EBanMan by layHunter

EEBANMAN L I F E S T Y L E

M A G A Z I N E

EDITORIAL TEAM

Tom Logan - Founder Joshua Luke - Editor in Chief and Art Director Edward White - Creative Director

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Black Cherry bourbon cola smash cocktail Ingredients • 6 ripe black cherries pitted • 60 ml | 2oz bourbon • 30 ml | 1oz cherry brandy • Juice of half a lime plus wedges to serve • cold cola to top up or ginger beer, soda water Instructions 1. Put the cherries, bourbon, cherry brandy and lime juice in your cocktail shaker (or a large glass will do). Muddle the cherries with a muddling spoon or the end of a rolling pin. 2. Fill the cocktail shaker with ice and shake for 30 seconds. 3. Fill two rocks glasses with plenty of ice. Strain the cocktail over the ice, dividing between the glasses. 4. Top up with cola and serve with a wedge of lime. Serve immediately.

TIP TOP UP WITH COLA AND SERVE WITH A WEDGE OF LIME. SERVE IMMEDIATELY.

Dr Mugisha

have healthcare services available to them. He realized at that point that many of his efforts such as Icebreakers were just the beginning and realized he needed to make an even bigger change in the community. In 2012, he went out to start the first and only LGBTI health center in Uganda. This was to ensure many LGBT Ugandans would have access to healthcare services and information without the fear of being scrutinized. It makes one appreciate the many healthcare services we have offered to us here in the states when you think about it.

ebruary is a month where we aim to focus on sharing the love we have for one another. And like LGBT activist Frank Mugisha, we do that by engaging with the power to love who we are. Nobel peace prize nominee Frank Mugisha grew up in Kampala, Uganda.

For many gay Ugandan men it was tough to embrace who they were in a society that told them that by doing so they were unlovable. However, Mugisha refused to accept the status quo and sought out to change it. Despite his strict catholic upbringing he bravely came out at the age of 14. Evenostracized by many, he’s managed to have continuing support of a few family members. In fact it was the help of that same support in 2004, which inspired him to create an organization called “Icebreakers” during his time at Kyambogo University.

But even with the large goal of ultimately establishing a clinic in Uganda for its LGBTI citizens, none of Mugisha’s efforts went unnoticed. And when you’re a pioneer like that in a country like Uganda it’s well deserved. In 2014, Dr. Mugisha became a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, which shows you can be rewarded for who you are in this world.

“See through Mugisha’s example, its clear that if you have the courage to be and love who you are, the world will reward you for it.” For Mugisha, it was more than just about being who you are, but also having the safe place to do it. After the murder of his fellow advocate David Kato in 2011, Mugisha saw that Ugandans needed to

That is when you have the courage to do so. And that courage paid off even further when he was listed as one of Forbes’s magazine Greatest World Leaders. See through Mugisha’s example, its clear that if you have the courage to be and love who you are, the world will reward you for it.

Icebreakers began to serve itself as a safe haven for out Ugandans and even offer counseling along with suicide prevention services. What we can see from Mugisha, is him wanting to provide a space for gay Ugandans, to see that just because certain people or societies may not love or embrace who you are doesn’t mean you don’t have to. EBANMAN.COM | 2019 | EBANMAN MAGAZINE 11

EBANMAN

james richmond barthe

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man of representation is what James Richmond Barthe was of his time. Coming to Harlem, New York in his 20’s, Barthe decided to be an innovator of his era and used his passion for art sculpting to change the world around him. He boldly went forward to showcase through his sculptures what he felt was the radiating beauty of gay male relationships and the beauty of the male body, that we know of today. He found it so important that his interests be represented through art. This led him to bolting his way into the art world and into mainstream society to be front and center as agent of change. Barthe received support in his years of developing in the art worldbefore boldly taking his art to a place that probably many of his time never dared to go. He did what many in our modern time would deem as “going against the grain” and indeed he did.

“He first started by using his art to get him out of the chokeholds of poverty he faced in Bay St Louis, Mississippi.” He first started by using his art to get him out of the chokeholds of poverty he faced in Bay St Louis, Mississippi. And for black people at that time making it to the forefront of society with your works not only had you feeling like a success but a pioneer! Barthe had already won numerous awards for art drawings in his early teens, which through the years then led his church to fund him to attend the Art Institute of Chicago. He then went on to

have his artwork displayed in numerous exhibits before his passing in 1975 in Pasadena California. We have to understand is that James Richmond Barthe stood alone from the beginning, but began a walk and movement for others to join into. When we think of black gay males in the media today such as Queer Eye’s Karamo brown, NFL player Michael Sams or even CNN Anchor Don Lemon, Barthe and like many of his time became a pioneer to revolutionize what would become our future today as gay men. As inspiring he was with his innovative art, he made it clear that our voices deserve to be heard. He knew that he needed to see art he could identify with, and although there was none present for him at that time he decided to create that representation. For many of us as gay males we are able to see ourselves represented in the media and some of our respective societies. However, we also know there’s still some work to do because there may be other avenues we still have yet to be represented in. Let it be known in our lives that when we do not see the representation, that we create it. Which is exactly the message we can get from how Barthe lived his life. Until it can get created, we will never be seen enough to showcase the importance of who we are. There are no barriers present besides the ones we create for ourselves. As Barthe broke down barriers, we must do the same as our time moves forward.

