Thursday, November 17, 2011

Ella and Cornucopia



This is an illustration that I made as a gift for my friend Charles of his beloved dog Ella. Isn’t she cute? Charles is program leader of SEED Wayne at Wayne State University in Detroit. SEED Wayne is the agriculture program at Wayne State University that works with community based organizations to promote food planning and policy development which allows urban areas better access to fresh, healthy produce. Here Charles talks with Youth Neighborhood News about the various programs that SEED Wayne sponsors.

The fruit and vegetable cornucopia is something my editor wanted for a Thanksgiving article in the November issue of CMP magazine. The cornucopia is unrelated to Ella but I just thought it was fitting to include it in this blog post that mentioned SEED Wayne. I would like to wish all my blog readers and their families a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for?

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Joe Frazier and Heavy D



This past week the world tragically lost two great men, boxing legend Joe Frazier and legendary rapper Heavy D.  Frazier (aka Smokin' Joe) was best known for his battle with Muhammed Ali in 1971 where he became the first man to beat Ali during the Fight of the Century at Madison Square Garden. Frazier died Monday November 7th at the age of 67 after his final battle with liver cancer. As I was working on this tribute illustration to Frazier I heard the shocking news of Heavy D’s passing at the age of 44. I grew up listening to Heavy D and remember many of his fun hits including “Now That We Found Love” and “Girls They Love Me” where he proclaimed himself as the "overweight lover." I was especially fond of his contribution to Janet Jackson’s song and music video “Alright” because I think this was when he established himself as, not merely a rapper, but a true pop star that was outstanding enough to perform with the best in the business. Throughout his career he also dabbled in acting where he played small roles in the films The Cider House Rules and Life, as well as parts in the television shows Bones and Boston Public. His last film role was a cameo in the recent blockbuster Tower Heist. He was known for his optimistic tweets and ironically one of his last tweets was in tribute to Joe Frazier where he said, “SMOKIN JOE FRAZIER..RIP.. truly one of the best heavyweight champs that ever lived.. GODS SPEED,MR FRAZIER!"  In one of his last interviews with TMZ when asked which he liked better, singing or acting he replied “I really love anything artistic, it’s kinda my freedom.” On Tuesday November 8th Heavy D would leave his final tweet, “BE INSPIRED!” I promise I will try.


Saturday, November 5, 2011

Occupy Wall Street Scene 4


There is so much to talk about regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement. This week a general strike was held in Oakland, CA by occupy protestors and supporters. Recently Rachel Maddow talked on her show about the rarity of a general strike and Bank Transfer Day which is the Occupy protestors’ commitment on November 5th to move their money from big banks to credit unions. Later she talked with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author, Ron Suskind about President Obama’s support for a federal transaction tax which would raise revenue and stamp out speculative trading and behavior. Last night Maddow also had this interview with Author, Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket about his thirteen observations on the Occupy Wall Street protests that he wrote for the Occupy Writers website. Earlier this month Ms. Maddow reported about how the income gap has grown enormously in the last thirty years since Reagan’s trickle down economics.  Columnist Frank Rich wrote this piece about the Occupy movement for New York magazine entitled “The Class War Has to Begun.” The Huffington Post recently featured this article about how a new poll shows even millionaires want to raise taxes on other millionaires. 



Thursday, November 3, 2011

Rick Perry Cuddling Syrup


Okay so by now everyone has probably seen the Rick Perry New Hampshire footage. I tried to avoid it. I didn’t want to see it. But finally I have seen it and now I can’t get the image of Rick Perry cuddling syrup out of my head. Come on, Rick Perry cuddling syrup that’s funny!