About a couple of years ago I made the transition from secret meetings with the weed man and smoking blunts in conspicuous places with my homeboys to discovering a love for fine cigars. Each day I look forward to sitting on my patio and sampling a different brand. Some folks smoke cigars as a social activity but I enjoy being alone and unwinding with peace and quiet.
Yesterday, I was doing just that when a brotha dressed in swim trunks and flip flops, presumably on his way to the communal pool, yells up to me (third floor of a complex in a gated community) and says, “Hey brotha, you want a piece of chicken?” I looked down to confirm that he was in fact talking to me and see that he’s holding a large tin of chicken wings. I declined the offer but the brotha was persistent; he offered to toss a piece of chicken up to my patio. When I declined the second time he asked if I preferred a piece of corn. Once again I told the brotha I was cool. What do I look like hanging over my balcony trying to catch a piece of chicken or corn. What happens if I don’t catch it? Why am I even thinking through the scenario? My moment of cigar Zen was ruined. How is it that the ‘hood found me?!
Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing tickles@tickles.tv
The New York Times recently covered the story of an off-duty police officer who was getting her done when a gunman entered looking to rob the salon. After the gunman ordered the four ladies present into the bathroom, officer Ferris Jones took control of the situation. She came out of the bathroom with her gun drawn and identified herself as a police officer, the gunman still opened fire. Officer Ferris Jones fired back, which resulted in a gunshot wound to the gunman’s hand. After breaking through the front door, the gunman exited. Police later found him at a local hotel after following a trail of blood from his wound.
The article rightfully commends Officer Ferris Jones for her act of duty, but we here at HOTUC would like to acknowledge the officer for her Urban Chameleon duty.
This woman went from beauty shop to Robo cop in an instant. Although the article doesn’t quite explain why officer Ferris Jones didn’t go after the gunman, I think it’s safe to assume she needed to finish with her hair appointment; she was off duty. Bravo, Officer Ferris Jones! And might I add…the hair looks fabulous! You’re our Urban Chameleon pick of the day.
** Picture this, me: Arms folded in my tastefully decorated Harlem condo and giving my laptop screen --- having just digested several posts on the Home of The Urban Chamele
on's website --- some serious, not to be played with side eye action.
Oh, and also picture those same folded arms defiantly below a luscious pair of pursed lips unleashing a few sassy "mmmmm, whateva"s upon further reflection on the aforementioned posts. **
"What's the T, boo?” you ask in a quest for the truth, I’m sure.Well I got a fairy tale for ya that ain’t got a damn thing to with glass slippers, any bears or unemployed white
girls sleeping in castles all day --- hold up, wait a minute!
So, I've been silently flag waving for this whole Urban Chameleon movement for a hot second or two.I mean, it's cute for y'all: engaging tales of effortlessly fluctuating between cultures seemingly at odds with each other.A couple of your stories have even moved me to tears, excuse me, tear.Don’t get it twisted, though; I’m not trying for come for anyone’s personal experiences. The modest display of emotion is simply cuz I loves me a theatrical moment and nothing says "dramatic Oscar clip" better than a singularly shed droplet from mine eye, but I digress.
I can hold my tongue no longer with you Urban Chameleon kids and your culture hopping chatter.Y'all really put the "me" in "chameleon" with all this "I'M juggling several different worlds" and "I-I-I’m always trying to find balance" business --- chile, boo!Oh what?You doin' something special cuz you navigate from “whattup, ma?” to foie gras to Oye Como Va?Mmmm... I vote "nuh uh".No, for the
real deal Holyfield, grab you a notepad Urban Chameleons --- or an iPad (since it is all about "me" with you urban children) --- and don't be late for the bus... cuz you 'bout to be schooled!
Long before you lil' Urban Chameleons and your "chai latte" this and "curry goat" that, there were what?The G-to-the-A-Y-S, oh yes --- THE GAYS! Peep the credentials, honey: throughout history, we gays have been chameleon-ing and fiercely setting the standard on how to do so long before you, the new crew, got all MJ about the situation cuz y'all "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." Mmm hmmm, so while the Bible, Koran or other noted holy scripture of choice was throwing us back in the day shade with all that tired abomination hateration,
my founding forefathers and foremothers of the rainbow coalition were showin' out at night --- can you say “corset queen catwalk”? --- and blending in during the day with the breeders down atthe horse ‘n’ buggy wash... trust!Yes, celebrated urbies, your struggles are noteworthy but they don’t pre-date the skills of the gay chameleon. So don't get all Nicki Minaj up in this piece and act like y'all birf-ded this ish!Shout out to Lil’ Kim… ugh, what what?
C'mon, take a good look at history: the caterers for The Last Supper?, the designers of the soldiers' Civil War outfits... er, "uniforms"?, the entirety of Greek mythology?, the first recorded telephone transmission(you know, Alex G. Bell's "Mr. Watson, come here I need you" cries of passion)?The common denominator of them all?...HOWYOUDOIN?!Oh... and joo don't know?Probably not since most of these significant moments in history have flown under the gaydar, cuz those crafty kids were what? chameleon-ing, honey --- catch it, learn it, discern it!
