Taste The Chocolate

Obamination?

2009-05-14T07:44:00.000-07:00

This is why we love Obama, he's funny, charismatic, and for a forty something dude, he's pretty good looking, he's grounded and he's definitely down to earth. What disgusts me, are the comments people are leaving on the YouTube videos of him speaking at the White House Correspondants dinner. From the black people insulting the white, blaming them for our problems. To the white people insulting the blacks, saying that they brought everything bad to America, and holding them solely responsible for the transport of AIDS to the US. Isn't this exactly what MLK was fighting against?

just shut up and enjoy it, people take themselves too seriously these days ..

obama, we love you!

-cameron.m

Mrs. O with Elmo

2009-05-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

Haha, Michelle Obama taped an episode of Sesame Street, on her first official visit to NYC. Doesn't she look so pretty?

And she also checked into some Cinco de Mayo school, where some children performed for her, how sweet!

CHOCOLATE by slaves

2009-04-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

According to the International Labour Organisation, 30% of children under age 15 in sub-Saharan Africa engage in child labor, mostly in agricultural activities including cocoa farming. Of the 200,000 children working in the Ivory Coast cocoa industry, the ILO claims - a maximum of 6% (12,000 children) may be victims of human trafficking or slavery. - Wikipedia

It's funny how as North-American or Europen consumers, we're so ignorant on matters relating to the world, especially developping countries. I include myself in this category, because like others I consume products without knowing their origins.

I was just randomly doing a research on chocolate, looking for some pictures, when I came across a heading about child labor and chocolate. From the short research I did, here's what I can summarize: A lot of the chocolate we eat is made by children in Ivory Coast, who's ages range from 12-16, sold into slave labor and forced to work in cocoa farms in order to harvest the beans, from which chocolate is made, under inhumane conditions and extreme abuse.

Top 10 Countries with the Highest Chocolate Consumption (in pounds per head) 2000

Switzerland 22.3

Austria 20.1

Ireland 19.4

Germany 18.1

Norway 17.9

Denmark 17.6

United Kingdom 17.4

Belgium 13.2

Sweden 12.8
United States 11.7

*To get a better look/understanding of this, check out some vids on Youtube.

The Bite of the Mango

2009-04-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Bite of the Mango is a book by Mariatu Kamara, a young woman from Sierra Leone who fell victim of vicious attacks from rebel soldiers at the age of 12, in her homeland where there was war over diamonds.

Mariatu came to our school April 21, 2009, as a guest speaker and agent for UNICEF, and made a short presentation on her life, and gave us lots of wise advice. Until she arrived in Canada Mariatu hadn't gone to school, so she told us to focus mainly on education because that's the key to success. I truly appreciated her words of wisdom and her story, it reminded me of my presentation on sexual violence against women of the Congo. It made me realise how sad, unfortunate, and similar the situations of war are in Africa.

When asked how she feels toward God, having lost her hands as a result of cruelty from soldiers, Mariatu responded "Maybe God took away my hands so I could touch the world with my heart". And her optimist attitude remained prevalent throughout her entire presentation.

That's why I recommend this book to everyone, I haven't read it yet, but I plan on it. So go to the local library and grab yourself a copy!

All my single ladies, all my single ladies

2009-04-21T23:05:00.000-07:00

A bunch of British girls performed Beyonce's entire "Single ladies" video on the streets of UK, as a group.

The Louis Vuitton Don

2009-04-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

Kanye put his YUCKY Amber Rose in his new ad for his Louis Vuitton shoes. Looks like his chick’s getting all the fame and flashing lights she wanted. She's such an attention seeker, it bothers me!

Still around??

2009-04-21T22:36:00.000-07:00

Solange was spotted leaving NBC studios last night to tape the “Jimmy Fallon” show. Rocking a ruffled extra mini skirt and blue and black suede shoes.

You know I don't rlly like/dislike Solange, but I just don't get ppl like her. It just gets to a point where you have to realize that you're never gonna be famous, this music thing isn't going to work outm especially if B's your sister. Why doesn't she just find a new career?
JUST SAYIN'!

