Well! For the first time, American Tyson Gay has beaten Jamaican phenom Usain Bolt in the 100m. It happened yesterday at a race in Stockholm, Sweden. Bolt, the World and Olympic record holder had not been beaten in over two years and over two dozen races. Gay won in 9.84while Bolt was second with 9.97, well below what he ran a month ago (9.82) or his reigning world record time of 9.58.
There has been quite a buzz about the multiracial model Martin Elkholm, who is of Swedish and Jamaican descent, on lots of the "eyecandy" blogs.
The LA Gay and Lesbian Center is protesting the news that homophobic Jamaican musician Buju Banton has received a 2009 Grammy nomination, the fourth of his career."We're shocked that Buju Banton, a singer with a long record of performing a song that glorifies the murder of gay people, would be honored with a Grammy nomination, regardless of the artistic merit of any of his work.Just a few weeks ago MadProfessah joined the Center's Executive Director Lorri Jean protesting Buju Banton's performance in Hollywood. The controversy has not gone unnoticed in the mainstream media.Throughout his career, Banton has performed music that promotes a culture of violence against lesbian and gay people; he sings in "Boom, Bye Bye" that "faggots get up and run" when he comes, that "they have to die," and that he will shoot them in the head or "burn them up bad."
He is completely unrepentant, refuses to stop performing the song, and recently said, "There is no end to the war between me and faggots."
Banton's music has helped foster such an anti-gay culture in his home country of Jamaica-where several prominent gay activists and many other LGBT people have been murdered-that Time magazine recently asked, 'Is Jamaica the most homophobic place on Earth?' Banton himself was charged with a violent anti-gay hate crime.
It's an affront to LGBT people, and to all fair-minded people around the world, that Buju Banton was even nominated. We certainly hope the members of the Recording Academy will not bestow the prestigious honor of a Grammy on someone whose music promotes murder."
Despite the Cabana Club’s initial decision to do the right thing and cancel Banton’s concert, the venue has quietly re-booked him for a show TONIGHT (Thursday, Oct. 15).PLEASE JOIN US FOR A PEACEFUL PROTEST IN FRONT OF THE CLUB TONIGHT, and remind Sunset Entertainment Group (SEG), which owns and operates the club, that it is not acceptable to profit from hate-peddlers like Banton.
Where: Cabana Club
1439 Ivar Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
When: 8:30 p.m.
Bring your signs and show your solidarity with activists around the world—especially in Jamaica, where prominent LGBT activists have been murdered—against musicians whose hateful lyrics foster this anti-gay sentiment.
Spread the word by joining the “Cancel Buju Banton's Los Angeles Show!” Facebook group, and watch www.lagaycenter.org/stophatelyrics for developments.
You can also contact the Cabana Club’s owners directly and let them know we’re outraged that they are profiting from a singer who won’t apologize for his vile hate speech or promise to stop performing violently anti-gay songs.
Cabana Club owners
Phone: 323-463-1473
Chris Breed – chris@sunseteg.com
Drew Greeley - drew@sunseteg.com
Please join me in demanding that SEG silence murder music!
Interestingly, earlier this week Buju met personally with a bunch of LGBT activists in Northern California that was widely publicized.
coconut shrimp
MadProfessah checked out Derrick's Jamaican Cuisine (6806 La Tijera Blvd. Los Angeles, CA, 90045; 310-641-7572) the other day and was pleasantly surprised.
As regular readers of the blog will know, I have a long standing quest to find authentic, cheap, good West Indian/Caribbean food in Los Angeles. So far, the best Caribbean food in Los Angeles County I have found is Ackee Bamboo in Leimert Park.
I had visited Derrick's a long time ago (before this blog started) and was not terribly impressed. However, this visit was different. I ordered the coconut shrimp as an appetizer, followed by the brown stew chicken (which is a traditional and very common West Indian dish).
The coconut shrimp was deliciously crunchy and was matched with a delicious sweet, spicy and tangy sauce for dipping. The brown stew chicken was also excellent, well-matched with rice and peas, fried plaintains and some pretty sad steamed vegetables. The brown stew chicken is not overwhelmingly spicy-hot (that would be the jerk chicken) but instead is filled with what seems like dozens of subtle spices that delight the senses. It is also perfectly cooked, moist and falling off the bone.
There's a large debate going on in LGBT activist circles about the call by three white gay male activists (Wayne Besen, Jim Burroway and Michael Petrelis) calling for a boycott of Jamaica due to the rampant, state-sanctioned homophobia on the Caribbean island nation.END THE CALL TO BOYCOTT JAMAICA
I think it is disingenuous of Michael Petrelis and the group in San Francisco to use my release of last year to support your boycott issues of this year.
I was part of the Canada-based attempts at a boycott last year. We learned numerous lessons from that attempt, not least among which is the fact that the lives of LGBT persons in Jamaica are at risk. I have therefore changed my strategy and will do nothing without the inclusion of my colleagues in Jamaica. I implore you to do the same and do not support your present efforts.
The struggle to gain rights and freedoms for the LGBT community in Jamaica will never be won by groups acting independently, but through a coordinated effort of selfless persons, groups and organizations, both locally and internationally.
This call for a boycott of Jamaica is outrageous and counter productive. The attack on Red Stripe is appalling and unacceptable; of all the corporate organizations in Jamaica, they were the ones who were willing to stand out and denounce violence against any group of persons.
This self-seeking effort/campaign of the group in San Francisco needs to end now. JFLAG has stated they do not support the boycott and that needs to be respected. If the community that you claim that this boycott will benefit is not in support, what is your purpose of continuing?
It is only when we work together we will make the difference.
Gareth Henry
Former Co-Chair and Program Manager
Jamaica Forum for Lesbians All-Sexuals and Gays
Jamaican track and field phenom Usain Bolt won the 200 meter dash at the Beijing Olympics in world record time of 19.30secs, a few days after winning the 100m in a world record of 9.69secs. He becomes the first man to win the 100-200 double since the legendary Carl Lewis did it at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and the first to do so with world record times in both events.
Caribbean-born athletes are beginning to sweep the most prestigious track and field events at the Beijing Olympics. Usain Bolt of Jamaica set an Olympic and World record of 9.69s in the 100m dash, ahead of Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago (9.89s) and American Walter Dix was third in a person best of 9.93 seconds. Bolt, is a 6-foot-5-inch 21-year-old (lawd have mercy!) who just started running the 100 meter dash in 2008--his speciality is the 200 m dash. Former world record holder Jamaican Asafa Powell placed 5th with 9.95, behind Churandy Martina of the Netherland Antilles with 9.93. Another Jamaican, Michael Frater was 6th with 9.97, the first time 6 of the 8 competitors ran sub-10 second times in the Olympic gold medal100m final.
