The Problem with District 9

This summer, South Africa made a statement in movie theatres with the release of District 9. The fictional tale of aliens residing in a apartheid style township in SA, reflected the treatment of apartheid era Black South Africans. The film had us rooting for the ostracized aliens, and wishing they would just find a way out of the injustice they crash landed into. It was an enlightening tale, condemning segregation with subtlety, the film however also managed condemn another non-fictional group in an unfair, and cruel depiction. Amongst the aliens residing in the township lived another group; the only group brave enough (or low enough) to fraternize and deal with the aliens. These were not the local gangsters of Jo'burg, but Nigerian imports, gangsters dealing in illegal fire arms, pimping their prostitutes to the aliens, and dabbling in a bit of cannibalism.

Now, Nigerians are in an uproar, furious about the portrayal of their countrymen in an internationally exposed film, and rightfully so. The folks behind the film have brushed off the allegations of the film being racist, cautioning viewers to not take the film literally, after all it is fiction. Yes that it is, however in a film that is publicly denouncing the wrongful treatment of another group, is it not hypocrytical to put such labels on another specified group? Being that the tale is fictional, writers could have come up with a fictional country, however they specified Nigerians as the group behind the atrocious crimes in the movie. They even went as far as using the previous president's name with just one letter off (Obasenjo instead of Obasanjo).

Because it is fictional, we do take it literally, as an attack on the country. Its still mind numbing that the people behind the film don't see the depiction as slander. Had it been any other group (considered a major group) the action would have been called by its proper name. Its just a shame to see a powerful a moral tale regress by the injection of discriminatory elements. The film is now banned in Nigeria, and that is one battle they had every right to pick.

Read more.

On Sunday, September 13th we will be hosting a Wii Tournament as a benefit for Shoe 4 Africa. It will be held at Town Tavern in the west village, with DJs Sinton, Treats, Spynfo, and Kraff Swagger. Amazing music, super cheap drinks, and Wii!! We also have amazing prizes, from a gift certificate to the Red Door Spa, to a free memebership to NY Sports club. For those not feeling competitive we will have free play wii's available as well. How can this not be a great time??

When: Sunday, September 13th
5pm-11pm

Where: Town Tavern
134 West 3rd Street, New York, Ny

Damage: $5 + a pair of old sneakers
$ 10 without

To register email info@no1sdoneitright.org

Tracy Mcgrady went to Darfur...

...and made a documentary.

3 Points is definitely worth checking out.

BLUEPRINT 3

Thoughts?

(buy it when it comes out + go buy tickets for the 9/11 benefit concert, too, while you're at it)

We dig it: Florence + The Machine

Florence + The Machine- Drumming

My current standard for knowing how much I love a song, is if after hearing it for the first time I have to hear it at least 6 more times, and eventually througout the day. Upon completion of these sequence of events do I exclaim ¨I love this song!¨ Florence and the Machine had me at the beating drum line of appropriately named song, Drumming, above. The debut album, Lungs, is an intoxicating effort (yes, i like it that much), making discretion impossible. But, have a listen for yourself.

And Another one...

God Save the Kids

TaqwaTour 2007-2009 from taqwacore on Vimeo.

Muslim kids are finding a voice in punk music. Above is a live performance from Boston-based Muslim punk band The Kominas.

http://www.myspace.com/thekominas

Read More.

Congrats to Judge Sonia Sotomayor

Looks like America's political communities are starting to resemble the make up of America itself. Yesterday Judge Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed by the Senate to join the Supreme Court. She is the first Latina and third woman to earn this victory. Exciting!

Lift Every Voice

As we witness the demise of the magazine industry, HP has come up with a solution for individual publications. HP's Magcloud allows individuals to put together, print and distribute magazine. New York Times interviews a couple of fashion students, behind BARE a publication they put together from start to finish. At a low cost, HP is encouraging people to share their thoughts, perceptions, and opinions. Very cool.

Talking bout Good and Bad Hair

This subject is usually reserved for insider convo within the black female community; this fall however, Chris Rock will explore the subject of Black Hair and display it to the world. I'm excited to see what questions the documentary raises, and if we get a real look at why black women are on a constant quest for that extra silky yaki. Should make for interesting discussions. I wonder if this will get me to finally go for the fro, we'll see.

xoxo Nos

Leaving on a Jet Plane

New York City has been quietly funding a program, sending homeless people in New York on a one way journey out of its shelters, and to their relatives' homes. Once assured that the individuals or families will be accommodated, the Department of Homeless Services makes all their travel arrangements, including attaining visa's, travel tickets, and will sometimes throw in up to 4 months rent for their relocation. Read more at the New York Times

David Lynch: A Strange Mind, A Generous Mind

This summer has been dubbed my David Lynch summer. No, I didn't recently watch the director's famed Muholland Drive, Eraserhead, or Inland Empire but his early 90's TV show Twin Peaks. It blew my mind. The show is set in a rural Washington town named Twin Peaks and follows an introspective FBI detective, Agent Cooper, as he solves the murder of a teenage girl, Laura Palmer. Lynch's style feels like that of an updated Alfred Hitchcock. It's an interesting blend of noir, melodrama, gothic imagery, and surrealism. Here is a scene from Twin Peaks in which Agent Cooper uses Tibet and rock throwing to advance him in the case.


