Monie on the Outside

Happy Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:49:00 +0000

I hope you have a wonderful holiday and I hope that 2010 will be an amazing year for you!
I miss you all!
And now for your listening pleasure!

End of the line for Monie on the Outside

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:03:00 +0000

Well as some of you know I'll be moving in with my girlfriend next week as we prepare to move to the east coast to get married. And I realized that Jody doesn't have internet at her house so rather than spend money to get service, since we are trying to save for the move, I'm going to just end my blog.

Anyway this will be post number 749 and according to sitemeter I've had a little over 49,000 page views! Not too shabby I say. I had know idea I would last this long as a blogger, especially since my blog had no real direction when I started it. Actually I'm not sure if it ever had any real direction. Lol I suppose it was just a reflection of whatever was on my mind.

I want to extend my sincerest thanks to my blog family. You have been a special and treasured part of my life for some time now. You've helped me make decisions. You've shared all sorts of information with me and most importantly you've tolerated my Alicia Keys obsession. Lol

You have enriched my life!

So thanks for stopping by and thanks for all of the comments, each one was important and special to me. Once I get settled on the east coast I will def be stopping by your blogs to say hello. I'm not sure when or if I will restart Monie on the Outside but I'm not going to delete it. At least I don't think I am.

So until we meet again please have a safe and warm holiday season and please be kind to yourselves, because you are special!

Goodbye everybody!

Alicia J. live!

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Make sure you catch the pre-game festivities before the first game of the World Series on Wednesday evening to see Alicia performing Empire State of Mind. The New York Yankee's will be playing the Philadelphia Philles in New York. The game airs on FOX.

Did you really think I would shut down the blog without one more Alicia post!

Tyler Perry is the modern day Stepin Fetchit

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:07:00 +0000

Tyler Perry aka Medea

Lincoln Perry aka Stepin Fetchit

Yesterday I visited Organic.Intellectual blog and read a very interesting post about filmmaker Tyler Perry. In her post, Eco.Soul.Intellectual is trying to understand why some Black women flock to see Tyler Perry films even though those films portray Black women in very demeaning and stereotypical ways.

Here is an excerpt from her post;

"I am still trying to figure out why most of the black women I talk to will defend Tyler Perry to the death. I mean, it’s not like it’s a sexual connection, I think. After all, this is a man who you see most of the time dressed as an angry, violent, fat, black woman named Madea.

Perry’s obsession with carrying out the misrepresentations of black women being obese, ugly and cruel is a turn off; but black women will fight to get into a damn picture show featuring a black man who does a fucked up job in portraying female elders of the black community, and black women as a whole."

Read Eco.Soul's entire post here

Here is the comment I left on her post;

@Eco.Soul.Intellectual

I too have been confused as to why so many Black women (and some men) are fans of Perry's films.

It really took me having a little historical perspective to understand the phenomena.

When Lincoln Perry aka Stepin Fetchit was at his heyday he had lots of Black fans just as Tyler Perry does. Many Blacks admired him because he had become a millionaire as many Blacks admire Tyler Perry's wealth.

Many Black people admired his films even though they he portrayed the most vile stereotypes, just as Tyler Perry does.

So I realized that some Blacks suffered then and suffer now from internalized oppression so much so that they crave and will support these stereotypes and then they will love the person responsible, as long as they aren't White of course.

If you've never seen Stepin Fetchit in action here is a bit from him below and also a trailer for one of Tyler Perry's Medea films for comparison.

Stepin Fetchit as Lazy Richard (1948)

Madea Goes to Jail Trailer

Do you agree or disagree with me that fans of Tyler Perry's films suffer from internalized oppression?

Or do you think there is something else going on?

Cutie Pie Files: Cassandra Ventura

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000

This photoshoot popped up last week. It was obviously done before cass cut her hair. What do you think of the shots?

Sunday Music: John Coltrane - A Love Supreme/ Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:07:00 +0000

Part I/ Acknowledgment

More about John Coltrane here

Cutie Pie Files: Azza Satti

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Azza is a model and represented by Fusion models in New York City.

