Yazbowe Blues

Vaughndrix or The Great Blues Guitars

Imagine two of the greatest guitarist that ever lived playing together , just for you. That's how I felt when I happened upon this tribute song by Marc Cole (of UK.) and Sons of the Delta. He channels the spirits of  Hendrix and Vaughn. So, much that I had to stop everything and upload this video for you to experience. Nothing can replace the feeling of listening to Hendrix when I was about twelve, soaking in the sense of freedom and ecstasy he was able to emanate from his instruments; body and guitar.

When Jimi Hendrix left the planet for a new adventure, I was devastated, certain that my heart would never recover from the loss. Decades went by before I discovered Stevie Ray Vaughn, approximately one year after his fatal plane crash. The first time I heard him on a Hampton Roads (VA.) station I was enraptured . Who was that magician on those strings? SRV, another mojo man with a guitar.

To have the fortune of experiencing such passion, pain and joy is miraculous. This may seem overstated for some but, this Blues , this alchemy is what assures me that " every thing, every thing gonna be alright yea."

Imagining America

Oops! Where have I been? Like Dorothy I've been in the land of possibilities. A place without walls, time or boundaries. The landscape of mind. Remember when we read 1984 or watched Star Trek fascinated by the approaching  21st century.

Captain Kirk was the only person that owned a cell phone back in the day. Now look at us, every man, woman and child has some form of mobile attached to the ear. Despite warnings regarding safety issues with prolonged use. The 20th century proved to be the era of insanity.

Imagine  II world wars, the Son of Sam, the 6 day war, Vietnam, assassinations of JFK, MLK, RFK and the disappearance of Etan Patz and countless other children who appear on milk cartons. The preceding events make political skulduggery such as Watergate, sex and drugs at the Department of Interior's Royalty in Kind office and the Abramhoff scam seem like minor infractions.

 Now we have a President that says he will bring change (and I believe he can)  perhaps we the people will dedicate ourselves to creating a better society. Einstein said "imagination is more important than knowledge" so let's imagine a new America.

 

The New American Dream

The elections are over and hopefully we're on a new track. However, now that the intense energy that was generated by President Obama during his campaign, has calmed down we are confronted with alarming headlines. My fellow New Yorkers must assimilate the fact that Mayor Bloomberg plans to fire 3,000 city employees( information he dropped on election day). Nice try Mike but, the city never sleeps. Remember?

 am New York's cover story was almost as scary as DC Comic's Final Crisis, bleak images conjuring memories of soaring crime, legions of homeless folks and mucho graffiti. From the 70's through the 80's New Yorkwas a tale of two cities; the glamor and decadence of  Studio 54 and crack smoking on subway platforms. The days when the average citizen feared Bushwick and Bensonhurst. Dickensian times that made us tougher than leather and stronger than dirt.

Reagan's trickle down economics were stagnant and we stood on the precipice of class warfare. Perhaps after the last eight years of Bushenomics, Reagan may be recalled with affection. He and Nixon really were brilliant thinkers.

Fast forward into the 21st century; Americans are ready for change. We want better schools, affordable health care, our troops brought home , jobs and a safe clean environment. Our newly elected CEO, will be expected to rise above the call of duty. He must demonstrate his; diplomacy, world-view, decision making, humanity, fiscal integrity, reasoning, environmental commitment, energy planning, ongoing dialogue and the ability to instill hope and confidence.

Now is the time for the citizens of these United States, to reacquaint ourselves with our history. As parents we should embrace the opportunity to inform our precious children about our collective and diverse cultures, the creation and development of our nation, the environment and how it supports our lives, our ancestors and our community. We probably need to turn off cable make some cocoa and take a trip to the library.

The Internet is a great place to start exploring but , it's only virtual reality. Pick up a few biographies and start a reading club with your kids. They will amaze you with questions and answers. Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington is a classic or The Time and Space of Uncle Albert by Russell Stannard. These books are about men who dared to dream and watched their dreams come true.

Barack Obama has written several books of which I plan to read over the holidays. The first title "The Audacity of Hope" is at the top of my list. President elect has set a new bar for many of us, a standard of reaching for the stars with hope in your heart and trust in your eyes. Until next time.

Change Has Come

My Dear Fellow Americans,

    Two days later and I continue to reflect on the amazing victory of 2008. Yes, we elected our first African American President, our youngest president in almost 50 years and a Democrat who was serving his first term in the Senate. Wow! November 4th, 2008 was an auspicious day.

    Furthermore, we the people turned out to fulfill our duty and exercise our rights to cast a ballot in favor of the individual most capable to serve as our Chief Executive. This election day we rose to the occasion, getting out of our beds before dawn and heading to the polls. We stood on lines anxiously waiting to pull levers or touch screens.

