The West Indian American Day ParadeCelebrating Today's Event With PicsFrom The Valut of 2007

Nah, I didn't go this year's West Indian American Day Parade. By default I'm not a fan of any parade in general and standing around for hours. And the way the NYPD handles parades in general, I feel like corralled cattle with all the barricades and you can' go this way or that way, etc. etc.

Anyway, I did wanna say I did go 2 years ago (2007) after a huge absence since I was a teenager. I'm glad I did go! The two reasons were to come and support diverse cultures in the African Diaspora, and because I wanted to get some pictures of all the amazing and incredible costumes and outfits which always brim with beautiful bright colors!!

So, even though I didn't go to the 42nd annual event today on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, I wanted to go into the vault and share some pics from 2007.

Lush Colors

African Queen!!!

The Indian Outfits
Were My Absolute Favorite From 2007

One of the City Gym Boys

City Gym Boys

You can see my photo album with many more pics with music here: ROD's 2007 West Indian American Day Parade Pics

UPDATE: Wednesday, September 9th, 2009):
My homeboy and next door Internet neighbor Ocean Morisset (BrothaLuv Cafe) posted this year's parade pics for all to see. Check it: West Indian Day Parade, Brooklyn 2009


Be qool y'all!

ROD (aka BIG ROD)

A Candid Debate On Black Manhood, Same Gender Love & Civil Rights: Fact & Fiction Summer 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia

A Candid Debate On Black Manhood, Same Gender Love & Civil Rights: Fact & Fiction

A Summer 2009 debate in Atlanta, Georgia on homosexuality in Black communities, Civil Rights and attitudes behind Black resistance to affirming homosexuals, and some breakthroughs on the issue.

Join The Audre Lorde Project In Our NewTranslator Training ProjectApplication Deadline: September 15th, 2009 (NYC)

Are you fluent in English and Spanish? Are you already an informal translator in your family, community and/or workplace? Would you like to earn extra income as a translator in community-based organizations?

Join the Audre Lorde Project
in our new Translator Training Project
Application Deadline: September 15, 2009

What is the Translator Training Project?

One of our natural resources is that many of us are multilingual and have been translating for friends, family, neighbors and coworkers as needed. The Translator Training Project seeks to provide opportunities for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming immigrants of color who are already informal community translators to gain greater skills in interpretation/translation. The program includes two all day trainings on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4 which will focus on sharpening translations skills. There are a limited number of $100 stipends available for this training. After completion of the training participants will also be expected to volunteer some time providing translation for ALP events.

Can I be one of the translators in this program? Yes, if you:

• Were born outside of the U.S. People born in Puerto Rico and Hawaii are eligible to apply.
• Identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans, Gender Non-Conforming, queer, or not heterosexual/ straight
• Identify as a person of color – including African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, Caribbean, Indigenous / First Nations, and/or Pacific Islander
• Are fluent in more than one language including English and Spanish

What are the next steps?

• After filling out the info below, we will call you for a follow-up conversation and to answer any questions
• If you wish to participate in the program, but do not need a stipend please note this on your application. While stipends are limited there will be space for some non-stipend participants.

The Translator Training Project seeks to provide opportunities for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming immigrants of color who are already informal community translators to:

• gain greater skills in interpretation/translation
• learn resources and strategies to use translation to generate income
• better understand how to make our community spaces more accessible
• share knowledge about health, social and community resources
• share resources on translating health, sexuality and gender issues




What is the Audre Lorde Project?

ALP is a community organizing center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans, and Gender Non-Conforming (LGBTSTGNC) People of Color (POC) in New York City. We currently have organizing projects addressing economic justice in the Trans community, increasing safety and decreasing police violence in Brooklyn, and building resources and power in immigrant communities. We also have a resource center and coordinate a network of over 30 LGBTST POC organizations. You can check out our web site for more details: www.alp.org

APPLICATION

Name:

Phone:
Are there times that we should not call you?

Email:

Were you born outside of the U.S.?

Do you identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans, Gender Non Conforming, queer, and/ or not heterosexual/ straight?

Do you identify as a Person of Color (of African, Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, Pacific Islander, Caribbean, and/or Indigenous Descent) ?

Which languages are you fluent in?


Why do you want to be part of this program?


Do you want to participate in this program without the stipend?

Please return this information by September 15, 2009. If you have any questions, contact Lolan Sevilla at 718.596.0342 x.13 or lsevilla[at]alp.org.

Collette Carter (718) 596-0342 ext. 17 ccarter[at]alp.org www.alp.org




Join the Audre Lorde Project Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=47712849504

Coney Island Knights: The Fireworks and The MoonFriday, September 4th, 2009

Coney Island Knight Sky Fireworks
Captured Using The CACTUS Wireless Shutter Release

Remember that CACTUS Wireless Shutter Release accessory that I blogged about last month in August 2009? Well, this blog entry is the reason why I bought the CACTUS Wireless Shutter Release and had that bad boy air mailed to me straight from Hong Kong ($35 duckets with shipping included!).

