Winter Coats for the Fly Guy, The Obama Name, Fighting Winter Skin & Paper Butterfly

Winter Coats for the Fly Guy

This is my first Chicago winter so let me go ahead and get this off of my chest *&%$@!!*$ it’s cold!!! It’s like someone took the vibrant and soulful city I was enjoying in the summer, stripped it scrotum naked and dropped it in the Antarctic. Not cool Chicago. Not cool at all.

Okay, I’m back. Since winter is inevitable up here that means winter wardrobes in Chicago have to be just as fly as summer wardrobes. Why should summer be the only season with a little flavor to it? One way to see some serious winter style is on Sunday morning when everyone’s going to church. Oh Chicagoans turn out for the Lord. Minks and sables and any other fur that could be used to make a coat is usually sitting right beside you on the church pew and these are men and women a like. But what if you’re not the “bitch better have my money” kind of fur coat wearing brother like myself? What are you winter coating options for the rest of this glorious season? I got you covered homie.

I found a list of 10 hot winter coats for men that are more than trendy these coats are investments in 1} maintaining your body temperature when Chicago winds decide they want to steal your body heat as well as your soul and 2} maintaining your style for seasons to come because these coats are made from cuts and materials that are winter fashion staples for any man.

Check out this Kenneth Cole number. It’s sleek, sharp and with the layered look you can pull just about anything off. Bundling up doesn’t mean look sloppy.

This is one of my personal favorites from Scotch and Soda. When it comes to coats remember that what you wear over your clothes has to have some personality as well. With the right hat, scarf and gloves you can easily set it off in this one.

Get a good look at this snazzy mofo from April 77 {to the right}. Ain’t it the truth? Don’t get deterred by how homeboy ain’t rocking it right in the profile. Put a driving cap with this coat and a colorful scarf that will compliment the color of the coat {you can put any color with gray by the way} and draw attention up to your face. Trust me.

And what is winter without the down coat? Now I know how some people feel about wearing all white but this Energie coat {pictured left} is fresh and it’s not something you’d wear every day either. Only places where there are no kids or dirty walls. Nah for real.

You can check out the rest of the list here and also keep this in mind; this is the time of the year and {unfortunately} the right economic climate to come up on some really good buys if you can afford it. Great brands and designers are slashing prices all willy-nilly and we all have the chance to come out on top in the name of winter fashion.

Be fly. Stay warm.

The Obama Name Game

We all knew it was gonna happen. When Nov 5th came there were two things I knew for sure 1} white folks would have to practice extra hard pronouncing ethnic names thanks to our President-Elect and 2} high school, 18 years from now, will be filled with thousands of kids who have Obama, Barack, Hussein and Michelle as their first and middle names. Just say his name.

Ba-rack O-ba-ma.

I bet those are syllables no American thought they’d be pronouncing so often. Now we have a new generation of Obama babies upon us and not just in the USA but worldwide. Sanjae Obama Fisher was born in Florida just hours before Obama whooped up on McCain and Barack Jeilah Williams was born on Nov 5th. Now a month and some change later parents from Indonesia to Romania are granting their newborns with the names Hussein, Barack and Obama. {Picture below: Sanjae Obama to the left and Barack Jeilah to the right}.

In a matter of two years the name republicans were making fun of has become the name parents covet for their children. Talk about a come up.

Read more here.

Fighting Winter Skin

I know I posted something on this subject before (Winter Skin Tips…Because the Hawk is Hell on Your Skin) but it bears reposting because guess what?

THE HAWK IS HELL ON YOUR SKIN!!! {For those of you who don’t know what the Hawk is just ask one of your black friends}.

Your skin is your first line of defense when it comes to protection and warmth and you can’t stay warm when you are dryer than British humor. Whether you live in North Carolina or North Dakota you need to properly take care of your skin when winter hits. And let me tell you this fellas it ain’t cute. Ladies pay attention to these things and shaking a woman’s soft supple hands with your rough palms is not a good look for a first impression. Chances are if your hands are ashy then you lips look like…never mind. Just read the damn tips below and thank me later.

Switch up to a heavier moisturizer. I have a friend who swears by Cetaphil face wash and moisturizer and I swear I haven’t seen her ashy since 1998. Real talk


Take care of your hands and feet. Winter air can take a toll on your extremities so rejuvenate them over night. Place moisturizer on your hands and feet and cover your feet socks and hands with plastic gloves while you sleep.

Pick up some fish oil pills. Winter skin care doesn’t just take place outside of the body. What we eat can provide our bodies with the essential moisture we need to keep the ash away.

And please, it has to be said, only ingest the pills. Don’t try to get savvy and use the pills for other shit because- trip this- fish oil pills actually have fish oil in them! If you want to walk around smelling like a salmon then by all means do what you want but I’m warning you. The smell isn’t pleasant.

Get the rest of the tips here.

Paper Butterfly

There are a few bastions of personal style that still ring true today as they did years ago like a tailor or even a great barber but to me an overlooked element of personal style is cards and stationary. Cards and personalized stationary are one of the easiest and often most overlooked ways to put some more uniqueness in your image. A good friend of mine has just launched her own paper design company called Paper Butterfly.

Everything is hand crafted and unique designs to Paper Butterfly. If you like standing out then you’ll love what PB offers. Now the company is in its infancy and the catalog isn’t that extensive but believe me when I say more designs are coming. Check out the website and pick up some Christmas cards.

Quote of the Day

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."

-Goethe

{Thanks to Paper Butterfly for such a great quote!}

Thanksgiving 2008

I don't give a damn what Peppermint Patty said. Snoopy did his thing in the kitchen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-elbj

Quote of the Day

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.

Cicero

Macy's Catch the Designers, Do You Eat Like a Man or Woman?, Good Friends = Good Health, The New: Kierra Sheard & Real Spit from Pastor Rick Warren

Macy’s Catch the Designers

Not only is Macy’s a great store, you can always come up on something in Macy’s {I found a blue cable knit Nautica sweater which retailed for $100+ and I bought it for $10 homie!} but it’s a great brand too. I know y’all have seen the new advertising that’s been running for over a year {courtesy of J. Walter Thompson} and to me it seems as if the new advertising jumpstarted the new Macy’s. I’m impressed {and before you even think about it Macy’s didn’t pay me for this...but if anyone from Macy’s is reading…} and it looks like I’ll continue to be as long as the behemoth retail chain keeps doing things like Catch the Designers. We all know that the fashion industry is in a love/hate relationship with people of color. White designers love into tap ethnicity for inspiration but devote 1% of their troop, shows and company to cultivating ethnic talent {yeah I said it}.

