This trip was organized by one of my heroes, Cole Jordan who happens to be a counselor at the community college that I seem to be stuck at (just 3 more classes, then off to the university). Cole contacted me about 2 weeks ago to tell me about the trip & while doing so, he informed me that he was unable to secure a tour guide for his group of 50. He then informed me that his wife & one of my sheroes Diane Benton was going to coordinate walk through the museum without an educational guide which is when I stepped in to help turn things around.

So days later, I was able to secure Rev. L.D. (Doug) Ervin to guide us through the Freedom Center. This was pretty big because Doug has his own church now which makes his time very limited & it goes without doubt that he is the most knowledgeable volunteer guide that the Freedom Center has.

Fast forward to yesterday about noon: We are now at the Freedom Center & I get to see my good buddy Doug. Wait!!! I need to mention that I met Doug last year when I took a group to the Freedom Center, which consisted primarily of members from my Black History class led by another shero, Dahia Shabaka. Doug was our guide then & since has been a person who helps to keep me grounded.

On this trip, Doug did his thing & made the experience very memorable as he made the image of slavery “come to life”.

While this was my 3rd trip to the Freedom Center, it was the 1st time I had the opportunity to have the information actually sink in. By this I mean, the 1st time I went, I was in so much awe by what I saw & read it was almost too much to process. The 2nd time I went, I led a group & when you’re organizing, who has time to process fine details. I was very focused on keeping things organized & on task.

After we completed our time at the Freedom Center, we headed for Newport on the Levee for dinner. So my group debated & negotiated for about 15 minutes on a restaurant choice & after this mini drama we settled at Johnny Rockets for burgers & fries.

Dinner was more than dinner on this occasion. There were 8 people at my table that was meant for about 4, which made it fun! We said we were]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/04/journey-inside.htm mindspill@bygbaby.com (Tafari K. Stevenson-Howard) 0CC34CB4-A46A-4488-BFF5-B45CF6CA0C79 Sat, 14 Apr 2007 18:21:20 -0400 Bygbaby.com Mindspill

Before reading my boy's blog (The Free Slave)post about "Black Snake Moan" (I will not be seeing this movie BTW) I had never heard the term Magic Negro. Well after I read it about it there 1st, I started reading other posts in the Blogosphere referring to Barack Obama as a "Magic Negro".

So of course I had to go to Wikipedia to see if there was an entry on the Magical Negro & without a doubt, they did not fail me & I now fully understand the term Magic Negro.

So now that I am enlightened to the term Magic Negro, I feel that I am a Magic Negro most of the time when on the plantation (If you are Negro, you know where I mean (if not read between the lines)).
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According to Wikidepia:

The Magical Negro (sometimes called the Mystical Negro, Magic Negro, or our Magical African-American Friend) is a stock character who appears in fiction of a variety of media. The word "Negro", now considered archaic and offensive, is used intentionally to emphasize the belief that the archetype is a racist throwback, an update of the "Sambo" stereotype. The term, which may have been in use since at least the 1950s, was popularized by Spike Lee, who dismissed the archetype of the "super-duper Magical Negro" in 2001 while discussing films with students at Washington State University and at Yale University.

Description: The Magical Negro is typically "in some way outwardly or inwardly disabled, either by discrimination, disability or social constraint," often a janitor or prisoner. He has no past; he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist. He is the black stereotype, "prone to criminality and laziness." To counterbalance this, he has some sort of magical power, "rather vaguely defined but not the sort of thing one typically encounters." They are patient and wise, often dispensing various words of wisdom, and are "closer to the earth."

The Magical Negro serves as a plot device to help the protagonist get out of trouble, typically through helping the white character recognize his own...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/term-of-week-magic-negro.htm mindspill@bygbaby.com (Tafari K. Stevenson-Howard) 3429D4C7-EB02-41E3-B0B5-0BA116DA483D Sat, 14 Apr 2007 18:22:24 -0400 Bygbaby.com Mindspill

When I cook, I don't measure, I just cook (the real reason why I am fat with high cholesterol), that's just how I learned & I must say that I am a pretty good cook (just ask my baby's mama). Anyway my guacamole is the bomb & over the last 2 days, I have been craving it so Suite Suzy got my ingredients & I would love to share with you one of my favorite treats.

Guacamole is quite simple to make & the ingredients are listed above & all you need to do is mix gently or until you get a preferable texture (add fresh ground pepper & course sea salt to taste). I happen to like my guac kinda chunky so that I can enjoy the individual textures.

"My prep time for this delicious dish is about 7 to 10 minutes."

If you look to the top right of the 1st picture, you will see one of my least used kitchen utensil, which is my $35 Williams & Sonoma stainless steel mincer (talk about an impulse buy)....]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/bygbaby-cooks-party-of-one.htm mindspill@bygbaby.com (Tafari K. Stevenson-Howard) C6BE22D2-B143-489E-9360-356B5E800A01 Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:32:46 -0400 Bygbaby.com Mindspill Last month I received an email from a Felicia Furman who is the producer of the awesome "Shared History" documentary. The timing of her contact was very ironic because I had done a post & discussed with friends about the significance of Black history, Oprah’s slave roots, background research & her direct link to Africa in addition to all of this, our communication was right before Al Sharpton revealed the news about his genealogical research that reveled that his descendants were once owned by racist Strom Thurman’s descendants.

Anyway, Felicia was contacting me because she was interested in getting my opinion on her production. Of course I could not resist this great opportunity especially after she told me that she had been checking out the Mindspill.

While Felicia & I were exchanging emails she shared with me that the film was about the interactions among a group of contemporary black and white people connected to each other by a plantation in South Carolina, so after checking out her site & viewing the trailer, I was even more excited to see what she had to offer.

Now it is a little over a week later & I have "Shared History" in my hand & I could not wait to pop it into my baby (MacBook Pro). I had originally hoped to get some friends together to watch but the weather was horrible & I could not wait so I took the journey alone.

Shared history is really Felicia’s history as she is a descendants of author William Gilmore Simms, the last slave owner at Woodlands. This made the story even more intriguing for obvious reasons (well the reasons should be obvious, if not read between the lines).


So after I watched the film, I immediately email Felicia & stated...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/movies-shared-history.htm mindspill@bygbaby.com (Tafari K. Stevenson-Howard) B3D1EB26-9ABC-45A3-8D2B-2ABAA2F69B29 Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:34:08 -0400 Bygbaby.com Mindspill It’s officially springtime (well all damn most), so this means that my spring bulbs are ready to awaken from their frozen slumber. I am a big perennial gardener & my favorite time of the year is spring, which is when I get to smell the sweet perfume of hyacinths surrounding my home. I also get excited about my sunny daffodils that command my full attention as they shine as bright as the afternoon sun.

Springtime also means that I need to prepare to clean out the fall & winter debris that has collected in my gardens over the past few months & this is never too fun but now that Olivia & Sade are older I recruit them to assist me and work the hell out of them.

For the last 2 years I have been lucky enough to have a family of robins make the nest along my cedar fence so I am hoping that they again return. I love looking at the brightly colored eggs & awaiting the arrival of the chicks & then enjoying them for the summer as they hang around the backyard eating grubs that try to destroy my lawn.

The spring also means that this bitch ass family of rabbits will be back out to eat my precious lilies again before they even have a chance to bud. One of these years I am going to kill cook & eat them (not really, I hate rabbit but I might kill them).

To celebrate all that I am looking forward to over the next few months, tomorrow, I am taking the day off work, getting my locks tightened & if I can still get a ticket; I will be at the Angel Bofill concert downtown Detroit.
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Bygbaby Factoid: (WARNING: This may offend you but that’s OK) One thing I hate I mean don’t like about spring is Easter, Oh how I dread the thought of spending money on Easter dresses for the girls, Easter basket grass all over the fucking floor for months (you can never get rid of it all). I also dread the faux fashion, childrens play & the long drawn out sermon @ church.

