Malvina Hoffman

Malvina Hoffman was a brilliant sculptress whose work delved into anthropology. One of her most well known collections is 'The Races of Mankind'. In the 1930's Hoffman was commissioned by the Chicago Field Museum to travel the world and create over 100 bust and sculptures. The collection is currently housed at the Field Museum and the Cedar Rapids Museum. She initially took over 2,000 pictures of her models and then worked from there.

I've just bought her first book, Yesterday & Tomorrow. While some of it is mired in the prejudices of Hoffman's time, the book provides an excellent account of her experiences. Visit the museums and read more about Hoffman.

Fleeting Childhood?

This week Newsweek published an article called 'Generation Diva', discussing how girls in the US [but the trend can probably be extended to a few other Western countries] of increasingly younger ages are feeling the pressure to look beautiful. Now adolescence is over faster than ever and children are catapulted into their 'tween' years, not the Tolkein definition but today's marketing defintion [the ages between 10-12]. This emphasis on the exterior leaves little time to develop mentally and emotionally. Furthermore these girls are likely to grow into women whose sense of self is limited to their looks.

One quote stood out to me the most,
" 'When you have tweens putting on firming cream"—as was revealed by 1 percent of girls in an NPD study—'it's clear they're looking for imaginary flaws,' says Harvard psychologist Nancy Etcoff'".

Are you kidding what in the world would a child need this for?
Who's fault is all this? The parents.

If we keep it up at this rate childhood will be compressed to birth through age five. Wait, that's all ready the case with the 'reality' show Toddlers and Tiaras.

Another Birthday Dinner!

So today we hosted our third birthday dinner this month. This time for my godsister. She requested this new pork recipe I made a few weeks ago that includes a nice amount of sake, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Lamb is always a favorite so I made that along with the usual chicken. For sides we decided on rice pilaf; pasta with Parmesan; a vegetable mix of mushrooms, bell pepper,broccoli, and cabbage; and a romaine salad with tri-colored peppers. As usual I enjoyed the preparations, cooking, and the best part-seeing everyone enjoy the food. But one thing is beginning to be even more important, having help. For years help has been offered but refused. Simply put the kitchen is my domain and trespassers faced a wrath that was non too pleasant. But in the past month after negotiations I've found that it is okay to share the kitchen, and furthermore it is nice to have help. So today I left the rice, vegetables, and salad in the capable hands of my parents and sister. They will be welcome to help anytime, with my supervision of course.

The picture is of today's birthday cake. Described on the pastry shop's website as: Cheese Cake Duet - A chocolate brownie bottom layered with a delicious cheesecake & topped with chocolate ganache. I'm not allowed to put the actual picture of our cake with the birthday girl's age on it so I took the stock picture from the Sweet Dreams Pastry Shop site! They have the some of the most scrumptious desserts around.

A New Era of Honesty?

An interesting article called 'The Radical Honesty Movement' was published in the Daily Princetonian today. It discusses the idea that we as a society might be moving into an era of honesty after all of the lies and deception that were connected to our economic crisis. It's an excellent question and if this is true how can we maintain honesty on a long-term basis? Maybe we start by holding ourselves to higher standards that we can then extend to those in our personal and professional lives.

Birthday goodness

Fall and spring are my favorite seasons. Spring in particular because of the sense of renewal, the turn of crisp cold to invigorating warmth. And I'm not the only one, everyone stops wearing their winter drabs and dons vivid and exciting clothing. Flowers start to bloom and the sun stays out a bit longer. Besides all this, my birthday comes just after the beginning of spring. March as a whole is the birth month of of a lot of people in my family including my mother. So birthday celebrations lively birthday celebrations are in order.

This year we'll have a few birthday dinners and of course lots of delicious cake. Most importantly I'm humbled by the wonderful people in my life. I woke up to birthday emails from friends all over the world and throughout the day received phone calls as well. Life isn't perfect but it is joyful and with all these great people I feel a bit spoiled!

We started celebrating on Sunday at a chain burger restaurant and a lovely cake from our family friend. Yesterday the family surprised me with dinner and a cake from one of our favorite pastry shops. Mom was so worried about cooking for me! She said that it was a bit nerve wracking to cook for someone who cooks to the extent that I do. Of course she had nothing to worry about-the food was excellent. Besides the fact that there is nothing like having someone cook for you, she has the skills-after all Dad taught us both!

Phredley/Raphael Saadiq Concert Review + Susie & my concert days

Yesterday night I returned home totally intoxicated. I was giddy from one thing and one thing only-a good concert. There is something that a live performance does to you. The energy of the performers and the crowd fuses together into this almost spiritual vibe. Phredley followed by Rapahel Saadiq and his crew were the performers, and an intimate group of a little under 500 people was the crowd. Susie, my concert buddy for 10 years now, and I were apart of that crowd.