The folks at Macy’s have built a site that showcases up-and-coming as well as iconic ethnic fashion design talent across the Asian American, Latino American and African American landscapes.

Catch the Designers is a portal for all of us who want to be exposed to interviews, profiles and event calendars for designers who represent our heritage and style in impeccable ways. Etu Evans, Gentleman Jim and Shaka King are a few of the African American designers featured on the site and I think this is a good look.

Now I will say that this site may not be brand new but it’s new to me and who am I to keep something this cool to myself. Catch up on new talent and even do a little eye shopping via the perspective designers’ profiles when you check out Catch the Designers.


Do You Eat Like a Man or a Woman?

I’m just going to get this out of the way. I eat like a woman. Well according to this research featured on About.com I eat like a woman. Now before you even ask me what a woman eats like check this out:

“The studies suggest that women tend to prefer vegetables like tomatoes and carrots, plus fruits, especially berries and apples. Whereas men like the spicier flavors like jalapeno, chipotle, horseradish and wasabi, women prefer sweeter flavors such as chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon. Women are less likely to eat risky foods like undercooked eggs and raw oysters, but women are more willing to eat alfalfa sprouts.”



Now I do eat tomatoes and carrots but don’t get it twisted homie cause I love my raw oysters and wasabi too. As long as I’m eating I’m not mad. See what your food profile is when you take the quiz here. Now the quiz isn’t exactly the most scientific but it’s fun to see if you eat like a homeboy or a homegirl. Now where are my berries?

Good Friends= Good Health. I Ain’t Lying

As we descend into a new holiday season I'm sure the fact that great friends are a part of life is being reinforced. I’ve noticed how more and more people today are saying they don’t have friends they have “acquaintances”. There’s nothing wrong with that but since I have a choice I choose real friends over acquaintances any day. And to be honest, I’m not loose with the term “friend” anyway so I never have to make the distinction between friends and acquaintances. Either you’re a friend of mine or you’re not. With all of that said, I dedicate this TGS tidbit to my friends; people who hear me out when I complain and help me celebrate when things go great. So who are your friends? Do you have a lot? More than 10 or do you play it cool and keep a limit on your support network? Either way having friends in your life can increase your health in more ways than one.

Having good friends and being a good friend to others goes beyond receiving emotional support from family and significant others. The meaningful interaction with a good friend can lengthen your life, add more fun to your life and help you deal with stressful situations more productively. This is even true for the animal kingdom. “Stressed-out hamsters with skin wounds who were paired with other hamsters healed faster than those left alone to heal. The hamsters with friends also produced less of the stress hormone cortisol, which has negative effects on mood and immunity (source).”

Now I know you’re probably snickering and saying to yourself, “This ninja is tripping. I ain’t no damn hamster” but honestly these results heavily correlate to humans as well. Think about it, when you are emotionally and physically down and out interactions with good friends help…emotionally as well as physically. Damn it if it’s good enough for hamsters it’s good enough for yo’ ass.

Friends also help stabilize and boost your immune system. Think about it. If stress has been confirmed to weaken your immune system and great friend support networks help to avoid and alleviate stress then its safe to say that your good friends are the 2nd line of defense when it comes to staving off stress-related illness (some where between your antibodies and herbal supplements). I think it’s a good look if your homeboy can calm you down, lift your spirits and boost your immune system. I have a feeling some of y’all hard-headed rascals are still fighting me on this so I’m gonna have to go to church on you. Even the Bible promotes friendship in the book of Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 New King James Version. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls for he has no one to help him up.”

And that is your word for the day. If Jesus can’t convince you that friends are a blessing then I give up- sort of. To read more about the health benefits of friendship check out this and this.

Now I give up.


The New: Kierra Sheard

I’m a preacher’s grandkid {which is equivalent to being a preacher’s kid if you knew my granddaddy} and I’ve been surrounded by gospel music pretty much all of my life. I remember when there was a period when I could not STAND traditional gospel. I’m out of that phase now but I still prefer the contemporary stuff. I just do. Dave Hollister, Jessica Greene, Tye Tribbet and of course my home girl Kierra Sheard.

Kierra’s new album Bold Right Life dropped last month and it’s the truth. Aside from having music in her genes you can tell singing is a God-given gift. Speaking of her genes, her brother {J. Drew Sheard II aka JDS} serves as a producer on this album {as well as prior albums} and I swear every track he did is my jam. Last week I traveled between Milwaukee and Chicago for work and bumped her cd the entire trip on both days. It’s just that good {Love Like Crazy is a banger!!}.

If you’re not a KiKi {family nickname} fan you will be. Her new take on gospel is bringing a fresh take on Christianity to the next generation and she’s not holding back.Check out Kierra Sheard and her music here.

Real Spit from Rick Warren

I went trolling through the TED vault the other day and came across this 2006 video of Pastor Rick Warren {The Purpose Driven Life}. He's dropping some serious knowledge and ain't too much I can say to set this up so enjoy.

Quote of the Day

"The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams."

-Oprah Winfrey

Barack: To My Brothers and Sisters

A lot has happened since the last installment of The Genius Syndicate. I've been catching flack for not updating the blog but I think this is a better time than ever to add a posting because so much has taken place; one special moment in particular- as you know- the election of our next president Mr. Obama. Being in Chicago during the debates and election has been more than amazing. Since November 4th I've heard commentary from brothers in the barbershop, people on the El train, co-workers and church members about how great it is to finally have a president that people want to be in office in office.

For Black people Barack's triumph is seen as a promise from God being fulfilled, for young people Barack's milestone is a result of hard work and ideals trumping cynicism and ignorance, for children Barack's election is a detour on the road of self-image leading them to a brighter destination and to Chicagoans Barack's election is like watching a prince take the King's throne but for me Barack's success is so much more.

