The Genius Syndicate

Spring [your action] Forward & Good TV...You're Not Watching

2009-05-17T23:11:00.011-04:00

Spring [your action] Forward.

I know it has officially been spring in other places for a month and some change now but up here in Chicago [crappy weather capital of the Midwest] spring is just showing up. Flowers are blooming [being planted anyway], trees are blooming and yesterday I could’ve sworn I saw a butterfly. Or was it a piece of trash caught in an updraft? Either way spring-like weather is here and I’m not complaining. Aside from the nature cues you also know its spring due to all of the social cues. People smile more, bright colors are unavoidable and you can smell the sex in the air. Real talk. All the sunlight, bright colors, smiling faces and extra skin are enough to get anybody riled up. I always wondered what the scientific rationale was behind springtime friskiness and, Lord knows, I know.

"All of the senses are dramatically affected by the coming of spring — the warmth of the sun on your skin, the vivid colors and pungent scents, the sounds of the birds," says anthropologist Helen Fisher, Ph.D., author of Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love. "You're being bombarded by pleasant, exciting, novel stimuli, and novelty stimulates the neurotransmitter dopamine, which in turn triggers testosterone production. Testosterone is associated with the sex drive in both women and men."

Read more, take notes and make this spring count.

Good TV…You’re Not Watching

The Game is one of the best shows on television. It really is. Why CW isn’t treating it as such I don’t know [I do but I don’t feel like getting into it]. The writing, acting, music and production are great. Its beyond great it’s refreshing. Now if you’ve been living in a bubble you don’t know about all of the hurdles The Game has been through. There’s been swagger jacking copycats and ongoing drama with CW who’d rather make TV shows for teenage white girls because it has yet to respect the power of the African American viewer [yeah I said it].

The Game’s cast has been working overtime to make sure that their fans keep bombarding CW with support of the show to prevent it’s cancellation and hopefully I pray it works. Right now so many shows are on the bubble [in jeopardy of cancellation] uncertainty is rampant amongst all networks but I hope that all of the fan support and positive ratings trends keep The Game in the game [you knew it was coming].

Quote of the day

"Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world."

-Anonymous

(Happy Birthday Xavier! Love, Uncle Roy)

Skinny Jeans: I'm Just Saying and Dhani Tackles My TV

2009-04-11T14:18:00.012-04:00

Skinny Jeans: I’m just Sayin’

Black men are we really doing this? Really? I’m all for men dressing with the times but this whole skinny jean trend is really bothering me. Recently I saw one of my favorite artists perform and he tore it up, real talk, but he had on some of the tightest jeans I have ever seen on a black man. Jail muscles and tight jeans don’t convey the image you want in my opinion.

This may sound ignorant but some trends only skinny white dudes can pull off and the skinny jean is just that. All up and through Chicago I’m seeing dudes (mainly younger kats) wearing these uncomfortable looking, tapered leg, sagging tight ass jeans. I just can’t comprehend how the look is acceptable and why someone would want to make their lower half look five inches shorter (when they sag them). Maybe this is the beginning of me getting old.

I’m just sayin’.

Dhani Tackles My TV

Dhani Jones has been on my radar for a minute partly for being a beast on the football field but mostly for being sick with his fashion game. Having a couple of millions makes it a little easier to be fly but something tells me Dhani has always been a fly dude.

Recently Dhani’s very own television show premiered on the Travel channel. Dhani Tackles the Globe is a brilliant platform that allows the charismatic fellow to travel the world, experience different cultures and partake in the athletic traditions of the citizens. It’s educational, funny, exciting and just all around good. He’s a great guy with a great job (I wonder if he’s looking for a sidekick) and you should check out Dhani Tackles the Globe Monday nights at 9 est.

Quote of the Day

"Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there."

-Clarence W. Hall

Hair Care for My Brothers: I'm Just Saying; Why I Like: Bill Cunningham & Rethinking Genius with Elizabeth Gilbert

2009-03-15T20:35:00.023-04:00

I’m Just Saying: Hair Care for My Brothers

If you’ve been reading The Genius Syndicate from the beginning then you know the “I’m Just Saying” segments are my opinions/questions/perspectives/rants and if I offend anyone that is not my intention. But some things just need to be said.

As a black man I think I have had just about every hair style imaginable [except the frohawk…I refuse] and there was NEVER a time in which I felt it unnecessary to take care of my hair. I understand that having more texture is in style now. We got everything from shags, to the mini fro, Mohawk, frohawk, and I could’ve sworn I saw Bobby Valentino with a rat-tail a few months ago. That’s all well and good but please take care [wash, brush and moisturize] your damn hair!!!

We as a people usually have drier and more brittle hair than our counterparts and while others wash the natural oil out of their hair we need to add moisture to ours. Does this mean run out and get a jheri curl? I can’t cosign on that but you need to commit to keeping your hair looking healthy [healthy= clean + moisturized] if you’re going to let it grow. Oh and please don’t make the mistake of thinking just because you got Indian [or whatever else] in your family you don’t have to subscribe to black hair care rituals like greasing the scalp. Get over it bruh. We men don’t have as many grooming responsibilities as women so when we let one thing go unkempt it makes a loud unflattering statement.

I’m just saying.

Why I Like: Bill Cunningham

When I lived in Brooklyn my Sundays were pretty routine. Church in the morning, brunch with friends, stop by the wine store, check out Bill Cunningham’s slide show on NYT.com and have a feast for dinner with my boy Carlos. Well, since living in Chicago I’ve found a church, still need to work on brunch, I get my wine from the grocery store (so convenient), have feasts for dinner with my brother (the future chef) and still catch Bill Cunningham’s slide shows on NYT.com. I’m a creature of habit.

Mr. Cunningham does an amazing job highlighting fashion trends but more importantly he crafts weekly stories based on people’s attire. I think it’s fascinating. The only thing that would make his slide shows a little more gangsta is if your boy was featured in one. Until that happens I’ll just have to settle for checking out the slide shows every Sunday. I ain’t mad. Check out Mr. Cunningham's work [especially the Nov 4, 2008 feature] when you get a chance.

Rethinking Genius with Elizabeth Gilbert

I was strolling through the TED site today [as usual] and found a great little ditty from the TED 2009 get together. Elizabeth Gilbert is a best selling author but unlike other creative types she refuses to be tormented by the pressure that comes with being a successful creative soul. Her liberating take on what it means to “have a genius” and transcending the physical into the beautifully creative supernatural is breathtaking…and funny. Take a twenty-minute break and listen to what Elizabeth has to say. If you’re a creative soul I highly recommend this.

Quote of the Day

“Three words: Black, Muthaf*ckin, President. Hey now.”

-David Allen Grier

Recycle that Cell Phone Bruh; Sip on South Africa's Wines; Foods & Moods and The Flipside Wallet

2009-01-25T20:18:00.035-05:00

Recycle that Cell Phone Bruh
Purchasing a new cell phone is so easy isn’t it? So what about your old phone? Where is it? What have you done with it? If you’re like me it is probably in a box somewhere or being used as alarm clock. You don’t want to throw it away but you don’t want to hold on to it forever so what is a tech savvy person supposed to do? Recyle that bad boy.

While watching Current TV I saw a piece about recycling old cell phones and Samsung is heading the initiative. Honestly I didn’t even know you could recycle cell phones but in an age where everything is recycled {christmas gifts, vegetable oil and originality [see Fox Network]} why not have the option to recyle your old phones? Especially since it seems like cell phone lives are getting shorter and shorter anyway {I’m looking right at you Tmobile}.

Its estimated that there are 4 billion cell phones in use today and 25% of them are old or not being used. It doesn’t stop there either because today’s cell phones contain very harmful materials like lead, arsenic and mercury that could make our troubled environment a lot worse.

On Samsung's website where you can print off postage paid labels and mail in your old cell phone to them. They will break the phone down, I mean all the way down, and make sure the entire phone is recycled. In addition to recycling Samsung is launching a line of bio-plastic phones that are made with environmentally safe materials (e.g. corn products). And before you ask, no it doesn’t look, taste or smell like corn.

To find out more about Samsung’s recyclying genius go here.