]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/bees-and-things-and-flowers.htm mindspill@bygbaby.com (Tafari K. Stevenson-Howard) 367FEA47-A1D6-4D00-A365-A940520BAB1C Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:35:34 -0400 Bygbaby.com Mindspill It’s Thursday night, so that means that I am enjoying a few adult beverages as I do weekly. Tonight I am relaxing with a chilled bottle of Hess Chardonnay (one of my favorites) & snaking on white cheddar cheese puffs (talk about a fucked up combination). Anyway while I was on AOL Black Voices tonight, I ran a POSITIVE story about a Black man that somehow slipped passed the mainstream media.

The story is about reformed homophobe Isaiah Washington & a donation that he made to an animation project that will take on the issue of the west coast African Slave Trade.

Apparently he had a DNA test that revealed that he has root in Sierra Leone. It also needs to be known that he started a non-profit last year to assist the people of Sierra Leone.

I wonder, just wonder a little if this did not make the news because it was a very glowing story of how a Black man traced his roots to a place where his ancestors were stolen & is now working to help empower the people.

This is why America is so fucked up. They love to show a Brotha down but will not lift home up when the time is at hand. Isaiah mos def needs mad props for these efforts.

I mean, a nigga said faggot & the media/white America was out to hang him figuratively & possibly literally. He works to save people of his true homeland & it goes virtually unspoken.

Suite Suzy jokes about how I am Addicted to Race all the time & this is a good example of why I & so many other people are.

Anyway, let me get of this damn soapbox cuz my ankle is starting to hurt LOL.
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'Grey's' Star Washington Makes Donation

LOS ANGELES - Isaiah Washington, who traced his ancestral roots to Sierra Leone through DNA testing, has donated $25,000 to a computer animation project that aims to detail the Atlantic slave trade. The "Grey's Anatomy" star started a nonprofit foundation last year to improve the lives of people in the West African nation. "The stories of innumerable Sierra Leoneans that were forced into slavery have yet to be extensively told," Washington said in a statement. "I believe this project will begin to shed some much-needed light on the region, both past and present." The computer project focuses on Bunce Island, an 18th-century slave-trading castle that sent African captives to North America. Joseph Opala and Gary Chatelain, professors at James Madison University in Virginia, are directing the project, which will show the castle as it appeared in 1805. They hope to create an...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/missing-in-new-positive-isaiah.htm BC95ABB3-FB45-455A-969E-7317CFEA9083 Thu, 15 Mar 2007 23:41:59 -0400 As you know (or should know) I am the proud founder of Quench Essentials & our webstore launched just last month (you heard it here 1st). So I just want to do another shameless plug & update.

Since the launch of our webstore; traffic to our site has been wild & sales have been steady (I am happy & blessed to say). Many of my blogging buddies have given my awesome feedback that shows me that all of the hard work done by Suite Suzy, Cousin Dee & TB Emily is so worth it!

Hear is what some of my favorite Bloggers had to say:

Afrobella ~ One of my afrofellas, Bygbaby came to the rescue. He’s just come out with a line of products called Quench Essentials. If you’re like me and you love supporting small businesses by good people, you should check it out!

I was lucky enough to sample the MinTea Spa Soak, but at first I was worried. We now live in a home that doesn’t have a bath tub, so I haven’t been able to enjoy bath salts or bubble baths at all this year…

MinTea smells exactly as you’d imagine it would — minty fresh and good. I like it, and for $7 you get enough for several uses. I followed up my foot soak with a little scrubbing (the HoMedics bubbler comes with a little foot-shaped exfoliating brush, loofah, and sponge set. Very cute!), and then I really spoiled my aching dogs with Quench Essentials Elbows, Knees & Toes.

It’s a thick, buttery blend of shea, cocoa butter, and coconut oil. The Sweet Butter scent is light, soothing, and very pleasant…

Cluziel ~ I got my order of Quench Essentials from BygBaby (aka. Tafari) and I am in love! Since I am a NYC girl I usually swear by my pure shea butter that I buy in Harlem...but I really love the light feel of the body moose. I am not a huge fragrance person so I have the "naked" Body Moose...and I use it everyday now...

Daez ~ I'm considered an excellent Mixtress and toiletry maker...I normally don't bother using OPP (other people's products) because...well frankly, I can make anything THEY can make myself (LOL)!!... However, I have a vested interest in Quench Essentials because one of my favorite people Tafari, better and aka known as...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/quench-essentials-what-they-are-saying.htm CFFB42EB-52B3-49BF-99C9-5A7C032ED1EA Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:37:41 -0400 <img width="450" height="308" alt="Bygbaby.com Mindspill" border="0" ="" src="http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/uploaded_images/churchsign.jpg"><br /> <br /> The sign above caused mad outrage from Parents of young children, Gays, Atheists, Buddhists & White Supremacists in my city. To protest they will stage a dildo burning on the churches lawn Friday night & the tripped out thing is that the local police dept has issued a permit for the orgy opponents to assemble. It's going to be a wild Friday night. Stay tuned for updates & pictures. http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/church-folk-need-lovin-too.htm D7316E8E-3637-496A-A362-B3E459A0A753 Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:36:51 -0400
Not only is it a ghetto tale but it could very possibly be a HIV/AIDS tale. I mean you have 7 people in this story basically sleeping together & not using protection.

I’m surprised that Ricky has time for his "business" with all of his pussy dipping. I mean how many jump offs can a nigga have?

This is wrong, nasty & needs to be another wake up...
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A dad, again and again, again, etc.
By: Sharon Coolidge

Ricky Lackey has six children on the way.

Don't call them sextuplets - they're each with different women.

When Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Melba Marsh asked Lackey during sentencing Friday on a charge of attempted theft how many children he had, the 25-year-old said, "None, but I have six on the way."

A stunned Marsh tried to clarify. "Are you marrying a woman with six children?" she asked.

"No, I be concubining," he said.

Prosecutors said Lackey is the expectant father of six children with six different women. The women all are expected to deliver in August, September and October.

Lackey's lawyer, Stephen Wenke, stopped his client from saying more.

Marsh said she wasn't sure how to respond, so she let the issue drop since it wasn't relevant to the proceedings.

Lackey, a music producer who told Marsh he was on the cusp of a $2 million deal that would net him...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/cincinnati-dick-slinger.htm 7CA5D7C8-E08F-46C0-A463-3062F408090F Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:35:27 -0400 Yesterday I was dying to get off the plantation so that I could head to the movies to see “300”. I had been anticipating this release for weeks & actually got giddy at seeing the advertisements on TV so needless to say, my expectations were very high & a disappointment would totally fuck up my weekend.

So I am off work now & Cousin Dee & I run for a quick lunch nearby & during the entire lunch, I kept looking at my watch making sure that I had time to get to the theater & she was like damn OK I will hurry up & eat. The movie started @ 2:05 so at 1:45 I had to dip to get my ticket. After scarfing down my turkey sandwich, I bid Cousin Dee farewell & hit the freeway.

It’s now 1:55 & I m pulling into the movie parking lot & it was packed like the mall during Christmas. All I was thinking was, I hope that this damn movie is not sold out. I was really surprised to see so many people out (like me). So I get my parking space & limp into the lobby to see the line was long as hell so I got smart & went to the customer service desk & purchased my ticket there as the regular line got longer & longer. So now I gots my ticket, I breathed a sigh of relief & felt $9.75 broker.

Since the movie was being shown in IMAX I could...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/movies-300.htm 423C7E07-980E-4781-973E-ABDB49CC151B Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:04:22 -0400 All I have to say about this is about fucking time becuase "The Lion King" was not enough!