SAME with Kelly Rowland, I actually like her, but this fame thing isn't going anywhere. Destiny's Child was great, but it's over now and she still doesn't have a hit single. Beyonce's been the only capable of that, because she basically rep'ed DC, she was DC. So why doesn't Kelly just find something better to do with her life, sheesh, get married, have some babies, get a real job.

Teairra Mari recently performing at some charity event.

She's a cool chick, I actually hope she comes out with some songs soon.

I think I just threw up a bit in my mouth.

2009-04-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

No, no, noo! NOOO! Argh!!! Why is she doing this to fashion, why?

Ice-T & CoCo partying in NYC's Ultra Lounge

You know it's really sad when you're like 50 and still go out to nightclubs wearing tight leather outfits and cropped shirts. Like this is all these people have to offer, you know, this is it, it's their whole life.

Star Jones at the premiere of some movie.
I actually don't dislike her, I mean she's pretty decent. I just though her outfit was kinda wako.

Mmm yeah...

Poor girl, she tries SO HARD. News flash Rihanna, you're not all-that. :(
But the sadder part is, I actually DO want to like Rihanna. I just can't get over the fact that she took CB back, even if it was for a bit, she took him back after he vandalized her face!

CB was partying at some nightclub...

I dislike him so much now, it's not even funny. Until he gets psychological help for being a WOMAN BEATER my feelings will never be the same again for CB.

Young, BLACK, and Fabulous!

2009-04-21T21:37:00.001-07:00

You know regardless of the situation, I'm always going to be proud of being Black, especially African. It's tough sometimes, particularly when you're a minority, but that just inspires me to be better than all those who are expected to get farther than me. Right now I'm in high school, and I always strive to be the best at everything because I feel like I want to prove to people, peers, teachers, that although I'm super loud, always laughing and clowning, and black, I'm also super intelligent, talented, and well capable being number one. It might sound a little cocky, but that's how my parents raised me, to be the best, especially since I'm Black.

That's why I really appreciate TV shows that portray young Blacks in a positive light. Right now, aside from Taking the Stage, I'm really feelin Harlem Heights. The characters on that show definitely show the world that Blacks don't all fit the sterotypes. We can be great too, just like everyone else.

HARLEM HEIGHTS provides a window into the fascinating world of New York's young, Black and fabulous. Set against the backdrop of the increasingly-gentrified neighborhood of Harlem, the series features a diverse cast of eight young adults who share common goals as they make the post-college leap into adulthood, finding love and success in the big city on their own terms.

So tune in on mondays @ 10 pm on BET

Style Star

2009-04-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

Zoe Saldana's a very pretty lady with amazing fashion sense. I think she's an OK actress but I love her red carpet style, because she always has such simple outfits that make a big splash. She shows off her thin never-ending legs almost all the time with killa shoes, and keeps her make up looking natural. Her accessories are never overbearing and she poses like a top model. That's why she's this month's Style Star!

My fave ppl in the world!

2009-04-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

I just L O V E Barack & Michelle Obama, omiigosh, they're the cheese to my cake! They're like amazing, I'm so glad we have people like them around, they make me proud to be black! Imagine being in their position, flying around the world first class, dressing top notch, meeting important people, eating as many cheesecakes as you want, wouldn't that be fabulous? Well, they're definitely living the dream ppl!

Here's a compilation of pics from their Euro trip! :D

EWWW!

2009-04-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

Megan Good

K she's so drunk her weave is about to fall off, come on, get a grip, I mean a role in a non-black movie!

I didn'y really have anywhere else to put him but in this post... I kinda feel bad for Bow Wow though, he's just one of those guys who's always gonna be shorter than girls.

(Sigh) Needless for me to comment any further.

Damn, baby got back!!