Sip on South Africa’s Wines
This is my life in beverages: breast milk, cow’s milk, water, fruit juice, soda, kool-aid, fruit juice, hot chocolate, egg nog, beer, more beer, liquor, more liquor, beer again, more liquor then wine.

Ocassionally I still indulge in a dirty vodka martini with extra olives {my friends are probably chuckling right now} but for the most part I’ve been sticking to wine. For me it’s the all purpose alcoholic beverage that offers flavor, aroma and goes with meals as well as parties. Specifically when I think of south african wines I think of living in Brooklyn {Clinton Hill Baby!!!}, walking down to Olivino on Fulton Ave and picking up two bottles of Indaba wine- one bottle of shiraz and one cabernet.

I’m still a novice when it comes to wine but I like what I like and I have been gravitating more to South Africa’s wines. I love me some Indaba but a recent article in the NYT has opened my eyes to more wines from South African that have really put the country on the map.

South Africa has out done themselves with their cabarnets so don’t be surprised when you start to hear more about Stellenbosch’s family of cabernets and {the best value pick} Bon Cap Robinson Cabernet Sauvignon priced at $15 and described “Balanced, earthy and well structured with flavors of fruit and a touch of bacon” that’s right BACON!! Check out the NYT piece and keep an open mind next time you’re shopping for wine. You could be missing out on great flavors and a great bargain.

Foods and Moods
I was combing through About.com again and found something interesting about foods and their link to elevating your moods. Before you rush and say “duh” just hear me out.

Walnuts: “Walnuts have long been thought of as a "brain food" because of their wrinkled, bi-lobed (brain like) appearance. But now we know that walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, a type of fat that's needed for brain cells and mood-lifting neurotransmitters to function properly and possible help some people with depression.”

Didn’t know that did you? Well I sure as hell didn’t. What about this?

Salmon: “In the past few years, research has suggested that vitamin D may increase the levels of serotonin, one of the key neurotransmitters influencing our mood, and that it may help to relieve mood disorders.” Guess what food is high in vitamin D? -- Yep salmon.

For the rest of the list as well as tips on how to incorporate more of these healthy and mood lifting foods check out the article.

The Flipside Wallet: Not Your Pop’s Wallet
Damn that Josh Spear. I’m not hating on him personally just his uncanny ability to make me want shit I didn’t even know existed. Check out the Flipside wallet.

It’s a slick, durable wallet that is just as tougher on protecting your assets as it is on design. The Flipside not only looks good but it prevents you from being a victim of the newest form of identity theft—RFID theft—which is a result of punk ass identity thieves using RFID readers to lift vital information from our credit cards {ding dang shame}. Check out more of the Flipside’s bi-fold functionality and new age appeal in the demo.

Quote of the Day

"If you don't like your job, you don't strike! You just go in every day, and do it really half assed. That's the American way."

-Homer Simpson

White Tube Socks: I'm Just Saying, Young, Black & Murdered & SIR spa

2009-01-01T18:13:00.026-05:00

White Tube Socks? I’m Just Saying

Us men only have a few opportunities with our appearance to add some personality and flair. Now if personality and flair isn’t your thing then you can jump down but if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to add some more You to your wardrobe think about your socks. My favorite pair was a green and pink horizontal stripped pair with black Playboy bunnies on the sides. Fresh. {RIP my favorite socks}.

As men, I’ve noticed that we view socks from a functional point-of-view. This makes sense because I see countless dudes with run over shoes so it’s no surprise they settle for the honorable mention of socks: the dreaded white tube sock. Now don’t get me wrong; white tube socks have their time and place in a man’s wardrobe- just not every time and every damn place. And if you don’t believe me then check this out from Bob Strauss at eHow.

“Unless you’d like to relive your elementary school days, act like an adult and opt for nice, solid colors like blue or brown. Remember, sneaker socks should only be worn with sneakers. “

Bob knows what he’s talking about. Get the rest of the sock buying tips here and be opened minded. Bob graduated from the school of “match your socks with your shoes” but I didn’t. Remember that your socks show off your flavor and with that said I better not see any more white tube socks worn without sneakers. Let’s strive to really be fly from head-to-toe in ‘09. Shall we?

I'm just saying.

Young, Black and Murdered

It seems that the number of young black men and teenagers who committed murders or were murdered in shootings has increased since 2000. Criminologists at Northeastern University in Boston will release a study that compares how national murders have leveled off but murders among young black men have increased dramatically by 40% since 2000.

While factors like low unemployment and poverty are constant all fingers point to the Bush administration’s lack of funding local police and juvenile crime prevention programs. To combat Bush’s mess Obama and Biden have promised to implement funds that will put 50,000 more police officers on the streets- we’ll see.

Cities like Houston, claiming to be the leader in national black youth murders, may not have time to wait. According to research Houston’s black youth homicide {14-27} is up 139% from 2001 to 2007.

SIR Spa

My dad always made sure my appearance was on point as a kid. I was probably the only boy who got a haircut every week {every two weeks is the norm}. I was going to the barbershop so much that the barber actually sent me away one day. Thanks to my dad I know that a real man takes care of his appearance. It has nothing to do with being a “metrosexual” which is one of the stupidest terms ever created. For those who still don’t know the difference between a metrosexual and real dude let me draw a comparison:

-A metrosexual shaves his chest, gets his eyebrows arched and has gloss added to his nails during a manicure.

-A real dude trims his chest hair, doesn’t touch his eyebrows and gets a manicure without gloss.

A real dude cares about his appearance but doesn’t go the extra mile to implement feminine techniques. Grooming is to maintain health not to be pretty. With that said I want to introduce you to SIR spa in Chicago.

A trip to SIR was my bday gift to myself and it was amazing. In the Andersonville neighborhood of Chitown SIR offers a range of services like massages, facials and hand/foot treatment in addition to products for hair, body and face.

You’d think a guy who was raised to take care of his appearance would’ve visited a spa a long time ago but yesterday was my first time- ever! The people at SIR spa {shout out to Dave, Emily and Tisha} were professional and remarkable. Thanks to them my hands and feet look presentable to the world, my face is radiant and my body is still relaxed from my massage {Dave you are the man!}. If you are in Chicago or visiting soon treat yourself to a trip to SIR spa. You won’t regret it. Tell them The Genius Syndicate sent you and you’ll get a whopping 0% discount. Sorry, I don’t have that much juice to hand out discounts but I figured it'll be nice for the team at SIR to know they are doing a great job.

Quote of the Day

"I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma."

-Eartha Kitt

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

2008-12-13T11:32:00.053-05:00

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

2008-11-27T21:32:00.007-05:00

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

2008-11-23T20:27:00.042-05:00

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

2008-11-09T16:41:00.011-05:00

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

2008-08-10T23:53:00.031-04:00

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

2008-07-20T19:01:00.030-04:00

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

2008-06-27T23:23:00.058-04:00

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

2008-04-09T23:06:00.028-04:00

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

2008-04-05T14:27:00.014-04:00

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

2008-03-25T18:38:00.094-04:00

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:

StartUp New Orleans
Beautiful Wife: Marital Bliss/ Ugly Husband: Lucky Bastard
Why I Like: Estelle
Signs to Quit Your Gig
The Beauty of Stimulation
Def Jam's Secret to Success
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 {A rtist 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

Durand Bernarr: The New

2008-03-11T21:06:00.016-04:00

Durand + J*Davey= Refreshing Artistry

Okay, aside from being hooked on the whole formula-thing {something I like + easy to do= you'll see it often} I'm also hooked on discovering "The New". You know what "The New" is. It's the combination of delightful anticipation and pleasure of experiencing the tangible thing that you never knew existed. I call it The New and yes I am an addict.

While reading reports about pest control {don't ask} I logged onto YouTube to listen to some of my favorite J*Davey music. Now don't take this the wrong way but don't feel so bad if you haven't heard about J*Davey. Truth is that most people haven't but when you finally hear their music you'll never forget it. I heard my first J*Davey track a few years ago {thanks FREE Magazine} and I've been on these kats ever since. As great as J*Davey is they are not the reason I'm posting this mini installment. I came across this dude named Durand Bernarr and I haven't been able to read another sentence within my pesky pest control reports since. Durand has officially made my train of logic jump off the tracks.

