Hideous Injustice: Zimmerman is acquitted in Trayvon Martin case

Trayvon Martin

Rest Perfect Peace

 

"We are outraged and heartbroken over today's verdict. We stand with Trayvon's family, and we are called to act,"

Ben Jealous -President of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People,

 

Paulina Opoku-Gyimah says: I can’t stop crying…… I’m a mother of a beautiful soon-to-be nine year old BLACK boy ---and I’m wondering….are we black people in 2013 still fighting for equality? What is this!!!!!!

Still, I am thankful that GOD is bigger than 'Middle America' and its racists issues -and ‘that’ Zimmerman person will most surely get his just deserves in the END……

*True heartfelt prayers for the Martins and all black boys born today and tomorrow in America. What a disappointing outcome –surely America’s (God Fearing???) lawmakers can do better than this!!!!

Please note –just because this hideous verdict has been willed into motion –doesn’t make it right!!!!! That Zimmerman person is still a murderer, he still took a ‘LIFE’…

*Not a good day for the Black skin….. just shocking. I wonder what it feels like to be President Obama today.

 You read all about via: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/14/zimmerman-acquitted-killing-trayvon-martin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Trayvon_Martin

About to get married, why not let Pristine Cleaners take care of all your cleaning needs…..

Have you ever had one of those experiences, where you’ve just been to the sooo called ‘wedding-of-the-year’ –you soooo can’t remember what the bride wore –but can distinctly recall being roped into cleaning up the hall at around 1.30am –when you’re tired and ready for bed!!!

It’s such a shame but without proper planning and cleaning arrangements all some folks remember about some weddings (and other major events) is not what the bride wore, or the best man’s speech or the beautiful wedding cake –but being handed a black dustbin bag and having to clean up the banqueting hall after a lovely wedding. And that’s not what any blushing bride wants their guest s to remember about her ‘big day’. Well Pristine Cleaners Ltd, a smart cleaning company based in north London has the solution and offers an ‘after party Cleaning Service’ that covers the whole of London.

Available at a minutes notice, 24 hours a day,  7 days a week and from as little as £15 an hour per person depending how big your wedding venue is, Pristine Cleaners will take care of your cleaning needs “doing all the hard work so you” and your guest don’t have to.
Pristine Cleaners has a large team of friendly professional police vetted cleaning staff and provides a host of hassle free cleaning services at a minutes notice, 24 hours a day including: residential and commercial cleaning, after builders and end of tenancy cleaning, a key holder service and much more.

Remember, you may have the venue, the caterers, the florist, the dress and the invitations have all been sent out but have you made any cleaning arrangements? Don’t allow the ‘cleaning’ to be the lasting memory of your gorgeous wedding day contact Pristine Cleaners via: http://www.pristinecleaners.co.uk/

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Health & Wellbeing: A quest for a bigger bottom ends in quadruple amputee….

I lost my arms and feet after bum boost injections

Shock image reveals dodgy jabs truth

High price ... Apryl Michelle Brown lost limbs

Kawai Matthews/ TAMU Artist Agency

Exclusive

By Sarah Arnold Date: 26th May 2013

 

A MUM of two told last night how her quest for a bigger bottom left her a quadruple amputee – and 24 hours from death. 

Apryl Michelle Brown had black-market silicone injections which turned out to be BATHROOM SEALANT.
It left her in agony and led to her losing her hands and feet, as well as her buttocks.

Bubbly ... before backstreet beauty procedure

The 46-year-old former hairdresser blames “vanity” and wants to warn others of the terrible dangers of such illegal treatments.

Apryl said: “I’ve paid a terrible price for vanity and I’ll pay for the rest of my life. But I blame no one but myself.

“I want to share my story to warn others about these so-called ‘quick fix’ surgeries.
“I didn’t realise the dangers. I thought it was a harmless injection that would give me the perfect bottom. But the reality was the silicone used wasn’t suitable for humans. It was, in fact, bathroom sealant only suitable for DIY.

Triumph ... with relatives after finishing the triathlon

“My body had a massive allergic reaction to it which left me at the brink of death.
“I was in so much agony that, by that point, dying would have been a release. The only way doctors could save my life was to amputate my buttocks, my hands and feet.”

Teased as a child about her “pancake” bum, Apryl vowed to buy a shapelier one when she was older.
She said: “I didn’t know if I wanted mine to look like Janet Jackson’s or J-Lo’s.

“I didn’t even know how you could do it. I just wanted a new, bigger bottom.”
The moment that changed her life came in 2004, when two women walked into her successful beauty salon to get their hair done.