2009-04-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

I like the William sisters, two black girls with great talent. Venus' always been my fave cause Serena's screams on the tennis court always creeped me out, but she's fab too. Whenever I would watch them on TV I would dream about becoming a tennis player myself, so I could play at Wimbledon and wear those skirts, you know? But too bad for me, I can't even run after a tennis ball. (It's actually a really hard sport, harder than it looks on TV)

So here are the girls juss chillin at a the beach. Check out their legs, damn, baby got back, again!

Seriously...

2009-04-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Once in an interview B-I-try-too-hard said that marriage and family life never really crossed her mind, that she'd never really thought of having her own family. And I think that's b.s. I mean how can a human want to spend the rest of their life alone and saggy? Doesn't make sense! All celebs say that stuff and once they turn 40, and divorced, they turn to InVitro to have twins and display their pics in magazines. Why not just save yourself some trouble and have kids while you're young, pretty, and married? Don't you think that since she's been with what's-his-face for 50 years now, and theiy're married, they should have kids already? Just sayin!!

Anyway, here are some pics of the lovebirds, with Beyonce hogging all the attention. (I like what she's wearing though!)

My New Fave Show!

2009-04-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

Finally a reality show with more than one black character on it, where they're not making fools of themselves, I've been waiting for thismy whole life! Okay so MTV's Taking the Stage is a reality show about teens who attend a performign arts school, and the drama that surrounds them. The cast include Shaakira, Malik, Jasmine, Tyler and Mia. i pretty much like all of them except for Malik because he's a BIG drama queen, and Shaakira doesn't really have a personality, she's just sort of a shadow of her friends, Jasmine especially, who's really pretty. Anyway, it just began airing on TV and I love it. It's not your typical Laguna Beach, The Hills (which I like) drama, where you have a bunch of rich teens running around pretending to have problems in life, when there's kids suffering in developping countries, anyway, it's a good show that I feel I can relate to. These are just normal kids, around my age, with talents and problems. It's a good show, and I recommend it!

Hair Care

2009-04-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some tips on braiding your hair, from my Essence magazine:

Before getting extension braids, your hair should be cleansed, conditioned and trimmed by a professional.
Be sure your hair specialist uses no more tension than necessary; you should not feel tugging or tightness. The strands at you hairline are delicate, and pulling can cause irreversible hair loss.
Cleanse your scalp with witch hazel and cotton cloth once a week. Be sure to nourish yoir scalp with s product containing essential oils.
Don't wear your extensions beyond six weeks. It's best to remove them and pamper your hair with a thorough cleasing regimen.

Sleep with a rayon or silk scarf every night to keep your style frizz-free and long-lasting.

Once your extensions have been removed, mist hair with water from a spray bottle to detangle. This allows you to comb your hair more easily, preventing unnecessary breakage or loss.
Give your own hair its proper rest. Wait three to four months before getting new extensions, to keep your hair in healthy condition.

Taking care of your hair is tough, especially if you're a black girl, like me. I've struggled with my hair since I was younger, and I finally think I've got it, I know how to care for my hair now. Generally my siblings and I all have good hair, especially those of us who've inherited it from my dad, it grows strong and quickly, but maintaining it's been the hard job. When I reflect on what I put my hair through, I feel bad. All the chemicals, the extensions, the combing, the straightening, geez!

Not saying that doing those things to your hair is that bad, once in a while, but give your head a gift and let it breathe!

The only tip that I have to black girls is to wash your hair. It's not true what people say that "you're not supposed to wash your hair that much if your black", b.s! I was my hair at least once a week of even every two weeks, I don't straighten it, I barely comb it, and it's down to my back now. Black girls need to break out of the myths about their hair, and find out the truth!