On a related note; a few weeks ago I went to see "Bridge to Tarabithia" & while waiting to leave this boring assed movie, I was thinking to myself about the need for a Disney movie that had a Black protagonist & theme.

I am so sick of these LILLY WHITE productions that Disney puts out time after time.

The story will be set in New Orleans & mos def Pre-Katrina LOL!
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Disney creates first Black animated Princess

Walt Disney Co. plans an animated film it bills as "an American fairy tale" that will feature the first black princess created by the studio.

And in a return to its roots, it plans to use hand-drawn animation to create the film, The Frog Princess.

Walt Disney Co. introduced Maddy, the black princess from the animated musical fairy tale The Frog Princess in New Orleans on Thursday. Walt Disney Co. introduced Maddy, the black princess from the animated musical fairy tale The Frog Princess in New Orleans on Thursday. (Judi Bottoni/Associated Press)

Disney outlined plans for the film in New Orleans on Thursday at its annual shareholders meeting.

The Frog Princess is the first animated film to be conceived since Disney's 2006 acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios, the computer animation house that created such blockbusters as...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/coming-soon-frog-princess.htm 46E834A8-F954-42B1-A18D-6B266C9B9A0D Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:06:33 -0400 My hearing was today so that means that my little legal journey is now over & I am officially living my life as Tafari K. Stevenson-Howard. <br /> <br /> The hearing only lasted 5 minutes (when they called my name) & it was not intense at all. All the judge asked me was, why am I changing my name & if my name change was an attempt to defraud creditors (I wish I could, shit!). Ten minutes later, I had my official freed slave papers to carry around to prove to the world who I’s is. <br /> <br /> My first stop to prove my "freedom" was the Social Security office, which went smoothly. Tomorrow I will tackle the Secretary of State (DMV) after work & before the movies. <br /> <br /> <object height="136" width="125"><embed src="http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/signoff.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="136" width="125"></object> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/say-my-mutha-fuckin-name.htm EF2A93DF-1A3A-4B35-8F0C-1B8F65E72F0C Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:07:49 -0400 Last night I think I had an epiphany about myself while watching Spike Lee’s "School Daze". First I think I need to say that last night was my first time watching “School Daze” in like more that 16 years (my high school daze), so there were some things in the movie that I understood & noticed that were above my head way back when. The issues of Black Unity, Colorism, Classism & Black Nationalism were things I had no idea about.

What I like most about the movie back then was the music, step show, sex & the banana in the toilet scenes, so that shows you were my teenage my was.

So last night as I dissected the movie while laughing my ass off, I noticed that Laurence Fishburne’s character "Dap" reminded of myself today. Dap was the politically conscious, Black Nationalist down for the cause of uplifting the People (Negros). During several scenes Dap was a little extreme & I was comparing myself to him & wondered how extreme am I & am I extreme at all.

Then towards the end of the film, Dap & Julian (Giancarlo Esposito) got into a final confrontation that really tripped me out. Basically...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/i-aint-blacker-than-thou.htm A7877C19-8ABF-4DA0-A8F4-B8F864DBD1D9 Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:09:34 -0400 Black Business Expo, which is a monthly event held the 1st Friday at the Charles H. Wright African American History Museum. Cousin Dee & I have been planning to go to the BBE for the last 8+ months & never seem to make it. The BBE is a networking & informational series for Black entrepreneurs on the rise in Detroit. So this time we made a promise to be in the house this past Friday.

Our goal was to go to the Centaur Bar for some after work cocktails to loosen us up to network with our fellow entrepreneurial peers. Actually anything that we may plan to do on Friday will start with a trip to the Centaur Bar (one of our favorite spots).

Since I got off my slave job before Cousin Dee I made a few stops in Detroit, starting with a trip to Tulani Rose to get some Khoret Amen Hair Oil, which I really just started to use. I really like the oil (obviously, since I just paid $22 for it) but there is something in it that makes me itch a little but I deal with it because I really like the smell, especially after I wash my locks.

So after my hair oil stop I made my way downtown to see my homegirl Zana @ Spectacles. While there talking shit & convincing her to come to the Centaur Bar after she closed her shop, the UPS guy came, not really a big deal right.?. Well it was a big deal because the UPS guy just handed Zana a box filled with Eric Roberson’s new CD …Left.

It was so ironic that it just...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/failed-business-trip.htm 525B1EAC-5389-429F-AB51-CE0441FD640D Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:11:56 -0400 This story really is an American tragedy & is such a throw back to how things "once were" in the dirty south. I guess I need to question myself on if this decision is really a surprised.

While looking for information to share on Emmet Till, I stopped by PBS & they never cease to amaze me with their wealth of information. For those of you who may not be aware of Emmet's story, here’s a quick synopsis:

In August 1955, a fourteen-year-old black boy whistled at a white woman in a grocery store in Money, Mississippi. Emmett Till, a teen from Chicago, didn't understand that he had broken the unwritten laws of the Jim Crow South until three days later, when two white men dragged him from his bed in the dead of night, beat him brutally and then shot him in the head. Although his killers were arrested and charged with murder, they were both acquitted quickly by an all-white, all-male jury. Shortly afterwards, the defendants sold their story, including a detailed account of how they murdered Till, to a journalist. The murder and the trial horrified the nation and the world. Till's death was a spark that helped mobilize the civil rights movement. Three months after his body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River, the Montgomery bus boycott began. (Source | PBS)
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Lack of indictment ends Emmett Till investigation

JACKSON, Miss. — A grand jury that looked into the 1955 slaying of Emmett Till — a black teenager who was killed after he whistled at a white woman in the Mississippi Delta — has refused to indict her, all but closing the books on a crime that galvanized the civil rights movement.

The district attorney in rural Leflore County had sought a manslaughter...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/emmet-till-revisited-legally-buried.htm B3116C1D-82AB-4A19-9C28-D5DCE0495DBE Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:13:23 -0400 Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes 2 weeks ago while listening to Fresh Air on NPR & could not wait for it to air on PBS. Well last week it was on & it blew my mind! This is a must see especially if you have children & are concerned about the images that they may be susceptible to on the radio, BET, MTV & on the streets. Byron Hurt really broke it down & had many people looking dumb as hell when he asked questions, especially Russell Simmons & Busta Rhymes. This movie needs to open up some serious dialogue amongst parents, media the rap/hip-hop industry.

This is very hard hitting & I hope that some change will come about & I think it is a real wake up call to young Sistas who are out promoting this...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/hip-hop-beyond-beats-rhymes.htm DD850132-7429-4D47-8BEB-DC85FEB3B3F2 Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:14:20 -0400
During the course of the conversation he asked what I was listening to lately & what was hot, so I had to let him that I was not sure what was hot. I really never know what is hot because I refuse to listen to the radio.

As I mentioned here before, I find the majority of my new music or releases from my favorite artists using online resources and various groups that I belong to, like the Incognito Message Board, Myspace (don’t laugh, just be my "Myspace Friend), Honey Soul, Giant Step & Epitonic to name a few.

Lately, I have really been deep into my favorite genre (house music) but my love of discovering music from the Diaspora has yielding some really good finds, which are dominating the rotation on my iPod, which currently has 4,196 songs (enough to last 15 days, 5 hours, 18 minutes & 14 seconds).

Now I would like to introduce you to some music/artists that you may not hear on the radio.
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Artist | Song | BIO (Click Song Title To Preview)
aFRO-mYSTIK – Momentary Vision: BIO - The world is insane! Traditional musical boundaries between nations are bending. The sounds of native drums can be heard merging with house music and uniting with jazz creating new forms, disintegrating the mass-marketed model of pop culture. This is the world of Afro-Mystik, Om Records’ electrifying live experience. Fusing the rhythms of many cultures into one on their second full-length album, “Morphology”, Afro-Mystik presents the evolution of diverse musical traditions into a singular, surreal electronic landscape.

