I Choose... Me (As Told By ^Northernstar)

Have you ever been in a situation where you've found yourself fighting against the odds & living in fear of what others might say?! Or felt like your decisions was based off the emotions of a loved one?! Or have you ever had good intentions about something, and it goes terribly wrong?! Ask yourself this question... do you base your decisions around yourself or others! Because at the end of the day, you can risk your happiness for someone else & they will NOT do the same for you. They will continue to do the things they want to do regardless.

In India.Arie's song "I Choose"... she expresses how she's tired of feeling guilty by being human & learning life's lessons. Why should we feel ashamed to make decisions for ourselves?! Yeah, we may hurt many people in the process of our decision making, but no matter how good our intentions are, or how honest we can be... someone will always get hurt in the end. As insensitive as it may sound, it's called life, and "I can't live for everybody, I gotta live my life for me".

Lady Gaga on Beyonce's Level?! (As Told By ^Northernstar*)

Okay, I would like to start off by saying I love Lady Gaga to death... I love her innovative style, her tone (voice), songs & "IDGAF" attitude. However, I'm hearing people say she's on Beyonce's level/ status... and I am APPALLED by that. I'm happy to see another woman (Gaga) be on top of her shit because I'm tired of Beyonce being the only one bringing something to the table.But people have to remember that Beyonce has been in the game since 1997, that is THIRTEEN years. Gaga has been in the game, since 2008. Yeah, she's headlining her own tour after a short amount of time & she has also won two Grammys so far in her career. But we've seen how fast "pop stars" can easily gain popularity & within one mistake, their career is over. Beyonce has experienced the leaps & bounds of stardom, and has managed to sustain longevity in a tough industry. And the girl is still getting better & better with each album. Only in due's time could I say the same about Gaga.

Performance wise, they both bring something interesting to the table. Gaga, is known for her crazy costumes, tantrum-piano playing, & singing-dancing simultaneously. Beyonce is known for her ability to sing & dance at the same time, throw around her lace fronts and still HIT notes. And let's not forget about her undeniable stage presence. I'd say Gaga only has one thing over Bey, and that's the ability to play the piano. However, her singing & dancing simultaneously has resulted to her fainting at a few concerts recently, and she has only been touring for about 3/4 months. Beyonce has a BIGGER catalogue than Gaga, her shows are 2hrs plus, and her recent "I Am.." tour ran from March 2009 to February 2010.. And not once has she passed out at a show!

Songs, I think it's a matter of preference. Gaga mainly sings dance music, but occasionally sings ballads & even sing acoustic versions of her dance records live. Beyonce is known for her uptempo songs, as well... but she can also rip a ballad to shreds. They both are versatile artists... but in my opinion, Beyonce could sing "Pokerface", "Bad Romance", & "LoveGame" in a heartbeat. However, can you really imagine Lady Gaga singing "Listen", "Single Ladies", "Dangerously in Love", "If I Were A Boy", or even "Crazy in Love", and still share the same brilliance Beyonce brought to those songs?!

Videos: I think is Gaga's strongest point, and she does take things to the next level. The "Bad Romance" video was pure brilliance & maybe one of the best videos I've seen in the past five years. And "Paparazzi" is awesome, as well. The video for "Telephone" featuring Beyonce is not one of my favorites. I believe the beginning & overused sexuality was very uncalled for. And I think her usage of sexuality may hurt her a bit... in the same sense that it almost hurt Madonna in the early 90s. Yes, it's a different generation, but many people aren't accepting of it!!! In my honest opinion, videos aren't Beyonce's strongest point.. but she has made a classic out of the "Single Ladies" video which she recorded in ONE take, and was VERY popular on YouTube with fans doing many renditions of the video! And her underrated video for "If I Were A Boy" was definitely one of her best!

Accomplishments: They were both honored by Billboard as the "Rising Star of 2009" (Gaga) & "Artist of the Year" (Beyonce) respectively. I have to say for Gaga to be 23 years old, and to have been in the game for two plus years... she is doing the damn thing. Two Grammys, a world wide tour, two number ones on Billboard Hot 100 & she's a fashion trendsetter. Beyonce, I don't even know where to begin. She has many endorsement deals, broke a record of 16 Grammys (13 solo), five number ones on Billboard Hot 100, sung for the Obamas, sung at the Oscars five times in her career, first black woman to win an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award, Number one in Forbes highest paid celebrities two years in a row, Billboard's Female Artist of the DECADE... so on & so forth! Come on now... do I need to say to more?!

In my honest opinion, I do think Gaga is one of the most creative artists I've seen in a very very long time. But will she last in this industry is the real question. Because at the end of the day, Beyonce has NOTHING to prove... she could retire today if she wanted to. On the other hand, Gaga has ALOT to prove... and she is NOT on Beyonce's level.

Embracing Your Personal Beauty (Written by: Chenita “Infinite Apex” Dickerson)

…And a child shall lead them; how amadamaphus it is to see the pure innocence that comes from children as it relates to their self-confidence, and acceptance of themselves and others. Often we want the opposite of what we are blessed or born with. There is nothing wrong with enhancing, changing, perfecting, embellishing, and molding all that we want to be different about our selves. But, loathing ourselves, sadly, is why the beauty industry is raking in all the dollars that everyone swears is lost to a so-called recession.

Being in the beauty industry myself, I witness first-hand those who I wish would embrace their own natural beauty and take enhancing as a “want” and not a “I’ll just take my rent money and get my hair done” thing. If a man’s hair is too thick, he wants it thinned. If it’s too thin, he wishes for thicker hair. When hair is long, they want short. Too short, they want long. People pay for perms to have curly and others pay for the curls to be straight with relaxers or keratin treatments. We fry, dye, and weave just to be able to eXcape from the reality of who we are.

“I’m too thin… I should eat…”

“I’m too fat… I should eXercise…”

“I’m too tall; my feet are too big; my nose is ugly; I’m not smart enough, funny enough, White enough, (this one kills me) BLACK enough…”

Why worry about what name is on your jeans? They are not paying you to advertise on your butt. It costs all of around $5.00 to make a pair of Nikes and we shell out upwards of $150 by the time our senses tell us we must have them, because we don’t love ourselves without the latest pair.

My gracious, no wonder we need pills to get up in the morning and another pill to go to bed at night; pills to stop constipation and another to stop diarrhea. We are a confused generation.

To view the entire article, click the link below:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/wakeup/2010/articles/04/2010_04_embracingyour.html

The History of Tampons (Written by: Kenneth- Michael)

Female readers will definitely understand and appreciate this article, but I am not certain if male readers will. This is because it focuses on the history of the tampon. For over a thousand years, the tampon has been one of the best inventions for the female body. The tampon has saved the female during her most frustrating times.Today’s tampon is made of cotton and rayon (a synthetic fiber), and used to absorb body fluids (mainly blood). The tampon supports the female during the menstrual period when inserted inside the vagina. The tampon is one of two options for women. The pad is a second option. Many women rely on tampons because it allows them to be physically active in their daily activities. Pads or panty liners can be uncomfortable for women because of the bulkiness and visibility of the pad’s outline.

The Egyptians invented the first tampon, which was made from papyrus: a tall, aquatic plant. The Greeks followed suit using a piece of wood covered in lint as their tampon. Several other counties used materials such as wool, paper, trees, and other fibers to construct their tampons.

The first tampon with an application was created in the United States in 1929 by Colorado physician Dr. Earle Haas. His invention was the first with an inner and outer tube with removal string. The outer tube is placed against the vagina, as the inner tube is pushed through the outer tube. This allows the inner tube, which has the removal string, to enter the vagina without using the fingers. The application tampon was patented in 1931, and trademarked under the name “Tampax”. Haas went on to sell the patent and the trademark to Gertrude Tendrich and the Tampax Company was founded.

To view the entire history of "Tampons", click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/future/2010/articles/04/2010_04_historyoftampons.html

Never Underestimate a Great Playlist (Written by: Billy Winn)

Never underestimate a great playlist—it’s a thought I know well, having created and ardently refined a number of them since purchasing my iPod two years ago. But, what’s so great about a playlist? For someone like me who eats, sleeps, and breathes music, a playlist is an eXhibition of my musical insight—showing off my knowledge of the timeless, the classic, and the cutting edge. What’s also great is that for someone whose life does not revolve around music, a playlist gives them an opportunity to eXpress themselves through the music they hold dear. Music is one of the universe’s oldest languages, and it helps us to define ourselves and claim our individuality. Scrolling through the contents of an mp3 player or checking out the music section of one’s Facebook page can tell you a lot about a person—just by taking note of the music they listen to.

Even when we are not aware of it, we turn to music for comfort, peace of mind, and inspiration—and having an awesome playlist only heightens those times, helping to ease the pain or to energize the eXcitement.So, what makes a great playlist? Although I’ve been making them since I was introduced to Napster in high school, I didn’t become a playlist junkie until after getting my iPod. The convenience of downloading all the music I’ve ever loved and adding it to the compact little device soon led to organizing particular songs into soundtracks for my moods. I have the typical playlists—for working out and for parties—but, I also have playlists simply to match how I was feeling when I created them. For me, a great playlist is one where you never have to skip through. No matter what plays next, you’re happy to listen and eager to hear what comes after—even though you’ve heard all the songs dozens of times. Every time the songs play, it’s an all new eXperience—and if you’re a shuffler like I am, listening to your playlist will never happen the same way twice, though the way the songs make you feel will never change.

