Take this blast to the dome:
~~~
Can I get just ONE billboard (not 10) paid for by the black church of Southside Chicago that criticizes BUSH and the American Establishment for COMMITTING, not just perpetuating, violence against ALL the human families of the earth?

Can I get just ONE billboard (not 9) paid for by the black church of Southside Chicago that criticizes the racially biased "drug war" incarcerates African American youth at much higher rates than their white counterparts and gives them more time for committing the same crimes?

Can I get just ONE billboard (not 8) paid for by the black church of Southside Chicago that criticizes the WEALTHY white-male supremacist who run the "music industry" and controls the propagation of destructive images? Targeting rappers is NOT targeting the "music industry!" Rappers are laborers in the industry of music; they manufacture the products that their company demands of them. Rappers are like models in a cigarette advertisement that most often don't even smoke cigarettes, but for want of work, they'll promote the harmful tobacco products!

Can I get just ONE billboard (not 7) paid for by the black church of Southside Chicago that criticizes black "pastors" who sell their flock to politicians who DO NOT represent the interest of the Black Community?

Can I get just ONE billboard (not 6) paid for by the black church of Southside Chicago that criticizes the CIA/Reagan-Bush administrations deliberate flooding of the Black Community with cocaine from Central/South America to finance a covert war in Nicaragua?

Can I get just ONE billboard (not 5) paid for by the black church of Southside Chicago that demands reparations for this Genocidal crime against humanity?

Can I get just ONE billboard (not 4) paid for by the black church of Southside Chicago that criticizes the inadequate education in our communities that has left a substantial amount of black youth unable to read on a fourth grade level after 12 years of school. Inefficient administrators and superintendents. Not to mention horrible teachers who can not be fired?

Can I get just ONE billboard (not 3) paid for by the black church of Southside Chicago that criticizes Big Time black media moguls like Kathy Hughes, Bob Johnson, and the black woman who presides as president of BET for their participation in the dissemination, propagation and perpetuation of negative images that "degrade women" and "perpetuate violence."

Can I get just ONE billboard (not 2) paid for by the black church of Southside Chicago that criticizes the lack of financial transparency in the black churches in America who fleece their poor urban and middle-class black families of tithes and offerings that never find their way back into the community to aid the very people the church is set up to support?

Can I get just ONE billboard (just 1) paid for by the black church of Southside Chicago that criticizes the rich white-male supremacist patriarchy in which we are embedded for its shaping and maintaining of anti-black behavior in all of its life sustaining institutions be they private or public?

JUST ONE!

Wise Intelligent

www.myspace.com/wiseintelligent

It's NO LONGER Smart to be DUMB!

~~~

learn:

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.- Yes, 50 Cent is one of rap's most lucrative entertainers. Yes, he's sold more than 11 million albums, and yes, he has built a rap empire. But no, 50 can't count on selling his usual million albums the first week in these troubled musical times—which is why he needs manager Chris Lighty more than ever.

Lighty didn't get to be hip-hop's go-to dealmaker by accepting the status quo. So while sales may be down, Lighty is still working magic to make sure 50—and other high-profile clientele like Diddy and Busta Rhymes—keep getting very paid.

During an interview in the swank cafe of the opulent Beverly Hills Hotel, Lighty rattles off various opportunities for 50, including a vitamin supplement deal, a role in a Brett Ratner movie, and his own condom line. Coming soon for another client, LL Cool J? A Chapstick deal for the rapper known for licking his lips.

"Now you have to as many strategic alliances as possible to market your music and market your brand, to grow the brand and then in turn hopefully grow and help another brand," says Lighty.

"As music sales go down because kids are stealing it off the Internet and trading it and iPod sales continue to rise, you can't rely on just the income that you would make off of being an artist."

It's an aggressive and diverse strategy as the recording industry grapples with sharply declining record sales—but not a new one for the 38-year-old Lighty, who has been a player in the hip-hop game since he was a kid DJ some two decades ago. He rose through the ranks at Rush Management (Russell Simmons' first company) before eventually founding Violator Management 10 years ago (Mona Scott and James Cruz are partners).

"A lot of people look up to Chris Lighty because of the blueprint that he's laid over the years," says Grouchy Greg, founder of the leading rap Web site allhiphop.com. "He started with KRS-One and Scott La Rock, and if you listen to early hip-hop records, you'll hear early mentioning of him. He's been instrumental in a number of influential artists' careers."

Now, with a roster ranging from Academy Award-winners Three 6 Mafia to maverick Missy Elliott to up-and-comer Papoose, Lighty's mission is to not so much to make musical superstars, but multifaceted entertainers who can be marketed in an array of ways: a sneaker deal here, a soft drink partnership there, a movie role down the road.

"He has helped me establish accomplishments on the level of business moves that have been very, very, very, very lucrative for me," says Busta Rhymes, who has worked with Lighty for years.

On this day, a tour Lighty is setting up for Diddy and Snoop Dogg is causing him headaches. He constantly checks his Blackberry during the interview (he jokes that he only shuts the device off when he falls asleep, "whenever that is, and whenever I wake up I still look at it.")

Headaches and violence are part of the job, especially when you work with 50 Cent. The latest is the arrest of G-Unit member and 50 Cent BFF Tony Yayo, for an alleged assault on the 14-year-old son of a rap rival. Lighty was by Yayo's side after his recent arrest.

