The Mixed Matters Journal

Movie Review: Brooklyn’s Finest

2010-03-05T21:41:00.000-08:00

Movie Review: Brooklyn’s Finest
By Chandra and Charles

*Spoiler Alert*

Tonight Charles and I saw Brooklyn’s Finest and left the movie theater with different opinions and feelings about this movie. Over dinner we discussed the scenes we liked, the actors, who performed and the resolutions of the storylines in the movie itself.

Chandra: So what did you think?
Charles: I enjoyed the movie for the actors, they brought the intensity to their roles.
Chandra: Really? I wouldn’t have called it intensity…
Charles: Well, to be honest, the script was the typical vignette of corruption, redemption, and loyalty. Plots, we’ve seen a thousand times - but - I felt the acting was good enough to make us not see that.
Chandra: This movie to me was like The Wire Redux. Only HBO’s The Wire actually had a soul. In many ways it seemed like a bunch of movies rolled up into this one on top of that, like Training Day, Crash, um… Should I go on?
Charles: No, you don’t have to but I just want to point out that this movie portrayed three cops facing personal challenges in their lives. For example, in one story line, a cop was so desperate to find a home for his growing family that he took liberties that he shouldn’t have.
Chandra: Oh you mean Sal? Sal just gave me heebie-jeebies. Ethan Hawke, considering his squeaky clean image did a bang up job of playing a low-life police officer. To be honest, I felt let down by many of the characters. Definitely I was happy to see my folks from The Wire, but if I wanted to see The Wire I would have watched The Wire. How many booty clubs, drug raids, and corrupt commissioners can you rehash? And, I know I’m going on here, but bear with me. Wesley. Oh, Wesley. I had high hopes for the brother in this movie. I wanted him to bring Nino Brown, and he did not. He could have brought back Nino, just once.
Charles: Here’s the thing. If you came in expecting Nino Brown to return, then I can see why you would be disappointed. However, I thought Wesley’s character of a released drug dealer who wanted out of the game showed a different side to a stereotypical role like that.
Chandra: Well, I’m sorry but I was looking for some Nino Brown level drama. Moving on though, I sensed a little Crash-y-ness in the end. Did you?
Charles: The final scene was a bit predictable I admit but Richard Gere’s, Don Cheadle’s, and Ethan Hawke’s roles had me pinned to the edge of my seat because of the situations they were in. Granted the ending was over the top, but the intensity from each of them, convinced me what they felt was real and I was on a rollercoaster ride to the very end.
Chandra: Intensity. Roller-coaster. Is that why I felt nauseous watching it? Or was it the oversized movie screen and watching Ethan-as-Sal sweat and chain smoke? Hmm. Hey, did you notice the stereotypical Latina, with 'Ay Papi' every other sentence? And why did she, the only brown woman with a speaking role end up being a prostitute? I don’t know Charles, I just don’t know. I didn’t hate the movie but I believe it definitely doesn’t live up to the hype.
Charles: It didn’t have to. I mean, it’s a cop movie! They are not known for their deeply intellectual, philosophical point of view. That being said, this movie was a look at a system that fails the police who work in it. Maybe not Wire-like, but nevertheless, these cops were all faced with decisions that had serious impacts on their lives. For example, Gere’s character turns out slightly better than when he started.
Chandra: In all fairness, I can’t compare a roughly two hour movie with a multiple season cop drama (yes, I’m talking once again about The Wire so stop rolling your eyes) that just happens to be one of my favorite shows of all time. Also, perhaps it is best to let Nino Brown rest. After all, this is a post New Jack city movie. But, I thought what could have been a gripping drama that left me thinking about the characters long after the credits rolled, turned out to be a circular, cyclical, predictable, bloody mess. So Charles, if you had to rate this movie on a scale of 1 to 10, what would you rate it?
Charles: I’d give it an 8 for the acting over a predictable script. Again, I believe the passion, in Gere’s Cheadle’s, and Hawke’s roles were gripping enough to hold my interest. Wesley’s role wasn’t bad, it was Nino Brown light, but very believable and real.
Chandra: I would give this movie a 6.5 on the high side. Its predictability, too much dialogue, very sweaty, and in the end sickeningly bloody attributes made it hard for me to watch without a smirk.

Tree Lover

2010-01-31T19:07:00.000-08:00

This my first published poem.