To read the entire Playlist article, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/freeyourmind/2010/articles/04/2010_04_neverunderestimate.html

Lyrically Speaking XVIII (By Written by: Ccep J. Dew, West Coast Editor)

“It’s the thought of Mecca that keeps me alive. That’swhat helps me face these days that are all the same,these mute crystals on the shelves, and lunch and dinner at that same horrible café. I’m afraid that if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on living.”–The Merchant in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.

I feel like I’ve been dumbing myself down because I am afraid of my own power. How do I embrace it? How do I let go? I have always tried my best to hide from the spotlight while knowing full well that’s where I’m destined to be. And there are excuses that have helped me to reason with why I cannot or have not done all of the things that I know I am beyond capable of doing: My own timeline… Perfectionism… Work… Stress… That’s why I have three “unfinished” novels, countless writings (plays, songs, poems, etc.), and other ideas that have yet to even reach page. That’s why I haven’t done a poetry cd and don’t promote my book: I am afraid of supplying a demand that I am not sure I am prepared for. It’s also why I could never bring myself to slam. [For those of you unfamiliar with “slam”, simply put, it is a poetry competition where judges rate your performance/reading of your poetry based on their own definition of what “poetry” and “spoken word” should be. And you go up against other poets whose style, “skill level”, appearance, etc. may differ completely from yours. And there is no way of knowing what the judges will respond to and appreciate…]

Ironically enough, yesterday (a Thursday), I agreed to slam simply to fill an empty spot. I keep poems memorized, but I hadn’t practiced to compete. I wasn’t prepared for judgment on a 0 to 10 scale. But, with encouragement from my sistah Jerrica, I went up there and gave it my best.

I sit in front of this computer screen today, still trying to grasp that fact that, not only did I make it through to the second round, but I tied both rounds, perfect scores (by slam rules of dropping the lowest and highest score), with Jason O’Neil. I’d seen Jason on stage before and was always captured by what I consider a Broadway-theater presence. His voice and the animation of his movement are far different from the “B-more attitude” that I tap into on stage. And, yet, we were pitted against one another. At the end of the night, with a tie-breaker round, we both still came out with perfect scores, but, by a slight point-something advantage, I was announced the winner.

To view the entire article, click the link below:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/Editorials/2010/articles/04/lyrically18.html

Music Hits The Spot Series (What's On My Mind By Donald Mitchell)

So the long awaited cd has finally dropped. People heard the first single, and then was amazed at the video that came along with it. I don't think that people were ready to see you strip down in real life in the middle of a major street in Dallas, TX. Well guess what, she's here, and she's letting the world know that she ain't playing the game anymore, because the game is hers for the taking.



This is definitely a change-up in the game from her first cd "New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War". It reminds me of her old style, which drew me to love her in the first place. I'm not going to go into that, mainly because I've done that already here, so you can read my thoughts on the first two cds. Only thing I didn't like about this is that it's super short...by the time you get into it, it's about to go off.

But she ended it on a great note with this song:



This song right here is the perfect song to end it on. It's almost like she's having flashbacks to when she and ole dude were together, but on the brink of being separated for good. Not sure if anyone else thought about this (although I know one person already has..lol), but this is giving me Green Eyes precedence. Think about it...she's talking bout all the things that she'd do for him, and all the while, realizing that she's been the fool for him. Green Eyes is just picking up where she left off. I also like the way she sampled different songs (such as Junior Mafia's Get Money and Sweet Sable's Old Time Sake).

All in all, I'll give this a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I think that if she would have made it a bit longer then I would have given it a higher rating. But I must say, this was a good comeback, cause in my opinion, she hadn't had a banger since Mama's Gun. This is a good rideout cd. It's somewhat a bitter in a love lost sort of way, but I don't see it making women want to go out and start stabbin up people's tires or bustin out windows. I endorse it.

Good job Erykah! You ain't lost it after all.

Correction to Kirk Whalum Breaking News....

ETM prides itself on making sure our stories are always accurate. It's of great importance that our Misfits know we would never just "make things up".

For this reason we touched base with Kirk Whalum to get more clarity on his "CEO of Stax" comment during our interview. He shared with us that his title is actually CEO of The Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and the Stax Music Academy.

Now everything has been cleared up. We would like to once again thank Mr. Whalum and we can't wait for everyone to check out the interview in our Health and Fitness issue of ETM which drops this month.