Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
I'm Awake are you?
Just finished reading a blog about cell phones and radiation. The research is alarming and I vow to do something about it in my household! You know more and more everyday I hear stuff about the things that we were told and the word "bamboozled" comes to mind! I totally am shocked that so many things that we eat, breathe, and touch are so bad for us....me being me I smell a conspiricy theory! The more people are sick the more money is spent in drugs and doctors. Things that make you go hmmm! Well I am on it...wide awake and vow to take control over my life and my daughter's health! Care to join me?
Monday, November 8, 2010
And I write!
When you have alot on your mind, you just have to get it off! Those are the words of one of my "role models" Monique. I can't beleive that it has been so long since I've updated my blog and so much is going on in the world of JOY! God placed it on my heart a while ago to write my life story. Me of course laughed it off and said me Lord are you sure...who would want to read it and I would have to leave a WHOLE bunch of stuff out. Well the Lord revealed to me that my story in it's intireity is what he wants me to write. NO sensoring, just straight Joy, with know chaser. The human being that I am I still questioned that word from the Lord and said ...well Lord where do I start. The Lord spoke to me and said...from the beginning! As I procrastinated in starting my task the Lord revealed to me that all I was doing was slowing down my blessings. God also placed a number one best selling author in my path to encouage me to, "write like noone is going to read your book". That was the push I needed so instead of being concerned about what people thought about me I need to just simply tell my story....so with that my friends starts me being obedient to God....And I write!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Film chronicles how 'A Small Act' changed lives
New York (CNN) -- Ever see those late night ads on TV searching for money to support children in Africa?
A woman in Sweden started sending money to a children's charity in Africa and little did she know that because of her small payments a Kenyan youth she had never met would up going to Harvard Law School. The story, as depicted in a new emotion-packed HBO documentary, doesn't end there.
The film "A Small Act" tells the story of Chris Mburu, who grew up in poverty in Africa. Today, he is the acting coordinator of the anti-discrimination section of the United Nations Human Rights Agency based in Switzerland.
Mburu's benefactor, Hilde Back, was a Swedish pre-school teacher and a Holocaust survivor who fled Germany when she was only a child.
"If you do something good, it can spread in circles, like rings on the water," Back said.
As an adult, Mburu went on a search to find Hilde Back, and when he did, he brought her to Kenya so she could see first-hand how far her small act went.
Mburu paid tribute to his benefactor by establishing the Hilde Back Education Fund in 2003 before he had even met her in person. The organization offers financial support to children of Kenya who have distinguished themselves academically.
If you do something good, it can spread in circles, like rings on the water.
--Chris Mburu's benefactor, Hilde Back
As a child, Mburu didn't have much hope for a life beyond coffee-picking in Kenya, where families make only $1.50 a day for their labor. In his homeland, secondary school can cost around $10 a week to attend, but with the limited family income it is impossible for most to afford without help. He got help after Back contributed to a now-defunct fund called Sponsorship for Kenyan Children.
And now Mburu is returning his help with his fund named for Back.
"I would like to see these kids to be educated, because once you have a society that is very, very ignorant, it becomes the breeding ground for violence, for misinformation, for intolerance," Mburu said in the film.
The treatment for violence and ignorance begins with education, and that calls on people to make contributions, regardless of how big or small they are, Mburu said at a panel discussion at the HBO screening in New York.
The lives of the Kenyan youth and the Swedish benefactor have parallels. Mburu works helping those whose human rights are threatened. Back escaped Nazi Germany, but her parents died in concentration camps. Mburu was forced to return to his native Kenya when violence erupted after a presidential election a couple of years ago. Back watched the crisis on TV and spoke to him by phone, concerned about a man she treats like a son she never had.
The U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon introduced the film at the HBO screening. Ban reflected on the power of the film industry and how many people it is able to reach.
"From day one I have told my staff to reach out to creative people. Creative (people) can reach many and transcend borders," Ban said.