Then there are the more mundane troubles—a client with sagging sales, another looking for more attention, another questioning the direction of his or her career.

"I've had the 'How'd you mess me up?'" Lighty says. "I rewind back in time, and say, 'I?' We always make this decision together ... we always collectively make the decision. When things go left, we come up with emergency plans, and plan B, and C and D if necessary to move a project around."

"We've gotten blamed, and then unblamed quickly," he adds with a laugh.

He's had to tell clients to stop throwing money at a project that's not doing well. Or he's worked even harder than expected to boost things for a client: "With Lil' Scrappy right now we're having a hard way with his album but I still believe in him as a star."

But the commitment remains, through hits or duds. His relationship with many of his clients go back years—Diddy, an old friend, signed on recently for promotion of his latest album, "Press Play," and clients like LL Cool J, who is coming out with a new album later in the year, have been connected to Lighty for more than a decade.

That's why Rhymes stays with Lighty—and why, he says, no other agency has even tried to steal him away.

"They see the loyalty, they see the commitment, they also see the success and they see the history. And I don't think a lot of people have the courage to compete yet," he said. "What they would have to be offering me doesn't even exist yet."

~~~

     

An Exclusive Interview w/ Frank Alexander-2Pac's Bodyguard

An Exclusive Interview w/ Frank Alexander-Tupac's Bodygaurd
http://www.thuglifearmy.com/news/?id=3746

Last week in a 'Hip Hop Exclusive Friday', we dropped the news of the upcoming DVD 'Tupac: Revelation. The DVD takes a new look at the murder one of the hip hop community's most loved and respected rap artists, Tupac Shakur (2Pac).

Director Richard Bond, in association with one of the most famous bodyguards in hip hop history, Frank Alexander, have compiled the DVD titled 'Tupac: Revelation', which is set to release in September 2007.

The following interview was done with Frank Alexander and RJ Bond prior to myself (ThugLifeArmy.com) seeing a private screening of the DVD. The DVD not only points out some of the false impressions, but it also brings up the "bigger picture" of the murder of hip hop icon Tupac Shakur (2Pac). It actually forces the viewer to step back and look again at what has been in front of everyone all this time.

This interview will be posted in 2 parts. The first part today and part 2 will be posted next Friday as a Hip Hop Friday Exclusive.

In the weeks to come we will have more 'exclusive' information on the DVD and other interviews.

Here is Part One of the Frank Alexander and RJ Bond Interview.

Robert – Thank you both for taking time to update us on your current project.
Everyone in hip hop is aware of your place in hip hop history, as you were the body guard for rap icon Tupac Shakur (2Pac). Your first DVD project 'Before I Wake' was unique because it was coming from someone who was actually there and actually knew and loved Tupac. How many copies of that project have sold to this date?

Frank Alexander - Over 250,000 copies worldwide! They just broadcast the movie for the first time on TV in Chicago, so its an exciting time for both projects.

Robert – The new project you have slated for release in September of 07, 'Tupac Revelation' can you tell us the premise of the project?

RJ Bond - A mosaic is a group of pieces that by themselves or even in small groups have no meaning, but when all the pieces are put together and then looked at from a distance, a picture begins to form. Revelation is exactly that- a look at both old and new information regarding the murder of 2Pac. New information gives meaning and clarity to old information; in many cases it gives the old information something it was lacking- context. And that changes everything.

Robert – Is there really enough 'new' information about the murder of Tupac to warrant such a project?

Frank Alexander - Best way to explain it - if you ever play solitaire, its like turning one of the cards in the piles, if the right card comes up then the whole game is unlocked.

RJ Bond - I can say this with absolutely clarity- yes there is. It is truly amazing how many people that the Vegas Police have not spoken with who carry key pieces of the puzzle. Many detectives can tell you that there are always one or two key clues, which act like a Rosetta Stone - they unlock everything.

Robert – With the release of this new DVD is it possible that some action may be taken on the unsolved murder of Tupac?

Frank Alexander - The trouble with information is that sometimes we don't get answers from people because we do not know what we need to ask. Everyone thinks "something should be done" but if you cannot be more specific with what that "something" is, it's easy for those with the information to dismiss your question. One of the goals of this documentary is to lift the curtain on some of the backstage action and give people direction on exactly what we need to be asking and why. Hopefully when the questions we drive to are reviewed publicly, then those with the information are not going to be able to hide behind ambiguity.

RJ Bond - That depends. Let me say this first; our interviews with a former Prosecuting Attorney and Judge, as well as cops and detectives spells out some things many people don't know. You know, education is everything; we had a learning curve ourselves. These people gave us some of the "inside information" that many people like you and me don't have everyday knowledge of. That's how those in power keep the masses at bay - control the education and control the flow of information. We talk about, for example, what a grand jury indictment standard is; and it's not what many think. It's not "proof beyond a reasonable doubt", that's for sure. It's really not that high of a standard to get a grand jury indictment. And without saying too much more on that, read between the lines. Action can be taken on many levels; either voluntary or compelled. This video drives both.

Robert – Has the information you reveal always been there but everyone just looked over it or was it 'overlooked' on purpose?

RJ Bond - It's like this: it's all about context, Context, Context, Context. You know like taking one verse out of the Bible, and not keeping it in its place. You could rip a phrase out of the Bible that says "God is Dead". But when you look at the CONTEXT it really says "THE FOOL SAYS God is dead". And a fool would say that. But in our piece it's a deadly combination; like I said a Rosetta Stone. Some of the information that is new shines a different light on certain events. Other information that has been there also gets re-defined. So that's there. But also there is old data that given time and distance, stands out on its own as unusual. Some of it drives not to what happened that night but what people (cops and robbers) did afterward –sometimes years- that also shows itself. There was a saying I heard once: "Your sins find you out." Time is not always on the side of the crook. Information is like many other things in nature- over time it gets looser.

Frank Alexander – RJ answered this question best…Turn over every rock and don't stop until you find the dirt and there's plenty of that!