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ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

LINA IRIS VIKTOR 18 EBANMAN.COM | 2019 | EBANMAN MAGAZINE

SOMETIMES SHE STARTS BY TAKING PHOTOS OF HER OWN BODY EBANMAN.COM | 2019 | EBANMAN MAGAZINE 19

Ebanman Life Edward Edinninful

EEB

orn in 1987 from Liberian parents and raised in London, Lina Iris Viktor is an amazing artist that creates paintings, photography, performance and sculp-

tural arts, as well as other pieces of art. She has a really unique style and she mostly uses the colors of blackand blue combined with pure 24 karat gold. She now lives in London and New York, but when she was young she traveled a lot through South Africa, which inspired her current style. She takes inspiration from both contemporary and ancient art and she loves to work with black canvases. She then adds color on top of them through various techniques (including gliding pure gold) in order to add so called “layers of light”, symbols and various unique patterns. She basically creates her own mythology. She doesn’t use just one form of art into a single creation, but usually combines painting, photography and performance. EBANMAN.COM | 2019 | EBANMAN MAGAZINE 21

Sometimes she starts by taking photos of her own body (usually covered in paint), then she prints them on large canvases and starts to add layers of paint or gold on top. Her work attracted a lot of praise from fans and critics, as well as some controversy.

tensive research on John McDonough, a member of the American Colonization Society. This society supported the development of free black people from the Americas on the West Coast of Africa in 1821.

As a young girl she started to act in plays and musicals, and then went to the Catholic boarding school in London. She moved to New York in order to pursue a career in theater and to study at the Sarah Lawrence College. In London anyone could play any role (men or women of various races) and the only thing that matter was how good you play the character. But she discovered that in the United States things are quite different, and she only had to play the black roles and do them in certain ways that she didn’t liked.

But her most impressive work from this collection is definitely the “Eleventh” painting. On the background we have the map of Liberia presented in an opulent and colorful way, and she rises on top of everything as a proud Mende woman. The word appears twice on the map behind her and it refers to an African ethnic group.

So when she was 19 she switched to film, studying directing and cinematography. After spending some time in this world she realized that it isn’t what she really wants, and she doesn’t want to become a slave to the medium and the culture. So she switched fields once again, turning to photography and images at the School of Visual Arts. Even though she thought that the visual side of art is her weak side, she began to create amazing works that were highly appreciated by others. So she got her own studio in downtown Manhattan (calling it Atelier LVXIX) and started to do this full time. As years passed by she became more and more appreciated, having exhibits at the Harvard Art Museums and The Cooper Gallery in Boston,

“As a young girl she started to act in plays and musicals, and then went to the Catholic boarding school in London.” The Kentucky Museum of Arts & Craft and many more other important places. She was also involved in talks and lectures at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, the Harvard University, King’s College London and others. An exhibition that she currently has is the one at the Museum of Art in New Orleans. It is based on the story of how her parents’ country Liberia was founded, and it is called “A Haven. A Hell. A Dream Deferred”. It presents how the nation was created in order to resettle African-Americans after the slavery was abolished. One of the paintings from this collection is called “Sixth” and it represents much more than a beautiful lady with palm trees on the background. The work of art gives subtle references to the connection between Louisiana and Liberia. She did an ex22 EBANMAN.COM | 2019 | EBANMAN MAGAZINE

Her huge success also brought some negative aspects, including the law suit against Kendrick Lamar and SZA for stealing her work in the music video of “All The Stars”, a song from the soundtrack of the Marvel movie Black Panther. The creators of the film asked for permission to use her work twice, but she refused. She was then very shocked to see just how much a scene from the video resembles her creation “Constellations”. This work was inspired both by Egyptian and African symbolism and took a lot of time to be created. But it seems to have been misinterpreted in the video, which made her even more upset. Her painting was made in resin and covered with 24 karat gold leaf, as well as black paint. Ancient people were using gold in ornaments and it also suggests the richness of the African culture. She used gold in many of her works, including the paintings –

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the “Golden Ratio”, the “Eleventh” and the “Dark Continent”, as well as the “Constellations” series. On the black canvases and backgrounds filled with dark colors, she uses the gold to bring light. She perceives this metal just like the African culture see it – as a sacred metal that is “out of this world”. In many cultures of the globe, gold has a spiritual value and it is believed to allow people to transcend into the “other world”. Lina is disappointed that nowadays gold is seen only as a fashion accessory and a way to show luxury and gaudiness.

“She doesn’t want her works of art to just conform to the white walls of galleries, but she wants the space around to conform with the creation.”

