Wednesday, May 30

da Kink Continues - Decosta adds Trey Anthony Studios To Its Roster

Yesterday in all my excitement of posting on facebook and sharing my news with friends and family I forgot to post on my blog, the BIG NEWS!!! My apologies to all my blog followers. So in case you haven't heard, here is the big news!!!! DRUM ROLL!!!! :)


To be a part of DECOSTA' S star studded roster is a dream come true and I'm excited to see what is next for 'da Kink!! Thus, I'm busy manifesting, journaling, praying and visioning~~  I truly believe all is possible with the help of spirit. I thank you universe for your generous abundance. 
Yet I know I could not have done this alone so I  want to thank everyone who has generously given their love and support to 'da Kink, thus to myself...... 
Today, I wish for everyone to truly have belief in their dreams and I wish for everyone continued GREATNESS! Much love. xoxo! 

Monday, May 28

26yr Old Woman Founds The First Air Ambulance Service in West Africa


I love reading stories about youth making a difference.  I recently read about Ola Orekunrin, who made history 5 years ago when she became a medical doctor at the tender age of 21 -- the youngest medical doctor in her homeland, England.  She graduated from the University of York with flying colors. 

Although she was raised by white foster parents, she always remembered her Nigerian roots.   Her story isn't as glamorous as most people would think (far from the Angelina Jolie picture perfect ending to adoption.)  Her family often struggled to make ends meet but that didn't stop her from achieving greatness. 
Now at age 26, Orekunrin has founded The Flying Doctors, the first air ambulance service in West Africa.  She was inspired to start this venture after her younger sister died of anemia.  She was in and out of the hospital continuously and eventually died due to a lack of availability of an air ambulance.  
Orekunrin gave up a high paying job in England and her dreams of becoming the president of the British Medical Association and minister for the conservative party and moved to Nigeria.
Believe it or not, the idea of an air ambulance service was first introduced in 1960 and nothing was done about it! Orekunrin then studied the models in Kenya, Libya, Uganda and India and devised a plan to improve the health care system in Nigeria.
She is truly a visionary!  Think about how many lives will be saved from her following her passions, and her heart.  
This just goes to show that everyone has a purpose in this life.  No matter how old or young you are.  No matter how rich or poor you are.  Without you something will never happen.  You have a unique and special gift to share with this world...don't let your circumstances dictate who you are.
I hope that encourages someone out there!  
blessings,
t




Friday, May 25

Big Tings A Gwan!

ok so for months, I had been hinting that some BIG NEWS was going to come out of the Trey Anthony Studios camp. Well the paper work has been finally signed and contracts worked out and we will be sending out a press release on Tuesday!!! So stay tuned for this fantastic news on Tuesday!! I've been sworn to secrecy!!! So until then all I'm going to say is we are playing in the BIG LEAGUES now!!!!

Stay tuned to the blog because I will be posting it here FIRST midnight on Monday!

Be sure to tell your friends....share...Tweet....Facebook...Email....Google+ this because you DO NOT want to miss it....TRUST ME!



Wednesday, May 23

Moms Punishes Daughter for Inappropriate Instagram Picture - Very Clever!

This mother taught her daughter a valuable lesson by posting the picture below on Facebook.

it says:
"Since I want to post photos of me holding liquor, I am obviously not ready for social media and will be taking a hiatus until I learn what I should and should not post! BYE-BYE :( "



A 12-year-old girl was recently banned from social media by her mother after she found a picture of her daughter with a bottle of closed vodka with the caption "Wish I could drink this vodka."

When novelist ReShonda Tate Billingsley allowed her daughter open an Instagram account, she made sure to educated her daughter on the do's and don'ts of what pictures would be appropriate to share.

Her daughter broke the rules and is now suffering the consequences.

Billingsley posted the picture above on her daughter's Instagram account as well as her personal Facebook page and within hours it had gone viral.  At first the girl was obviously embarrassed and ashamed, but after a few days,she realized that what she did was wrong and asked her mom to take down the picture of her holding the bottle of vodka.


This is a far cry from the discipline methods most of our parents would have used.  I grew up in a Jamaican home and as you can imagine, had I done something like that the consequences would have been much MUCH different.