Robert – Will those who are Pac's fans and those who have been watching this investigation be surprised by what is revealed?

RJ Bond - Fo- sho. As we say in the trailer, "shocked" is a better term for it. I go shopping and it amazes me what people come up with and I say "Damn why didn't I think of it- that is so easy…" and sometimes you get shocked about some invention that NO ONE came up with and now that dude or lady is making all that bank. But the most shocking thing about the whole matter is the weight and gravity of the information and just how much it applies to the night Pac was shot.

Frank Alexander – I was shocked by what RJ found out and he's not an investigator…so you tell me how can he find this information out and put it together when the Homcide Investigato's didn't?

Robert – Is the murder of Kadafi (Outlawz member) looked at in the new DVD?

RJ: Yes we touch on that. For time, we had to cut some of it out, but Yak is talked about a lot in the movie. May make an extra feature. Maybe that will be the sequel!

Robert – Yak said he could identify the shooter; did you and he ever talk about what happened that night?

Frank Alexander - To be honest with you about Yak I never heard him say nor did he say to me he could, "He said he thought he could".

RJ Bond - That's another thing this documentary does. It examines all the myths and legends and rumors and really busts them down to their truths (or as close as we could get them). We don't know what the cops know. But in many cases, and this is one of them, we really get down to many of the things that most people have believed just out of hearing it over and over again. It's called "Dogma". Something is said often enough and it becomes like fact, because there is no one there to refute it.

Robert – With the recent re-filing of the Biggie lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles for wrongful dead in Biggie's case, and the recent reports of a suspect in the murder of JMJ and of Tupac's friend Randy "Stretch" Walker, are we to think that maybe we will see justice in the future for Tupac (2Pac) and the Shakur family?

RJ Bond - Well, the news about the Wallace re-filing is interesting on many levels. The trouble is this investigation is like a 16 headed beast, its very complex and you can work one part of it for days all by itself. Like working the LAPD angle.

Frank Alexander - Here's the deal on that. We stay focused on the Pac murder. It gets things too diluted; stretched too thin. That's another problem with things in this investigation- they get overwhelming. Pac's death involves 3 states, 6 law enforcement agencies, dozens of murders, and has ties to at least 5 other murder investigations (either passive connection or direct). Just to keep this DVD at two hours we had to start making painful decisions just what we were going to keep on Pac's death, all on its own.

Robert – The new DVD 'Tupac Revelation' will it be distributed by Xenon Films also like Before I Wake is?

RJ Bond - We have foreign distribution at the moment and are dealing with many distributors who potentially could release the DVD in the US. Jury's out at the moment, but yes, Xenon has not been ruled out. But at this moment they are not an exclusive for the project.

Robert – It has been over 10 years since Tupac (2Pac) was taken and his life cut short. How are you dealing with all the memories?

Frank Alexander - I'm good now. When things happened on Sept 7 and Sept 13th I was a wreck for a very long time but I turned to the LORD and found myself and now I love the memories that GOD had blessed me with back then!

Robert – What do you do now? I remember hearing you were a minister? There is so much mis-information on everyone out there so we don't know what to believe.

Frank Alexander – Well at the moment I'm working with RJ on this project.

Robert – There are so many artists and producers now who claim they were 2Pac's homies, I know Pac had many many friends but were there that many in his inner circle or are some of these dudes 'frontin' cause there is no one to dispute their claims?

Frank Alexander – Pac had and knew many people as for back in 1996 when I was with him I only know and remember who was around then, those that claim to have known him I can't say who is who unless I were to talk face to face with those that claim knowing Pac today.

Robert – Was being 2 Pac's bodyguard and friend the coolest 'job' you ever had? And after you got to know Pac was it really like a job or did it move on to a 'luv' relationship?

Frank Alexander – I didn't want the JOB at first (full time) so I'm the one that came up with the idea of a rotating schedule of two day's on him between the bodyguards that was rotating on him. Pac was made crazy about losing his bodyguards and that he did with everyone except me! Then he and I just started to click plus he had heard about the New York Video shoot in Dec 1995 when Snoop and Tha Dogg Pound was shot at, because Biggie at the time thought it was Tupac filming in Time Square and called the radio station. So when that got back to Pac I'm guessing he made his mind up around that time about me. So then we became closer because it was he and I alone sharing our stories with one another as we drove around LA in between court/video shoot's and filming "Gridlock" where we really had nothing but time to know one another even better and then it became like we were home boys - but I knew my JOB and I kept it separate. But Yeah, it was the coolest JOB and I miss him and how things were back then.

Robert – In the Biggie family lawsuit the names of Los Angeles police officer Rafael Perez and his ex-partner, Nino Durden keep coming up and many try to link them to Suge Knight and Death Row Records. Do you remember these guys from your days with Death Row Records?

RJ Bond - We can't comment on that for the moment.

Robert – Did you leave Death Row right after the Tupac murder?

Frank Alexander - Yes, we talk about this a lot in the DVD.

Robert – After ten years do you lend any creditability to the Las Vegas Police Dept. in solving the murder of Tupac Shakur.

RJ Bond - I am going to be somewhat political here. I think Vegas is holding more than they let out (duh). And our DVD questions the lack of follow up. But I give them major points for not buying into things they could have; things that certain players would have really liked for them to swallow whole. Let's just say that some information they could have run with at one time turned out to not stand up to much scrutiny. Some people think that Vegas PD's lack of action is because "well everyone knows and they aren't acting on it". They just didn't buy it. After you see the DVD you can see what I mean, and if you were them, you won't buy it either.

Robert – Frank, what is the one thing that sticks out in your mind when you think about Tupac?

Frank Alexander - How funny he really was and how he made all of us laugh!

Robert – What do you think Tupac would have to say about his legacy among hip hop culture? His legacy grows stronger each year and his importance (even though he is gone) seems to grow stronger. Do you think Tupac would be comfortable with all of the things going on in his name?

This is the end of Part One of the interview. Watch next Friday for Part Two in another Hip Hop Friday Exclusive.