She also doesn’t like the fact that old objects from the Egyptian and Nubian people are now exhibited in museums, when they should have been left alone with the dead they were buried with. While her production room is white and filled with light, she has a separate dark room where she adds the gold to her creations. This space is called the “Blue Room” and it resembles a chapel. It has blue walls and soft lighting. This is her go-to place when she wants to relax and escape today’s world that is full ofnoise and strong light. She doesn’t want her works of art to just conform to the white walls of galleries, but she wants the space around to conform with the creation. Often she adds certain panels near her paintings in order to create a different viewing experience. She also wants to make people associate black with positive things, and not just negative aspects as most of us do. We should appreciate Lina for her hard work, passion and dedication, as well as for her unique style. She manages to blend together different cultures and communities, the abstract and the figurative, mathematics and mysticism, deep black tones and vibrant gold, creating “the oneness of things” as she likes to call it.

What she values the most is the creative autonomy of her art. Her works are selling for high prices, ranging from $24,000 to $55,000. For example, a nude self-portrait was sold at the Mariane Ibrahim Gallery in Seattle for $35,000. Considering that her creations are so interesting and unique that they were sought by a huge movies company, they definitely worth the money for passionate art junkies. We hope that we made you appreciate and understand the art of Lina Iris Viktor. Do you like her work? Let us know in the comments area below!

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OLA SEXY SENORS

elcome to Lanzarote aka Euro Fantasy Island, we vacate to Costa Teguise and our new temporary home, Hotel Club Siroco https://www.clubsiroco.com/es/ Highly recommend the serenity area, for the extra pool and benefits, namely free wine. I’m an adult only hotel convert, may I never have to dodge a child with sticky fingers. However the term adult only just conjures up 18-30 rave-a-thon or people throwing keys in bowls. The buffet food was 4 star, the drinks were 2 at best, never before have I had a cocktail and thought “is this alcohol? Shall I write my will, using the umbrella as a quill?”

It’s mainly a beach holiday, so don’t expect anything too outlandish.... First night we end up in a “Britified” drag bar, where the queens are tired, fun and leathery. This ain’t no Rupaul All Stars, people! Also don’t be the only black man in a drag bar… Main entertainment area is Pueblo Marinero, main square with heaps of bars, boutiques; a weekly local market to buy your local crafts and cuisine. Lanzarote has an opulent yet desolate tropical quirk, there’s loads of black sand with exotic greenery nestled amongst Marinero’s high end and bargain shopping moments from the gorgeous blue sea, sandy beaches is head between Playa Bastain and Playa De Las Cucharas. For the cultured amongst us, seek out César Manrique, A renowned architect who was an advocate for the ecological & landscape of the islands architecture and art, start at his art foundation, and see the influence on the island’s style. Prepare to get wet and wild, Aquapark awaits (https://aquaparklanzarote.es/en/) it’s 3045 min walk from mainstrip. This park is great, it’s got a dated “national lampoon” charm. there’s one slide that’s basically a straw and donut, you go down fast and suddenly PLOP, there goes my sunglasses! EBANMAN.COM | 2019 | EBANMAN MAGAZINE 27

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Main entertainment area is Pueblo Marinero, main square with heaps of bars, boutiques; a weekly local market to buy your local crafts and cuisine. For adults only, just go after 3pm it’s discounted entry and you won’t need a whole day. Also had an epiphany, I’m 35, yet there’s still 2 things I’ve not fulfilled from my childhood dreams 1. 2.

Meet the voice of Batman RIDE A BANANA BOAT!!

And since Kevin Conroy won’t accept my twitter invite.… And before anyone starts there’s no tenuous link between gay men and longing to ride banana boats…… Please seek out H2O Sport (http://www.h2osportslanzarote.com) they organise watersports and they have 3 locations across the island and hopefully you’ll get Ms. Tourist Info Chatterbox with her crazy taxi jeep. Please try the Flyboard, the most James Bond badass thing I’ve ever witnessed. Lastly get a ferry to Fuerteventura (approx 40-50 euros), have a fun day out and tell me everything. I cant venture to Spain until I learn how to lisp properly, need to order meatballs and beer in confidence :) In short, I ate loads, I drank loads, tanned and did sweet fa, I look like Grace Jones ate Sid the Entertainer and took a Quaalude, end of adventure

Ebanman Life Edward Edinninful

Going Up

Lanzarote, innit! Ola faithful followers and Senoritas! You’ll start to notice a pattern with this blogger, the older and more relaxed I’ve become so are my journeys, it’s been 5 years since I started this escapade with you guys, I think I can now put my feet up and do an actual beach holiday… So I ate loads, I drank loads, tanned unnecessarily and did bugger all, I look like Grace Jones ate Brian Blessed and took a Quaalude, end of blog BYE!!! No! Of course I’m not going to end things there, let’s face it, I need to witter on about my mild adventures and you need something to pass the time while you wait for your next holiday or struggling on the toilet :), we’re friends here I don’t mind, tell me everything. I’ll start with this after Croatia, Nuremberg and most of my holidays, I think Andy was “subtely” hinting he wanted a relaxed, non activity overloaded, beach bum holiday. When I say subtle I mean constant hints and nudges, like Miley Cyrus on 2 wrecking balls subtle. Knock Knock! Who’s there? Jet… Jet Who? NO it’s Jet 2!!! I really want to go into detail about our experience with Jet 2, it’s polarising to say the least, half of me wants to franctically puts 5 stars on every travel site I visit with glowing recommendations and then on the other hand I want to complain like some entitled white middle aged lady to a travel agent “This is unacceptable! I’ll write a yelp review on this experience PAULINE, or whatever your name is!! May it rain while we are not here, good day to you MADAM” 32 EBANMAN.COM | 2019 | EBANMAN MAGAZINE

