Rest in Power TEENA MARIE.

South Africa has got singing talent!

His voice speaks for itself. I will be going to South Africa ASAP just so I can hear him sing live! 

TRON Transformed

I am LOVING the fashion, hair, make-up, styling and overall look of TRON: Legacy!! It's sleek, retro/futuristic flair is a perfect accompaniment to the film and is sure to be an influence everywhere from runways to round the way. The LA Times Blog has a great article about the costumes and fashions from the 2010 update to the TRON franchise. The costume designers did an excellent job putting together a unique look for the film that also held true to the original (somebody get me those shoes the sirens were rocking!!!!!! Oh, and the umbrella too!). It was also nice to see Ya Ya from Top Model making an appearance as a sleek Siren. 

Overall, I loved the film (the IMAX experience is well worth a few extra dollars to get the full experience of the amazing visuals and music from Daft Punk). Now I just have to get a copy of the new game, TRON: Evolution for PS3. It looks "far out" man.

PEACE on our streets...

Be sure to represent for Peace Boston and its supporters to celebrate 5 years of increasing the Peace in Boston! You can make a financial contribution and/or donate a gift for a child of a murder victim. Cindy Diggs and company have been working so hard to make our streets safer. Let's celebrate 5 years!!!!!


Tuesday, December 21 · 5:00pm - 8:30pm
Great Hall / Codman Square

6 Norfolk Street (near Codman Square Health Center)

Dorchester, MA

"Who says we can't go to Africa?" © Sincere

Ethiopian Airlines Announces Special Low Fare and Free Companion Tickets to 38 Destinations in Africa 

Pay only $777 and bring a friend to Africa for free* 

Washington, D.C. – December 2, 2010 – Ethiopian Airlines today announced a special “Buy One Get One Free” fare of $777 to celebrate the historic addition of the Boeing 777-200LR aircraft to the airline’s fleet. Thanks to the longer range of the aircraft, the flight time from Washington-Dulles International Airport to Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is now 12 hours, compared to the previous 15 hours. With this launch, travelers will not only be getting to Africa quicker, but they can bring a friend for free for only $777*.

From December 16 through 25, Ethiopian Airlines is offering a buy-one-get-one-free round-trip airfare (excluding taxes) from Washington-Dulles International to 38 African destinations beyond Addis Ababa for a mere $777.00. Outbound travel must take place between February 1 and 28, 2011.

Ethiopian Airlines provides seamless service from Washington-Dulles International Airport to 38 destinations throughout Africa, including: Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Addis Ababa, Bamako, Bahir Dar, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Cairo, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Dire Dawa, Djibouti, Douala, Entebbe, Harare, Johannesburg, Juba, Khartoum, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, Lilongwe, Lome, Luanda, Lubumbashi, Lusaka, Malabo, Mekele, Mombasa, Monrovia, N’Djamena, Nairobi, Ouagadougou, Pointe-Noire, and Zanzibar.

Travel to Africa this February faster and with more style than ever before aboard Ethiopian Airlines new Boeing 777. Take advantage of Ethiopian Airlines super sale from December 16th through December 25th and not only fly for $777 but bring a friend, and they fly free. With such a low price, seats are bound to fill up. Purchase your tickets to Africa now and take advantage of Ethiopian Airline’s super sale. To book your travel, contact Ethiopian Airlines at http://www.ethiopianairlines.com or call 1-800-445-2733. To learn more about Ethiopia and the other fabulous destinations throughout Africa, please visit http://www.seeyouinethiopia.com

Read more about the $777 deal here.

Never heard of Ethiopian Airlines? Check out some background information on them, as well as a few passenger reviews (pretty mixed). Having never flown EA myself, I certainly can't say anything one way or the other about their safety, customer service, etc. If anyone out there has flown on EA, please let us know about your experiences in the comments section below.

"Zoinks!"

From The Huffington Post's "Animal Photos of the Week". 

Not so Nice at Night...

On Nov. 25th I posted a link to a story about bigotry in Boston's club scene. The Bean's own journalist extraordinaire, G. Valentino Ball takes an even deeper look at the issue in his article, The Velvet Rope of Prejudice, which appeared in the Boston Phoenix. At the December 8th meeting of Citizen's Committee on Boston's Future on NIGHTLIFE CLUBS, RESTAURANTS and Expanded MBTA Service, a lot of issues around licensing, policing, financing and sustaining establishments owned by and geared toward serving communities of color in Boston were raised. City Council President Michael Ross attended the meeting, as did a number of community leaders, business owners, activists and concerned citizens. The magnitude and scope of this issue are now more apparent than ever. It will take a serious, concerted effort with full collaboration from local politicians, activists, business-owners and citizens in order to make any real progress. I look forward to hearing what next steps the Citizen's Committee on Boston's Future will recommend that we take. In the meantime, we can all continue to inform ourselves about licensing law and we can be selective about where we choose to spend our nightlife dollars, in order to send the message that bigotry will not be tolerated in our city.


What do you think it will take to improve nightlife in Boston?

imagine...

Imagine no possessions 

I wonder if you can 

No need for greed or hunger 

A brotherhood of man 

Imagine all the people 

Sharing all the world 

You may say that I'm a dreamer 

But I'm not the only one 

I hope someday you'll join us 

And the world will live as one 


--John Lennon

Building a Better Boston

I just got an email about a community meeting on NIGHTLIFE CLUBS, RESTAURANTS and Expanded MBTA Service. 

Boston has a lot of work to do in order to improve nightlife--especially for young professionals of color (case in point). The Greatest Minds Initiative has spent quite a bit of time talking about this issue, and trying to rally support from the City of Boston to make improvements. On result of these efforts is the group's presence at meetings of the Citizens' Committee on Boston's future (which is tackling a variety of issues related to making Boston better). This week marks yet another step in the journey to improve our city:

The "community" meeting of the Citizens’ Committee on Boston’s Future will be held at the Reggie Lewis Center, 1350 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 on Wednesday, December 8th, 2010 at 6pm - 8pm.  The Next Meeting will focus on "NIGHTLIFE CLUBS, RESTAURANTS and Expanded MBTA Service". We are preparing a final report to the Boston City Council and would like your INPUT.

Check out this facebook note for more details.

Wanna Experience a Little Baduism?

I can't think of a better way to start off a cold December week, than with a little Baduism (as interpreted by some incredibly talented students at Berklee College of Music). A year or so ago, I had the chance to check out Radar Ellis and the J Dilla Ensemble. I have to say it was one of the most incredible musical experiences I'd had in quite some time. The ensemble offered fresh and exciting interpretations on classic cuts. I expect no less from the Erykah Badu Experience. Oh, and did I mention that it's FREE99?

Check out the lineup...

Vocals:

Michael Bradley
Jazmin McCray
Jessica Johnson
Nick Hakim

DJ:
Raydar Ellis

Band:

Drums-Jonathan Newman
Guitar- Zayn
Percussion- Marcos Lopez
Bass-Gizmo
Keys- Lauren Fuller
Keys- Sung Ae Choe
Tenor Sax- Edmar Colon
Alto Sax- Chris Burgess
Trumpet- Donovan Dukes
Flute/Ewi- Kalani Trinidad