First little children of color are booted from a private pool they paid to swim in for fear they would " change the complexion and atmosphere", then Harvard professor, and Black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr is arrested for breaking into...his own home, now according to The New York Times American's finally are getting a glimpse of our Black president.
You see Obama answered a question that was asked to him honestly and apparently this is the first glimpse of his Blackness. All the time he's pushing bills, okaying legislation and being the leader of the free world I guess he's White. He's only Black when the question is about race. Good job NYT that statement only seems ignorant when I inhale and exhale.
Not to be outdone in tact the CW invited Karrine "SuperHead" Stephans to their morning show yesterday and well... hell just watch it.
I don't think Final Destination 4 is going to have a bigger disaster in it. I feel some type of way about this here. As much as SuperHead is a vexation to my soul just by well, being Superhead I can't feel like she's the only one in the wrong here. While I think if she knew how to act like a lady she could have steered the interview back her way I don't feel her crazy little self was set up to fail here.
I wonder if the male anchor knew that Maya Angelou was a rumpshaker in her day. The big difference between the two is that while Maya was a pimp, a dancer and a jazz floozy in her day, she grew up. She wrote about more than just her sexuality. She honed her craft and became an artist. Maya Angelou too was rapped and abused by men, but she didn't make her money using her vagina like an ATM. She put those things behind her by not writing books glorifying those acts and dropping names. She did not live to promote herself but strives to uplift a people. Superhead, is trying to still make money on being superhead.
Mr.News Anchor was out of pocket with his dismissive rump shaker comment, it was unprofessional and uncalled for even with Karine's unladylike like behavior. I also can't help but think of all the other rumpshakers that were white that never were asked so bluntly about their sex lives. Kim Kardasian is just as famous sole based on her ass and her ability to gobble cocks, yet her interview never was about seducing athletes and musicians even though that's what she's good at.
Superhead was dancing in videos almost 10 years ago, Kim K , will most likely have a new sex tape by the end of the month, but she wasn't dismissed.
I wonder if the male anchor knew that Maya Angelou was a rumpshaker in her day?
I know there is a big difference between the Superhead and Mya Angelou. Yeah, Maya was a pimp, a dancer and a jazz floozy in her day, but in all honestly she grew up. She wrote about more than just her sexuality. She honed her craft and became an artist. Maya Angelou, too was rapped and abused by men, but she didn't make her money using her vagina like an ATM. She put those things behind her by not writing books glorifying those acts and dropping names. She did not live to promote herself but strives to uplift a people. Superhead, is trying to still make money on being superhead.
kinda reminds me of a quote :It would be against all nature for all the Negroes to be either at the bottom, top, or in between. We will go where the internal drive carries us like everybody else. It is up to the individual.
Zora Neale Hurston
Superhead is not ME, she is not ALL Black Women. I think what it boils down to is I'm offended by her existence simply becuase I live in a world that can't separate the two of us.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
I Was A Teenaged Sex Offender: Megan’s Law ,Romeos ,Juliets and Sexting
The Federal Sexual Offender Act of 1994, known by its pet name Megan’s Law, was signed into action on the good faith that children and teens would be protected by it. Now in 2009, in light of the addition of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act many parents and teens are shocked to learn that teens are ending up on very registry created to protect them.
Being branded as a sex offender --like staring down a barrel of a loaded gun, life is over. Most sex offenders prosecuted under Megan’s law must carry the label for life and according to State of New Jersey’s Megan’s Law Citizen’s brochure, an offender can only appeal to be removed if they committed only one offense and have been crime free for 15 consecutive years or if they were registered under the age of 14 and have just turned 18. Those appeals are subject to approval.
The registry was designed for rapists and pedophiles, so how would a teen, mostly minors themselves find themselves registering? Former head of Bergen County Prosecutor's Office’s Megan’s Law Unit, Lt. Joe Cilento explains, “ The most obvious way for a teen to be registered is if they commit a sex crime against a younger child, such as forcible rape.”
Even if a minor commits a rape and is not charged as an adult they are required to register as an offender with the possibility of being removed once they become a legal adult.
“There have been cases where two teens have consenting sex, but one teen is under the age of consent, All it takes is one parent making a formal complaint.” Lt. Cilento continued. Such cases have been dubbed “Romeo and Juliet’s”. A plethora of media outlets from the Washington Post to Dateline ABC have followed such stories, the most famous of them being the Feb. 2003 case of Marcus Dixon, a African American, 18 –year-old high school senior who had sex with his White 15-year-old freshman classmate.
Marcus was convicted of aggravated child molestation, and the judge sentenced to 10 years without probation. After much public outcry and an appeal, Dixon’s charges were overturned in favor of a charge of statutory rape for which he was released as time served in 2005. The outcry had little to do with how close in age the two teens were but more so feelings the harsh sentence was racially motivated.
Since the conviction, several other cases have caught the media’s attention, mostly due to the proposal and eventual passing of the 2006 Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. The addendum introduced a tier system that graded offenders by how dangerous they were and treating the offender accordingly. Current Bergen County Prosecutor in charge of the Megan’s Law Unit Lt. Joe Macellaro explained , “the Adam Walsh act supports the sex registry as
constitutional , while allowing each state to organize the tiers of their registry.”
According to findlaw.com , the reason the 2006 law is just being put into effect in 2009 is because after its initial passing a federal judge from Florida argued the sex offender registry violated the offenders the case was dismissed. The only state that currently has yet to comply with the act is Nevada where the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nevada is arguing that the sex registry is cruel and unusual punishment. Calls to the Nevada ACLU to further explain their platform were not returned.
Rutgers Law Professor and former journalist Frank Askin explains, “Their argument maybe based on a offender having to register for life, it can be interpreted that the offender is being persecuted for life as well, when the sentence doesn’t fit the crime that is cruel and unusual punishment. “
It is now up to each state to define at what age two teens can legally engage in consensual sex, even If one teen is below the age of consent. Mostly these laws allow consensual sex providing there is a 3 to 4 year gap in the ages of the teens and they are no younger than 14 years of age.
