Urban Suburban Magazine Summer Issue

Year Anniversary•StayingWell4Life•Relationships 101

August 2012/PHILADELPHIA’S MOST DIVERSE MAGAZINE

Just a thought from the publisher

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Philadelphia’s BEST KEPT

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ART Armand McKissick Anyta Thomas

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NEWS Where are the African American Architects?

Books for Africa

FOOD Girls’ Night Out at Rex on South Street

HEALTH Get Up and Move - Yoga MUSIC Change is Coming

Money Minutes Bad Credit—Protect your children

He Say She Say - Relationships 5 types of Women Ava Says Book Of The Month -Excerpts No Ordinary Love by Elaine Allen Chasing God’s Heart by Eric Lambert

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Home Away From Home 63 Travel Spain: Girona and the Dali Triangle

HOT Or Not 32 The Heart of the House—The Kitchen 56 John Barber 21 Fashion - Redefining Style Gracefully 28 50 38

Design by an African American architect

Learning For Life Good..better...best..

Improverished women From tragedy to triumph

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Inside a wonderful girl’s night out at Rex’s

A wonderful girl’s night out took place at this wonderful restaurant

Inspire yourself to travel on the road less travelled

Philly’s own Kellie R. Griffin, the creator of BET’s “Reed Between the Lines” and 2 time Emmy Award Winner and Atlanta Filmmaker Eva Jane Bunkley at the 4th Annual Urban Suburban Film Festival

Sean Jackson, director of Bubblegum and Broken Fingers, and George Blackmon

What does physical activity comprise of?

Impoverished Women urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

Manuel McDonnell Smith is a Multimedia

Content Editor with NewsCore, the content sharing service launched by News Corporation in November of 2009. This new division is tasked with aggregating the company’s global editorial intelligence and redistributing it in real time. From the New York City Bureau, Manuel is responsible for coordinating the cooperative multimedia efforts of News’ global portfolio of sites including wsj.com, foxnews.com, and sky.com

Jamika L Richardson is a native of

Philadelphia. Jamika attended Delaware State University. Jamika devotes all the her spare time to winning the fight against cancer as a Mind/Body Volunteer at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Eastern Regional Medical Center Jamika along with her Husband Gregory Richardson are the owners of PhotoTek, a Photography studio in Philadelphia PA. Jamika has been studying photography under her Husband for the last three years and has managed over 50 projects in the last year.

Margarita McKissick has 15+ years of professional experience as a writer and public relations professional.

She is currently working on her PhD in Philosophy (focusing on today’s youth), she earned her Master’s degree with high distinction in Public Communications at American University, and her Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a focus on radio and television broadcast from Cheyney University.

Kyle Leishear has

April Perry McKellar

been a Tech & Gadget enthusiast his whole life. Even as a child when he would break something he would try to fix it. That led him to a life of always trying to stay on top of the latest and greatest technologies and seeing how they work.

of The After 5 Lifestyle was established by myself, April.

I call Philadelphia home and have a passion for food and sharing it with others. I am not a chef, nor do I claim to be. I’m just a regular gal working a Nine to Five that loves to eat and enjoy food with friends and family.

Greg discovered his passion

Chanel is a relationship

expert/columnist. Write topics concerning the male/female relationships on a weekly basis and offer advice concerning that specific topic. I write featured articles on Relationships and I am also the creator and writer for “Ordinary Woman Doing Extraordinary Things “series. Chanel Rhoads-Reed is the creator of the www. crazyazzwomen.blogspot.co blog.

Lois Mauro, of Ardmore, PA, has always enjoyed photography. A mostly selftaught artist, her interest turned into a passion about 10 years ago. Looking through the camera lens, she searches to record something she’s drawn to, whether it is the composition, the light, or an interesting subject. Her photography has been shown in many juried exhibitions and is owned by both businesses and private collectors.

for photography at the age of 10. Years of licensing content for Dow Jones and Company and Getty Images, has made Greg an expert in content licensing. He has traveled several paths in his life and they always lead Greg behind the lens. Greg runs Greg Tavares Photography and focuses on photojournalism, portraiture, commercial, and fine art photography. When not behind the camera Greg can be found flying a kite.

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1613 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 TEL: 215-735-2400 | FAX: 215-735-1628 2958 North 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19132 TEL: 215-223-3744 | FAX:215.223.6889 www.genisign.com/AJM/

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1 - West Park Fest at Philadelphia School of the Future in Fairmount park; 2 - Jewelry venue @ West Park Fest; 3 - Student artwork @ West Park Fest; 4 - Street artisans @ West Park Fest 5&6 - Performers @ West Park Fest 12 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

7 - Invite to cocktail reception at an amp sponsored by Bahamas film commission; 8 - Angelique Marshall, filmmaker and Cornell Watson, Bahamas representative; 9 - Filmmaker Andrew Harmon and guest; 10 - Filmmaker Noube Rateau, performer CC Davis, and Cornell Watson, Bahamas; 11 - Film festival attendees karima berry and guest; 12 - AFTRA and SAG cop resident John Wooten and Manuel Smith; 13 - 2 time Emmy award winning makeup artist Eva Jane Bunkley of Atlanta and Mike Dennis of Reelblack 13 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

BOOK OF THE MONTH

NO ORDINARY LOVE We think that when one door closes another one opens, but what if love had a revolving door?

Discover friendships riddled by Sex, Lies and Love. Casey and Catrina grow up fast in North Philadelphia; spending their adolescent years running the rough streets, chasing their dreams and their men. Read how their lives unfold and get put back together in this fast paced coming of age drama. Take a rollercoaster ride through their tragedies, triumphs, share in their determination, their faith in friendship and love as they discover that Love is anything other than Ordinary.

This book will take you down memory lane, evoking emotions that allow you question or test your theory about what you think you’d do in certain circumstances pertaining to matters of the heart. Here is an excerpt….

Lazy mornings were what she’d dreamed of since childhood; Casey realized. She had yet to reach the point where she was able to enjoy any of them. Between her busy schedules of taking summer courses in Art History at Temple University to earn credits toward her senior year, completing a certificate degree program in Interior Design, and styling hair, Casey barely had time to close her eyes for a good night’s sleep. At twenty-one-years-old lying around in bed was still a dream.

Casey did however make time for other indulgences like shopping, reading, an occasional date, some mild partying and although styling hair was a job, Casey enjoyed it like free time. The freedom of determining her own work schedule made her an entrepreneur and she was very proud of her self-employment. Daemon had converted their basement into a full service salon equip with everything she needed to wash, curl, straighten, perm, style, and braid hair.

Both Catrina and Briannah had chosen to attend universities outside of the state of Pennsylvania leaving her to figure out her way through college life without either of them. Their separation had left her shaken and lost without them for the first year and some of the second but by the third she’d discovered enough about herself to exist happily without them.

Adults, Casey thought to herself. Over the course of their college years, they’d all become adults. Both Catrina and Briannah had graduated only weeks before.

She could barely hold back her excitement for them to adjust to their new adult lives with jobs, bills and some overdue girl time.

Catrina had started working at The Downtown Marriott as a Sales and Marketing Representative; living out her passion for event planning. Briannah was pregnant with her and Tyree’s first child and they were engaged to be married.

Casey, sighed as her thoughts turned to Daemon. Happiness was not something she could claim to have achieved with him. They resided in the same residence but lived separate lives. He made a point to stay out of her way, Casey knew. It proved easy to do with him working in his auto mechanic shop and maintaining various business ventures. His entrepreneurial investments included a music production studio, rental properties, two vending trucks, he also had plans on opening a full service hair salon within the next year. All that kept him busy and away from her.

Along with all his women, Casey reminded herself.

She turned on the bathroom stereo to play R&B singer, Kelly Price’s title track from her “Mirror Mirror” album. The song told the story of how she felt for Daemon and his resolve to never touch her or look at her in any way that did not exude that he was a brother figure and nothing more. Her own resolve was just as solid as his but in the end she hoped that his would falter. Casey had no intention of giving up on him.

Author Bio: I have been writing since I was fourteen years old and have enjoyed reading various genres of literature since. I love romance and all of its ups and downs, all the joys, some of the pain, the heart lifting and heartbreaking, and let’s not forget the funny and outrageous.

I love creating characters that people can relate to and reflect back thinking that they know and love someone just like that. I hope to promote and build literacy in the African American community and to provide quality reading material in an entertaining way that reminds readers that everyone is human.

I have a Bachelors of Science in Hospitality Management, and currently working on obtaining Master’s Degree in Sales and Marketing. I am the mother of two beautiful children, and dedicated partner to my fiancé. I work very hard to show them that they can have everything they dream of if they have enough drive, skill and ambition to make it happen.

So here’s me making it happen…. :You can find this book in print and ebook format at Amazon.com, Createspace.com and directly from publisher. More retailers to be announced. Read an excerpt at www.perfectperceptionspublishing.yolasite.com Full Contact Information: Elaine L Allen Perfect_perceptions02@hotmail.com Perfect Perceptions Publishing LLC 272 Delphine St, Philadelphia, Pa 19120 www.perfectperceptionspublishing.yolastite.com 14 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

News

This

is a question that has puzzled many individuals before me and, if conditions remain relatively unchanged, will continue to baffle several others after me. I would venture to say that the majority of those who become professional basketball players, entertainers, doctors, attorneys, teachers or social workers do not pose a similar inquiry when pondering their respective careers of choice. According to The Directory of African-American Architects, there are currently 1,839 licensed African-American architects out of the estimated 100,000 licensed architects in the country – less than 2%. So why do we, as a culture, represent such a small portion of architects? In my opinion, I believe the following issues play a part in our dearth in the profession: • A lack of visible role models in the architecture business.• • A desire to earn a high salary soon after graduating from college.• • An absence of an equal playing ground when competing for projects as professionals.• I was fortunate enough to know by about the age of nine years old that I wanted to be an architect. Perhaps viewing a significant number of The Brady Bunch episodes (where the father, Mike Brady, portrayed an architect) planted a seed in my formative years. I’m really not sure. But I can recall being drawn to the real estate section of our Sunday newspaper and paying close attention to how floor plans of residential properties on the market were depicted. I soon found myself drawing floor plans of my dream home, typically including a nice-sized, indoor swimming pool and an occasional football field. Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, I definitely had great examples of architecture at my disposal to observe and study throughout the city. But it wasn’t until soon after I entered high school that I met an African-American architect – Wendell Campbell (one of the founders of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA)), who happened to be a friend of a friend of my mother. I met him in his office one afternoon and we talked briefly about my plans to become an architect. If I had not met Mr. Campbell on that occasion years ago, I am fairly certain that I would have continued on my path to becoming an architect. But, it was encouraging to meet someone who looked like me and was quite successful in the occupation to which I aspired. I truly believe that many African-American young people choose not to pursue architecture simply because they have not had the occasion to meet or see an architect and understand the career’s education / training requirements and responsibilities. Subsequently, a significant portion of African-American children tend not to view architecture as a viable profession.

When it comes time to choose a career, an important factor in doing so is understanding its salary expectations – as a recent college graduate as well as an experienced professional. Historically, recent college graduates entering the field of architecture can anticipate earning a relatively low salary compared to other professions. For some, this fact is enough to dissuade them from pursuing architecture as a career. Although, an experienced architect making a six-figure salary happens more often than many outside the field may imagine – the key word is “experienced”. It takes many years to gather the design experience which garners a high salary. It has been said that “patience is a virtue” but in today’s “I want it now” society, patience is often considered a foreign attribute akin to some sort of weakness or even a sign of complacency. In a time where exceptional college student-athletes can leave their respective schools af-

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ter a year to turn professional and earn millions playing a game, today’s aspiring architects must have a strong desire to design and shape our built environment that supercedes the reality of the initial low compensation for doing so as a professional.