When I cut several limbs from your tree
you cried
tapped into hysteria
stood ground at my front porch and threatened me
letters even found their way under my doormat to greet me each morning
I offered heartfelt apology to you and the precious tree
you denied and refused and waged war
Dearest neighbor I must admit
your love for those tree limbs is unprecedented
you cried as if I severed your arm
as you spewed forth rumors of my deed
like blood gushing uncontrollably from an artery
your hysteria brought to mind the story of a woman
who lifted an automobile to rescue her infant
the threat, our parting words that Saturday afternoon
made me realize
that you share a deep intimacy with that tree.
Which leads me to wonder
What the hell is wrong with you?
Do these tree limbs severed represent love lost?
Is that tree your only friend in the world?
What void does your rift with me replace?
I pray for you and for me every night
as a neighbor should
Tree woman find peace and love.

Copyright Chandra Adams 2006

Precious the Movie - Reactions

2009-12-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

Very few movies can touch emotions the way Precious, executive produced by Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey touched most of its viewers. I found this movie touching, moving, and also very sad, as it was very difficult to fathom that someone so young would have to endure so much pain delivered by the people that should care about her the most.

Even more moving, or at least interesting, are the reactions I have seen chronicled over the past few days. While this movie has generated critical acclaim from the mainstream, it has also generated anger from many African-American people.

My first thought about the anger was that it was ridiculous. Many of us see Precious everyday as we go about our daily lives - on the bus, in the supermarket, walking home from school as we speed by in our vehicles, whether it is from a distance or under the judgment microscope of people that we see but don’t truly know.

I also do understand the shame and anger that this movie has apparently produced. Before I experienced any truly traumatic experiences in my life, I would have probably had the same reaction to Precious. She was abused, overweight, depressed, and her situation seemed completely hopeless. I would have cringed as I watched her image dominate the silver screen with her ham hocks and double chin, her fried chicken greased fingers and her illiteracy, revealing to the world what they probably already think about most black girls and black women - that we are worth very little, except to serve others.

Precious is my hero. I’ve experienced a few setbacks in my life, but nothing I could ever compare to what this character endured in her young life. During those dark periods, however, I found out what I was made of, and most importantly how to stand on my own two feet without worrying about what others thought of me and how I was living my life. This story gave us a straight-no-chaser, full-bodied portrait of human suffering and how attitude won’t necessarily guarantee that our suffering will subside, but will help us make it through.

Precious, although a character in a movie, is about as close to real life for many as you can get. There are young women worldwide who suffer the same indignities simultaneously, regardless of color. Instead of experiencing shame over this portrayal of a segment of our society, how can we begin to use the experience to develop more compassion? American black people are as diverse as any other group of people, but I’m not so naïve to think that people won’t look at her and think of all black women, or all black people as being the same way. What others think of us, however, is truly none of our concern as mature adults. Most of us can barely keep track of our own thoughts, what makes us think we can control what other people make up their minds to believe?

Precious often envisioned herself as a white girl on those occasions when she needed to escape from her daily troubles, and made it crystal clear to her audience that she wanted nothing more than to have a light-skinned boyfriend by her side, which undoubtedly highlights the preoccupation many African-Americans have with being too dark-skinned or ‘too black’. I realize that at this point I’m probably beginning to step on a few toes, but let’s face it - the truth hurts. We have allowed ourselves as a whole to remain victim at the hands of mainstream society and refuse to look in the mirror and embrace who we are, warts and all. Until many African-Americans disturbed and shamed by images of Precious can embrace themselves, they will never be able to garner the respect they seem to crave, and young women like Precious will remain commonplace instead of becoming the exception.

Chandra Adams
Author
adrolitepress.com
chandraadams.com

Movie Review: I'm Through With White Girls

2009-11-29T13:28:00.000-08:00

This movie made in 2006 sat in my Netflix cue for a very long time. I was drawn to it by its title, but also repulsed at the same time because I was sure that I would be seething with anger throughout the viewing due to it title.

So I imagined the stereotypical, misogynistic tale of a young black man who treats women -- and in this case, white women, like a Baskin-Robbins flavor of the month. Then, at some point, I expected the character and his friends to sit around at some bar and talk about how crazy black women are, and how they were driven to white women. What I got instead was a very pleasant surprise.

The main character Jay is a bit of a nerd. Well, that’s putting it nicely. He lives in Los Angeles, works as a graphic novelist, and doesn’t own a car. He dates white women because he is afraid that black women won’t be as accepting of him.

At the heart of the story is a 30 year old man who looks for any reason to end a relationship to avoid being hurt. It is such a typical problem but seldom examined in such an honest fashion. I immediately liked Jay, not because of his sometimes childish ways, but because of the realistic portrayal of a relationship with a commitment-phobe.