    Although I am ecstatic about the outcome ( my candidate won!), I am more excited by the fact that we Americans woke up and took charge of our collective destiny. The people have spoken and they said " enough is enough", there is no way that we will tolerate another four years of "abuse of power" and watch our economy disappear down the drain with centrifugal force.

    Perhaps, it will take a while to get things moving in the right direction again but, today there is gratitude and expectation in our hearts and the willingness to get on board. Somehow we have taken a stand for the America that the founding fathers and the colonist fought for and articulated in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. 

It's been a long time coming, but I know that a change has come.

Yasmin Bowe-Woods

From The Frying Pan

More than a few times we've heard the old adage; out of the frying pan and into the fire. Well, not only have I heard it but, I've lived it. Especially as it pertains to men and relationships. Of course we grow older and wiser( a cliche that simply isn't true) and make better choices.

Wait a minute, how old are Carrie and Charlotte? Even if Sex and The City was not actually representative of daily life for NY women, it did highlight our desperate need to couple. At the end of the day strappy Manolo's are no comfort. Which makes us vulnerable to the likes of super slick  Marcus Graham (Boomerang), superficial Hal Larson (Shallow Hal) or the devil himself Daryl Van Horne (Witches of Eastwick).

In my case one charming MF (initials are real) that I met at a business conference in the genteel state of Virginia. He is everything I am attracted to; tall, blond, super intelligent and sarcastic. After our first encounter we began daily telecommunication, and endless emails. Once we talked from late night till dawn.

We were engaged in a weird kind of pillow talk, all about commissions and marketing. Money is a sexy late night topic. Finally I decided to kick things up a notch, and invited him to spend a weekend in New York. Most people will not turn down accommodations in our city. He was no exception.

Why didn't alarms go off when, suddenly Mr. Wonderful vanished from the radar. No calls, no emails, nothing. This is the crucial point when the older wiser voice begins to whisper and butterflies take residence in my gut. Haven't we been told over and over, the gut never lies.

This is the scene when I check one MF off my list. Unfortunately, after almost a month of complete and utter silence an email arrives MF is in the hospital. Oh my God... but wait, if he's in the hospital who sent the email from his account, which is surely password protected. Oh yeah, his son. Right.

There are several books that define what is known as a crazy-maker. Someone who thrives on drama and crisis, a person that will hook you into the madness and feed on your energy until you collapse. If you happen to be involved with a crazy-maker, run like hell.

Of course I rarely listen to my own advice, so I ran to the crazy-maker. All the way to Frying Pan N.C. and yes Frying Pan is on the map. It's a little section in Columbia between the Scuppernong River and the Albemarle sound. There I was at the end of Frying Pan Road surrounded by pine trees, a lake with cypress trees growing out of it, woodpeckers, duck, deer and black bears.

For daily exercise I walked up and down the road less traveled ( approximately 12 cars per week) , breathed the fresh air and watched turtles basking in the sun atop a fallen branch before they dived into the algae covered irrigation ditch upon hearing my footsteps. No matter how lightly I tread they heard me coming. The other thing is guns, almost everyone in N.C. owns firearms. A weapon of choice being a shotgun, or another type of rifle.

Initially I found this southern culture intriguing despite the mosquitoes, especially the part when he showed me the cottage and the where all of my things could go. Empty suitcases and boxes neatly stored in attic, an antique chest for my clothes and butsudan and sunlight coming from four directions. The first few days were lovely, we sat on the porch at night and gazed at a star filled sky while I sipped wine and he smoked a Cohiba.

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and anyone who has attended a party at my house know's that I can cook. Needless to say my 280lb teddy bear loved to eat. After dinner, he loved to talk, the only problem was that he said the same things repeatedly. There we were discussing the radio show we were co-producing and we'd disagree about an element and the rant would begin.

Now any wise woman would say " oh, I see" and shut the hell up, but not me. For as long as I've been verbal, I usually have the last word. Which unless you're a trial attorney is useless. Here I am debating with an overgrown, juvenile, egomaniac and for what,something ridiculous like what time we would drive into Columbia to buy groceries. Did I mention that this behavior was enacted at ever increasing intervals.

This was not unfamiliar territory because I seemed to have attracted these crazy-makers since I was in third grade at P.S. 28 and had my first fight with James Madeira. Or when I was in high school and started going out with Sly's brother who didn't speak English but, in a jealous rage put a gun in my face. When I bumped into him last year he still couldn't speak English and tried to get my phone number. I don't think so.

As for Frying Pan, it took me about six weeks to realize that being in a relationship with A Beautiful Mind is romantic in theory but, almost impossible in practice. It is tiresome, draining, sexless, unfulfilled and masochistic. Lesson learned; the gut never lies.

 

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