Once in the architecture profession, what quickly becomes clear is that a significant number of African-American-owned, architectural firms rely on public work as a major source of their company’s livelihood. In many instances, African-American architects have to settle for fulfilling a publicly-funded project’s minority participation “goal” to be included on the project team. Although work from private clients does exist for African-American firms, it typically is for much smaller fees than the public projects. Society’s perception of the average African-American architect as less qualified, less experienced and less adept than his/her white counterpart continues to exist for not only those of us who choose to be architects, but also doctors, lawyers, scientists, etc. Personally, what hurts the most is that this misperception comes from within our own culture as well as from outside of it. Subsequently, when we compete with majority firms for project opportunities, we are at a disadvantage from the start. The less opportunities we have, the less likely our firms will thrive and survive.

But all hope is not lost. I believe we can increase our numbers in the field of architecture. African-American architects should, as often as possible, participate in Career Days at our local schools – especially at the elementary grades. When minority students see more of us and become familiar with our role in shaping the built environment, I am hopeful it will encourage more to strive to join our ranks. Additionally, we as a society must get over our preconceived notions of inadequacy when considering an African-American architect for a project. Of course, the latter is easier said than done. But, we, as a nation, shocked the world when we came together to elect our country’s first, African-American president. I have the faith to believe that we can change our “business as usual” mentality and open our minds to giving African-American architects more opportunities to gain their fair share of the pie.

By: Herbert L. Wilson III, AIA, NOMA, NCARB – President / Principal Architect, WF Design Group LLC.

Money Minutes

by Jennifer S. Matthews Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America! When people think about credit reports and credit scores, they rarely think about their school age (K-12) children.

However, many children are victims of identity theft and it makes their financial future difficult because they usually don’t learn about the problem until it’s too late.

When is too late? When a child turns 18, anything on their credit report becomes their debt because they are legally an adult! If identity theft and/or errors are discovered on a minor child’s credit report, it is much easier to fix prior to the child turning 18.

In this economy, some parents and relatives opened accounts in a minor child’s name usually because there was a financial difficulty such as pre-foreclosure. The belief was that getting bills out of their own name would help the family’s financial situation, and then the adult would make payments on the accounts in the child’s name to bring them current. However, many adults were not able to make the payments and/or the length of time the accounts were delinquent hurt the child’s credit.

Most children find out they were victims of identity theft when they are denied after applying for a job, an apartment, or a car loan. These applications are almost always after their 18th birthday, so the debts on their credit reports are legally theirs just as if they opened the accounts themselves.

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I strongly recommend that at least 6 months before their 18th birthday, that all 17 year olds or their parents get free copies of their credit reports at www.AnnualCreditReport.com. A message such as “no report found”, or a similar message means there are no debts or accounts reported on that child’s social security number. A child’s credit reports should be checked every 2 or 3 years, and again at least 6 months prior to their 18th birthday.

If a minor child is a victim of identity theft, contact the Attorney General’s Office for your state and the local police to report the crime. The Identity Theft Resource Center, www.idtheftcenter.org, is an excellent resource for correcting identity theft, whether the victim is an adult or a child.

As an adult, if you have not reviewed your credit report in the past 6 months, you should get free copies of your credit reports at the same website, www.AnnualCreditReport.com. The website provides one free credit report from each of the 3 credit bureaus every 12 months; however, the website does not provide free credit scores. If you want your credit scores, you can purchase them on the website.

Credit scores range from 300 to 850. An ideal credit score in this economy is over 700, preferably over 740. The most important thing anyone can do to increase their credit scores is to pay bills on time for at least 6 consecutive months.

Having bill payments posted to your accounts on time is 35% of credit scores.

In this economy, if you are not able to pay all of your bills on time every month, start with one bill. Pick one bill and commit to paying it on time every month.

As your situation improves, add a second bill so that you are paying two bills on time every month and so on.

For additional information about understanding and increasing your credit scores, log on to the Free Downloads page of my website at www.MoneySmartBook. com About the Author: Jennifer S. Matthews is an award-winning author, motivational speaker, and is trained as a financial coach. She is the author of the award-winning book 12 Ways to Put Money in Your Pocket Every Month Without A Part Time Job. The book shows readers how to create hundreds of dollars in cash every month from within their existing income. Visit Jennifer online at www.

MoneySmartBook.com and sign up for her newsletter. You can also purchase her book, take advantage of free downloads, and much more. © 2012 Creating Financial Literacy, LLC

GADGETS

SUMMER TIME GADGETS, TOYS AND FUN FILLED ACCESSORIES

by Kyle Leishar

With Summer beating its hot air down onto you while you are splashing about in the pool, I bring you some great gadget ideas to hold you over in these next couple of months. So sit back and enjoy a few choice selections that I have chosen for you to check out.

Travel

age for your band of buddies a breeze.

List Price: $19.95-34.95.

Click here for local retailers.

When you are traveling around this Summer going from water parks to beaches you need to know where you are going and how you will get there.

Airport Express

Pack Tap The Pack Tap is a simple, lightweight way to carry wine, water, or any other liquid in bulk. It is available in 4 sizes (2, 4, 6 and 10 liters) and includes a tough reusable Mylar bladder. It is perfect for outdoor festivals, concerts, and picnics, where glass is prohibited. The Pack Tap makes hauling the bever20 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

This handy device will help you cut the cord from that 3� blue Ethernet leash. This device fits inside your computer bag, and it is intended to extend your Wi-Fi network so you can beam music to your home stereo system. The Airport Express from Apple has a double function. It can function as a wireless base station all by itself. Plug an Ethernet cable into the box and jam that puppy into an unoccupied wall socket and away you go. When you boot your computer the transmitter shows up and it is ready to be used as a private Wi-Fi domain. You can then either keep it all to yourself OR share it with a few people down the hall.

List Price: $99

GADGETS

Sony PlayStation Vita

This little fun gadget is a gaming device, internet web browser, and a constant companion in long car rides all in one. It has a GPS built-in, web browsing capabilities either through 3G or via Wi-Fi. You can download games and even continue games you played on your PS3 in the car so you can keep up that no-hitter going. The PlayStation Vita has an OLED which makes colors really pop and a decent battery life. The Vita also has a rear touchscreen for use in some games that makes the gaming experience even more richer.

List Price: $249

Origami – The World’s First PowerFolding Stroller and so much more!

Strollers are all the same and haven’t changed in decades. That’s why 4moms developed the Origami power-folding stroller. At the touch of a button, it folds itself.

• Power-folding: The Origami opens and closes itself at the touch of a button • Self-charging: Generators in the rear wheels charge the Origami while you walk • High tech lighting: Daytime running lights make you and your baby more visible all the time, and pathway lights located under the stroller turn on automatically in low-light conditions • Child safety: Built-in sensors detect when a child’s in the seat (so it’ll never fold by accident) • LCD Dashboard: Includes thermometer, speedometer, odometer, tripometer and lifetime tripometer • Cell phone charger: Optional cable accessory can be used to charge your cell phone while you walk • What strollers should be: Equipped with four cup holders, handlebar bag, lots of storage, luggagestyle pull wheels, one-push brake, four-wheel suspension, reclining seat, sunroof, and the ability to buckle-in car seats/bassinets directly – the Origami

reinvents the stroller – it’s what a stroller should be List Price: $849.99 find more information here: www.4moms.com/origami

Personal Gadgets These next set of gadgets will help you maximize your personal space and help you keep all your belongings close to you. Some of these devices are here to make you look even cooler and help you keep your style fresh. Have a look at some very unique devices to help you during the Summer.

Q Card Case

The Q Card Case for iPhone 4S/4 by CM4 unites your desire to simplify life and protect your iPhone.

It essentially takes the bulky pocket syndrome out of the equation and helps you maximize your personal space.

Product Highlights: • Comfortably fits 3 cards (credit cards, IDs, etc) plus cash Lay-flat Screen Guard™ provides ultimate screen protection Soft-touch finish allows case to easily pull out of your pocket Natural Throw™ buttons maintain an organic connection with your iPhone Exclusive patent pending soft-touch rubber and premium fabric design List Price: $39.99 check out www.CM4.com for more details and colors.

Modify Watches

These guys have come up with something amazing and it can change with you as often as you want.

Modify Watches is a company that makes watches, but wait that isn’t all they do. They make watches that you can change by either switching out the wrist strap OR changing the face plate. You can go from a Black Face and Black Wrist Strap to putting in a White Face and keeping the Black Wrist Strap.

They have a ton of colors to choose from and combinations a plenty, all with their own unique name.

You can have a lot of fun just on their own website alone just playing with combinations. Keeping you cool and stylish in the Summer heat is simple with this watch. They even have a Modify Watch for Philadelphia, how great is that.

List Price: $40 for complete basic sets, additional Faces run you $15 - $20; while additional Wrist straps cost $25 - $30.

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GADGETS

Verbatim: Store ‘n’ Go® USB 3.0 Colors

Stylish SuperSpeed USB 3.0 portable hard drive transfers data 10x faster than USB 2.0 Portable hard drive features USB 3.0 interface (up to 10x faster than USB 2.0) Fully compatible with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports Includes Green Button software that offers 3 sleep/suspend settings, saving power when the drive is not in use Includes Nero BackItUp & Burn software (compatible with Windows OS) for automatic back-up/

- 18 tool attachments: Basic Blade, Serrated Blade, Woodsaw, Bottle Opener/Flathead, Can Opener/ Wire Stripper, Scissors, Nail File, Flathead Screwdriver, Phillips-Head Screwdriver, Eyeglass Flathead Screwdriver, Eyeglass Phillips-Head Screwdriver, Magnifying Lens, Corkscrew, Wrench, Pen, Magnet, Tweezers, L.E.D. Flashlight.

List Price: $79.99 and can be found online at www.

Quirky.com

Smartphones, Cameras and so much more!

What gadget wrap-up wouldn’t be complete without some smartphones, cameras and whatever else we can find. Here I take a look at some of the best gadgets around right now or coming soon.

storage recovery Available in Caribbean Blue and Hot Pink Available in 500GB storage capacity 7-year warranty Windows, & Mac compatible List Price: $139.99 (1TB); $119.99 (750GB); $89.99 (500GB) Availabe at this website: www.

Verbatim.com

Switch

Switch is the ultimate modular pocketknife, with 18 different attachments so you can mix and match your most frequently used tools.

Customize your Switch’s width by swapping out the inner axles, or group your tools into different “themes” – home, office, outdoors, etc.

Features: - Complete set of body covers, axles, and 18 tool attachments.

- Tools made of high quality stainless steel, with some plastic parts.

- Plastic case to keep all parts organized and secure.

The Switch set includes: - 2 exterior body covers, for encasing the tool attachments.

- 2 slotted caps to hold the tool together, which can be removed with the twist of a quarter to disassemble the unit.

- 3 interior axle assemblies – small (2-6 tools), medium (4-10 tools), and large (7-13 tools) — which can be swapped in and out depending on your desired tool width.

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HTC One X

Oddly enough this one can come in two flavors, international model or AT&T. The AT&T version sports a longer battery life and LTE connectivity. The One X does represent the best features and qualities you look for in a smartphone, a gorgeous, 4.7-inch 720p display it also features one of the best cameras available in a smartphone and boasts fantastic performance. Put simply, the One X adheres most closely to the ideals of a great smartphone that we look forward to using.

List Price: $200 (on contract) at AT&T

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66 Digital Camera

The DSC-TX66 camera will be available in silver, gold, red, white, purple and pink this March for about $350.

