My love does not die when I close my eyes…
Nor does my love diminish if you are silent or on standby.
I feel Your love wholly in my heart.
You make it Valentine’s Day, every day.
Thank you for planting the seed so deep..
I feel your love and it draws me to weep.
For this is the love I always hoped to find.
Why couldn’t I just open my mind?
If all of humanity could find Your way…
Praise ye and hallelujah!
For if all of the world could experience Your love,
It certainly would be Valentine’s Day, every day.
I have recently been exploring the broad realm of love. I have been observing what love is and what is means, provokes and evokes in those around me. I feel a big project coming on and I like it!
I am so fascinated by what such a simple word can do to people; love, by no means, is a simple emotion. But it should be, in its purest form. Love is complicated but its not supposed to be painful and I am seeing in those around me, and even in myself as I explore this expression, that it can be. It’s saddening to see a mother cry because someone proclaims what a good mother she is…yet, only she knows her mistakes and cannot forgive herself–despite her children obviously being able to and loving her wholly.
Witnessing this outcry sort of set all this in motion; putting me on a path to dive deeper into this thing called love. So, from time to time you may see a posting here about it and I may possibly ask questions of you and ask for anonymous comments.
Lovingly…
Stacey
I was up in Georgia again last week, both working on a project and spending time with friends. My hosts/friends invited another friend over for dinner one night. She had a bag of fresh field peas in the freezer that she wanted to use and we racked our brains trying to think of how to use them. I absolutely love to cook and even more so, for others. I had the bright idea to make an Indian dal from them.
I have had dal (dahl) in many forms at many restaurants but had never made it myself. I looked up some recipes and found the easiest one. We were also making chicken and decided to curry it. We had all the ingredients on hand. I started piecing it together and prayed (literally) it turned out edible. I have to say that others usually praise my cooking; I am sort of an artsy cook: I usually just cook up stuff that sounds good to me, don’t measure much and things turn out pretty good. I also have a habit of replacing out or substituting ingredients from recipes if I don’t think it sounds good.
So, I am going to share with you the dal recipe, which my friend/hostess insisted I write down so she could attempt to recreate for some people she was having over in the near future:
Stacey’s Dal (Dahl) Recipe:
(this was probably 4 -5 cups of field peas feeding four nicely)
Lentils or Field Peas (just use what you have and how ever much you need to feed ppl)
½ cup Olive Oil (about a tbsp for sautéing)
1-2 cups of water
1 med onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup coconut milk
smidge of fennel
lite dusting of crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp Ground Coriander Seed
1 ½ tsp Ground Cumin
2 tbsp Curry Powder
¾ can of stewed) or otherwise cooked) tomatoes
Cook lentils/beans/peas and smash them up. Sautee onions, garlic in tbsp of olive oil and add the smash and remaining olive oil and 1 cup of water. Toss in all the spices and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Check consistency which should be sort of thick and creamy, if not, add more water. Toss in tomatoes and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add in coconut milk and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Check consistency…you may need to add more water.
Should simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve and enjoy! J
Being of American Indian heritage, I try to pay attention to what goes on with the tribes scattered about the country. My bloodline comes from my Cherokee great-great grandmother and Muscogee (Creek) great-grandmother, and though the Cherokee are the most revered tribe historically, they have had their struggles. But, they walked out of line and back to their land…one by one. (Read about the Trail of Tears)
It seems as though we mostly hear of the troubled North Dakota tribes, such as the Lakota. The New York Times recently ran an article discussing how the youth of these tribes have taken a cue from troubled inner-cities and have formed gangs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/us/14gangs.html?th&emc=th
As I read the article it reminded me of a couple of times growing up, when I went to the Cherokee Reservation in Cherokee, NC with my Great Grandparents…they were good times, but my Gr. Grandmother told me (I was 10 yrs. old) how a lot of the Indians are drunks. Such is the case with many of the northern tribes. Alcoholism is rampant and drug use has been on the rise.