No offense to Durand but at first glance you wouldn't expect such a well-developed voice, full of character and control to burst out. It more than bursts it deceptively intertwines you and by the time you realize it your jaw has hit the floor. You might as well give up by then because he's gotten you. You're bobbing your head while being pleasantly amused. Well that's what happened to me.

There are a series of Durand videos online and he even has a few tracks on his Myspace page but I'm particularly smitten by the candid videos of him covering some of my favorite J*Davey tracks on YouTube. He's dope and silly which is a dangerous combination because he's always in the position to prove assholes wrong {I think most gifted people are always in this position...myself included}. Homeboy is the positive personification of why I don't listen to the radio {especially down here in ATL...more on that later}. I would've never found out about his fresh, untainted talent if I relied on "V 1-0-whatever " or "W-90-give me a break" to supply my "New" fix when it comes to music.

Keep singing...I mean sangin' D. It's {blessings, success, fame, artistic fulfillment, creative recognition, etc.} coming to you.

-elbj

Oh yeah and for those who know me if you hear me say/sing "And we're drivinnnggg" in the near future you'll know where I got that from.

And scene.

Hip-Hop Theatre Festival, Commonwealth, Black History's History, Social Atelier & TED's Sir Ken Robinson

2008-02-29T18:34:00.048-05:00

Hip-Hop + Theater = Goodness

A month ago I was in church and a guest pastor was delivering his sermon. All in all he was pretty good but something he said kind of rubbed me the wrong way. He had a 5-8 minute monologue about language and more specifically how young kids have butchered the English language with slang. His examples (rather out-dated) were "bad meaning good", "dope meaning exceptional" and the phrase "sick, crazy dude" meaning a guy who is remarkably impressive. Funny, right? Some what. Although the entire church laughed and enjoyed his jokes about slang and his admittance to being out of the loop I realized that the entire church congregation was made of people at and over over the age of 40. Then something happened. When the pastor continued with another anecdote he said the word sucker-- "sucka" to be exact.

The inquisitive cultural observer and challenger of authority in me quickly pulled out my phone, got online and looked up the definition of sucker.

Sucker- A shoot which arises from an underground shoot or root of a plant. He didn't use sucker in that context. Here's the definition of sucker the pastor was referring to; Sucker- Slang: any person or thing.

I was shocked {and delighted} that the pastor who just finished passionately politicking about how we should denounce the use of slang and how we should come together as a country to reclaim our common language {which isn't really ours anyway much like everything else in this country} just dropped a big ole slang bomb without it even occurring to him he did so.

That's when it hit me. The issue wasn't with the use of slang, it was with the use and creation of slang words he doesn't understand. It wasn't a slang thing at all it was a generational thing. This chasm between my generation and the pastor's isn't anything new but I am impressed at how one organization in particular is bridging the generational gap in an artistic way-- the Hip-Hop Theater Festival. I know the theater may not be for every one but I would like to think that the number of potential theater-goers in my generation would increase if they knew depictions of relevant subject matter was being created and performed with them in mind. That's the beauty of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival.

I found out about this amazing initiative while watching Current TV {if you aren't watching Current by now you have missed the train} and my mouth hit the floor. I was so drawn to the connection this organization was making between hip-hip culture {CULTURE people not the corney "bling-bling, make it rain, rolling on dubs" simpleton antics crammed down our throats over radio stations} and performance art. To me the strength of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival is their understanding of their target. They work with and speak to members of the hip-hop generation while serving the young, urban communities across the U.S and around the world. Check out the website to learn more and if you have a short attention span jump over to the Hip-Hop Festival Current TV pod. Lazy rascal.

Commonwealth: Anything but Common

Anyone who knows me KNOWS I likes to look good which means I pay attention to clothes. All kinds. Personally I call my style "Project Preppy" because I switch it up from jeans and sneaks to loafers and a vest any day and pull it off everyday. Of course I stuck out like a sore thumb in my little small town and there really weren't too many places to shop so we all ways hit the malls up in VA. I wish Commonwealth was open then.

Commonwealth {owned and operated by cousins} is a fly retail space in downtown Norfolk, VA {not even an hour from my hometown} and they also have a spot in Washington D.C. If you value eclectic pieces, original design and underground street fashion labels then Commonwealth is the spot for you. In addition to dressing those who love to dress {including me in the near future} they also hold events so if you're in the area check them out. There is also a great interview of one of the co-founders {Omar Quiambao} written by Michael Bercasio with Inquiringmind Magazine. It's a great read so check it out and get your browse on at the same time.

VA stand up!!!

Black History's History

I, for one, don't relegate the accomplishments and contributions of my people to this country to 28 days {or 29 depending on the year}. I always find a way to celebrate Black history everyday. Hell, I even started the Black History Quiz Bowl at my high school {whether they continue it or not I don't know but your boy is to thank for that one *wink*}. Much to my surprise I was slightly disappointed and ashamed at how little I knew about the origins of Black History Month itself.

This is when my good friend Current TV {I told y'all don't sleep on Current} stepped in and gave me the rundown on the come up that was Negro History Day, then Negro History Week and eventually Black History Month. Check it out.

Social Atelier: Fashion as Change Agent

I've already confessed my affinity for fresh clothing {see Commonwealth} but the combination of fresh clothes and social change makes elbj a very happy boy. Social Atelier is a company that uses fashion to increase social awareness and increase change pertaining to key issues facing our culture(s) today like war, AIDS, global warming and poverty. The SA donates a portion of their proceeds to certain causes and this season's proceeds of SA sales will be donated to the Solar Cooker Project. "This project significantly improves the safety and survival of women in the refugee camps by alleviating the need for them to go out and seek cooking fuel, an action that puts them at severe risk for assault, rape, and even death. (http://www.socialatelier.com/Awarness.html)".

Check out video of Social Atelier's latest collection. Social Atelier is an example of social entrepreneurship and fashion at its best...that is until I step onto the scene. Y'all ain't ready for that yet.

TED & Sir Ken Robinson

I have to admit when I heard about TED I thought it was some dude who had an amazing ego and demanded people spell his name with all upper case letters. Don't ask where I got that from. Much to my delight TED is far from that. TED has been going on since 1984 and stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. Since inception TED has been an organization and conference which brought bright minds from all three of those fields together to share their wisdom. Over the years what started as a humble conference has turned into a global powerhouse of intellectual, cultural, technological and inspirational resources. I really want to go to TEDAfrica later this year...hopefully a brother can get his pockets right. {Yeah I said it}.

Yesterday a good friend of mine {whatsup RoRo!!} sent me a link to someone who has the potential of being my next Man Crush {see last post}. A midst a daydream, reading about flood insurance and customizing my Legos Sir Ken Robinson {right} inspired me with his talk of children, creativity, intelligence and how we, as a people, teach the creativity out of our most precious resource. He was speaking my language and I watched his video 5 times in a row. It's the bomb but don't take my word for it. See for yourself. I may have to induct Sir Ken into The Genius Syndicate Hall of Fame.

If you are one who is motivated by insight and inspired by truth then you will absolutely enjoy what Sir Ken and the rest of the TED Talks have to offer.

Quote of the Day

“A fully functional multiracial society cannot be achieved without a sense of history and open, honest dialogue.”

-Dr. Cornel West

Barack Obama: My First Politican Man-Crush

2008-02-12T21:23:00.031-05:00

A friend of mine helped me come to terms with what she called a "man crush" I have on Senator Obama. It never registered with me before but now in hindsight all the signs were there. I was just too smitten to take notice.

Everyday, for the past month and a half, I consciously spent at least 30 minutes reading articles on CNN.com, the NY Times.com and Reuters.com and listening to commentary about Barack Obama (his primary wins, endorsements from high profile Americans and campaign fund raising, strengths, weaknesses, appeal, etc.) and I can't help but get excited. Right now I'm flipping through a slideshow of the Obama campaign South Carolina primary win and its amazing to see the make-up of the crowd. Diverse in every way: age, gender and especially race. Its true that this man has managed to tap into the core of our generation and its beyond remarkable. I say all of this to say that Barack Obama is one of those majestic black men that we've heard about but never really seen in the public eye.

