Until their is a cure, all of us are affected.

With Aids many things are hidden. It is a disease of whispers and shadows. Ruled by a rough, ruthless life, it’s victims do not say what is on their minds. I (among others) try to give glimpses into their lives, half-heard, often unclear conversations. “I can see in your faces how different you are from those who aren’t affected,” I said to a victim. It’s been over 3-years now since I’ve decided to educate people on the disease. “When you talk freely, your heart is cleansed. If you can’t your heart is closed.” I have chosen to learn about the disease directly from HIV/AID’s affected victims through talking to them directly. I speak privately to these people and educate those who want to know more, know very little, or nothing at all.

33 Million people worldwide have HIV and most of them say that they “cannot enjoy the freedoms that most people can.”

Orphan Epidemic: Some 2.5 million children have watched at least one parent die from HIV/AIDS. But for all of this week’s talk, there is little focus on the plight of orphans.

I first became interested in the topic of HIV when (a then) 21- year old young lady told her story of when she was just 9 years old and her father was diagnosed with HIV. She didn’t really understand what it was back then, but figured it must have been bad. Since her neighbors and relatives refused to go near her father. She told of how money began to dry up because of his health-care costs and how he slowly wasted away from a disease he refused to speak about.
This young lady spoke to me about how she had no one to turn to and how the fallout was shattering. She spoke on how she was suicidal and how she thought about it EVERY DAY, And thought that if she were dead she wouldn’t have to face the fact that her father was dieing of something that she wasn’t able to speak about!
This now 25-year-old young lady now runs AIDS prevention outreach programs for her country’s health ministry, where she often goes to communities and meets with children who, like her, lost one or both parents to AIDS/HIV.

It is said that there are 2.5 million children orphaned by AIDS, and by 2010, it’s estimated that that number will grow to at least 2.8 million.

Since there hasn’t been much talk about the traumatic amount of stress that children around the world face with this issue. I try to exhibit them. It’s hard to think of a little child having to go through something like that and worse…
I think that when you look at the issues that affect orphans and vulnerable children, your dealing with an entire lifetime right there.

I don’t think that it’s right that ANYONE feels that because they have AIDS/HIV that there different from anybody else or can’t enjoy “freedoms”. Love itself is a disease and I wouldn’t look at anyone who has it any differently than I look at someone who does have it!… I think that we should all be able to speak freely about AID’s
The only way right now to slow it down since there is no cure (YET) is to speak about it, Be open about it, But proud about it if you have it, and just be careful if/when you chose to have sex.

How can you contribute in raising awareness about AIDS?

• Find out facts about HIV and talk to your friends, family and colleagues about HIV- make sure they know the reality, not the myths.
• Know your HIV status: get tested if you have put yourself at risk.
• Talk to all new sexual partners about using condoms. Using a condom during sex is the best way to protect yourself and your partner from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
• If someone tells you they are HIV positive, treat them with respect and don’t tell others without their agreement.
• Wear a red ribbon as a symbol of your support for everyone affected by HIV< and to raise awareness.

suc·cess
The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.

Don’t be discouraged if people try to talk you out of living your dreams.

Does it matter what we call it? Genocide or Erasure of a ‘country of the blacks’ 

Imagine the Gods of history looking down on us all after our failure of protecting millions of innocent human lives from their own governments, and imagine them saying to us “well give you another chance, but this time so as to be sure you get it right we’ll do it in slow motion and we’ll call it Darfur.”

More than 2,000,000 lives hanging by a thread, abandoned by their government, attacked by brutal militias. My interest took me through a lot of research and here I am along with all those others raising awareness to save those before their is nothing left to save. I believe that if people knew what was happening that they would do something about it. But because of the geography of the region and the resistance of the Sudanese government it makes it difficult to report on the violence in Darfur, but the occasional story does get out.

Make no mistake, this isn’t the first Genocide, but it is the first Genocide of the 21st century and if it continues unchecked it will not be the last. April 1994 the world thought they had learned a lesson in Rwanda when 800,000 people were killed in 100 days. But when it happened again, the world just sat back and watched as 400,000 people got killed, 2,500,000 people lost their homes, 1,000,000 close to death from lack of food and from disease in Darfur. 500 people continue to die each day. Most killed by the Sudanese governments militia the Janjaweed.