One of them ran “pumping parties” — where unqualified practitioners inject illegal silicone into “patients” at their home.

Apryl, from Los Angeles, said: “One of the women told me how she had given bottom injections to the friend who was with her.

“I remember thinking it was a miracle she’d walked into my life. Her friend showed me the work she’d had done and it looked great.

Enhanced ... shapely bum

PLANET PHOTOS

“In a split second I made the decision that I was going to go to this woman and let her inject silicone into my behind.”

That decision nearly killed her. Apryl paid the woman, who had no medical background, around £650 for two lots of injections. Doctors later discovered the substance used was industrial-grade silicone.
Apryl admitted: “I didn’t do any research. A combination of naivety, misplaced trust and insecurity led me to take this disastrous decision.
 
“I trusted her because she seemed so professional, and I had no reason to think anything awful was going to happen.
 
“She carried out the procedure in her daughter’s bedroom. She assessed my bottom and said, ‘You’ll need three or four sessions to get the result you want’.

“The first procedure took an hour. I remember asking, ‘Is it meant to be so painful?’ and she said, ‘Yes’. It felt like it was squeezing through my nerves.”
Within weeks Apryl returned for her second treatment.
 
She said: “After going through it again I had an epiphany. As I left her house I thought, ‘What am I doing? I have no idea what she’s putting in my body’.

“I never returned. But though I didn’t know it then, my life had already changed forever.”
Over the next two years the area where she’d been injected became hard and the skin blackened.
Apryl, mum to daughters Danye, 22 and Courtney, 21, said: “Within a few months of the second injection my buttocks began to harden. I knew something wasn’t right. But shame stopped me seeking medical help. As time went on it got worse as the skin blackened. I developed hard lumps. Then the searing pain started. I had to tell my doctor what I did. I was so ashamed.”

Apryl spent the next four years in constant pain. Two surgeons told her it was too dangerous to remove the silicone.
 
She said: “I was in so much agony I became a regular at hospital asking for medication to ease what was like a combination of a migraine, childbirth and toothache localised in one area.

In training ... Apryl

Kawai Matthews/ TAMU Artist Agency

“I suffered day and night, so I was willing to do anything — including remove my buttocks.”
In February 2011 a surgeon operated unsuccessfully. Apryl developed a hole in her buttocks — thought to be the trigger for an infection that in June was nearly fatal. She said: “I was 24 hours from dying. I didn’t think of leaving my family. It was a relief I’d finally be free of pain.”

Doctors put her in an induced coma for two months while performing 27 surgeries — starting with amputating her buttocks — and doing extensive skin grafts.

She said: “They saved me but gangrene set into my hands and feet. I was brought out of sedation shortly before I became a quadruple amputee.

“My hands looked like those of a dead person. I knew then I was going to lose them.”
She added: “At first you try to register your new limbs. The real comprehension comes when you start to live this new life.

“I had dark times. I cried a sea of tears. I had to face the fact I’d lost my hands, feet and buttocks because of complications from bottom injections. I was overwhelmed by shame and guilt... all because I wanted a bigger bottom.
  
“I was six months in hospital. By the time I was discharged I was determined to turn this terrible thing into something positive.

“I decided to do a triathlon. I told myself if I could achieve that I could do anything.
“I took my first steps again by the end of 2011. I built up to training six days a week, learning to walk, cycle then swim again using my residual limbs.
 
“I’d be crying in pain but I’d push through it. And six weeks ago I did it — completing a three-mile walk, ten-mile cycle and a 150-metre swim.
 
“When I crossed that finishing line with my family cheering me on, I cried tears of joy.”
She added: “I haven’t sued or sought compensation. I just want to move on. There are things I miss dearly — I’ll never be able to do my girls’ hair or feel sand between my toes.
“But I believe I survived to share my story.
 
“I want to warn others of the dangers of black-market surgery. We were born whole, perfect and complete.

“My greatest message is we have to learn to love and accept ourselves for who we are.”

Source/Credit: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/real_life/4942552/I-lost-my-arms-and-feet-after-bum-boost-injections.html

 

I don’t know where to start ----I admire her honesty and wish her and her family the best. A cautionary tale for all those after bigger ‘Apple bottoms’ me thinks…  

Objects of Desire: Shoes by Jeffery Campbell.......

