Mommy’s, Daddy’s, Babies…Oh My!
…And coming at 7pounds, 7 ounces, and 20 inches i length its baby Suri! That's right April 18th marked one of the biggest days in the lives of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise when they welcomed their blue-eyed baby in to the world of glam and glitz. The birth apparently went so well that both Mother and child were back at their living quarters only 24 hours after delivery. The name chosen for their daughter is said to mean "princess" in Hebrew and in Persian, “red rose”.
The couple, better known as TomKat got pregnant only six months into their scandalous relationship. Everyone from fans to family members were skeptical of this new found match, even more so when plans to start a family was underway. I mean, you must admit Cruise being 43 and Katie 27 does add to the worry; not to mention Cruise is the most experienced of the two, with a few years of marriage under his belt along with being a father to two other children.However according to People magazine, the Holmes family never had any doubt that the role of mother would be one their daughter was meant to play. Her brother was even quoted in saying that she would be a "natural".
Well as planned rumors have already begun to fly regarding the new born. Already the popular tabloid magazine, Star, has a headline that reads Katie in Tears: Tom Will Take Her Baby Away!Cruise however is going of to promote his new film, Mission Impossible III, very soon, it will be interesting to see how that affects mother and daughter being that is happening so close after the birth.
The other “Sandman”
Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land
Mets' new closer, Billy Wagner, turned heads on monday when he entered into the ninth inning of their opening game. It was not because of his pitching, but because he entered the game to the song "Enter Sandman" by Metallica.
For the past 6 or so years the song has been linked to Yankee closer Mariano Rivera. In my opinion I'm glad that the Mets are taking some of the Yankee thunder because as we should all know, they are the best.
"Frankly, they could have played it louder as far as I'm concerned," said Peter Mensch, the band's manager and a Mets season-ticket holder. "My comment is: Go Billy."
At first I thought to myself,"what is the big deal with music!" However when you think about it both teams, well at least the fans are legendary rivals.
The first was used by Rivera when scoreboard operator Mike Luzzi brought in a bunch of CDs and the Yankees tested different song for entrances, and that was the song chosen for Rivera.
"I met (Metallica's) James (Hetfield) last year, but I don't listen to that kind of music," Rivera said. "Everyone just identifies me with the song. I listen to Christian music."
Wagner despite the close ties he has developed over the years with Metallica, since 1987, said he has no problem with Rivera using the song. Well there it Ladies and Gentlemen another bloodless baseball despute.
What I choose to SHOW!
Project Runway Models- Season two is finally over! Chloe was the winner of the New York Fashion Week competition. Along side Daniel and Santino she worked the runway with thirteen fabulous chinese inspired original garments. However let’s take a look at the models who made the fashion come alive this season!
Sex and the City – My favorite show! Sex and the City, a six season HBO series that changed pop culture as we know it. From the urban lifestyle to the many many many men who appeared on show, made it just to easy for any New York woman to relate. Fast paced, hard work, and success….and a cosmopolitan please!
America’s Next Top Model- Actually I am annoyed at this show now. America’s next top model started innocently enough, with a group of women who aspire to be the next break-out super model, and with Tyra Banks as their mentor what could go wrong? Well with a panel of judges like that its no wonder, the follow up show is the surreal life!
Live and Let Live!
By definition, family is a group of people living together and functioning as a single household, usually consisting of parents and their children. However the State officials in Manassas, Virginia are working to revoke the true essence of a family unit in order to convenience themselves and the “popular” family idea.
According to The New York Times article, “A Family or a Crowd”, senators in Manassas, Virginia are actually holding debates in hopes to redefine the this term. Due to the recent wave of Latino immigrants to the city, the local government has undergone investigation in areas such as real estate, city sanitation, and the service sector employment. It was stated that in terms of real estate in 2004 and 2005, “Manassas used its zoning code to move 400 people out of crowded single-family houses.” Nevertheless the issue of overcrowding apartments and houses remained at large, because of the multigenerational occupation of these small living spaces.
Senate argues that these overcrowded homes turned boarding houses cause much more problems than one may consider. Overpopulation leads to unclean streets full of trash, infamous “jornaleros” who stand outside areas of work such as hardware stores (Home Depot), kitchens, area in need of maintenance and construction. The senate has completed and is satisfied with their definition that has yet to be approved, however their idea only includes parents, children and siblings, and completely disassociates aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews etc.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, was planning to sue Manassas because the organization believes that the government is targeting a specific nationality, their argument cites a 1977 Supreme Court decision, that clearly states “the tradition of uncles, aunts, cousins and especially grandparents sharing a household along with parents and children has roots equally venerable and equally deserving of constitutional recognition.”
We believe that Americans do not have the same concept of family as the Latino population. Why is our community discriminated against because of who we choose to open our door to? Regardless of what the situation is this story is about a culture who is only trying to survive. We don’t understand the U.S justification, however United States supremacy is at an all time high and we can honestly say we fear for this countries future being that this country thrives on the labor and servitude of the Latino population.
a group of “jornaleros“, those who solicit work.
N.Y.C SNOWdown!
Its no wonder morning headlines such as “Dig we must!”,New York Daily News’s front page, and “Whiteout!” by the New York Post, adorned city newspapers, I mean 26 inches of snowfall is the norm for a cold February season…in the Alps! However this time Mother Nature decided to spice it up a little and make a surprise visit to the tri-state area, and had time to overstay her welcome, particularly in the five boroughs.
However there are two sides to every story, as morning commuters struggled to make ends meet while most of the children enjoyed a snow day at home. Twenty year-old Keith Imperati, who is employed by St. Fidelis Church in College Point, Queens, came to work wearing a heavy black hooded sweater, and the most comfortable boots he could find as he prepared to shovel the perimeter of the church for its usual worshipers who despite the snow fall didn’t think twice about breaking their bonds of faith.