Stereotypes came crashing and tumbling down in this movie. Catherine, his co-star, brings to mind the air headed hippie, when she turns out to be a very successful and stable personality throughout the story. I’m Through With White Girls biggest success was in representing its characters as multi-dimensional, complex, and human.

Changes

2009-04-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Changes
I’ve been through a lot of changes lately. Most of them have been welcome and good. I’m happy with my life - I feel confident, I know myself, I have love in my life and it shows in so many areas of my daily life.
I am a fairly adaptable. I have accepted some huge disappointments in the past with calm and a reasonable faith that things will get better. But I’ll tell you, I read somewhere that it’s not the big setbacks in life that get to us, it’s the little things. Today, I’ve seen enough to believe that that saying couldn’t be more true.
I freaked out today over a situation that has been plaguing me for a little while now. I felt that I could no longer endure the situation and that I was alright to vent openly. As I sit here and write, I still feel upset, but I’m reminded of something that my mother used to say to me often, and I’ll tell you what that is.
I was prone to emotional excess when I didn’t get my way as a young girl. I wasn’t allowed to be disrespectful toward my parents, and if I ever ventured out of pocket I was quickly put back in my place. With that said, when I would go off the deep end, my mother would remind me that I needed to learn how to control myself. My response to that was to get even angrier until she walked away shaking her head. Now that I’m older and well past the tantrum phase, I see great wisdom in those words. Today, I was quick to anger, and in many ways, rightfully so. But the way I handle myself in the midst of that anger is of monumental importance to my success.
Today I had to deal with two difficult customers. One that signaled that she is no longer doing business with me, and one that I must admit I wish would no longer do business with us. The first customer is leaving just when the relationship seemed to be going well. It turns out that she has a different point of view on the matter. Although, I am disappointed, people change and must go on their way. This is a change that can and evenutually will create opportunities for me to find better customers and improve my skills to keep them satisfied. With the second customer I have endured the kind of changes that are not healthy and add no value.
The customer in question wants me to alter my service to the point that it is no longer recognizable. My first response to this request is to send the customer packing and sever all ties. Unfortunately it isn’t as easy as that -- I have investors that feel that this customer is important enough to entertain his ideas, and well, we are providing a service. Customer satisfaction is important, right? So we’ve gone through several changes to please this customer, and every time we come back with what appears to be a solution, he keeps moving the bar, changing the rules. Not only is it aggravating, it is a complete waste of time. My frustration and anger reached a boiling point, and I’m ready to take a stand. Now, at this point, I could make a bad situation worse and just go buck wild. Well, okay, maybe not buck wild. I don’t even know if I have it in me to go buck wild, at least not in the way I imagined in my meeting today. In reality, I have a few options left to explore before I throw in the towel.
I do have other parties involved who feel the same way I do about the customer and I can leverage their involvement to our mutual advantage. I can also stop giving this matter more attention than it deserves. The customer most obviously has another agenda, and is maneuvering to complete its fulfillment. The more attention we give it, the more we get manipulated in making this the most important customer when the return is minimal to nothing. Either way, I am the one that has to maintain a cool head, the one who has remain in charge of the situation, and the one who decides what makes sense for both the customer as well as the company.
Managing change is sometimes difficult but it doesn’t have to be impossible to bear. I am learning more and more everyday to keep the petty stuff in perspective and save my energy for the bigger things, like my loved ones and my health. The ability to do this can sometimes make the difference between a leader and a follower, and I prefer to lead.