Through this lesson Billingsley was able to open up the lines of communication regarding social media in a way that was on her level and something she can relate to.  We have all heard the phrase "the punishment should fit the crime" and in this case I think it has.  I don't think she would have gotten the point if she had been grounded or spanked.

It's nice to see parents stepping into their children's online lives and teach them how to behave!  We hear so many stories about children being preyed upon, taken advantage of, and even killed because of inappropriate behaviour online and we always ask..."where are the parents?"  Well here they are...taking a stand and teaching their kids how to effectively use the technology that is available to them.

As you can imagine, there are some people who think that this was the wrong way to punish her child....saying that this will haunt her for the rest of her life (crazy people)....but I want to know what you think?  Did she go to far?  Did the 'punishment fit the crime'?  What would you have done differently?

Monday, May 21

Will Smith Slaps Reporter

Will Smith was walking down a press line at the Moscow premier of Men In Black 3 where Ukrainian reporter, Vitalii Serdiuk, attempted to kiss Smith on the lips.  Serdiuk last made headlines at the Venice Film Festival in September when gave Madonna a bouquet of flowers and called her "my princess."

After the attempted kiss Smith pushed the reporter away, slapped him lightly on the cheek with the back of his hand and said: "C'mon man, what the hell is your problem buddy?" Then said to the crowd, "He's lucky I didn't sucker punch him, Oh, I said that on camera? It's all good."

It's rare that we see this side of the 'Fresh Prince' and he did laugh it off.  I think he was shocked more than anything.

Do you think that Will behaved inappropriately?  Are reporters getting a little too bold?  Do you think the reporter 'deserved' it?  What are you thoughts?





Friday, May 18

Parents....discipline your children!

I have another video for you.  This one is for the Trini's out there.  A friend of mine shared it with me and it's HILARIOUS!  It's about a 6 year old boy who goes to the store to run an errand for his mother and faces some trouble as he goes through his day.

The moral of this story is simple:  Please discipline your children or somebody else will!

There are more puppet videos on Rogera43's YouTube channel.  I haven't checked them out as yet, but I'm sure they are funny too.

Have a laugh and a great long weekend!


There is some language (but it's 'beeped' out)

Wednesday, May 16

Black and Single

I was just thinking to myself "I wonder what happened to the Awkward Black Girl series?" and then I stumbled upon this on Madam Noire's site.  There is a new comedic web series that has recently hit youtube.com and I think it's worth checking out.

It's called Black and Single -- an Atlanta based web series that follows men and womyn as they try to make sense of the dating scene...something we can all relate to.

The actual premise is: 

“Black & Single is a web-series that follows the lives of Oni and Jesse. Two young, single and black professionals that work in the same office building and are seemingly perfect for each other. There is one problem. They never meet. They intersect each others lives at hilarious and various moments while searching for love when true love passes them by every day unwittingly. Will they ever meet? Only time will tell.”

The series only has 2 episodes out so far, but they seem to be posting bi-weekly and who knows where it will go.

If you need a good laugh, click on the video (there is a little language in the video, just to let you know).

Let me know your thoughts...did you like it?  Will you keep up with it?


Monday, May 14

How To Let Someone Go


Many of the womyn that I'm currently coaching are experiencing loss. Loss of relationships, friendships, and their children.... thus I have been asked by many of them to share my own experience concerning letting go of others or to write about "letting go" and I had resisted. But sometimes the universe has a way of making you do things even when you don't want too... as I experience my own loss and the meaning of it, i have felt compelled to write!  

The article originally appears in the Huffington Post. 


Enjoy and share. Welcome your feedback!  And don't forget to share it...tweet it...email it...Facebook it....it's something that we can all relate to! 


Friday, May 11

Nelson Mandela Inspired Clothing Line

Nelson Mandela's clothing line to hit store this year.  The anti-apartheid activist has inspired a collection of sportswear called "46664 Fashion," which is named after his prison number while he was jailed on Robben Island for 27 years in 1962.

Until now, this line has been available in Africa until a Dallas based company, Company B, took interest in the line.  They now have an exclusive sub-licence and the 46664 line of women's, men's and children lines will be available in North America very soon.

“The designers are very much in tune to the vibrant nature of South Africa whether it’s bright colors or a shweshwe print,” says Aaron Patton, chief executive officer of Company B.
The bold colors and prints are certainly a huge trend this season and this collection is full of them. The collection will launch at 46664fashion.com on July 18, Mandela’s 94th birthday. And you can expect retail stores to start carrying by the holiday season.


