay in which case, I will need to select something else
Hmmm, got to go with my gut. I'll decide tonight.
So.. after dinner, and in between the News, King of Queens, Eastenders, and CBB, I shall be tapping away at it.

If i'm very good I'll blank everything else out this evening and just focus on that..
But it's Monday, so I'll ease in gently.

Plus..never underestimate thinking time.. I sure need that. I love that
Happy Monday........................................................................................ !

Yep Happy..The 7pm version

Who's that girl?

My favourite rapper..
It's Eve of course :)



.. and back then..



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Angie Stone: I wanna thank ya

One of my favourite Angie Stone tunes..

Has a pretty cool bass line..
( I've never noticed Idris as the postman before)

A few thoughts for Sunday

and i'm in the mood for a nice easy track.



Having a chat with someone about life and choices got me thinking about mistakes I have made, or choices which if I were on the outside observing me, I may have felt were poor choices.

Nothing unusual about them , and in some ways it is the fact that these so called poor choices were not unusual that made me feel a little sad for a moment.

If I can recognise them clearly in others now, how could I not see them in myself then?
Because I didn't know then.
Thought I was somehow immune to the obvious outcome?
No idea.
I was a lot younger then
( yet i suspect there's room for more:)

I think that sometimes there are those among us who will do or say things they wouldn't ordinarily do, or believe in, in order to gain something: affection, attention, respect, admiration, a person, .. anything
But it's not really genuine is it

Perhaps that's just the way it is.

I knew a girl once who changed her diet to suit a guy. She suddenly liked the taste of beer, and chicken. ( previously alcohol free and vegetarian)
At best it's relatively harmless (they say imitation is a high form of respect)
But at worst it can ruin a persons life. e.g Drug abuse or prostitution. I remember reading somewhere that a high percentage of women on 'the game' got into it via a boyfriend.

I think it helps to have a vision for your life, the kind of people you'd like to share it with, and that you remain on track, with degrees of flexibility of course.. remaining open to new things etc. Yet, having said all that.. I've read that 'we' can never really be 'off track' even if things don't make sense to an observer, and even during those 'poor choices'

You believe that?

There's a scene in the film Runnaway bride where Julia Roberts cooks her eggs 3 ways.. to decide for herself which eggs she truly preferred. ( and i'm not sure why I remembered that)
Enjoy your day

What do Mr Men sound like?

Whilst reading Mr Greedy to Kai, I really wanted to spice it up.

"Oh I know, can I give him a Jamaican accent?.."
I began.. " now dat was a really delicious breakfast..
"No!".. said Kai dryly. "you can't!"

Charming.

Talk to Aljazeera: Rabbi Dovid Weiss + Hailemariam Desalegn

Al Jazeera - On the negative racist stereotypes of black women - and its impact/s

Congo: Chaos - by design

How long will American continue to fund conflicts in mineral rich African states?
Spotlight on American neocolonial neoliberal foreign policy
Interesting interviews











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Weekend hugs

XO

Thursday night selection ft Luton Fyah

This week has gone by very quickly.
Came home and slept for about 2hrs... seem to have caught my second wind now, so definitely not as tired

I don't drink coffee but I can appreciate the whole... 'stay awake boost' some people claim to get
Anyway... weekend is almost upon us, and that feels good.. simply because...

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Have you ever thought about the ways in which some people’s relationships end?... or at least the reasons why they end. There are times when it's quite clear... other times.. perhaps not so clear. I think it's a shame when outside interference, or bad advice, pulls people apart.. and keeps them apart.
I also think it's a shame when competition pulls people apart, ego, finances, or poor communication

But then sometimes I pause and think...
How else do we really learn but through our experiences.
Gotta know the bad.. to recognise the good



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Cool beat on this track



Just because... it's Friday tomorrow

James Brown & Ray Charles Interviews: [Blank on Blank PBS ]

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Tupac Shakur on life and Death - [Blank on Blank PBS]

Jaheim

Sweet song.. very relaxing
Have a good night

Thomas Sankara

Burkina Faso
Meaning: Land of people with integrity (accounts vary, e.g ' the land of honourable people')

Thomas Sankara
Military captain, Marxist revolutionary, Pan-Africanist, and President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987

Viva Las Vegas

Moments matter

I love when Kai stays over and I get home from work and he's still here, because he runs to the door and gives me a big cuddle.. always.
He's so happy.. small and perfect.

A show I like to watch sometimes is called 'Don't tell the bride'.

In the show the groom must organise the entire wedding and the bride is kept in the dark. I'm currently watching a groom buy football boots for his bride to wear on the day , whilst she's elsewhere clutching a very pretty pair of high heals ( and hoping)
He's a football fan.. she loves him.

She doesn't know it yet but they will actually getting married on the pitch at half time...
They wont forget their special day that's for sure...
(it turned out to be quite moving for her dad as he's also a football fan)

A wedding day is a day you really want to get right isn't it?. You pray that you've made the right choice.. and not only of best man, cake and venue.. but by that time I guess you just know don't you
Ultimately, a wedding day is a special day.
If I were to get married I think could trust my chosen one whoever he shall be to organise it..if needs be.. I think.

Hmmm.. then again.. maybe not.

My dad organised my mums wedding. Apparently he bought her wedding dress, the bridesmaids dresses, suits, booked the church.. everything
I've seen the pictures and the dress was beautiful, and fitted perfectly.
They're some of my favourite pictures
I'm not sure why he did it all, other than he really wanted to.