Let’s be clear no matter who you fly with there’s always an issue but depending on who you fly with the issue can be lessened by the overall attitude and gratitude of the flight/travel company. Firstly I’ll say the start of the holiday was surprisingly decent, we got loads of emails, notifications and efficiency from Jet2, you could quite easily book everything with them and forget everything (just make sure you go on the holiday). At one point I thought they were gong to fly by the house and pick us up it was that pleasant As for coming back….well I’ll get back to that, you need to read about the holiday, Silly!!! Now that we have the fluffy kids our holiday doesn’t actually start until we drop them off, word of advice for people in the Ashton Unde rLyne area, don’t leave your pets at Lower Hey Farm near Mossley, your pets will come back distort, hungry and moult everywhere! Seriously Lola was so bad, it was like she killed a hamster in the car and Maxi was so stressed she busted out of her pet carrier like a fluffy needy Terminator! Imagine Arnie Meowing constantly in need of a hug and petting…. Actually don’t imagine that. Anyway with the kids off to their temporary impending doom we jet off with Jet2. Word of advice if you want to sit with your partner make sure you select your seat well in advance of the flight, it’s a mainly family company so lower your chances of being seated with kids or in my case sat between 2 chunky people, well Andy and a man who was the size of us both together With Jet2 I have to compliment them on the fact that when they were behind schedule they explained why, our air con was not working and shockingly the UK was hot, like hotter than our destinanation so being stuck in the air for 4 hours with no air con and no booze, I might turn green and throw someone off the plane just to get a breeze! Come to think of it I know exactly who I was going to throw, the geeky family man sat to my left who had no personal awareness. When the flight crew announced the airplane AC was now fixed, he then insisted on turning on both mine and the woman to my right’s ac. Almost knocking my Switch…BREATHE MARV!!! We then both looked at him and both said “no we’re fine thanks” your kids are in the other aisle, I can see why you were separted, I know I’m playing Mario + Rabbids but I’m not one of your kids…..btw his wife just looked relieved to be in the opposite seats, poor cow! I see a cocktail to the face in 22 years when she finally gives up on being emotionally downtrodden. Anyhoo, 4 hours we arrive in Lanzarote, sorry for Essex/East End London readers, I mean “we arrive up Lanza now” it’s cool, it’s small, it’s not the UK …I’m already in a good mood!

Ebanman Life Edward Edinninful

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Praise to Jet2 here, coming out of the airport was breezy, the luggage was on the carousel before we could blink and on the coach, they were seriously 1 step away from just sending us straight to the hotel via teleportation tube like in the Jetsons. Only 20 mins drive away we arrive in Costa Teguise and our new temporary home Hotel club Siroco https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g659633-d291631-ReviewsHotel_Club_Siroco_Only_Adults-Costa_Teguise_Lanzarote_Canary_Islands.html Do you remember when I started the blog I didn’t mind where I splet as long as it was a bed….. Well PFT and BAH to that, from hostel loving caterpillar, I have fully transformed into a grumpy butterfly just like that shish smoking one from Alice in Wonderland. If it’s full of kids and young adults partying, I’m out! Thanks to Jet2, I can now say Im an adult only hotel convert, may I never dodge a beachball or child with sticky fingers. And yes when we booked the hotel we did wonder is it going to be one of those hotels where it’s actually 18-30 gangbang rave-a-thon or one where you through your keys. Thankfully it was neither, I was hoping it would be the latter so we could “seduce” the other couple as a ploy to get the room closer to the pool and buffet. Highly recommend the premium /serenity area rooms, not only do you get the extra pool and dedicated bar but you get a free complimentary bottle of wine… (editor note- cough cough Marv you probably spent an extra £20 a night for £5 of wine) Shush editor, it’s FREE your point is invalid! The room itself is spacious but basic, it’s fully tiled through but I really wanted to throw a thin layer of water on the floor and hopefully get Frozone powers and slide around the place. Before I blab anymore, who the fuck decided not to tell me the canary islands are windy AF, my lord after 1 day on this island I thought I was going to be in Oz without the dog…oh we should have brought Lola! (expect Lola would have ripped apart the ruby slippers)

