Preview '5 X Favela'

(A Surprisingly Upbeat

Omnibus Feature Film On

Favela-Dwelling)

News by Tambay | June 7, 2012

We could say that Marcel Camus' 1959 award-winning Black Orpheus introduced the rest of the world to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; although it's probably better known for the Antônio Carlos Jobim-composed bossa nova-infused soundtrack.

But I'd probably wager that most audiences outside of Brazil today will likely look to Fernando Meirelles' critically-lauded and blistering 2002 smash City Of God as their first intro to life in the favelas - the bairros africanos (African neighborhoods), where former slaves with no land ownership and no options for work, lived.

Since then, it seems like a few similar films have traveled (or maybe we - here in the USA - were suddenly more aware of them), and some maybe hoping to cash in on the success of Meirelles' film. Call it favela-fever. There's something exploitative about that I think; they're almost like what so-called hood films (here in the USA) once were in the early to mid-90s, and maybe we're seeing a similar progression.

But there's obviously a fascination. 

Here's a film that actually made its debut at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival that will be making its way to the States - specifically NYC - next month, for MoMA's Premiere Brazil! event (which introduces Stateside audiences to fresh, new Brazilian cinema and voices).

Titled 5 X Favela, the feature is a collection of five fiction shorts, each telling a different story about favela-dwelling, and each directed by a different filmmaker.

Here are descriptions of the 5:

SOURCE OF INCOME Directors: Manaíra Carneiro and Wagner Novais A young man fulfils his dream to go to Law University, but is faced with difficulties paying up his expenses with books and transport. He feels tempted to sell drugs to his friends at university, thus raising the money to fund his studies.

RICE AND BEANS Director: Rodrigo Felha and Cacau Amaral Wesley, a young boy, listens to a confession by his father: he is tired of the household menu, always consisting of a plate filled with rice and stewed beans. The boy, joined by his friend Orelha, decides to find some money to buy a chicken.

CONCERT FOR VIOLIN Director: Luciano Vidigal The children Márcia, Jota and Ademir vow to remain friends for ever. Later, in their adulthood, Jota is involved in drug trafficking while Ademir has joined the police force. If the two are brought against each other, Márcia may be prevented from fulfilling her dream to play the violin.

LET IT FLY Director: Cadu Barcelos Flávio lets his friend’s kite fall across the other quarter of the favela, which is run by a rival gang. Even though he is aware of the prohibition, Flávio decides to collect the kite.

LET THERE BE LIGHT Director: Luciana Bezerra On Christmas Eve, the shanty town hill has been out of power for three days. The engineers who have been sent over by the power utility company do not manage to fix the problem. The residents kidnap one of the engineers, taking him as a hostage until the light supply is restored.

The trailer, embedded below, promises a somewhat more vibrant look at the lives of men and women living in these so-called shanty towns in Brazil - vibrant compared to the usually gritty, bleak, dark and deadly images past movies have given us.

But I'm definitely keen on seeing this, and will make an effort to check it out when it screens at MoMA's annual Premiere Brazil! series, which begins July 12. 

I couldn't immediately find a trailer with English subtitles, but you should be able to get a feel for the film from the images, and music:

Jack Johnson

February 2, 2011   |   LIWI68

Arthur John (Jack) Johnson (1878 -1946) was the first black, and first Texan, to win the heavyweight boxing championship of the world. Born in Galveston on March 31, 1878, he was the second of six children of Henry and Tiny Johnson. Henry was a former slave and his family was poor. After leaving school in the fifth grade, Johnson worked odd jobs around South Texas. He started boxing as a sparring partner and fought in the “battles royal,” matches in which young blacks entertained white spectators who threw money to the winner.

Johnson turned professional in 1897 following a period with private clubs in Galveston. His family’s home was destroyed by the great hurricane of 1900. A year later he was arrested and jailed because boxing was a criminal profession in Texas. He soon left Galveston for good.

Johnson first became the heavyweight champion of Negro boxing. Jim Jeffries, the white champ at the time, refused to fight Johnson because he was black. Then, in 1908, Johnson knocked out Tommy Burns in Australia to become world champion, although he was not officially given the title until 1910 when he finally fought and beat Jeffries in Reno. Jeffries had come out of retirement to become the first of many so-called “great white hopes.”