Ban spoke of the importance of making documentaries like "A Small Act." Spreading awareness and understanding is critical because that's how partnerships are created, he said.
Ban said he wasn't acquainted with Mburu personally but congratulated him by saying he was a symbol of hope for people in many countries, and "messages can be spread by a powerful voice," Ban said.
The documentary also follows the lives of three hard-working and distinguished Kenyan students who compete academically with one another with the hope that they will be awarded a scholarship and attend secondary school.
The students must attain a certain score on a nationwide achievement test to be considered for a scholarship, and their families are supportive but also put a great deal of pressure on their children to do well.
"I began making this film to tell a riveting, character-based story that I hoped would inspire audiences to do their own 'small acts,'" director Jennifer Arnold said. "There are huge stakes for these kids, who are literally fighting for their lives by competing for a scholarship... These kids may one day impact people across the world as Chris Mburu has, and Hilde Back before him."
The documentary is now appearing on HBO. The film company is promoting a new campaign, "What's your small act?" designed to increase donations to charity or help more children in Kenya.
A woman in Sweden started sending money to a children's charity in Africa and little did she know that because of her small payments a Kenyan youth she had never met would up going to Harvard Law School. The story, as depicted in a new emotion-packed HBO documentary, doesn't end there.
The film "A Small Act" tells the story of Chris Mburu, who grew up in poverty in Africa. Today, he is the acting coordinator of the anti-discrimination section of the United Nations Human Rights Agency based in Switzerland.
Mburu's benefactor, Hilde Back, was a Swedish pre-school teacher and a Holocaust survivor who fled Germany when she was only a child.
"If you do something good, it can spread in circles, like rings on the water," Back said.
As an adult, Mburu went on a search to find Hilde Back, and when he did, he brought her to Kenya so she could see first-hand how far her small act went.
Mburu paid tribute to his benefactor by establishing the Hilde Back Education Fund in 2003 before he had even met her in person. The organization offers financial support to children of Kenya who have distinguished themselves academically.
If you do something good, it can spread in circles, like rings on the water.
--Chris Mburu's benefactor, Hilde Back
As a child, Mburu didn't have much hope for a life beyond coffee-picking in Kenya, where families make only $1.50 a day for their labor. In his homeland, secondary school can cost around $10 a week to attend, but with the limited family income it is impossible for most to afford without help. He got help after Back contributed to a now-defunct fund called Sponsorship for Kenyan Children.
And now Mburu is returning his help with his fund named for Back.
"I would like to see these kids to be educated, because once you have a society that is very, very ignorant, it becomes the breeding ground for violence, for misinformation, for intolerance," Mburu said in the film.
The treatment for violence and ignorance begins with education, and that calls on people to make contributions, regardless of how big or small they are, Mburu said at a panel discussion at the HBO screening in New York.
The lives of the Kenyan youth and the Swedish benefactor have parallels. Mburu works helping those whose human rights are threatened. Back escaped Nazi Germany, but her parents died in concentration camps. Mburu was forced to return to his native Kenya when violence erupted after a presidential election a couple of years ago. Back watched the crisis on TV and spoke to him by phone, concerned about a man she treats like a son she never had.
The U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon introduced the film at the HBO screening. Ban reflected on the power of the film industry and how many people it is able to reach.
"From day one I have told my staff to reach out to creative people. Creative (people) can reach many and transcend borders," Ban said.
Ban spoke of the importance of making documentaries like "A Small Act." Spreading awareness and understanding is critical because that's how partnerships are created, he said.
Ban said he wasn't acquainted with Mburu personally but congratulated him by saying he was a symbol of hope for people in many countries, and "messages can be spread by a powerful voice," Ban said.
The documentary also follows the lives of three hard-working and distinguished Kenyan students who compete academically with one another with the hope that they will be awarded a scholarship and attend secondary school.
The students must attain a certain score on a nationwide achievement test to be considered for a scholarship, and their families are supportive but also put a great deal of pressure on their children to do well.
"I began making this film to tell a riveting, character-based story that I hoped would inspire audiences to do their own 'small acts,'" director Jennifer Arnold said. "There are huge stakes for these kids, who are literally fighting for their lives by competing for a scholarship... These kids may one day impact people across the world as Chris Mburu has, and Hilde Back before him."
The documentary is now appearing on HBO. The film company is promoting a new campaign, "What's your small act?" designed to increase donations to charity or help more children in Kenya.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Balancing The Mix-Women emerge on the other side of the studio glass
Women are all over the music charts. One scan of the Billboard 200 will yield albums from a wide range of female artists spanning genres such as hip-hop, country, rock, and pop.
However, in reading an album's credits, the recording, production, mixing, and mastering of music remains an overwhelmingly male domain. Given the strides women have made in the workplace in recent decades, a number of factors have emerged to counter the historical imbalance of women in music production.
In recent years, universities and trade schools offering music recording programs have seen an influx of female students. The number of female graduates at Berklee College of Music, which offers majors in music production and engineering and music synthesis, totaled 282 in 2010, representing 33 percent of the total class and an increase of 5 percent from 2009. Full Sail University, a leading media arts college in Winter Park, Fla., estimates the number of its female students grew 28 percent between 2007 and 2009.
Terri Winston, executive director of the Women's Audio Mission in San Francisco, an organization providing training for women in recording arts and audio technology, notes the percentage of female students in her music production classes at City College of San Francisco has grown from about 10 percent to more than 50 percent in less than a decade. She attributes the increase to making the effort to engage women and chip away at any trepidation they may bring to class.
"When I bring a new piece of gear to the class, the men are all over it and the women tend to hang back," Winston explains. "I'll say to everyone, 'Get over here and take a look! Snap out of it!' And once that stress is off, they're right up there with the guys. They're here in the first place because they are interested in recording music. We're just removing some of the [cultural] barriers that were there."
Another factor beneficial to women is the feasibility of home recording. With a laptop, a set of speakers, a microphone, and basic recording software such as Pro Tools LE or GarageBand — and some time and effort — any aspiring professional has the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of music production.
But the most basic change may simply be generational. Bridget Guise, a 21-year-old student at SAE Institute of Technology in Nashville, Tenn., says gender isn't the same kind of issue for her millennial cohorts. "Gender is immaterial," she says. Guise does acknowledge that a glass ceiling might appear beyond the assistant engineering job she holds as an intern at a Nashville recording studio. But she also believes the positive effect women can bring to the working environment of music production will help counter any obstacles. "I think it can actually be an advantage now being a woman to get a job at a studio, because you'd bring a unique perspective," she says.
That optimism is shared by Ann Mincieli, the chief engineer for GRAMMY winner Alicia Keys since 1999 who also manages operations for the Oven Studios, the singer's Long Island, N.Y.-based recording studio. "I don't really think of it as being a woman in a man's world — that's an old mentality," says Mincieli, who has also worked with Whitney Houston, Jay-Z and Adam Lambert. "If I had really thought [like] that, I don't think I would have made it this far. I've seen some people, assistant engineers in studios years ago, get overtaken by that thinking. If you're good, if you're on your game, you have a chance like anyone else."
Angela Piva has thrived for years as an engineer, recording hip-hop artists including Ghostface Killah, Heavy D & The Boyz and Naughty By Nature, as well as more mainstream R&B artists such as Mary J. Blige. Once you prove your chops in the studio, Piva also agrees gender barriers can melt away. "The truth is, everyone I worked with was very respectful," she says.
Trina Shoemaker, who is one of only two women to have won the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical GRAMMY Award (Imogen Heap won the award in 2009), puts it bluntly, "As soon as you say there's an obstacle there because you're a woman, then you put the obstacle there."
As the owner of RadioStar Studios in Weed, Calif., producer/engineer Sylvia Massy was mentored by Producers & Engineers Wing Senior Executive Director Maureen Droney and GRAMMY-winning engineer Leslie Ann Jones. She has worked primarily within the male-driven hard rock genre, including recordings by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, System Of A Down, and Tool.
"The lead singer of Tool [Maynard James Keenan] is frightening on stage but he's actually a stand-up comedian — we would talk about our cats in the studio," says Massy, who has also worked with producer Rick Rubin on several best-selling recordings, including Johnny Cash's GRAMMY-winning Unchained. "I get the feeling that a lot of men are less intimidated by a woman in the control room."
While gender parity in the studio is an ongoing issue, similar to their male counterparts, women with established music production careers are becoming more concerned about there being an industry for them to be part of.
"The key will be diversification," says Piva regarding the challenge of obtaining work as record labels continue to cut recording budgets. "Not doing just records, but looking into music for movies and multimedia production for the Internet. We all have to flow with the times now."
(Dan Daley is a freelance journalist covering the entertainment business industry. He lives in New York and Nashville.)
However, in reading an album's credits, the recording, production, mixing, and mastering of music remains an overwhelmingly male domain. Given the strides women have made in the workplace in recent decades, a number of factors have emerged to counter the historical imbalance of women in music production.
In recent years, universities and trade schools offering music recording programs have seen an influx of female students. The number of female graduates at Berklee College of Music, which offers majors in music production and engineering and music synthesis, totaled 282 in 2010, representing 33 percent of the total class and an increase of 5 percent from 2009. Full Sail University, a leading media arts college in Winter Park, Fla., estimates the number of its female students grew 28 percent between 2007 and 2009.
Terri Winston, executive director of the Women's Audio Mission in San Francisco, an organization providing training for women in recording arts and audio technology, notes the percentage of female students in her music production classes at City College of San Francisco has grown from about 10 percent to more than 50 percent in less than a decade. She attributes the increase to making the effort to engage women and chip away at any trepidation they may bring to class.
"When I bring a new piece of gear to the class, the men are all over it and the women tend to hang back," Winston explains. "I'll say to everyone, 'Get over here and take a look! Snap out of it!' And once that stress is off, they're right up there with the guys. They're here in the first place because they are interested in recording music. We're just removing some of the [cultural] barriers that were there."
Another factor beneficial to women is the feasibility of home recording. With a laptop, a set of speakers, a microphone, and basic recording software such as Pro Tools LE or GarageBand — and some time and effort — any aspiring professional has the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of music production.
But the most basic change may simply be generational. Bridget Guise, a 21-year-old student at SAE Institute of Technology in Nashville, Tenn., says gender isn't the same kind of issue for her millennial cohorts. "Gender is immaterial," she says. Guise does acknowledge that a glass ceiling might appear beyond the assistant engineering job she holds as an intern at a Nashville recording studio. But she also believes the positive effect women can bring to the working environment of music production will help counter any obstacles. "I think it can actually be an advantage now being a woman to get a job at a studio, because you'd bring a unique perspective," she says.
That optimism is shared by Ann Mincieli, the chief engineer for GRAMMY winner Alicia Keys since 1999 who also manages operations for the Oven Studios, the singer's Long Island, N.Y.-based recording studio. "I don't really think of it as being a woman in a man's world — that's an old mentality," says Mincieli, who has also worked with Whitney Houston, Jay-Z and Adam Lambert. "If I had really thought [like] that, I don't think I would have made it this far. I've seen some people, assistant engineers in studios years ago, get overtaken by that thinking. If you're good, if you're on your game, you have a chance like anyone else."
Angela Piva has thrived for years as an engineer, recording hip-hop artists including Ghostface Killah, Heavy D & The Boyz and Naughty By Nature, as well as more mainstream R&B artists such as Mary J. Blige. Once you prove your chops in the studio, Piva also agrees gender barriers can melt away. "The truth is, everyone I worked with was very respectful," she says.