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“This is unacceptable! I’ll write a yelp review on this experience PAULINE, or whatever your name is!! May it rain while we are not here, good day to you MADAM” This is mainly a beach and pool holiday so don’t expect anything too outlandish from the post..... so the first night in Lanza we end up in a drag bar, and seeing as this is British Spain so the drag queens are tired, old and leathery. This ain’t no Rupaul all stars, people! The category is always “chain smoking Auntie who inexplicably always from the north” extravaganza! Actually one of them was practically Sid James dug up from the grave, given a carrot with a wisp of lemon hummus to revive himself and chucked an ill fitting frock and dusty feather boa and told to perform creepily to old show tunes! To add salt on the wound, the 2 “ladies” were a bit too fixated on me and a young guy who actually looked too young! I was prodded, leered at, harassed and stalked... nothing too outlandish just a normal Saturday night! With the cool salty sea splashing against my erect nipples, the sun glistening from my chocolate skin and my now lost sunglasses washing out to sea. I’m making this sound sexier than the reality as I’m drowning in salty water which is now eyeball height and blinded by searing light. Ah this truly is, a holiday for the ages! Good bye sunglasses may you comically fashion a seagull for a Pixar artist to be inspired by! May I add, Andy looks like a director in this cap and sunnies ensemble, but with his top off he might be directing a thriller.....possibly with John Hamm And with that I’ll close with the Spanish sun giving me the horn, I’m going to “Tap- Ass” (blame andy( I don’t want a pina colada I want a peeno noir! God bless Titus

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Ebanman Life Edward Edinninful

DRIVE A 2019

Mercedes E450 to the moon abck Drive a 2019 Mercedes E450 to the Moon and back Legendary founder of Automobile Magazine, David E. Davis, Jr., once said he’d drive the ‘90s Mercedes-Benz 500E to the moon and back. Assembled by Porsche and packing a 325 horsepower V8 engine, it was among the world’s fastest cars, as at home in the left lane of Germany’s famed autobahn as America’s valet stands. A quarter-century later, even a mid-level E-Class will introduce the 500E to weeds. The 500E routed its 5.0-liter engine’s power to the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission. That’s quaint, so last century. By contrast, today’s E450 employs a 3.0-liter biturbo V6 to slap 362 horsepower and 369 lb.-ft. of torque through a 9-speed automatic transmission to the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system. Pouring more salt into the old 500E’s rust

bubbles are the E450’s fuel economy ratings: 20/28-MPG city/highway – or about 10-MPG better than the veteran. Clamp down on the big pedal and the low-end torque of the turbos keeps sending attitude to the wheels until you reach stupid speeds. 4MATIC gets it to pavement without untoward drama. Even better, the AIRMATIC suspension can be adjusted (along with the steering, throttle, and transmission shift points) for Comfort (old-school heavy Mercedes float), Sport (tightens things up), and Sport+ (gets more serious). Eco mode conserves fuel. Auto stop/stop is annoying, but improves fuel economy and can be defeated with a switch in the console if you’re totally annoyed. This is a car equally comfortable muscling through city traffic or showing tail from the left lane.

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One area the 500E may have a literal edge over the E450 is exterior styling. The new car is much sleeker with its smooth flanks, LED exterior lighting, and 18” AMG wheels, but I miss the old car’s big chrome grille with hood ornament. You can get today’s E-Class with a classic front, but ours had the Sport package with star-in-grille. You miss something not seeing the star at the end of the hood. And, I wish designers would quit being cute with changing the Mercedes-Benz laurel wreath logo background from blue to black. It worked just fine for 90 years. They can also put the “G. Daimler” sticker back in the front window. Stop this nonsense! Perhaps the biggest difference between the 500E and E450 is the interior. Where the old car was sternly serious with its vertical control console, this car is sumptuously luxurious with its organically curved dash featuring large planks of wood. Ambient lighting seeps from every crevice and you can change cabin scent with a perfume atomizer. Seats are heated and ventilated, the steering wheel is heated, and even the front armrests are heated to keep your elbows from getting chilly in winter (God forbid). Add to that Bermester audio, twin flatscreens for instruments and infotainment, and a head-up display. Seats even have massagers and active bolsters that apply pressure while cornering to keep you positioned. Enhancing safety, the E450 is also pretty good at keeping itself positioned. Our car had adaptive cruise, forward collision alert with auto brake, lane keep assist, blind spot warning, rear cross path detection, and crosswind stabilization. As with the S-Class, our E had the self-centering system that automatically steers the car, even around curves (with hands gently on the wheel). The lane 38 EBANMAN.COM | 2019 | EBANMAN MAGAZINE

“This is a car equally comfortable muscling through city traffic or showing tail from the left lane.” change assist system will even move the car into the next lane and center it again when the turn signal is activated. Nice. Perhaps the most impressive part of the E450 was the smile on my mother’s face while she drove it. She’s spent many miles driving Mercedes since the 1970s. As soon as we hit the highway, she said, “The interior is beautiful, as expected, but nothing drives like a Mercedes.” I had her activate adaptive cruise. She smiled when the car gently sped up or slowed to keep a safe distance from cars in front. Then, I told her to gently loosen her grip on the steering wheel as the car stayed centered in its lane, turned into a gentle left curve, and then moved through a right bend. The car was essentially driving itself. Mom was grinning like a school girl on her first date. The fact the E450 out-performs the iconic 500E is impressive, but let me give you another point. My grandmother purchased a 1979 280E when I was a kid. She paid almost $70,000 in today’s currency for a car with leatherette seats, no sunroof, an AM/FM radio, and exactly zero active safety features. By comparison, a base price of $59,950 or $85,170 as-tested seems reasonable for a car that would do a far better job of driving to the moon and back. Competitors include the BMW 5-Series, Audi A6, Cadillac CTS, and Genesis G80.