 

 

 

 

For more info visit: http://www.jeffreycampbellshoes.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeffrey-Campbell-Shoes/115112778505581

Words of Wisdom: Ang Lee

Ang Lee: A Never-Ending Dream

"In 1978, as I applied to study film at the University of Illinois, my father vehemently objected. He quoted me a statistic: ‘Every year, 50,000 performers compete for 200 available roles on Broadway.’ Against... his advice, I boarded a flight to the U.S. This strained our relationship. In the two decades following, we exchanged less than a hundred phrases in conversation.

Some years later, when I graduated film school, I came to comprehend my father’s concern. It was nearly unheard of for a Chinese newcomer to make it in the American film industry. Beginning in 1983, I struggled through six years of agonizing, hopeless uncertainty. Much of the time, I was helping film crews with their equipment or working as editor’s assistant, among other miscellaneous duties. My most painful experience involved shopping a screenplay at more than thirty different production companies, and being met with harsh rejection each time.

That year, I turned 30. There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘At 30, one stands firm.’ Yet, I couldn’t even support myself. What could I do? Keep waiting, or give up my movie-making dream? My wife gave me invaluable support.

My wife was my college classmate. She was a biology major, and after graduation, went to work for a small pharmaceutical research lab. Her income was terribly modest. At the time, we already had our elder son, Haan, to raise. To appease my own feelings of guilt, I took on all housework – cooking, cleaning, taking care of our son – in addition to reading, reviewing films and writing scripts. Every evening after preparing dinner, I would sit on the front steps with Haan, telling him stories as we waited for his mother – the heroic huntress – to come home with our sustenance (income).

This kind of life felt rather undignified for a man. At one point, my in-laws gave their daughter (my wife) a sum of money, intended as start-up capital for me to open a Chinese restaurant – hoping that a business would help support my family. But my wife refused the money. When I found out about this exchange, I stayed up several nights and finally decided: This dream of mine is not meant to be. I must face reality.

Afterward (and with a heavy heart), I enrolled in a computer course at a nearby community college. At a time when employment trumped all other considerations, it seemed that only a knowledge of computers could quickly make me employable. For the days that followed, I descended into malaise. My wife, noticing my unusual demeanor, discovered a schedule of classes tucked in my bag. She made no comment that night.

The next morning, right before she got in her car to head off to work, my wife turned back and – standing there on our front steps – said, ‘Ang, don’t forget your dream.’

And that dream of mine – drowned by demands of reality – came back to life. As my wife drove off, I took the class schedule out of my bag and slowly, deliberately tore it to pieces. And tossed it in the trash.

Sometime after, I obtained funding for my screenplay, and began to shoot my own films. And after that, a few of my films started to win international awards. Recalling earlier times, my wife confessed, ‘I’ve always believed that you only need one gift. Your gift is making films. There are so many people studying computers already, they don’t need an Ang Lee to do that. If you want that golden statue, you have to commit to the dream.’

And today, I’ve finally won that golden statue. I think my own perseverance and my wife’s immeasurable sacrifice have finally met their reward. And I am now more assured than ever before: I must continue making films.

You see, I have this never-ending dream."

(Following Ang Lee’s second Best Directing win at the Academy Awards last night, this beautiful essay resurfaced. This essay was written in 2006 (post-Oscar win).

Text & photo credit: Irene Shih

 

Gina Rio: Fashion’s latest IT Girl…….

Meet the most spoiled girl in Britain

— Gina Rio gets £10,000 a month and lives in The Savoy
— She says she 'could never date someone who is poor'
— Owns 300 designer shoes and has 70 handbags

Damsel in excess ... Gina Rio poses with some of her shoe collection

Mick Gell / Barcroft Media  By HARRIET HERNANDO Dated: 30th December 2012

GINA RIO says words are not enough to prove her parents love her – but a £10,000-a-month allowance and home in a luxury hotel does the trick.

The pampered 23-year-old owns 300 pairs of designer shoes plus 70 top label handbags and spends £600 a month on hairdos and another £1,000 on taxis and chauffeurs.
And, amazingly, the monthly torrent of parental cash is only HALF what she used to get.
After her dad Paul left the family for another woman when Gina was 14, she demanded a fortune from him, as if to compensate.
She was given generous handouts until she was 17, when an allowance of £20,000 A MONTH kicked in. She was also bought designer clothes worth thousands of pounds.

Shopping spree ... Gina Rio shows off her designer togs

Mick Gell / Barcroft Media

Paul, who owns a construction company, splurged £10,000 on her 16th birthday party alone.
But two years ago Gina’s chances of taking the crown as Britain’s most spoiled girl took a knock when she fell out with her dad over his new woman, and he axed her allowance.
Fortunately her mum Teresa — who divorced Paul in 2003 — then stepped in with the £10,000-a-month lifeline.
Today, Gina adds to her fortune by earning £2,000 a month as a personal stylist.
She says: “I know I’m spoiled, but I need my parents to buy me things to prove they love me.
“My dad will buy me anything that I ask for to show me how much he cares.
“I think the most expensive item was a Hermes handbag which cost £20,000.
“When I found out that he’d bought his mistress a Hermes bag, I wanted to have one that was bigger and better.
“I wanted him to prove that he loved me more than her, because she’s horrid.
“He’s my dad at the end of the day and I’m always going to love him, but he’s chosen his new family over me.”

Bag lady ... Gina Rio looks pleased as punch with her purchases

Mick Gell / Barcroft Media

Londoner Gina compares herself to socialite and reality television star Tamara Ecclestone, who is also famously pampered by her dad, Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
She says: “I like Tamara — she’s pretty and she seems nice.
“Of course, she wants for nothing — and sometimes I think I’m just as bad as her.
“I’d like to start my own business — something like a beauty spa. I get bored sometimes so I think it would give me something to do. Tamara has her own show, Billion $$ Girl, to keep her occupied.”
Despite her massive monthly income, Gina has not managed to save a penny.
She blows the lot on socialising, clothes and hair and beauty and says: “It’s really bad — I don’t even know how much I spend sometimes.”
Last year Gina, who trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, blew £50,000 in just two days on clothes and clubbing after borrowing her dad’s credit card. Gina says: “My dad wasn’t happy but he just shrugged it off.”
Her favourite brands include Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci and she eats out every day because she cannot cook. She is currently living at the Savoy hotel in central London while her five-bed house in the capital’s King’s Cross is being refurbished.

Made up ... only Chanel will do for Gina Rio

Mick Gell / Barcroft Media

When it is finished it will have a walk-in wardrobe covering the entire top floor, swimming pool and Jacuzzi and a home cinema.
Gina, who performed in Dizzee Rascal’s Dance Wiv Me music video wearing a swimsuit, says: “My mum bought the house for me ages ago — I reckon it must have cost at least a million.”
Meanwhile, dad Paul is picking up the tab at the Savoy, where top rooms can cost £20,000 a month.
Gina continues: “When my parents divorced, my mum was left with a huge settlement so I’m not worried the money will run out.
“I’ve never had to worry about money, so I don’t have a concept of it. When my dad bought me a fur coat I made him get rid of it because I’m against animal cruelty.
“It cost more than the average car and he accused me of wasting his money. But I’m not interested in how much it cost.”

Car-ching ... Gina's £30k white Mercedes SLK convertible

In Gina’s world an “average” car means her £30,000 white Mercedes SLK convertible, a gift from Mum.
When she goes out, she lets her boyfriend EckSell — a 23-year-old rapper — pick up the tab.
She says: “I love my Cristal champagne and Bellini cocktails.
“I have no idea how much they cost — hundreds maybe.
“When my boyfriend and I go clubbing, he goes crazy. Once he spent £25,000 in one night.
“I couldn’t imagine life without any money. Not being able to pay to have my hair done would be the worst thing ever. I always get what I want — I’ve never gone without. I’ve never caught the Tube or a bus. I would never go on public transport. It would be terrifying.”
And unlike most girls her age, Gina has never set foot in budget High Street clothing store Primark. She says: “I’ve driven past but I don’t think I’d like it.”

Privileged ... Gina Rio as a baby with her mum Teresa

Mick Gell / Barcroft Media

She adds: “I could never date someone who is poor. That would be the worst thing that could ever happen to me.

“When I met my boyfriend he told me he was signed to Warner Bros to impress me, but he wasn’t really.

“Then I found out that his dad owns a brand of sauce sold in Harrods. I was pretty impressed and I knew his family would have a lot of money.

Idol ... Tamara Ecclestone

EMPICS

“When my allowance was cut, I realised I had to cut back too. I used to buy things for the sake of it. Now I only buy clothes that I really like.”

Gina claims her 38-year-old brother Sebastian is even MORE spoiled than she is.
She says: “He is on a different level. Anything he asks for, he gets without hesitation. He’s wasted so much of my parents’ money on his failed business ideas.”

Gina adds: “I want my kids to have a nice life like me. When you’ve got money, everything is a lot easier.

“But I don’t want them growing up and taking money for granted, like I used to do.”
Mum Teresa has no problem with Gina’s excessive spending.
She says: “I tell Gina that I am proud of her and everything she gets she deserves.
"Why have money if you can’t enjoy it?”

Gina's world

(Spending per month)

Allowance: £10,000

Chauffeurs: £1,000

Hair: £600

Designer shoes: 300

Handbags: 70

(Most expensive £20k)

Current home: Savoy hotel

Fave drink: Cristal champagne

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/4718170/gina-rio-britains-most-spoiled-girl.html

Why not check out Gina Rio’s fabulous blog for a bit of umm -escapism from the weather via: http://iamginario.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Fashion et al Hearts Andy Allo…..[Stand Up Cameroon]

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWmSiYqn9s0

　

First heard the uber beautiful Andy Allo’s fabulous version of Cat Stevens’ ‘Wild World’ way back in February [2012] and promised myself to find out more about this chanteuse…. Well as you all know, I’ve been missing-in-action for sometime, thus its only now I can share Andy Allo’s talents with yaaaaa!!!

What can I say? She’s pretty special and dresses the part.. The following bio comes from Andy’s website:

Every so often, an artist comes along who is indefinable -- an artist who is truly paving her own way with bits of music, sound, vibes and words that speak to her on a deeper level. Such an artist isn't bound by genre and is intent on creating a unique musical expression of herself. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Andy Allo is that artist.

Andy's new solo album, Superconductor, has people calling her a refreshing songbird with a bright funk soul. Even her peers can't stop singing her praises. Says R&B vocalist Ledisi, “After eight bars of her first song, 'People Pleaser', I realized that I had stopped breathing. Andy's songwriting is so refreshing, and vocally, she does just enough gentle gliding through her melodies. Her lyrics say it all, and the musicianship on this project reminds me why I fell in love with music."

Superconductor is indeed “all that” and so much more. The album is the sophomore effort of a young artist who is clearly going to be here for a long time, and the start of something musically fresh. Says Allo, "I created a genre called Alter.Hip.Soul for my first album, UnFresh (2009), whereas the compositions for Superconductor incorporate a variety of layers and a whole lot of Funk."

Andy, who hails from Cameroon, Africa, had her first introduction to a musical instrument through her piano-teaching mother who taught her at age seven. Andy, who is the youngest of five siblings, found her voice, however, by harmonizing with one of her older sisters to songs such as "Sweet Chariot". Says Andy, "Growing up in Cameroon, life was very easy and simple. I was surrounded by music. Every morning there would be records playing, like Dolly Parton and Miriam Makeba; and on road trips, my father and I would listen to Fleetwood Mac."

Andy, who joined Prince's New Power Generation in 2011 as singer/guitarist, co-wrote three of the album's nine tracks with Prince – "Superconductor", "The Calm" and "Long Gone" – who also provided the larger-than-life musical arrangements for all tracks and served as Executive Producer. Says Andy, "Collaborating with Prince was such a blessing. He created an environment that was open to any and all ideas. It was really exciting to bring him an acoustic song, which is how most of my songs began, and to see him turn them into these epic masterpieces.”

Andy wrote the remaining six songs on the record and enlisted the help of some legends to make her sound complete. Legendary saxophonist Maceo Parker and Trombone Shorty play on the reggae-influenced "If I Was a King", and the infectious lead single, "People Pleaser". The result is an album that ranges from expansive, multi-layered songs with a full, big sound and lyrical depth. Andy beautifully balances the strong and fierce side of herself with the vulnerable and romantic throughout the record.

Andy, who was a familiar face on G4's Attack of the Show, and campaigns for Clean & Clear and Kohl’s, met Prince in 2011 through The Africa Channel, and the two bonded instantly about music and life. "We jammed a few times after that first meeting. It was like spending time with an old friend. We joked around from the moment we met. It was such an open space, and we talked about music, religion and life, “ says Andy.

Of the album's title, Andy explains, "I've always been interested in energy and have been studying superconductivity. Whenever someone or something comes into our lives, there is transference of energy. Music is one of those things. It has a way of moving and bringing people together that is universal, and my hope for this record is for it to be a part of that movement.“

"I feel like this is just the beginning of my story," she says. "There’s a lot I want to share with the world.”

"We knew she'd be leading her own revolutions soon," adds Prince. Indeed, and that soon is now.

　

 You can download Andy's latest -SUPERCONDUCTOR on iTunes visit: http://bit.ly/WyLXBy
Amazon: http://amzn.to/Wyymdu
and for my android friends...
Google Play: http://bit.ly/Qb3RHQ

For more info or to keep up with Andy Allo’s fabulous musical happenings visit:
http://www.alloevolution.com/
https://www.facebook.com/andyallo
https://twitter.com/andyallo