Now, these kids with no sense of identity are trying to take the identity of the inner city gang bangers and apply it to their own lives. Apparently, it’s not working well for them. They are either inadvertently killing others or killing themselves. (suicide). There is such a shortage of police on the reservations, they cannot contain the violence. They have a shortage because the Federal Government has cut the Reservation’s budget so short, they can only afford 12 police officers for an area the size of Rhode Island. So, these kids probably have no fear of authority–there isn’t authority to fear.
What is this? Why is this part of our population so disregarded? Neglected. And how did a people who were once so proud, loose themselves in poverty, alcoholism and violence? Do you realize, this is our own country’s form of genocide? Stripping an entire population of it’s dignity, self-worth, identity and basically, leaving them to die off. Our government tried to kill them hundreds of years ago..and they fought back. So, what will it take to get them to fight once again?
What do you suggest they do?
I came across an article on the AP describing a two-day workshop held in Washington DC this week with the FTC and big wigs in journalism about the future of the media. It was all encompassing, including print media, television and internet media. That is big. There is no more denying the online publications ARE a viable source of news and journalism.
Even exec’s from Google, Yahoo and some government officials were on hand to lend an ear and their opinions to the discussion which included the following topics:
“… tax law changes that would allow media companies to earn tax credits or become tax-exempt entities, and copyright law changes that would force search engines and other online aggregrators to compensate media companies for the content they produce…Also on the table is a proposed change in antitrust rules to allow newspapers to jointly negotiate payments from Web sites that use their content…”
All of this could positively effect our own business structure and ability to generate revenue and move forward.
If you would like to read the string of articles put out on the AP (Associated Press) click on the link below:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iW1Qyhetchunikdb3cyV7Sj2UJLwD9CAJBQ80
Yesterday, I was tested by a person who is deeply burdened by the root of bitterness. I was completely blind-sided by a series of emails I received from this individual–and yes, I know them, I know them very well. The words spewn forth unto me were not new to my eyes and ears…but receiving them after sharing what I hoped that person might find inspirational news, was indeed a bit shocking.
I have some really well informed friends and thankfully they like to share information from all over the world. I was please to see this article (courtesy of my friend James Lee of Lee Strategy Group in L.A.) discussing how young women in India are starting to stand-up for their rights and say “no” to being forced into marriage as young as 8 and 10 years old.
Here is the link in case you would like to read it: http://bit.ly/3EoAY7
But after I read this article two thoughts entered my mind:
1) India, historically is not the only culture to arrange marriages for very young women–Europeans did it for centuries though thankfully became more civilized at some point in the last 150 years or so. (Though even here in the states there are subcultures we don’t hear much about where this still occurs, quite illegally.)
2) What about the rest of the world? This is similar to the female sexual castrations in African culture…girls and mothers are now saying no to this, despite it being on the rise. And in certain Asian and African cultures, they are still marrying off young girls and sometimes to much older men, thus traumatizing the girls.
It’s stuns and disheartens me to learn of all the different ways people are mutilated by their own families. I know it’s wrong in my heart, but it makes you question what sort of evil exists in these cultures for them to do such horrible things to one another.
I have been “away” from my desk, as virtual is it is, since October 19th and will continue to be until Oct. 31st. I haven’t had time to work on the blog during this time. I will update on November 1st. Also, be sure to check out the new issue sometime on Nov. 1st and look for the great, new site additions we will have in store for you.
Till then…much love!
Stacey
Across the country are scattered regional and city centered Chambers of Commerce. There is also the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which was in the news over the last couple of weeks with Apple pulling their membership because the Chamber’s standards aren’t to Apples liking. (Read here). They pulled their membership due to the U.S. Chamber’s stance on climate control.
Maybe Apple should join the Green Chamber of Commerce.