A Perfect Sunday

2008-12-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

A Perfect Sunday
I’ve been dodging the NFL season I guess since about 2003 for reasons I’ll share with you a little later. But this past Sunday? I accidentally stumbled upon possibly the most stress free, totally enjoyable day in a very long time.
Lately I’ve had a lot going on. My job always keeps me running, even when I’m not there. I use a lot of my mental space just thinking about how to get over and get it all done in 8-9 hours a day. The past week, I’ve resumed writing as well. I’ve laid down a lot of my writing demons and I’m ready to crank out some more mystery and mayhem.
So Sunday, I lounged around and got up very late in the morning, which meant my day was starting off with a bang. I have been unable to sleep in for the past few months, so this was a welcome pleasure. Next, I decided that waffles sounded like a good breakfast with a hot cup of coffee. The waffles were excellent, and the steaming hot coffee gave me just the right pick up to get me going.
If you didn’t know this about me, I am a very creative person, and if I don’t have some creative outlet at my disposal I could literally go crazy. You know, the kind of gnawing my fingers off crazy because I haven’t found anything to do to keep my mind at peace. With that said, I have been very enthusiastically working on two sweaters -- one I’m knitting and the other I am crocheting. Finding time to do that is a chore in itself, but the house was quiet and all I had to do was plop down in front of the television with hooks and yarn flying in every direction. With a full stomach and some caffeine pumping through my veins, nothing could stop me.
I turned on the television, and with mixed feelings I noticed that the Oakland Raiders were playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Figuring that I could always turn the station if things went bad quickly, I dropped the remote by my side and watched with guarded suspicion. Well, the more I watched the better things got. The Raiders scored early and Tampa Bay seemed uncomfortable. I was definitely intrigued.
Needless to say the Raiders kept Tampa Bay out of the playoffs with the kind of win that I was used to seeing when Gruden was coach. What’s that you say? Gruden is now coaching Tampa Bay? I know, heh heh heh!! It wasn’t sweet revenge, but yes, it really was in a way sweet revenge. I love Gruden, but he, on that fateful Superbowl Sunday, turned my beloved Raiders into the biggest Superbowl losers in a game that I still don’t think they have quite recovered from to date.
By now you must know that I am a Raiders fan. Yes, I said it, and I can finally say it without pangs of anger, or without trying to defend my choice. They may have finished 5-11, but there’s no greater sight than to see a team at the bottom of the barrel keep a playoff contender out of playoffs. And it certainly helped that it was Tampa Bay. Believe this.
Oh, and the day just got even better. The Chargers and the Broncos. I had truly whipped myself into a frenzy and was elated when the Chargers shut the Broncos down. It was the Raiders spirit working through the Chargers, bringing chaos and wonder, shock and awe to a team that I simply cannot tolerate.
I bet I sound crazy to anyone reading this. Well imagine what I was like on Sunday! I still get hyped just thinking about it, and I am ready for bed right now and very sleepy.
I am a Raiders fan. I am also a fan that has found it extremely difficult to stomach their post Superbowl record. This past Sunday was perfect. It took me back to Raider glory and possibility, and made me remember why I love the game.

The Power of Words

2008-12-26T15:58:00.000-08:00

The Power of Words
As I reflect on my writing career, over the past four years, I realize how many people have crossed my path for better or for worse that I would never have met had I not written a novel. I wouldn’t trade one experience for anything, but I realize a few of the experiences I’ve had have shaped my thoughts and consequently my career.
Let me start out by saying, for those that might not know, that it takes a lot of courage to place your innermost thoughts into a written work and share them with the world. I’m a typically very reserved and sensitive person, so placing myself on regular public display has taken some practice and then some.
I suppose it’s probably human nature, but I have gravitated a lot more to the negative feedback on my work than the positive. And definitely, some of it has been pretty nasty. Not so much in content, but in delivery. I do believe some people take a uniquely perverse pleasure in bringing someone else down.
With that said, I have received far more positive feedback on my work than negative -- if it were all negative, then I have to say I should have a reason to pay attention to the cutting words. The truth is, all feedback is good, or positive, kept in the proper perspective. Most people are truly only thinking of themselves, and how good they think they sound when they are telling you what they think of you.
Either way, it’s so easy to underestimate the power of words. My experiences have taught me to be more considerate when giving my opinion. There’s a lot to be said for that old saying, ‘if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all’. It’s important to be honest, but if I can spare someone’s feelings, I certainly will by not voicing my opinion barring significant issues.
What you say really speaks volumes about what is in a person’s heart. Knowing and remembering that, I am finding new footing in being able to weather the critique storms. I certainly don’t envy mega-celebrities and the intense scrutiny they receive every single day about their looks, loves, and lives. But of course, in the world of entertainment, who cares what they are saying as long as they’re still talking about you?

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Shades of Redemption (coming in 2009)
Chandraadams.com
Adrolitepress.com
Northbaymediareview.com