Check out some shots of the 46664 collection. 




Wednesday, May 9

'They Die By Dawn' - A Black Cowboy Opera

Jeymes Samuel of The Bullitts has done it again....the same mastermind that brought us the video with Rosario Dawson and the 'homeless' man (watch the video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSsYwd5REEI) is making a Black Cowboy Opera called 'They Die By Dawn.'

This cast is insane! It includes Idris Elba, Jesse Williams, Michael K. Williams, Isaiah Washington, Bokeem Woodbine, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Denzel Whitaker, Roger Guenveur Smith, Rosario Dawson, Kelly Hu, Shanola Hampton, Erykah Badu, and more...

I am a little concerned about having that many stars in one piece of work (especially since it's a short and not a feature film) but who knows it just might be the key to success for this piece.

The plot is pretty basic and typical of a western, BUT I'm sure that Jeymes and his team will find a way to make it explosive.

The Plot:
"Four outlaws with a bounty on each head, set a date for a shootout in Langston, Oklahoma. The last man takes the collective bounty. Violence and mayhem ensue."


Check out some of the stills from the movie....






I hope we get word of this in North America as Jeymes is based in the UK.  I can't wait to see this....

And as a bonus, the indiewire.com site has some other great tidbits about Black Cinema.  So if you're a film fan you might want to check out the rest of the site.

Would you watch this movie?

Read More: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/first-looks-at-all-star-cast-of-black-cowboy-opera-they-die-by-dawn#


Monday, May 7

Natural Dark Skinned Blonds



Scientist have recently discovered that a single mutation in DNA is responsible for almost half of the variations in Solomon Islanders hair color....their naturally blond hair that is.   Apparently, these dark skinned blond beauties have their own genes that have developed and mutated over the years, and are not a result of European explorers as one would assume.  



After taking samples of both Europeans  and Solomon Islanders, they have found that the mutation found in the genes of the Islanders does not appear at all in the European samples.

They speculate that it could be a result of sun exposure or heavy fish consumption,  but in any case, blond hair has evolved not once, but twice.




The Solomon Islanders have some of the darkest skin seen outside of Africa and the highest occurrences of blond hair outside of Europe.  In fact, the population of blond haired people on Solomon Island is comparable to the percentage of blond haired people in Europe -- about 10% of the population.

This discovery is unexpected and phenomenal.  It just goes to show that we truly come in all shapes and colors.  

What are your thoughts? 



Friday, May 4

That's Dr. O'Neal to you!

I just read that Shaq is on his way to getting his doctoral degree....good for him!

I really hope the youth of today realize the significance of education.  Let`s face it, Shaq does not have a shortage of cash flow.  He can probably by anything he wants whenever he wants! But he still chose to pursue his education because he understands the value of it.  And not only did he just get his undergrad, he pursued his master and doctorate.

He studied Organizational Learning and Leadership, with a specialization in Human Resource Development of the past 4.5 years and not only that, he has a GPA of 3.813.

Shaq will receive his doctoral degree from Barry University in Miami Saturday

Congrats Dr. O`Neal


Wednesday, May 2

Queen Latifah Headlining at Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival

Queen Latifah is set to headline at this year's annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival on May 19.  This performance will mark the Queen's first ever engagement at a pride celebration.

“From hip to R&B, pop to standards, Queen Latifah is the voice of our generation, and her concert here will be phenomenal,” Long Beach Pride Co-President Pat Crosby said in a statement. “For her to make her worldwide Pride debut here in Long Beach is a tremendous testament to the popularity of our celebration and to the strength of our community.”

Now the whole world is speculating (again) to whether she is gay or not.  This performance is somehow determining her sexual orientation which to me makes no sense.   In the past, headliners have included, Jennifer Hudson, Maya, and India.Arie. and I don't remember hearing anything about them in the news.

Do you think that by performing at these awards, she is 'claiming' her sexual orientation?


The bottom line is that, that whether she is gay, straight or otherwise, Queen Latifah is incredibly talented and has had an amazing career.

Take a second and reminisce on some of her highlights.....




U.N.I.T.Y