In the midst of "ambitious drug dealer turned music star", "the tragic hero ex-con", 'the marching civil rights celebrity", "angry brother man", "keeping it real dude", "black when it suites me" guy, "the professional athlete", the "I got mine so you get yours" black millionaire, "post millennium pimp" and other "characters" of black manhood I am ecstatic that Barack has elevated beyond the stereotyped limits of what a black man is "supposed" to be and has affixed himself (and those around him) to the blessing of what a black man may become. He's the manifestation of activated positive potential. This brother is bad.

Like Toni Morrison said, "In addition to keen intelligence, integrity and a rare authenticity, you exhibit something that has nothing to do with age, experience, race or gender and something I don't see in other candidates. That something is a creative imagination which, coupled with brilliance, equals wisdom."

Do your thing B.

-elbj

Okay enough pole riding. To see how B has managed to blanket pop culture to become the poster child of change agents, no pun intended, {you'll get it when you scroll down} check out what's below.

Roy Powell, 19, a first-time voter, called Barack Obama "humble and approachable."

Photo: Damon Winter/The New York Times

One of two Shepard Fairey designed posters of Barack Obama.

Barack Obama designed Air Force Ones by Van Taylor Monroe. This kat seriously needs a store.

A Barack valentine card. Its sold out already so don't even think about trying to order any. Check out the Chicagoist for more Barack art or... "Barart".

Come on, you know it was coming.

One of many Barack themed tshirts over at Cafepress.com. No, I'm serious. There are over 13,000 designs and they're reasonably priced. Pick one up.

Shout out to Michelle O!

Kehinde Wiley, Free Rice, Best Cities for Young Professionals, Colin Munroe, Freezing Grand Central and Events 101

2008-02-06T00:13:00.000-05:00

Kehinde Wiley: Remixing Fine Art

I first witnessed the amazing talent that is Kehinde Wiley when I was living in Brooklyn. He executed portraits of the honorees for VH1's 2005 Hip Hop Honors and each piece was displayed {as posters} at certain subway stations. I was blown away. I damn near missed my train because I was hypnotized by his attention to detail and his ability to add a new dimension to the black image via art and imagery. I also had a chance to see a real piece of his work at a First Friday function at the Brooklyn Museum. It was refreshing to see all types of people admiring Kehinde's "Napoleon Leading the Army Over the Alps" {below}.

Mr. Wiley has been featured in countless magazines and I was not surprised when I caught a pod about him and his art on Current TV. He's truly remarkable and I highly suggest you {friends, family, significant other, etc.} check out Mr. Wiley and his work if you have the chance. He's a gifted brother who is, truly, making art everyone can appreciate.

Free Rice...with some Vocabulary on the Side

I have to admit the first time I played this game I ended up donating over 2,600 grains of free rice to the United Nations World Food Program. Let me explain. Free Rice is a website that simply allows you to fight the plague of world hunger while building your vocabulary. It's your simple vocabulary guessing game that helps you step up your word game AND for every correct answer Free Rice donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations. Real talk. Help people, around the world, eat and obtain prodigious palaver in the process. That's right, a brother has been getting his Free Rice on. Give it a try.

Young Professionals...move here.

In this order: New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Washington D.C, Boston, Seattle, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Denver round out Forbes' list for the top 10 cities for young professionals. I can personally vouch for New York and Atlanta. "he list was compiled by tracking where the graduates of top universities across the country ended up 10 years after commencement, where the best business opportunities exist, which cities had the most young and unmarried people, and which cities paid young professionals the best. {Matt Woolsey, Forbes.com}. This is good information for any recent graduate/young professional to know but what about young professionals of color? Don't worry. I got you.

This may be a little unorthodox {and completely qualitative and subjective on my part} but I managed to find Black Enterprise's 2007 Best 10 Cities for African Americans to Work, Live and Play and decided to cross reference it with the Forbes list to give you an indication of the best cities for young professionals of color. Atlanta and Washington D.C are the stand out cities but if you {or someone you know} aren't feeling these cities look into Texas because locations like Houston and Dallas may be more your speed. No matter where you stay {or relocate} just make sure you put forth the effort to make it work for you. Your first city after school isn't, most likely, going to be your last city so put your best foot forward to make everyone know your name {in a positive way....please be in a positive way}.

Colin Munroe: The Dopest "Flashing Lights" Remix in the Game

Imagine my ding dang surprise when my brother told me that a white dude from Canada had the fliest remix of "Flashing Lights" {by Kanye West} out right now. Now before you go all "We are the World" on me I have nothing against white people but you have to admit that they have stepped up their swagger tremendously in the past 20 years.

I'm not talking about the corney Paul Walls or white people who try to imitate black culture. No, I'm talking about the people who are just effortlessly cool and manage to slide in and out of swaggerdom like sliding in and out of underwear {maybe that metaphor isn't as classy and it sounded in my head, no?} This is the vibe you get from Colin Munroe when you check out his version of "Flashing Lights" titled "I Want Those Flashing Lights".

To me, Colin showed a lot of these rap kats how to do a remix properly. Its more than just dropping your lyrics {however executed} over the existing beat. Colin made this joint his OWN and it's Hot....even the video is hot. You really can't be mad at him and his team. Toronto, Canada stand up!! To find out more about Colin and his music check out his Myspace page and check out the "I Want Those Flashing Lights" video while you're at it.

Freezing Grand Central

This is why I will always be madly in love with New York City. This is probably why people consider me an eccentric individual but I still think this is cool as hell. A group of people in NYC got together and decided to freeze in place for a short period of time in the middle of Grand Central Station. They didn't move at all. Not an inch. The whole thing shook some bystanders up and others were completely amazed. After the two minutes were up all of the frozen participants resumed to their prior activities as if nothing had ever happened. You have to see it to appreciate it. Check it out.

Events 101

Hopefully everyone had a banging New Year's celebration to welcome in 2008. Did you bring in the New Year in church? In an intimate setting with that significant other? A party? Most likely everyone was in some type of party atmosphere and there is one thing about a party that rings true...either it’s the bomb {remarkable} or a dud. Sure, when holding one there is pressure to organize and pull off a one-of-a-time kick-ass event but imagine if you had to do it on a weekly basis for a group of people who have come to expect the real deal and will call you out on your -ish if you 'effed up.

That's what today's Guest Genius, Lorna Pinckney {center}, does in Richmond, Virginia at Tuesday Verses: Open Mic Experience. By day Lorna is the CEO of Upside Promotions and Design by night she holds the creative and soulful heart of Richmond in her hands by giving musical and poetic artists the venue to share their passion and hone their craft in front of an amazing audience {all while eating banging food}. Lorna is going to give us the insight to creating, organizing, executing and maintaining a great event that resonates and inspires as well as entertains.

TGS: What was your inspiration for creating Tuesday Verses?

LP: I’m originally from Brooklyn and in Brooklyn culture and music is every where, like all on the radio, and I realized there wasn’t too much of that in Richmond. There wasn’t too much creative thought going on that actually helped people get through their day. And even if there was something like that going on in Richmond it was for the older crowd—nothing for the younger crowd and it was driving me crazy. I found myself complaining about it a lot and one day I was with my friends Paul and Rich and I said, “I’m going to create my own space.” Rich said, “You should. You do that every where you go anyway.” Soon after that we had Soul Kitchen at the Captain’s Grill. People came from Chicago, New York, D.C and Atlanta. The Fuzz Band eventually became the house band and John Goode {the traveling poet} put the word out about Soul Kitchen to all of his people and because of him I had people calling me from all over. The first night was crazy! We had poets from B-more, Cali, a young (very young) John Bibbs and people were lined up outside. A few of them didn’t get in. The mix of people was hot—young, old, black folks, white folks, Hispanic and especially Hispanic musicians. That was the only spot where so many different kinds of people came together. I did it for a year and it was packed every time. The spot ended up closing and I started getting calls from the owner of Tropical Soul. She was ecstatic about me holding an event at her place. Tropical Soul is smaller than the Captain’s Grill so I knew that I had to do something different for black people of all ages to hang out and be comfortable and that’s how I came up with Tuesday Verses.

TGS: How long has Tuesday Verses been running?

LP: 5 1/2 years. It’ll be 6 this August.

TGS: What steps did you take to ensure your event would be a success?