The Bay Area's aFRO-mYSTIK artfully takes the dizzying beatscapes of primitive tribal rhythms and uses live instrumentation to mold them to the electronic sounds of the future. With the vocals of Liana Young, Gina Rene (of Soulstice fame), and Ismail Azeem, the bumpin' bass of Mr. Bungle's Trevor Dunn, the drums of Simone White (Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy), the percussion of Carlos Araiza, and the sampledelic production of Chris Smith aka DJ Fluid, aFRO-mYSTIK is the sound of dance music rooted in the traditions it grew out of. This is the past, the present, and the future.

It's all about rhythm. aFRO-mYSTIK is a refreshingly fluid and constant exploration of rhythm. A six-piece, live, improvisational rhythm ensemble. (Official Site)

Baaba Maal – Miyaabele: BIO - Baaba Maal is a uniquely talented singer from Senegal. He's equally at home with an acoustic guitar playing traditional folk music or playing the hottest international dance music. He's finally emerging into the international spotlight as one of the world's hottest performers.

While most Senegalese performers belong to the Wolof ethnic group, Baaba Maal is a member of the Pulaar (also known as Fulani) minority from Northern Senegal. Since he wasn't born into a griot (traditional musician) family, he wasn't encouraged to become a performer, but instead studied law. He is a scholar as well as a singer and has spent much of his life studying his heritage. (Official Site)

Skye - What's Wrong With Me (Free Download): BIO - Everybody knows Skye. As the voice of Morcheeba, she soundtracked our lives on albums such as Big Calm, sold five million records and graced stages around the world. And yet somehow, she's always remained an enigma. Private about her personal life and modest about her achievements, she never really played the pop star game. We knew her voice, but despite her success, we did not really know much about Skye. Until now...

Skye's debut solo album, MIND HOW YOU GO, is not so much a leap into the dark as a step into the light. Yet it was also a journey into the unknown. She did not know where it would take her and her record company did not know what to expect.

MIND HOW YOU GO is her emphatic answer, a sublime album of vivid songs that present Skye in an entirely new light. Of course, there is much that is familiar - the beguiling quality of her voice, the potent melodies that bury themselves deep inside your brain, the cool elegance of her delivery.

But this is also Skye as you have never heard her before. With Morcheeba, she was usually singing someone else's lyrics. MIND HOW YOU GO finds Skye singing her songs, telling her stories and finding her own way on an album that is both personal credo and a realization of her inner strength. (Official Site)

Zo! – Africa (Free Download): BIO - Zo!... This talented musician/composer claims the piano/keyboard as his primary instrument, and is self-taught on the bass guitar as well as the drums, and most recently the guitar. These different elements are molded together to form pieces that fall under no single particular genre of music

Born Lorenzo Ferguson on September 11, 1978 in Southfield, Michigan to a mother who played piano and a father who played guitar professionally while jamming with the likes of Wilson Pickett and others, music was a natural fixture in Zo!'s life from day one. From the many influences (including his parents' extensive vinyl and 8-track collection) came piano lessons, which began at the age of 5 and continued into his middle school years.

Zo! did not begin to fully explore his musical talent until the spring of 2000. Two years prior, he met fellow WKU student and aspiring artist, DJ Jon Doe (of Prophetix). Zo! was convinced by Jon (who then moved to Atlanta) to formulate tracks and send them to him so that his new connects could hear the music for themselves. (Official Site)
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If you are interested in Black Music research, I found a great resource (of course online); The Center for Black Music Research. The Mission: The Center for Black Music Research (CBMR) at Columbia College Chicago documents, collects, preserves, and disseminates information about black music in all parts of the world and promotes understanding of the common roots of the music, musicians, and composers of the global African Diaspora.

Please Enjoy!
Bygbaby]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/finding-black-music.htm 32AA22EF-3E11-4BC1-8983-9B324A0E3B2A Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:16:48 -0400 The video may take a second to download but it's worth the wait. I decided to record this video because I just could not write the words out to explain my experience with the passion that I wanted express. If you are new to the Mind Spill Blog, I suggest you read my Ghetto Disclaimer before proceeding.<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="320" width="240"><embed src="http://www.bygbaby.com/mindspill/saviours_day_2007.mov" autoplay="false" height="350" width="425"></object></div>To view you will need <a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html" target="_blank">Apple's Quicktime Player</a> installed. http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/bygbaby-nation.htm 0E8B281F-168D-458B-B925-2C91FFA272EB Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:19:21 -0400 Until last year I never cared about watching the Oscars because movies that I enjoyed the previous year were pretty much not nominated & actors/actresses that I supported were looked over.

Now this year, I have seen almost all of the major releases that have been nominated for an award so I feel pretty passionate about who & what will win.

You best believe that I am pulling for Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker & Eddie Murphy to bring home the Oscar, which I believe will show the world that "WE" can make things happen in a white oriented environment that has shunned us for decades.

So without further adieu, here is my comprehensive but narrowly focused recap of the 79th Academy Awards.

Movies/Actors I Care About That Won:

• Pan's Labyrinth:
• Best In Art Direction
• Achievement in makeup
• Achievement in cinematography
• Dreamgirls:
• Best Sound Mixing
• Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
• Achievement in visual effects
• An Inconvenient Truth
• Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song): I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth” Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge
• The Last King of Scotland
• Best performance by an actor in a leading role: Forest Whitaker

• Elements in Motion Performance
• Ellen’s opening when she talked about how diverse this years Academy awards are this year & when she “If there were no Blacks, gays or Jews, there would be no Academy Awards.” I guess you had to see it because it was both funny & real.
• The Dancing Silhouette performances (I don’t remember their real name).
• Gwyneth Paltrow's sachet out to announce the best Cinematography award. Home girl had a MEAN walk, almost like a Sista’.
• The 50-year foreign film tribute put together by Giuseppe Tornatore Director of “Nuovo cinema Paradiso” (one of my favorite foreign films of all time). It was awesome & I love foreign films.
• Jennifer Hudson’s acceptance speech, I actually did my bitch scream because I was so excited to see her win!!! American Idol, eat your hear out & here is another reason to celebrate Black History Month.
• The Dreamgirls cast performance: They truly set it off!
• Forest Whitaker’s acceptance speech with a special focus on when he honored his ancestors “who guide his steps everyday”. I loved that line & the timing!

• Céline Dion’s performance (I find her voice annoying)
• Looking at tattered Phillip Seymour Hoffman offer the award for Best Performance by an actress in a leading role. He looked like a hot damn mess!
• Looking at Jack Nicholson with that bald head & psycho black sunglasses

• Hattie McDaniel (1939), Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Gone With the Wind
• James Baskett (1948), Honorary Award "for his able and heart-warming characterization of Uncle Remus, friend and story teller to the children of the world in Walt Disney's Song of the South"
• Sidney Poitier (1963), Best Actor in a Leading Role for Lilies of the Field
• Isaac Hayes (1971), Best Music, Original Song for "Theme from Shaft" from Shaft
• Louis Gossett, Jr. (1982), Best Actor in a Supporting Role for An Officer and a Gentleman
• Irene Cara (1983), Best Music, Original Song for "Flashdance...What a Feeling" from Flashdance
• Prince (1984), Best Music, Original Song Score for Purple Rain
• Stevie Wonder (1984), Best Music, Original Song for "I Just Called to Say I Loved You" from The Woman in Red
• Lionel Richie (1985), Best Music, Original Song for "Say You, Say Me" from White Nights
• Herbie Hancock (1986), Best Music, Original Score for 'Round Midnight
• Denzel Washington (1989), Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Glory
• Whoopi Goldberg (1990), Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Ghost
• Cuba Gooding, Jr. (1996), Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Jerry Maguire
• Halle Berry (2001), Best Actress in a Leading Role for Monster's Ball
• Denzel Washington (2001), Best Actor in a Leading Role for Training Day
• Sidney Poitier (2002), Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award "for his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence."
• Jamie Foxx (2004), Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ray
• Morgan Freeman (2004), Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Million Dollar Baby
• Three 6 Mafia (Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman, and Paul Beauregard) (2005), Best Music, Original Song for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from Hustle & Flow
]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/bygbaby-oscar-recap.htm 2A45C568-2729-4834-864C-4DAA240938E5 Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:20:17 -0400 After a long exhausting weekend I had to wind down like a mutha fucka with my favorite activity, which is going to the movies.