The following are some hair products suggested by Essence

Jane Carter Solution Nourish & Shine
Mizani Rose H2O
Aveda Anti-Humectant Brilliant Pomade
Miss Jessie's Curly Buttercreme
Witch Hazel
Let's Jame Shining & Conditioning Gel Lite Hold

My Favorite Lip Balm

2009-04-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

I'm obsessed with lip balms, literally, I can't go a day without one. Last time I went shopping for some lib balm I decided to avoid the usual super glossy, super fruity type that's sold at the drug store, and try something different. I went into Bath & Bodyworks and treated myself to some My favorite Lip Balm, yes that's actually its name. I bought the shea butter and sweet almond kind, and I love it. It doesn't taste much like anything compared to lip gloss, but it smells like a dream, amazing. It comes in other flavours also such as mint and I think strawberry, but anyway I recommend it to every girl out there. I guarantee you'll love it too!

I just don't like him... anymore

2009-03-31T15:44:00.000-07:00

I'm really sad (well not really) to say this but I don't like Kanye that much anymore. I mean I never liked him as much as I loved his music, but he is just WAY too much now. First the cockiness, then the tantrums for not winning awards, and now Amber-frickin-Rose? WTFudge! There are too many bad things I could say about this girl, but if I satrt, I will never end. So you just look at the pictures.

Baby Nahla

2009-03-31T15:40:00.000-07:00

I just think Halle Berry's child is very pretty.

They're a Couple?

2009-03-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

I like The Dream, he makes great music and he has a nice voice. Christina Milian's another story though. She's like the singer version of Meagan Good, they try so hard to be famous, when really they just don't have the "it-thing", you know? Well at least Meagan has a bit of talent. Anyway, until I saw this picture I didn't know they were dating... but they are, and suposedly they'll be getting married sometime soon. Who knows.

Here are some pics of the two shopping in LA, with Christina's not-so-fabulous blonde wig (if you can't pull it off, you shouldn't even try to!)

Prom Queen

2009-03-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

I know there's some big Weezy fans out there, and w/e I'm not dissing the guy or anything... but can somebody tell me what the heck he's doing? This new song he has "Prom Queen" just doesn't do it for me. My feelings have nothing to do with the fact that he's a rapper "selling-out" like most Youtubers think, because people need to diversify themselves and bring creativity to their work to be successful, so props to him for that. It's just that you can't go from "I make it rain on 'em..." to electric guitar overnight without doing it correctly. I just find that the song is pretty lame, I can't understand the lyrics, and it's just not good.

Let's take Kanye for example, typical I know, he's a rapper right, but he's different and controversial. His current album is all singing, no rapping, but it's done with quality. I haven't hear Lil Wayne's entire album yet, but just from this song I don't think I want to.

So I'm not insulting him or saying he's a bad artist, I just think he could've made a better song... Just sayin!

LINK to music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rcp-LA2u1k

Designer Babies

2009-03-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

So in biology class we're doing these group presentations on different topics concerning genetics... And today a group of girls presented on "designer babies". Basically they're children who's physical attributes have been chosen by their parents. They're created by In Vitro Fertilization, and their parents choose which genes the children will inherit before they get implanted into the embryo.

One of the pros from doing this is that you can prevent your child from inheriting any genes of sickness that run in your family, such as diabetes or cancer... However, I'm totally against it! I think that by designing a child, you're playing God with someone's life. From a religious point of view it's a sin, and from a human point of view it's just morally wrong. How can you give yourself the right to decide how someone else is going to look? That is messing up mother nature, you know? If someone is meant to have brown hair or dark eyes, then that's how they're going to look. I mean I wouldn't like to grow up and find out that my parents chose for me to look a cetain way, I would be upset.

Besides what I think, it's just a waste of money, plain and simple. With the way things are going in our economu, why would someone want to spend $18 thousand on "designing" another human being? Also there's a slight chance that these babies won't turn out the way their parents intended, because science is not perfect. So after 12 months of hoping for a "brown-eyed, brown-haired" baby, and dishing out 18 grand, you end up with a "green-eyed redhead", what're you going to do, not love your child?

That's why I don't agree with this whole thing, I think that babies are intended to be the way they'll be, people shouldn't play with our genetics.

I scream, you scream

2009-03-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

We all scream for ice cream!