I received an email from one of attribute’s business acquaintances, Stacie Shepp (of earthsite.net and Greenmaven.com) who sits on the Board of the GCC asking if we would be open to receiving event announcements from them. I was interested and intrigued… a Green Chamber of Commerce?
The San Francisco based Green Chamber of Commerce is entering it’s second year in existence. Are you interested in learning more, volunteering or finding a chamber near you?
Visit their website and sign up: www.greenchamberofcommerce.net
They are seeking people to head of chambers across the nation…get in on the ground floor!
The Green Chamber is holding their Annual event on November 5th, 2009, 5:30-8:00 PM
Where: Wendel Rosen Conference Center, 1111 Broadway, Oakland, CA
Cost: Tickets are $20 Green Chamber members, $30 non-members; $35 at the door
It’s always sad to see magazine’s being shut down. Not only because it puts people out of jobs but because some are long running and have a large following. Today, Conde Nast announced it is closing down four more titles (they shut down a couple already). CN is the parent company for Vogue.
Gourmet, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and Cookie are all being closed and at least 180 people let go by the end of this week. They are citing poor ad sales and revenue as their reasoning.
Here is a link to the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091005/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gourmet_closing
Today, I am attending the memorial service for a young man I had known for over 10 years. He was the son of a former co-worker who, became a person I would never forget (he actually worked with us as well when he came of age). Dustin Bowman, 24, died on Sept. 15 2009 from complications of quadri-paralysis.
Dustin was an interesting young man. You never knew what you were going to get from him or what he would say. His death was tragic…he was paralyzed after a car accident he had on his way to L.A. to do some work in the film industry–he was just starting his career after being in the USAF and taking some time to realize his dream.
Today’s memorial will be held on the beach in Naples, FL where Dustin resided the longest. His ashes will be scattered into the Gulf of Mexico…but what will come from the last year of his life is incredible. His incredible mother is turning her grief into something very positive in hopes to help other quadriplegics but is also going to be telling his story the way he had intended–through film. A film she knows will touch many people. You see, it was through this tragedy that she finally became the mother to Dustin she needed to be and learned so much about the many facets of who he was and how he touched so many over the past years, the last year, of his all-to-short life.
Stay tuned…as I am about to take on a huge project and will let you, my readers, follow along. :)
RIP Dustin Bowman– we love, miss and honor you, always. xo
Our friends at Liz Lovely Cookies (read our article from last year http://bit.ly/HwZyp ) have have added a gluten-free line to their vegan cookie mix. I am was thrilled to see this when I popped over to their site last week.
Good gluten-free, vegan cookies are really hard to come by and I cannot wait to try them. Two of my local health food stores carry the line so I am going to see if they have them this week and get a full review on the yummy new varieties offered.
Title: Slow Food USA, Labor Day Eat-In
Location: Nationwide
Link out: Click here
Description: In place of another annual festival, Slow Food USA has planned a national Eat-In. These potluck like eat-in\’s are in support of their \”Time For Lunch\” movements which is pushing for healthier school lunches.
Start Date: 2009-09-06
End Date: 2009-09-07
Read our coverage of last year’s Slow Food Nation Festival
In the performing arts world, when tragedy strikes, the community mourns and shows it’s respects by having a dark stage. This basically means that performances are cancelled, the curtain is drawn and the stage is dark (unlit). Today the world lost it’s Maestro…Erich Kunzel. For me it’s a personal loss as I grew up in the city where he built his reputation and his legendary career. I grew up attending the Cincinnati Pops which is where his baton laid upon it’s podium since the 1970’s. But his career and love affair with the Queen City began over a decade before. He was also a professor at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and was one of the founding chairpersons of the now renowned CCM Opera dept.
Kunzel died this morning (Spet. 1, 2009) at age 74 after a short battle with cancer (I really hate cancer y’all). He was the guest conductor of orchestra’s across the globe and last year at the Beijing Olympics, the Cincinnati Pops was the ONLY American orchestra invited to attend and play.