First I went to see The Number 23 because that shit looked like it was going to be good & scary as hell. Well by the time I got to the theater, I was pretty tired from my drive as I was coming from vending Quench Essentials all day in Detroit but luckily I got there in time to spare for a restroom break, popcorn & a large mixed icee (my favorite movie combo).

The movie was not what I expected but nonetheless it was really good. I was thinking that it was going to be some slashing murder etc & instead is was super suspenseful & made me think about what was going to happen next. The bad thing is that I dozed off a few times which was not cool because I did catch myself snoring. I did not fall asleep because the movie was boring but I really was tired as hell.

If you are not a Jim Carey fan, I think that his role in this movie will have feeling quite the opposite. JC used to irk me, but every since I saw My, Myself & Irene, he has been cool with me, especially in his more dramatic roles, like Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

I am planning on see the movies again with more energy to fully enjoy & redeem myself
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Advertised Synopsis:

The psychological thriller "The Number 23" stars Jim Carrey as a man whose life unravels after he comes into contact with an obscure book titled The Number 23. As he reads the book, he becomes increasingly convinced that it is based on his own life. His obsession with the number 23 starts to consume him, and he begins to realize the book forecasts far graver consequences for his life than he could have ever imagined.

View the trailer here
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So after seeing The Number 23, I ran (not literally) to get my ticket for Reno 911: Miami. I am big fan of the Reno 911 show on Comedy Central because it is stupid as hell & always has me cracking up at the mindless humor.

Reno 911: Miami was all that & more, it was exactly what I needed to shake off some cyber drama that jumped off this weekend. The movie followed the same themes of the TV show but a bit more extreme, which was awesome.

If you are in need of a really good laugh, I mos def recommend this movie! There is nothing about the movie that disappointed me, so I felt like I got my money’s worth. There were a few scenes in the movie that almost made me...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/movies-number-23-reno-911-miami.htm ACB4B7A6-122D-440E-BA0D-4B1D6BEF89E4 Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:21:39 -0400
I recently posted the story of a white woman who wants to end BHM in her school district because she feels that it is discriminatory & irrelevant in regards to her child. She claimed that there is no White History Month etc. I say that White History Month is every month including February because how can we forger about the benevolence of those who helped us escape & fight alongside of us during the Civil Rights Movement (at least until the dogs & water hoses came out).

With this said, I present you with the story of Captain Nathaniel Gordon.
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Captain Nathaniel Gordon, American Pirate & Slave Trader:

Captain Nathaniel Gordon was the first and only American slave-trader to be tried, convicted, and hanged in accordance with the U. S. Piracy Law of 1820. Prior to his slave trading, he had been operating as a pirate along the coast of the United States.

On August 7, 1860 Captain Gordon loaded 897 slaves aboard his slave trading ship Erie at Sharks Point, Congo River, West Africa. The very next day he was captured by the USS Mohican fifty miles from port on August 8, 1860. After one hung jury and a new trial, Gordon was convicted November 9, 1861 in the US Circuit Court at New York and sentenced to death by hanging on February 7, 1862.

Before he could be hung President Abraham Lincoln issued a temporary (2 week) stay of Gordon's execution setting the new date for February 21, 1862. Lincoln made clear that the respite was only temporary to allow Gordon time for his final preparations.

The evening before the execution, Gordon unsuccessfully attempted]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/today-in-white-history.htm 4D89B66C-99B1-42CE-A281-E7F3B5078BC7 Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:40:00 -0500 I have a friend in Phoenix, AZ; we'll call her "Snapshots" (for the sake of anonymity) who last year told me how racist the atmosphere was there, which was a surprise. I have been to Phoenix only once & I fell in love with it, I also tried to talk Suite Suzy into moving there but she was not having it. We settled on the idea of retiring there in years to come.

Since Snapshots gave me this tidbit it has been n the back of my mind & upon discussion with others, Snapshots' assessment was echoed. So now I wonder if Phoenix anymore racist that any other area, wellllllllllll maybe because they do not honor Martin Luther King Day?

So today I was listening to my favorite NPR program "News & Notes" in particular the African American Roundtable segment when during the lightening round the subject of pickaninny images rolling in AZ (read below for the story).

Even though the very thought of seeing a pickaninny displayed openly is sickening, this is America & we all have the right to free speech, good bad or indifferent.
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Ariz. to still allow racist images on trucks

PHOENIX - It's still going to be legal in Arizona for trucks to have splash guards with racist terms and silhouettes of naked women.

The House on Thursday rejected a Democratic amendment that would have banned splash guards with "images that are obscene or hateful."

The amendment's sponsor, Rep. Ed Ableser of Tempe, said he'd seen a splash guard that used the word "pickaninny" a derogatory term for black children and said his proposal was intended "to make sure those individuals that have hateful motives don't express or push those images...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/arizona-loves-picaninnies.htm A861757E-AF51-4CAF-8E29-9C6F58CBF351 Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:38:41 -0500 Today as I sit on my ass waiting for mail that will not be delivered because it’s Presidents Day I am wondering if Presidents Day is necessary especially with Black History Month being recently criticized for relevance. I really do not see the point for this nation to remember leaders of an institution built on oppression, blood tears bodies.

Since I have been conscious of the Presidential office, we have had 3 losers in office: Ronald Reagan, George Bush & George W Bush. I am giving Bill Clinton an honorary pass only because many jokingly refer to him as the 1st Black president.

While I think Presidents Day is unnecessary, I guess if I were a government worker I would love it just for the day off.

With this said; I celebrate Presidents Day 2007 in the name of Civil Rights Pioneer & Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey! -----------------------------------------------------------
Go and Win
Ye Negroes of the world, another day has come, To test your worth of racial character; Your lives and homes, you see, are threatened everywhere; The time is now for you to do and then to dare. Your youth must struggle with the facts as they are seen, And blaze the trail for home and life redeemed: Your hope, I claim, is in the courage of the time, So go ye forth and win the battle that's sublime. --- 1933 Marcus Garvey
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Marcus Garvey Bio (in case you are not aware): Marcus Mosiah Aurelius Garvey, Jr. was born in St. Ann's Bay, on the northern coast of Jamaica on August 17, 1887. A short, stocky, largely self-educated but supremely confident black man. Garvey spent most of his years as a printer. He established the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), August 1, 1914. The motto became: "One God, One Aim, One Destiny." With the need for financial funding and the desire to meet other black leaders, Marcus set his eyes on America. Garvey arrived in Harlem on March 23, 1916. He soon established UNIA branch in the states. At its peak, the UNIA boasted a membership of over...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/day-of-man.htm E830E045-E64A-43BF-BEF6-19A951C3BD0A Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:36:53 -0500 Today Cousin Dee & I had one of our Cousin Dates out and about in Detroit. We had nothing major planned outside of our delicious lunch at <a href="http://ephmcnallys.com/eph_home.html" target="_blank">Eph McNally’s</a> (our favorite sandwich spot). If I am at Eph McNally’s I am either with Cousin Dee or BFB &amp; when I am alone, the host will tease me for dining alone. That’s how much we hit this spot up. <p>Anyway so after slamming down my Briggs Stadium (corned beef, scallion cream cheese & lettuce on pumpernickel) &amp; some the worlds best bread pudding (with Irish Whiskey Sauce) we decided to go check out our girl Zana @ her shop <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=49962048" target="_blank">Spectacles</a> to shoot that breeze for a while. When you go to Spectacles, it is always hard to walk out of there without something but today I was able to resist but Cousin Dee feel victim to one of Zana’s good buys (Zana always says everything in her store is a good buy so we always joke about this). </p><p>After socializing for a while with other regulars we bounced so that I could go visit my good friend <a href="http://www.touraytours.com/" target="_blank">Famara Touray</a> at his shop and to buy some of his wonderful natural African Black soap.... http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/lets-do-lunch.htm 12340EF2-18EA-443F-A685-3232DDC4225A Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:34:34 -0500 I was anxiously awaiting the release of this Daddy’s Little Girls since I saw the preview several months ago. The idea of a struggling Black father really appealed to me because I just knew that TP was really going to put it down. With this said I walked into the theater with my expectations very high my.