Race rioting was sparked after the Johnson-Jeffries fight. The Texas Legislature banned films of his victories over whites for fear of more riots. In 1913, Johnson fled because of trumped up charges of violating the Mann Act’s stipulations against transporting white women across state lines for prostitution.

During his exile from the U.S., Johnson lost his championship to a white man, Jess Willard, in Cuba in 1915. He returned to the U.S. on July 20, 1920 and was arrested. Sentenced to Leavenworth in Kansas, Johnson was appointed athletic director of the prison. Upon his release, he returned to boxing, but only participated in exhibition fights after 1928.

Although married three times to white women, Johnson never had children. He died in a car crash June 10, 1946, near Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Johnson’s story is more than the story of a tremendous athlete, or even one who broke a color line,” said Ken Burns. “It is the story of a man who forced America to confront its definition of freedom, and that is an issue with which we continue to struggle.”

 

 

 

__________________________

Statue of famed boxer

Jack Johnson

sparks controversy

__________________________

The Jack Johnson Community Park in Galveston, Texas will feature Adrienne Isom’s full-size bronze sculpture of Jack Johnson, the first African-American to win the world heavyweight boxing title. Image via GalvestonDailyNews.com.

Adrienne Isom. Image via GalvestonDailyNews.com

Grace Jones Has Still Got It

Wednesday Jun 6, 2012 – by Stacia L. Brown

Grace Jones is 64. Let that marinate for moment as you watch her perform her 1985 hit, “Slave to the Rhythm,” at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee yesterday:

 

A model, actress, singer, performance artist, Andy Warhol muse, and Studio 54 mainstay, Grace Jones is one of our pop cultural icons. Though she doesn’t make nearly as many public appearances as she did in her heyday, yesterday’s performance proves that she’s still got the goods. She can get out there and croon while hula hooping for the Queen, in an outfit that reminds us all where Madonna and Lady Gaga got their style.

As a tribute to Jones’ reemergence this week, here are are a few clips and photos we’d like to share:

1. “La Vie En Rose”

Grace Jones’ disco-inspired 1977 cover of the French classic, “La Vie En Rose” became one of her earliest hits.

2. “Pull up to the Bumper”

This 1981 hit can still get a crowd on a dance floor.

3. “I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango)”

Jones has always embraced the artsy, eclectic, and abstract, as is evidenced by this video.

4. “Love is the Drug”

Here, Jones turns in a respectable cover of a Roxy Music classic.

5. Strangé’s Arrival/Strangé: It Stinks So Good

And of course we’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up Boomerang, one of Grace Jones’ greatest, most memorable film roles. In playing Strangé, Jones proved that she doesn’t take herself too seriously, as the role played up her more eccentric, theatrical notes for laughs.

Creepiest. Perfume commercial. Ever!

There’s also a great mini-documentary online about Grace Jones’ life and career. You can check it out here:

Do you have a favorite Grace Jones moment or memory?

THE EMERGENCY PRESS

INTERNATIONAL BOOK CONTEST

We are now accepting submissions of book-length manuscripts for our 2012 contest. We are especially interested in books that are cross-genre or multimedia. To be considered, manuscripts should be written in English, but may be submitted by writers from any nation or tribe. The winner will receive a prize of $1,000 and publication of their book by Emergency Press. Contestants may submit multiple manuscripts. A $20 entry fee will be charged per manuscript.

The contest will be judged by Nicholaus Patnaude, author of First Aide Medicine, and winner of the 2010 contest.

The deadline for the 2012 contest is July 1, 2012. Please send your manuscript by email as an attachment to: contest@emergencypress.org.

All payments must be made through PayPal, please. If your author name is different than the name on your account, note this in the instructions field at PayPal.

The 2011 Emergency Press International Book Contest Award winner is Heather Rounds for There. Her book will be published in 2013.

If you have any questions about the contest please send us an email at contest@emergencypress.org.

The $5,000 International URTI

Radio Grand Prix (wordlwide)

Deadline: 3 September 2012

Created in 1989, the International URTI Radio Grand Prix rewards programmes from the whole world for their efforts of research and originality. It is different from the other international competitions because of an original principle: each year a different theme is proposed to the participants and left to their own free interpretation. All the productions, all the radio forms are welcome: reports, documentaries, essays, fictions, sound compositions, children’s stories…

An international jury of radio professionals meets each autumn in a different country, at the invitation of an URTI member.