He leaves a huge legacy in Cincinnati and though I am not currently a resident (I live in his second city of residence where he also lent his baton for a while), I can feel the sorrow of the entire city from here. It’s a sad day today.
You can read the full article posted in the Cincinnati Enquirer website this afternoon, below:
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090901/ENT03/308120005/Erich+Kunzel+dies+at+74
Godspeed Maestro Kunzel…rest in peace and knowing how many lives you have brought the joy of music to.
My friend James has been raving about the documentary “The Cove” on Facebook for weeks. He even changed his profile pic to the film’s poster. I think he is trying to be the films “poster child”. So, if you would like to learn about the dolphin slaughtering that occurs in Japan I suggest the following article or just seeing the film “The Cove”… this event is slated to happen soon…and I presume the protest will ensue as well.
This takes me back to the days when dolphin safe tuna was all the topic…Dolphins being slaughtered but not for sport…to sell the meat. I have my own opinion of this (like the eskimos killing whales–it’s part of their survival and they use every part of the whales)….but to know that someone would want to eat a Dolphin…is sickening to me. They are like our salt water equivalent and it’s very sad to know it happens in such a cruel manner.
To learn more…read about it in Mother Jones by following the link below.
http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2009/08/cove-dolphin-japan
Title: attribute\’s September Issue goes live
Location: the web across the globe
Link out: Click here
Description: Join us and enjoy our September articles and musings…
Date: 2009-09-01
It’s the eve of our next issue. We certainly hope you enjoy what we have in store. New article topics will include:
B Corporations
America’s Healthcare reform
Review: Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
Green Wedding How-To
New columns in Exhale, Karma and In These Financial Times…
Personal essay in Literature and Culture
And who knows what else may pop in it’s head over the next few days (we do get a bit spontaneous here).
Come back by and bring your friends!! We can’t wait.
Cheers!
Title: Native Plant Workshop at the Costa Mesa Green Home
Location: Costa Mesa Green Home, Costa Mesa, 92626, US
Link out: Click here
Description: Members of the (Costa Mesa) community are invited to a Native Plant Landscaping Workshop, to learn how and why planting native plants is beneficial.
Start Time: 09:00 AM
Date: 2009-08-29
Title: Native Plant Workshop at the Costa Mesa Green Home
Location: Costa Mesa Green Home, Costa Mesa, 92626, US
Link out: Click here
Description: Members of the (Costa Mesa) community are invited to a Native Plant Landscaping Workshop, to learn how and why planting native plants is beneficial.
Start Time: 09:00 AM
Date: 2009-08-29
Hi all…I FINALLY got around to adding info to both the “about” and “sponsor this blog” pages and added a photo (just now)…check them out.
If you or anyone you know, is interested in fairly priced adspace…contact us.
Coming soon… the “Friends Websites” page and think I am waiting on word from the web-dude about creating galleries for the photos page but for now, it’s one pic only…it’s cute one. I love my staff.
Title: Joshua Stedman: Free live in Concert
Location: Van Dyke Cafe, 846 Lincoln Rd. Miami Florida
Link out: Click here
Description: Celebrate Labor Day with a live evening performance by Joshua Stedman (full band).
Start Date: 2009-09-07
Start Time: 09:00PM
End Date: 2009-09-08
End Time: 01:00AM
Remember my article earlier in the year about the Tea Parties (April 2009, Tea Party Like It’s 1773 ) sweeping the nation in protest of all the money being spent by government and their generally excessive behavior? If you thought the party was over, think again. The Cincinnati Tea Party has invited all the affiliates in the Midwest to tea on Sept. 5th, 2009. (See our event calendar for details).
I think it’s great that Mike and the crew @CTPO haven’t let their momentum waiver even after all the hoopla surrounding the April 15 events have cooled to a cold tea brew. We certainly don’t hear much about the Tea Party affiliates these days. It’s great to know the kettles are still boiling!
I hope you all have a great turn out. Read the article in cincinnati.com here: http://bit.ly/1gBexl
Title: Midwest’s Largest Tea Party
Location: West Chester (Cincinnati), OH
Link out: Click here
Description: Front lawn of the Voice of The Cincinnati Tea Party is inviting all like-minded individuals to join them at America Park Museum8070 Tylersville Rd.West Chester, Ohio 45069
Date: 2009-09-05
I did something this evening which made me really happy! You can also participate…If you have a blog, you can now offset your carbon footprint by participating in Brighter Planet’s, 350 Challenge http://350.brighterplanet.com/ All you do is go to that website, place the cool badge (see the one on this blog’s right hand column) on your blog, fill out the form on their page and they do the rest.
You can read an article about their efforts on treehugger.com: http://bit.ly/BL4zz
So, bloggers…do your part!
I love music and it’s sort of rare for a new band to really make me want to spread the word on them. This band new to me, though they have been around a couple of years. I will definitely be keeping my eye on them from now on: Vampire Weekend.
http://www.vampireweekend.com/music.php
I had no idea what I was getting when I borrowed the CD from the library (and I always love unknown finds from the library). I was incredibly surprised by this fun band. Their music is a happy-go-lucky, let’s have beach bon fire and talk about good times, type. This American bred band has slowly been gaining in popularity over the past couple of years. It was a smart move on their parts going with Ian Montone (I almost wrote monotone haha) as their manager…he manages The White Stripes…so the get’s their quirky sound and possibly the type of following they would have.
And you know the standard for music is how they fair on the British charts and they have done pretty well there compared to their rankings in the U.S.
I literally couldn’t stop wiggling in my seat upon my initial listen…I was hooked. The strangest (ok…silliest) song on the collection is “One (Blake’s Got a New)” Face but even it makes you smile. My favorite tune, by far, on the Vampire Weekend cd is “Walcott”. I like the fusion of musical genre’s represented in this song. I like “A-Punk” a lot too (click on the link to watch the oh-so-cute video). BTW, these guys like the F-bomb but it’s so natural and subtle, you may not even know they’re saying it.
I look forward to a future of music from these young guys! Check them out and see if you approve and pick up their CD or get their tunes from their site.
I have been trying to shed the same 10 pounds for a couple of years. I drop it slowly but then it’ll sneak back up on me. I am not one to go on diets or use supplements to loose weight and with my health issues (I have Celiac Sprue) I have to really watch it when it comes to diet, so I just do not risk it.
I was reading about the Acai berry and all it’s health benefits so I decided to give it a try last Winter. I bought the frozen pulp to put in my morning smoothies. I didn’t pay attention to the fact it contained guarana (a caffeine carrying berry also found in the Amazon region of Brazil and also common in dietary supplements) and thought perhaps that is why I had some strange side effects from it. Yes, I lost my appetite but, after a few days I wasn’t feeling my normal happy self. I attributed this to the guarana and not the acai but decided to stop using it. Within a few days I was feeling my old self again.
Well, this past week I decided to try a pure Acai juice and once again, I have slipped into a strange mental space, like a depression. I started to realize it last night so this morning didn’t put it in my smoothie. Today has been a strange day…
So, my friend, if you happen to use Acai be very aware of your mental and emotional state. If you know the history of older diet pills, etc, they have a history of depressing those who use them, in fact years back a lot of women came forward about how depressed the were while taking diet pills/supplements. It is the depressants which make you not want to eat..get it?
Please don’t listen to the hype (or even me)..listen to your own body–it knows what is and isn’t good for it. :)
Now I am going to detox this crap out of my body!
Well over a year ago, I saw an article in the New York Times on a bakery in the lower East side of Manhattan called Babycakes NYC. I was so excited to hear about it, despite living in SF Bay at the time.
Babycakes is a place where a Celiac like me can go and actually buy baked goods that are guaranteed to be gluten free (though they do make some things with spelt and they are clearly labeled)…and a step further for someone like me with dairy and egg allergies, all their goodies are without. They boast they are vegan and kosher and free of other common allergens. Most of their ingredients are also organic.
They are free of refined sugar with is another plus; they use agave nectar for most of their sweetening needs. They also use coconut oil in many items so I think that must be the moisture secret.
Babycakes NYC Inc. was founded by Erin McKenna. The establishment has a select celebrity following (and now they can include me in that circle hahaha) and are opening a second location in far away Los Angeles (probably at the request of said celebrities).
My companion during this adventure into Babycakes land was not of the same persuasion as myself. He can eat anything and actually left with a lot more than me and loved every morsel.
I bought things to last me the course of my stay in Brooklyn: I got a few of their brownie bites and ate one apres lunch (they were warm from being in the car for a while–so they were sort of melting and gooey) and talk about delicious!! The OMG’s couldn’t come out of my mouth fast enough! I had made Celiac friendly brownies in the past and they were good but not THIS good. I also snagged a piece of chocolate chip/banana bread and it was really moist and scrumptious. Lastly, I had a piece of chocolate crumb cake which was also very good. I wished I had a big glass of rice or soy beverage to wash that cake down with because it would have been the perfect companion.
My friend ate part of a biscuit in the car and he was also umm’ing and yumming all the while! I was very happy he liked his choices.
Babycakes does deliver to parts of Manhattan and they ship anywhere in the contiguous US via FedEx.
I know the next time I am in NYC, where my first stop will be! I will be connecting to their blog and referring readers and friends to visit and experience it for themselves. Mange mange!
I want to give another shout out to Joe Monks for posting a big thanks to us on his blog. You can read it here:
http://www.chantingmonks.com/monks-word/?p=347
He truly is an really great man!
Title: Frida. Thoughts, blood and flowers
Location: DAAS Gallery, Ft. Myers, Fl
Link out: Click here
Description: Honoring the live and work of one of the greatest female artists, Frida Kahlo, several artist show their interpretation of her art, and the inspiration that her legacy left us.
Start Time: 06:00PM
Date: 2009-08-07
Influential modern dance marvel, Merce Cunningham died last night at age 90. He is the founder of the NYC based Merce Cunningham Dance Company and was a dancer and choreographer for over 6 decades. I had the pleasure of speaking to Mr. Cunningham on the phone a couple years ago, along with one of his associates at the company–what a lovely group of people!
Cunningham was one of last remaining artist from that POP era. He called artist’s Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg friends and Rauschenberg even designed sets for Cunningham’s performances. May your dances never die and may you dance in your slumber eternally, Merce.
It makes you think about all the original works these men brought the world and who is next in line to replace them…or at least is provokes me. I feel an article or maybe a challenge taking fruition. Stay tuned!
Sorry folks…this past week was incredibly busy and now I am in “editing mode” for the August issue. I have a bunch of topics I want to discuss so I hope to catch up after we are uploaded, my articles are finished and we are live August 1st.
Check us out on August 1st and enjoy the new articles!
I stopped watching SNL on a regular basis years ago as I feel the writing has just gone way downhill over the years. I do however get a kick out of their “commercials”. It is on behind me right now though and the first commercial of the night was as gross as it was ingenious.
Edible Pampers
Talk about getting on the “green” bandwagon. SNL just took that one to a WHOLE new level. 
Here is the link (it’s hiatus so of course it was a repeat): http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/pampers/981315/
Enjoy!
I joined a group called Bloggers Unite. BU is composed of bloggers coming together, world wide, to lend their voices for a particular cause. My first cause is due today (I have an hour left to get it up): Human Rights.
I am very sensitive to the thought of any living being being mistreated in any way, shape or form. We hear so many stories today of people being taken advantage of in the work place in places like China and Mexico. Low wages, long hours and poor working conditions. But that is not my topic.
I am discussing the effects left by big corporations, run off from urban sprawl and live sewage to the world’s water tributaries. Do you know that the Yellow River in China has actually started to run red due to the pollution which pours into it from factories and building industry along/near it’s banks. Many of these factories belong to foreign owned companies–companies who for years neglected to instill the same standards they would in their home countries.
The “mother river” as it is known, may be China’s smallest river basin but it has help feed and bathe a good portion of the Chinese population for centuries. But now, over one-third of the water from the river cannot be used at all; this was stated in a report from the Yellow River Conservancy Committee last fall. And not just unfiltered water, it CANNOT be used at all; the contamination levels are so immense it is dangerous.
This causes huge problems for the people living in the areas around the river which has 32 tributaries. The population is poor in much of this region…the water is part of their livelihood. Research I have found shows that many ignore the warnings and continue to use and consume the water because in order to have clean water, they have to pay a foreign company to place pipes to their property. And the y simply cannot afford it. So they continue to take the risk of becoming ill or worse, contracting a disease and dying. Cancer rates have risen over the years in the regions around the basin.
And why should they have to pay for something that is rightfully theirs? Clean water, though it a problem in many parts of the world, is something all humans should have access to. Whether it is a river or stream in their back yard or 20 or 50 miles away, it should not be something which becomes so tainted it is condemned like a run down home. We need water to survive..we are born out of it, our bodies are composed mostly of it and it is, our life source.
So, the next time you turn on your faucet and you can even wash your hands in the water running from it…be grateful.
I just wanted to post that we are seeking interns for the following areas:
Marketing
Promotions
Ad Sales
So, if you are a college student or recent grad looking for some experience in the exciting world of on-line media, visit the jobs page on our website or click here.
I was completely surprised to read a recent article in Soapbox Cincinnati discussing the upcoming weekend conference, Cincinnati Equinox . Surprised because as a teen I was submerged in the alternative scene in the QUEEN city. I really never thought there was much bias. Was I blinded by my own openness and the fact I was embedded in the midst of it all?
Yes, there was the whole Robert Maplethorpe thing but even I was slightly offended by some of those photos (they were pretty graphic)…not that I thought they should be banned, just put out of view of children and the faint at heart.
It’s also hard for me to fathom this city as un-gay friendly because as long as I can remember, there have always been gay owned/friendly establishments. Heck…they had (it’s reopening?) a Hamburger Mary’s there that was so popular it wasn’t even known as a “gay” establishment. You couldn’t get in the door late nights! And the DRAG queens…girl, let me tell you about them queens. They were la creme de la crop! And when you could go to a club (RIP Warehouse) where all measures of the alternative scene (from straight-edge to gays to skins) came to play and everyone got along…you really thought there was at least a respectful tolerance of lifestyle choices.
What ever has happened to bring such dismay to the LGBT community in Cincinnati…I am sorry! But I definitely applaud you for pushing forth and making things better and not being afraid to voice yourselves and to draw attention to your successful endeavors and sharing them with other citizens and communities.
Hopefully you have read the article I scribed on Numi Organic Tea. I actually discovered Numi years back during a visit to San Fran before I lived out there. The experience I wrote of in the opening actually happened. A girl friend and I were having lunch at the Slanted Door Embarcadero and we order this “flowering tea” having no idea what we were ordering. When it came out…we were so thrilled. She and I are both artists so anycool discovery, such as this, made us a little giddy.
As we watched the flower bloom the fragrance was so amazing that is distracted our conversation as we were constantly stopping to stick our noses over the glass teapot. And then, when it was ready, our server came over and poured us each a cup. MMMM…wow!
Flash forward to this past Monday. No, actually to a few weeks ago when I initially spoke to Ahmed on the phone. Let me tell you how incredibly nice he is. He had asked me to forward my address to him so they could send me some samples. Now normally when someone says sample, they mean a little sample of their product (at least in my experience). Monday when UPS redelivered the package I opened the door to a pretty big box.
I was sooo excited. I really, really LOVE tea. (I had already bought myself a box of the Chocolate Puerh tea bags and have been enjoying it for a couple weeks..it it really good and leaves a nice after taste.) So I open the box and take out the paper and it was like Christmas day for me! Ahmed sent me enough tea to last a pretty long time and (AND) he also included a small glass tea pot full of ”flowering” teas and also a couple extra boxes of them. I was smiling from ear to ear.
Now where am I going to put it all? I may need to buy a chest just for my new tea collection.
Thank you so much to all at Numi and Ahmed for his kindness; it was a true pleasure researching your company for the article. I sincerely enjoyed writing it!
You can order Numi tea from the affiliate link at the bottom of the article and we will soon add it to this blog.
You can also view a recent interview with Ahmed Rahim on the risks of entrepreneurship:
BNET Interview with Ahmed Rahim of NUMI
Sleep, during the last few days of the month is, a rarity–getting more than four hours would be a gift. I was up till after 4AM working on this issue…then up by 9:45 (kept hitting snooze) to do a little more work and get out the door to–go to work (yes, I have another job folks).
It is always worth the deprivation of course, seeing the finished product each month brings me so much joy! I hope it does you too…otherwise this is all pretty pointless.
We want to give back so please play to win throughout the month! And check back for updates and new additions!
First contest details are in today’s previous post located below! Good luck and have a wonderful day!
~Stacey
Here are the scavenger hunt questions for today’s prizes: 4 passes to the San Francisco Frozen Film Festival (July 8-11). Open ONLY to SF Bay area residents to ensure they are used. The answers wil be found in the 2008 article on our site about the festival. You will have to search for the article (I’m not making it that easy):
1) What famous visual artist’s name is mentioned in correlation to film?
2) What famous author did Gabriel quote in relation to how they found the festival name?
You have until 8:00 PM PST to answer. You can comment here, DM on Twitter, message us on Facebook or MySpace or email to promos @ attributemagazine dot com. Up to four ppl can win.
So, over the years I have been told I can be a bit defensive, in fact just today I was told that “someone” said I was getting defensive. I was a bit floored by this considering I was offering and answer to what I believed was a direct request for “what’s the hold up?” My qualm and my questions ensue:
1) Who decided that the simple act of explaining yourself was a negative thing? Seriously–if someone approaches me and asks me say, about a project and what might be holding it up…aren’t they asking for an explanation? So when a response is offered-instead of I guess “sorry, I will get it right to you” isn’t that what they approached to find out? One would THINK so…but it’s sort of NOT what they WANT (said explanation) rather they want to hear that you will get it done ASAP and to let them go on their merry way.
2) When did it become a crime to actually offer an explanation in defense of oneself? When I ask someone a question, for example one of my writers and why they haven’t gotten their article to me, I actually WANT to know the reason. I listen. I ponder and I respond back. I find this “defensive” excuse is such a common practice in the drone of the workplace that people have honed the craft of selective hearing and selective information gathering (and selective–I didn’t get what I wanted so therefore am going to complain to someone else who can poke the other person) it’s ridiculous and down right child-like.
I think it’s offensive. I am not a person who makes EXCUSES for myself rather, if you ask me a question…you better prepare to hear an actual answer because I will have one. Just as I absolutely expect the same from you…and I will stand my ground until I get a response and will not accuse you of being defensive.
My quest for inner peace began over a year ago–I was seeking answers and apparently looking in ALL the wrong places. My enlightenment came to fruition on Oct. 25, 2009. If you didn’t read my article entitled, “Reborn” (Nov. 2009)…I suggest starting there before diving into my “updates” which will be posted here for others to ponder and learn from.
more…