~~~

Why Barack Obama Needs a Whuppin': Honest Abe, He Ain't
by Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report

"Obama personifies the definitive end of Black organized struggle in the United States."

http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=251&Itemid=34

Barack Obama is the antithesis of Black Power, a man who promises with every word he speaks, with every nuance of phrase and body language, and through his voting record as a U.S. Senator, that he personifies the definitive end of Black organized struggle in the United States - a unilateral surrender to white racism. This is his appeal to the white masses: that they will no longer be challenged to confront history, or to relinquish privilege in the present.

Obama's siren song to African Americans is of an entirely different nature. He does not have to sing it; we provide the music, ourselves. The lyrics and melody are actually alien to Obama, but he has heard them off and on in his strange sojourn through life, and senses their power to sway us. He understands that most of us will demand nothing from him - not even elemental allegiance. His "Black" flank, he knows, is covered, while his white "progressive" flank is neutralized and confused by Black failure to recoil at his betrayals of the most basic elements of social democracy. The field is wide open to the greatest opportunist to emerge from melanin-rich ranks in the New Millennium.

Obama has already cashed in on his "Race, but not really, Card" - to the tune of $25 million dollars in contributions in the first three months of this year, three-quarters of it from corporations. This does not happen by accident. Since setting foot in the U.S. Senate, Obama has directed his entire message machine to the task of convincing corporate America that he is a friend who can be counted on to leave the actual Power Game in their hands. One of his first votes was to transfer most class action suits to federal courts, where multi-billion-dollar companies found guilty of race, gender or general employee abuse are fined the equivalent of the millionaire CEO's latest weekend at the casinos in Monaco. In the process of taking class action suits out of state courts, where the penalties to offending corporations have historically been much harsher, Obama voted against an amendment to put a cap of 30 percent on credit card debt charges. A fraction of that multi-billion dollar gift to the most unproductive sector of the economy wound up in his campaign coffers.

"Obama understands that most of us will demand nothing from him - not even elemental allegiance."

The alienated man from Kansas, Hawaii, Indonesia and Harvard has not skipped a beat in his pursuit of Power Approval. He stood down while only California Senator Barbara Boxer stood up to challenge the theft of Black voting rights in the 2004 election. He coddled American Manifest Destiny queen Condoleezza Rice and Bush Supreme Court nominees, while doing nothing - absolutely nothing - to materially aid Katrina victims. He has stuck like Crazy Glue to positions on the Iraq war and health care that are practically indistinguishable from Hillary Clinton's - and in no way threaten the military-industrial complex or health care-insurance industries. Obama vows to add 100,000 more troops to the U.S. aggression and occupation force, to be deployed...wherever his masters want them to go.

Obama is a company man. He knows the language, the subtle and overt signals, and emits them like a beacon. Ruling circles have gotten the message, and that is why corporate media have made him a contender, and corporate billfolds have financed him. The "skinny kid" made his bones at the Democratic National Convention, in August, 2004, while he was still an Illinois senatorial candidate - a shoo-in against the hopeless and deranged Black Republican Alan Keyes. Obama put all white fears to rest: "There is no white America. There is no black America. There is no Latino America. There is no Asian America. There is only the United States of America." Hallelujah!

Therefore, there is no specific oppression of Black people in America (carried out by whites), and there is no Black polity worth paying attention to. Voila, the problem of centuries is solved!

"Obama vows to add 100,000 more troops to the U.S. aggression and occupation force."

The litany of Obama's subsequent transgressions against the entirety of Black struggle is too long to recount in this article, and can only be understood as methodical elements of a studied plan to eliminate race as a subject of debate in American political life. Obama is the NOT-Black candidate, who just looks Black, and will absolve white folks - like a priest behind a screen - of historical, present, and future sins. He will integrate the mythical American narrative, washing it clean of real facts by his very presence and gleaming smile. He is happy. White folks are happy. Blacks are happy. Oh, happy days!