In 2012, the chosen theme for the 24th edition is: Love

The entry forms and the programmes will have to be sent on Monday 3 September 2012 at the latest.

Rewarding the efforts of research and originality, awards will be divided up as follows:

• The International Radio Grand Prix, endowed with a sum of $5,000
• The Silver Medal
• The Bronze Medal
• Welles Award for Discovery, given to a programme it wishes to single out
• for its quality or its originality on a particular criterion: originality, concept, subject, interactivity,
• direction, technique, sound environment, etc.

The URTI Prix is open for free to any broadcast or production radio organism. Some important points of the rules:

- Length of programmes: 60 minutes at the most,

- Two programmes per organism at the most,

- The presented works must not necessarily be new,

- The programmes submitted to the jury will compulsorily have to be accompanied by the text of the production in French and/or English as well as by the copyright statement,

- Participants can deposit the registration forms, the scripts and the programmes in .mp3 on this site. The programmes may also be sent on CD to:

Mme Nathalie Lacroix
URTI - Union Radiophonique et Télévisuelle Internationale
116, Av. Président Kennedy
75016 Paris (France)

RULES

OBJECT

The International Radio and Television Union (of which the seat is in France: URTI – Maison de Radio France 116, avenue du Président Kennedy – 75220 Paris Cedex 16) has been organising since 1989, under the name INTERNATIONAL URTI RADIO GRAND PRIX, an annual competition destined to reward the radio productions corresponding the better to the goals it pursues.

The object of this Grand Prix is to:

• Promote the international radio production, in all the genres and formats, as well as its virtues of direct relations between people, nations and cultures;
• Reaffirm that, by its evocative strength, by its flexibility of realisation and the simplicity of its broadcasting technique, radio proves to be the media which is the better able to answer the demands of communication in the cultural and education domains;
• Distinguish the programmes the most perfected by the quality of their production, the originality of their approach, the universality of their language, and by the specificity of their radio treatment;
• Favour the expression of humanistic values of tolerance and respect between men, of peace, friendship and understanding between peoples;
• Reject all sorts of propaganda in any form;
• Ensure a widened international broadcast of the programmes having gained the statute of finalist, and notably of the prize-awarded works.

In order to realize these goals, URTI reserves the right to be able to associate to its Grand Prix personalities or organisations prompted by the same intentions.

The Direction of this Grand Prix is ensured by URTI’s general Director who is responsible for the administrative organisation in a link with the partners.

PARTICIPATION

The participation in the URTI Grand Prix is open to all the public and private radio organisations (at the rate of two programmes per channel at the most) as well as to the associations and institutions which devote themselves to the audiovisual (at the rate of two programmes by organism at the most).

The producers or directors of radio programmes who wish to compete for the URTI Grand Prix will have to submit their programmes to the preliminary selection of the organisations entitled to participate.

The participants may propose for the competition any programme about the subject determined each year (cf article 9) produced less than two years before the date of the announcement of the award-winners of the URTI Grand Prix and which length cannot exceed sixty minutes.

The programmes must come with the duly filled registration form, either directly on the URTI Web site (http://www.urti.org), or by mail sent to the seat of URTI with the mention “no commercial value”.

A co-production may only be entered by one of the organization participating in it, the latter being ensured of its partners’ agreement.

Programmes will be allowed to compete only once.

The participants in the competition commit themselves to contribute to the promotion of the International URTI Radio Grand Prix as far as possible.

LANGUAGES

Programmes should be entered in original version. A script of each programme should necessarily be provided in French or in English if the proposed version is not in one of these two languages.

ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTS

The programmes competing for the URTI Grand Prix must absolutely come with their registration form duly filled, with a summary and possibly their script (cf: article 3) in French or in English, as well as the copyrights statement. In general, all publicity or promotional material concerning the entered documentaries will be welcome, with the relating authorisation of free advertisement in the press.

CO-PRODUCTIONS

A programme made in co-production by two or several organisations may only be entered for competition by one of the co-producing organisations, under its sole responsibility.

OTHER GENERAL CONDITIONS

French and English are the two languages used for the official rules, the correspondence, the organisation of the listenings and the deliberations.