Urban You Know Who's, I beseech thee: no more of this "me, je suis, yo soy" way too "I"-centric chameleon talk.Y'all need to pump your breaks and slow down with all that tryin’ to not give credit where credit is due mess --- shooot, where I come from, we consider credit stealing “pulling stunts.”Realize and recognize that this societal adaptability thang got roots like Alex Hailey, boo; it ain't a new phenomenon.I mean, y'all holdin' it down now, but it HAS been held before --- hello, good morning!So to my (g)urban chameleons past and present I say, kudos to us for our deft balancing act and let’s continue to push for a world of mutual cultural enlightenment... or rather, "ooooh, we betta do it!10's, 10's, 10's across the board!Weeerrrrrrk!"
*Written entirely, of course, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, sorta. :)
Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing tickles.tv@gmail.com
Uuuhm has anybody else heard about the Nigerian native, Adebayo Ogunlesi who is Harvard Law, Business and Oxford School educated, purchasing Britain's Gatwick Airport for close to 1.5 billion pounds!?
There has been much criticism about Western media (meaning CNN) having not covering such a monumental event. Seriously, if every bodily function of Tiger Woods can be reported, real news should at least be squeeze in there too.
Adebayo Ogunlesi, you are our Urban Chameleon pick of the day.
Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing tickles.tv@gmail.com
Get your Urban Chameleon moment ON right now by watching this Taiwanese boy absolutely MURDER Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You. Let's just say Ms. Houston might want to sit this one out.
This year apart of the HOTUC team attended carnival in Trinidad. For 7 days we traded in the laptops, Blackberry's, latte's, turkey brie sandwiches, Hot 97 and the winter cold for Doubles, Roti's, Salt fish, and Coconut bake to wine our hips under the sun listening to soca music.
In preparation for the trip, I decided to Wikipedia Trinidad Carnival since I‘d never been and wanted to know the history of the elaborate annual celebration. Here is what I found that many people who attend carnival don’t know
Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago originally has its roots in the 19th century, from both West African festivals and French Catholic carnival celebrations, where masks were donned and social visits ensued. When the use of drums and religious practices were prohibited following Emancipation (1838), slaves (and then former slaves) found novel ways to pass on their cultural heritage.
Similar celebrations were held by the slaves at the end of crops harvesting, hence the Crop Over celebrations in some other Caribbeanislands. In Trinidad, the festival was known as Canboulay (from Cannes Brulees, or burnt cane), and incorporated African derived dancing and music (the precursor to Calypso) to transform Carnival into what we see today.
However, after Emancipation, the festival time was merged with the French settlers' and free coloureds' celebration, the pre-Lenten festival tied to the Roman Catholic carne vale (farewell to the flesh), in preparation for fasting and religious disciplines of Lent. It is now celebrated two days before Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent.
Now having this information I could feel spiritually justified to wine my hips in the streets with barely anything on.
Life in Trinidad during Carnival is like nothing else. For months this country prepares for days of non-stop partying. As soon as we landed we headed to a Bacanal Wednesday, a party where we watched live performances of different soca music artists until we left at 2AM. The next day we attended the Beach party that started at one in the afternoon and lasted until midnight! Eleven hours of endless drinks supplied from numerous open bars consisting of every kind of alcoholic beverage you can think of including white Hennessy, (apparently not sold here in the states), an outdoor champagne room and five different food stations that had at least ten different kinds of rice, Pilau, Doubles, Jerk chicken, seafood and the best lamb chops I’d ever tasted. There was even an out door restroom area that resembled the W hotel. These people do not play. It was a paaaarty!
The following day we decided to chill out and go to Maracas beach. Mind you there was a breakfast party that started at 5AM that we could have gone to, but instead decided to recharge. The beach was unbelievable and apparently it doesn’t even compare to Tobago, which unfortunately we didn’t get to, but was still good enough.
Once there we immediately sought out where to get the best Bake and Shark, (a traditional Trini meal consisting of fried shark and fried bread- oh yes!). The word was that Richard’s is the best, and it was clear, as his stand was the only one with a line in front. It did not disappoint!
Apparently this food critic agrees
After lunch, we dipped into the ocean, which was unbelievably warm, clear of jellyfish, seaweed, or any of that other weird stuff you see floating that messes with a city gal’s swim. The ocean waves were so perfect; they knocked you around so much that you knew you were going to sleep good when you returned home. ‘Cause there is no sleeping in Trinidad!
The next few days blended together. That night we went to Soca Monarch where artists performlive to take home the top title.
The following day we attended Brian Lara’s party, (the famous cricket player), where not only were there multiple open bar and food stations, that included Trini Indian and Trini Chinese food, but also a Hagaan Dazs ice cream station!
Yes people, this might have been the highlight of the entire trip. After all that curry there is nothing like encountering options of Baileys, coffee, vanilla and chocolate favored ice cream.