I love how she smiles with her eyes in this photo

Mitrice Richardson Update: (10/24/09) Five weeks missing, number of volunteer searchers grows, Mitrice's father causes concern for Malibu mayor

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:07:00 +0000

Photo: Batteredbypd's Blog

Background Information

Mitrice Richardson, age 24, went missing after she was released from the Malibu police station at about 1 a.m. Thursday September 17th.

She suffers from mental health issues and was released into the remote Malibu canyon area without a car, I.D, phone, money or assistance.

Mitrice is an upstanding citizen and student and deserves better treatment than what the Malibu sheriff's gave. This did not have to happen.

Mitrice is a CAL STATE FULLERTON graduate with a 4.0 GPA and is set to begin a doctoral program.

Help us find her.
If you have any information
please call or email.

Dr. Ronda Hampton @ 951-660-8031 or drrondahampton@yahoo.com
or
Los Angeles Police Dept.
Detective Steven Eguchi
213-485-2531

From Findmitrice.info

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Latest media coverage

Mitrice Richardson Now Has Been Missing for Over a Month
Number of Volunteer Searchers Grows as Word Spreads about Woman Arrested in Malibu

MALIBU Surfside NEWS
BY ANNE SOBLE||10/21/09

There’s something about the saga of Mitrice Richardson that elicits concern from everyone who learns that the 24-year-old, arrested for nonpayment of an $89.51 dinner tab and the subsequent finding of less than an ounce of marijuana in her vehicle on Sept. 16, has not been heard from in over five weeks.

“Why aren’t there posters up everywhere? Why isn’t this on the TV news every night? Why aren’t there photos on the sides of buses?” are some of the questions asked by people when they see volunteers distributing flyers about the honors college graduate with doctoral degree aspirations who may be experiencing debilitating psychological stress or full-fledged mental illness.

Read the rest here

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Missing woman's father causes concern for Malibu mayor
By Laura Tate / Editor|| Wednesday, October 21, 2009

While the search for Mitrice Richardson continues, her father has continually been putting officials here in Malibu, in addition to Sheriff's and police detectives, under pressure to do something to find her. So much so that it has caused concern for the mayor of Malibu, Andy Stern.

Earlier this month Stern filed a report with the Sheriff's Department after Michael Richardson left a voice mail on the mayor's cell phone service that the mayor found threatening.

Stern said that Richardson had called him several times on Oct. 2 wanting to speak with him about his daughter who has been missing since Sept. 17 after being released from the Lost Hills-Malibu Sheriff's Station. Stern said the father had become abusive while speaking to him on the phone so he hung up on Richardson.

Richardson then left a message saying, in a strong tone, among other things, that he would send a busload of people to protest at an address that Stern identified as his office.

Stern said Richardson wanted him, and the city, to do something about his missing daughter, but the mayor said, “We don't the have the authority and ability and know how to tell emergency people what to do.

“If he somehow thinks we're unsympathetic, he's wrong,” Stern continued. But “that's not the role of a city council member or mayor ... to tell emergency and law enforcement what to do.”

Read the rest here

More info on Mitrice's father and the Mayor of Malibu here: This Black Sista’s Page - Mitrice Richardson’s Father Accused of Threatening Malibu Mayor

FindMitrice.info

Alicia Keys out in New York!

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:05:00 +0000

Alicia was in New York this past week at MTV taping the show It’s on with Alexa Chung. Is it just me or is ~~my fantasy wife~~ Alicia getting more beautiful day by day! And those boots are so HOT on her!

Here is the vid of Alicia on It's On
Part One

Part Two

This chic Alexa needs to do her research. How did she figure Alicia was friends with that idiot Lil' Wayne?

Cutie Pie Files: Paula covers GIANT & Mya goes to dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Who is Paula Patton you ask? Click here (don't feel bad I wasn't sure either)

Mya at STK restaurant in West Hollywood last week.

Must (not) see TV

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:26:00 +0000

Popular Television shows that I have never seen

Lost
(does that still come on?)