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PRIME BAR Ebanman Life Edward Edinninful

Ingredients: • • • • • •

4 ribs (5-10lb) prime rib 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder A head of garlic, cherry tomatoes and asparagus, optional

1. Place an unwrapped prime rib on a tray. Generously salt all over and refrigerate overnight to air-dry the outside of the prime rib. 2. Bring the prime rib to room temperature before roasting. It usually takes about 2 hours out on the counter. 3. Mix the cumin, black pepper and garlic powder and evenly spread all over the meat. 4. If roasting garlic, slice the top off, drizzle some olive oil and wrap in a foil. 5. Preheat the oven to 200°F (95°C). 6. Place the prime rib on a roasting pan bone side down (fat side up). (Since I wrote this post, I bought this beautiful roaster, and highly recommend it.) Roast the meat in the oven until the center of the roast reads 120°F (50°C) on a meat thermometer for medium-rare, or 130°F (55°C) for medium doneness, about 3.5-4 hours. 7. Remove the prime rib from the oven, cover with a foil and rest for about 30 minutes. 8. Increase the oven temperature to 500°F (260°C). 9. 10 minutes before serving, pop the prime rib into the oven, uncovered, and cook it until it’s nice and brown, and crisp on the outside, about 6-10 minutes. If desired, roast the cherry tomatoes and asparagus together. Serve immediately.

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Keeping Your Relationship Afloat Co-Captaining together: In every relationship there is never just one person running the show. If there is get out as soon as possible, because there is no way that relationship is balanced! Think of you and your partner as two Co-Captains on a ship.

Now remember checking in with each other does not necessarily need to look like a session at the therapists office .However, what you could do is simply ask how was your partner’s day at work, how are their friends and family doing? Take an active interest in them sharing their lives with you.

And as Co-Captains you both make decisions together on how to steer the ship. When making decisions together it actually helps bring you two closer to one another.

That is essentially what most relationships truly are, sharing one’s life with one another. And when you take an interest in your partner’s life it almost always gets reciprocated by them taking an interest in you. By making sure both you and they are on the same page helps ensure the boat stays afloat.

Whether it’s making decisions on where to travel, what movie to see or even as simple as who cooks and washes the dishes. The point is to make decisions regarding the relationship together.

Have a lifejacket nearby incase your RelationSHIP gets shipwrecked!:

This helps both you and your partner take an active role in the relationship. This way no one feels they are doing all the work or the only one taking the relationship seriously. Checking the RelationSHIP before you set sail: Your relationship has to be balanced before the two of you as Co-Captains can set sail. It is important to check in with one another as much as possible and not just letting your relationship stay on cruise control. In fact, letting your relationship run on autopilot or in this sense “auto captain” allows many things fester in the relationship.

Now just in case if your boat doesn’t stay afloat or even start to sink, make sure to always stock up on lifejackets! These lifejackets could be outlets the both of you have to express yourself in the event of a disagreement in the relationship (which will happen). These outlets in a most ideal scenario would be people in support of the relationship; maybe in-laws, family members, friends or even other couples you know in whom you both have a close relationship with. A couple you both know or a licensed therapist could help mediate in the event of any disagreement that has surpassed both you and your partners effort to resolve together on your own. And remember, just because as a couple you may experience a heightened conflict does not always mean your ship can’t sail ever again.

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Ebanman Life Edward Edinninful

Seafood Risotto Serves 2 • 1 pre-cooked whole lobster using the claws and tail • 8 shrimp, peeled and deveined • 6 large scallops • all seafood should be precooked and diced into chunks • 1 1/2 quart of seafood stock, either store bought or make your own by simmering water with shrimp and lobster shells, onions, celery, peppercorns and a little thyme, then straining twice. • 1 cup arborio rice • 2 large shallots • 3/4 cup of Prosecco or white wine • 1 cup of canned or fresh diced tomatoes, drained of wet liquid • parsley • olive oil and butter Instructions 1. Cook the shrimp and scallops on a foil lined sheet pan, drizzle seafood with some garlic infused olive oil and a small handful of chopped parsley, roast at 425 degrees until pink and translucent, maybe 10 minutes, let it rest. 2. Break down your whole lobster tail, removing the shell from the claws so they stay in tact, remove the shell from the tail and cut into chunks, place all the lobster meat into the juices of the

TIP PLACE A KNOB OF BUTTER AND A GOOD DRIZZLE OF OLIVE OIL INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE RISOTTO POT.