Romeos and Juliets are not the only types of teens that face the possibility of being registered sex offenders. A seemingly new threat for the cyber era, they are the “sexters”. This group of teens has fallen pray to their worst enemies, themselves
and it usually happened right under the noses of parents, school officials and police.
It takes less than a second to take a picture, but in those parts of a second a teen can brand themselves for life. Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit messages, pictures or video clips via cell phones or web devices such as the Apple Ipod Touch. Sexually explicitly images can be instantly shared through Bluetooth or downloaded to computers and other devices.
After sexual photos of teen Disney Channel stars Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hudgens surfaced in 2007, stories of teen and preteen girls taking sexual photos of gained much more exposure. Many earlier stories aired concerns that teens on social networking sites would be luring predators; the outcry led to online giants Myspace.com and Facebook.com adding terms of service clauses barring those that have been convicted of sex crimes from participating on the sites.
A 2008 study by CosmoGirl.com and The National Association to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that 20% of all teen girl respondents confessed to “sending/posting nude or semi nudes photos of themselves on the net”, with 76% of them sending them to boyfriends or significant others. Though a later Jan. 2009 study found significantly lower numbers of teens sexting the phenomenon is still worrying to many parents.
Sociologist Dr. Janis A. Prince Inniss of EveryDaySociology.com is not
surprised by the rise of the act. “It’s the culture we are raising them in, they are getting their cues from adults. It wasn’t adolescent experimentation that made D.C. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick send explicit photos to his mistress.” Inniss hypothesizes that because teens feel their phones are safe and private it’s the perfect place to experiment with their sexuality. “To teens it just might not be that big a deal.”
Sexting is more serious a matter to Cynthia and Albert Logan, sexting was a life and death situation. Their 18-year old daughter, Jesse, committed suicide in July 2008 after picture of her were spread in her high school. The teen hanged herself in her closet weeks before she could attend the college of her dreams the University of Cincinnati.
Jesse was a popular and vibrant young girl according to family lawyer Parry Aftab, who specializes in cyber and privacy crimes. The teen sent suggestive photos to her 19 –year old boyfriend when she was still a high school student. The relationship ended the boy sent the pictures to dozens of other teens and teachers.
“It was spiteful character assassination by a boy who felt jilted by a young lady who rejected him,” added Aftab. The Logan’s feel their daughters downward spiral began with being teased for the photos.
“They called her things like slut and whore,” said Cynthia Logan through tears on the Today Show with Matt Lauer.
Jesse had tried to speak out to warn other teens about the potential dangers of sexting, even appearing anonymously on a local news stations.
Jesse’s family and their lawyer are convinced that crimes against Jesse case is are not only distributing child pornography, but also negligence on behalf of the school for not putting an end to the bullying and teasing that tormented her. To date no charges have been filed in this case, but Jesse’s mother continues to work with Internet safety expert Aftab to make sure another suicide is avoidable.
The fear of sexting has been described as “hysteria” by Wired magazine, as parents search for someone to hold accountable. One such sacrificial lamb was Ting Yi Oei, was Assistant Principal of Freedom High School in Chantilly Virginia , he was one of the first school officials to be charged with possession of child pornography after confiscating a “sext” message from the phone of a teen boy. The youth had been soliciting pictures from high school and middle school girls.
Oie, punished the student after the he pulled down the pants of a girl, suspending him for 10 days. The boy’s mother, angry at Oie’s suspension of her son filed charges against Oie for failure to report suspicion of child abuse.
“I was given the choice to resign or be charged with a felony, I refused. I had done nothing wrong,” said Oie.
The prosecutor made good on his word and the educator was charged with possession of pornography, despite the fact that the photo showed no nudity and the face of the girl was cut off, making her unidentifiable. On March 31 his lawyer informed him that all charges were dropped against him as it was ruled that Oie was not in possession of actual pornography.
“It was a witch hunt,” Oie said, though he has had his side of the story, as told by him published in the Washington Post, he feels nothing has changed.
When school officials cannot be held accountable for the actions of teens, some prosecutors have made the shocking decision to prosecute teens themselves.
Parents across the country were shocked to find teens, especially girls facing felony charges like creating and distributing child pornography. Currently a 14-year old Passaic county girl is facing felony charges for sending and posting sexually explicit pictures of herself on Myspace.com. In March 2009 there were over 20 cases in the news of teens in the UN and England being charged either with possession or creation of child pornography.
Child and Forensic Psychology Expert Alberto Goldwaser, MD,DFA, PA thinks it may be risky to charge all teens as sexual felons. “Adolescences are not developed enough to considered the outcome of their actions, at least not in the same way an adult can.” Goldwaser explains that that part of the brain isn’t fully developed until a person is 21-25 years old.
“However, a normal teen knows what is expected of them, a teen knows walking about nude is unacceptable,” said Goldwaser. “Most teens know what they are doing is not acceptable, but many aren’t mature enough to see it as a crime, because they don’t consider consequences. “
Perry Aftab feels a stronger opposition to prosecuting teens, “recent actions by prosecutors are counter productive and revealingly sexist. “ The lawyer explained that, teen girls are most targeted, especially online ”laws are supposed to protect not persecute them.” Aftab pointed out that the teens facing the harshest charges are girls for creating pornography, while less teen boys are charged with the same thing, except in cases where photos were post with malicious intent.
“When someone is registered as a sex offender they are required to go to therapy sessions with other offenders, why would you want a 14 year-old in the same room with a person that could potentially victimize them?” Aftab concluded.
Dr.Innis feels as a society- American culture is sending two conflicting messages to teens, “ On the one hand teen girls, especially girls of color, are bombarded with images of hyper sexualized women as disarable, while at the same time telling them that being sexual is negative.” Innes pointed out how many pop songs were about sexting, including ones from singers Beyonce ,Britney Spears and rapper Soilder Boy. “Girls are being taught this is acceptable behavior and boys are learning to expect it. “
New Jersey Prosecutor Macellaro felt it was difficult to decide what was “fair” in sexting cases, which was why they are decided on the basis of what is legal and what is illegal.