The Internal Enemy

In his journey to personal identity - dishonestly but expertly packaged for white and corporate audiences in his two books - Obama learned a salient and elemental fact of Black life: we want recognition by the nation as a whole, and some connection to the national narrative. African Americans have claimed at least five U.S. presidents - Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Warren Harding, and Calvin Coolidge - as "soul brothers" in blood, alleging they have Black ancestors. It does not matter that none of them, including Lincoln, thought of Black people as equals or even, in some cases, human. Such is the hunger.

"Obama has become a great presence that threatens the very fabric of Black politics."

We at Black Agenda Report are not immune to the illness. While our team was operating out of Black Commentator, in 2003, Bruce Dixon and I discovered that Obama was listed as a member of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), the corporate-funded rightwing of the party, created by white southern Democrats (Bill Clinton, Al Gore) for the purpose of blunting Black and labor influence in the party's affairs. Obama was at the time a national nobody, not ranked as a front-runner in the Illinois senatorial primary. We called him on his alleged affiliation with the DLC, which was posted for all to see. He claimed to know nothing about it - a transparent lie. But we gave the "brother" a pass, and engaged him in a dialogue.

There followed a month-long series of interchanges - June 5, June 12, June 19, June 26, 2003 - in which Obama danced like Mr. Bojangles to get around the issues at hand. Was he a DLC Democrat, by affiliation or political affinity? Finally, tiring of the charade and the reflexive spin from Obama's mouth, Dixon and I compiled three questions to the wannabe senator, the answers to which would determine if he should be in the DLC and, therefore, unworthy of our support. Obama, a genius at double-speak, fudged all three, on the Iraq war, universal health care, and NAFTA/so-called free trade.

We gave him a pass, and said he was clean, although both of us knew by then he was an inveterate liar and evader. He had actually flunked the "bright line" test. Neither of us wanted to be the ones to put a damper on an up-and-coming Black star. We understood that our people didn't want crabs in the barrel, pulling brothers down, or the appearance of it.

We apologize, to our people and to history.

Since that time as a nobody, Obama has become a great presence that threatens the very fabric of Black politics, having declared there is no such thing. At a recent gathering of Black trade unionists who support the most left-wing social democratic agenda that is allowed in American political discourse, Obama was treated as a savior - despite the fact that his applause-filled speech endorsed almost none of the specific planks of Black trade unionists. He had fudged again, and gotten away with it. No white man could pull it off, but Obama did, and entertained fans for an hour afterwards, taking pictures with folks who wanted to show their grandchildren that they had been in the presence of the next Black president.

He is a knife in our heart.

BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford (at) BlackAgendaReport.com.

hmmmm.... I dunno about that last one.

but why not share some info on how to love better? :)

 10 simple ways to put the romance back into your relationship

While every couple has down spells, these simple tips will help rev those engines once again.

By Heather Camlot   
   
During a recent fitness class at Toronto's Ella Centre for Parenting and Pregnancy, my instructor asked me what topic I was writing about this week. I told her about this article and my fellow moms immediately jumped in. After all, if anyone needs a bit of romantic rekindling -- between the diaper changes and the sleep deprivation -- it's new parents. One woman suggested a weekend at the spa. Another proposed getting a wax, stating emphatically that if you don't feel sexy, why should your partner think you are?

Nancy Hurst, a psychologist and marriage counsellor in Edmonton, says romance is about connecting. "When you feel connected, when you feel close to the other person, when you feel the other person is listening to you, that is where romance begins."

What can you do to revive your relationship? Follow our 10 simple ways to get you back on the romantic track.
   
1. Enjoy the details
"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important," said Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Sherlock Holmes creator may as well have been speaking about romance. "The little things that my husband has done, like leaving me notes that say 'Have a great day, I love you,' are really nice," says Julie Dupoire, a mother of two. Hurst also suggests calling your spouse at work just to say hello and taking a few moments in the evening to recap the day's events. (Find 50 other loving suggestions by Canadian Living readers!)

2. Talk it out
Flowers, music, chocolate -- all are wonderful romantic gestures, but if one half of the couple has some underlying resentment, maybe because they had no help with the kids that day, then any gift becomes pointless. "The more there's a connection, the more you feel close about your relationship, the easier it is to get through the conflicts," explains Hurst. "A solid base makes things less volatile." Dealing with your issues will lessen any strain or stress and open up the lines of communication -- and reception to romantic notions.

3. Touch
"At this particular stage of my life, running after a toddler and seven months pregnant, I find my husband's massage at the end of the day is a great way for us to reconnect, not to mention relax," says Marsha Moshinsky, married for 12 years. Physical contact, be it kissing, hugging or holding hands, is a simple way to show the other person how you feel, even when those tender moments may be fleeting with the kids yelling and the dog barking in the background.

4. Go out on a date
A night out is a great way to reconnect with your partner, and if you can ritualize date night, you'll always have something to look forward to and get excited about. "We have my parents come to our place once a week," says Howard Wiseman, a father of two. "It allows my wife and me to get out together and talk."