Well I will cut to the chase on this one to say that after the movie was over, I was entertained but also disappointed at the way the protagonist Monty (Idris Elba) was portrayed in the film. Not only that, the movie was filled with Black movie clichés like the church scene, the fights & drugs: basically, things that you would see in any TP movie. Not to say that his movies are bad because they are not, but I am kinda tired of seeing repeating themes.

Just to shed some light on the story line: Monty was a Brotha on the grind trying his best to make ends meet & help out his baby’s momma momma who was raising his girls because the mom was laying up with some drug dealer & did not give a fuck about her won kids. Shortly after the movie really kicked off, the grandmother asked Monty to take his kids because she was dying & he was like I can’t so she basically had to beg his ass to take his own kids (that turned me off).
Throughout the movie Monty kept on saying to his girls that he was taking care of the girls because their grandmother told him to. I think he mentioned this like 3 times & each time I grew pissed off at the statement. So the last time he said this, I actually shouted out "they’re your damn kids". I guess my hopes for Monty were just too high

My thing is if they are your kids, why should anyone have to tell you to step up & be a man & handle your business no matter what. Being a father is not a choice in my opinion, it is a...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/movies-tyler-perrys-daddys-little-girls.htm 1759477D-1408-495C-843D-CCF58876951E Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:32:46 -0500 -----------------------------------------------------------
$161.00 - Legal filing with Washtenaw County Court
$20.00 - Finger prints from Ann Arbor Police Dept
$55.00 - Finger print check by Michigan State Police & FBI
$38.67 - Publication of Notice of hearing in the Ann Arbor News
-----------------------------------------------------------

Today I completed the last process step in my name change, which was placing a public notice in my local newspaper. The announcement will be in tomorrow’s news & I am kinda nervous to see it in black & white as this makes it very real for the world to see (if they haven’t read my Blog).

Yesterday I called the A2 News (A2 is short for Ann Arbor) & talked to a woman by the name of Ebony who answered all of my questions about placing my ad. She was very helpful then I threw her off a bit when I asked what forms of payments they took, and Ebony informed me that I could pay by cash, check or credit. So just to fuck with her, I asked if I could use a money order or bridge card (used in Michigan instead of food stamps), she then laughed & said that those would not work then conversation ended with a mutual chuckle.

So today I made my way to the A2 News to place my ad & Ebony was at the front desk. She asked to help me so I stated my business & reminded her of the brief conversation from yesterday, she laughed & said that if I really had a bridge card could I hook her up because she needed some groceries & I busted out laughing. While still laughing I handed her my court document & had a seat while she entered my info. Ten minutes later she called me back up to the desk & gave me a proof then I shelled out my $38.67.

While Ebony handed me my receipt she thanked me & congratulated me on my name change. I was kinda taken aback & she noticed so she said that this is major & kudos were in order. I then thought about how my friends are telling me that my name change is so major & even drastic but I guess I did not think that it was such a huge deal. So I guess now that it will be in black & white it really is a big deal.

Before I left the office of the A2 news I told the Afroed & informed Ebony that my paying to change my own name legitimately is like buying my freedom from my slave-master much like Lunsford Lane. At this we both laughed but we knew that this statement was so true.

After I got into my car, which was headed to Burger King for a #1 with cheese, no tomato, ketchup or pickle plus mustard cut in half with a Dr. Pepper, I called my Best Friend Brion (BFB) to let him know my progress...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/cost-of-my-freedom.htm 65A6DC0F-84E7-4362-9489-2675B0E23492 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:01:43 -0500 Amazing Grace, which is a movie that I knew nothing about & got really excited. I really got excited when I saw a character that looked like Olaudah Equiano.

So after the preview went off & I closed my mouth I checked online to find the movie’s website & was really impressed with the information & movement that was represented.

Like so many others, I have heard Amazing Grace all my life but did not know that story behind it until I visited the Freedom Center in Cincinnati last year on my bus trip. The Freedom Center has an awe-inspiring exhibit dedicated to the history of the Amazing Grace hymn and all of the countless African lives lost at sea while in transit to the Americas. ----------------------------------------------------------- Movie Synopsis:

Amazing Grace, based on the life of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce, is directed by Michael Apted (The World is Not Enough, Coal Miner's Daughter) from an original screenplay written by Academy Award® nominee Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things).

The film stars Ioan Gruffudd (Black Hawk Down), Albert Finney (Erin Brockovich), Romola Garai (Vanity Fair), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Benedict Cumberbatch (Hawking), Rufus Sewell (Legend of Zorro), Ciaran Hinds (Rome) and introduces Youssou N'Dour.

Executive Producer is Jeanney Kim, with Mark Cooper as co-producer. Producers on the film are Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line) and Ed Pressman under their Sunflower Productions banner, Patricia Heaton and David Hunt for FourBoys Films, and Ken Wales.

Gruffudd plays Wilberforce, who, as a Member of Parliament, navigated the world of 18th Century backroom politics to end the slave trade in the British Empire. Albert Finney plays John Newton, a confidante of Wilberforce who inspires him to pursue a life of service to humanity. Benedict Cumberbatch is William Pitt the Younger, England's youngest ever Prime Minister at the age of 24, who encourages his friend Wilberforce to take up the fight to outlaw slavery and supports him in his struggles in Parliament.

Elected to the House of Commons at the age of 21...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/movies-amazing-grace-coming-soon.htm 5FB1639D-7822-4F39-854E-0D8AA1A26BB8 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:59:29 -0500 All week, I have been trying to do a “witty” post but I kept drawing blanks on what I have been reading & listening to (bummer). Luckily I checked Racialicious today because the letter below defiantly pulled me out of my little rut of news boredom.

While I think that the mom has a right to make this request, I also think that she needs to home school her little bastard. It is clear to me that she is the type of white person who believes that we (Black peoples) need to get over slavery, totally forget the Civil Rights Movement & live contently in a white oriented matrix.

While reading the letter I sarcastically though that if Lisa was sick of her kid learning about Harriet Tubman & all of the other BHM (Black History Month) regulars, then maybe she should do some research & introduce lesser known pioneers like Emmett W. Chappelle, Fred Shuttlesworth & Granville T. Woods to name a few.

Letters like this one are the kind of thing that got the ball rolling for the end of Affirmative Action in CA & MI (Thanks Ward Connelly you bitch!). ----------------------------------------------------------- Want an end put to school-endorsed celebrations of Black History Month

Why must our children, no matter what race, creed, religion, etc., be forced to celebrate Black History Month?