“Its just like teens drinking, if they do it and get away with it they feel no real crime has been committed, now but that teen behind the wheel of a car and they are a deadly force. Kids taking dirty pictures might seem like innocent fun, but those pictures can be easily spread to pedophiles and endanger other youngsters.”
Dr. Goldwaser believes that every case needs presented has a few factors that need to be taken into consideration, “ the totality of the damage done to the community, the development of the child , the child’s intent and if that child has been previously abused or exploited sexually.” He suggest instead of registering as a sex offender a teen would benefit more , if required to
One New Jersey couple took the initiative to deal with the issue head on. Richard and Jacqueline Guerry launched the Institute for Responsible Online and Cell Phone Communication in Jan, 2009. Richard Guerry , is also the founder of successful Cruising With Kids campaign that visits schools and community events to teach , emergency , fire and child safety. The institute focuses on the dangers of cyberbullying , sexting and sex”casting. The Guerrys hope that educating teens and young adults about the dangers of broadcasting sexual images of yourself online With the “Sexting is Stupid” which focuses on teaching teens personal responsibility.
Though in its infant stage, www.iroc2.org, the Institute’s site has information for teachers, parents and teens. The Mount Laurel native hope with education there will never be a tragedy like the loss of Jesse Logan again.
Megan’s Law, like many laws is imperfect and thus is always changing and evolving, according to the Star Ledger, on May 8 the Supreme Court ruled on the validly of local ordinances that restricted were sex offenders were allowed to live, the court struck them down. Perhaps in the future the law will be amended to better protect the youngsters it was created to serve without turning them into felons.
Being branded as a sex offender --like staring down a barrel of a loaded gun, life is over. Most sex offenders prosecuted under Megan’s law must carry the label for life and according to State of New Jersey’s Megan’s Law Citizen’s brochure, an offender can only appeal to be removed if they committed only one offense and have been crime free for 15 consecutive years or if they were registered under the age of 14 and have just turned 18. Those appeals are subject to approval.
The registry was designed for rapists and pedophiles, so how would a teen, mostly minors themselves find themselves registering? Former head of Bergen County Prosecutor's Office’s Megan’s Law Unit, Lt. Joe Cilento explains, “ The most obvious way for a teen to be registered is if they commit a sex crime against a younger child, such as forcible rape.”
Even if a minor commits a rape and is not charged as an adult they are required to register as an offender with the possibility of being removed once they become a legal adult.
“There have been cases where two teens have consenting sex, but one teen is under the age of consent, All it takes is one parent making a formal complaint.” Lt. Cilento continued. Such cases have been dubbed “Romeo and Juliet’s”. A plethora of media outlets from the Washington Post to Dateline ABC have followed such stories, the most famous of them being the Feb. 2003 case of Marcus Dixon, a African American, 18 –year-old high school senior who had sex with his White 15-year-old freshman classmate.
Marcus was convicted of aggravated child molestation, and the judge sentenced to 10 years without probation. After much public outcry and an appeal, Dixon’s charges were overturned in favor of a charge of statutory rape for which he was released as time served in 2005. The outcry had little to do with how close in age the two teens were but more so feelings the harsh sentence was racially motivated.
Since the conviction, several other cases have caught the media’s attention, mostly due to the proposal and eventual passing of the 2006 Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. The addendum introduced a tier system that graded offenders by how dangerous they were and treating the offender accordingly. Current Bergen County Prosecutor in charge of the Megan’s Law Unit Lt. Joe Macellaro explained , “the Adam Walsh act supports the sex registry as
constitutional , while allowing each state to organize the tiers of their registry.”
According to findlaw.com , the reason the 2006 law is just being put into effect in 2009 is because after its initial passing a federal judge from Florida argued the sex offender registry violated the offenders the case was dismissed. The only state that currently has yet to comply with the act is Nevada where the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nevada is arguing that the sex registry is cruel and unusual punishment. Calls to the Nevada ACLU to further explain their platform were not returned.
Rutgers Law Professor and former journalist Frank Askin explains, “Their argument maybe based on a offender having to register for life, it can be interpreted that the offender is being persecuted for life as well, when the sentence doesn’t fit the crime that is cruel and unusual punishment. “
It is now up to each state to define at what age two teens can legally engage in consensual sex, even If one teen is below the age of consent. Mostly these laws allow consensual sex providing there is a 3 to 4 year gap in the ages of the teens and they are no younger than 14 years of age.
Romeos and Juliets are not the only types of teens that face the possibility of being registered sex offenders. A seemingly new threat for the cyber era, they are the “sexters”. This group of teens has fallen pray to their worst enemies, themselves
and it usually happened right under the noses of parents, school officials and police.
It takes less than a second to take a picture, but in those parts of a second a teen can brand themselves for life. Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit messages, pictures or video clips via cell phones or web devices such as the Apple Ipod Touch. Sexually explicitly images can be instantly shared through Bluetooth or downloaded to computers and other devices.
After sexual photos of teen Disney Channel stars Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hudgens surfaced in 2007, stories of teen and preteen girls taking sexual photos of gained much more exposure. Many earlier stories aired concerns that teens on social networking sites would be luring predators; the outcry led to online giants Myspace.com and Facebook.com adding terms of service clauses barring those that have been convicted of sex crimes from participating on the sites.
A 2008 study by CosmoGirl.com and The National Association to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that 20% of all teen girl respondents confessed to “sending/posting nude or semi nudes photos of themselves on the net”, with 76% of them sending them to boyfriends or significant others. Though a later Jan. 2009 study found significantly lower numbers of teens sexting the phenomenon is still worrying to many parents.
Sociologist Dr. Janis A. Prince Inniss of EveryDaySociology.com is not
surprised by the rise of the act. “It’s the culture we are raising them in, they are getting their cues from adults. It wasn’t adolescent experimentation that made D.C. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick send explicit photos to his mistress.” Inniss hypothesizes that because teens feel their phones are safe and private it’s the perfect place to experiment with their sexuality. “To teens it just might not be that big a deal.”