   
   
5. Be kind
A compliment goes a long way to making someone feel special and important in your life. "Small gestures of appreciation -- even if it's just a simple thank-you -- for doing the mundane tasks necessary to keep a household going are appreciated," says Marc Reppin, married for five years. "It sends a message not only of appreciation, but also of respect and commitment that you are in this together."

6. Get physical
According to a recent report by the University of Chicago, Canada, along with Austria, the United States and Spain, was one of the most sexually satisfied countries in the world. The study also found that in Western nations, about half of the men and one-third of the women said sex was extremely important in their lives, and that in relationships based on equality, couples are more likely to have sexual habits that meet both partners' needs. (The findings are based on a survey of approximately 27,500 people aged 40 to 80 in 29 countries.) So, what does this all mean for romance? A little bit of wooing sends the heart aflutter, while sex is a special bond between partners that helps maintain and strengthen a relationship.

   
   
7. Surprise each other
Receiving something unexpectedly is always exciting (as long as it's good news) and brings a smile to both partners' faces. "I love to surprise my wife with tickets to a play or show," says Randal Schnoor, married for 12 years. "I place them on her pillow and she just melts. We rarely get a night out on the town these days, especially now that we have a young child. It gives us a special day to look forward to."

8. Do something together
"We travel a lot and our romantic moments seem to occur abroad," says Ayanna Durant, who's been with her boyfriend for three years, "likely due to the fact that in a strange city the only people we really know are each other." She also says she'd love to sign up for a class or workshop in something both she and her boyfriend love doing or have always wanted to do. Hurst adds that even simple moments together, like reading the paper and talking about it, throwing a dinner party or exercising, can encourage passion.

9. Do something apart
Everyone needs some time to him or herself, as much as you may love being with your partner. "Allowing your partner time away from you is important to the health of your relationship," says Reppin. "The time apart, properly spent, revitalizes your partner and your relationship. And because it relies on trust to work, it strengthens your relationship, too."(Discover some great activities to do on your own.)