I was just crusisin' the net and stumbled upon these ice cream facts:

Top 10 Ice Cream Consuming Countries in the World

1) United States

2) New Zealand

3) Denmark

4) Austrailia

5) Belgium / Luxembourg

6) Sweden

7) Canada

8) Norway

9) Ireland

10) Switzerland

THE 15 MOST POPULAR ICE CREAM FLAVORS

1. Vanilla, 29%

2. Chocolate, 8.9%

3. Butter pecan, 5.3%

4. Strawberry, 5.3%

5. Neapolitan, 4.2%

6. Chocolate chip, 3.9%

7. French vanilla, 3.8%

8. Cookies and cream, 3.6%

9. Vanilla fudge ripple, 2.6%

10. Praline pecan, 1.7%

11. Cherry, 1.6%

12. Chocolate almond, 1.6%

13. Coffee, 1.6%

14. Rocky road,

1.5%15. Chocolate marshmallow, 1.3%

All others, 23.7%

Miscellaneous Facts:

Toppings:The favorite topping is still chocolate syrup.

The biggest ice cream sundae ever made was 12 feet high and made with 4,667 gallons of ice cream and 7,000 pounds of toppings in Anaheim, Calif., during 1985.

Sales: Super premium and premium ice cream represent about 41.4 percent of the total dollar sales of ice cream.

Ice cream is an $11 billion retail industry.

Vanilla: 80 percent of the world's Vanilla Bean used for ice cream is grown in Madagascar.

Novelties: Ice cream novelties such as ice cream on sticks and ice cream bars were introduced in the 1920's.

Adults consume nearly one-half of all ice cream novelties.

B in Vogue

2009-03-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

I'm not gonna lie, although I've liked her music I've never really liked Beyonce... But since Rihanna has taken her place in my list of "least favorite celebrities", I like her now. She was just one of those celebs I disliked for no reason, but I realized she's fierce, so why hate?? The girl's got sass!

So here are some pics of her latest photoshoot from Italian Vogue!

I'd Slap Her Myself

2009-03-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Last week all the big talk shows were focusing on the whole "Rihanna-Chris" shebang, the talk show hosts were saying that the couple are only human, people need to stop criticizing them, and let them heal, bla bla... Well I'm not going to stop criticizing them.

When this whole thing started, I thought they were rumors for sure. I said "no way", Chris Brown wouldn't hit a girl, it's just weird to think of him doing that, especially when Rihanna's older. When the reports turned out to be true however, I lost all respect I had for Chris Brown. The picture of battered Rihanna really scared me, and I felt terrible for her... Until I found out that she took him back! What in her right mind would justify the actions of Chris, to convince her to get back with him? I don't understand! It really pissed me off, and I felt like slapping Rihanna myself!

The OTHER thing that botherd me about this whole thing, is the girls sticking up for Chris Brown. Uh hello, how stupid do you get? Girls were saying "Rihanna probably deserved it, Chris probably had a good reason for hitting her, and it's no big deal they got back together because when you love someone, it doesn't matter what they do..." It frustrated me that grown girls, of my age, with intelligence and reasoning, could think that Chris' behaviour was ok. It was not ok, under no circumstance is a man allowed to hit a woman, it's completely wrong. And not to say that women are allowed to physically abuse men, but women don't have the same strength men do.

Chris Brown deserves all the jail time, if any, coming his way, he is awful, and I can't believe I liked him. And Rihanna, she just belongs with him.

And WTF now they're making a duet together about the "complications of love"??

Style Star

2009-03-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Kerry Washington's one of the very few celebs I actually like. She doesn't have an over-the-top personality, nor is she an attention seeker like Miley Cyrus, she's rather a beautiful woman who'd rather be recognized for her acting than her looks. And since her red carpet style is subtle, fashionable, and complements her womanly curves, she's this week's Style Star!

No way

2009-03-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

When we watched Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore, it shook me to the core. I began informing everyone else about global warming, and doing my best to clean up the planet. Now, I still believe it's important to preserve the environment, but I'm kinda over being scared.