I firmly believe that people pray for the improvement of our country and also pray for the right leader to come along. A vote is great but a vote combined with a prayer is earth moving. Not only has everyone's prayers been answered but God did it in a way only He could. 40 years after Dr. King's assassination a half black, half white and all remarkable man has been elected to the White House and for the first time I know that God had a part in the whole thing. Not to say Satan put our current president in office {although some would agree with that statement} but it's evident that something more moving than our disdain for the current administration changed the course of our country and the world last Tuesday night.

God took what everyone considered as the least {Barack} and made it the most on a stage for the entire world to see. The political "experts" and pundants immediately dismissed Barack's campaign, experience and character and I don't blame them because they don’t operate with faith in mind. When you don't have faith for things to improve how can you take hope into account as a man’s strength? Being that faith is the substance of things hoped for all of those without hope in their equation for the country's improvement were doomed from the beginning. Watching God take Barack from the tail to the head was a fascinating journey and not one Barack walked alone. No. All of us who know that hope is as tangible as money knew that an investment in Barack was a commitment to building a better country no matter how hard the transformation.

God didn't just put a black man in office He gave the world another example of how His promises work and if you know anything about God you know He doesn't do anything in a vacuum. Barack's blessing is our blessing and our blessing is the world's blessing and so on and so forth.

To Mr. Obama, congratulations.

To God, thank you.


-elbj

Hyperdunk Recovery, 8 Secrets of Success, Pandora, Going Green with the Simmons Jewelry Company and R.I.P: Isaac Hayes & Bernie Mac

Hyper…crazy…dunk Recovery by Nike

I’ve been blessed enough to be presented with great advice in my 28 years walking this earth. My uncle Billy told me to never laugh at a joke if I didn’t find it funny. My granddaddy Basnight told me not to wait on a woman to cook for me because I’ll never eat. My mom told me to make things happen for myself and never rely on others to make my dreams come true and my brother, Terry, told me that I had to sit down and watch the new Nike Hyperdunk Recovery commercial during an episode of AND 1 Street ball Mix tapes and I’d be damned if he wasn’t right {as usual}. Nike and Wieden + Kennedy have done it again with a great spot about Nike’s new Hyperdunk sneakers woven into tales about dudes who fall victim to furious spins and beastly dunks on the basketball court. The humiliation of being dunked on by unsuspecting kats is so disheartening that dudes literally have to go into recovery…hence Hyperdunk Recovery.

There are two spots on Youtube {even though everything I’ve read about the spots said they were banned from TV but I saw the first spot on ESPN…go figure} and both are freaking fawsome {funny + awesome}. Shout out to Levels barbershop in Brooklyn, NY for being featured in the first spot. Some of the tightest haircuts I’ve had have been made in that barbershop {shout out to my boy T…BK standup!!}. Check out the Hyperdunk Recovery spots and then become perplexed about the fact of Nike and a predominately white ad agency doing better work featuring African-American talent and storytelling than most African-American ad agencies.

Yeah I said it.

To me everything about these spots is spot on. The music, the stories, the casting and of course the kicks. I’ll be picking up a pair of Hyperdunks soon. I don’t play ball but they kicks look fresh.

Nuff said.

St. John’s 8 Secrets of Success

I’ve found another gem in the TED vault. While winding down after a long day last week in Irving, TX {just ask me about the drama and I’ll tell you later} I decided to check out the TED site and once again what I found delivered on offering inspiration. After watching the video I immediately wanted to share it. This one goes out to all of my people who are continuously grinding their way to success. If this ain’t you then you might want to jump to the next feature cause we don’t need your bad vibes. {What? You still here? Girl, if I got to tell you one more time…}.

Richard St. John had what I call an IQM {innocent question moment}. An innocent question moment is when an expert {or just a regular dude} is caught off guard by a very simple and innocent question. Although thinking of an answer should be easy it isn’t because if the response isn’t presented in a manor as straight forward and innocent as the question was then it’s worthless. {A clear question deserves a clear response}. An innocent question moment immediately leads to the expert saying “I don’t know” but it often lays the foundation for a great idea and/or relationship to take place. I had my IQM during my first year of grad school with Jon Steel and I’d like to think the question and moment turned out great for both of us. {Whaddup Jon!}.

The by-product of Richard St. John’s IQM is the focus of his TED presentation. After being asked what leads to success he went on a journey that took him through hundreds of interviews with successful people over 7 years as he developed an anthology of success and was able to identify 8 themes of success that all of his interviewees shared. These 8 secrets are like a hurricane. Alone the elements are somewhat impressive {nice temperature, wind, rain, a flying cow…big whoop} and we can appreciate them but when the right elements assemble at the right time they create a force to be reckoned with and you’ll never be the same once you witness the end product.

St. John identifies 8 core attributes of success within a 3-minute presentation to the TED audience. The importance of Passion, Push, Service and Ideas are but a few of the secrets featured in his presentation. Give it a look and I challenge you to share it with friends, loved ones and the youth in your life. Richard’s presentation surely fits right up there with the great advice I received from my granddaddy.

Pandora’s Box…be Rocking

Pandora, streaming internet radio, has been up and running for some time now and I will not sit here and tell you that I was one of the first kats to find out about this site although it feels that way because there are still people who haven’t heard of Pandora. For someone who loves music {and Greek mythology} Pandora is nice thick cut of “cool” placed between two slices of bread waiting to be washed down with a nice cold glass of “say whaaaat?”

Pandora is the lovechild of the Music Genome Project and the brainchild Tim Westergren. 8 years ago Tim and his team collected and analyzed thousands of songs and broke them down into “hundreds of musical attributes or "genes" into a very large Music Genome. Taken together these genes capture the unique and magical musical identity of a song - everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony {www.Pandora.com}.” Because listeners of Pandora are able to customize their personal radio stations, based on genre or musical artists, they are always presented with music that falls into their particular taste.

For instance, I have a Dwele station on Pandora and every now and then it’ll play a cut from Dwele but it’ll also play music from other artists that shares the same musical genes as a Dwele song. So on a given day I can listen to artists I know {like Mary J. Blige or D’angelo} and artists I never would’ve thought about listening to {like Solange or Politik}. To me Pandora is an amazing invention and, Tim; if no one has said it I will…thank you for creating Pandora.