Phredley, an up and coming artist, is hard to categorize, he's acoustic, soulful, raw, and full of energy. In a way he's sort of like a younger male India Arie. This is a young man to keep your ear out for. Phredley connects with the audience, has a beautiful voice, strong lyrics, and can play that guitar with passion. He played some original tracks and one cover. Soon after his session ended Rapahel Saadiq's band hit the stage.

The six piece band started with a soulful rendition of 'The Age of Aquarius' while the two background singers-one woman and one man-came on and started dancing; the vibe went from excited to electric. Next Saadiq himself came on the stage and played his guitar a little. Saadiq and his singers had some fabulous dance moves. All you could think was how fantastic their voices were and how smooth the dancing was. Talk about a workout! The band and backup singers played off of each other, Saadiq, and the crowd. The theater was so intimate that wherever you sat you had a wonderful view. Sue and I were seated on the right and five rows back-absolutely divine.

While Saadiq and crew played songs from his new album he also played songs from his Tony! Toni! Toné! days like 'It's Our Anniversary' and 'It Never Rains in Southern California'; Lucy Pearl days 'Dance Tonight'; and previous solo work 'Be Here'. I would say my favorites from the latest album are: '100 Yard Dash', 'Staying In Love', and 'Oh Girl'.

There were two special moments of the evening besides the music. Saadiq discussed his heartfelt appreciation of working with Paul Riser the renowned Motown arranger, one of the Funk Brothers, and Stevie Wonder. Riser was present and Saadiq introduced him to the home crowd in Motown. Saadiq also invited a young man on stage who proposed to his girlfriend. To the cheers of everyone in the room, the young lady thankfully said yes!

Saadiq had one encore with a musically upbeat, but lyrically meaningful song he wrote in remembrance of Hurricane Katrina, 'Big Easy' and then rounded up with a refrain of 'The Age of Aquarius'. I felt it ended all too soon and would have enjoyed another hour at the very least. I'm still feeling ecstatic and energetic!

The pictures above are: Saadiq's wonderful backup singers;Me & Susie; Saadiq on Guitar; and Me & Phredley.

Thoughts upon thoughts-->Musings

So I haven't blogged a lot this week not because I've been tremendously busy or for a lack of ideas, in fact I have a variety of ideas. Including:

Creativity & Artistry
Confidence & Humility
Concerts
Travel
Childhood/Growing up

I'm developing an essay discussing my childhood and of course it includes things about my sisters because we, especially my older sister and I, grew up together. Baby sister came 12 years after me. For years my older sister and I have reflected on how our parents raised us-it borders on the extraordinary; Mom & Dad are revolutionary yet traditional. We were quite privileged but knew that it all stemmed from hard work and being good people. Being a good person isn't simple but it isn't really hard either it just means taking care of yourself, family, community, and having morals that you try to follow. Mom and Dad are truly some of the best people I've ever met. And believe me I've met a lot of folks.

A typical Saturday for my older sister and I was spent volunteering in the morning, studying or finding books at the library in the afternoon, followed up by shopping and dinner. Weekdays we went to school and some days we had an afternoon activity like horseback riding, swimming, tennis, or golf. Horseback riding wasn't for me though-the cute horses frightened me! At our private school in the city, some of our classmates accessorized their uniforms with expensive coats and Gucci or Coach purses while our mother took us to Hudson's, Kmart, and Big Lots. When my older sister's classmate mocked her for going to Big Lots, she asked our mother if we could buy expensive clothes. Our mother, who studied fashion design and knows the value of clothing, told us we could either spend money on expensive things or take after school lessons. Needless to say my sister and I continued with the lessons. Funnily enough, one day my sister spotted that classmate who mocked her at Big Lots as well!

When we moved from the city to the suburbs we weren't phased by the homes, cars, clothing, etc.... We saw those same things when we lived in the city because we were surrounded by a variety of people who had [financial] wealth and showed it; those who didn't have wealth and acted as if they did; people who had wealth and didn't show it; and people who didn't have wealth at all. Many experiences I've had from childhood until know have proved that wealth is far more than financial although healthy finances are a good thing!]. Wealth also stems from experiences and ideas. The reason our parents exposed us to a variety of activities and people was to broaden our minds and to teach us what life is about: care/love, people and growth.

More to come..............................

Sarah Jones' Gracie Award Win- Studio 360

Sarah Jones first came to my attention around 2000 when I worked as a DJ at my university's radio station. She was one of the artist on Giles Peterson's compilation 'INCredible Sound of Gilles Peterson'. There were were so many hot tracks on the album and I played most of them over and over-on my show, in the car, at the gym, at home, and every other place I could. Jones' track [with DJ Vadim providing the beats], 'Your Revolution', was a proclamation of independence, freedom, and above all a strong stance against misogyny. Strangely enough the FCC didn't quite get the message and relegated it along with the very songs it spoke out against and subsequently banned it from the airwaves.