In early 2003 the Sudanese had completed the settlement of a large civil war between the North and the South, dividing in the settlement was the oil wealth and positions in a new government and for a Darfur neglected region they were left out, they said “we weren’t even at the table,” and they began a rebellion to gain access to both power and wealth.

It’s genocide when little children cry because belligerent armed men intimidate them, intimidate their family and ultimately run them off; they scare the people away, poison their wells, rape their women and make them leave.

The Darfur villages have become caught in the cross fire of a struggle between the Sudanese government and rebel forces. Hundreds of thousands have been forced off their lands reduced only to the basics of existence in refugee camps. 

These people only have a fragment of the human rights of a normal human being. When one ask five years in “why is Darfur being left to it’s own devices?, 

Why are all of those people simply being fed and not protected and not being returned to their home?” The answer is everyone wants them to be safe, but nobody wants to make them safe. (The dots on the map represent the villages that were destroyed)

James Morrison
Interscope Records
Undiscovered
☆☆☆☆☆

Why this album was never heard by almost all of North America remains one of the great mysteries of major-label decision making. Long awaited, Undiscovered captures the melodic genius James Morrison; who invites comparisons to John Mayer and James Blunt, recording what is unequivocally from beginning to end, an undeniable profound debut album.
The emotions in these songs is as clearly visible as the green t-shirt Morrison wears on the album cover.
“I’ve been twisting and turning in a space that’s too small” a forlorn James Morrison sings on the track from his debut album. “Well I can’t explain why it’s not enough” The stripped-bare, acoustic song sets the tone for an album in which an emotionally naked Morrison packs bizarre metaphors.

James Morrison has “success story” written all over him, the British singer-songwriter went on to sell over 3 million copies of his debut, and gained the first Platinum Europe Award. The hit single was the ‘harsh love song’ “You Give Me Something,” but there’s impressive variety here: contemplative ballads (“Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore“), impressionistic epics (“The Last Goodbye”) and a great paean (“Better Man”), written in style that resembles Stevie Wonder – and that is what makes the album unforgettable.

James Morrison sounds like a star, not an aspirant ready for their money shot.

RAPHAEL SAADIQ
Columbia Records
The Way I See It

☆  ☆ ½

Though he’s often labeled as a singer, songwriter, musician, producer and arranger, Raphael Saadiq is talented period. In the late eighties/early nineties this California native was the lead vocalist and bass player for one of the number one groups in America; Tony! Toni! Tone! While it’s obvious that most of Raphael’s charm lies in his production skills, this award winning producer has produced hits for such artists as Joss Stone, The Roots, Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Keisha Cole and many others. He was also the same person who created the “super group” Lucy Pearl, with En Vogue’s Dawn Robinson and A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

Now, after four years and on his third solo album and first for Sony BMG, Raphael Saadiq said that The Way I See It” is “the culmination of a lifetime of experiences informed by the music I grew up on.” It took him four months to record the album in his LA studio. His inspiration to make this album you ask? Well, it came while he was vacationing in Costa Rica and the Bahamas; he noticed that everybody was listening to classic 60’s and 70’s soul music and when he had gotten back home “the music for this album flowed organically, naturally.”

Check out “Staying In Love,” his ode to his ex-lover: “You know I love/the way you hold my heart/I tell all the girls don’t even try.” You can also catch Joss Stone on :Just One Kiss,” And on “Let’s Take A Walk” he embraces his freaky side: “This place is crowded/Don’t know bout’ you/I need some sex/Some sex with you…” 

“The Way I See It” hits stores September 16th

Jean Grae
Jeanius
Black Smith Music
 ☆  ☆  ☆  ☆

Five years after her head-turning EP “The Bootleg of the Bootleg EP”, and months of rumours of early retirnment this New York rapper shows us that she is definitely not going anywhere. Jean Grae’s fourth full-length album and second Blacksmith Music release “Jeanius” demands attention. With her protean skills and on point lyrics Grae has helped make Blacksmith Records one of the most respected labels out there. To be released July 8th ‘Jeanius’ is no doubt Grae’s most anticipated album.

Midway though her fourth album, Grae claims that she know’s that she’s “on the right path to who I’m gonna be at last,” a sensible thing to boast, since she’s spitting fiercely thought the whole album. While songs like “#8” and “American Pimp” doubles the pleasure of Grae’s previous releases, it’s the vivid images in “My Story” about a personal subject matter that gets you thinking. And singles like ‘Love Thirst,’ (the lead single) captures Jeans’ uncanny word play with an intimate twist.

Jean has once again proved just how underrated she is.

Karina Pasian
First Love
Def Jam
☆  ☆  ☆  ☆  ☆

New York born singer Karina Pasian is offering an astonishing perfect debut album entitled “First Love,” arriving in stores August 19th. “It’s taking a look at the world from the point of view of a 16-year-old,” she says. Musical savvy than most her age Karina’s album is truthful, funky and real. Taking you though a range of emotions this is truly one of the finest debut discs in years that will make fans of golden-age music crack a smile.          

Karina has been compared to Alicia Keys, and has worked with some of the biggest names to produce her debut album, including: Gordon Chambers, Carlos McKinney, Lil Mama (who duets on “Baby Baby”), and The Dream and Tricky Stewart, who’s best known for their work with Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Madonna’s “Me Against the Music”.

The first single released was “16 @ War,” while sounds like nothing else on the radio, it describes a scene in which “ain’t no daddy’s where I’m from just mad mothers.” More than half of the album’s tracks are relatable, while others just make you want to get up and dance. If you’ve never heard about Karina Pasian before, you better get familiar.

people are social creatures, and as such, they’re always trying to figure out what everyone else thinks about you so they can decide if they themselves like you or not! If other people seem to like you, they’ll assume the other people have a good reason, and they’ll go along with it. Here are some easy ways to ‘trick’ people into liking you:

1) Act confident. Even if you sometimes aren’t really feeling it, act (without being an arrogant asshole) like you feel great about yourself. Although I’m insecure I don’t ever come off as someone who is. So don’t fret about minor inconveniences, don’t get embarrassed about things that happen to everyone, don’t stress out when people see you make a mistake. Chances are, they’re all worried about the same things day-to-day, and if you make them feel more comfortable by not worrying, they’ll relax and enjoy your company more. Just c h i l l o u t . . . relax, do whatever feels natural, and enjoy yourself. Besides, if you fake it long enough, you might actually start to really feel more confident!

2) Don’t freak out over things other people do. You can’t be relaxed and confident and then start howling with laughter when someone else trips and drops their lunch all over themselves. It’s hard to balance being a jerk with being low-key, since jerks tend to put way too much effort into adding social distance between themselves and the person they’re making miserable. Besides, why would you want to be a jerk anyways? You can be nice to everyone and still be yourself and relaxed– if you’re confident, are you really going to care if someone snickers because you’re being nice to the biggest loser in the school? Hell no! You’re just doing your thing, and who cares what they think.

3) Always be true to yourself. It sounds like a Celine Dion song, but keep an ear out for your own thoughts and feelings. Are you really feeling okay about certain things? What would make you the most comfortable? What do you really want? There’s no point in walking around acting like you think one thing if you really feel completely the opposite. This sounds like a contradiction with all I’ve said so far– why tell you to act like you’re confident when you don’t think you are, then tell you not to do things that you aren’t?– but remember that confidence isn’t who you are, it’s how you project who you are. You already know if you’re an anime geek, a football-obsessed sports nut, a nihilistic. In high school everyone-Thought-I-Had-The-Perfect-Life-When-Really-I carried the weight of the world on my shoulders… confidence is your body language and your attitude saying,‘This is who I am, and I’m okay with that.’ Don’t forget that one basic fact: if you act like it’s true, people will generally believe it! No 17-year-old who’s been beaten down by peers for years and years will act confident, right? People will assume that other people have treated you well because they liked you, and that is the reason why you are so confident.

There’s just one side effect: it may be catching, and you may find yourself with a chronic case of Feeling Better About Things.

This is the one thing I wish I had told everyone when I was in high school.

-GOODNIGHT!!!