Effective 18.2 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor Ultra-thin design measuring at 12.2 mm thick (excluding lens cover) Lightning-fast AF speed of approximately 0.13 second in daylight, 0.25 seconds in low-light (speeds may vary based on shooting conditions) 5x wide-angle optical zoom lens (26-130mm in 35mm format) with 10x digital “Clear Image Zoom” at full resolution “Extra High Sensitivity” technology enhances lowlight shooting capabilities 3.3-inch Xtra Fine™ OLED touch-screen Captures 13 MP equivalent still images while shooting video via “Dual-Record” Full HD Movie Shooting capability (1920x1080/60i)

GADGETS tery provides up to 1.5 years of battery life (under typical usage) • Easily upload fitness results to the web wirelessly at the touch of a button List Price: $79.99 Website: www.WahooFitness.com

Enhanced Optical SteadyShot reduces hand shake during still and video shooting “Photo Creativity” interface plus 9 “Picture Effect” options for creating unique, custom-styled photos and video List Price: $349.99 More info at www.sony.com Finally let us talk about something everyone is doing in the Summertime and that is working out. So how about we take a look a few fitness gadgets as well. I have been using the DDPYoga for a little bit now in combination with lifting weights and these two gadgets have been helping make sure I am getting the most out of my work out. Want to check out DDPYoga for yourself go to www.DDPYoga.com.

Wahoo Fitness: Blue HR Heart Rate Monitor World’s first Bluetooth LE heart rate strap transforms your smartphone into an all-in-one training partner • Wirelessly relays heart rate (hr) information via Bluetooth Smart technology to your iPhone 4S and other Bluetooth Smart Ready devices, no additional hardware or key needed • Generates heart rate information in real-time, providing current hr, average hr, max hr, time spent in hr zones, and calories burned • Works in background, allowing you to take calls, text, or use other apps without losing data • Compatible with the most popular fitness apps,

including Runkeeper, MapMyFitness, and the free Wahoo Fitness App • Requires no additional charging, low-energy bat-

LINK* Armband (Bluetooth®-enabled) The LINK Armband, enabled with Bluetooth® wireless technology, sends information to your fingertips by communicating directly with your smartphone and providing near real-time caloric burn data. This will really help you keep a good running log of your daily activity and chart your progress.

List Price: $199.00 go to www.BodyMedia.com Let’s wrap up the Summer Gadget guide for now.

Remember there are a ton of gadgets out there to be on the lookout for and enjoy. Make sure to check out my website TheTechnoFiles.com, I run contests from time to time and post reviews along with video reviews plus I also host a Podcast on the All For Geek Network. So check us out and thanks for reading.

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One of the first lessons that a kid learns on the streets of

North Philadelphia is that respect, can only be earned. Not the kind of respect that you get from your parents or teachers, but “street cred” that’s essential to status & survival among friends.

Sometimes you can find it by being naturally cool, but if that’s not the case, then you get it by earning it on the court, in the courts, or as a last-case option, on the corner. It’s only after you gain respect that you can claim your “crew”, those are the rules of life on the streets. Rules that Dwayne Adams is determined to redefine.

Just south of Fifth and Girard on a Saturday Morning, kids show up one-by-one to an old industrial building that’s only accessed through a forlorn steel door. When it’s my turn to ring the buzzer, a shy appearing, but serious looking teen opens the door, looks me up and down, and leads me on a dark walk down into the basement. An unfamiliar mechanical sound buzzes through the air, pierced only by vehement yelling that comes from one strong voice. Stepping out of the dark corridor, and into a room accented by baby blue hues, Adams roars to his crew “you can give me better than that!” Immediately, the group pulls back on the bars

“So I slowly began to reexamine the things that I was saying, that I was doing, learning to adapt to a new way of living” of their rowing machines, and hits the pedals of their exercise bikes with the unique combination of fear, and gusto that only an experienced coach can provoke.

On July 19, 1998, Adams was one of the “good guys” who escaped the corner, and court options of gaining respect in North Philly. He’d found his path instead at Comcast Cable, where years of hard work were about to pay off in a promotion at the job. But on his weekend off, he stopped by to see his mom at his old home in the neighborhood. Taking a seat on the front steps 24 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

put him on a collision course with other neighborhood teens searching for their own paths to respect. But they we’re getting theirs in a shootout with a rival gang over drug turf. In the matter of a second, Adams was transformed from a victor, into a victim as a stray bullet ripped into his left eye, tore through his face, lodging behind his right eye, taking away his sense of sight, smell, and the physical freedom he had enjoyed for 38 years.

Recovery only began after a month in the hospital, and discharge found him back at his mother’s home where he was finding a harder time overcoming emotions from the incident. “I was overcome by anger”, he explained, although it took a while for him to realize it. “So I slowly began to re-examine the things that I was saying, that I was doing, learning to adapt to a new way of living”.

Classes for the blind, soon gave way to returning to school for Adams where he worked on building both educational and emotional strength. But if he were to attain to full recovery, he would have to have to begin a physical routine, and that’s when someone mentioned a sport that he always loved watching when he had full sight, rowing.

and then they make up their own things, which are bad choices.

We call them the lost generation, they’re not lost, a lot of them know what they want to do, but they don’t have direction due to being from a single or no parent home, or having parents that just don’t listen. With this indoor program, I get to listen to the kids, I talk to the kids, and they talk back to me. We have to help them look at alternatives, look at other things”.

For example, Adams says most African American students look to football or basketball as a route to college scholarship, but he says the sport of rowing offers more than double the pool of scholarship monies as both of those sports combined, money that “our students” are not tapping into.

As the Summer Olympics brings sporting back to the forefront of the minds of general public, Adams knows now is the time to the make the next step in his vision become reality. He has preparing to move Breaking Barriers into a new 5,000 square foot facility, double the size of his current gym where he can expand the sports-based mentoring, nutrition, academic, and rowing programs that he offers to children in the neighborhood.

He’s financing the move by taking his program on the road to schools, community centers, church groups, and raising financial contributions from the public. With cutbacks at public agencies and schools curtailing extracurricular programming, he knows the time is now to get moving. “Kids, you can’t really get them studying 24 hours a day, but if you can provide something else for them, they will go there”. Adams is not promising that Breaking Barriers can save every kid from the streets, but by preparing them with oars and an oath to better living, he’s committed to showing them another way out.

Written by Manuel Smith McDonnel “When I look back on it now”, says Adams, “The whole shooting incident was an act of God…This was a blessed bullet that entered my body”. At the age of 38, he took to rowing as a fish takes to water. Despite his age, and the fact that the sport is not traditional to African Americans, he began to love the sport, which loved him back with medals and accolades. Competing in singles, double, and even four man team tournaments, Adams racked up 30-40 wins in the years to follow. His record got him invited onto the Adaptive US National Team where he won a bronze medal at the 2002 World Rowing Championship in Seville, Spain.

Even with the personal accolades adding up, Adams says he knew “the lord saved my life for a mission”. Using his own life transformation as inspiration, he founded “Breaking Barriers” in 2005.

The organization strives to “assist youth achieve personal growth, and foster community development through the sport of rowing”.

As part of it’s mission to help young people develop healthy attitudes and practices towards themselves and their communities, Breaking Barriers offers training in physical fitness, coupled with mentoring, team building, and community service. Students begin each session of the program with a complete conditioning course, lessons on proper nutrition, followed by indoor, then outdoor rowing on the Schuylkill River.

Beyond just solving the soaring rates of obesity, high blood pressure that ravages the urban inner city of Philadelphia, Adams says the building blocks that students learn in Breaking Barriers can also be key to breaking the cycle of violence that plague our streets. “From what I see, the kids, they want something to do.

And when something is not provided to them that they will enjoy, 25 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

By April Perry-Mckellar of the TheAfter5Lifestyle.com Photography by Brian J. Turner

On a sweltering summer evening in June, a few of my fabu-

lous friends joined me for dinner at a new Philadelphia restaurant called Rex 1516. Rex 1516 is located at 15th and South Street in the heart of the Graduate Hospital area. It’s a small intimate place with lots of charisma that just opened up in March of this year.

“When you taste my food you’re not wondering what your tasting.” assured Regis Jansen, the Chef at Rex 1516. Chef Regis from Mobile, Alabama uses his southern roots to create a fantastic menu and dining experience. He creates delicacies such as crawfish pot pie with cornbread crust, pork loin and beer batters catfish using French cooking techniques.

He doesn’t over complicate things by using too many ingredients; he just keeps it simple and tasty. And another great thing about the restaurant is everything is made from scratch, even the hamburger buns!

So there we were, seven of us to be exact; Lanna a project manager, Grace a health care professional, Sloan a healthy eating specialist, Angel an aspiring writer, Tanisha a 2nd year law school student, Michelle a higher education professional and myself an event professional and blogger. We are all women from different walks of life and ages that met here at this restaurant to enjoy good food and great company. None of us 26 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

had ever been here before; it was suggested to me by a mentor /friend.

At about 7:30 we lovely ladies were seated at a table near the front the restaurant, each of us equally excited to try the food. I introduced the ladies to one another and explained how I had met each of them. The night was young and anticipation was high to see what Rex had in store for us. “The atmosphere here is sophisticated and very shabby chic” remarked Lanna.

The menu had a lot of great items on it, everything priced very affordably. Now was the time to order the appetizers. Crawfish pot pie, mussels, and sweet potato fries were among the many things ordered for the first course. The sweet potato fries were served with a sweet sauce and the mussels had all kinds of interesting things like corn and Andouille sausage mixed in. Overall, the first course was enjoyed and we were ready for them to bring on the main course.

A few of us girls decided to split a bottle of Milbrandt, Pinot Gris from Columbia County in Washington State. It had a nice smooth taste; it wasn’t dry like a Chardonnay nor as sweet as a Riesling. We ordered the bottle because it is typically less expensive than purchasing by the individual glass. The wine went well with the roasted chicken I ordered which came with garlic mash potatoes and fresh crisp green beans.

Lanna and Sloan ordered the Southern Caesar salad topped with shrimp and Grace had the same salad topped with chicken. The best part of the salad was the homemade Caesar dressing and cornbread croutons. Yes that’s right, cornbread croutons. How unique! Michelle also enjoyed a hearty salad but chose the house salad instead. Her salad was nice and fresh and included mixed greens, cucumbers and walnuts. “This salad had a lot of flavor drenched in a wonderful balsamic- honey vinaigrette. I love cheese, so I asked for parmesan cheese but they only had shaved pecorino and it was the perfect addition to complete this salad,”

FOOD

affirmed Michelle. Angel decided on the pork loin stuffed with cornbread and Andouille sausage complemented by collard greens and mashed sweet potatoes. “The pork loin was nice and moist,” commented Angel.

Everyone enjoyed the food, atmosphere and each other.

We laughed, gossiped, related and conversed about everything from reality television to the latest gossip on our local news anchors. We even touched on some current events and shared our opinions and thoughts. I truly believe that food and atmosphere are the center of any social events. Rex 1516 has a delightful atmosphere nestled in a great neighborhood with a lot of character and the food was divine. We all left the table satisfied and happy with our experience at REX 1516. And I’m certain, you will too.

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Learning for Life

Being a worthy part of the “village” of young

people keeps me on my toes. Whether it’s my family, my kid’s friends or my friend’s kids, I find myself asking more frequently, “where are the standards and expectations for our young people today?” Baggy pants, the appearance of underwear…everywhere, over exposed body parts, tattoos, the foul, foul mouths, unkempt appearance, the angry scowls and the disrespect of elders… (And by the way, this behavior applies to male and female, urban and suburban …what gives?) This conversation may be old and rehashed but it definitely needs to be on-going. And before you start teeing off on me, I’m not saying all young people. I am talking about those who are choosing to be followers not leaders. I am not a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker… I am a mother.

Growing up in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, I had my share of being raised by the proverbial village and I am better for it. During those decades there was no such thing as being “P.C.” (Politically correct), if an adult (related and unrelated) had a problem with you or what you were doing, you knew about it and talking back to an adult made you an anomaly. I tested the waters but when I got right up on that line I knew to retreat. And yes, there is good and bad in being politically correct. What do I mean? Sometimes being “P.C.” means you are not truthful and in not being truthful you do more harm then good. There is a way to deliver constructive, corrective criticism in a non-offensive manner.

Every day I am amazed at the unabashed sense of entitlement of some young people and the lackadaisical work ethic that comes along with it. The lack of communication skills, both spoken and written, leaves a lot to be desired. In the workplace, their lack of understanding office protocol results in awkward situations. What happened to “good, better, best, never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.”? And while I am not talking about being that person who is always in corrective mode, I am talking about encouraging the use of good grammar, reading so their minds are open to new worlds and ideas, participating in the lost art of conversation, not texting, emailing or tweeting but speaking so they can hear the inflection in 28 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

someone’s voice. Getting the nuances of what someone is trying to say, what they are feeling, seeing their face…reading their expressions so when they are engaged with family and friends using the myriad of devices and portals used to communicate, they can decipher a person’s “tone” in an email, text or tweet. Perhaps this simple exercise can help them not jump to conclusions resulting in bad decisions based on miscommunication.

I hear “that’s the way young people are today”, “you are gonna’ have to let that go because that’s not how they do it anymore.” Really?! Really?! I say, shame on any adult dropping the ball and buying into that train of thought. In every generation young people push the envelope, as they should; I am talking about standards along with a plan, plain and simple. Having standards means you have an idea of what you envision for your life, an idea of the people who can help get you there using your God given talents and gifts. In turn, when the plan grows, evolves or changes because we all grow, evolve and change that exposure to vocabulary and real conversation will keep them moving forward.

There is a car commercial currently running on national television that states “good things come to those who wait, truth is good things come to those who work.” I would add the words “hard and smart” to the end of that statement because the truth is anything worth having or doing is not handed to you. It’s earned through hours of studying, exploring and mastering what you are passionate about. I enjoy talking to young people; their view of their life and times helps me identify what they need from me to help keep their standards high and their plans alive. Let’s keep this in mind when we interact with all young people, our own, extended family, your kid’s friends or your friend’s kids. It just may bring you the fulfillment you are looking for in your own life and make the world-at-large a better place.

Lisa Morton ©June 2012

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Hot or NOT

The kitchen is often referred as the Heart of the Home! Food preparation and cooking are the main functions of the kitchen, but also this area is used as a gathering place for eating (more than a separate dining room), activities (for family and friends) and gatherings/meetings. How did the kitchen evolve to the space which it is now?

Here is a brief history of the kitchen: The definition of a kitchen The English word “kitchen� comes from the Latin coquere, meaning to cook.

In Ancient Egypt cooking was done in clay ovens as well as over open fires. Wood was used for fuel, even though it was scarce. Food was baked, boiled, stewed, fried, grilled, or roasted. What is known about kitchen utensils and equipment is from the items that have been found in the tombs. Storage jars, bowls, pots, pans, ladles, sieves, and whisks were all used in the preparation of food. Most of the commoners used dishes that were made of clay, while the wealthy used dishes made of bronze, silver and gold.

In Medieval Europe wealthy European homes had spacious kitchens with several adjacent rooms, including a room for 32 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

utensils, a pantry, cold storage, and a buttery (a buttery was a small room in a wealthy household where butter churns, dairy products, milk, etc. were kept.)

For the middle class, kitchens continued as a location for communal cooking, dining, and social activities. Renaissance kitchens were often elaborate. As is common of the privileged throughout the centuries, the wealthy boasted the most modern devices for cooking, storage, and food preparation, from the spit to gridirons, ewers, salvers, and huge cauldrons. The kitchen was viewed as a workshop for food preparation for daily dining and feasts and also for preservation of food for the winter months. Ottoman kitchens of the Turkish sultans in the sixteenth century provide another look at early kitchens of the wealthy. In the Topkapi palace in Constantinople, sultans’ chefs had elaborate areas categorized for food preparation. European visitors were given a tour of the kitchen, which boasted eight-foot-wide cauldrons and large spits, and prepared food for thousands on a daily basis.

In Early Europe hearths were clay or stone, and their main purpose was to enclose the fire. The risk of fire was always a worry. Fireplaces provided heat and light, and the fire required tending. Large homes had deep hearths, and foods were cooked in pots placed in banked coals or ashes. Fireplaces had rotating spits and hooks for hanging large pieces

Hot or NOT

Classic Tips • If you are probably planning to sell your home within 7 years, neutrals, whites, beiges and browns are the best choices. Most potential home buyers do not want to see loud or bright colors in the kitchen. They will want to add their touches in the space and do not want to move into a home where a major kitchen remodel project is a primary concern. • Whites, grays and blacks are very monotone, clean and classic colors. The use of colorful appliances and accessories add flavor to your kitchen.

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Hot or NOT of meat. Domes gave way to hoods, with better ventilation.

Russian and Dutch homes in the sixteenth century raised the hearths and created a sleeping platform around the fire.

Some flat-topped Russian stoves also accommodated steam baths and drying laundry.

The invention and mass distribution of the large cast-iron stove, called the “iron sow” in early Sweden, radically changed the design of the kitchen. In the 1870s oil lamps replaced the light a fire had given, and the risk of the open fire was contained. Gone was the hearth as a symbolic and aesthetic part of the kitchen, replaced by a modern tool that required less tending and less space.

In Early American Times when the New World was colonized, settlers from Britain, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and other European countries brought their own building traditions from their native homelands.

Adapting their familiar styles to the new landscape and climate, they developed many uniquely American styles.

During the 1930’s the concept of the small scale workable kitchen was introduced with the design of the galley kitchen being built in small homes and apartments. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, an eating area was included due to an open layout design for newer homes in that period. Double ovens were used for upper middle class families that had larger families or entertained a lot.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, kitchens counters became longer for homeowners who requested double sinks, dishwashers, kitchen gadgets and microwaves. More people tended to eat out more and if they cooked, meals were prepared faster and quicker. More processed foods were introduced to families and single dwellers.

Types of Kitchens: There are 3 types of kitchen designs which are used in most interior homes. They consist of the “L”, “U” and Galley layouts.

The “L” layout is laid out along 2 walls of the room. The advantages of the L-shaped kitchen plan is that it’s easy to keep traffic out of the work triangle, it can be compact, and the area opposite the corner of the L can be the perfect place for a table and chairs or an island.

If the space is too big, it can create a lot of circulation space. You also have the “corner problem”: whether to put the sink or range there or a cabinet which either has dead space inside or requires special fittings to use the space.

Seek a professional designer for the best options for this space.

With a “U” shape kitchen, countertops, cabinets and appliances are located on three sides of the space. This configuration can be designed to be out of the main traffic flow, depending on door locations. Islands and peninsulas 34 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

are included to these basic shapes to direct traffic, improve work flow, and add counter and storage space.

Galley kitchens consist of two walls opposite each other.

This is a layout designed for long and narrow areas or small homes and apartments. Be aware to select smaller to mid size appliances for galley kitchens. Make use of this layout efficiently with adequate cabinet storage without the use of too many appliances. Avoid clutter. Galley kitchens can offer the most creative solutions to a designer and a homeowner.

Colors for the Kitchen I love color and color creates a balance and mood to any space including Kitchens. There are rules to select the best color(s) for your kitchen space. The colors in your kitchen should be consistent or compliment the colors in your dining room. These rooms are connected if not by area adjacencies, they are connected by use. One room is primarily used for food preparation and the other is used for strictly eating and dining. Do not use opposite color combinations for the spaces. The colors should have a smooth transition from one area to another.

Here are my recommendations for color choices:

• If you are probably planning to sell your home within 7 years, neutrals, whites, beiges and browns are the best choices. Most potential home buyers do not want to see loud or bright colors in the kitchen. They will want to add their touches in the space and do not want to move into a home where a major kitchen remodel project is a primary concern.

• Whites, grays and blacks are very monotone, clean and classic colors. The use of colorful appliances and accessories add flavor to your kitchen.

• Bold colors as Reds and Oranges stimulate appetites and conversation. These are great paint colors to use in the kitchen area.

• Green denotes life, calm and serenity. This color can be used in the kitchen, but be careful of the shades of green.

Choose warm greens and some bright greens but only in moderation.

• Colors to avoid in a kitchen are Pink (unless it is a hot pink with a lot of white and some black for a deco style), Blue (unless a backsplash, dishes and appliances), Yellows (totally avoid mustard yellow) and definitely Purples!

Kitchen Design Styles: Here are the various styles to consider in the kitchen: Traditional:

In traditional styles, cabinets are usually mid to dark oak, cherry or walnut with a lot of detailing and molding. Heavy

Hot or NOT

and rich in appearance traditional style cabinets can be expensive. This style is a good choice for mid to large sized kitchens but a challenge for smaller sized kitchens. Choose granite countertops and for backsplashes choose granite, ceramic tiles, metals and stone. You can use marble to countertops, but it is expensive, porous, stains very easily and almost non repairable. Add detailed wood fronts for appliances such as dishwashers and refrigerators.

net doors are solid wood or etched glass designs. Choose appliances which are white, black or stainless steel.

Modern:

Classical:

Cabinets doors and units are laminate, high gloss wood exotic veneers and strong solid color lacquer finishes. Use lots of glass fronts for the cabinet doors. Custom shape island and bar top areas care common for the discriminating client. Include European state of the art cabinets and appliances.

Contemporary:

Here are tips to make a small kitchen appear larger:

1. Use glass front cabinet doors

2. Choose light to mid stain wood cabinets or white

colored cabinets.

3. Use the same material and finish for the counter

top and the backsplash, preferable marble, granite

or quartz.

4. Make sure wall cabinets extend to the top of the

ceiling. Base cabinets should be wall mounted so

the base/bottom of the cabinets is 6� above the

floor level.

With this style, these cabinets are white with some detailing and molding with glass insert fronts for the doors. Adding stainless steel appliances add a touch within the space along with dark marble or dark granite tops. White carrera marble can be used for counter tops and backsplashes. It is veery beautiful but not the most pratical material to use if one does a lot of cooking aon preparation in the kitchen.

White quartz tops are very pratical and not as expensive as marble. White quartz tops are stain resistant and scratches can be sanded from the surfaces.

Cabinets are usually light to mid oak or maple in color. Ad a splash of black granite for the molding, hardware and countertop and backsplash. Other material options for the countertops are concrete, plastic laminate and quartz. Cabi-

And when in doubt, please contact Glynis Tart of Verden Interior Design Studio, LLC 35 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

GADGETS

BBQ and Grillin’ Gadgets It is always a fun time to crack open the BBQ and get down to some grilling. The next couple of gadgets will help you go from getting burnt and Master Chef in no time. Well maybe not that quickly but they sure will help you!

Stem - Tap the Flavor

Spray it, don’t squeeze it! Stem is designed to allow a cook to spray juice directly from a citrus fruit. No longer do you have to cut and squeeze your fruit to get the juice out like a common cook. With only one finger you can now spray citrus juice on your favorite foods evenly. Let Stem add a little zest in your kitchen and on your food!

Features: -Easy disassembly for cleaning -Serrated teeth allowing for simple insertion into fruit -Sprays and distributes juice evenly -Small and easy to store Materials: -Polypropylene – Food safe plastic Dimensions: -93.5mm (height), 24mm (diameter) List Price: $4.99 and can be purchased at www.

Quirky.com

Sliders - Slide and Serve

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GADGETS Make your cookouts a knockout success. Sliders is a set of 4 double-prong skewers that keep food securely on while grilling. The sliders guide food off easily when you’re ready to eat. These are so simple to use that everyone can just focus on the cuisine and each other!

Features: -Set of 4 skewers -Double-prong keeps food secure, even while rotating on the grill -Heat-resistant sliders guide food off and keep your hands clean -Nonslip rubber gasket keeps sliders in place when not in use Materials: -Stainless steel double-prong skewers -Heat-resistant handles and sliders -Nonslip rubber gaskets Dimensions: -Each skewer is 14” long -Handle is 1” diameter at widest point List Price: $24.99 find out more at www.Quirky. com

Porter - Grab and Grill

This summer helper is smokin’ hot! Porter is a multi-purpose BBQ tray that eliminates extra trips between your kitchen and grill. Containers with lids keep raw food safely separated, while a serving platter and condiment caddy hold everything a grill chef needs at hand. This is sure to make your next cookout a blast.

Features: -3 containers keep raw and cooked food separated -Condiment caddy easily holds paper towel roll and seasonings -Serving tray presents cooked food for guests -All pieces connect for easy one-trip carrying -Food safe materials for containers and tray Dimensions: 19.5” w x 11.5” d x 4” h List Price: $39.99 Find out more about this at www.

Quirky.com 37 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

Learning for Life

An Interview with Ja’Vese Phelps-Washington

By Chanta’ N. Barrett pher was the only one that could save me. That’s when I surrendered to a nonviolent decision.

This is an interview with Ja’Vese Phelps-Washington who is the mother of Christopher Spence a twenty year old football athlete who was the victim of gun violence that tragically cost him his life.

Chanta’: Please share a little bit about what kind of son and young man Christopher was.

Vez: He was a cute sandy colored, curly hair little boy. He always had a smile and his smile would light up a room. He was a very happy little baby. Christopher was a ray of sunshine, and he was the little boy everybody loved. As a young man, he entered the world of sports which happened to be a gift and his passion. Christopher was ambitious, outgoing, funny, and loyal. His friends would say he played to much but they loved him so much they couldn’t get mad at him. He was very responsible, and loved his friends no matter what they had, he never judged them.

He always treated people the same. He doted on his little sister Krystal, and admired his eldest brothers Raphael and Randy.

Christopher, adored and loved his step-father Vernon.

Chanta’: Does the story end here?

Vez: No, when Christopher went home to be with the Lord, at 1:30 a.m. on February 19, 2011. I left the hospital, got some rest, and woke with an epiphany. I told my family “God put Christopher on this earth to touch and love all the people he was intended to, once his mission was completed then God took him home and said, Job well done.” Then I went down stairs and Christopher said to me, “Mom, you gotta forgive him.” I started screaming and crying and said, “No Chris it’s too soon.”

I knew God had a different plan for me (because my motto was, if anything ever happened to one of my kids, I would go out with both barrels blazing). The second day after his death, I had a house full of people and felt a light touch on my shoulder and Christopher said to me, “Mom be still.” I turned around to see no one there but the wall. My girlfriend Andrea, asked me what’s wrong? I whispered, “I think Christopher, touched me.” She said, “He did. It’s okay Vez, he did. I knew that God knew Christo-

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I sprung into action to handle the situation, the way Christopher would have wanted. A reporter from the Inquirer showed up at my home while I was visiting the morgue. I felt they knew my son personally. He had done several interviews with them, through high school football so I was comfortable. The next day, Sixx King contacted me, to discuss the documentary. The day after I received a phone call from Jason Dawkins who worked under city council Maria Qinones-Sanchez informing me that I was needed to do a press conference at the site where my son was murdered. Three weeks after Christopher went home to be with the Lord. I made a decision protest at the site where he was murdered until the business closed.

Thirty-two days after Christopher was murdered, while protesting outside across the street from the business me and the other protesters were were fired upon and two individuals were wounded. Because they supported me and my son. It was my duty to expose the suspects. I’ve attended court proceedings at City Hall with numerous officers who testified to several gun incidents at that business stemming from 2005. Two months later, I visited State Representative Tony Peyton’s office demanding that there be legislation, passed in honor of my son’s name to protect the others.

April 11, 2011 there was an article in the Northeast Times, stating that the bar’s liquor license was revoked and it will never be a bar again, and this month the vote on the legislation will take place.

Chanta’: Is there a message you want to give others?

Vez: No one can measure the love of a mother, and no one can measure the desire for change. Thank God that He sent me Chris, then multiple confirmations, cause I could have went on my own devices and would not be here for this outcome. I would somewhere dead or in jail. Sometimes we have to just be still and let God be God all by Himself......

Art

According to Bruce Cole and Adelheid M. Gealt the history of paintings reaches back in time to artifacts from pre-historic humans, and spans all cultures. It represents a continuous, though periodically disrupted tradition from Antiquity. Across cultures, and spanning continents and millennia, the history of painting is an ongoing river of creativity, which continues in the 21st century.

Armand McKissick, a self-taught African American artist specializing in Abstract Expressionism was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has been studying art for over two decades.

McKissick is a painter/sculptor who possesses an unconventional style and hand that can only come from an artist who as developed his own language in today’s art world.

McKissick’s art can be very mysterious to the naked eye. His personality is expressed through his work. Each and every experience he has faced in life forces him into a world of creativity that is defined within his work. “I struggle everyday to escape from the box that the world tries to imprison me in by creating art,” he explains.

McKissick’s best known works, a number of which are on very large canvases, involves animals in an Abstract Expressionism form. Contact DrMcKissick@aol.com for more information.

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BOOK OF THE MONTH

by Eric A. Lambert, Jr. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with -all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. (Mark 12:30) LOVING GOD-chasing after His heart-is the most personal of all the attitudes that lead to victorious living. It is the key to all of life.

When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, it is interesting that He spoke of a relationship rather than an action.

We have become successful in church work, but we have strayed far from Him. This is a frightening situation, and we need to address it right now.

Unfortunately, our society fights against relationships. We live in a world where what we do is far greater than what we are. Under this kind of pressure to perform, our relationships, especially our relationship with God, will always suffer. Even pastors find themselves under the influence of our performance-based culture. We have seen many ministers develop a certain popularity, so they hit the speaking/preaching circuit with zeal, only to “crash and burn� after a few years.

My pastor used to say that it was more important for the Lord to do something in us than to do something through us. That statement speaks of our relationship with Him. I am convinced that we need to return to the heart of God. We have become successful in church work, but we have strayed far from Him. This is a frightening situation, and we need to address it right now. I think the best verse that speaks to this issue is found in the book of Revelation.

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write: These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy 41 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

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BOOK OF THE MONTH There is a sense of ministerial urgency in the body of Christ that I do not understand. We seem to want to do great things for God, without connecting to the God of the great things. I am completely confused by this action. We need to return to the heart of God. We need to realize that God did not save us to place us in ministry. We were saved for Him and for His pleasure.

work. We need to reevaluate our attitude towards the Lord.

Are we involved in ministry to please ourselves? To please others? For the money? Or is it for the Lord?

We need to go back to the Old Testament and see what the Lord truly desires. We are all familiar with the Temple and its beautiful representations of Christ. I We have left the heart of God, and it seems as though will not elaborate on all of the areas of that great structhe joy we once had of just serving God has been ture. Yet, I am certain that the most significant part of replaced by ministerial ambition. You cannot imagine that structure was the the number of people who approach me with ambi“Holiest of Holies,” where the Lord’s presence dwelt. tious plans and desires for ministry. I would be pleased Think of it -- God’s presence. I have a vivid imaginaif they came with a wholehearted and sincere desire tion, and I like to use it and think about things that are to serve God, but instead I am a bit saddened by their out of my reach. Whenever I think about the Temple I reasons and expectations. Ministry has grown from a can just see the presence of God lingering in that inner calling to a career choice, and it seems as though many room. Just imagine it: who seek to serve lack what I like to call a “Godyou are in the presence of the Lord Himself. There is heart”-- the hunger to be a pursuer of God like King no better place to be other than in His presence. I beDavid, and to say along with him, “My soul followeth lieve the Lord desires His church to return to the heart hard after thee” (Ps. 63:8). of God. Ministry has caused us to be too busy for the very Lord we are called to serve.

All we hear about today is the desire to do “for” the Lord. Yet if you look hard enough you will find people When I was a young pastor, I loved studying the who, like the church at Ephesus, suffer from busy characters of the Bible. I would identify with them

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MUSIC

CHANGE will surely come to Northern Liberties, the ‘Village’ of Philadelphia. The lights are

up; the stage is set, for both art and music. The creative avenues are joined together in the City of Brotherly Love at its premier artist alliance venue, Joose Studios located just north of Spring Garden on 3rd Street. Joose will host many creative endeavors in July 2012. ‘CHANGE’, the International Recording Artist/Group will present a special one night musical performance during their 2012, CHANGERETURN North American tour; artworks will be presented by Screen Mesh Sculptor, Anyta Thomas to delight the gallery walls and your eye senses.

‘Change’ is one of the best, most unsung bands of the 1980’s soul, disco and R&B genres. The original group featured the vocals of the late, great, Luther Vandross who went on to a hugely successful solo career in soul music.

True ‘soul music lovers’ will recall Change’s 1980 debut album release, ‘The Glow of Love’, followed by ‘Miracles’ in 1981, ‘Sharing Your Love’ in 1982 and three other albums were produced thereafter until 1984. “The Glow of Love” album instantly gave listeners a sense of the greatness to come from the performers. That album produced hit after hit and went on to receive seven Grammy nominations respectively. Singles from The Glow of Love include: Searching, A lover’s Holiday, and of course The Glow of Love whose claim to fame is that it is the most popular, most covered and sampled dance song of all times.

Today ‘Change’ is led by drummer, Toby Johnson, the only

remaining original member of the group founded in 1979.

Toby decided to revive the band in 2009 after a long hiatus. He was inspired to bring back many fan favorites and he remains enthusiastic about the possibilities of making new music in the future. For now, his plan is to entertain audiences with the already recognizable, radio top 10 and top 100 billboard sensations.

The new CHANGE is a whopping ten piece group. Toby says, “It is set up much like the original group of eleven men and women entertainers”. Change remains a true force to be reckoned with in both personality and size. The energy of the group is powerful; the vocalists are beautiful and entertaining as well as strong/handsome. David Hughes, the male vocalist, doesn’t miss a step in unison with three lady vocalist; his delivery of soulful sound is befitting and among the legendary. The choreography orchestrated by choreographer Kristen McCook keeps you moving and grooving through the entire performance. ‘Change’ is filled with a magnitude of gifted and talented musicians who individually play a multiple of instruments with awe and delight. Change gives up a night of jam packed, thrills of emotion and nostalgia, and Philadelphia proves once again that we are a great resource for music and music education. Not surprisingly, most group members were either born, raised /or trained musically right here in the Philadelphia area. Musicians include: Kenneth ‘Kalah’ Higgingbotham, Keyboards, John ‘Candido’ Williams, Woodwind specialist, John Martin-bass guitar, Fritz ‘Unchie’ Johnson-lead guitarist, Damon Bennett, AKA, ‘Mr. Dizzy Fingers’, keyboards. Vocalists include: Trineice Robinson, Ckai Dawson, Christian Rodgers, Donna Ingram: keyboards/vocals, and David Hughes.

To learn more about CHANGE visit - www.changereturn.com, or www.4joose.blogspot.com.

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BOOK OF THE MONTH and I would see whom I resembled in my actions and behavior. One of my favorite characters was Adam.

I would just imagine living in a world without sin, walking with the Lord every day and just enjoying His divine presence.

We all know what happened when sin fell on the man.

He lost that sense of God’s presence and the close relationship they shared. The words, “Adam, where are you?” were more than an interrogation. God sincerely wanted fellowship with His creation. Adam was hiding and missed his fellowship time due to sin. I really wanted to be like Adam (before the fall of course).

I wanted to walk with the Lord very closely, and I wanted to follow Him with all my heart.

Being a new pastor, I wanted to give the church the impression that I had a lot to do, so I stayed busy.

One day the Lord spoke to me and said these sobering words: “Well, you want to be like Adam?”

-3I said, “Yes, Lord,” expecting to hear something great and spiritually significant. He said, “Well, you are -where are you?”

God wants us to have a heart that fears Him and keeps His commandments always. This is true fellowship with Him. Not what we do, but what we are.

Those words cut right through me. That was when I decided to spend time getting closer to my God. I began to see that the Lord really wants to spend time with us and it grieves Him when we do not spend time with Him. “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!” (Deut. 5:29).

God wants us to have a heart that fears Him and keeps His commandments always. This is true fellowship with Him. Not what we do, but what we are. The children of Israel did not hear God’s voice directly anymore. Their lifestyle caused them to avoid the Lord and they said that God should speak through Moses to them. So Moses makes them aware of the Lord’s obvious pain: “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me and keep my commandments always!”

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True fellowship brings us closer to the Lord than the work. In fact, if you look closely at your ministry, you can see that it can become both a blessing and a hindrance. If you are not careful, you can find yourself just serving God for the things needed for ministry rather than true fellowship with Him. I often share with those in preaching ministries that they should be careful not to just pray for messages, but learn to pray for the spirit and presence of God in their lives apart from ministry. This is a critical issue and we must remember it. We must love God for who He is and not for what He can do for us. The 21stcentury Christian has become more focused on what God can do for us rather than who He is to us.

The heart of God often challenges me to get closer to Him. When the children of Israel were about to enter the new land the Lord gave stern warnings: Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord they God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a

land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills...

When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statues, which I command thee this day: lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage (Deut. 8:67, 10-14).

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BOOK OF THE MONTH Do you fully grasp the point of these verses? God told them they would enter a new land -- a land that had so many blessings they could not number them all.

Then the Lord tells them something which I think still applies to us today. To put it in the simplest of terms, God said, “When you enter the land I give you and you are blessed beyond your wildest dreams, don’t forget Me!” -4 Can you imagine that? God wants to be remembered and loved. The great Creator wants to have a relationship with us! But God knows that great blessing can lead to forgetfulness when our eyes are on the blessings instead of the One who has blessed us. The truth is, we have been blessed in ways far greater than the children of Israel--and sadly, we have forgotten the Lord.

I recall the times in my youth when my mother would often “lecture” me about the day when she would no longer be with me. I remember she would say, “Boy, you should treat me with respect because one day I will not be around.” I believe that she was trying to tell me about the importance of loving relationship with her as opposed to just having her do things for me. I think that the best times of our lives were the times when Mom would do things with me. I can remember the things she bought me, yet it was time spent with me that was the most significant to me. I was not thinking about the day when she would no longer be with me, so in my youth I would focus on things and not the relationship. Now that Mom is home with the Lord, I do not have many of the things she bought for me, however I do have the memories of the times we spent together.

We must develop a true passion for the Lord if we are to experience the joy of walking with Him. I believe that the relationship we share with the Lord should take precedence over our ministry efforts. You see, as we grow older we will find that we cannot do all of the things we were able to do in our youth, yet we will never outgrow our connection to the heart of God. I have spent the better part of my entire Christian experience trying to find ways to get closer to the Lord Jesus. Every time I get closer to Him, some form of church work falls off. I am convinced that my love 48 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

for Him is strengthened by my connection to Him! God loves us and we should love Him with all of our being. It should be easy to love someone who loves us infinitely, but this is a difficult task for many believers, because they have no point of reference for true love.

Many of us were so abused in our past that our experience with love amounted to sexual activities. It is not an easy thing to relate to the love of God when we do not have positive models of love in our families and friendships. We find ourselves trapped between our past hurts and the future that we can have in the family of God. This is a critical roadblock to victorious living. We must develop a true passion for the Lord if we are to experience the joy of walking with Him. One of the passages of Scripture that comes to mind is in the book of Psalms: ‘’As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps. 42: 1-2).

These verses carry a tremendous truth for the reader.

The history of the verse tells us that the hart (a baby deer) seeks the protection of the water when predators are chasing it. Once the hart enters the water, the predator loses its scent and cannot find the deer. I often envision the child of God seeking the protective covering of the presence of God. Once we enter His divine presence, our enemy is reluctant to continue the chase.

It concerns me to see Christians spending so much time involved in things--even the things of God-- and so little time with the Lord. We must return to the heart of God and get alone with Him. As we sit in the presence of the Lord, we find the things we need to be successful in the Christian life. It takes time, but it is time well spent. And yet it is amazing how often we neglect our time with the Lord and replace it with the amusements and the foolishness of the world.

May the Lord bless you as you return to Him and find His peace.

Copyright © 2007 Eric A. Lambert, Jr. To read more, you may purchase The Kneeling Mind at CLC Publications, 215 242-4790; or call Bethel Deliverance International Church at 215 885-2585

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Learning for Life

I found myself chatting it up with a few friends on different occasions on how I am juggling all the balls in my life. I will admit that right now life is a bit chaotic. I’m believe

that if I took a poll of 100 mompreneurs, or even single moms, that about 70% would say that life is a bit chaotic.

One of the priorities in my life is making sure that my daughter is thriving despite my career chaos. This journey has been totally unpredictable. When I got laid off approximately four years ago, I never thought it would take me this long to financially get back on my feet. I am in the midst of the perfect storm of talent, ability, desire and poverty. Poverty is such a dirty little word.

The funny thing is that my poverty doesn’t look like the “stereotypical poverty.”

My poverty means that I am not financially self-sufficient…yet. I have all the promise in the world, but my promise has not yet crossed over to the ability to pay my bills, reduce my debt and buy the small home of my dreams. It is what it is. It is stressful and sometimes it keeps me up at night, but I work really hard at doing what I can, letting go and letting God. I realize that there 50 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

are lessons to be learned about living in a physical state of poverty.

I won’t claim an emotional or spiritual state of poverty.

For me, it’s quite the opposite. I claim abundance. I claim wealth. I understand that there are resources that are overflowing with cash, just looking for the right opportunity to share their wealth. I also choose gratitude for the richness that currently exists in my life.

I am surrounded by wonderful friends and family, I get to do what I love everyday and I have an amazing daughter who helps me see what is important. Some-

times I cringe when she parrots me saying, “It’s not in the budget!” Some days it makes me sad enough to cry, but not often. I’ve met very few parents who wouldn’t want to shower their kids with everything they ever

wanted. Sometimes my decisions are based on my values (no, you can not have an ipod touch at 6 years old!) and sometimes they are based on the money in my bank account (no, we can’t go out to eat tonight.)

The hidden blessing in my situation is that my daughter and I see our lives through the lens of wealth. “Aren’t we so blessed to have a great apartment to live in?” “Aren’t we blessed to have so many choices for dinner tonight (even if I don’t feel like cooking any of them),” “Aren’t we blessed to have such a beautiful park and nature preserve where we can go enjoy nature’s bounty at no cost?”

I have been reduced to saying,“We are not spending a single dollar today because I just paid for soccer.” Do I feel badly about being so honest about our financial situation? Sometimes, but the reality is that my daughter is more mindful now when I do spend money. Most of the time she appreciates the things that she gets. Now, she’s just like any other kid. I indulged her in one of her favorite activities, window-shopping at the mall. Seems counterproductive to me, but she likes to check out the stuff and walk around with me.

Justice is the biggest challenge for her. That darn store has a gazillion little goodies and clothes for girls. This last trip was frustrating for my daughter, but I didn’t have any guilt about the turn out.

My daughter picked up item after item saying, “Mommy, look at this!” I politely and calmly asked her where her version of what she had just picked up was.

Learning for Life Each time her response was that she didn’t know. When we left the store she looked pitiful and dejected.

I sat down with her on a bench outside of Justice and just talked. I explained to her that I am doing my best to secure employment that I love and that will allow me to get on my feet financially.

I also explained that my priority was taking care of my bills, debts and eventually buying a house (with the swing set of her dreams), not buying her every needless item at Justice that was going to get lost in our home.

I didn’t let her off the hook of feeling like little orphan Annie. I reminded her that when I found the things that she needed for a reasonable price I would buy them. My daughter may want “stuff,” but she doesn’t need much.

That’s the biggest challenge in our consumer driven society, teaching her the value of life – not stuff. My goal is to fill her world with a wealth of enriching experiences, which are usually free. When I can get the stuff, and if it lines up with my values, I am happy to. Doubt it? Just ask the little girl who has proudly been rocking her beautiful, warm and brand new Children’s Place pj’s, which I scored for $6.99. That and her cupcake slippers she hasn’t taken off, which set me back $2.99.

My mom always tried to give us whatever we wanted and I so appreciate her for that. I’ve been known to say that even if I had a million dollars I wouldn’t buy such and such. I hope that is still true when I have a million dollars. I believe that day is coming and I also believe that had it come sooner my daughter wouldn’t be half the human being she is now.

Living the life of a starving artist has taught me to be creative, grateful, driven, savvy and persistent. My breakthrough is on the way. I’m just planting the seeds and learning to appreciate life’s wealth rather than a wealth of stuff!

Originally Posted on January 31st, 2012 by tatiana No Comments http://pic.tv/teaspoonandpound/2012/01/31/the-impoverished-womans-guide-to-wealth/

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He Say She Say

First let me put this disclaimer out there, this is solely my opinion based on my experiences and observations of woman who date married men. My Masters Degree is in Organizational Leadership not Psychology, however, I do believe after reading this article most, if not all, of you will agree that I make some very validate points when it comes to the types of women that date married men.

The first woman is the desperate woman. Some women will take a man anyway they can get him, especially if they are young with low self esteem because these kinds of women are easily persuaded to fall into this kind of situation. Unfortunately, these are women who have not recognized their own self worth. This woman could also have the “Retaliation Syndrome”.

This is when a woman subconsciously wants to hurt another woman because she has been hurt by this behavior in the past.

The second woman is the woman looking for a Sugar Daddy. These women are looking for sugar daddies to spoil them, but without a commitment.

The married man is perfect because they are already committed but most married men who cheats like to spoil their mistresses.

The third woman is the career woman with limited time who’s looking for a little fun but is not ready to settle down. The career woman who dates married men is looking for the comfort of a man, but not a relationship. The married man is perfect because his time is very limited but he can give her wants she wants when she wants it without monopolizing her time.

The Fourth woman is the married woman who cheats with a married man. The married woman who cheats is looking to fulfill her needs that are not being fulfilled by her husband.

The final woman is the unassuming woman. This is the woman who meets the married man but unbeknownst to her she doesn’t know he’s married because he appears to be single (no ring, own apartment, accessible). However, once she finds out she’s so caught up that she continues to date him.

These are the five categories of women who date married men according to C Double R. If you recognized yourself in one of these categories you may want to ask yourself, is it worth it?

I’m just saying.

C Double R Make sure you get a copy of my erotic suspense book REACTIONS by going to www.cdoubler.com or Amazon. To read more articles by C Double R! please visit www.crazyazzwomen.blogspot.com. If you would like to ask C Double R! any questions, leave comments or topic suggestions please contact her at cdoubler2@gmail.com 52 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

Art

Born and raised in Camden New Jersey, Artist Anyta Thomas is an art explorer; a seeker of self-expression who connected with art at the early age of three while learning and drawing from flash cards. She explored singing, and dancing for 10 years with the Sydney School of Dance, which only enhanced her ability to free herself physically and mentally. Thomas is a trained trumpet player who is continually inspired from all forms of jazz, from Miles Davis to Kaiko Matsui. Sculpting is her passion which feeds from a design knowledge and education which she embraced in college.

Anyta Thomas’ medium for creating her sculptural art is through screen mesh wire. It is the same screen mesh that we all have used in our outside door frames to allow in some light and air.

She found this media through experimentation but has perfected its use in a way that is all her own. She never uses molds to sculpt or create her figures and faces. Every facial emotion and human characteristic comes directly from her mind’s-eye and flows through the narrow pinch of her fingers. The quality of the transparent intricacies in the mesh media is often mistakable for silk stockings, and other light fibers. The mind is not quite sure how to interpret was it is seeing; it is saved only by the sense of touch.

Thomas describes her creative process to be the voice for which she learns the most about “her non-corporal self”. Her sculpting is inspired by self-discovery and life experiences. Thomas sees

sculpture as a force in changing how people view themselves and life. Her use of the simple screen mesh medium introduces change and opens one’s eyes to endless possibilities. Through this, her work crosses many barriers of race, class, gender, and socio-economy. Anyta balances both sides of her brain when she creates, a fascinating concept which she likens to a mathematical equation composed of light, space, balance, composition, simplicity, beauty, dimension and volume. Each piece carries its own story and poetic energy. Those who interact with her artworks will immediately feel its energy.

Thomas works in two distinct figurative styles of sculpture: Nudes and Jazz/Dance. The nudes are created in natural mono-toned shades that reflect human skin tone likenesses.

Anyta applies warm reds, browns, and soft golden yellow paints onto the surface of each sculpture. These tones radiate from the inside out. Thomas is best known for her Jazz/Dance artwork series, it is her trademark style. Her musical influences are obvious. The Jazz/Dance figures are full of movement and excitement. From the arm gestures of the characters, to the bright color choices of the painted clothing, the artworks keep you in the groove. Trumpeters, Saxophone players are staple characters; they are likely to be accompanied by lively dancing women in flowing skirts. You wish to be a part of the party.

Whether you are viewing Jazz/Dance figures or large body forms in the Nude, every Thomas sculpture jumps from the wall surface. The artworks appear with shadows which are created from the existing natural room light or from other inside lighting elements. Through her creative concepts, Thomas allows light and shadow to play a final role in the artwork presentation. You will truly see the genius of her creative process. One could say that the ‘canvas’ of her work isn’t limited to just the sculptural figure itself. The figure brings the style, the energy, the color, the mood, but the rest of the magic happens in the comfort of your own home.

In 2005, Anyta’s artworks and belief system to touch the lives of those who find it hard to express themselves paid dividends.

Her art and social consciousness ideas were formally acknowledged through the receipt of the Leeway Grant, Art And Change Award. She was awarded this coveted grant, which initiated a solo exhibit, and she joined the ranks of many talented female artists on the rise in Philadelphia and beyond. Anyta Thomas is represented by galleries locally and nationally. Her work is among many private collections. Thomas will exhibit her latest series of artwork at Joose Studios, June 29th – July 25th, 2012, visit, www.4joose.blogspot.com 53 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

News

by Alfreda Asbury

Being a voracious reader, I cannot imagine a world without books and even more so, I cannot imagine walking into a library where there are no books, just empty shelves. Yet in many

African countries, that happens everyday, too many children are living in a world without books. According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 40 percent of school-age children in Africa do not attend school. Forty-six million African children have never set foot in a classroom.

However, there is hope. Books For Africa (BFA), a non-profit organization based in St. Paul Minnesota is on a mission to end the book famine in Africa. They collect, sort, ship and distribute books to children, adults and libraries in Africa. They are the world’s largest shipper of donated books to the African continent and since 1988 has sent over 26 million books to children and

adults in 46 African countries. They also send computers and school supplies.

Founded in 1988 by Tom Warth, BFA’s mission is to simply end the book famine in Africa. Warth, a former bookseller, visited Uganda after meeting a Ugandan woman who was in the U.S. visiting her children. While in Jinja, Tom went to a local library and was astonished to see that there were no books on the shelves. Upon returning to the U.S., he met with publishers, booksellers and librarians from the Minnesota Book Publisher’s Roundtable and Books For Africa was born.

“Thus far, my vision has been realized and Books For Africa has succeeded beyond what I could’ve imagined. My theme has to be that sending 26 million books to 340 million children is like a drop in the bucket, we can’t rest on our laurels.” says Tom. “It’s very gratifying when you go in a library and find a book from a small town in Minnesota that you know some student has touched the book and his name is in it, then you find it in a school in a library in Africa, so that’s pretty exciting” BFA’s main office is located in St Paul, Minnesota and is under the direction of Executive Director, Patrick Plonski. A warehouse in Atlanta was opened in 2009 and recently expanded its’ capacity to 50,000 square feet. “The decision to open a warehouse in Atlanta was driven by economic and issues of efficiency so we came to the conclusion that we needed a larger warehouse to send more books to Africa.” says Pat. “We looked at a number of communities on the eastern seaboard and compared a number of factors.” “We made the decision with the advantage of having a major metropolitan area with a lot of volunteers, infrastructure, and books available to be donated locally was important. We put it all together and Atlanta came out on top. It’s been a very good decision for us that’s really increased our efficiency and has helped us to collect more books. We just crossed a goal this year; we sent 2 million books in this fiscal year which was a record.

In terms of millions, the goal would be to 3-5 million books in a year.”

It costs 10,000 to send a container shipment of books to Africa. A container holds 40,000 pounds of books which is approximately 22,00 books depending on the size of the books. Corporate sponsors, partnerships, individuals, service groups and volunteers are all an important part of BFA’success. BFA relies on volunteers to help sort and pack the books for shipment. The Atlanta warehouse accommodates anywhere from 10-80 volunteers on a daily basis.

Looking to Books For Africa’s future, Tom and Pat both agree that more corporate and business sponsorships are needed. “I would just ask that they consider it and that they give it a try.”

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News says Pat. “We think that if a company is interested in international development and philanthropy, we welcome that and we would like to be considered. Also you know especially in Atlanta, so many of the Atlanta area corporations are sending volunteers to our warehouse so we have a buy in at the grassroots level from a lot of these corporations and I would encourage corporations to sort of follow the lead of their employers who are already donating their time and efforts to pack up those books and to help out and maybe help to deliver some of those books to Africa. It would also be nice to have BFA be a household name.

Things like co branding with some national corporations. We are very interested in doing that. I think it would be beneficial to both BFA and the corporation that we work with.” Another goal that Pat has is to see how BFA can use technology to help send books to Africa. “There are things that can be done with e-readers, probably not now but down the road and we want to prepare for that.”

As for Tom, “the future is we need to find sponsors who are probably businesses in Africa to sponsor the printing of their own editions of dictionaries because people can print dictionaries for .30 each so you can deliver a massive number of books to Africa if we could find sponsors who are willing to step out and do the job. You know Coca-Cola comes to mind and wouldn’t that be a great dream for every household maybe starting where there would be a dictionary with all that information and then on the back cover would be the Coca-Cola emblem.” “A million dollars supplies 3 million books and 3 million households would be great advertising.” ” There are millions of children in Africa who’ve never touched a book, they haven’t touched one. They’ve learned to read and write from the blackboard and at the desk but they haven’t actually held a book. I went to a school and there were 12 year olds who knew how to read and write but they hadn’t held a book so we gave out books and they’ve never held them, you could see how excited they were.” Tom recalls.

“We would like to see it occur where there would be books available for anyone that wanted to use them and we would have them readily available says Pat. Fifty-cents can send one book to Africa. To find out more about Books For Africa and how you can make a donation and/or volunteer, please visit their website at www.booksforafrica.org.

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Hot or NOT

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He Say She Say

Dear Ava, I am dating an amazing man who drives me wild sexually and the feeling is mutual. We have GREAT sex and I really have no complaints except we never seem to reach orgasm at the same time. If he finishes first, I am typically left unsatisfied or topping myself off. What can we do to make sure we climax at the same time?

Signed, Seeking Simultaneous Satisfaction Oh SSS, wouldn’t it be great if things happened as easily in real life as they do in the movies? You meet a guy, things are electric and you are fighting to keep your hands to yourself. Before you know it, you’re ripping each others’ clothes off and against the nearest wall. A few moans and groans later and you just experienced the most amazing and exhausting orgasms of your life AT THE SAME TIME! Whew! Nice right?

It’s not impossible, but it’s highly unlikely to experience this with someone new, a booty call (unless he’s in regular rotation), or a youngin.

Orgasms of this magnitude are reserved for people who know each other quite well, are willing to listen and learn from each other, and aren’t afraid to speak their minds before, DURING, and after sex. The keyword for you is ‘communication’. There is absolutely NO WAY to achieve this lofty goal of mutual and mind blowing orgasm without initially talking and guiding each other through every moment. The reality is, it generally takes 3-5 seconds for a man to get an erection, and most women require some attention before the moisture kicks in. There’s no way to sync those actions without open and honest conversation about what works, what doesn’t, and the ultimate goal. It sounds like a lot but trust me, it’s SO worth the effort. Once it happens, you will speak about it often, attempt to recreate it regularly, and rarely will the memory resurface without ‘your girl’ having her own tingling moment. I will say, attempting this feat with a youngster (in his 20’s) could be futile.

Greater success will be found with a man who has mastered control and can not only hold back, but simultaneously read your sexual signals and know how close, or far, you are from reaching the finish line.

Be warned, being whipped is not cute. Success could make it hard to walk away from even the most unacceptable behavior later on.

Enjoy the journey!

Ava -------Dear Ava, Just recently started having sex with someone new and it’s been good.

There is just one BIG problem, he will not go down on me. I figured it ‘didn’t work out’ the first few times, so I finally asked and he confirmed he does not eat the kitty kat. Of course he has NO problem with me slobbing him down and swears I’m the best at it! Am I throwing away a good man over something silly?

Signed, Deal Breaker?

Ummm. YES! DEAL BREAKER!! I would have more sympathy for a man who admittedly has issues with oral sex, ALL of it, and recognizes it as a PROBLEM. But having issues with eating but not receiving is just plain selfish. It’s more than a deal breaker. His selfish nature runs deep and this will be the least of it. He will never put you or your needs first in any other area of your relationship either. Run, don’t walk, to the nearest exit!

Many women will never reach orgasm any other way. He sounds like one of those men who thinks he can just pound it out, literally, for about 20 minutes and be done. And TOO many women have accepted this in his past and faked orgasms so he thinks he’s ‘doing the damn thing’.

Be the first women to let him know, he’s not. You will do him and the women after you a GREAT service to stand your ground and keep it

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moving.

Take your skill set to someone who appreciates you with proper reciprocation!

Ava -------Dear Ava, My girl is a hard nut to crack, literally. Prior to us being physical she had not been with anyone in well over a year. The problem? No matter WHAT I do I cannot get her to cum for me. I eat, I suck, I lick, I play and NOTHING works. She swears it’s NEVER been a problem before and I feel so horrible I let her bring toys and do it herself. I hate that she can make herself cum in seconds when I can NEVER get her there. Is it possible she has bruised herself for a real mans’ touch?

Signed, I Don’t Vibrate Kudos to you for recognizing the problem and attempting to fix it IDV! I firmly believe too much masturbation, with toys, does INDEED desensitize the clit for the real deal.

But it’s not hopeless. Many women suffer from the oversaturation of the market to purchase self satisfying toys and enhancements. Many even keep micros close by for long trips and traffic! Seems extreme but contrary to popular belief we LIKE orgasms and we don’t need them any less than the average man. Being single does not dissipate the desire and vibrating guarantees are hard to resist!

First things first, she needs to stop using toys. COLD TURKEY. She will look at you like you’re crazy, but she needs to only use her fingers.

Phone sex at night will help her sleep because she’s likely become accustomed to having an orgasm before bed. When you’re together, use your fingers together. Over time, takeover and work up to your tongue (and no pointy stuff ok?). It may take a while, but she can get the sensitivity back and eventually it will all be up to you!

Patience is key.

Ava

Moving to a new city or state will always be a difficult transition, no matter what kinds of precautions you take. Bundling up all of your worldly possessions into one big van and setting them down on the doorstep of a new home in a strange city will always be at least a bit of an awkward experience. However, picking the right city can be the difference between struggling mightily and simply working through the transition.

In most cases, relocations are specific to the area surrounding a particular office or location. That narrows down the choices quite a bit which can be more blessing than curse when trying to wade through the multitude of cities that all want the tax dollars and spending money new residents bring with them. So how then do you go about making at least the preliminary steps towards picking out a new town?

Know What You Want

No search was ever completed without at least some kind of criteria to narrow down the possibilities. That goes for web searches and it goes for finding a new home for you and your family. What kinds of amenities do you want to have within reasonable driving distance? Some things to consider include proximity to major transportation hubs, entertainment options nearby, the quality of a particular school district and access to highways and major roads.

While the list could probably go on forever as to the kinds of amenities people look for in a potential new home, odds are that you already have in mind the best case scenario for your town and committing to getting those thoughts on paper will develop a list of criteria quicker than you might think.

Another helpful tip can be to prioritize your desires so that when reality comes in and tells you that you can’t have the perfect set of amenities, you know what is most important to you. Armed with that information, you can then dive into the deep ocean that is the internet to do some preliminary research on prospective areas.

Pursue Resources On Important Criteria

If you put the quality of local schools at the top of your list, pursue web sites that have information on the various school districts in the area you are looking at. SchoolMatch.com is one such site and there are countless others that will give you breakdowns on the quality of different districts. If you have personal contacts in the area, this is the time to use them as they will often have 60 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

insight as to the quality of different districts.

While that example works well for school district criteria, there are also sites out there for nearly everything else you can think of.

If at the top of your list is entertainment, look up local chambers of commerce that will be more than willing to extol the virtues of their particular town.

If a particular kind of house of worship is important to have nearby, there are countless mapping programs that will locate them for you and give you a leg up on what neighborhoods you might want to pursue. Personal contact is perhaps the best and quickest way to get this kind of information, but that is not always possible for those moving long distances. The web is full of information and with your priorities at hand, you can cut through must of the junk to get data that is pertinent to your search.

Moving over a long distance will always be a bit of a jarring experience getting used to new surroundings, but doing research on various areas to at least get an idea of what might be best for you will help your realtor immensely. There will always be hiccups along the way and communities that look good on paper but bad in real life, but developing at least an idea will put you quickly on the path towards determining that and hopefully finding the community that fits you and your family perfectly.

This is another original article by Joe Lane, co-owner of The Lane Real Estate

Health

and

Fitness

HEALTH

Who does not like lazing on the sofa and watching TV. or cuddling up in bed till late in the morning and refusing to let go off the sheets. It does take a mammoth effort to define a routine for physical activity, in spite of the clear understanding that a lifestyle without any physical activity, is like digging your own grave. No one wants to be called a couch potato, and worse, look like one. The question to then ask is how much physical activity is enough, to stay fit and healthy? How much should you run, how many weights should you lift or should you enroll in boot camps? And how much is it varied among different age groups.

Physical Activities for Adults It is estimated by most experts, that about 30 minutes of physical activity every day is recommended for adults. Some experts also suggest 150 minutes of physical activity in a week is enough amount of activity to keep you fit.

Physical Activity for Children Most experts recommend an hour or 60 minutes of physical activity for children.

What does physical activity comprise of?

A whole list of activities can be clubbed under physical activity, ranging from walking, running, jogging, stretching, push ups and so on. However, to understand better, we could give the regime of physical activity a bit more structure.

Let’s categorize physical activity as the following: 1. Aerobic Activity 2. Muscle Strengthening activity 3. Bone Strengthening activity.

1. Aerobic activity refers to those exercises which involve the usage of oxygen as the primary form of metabolism or energy building mechanism. These exercises last for longer duration, but require low to medium intensity. Walking, jogging, cycling, even climbing stairs can be termed as aerobic activity. You could burn about 100-200 calories each day, by just walking for 30 minutes. However, at times, aerobic exercise alone may not suffice, especially if staying fit is more of an occupational hazard, such as, for soldiers, players and so on. In such cases, high intensity exercises should also be done, such as, jogging on a treadmill and so on.

2. Besides aerobic activity, it is also required to pay attention to muscles and bones. Strengthening of these is also imperative to stay physically fit. For muscle building, exercises, such as, push ups, leg stretches, or lifting weights are good options. Muscle strengthening activity can be done for 2-3 days in a week, along with the daily aerobic activities.

3. Bone strengthening activities are more important for children than adults. Skipping on ropes is an example of this activity. A diet with more intake of calcium also helps in building of the bones.

Physical activity cannot be temporary or ad hoc. It has to be a sustained way of life, if you want it to yield best results. Diet, correct food habits and regular exercising through boot camps, gyms, along with a structured plan for physical activities will help to make you fit and healthy.

You should always remember that you cannot suddenly push your body to perform miracles. Exercising vigorously the first day, and then ignoring it for another week, will not help. However, staying active always and at the same time maintaining a structured plan for exercising, is highly recommended.

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Q. Talk to us about Death Row Diet . What is it about?

A. It’s a cartoon short about a man who is on death row and Weight Watchers. Watch it for some laughs. Jonathan Katz (the star) puts it best when he says, “It’s not for everyone – it’s for everyone else.”

Q. This film was in last year’s Urban Suburban Film Festival. What type of exposure did it give you? Did you get a chance to meet other directors who had films in the festival?

A. I did not attend, as I was working on a lot of animation for a children’s show, but I was delighted to find out that it won the award for Best Animation!

Q. Walk us through a day in Mike Salva’s shoes.

A. I spend most of the day working on one thing or another in front of computers, so sadly, there is very little walking in my shoes. Rather, there is the onset of hypertension.

Q. So you’re into animation? What is that like?

A. Spending a little bit of time with some people in front of microphones, and then spending a LOT of time working by myself, in front of computers, making silly little pictures look like they are moving. (See answer to the above question for more about the hypertension.)

Q. What are some of the difficulties of doing movies in animation, rather than having real actors?

A. We still have real actors, but their performances take place in front of a microphone. The performances are still real and they work very hard. (I once heard Tom Hanks say that his work on “Toy Story” was the hardest work he’s done as an actor.) What’s different is that some of the performance comes from the pictures that are later made by an animator. It can get very monotonous listening to the same audio over and over and over again, usually in slow motion, making sure there is a picture of a mouth to go with every sound, every syllable, every consonant.

Q. Is there any better feeling than seeing the finished version of your film?

A. Plenty. By the time I’m done with a film (see above) I am sick of it and I am convinced that it is awful and need to get 62 urbansuburbanmagazine.com Philadelphia

away from it for a while because I’m tired of seeing and hearing it.

Q. What is your favorite animated movie?

A. Just one? You’ve got to be kidding me. How about 14, in no particular order? Pinocchio, Aladdin, Yellow Submarine, The Incredibles, Toy Story 2, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians, Jeux des anges (Game of Angels), Teacher’s Pet, Flushed Away, Coraline, Sita Sings the Blues, Prince of Egypt, Fantastic Mr. Fox? I’m sure I’ve left out plenty. How about the TV series Samurai Jack, which had the best-looking animation ever produced for television? The first two or three seasons of The Venture Brothers? The first two or three seasons of The Simpsons? How about Loony Tunes shorts like What’s Opera Doc, One Froggy Evening, and Rabbit Seasoning? MGM’s King Size Canary? Or Bill Plympton’s Hot Dog? Q. If you could go back in time and be a part of the production of any movie, which one would it be?

A. That’s easy – the first Star Wars film. I’d talk George Lucas into abandoning the entire project and buy him out, making me into a now-multibillionaire. And I wouldn’t have used computers to change the original trilogy – no new monsters, no digital Jabba, Anakin’s ghost is not Hayden Christiansen, and Han Solo ALWAYS shoots first!

(Those references will make sense if you are a nerd.)

Q. During the period between projects, what are you doing?

A. Mostly I’m trying to keep my kids from doing something stupid that will get them killed. Sometimes I am working on other projects, or trying to get them seen by an audience (my cartoons, not my kids). I just finished a 13-minute cartoon, Pound Dogs, with clay animated characters, and (warning: shameless plug) you can see the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/25646578, which was a n award winner at the 4th Annual Urban Suburban Film Festival in Philadelphia.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Girona and the “Dali Triangle” are destinations known to the lucky few who travel Spain. This area in Catalonia is one of the undiscovered gems of Spain. Girona is about 100 km from Barcelona, but no one who chooses to travel Spain should miss this lovely area. Easily accessible by train, bus or even automobile from Barcelona, this destination recalls some of spain’s most interesting history and one of its greatest artistic minds.

Girona is an beautiful, quaint town with an long history. The town was inhabited by Romans, Jews and Moors at different times in Spain’s history, and traces of each group can be seen in this lovely city. The local dialect is Catalan, not Spanish, but the language of the lovely sights will speak to all visitors.

The Old Quarter is the center of the town’s historic district, filled with medieval arches and dark, winding passageways that recall a

life of this controversial artist. In Figueres, visitors can tour the third most visited museum, the Dali designed Museum-Theater.

Fancifully designed by the artist himself, this building features large white eggs on the roof, a bright red color and loaves of bread made of glazed ceramics on the outside walls. Inside, visitors can view several of Dali’s most famous works, including “Rainy Taxi.” Dali is buried on site.

In the fishing village of Port Lligat visitors can view Dali’s home.

In this isolated hamlet, Dali built several homes together for himself and his wife, Gala. Some of the original décor is intact, including one of his famous “lip sofas.” Of course, the nearby Club Med was not built in Dali’s time, but it could make for an enjoyable stopover.

After visiting the home and Museum that Dali built, visitors tour-

different era. Filled with churches, lovely old houses and cobblestone drives, this picturesque section of town has homes dating from the middle ages and several lovely cathedrals.

The old Jewish neighborhood, called El Call is particularly interesting to explore. An old roman tower and the Jewish History Museum are of interest to many, as is the town’s art museum featuring over 1000 years of artworks.

A promenade similar to the one in Barcelona, “La Rambla” will bring to mind a simpler time. This lovely street with overhanging trees, shops, little cafes and great restaurants has changed a little since medieval times, but it’s charm hasn’t lessened.

Nearby, visitors can explore “Dali’s Triangle,” a region just north of Girona and continuing to several destinations important in the

ing the Dali triangle will want to stop by the castle in Pubol. Dali purchased the 11th century structure in the 1960’s for his wife, although she banned him from the residence for almost a decade in the 1970‘s. The golden throne that he installed for Gala is still there, and several unusual statues including elephants and other animals are in the gardens. A stuffed hourse guards the door, and several stuffed swans are installed inside.

If you are planning a visit to Spain, travel to Girona and the Dali Triangle for some truly beautiful and inspirational sights. This little-known area of Spain offers its tourists some of the most unique and controversial experiences that the region has to offer.

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