Going Green with the Simmons Jewelry Company

You can’t be an eighties baby like myself {although I was born 1979} and not be inspired by what Russell Simmons has accomplished. What he’s done for hip-hop can be compared to what Alexander Graham Bell did for the telecommunications industry but what he’s done for enterprise has been phenomenal. Every time I see him on Run’s House Russell is grinding away at something and I can honestly say that dude is my inspiration but as of yesterday something he’s spearheaded has mesmerized the hell out of me.




The Simmons Jewelry Company has a great portfolio of jewelry that anyone would want {I’m surprised my mom hasn’t asked for anything in the Brown Sugar line} but the Green initiative portfolio is what I’ll be focusing on today and one piece of jewelry in particular. Yesterday I picked up my malachite and rough diamond bracelet and it was worth the travel and the wait. The malachite and diamond bracelet {better known as my welcome to Chicago present} is a stunning piece of jewelry that looks good and does good because a portion of proceeds goes to the Diamond Empowerment Fund which raises money for the “development and empowerment of the people and communities in Africa where diamonds are a natural resource.”



Check out the entire Green Initiative product line and be sure to tell Russell I said whatsup.


R.I.P: Isaac Hayes & Bernie Mac

The Genius Syndicate would like to send our condolences to the families of two remarkable men who have helped the world groove, laugh, reflect and love. Thank you Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac for sharing your gifts.

God bless.

Quote of the Day
"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today."

-James Dean

The New: Tamir Rock and Ra-Re Valverde, Summer Stylin' for the Fellas, Kick...baallliiiin!!, Crack Economics, Why I Love: The New Bentley Joint

The New: Tamir Rock & Ra-Re Valverde

As I walk to the train station in the morning I often listen to music. Besides setting my mood for the day it’s kind of therapeutic but today it was different. With every step and every toggle of the “next” button on my iPod I realized that I need some new music. Badly. I’m always frustrated around this time in my life {which comes frequently} because I know how challenging it is to find music that I really like and the radio {no matter where you live} is utterly useless. I search for new music so fiercely that I feel like I’m looking for the Holy Grail.

Unlike those kats who unsuccessfully search for the Holy Grail I’ve found my treasure. No doubt. Your boy stays within arms reach of The New and today I’m glad to say that I’ve hit the jack pot. I’ve found two musical artists that exemplify what The New is and they are Tamir Rock and Ra-Re Valverde. Now I’ll be the first to say that these artists are new to me and some of you may have known of them for a minute but dammit their still new to me so keep reading.

Interesting names aside both artists are incredibly talented, distinctive from mainstream dribble that is shoved down the public’s throat and are incredibly, freakishly, stinking, stupidly talented. Trust me.

Tamir Rock

I can’t even take credit for finding out about this kat. Tamir {pronounced Tah-meer} was presented to me by my personal new music genie who’s actually a really good friend. Tamir hails from Richmond, VA {RIC stand up!!} and has managed to create a unique style that is far from a gimmick. Another strength of Tamir’s is that his rhyming surpasses all of the “shawty shawty” “drop it like its hot” stuff that populates the charts right now. My personal favorite is “Confess” and the track is mean. Everything he’s touching on is relevant and it’s easy to see that dude has a lot of artistic character. I’ll definitely keep my eye on him as he develops and eventually blows up. It’ll happen sooner rather than later.

To check out some of Tamir’s work visit his myspace page but stretch your neck before you make the jump cause I guarantee you’ll be bobbing your head for a good 20 minutes—non stop.

Rock on.

Ra-Re Valverde

Okay I can’t even lie. I was at work when I stumbled upon Ra-Re {pronounced Rah-Ray}. I was gathering materials for an upcoming creative briefing while listening to some Rahsaan Patterson on YouTube. YouTube is addictive too. You watch/listen to one thing and before you know it you’ve listened to 12 other videos related to that one you looked for. I was watching Rahsaan, Trina Broussard and Ra-Re jam and I could not take my eyes off of her and it didn’t hurt that she has an amazingly smooth voice {her and Trina sounded great to be honest}. After listening to that 2 minute jam session at least 30 times {when I like something I really like it} I decided to look up Ra-Re online and was excited to see she has an album {A Beautiful Mess available on iTunes and Amazon.com} and she features a few samples of her music on her myspace page.

I have been listening to “B With U” non-stop for two days straight. No lie. This track has a groove to it that is infectious and you don’t know whether to sway or bob your head. I honestly do both. Ra-Re, like Tamir, is a distinctive artistic soul that offers a fresh perspective on the musical experience. “Love Will” featuring Peter Hadar is another crazy track that speaks THE TRUTH about love and struggle. The first time I listened to this track I couldn’t stop saying “ummm” and “I know that’s right”. The truth indeed.



Ra-Re is a straight up and down cutie pie {luscious lips and fly style} and I plan on telling everyone I know about this sister. Check out Ra-Re’s talent on her myspace page.

Tell her The Genius Syndicate sent ya.

{It ain’t like she knows who I am or anything but I always wanted to say that.}

Summer Stylin’ for the Fellas

In terms of clothing options women have it easy. Damn right they do. I love summer but the wardrobe, especially the work wardrobe, doesn’t offer too many options. The temperature has been in the 90’s lately and I know my fellow male counterparts have been punished in the heat while wearing pants, long sleeve shirts, blazers and the occasional neck tie. A few minutes outside and your brow, neck and armpits are soaked.

So what do you do when it’s too hot to wear jeans but you don’t want to look like you totally surrendered to the heat? I got you. One of my favorite stylists, Clinton Kelly {TLC’s What Not to Wear}, has put together a road map to summer style for the fellas and if I must say it will definitely get you through the rest of this blazing season no matter where you live.

In the summer months try a little linen on a casual Friday if you can swing it or even some seersucker. A seersucker jacket and a nice pair of jeans is a nice summer look and to let the feet breath throw on a pair of flip flops.

Pattern is another way to fight the khaki brigade. I have nothing against my brothers in Dockers but every once in a while you should break free. Clinton suggests you “try a gray pinstripe trouser with a lavender checked shirt and solid yellow knit tie. Do something to distinguish your self from the clones!” Amen dude.