In a move flexing the charitable side of his brain, Lynch created a foundation to help children reach their fullest potential. The David Lynch Foundation funds research and awards scholarships to children that are interested in practicing transcendental meditation. Practicing this meditation for more than 30 years, he believes that it improves concentration and creativity. If this practice will help me imagine half of what Lynch does then I'm all for it.

A day at Covenant House

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of invading the world of Covenant House, on a tour of its New York Branch. With our late summer supplies drive coming up, I needed to take a closer peek at the organization that would be receiving our collections.

My tour began in the main lobby Crisis center, open 24/7 for kids turning to CV for shelter. Here I met Brandi, the director of the New York location. Awaiting me was the image of two girls, both not older than 17, eyes glazed, fists clenching the little belongings they had. They waited to speak to a case worker who would determine if Covenant House was the place for them, and if it was they would be put in a 30 day program. The girls resembled any teenager hanging out and being carefree on our New York streets. I couldn't even begin to guess what brought them here, I was just happy that they knew to come to the center.

We continued to a residential mothers and babies floor, part of a transitional program, where the kids can stay for up to 2 years. The hallways were colored with art work from the kids strewn all across the walls. At the time the floor was peaceful, with the young mother's off to work, or job searches, while the kiddies napped in the comfort of the nursery. (too cute)


We headed back down to the recreation room, a place for the kids to hang out when they returned for their 9 pm curfew. A banquet table was set up with a couple of girls waiting to serve up dishes they had prepared themselves, including creating the menu. I got to sample some white chocolate chip macadamia cookies, that were so damn scrumptious, I briefly considered running off with a tray of whatever I could get my hands on from the table. As Brandi spoke to me about the rec room, Perry, one of the Kids in the transitional program blessed us with some tunes on the piano. Someone get that kid a deal.


On to the other facilities, there were the class rooms were kids got job training, and took GED prep classes. CV hooks kids up with scholarships, encouraging a pursuit of higher education.


"Covindale's" CV's department store for boys, girls and babies; basically a place kids at the center can get some fresh duds for work and play.

We weren't allowed to talk to kids in the center; but they all appeared to be happy, healthy and excited about life.

Covenant House serves as a safe haven for teens and young adults, who have nowhere else to turn. With the economic downturn, more families are forcing kids out of the home once they are 18 in order to be able to provide for their younger siblings (sad but true), causing the center to witness an increase of kids arriving at their crisis center. Please help us help them by donating to our supplies drive.

For more information on how you can help; or even to get a tour of the center email us at info@no1sdoneitright.org.

xo Nos

Black Again

With the overwhelming success of the last year's "All black" issue of Italian folk. The magazine has decideduse a similar formula this year. In commemoration for pop icon, Barbie's 50th anniversary, this year's July issue of Italian Vogue includes an insert mini-mag, with spreads featuring black barbies. This could easily get an eye roll, however the Barbies aren't just a tanned version of Caucasian Barbie, but come with varying hair textures, and facial features, recognizing the beautiful diversity of black women, and earning the mag a pat on the back.

Click here for pics from the insert courtesy of Jezebel.

40th Anniversary of Stonewall Riots

June 28th marked the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots which helped pave the way for LGBT liberation.

Below is an article from the New York Times that ran the day after the riots:


Democracy Now! recently looked back on the importance of the riots and how it relates to LGBT rights today. Click here to watch host Amy Goodman present a reflection as well as clips from the documentary Remembering Stonewall.

PEOPLE GET READY

Israeli military recently seized a cargo ship carrying supplies to Palestinians on the Gaza strip, after Israel had agreed to allow ships coming into the strip on humanitarian missions. Help out if you can today.

EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION
Against Israeli Piracy & Kidnapping
Free Cynthia McKinney and all kidnapped human rights workers!

WEDNESDAY 4-6 PM (THAT'S TODAY, PEOPLE!!!)
at the
ISRAELI MISSION
800 Second Avenue
(Second Avenue @ 43rd St.)