The recordings of the presented programmes stay at the disposal of the general Direction for their possible registration in the programme exchange catalogue of URTI and so the availability of the presented recording for a broadcast free of rights (except the usual copyrights and neighbouring rights) by all the organisms members of URTI, participating in the competition or not. The broadcaster will then conform to the current legislation in its country concerning the declaration of copyrights and of neighbouring rights and no additional royalty will be due to an organization which programme was awarded a prize under the pretext of this award.

No advertising may accompany a programme entered in the International URTI Radio Grand Prix.

REGISTRATION

Registration of the entered programmes will be definitely closed at the latest fifteen days before the date of the preselection, except dispensation granted by the Grand Prix Director.

REGISTRATION FEES

No registration fees will be asked the participating organisations.

PROCEDURE

An agenda is set for each session of the competition and communicated to the participants.

Each year the general Direction sets the specific conditions of the competition, notably the agenda of its sequence of events and the Jury’s meeting place.

The Commission of URTI’s Radio members determines each year a unique subject to be treated by all the participating programmes.

The URTI general Direction takes care that the different stages of the competition function well. The material organization is jointly entrusted to the URTI general Direction and the organism hosting the competition. The general Direction controls the programmes and the candidates’ files to check their conformity to the rules. Only those candidatures which comply with the competition’s conditions and objectives will be submitted to the Jury.

The URTI Radio Commission sees to it that the rules, the legality of the Jury’s listenings, and the conditions of its deliberations are respected.

COMPOSITION OF THE JURY

The Jury is made up of:

• a personality jointly chosen by the organisation hosting the Jury and the URTI general Direction for his renown in the cultural domain or for his skills in radio creation (production, direction, sound, programming, …). This personality ensures the presidency of the Jury;
• a President and members of the URTI Radio Commission;
• the Director general of URTI.

JURY’S WORK

The President of the Jury manages the deliberations and conditions of the vote, it being specified that the Jury must greatly bear in mind the criteria mentioned in article 1 of the present rules. He guarantees the organization, the course and the legality of the vote which results he announces. He can suggest any measure allowing to provide a better enforcement of the spirit of the present rules.

During a preliminary meeting the Jury sets up its rules of procedure and its evaluation criteria taking into account the object of the Grand Prix (cf artcle 1), subject to the respect of the present rules however.

The Jury determines its own deliberation rules.

A member of URTI general Direction manages the secretarial work of the session under the control of the President of the Grand Prix.

The presentation of the programmes is made up in alphabetical order of countries, then participating organizations, except specific decision of the Jury.

The Jury’s deliberations and votes are secret and take place in camera.

Each member of the Jury is called upon to make known and defend his vote before the other Jury members.

The Jury reserves the right not to award any prize if no programme appears to answer the spirit of article 1.

FINAL AWARD-WINNERS’ LIST

After the listenings of all the programmes admitted in the competition and after a valid deliberation, the Jury makes up a list of the ten programmes having gained the statute of « finalist » of the International URTI Radio Grand Prix.

The award-winners’ list will honour four programmes among the finalists:

• The GRAND PRIX, given to the best radio programme and of which the director gets the medal as well as a 5,000 dollar reward (five thousand dollars);
• The silver medal ;
• The bronze medal ;
• The Award for Discovery, given to a programme it wishes to single out for its quality or its originality on a particular criterion: originality, concept, subject, interactivity, direction, technique, sound environment, etc.

The announcement of this award-winners’ list takes place within two months after the Jury’s decision during a gala ceremony organized by URTI in a city chosen by the general Direction. The organizations having presented an awarded programme commit to make their best efforts to organize the participation in this ceremony of the director or a delegate.

14. SECRETARIAT

Any correspondence or request for information should be sent to URTI’s general Direction.

The programmes in competition will not be sent back to the participants.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries: urti@urti.org

For submissions: via the registration form

Website: http://www.urti.org

 

Free to Enter:

The $6,000 Banff Mountain

Book Competition (worldwide)

Deadline: 30 June 2012

The Banff Mountain Book Competition is an internationally recognized literary competition that will celebrate its 19th year in 2012. Winners will be announced during the Book Awards at the 2012 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival in November.