10. Do it every day
There is no set schedule to being romantic or being romanced. Making the effort every day is what will keep your relationship strong. "I don't mean to downplay grand gestures, but if the other stuff isn't there, the grand gestures won't make it," says Hurst. "Ask your partner what they need, what they want. Then include those little things every day to keep the romance going."

~~~

and if you want to see some fun stuff, peep this!

http://www.transformersgame.com/

awesome!
peace to Anita at the National Post building, peace to Scott Andrews (I'll be in touch for sure!), peace to John DiMarco (brother man!!! freedom will soon be ours to share), peace to Lex, peace to Ben Carrozza, peace to Kat Angus (taking over my desk, LOL), peace to Adam (I wish I saw you, man) peace to Jen (it felt much better now :) and peace to everyone I saw today!

thank you for what you have shared.
love, Adhimu.

p.s. I won't do it anymore. I can't tell you what "it" is. That's between me and the universe. Thanks for caring.

for caring, you get this:



Upon AllHipHop.com's relaunch, Part One of the "Streets is Talking: 50 Cent" interview ran, touching on new albums, longstanding feuds, and some label rumors. Two weeks later comes the second half—delving deep into 50 Cent's past, for an always candid look into the mind of Curtis Jackson.



With a memory that catches tiny details, there seems to be no area one can't go with 50. Arguably the King of Rap for the last several years goes as far as to request a writer to ask whatever questions were screened by labels and management.

 

In an age of political-correctedness, 50 Cent presents himself in living color, speaking so freely. The man behind the scenes can be humble at times, but he appears unflinchingly honest.

 

As the other two icons of rap frequently don sunglasses when questioned, Fif looks you in the eye, and gives you his humanity.



As Curtis is delayed a quarter, one can only wonder what's going on behind those eyes. The Streets are Talking, so is 50, but it's the things he won't tell you without a beat underneath that have made him an iconic superstar.

 

What he does speak on though, a reader would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.



AllHipHop.com: You released "How To Rob" during your label situation at Columbia Records. The record caused quite a stir amongst the industry, but created publicity too. A couple of people had some words for you after that, namely Ghostface Killah and Big Pun. What was the situation like when you bumped into Ghost in the Sony building?



50 Cent: Well it was no altercation or none of that, so it's all good. We got a lot of egos in Hip-Hop. The competitive nature in Hip-Hop just makes them want to constantly compete with who is in their division. At that point, that was desperation out of me. That was me being on my second record company, them not understanding me again...approaching a release date where there was no momentum at all... and when I did drop "How To Rob" and it did start getting momentum and it worked out, they took the record and put it on the In Too Deep Soundtrack. It never equated to anything for me.

 

AllHipHop.com: So outside bumping into Ghost, and Big Pun saying something back to you on a record, did you ever get confronted by anyone else mentioned on that song after that record got big?



50 Cent: No, I think the chorus made it clear what my intentions were "This ain't serious/being broke can make you delirious." If a person wanted a problem after that, they just wanted a f**king problem anyway, like you know.



AllHipHop.com: You soon started hanging with Nas. Did you two click or was it for business?



50 Cent: Well you can't just decide to hang out with someone who's got momentum. Nas, when he first came around, [he said] "Yo, you remind me of [me] when I first came out."  That's his perception of it. He actually took me on the Nastradamus tour. He was a good dude; I liked him because he had did something for nothing. It's hard to mistake a person as someone who isn't genuine; when they do something that you know is beneficial to you with nothing to look forward to receiving in response to their actions.



AllHipHop.com: When you were rolling with him, you did the song "Projects Too Hot" with Nature and Nas. There were some obvious jabs to Roc-A-Fella Records on the hook, were you aware of the building tension between Nas and Jay?



50 Cent: Nah, I didn't feel anything.



AllHipHop.com: Speaking of records and controversy, did any of the old timers mentioned on "Ghetto Qu'ran (Forgive Me)" ever step to you? You were still living in Queens at the time; did you ever feel tension on the streets after you released that joint?



50 Cent: None. Everybody who heard the [still unreleased] record, appreciated it. That's a big misconception. People try to figure out a reason, like that's the police trying to figure out a reason saying it's because of the song [that Jam Master Jay was killed], like get the f**k out here. Nas made a record ["Get Down"] after [mine] that salutes some of the same n***as, but n***as call me a snitch for doing it. There's a difference. They're upset because it hurts them to watch me to win.  People get upset; they will feel discomfort to having [to] watch me do good.



AllHipHop.com: What was your take on when a lot of the rappers in the Hip-Hop Community started labeling you as a snitch? How did that make you feel?




50 Cent: That's the worst thing you can actually be in the environment I'm from. Yeah right, they going to call you that. If I snitched, then who I told on? You see what I'm saying? They said I was supposed to show up at Preme's trial; [the] trial came and went. See what I'm saying? They're going to say whatever they're going to say. You can't control the media, they're the people that see you outside of that, [who] have no knowledge of what they're talking about and they just heard someone else say it and ran with it.



AllHipHop.com: What's your definition of snitching?



50 Cent: Well snitching is giving them information. You're giving information to the authorities, bottom line, that's it. They were trying to say I was snitching by writing my experience and having real s**t pulled into my music. I don't know what to write about if I don't use my experience. And then I say a n***a is a snitch if he sends his kids into the precinct to point n***as out. I'd say someone is a snitch if they let their girl go into the precinct and they sit and fall back. Come on, man.



AllHipHop.com: When Jam Master Jay was killed in October 2002, it was said that the police stepped to you and put you under police protection, is that true?



50 Cent: Nah, I was supposed to perform at Mars 2112 the night Jam Master Jay got killed. They said, "If 50 touches the sidewalk, we're just going to arrest him." Because they felt like whoever killed Jam Master Jay... [pauses], they was thinking early on... [pauses]... you got a body there and you know [there's] a homicide, before you came in this place to kill a person, right, you know it's an intended situation. You go, "Where's the answers to this lie?" It lies between his friends and his enemies. And when you go through Jam Master Jay and his enemies, you have a long list. And when you go through his friends, and I pop up, it's all, "S**t, he's not an angel."



You've got to understand, if he wants to make an album, he's right next to a precinct that has had chases, motorcycle chases and different s**t where they were chasing me for different reasons. They have a perception of me that's darker from my youth and they just assume that it just had some type of connection early on.



AllHipHop.com: You think that person that's in jail now who sent them dudes to get you has anything to do with Jay's death?



50 Cent: I have no idea. And if I told you I did have an idea, I'd be a snitch.



AllHipHop.com: During the Irv and Supreme trials, it came out that certain Murder Inc. employees and related individuals were tracking your whereabouts through two-way pagers.



50 Cent: Yeah, I mean I was off the radar for the most part. I ain't run into nobody that I [wasn't] supposed to be dealing with; I was moving how I was supposed to. So if somebody [were] to say, "Your man [is] in the hood," that's what they're saying on the pagers. You know, telling n***as where I was at, but that n***a's brown-nosing. When you got real drama, you gotta be low, baby. When you come out, you got to put your dancing shoes on. So it just doesn't bother me.