I think wedding planners have a wonderful job.
In another life... maybe I'd be a wedding planner on the side

Pre marriage counselling is being recommended more often these days, but i'm old skl in that I believe you should talk to each other ( but if counselling helps.. wonderful)

I'm not normally keen on novelty weddings, but you know what? .. I could be tempted by an Elvis impersonator... for some odd reason.?!
Seriously.. I could

Spotlight on Chronixx

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(Intro)
Best friend a come fi take you life
A the worst thing you could ever see
Teflon how can a man weh you a spar with from you born
Turn round be a enemy

We no want no friend from dem
Cause dem heart it full up a jealousy
A the two a we used share a flask a rum
Now you want kill me fi Hennessy

(Chorus)
But how me fi trust you an' me no certain
What you a do behind curtain
Nuff a dem say them a your friend
When you check it out them is a different person

Dem no want see you dribble like Berten
Dem want you live your life inna burden
How you fi say me a your friend
When me check it out you is a different person

(Verse 1)
Because nuff a dem want see your head back shell out
Same way my likkle friend got sell out
No know how fi see the sarge an an lock dem mouth
Cant come inna me quarters Chronixx lock dem out
See clear dem no with me
But them cant stop Selassie I pickiny
Though the road slippery me get the victory
Teflon fly over badmind quickly

Because dem evil, dutty heart badmind people
Watch everything that we do
Sit down an plan up fi kill you
Yeah a good thing say mi know jah
Or me would a be a falling soldier
Make me tell you badmind cant get me off a the road yah
So stop spend your money on obeah

(Repeat Chorus)

(Verse 2)
Dem would a want me charge for murder
Accuse me fi things what me never yet heard a
But me nar play fi chop off the friendship
Before the linkage go no further
Some a them will sell you out for a burger
Want paint you white teeth inna red dem a burger
Some a dem switch an go snitch
An want you get stitch
Me haffi wonder if the bwoy dem a Surgeon

Evil, dutty heart badmind people
Watch everything that we do
Sit down an plan up fi kill you
A good thing say me know Jah
Or me would be a falling soldier
Badmind cant get me off a the road yah
So stop spend you money on obeah

(Repeat Chorus)

(Repeat Intro)

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Robin Thicke

I haven't heard this song for some time..
Robin singing love songs.. sweet..
He's quite sexy.



It's been a quiet day over in my world, but as I said on the phone today.. quiet is okay.. quiet is good
Gives me time to recharge the batteries, just enjoy the day and all that.
I got caught up enjoying Robin Thicke.. then I began to think about the furore over his Blurred Lines song. To be honest I hadn't really taken much notice of the lyrics, until I was told that it promoted rape. Rape??.. wow.. you're kidding me right?.. I had to listen again.

I wonder how many rapists were inspired to rape by that song?.. the song only emerged 'last year' whilst I'm sure rape has been taking place for a lot longer than that..
I understand the argument...It's sexist sure.. and promotes patriarchy perhaps.. but rape?hmm.. you reckon?..

In some parts of the world a woman’s body is not her own.. with little choice with regards to what she does with her body, or how she presents it
In some parts of the world..if a woman feels sexy .. she cannot show it.. or admit to feeling it. Some are denied the right to ever feel it.. or ever know what that feels like.
Although, when sex is required.. she is to be sexed.
..people in parts of the world who have possibly never heard, or never will hear the song.. Blurred Lines

My opinions vary quite a bit when it comes to music and sex...
But no dress or song is any excuse for rape, and It's been proven time an time again.
Anyway..

I’m not feeling very articulate today, but.. this music has put me in quite a romantic mood..
Hmmm.. so maybe, they have a point right..?
Or, maybe, I was already in a romantic mood, and just found the right musical accompaniment
Enjoy your soulmate sunday



"The Sweetest Love"

Why do people smile when no one's smiling?
It's cause their thinking of someone they're loving
Keep on believing we are meant to be and
Nothing's stopping you and me from going to heaven.
Sweetest love

I got the sweetest love there ain't nothing sweeter
I got the sweetest love ain't nothing beating it
There ain't nothing sweeter

Now our clever ? is about to inch just one ladder
It gets better every second we're together
Oooh baby it feels so right
A new beginning starts tonight
The reason for when it's on
Is because of you and me and
Sweetest love

Finally I can't believe
Cause you and me, you're my sweetest love

I got the sweetest love there ain't nothing sweeter
I got the sweetest love ain't nothing beating it
There ain't nothing sweeter

Come on now, I got the sweetest love there ain't nothing sweeter
I got the sweetest love can't nothing beating it
There ain't nothing sweeter oh yeah

Now I got that feeling in my gut
Now I need your fire in my life
Now I wanna give you love so much
And I keep on feeling my sweet, my sweet
Sweetest love

I can't believe that you and me, we gotta be
You're my sweetest love

I got the sweetest love there ain't nothing sweeter
I got the sweetest love can't nothing beat it
There ain't nothing sweeter

Come on now, I got the sweeter love there ain't nothing sweeter
I got the sweetest love can't nothing beat it
There ain't nothing sweeter ooohh

I got the sweetest love there ain't nothing sweeter
I got the sweetest love can't nothing beat it
There ain't nothing sweeter [x2]

Sweetest love
I can't believe, you and me, we gotta be
Oh my sweetest love

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Funny TV moment......

Evander Holyfield...

was asked if Lionel Blair..

... was Lionel Richie..

and he laughed.. as I did..

Also.. if Evander really is 62, he looks amazing..very dateable, but then he does seem to have that grumpy old man style about him so it may be true :).. he wanted his pyjamas.. :)
I reckon Lionel Blair will may turn out to be the biggest high maintenance diva in that house..
Yep.. it's Celebrity Big Brother I speak of