As far as I know, this is not a required curriculum yet..]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/shortest-month.htm 1D3B5821-B6F9-4DE6-A698-8E7D9252E570 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:57:15 -0500 Today I got a flood of emails about Anna Nicole Smith’s death (actually I only got 2). At first I thought it was a joke, then I did an web search & found that the info was legit. Then I started to slow my thought process &amp; was like wait, why in the hell do I care & why am I all in? I am not sure if White America was ready to lose such a high cultural icon. I have/had nothing against Anna Nicole but I was tripping at how all of my friends were eating the story up, so I questioned does Black America care; I certainly don’t & why was my show interrupted to announce this shit. Real news would have been that Bush was dead or some like Barack Obama admitted that he did not take baths &amp; was not as clean as Joe Biden said he was. If the coverage on Anna Nicole’s death continues to proliferate, I am going to put on a Depends diaper, drive to New York & fuck somebody up! My steel mallet, knife, rubber tubing, latex gloves, large garbage bags, pepper spray, BB gun &amp; 8 dildos (not to be used on me dammit) are already packed. <div style="text-align: center;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cawDKdepR-c"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cawDKdepR-c" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object> </div> Like my body!?! http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/american-personal-tragdy.htm 353A9EAF-AD00-4EA2-A246-CD221A0C08BB Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:55:42 -0500 I had to post this shit because it had me cracking up! Maybe tomorrow when I watch it again, it will not be as funny because my slight buzz from my 1800 & Chambord Margaritas will be gone. <div style="text-align: center;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C0f2dHJ6A18"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C0f2dHJ6A18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object> </div> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/condo-licious.htm 1DB624CE-46E5-4C67-BE20-6F692678DC69 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:54:45 -0500

• If you are afraid of talking about dildos, vibrators or butt plugs leave now
• If you feel comfortable with discussing or own a dildo, vibrator or butt plug, you may find this hilarious so enjoy
Moving on: I found this video on Youtube after a friend sent me an email with fun facts. Fact 2 on the list of 3 was: The maximum number of dildos you can own in Texas before you're considered a felon is 5 . After reading it I spit out a little of my crangrape juice while laughing. I dug around online & sure enough, this is some real shit.
I wonder just how many felons are in Texas at this very moment with more that 5 anatomically correct condom education models.


Other fun facts for the day:

• The silver/gray haired woman in the video is columnist, author, and humorist Molly Ivins who died last week following her third bout with breast cancer. Her syndicated columns were always amusing and filled with satire and humor.
• The percentage by which male drivers are more likely to die in a car crash than female drivers is 77% (Source: AAA via The Week)
• Exxon Mobil's profit in 2006: $39.5 Billion -\/- Amount the company makes per hour: $4.5 Million
]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/forbidden-dildos.htm EA1562CC-EFFA-4ED2-8BC1-021D6D4A42FF Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:53:51 -0500 I ran across this article today on the American Legacy Magazine site listed as a “Little Known Black History Fact”. The fact happens to be part history & part recent news but nonetheless interesting.

After digging around for more information, I found that this story is about 2-3 years old but it sounds like news from today.

The first piece of the story tripped me out because natural Black hairstyles are under fire in corporate American, HBCU’s & now in Africa (WTF). The reasoning is pretty homophobic but I know that Nigeria has some serious beef with gays especially over the last several years (outlawing homosexuality). ----------------------------------------------------------- Cornrows and Black Hair

Nigerian government officials have banned members of its national soccer team from wearing hair braids, dreadlocks and earrings. One government official said, " Our youth are now taking after our great [soccer] players...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/more-on-hair-discrimination.htm B1B5739D-B68D-453A-B05E-FF3532957F70 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:47:58 -0500 With the frigid weather upon us, who wants to leave the warmth of the indoors? Quench Essentials invites you to shop from the comfort of home or office at our new online store. Browse the aisles of all of our body products sure to keep your skin moisturized during these harsh winter months.

Quench Essentials gives you the best of what nature has, to keep your skin moisturized and healthy. We feature high quality butters, oils and vitalizing Dead Sea Salts.

As a Bygbaby.com Mindspill reader, I would like to hook you up with a 25% discount on your first order. Feel free to pass along this offer to friends!!!

Visit my store @ http://quenchessentials.net/storefront Coupon code: mindspill93QE

This offer is good through 03/06/07

Peace, Bygbaby]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/03/quench-essentials-web-store.htm 59062056-2236-4FC6-B016-6904DF1C09C1 Tue, 6 Feb 2007 01:36:29 -0500 Celebs lately just seem to love to make bigoted statements in public recently & there is no need to name names because you know who they are (Isaiah Washington, Michael Richards, Mel Gibson). After they said their shit, it was all over the news & everyone new about & some even went into rehab.

So now Paris Hilton has just been exposed for saying nigger & faggot (sp?) at a party on film while dancing like a total loser.

I watched a clip of an interview on CNN today & they mentioned that Paris might not suffer like IW, MR & MG but why come.

I saw the video & Paris was ripping on some ghetto broke chick from Compton talked about gay blow jobs etc. I guess because she is super rich she feels like she can get away with is.

I am dying to see if she is going to make a public apology or attend some type of racist homophobe rehab.

From EURweb:


“In the footage, Paris and her sister Nicky are at a house party dancing by themselves to the sounds of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize.” A male friend who dances in between them was referred to as a “faggot” by both Hilton sisters.

Then, at about 2 minutes and 45 seconds into the footage, Paris approaches the camera and laughs, “We’re like two niggers.”...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/celebs-lately-just-seem-to-love-to-make.htm 17B6F8B9-8C30-4348-9CD4-426FC5208A27 Mon, 5 Feb 2007 20:47:26 -0500 Blood Diamond (on bootleg DVD), Pan’s Labyrinth, Curse of the Golden Flower, Epic Movie & Smokin’ Aces.

Of the 5 movies, I really wanted to blog a review on each but I quite frankly have been too lazy to do so. So for the sake of keeping it simple for myself, I am going to tell you my favorites starting with Pan’s Labyrinth (subtitled) was off the fucking hook! It’s a Mexican film in set in war torn Spain. When I saw the review on Ebert & Roeper (or whoever they are now) I new this was going to be a great movie.

The story was part fantasy, part drama & majorly tragic! I found the film to actually to be beautiful the way that it was told. I was able to really escape my reality & become absorbed by the shifting story as moved along following the child protagonist Ofelia who seemed to be wise beyond her years. I saw the movie before it was nominated for 6 Academy Awards & I think that this film should win for Best Original Screen Play hands down.

If you are a sucker for escaping to another world by way of foreign films like me, then this is a must see!

Sticking with the foreign film theme I also loved Curse of the Golden Flower (subtitled). The way that Asia drama/action/fight movies are now, I feel that I have to see each one. No matter what the movie's underlying theme is, the fighting is the draw to me. I guess this is the child in me that is awe inspired by the noises that actors make when they strike their opponent or maybe it is they way that they effortlessly glide through the air like some super hero. Ever since I saw Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (one of my favorites) I am at every Asian action film that is released large or small budget.

The way that Curse of the Golden Flower was going it seemed to be more drama than anything with a slightly twisting plot with a implied Oedipus Complex that was throwing me off a little. The action in this movie came about ¾ths of the way through & when it came, it came.

Once the crescendo fight scene started I found myself holding my breath cause the fighting fucking epic proportions to say the least. From the looks of the army in the movie, I was thinking that they hired like ½ of China to be extras. I mean it was crazy seeing all of them damn people throwing down (I’m sure they were computer generated).

While I loved this movie, I think that the average movie-goer would get...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/bygbaby-movies.htm 23541A89-BE3B-4C5B-A466-72ABD39C971D Mon, 5 Feb 2007 20:45:12 -0500 Since the cast was coming off, I planned on getting a foot massage or a pedicure to pamper myself. I kept on bragging about this to Suite Suzy who offered to massage my feet but I told her this time I needed the real thing.

Before I left for the appointment I packed my left shoe & sock because I just knew I was walking up out of that bitch; little did I know.

Now I am in the office getting my freed from my red boot & getting excited. 4 minutes later, the cast is off, the staples are out & I am cleaning myself up. Moments later I pull out my sock & shoe then the tech looks at me & was like, what are you going with those? You will not need a shoe for at least a month.

