cinnamon girl

All of this has happened before, and it will happen again:

Backstreet Boys: What Makes You Different Makes You Beautiful
One Direction: What Makes You Beautiful
Backstreet Boys: It’s Gotta Be You
One Direction: Gotta Be You
Backstreet Boys: More Than That
One Direction: More Than This
Backstreet Boys: I Want It That Way
One Direction: I Want

Sounds about right.

mohandasgandhi:

mehreenkasana:

Muslims Who Saved Jews in World War II

Norman Gershman has become accustomed to the reactions from people who see his photos and read his stories about Muslims sheltering Jews and saving their lives during the Holocaust. 
“I had people say ‘Muslims save Jews! How is that?’” the American Jewish fine art photographer told IslamOnline.net in a telephone interview.

Gershman has been engaged in a 5-year project that honors stories of Albanian Muslims’ heroism in saving thousands of Jews, who either lived in Albania or sought refugee there, during World War II.

Beautiful. Spread this as far as you can. Well worth your time.

All acts of heroism are amazing but it’s sad that we’ve gotten to a point where we’re amazed when Jews and Muslims treat each other like human-beings because of this fostered ideological conflict between the two. With regard to the Holocaust, we typically pay more praise to Christians who aided Jews much more than we do Muslims, even though they, too, played a major role in saving the Nazi’s victims. We ignore these stories for whatever the reason and perpetuate the conventional wisdom and myth that Jews and Muslims just don’t like each other, even though, prior to the colonization of Palestine, they’ve been living peacefully with one another for hundreds and hundreds of years. Anti-Semitism in the Middle East is a European import.

Post-war in the United States, this myth is especially harmful because of the effect the Holocaust had on Americans - as we distributed footage of U.S. and Soviet forces liberating concentration camps, we felt a great deal of sympathy for the Jewish Holocaust survivors. U.S. mainstream society is particularly sensitive about anti-Semitism and this myth that Muslims and Jews don’t like each other only further demonizes Muslims, especially due to how protective we are over Israel.

+1

Bill Russell, 1963

vicemag:

bmichael:

cordjefferson:

Question: Is the general stance that Chris Brown has not done enough penance to be forgiven for his sins, or is the general stance that he is unforgivable? One of those things seems OK, while the other does not.

Hmm. Yes: I totally agree. It might be rhetorically fine to say ‘fuck someone for life’, and you might even feel that way. But, I do think that saying someone is categorically unforgivable — especially if it’s a public figure because, well, for what should be obvious reasons — then there’s a philosophical sort of problem. So, allow me (please?) to quote myself:

After his recent post-performance meltdown at Good Morning America, in which he allegedly threw a cooler at a window, shattering it, Chris Brown has put up an apologetic-yet-defiant front. On 106 & Park, he said he’s sorry, but also that he was put off by GMA host Robin Roberts’ questions about Rihanna. He said he had to release his anger over the interview.

Although he claimed on GMA that the assault wasn’t really “a big deal” to him anymore, Brown has yet to put it behind him. His guest verse on Diddy Dirty Money’s “Yesterday”alludes to the event: “Today feels like my funeral / I just got hit by a bus / Shouldn’t have been so beautiful / Don’t know why I gave my heart.”

The effect is hardly flattering. In the context of his violent relationship with Rihanna, it’s ironic and unfunny that Brown views himself as a victim.

At his 106 & Park appearance, Brown exhorted his fans to “be more positive and kind of focus on the real issues in life and the real positive side of things.” That makes it all the more surprising that Brown reacted with violence at GMA. (He claims that GMA promised his prior charges would be off-limits, while the show says otherwise.) In some ways, Brown is in an impossible position.

While he sees every public event as an opportunity to promote his new album—which seems to be working; F.A.M.E. is set to debut on top of the Billboard chart—the media is not always complicit in the promotion game. Brown would understandably like the media to focus on his new music. To get to that point, though, he’ll likely have to continue to discuss Rihanna, even if to just apologize again. Acknowledging his violent feelings and outbursts with words would make him a sympathetic character. Placing creepy references to Rihanna in his songs and reacting with violent outbursts to interview questions only shows he’s not ready to move on.

I have not honestly followed The Chris Brown Story much since this point because it seemed clear he was still in the “everyone’s a hater / I’m a victim” mode, the mode of feeling and thinking that occurs to people who’ve had little chance to examine themselves in a position of powerlessness. So, when he was rightfully chastised, even a little, he felt the novelty of powerlessness. It seems to me. I mean, in the words of Chris Rock, you don’t feel racism until you try to accomplish something. I’m sure Brown has confronted shit in his life. But his behavior on the release of his album was, for me, beyond acceptable.

The timing with Whitney Houston’s death, and the complete silence on the etiology of her downfall, was too much salt in a fresh wound, and Brown’s presence at the Grammys was like a McDonald’s Biggie Size Fries.

It’s not that Chris Brown is categorically unforgivable. It’s more that he’s no longer an acceptable vehicle for corporations to use to sell products to young adults. On a human level, I’m more than willing to eventually forgive Chris Brown, once he seems genuinely remorseful and changed (which, at this point, he definitely does not). But there’s no obligation to continue supporting him as a pop star. Chris Brown would not exist without millions of dollars of production and marketing and styling and whatever else. He’s not some troubled genius that exists on his own, creating pop music in a corner. He’s just a handsome and fit guy who can dance and sing pretty well. There are plenty of other people who are more than capable of filling that role and who haven’t beat a woman into a state of unconsciousness. Why not give one of them a chance to be rich and famous instead?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Totally what I’ve been saying about people like Chris Brown, R. Kelly, etc. for awhile. I believe in rehabilitation post-punishment but I don’t believe these people should be given the same career opportunities again. No one’s irreplaceable.

Chat with Belle today made me realize I also want to add something to the 2012 list: writing cards and buying presents for people again. I used to be good at this when I was younger but I stopped for reasons both practical (saving money) and naive (I didn’t think my friends needed to receive formal cards/gifts to know I cared). I have boxes of old letters and cards from high school at my parents’ house. It’s kind of a bummer that I don’t have any of that stuff in print form for anything after graduation - everything is electronic, Facebook, Tweet, e-card, whatever. But for my close friends and family, I am bringing it back. Everybody loves mail.

HEALTH

• Gym 3X/week.
• Groceries in the apartment at all times.
• Cook (finally) - master three solid dishes for each course.
• Yoga practice.
• PointsPlus.
• Hot body.

EDUCATION

• Arabic lessons by June.
• Guitar/piano lessons by September.
• Grad school research/decision-making/deferring.

CAREER

• FT job-specific goals (undisclosed).
• Freelance pitching and writing every month.
• Book proposal.

FAITH

• Faith-based event once a month.
• Ramadan.
• Community service project quarterly.

TRAVEL

• North Carolina - one week.
• Seattle - long weekend.
• Paris? Coachella?
• New York exploration.
• Arabic-speaking country in 2013 to test language skills.

MONEY

• Student loan payoff by December.
• Lasik/Invisalign/laser removal saving before end of year. 

OTHER

• Romantic relations with a human.

Oh, right. This. I forgot.

shambamtamina:

interweber:

Barbarians even take their cakes very seriously.

i love that this is what i do sometimes for my job.

A birthday cake starring my giant face. I love this job.