When I heard of the Mayan calendar predicting the end of the world in 2012, that freaked me out even more. 2012 is in three years, which leaves me with two years of living after high school. Lol. I began stressing out and trying to plan my life in two year and all that... when I realized that this is ridiculous. Nobody but God knows when the world is going to end, just nobody. I don't believe in psychics, I don't believe in predictions, so why should I believe this? When the world ends, then we all die and see what happens next. But so far, we're all still alive and probably going to be in 2012. SOO for everyone who hears this Mayan calendar stuff, chill, and as Rihanna said "just live your life"!

Women in the Congo

2009-03-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

Usually when we think or hear of the crimes against humanity being committed in the African continent, they’re related to places such as Darfur in Sudan, or Rwanda where there was an awful genocide. However, we rarely talk about the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the conflicts happening over there. Rape is being used as a weapon of war, against defenceless women, of young and old age, and it needs to stop.

It’s been 6 years since the 2nd Congo War (Africa’s World War) was officially ended, however the country’s weak state has allowed continued violence and human rights abuse in the eastern part.The 3 main areas of conflict in the Congo are: North & South Kivu, Itury, and northern Kantanga. These problems are being caused by disorganized & undisciplined militia groups, who are responsible for the violence of rape and ethnic cleansing.

Last sumer I read an article in Glamour magazine called "Women left for dead and the man who's saving them". The article discusses the way rape is being used as a weapon of war against the women of Eastern Congo, and how Dr denis Mukwege is saving their lives.

Here is Nadine's story:

"I meet Nadine (like others in this story, she agreed to be photographed, but asked that her name be changed, as she could be subject to reprisals for speaking out), who tells me a tale so horrendous it will haunt me for years to come.
When we begin talking, Nadine seems utterly disassociated from her surroundings—far away. “I’m 29,” she begins. “I am from the village of Nindja. Normally there was insecurity in our area. We would hide many nights in the bush. The soldiers found us there. They killed our village chief and his children. We were 50 women. I was with my three children and my older brother; they told him to have sex with me. He refused, so they cut his head and he died.”
Nadine’s body is trembling. It is hard to believe these words are coming out of a woman who is still alive and breathing. She tells me how one of the soldiers forced her to drink his urine and eat his feces, how the soldiers killed 10 of her friends and then murdered her children: her four-year-old and two-year-old boys and her one-year-old girl. “They flung my baby’s body on the ground like she was garbage,” Nadine says. “One after another they raped me. From that my vagina and anus were ripped apart.”
Nadine holds onto my hand as if she were drowning in a tsunami of memory. As devastated as she is, it is clear that she needs to be telling this story, needs me to listen to what she is saying. She closes her eyes and says something I cannot believe I’m hearing. “One of the soldiers cut open a pregnant woman,” she says. “It was a mature baby and they killed it. They cooked it and forced us to eat it.”
Incredibly, Nadine was the only one of the 50 women to escape. “When I got away from the soldiers, there was a man passing. He said, ‘What is that bad smell?’ It was me; because of my wounds, I couldn’t control my urine or feces. I explained what had happened. The man wept right there. He and some others brought me to the Panzi Hospital.”
She stops. Neither of us has breathed. Nadine looks at me, longing for me to make sense of what she’s related. She says, “When I got here I had no hope. But this hospital helped me so much. Whenever I thought about what happened, I became mad. I believed I would lose my mind. I asked God to kill me. Dr. Mukwege told me: Maybe God didn’t want me to lose my life.”
Nadine later tells me that the doctor was right. As she fled the slaughter, she says, she saw an infant lying on the ground next to her slain parents. Nadine rescued the girl; now having a child to care for gives her reason to keep going. “I can’t go back to my village. It’s too dangerous. But if I had a place to live I could go to school. I lost my children but I’m raising this child as my own. This girl is my future.” "

To learn more about these women and their sufferings, look up "Women left for dead and the man who's saving them".