Now that my heart sunk into my stomach, I asked what was next then the Dr walked in. He informed me that I would be in a air cast for 3-4 weeks.

My plan for a pedicure… was out & after getting a good look at my surgical wound a massage was definitely out. I was bummed out but at least I do not have to use those damn crutches, which allows me to now get a round only slightly better. The simplest task takes so much energy now, so I tell you that being fat & having ½ legs is not a good combo.

I called Suite Suzy after my appointment & air cast fitting to let her know the news about my leg & that I would be off work for another 3-4 weeks then I begged for a foot massage. After teasing, she finally agreed to hook me up.

It’s now 11pm, the house is quiet, the kids are asleep & Suite Suzy is preparing my footbath. I sink my right foot into]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/02/my-poor-dogs_01.htm DF418AB2-5B43-4CA7-94E8-F63B456111A7 Mon, 5 Feb 2007 20:43:54 -0500

While combing through the Sundance Film Festival site today, I found an interesting documentary titled “Banished” by filmmaker Marco Williams.


This film interested me because it deals with ethnic cleansing here in the US that took place between 1860 – 1920. I think I may be using the term ethnic cleansing a little loosely but what else can you call Black people being forces out of their homes & land by whites?
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Film Description: Leave or die: this was the choice white majority residents in various cities around the United States gave African Americans between the end of the Civil War and the Great Depression. Banished examines this shameful, hidden chapter in the history of American race relations by revisiting three of the communities that forcibly expelled their entire African American populations and interviewing the descendants of families who left their communities and property behind as they fled for their lives. In the still all-white communities of Pierce City, Missouri; Harrison, Arkansas; and Forsyth County, Georgia; the echoes of racial injustice during the past century still reverberate. Filmmaker Marco Williams...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/01/sundance-film-festival-banished.htm 002D09AD-5843-4630-B9A8-87E2E8D4FFD7 Mon, 5 Feb 2007 20:42:17 -0500


• Olivia & Sade B-Ball
• Amelia & Her Oatmeal
• 2006 Kwanzaa Party
• My Recent Surgery

Enjoy,
Bygbaby]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/01/veiw-from-top.htm F10A5739-87F4-43F1-B7D7-4E680734B68E Mon, 5 Feb 2007 20:38:16 -0500 One story that has gotten on my last damn nerve over the last 2 weeks was Isaiah Washington’s blurting “faggot” after the recent Golden Globes.

Isaish’s stupid comment was mos def fucked up but all of the press on this faux pas was just a little too much.

I really tripped out when I heard that IW was doing some homophobe rehab. WTF (like so many have said), when was homophobe rehab invented? The larger question that I have about homophobe rehab is how do you know when you are cured?

Anyway after reading a post on the Militant Blacktoast Blog via African American (Black) Opinion I am in stitches after laughing so hard at this satirical Homophobic Rehab Schedule for IW:

• 8-9 a.m. breakfast in group setting with gay men.
• 9-10 a.m. Breakout sessions
• Intro to drag
• History of homosexuality and religion
• Gay vs. Black American Civil Rights Movement
• 11- 12:30 p.m. Watch gay porn
• 12:30- 1 p.m. break/private time
• 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Group session, discuss any homophobic thoughts you had today and how gay porn made you feel.
• 3:30 -6 p.m. Shopping
• 6:30 -8 p.m. Dinner and chores: Refill penis-shaped salt and pepper shakers
• 8-9 p.m. TV time ("Will & Grace" reruns,"Queer As Folk," "Oz" "Six Feet Under" "Project Runway" "America's Next Top Model")
• 9:30 - 11 p.m. Late night group session
• Midnight movie: Brokeback Mountain

I posted the following comment on the AA(B)O Blog:...]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/01/rehab-gone-too-far.htm CE0E26A0-58E9-40C7-BD43-CC509C727E1E Mon, 5 Feb 2007 20:36:32 -0500 I read today on my girl Brunsli’s Blog about Barack Omaba who has been accused of being AWB (Articulate While Black).

This of course pissed me off & I am sure you know why, especially if you is Nigra yourself. I went to the Racialicious Blog, which Brunsli referenced & they have a comprehensive post on this.

This AWB shit needs to be stopped. What the fuck do they expect us to be like as we interact in society (white society). Myself, I have been know to out white any white man when it comes to acting white, but most often it break down to me being AWB or NLTO (not like the others).

On a related note, I was once told that I PWWB (presenting well while Black) during a job interview & that shit tripped me out. I guess he was thinking I was going to walk up in that bitch with a white tee, red monkey jeans & some Air Force Ones. Suite Suzy also suffered the same comment recently on a job interview. Needless to say, neither one of us got the job that we presented well for, so I guess we did not present well enough.

Have you been accused of being AWB, PW or NLTO? I wanna know & when you respond don’t say anything that would make you appear to be Black: OK! -----------------------------------------------------------
Bygbaby Factoid: As I type this post, I am TWB (tipsy while blogging (hey, it's Friday shit!))
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Related Info: Check out BlackProf on this issue ]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/01/what-do-you-expect-bitch.htm 682E25BB-C57B-42F7-B186-67C603E4B386 Mon, 5 Feb 2007 20:34:49 -0500 This may be no surprise to you but I am not into Oprah’s celebrity at & all of the ubiquitous + & - rage about her is annoying & not always news worthy to me.

Anyway I stumbled upon an interesting article about some new projects that O is launched this week that have me intrigued. One is a new book (released today) by Henry Louis Gates Jr. titled “Finding Oprah’s Roots” which the publisher describes as:

“Finding Oprah’s Roots will not only endow readers with a new appreciation for the key contributions made by history’s unsung but also equip them with the tools to connect to pivotal figures in their own past. A roadmap through the intricacies of public documents and online databases, the book also highlights genetic testing resources that can make it possible to know one’s distant tribal roots in Africa.

For Oprah, the path back to the past was emotion-filled and profoundly illuminating, connecting the narrative of her family to the larger American narrative and “anchoring” her in a way not previously possible. For the reader, Finding Oprah’s Roots offers the possibility of an equally rewarding experience.” (I am not reading it! Sorry.)

The 2nd project is a PBS special titled “Oprah's Roots” airing tomorrow. PBS says:

“OPRAH'S ROOTS offers many new insights into how one of the world's most famous people emerged from an exceptional family. It includes an account of how Elmore Winfrey, Oprah's paternal]]> http://www.mindspill.bygbaby.com/2007/01/talkin-bout-roots-oprah.htm 0A0E170D-1589-4632-AACF-1C2B23A01A71 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 12:20:50 -0500 It has been 6 days since my surgery & today I finally had enough energy to venture out of the house for some fresh air.

I decided to take myself to lunch @ Panera Bread mainly because I was feenin’ for some French onion soup. My one concern about venturing out was the weather because it was snowing & I am still trying to get the hang of my crutches. Thank God I have a handicap sticker because when I got to Panera, the parking lot was off the hook.

So I get into the restaurant & there were no seats available & I had to figure out how I was going to get my tray to a table with crutches. Luckily I was able to get the cashier to deliver my tray to me.

Now that I had my challenge of getting my meal to a table, I just had to figure out where I was going to sit in the packed restaurant. Like I said it was absolutely packed with people so I am feeling like I was looking stupid trying hopping around on crutches looking pathetic.

After a while I heard an woman call out to me & asked me if I minded sharing a table with her so I happily & quickly said no don’t mind & thanks so much!

My new table & lunch mate was Michelle, a 70 y.o. English realtor who does not mind sharing a table in “European style”.

During our conversation, Michelle told me how she comes to Panera all the time & gets annoyed at how people are not willing to share their space. She then told me that at the age of 70 she does not mind bothering a lone person who is hogging up a table meant for 4 people.

While I shared the table with