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cooked shrimp and scallops on the sheet pan. 3. Place a knob of butter and a good drizzle of olive oil into the bottom of the risotto pot. 4. Add shallots and cook until they soften. 5. Add rice, stirring until coated and hot. 6. Deglaze with the Prosecco or white wine. 7. When liquid is absorbed then start adding your simmering warm seafood stock, one ladle at a time, stirring until it gets absorbed, then add another ladle full. 8. Keep flame on medium heat and continue adding warm stock and stirring until absorbed and rice reaches a tender and slightly al dente bite, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll know when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ready. 9. Turn off heat, add another knob of butter, a little olive oil, the drained chopped tomatoes and parsley, then stir to incorporate and finally add in your chopped seafood. 10. Put the lid on and let it rest for 1 minute. 11. When plating top each plate with one claw, garnish with more parsley EBANMAN.COM | 2019 | EBANMAN MAGAZINE 47

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Sweet Cherry Manhattan... Makes 1 beverage strong enough to put hair on your chest 6-8 sweet cherries, stemmed and rinsed, plus 1 for garnish 2 ounces rye or bourbon whiskey 3/4 ounce sweet, red vermouth 4 drops Angosturabitters ice orange twist. In a tall, thin vessel, such as a cocktail shaker, muddle the cherries to a juicy pulp. Add the whiskey, vermouth and bitters, stir, and strain into a rocks glass over ice, pressing on the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. (Be sure to eat the boozy pulp, but watch out for the cherry pits!) Garnish with the orange twist and cherry. EBANMAN.COM | 2019 | EBANMAN MAGAZINE 53

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All You Need To Know About WADE DAVIS 54 EBANMAN.COM | 2019 | EBANMAN MAGAZINE

former NFL player, Wade Davis is now a writer, speaker, consultant and educator in all matters of gender, race and sexual orientationequality. His activism work was featured in many important publications such as The Washington Post, People Magazine, USA Today, CNN and many more. In this article we will get into details about his life, achievements and beliefs. He was born in 1977 and grew up in multiple cities in the state of Colorado. He started to play football and at one of the NFL Scouting sessions

Ebanman Life

Edwardinclude Edinninful Other TV appearances season 2 of the American Crime drama (where he was also a consultant to director John Ridley) and a guest role in the third season of the “Adam Ruins Everything” series. When it comes to written publications, he was featured in The Huffington Post, Sports Illustrated, The Guardian, The Advocate and others. In 2015 he released his first memoir, presenting the struggles of growing in a religious home and the challenges of advocating the LGBTQ rights. His writings were also cited in multiple books written by Keith Boykin. He is a member of the GMHC board (an organization that supports gay people with AIDS) and also of the in 2000, he ran the 40-yard dash in just 4.55 seconds. Then he was signed with the Tennessee Titans team, but was soon cut out from it. He did eventually made his debut in the NHL one year later (in 2001), just that it was in the NFL Europe League and he played in the German team Berlin Thunder. That year they managed to win the World Bowl IX title. He continued to play for both European and American teams until 2003 when he was forced to retire because of a leg injury. In the meantime, he also graduated from the Weber State University in Ogden, Utah with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. After that he became the captain of the team New York Warriors, part of the National Gay Flag Football League. He publicly came out about being gay in 2012 and spoke about what it felt to hide this during the NFL years. He had great days when his games were awesome, but then he was looking at them on film and was thinking “how gay he looks”. This was tragic for him since he wanted to hide this from everyone. On one hand he was very happy to play in the NFL and to fulfill a

“He started to play football and at one of the NFL Scouting sessions in 2000, he ran the 40-yard dash in just 4.55 seconds. Then he was signed with the Tennessee Titans team, but was soon cut out from it.” childhood dream, while on the other hand he was trying to kill and to destroy the part of him that was gay. At that young age he simply didn’t understand what it felt to be gay and didn’t wanted to ruin the opportunity to play in the NFL because of that. He then joined the board of an organization that has the purpose to combat homophobia in professional sports, named You Can Play. One year later he became the executive director of this organization. He is also the co-founder of the You Belong Initiative, which offers sports instructions and a leadership clinic for the LGBTQ community. Part of this initiative is also the Speaker’s Collective, that provides support particularly for people of color in the LGBTQ community. In 2014 he become the first consultant for diversity and inclusion in the NFL, working with the league and their sponsors in order to reduce sexism,

racism and homophobia. He offers training sessions for both players and coaches, helping those in need to better integrate in the team. Together with Darnell L. Moore (the co-founder of the above mentioned You Belong Initiative), he also started the #ThisIsLuv campaign that aims to bring awareness on the LGBT people in the Black community. Similar to this, he was also part of campaigns such as #MyFeminismIsand #BlackMenAndFeminism that were started in partnership with Ebony Magazine and the Ms. Foundation. One year later in 2015, he appeared in the American documentary film called F(l)ag Football, which presents the team New York Warriors as they prepare for the Gay Bowl. The movie also presents the National Gay Flag Football League to the world.