Grey's Anatomy

Real Housewives of Atlanta
(I saw Nene on the Jimmy Kimmel show last night though)

Mad Men
(why do Black people complain that there are no Black people on this show and yet keep watching it?)

The CSI shows on CBS

So You Think You Can Dance
(I just can't take anymore competition type shows)

Desperate Housewives

What popular TV shows have you never seen?

Old School Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:10:00 +0000

Link Love!

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:07:00 +0000

Abena @ Girl, It's Not Just You on friendship

SweetT @ My Affinity on Good Lesbian Fiction

Simone @ Crap, I'm A Lesbian on being the Worst Lesbian Ever

Danielle @ It's So Nice To Be Nice - Friday Favor (This is a must read post!)

Goddess Intellect on socially conscious hip hop and Bill Cosby

Trisha's Daughter continues her amazing series - Journey to Me…Entry #8

Ms. Nikks talks about numbers and honesty

Cutie Pie Files: Grace Mahary

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Grace is 20 years old and was born in Edmonton, Canada. Her modeling career began when she was "discovered" while shopping at a mall in Toronto at age 13.

Btw, she stars in Trey Songz latest video I Invented Sex, which I don't think has been premiered yet. I also hear that Grace was a basketball player as well. She certainly has the height for it, she stands 5 feet 11 and a half inches tall!

Isn't Grace stunning!

Walking down memory lane with Jet Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:14:00 +0000

The future of Jet Magazine may be in jeopardy. So lots of people have been debating its relevance over the last few months. What ever you may think of Jet now it has been the keeper of recent Black history for the last half century. Where else will you find stuff like this?

Check out little Gladys.

Dorothy was so beautiful.

And everyone thinks Biggie and 2Pac started the east coast vs. west coast thing.

It's pretty amazing that this was in Jet back in 1952.

Wow, Eartha was stunning!

The sex habits of Negro women? That sounds like a CNN special report.

And everyone thinks this is a new trend.
They're smiling?

Billie was really wild!

Wow, even back then Black hair was big business.
And Bill Cosby thinks Black names are wild now, how about Acquanetta.

Did you know...

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000

"That white distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most mold, bacteria, and germs, due to its level of acidity. Cleaning with white distilled vinegar is a smart way to avoid using harsh chemicals. You’ll also be glad to know that it is environmentally friendly and very economical."

Jody told me about the wonders of vinegar today. So I thought I'd share.

Read more here

Soft Stud?

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000

I wonder if Oprah will do a show about this: 'Down Low' Men Not Responsible for High HIV Rates Among Black Women says CDC.

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:05:00 +0000

A few years ago (2004) Oprah Winfrey did a show with a person named J.L. King in which he and Oprah scared millions of Black women into believing that there was an army of Black men on the down low. The down low being Black men who pretend to be heterosexual but who secretly have sex with other men.

The show featured the book "On The Down Low" by J.L. King which talks about the DL lifestyle of which King claimed to have been apart of. Because of that show many Black women began to think that their greatest chance of becoming infected with HIV was from a partner who was on the down low, although many voices of reason disputed this.

In the years since that interview the conversation about this unseen group of Black men who were supposedly sneaking around having sex with other men has grown by leaps and bounds. There have been numerous television programs and news articles that have continued to mislead Black women.

Well there is new information recently released by the Center for Disease Control which says that the vast majority of Black women who become infected with HIV are infected by a heterosexual male partner.

So now that there is new information refuting down low Black men being primarily responsible for high HIV infection rates among Black women who will get the word out? Will the same media outlets who went on and on about the down low lifestyle now correct themselves?

Oprah's misinformation has been very dangerous. Dangerous because many Black women may have felt a false sense of safety if they didn't feel that their male partners were engaging in sex with other men.

So now my question is since Oprah was the person mostly responsible for this gross misinformation in the first place will she now do a show about the real facts of high HIV infection rates among Black women? I have a feeling she won't.

--------------------------------------------------------

Here is an article about the new information.