Jones has gone on to star in a one woman play 'Bridge & Tunnel', where she plays diverse characters that cut across a broad spectrum of life. Additionally, she's won Tony awards for her work and become a UNICEF spokeswoman. I've not seen Jones in person, but listening to her on the radio and watching her on video, it feels as if she transforms herself and embodies characters including their accent, language, and thoughts.

Recently a segment with Jones from PRI's Studio 360 was awarded a Gracie Award. Jones speaks with Professor John McWhorter about 'blaccent' and how accents and speech patterns are viewed by society. You have to hear it for yourself. The woman is brilliant. Stop by her website as well!

International Women's Day 2009

Happy International Women's Day. This year Liberia is hosting an event to celebrate the day. Many female leaders are expected to take part. The event is quite significant for Liberia in it's recovery and of course the country's first female president Helen Johnson Sirleaf will lead the celebrations. Since it's inception 100 years ago, the day has gradually grown in significance. In some countries International Women's Day is placed on the same level of importance as Mother's Day. I remember when I lived in China some male friends from various eastern European countries gave flowers to all of us female students in our dorm as a symbol of their support for the day.

Individual countries can have a theme, but the international theme for this year is 'Women and men united to end violence against women and girls'. This is a wonderful theme because the only way change can happen is with women and men working together. Also a key point of International Women's Day is that it is about positivity and not anti-male as some detractors complain.

This holiday has helped bring attention to numerous issues that pertain to women including sexual violence, abuse, pay equity, and access to education. We've clearly made significant strides in a variety of ills that plague the world including gender inequity but there is quite a long way to go. The good thing is that literally every day people are working towards improve things. One such example is a troupe of actors in Nepal who are apart of 'The International Theater of the Oppressed'. This form of theater uses drama as a way to highlight social issues and teach people how to make changes within their communities. This particular Nepalese production focused on domestic abuse. As with all 'International Theater of the Oppressed' productions audience members were invited to participate and become playwrights of a sort by deciding how the play ends. The actors included women and men, an example of how both sexes can work together for the betterment of women which ultimately improves men's lives as well.

We can look near and far and find plenty of examples of gender inequity. Each of us has the power to improve the lives of women by doing something as large as 'The Theater of the Oppressed', volunteering with local agencies, or even helping a friend. Basically the tenants of International Women's Day should be a part of our daily lives.

In the Kitchen

So I've decided that once a week I'll have a post about cooking and food. While this isn't a blog devoted to food, I do devote a good deal of time to cooking. While I enjoy cooking for myself, there is something so utterly lovely about making food for others. If I offer to make something for you, that means I like you and if I like you, feel very honored.

I love the hum of running around my own kitchen but also enjoy the adventure of a new kitchen. Have recipes will travel is my motto. On a recent trip to Bristol my friend's Mom handed the kitchen over to me and I made the Sunday 'roast'. It was so exhilarating to see them going for seconds!

This week my menu includes pork, apple, fennel, and cabbage stew served with basmati rice; plum cobbler; chicken marinaded in lemon juice and oregano; whole wheat pasta with a garlic and Parmesan sauce; pecan and chocolate chip cake; and a ground turkey and cheddar cheese quiche. The last two items are a birthday treat for my cousin. There are a few birthdays coming up including mine and I'm looking to experiment; so we'll see what I get up to next week.

Happy Eating!

You've got to be joking-Expulsion of Non-Profits?!

I was going to debut my weekly ode to cooking, but it feels a bit ridiculous to do so after what I've heard and read today.

The ICC has decided that Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, must be tried externally and thus put out a warrant on him. The warrant charged Bashir with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Some people in Sudan are not happy including human rights activists who feel Bashir should be tried internally. Of course Bashir isn't just willingly handing himself over to the ICC, instead he is making good on threats to expel non-profit organizations from the country.

He believes members of these organizations supplied the ICC with information that helped the court build a case against him. Something about this is intrinsically disturbing. We are talking about groups like Oxfam and Mercy Corps that are working to help the very people Bashir is supposed to care for in his position as president.

Nicholas Kristof has been back and forth to the Sudan and is extremely knowledgeable about the intricacies of the situation. He answered questions about Darfur today.

Frank Lloyd Wright through T.C. Boyle's eyes

After spending much of last summer visiting Frank Lloyd Wright structures my interest in Wright has increased. As a child I visited Oak Park and was intrigued. But seeing Taliesin [Spring Green, WI], Meyer May House, Monana Terrace, Wingspan, and, the Johnson Wax building as an adult is startling. Upon seeing Wright's artistry and hearing the stories about his work process and life, one cannot deny his brilliance and confidence. One also can't deny his arrogance.