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Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. In regards to politics he supported Barrack Obama and was the LGBT surrogate at the 2012 elections. At the latest elections he criticized Hillary Clinton and supported Bernie Sanders. He is not only involved in sports, but also works with large corporations such as Google and Netflix in order to create inclusive corporate cultures that are supporting people of all colors and sexual orientations. He offers coaching to important leaders, helping them to adapt to all sorts of people and to create a balanced environment for everyone. His work was appreciated and awarded multiple times. For example, in 2014 the Northeastern University gave him an honorary Doctorate of Public Service for his efforts to reduce sexism and homophobia in sports. He appeared

“He hopes for a future where anyone can be proud of their identity and be able to come clean about it, without others to judge them.” in lists such as the “50 Black LGBT Adults That Black LGBT Youth Should Know” and the Top 100 of Black influencers and achievers. He gave a TEDx Talk at the University of Florida called The Mask of Masculinity, and he is always trying to bring awareness to men when it comes to toxic masculinity. He truly enjoys to meet people in the community, to understand their

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lives and points of view and to support them in every way possible. By reading the book Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center, he understood that sexism was the root of homophobia and everything else made more sense to him. Lately he suggests that the LGBTQ community should focus and offer the most support to the most marginalized category of all, the queer women of color. He hopes for a future where anyone can be proud of their identity and be able to come clean about it, without others to judge them. For those who feel powerless and marginalized, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation, he suggests to join the women’s rights movement. By joining a community of marginalized women, immigrantsor women of color, they can find a place for themselves and be part of a strong community.

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ORIGINS RETURN TO THE MOTHERLAND

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Fashion’s transcendent nature, its ability to juxtapose traditional values with contemporary elements, is illustrated in the runways of South Africa Fashion Week A/W 20192020. Echoing the vibe of New York’s urbanity and lacing it with the very essence of the African heritage—the arid planes and the lush greenery. Translated in layers of textiles in a gamut of shades, designers take us on the journey of a cultural vagabond—the African-American man. We follow his efforts to assimilate to the melting pot of cultures, The Big Apple, to his sojourn back to “The Cradle of Humanity”—Johannesburg, South Africa. The Asphalt Jungle The African-American man, despite tracing his roots in Johannesburg, has called New York his home. As such, street style has found its way to influence the way he adapts. Growing up, he was bullied for the color of his skin, and in an attempt to camouflage, he covers every inch with the same clothes his neighbors wore—layers of marled grey wool and coordinating black cotton pieces (as seen in The Watermelon Social Club). For the evening, he dresses up in dapper, tailored jackets—a patterned grey wool cover-up over a cotton turtleneck sweater; and for fancier gatherings, he brings out a waist-cinched slim-fit pant suit in cotton-silk blend (as seen in Esnoko and Ephymol respectively).

Soaking The Savannah Growing tired of the frequent unsettling gazes thrown at him, and the various offensive slangs that rings in his ears, he re-acquaints himself to his core—his roots. He travels back to the Motherland, where his ancestors once walked, where his living relatives welcome him with open arms, and where the South African grasslands await his footsteps. He embraces his roots by draping his body with the prints that adorn the wildlife that graze on the vast foliage of the savannah—a cheetah print dinner jacket atop a white button down, a jaguar print varsity jacket matched with a body bag in the same textile, and a lightweight leopard dress shirt rendered in white chiffon (as seen on Rich Mnisi). Golden Hour As he begins to see the beauty of his heritage from the surface, he looks the other way and see fairskinned South Africans. At this point, he realizes how his darker skin need not be segregated from the lighter skinned people as we all come from one land—the planes of Johannesburg, where as the sun sets, it leaves behind a sky painted in various shades of orange—a strip of checkered fabric in a persimmon shade splices across a knit jumper; a wool-lined pilot jacket in a vibrant orange covered in an abstract print; a striped long-lined coat in white and both burnt and yellow orange; and, a dinner jacket embellished with gold baroque details on its shoulders.

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Ebanman Life Edward Edinninful

DC CONSTANT

THE HEALTH OF WEALTH

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These days we know wealth to be more than just making money through a job and being rich. Wealth isn’t always correlated to money, but more so what you have. This, could be assets, such as houses, cars or anything you own. However, the first correlation to our wealth is related to what we have. And there is nothing more important than managing what you have. A wise woman once told me years ago, what you feed will grow and what you starve will die. So are you feeding your wealth or starving it? Today it’s becoming clearer on how important it is to make our wealth work for us! Wealth among many other things helps create opportunities for us. Whether it could be starting a business venture, supporting a cause which helps support other people, access to what might be better healthcare, more educational opportunities, more downtime or whatever the opportunity may be for the person in question. And in this life opportunity may mean the chance to advance, which for many would hope to help improve their quality of life. Most things in life besides say happiness, joy, love and family need to be acquired and bought. Because some wealth is acquired whether through an inheritance, legal dispositions etc. However, most wealth is acquired through being bought. And for many of us the increase of income can very much so relate to what our wealth would be. Multiple sources of income in this modern world are no longer simply a thought but a must! Now to gain multiple sources of income does not always mean having to work twenty

“Wealth among many other things helps create opportunities for us.” jobs and work 1000 hours a week. Multiple sources of income are what we know to be money coming from different areas. One could be your job or career, the other real estate, stocks, bonds, properties, wholesaling or even business ventures (whether as an active or silent partner). To have your wealth come from multiple arenas, allows us to work smart and not hard with our wealth. Because sometimes working our hard for our money may make us a slave to it. In this life when it rains it pours. We don’t want to think bad things will happen to us, but the reality is that they can. Having multiple streams of income becomes a protection and a shield from financial ruin and in some cases bankruptcy. Because if you don’t have any savings and no other source of income but simply “earned income”(Income earned from working certain hours per week), than in reality you are only as good financially as the last day you worked.

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