CDC: 'Down Low' Men Not Responsible For High HIV Rates Among Black Women
The Michigan Chronicle||by George C. Curry||Wednesday, 14 October 2009

ATLANTA (NNPA) — Despite all the talk about “down low” Black men – who have sex with women while secretly having intercourse with men – the major cause of the extremely high HIV/AIDS rates among African-American women is being fueled by heterosexual Black men with multiple sex partners, a top federal official says.

In an interview with the NNPA News Service, Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said the CDC has studied why Black women make up 61 percent of all new HIV cases among women, with 80 percent contracting the disease through heterosexual contact.

“We know that a lot of the infections are actually coming from male partners who have high-risk behavior,” Fenton said in an interview in his Atlanta office. “In fact, we have looked to see what proportion of infections is coming from male partners who are bisexual and found there are actually relatively few. More are male partners who are having female partners and are injecting drugs or using drugs or have some other risks that may put those female partners at risk of acquiring HIV.”

Read the rest here

Have you heard about this new information?
If not why do you think the misinfo was spread so quickly and the real facts are moving so slow?

Cutie Pie Files: Amber as pretty as a rose!

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Amber attended the 16th Annual Women in Hollywood Tribute Sponsored by ELLE at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills on Monday night. She looked wonderful as always.

Jody and me sitting in a tree K.I.S.S.I.N.G!

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:07:00 +0000

So. Jody and I made the decision yesterday that we would live together prior to leaving California. We figured if we're going to move across the country we need to save as much money as we can. So there was no point in paying two rents and utilities, etc. Since I'm sick of my place and since she recently moved into a little cottage that's adorable I'm gonna move in with her.

Now this isn't by any means ideal. I really do not want the two of us to live together before we're married but since we can't get married here in California I'm gonna deal with it. I'll just keep reminding myself that we will be married in just a few months. I think that will make me feel better.

So now comes the hard part, moving. Yikes! Moving is such a pain. I can't believe how much stuff I've accumulated. I'm moving at the beginning of November so I only have two weeks to pack and to decide what I'm going to give/ throw away. It's not going to be easy deciding what to get rid of. I love my stuff!

Anyway I'm going to do my best to make this transition as painless as possible. And though it's not under ideal circumstances I'm really looking forward to going to sleep every night and waking up every morning with my cutie pie girlfriend!

Am I a prude for not wanting to live with Jody before we're married?

Good News Tuesday: Octavia Butler's papers going to the Huntington Library

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:05:00 +0000

From The L.A. Times||Books
October 2, 2009

The papers of Octavia Butler, the stereotype-shattering science fiction writer, will be added to the collection in the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif., which also houses the papers of Christopher Isherwood, Charles Bukowski and Jack London.

The Pasadena-born Butler, the daughter of a shoe-shiner and a maid, found her voice in science fiction when few women -- and fewer African Americans -- were writing in the genre. She won two Hugo awards, two Nebula awards and was the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur "Genius" grant.

Butler had a longstanding relationship with the Huntington: she had given lectures there and participated in a contemporary authors reading series. Sara "Sue" Hodson, curator of literary manuscripts, had approached Butler about her papers years ago; the writer later told her she'd included the Huntington in her will. “I was over the moon about it, but I’m crushed to see it come true so soon," Hodson said. Butler died of an apparent stroke at age 58 in 2006. "We are so grateful for her gift but so very sorry that she’s gone.”

Butler's biggest-selling novel remains 1979's "Kindred," in which a 20th-century African American woman is pulled back in time to the antebellum South, where she must save a white plantation owner who is her ancestor. Harlan Ellison, with whom Butler studied when she was 18, called it a "rare magical artifact."

The tensions of race appeared in and around her work. She used fantastical situations to highlight real-world issues of race and power. But she was told by fellow African Americans, she said at a 2004 conference, that they didn't read science fiction because "we're not there." And early on, some of her books featuring African American characters wound up with cover illustrations with whites or aliens instead.

“Octavia Butler was not only an award-winning science fiction writer, but in a broader context, an important American literary figure, and her papers will be an invaluable resource for scholars,” said David Zeidberg, Avery Director of the Library at The Huntington.