2012 BANFF MOUNTAIN BOOK COMPETITION CATEGORIES

Prizes will be awarded in each of the following categories (Please note: books written primarily for children and young adults are not suitable for this competition):

Adventure Travel — includes fiction and non-fiction books with a theme of travel to, and exploration of, remote or rugged landscapes and their cultures. (English editions only) $1000(CAD)

Mountain Guide Books — includes hiking, climbing, mountaineering, and “how-to” books dealing with physical activities in a mountain area. (English editions only) $1000(CAD)

Mountain Image — includes books with a primary focus on mountain images and with text in a subordinate role. Images may include photographs, drawings, and reproductions. (Publications in all languages are eligible) $1000(CAD)

Mountain and Wilderness Literature — includes non-fiction and fiction books on mountaineering, mountain history, mountain travel, mountain culture and environment, mountain adventure, and mountain or wilderness experience of any kind. (English editions only) $1000(CAD)

A Grand Prize of $2000(CAD) will be awarded to the best overall book, regardless of category.

REGULATIONS

1) To be eligible for the 2012 Banff Mountain Book Competition, entries must be first editions published in 2011 or 2012. (Note: we regret, we no longer accept new editions of earlier publications)

2) Each title may be entered in the competition only once.

3) Entries may be submitted by authors or publishers.

4) All works, except those in the category of Mountain Image, must be in English.

5) A copy of the entry form must be received by us (on-line, e-mail, mail or fax) by June 30, 2012, indicating your intention to submit an entry. Early submission is encouraged and appreciated.

6) Books must be received at the festival office in Banff no later than June 30, 2012; as either finished books or as advance reading copies. Titles received initially as ARCs must reach us in finished form by August 1, 2012.

7) Each entry must include six (6) finished copies of the book (or four (4) copies if in proof form). These are necessary for the judging process, and will NOT be returned.

8) Entries must be accompanied by a synopsis of a maximum of 60 words. Other promotional materials such as press releases, reviews, etc., are welcome but are not a requirement.

9) Bound galleys or advance reading copies may be accepted as an interim entry for titles due to be published after June 30, 2012, but must be received by June 30th.

10) Please email a high-resolution image file (TIFF preferred) of the book cover to: banffmountainbooks@banffcentre.ca

11) The competition organizers reserve the right to select the category most appropriate for a submission.

12) The competition organizers reserve the right to use excerpts from, and/or complete entries submitted for promotional purposes.

13) Finalists will be announced in early October 2012.

14) Winners will be announced to the public during the 2012 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival.

15) Winning authors and publishers may be notified in advance.

16) Decisions made by the jury will be final.

17) All titles submitted will be displayed in the Reading Room during the 2012 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival.

18) The dispatch of any entry to the festival implies acceptance of these regulations by the entrant.

19) Books written primarily for children and young adults are not suitable for this competition.

20) If for any reason you foresee difficulty in meeting these requirements, please contact the competition coordinator at: banffmountainbooks@banffcentre.ca

ENTRIES FROM OUTSIDE CANADA

All entries shipped from OUTSIDE CANADA must include two (2) copies of the completed Customs form in an envelope labelled and attached to the outside of the parcel. Please note that the declared value should be equivalent to the cost of materials only. Shipping, customs duty and taxes are the responsibility of the entrant.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries: banffmountainbooks@banffcentre.ca

For submissions: via the entry form

Website: http://www.banffcentre.ca/

 

Erykah Badu Lashes Out

At Lips' Wayne Coyne;

Calls Leak "Tasteless,

Meaningless,

Shock Motivated Video.”

News by Vanessa Martinez | June 6, 2012

Just a few hours ago, Tambay posted an official statement from Wayne Coyne/Flaming Lips about the controversial leaked video 'The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face' featuring Erykah Badu, which has been played over 20,000 times on this site alone; that post has received over 9,000 Facebook *likes*, not to mention its 277 comments so far.

Well, just a couple of hours ago on her official Facebook, Badu had more than a few words to say to Wayne Coyne in response to the video leak.

3:33pm dallas

 
@waynecoyne then… perhaps, next time u get an occasion to work with an artist who respects your mind/art, you should send at least a ROUGh version of the video u PLAN to release b4 u manipulate or compromise the artist’s brand by desperately releasing a poor excuse for shock and nudity that sends a convoluted message that passes as art( to some).