LP: To me there are two kinds of event planners/promoters—those who just want to make money and those who just love it. I’m the second one. I try to make experiences that others like me would want. It’s like a mutual fantasy. I want people to be amazed and committed. When you’re planning an event you want people to come and leave that way (amazed and committed). This only works if you love making events. When you use money as a priority it limits you. When you love events you try to be unique. It’s a vision you work hard to create just like music and art.

TGS: How important was it for you to understand your audience?

LP: In terms of getting to know my audience I went with my gut. You can find out all of the demo stuff but it’s not enough. You have to be out with the people for you to figure out what they’re lacking and what to give them. The event is still your personal creation but it can’t happen without the audience’s participation. Your vision is different from some others out there. What ever event you make it should provide people with what they are lacking. Some people go to parties because it gives them what they are missing. It’s all emotionally driven though. Tuesday Verses is based off of love. I can get up on stage and sing the ABC’s and they'll (the audience) be just fine with it.

TGS: On average, how many visitors does Tuesday Verses have a week?

LP: About 100 to 150. Those 50 can’t get in so they just stand outside.

TGS: Diverse audience or like-minded audience, which is better?

LP: Diverse. You can’t learn if everyone is the same. We {audience} all love music. Now I do want black people, don’t get me wrong but we need a place where people from all backgrounds come and get a long. That’s tough to get in Richmond.

TGS: Is location important to you? Why or why not?

LP: Location is key. It’s everything. It’s so important. You can’t have something at the end of the Earth and there must be enough parking. The venue has to support you 100%. Promotion is key. {Show} Format is key. Vision is key. Information of what to expect should be clear before someone arrives. No one should be guessing.

TGS: How has hosting and facilitating a weekly event affected your organization skills?

LP: I can pretty much handle what ever is thrown my way at this point. It’s like having a child. I have to feed it, nurture it and make sure it has enough money. I usually go in an hour and a half early to make sure everything is in order from lighting candles, seat arrangements, stacking fliers and newsletters.

TGS: How often do you rely on your people/client relation skills? Has your people skills/client relation skills changed since Tuesday Verses began?

LP: I’ve become very diplomatic. When you’re communicating your vision to people who may not understand it you have to work at being more patient and not snobbish. Patience is really important because when someone does something outside of your vision that can be a problem. You have to be tolerant. You have to make sure you have the right people on the right jobs. If it’s the wrong person then your vision is compromised.

TGS: In your words, what does the audience get out of a Tuesday Verses show?

LP: Love, inspiration, acceptance, camaraderie, intellectual growth and a drive to be better people in their own personal lives. We always talk about making growth in whatever area people focus on. We create a family structure where you have support and they always inspire you to keep going.

TGS: Describe how Verses has grown since inception and how you’ve adapted along the way?

LP: The responsibility of the venue has grown because it’s become so personal for me and others. I have people who drive from D.C and the Tidewater {Virginia} area twice a month and need for us to be there and they need for us to be open no questions asked. Tuesday Verses has changed from a place where they come to feel good to a spot you come before you flip out. We had a guy come in who was a thug and he never had anyone show him you can be a man without being a thug. He has grown as a person because of his participation with the event. It’s {Verses} become a spiritual platform. Men have proposed to wives there. People change their minds not to commit suicide and people have told me that Verses has helped them get a long. Verses has turned into a place where they can bring their issues, get it off their chest through song or poem. Every week I meet someone who says “I don’t’ know what I’d do if you didn’t hold this event every Tuesday.” It ends up ministering to people. There’s a spiritual piece it didn’t have before. I’ll go in with a plan and I have to change it immediately because I realize that people need to be inspired. I have to change my plan to give them what they are looking for.

TGS: Where do you see Verses in the next 5 years?

LP: I would love to tour. I want to hold a Tuesday Verses in surrounding states. I’ve heard that nothing like this even exists in this region and although there may be shows with similar formats they’re not the same. I want to put out an album of Verses music so people at home can experience what we do. I want us to get people to creatively fix their problems and not get too caught up in life and complaining about it. Instead of complaining I want people to express why they are upset creatively. Saying you hate your job isn’t going to change anything but if you can sing about it or write a poem about why you hate your job then that’s a whole different story and that’s something others can learn from. What you do can end up inspiring other people.

Thanks to Lorna for being today's Guest Genius and if you find yourself in the Richmond area on a Tuesday night feel free to check out Tuesday Verses at Tropical Soul, 314 N. 2nd Street Richmond, VA {804} 771-1605.

Quote of the Day

"If I told you a duck could pull a truck shut up and hook the muthaf*cka up!"

-Jerome from Martin

Crown Ministries, I Love Black People, The Harlem Tea Room, Winter Skin Tips, and The Gentlemen's Fund

2008-01-23T22:41:00.001-05:00

Crown Ministries: Jesus is a financial planner too?!

Not only is He your co-pilot but He can balance a mean check book. All jokes aside, Crown Financial Ministries is a financial management workshop based on principles of the bible applied to money management. Crown's mission is to "equip people worldwide to learn, apply, and teach God's financial principles so they may know Christ more intimately, be free to serve Him, and help fund the Great Commission." When you really think about it the entire movement makes a lot of sense {that is if you are a Christian}. Founders Larry Burkett {RIP} and Howard Dayton refreshingly put a new twist on old thinking when it comes to religion, money, debt and managing them. The Crown movement has been gaining ground {recently featured on Good Morning America} and is rooted in contentment and stewardship {two things we all can improve upon} and works to re-educate people, all over the world, about the blessings of God and how money fits into that category. I'm not the type of blogger to pass on things to you without trying them myself. I'm excited to say that I will be starting my Crown Financial Ministry classes at Mt. Paran Church of God here in Atlanta very soon. To be honest I'm psyched about it too. Crown is built to help all those who believe in Him get their paper right so they can stop worrying about bad finances and start appreciating all the good in their life. Dealing with debt and getting out of it isn't easy but if God can part the Red Sea I KNOW He can help a brother with his credit. To find out more about Crown Financial Ministries click here.

I Love Black People

My people at Shadowflack Apparel struck a chord with these shirts. Although this self-loving and positive movement via fashion has been going on for some time I STILL get looks and inquiries when I wear my I Love Black People t-shirt {I even wrote about it on my myspace blog http://www.myspace.com/theoneandonlyemoo }. I was so impressed and inspired by the message that I bought shirts for my family immediately after I purchased mine directly from the owner, R. Morgan. Mr. Morgan and the Shadowflack team have been touching the masses and helping black people {and others} love each other and themselves with this apparel. I've seen these shirts all over the TV screen and although I spotted a knock-off version on Run's House a few months ago it's still good to know that Morgan's message is so successful that someone {probably not even black} had to knock it off. Shadowflack has a full portfolio of I Love Black People merchandise so check out the site and be sure to pick something up. And if they happen to have an I Love Black People messenger bag, overnight bag, blazer or fitted cap let a brother know.

Would You Like Some Tea with your Uptown?

If you haven't noticed I'm pro-black and definitely pro-black business. I love to support African-Americans who have made the transition from employee to employer and I definitely admire Patrice Clayton and The Harlem Tea Room staff. And no, before you even ask I haven't been there yet but best believe that I'll be sipping on some aromatic, antioxidant rich brews during my next trip to NYC. I found out about this stylish 3-year old endeavor while watching the Black Enterprise business report and have heard nothing but great things about The Harlem Tea Room since then. Patrice has stated that the welcome and response to the tea room in Harlem has been more than she imagined and its just a testament to the fact that black consumerism doesn't fit into the myopic box marketers try to assign to our culture and lifestyle. A lot of the crowd is a professional type but The Harlem Tea Room also attracts a wide range of clientèle and Patrice can absolutely add me to the list. If you find yourself in Harlem or heading to NYC stop by The Harlem Tea Room located at 1793A Madison Avenue or give them a call at 212.348.3471.