Whether it was requesting that the lady of a Wright designed house wear clothes to match the home or rearranging the furniture in Wingspan while the occupants were asleep, Wright was simply audacious. And what about the women throughout his life? What really happened there? Well T.C Boyle has an idea and shares it in 'The Women', a fictionalized account of four of Wright's romantic relationships, including 'she who shall not be named'-Miriam. The book is narrated by a young apprentice who comes from Japan,via Washington DC and Harvard, to work at the proverbial feet of the great master.

Can't wait to read the book!

Warwick Economics Summit 2009

A few weeks ago [February 13th-15th] I attended the Warwick Economics Summit at Warwick University in Coventry, UK. This student organized conference started in 2002. Every year students from across the globe come together and listen to leaders in a variety of fields discuss emerging topics in the economic, political, development, and social spheres.

This year's speakers included: John Authers-Investment Editor at the Financial Times, Kate Barker-External Member of the MPC_Bank of England, and Patrick Birley-Chief Executive for the European Climate Exchange. Although I enjoyed each speaker my top favorites were KAL (Kevin Kallaugher)-resident political cartoonist/satirist from The Economist; Paul Donovan-Deputy Head of Global Economics with UBS and Sadeq Sayeed-Vice Chairman of Nomura International {tied}; and Andrew Oswald Pioneer-Professor of Economics with the University of Warwick and Richard Wilkinson- Emeritus Professor of Social Epidemiology with the University of Nottingham {tied}.

KAL's personality is just as engaging as his work. He even taught us how to draw former President G.W. Bush in a few minutes flat! Most importantly he discussed the great amount of news and information he reads in order to create his works of art as well as new ventures into other forms of visual media. Donovan and Syeed were tied in my book because these two gentlemen were the most blunt speakers of the whole weekend. As for the professors, their research is thoroughly intriguing. Both Oswald and Wilkinson are using economics to explore areas related to other disciplines like happiness and social inequalities.

Beyond the speakers, there was a dinner dance complete with economics/general knowledge quiz and seminars where students debated and discussed a given subject. We discussed the impact of Chinese and African business on the West in the seminar I attended. As this is my main research area, I couldn't help but dig right in.
All in all the conference was a success. And less I forget big kudos to the wonderful organizers. They were professional, organized, and very sweet.

The picture was taken at the conference with some new friends in front of Simon Patterson's artwork wallpaper-'Cosmic Wallpaper'.

Never to late for a little Recognition

Having some issues with my left hand today, in fact I might have sprained it. Quite honestly I can't help but laugh because admittedly, clumsiness is a part of my daily vocabulary. So basically this is being kept short today.

This story is one of many that needs to be remembered: that of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in WWW II. The unit of African-American women had the critical task of organizing delayed mail from the United States and sending it on to soldiers abroad. Years later these special women are finally being recognized .

Ryanair-If it weren't real it would be entertaining.........

About two years ago when two friends and I were flying from London to Majorca we had the choice of Ryanair. One friend was vehemently against it and I soon heard from others that it was best to stay away. Obviously someone is being lured by the siren call of cheap tickets because the company is still in business.

The Times online has a prolific listing of articles detailing Ryanair's infamous customer service. Whether it is an excerpt from Paul Kilduff's book 'RuinAir' which stemmed from being stranded by the airline or the story of how Ryanair officials accused members of a steel drum band of being terrorists, you will vacillate between shock, horror, and laughter [at the insanity of it all].

Martin Savidge & World Focus take you there

When did I decide that World Focus was one of the best news programs ever? Admittedly it wasn't the first or second time I watched the show and came to this conclusion. Maybe I was annoyed because the show took over the spot previously held by my beloved BBC news. Despite that, something about World Focus stuck with me. There's a certain quality to it-call it dignified, intellectual, or just plain inclusive-World Focus has it. Every region of the world is visited and given more than a cursory glance-this is truly world news at it's finest.

I've been an avid watcher since November and no matter what part of the world I'm in, I'll be sure to watch World Focus online. Martin Savidge's worldview exemplifies the mission of the show.


http://worldfocus.org/

The Apron-Not for the Kitchen

As an amateur chef I spend numerous hours in the kitchen. One item I fail to utilize is the apron since I find it constraining and unnecessary. This is not to say the apron does not have its place, just as a part of a fabulous ensemble outside of the kitchen.

Wrap Star-NYTimes

http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2009/02/22/style/t/index.html?hp#pagewanted=0&pageName=22return&

Chinue Achebe's Long Awaited Visit Home

For anyone who's read 'Things Fall Apart' you understand the brilliance of Achebe. This past week he was heralded home during a rare visit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/7895876.stm