AllHipHop.com: What's the deal with the video for "Amusement Park" being accepted at MTV? People saying it got rejected at MTV, but I saw it the other day and I didn't see anything too crazy?



50 Cent: Yeah, you know what it is? I got energy around that is great, it works in my favor. But it's a negative thing, people want to say something that ain't right about me. I think it comes from watching me having so much success that they are sick of it—I mean in a short period of time—you got guys out there that [have] been successful a lot longer than me.  I think my confidence, they mistake it for arrogance. I come from a place that's cold, where nobody ain't going to believe in you; so if you don't believe in yourself, you ain't going to make it.  I can't escape what I am.

 

AllHipHop.com: Recently, you made some comments about Master P at a press junket for BET. You commented that Master P doesn't sell any records, and more or less, isn't very relevant.



50 Cent: You got to say what they said to me before you say what I said. They said, "Master P was agreeing to censor himself; not to say certain words in his music." Check this out, because he is not as current as he used to be, maybe he'll compromise himself and not do it. Maybe he's a different person than he was. But initially, when he came in, he had content [like] Ice Cream Man, you understand what I'm saying?  It was a different thing. And for me, don't expect me to compromise myself. If it's over, then it's over; I'll find something else to do. But I'm not going to not say what I would say when it comes time to write the record.



AllHipHop.com: He recently wrote an editorial on AllHipHop.com and one of the first things he mentioned was that he paid for your first tour in the South. Is that true?



50 Cent: What he did was he made an investment in himself. P is a really smart businessman. He took me on the road with just me and him right out on the tour. Yeah, at the time, I was getting about $8,000 a show, I was on a mixtape. I had no commercial records out. On the mixtape energy alone, I was touring through the South with Master P. And he was like, "Let me bring him," because I had that momentum at the time.  He gave me $250,000 for 10 shows; that was big. You know coming off my corner, $250,000 is a lot.  So I ran around with him and did what we did. I don't understand how that relates to him [being] willing to censor himself.

 

AllHipHop.com: Well in response to the press junket, he definitely brought that point up, it was actually one of his opening statements in his editorial. He also said, and it's not directed towards you, that people in rap need to grow up a little.



50 Cent: So he's in a different place now obviously. If he feels different, then he has his rights and he's entitled to his own opinion. How could you tell a painter to paint a picture and don't use black when you're painting this room; it's impossible for him to be accurate. Hip-Hop is a mirror, what we writing is a reflection of the environment of what's going on.


[To the interviewer]



You got a [magazine] in front of you right now Don Diva. A lot of the stuff they might be writing may be more realer to the guys that end up in those publications than the actual artists that are writing it, but they are influenced by those people so they write from that perspective. It's entertaining to them, and it's something real about it.  It's a part of their experience. If they have been altered by it in any way, then it's part of their actual experience.

 

AllHipHop.com: Moving along...did your heavy influence at Interscope translate into you going to Dr. Dre and telling him, "I just kicked Game off G-Unit. It's either me or him, you got to choose."



50 Cent: Do you even have to ask that question to know the answer to that one? I ain't have to tell him; Dre [has] been around for a long time. I mean, it's obvious, if you know how much I put into the actual work, as far as the album is concerned. If you remember, you just heard me say I wrote 10 songs for the concept of Before I Self Destruct, put them on the side to start creating the Curtis [album]. Idea conceptually developed the record, it's done and ready [to be] presented to the general public. Before I Self Destruct has 10 records completed, and I only have five songs left to complete my total studio requirement [to Interscope].


My last album The Massacre, [had] 22 songs on it, the maximum playing time possible.  Technically, it's a double CD. I started writing an album that I recorded 12 or 13 records [for] in three days. It was two verse songs, so the songs weren't all the way completed, but it was just the ideas was complete. I put those songs on the side before I completed The Massacre. The songs that went on the side, six of those songs surfaced when Game couldn't complete his album. I did the deal; Game completed the album. I had excess; I had a computer full of hit records, of material. I brought him to the house; I gave him "Hate It Or Love It," "How We Do," "Church For Thugs," "Special," "Higher," "Westside Story"—there you have it, The Documentary.



Three of those records I just mentioned to you were his first three singles. So anybody that is confused at this point is out of their f**king mind. The difference between a good rapper, and a good songwriter, now you give him a record with the chorus built in, he's going to get busy [sings "It's Okay (One Blood)"]. When you give him a record that don't have a chorus on there, he's going to do his 50 Cent rendition. That's the only way he figures he can actually pull it off, you got to make reference to something.



AllHipHop.com: Anything else you want to touch on that we didn't touch that's current?  Any new business dealings, updates, signings, acquisitions?



50 Cent: I think we pretty much got it. What kind of questions you wanted to ask me that they asked you not to ask?



AllHipHop.com: Censorship, and your opinion on the ongoing debates...


50 Cent: You know what I think? Those people are what they can deliver. Anybody who is actually willing to be something different based on a few people saying, "Oh, that's not right, this is the way I was raised." I'm giving you something from my heart or making the music that's actually capturing a feeling, then why would I change it? Like it doesn't make sense to me, I can't understand that to save my life. Why would you ban words in music that you are willing to ban in television that you are not willing to ban on cable television? If you are going to provide a platform, [allow] Sirius and XM Radio those platforms to exist where's that acceptable, then why would you say it's not okay to say it when the CD clearly has a big ass advisory sticker on it? And Walmart only sells the clean version of the record, so it's optional for you to buy that content or not. You know what it is? All this s**t is underlying racial s**t.



That Don Imus s**t, first of all, his apology was accepted by the young ladies, because the young ladies don't see themselves as "nappy headed hoes." So you make your references to "b***h, hoe, slut," or whatever you want to say on the record. Have you heard these things on a record before, have women around you been appalled to hearing that because they heard that playing? They don't usually find disrespect in that, you know why? Because they don't usually direct it to themselves; you just hear it. It's just something that's just going on.  In one ear, out the other, you feel that I'm saying?



What it is when Don Imus is gone off his show, we angry at White folks, then they go, "It's not okay for Don Imus to say it, but it's okay for the rappers to say it?" And then the people we consider Black leaders, go after Hip-Hop also to make themselves not appear biased, man. But at the same time, I think they're escaping the fact [that] Hip-Hop has made more Black millionaires than any other art form than you can point to; to point to it as you want to destroy it or whatever level, it's beyond me.


AllHipHop.com: Do you think those quote unquote Black leaders have ulterior motives when it comes to situations like that?



50 Cent: You know what? To be honest with you, I think some people consider them Black leaders. They may have ulterior motives. I don't know what to think of the situation. But I will say that they're ambulance chasers. I will say that I think they have personal injury attorneys that don't give them kickbacks. And I will say that they will cause enough fuss until you come cut the check, and that's just that.