Winter Skin Tips...Because the Hawk is Hell on Your Skin

I know January is practically over and in some places Spring may come early but Winter temperatures are still a reality for most of us {even those of use in ATL} and you still have to protect yourself from the brutal chill of winter air. For a lot of us Winter can be a time to implement a completely different skin care regiment and even if you are the type of person who thinks he or she is fine doing what you normally do in warmer temperatures then check out your elbows and knees. If they look like someone sprinkled powder sugar on them then keep reading. {Yeah I went there.}

J ulyn Derrick over at About.com has a lot of helpful info to keep your skin in prime condition during colder climates. Like using lukewarm water instead of hot water because hot water depletes the skin of natural moister, using creamy moisturizers and bypassing the drying soaps and not forgetting that your lips need moisture too- use a lip balm people! And for my fellas the team over at MSN Lifestyle: Men suggest using shampoos that contain soothing products like "extracts of seaweed, licorice and plai oil". Its not a shampoo but I'm partial to Carol's Daughter's Lisa's Hair Elixir myself because it contains peppermint which contains circulation. No matter what product you use just realize that skin in the winter needs more attention which means you need to be up on your game until Spring officially makes it way into our lives. You don't want to be caught out there with the Hawk staring at your ashy ankles. It ain't a good look.

GQ's Gentlemen's Fund

You really can't get mad at the combination of style and philanthropy. I read about GQ's The Gentlemen Fund a few months ago and have been impressed about it ever since. It doesn't hurt that my boy John Legend is the spokesperson either.

The Gentlemen's Fund's mission is to "raise support and awareness for five cornerstones essential to men: opportunity, health, education, environment, and justice." Like I said, you can't get mad at this. The Gentlemen's Fund is comprised of 5 individual charities Career Gear, DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids, A Better Chance, Global Green USA and Justice for Children International. The Gentlemen's Fund is dedicated to improving the welfare of men and children all over the world and although the organization is 1 year old I'm sure that GQ will be impacting a lot of lives in the future through their works. When you get a chance check out The Gentlemen's Fund and if the spirit moves you donate some paper {or suits in Career Gear's case} to the cause.

Quote of the Day

"Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential."

-Barack Obama

Voltron Sneakers, FREE Magazine, Make It Right, Rocawear Beef, & 7 Style Secrets

2007-12-20T21:35:00.000-05:00

Voltron Sneakers...you read it right.

If you were born in the late 70's or early 80's then the Transformers and Voltron were THE topics of discussion for you and your friends everyday. Real talk, and if they weren't then I don't know what planet you lived on. My mom told me that everything comes back into fashion in a 20 year cycle and I be damned if she wasn't lying. This product dropped back in October but this is just too cool to not bring to your attention. Reebok has released the "Voltron Collection" or the "Voltron Lion Force Pack" {depending on who you get them from} which is a collection of sneakers inspired by each of the five lions that form Voltron. Sneaker heads, anime freaks and 80's babies can all get their rocks off while rocking a fly pair of kicks thanks to Reebok. In addition to purchasing a dope pair of sneaks you also get a complimentary action figure of the lion that inspired your shoe. Tell me that ain't fly. Prices range from $85 to $135 depending on what pair you purchase. I'm partial to the Omni Pump {Yellow Tiger} myself and don't sleep on the ERS Racer {Green Tiger} either. Aww hell. Just give 'em all to me. Check out the rest of the collection here.

FREE Magazine

It's exactly what it sounds like. A free...magazine. Duh. This magazine is the brainchild of a dude I can honestly say I admire and ever since my first encounter with FREE I've been smitten. Todd N. Triplett and PKHDMC, in partnership with Parks-Hall {a non-profit arts organization} helps FREE Magazine reach the cool masses, by focusing on art, fashion, music, luxury, current events and professionalism, while offering exposure to independent artists. The crazy {amazing} thing about FREE is that a complimentary CD is included with each issue of the actual magazine. THIS IS CRAZY!!! I don't know about you but I've never picked up a mag from the rack and walked away with a mixtape of independent artists. FREE turned me on to J*Davey {dope to infinity} and a lot of cool art, designers, photographers and writers. And don't EVEN get me started on the release parties. Step into FREEdom and check out a taste of the current issue {No. 9} here.

Make It Right

Just when you think the media and this current administration has created enough ill-will towards the surviving citizens and mindset of New Orleans/Gulf Coast something like Make It Right comes along and on its tail something like the NO protest gone of December 20 happens . What's important is that progress is being made in New Orleans and unfortunately it isn't happening at the rate, and in the fashion, we'd all like.

Brad Pitt and Stephen Bing have teamed up to create Make It Right. This organization's purpose is to provide 150 low-income houses for citizens of New Orleans. 13 architecture firms are competing to create the most impressive and environmentally-responsible green designs for the housing communities. Unlike projects of old; the Make It Right properties will be sustainable homes that are projected to keep maintenance costs down by 75%. "Each house will be around 1200 square feet with three bedrooms, and each will cost around $150,000. {http://www.joshspear.com/item/make-it-right/}" Pitt has even put up his own money {$5 mill} for Make It Right and everyone from individuals to corporations can donate money and materials for this initiative. {Design by Concordia Architecture above.}

Seems like things are looking up for the N.O, right? Not so fast. A good friend of mine told me about this protest that took a violent turn. A group of citizens chose to physically show their disapproval of the demolition of a set of New Orleans public housing properties and police made forceful attempts to control the crowd by pepper spray and tazers. No matter what happens in New Orleans it seems that tension is always at the surface and if anything that is a sign of passion and commitment. Say what you want about New Orleans but its evident that the citizens of that city and even the region have a pride and love for their home that is not understood by many. To find out more about Make It Right and ways you can help the progress to improve New Orleans take a jump here and for contrast's sake check the CNN clip of the protest here.

Rocawear it at Your Own Risk

Before some of you pull out your Jigga Man Official Fan Club membership cards just sit back and read the rest of the blurb. In Jan of '07 the Humane Society of the United States conducted some test and revealed that Jay-Z and Rocawear were selling faux-fur clothing that feature fur from raccoon dogs on the Rocawear website. Apparently this is a regular move in the faux-fur game cause Diddy was accused of doing the same with his Sean John women's line. Damn. Wow.

To be honest I've never been a Rocawear or Sean John dude and after strolling through Perimeter Mall a few weeks ago I probably will never be. Nothing personal against the lines or the heads of the companies. While in Dillard's me and my homeboy came across a Rocawear t-shirt that was more ignorant and stereotypical than progressive and witty. To understand the absurdity of this shirt you have to understand that Perimeter Mall is in Sandy Springs, GA, a predominately white city immediately outside of the Atlanta city limits. So imagine my surprise to see a Rocawear shirt {wait for it} in Dillard's that shows the Monopoly logo drenched in blood and Mr. Moneybags with a bandana, fitted cap and bag of money running {tolerable}. The kicker was the line {in small text} above the remixed Monopoly logo that said something to the extent of "Properly Getting Cash from the Hood Brothers." I'm paraphrasing so don't trip. The issue is that 1} how does blood and bandanas signify properly doing anything and 2} what muthaf***ing "hood brothers" are in Sandy Springs, Georgia? The more I think about this shirt, and others like it ,the more I think about the stereotypical behavior and image of today's hip-hop, how it's manufactured to appeal to those who can't completely relate to it and how it demeans those it's supposedly representing. Us.

Get Your Grown Man on with 7 Style Secrets

When I had my hair twisted in college I took it upon myself to perform a small experiment. If you didn't know I'm here to tell you that dreads/twists have a bad wrap in society {especially in the south} so I wanted to see what I could do to change people's perceptions in my small town. For one week I wore nothing but baggy jeans, timberlands and over-sized shirts to school, work and all over town. As you've probably guessed I was treated like and talked to like I was someone who wasn't educated...a thug basically. I'm far from that. The following week I switched the game up and wore fitted clothes, button-down shirts, loafers and I even bought a pair of reading glasses with a very weak prescription. The only constant variable from week 1 to week 2 was my hair and the way I was treated was a complete 180 from the prior week. My hypothesis was correct...fashion, style, clothing, whatever you want to call it has the power to attract positive or negative reactions. That's why I'm always cognizant of my appearance..that and I'm a Kappa so I make it my business to be on point all of the time.

I came across this article on MSN.com written in partnership with Best Life magazine {great magazine by the way} about 7 style secrets for men. For some reason fellas think that getting your wardrobe up always means being uncomfortable in tight clothes or wearing clothing that doesn't represent their personality. Where in the hell did this come from? It's far from being true and some of the most stylish brothers know that true style means you put your own mark on conventions of fashion. We as black men excel at this but as of lately I've noticed a few brothers have steered way off track.