Even with Window Seat there was a method and thought process involved. I have not one need for publicity . I just love artistic dialogue . And just because an image is shocking does not make it art.

You obviously have a misconception of who I am artistically. I don’t mind that but…

By the way you are an ass.

Yu did everything wrong from the on set .

First:

You showed me a concept of beautiful tasteful imagery( by way of vid text messages) .

I trusted that. I was mistaken.

Then u release an unedited, unapproved version within the next few days.

That all spells 1 thing ,

Self Serving .

When asked what the concept
meant after u explained it , u replied ,”it doesn’t mean anything , I just want to make a great video that everyone is going to watch. “

I understood , because as an artist we all desire that. But we don’t all do it at another artist’s expense .

I attempted to resolve this respectfully by having conversations with u after the release but that too proved to be a poor excuse for art.

From jump,
You begged me to sit in a tub of that other shit and I said naw. I refused to sit in any liquid that was not water. But Out of RESPECT for you and the artist you ‘appear’ to be, I Didn’t wanna kill your concept , wanted u to at least get it out of your head . After all, u spent your dough on studio , trip to Dallas etc.. Sooo, I invited Nayrok , my lil sis and artist, who is much more liberal ,to be subject of those other disturbing (to me ) scenes . I told u from jump that I believed your concept to be disturbing. But would give your edit a chance.

You then said u would take my shots ( in clear water/ fully covered parts -seemed harmless enough) and Nayrok’s part ( which I was not present for but saw the photos and a sample scene of cornstarch dripping ) and edit them together along with cosmic, green screen images ( which no one saw) then would show me the edit. .

Instead, U disrespected me by releasing pics and rough vid on the internet without my approval. (Contract breech )

That is equivalent to putting out a security camera’s images of me changing in the fitting room.

I never would have approved that tasteless, meaningless, shock motivated video .

Our art is a reflection of who we are . I have no connection to those images shot in their raw version. I was interested in seeing an amazing edit that would perhaps change or alter my thoughts . Never happened .

You also did the same thing with the song itself which displays crappy “rough “vocals by me . I let it go , perhaps iiiii was missing something, I thought.

I Should have followed my first mind back in studio when recording the vocals “your way”.

( Red flag.) It was uncomfortable.
For that I am at fault .
Consequently, brother, As a human I am disgusted with your what appears to be desperation and poor execution. And disregard for others . As a director I am unimpressed . As a sociologist I understand your type. As your fellow artist I am uninspired. As a woman I feel violated and underestimated.
Hope it works out for ya ,Wayne.
Really i could give a shit less.
Still love your live show tho.
And , you’re welcomed.
Lesson learned .

By the way I have guested in very few videos. But I have always been given the opportunity to see the edit and contribute to it when my roll is substantial. Not this time .

I guess u feel it better to apologize than ask for permission and be refused . Hey, Love u man, but your ways are not very nice .
O, And on behalf of all the artists u have manipulated or plan to manipulate, find another way .

These things have been said out of necessity.
And if you don’t like it
you can KiSS MY Glittery ASS .

O and Nayrok told me to tell u to kiss her ass too .
Almost forgot.
Peace

Ms. Badu

Needless to say, she's not happy. At least her reply provides some insight to many of you who were none to pleased and/or concerned by the video's explicitness. But, as the saying goes, "there's three sides to the story."

I have a feeling we'll hear back from one of the camps soon enough.

__________________________

Flaming Lips, Erykah Badu

Respond To Fan Outrage

Over Controversial Video

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM - WAYNE COYNE / FLAMING LIPS "The video link that was erroneously posted on Pitchfork by the Flaming Lips of the Music Video 'The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face', which features Erykah Badu, is unedited and unapproved.. Sorry!! We, the Flaming Lips, accept full responsibility for prematurely having Pitchfork post it. It has outraged and upset a segment of fans and we apologize if we offended any viewers!!! This is a Flaming Lips video which features Erykah Badu and her sister Nayrok and is not meant to be considered an Erykah Badu or Nayrok statement, creation, or approved version.”

I just received that statement on my Video page where the controversial music video is hosted, as well as in the comment section within the S&A post that contains the video.

I wasn't sure if it was legit, so of course I looked around and saw that it IS legit, as it's posted on Erykah Badu's own website, as well as several others.