“I have been shoveling for the past two hours now,” said Imperati,” and the two feet of snow that fell today have turned in to four feet piles.
The storm exceeded all expectations when it managed to brake to the 1869 record in both the quantity of snow and the price tag for maintenance. City officials speculate about 1 million dollars per inch that fell. All three city airports had to shut down immediately during the blizzard, but managed to re-open once Monday morning with limited service. Commuters were forced to take public transportation that morning, which unfortunately resulted in crowded stations and short tempers.
“I never want to see snow again,” Laura Guerra, 27, of Miami, said after spending the night on a cot at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
“It was fun yesterday but this is … this is horrible,” said Helen Poole as she splashed through deep slush around Manhattan’s Grand Central Station.
Even the train services such as the Long Island Railroad, had no choice but to stop mid-travel because of the amount of snow on the tracks. Some travelers reported having stayed anyway from 5 to 7 hours the train car, not knowing when or how they were going to move.
“It’s very, very poor emergency planning on the part of the Long Island Rail Road to have passengers stranded for 10, 15, 17 hours,” fumed Walter Garcia, 39, who spent almost 18 hours at Penn Station.
The other side to this story, well off course, it had to be the children. The Board of Education decided to keep most of their schools open on Monday. Most of parochial schools and other school outside the region however were closed. Activities such as building snowmen, snowball fights, sledding, or even a helping hand with the shoveling kept children busy and smiling.
“I love snow days because I get to stay outside all day and play,” said 10 year-old Anthony Rodriguez as he gasped for air,” I wish it would snow everyday!”
Other cities aside from New York weren’t given any mercy either, Robinsville, North Carolina received 20 inches of snow and a scenic highway remained closed Monday by 6-foot drifts. Boston Air ports were also delayed but never completely shut down.
Al in all Neighborhoods came together, for operation clean-up not only helping themselves but also the 500 snow shovelers hired by the city to dig out crosswalks and catch basins.
“Jennifer Cant Speak Spanish !”
The problem I foresee is the fact that Ms. Lopez struggles when it comes to speaking Spanish. As I recall during the time when her second Album, Ms. Lopez struggled during her on camera interviews. Even while filming the movie Selena, Lopez needed instruction.
The top photograph taken in New York City’s Central Park shows the couple in character for the upcoming film, El Cantante, where ironically Lopez plays the part the musician’s wife. El Cantante has Latino audiences everywhere awaiting the tribute to one of Salsa’s greats, Hector Lavoe. The 60′s, 70′s, were the decades of many great salseros who left their mark on Latino history. Lavoe however not only influenced the music of his day but also continues to inspire Latinos/Latinas in all genres of music.
Lavoe performed forcefully with a voice as clear as a bell, and was well known for his improvisation during performances. The magical aspect of it all was the fact that these creations became top chart hits. Addicted to the devious habits that come along with the music business, he became addicted to heroine and alcohol. These habits earned the name “bad boy” of Salsa. Lavoe died June 29, 1993 in New York City. A site dedicated to the salsero’s memory said that, Lavoe’s fame grew even more after a mysterious death that many say was caused by AIDS and others by pain itself.
The film is expected to be released Spring of 2006. Critics although quite skeptical, have not turned it down, but instead are anxious to see the couple together at work, given Jennifer’s last flop with fiancée Ben Affleck in the film Gigli.
Free at Last: Coretta Scott King
The American flags around the country flew at half mass in memory of our beloved Coretta Scott King, who passed away Monday January 30, she was 78.
Corretta Scott King was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and was taken to a health center in Santa Monica, Mexico where as the New York Times quotes as a place “where many Americans seek alternative and sometimes controversial treatments.”
Her Legacy
“I saw this green car coming up the street and this short man,” she said in an interview. “He leaned over to open the door, and when I got in the car I saw this very young looking man. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I expected to see a man but this is a boy.”’
If first impressions last forever, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. must have been relieved when Ms.Coretta Scott accepted his marriage proposal, after her initial impression of the young minister. June 18, 1953 marked the beloved day of their wedding, but also marked the day the new Mrs. King abandoned her initial plans to be a professional singer, and assumed the role of Dr. King’s right hand and mother of his children.
Mrs. King stood silent yet powerfully by her husband’s side and remained his source of strength and motivation until his death in 1968. Life after the assassination, only empowered Mrs. King to continue to be a voice for her community, a voice ignored by the government of her years and revered by her already captive audience. It was her hard work and relentless efforts that won her the title as first lady of the civil rights.
During the 1980′s Mrs. Coretta Scott King conducted a series of sit-ins outside of Washington D.C against apartheid which then led to demonstrations against the African political government. In 1986 the Mrs. King traveled to South Africa to pay a visit to Winnie Mandela, while her husband Nelson Mandela was a political prisoner.
In 2001 Mrs. King attended the inauguration of George W. Bush, and despite her supporting the president of the United States, never did she hesitate to speak against the Invasion of Iraq in 2003,and capitol punishment. Coretta Scott even took it a step further when she spoke as an advocate for same sex marriages and gay/lesbian rights, surprising both her faithful audiences and her two daughters. I wonder how Dr. King would have responded to his wife’s ideals?
All in all Coretta Scott King lived as a spiritual woman who brought life to the brotherhood and peace her husband had dies for, and never lived to see.
“Today our nation lost a beloved, graceful, courageous woman who called America to its founding ideals and carried on a noble dream,” Bush said. “Tonight we are comforted by the hope of a glad reunion with the husband who was taken from her so long ago, and we are grateful for the good life of Coretta Scott King,” says President Bush as he delivers his State of the Union Address Tuesday evening.