Of the 7 secrets I'm only agreeing with 5 of them. Not because I'm defiant but because they don't fit my personality but this is good info for any kat who is thinking or working on getting his style game in order. Every man needs a new suit. "The easiest way to upgrade your office look instantly is to add a suit that isn't corporate gray" and one way to separate yourself from the pack is to add a fly workbag with the get up. Leather is always in style {Wilson's chelsea contrast stitch messenger to the right}. No offense but it's not cool to be wearing a backpack to work. In addition to the new suit try coppping a gig that pushes your envelope a little bit. Nothing crazy like Ye at last year's Grammys but something that is current, well-fitted, relevant to your personality and confidently says "Damn I'm a fly mother...shut yo' mouth!" Instead of pleated pants think about "flat-front trousers that will make you look taller and thinner. There are four more tips for you so strut on over to the link and read the rest of the article Mr. Debonair.

Quote of the Day

"If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich."

-John F. Kennedy

Paper Saving Gift Giving, Another Bush F-up, A Saggy Pants Law?, Keyshia Cole & Interviewing 101

2007-12-10T22:08:00.000-05:00

Give a Gift. Hold on to your paper.

If your family is like mine no one will be giving or receiving any light blue Tiffany boxes or Rolex watches this Christmas. That’s not to say that great gifts haven’t been given and received in our house around Christmas time. Believe me, my mama got over like a fat rat last Christmas. She deserved it though.

So what do you do if your intentions are grand and you don’t want to sell out by purchasing a gift card? You make a budget, get creative and read the rest of what I’m about to drop on you. Liz Pulliam Weston at MSN.com suggests “purchasing gifts that fall into three categories: Consumables: stuff you can eat, drink or otherwise use up quickly. {i.e. exotic spices for kitchen lovers}, services and experiences: stuff others can do to or for the recipient (i.e. free massage at the local spa} or gadgets: a product created to either help corral clutter or make life easier {i.e. a digital picture frame for someone who loves sharing pictures}."

Weston has even done a great job identifying gifts ranging from below $10 to under $30. Everything from a month’s subscription to Netflix {$8.99} to the iTurbo for your iPod {$25} is listed in addition to gift ideas within higher price ranges. Weston has really done her homework and even if some of her suggestions don’t fit the person you’re shopping for you can at least get inspired by her ideas. Check the article out here.

Another President Bush F-up; are you surprised?

It bugs me out that there are still people in our country who stand behind our President. I’m not even talking about the war but more simple things like pronouncing OB/GYN as oh-bee-gin. Oh yes y’all. That’s a fact. This time he managed to eclipse a major issue in society- the homeowner mortgage crisis- by reciting the wrong phone number for homeowners worrying about their rising mortgage payments. Instead of directing citizens to call 1-888-995-HOPE, for the Homeownership Preservation Foundation, Mr. President told Americans to dial 1-800-995-HOPE. This number belongs to the Freedom Christian Academy—a school in Texas.

I’m still trying to figure out how this dude got re-elected. Check out our President’s flub here.

The Saggy Baggy of it All

In southern cities all over the country officials and citizens are working to eliminate the wearing of baggy, saggy pants on urban youth. I don’t know how I feel about this just yet but I do know that sagging pants should be at the bottom of our country’s list of things to get bent out of shape about. We still have millions of families living below the poverty line. Citizens of the Gulf Coast are still living in FEMA trailers 2 years after Katrina and don’t let me get started about the plight of our young black youth.

While checking out the Complex.com blog I came across what Neil Richards, first amendment expert of Washington University had to say. “People have a right to express their identity through speech and action.” So true. In Pine Lawn, MO offenders of this law {who are majority young, black and male} can be fined $100 “and their parents could be fined up to $500 or serve 90 days in jail” for breaking the saggy pant law.

Is this another attack on current hip-hop culture or is it the kick in the butt this young generation needs? Who knows but I will tell you this: if any of these guys’ mothers is like mine she ain’t dropping one penny or spending a second in jail for some below the butt cheeks, can’t barely walk, showing all of your ass nonsense.

I’m just saying. Check out the rest of the article from the AP.

Keyshia Cole: The Way She Is

I have a confession to make. I’m in love with Keyshia Cole. Not in THAT way you pervs. I’m saying that I admire her for her talent, hustle and patience dealing with her fam. Now don’t get me wrong because my family ain’t perfect, by any means, but then again we {my father’s side anyway} ain’t showcasing our coo-coo bananas family behavior all over television.

This is the second season of Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is... on BET and I have to say that I’m late to the show. I admit that I slept on the first season but I’m hooked on the second season. This show is a great story about passion, determination, family, unconditional love and humanity. Keyshia’s dealing with an ex-con and ex addict mother, a sister who is anything but ready for suburban life and a full time career. I don’t know how she does it.

For someone who doesn’t watch too much of BET at all I can say that if you aren’t watching this TV show then you should. It’s all about Keyshia’s struggle…and that’s the way it is. The season finale aired December 11, 2007 but I’m absolutely positive BET will be airing repeats in the near future. They do what they want to on that channel.

Catch episodes of Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is, when you can, weeknights on BET.

Interviewing 101

Looking good on paper is one thing but being great in person is something totally different. I meet a lot of people who ask me how to do the right things in an interview. I give them the best advice I can but all I end up doing is telling them what works for me which may not translate well to their personality. I decided to devote this 101 Session to the skill of interviewing and how to prepare for and have a successful one. Today's Guest Genius is Lynda Wicker (Lynda isn't in the picture to the right by the way...come on people), the director of Human Resources at JWT Atlanta in Atlanta, GA. Lynda has over 10 years experience in Human Resources. She is a great interviewer and totally knows the in's, out's, do's and don'ts of the interview. If you ever wanted insider information about the essentials of interviewing you're in luck.

T.G.S: How long have you been working in Human Resources?

Lynda: I've been in Human Resources for 12 years. I really have to thank my sister-in-law for introducing me to this field. Early in my career I was an office manager but I was always trying to help people. Before I knew it I was pursuing a career in HR and started at PBA Atlanta as a Human Resources Assistant. I just love helping people find the right career and realize their career options.

T.G.S: What are some of the biggest myths/misconceptions people have about interviewing?

Lynda: This is why I think my next career move will be career counseling. I really think people should stop with the manufactured behavior. It's okay to be nervous but that's not reason to be so cliched. I want to have a conversation with the person I'm interviewing. The one-word answers or the cliche' responses, {I'm a people person...my weakness is that I try to hard} don't impress me. I really wish people would stop saying those in interviews. Have a resume in hand and be ready to talk about your experience. Truly understand that the job is about results and not how hard you tried. Work is about results so give examples of how you showed initiative and have key points of view {i.e. your style of work, what you like about the company and you're personal goals}.Be articulate. Be able to clearly express your thoughts in a concise and thorough way. One thing I've noticed with the millennial workforce is they, sometimes, come to an interview too casual. I know this is the age of casual but you have to be smart about it. I've had some people come in t-shirts and jeans. It's such an easy thing not to screw up. If you are unsure about a company's culture wear a suit. You can't go wrong.

T.G.S: Are there common mistakes young professionals make during interviews?

Lynda: Not preparing enough: a lot of young professionals don't do their homework before coming in. There's is no excuse for no preparation. During interviews I notice that a lot of young professionals feel they should come across as if they know everything and that's wrong. If you're interviewing for an entry-level position you can't know everything there is to know about the position you want or the company you hope to work for. Although the seasoned professionals think they know everything too. It's important that interviewees have questions for the interviewer. This is the interviewee's chance to get conversational and learn a lot about the company and please don't just ask the "company culture" question. Do your research and come up with good questions.

T.G.S: We've already touched on this but what are some of you're interviewer pet-peeves?

Lynda: The stock answers. Rehearsed answers. I like it best when people are comfortable so, this is such a cliche, but BE YOURSELF and be honest. Dress nice but not to the point where you come across as a perfectionist. That's a big one for me. Believe it or not "I'm a people person" is still a big problem.

TGS: What are some of the commonalties of your better interviews?