So there ya have it folks; the video has been played over 20,000 times on this site alone; the post containing the video has received over 9,000 Facebook *likes* and counting, and received what might be a record (or close to it)256 comments, and counting.

Damn, right? And to think that I almost decided against posting it. 

So does the above statement change how you feel about the video?

I check Erykah Badu's Twitter timeline, and saw that she'd asked her followers what they thought of the video, and of course, she received a wide range of replies. But what I found most curious was her second question, after she'd received a few replies. She asked how her followers would feel if the video ultimately didn't mean anything ("What if the video has no meaning at all? Now how do u feel?") - suggesting what some of you thought was just a completely surface exercise that didn't require any deeper analysis.

I'm over it at this point; but maybe you aren't, and these new reveals alter your interpretation of the video, or not.

Parents, Students

Suffer Stiff Penalties

After Cheering

at Graduations

Written by: Kelly Virella

 

To the growing list of things that land black people in jail or some other harsh punishment, add this: cheering at a high school graduation.

That’s right. The request that principals used to make at the start of the diploma ceremony — hold your applause, don’t yell — has now turned into a de facto law at some schools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A South Carolina African-American woman was arrested Saturday after she cheered too loudly at her daughter’s graduation. Let me repeat that: ARRESTED.

The school, South Florence High School in South Carolina, warned parents that if they yelled during the ceremony they would be expelled. And as soon as Shannon Cooper, the mother of a graduating senior, yelled for her daughter Iesha, police expelled her from the auditorium and arrested her. It’s not clear whether Cooper was arrested for cheering or for something that may have happened after she was expelled from the auditorium. In either case, the instigating incident was her exuberance and she was charged with disorderly conduct, held in jail for 7 hours and had to post a $225 bond to be released.

“Are ya’ll serious? Are ya’ll for real? I mean, that’s what I’m thinking in my mind,” Cooper told WPDE NewsChannel 15 in Myrtle Beach. “I didn’t say anything. I was just like OK, I can’t fight the law. “

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Cooper is not the only African-American who’s been penalized for this. In Ohio, graduating senior Anthony Cornist is being denied his diploma because his friends and family cheered excessively for him, a denial that could interfere with his plans to attend college. He himself did nothing wrong, but in some warped system of jurisprudence, he is being punished. His principal is requiring him to perform 20 hours of community service to get his diploma and his mother — citing the principle at stake — refuses to allow him to perform it.

And the worst part about both of these stories? The Ohio principal is black and the South Carolina school has several black assistant principals. I just dropped my mic on that.

Is there something I’m missing here? Please tell me this is not a simple case of black principals so eager to please their bosses — to show that they can host a graduation that conforms to WASP standards, a quiet, dignified affair bereft of joyful of outburst — that they were willing to co-sign an arrest in South Carolina and issue a de facto probation in Ohio. Please tell me that our school-to-prison pipeline has not shrunk so much that cheering at a school event is now a crime. Please tell me that schools haven’t grown so accustomed to punishing black children — especially black boys — for minor infractions that other students also commit, that they believe they have the right to punish them for someone else’s behavior and possibly stop one from attending college. Please tell me that school has not become that draconian a tool for racial control. Please.

My pleas are feeble, because no matter what you tell me about these particular incidents I know the control that schools exert over our communities is even more damaging than these two instances, because the real control isn’t exerted in an isolated fashion over one or two graduating seniors and parents. The real control is systemic. It’s hard to expect school systems that make no effort to respect basic civil rights like those fought for and won in Brown v. Board  or even accorded in Plessy v. Ferguson to respect us as individuals. As noted education scholar Pedro Noguera said a few weeks ago when he appeared on MSNBC, “Not only are we not living up to Brown v. Board, we’re not living up to Plessy v. Ferguson.” I hope this is a wakeup call for a lot of people. It is for me.

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About the Author

Kelly Virella lives in an East Harlem walk-up with her husband, her bicycle and her books. She's worked as a journalist for 11 years and started this website during the summer of 2011. She fell in love with New York City during her first visit here as a 16-year-old and finally made good on her promise to move here in April 2010.

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UPDATED 6:37 AM EDT Jun 05, 2012

mistakenly arrest her

Seventeen-year-old Tiarra Brown was focused on her future, but the excitement about graduation turned to fear when police came to her school and arrested her.