CACTUS Wireless Shutter Release Accessory

When you're shooting fireworks the camera has to be on a tripod for steady shots. Otherwise you'll create "camera shake" if you hold the camera in your hand; although, this is okay ONLY if you want to create some blurred fancy or avant garde type shots or something. So, it helps if you have a wired or wireless shutter release accessory attached to the camera to fire off the camera shutter and prevent absolute camera movement.

Anyway, the following pics are my first crack at shooting fireworks last night (Friday) and I was in a nervous mode at first and then in an excited pumped up zone while shooting. The instant feedback you get in seeing the pictures with digital camera technology cannot be understated!! You see the results of your work and can make adjustments, if necessary.

The only crazy thing in my head before the shoot was worrying about some of these stupid ass police officers breaking balls about shooting pictures with a tripod. I actually have some documentation I carry in all my different camera bags that state the rights of photographers with tripods. If you're a photo enthusiast or greater check out: The Photographer's Rights - You can download the PDF and print it out.

And the other thing I was mildly worried about was holding the trigger for the camera shutter which has an antenna sticking out. In these post-911 days in New York City you never know with police officers and them thinking you gonna blow shit up - like there's shit to blow up in da hood of south Brooklyn??? And you know it hasn't been safe for a Black man in Amerikkka as it is for 400+ years!!

Moving along, for you photography buffs out there, I used a Nikon D200 DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera with a 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens (this lens is discontinued by Nikon by the way, and it's the primary lens I use and LOVE A LOT!). A fast lens (f/2.8) is not important in this type of shooting because generally you would be shooting at an aperture of f/8 or f11 (better depth of field) and a speed of ISO 100. The fireworks are so bright that you wouldn't need a fast lens shooting wide open (largest aperture) or having to shoot at a higher ISO speed which can introduce grain.

So the CACTUS Wireless Shutter Release performed perfectly under its first job. Man, I LOVE this little guy! LOL! I think I did pretty DAMN well for my first time!! I read an Internet article called How to Photograph Fireworks Displays and it was really and truly instrumental and teaching me the trade (no pun intended, LOL!) before I even got out there.

And for you guys keeping track of things from the Catcus blog entry I wrote, I finally went to my local Radio Shack this past Thursday and bought some black velcro (they call it hook-and-loop fasteners - why this is I have no idea. It's a dumb name!) for $3.49. You get a 4-piece strip (sounds like a KFC order ) with both male and female sides. Now the velcro matches/camouflages perfectly with the black color body of my camera instead of the white velcro I previously used.

So... have FUN looking at the pretty pictures below. I know I had the ultimate FUN shooting them. Be qool, y'all!

ROD

Justin's HIV Journal: A Pozitive Union Justin B. Smith & Philip B. Terry Elope

Gosh! This wedding ceremony was SO BEAUTIFUL and SO ROMANTIC that I had to post this video and share. I sat with my head in my hand leaning on my computer desk as I watched and listened closely.

I've never witnessed a commitment ceremony between two Black bruthaz and it was an experience (if you can believe that). I watched and listened; I watched and listened; I watched and listened...

I have nothing but LOVE and WISH Justin and Philip a HEALTHY and HAPPY new LIFE TOGETHER!

HARAMBEE ("Let's All Pull Together") and ACHE ("And So It Is"; "Empower") my bruthaz...

ROD

Maia: Prometheus (Hardcover) Black Male Nudes by Brazilian Photographer Marcelo Maia

Man! I got a good value after going to the post office to pick up Maia: Prometheus. This little hardcover book is out-of-print. It measures a small and low profile 4.25" wide by 6.25" in height by 0.5" thick. I got a good value because if you look on Amazon.com there are merchants selling the book from $14.00 (which is what I paid for it plus $7.00 for expedited shipping) all the way up to a staggering $394.86!!!!! I have a policy of not buying anything used (It has to be in fine to mint condition), and if I'm feeling desperate I may go for very good condition. The merchant I respect and got it from was Powells Books (their last copy) and the grade was "Used - Acceptable" (aka "good condition" which is far less than my usual standards. I took a leap of faith as it has been at the back of my mind for some time to acquire. Anyway, I lucked out and got a perfectly mint condition book with a fine to near mint cover. Go figure. The original retail price on the book is $13 duckets. So in essence I paid $1 ducket more for an out-of-print book from over 10 years ago!!

As you might have already guessed, Maia: Prometheus is a book of black & white photography of nude Black men. The photography is quite superb in it's artistic approach, and the book's small low profile size works very damn well in the looks department! There are 48 picture plates altogether.

The book is described as... "In this lyrical first collection from photographer Marcello Maia, the Black male nude as subject is taken beyond conventional expectation and experience. Working specifically with the formal elements of composition and light, Maia not only dramatically displays the beauty of the male form but also challenges the existing depictions of Black men as photographic subject. Sensual, erotic, beautiful, and stunning, Marcelo Maia's work is sure to attract a wide audience appreciative of both the technical skill and artistic grace of his portraits."