Sexting is more serious a matter to Cynthia and Albert Logan, sexting was a life and death situation. Their 18-year old daughter, Jesse, committed suicide in July 2008 after picture of her were spread in her high school. The teen hanged herself in her closet weeks before she could attend the college of her dreams the University of Cincinnati.
Jesse was a popular and vibrant young girl according to family lawyer Parry Aftab, who specializes in cyber and privacy crimes. The teen sent suggestive photos to her 19 –year old boyfriend when she was still a high school student. The relationship ended the boy sent the pictures to dozens of other teens and teachers.
“It was spiteful character assassination by a boy who felt jilted by a young lady who rejected him,” added Aftab. The Logan’s feel their daughters downward spiral began with being teased for the photos.
“They called her things like slut and whore,” said Cynthia Logan through tears on the Today Show with Matt Lauer.
Jesse had tried to speak out to warn other teens about the potential dangers of sexting, even appearing anonymously on a local news stations.
Jesse’s family and their lawyer are convinced that crimes against Jesse case is are not only distributing child pornography, but also negligence on behalf of the school for not putting an end to the bullying and teasing that tormented her. To date no charges have been filed in this case, but Jesse’s mother continues to work with Internet safety expert Aftab to make sure another suicide is avoidable.
The fear of sexting has been described as “hysteria” by Wired magazine, as parents search for someone to hold accountable. One such sacrificial lamb was Ting Yi Oei, was Assistant Principal of Freedom High School in Chantilly Virginia , he was one of the first school officials to be charged with possession of child pornography after confiscating a “sext” message from the phone of a teen boy. The youth had been soliciting pictures from high school and middle school girls.
Oie, punished the student after the he pulled down the pants of a girl, suspending him for 10 days. The boy’s mother, angry at Oie’s suspension of her son filed charges against Oie for failure to report suspicion of child abuse.
“I was given the choice to resign or be charged with a felony, I refused. I had done nothing wrong,” said Oie.
The prosecutor made good on his word and the educator was charged with possession of pornography, despite the fact that the photo showed no nudity and the face of the girl was cut off, making her unidentifiable. On March 31 his lawyer informed him that all charges were dropped against him as it was ruled that Oie was not in possession of actual pornography.
“It was a witch hunt,” Oie said, though he has had his side of the story, as told by him published in the Washington Post, he feels nothing has changed.
When school officials cannot be held accountable for the actions of teens, some prosecutors have made the shocking decision to prosecute teens themselves.
Parents across the country were shocked to find teens, especially girls facing felony charges like creating and distributing child pornography. Currently a 14-year old Passaic county girl is facing felony charges for sending and posting sexually explicit pictures of herself on Myspace.com. In March 2009 there were over 20 cases in the news of teens in the UN and England being charged either with possession or creation of child pornography.
Child and Forensic Psychology Expert Alberto Goldwaser, MD,DFA, PA thinks it may be risky to charge all teens as sexual felons. “Adolescences are not developed enough to considered the outcome of their actions, at least not in the same way an adult can.” Goldwaser explains that that part of the brain isn’t fully developed until a person is 21-25 years old.
“However, a normal teen knows what is expected of them, a teen knows walking about nude is unacceptable,” said Goldwaser. “Most teens know what they are doing is not acceptable, but many aren’t mature enough to see it as a crime, because they don’t consider consequences. “
Perry Aftab feels a stronger opposition to prosecuting teens, “recent actions by prosecutors are counter productive and revealingly sexist. “ The lawyer explained that, teen girls are most targeted, especially online ”laws are supposed to protect not persecute them.” Aftab pointed out that the teens facing the harshest charges are girls for creating pornography, while less teen boys are charged with the same thing, except in cases where photos were post with malicious intent.
“When someone is registered as a sex offender they are required to go to therapy sessions with other offenders, why would you want a 14 year-old in the same room with a person that could potentially victimize them?” Aftab concluded.
Dr.Innis feels as a society- American culture is sending two conflicting messages to teens, “ On the one hand teen girls, especially girls of color, are bombarded with images of hyper sexualized women as disarable, while at the same time telling them that being sexual is negative.” Innes pointed out how many pop songs were about sexting, including ones from singers Beyonce ,Britney Spears and rapper Soilder Boy. “Girls are being taught this is acceptable behavior and boys are learning to expect it. “
New Jersey Prosecutor Macellaro felt it was difficult to decide what was “fair” in sexting cases, which was why they are decided on the basis of what is legal and what is illegal.
“Its just like teens drinking, if they do it and get away with it they feel no real crime has been committed, now but that teen behind the wheel of a car and they are a deadly force. Kids taking dirty pictures might seem like innocent fun, but those pictures can be easily spread to pedophiles and endanger other youngsters.”
Dr. Goldwaser believes that every case needs presented has a few factors that need to be taken into consideration, “ the totality of the damage done to the community, the development of the child , the child’s intent and if that child has been previously abused or exploited sexually.” He suggest instead of registering as a sex offender a teen would benefit more , if required to
One New Jersey couple took the initiative to deal with the issue head on. Richard and Jacqueline Guerry launched the Institute for Responsible Online and Cell Phone Communication in Jan, 2009. Richard Guerry , is also the founder of successful Cruising With Kids campaign that visits schools and community events to teach , emergency , fire and child safety. The institute focuses on the dangers of cyberbullying , sexting and sex”casting. The Guerrys hope that educating teens and young adults about the dangers of broadcasting sexual images of yourself online With the “Sexting is Stupid” which focuses on teaching teens personal responsibility.
Though in its infant stage, www.iroc2.org, the Institute’s site has information for teachers, parents and teens. The Mount Laurel native hope with education there will never be a tragedy like the loss of Jesse Logan again.
Megan’s Law, like many laws is imperfect and thus is always changing and evolving, according to the Star Ledger, on May 8 the Supreme Court ruled on the validly of local ordinances that restricted were sex offenders were allowed to live, the court struck them down. Perhaps in the future the law will be amended to better protect the youngsters it was created to serve without turning them into felons.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Apparently Times have been very tough for Zangeif
How the mighty have fallen. What would Guile think of you if he saw you this way? Something tells me the acting in this is better than The Legend Of Chung Li
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sorry for the delay!
Sorry I haven't been updating, I've been very busy graduating from college. I'll be back on track soon.
In the meantime this:
In the meantime this:
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Attack of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee : MyFreeImplants.com revisted.
By Zachary Huff, Life and Leisure Editor
The article I had written last week on myfreeimplants.com has garnered me the most comments for any of my stories ever on our paper’s website (www.rutgersobserver.com). Most of those comments weren’t too positive. So I figured that I should say a few words about it.
It was an attempt at a humorous article written by a person who is clearly speaking as an outsider to the site. I did not present the front that I was an active member of the site. I was merely a person who found out about the site and wrote on what I saw and read on the parts of the site available to the general public. I also never asserted that I had spoken to anyone involved in the site.
Like most people who stumble upon a site they’ve never seen or heard of, I poured over all of the available information on the site. Consequently, that’s exactly what my article is based on: direct quotes given as a description of the site as a description and enticement for people to learn about and to make them long to join the community.
In the case of Betty, I felt compelled to mention her. She looks like a normal, everyday girl, not hyper glamorous or perfectly done up with makeup and hair styling. The sheer discrepancy in the amount of money she had raised compared to the other girls on the homepage seemed rather insulting and offensive to the woman. She’s out there, her face attached to a minimal amount of money, as one thing that visitors to the site are bound to see first. I’d be pretty hurt if I was Betty, so I felt the need to point out her situation in my piece.
But the major thing that needs to be understood about my article, as well as Sheena’s article, is that they were written for the Life and Leisure section of the paper. Not news, and not even opinions; rather, it was bound for the happy-go-lucky, anything goes entertainment section of the paper. The idea behind the site, as well as aspects of the site, really struck me. No personal attacks were intended; if anything, it was a commentary of the way that the site is presented through the home page and frequently asked questions. It was a joke. It’s not that serious.
And, just for the record, I will not be joining the pep squad.
By Sheena Quashie, Managing Editor
On April 7th 2009, rapper Jim Jones , was arrested in Teaneck, NJ during the whole ordeal he kept making updates on his Twitter account via blackberry. The next day local papers ran the story . The rapper retaliated by - well- writing another Twitter message about how the papers were writing about him Twittering.
When I read this story I couldn’t help but throw my head back and lol a hearty lol. The same way I find it amusing when any public figure does something foolish then wants to pretend like they suddenly need a moment of privacy.
Making a website is a lot like like being Jim Jones, it doesn’t take a lot of talent and for reason when people see it it gets attention. Also like Mr. Jones nothing about it is private. In his case it's because he can't blow his nose without micro blogging about it.
Making a public website is much akin to displaying a box on a side walk. In this instance, the box had “Free Implants!”on it. If one is not meant to laugh at something like that then I really don’t know what should we laugh at.
It seems that a selection of Myfreeimplant.com users felt outraged that someone would have the audacity to poke fun and chaste ladies and honorable gents of the site. Well my good noble-people to you I say “HUSH”. Seriously. I would have never thought such a joyless lot would be attracted to free implants.
Okay, that’s a lie.
I never thought such joyless and vocal lot would be attracted to a site like that. I soundly advise the lot of you get over yourselves. I refuse to believe that sane adults can join a site that tells men to give it money so it can pay for breast implants and not expect a chuckle from someone.
You joined this site:
the one with a girl in stripper shoes on the logo and a woman in lingerie standing in front of two giant silicon monsters.
I don’t know if I should be offended by the wanton ignorance or the multiple insults to reader's intelligence posted on both articles.
I’ll quickly address some comments that made me facepalm.
First, up was any comment claiming that I’m bragging about having large breasts, big boobs are awful. I don’t even think my ex boyfriend even knows what my face looks like and many women suffer back pain as well as -gasp- poor self image because people see them as a talking inflatable sex dolls. I don't see how talking about possible long term disfigurement or people underestimating one's intelligence can be a ringing endorsement.
Next, there was a gentleman that claimed our articles was libelous because it misrepresented the site. Zach quoted word for word text from MFI, commented on pictures posted on MFI and ZACH is the one misrepresenting? Its like looking at a mirror and telling your reflection his face is crooked.
Lastly, to the several commentators that claimed an attack on MFI was an attack on breast cancer survivors, MFI is not a charity for cancer survivors. It's a site for-profit site that tells men that implants will make women feel better about themselves.
It was a site founded when a guy was at a bachelor party where party goers gave a stripper extra tips to go get her breasts done. A stripper, its right on “About Us” page. No where on the site is it presented as a charity for the reconstruction of breast cancer survivors.
Instead of feeding into the heterosexist, patriarchal wasteland that is MyFreeImplants.com how about donating directly to the many non-profit organizations that specialize funding reconstruction. There are many that exists, and are fairly easy to locate.
It took me about 2 minutes to locate Vanity 4 Humanity, founded by Dr. Donald Roland of NYC. This orinazation holds fund raising events for cancer survivors. The also don’t require anyone being teased with “sexy pics” nor are there any strippers in the logo. Don’t try to sell people debochery as philanthropy, you’ll just end up embarassing yourself.
The article I had written last week on myfreeimplants.com has garnered me the most comments for any of my stories ever on our paper’s website (www.rutgersobserver.com). Most of those comments weren’t too positive. So I figured that I should say a few words about it.
It was an attempt at a humorous article written by a person who is clearly speaking as an outsider to the site. I did not present the front that I was an active member of the site. I was merely a person who found out about the site and wrote on what I saw and read on the parts of the site available to the general public. I also never asserted that I had spoken to anyone involved in the site.
Like most people who stumble upon a site they’ve never seen or heard of, I poured over all of the available information on the site. Consequently, that’s exactly what my article is based on: direct quotes given as a description of the site as a description and enticement for people to learn about and to make them long to join the community.
In the case of Betty, I felt compelled to mention her. She looks like a normal, everyday girl, not hyper glamorous or perfectly done up with makeup and hair styling. The sheer discrepancy in the amount of money she had raised compared to the other girls on the homepage seemed rather insulting and offensive to the woman. She’s out there, her face attached to a minimal amount of money, as one thing that visitors to the site are bound to see first. I’d be pretty hurt if I was Betty, so I felt the need to point out her situation in my piece.
But the major thing that needs to be understood about my article, as well as Sheena’s article, is that they were written for the Life and Leisure section of the paper. Not news, and not even opinions; rather, it was bound for the happy-go-lucky, anything goes entertainment section of the paper. The idea behind the site, as well as aspects of the site, really struck me. No personal attacks were intended; if anything, it was a commentary of the way that the site is presented through the home page and frequently asked questions. It was a joke. It’s not that serious.
And, just for the record, I will not be joining the pep squad.
By Sheena Quashie, Managing Editor
On April 7th 2009, rapper Jim Jones , was arrested in Teaneck, NJ during the whole ordeal he kept making updates on his Twitter account via blackberry. The next day local papers ran the story . The rapper retaliated by - well- writing another Twitter message about how the papers were writing about him Twittering.
When I read this story I couldn’t help but throw my head back and lol a hearty lol. The same way I find it amusing when any public figure does something foolish then wants to pretend like they suddenly need a moment of privacy.
Making a website is a lot like like being Jim Jones, it doesn’t take a lot of talent and for reason when people see it it gets attention. Also like Mr. Jones nothing about it is private. In his case it's because he can't blow his nose without micro blogging about it.
Making a public website is much akin to displaying a box on a side walk. In this instance, the box had “Free Implants!”on it. If one is not meant to laugh at something like that then I really don’t know what should we laugh at.
It seems that a selection of Myfreeimplant.com users felt outraged that someone would have the audacity to poke fun and chaste ladies and honorable gents of the site. Well my good noble-people to you I say “HUSH”. Seriously. I would have never thought such a joyless lot would be attracted to free implants.
Okay, that’s a lie.
I never thought such joyless and vocal lot would be attracted to a site like that. I soundly advise the lot of you get over yourselves. I refuse to believe that sane adults can join a site that tells men to give it money so it can pay for breast implants and not expect a chuckle from someone.
You joined this site:
the one with a girl in stripper shoes on the logo and a woman in lingerie standing in front of two giant silicon monsters.
I don’t know if I should be offended by the wanton ignorance or the multiple insults to reader's intelligence posted on both articles.
I’ll quickly address some comments that made me facepalm.
First, up was any comment claiming that I’m bragging about having large breasts, big boobs are awful. I don’t even think my ex boyfriend even knows what my face looks like and many women suffer back pain as well as -gasp- poor self image because people see them as a talking inflatable sex dolls. I don't see how talking about possible long term disfigurement or people underestimating one's intelligence can be a ringing endorsement.
Next, there was a gentleman that claimed our articles was libelous because it misrepresented the site. Zach quoted word for word text from MFI, commented on pictures posted on MFI and ZACH is the one misrepresenting? Its like looking at a mirror and telling your reflection his face is crooked.
Lastly, to the several commentators that claimed an attack on MFI was an attack on breast cancer survivors, MFI is not a charity for cancer survivors. It's a site for-profit site that tells men that implants will make women feel better about themselves.
It was a site founded when a guy was at a bachelor party where party goers gave a stripper extra tips to go get her breasts done. A stripper, its right on “About Us” page. No where on the site is it presented as a charity for the reconstruction of breast cancer survivors.
Instead of feeding into the heterosexist, patriarchal wasteland that is MyFreeImplants.com how about donating directly to the many non-profit organizations that specialize funding reconstruction. There are many that exists, and are fairly easy to locate.
It took me about 2 minutes to locate Vanity 4 Humanity, founded by Dr. Donald Roland of NYC. This orinazation holds fund raising events for cancer survivors. The also don’t require anyone being teased with “sexy pics” nor are there any strippers in the logo. Don’t try to sell people debochery as philanthropy, you’ll just end up embarassing yourself.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
MyFreeImplants.com - Healing women one boob job at a time.
Some might see a sea of refund gaps , broken dreams and disappointment. Others might think this site is a testament to the complete moral collapse of society. Those squares would be over reacting, its not like wherever there is a woman desperate for attention, with low self esteem there will be several men behind her scheming of ways she can make them a buck.
You can’t really call this exploitation, at least not solely on the part of men. Clearly there are two parties being pimped here, the men AND the women that sign up for this site are suckers for the select group of doctors that the women have to go to for surgery. Vertical integration never looked so hot. Ain’t capitalism grand?
This site links people together with idea that they are helping a woman profoundly with breast implants. Take this stunner for example.
Before she could only charge, what? 23 dollars for sex so she can fuel her horrific meth addiction.
Meth mouth aside, if it was 1989 she could be an extra in the White Snake video of her choosing. Just check out some of the satisfied customers in the sites before and after gallery. This is the Lord’s work.
The only complaint I have is the laziness; some of these women really need to be asking for boobies to save their floundering adult entertainer careers as they reach their cellulite checkered twilight ,but the others are just in it for the thrill. A bunch of college girls who you could use their financial aid to pay for a new set of breast and many even some lipo. What happened to the days when a gal had to be swinging on a pole 4-8 hours a day to EARN her silicon twins, back then work meant something.
I must say it’s hard for me to relate to these women, not because I’m much better educated, lack daddy issues and have never woke up in a bus station bathroom with a condom up my nose but because in all fairness I live the massive mamoried shangrala these ladies strive for.
Au natural and I'm not even wearing a bra in that pic. I know they aren’t going to last forever so I’m milking them for all they’re worth now. Ipods, fur coats, laptops, Bentley rides you name it -tittes will get you there.Honestly, I’m only doing this whole school thing so I have something to fall back on once they start to sag. I might find myself in need of a melon upgrade myself, but not too soon, my sweater puppies are perky as the dickens.