Prosecutors said they dropped the case after realizing she was not involved in a crime. It appears to be a horrific case of mistaken identity, 11 News I-Team reporter Barry Simms said.

"She's been crying the whole time. She's terrified. She's never been through this environment before," mother Catia Brown said.

Worried about their daughter, Catia and Elvin Brown said they did everything they could to get her released.

A warrant charged Tiarra Brown with attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment. She was held without bail after police arrested her Thursday during graduation practice at Casa Academy in Southwest Baltimore.

"That's not her profile. She's an honor roll student. She has scholarships going to college June 21. She did track and field. She worked all year to pay for her graduation, and she missed graduation for a misunderstanding," the girl's mother said.

The warrant was issued in connection with the May 6 stabbing of a woman outside the Half Mile Track nightclub on Frederick Avenue near Collins Avenue. It happened around 1:30 a.m.

The commissioner issued a warrant for her arrest, but to add to the confusion police said they had already charged a woman named Brittany Johnson with the stabbing when Brown was arrested at her high school during graduation practice.

"It was negligence on their side, and I think it's disgraceful to just pick a person out and charge them without investigating," Catia Brown said. "She's always in the house. She's too young to go to a club. She's never been to a club a day in her life."

Police and prosecutors now said the warrant was wrongfully issued by a court commissioner and that Tiarra Brown committed no crime.

Once they said they realized what happened, the investigating detective and the detective from the Warrant Apprehension Task Force went to the state's attorney seeking Brown's release.

She was released around 6 p.m. Monday into the custody of her elated parents (image of release to the right).

"This is the longest I've ever been away from (my parents)," the girl told 11 News after she was released. "I was real upset, but I prayed to God and read my Bible and knew the best thing for me was just to come home."

When she finally emerged from detention, Brown was so grateful to see her parents, she didn't express any bitterness about her ordeal, 11 News reporter Kerry Cavanaugh said.

"The officers were very nice. They checked on me and made sure I was eating and drinking and not so depressed and crying too much," Tiarra Brown said.

11 News went to the home of the person who filed the handwritten complaint that led to the warrant. No one answered. 

The family said police showed the stabbing victim and two witnesses Tiarra Brown's picture, and all of them said she was not involved.

Legal analyst weighs in on issue

"How does something like this happen? One, it happens far too often and it happens because the commissioner is allowed to issue a warrant based on a written complaint by an individual," said defense attorney Warren Brown, who, as a legal expert, told 11 News that Tiarra Brown's case highlights a huge flaw in the system.

According to the district court of Maryland, any civilian can go to a court commissioner, file a complaint on another person and -- without an investigation -- the commissioner can issue an arrest warrant.

"There ought to be some investigation before an individual is arrested and charged with an offense, especially an offense that carries life imprisonment, which this offense carries," Warren Brown said.

And as far as why Tiarra Brown spent so much time in jail? Attorney Brown said it's because of a rubber stamping of no bail that starts with the commissioner and trickles down to the judge as they assume, he said, that you are guilty.

"And so now this person is being held for God knows how long, on no bail because a commissioner issued a warrant based on a civilian's allegation, which was never investigated. It is absurd," Warren Brown said.

>via: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47682723/ns/local_news-baltimore_md/#.T9Agn44-VyG

Fascinating New

Documenatry 'Harlem USA'

Makes Its U.K. &

North American Premieres

This Month

News by Sergio | June 6, 2012

 

After watching the two trailers for this new documentary, Harlem USA, I was totally hooked; and I'll wager to bet you will be too.

A beautfully photograped, atmospheric look at the people and the various lives that make Harlem what it is, the film is credited to filmmaker Eric Schachter, but he rejects the title of director saying that it "was directed by the people that it is about." 

He says that the film was made for "the residents to have a voice and to let the world know just how it is between 110th St and 155th Street from the East Side to the West Side."

The film will be screened in Montreal at the Cinerobotheque on June 19 and 21st. Afterwards, it moves to London, where it will be shown at the Brixton Ritzy on June 27th.

After that, it travels across the big pond again for a showing at The Auburn Avenue Reasearch LIbrary in Atlanta Georgia on June 30th.

One hopes that further screenings will follow including, of course, Harlem itself.

Take a look at the both trailers of the film and tell me if you don't agree with me: