for a dude who threatened you constantly,talking bout how good he was, and how hard his ‘hood was, lamont was one the greatest new york rap singers ever.
for me personally, he was better than biggie.yeah,i said it.
a new flick about his life.hopefully not a whitewash, like the others, where the most foul, gangsta dudes suddenly turn into angels who love their mom, and never sold drugs.
metaphor master.he lived by the gun, and died by it.he sure could rap though…
deep.
completely hypocritical,after “streetstruck”, but dope, none the less…
d.i.t.c tribute.actually touching…
Big L – Lifestyles of Da Poor and Dangerous [320]
Click on images for ‘On The Go Interview’ from 1995
Stephanie Davis with students from the Bridgeport Lighthouse Afterschool Program
“Volunteering is not just an activity, it is a way of life,” says Stephanie Davis who started volunteering 10 years ago when she was only 6 years old. She has two cousins with autism, and this inspired her to start participating in walkathons and fundraising. To this date, she has raised over $30,000 for autism by making and selling “have a heart” pins and other products in her community and has been recognized by the U.N. for World Autism Day in 2008 for her personal advocacy efforts. She has since expanded her advocacy scope to include human rights issues and tutoring children locally in Bridgeport, CT.
What subject in school are you most passionate about?
I’m just starting the 11th grade, I don’t really have a favorite class, although I find biology to be interesting, and I love Spanish because I want to be able to spend time living in a different country when I’m older.
What do you see yourself doing as a long-term career?
I want to spend all the time I can exploring opportunities in the world that will help me find something I am interested in to spend my life doing. I want to do something I feel passionate about and that benefits other people. I want my career to be one that inspires or helps people in some way.
Share the story of how you got started in volunteering.
I was six years old when I started walking in walkathons for autism for my cousin David with my family. It was a few years older when I started volunteering with my mother taking care of children in Operation Hope in Bridgeport while their mothers searched for homes/jobs. I was in sixth grade when I started asking my mother every day to find me a volunteer job so I could help young children in need of education and tutoring. She finally found me one when I was 12 years old and I began volunteering weekly at Elias Howe Family Resource Center in Bridgeport, CT.
How many hours per month / what kind of volunteering do you do?
I spend about 2 hours every Wednesday (sometimes Thursdays as well) helping the Lighthouse Program Students in Bridgeport with their homework and giving them the one on one attention that they deserve. For the past four years I have been doing an annual fundraiser for these children at Cesar A Batalla Elementary School. When I was 13, I made my Bat Mitzvah project a mural painting for the school. The next year I did a winter clothing drive. For the past two years I’ve been doing a letter writing campaign to all of the Bridgeport businesses, raising money for scholarships for the students of The Lighthouse Summer Program. I am also team captain of my Autism Speaks team, “Curing Cousins,” inspired by my two autistic cousins. Since I was 9 I’ve been raising money to support autistic people by making and selling heart shaped pins. Now I involve young children in helping with this cause and advocating for autism awareness in their elementary schools, along with autism fundraisers I do with my friends. In my school I am also co-president of The STAND Club, Students Taking Action Now in Darfur. However we have expanded the club to help not only Darfur, but all of Sudan which is in dire need of aid and restoration. I am also Community Service Officer of the buildOn Club which provides community service opportunities for students.
What keeps you motivated in doing community service?
I am very passionate about the causes I am involved with. My desire to help and make a difference motivates me.
How has volunteering affected you?
Volunteering has definitely shaped the way I view the world. Knowing that the world can be a better place with the effort of every person being kind and caring about others is an amazing thing. I love spending my time doing humane things, especially when others get inspired to do the same.
Share an incredible experience you had through volunteering.
Every week when I enter my classroom I am knocked over by the door with the endearing hugs of the children. Leaving the room is always a struggle, but what the kids don’t know is that I don’t want to leave them even more than they don’t want me to. I’ll never forget the kids that I’ve connected with, helped, and grown to love so much.
What advice would you give to other youth about getting involved?
Everyone needs to find their place in the world by doing good, starting with their community. It is important for people to play their role in giving back to the community and making helping others a part of life. Reaching a hand out to someone in need opens doors that one could never imagine.
What would you say to someone who says it takes too much effort to volunteer?
If someone feels passionately about something and wants to make a difference or help out, then they should. If it means that much to you, then you will find the time. If there isn’t something specific that excites you, give anything a chance. You may be surprised how much you like it.
What benefits have you found in community service?
The feeling I get when I volunteer is my benefit. Just knowing that I have affected someone else’s life in a positive way is the best benefit I get.
What perspective have you gained that could be useful to a future job?
I know the volunteer work I’ve done will help me to have a positive and passionate outlook on any work I do.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Last summer, the summer of ‘08, I was fortunate enough to go on an amazing trip to Costa Rica on a teen tour. I went with a group called “Global Works”. The program’s purpose is to allow teens to see the world while doing community service and learning the language of that country. For me, Costa Rica was one of the most memorable experiences of my life because of the connections I made with friends on the trip and the people I met in the town we lived in. We spent ten days living in a town called Parcelas where we got to stay with a Costa Rican family while helping out in the town. I learned how to communicate with people there speaking Spanish and surprised myself as to how well I could keep up in conversation. I still keep in touch with the people I met there and the people who joined me on this incredible journey. The people I met, the friends I made, and the experiences I went through on my Costa Rica adventure have all changed my life substantially. After living in the conditions in this developing country, I have grown a stronger appreciation for what I have in my own life. Also, I feel that this trip has shaped me into a happier, more outgoing person. I am so fortunate to have had such an amazing opportunity so early in my life, and hopefully one day I will make my way back to Parcelas!
I’ve been reading more and writing less the past few days. Chapters on showing versus telling, viewpoint and narration, and characterization (still within Mr. Lukeman’s guide). Not a nail-biting Stephen King saga, but for a struggling writer the material is absorbing– especially characterization.
A few bulleted problems he lists: not establishing characters before diving into the story, cliche characters, too many characters, and the unsympathetic protagonist. I was initially concerned that some of my characters were too “out there” or unbelievable; however, I realized that many best-selling books contain characters who, if described in two sentences, would seem completely unrealistic to the reader. It’s the humanistic qualities these characters possess– their plight, motives, quirks– that keep readers bound to the pages. Two words can verify this: Harry Potter. Two more words: Star Wars.
My characters are off-beat, but you can relate to them. Even Sigmund, the bovine who wants so desperately to be someone else that he slowly starts to believe he’s someone else. (Something we can understand, yes?) The tricky part is showing this. The act of showing that these characters have specific desires instead of telling the reader straight out is the goal. It takes time, but creates an engaging story.
To make this happen, I think you must know your characters well. I knew a few of my characters well, but was clueless to the motives behind the other characters’ actions. So I thought I should ask them.
Enter the interviews.
I began to interview characters using a Q & A type of format. Or at least, that’s what I had planned. Believe it or not, interviewing imaginary characters doesn’t always pan out as smoothly as you’d like to think it would. My first chat, with one ADHD-soaked Dick Kabonic, owner of Kabonic Wet Divide Exploration and Other Stuff, Too, began the series of interviews with semi-contained chaos. Sigmund, the determined bovine, followed up brilliantly with his endearing madness.
Am I myself mad for doing this? I don’t know. I question whether my fetus is going to have normal brain functioning.
At any rate, starting tomorrow I’m going to post these interviews just for the hell of it. You’ll either have a chuckle or feel immense gratitude for your own mental stability.
Shaun Prescott’s interview with Grant Hunter is now online at the Cyclic Defrost website. It touches on Crab Smasher, Terminator 2, Super Mario World, Digital Painting, and the cover art for Cyclic Defrost #23.
For anyone familiar with Grant Hunter’s work, any mention of cartoons in relation to the 26-year-old’s drawings will probably come as no surprise. The Novocastrian noise-pop purveyor and erstwhile graphic artist seems to pointedly stretch everything he tries his hand at – whether it be music or art – into awkward, elongated and garishly captivating shapes, recalling the caricature of cartoon. As a central member in Newcastle group Crab Smasher, Hunter has managed to weave black humour and a technicolour freshness into a genre best known for its monochromatic sobriety.
Read the whole article at http://www.cyclicdefrost.com/blog/2009/09/03/grant-hunter-by-shaun-prescott/
Dinsdag 6 april brengt prinses Maxima als beschermvrouwe van het Oranjefonds een bezoek aan Boxtel. Dit fonds ondersteunt tal van projecten die de integratie van alle Nederlanders stimuleren. Vorig jaar reikte zij een Gouden Appeltje uit aan het contactouderproject in Boxtel. Tijdens de uitreiking beloofde zij om een keer een bezoekje aan Boxtel te brengen. Nu komt zij haar belofte inlossen. De contactouders verheugen zich enorm op haar komst.
De contactouders in de wijk Selissenwal zorgen ervoor dat allochtonen en autochtonen met elkaar in contact komen en dat er niemand geïsoleerd raakt. De groep bestaat uit drie Nederlandse, twee Antilliaanse, één Turkse, één Marokkaanse en één Pakistaanse vrouw. Door deze verschillende nationaliteiten, bereiken zij meer mensen. De vrouwen adviseren, stimuleren en betrekken de mensen in de wijk bij allerlei activiteiten.
Maar ze organiseren ook cursussen zoals computerles, fietsles of kookles. En ze werken samen met de GGD, die bijvoorbeeld les geeft in opvoeding. “Er wordt dan vaak gepraat over normen en waarden van Nederlanders. Zo kom je erachter dat die helemaal niet zo van die van ons verschillen, ook al denken veel mensen dat. Iedereen heeft toch dezelfde bedoelingen met hun kinderen”, zegt contactouder Sevim. Daarnaast zijn er speciale conversatielessen, waarin allochtonen leren hoe ze bepaalde gesprekken moeten voeren. “Er wordt hier niet echt les gegeven, maar meer met elkaar gekletst. De mensen leren bijvoorbeeld hoe ze een dokter moeten bellen of hoe ze iets op de markt moeten kopen” , aldus Sevim.