Fit is one of my pet peeves with a lot of kats these days. The summer time doesn’t give you free range to throw on a 3 X shirt and a pair of baggy shorts all day and please don’t wear shirts that hang below your crotch. That -ish is aiight when you’re 15 and you get your fashion tips from 106 & Park but any grown man shouldn’t be dressing like a teenager. I’m just saying.

To read Clinton’s full list of tips for summer style go here.

Kick…baaaalllliiin’!!!!!!!

Mainstream sport is over rated. Give me the days of competitive hide and seek, freeze tag and 1 2 3 red light. Those days of are long gone or are they? Imagine my surprise when I found out about the World Adult Kickball Association. Kickball is the quintessential game that anyone {granted with feet and eye-foot coordination} can play and like we used to do in the projects you can use ANYTHING for a base. An old bag of Wise potato chips, a tree stump or a piece of cardboard will do. You get creative when you can’t afford to buy real bases but who needs real bases anyway?

WAKA is the “international body encompassing WAKA kickball divisions across the globe. Each WAKA division contains a maximum of 16 teams of 26 players each and is run by a President, other division officers, and a Board of Directors.” This thing is real. For about $60-$70 registration you can sign up for a team in your city {WAKA has divisions in cities across the U.S and even India} and join the team that suits you best.

There’s even a WAKA pod on Current TV. To get a real feel for what adult kickball is like check out the video.

Steven Levitt and Crack Economics

When I was growing up it seemed like everyone I knew was on drugs or selling them except me. That’s not a hint of envy your reading it’s actually a sigh of relief. I’m glad the crack game never touched me directly but I can’t say the same for family and friends. I’m a firm believer that crack {whether smoking it or dealing it} has removed an entire generation of Black people from the planet and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the effects of it.

One thing that always intrigued me was the disconnect between the gloried image of selling crack {e.g. Nino Brown} and the busted, dusty dudes I saw and still see standing on the corner. Some how young black dudes were convinced that selling crack was the short cut to financial stability and that’s just not the case. Even if someone does work his/her way up the crack corporate ladder they don’t hold on to their money for long. I always was able to do the math in my head and I made sure my brothers and sisters knew that having a steady check coming in every two weeks was a lot stable than waiting on the corner for days on end hoping for the next crack head to stroll through with their little $10.

Steven Levitt {co-author of Freakanomics}, the economist, presented some information pertaining to the economy of crack dealing in the south side of Chicago at TED in 2004 titled “Why do crack dealers still live with their mothers” and what he has to share is pretty interesting. I don’t want to steal too much thunder from his presentation but from Steve and his partner’s research they found out that the foot soldiers or the dudes on the corner make a little over $3.50 an hour selling crack. That’s far below minimum wage even in 2004. To add insult to injury a lot of the young dudes recruited to slang them thangs on the corner was duped to believe they would work their way up only to hit the crack glass ceiling or succumb to violence, incarceration and/or death. Some job.

Steven’s presentation is a little over 20 minutes long but it’s so freaking interesting those 20 minutes will fly by. Give it a look. It definitely makes you think twice about hearing these rap kats talk about making so much loot off of selling crack. Somebody’s lying but I ain’t trying to figure out whom. I have a legit full-time job to focus on.



Why I Love: The New Fonzworth Bentley Joint

Luckily I’m secure enough to say why and why not I don’t like a particular thing so with that said I really am feeling this new Bentley cut. A few years ago I got a sneak peak of some of his music and I was feeling it then. He has an all-star line up for his debut track “Everybody” with Andre 3 Stacks, Kanye and my boy’s Sa-Ra {I love these kats. They stay on rotation in my crib.}.

To be successful in music today {especially black music} all you have to do is be different. Lord knows we need some variety. There are only a few kats adding to hip-hop at the moment and R&B has been dying a slow death for some time now. I think Bentley adds a new perspective and mos def brings back some fun.

I guarantee this video concept will be featured in somebody’s step show by October. Watch my word. Check out Bentley’s video with Kanye, Andre 3000 and Sa-Ra at Kanye’s blog below.

Quote of the Day

“Give me a place to stand and I will move the world.”

-Archimedes

Moo.com, My Beef with Baby Carrots, Keeping Up with the Garcias & Black on the Runway: I'm Just Saying

Whatsup geniuses.

I have to apologize for the hiatus. When starting this blog I never intended on having such a lapse in time. Between moving to a new city (hell even a new region of the U.S), searching for an apartment, settling in to a new job and getting my social entrepreneur on I let the blog fall between the cracks and for that I’m sorry. Never again. I got some cool stuff planned for future installments and great guest genius interviews lined up so you can learn more interesting and useful stuff. All in a day’s work.

Thanks to Dee Dee for the encouragement and welcome back to the syndicate.

-elbj


MOO.com: Fly Business Cards for the Fly Business Person

Design can and should be applied to everything in life and that doesn’t exclude the all-important business card. If you’ve been in corporate America long enough you’ve witnessed the occasions where different employees from different companies exchange and compare business cards and it’s not a good look to be on the losing end of that comparison. You know what I’m talking about. The cards that make ordinary look like amazing. Picture a 3x2 thin stock piece of paper, Times New Roman font, monochromatic color scheme and some corny ass logo. We all can relate. Thanks to the people at MOO we can break free from business card monotony.

MOO is a printing genius that can print beautiful images you upload to their site or images from their bank on postcards, stickers, greeting cards, note cards, gift cards and mini business cards. I ordered a set of 100 mini business cards for $19.99 (28 mm wide x 70 mm wide on 350 g/m2 stock paper with a matt laminate finish) and selected designs from Marc Johns and Lara Cameron. To this day people pay more attention to my MOO mini business cards than any of my work business cards.

The cool thing about MOO is that the design of the card doesn’t take backseat to the functionality of it. Most times the size and image you select will definitely give your cards the advantage in the traditional card comparison game. Find out more about MOO and step your biz card game up. Go on now. Get!

My Beef with Baby Carrots…You Heard Me!

When you have a brother studying culinary arts you learn a lot of things about food. Like fancy French words like mirepoix (carrot, onion and celery blend), cool knifing techniques and the common sanitary practices of quick service restaurants (don’t get me started). All in all its cool having a brother studying to be a chef but one day he dropped a bomb on me that literally changed my life. I’m talking about baby carrots. Damn right baby carrots.

I was probably the only kid who used to eat a raw carrot as a snack. My love affair with carrots was just as natural as breathing. I still vividly remember asking my Grandma if I could have a carrot, peeling that thing over the trash can, rinsing it off, sprinkling a little salt on it and going to town. Yessir! So imagine my delight when baby carrots hit the scene. It was the bite-size blessing from above (or beneath) that allowed millions of us to get our snack on in a healthy and convenient way.

Convenient? Yeah.

Healthy? Wait a minute.

One day my brother told me one of his Chef instructors at school said there is minor nutritional value in a baby carrot. Basically they are just premature versions of carrots called Imperator carrots. “They are bred to grow faster and ripen quickly, and because of this, they only have 70% of the beta carotene of a normal carrot (Baby Carrots- The Frugal Idea That Isn’t 2007). I instantly went through all the stages of grief (shock/disbelief, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression and acceptance). During my further investigation I took another hit when I read that the idea of a baby carrot was basically an invention by farmer Mike Yurosek who figured out a way to prevent wasting massive amounts of deformed carrots (majority of carrots grow in ways unlike the typical carrot shape we are used to). Baby carrots even cost more than regular size carrots!!!

I’m not hating on Farmer Mike and I can definitely co-sign on methods that decrease waste but I can’t get down with paying almost $1 more for an under-developed product. I love my regular carrots too much to do that. So the only alternative is to say goodbye. Peace baby carrots and thanks for nothing b*tches.

Keeping up with the Joneses…make that Garcias

I’ve always been interested in the origin and meanings of surnames because I think they really can tell a lot about a person. Mine, for instance, always draws weird looks and questions about its derivation (I’ve narrowed it down to France or Germany) but I’m used to that now.

According to an article in the NYT it seems that Smith is still the most popular surname in the U.S but “for the first time, two Hispanic surnames — Garcia and Rodriguez — are among the top 10 most common in the nation, and Martinez nearly edged out Wilson for 10th place.” Now ain’t that a blip? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the presence of Latinos has grown exponentially but the debut of Latino surnames on the Census’s list proves that the Latino American population and culture is continuing to add more texture and dimension to society. It really is a milestone. However, the census bureau’s surname list doesn’t only offer information on Hispanic Americans.

Although multiple Americans share the same surnames (“1 in every 25 Americans is named Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones, Miller or Davis”) there are names that are closely associated with races and ethnicities. “Nearly 90 percent of the Washingtons were black, as were 75 percent of the Jeffersons, 66 percent of the Bookers, 54 percent of the Banks and 53 percent of the Mosleys” at the time of this study.
Now I see why I get the looks I do when people hear my name for the first time. See where you last name ranks on the 5,000 most common U.S surnames here.

Black on the Runway: I’m Just Saying

Fashion is cool. It just is. Plain and simple. Fashion speaks to everyone no matter your income, background or age. You’d think something that speaks to everyone represents everyone but that hasn’t been the case with the fashion industry. It seems that designers and fashion publications have become accustomed to being labeled racist and sizest (you know what I mean) but recently some funny things have happened to make black people in general tilt their head and raise their eyebrow in wonder regarding high fashion.

I’m sure you’ve read that the July edition of Italian Vogue features photos of only black models photographed by Steven Meisel and to some surprise Donatella Versace has created a line inspired by Barack Obama. In Milan the Dsquared fashion show featured a number of black male models including Tyson Beckford all tatted up.

The skeptical Capricorn in me can’t help but keep my eyebrow raised when I think about these “accomplishments’. Is this a new day in the (fashion) industry or a marketing ploy designed to garner publicity from media and favor from an under served and under represented consumer segment? Either way it’s good to see brown faces associated with an industry built on universal standards of beauty. We always knew that black was beautiful it just seems that the fashion world forgot about it…until recently.

The real testament is to see how or if black models will remain in the spotlight of the fashion industry from now on.

I’m just saying.

Quote of the Day

Universal though the instinct for revenge may be, it is much stronger in some of us than others. And those who have it in abundance apparently pay something of a price.

-Ellis Cose, Bone to Pick

Mini Installment: TGS is in the CHI and I'm Just Saying: BET

CHICAGOOOOO!!!!!!

Whaddup y'all. The Genius Syndicate has made a jump from one great city to another. I recently moved from Atlanta to Chicago and I'm loving it already. I really missed this city and it's dope all the way around. It's the next step in TGS' evolution and I'm definitely gonna make it do what it do.

Now back to our regularly scheduled installment.

-elbj



Come On BET!!: I'm Just Saying

Today I had the pleasure of sitting in on BET's 2009 Upfronts and, no disrespect BET, but once again I was disappointed. BET is like the cousin you grew up with whom you love and pray succeed in spite of their trials. Unfortunately, time after time again they keep falling short and letting you down in the process. BET is your crackhead cousin. No, BET is OUR crackhead cousin.

It seems like they are continuing with their "5 year later" plan of re-creating television programs that debuted 5 years ago {on other Viacom networks} for black viewers. I just can't get over the fact that BET has yet to realize their rightful place in American culture. Why hasn't anyone told BET that they are perceived as the expert of the Black way of life in America? Non-black Americans turn to them to learn about Black culture {which includes but isn't limited to music...damn people still don't get what culture is}. You'd think BET would put our best face forward because the world is watching but instead they are comfortable with just "entertaining". Because of this black people who know better {these people are older than BET's core audience which tends to be youth and teens...how else could you explain the initial success of Soulja Boy?} are constantly disappointed and non-black people consume half-truths of our culture.

I remember reading articles and listening to discussions about BET's lack of original and quality programming and I'm afraid to say that this discussion is still relevant today. Instead of trying to fill the void the other networks have created by ignoring and/or disrespecting the black viewer {more recently The CW} BET is forcing programs down our throats that aren't as original or authentic as the audience it serves or the culture it "represents". Damn I'm getting more and more depressed as I type.

Don't get me wrong, there are a few decent things coming on BET {shout out to Jeff Johnson and Iron Ring is pretty good} but unfortunately most of these descent things will air on BETJ and if you don't have that channel then you're S.O.L.

I say all of this to say I'm rooting for you BET. I can't turn my back on you because I remember how cool you used to be. When Rap City was the undisputed voice of rap and when Comic View was actually funny or when you could watch BET and get new music months before it aired on MTV or VH1. I hope you get back to what made you great. After today's presentation of the upcoming season of programming I'm starting to think those banned Boondocks episodes were 98% spot on.

And don't even get me started on that "Weggie Wudlin" impression.

I'm just saying.

Obama + Enlightened Youth = Yes They Can

Yes They Can: Politics from Future

I was initially going to save this clip for the next installment but it's so freaking powerful that I had to share it with the rest of TGS. Say what you want about Barack Obama but his presence has turned the face of American politics on it's head. Because he has managed to inspire and involve a younger and more diverse following this race isn't and has never been business as usual. You know what I mean with that phrase-- two politicians that pretty much speak to the same people {middle age, higher income, male and white} on every issue. It's been like that for as long as I can remember.


Barack's impact on the youth is definitely one of his strengths. His relationship with the future of our country is one other political figures envy and they have {on numerous occasions} tried to undermine Barack's supporters. Below is a clip from his website featuring a group of students from the Bronx High School for Performance and Stagecraft in the South Bronx, NY talking about a range of things including their opinion of Senator Obama, politics, race relations and what "Yes We Can" means to them. Two words: its' dope.

More like one word and a conjunction. Anyway, watch it.


-elbj

TGS Mega Installment: First Edition

Whatsup Syndicate,

I feel like it's been so long since I've walked on the blog side of TGS and because I have been distracted and somewhat neglectful I've decided to create a mega installment {guilt is a hell of a motivator}. About twice the cool stuff, twice the great information, twice the trivial crap (it's a gift) and twice the dose of my "in your face, witty, sarcastic, incredibly insightful and modest" repertoire.

The subjects of the mega installment are literally too numerous to type in the title bar of Blogger so here's a rundown of what you can find in this installment of The Genius Syndicate:

1. StartUp New Orleans
2. Beautiful Wife: Marital Bliss/ Ugly Husband: Lucky Bastard
3. Why I Like: Estelle
4. Signs to Quit Your Gig
5. The Beauty of Stimulation
6. Def Jam's Secret to Success
7. Polarizing Brilliance of The Boondocks' Banned Episodes

There you have it, a big heaping helping of TGS for you to sink your teeth into. So dig in.

-elbj

Start Up New Orleans

While in grad school {VCU Brandcenter} I worked with a group of friends {actually we were forced-- just joking-- nah really} to re-brand the city of Richmond, VA. That particular assignment had me ready to leave that school but by the end of the project we developed a powerful campaign that was about creating a dialogue between citizens and showcasing the city as a progressive and cultural destination. Too bad it didn't get picked up.

More recently my day job was re-branding the United States Virgin Islands. It sounds cool but when you look around at the competition and realize they offer the same damn things your brand does you respect the fact that creating a branded destination is a task that demands solutions to be strategic as well as creative and authentic. Branding any existing product is a challenge within itself but branding an actual place brings its own set of challenges to the table and I think no other U.S city has realized this more so than New Orleans.

Over two years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, New Orleans is slowly rebuilding itself {no thanks to vast amounts of crime and FEMA sickening people with poisonous trailers} as a new entrepreneurial hub of the south. Start Up New Orleans is a website created to exhibit the transformation New Orleans is making into an entrepreneur and creative breeding ground in order to draw new businesses and citizens into the city. Start Up New Orleans' co-founder, Sean Cummings, is passionate about repositioning New Orleans as the new entrepreneur's dream city and it seems to be working.



"Idea Village, a New Orleans nonprofit dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship, has received 1,015 applications for grants, loans, or non-financial assistance since the storm. All but 2% or 3% came from existing businesses until this year, according to Tim Williamson, the group's president, but since January, 36% have been for new ventures {New Orleans: A Start Up Story, Business Week 2007}." Whether you want to admit it or not, from a branding point-of-view, New Orleans seems to be on the right track as far as carving out a new place for itself amongst the Creative Capital of today's workforce. I'm just waiting to see how the new New Orleans and all it's entrepreneurial glory is going to affect the returning of the one thing that New Orleans is more known for than anything-- the culture.


Beautiful Wife: Marital Bliss/ Ugly Husband: Lucky Bastard

Okay, maybe I was mean and presumptuous with the whole "beautiful wife/ugly husband" thing but we've all seen couples where {in our eyes} the beauty was kind of skewed one way or the other. Either the wife was drop dead gorgeous and the husband looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame {with the income of Bill Gates} or the wife was a homely looking mess like Senator Hillary Clinton about 10 years ago {sorry senator but it's documented} and the husband was a real stud. Personally, I feel attractiveness, much like household chores, should be equally shared among a couple but once again science has proved me wrong. Damn you science.

Researchers at the University of Tennessee tested 82 newly-wed couples for facial attractiveness and marriage quality and their results were exactly what I thought all along: "most men who married attractive women were happy to bask in the glory of their partner's beauty {Why Gorgeous Girls are Happier with Plain Guys, The Daily Mail 2008}." Okay, so what about unattractive women who marry attractive men you may ask?

"Professor Jim McNulty reported: "Men who were more attractive than their partner demonstrated a tendency to offer less emotional and practical support to their wives" and this can be explained by the fact that attractive men are presented with more short-term mating opportunities. In other words, homeboy has more cooch thrown at him than home plate at Yankee Stadium. {I just came up with that one...you can have it}. More details of the study can be found in the Journal of Family Psychology.

So the next time you see a couple and think the date/boyfriend/husband is way out his league just remember that "Men are rated as more likable and friendly when they have a wife who is very attractive." So either way it's a win-win for homeboy. He has you hating on him and his wife is adored and satisfied. All of this information makes you think twice about the following couples:





Beyonce and Jay-Z: Ain't nothing I can say about this couple that hasn't already been said. I'll leave it alone.

Baddest chick in the game, indeed.







Jermaine and Janet: Chris Rock said it best, "Finding out Janet Jackson is dating Jermaine Dupree is like finding out they were selling Bentleys for $5. Everybody had a chance to get one!"

I ain't mad at JD though. I'm still in love with Janet from her "When I Think of You" days.







Catherine and Michael: This one threw everyone for a loop but you have got to respect the old playa's game. Catherine is going to be a banger for a long time.











Porschela Coleman and Russell Simmons: Russell keeps a looker on his arm and now I know why.












Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his Ex-wife: No disrespect to the former Mrs. Rock but you'd think she'd be a little more exotic, gorgeous and pretty....like her ex-husband. Maybe that's why they aren't together. {Read the article}.






Why I Like: Estelle

I like this chick. I really do and before you say anything it's not just because she's cute, incredibly talented and British. It's because she's cute and incredibly talented--her being British is a bonus though. {Stop hating}.

I read about her in a Rolling Stone article and hit the nail on the head when comparing her to a combination of Lauryn Hill {pre-crazy} and Amy Winehouse {pre-crack}. The girl {Estelle} is dope and so dope that John Legend scooped her up to be on his own label {Homeschool Records}. One thing that blew me away was the fact that she used to re-work secular music into gospel. "British singer-rapper Estelle spent her childhood "flipping secular music to gospel" with her eight siblings.”We'd take Brandy's 'Best Friend' and make it about God being your best friend," says the twenty-seven-year-old West London native, born Estelle Swaray {Artist to Watch: Estelle, Rolling Stone 2007}."

Now someone is listening to Estelle's great music and wondering how they can flip it. Check out videos for Estelle's singles "American Boy {Kanye KILLED his verses}" and "Wait a Minute, Just a Touch" below. I really like this chick.

Writings on the Wall, Burning Bushes and Other Signs You Should Resign

I think T.D Jakes captured it best when he said "I have the gift of good-bye". It's a powerful thing to be able to walk away from an unproductive situation but it's more empowering knowing WHEN to walk away...from anything especially a job. Like I mentioned before, I'm not one of those bloggers who passes along info that I haven't applied {Crown Ministries} and I can say that I completely co-sign on this advice because I recently resigned from a position and I think it was best for both parties.

Susan M. Heathfield, not pictured to the left, over at About.com {one of my absolute favorite websites} lays it out on the line with her article "Top 10 Reasons to Quit Your Job". Here are a few of the Top 10.

"Your relationship with your manager is damaged beyond repair. You have sought help to mend the relationship but you know it is too damaged for recovery. (Perhaps you were untrustworthy, missed work on too many days, or the manager acts like an untrustworthy jerk.) Whatever the reason, the relationship is irrecoverably damaged."

"You've stopped having fun and enjoying your job. No matter what changed, when you dread going to work in the morning, it's time to quit your job."

"For whatever reason, you have behaved in ways that are considered improper at work. You've missed too many days of work, slacked off on the job, failed to maintain needed skills, and/or just generally developed the reputation of a loser. That reputation, once earned, is unlikely to change; you might as well quit your job, while you have the opportunity."

Of course every job has it's bumps and every career has it's rough patches but I firmly believe that everyone has the right to work at a place where they are challenged, valued and happy. If at the core of your frustration you can honestly say that your current situation doesn't check those three boxes then it may be time for you to peace out. Check out the rest of the article {and more great info} when you get a chance.

The Beauty of Stimulation

If you are a creative professional or just a professional with a mean creative streak {like yours truly} then I have the perfect web-resource for you--http://www.behance.com/ This website/group/resource/network is amazing and one thing they aren't short on is inspiration.

One of my favorite teachers, ever, {Mark Fenske} used to say that if you want something good to come out of your brain then put something good in it. He used to begin each of his classes with a piece of literature or music and he often showed movies for us to watch. Now that I think about it those two years were the most inspired I've been in a while. Tangent. I'm sorry.

The people at Behance offer great advice for creativity and creative thinking and the tip I stumbled across reminded me of Fenske.



"Some of the most productive creative minds rely on a periodic self-administered dose of randomness to stay stimulated. Stimulation is not only necessary when developing new ideas, but is also critical when refining solutions to a particular problem. Every brain benefits from new angles that often escape your traditional point of view {Seek Stimulation from Randomness, Behance Mag}."

Good info, right? Here's more.

"Travel without a map. When we venture beyond our comfort zone, we often over-compensate with extensive planning, maps, and itineraries. Instead, consider traveling somewhere without plans. Behance has interviewed many prolific Creatives that cite getting lost as the best way to find new solutions." That's good stuff. Although I can honestly say that traveling without a map only pisses me off at first then I end up enjoying it. Kudos to Behance.


Def Jam's Secret to Success

Before you get all huffy this isn't a stab at Rick Ross or Def Jam...it's more of a jab at the entire music industry. Rick {Rrrrrawus} just happened to be the butt of this spoof because homeboy had the #1 album in the country. Congrats man. Anyway, I found this clip over at the Complex blog the other day and have been cracking up at it ever since. Makes you wonder.



The Boondocks - Network Television = Brilliance

I still can't believe there are people {black people} who have never heard of, read or watched The Boondocks. Aaron McGruder has made some of the most insightful commentary on black life in America I've come across in my generation. {He's working his way into the TGS Hall of Fame}. What started out as a comic strip is now an animated series on Adult Swim {Cartoon Network} and don't sleep on it just because it's on the Cartoon Network.

For two seasons in a row The Boondocks has been cleaning up with ratings while making people laugh and educating them all at once. Whether the main characters are tackling closeted gay rappers {Gangstalicious}, Katrina refugees, vengeful demons {Stinkmeaner}, eliminating the condition of black self-hate {Uncle Ruckus} or battling Killer Kung Fu Wolf Bitches {Killer Kung Fu Wolf Bitch} nothing, this season, has caused as much controversy as the two banned episodes.

I still am not clear as to exactly why these two episodes where banned but I'm sure some people, some where got really pissy, damn near salty {mainly Reggie Hudlin, former Boondocks executive producer and current BET head honcho}. BET {Black Entertainment Television} is the target for both episodes and...let's just say that the network and it's leaders come under some heavy and hilarious scrutiny.

Hey, Aaron and his crew may be tough but I never said they were wrong. If you watch BET you'll understand. Check out the two banned episodes. Thanks to the Complex blog for posting these. Y'all literally made my day.

Episode 14: The Huey Freeman Hunger Strike
















Episode 15: The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show

Quote for the Day

“Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel.”

-King Solomon