Lynda: Well, for me, first interviews are usually phone interviews and they are sometimes awkward when you aren't talking with a natural conversationalist. I like experienced people, people who really listen to questions and answer them thoroughly and honestly. I like when people have good eye contact and they are honest about their capabilities. You can tell when some one is genuinely interested and not treating HR as an invaluable gatekeeper.

T.G.S: How about the mysterious follow-up time. How do you advise people do handle that?

Lynda: I'm definitely a believer in sending a thank you note or thank you email within 24 to 48 hours of the interview. There are some people who don't like thank you emails but I don't think they are a problem. Follow-up is good period. During the interview ask the interviewer about the follow-up process. If someone promises to follow-up with you and they don't fulfill their promise don't panic. There are a number of things that are going on within a company that can side-track the HR director and hiring efforts. Some companies have strict interviewing cycles and its good to ask about the interviewing process during your interview so that can give you a follow-up strategy. Now if you realize that 4 to 6 weeks have gone by just send another note expressing your interest in the position if you're still interested. I like to call them gentle reminders. If its been more than 6 weeks and you haven't heard anything then that means you probably didn't get it.

Thanks to Lynda Wicker for being today's Guest Genius.

Quote of the Day

"Exceptional people have exceptional battles, they go through exceptional problems, they go through exceptional chaos and they have exceptional deliverances. Be careful about putting your foot on an exceptional person."

-T.D Jakes

Office Holiday Party Etiquette, ’08 Grammy Nods, Doing the Right Thing for Your To-Do List & PowerPoint 101

2007-12-07T18:27:00.000-05:00

Office Holiday Party Etiquette

It’s that time of year again for Secret Santa drawings, mushy speeches about this past year, bad karaoke, finger food, Christmas carols and cocktails. Yep; its office Christmas party season and you don’t want to be like your co-worker who drank too much of “Christmas cheer” at last year’s party and ended up saying and/or doing something they would not do during normal working hours. So what do you do? How do you find the balance of being social, having a great time, letting your hair down AND being on point? No worries. I got you.

Erika Parkins over at Black Enterprise says it best. “Instead of approaching the office holiday party as a chore or a chance to party like its 1999, you should view it as another opportunity to make a good impression and network with colleagues you may not interact with on a daily basis.” Good to know. This Black Enterprise article {Yuletide Etiquette} has more great stuff that you or anyone you know should check out if you find yourself attending or invited to an office Christmas party.

In addition to proper behavior there’s also the issue of proper dress. Not that I’m against color but I wouldn’t wish a red and green outfit on my worst enemies. There are hundreds of people out there offering fashion advice to women so this one is specifically for the fellas. What do you wear to the office party? No offense but although you have a Santa Claus, Rudolph the Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman tie doesn’t mean you should put it on just yet.

David Boris {Be Better Guys blog} suggests men wear a nice suit- preferably black and if not a black suit wear something that tastefully incorporates bold colors and rich fabrics/textures. “For example, a cashmere v-neck sweater over a collared dress shirt, merino wool polo or turtleneck, or even a velvet blazer {in a deep tone, TI, not in scarlet red} are classy ways to send a professional message to the room.” This is a good look. Try wearing a pair of shoes that are more edgy than your normal work wear too. I’m always down for a nice pointed-toe to elongate the leg.

Not all office holiday parties are the same so keep in mind the nature of your employer, co-workers and the environment for the party. Make sure that you’re on point and adapt your style and behavior for the setting. The office holiday party is your chance to show everyone a side of you that is more elegant, stylish and charismatic than you may have the chance to be at work. Keep this in mind and I promise that you will enjoy this office function more than you expected.

2008 Grammy Nominations

I’m all for trophies and winning but when it comes to music I like to think artistic fortitude outweighs mainstream success…until Grammy time comes around and I’m glued to the TV and newspapers hoping that my fave artists received nominations. I’m in luck this year because two of my favorites have dummy {many} nominations.

Kanye West deserves every nomination he received and leads the pack with 8 noms which include “Album of the Year” and “Best Rap Album”. Shoutout and congrats to Ye’ on the nods. Let’s hope he stomps the competition at the upcoming Grammys.

Next is Amy Winehouse. Anyone who has eyes has seen the train wreck of a year she’s had {drugs are no joke}. On the other hand, anyone with ears who has listened to her music can tell that home girl is super talented. Her talent, unlike her behavior, is being recognized with 6 noms including one for Record of the Year for “Rehab”. If that ain’t an example of life intimidating art I don’t know what is.

Also, quick shout out to UGK on their Grammy nod for “International Players Anthem”. We at The Genius Syndicate {T.G.S} offer our condolences to Kanye West, UGK and Chad Butler’s {b.k.a Pimp C} family and friends.

Do the Right Thing for Your To-Do List

Anyone with two hands and more than two minutes to spare is busy these days. Kids are balancing school with extra-curricular activities, teens are multi-tasking hectic social lives with education and parents all over the world are wishing they had a clone.

There are a million organizational products on the market but whether you use a Blackberry or a plain old Day Planner {like I do} I came across some tips to make your To-Do list more focused.

The organizational geniuses over at ZenHabits.net say simplify your to-do list and reduce your tasks list to the bare essentials. By eliminating more trivial tasks, simplifying your commitments and knowing what’s essential to complete for the day you can maximize your schedule and maintain your focus. There are more great tips about tidying up your To-Do list over at www.zenhabits.net. Go check it out.

PowerPoint 101

For the “101” sessions I’d like to invite great people I admire and pass their knowledge onto you. I can’t wait to bring these Guest Geniuses on board but for today’s 101 installment you’re stuck with me as your Guest Genius…take it or leave it. Hopefully you’ll take it.

We’re talking about PowerPoint in today’s 101 session. I work in advertising and although PowerPoint may not be the number one tool of creativity it is essential to the communication process within and outside the agency. I used it today as a matter of fact. Let’s look at the essentials of making a kick-ass PowerPoint presentation.

Content: PowerPoint is only as good as the content placed in it. Before you think about layout, color and fonts first make an outline of the most important points you want to address. PowerPoint is a visual tool, not a reading tool, so keep text to a minimum.
Key Takeaway: Just organizing facts is a piece of the puzzle. When making a presentation in PowerPoint always keep in mind what your key takeaway is and tailor your presentation to support that point.
Layout Logic (text size, colors and pictures): This is a tip that I follow every time. When you want to develop a nice PowerPoint presentation think about your favorite magazine. Look at how they lay out text, quality of pictures, the styles of fonts they use, visual alignment, shapes and colors. You’d be surprised at how professional you can make your PowerPoint look by pulling inspiration from other mediums.
Visual Assistance: Use pictures to illustrate or support your points. For example, instead of typing the word “communication’ in a text box think of inserting pictures like “people whispering”, “a cell phone” or even a “mouth smiling”. Try not to use Microsoft clipart. That is the quickest way to make your presentation look dated. Try Google images, save the file or just copy and paste it directly onto the slide.

I hope these tips give you some direction on how to make the most of your PowerPoint presentation. Trust me when I say that slick things can be done in PowerPoint if you just open your mind and have fun with it.

-elbj

Quote of the Day

“There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.”

-Victor Hugo

Welcome to The Genius Syndicate

2007-12-01T20:16:00.000-05:00

No one is more excited about this blog than I am. In the midst of a sinus infection, making cornbread and watching college football my brother and I had an idea for a blog that stands for what we are trying to accomplish. KNOWLEDGE, CREATIVITY, AMBITION, VIGOR AND SHARING in everyday life. We're in the process of launching some great things that reflect our vision and this blog is a perfect addition to the hustle.

The Genius Syndicate is a spot for our young brothers and sisters who share the same drive and spirit to teach, learn, communicate and improve. The underlying idea of The Genius Syndicate is to strive for "giftedness" and not just smartness. That's why this blog will not only give you a dose of pop culture (after its put through the proper cultural filters of course) but feature "guest geniuses" to share some knowledge in their perspective fields.

On any given day you can learn how to mix the perfect drink, the best ways to spend time with your younger relatives, what to wear to a job interview, how to get the most out of financial aid, how to take the best pictures of your life and how to find the right style for your personality. The key is for you to pick up what we're dropping on you and pass it on.

We're all in this together and you know as well as we do that a group of young, black geniuses can do some amazing things. So what'cha waiting on? Become a part of the movement.

Welcome to the syndicate.

-elbj