Seriously, I base my entire worth as a woman on the fact that my boobs are literally bigger than my head.Not only are they like two massive ten-pound free rides permanently adhered to my chest, which will no doubt leave me looking more like a weeping willow than a human female in the years to come, but they help not only men, but women as well gauge my intelligence quickly and easily.
The correlation between the amount of cleavage on a woman and her IQ was proven in 1956. At a 40G it’s safe to say that I couldn’t possibly achieve much outside the realm of valued sexual conquest or worlds squishiest paper weight. I don’t even care, I have knockers that say ‘gravity be damned, LOOK AT ME! And my isn’t it cold in here.’
I’m happy a site has finally acknowledged just how influential large breasts are for a woman’s self esteem. I mean without them can you imagine what it would be like to suffer poor body image because some unrealistic ideal of beauty has been pushed on you?
It would be like some crazy upside-down world were the natural assets of a woman are tossed in favor of rock-hard chest skin stretching atrocities that seem to exists only to be a dark affront to the very deity of creation.
Man, how could we all sleep in a world like that? Especially if in that dystopia doctors would rather make a quick buck off shallow women and pathetic men than donate their time to help people who need it, like I donno maybe breast cancer survivors?
You can’t really call this exploitation, at least not solely on the part of men. Clearly there are two parties being pimped here, the men AND the women that sign up for this site are suckers for the select group of doctors that the women have to go to for surgery. Vertical integration never looked so hot. Ain’t capitalism grand?
This site links people together with idea that they are helping a woman profoundly with breast implants. Take this stunner for example.
Before she could only charge, what? 23 dollars for sex so she can fuel her horrific meth addiction.
Meth mouth aside, if it was 1989 she could be an extra in the White Snake video of her choosing. Just check out some of the satisfied customers in the sites before and after gallery. This is the Lord’s work.
The only complaint I have is the laziness; some of these women really need to be asking for boobies to save their floundering adult entertainer careers as they reach their cellulite checkered twilight ,but the others are just in it for the thrill. A bunch of college girls who you could use their financial aid to pay for a new set of breast and many even some lipo. What happened to the days when a gal had to be swinging on a pole 4-8 hours a day to EARN her silicon twins, back then work meant something.
I must say it’s hard for me to relate to these women, not because I’m much better educated, lack daddy issues and have never woke up in a bus station bathroom with a condom up my nose but because in all fairness I live the massive mamoried shangrala these ladies strive for.
I have an AMAZING RACK.
Au natural and I'm not even wearing a bra in that pic. I know they aren’t going to last forever so I’m milking them for all they’re worth now. Ipods, fur coats, laptops, Bentley rides you name it -tittes will get you there.Honestly, I’m only doing this whole school thing so I have something to fall back on once they start to sag. I might find myself in need of a melon upgrade myself, but not too soon, my sweater puppies are perky as the dickens.Seriously, I base my entire worth as a woman on the fact that my boobs are literally bigger than my head.Not only are they like two massive ten-pound free rides permanently adhered to my chest, which will no doubt leave me looking more like a weeping willow than a human female in the years to come, but they help not only men, but women as well gauge my intelligence quickly and easily.
The correlation between the amount of cleavage on a woman and her IQ was proven in 1956. At a 40G it’s safe to say that I couldn’t possibly achieve much outside the realm of valued sexual conquest or worlds squishiest paper weight. I don’t even care, I have knockers that say ‘gravity be damned, LOOK AT ME! And my isn’t it cold in here.’
I’m happy a site has finally acknowledged just how influential large breasts are for a woman’s self esteem. I mean without them can you imagine what it would be like to suffer poor body image because some unrealistic ideal of beauty has been pushed on you?
It would be like some crazy upside-down world were the natural assets of a woman are tossed in favor of rock-hard chest skin stretching atrocities that seem to exists only to be a dark affront to the very deity of creation.
Man, how could we all sleep in a world like that? Especially if in that dystopia doctors would rather make a quick buck off shallow women and pathetic men than donate their time to help people who need it, like I donno maybe breast cancer survivors?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
We're All Children of God : Hasan Salaam (my frist celebrity interview!)
Hasan Salaam
A chat about his new cd and "that Dirty Jerz Mentality"
Hasan Salaam, New Jersey born rapper with a voice like wet electric sex tickling your ear , he uses it to carry messages that resonate long after the beat does on your ear drum.
Hasan Salaam has appeared in publications like The Source and on Fuse Music network, Mun2 TV and Show Time At the Apollo.
He maybe “Mr.Unsigned Hype” but he’s no amature, according to his website, Hasan Salaam has graced stages with Dead Prez, Common, Busta Rhymes, Saigon, Talib Kweli, The Rza, The Gza, Slick Rick, Lord Jamar, Sadat X, Smif N Wesson, Grandmaster Caz, Curtis Blow, Immortal Technique, Pharoahe Monch, Naughty By Nature, & Digital Underground ,Redman, Kidz in the Hall, Akir, Bashir, & DJ GI Joe. His career “highlight” came in 2007 when he had the pleasure of rocking with living legend Afrika Bambaataa.
Hasan Salaam gained praise early in his career with his first album Paradise Lost. He won two awards at the 2005 Underground Music Awards , one for Best Performance and Song of the Year for the single Blaxploitation.
He is active in the community and in the lives of its youth. In Newark he volunteers for the Essex County Youth House, a rehabilitation center for troubled youth.
Hasan Salaam is currently on tour in the UK and Germany.
Observer: Can you tell us about your current project?
Hasan Salaam: My new project is called Children Of God, its about the mathematics of life.
Observer: Mathematics of life? Sounds complicated.
Hasan Salaam: Not really, its just passing on knowledge that we all learn from growing up.
Observer: Especially in Jersey?
Hasan Salaam: Yeah, I'm originally from Camden and spent a lot of my childhood in Jersey City. When you think about it, the only thing we don't got in Jersey is a desert. There's so much variety, growing up in Camden, Jersey City and Teaneck showed me that. Here in Jersey you can pretty much have all of it.
Observer: So you think that being a Jersey boy help shape you and your music?
Hasan Salaam: Yeah, It's the “Dirty Jerz” mentality. Right next to New York, but we can be laid back and suburban, we can get a little country, or grimy.
For me, growing up, Jersey City was grimy. Watching it change ,through gentrification , showed how much people that have don't give a fuck about those that don't have.
At one point Jersey City was the fastest growing city- faster than Vegas and all they got around them is desert. They were tearing down people's homes to build condos for some rich motherfuckers.
I grew up seeing two very different faces of Jersey, when I was a kid, Camden was the murder capital of the world. I would got from there and Jersey City to Teaneck.
Teaneck is a suburban place, but historically it was one of the few places were suburban Blacks were allowed there were so many positive role models. I saw the good and the bad. I really want to show that good.
Observer: What do you think hip-hop now is so focused on the bad?
Hasan Salaam: The oppressor is always obsessed with the oppressed. Hip Hop now is kind of a racist's wet dream.
Observer: Strong words, if you saw someone big in the game, say 50 Cent in the elevator, what would you say to him?
Hasan Salaam: Yo, if I met 50Cent in the elevator I would day “Peace” - ya know what I say to everyone. I'm not going to tell him “ You killed hip hop.” Many Men is one of my favorite songs.
Observer: Where can people get your music?
Hasan Salaam: My new album and the old ones are available at CDbaby.com/cd/hasansalaam4 , Itunes, Amazon.com, Rhapsody and they can catch the video for the single 15 Minutes on youtube and of course HasanSalaam.com.
Keep Coming Back Like Herpes
Varied styles and heavy themes make Hasan Salaam's "Children of God" phenomenal
ZACHARY HUFF LIFE AND LEISURE EDITOR
Posted: 3/24/09
Salaam's voice deserves special mention. It's not easy to describe, but it's impossible to forget. Simultaneously deep, rough and endearing, his flow always sounds effortless and perfect for whatever he's rapping about.
It struck me hard while Hasan Salaam's album spun around in my CD player. Variety is almost nonexistent on albums lately. I'm not complaining; I'm a huge fan of concept albums, long and grand narratives spanning the entirety of a collected work of music.
But juxtapositions simply have no place on most albums. Politically charged artists need to hit me with twelve tracks of the same subject. Someone's talking about drugs and the shady side of life? I usually have to hear about it, almost to a redundant effect.
Hasan Salaam keeps “Children of God” from ever falling into a one-track mind kind of album. Instead, he hits so many different styles and subjects that it's easy to get lost in your own little world of deep thought while listening.
Take “Deliver my Soul” for example. Salaam presents an earnest overview of an unglamorous, realistic look at life as it isn't presented in the movies: shitty jobs, difficulties with women and falling into less than admirable means to survive. He trades verses with guest Majesty over a simple yet pitch perfect backing track that feels ripped from a detective movie.
Maya Azucena's phenomenal vocals on the chorus are heavenly, dripping in richness and evoking the spirit of soul artists of the past. Having her bright vocals against the gritty tale of surviving by any means necessary creates an unusual yet beautiful composition of a track.
Salaam's voice deserves special mention. It's not easy to describe, but it's impossible to forget. Simultaneously deep, rough and endearing, his flow always sounds effortless and perfect for whatever he's rapping about.
Lyrically, “Suga” is a fantastic love note clearly created by strong feelings. But Salaam's vocals make the track even stronger and believable, with a lovesick swagger breaking away at his smooth, deep voice.
Some tracks from the album are very politically charged, with Salaam's strong observations and unflinching delivery making his ideas all the more stronger. “Someplace” is a down key, piano-driven examination of gentrification under the guise of “urban renewal.” As Salaam raps, “tenements becoming condos worth hundreds of thousands/ so single moms with three mouths to feed get forced up out of 'em.”
His restrained, almost quiet vocals bleed a silent resentment that resides right below the surface of many people who are fucked over by the system that inexplicably and irrefutably keeps them from advancing, prospering… even surviving.
“Insomniac PT.1 (Nightfall)” is an almost scathing depiction of life as Salaam has seen it, with shitty living conditions (“poisoning the drinking waters/ only raise the cancer rate”) and segregation (“gates separate communities based on what we make”) at the forefront. Blares of horns punctuate the constant heavy percussion to create a feeling of urgency that is matched perfectly by Salaam's rapid. breathless delivery.
My personal picks for the best tracks on the album are definitely “Angel Dust” and “The Downrock.”
“Angel Dust” is disgustingly addictive and perfectly arranged and produced.
The bouncy funk groove and layered sampling combine with the guest Lord Jamar's vocal contributions to form one hell of a track that will remain lodged in your brain long after you've put the album down.
Salaam recounts the story of a girl forced to resort to shady means to survive, falling into temptations and doing what she has to do to feed her newfound afflictions; as Salaam raps, “she hates cocaine but loves the smell.” The allure of the girl is clear, and this tale of a fallen angel is heavy and catchy at the same time.
“The Downrock,” companion to “The Uprock,” feels like it'd be right at home in cheesy 70s kung-fu flicks, with heavy fuzz guitars immediately setting the mood of the track. Then, out of left field, Arabic rhythms float in from light horns and string arrangements poke their heads out now and then to create a strange amalgamation of a track.
The feverish raps from Rugged N Raw, BadSportt and Smarty Pants all create a distinct urgency that is perfect for “trying to see who can compete against whose moves on the floor.” Be sure to listen to this track in private should you feel compelled to breakdance and don't know how to; it'll make you want to move, whether you know what you're doing or not.
In all honesty, an album hasn't struck me in quite the way that Hasan Salaam's “Children of God” has.
It is never boring, always moving forward and keeping things interesting with varied subjects and a strong mix of sampling and instrumentation.
The production is amazing, matching the lyrics and delivery of Salaam perfectly. I can't think of a reason to not pick up the album and give it a listen; you're bound to find at least a few tracks that really hit you.
The work as a whole, though, is a fantastic example of how a little variety goes a long way.
© Copyright 2009 Observer
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