After being completely satisfied, we moved to where a crowd was forming in front of the stage that Mr. Lara had installed on his property for the party. JW and Blaze came out to perform their hit song PALANCE live! If you are Trini or have your ear to the Trini/ soca music streets you already know the magnitude of this song. See video below
This song was played 417 times during the two day Road March of Carnival. Speaking of which, after the performance it was time for us to go and prepare for Carnival. It begins with J’ouvert at 4AM Monday morning. Umm let's say this wake up call takes some serious mental preparation for a New Yorker.
J'ouvert requires putting on clothes that you’re prepared to have messed up as crowds gather in the streets to jump up to music and be smeared in paint. This tradition stems from when French settlers, in 1783, who were banned from the masquerade balls of the French . Slaves then created their own version using rituals and resources they had available to them including mud and molasses. In these ceremonies they would also mock their master’s balls. The picture above is an example of some people J’ouvert out!
It amazed me that these traditions have been able to stay in tact for so long.
Later that day started what feels like pre-carnival; it’s carnival without costumes. If you’re playing mas, (short for masquerade), you get with your band, (the group of people who have also signed up to your same costume group), to walk the country the entire day accompanied by a couple of trucks carrying humongous speakers blasting soca music, a traveling open bar, bathroom and snack cart. There is even an air-conditioned bus you can hop on and off of if you need a break. The next day you do it all over again in costume!
Trinidad Carnival is truly an unforgettable time. Sure there was a shoot out one night that we had to run away from. We all had Monday morning meetings and can’t be calling in shot.Another night some guy tried to steal our panties using a wire hanger through the window. Those incidents just add flavor to the memories and is rather a testament to how we continue to chameleon. Happy 2010 Trinidad Carnival!
Damon Williams is 14yrs old and already has a net worth of 50k from investing in stock. He one day asked his mama for some Jordans who basically said hell nah you betta invest in Nike and have them pay you to have Jordans and so he did. Check out his story
Remember that Youtube video of the dude who surprised that interviewer with his knowledgable explanation of why he was supporting Obama? Well he's getting his own show!
Come back in January 2010, when Derrick will be hosting his own show on Oprah Radio!
About Derrick Derrick N. Ashong, or DNA as he is sometimes known, is a Ghana, West Africa, native and has dedicated his life to building bridges between the fields of business, media, technology, youth culture, pop culture and politics. Derrick has lectured on five continents on the use of media as a tool for human development, including recent talks at the London School of Economics, King's College (Cambridge), the Reconciliation Forum in Washington, D.C., the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and before UK Parliament on the subject of "The Obama Generation." He is a member of the internationally recognized Next Generation Leadership Forum and a participant in the Arts & Entertainment task force of the U.S.-Islamic World Forum. Derrick is a Harvard graduate and resides in Los Angeles, where he is the leader of the band, Soulfège.
About Derrick's Show Taking social media to the next level, the The Derrick Ashong Experience is socially meaningful media designed to entertain, inform and elevate the national dialogue. Experience a multiplatform, globally plugged-in community with interests spanning the arts, society, business and politics and with the passion to seek the truth and to empower seekers to make a true difference.
The new head of Xerox Corp. is a native New Yorker who grew up in a lower East Side housing project.
Xerox will be the first Fortune 500 company headed by a black woman when Ursula Burns, 50, takes the reigns this summer.
Burns replaces Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy, 56, who told shareholders Thursday she would be retiring in July and had picked her lieutenant as her successor.
Burns climbed the corporate ladder at Xerox, beginning as a summer engineering intern in 1980 and rising to president of the printing giant in 2002.
As president, Burns oversaw a large chunk of the company's operations including overseas research and development, engineering, manufacturing and marketing.
She helped to build Xerox into the world's largest maker of high-speed color printers.
Last year, Burns ranked 10th on Fortune magazine's top 50 Most Powerful Women in America. She's the second-highest placed African-American woman behind only Oprah Winfrey, who was ranked No. 8.
Reached at their Rochester home Friday, Burns' teenaged daughter, Melissa, 16, called her mom "a great person, a wonderful inspiration."
"She has taken us back to the old neighborhood a few times," said Melissa, a reference to Delancey St. on Manhattan's lower East Side. "Apparently it's a lot better now than it was when she was growing up."
Burns, who attended Cathedral High School, was the middle of three children from two different absentee fathers.
In a 2003 interview with the New York Times, she described growing up poor in "the projects" - with "lots of Jewish immigrants, fewer Hispanics and African-Americans, but the common denominator and great equalizer was poverty."
Burns' mother took in ironing and ran a home day care center so she could send her kids to Catholic schools.
Burns, a math whiz, graduated from Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn with an engineering degree. She got a master's degree in mechanical engineering in 1981 from Columbia University.
After she was named president, she told a reporter, "My perspective comes in part from being a New York black lady, in part from being an engineer. I know I'm smart and have opinions worth being heard."
Burns is married to Lloyd Bean, a retired Xerox scientist. The couple have two children.
She wouldn't talk Friday, but in a letter to her staff, she said: "This company has ... provid(ed) me with opportunities and experiences I couldn't even dream of as a little girl growing up on the lower East Side of Manhattan. I feel so fortunate."
She and her family celebrated by going out to dinner after the promotion became official.
"The house is filled with mail and flowers," daughter Melissa said. "We are all happy for her." source from NY Daily News