Trina Shoemaker, who is one of only two women to have won the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical GRAMMY Award (Imogen Heap won the award in 2009), puts it bluntly, "As soon as you say there's an obstacle there because you're a woman, then you put the obstacle there."
As the owner of RadioStar Studios in Weed, Calif., producer/engineer Sylvia Massy was mentored by Producers & Engineers Wing Senior Executive Director Maureen Droney and GRAMMY-winning engineer Leslie Ann Jones. She has worked primarily within the male-driven hard rock genre, including recordings by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, System Of A Down, and Tool.
"The lead singer of Tool [Maynard James Keenan] is frightening on stage but he's actually a stand-up comedian — we would talk about our cats in the studio," says Massy, who has also worked with producer Rick Rubin on several best-selling recordings, including Johnny Cash's GRAMMY-winning Unchained. "I get the feeling that a lot of men are less intimidated by a woman in the control room."
While gender parity in the studio is an ongoing issue, similar to their male counterparts, women with established music production careers are becoming more concerned about there being an industry for them to be part of.
"The key will be diversification," says Piva regarding the challenge of obtaining work as record labels continue to cut recording budgets. "Not doing just records, but looking into music for movies and multimedia production for the Internet. We all have to flow with the times now."
(Dan Daley is a freelance journalist covering the entertainment business industry. He lives in New York and Nashville.)
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Drake donates $2 Mil (JA) To Help Mavado Build Learning Center
THE WEEKEND STAR spoke with Mavado’s manager Julian Jones-Griffith he explained that two weeks ago Drake donated US$25,000 (JA$2.15 million) towards the building of the library. The popular rapper shot the video for his latest single Find Our Love in Jamaica in April. The rapper also visited the island prior to that for vacation.
Jones-Griffith explained: “Basically Mavado and Drake shot some scenes in Cassava Piece and struck up an immediate rapport with the people there. He thought they showed him a lot of love and he was very down to earth with them and wanted to do something positive.”
The idea for the learning center which includes a computer lab and a library, according to Jones-Griffith, was one Mavado had plans for so Drake decided to assist the project.
When THE WEEKEND STAR spoke to Drake he commented: “I had a great time when I was in Jamaica and the people of Cassava Piece showed me a lot of love. I just wanted to show back some love by helping out with Mavado’s project on the Gullyside. It’s a very positive move and something I am very happy to be a part of. Education is the key to life so to be able to assist in that process is very fulfilling.”
Two weeks ago Drake gave Mavado his contribution and since then construction has started in Cassava Piece. Jones-Griffith added: “Obviously it’s going to take more than what Drake gave so Mavado has contributed to it and pledges to put more towards it.” Tentatively the name for the library is ‘Drake and Mavado Peace Center’.
Mavado said: “I was born and grow inna Cassava Piece so mi always a look to impact di community in a positive way. We recently helped create peace between rival communities dat is going good, so we want to do sumpten new. We have been planning it for a while, when Drake was here it came up an he wanted to do sumpten to help and we mek di arrangements.”
He added: “We’re grateful for his contribution, it’s a great gesture, he is not even a Jamaican, so for him to do dis and help build a foundation of knowledge and learning in our community is, yuh nuh, appreciated. Odda successful Jamaicans should tek a leaf out of Drake’s book and gi back to di communities from weh dem born and grow.”
For Mavado and his team they are looking to Corporate Jamaica to assist in the project. Jones-Griffith said: “We’re reaching out to Corporate Jamaica which is always talking about transforming the garrison so it’s time for them to put their money where their mouth is. LIME has already pledged to give us free Internet connection and we appreciate that.”
The learning centre will be free of cost to persons from Cassava Piece as Jones-Griffith explained: “It’s a community project not a business venture. People from the community are contributing to it from the ground up and are very happy about it.”
Mavado has turned a peaceful leaf of late with a number of socially-conscious musical releases of late including: Messiah, Change Right Now and Can’t Believe.
Jones-Griffith explained: “Basically Mavado and Drake shot some scenes in Cassava Piece and struck up an immediate rapport with the people there. He thought they showed him a lot of love and he was very down to earth with them and wanted to do something positive.”
The idea for the learning center which includes a computer lab and a library, according to Jones-Griffith, was one Mavado had plans for so Drake decided to assist the project.
When THE WEEKEND STAR spoke to Drake he commented: “I had a great time when I was in Jamaica and the people of Cassava Piece showed me a lot of love. I just wanted to show back some love by helping out with Mavado’s project on the Gullyside. It’s a very positive move and something I am very happy to be a part of. Education is the key to life so to be able to assist in that process is very fulfilling.”
Two weeks ago Drake gave Mavado his contribution and since then construction has started in Cassava Piece. Jones-Griffith added: “Obviously it’s going to take more than what Drake gave so Mavado has contributed to it and pledges to put more towards it.” Tentatively the name for the library is ‘Drake and Mavado Peace Center’.
Mavado said: “I was born and grow inna Cassava Piece so mi always a look to impact di community in a positive way. We recently helped create peace between rival communities dat is going good, so we want to do sumpten new. We have been planning it for a while, when Drake was here it came up an he wanted to do sumpten to help and we mek di arrangements.”
He added: “We’re grateful for his contribution, it’s a great gesture, he is not even a Jamaican, so for him to do dis and help build a foundation of knowledge and learning in our community is, yuh nuh, appreciated. Odda successful Jamaicans should tek a leaf out of Drake’s book and gi back to di communities from weh dem born and grow.”
For Mavado and his team they are looking to Corporate Jamaica to assist in the project. Jones-Griffith said: “We’re reaching out to Corporate Jamaica which is always talking about transforming the garrison so it’s time for them to put their money where their mouth is. LIME has already pledged to give us free Internet connection and we appreciate that.”
The learning centre will be free of cost to persons from Cassava Piece as Jones-Griffith explained: “It’s a community project not a business venture. People from the community are contributing to it from the ground up and are very happy about it.”
Mavado has turned a peaceful leaf of late with a number of socially-conscious musical releases of late including: Messiah, Change Right Now and Can’t Believe.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Serena Williams receives pretigous award from California governor.
Serena Williams
b. 1981
Currently ranked the number one female tennis player in the world, Serena Williams has transcended sports to become a pop culture icon who devotes her considerable energy to improving children’s lives.
Born in Michigan, Williams moved to California as a baby and, along with her older sister Venus, learned to play on the public tennis courts of Compton, a suburb of Los Angeles. She was just five years old when she first picked up a racquet under the guidance of her father, a tennis coach. She began playing professionally in 1995, and at seventeen she won her first major singles title when she defeated No. 1 Martina Hingis in the U.S. Open final.
Since then, her many wins have placed her in the top spot in women’s tennis five times. She currently holds thirteen grand slam singles titles (meaning a championship in one of the Majors – Wimbledon and the U.S., Australian, and French Opens) – the most of any player active today – along with eleven grand slam doubles titles and two in mixed doubles. She has won more prize money than any other female athlete in history. She also has two Olympic gold medals, won with Venus in doubles in 2000 and 2008.
Noted for her unique style both on and off the court, Williams launched her own brand of designer apparel in 2004, and recently added a line of signature handbags and jewelry.
She has thrown herself into philanthropy with a passion, using her wealth and celebrity to advance a variety of charitable causes, from funding breast cancer research to providing tennis clinics for at-risk youngsters. Her foundation has two main goals: supporting youth who have been affected by violent crime and furthering education for underprivileged children around the world. To that end, she has underwritten scholarships in the U.S. and has helped found two schools in Kenya.
In recognition of her philanthropic work, business acumen, and outstanding tennis career, TIME magazine named her as one of the world’s top 100 most influential people for 2010.
(Article courtesy of http://www.californiamuseum.org)
b. 1981
Currently ranked the number one female tennis player in the world, Serena Williams has transcended sports to become a pop culture icon who devotes her considerable energy to improving children’s lives.
Born in Michigan, Williams moved to California as a baby and, along with her older sister Venus, learned to play on the public tennis courts of Compton, a suburb of Los Angeles. She was just five years old when she first picked up a racquet under the guidance of her father, a tennis coach. She began playing professionally in 1995, and at seventeen she won her first major singles title when she defeated No. 1 Martina Hingis in the U.S. Open final.
Since then, her many wins have placed her in the top spot in women’s tennis five times. She currently holds thirteen grand slam singles titles (meaning a championship in one of the Majors – Wimbledon and the U.S., Australian, and French Opens) – the most of any player active today – along with eleven grand slam doubles titles and two in mixed doubles. She has won more prize money than any other female athlete in history. She also has two Olympic gold medals, won with Venus in doubles in 2000 and 2008.
Noted for her unique style both on and off the court, Williams launched her own brand of designer apparel in 2004, and recently added a line of signature handbags and jewelry.
She has thrown herself into philanthropy with a passion, using her wealth and celebrity to advance a variety of charitable causes, from funding breast cancer research to providing tennis clinics for at-risk youngsters. Her foundation has two main goals: supporting youth who have been affected by violent crime and furthering education for underprivileged children around the world. To that end, she has underwritten scholarships in the U.S. and has helped found two schools in Kenya.
In recognition of her philanthropic work, business acumen, and outstanding tennis career, TIME magazine named her as one of the world’s top 100 most influential people for 2010.
(Article courtesy of http://www.californiamuseum.org)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
True Independence
As I come down off of the "high" of my spontaneous trip to the beach this past July 4th weekend, I think about what true independence means to me. We as Americans celebrate the Independence of our great country from England and the freedom that was fought for to freely worship. However, are we truly free? I have said before that I think of Independence day on the day I rededicated my life to Christ I also think that most of the world does not have the same freedoms as I do. Should I feel guilty? Or should I continue to live my free life with no regards to others captivity? I looked out into the great ocean over the weekend and thanked God!! In that moment I also said to my self .....this is truly what life is about looking out to something that is much greater than your self! As I venture into this month of July I am challenging myself and others to look to something greater than yourself! True independence is in realizing its a great big world out there much different than your own! Until next time be and live well!! Joy
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Today July 1, 2010 is International Reggae Day (IRD), a media festival hosted annually celebrating the best of Jamaica's creativity by highlighting the power and impact of its music and culture globally.
UWI hosts Reggae Music Symposium to celebrate IRD2010
Jamaica Observer- Published Wednesday June 30, 2010
As part of the International Reggae Day (IRD) activities, on Thursday, July 1, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus will be staging a reggae music symposium entitled: Going Forward to our Rootz: Reclaiming the Healing Power of Reggae Music.
One of the aims of the symposium is to explore and reflect on the positive aspects of Jamaican popular music, which is embodied largely in the vintage Reggae, Rocksteady and Ska music, as well as consciously oriented Reggae music. As such the name for the title of the symposium was deliberately chosen by the event organisers, Dr Michael Barnett, (Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work) and Professor Carolyn Cooper (Department of Literatures and English), to reflect this aim, and to address the general theme that has been adopted in 2010 by IRD founder and producer, Andrea Davis — The Role, Power and Responsibility of Music and Media to change Jamaica and the World.
According to Dr Barnett, in these present turbulent times, it is very important that this fantastic resource that has been crafted in Jamaica, (reggae music), should be utilised as a positive force in Jamaica, and indeed the whole World.
For Andrea Davis, this year’s observance of the annual International Reggae Day celebrations, comes at a crucial juncture in Jamaica’s history which inspired the RedGoldGreen ILOVEJA campaign. According to Davis, this has been the most challenging period in Jamaican music since the birth of the International Reggae Day concept in 1994. The fallout in dancehall, with increasing visa restrictions on several of Jamaica’s most popular artistes and the huge movement against the perceived rise in homophobic content in Jamaican popular music, has endangered both the Reggae and Jamaica brands. The violence and instability that has plagued and rocked the nation recently has left the country struggling to find peace, purpose and hope. Reggae music is one of the few Jamaican resources that can be used to quell the anxiety that has gripped the nation.
Andrea Davis, an unassuming Rasta woman and brand specialist, has the distinction of conceptualising IRD 16 years ago in 1994 and keeping it going almost uninterrupted, save for a four year break between 1996 to 1999, single-handedly.
Arguably, International Reggae Day inspired the inception of Reggae Month in February, 2008, and as such can rightfully claim its just due for keeping the flag flying for Jamaica’s unique gift to the world, Reggae Music, for all of these years.
“The UWI event organisers for International Reggae Day 2010, are proud to be a part of this commendable cultural imitative, and hope that it goes from strength to strength for many years to come,” a release from the UWI stated.
Jamaica Observer- Published Wednesday June 30, 2010
As part of the International Reggae Day (IRD) activities, on Thursday, July 1, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus will be staging a reggae music symposium entitled: Going Forward to our Rootz: Reclaiming the Healing Power of Reggae Music.
One of the aims of the symposium is to explore and reflect on the positive aspects of Jamaican popular music, which is embodied largely in the vintage Reggae, Rocksteady and Ska music, as well as consciously oriented Reggae music. As such the name for the title of the symposium was deliberately chosen by the event organisers, Dr Michael Barnett, (Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work) and Professor Carolyn Cooper (Department of Literatures and English), to reflect this aim, and to address the general theme that has been adopted in 2010 by IRD founder and producer, Andrea Davis — The Role, Power and Responsibility of Music and Media to change Jamaica and the World.
According to Dr Barnett, in these present turbulent times, it is very important that this fantastic resource that has been crafted in Jamaica, (reggae music), should be utilised as a positive force in Jamaica, and indeed the whole World.
For Andrea Davis, this year’s observance of the annual International Reggae Day celebrations, comes at a crucial juncture in Jamaica’s history which inspired the RedGoldGreen ILOVEJA campaign. According to Davis, this has been the most challenging period in Jamaican music since the birth of the International Reggae Day concept in 1994. The fallout in dancehall, with increasing visa restrictions on several of Jamaica’s most popular artistes and the huge movement against the perceived rise in homophobic content in Jamaican popular music, has endangered both the Reggae and Jamaica brands. The violence and instability that has plagued and rocked the nation recently has left the country struggling to find peace, purpose and hope. Reggae music is one of the few Jamaican resources that can be used to quell the anxiety that has gripped the nation.
Andrea Davis, an unassuming Rasta woman and brand specialist, has the distinction of conceptualising IRD 16 years ago in 1994 and keeping it going almost uninterrupted, save for a four year break between 1996 to 1999, single-handedly.
Arguably, International Reggae Day inspired the inception of Reggae Month in February, 2008, and as such can rightfully claim its just due for keeping the flag flying for Jamaica’s unique gift to the world, Reggae Music, for all of these years.
“The UWI event organisers for International Reggae Day 2010, are proud to be a part of this commendable cultural imitative, and hope that it goes from strength to strength for many years to come,” a release from the UWI stated.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
My name is JOY....
Greetings young world (and old)...My name is Joy Cook, I believe life is a journey and you we are here to enJOY it! That being said we all take steps in life sometimes we step forward at other times we step back...but the most important step to take is the step of faith. In love, in life, in career, we have to either decide if we are going to follow our dreams or if we are going to follow someone elses....because if you are not following your own dreams...YOU are following someone elses! This world GOD has given us is SO big so just open up your mind and explore it! Socrates said it best, "an unexamined life is not a life worth living". Get up get out and most of all starting with today enJOY your journey!
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