The photography is quite excellent and the portraits comes across as works of art and not soft-porn for the sake of showing off like a lot of other books do.

I came across this book at my friend Antonio's house and have always wanted it for years now. I got my wish at a ridiculously low price and real happy now.

ROD's Tribute To Marvin Vines SUNRISE: 1943 to SUNSET: 1997 Soul On Canvas African-American Phyne Art

"Resurrection"

For years I have been a BIG, BIG fan of African-American artist/painter Marvin Vines (1943-1997). Marvin Vines otherwise known as "Marvines" (his signature on some of his own works) was a nationally acclaimed artist from Toledo, Ohio.

"I AM WHO I AM"

I can't quite remember how I stumbled upon his work, but it probably happened through my budding desire to start collecting Black male calendars back in the day somewhere between 1999 to 2001. All my calendars are photographic in nature, however, this one SPECIAL calendar I own has 12 months of Marvines' artwork ("I AM WHO I AM").

And as you can see above "I AM WHO I AM" is a powerful collage of Black men. It's absolutely superb!

"Pose"

"Torso"

Upon seeing his work for the first time back then, I was instantly attracted to his style and flava of subject matters. I mean... I was asking myself: Who is this brutha with the incredible talent? Where do I get more of his work? Why am I homo-erotically attracted to the body sculptures of the Black men in his subject matters of works? Why is the majority (not all) of subject matters of his his artwork stemming around Black men?

"Robe"

"Consciousness"

I've long and often wondered (still to this day) if Marvin Vines was same gender loving (SGL); not that it matters in the larger scheme of things, or that I'm trying to "claim" him for the SGL tribe. It has more to do with learning where the passion and expression of his art comes from particularly around the real sensual way in which he draws and portrays Black men in his portrait paintings. Very, very sadly, he transitioned from us in 1997, the same year I came into my "self-acceptance" around my homosexuality. So when I learned of and discovered his work a few short years later, he was already gone from me in a sense. No way to go to an art exhibition to see more of his work or to meet him personally and asks questions.

"2 Black 2 Strong"

"Endangered"

"Jam-N"

In any case, I really felt the need to pay tribute and promote attention to brutha Marvin Vines and his work because there is something about his work I connect to. It goes beyond just the SEXY or the STRONG Black male figures he portrays; or the social commentary in the naming of his works and and what the paintings represent themselves... it's... it's the fluidity of his style... the honesty of his style... the colors of his style... the unmistakable urban flava of style... the serenity of his style... the very soul expressed on his canvases such as the strength ("2 Black 2 Strong"), plight ("Endangered") and interests ("Jam-N") of the Black man... the (male) Nubian Knights in America. It's all that and more.

I own prints of "2 Black 2 Strong" and "Endangered" and had them professionally framed.

"In Flight"


"Ajax"

His other works include nature stuff like geese, birth and inanimate objects like a can of Ajax! LOL! Now that's GOOD GHETTO for you! LOL! And like many other artists out there, his work was perceived to be different and therefore ostracized from the art industry.

"Birth"

"My First Crib"

"The Family"

"Homeland" is arguably (with myself) my favorite Marvines piece (see picture below). I'm a hardcore science-fiction fan and there is an "other-wordly" theme or element that I get from this painting. The whole metaphysical thing with the naked brutha (with a afro and bandana!!! LOL! I LOVE IT! ) standing on rocks and water by the edge of the cliff with an illuminated valley and valley path down below... the spiritual entity (Dr. Strange-esqe like the Marvel Comics character) floating up from the brutha' body...the volcanic eruption in the background suggests a star field to me... and waaaaaaaaaaaay off into the distance on the left side of the painting, if you look closely... is that a mirror image of himself standing in between the high rock formations???... this painting has a lot going on. It's PHUCKING BRILLIANT! When I get the $600 duckets, I'll buy this piece! Or unless one of y'all wanna buy it for me. I'll be grateful forever! LOL!

I'll tell you though, I wish the hell I could draw like this brutha or just draw period!

"Homeland"

My Top Favorite Marvines Work

If you're interested in looking at more of Marvin Vines work or purchasing some of his art you can go to his official website which is managed by his brother Anthony and the Marvines estate at:

Soul on Canvas | Marvines Fine Art

I'am Who I'am Black Male Art Collection

There's Also An Official Blog:
 Marvines | Soul On Canvas Blog

Lastly, as a finish to my tribute, below is a video that I've had on my computer hard drive for years and decided to upload it to YouTube and share it here on my blog with y'all. In the video one of his quotes is "I don't consider myself different than any other artist; white, Black, green, whatever. It's just the imagery that I create, part of my experience, just happens to be an imagery that either folks won't accept, don't accept, or can't accept."

Enjoy the 3 minute video and catch y'all on da rebound.



And Marvin, wherever you are in the UNIVERSE, I LOVE your work bro... peace!