Demand the Release of Rep. Cynthia McKinney, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, all aid workers and supplies NOW!

Sign the Online Petition - http://www.iacenter.org/palestine/gazashippetition

Homage to a King

We could go one listing songs that touched everyone of us for a lifetime. There will never be any one like Michael. RIP.

Things that make you say hmmm...

Russian Gas company Gazprom completed a deal with Nigeria's state owned NNPC. The gave birth to a new firm, and called it NIGAZ. Smh.

Read more

A Fallen Angel

We bid farewell to Farrah Fawcett, a woman who played a role in women's rights and empowerment, through her movie roles. Rest in Peace.

Read More

No words needed.

Real Gems

Through pop culture most have learned that it's "hard out there for a pimp." But what about a confused 13 year old girl? When I saw the documentary "Very Young Girls" it helped open my eyes to the very real tragedy of child prostitution in America. In the doc, we hear confessional style interviews from the girls that managed to live through the turmoil. Some have been able to move on with their lives in a positive way and others continued to be brainwashed by their pimps.

In the forefront of the film is GEMS. GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services) is a NYC based organization that mentors survivors of sexual exploitation and educates the masses through training programs. We see members of GEMS try to intercept runaways of the program across state lines, take elation in the recovery process of girls, and shed tears when ones fall prey to bad decisions.This documentary is truly one to watch and learn from. Check out the trailer:



To learn more about GEMS or to set up a screening of the doc click here

Happy Monday!

We know how you feel.

Happy Father's Day!

I found it funny.

Smart Girls Have More Fun

Amy Poehler--of SNL, Baby Mama, and Parks & Recreation--has created an internet show for young girls that "celebrates extraordinary individuals who are changing the world by being themselves." These individuals all just happen to be girls, and the little girl in me wishes Smart Girls At The Party was around when I was growing up (maybe then I wouldn't have looked up to Erica Kane so much).

Check it out here:

http://www.onnetworks.com/videos/smart-girls-at-the-party

The F Word and Yogurt

Who says that feminism can't be funny? Each week on Target Women, Sarah Haskins pokes fun at what the ad industry thinks women do best -- consume. Popular topics of women interest in commercials like laundry, fiber, cooking for large families, and planning big weddings all get pummeled by Haskins' hilarious and witty commentary.

Check out one of the show's classic episodes on yogurt below:



Target Women airs each week on Current TV as a part of Infomania. Click here for more videos.

Get up, Stand up

Last Friday marked the kick off of Arise Africa Fashion Week in Jo'burg. It is the first of an annual fashion week, that will bring African designers to the forefront of...well the fashion. Arise magazine (Nigeria, holler!) took New York by storm for the fall fashion week, and now they're bringing it home with a world class fashion week with African Fashion International. Gone are the days of dashikis and animal print representing African fashion.
Click here for more photos.

xoxo Nos

More J. Cole (What can I say, its his week) and Shyvonne!!!

If you missed it last summer, here's your chance to catch 2 NODIR favorites. J. Cole (we've been bigging him up all week) and our very own Shyvonne, will be performing at Let's Just Eat Cheese's Boss Lady's bday soiree. Join us tonight at Sway, for a night guaranteed to leave you stumbling out the door.

Where: Sway
305 Spring St
New York, NY 10013

When: Tonight, Wednesday, June 17th
10pm-4am

Stay Off the Dunes

What does hipster beach wear look like? Impractical. With tightly rolled up white jeans and patterned capes in abundance, last Sunday, Todd P put one of his signature unamplified shows at Fort Tilden in Rockaway. In eight hours, the show hosted 50 of some of the most innovative bands in indie music urging some of the coolest Brooklynites to make a trip to Queens. Amongst the bands were Mika Miko(sadly, minus the phone), Ponytail, The Strange Boys, and Rockaway natives, The Forms, pictured above.

For more photos check out photographer Katie Honan's flickr

The Good

We celebrated with NODIR Vet/ Roc Nation signee, J. Cole, at his mixtape release party last night, where we copped a copy, and I haven't been able to hit pause since. Download The Warm Up, and get infected.

Think Different

Here's the trailer for Afghan Star, a documentary based on the Afghani version of American Idol. The movie follows candidates on the show, faced with adversity as they break the rules dictated by social conventions of the country (singing and dancing is illegal). Afghan Star, gives viewers a real look at Afghanistan, and how Afghan Star is a manner of rebelling against conservative attitudes in the country. The documentary drops June 26th, please endorse this movie.

xoxo Nos

Chicks we respect

This week on Gotti's Way 2, Deb headed over to Gayle King's radio show, to discuss the state of her relationship with Irv. Following the show, she sat down with Irv to talk about their "ex-kinda" status, which lead to an altercation. At about 16:50 (VH1 get a cropping system), the boss bitch in Deb comes out. I like her.

xoxo Nos

Think Different

Another reason we love Family Guy. Read more on this subject.

xoxo Nos

Give & Take: The ULTIMATE clothing swap!!