Butler, who lived alone, described herself as "comfortably asocial -- a hermit in the middle of a large city, a pessimist if I'm not careful, a feminist, a black, a former Baptist, an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty and drive."

Her papers -- more than 39 cartons of manuscripts, notebooks, correspondence, photographs and even school papers -- will be available to researchers sometime next year.

Huntington staff are now processing the collection, which will be available to researchers in the coming year.

Sara “Sue” Hodson, curator of literary manuscripts, had asked Butler years ago if she would be interested in placing her papers at The Huntington.

The collection comprises 39 cartons and eight file-cabinet drawers of manuscripts, correspondence, school papers, notebooks, photographs, and other materials.

Can you sue TV weather people?

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:03:00 +0000

Yesterday I was going to meet my gf Jody. I had heard a TV weather report in the morning saying that it might rain a little bit but nothing serious. When I looked outside I even saw a bit of sunshine. So I decided to ride my bike to meet her. As I got to her place it was raining a little but nothing serious.

On my way back home it was still raining. Only it was raining a little heavier than before. After I was about halfway home the sky opened up! I'm not talking about drizzle, I'm not talking about a rain shower. I'm talking torrential rain!

Did I mention that I have an electric bicycle. So now I'm worried that my bike is going to zap out.

I only had a jean jacket on with a sweater underneath and khaki's on. So as you might imagine I was soaking wet by the time I got home. I was so pissed. What happened to the little bit of rain the idiot TV weather person was talking about!

Thankfully my bike survived.

I really wish you could sue TV weather people for giving false or misleading forecasts. I really do.

Mitrice Richardson Update: (10/20/09) Recent media coverage of Mitrice's disappearance

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000

CSUF Alumna missing for a month
Daily Titan||By Lauren Felechner||18 October 2009

Mitrice Richardson, a 24-year-old Cal State Fullerton graduate, has been missing since Sept. 17, 2009.

Richardson graduated from CSUF with a 4.0 GPA as a psychology major and went missing in Malibu after being arrested and released by the sheriff’s department. Her charges for being taken to jail were her inability to pay a restaurant bill of $89, and a small amount of marijuana was found on her as well after the fact, said Ronda Hampton, a clinical psychologist who Richardson did her internship with in order to graduate from CSUF.

Read the rest here

--------------------------------------------------------

Mitrice Richardson Missing - Readers Help Requested
Mathaba.net||2009/10/19

(mathaba) An attractive young Black woman has been missing for one month now, after disappearing in mysterious circumstances. The public must demand that the police not only enforce law but act responsibly for our safety when doing so.

It is hoped that readers will be able to locate or assist in finding Mitrice, after the success of a case in Britain where Mathaba readers assisted in locating a young teenager who also went missing and received no national media coverage.

Read the rest here

Alicia J: Brand new video!

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Here is Alicia's video for Doesn't Mean Anything! The lyrics to this song and the beat make me think that this is a follow-up to the song No One. Did Alicia's lover leave because she couldn't take hiding their relationship anymore? That's what I'm hearing in this song.

Click on the arrow to the right next to the OS for full screen.

California slaps the hell outta me again! Ouch!

noreply@blogger.com (Monie) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:07:00 +0000

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California State legislators have turned me from a third- class citizen in the State of California into a fourth-class citizen with the stroke of a pen.

"(AP) 10/12/09 - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill recognizing gay marriages sanctioned in other states during the nearly five months such unions were legal in California."

Well gee thanks Govenator. It was bad enough before but now people from other States have more rights than me in my own State? WTF.

Don't get me wrong, I think this is good. I just feel slighted. The Governor has allowed people from other States to jump the line, so to speak. While my girlfriend and I will have to go to another State to get married and then have that marriage recognized same gender couples who were married in other States during the time same gender marriage was legal in California (June 16, 2008 - November 5, 2008) will have their marriages recognized here in California.

So now what? I suppose "Jody" and I really will have to move to be married and have equal rights. I swear this feels like what Black people went through in having to leave the South and go North back in the day to have equal rights. And this is almost 2010.

Like they say: "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."