The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show… (was not as good as the name is long)

Friday, October 17th, 2008

Last night’s “Green Initiative Humanitarian blah blah blah” was not as interesting as it could have been, although my enthusiasm may have been tempered slightly by the fact that they made the crowd wait in line for over an hour (after sending a slightly sharp email about how we all had to be on time).

Emily Factor, M the Movement, ecoSkin, lilikoi, and smartglass recycled jewelry were all featured, and the clothes were all sort of boring. Lots of jersey knit, again with the bright colors (I guess even the green kids got the nineties memo), and some very wearable stuff from M the Movement, but otherwise… eh.

The more interesting part of the show was the, ahem, sideshow. For whatever reason, organizers decided that it would be fun (and appropriate?) to “go native.” Like, African dancers and what looked like Polynesian chest-beaters. It was not explained, and it was odd.

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Celebrating Edie Adams

Friday, October 17th, 2008

Blonde bombshell, Tony Award winner, and all around awesome gal, Edie Adams passed away this week at the age of 81.

Adams attended Juliard and Columbia, and debuted on the Milton Berle show after the “Miss U.S. Television” beauty contest. During her long career, Adams appeared on television in the final episode of I Love Lucy, on Broadway in L’il Abner and on the silver screen in It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Here she is in the role that made her famous: cigar girl for Muriel Cigars.

RIP, Mrs. Adams.

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Blacks Make an Impact On the Campaign Trail and In the Voting Booth

Friday, October 17th, 2008

As Barack Obama draws historic numbers of black voters to the polls, his presence on the ballot will likely help down-ticket Democratic candidates as well, especially in traditionally Republican states with large numbers of blacks. Recent research by CQ Politics shows at least 13 Senate and House seats currently held by Republicans are in jeopardy, primarily because the seats are all in districts (or states) with a black population higher than 10 percent.

The 8th district in North Carolina is just one example. Republican Robin Hayes won reelection in 2006 by 329 votes, and he faces a rematch with challenger Larry Kissell. Blacks make up 25 percent of Hayes’ district, and a Republican strategist is concerned about the congressman’s changes.

“I think the problem that he has is a combination of the African-American vote and new voters who have moved into North Carolina that don’t have the family ties and roots into that district,” the strategist told CQ Politics. “His race is very much one that I would not be surprised if he lost.”

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Man Kills Wife Over Facebook Relationship Status Row

Friday, October 17th, 2008

Break-ups are tough. Wayne Forrester, a 34 year-old London man, thought he was doing OK. He had handled the initial separation, gone through the painful process of dividing their shared worldly possessions, and moved out. But when his wife changed her relationship status on Facebook four days later to “single”… well, that was the last straw. Forrester, on a drug and alcohol binge, attacked his wife in her bed and killed her. The Guardian confirmed today that he will spend the rest of his life in prison for his Facebook-fueled crime of passion.

Does this mean that we should start taking our Facebook relationship status more seriously? Or should the function be removed altogether?

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Time Out New York Accepts Its Own Casual Racism

Friday, October 17th, 2008

Time Out New York celebrated Time Out’s 40th anniversary (Time Out as a whole, TONY is only 13), by selecting the “The New York 40“— 40 influential residents who have made an impact in the last 13 years.

Only three people of color made the cut.

Yep. TONY is secure in its knowledge that among the top 40 movers and shakers in New York City, 37 of them are white. (This is the part where you go: Are you f*cking kidding me? ‘Cause no, I’m not.)

Editor Michael Friedson was kind enough to attempt to explain their choices:

We did consider the racial balance, but in the end, we picked people based on talent, influence and their impact over the past 13 years. And a great many of the city’s innovators were left out—black and white….We stand by the picks. Whether we’re thrilled with the outcome is a different question because, for better or worse, that list is also a reflection of New York in the past dozen years—a city whose cultural elite have been mainly white.

Okay. Let me get this straight. You thought about the fact that you had selected only three people of color (I mean, not even three black people, three people who weren’t 100 percent white! (For the record, they picked  Jay-Z, Derek Jeter and Junot Díaz.) And then you decided that since you had selected them, it must be an accurate representation?

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