De meeste contactouders zijn door de basisschool De Walpoort, waar hun kinderen op zitten, benaderd om aan dit project mee te doen. Ze waren allemaal meteen enthousiast. “We willen allochtonen over de drempel helpen. Zelf zijn we al over de drempel. Mensen gaan vaak niet in op een schriftelijke uitnodiging, dus komen wij bij ze aan de deur om ze persoonlijk uit te nodigen. Je merkt dan dat ze niet durven, omdat ze de taal niet goed beheersen. Maar wij kunnen ze dan toch overhalen. Mensen zijn vertrouwd met ons, omdat wij zelf allochtoon zijn en bij ze in de wijk wonen. Wij staan dicht bij de mensen, daarom loopt dit project zo goed.”
Maar daar moeten de vrouwen wel heel wat voor over hebben. Anneke vertelt: “Er gaat veel tijd in zitten. Contactouder ben je eigenlijk 24 uur per dag. Bijna iedereen in Boxtel kent ons en we worden vaak aangesproken. Voordat ik contactouder werd, was ik in een kwartiertje terug van het boodschappen doen, maar nu doe ik er zo anderhalf uur over.”
Over het voortbestaan van het contactouderproject bestaan nog twijfels. Ze zijn erg afhankelijk van subsidies van de gemeente. “De gemeente erkent ons wel mondeling, maar niet schriftelijk. We worden wel gewaardeerd, maar als het om geld gaat, houdt het op”, zegt Ederne. Het eerste anderhalf jaar waren de diensten van de contactouders gratis en waren veel instellingen enthousiast. “Nu ze ervoor moeten betalen, staan ze ineens niet meer zo om ons te springen.”
Volgend Sevim is de integratie in Nederland niet helemaal mislukt. “Daar is ons project een mooi voorbeeld van. Het probleem is dat de negatieve punten veel publiciteit krijgen. Ze zouden de positieve kanten eens wat meer moeten laten zien. Zo krijgen mensen een beter inzicht en zal hun houding misschien veranderen, want integratie moet van twee kanten komen.”
Alle moeders zijn zeer verheugd over de komst van de prinses. “Maxima is erg hartelijk.” Ze zou eigenlijk vorig jaar in september al komen, maar dat ging toen onverhoopt niet door, omdat ze bedrust moest nemen. “Dat was wel een teleurstelling, maar nu hebben we wel meer tijd gehad om ons op haar komst voor te bereiden. Vorig jaar kregen we het twee weken van tevoren te horen, dus dat was wel even stressen om alles op tijd te regelen. Bovendien neemt ze nu misschien ‘de kleine’ wel mee”, grapt Anneke.
Daarnaast hebben de vrouwen Maxima al eerder ontmoet tijdens de uitreiking van het Gouden Appeltje. En ze hebben het voordeel dat ze de grootste voorbereiding al achter de rug hebben. Over het programma willen ze nog niets kwijt. “Dat mag ook niet, want we moeten ons aan het protocol van de RVD houden.” De trotse vrouwen verwachten wel een grote opkomst nu het al zo vroeg bekend is dat de prinses naar Boxtel komt. “Er zullen mensen zijn die hier speciaal een snipperdag voor nemen. We zullen dranghekken nodig hebben!”
Er breekt een spannende tijd voor de vrouwen aan, maar ondertussen gaan de werkzaamheden gewoon door. De vrouwen zijn bezig met het opzetten van een bibliotheek en een speel-o-theek in de wijk. “Een boek lezen of een Nederlands gezelschapsspelletje spelen is erg belangrijk voor de ontwikkeling van allochtonen. Nu willen ze wel lezen, maar ze vinden de bibliotheek te ver weg. De taalbarrière is toch het grootste probleem op het gebied van integratie.”
If you missed the interview, you can watch it here.
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Rick
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Happy September! We are kicking off the month with an open-ended question and answer session with Matthew Gavin Frank, author of Sagittarius Agitprop, which we proudly published this summer. Matt will be guest blogging all day to answer any questions that you might have about his work and his creative process. He might even dole out some advice on writing and getting published.
We are going to open the discussion by asking Matt a few questions, posted below. We look forward to your questions and hope for an interesting and lively discussion. Please post your questions in the comments section of this post. Matt will review them and respond to as many as possible.
All the best,
Your Black Lawrence Press Pals
1) What are your top five favorite poetry titles? Why do you love them?
2) You write in a few different genres. How do you decide between genres once you have decided to write about something?
3) Are you tackling any craft issues at the moment? If so, what are they and how are you dealing with them?