Yesterday's swap was pretty wild, chicks came through with suitcases to lug they new threads home! Shouts to White Box for hosting us, Juan almost killed me over chicks stepping on the coal installations. Big ups to our friends over at Disney for hooking us up with some freebies.


The end result!

Join us July 13th for the next one. Same time, same place.

xoxo Nos

The Good

J. Cole - Simba (Directed by BBGUN) from bbgun on Vimeo.

J.Cole- Simba

Here goes NODIR veteran J. Cole video for Simba, its safe to say he's blowing the *bleep* up. Styled by our very own Kach!

Think Different

Pictured here: Soft blimp bus, and soft cars.


Meet Mitchell Joachim: Founder of Terreform ONE, a non-profit philantropic design collaborative that integrates ecological principles in the urban environment. Armed with a PHD from MIT, Joachim is out to change the face of Architecture as we know it. Working to create a greener, smarter and softer Urban. Joachim has designed several new concepts for transportation, housing, even gym facilites. His version of the bus of the future, is a harness wielding blimp, resembling a jellyfish that scoops passengers up on their morning commute. As for housing, his plan is to have everyone living in treehouses, and not just the kind you planned on building as a kid. The Fab Tree Hab, would basically be grown inside trees that are molded into shape by scaffolds, allowing the inhabitants to grow vegetation on their home, literally. Just imagine: " Welcome to my tree." That sounds pretty bossy.

Read all about it.

The Good

PRESSURE COOKER: Movie Trailer - The best bloopers are a click away

On the other side of the tracks, are the kids from Pressure Cooker. Watched this last night, and I laughed, cried, and applauded with the kids from Frankford High. Great movie, check it out.

The Real Gossip Girls and Queens of NY

Bravo aired its special preview of NY Prep the other day...here are my comments:

How old are these kids?

What team does PC play for, does he know?

PC says "Let's act like we don't give a shit about celebrities that'll make us even cooler."

Can we call social services on the parents?

I already feel bad for the token the middle class girl.

They did a pretty good job of recreating almost all the story lines from GG; the acting on GG is better.

Chances are i'll be watching this show, I'm sure the WTF moments will be well worth it.

And finally, we must prevent these kids from being our future... By wit not violence.

xoxo nos

Cause I'm African

CNN will be premiering Black in America 2 in July, as a part of the documentary, they will be covering what it means to be African in america, a subject that the mainstream rarely discusses. Its interesting because there are several degrees of being African in the US, that a lot of people aren't aware of. From the the just landed immigrant with an incomprehensible accent, to the fully integrated kid who only hears his native tongue at home, each of these experiences come with a struggle. CNN has asked African's living in America to send in their IReports, the results? An insight on the different degrees of Africanism in the US.
Read More

Xoxo Nos "Cause I'm Nigerian" Def!

And Another one...

See you guys this Sunday!!!

We keep teasing you with our on again off again bloggage, we know, but we're back for good this time. We've just been busy prepping for an extravagant summer. Check the new logo, pretty fly, right? Shouts to Billi D for hooking it up.

Here's a short list of things we have lined up for this summer.

The last Give and Take swapping event was insane, hair was flying, nails were scratching, everyone was struggling for that vintage Chloe garb, plus we managed to collect tooonnss of clothes for Housing works.
We decided to bring you a few more, so join us June 7th for the next episode of our Swapping series.

Where: White Box
329 Broome Street,
New York, NY 10002
3pm-6pm

More swaps to follow.

XOXO

BACK AGAIN

Your favorite girl scouts at No One's Done It Right are back. Join us this Sunday, March 15th at Sixth Ward for Give & Take the first of our monthly Clothing Swap events.

Rules of the Game: Donate your undesirable clothing and accessories, and you get the chance to rummage through everyone else's undesirables. Left over clothing will be donated to Housing Works, an organization which supports homeless and formally homeless New Yorkers living with HIV-Aids. Clothes will be sorted through upon deposit, to ensure that they are in the condition to be traded. As an added bonus, there will be fashion students on ground to help make adjustments/customize your new pieces.

Join us and get fly, lol.

Give & Take
March 15th, 2009
Sixth Ward
191 Orchard St New York, NY 10002

$5 Suggested Donation
$5 mimosa drink specials