My Toes Is Froze

2008-12-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

My Toes Is Froze
It was cold today, really cold. Supposedly 47 degrees in San Francisco at lunchtime, it felt a lot more like 30 degrees. My feet grew colder as I marched closer to my lunch with the wind whipping my coat open and my scarf toward the sky. I realize that anyone reading this outside of California might not feel much pity for me -- but this is California! I did expect at least a little lunchtime sunshine. I suppose my complaint wouldn’t be so bitter even, but I didn’t really get a break today from the cold until I came home from work. I think my office was almost as cold as it was outside. I bundled up in my wrap, but it was too late, the chill had already seeped into my bones. It was the same cold I felt when, in a meeting in the afternoon, I realized that some people are never going to change.
You may ask, why would someone need to change? Why indeed. Perhaps I am the one that needs to change. Even though I know better, I tend to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out why someone is the way they are. This is me after dealing with a particularly obnoxious person, “I wonder why they said that”, or “I wonder if they realize that they were so rude”, or “I wonder if they had a bad childhood or traumatic life experience” and the list goes on as I kick myself for not laying down the law when I had the opportunity. What a waste of precious time on my part.
Truth be told, I can display a pretty nasty temper. I learned this as a younger woman and have learned to keep my emotions in check and my mouth shut to keep from making a bad situation worse. There are times now when I wish I had rolled my eyes and my neck and told someone exactly what was on my mind at the time of the offense, but in hindsight I am glad that I kept my cool. Some people and really very few situations are worth completely losing it.
So much of life in terms of quality is how you choose to look at situations and events. Life is so short, and the older I get I realize the less time I have to waste emotions on situations that really will resolve themselves. As I returned home I tried to shake off the day’s issues in my mind, and they eventually left me. But what did take too long to leave was the cold in my feet and in my head until I realized that I had about 3 hours to live out my leisure life before it was time to go to bed and return to work. Now Ray Charles and friends are on the television singing Christmas songs, and I think I’m going to go take in every melody and the warmth they can bring.

Chandra Adams
chandraadams.com
adrolitpress.com
northbaymediareview.com

Here To Stay

2008-09-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

I’ve been away for a while, I know. I’ve been down paths I hoped that I would not have to revisit anytime soon, but things have worked out better than I hoped for which brings a smile to my face as I sit here writing, sun blinding me slightly. That same smile I wear at this moment was upside down last week as I asked myself how I managed to stray so far from what I love.

I’m talking about writing. It makes me calm, it gets me excited. It makes my heart race, it smoothens all of the kinks in my head. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, I’ll be forever in love with the wonderful things that happen when pen meets paper, paper meets pen. The longer I stray, the sweeter the reunion. I now understand all of the anxious days laid to rest in the past year. My heart, my mind have been awaiting the return of unbridled imagination, powerful opinion, the possibilities of new windows opening to the world.

So here I am, I’m back, I’m here to stay.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
And a new book coming soon
Shades of Redemption

Chandra Adams on Ozcat Radio

2008-08-08T10:04:00.001-07:00

Mixed Matters co-host finds herself on the other side of the mic in this archive of an interview on Vallejo's Ozcat Radio back in 2006.

How To Become a Great Program Manager

2007-06-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

How To Become a Great Program Manager

A program manager generally manages several directly or indirectly related projects and sees them through to completion. Individuals who are highly motivated, self-starters, and very organized and detail-oriented usually excel as program managers and several training options exist today to help that manager hone his or her skills.

If you want to become a great program manager, knowledge of a specific industry, materials, products, manufacturing, information technology and personnel are definitely a plus. A general ability to understand timelines and all of the inputs to a particular project tend to help realistic and long-lasting foundations as well.

A good education can also give you an edge over the competition. Many people who have the necessary experience often turn to online education to enhance their options and career status. Before you take the plunge, a good way to test the waters is to listen to one of several podcasts offered by capella university. Students and faculty discuss their experiences with online education in a format that many would find beneficial. From there, you can more easily determine the best educational route that will make your career a success.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

The Artist In You

2007-06-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Artist In You

I just finished watching our local station V-CAT Comcast Channel 27 here in Vallejo and caught the tail end of a discussion with Harold Beaulieu about the importance of art in our communities. He made the important distinction that art is important as far as creativity is concerned, in that we would still be trying to figure out how to make fire if it wasn’t for creativity.

That made me think about how far down our educational system here in California has gone down – no mystery to anyone who walks, talks and thinks. Usually the first to go are arts programs, and then some people wonder why our children act so crazy these days. I’m going to involve my own personal experience with creativity for a moment. If I can’t find a creative outlet on a regular basis, I can sometimes feel like I am going to go insane. I have to be doing something with my hands – gardening, knitting, crocheting, writing, I’ve even ventured into making furniture and am quite proud of an ottoman I made a few years ago and still use. My creative outlets do more than just produce something, they give me balance and often help me find solutions to other problems or challenges in my daily life. Sometimes I even view those outlets as a sort of meditation, and without them, I’d feel bottled up and frustrated indeed.

I’ve noticed that the least creative of our species could care less about arts programs for anyone, let alone those dwindling programs for children because it takes one creative mind to truly understand another. Harold Beaulieu, Art Commissioner for Contra Costa County is increasingly at the forefront of keeping art programs alive in the bay area and is focused enough on this goal to make a difference. Hopefully over time his efforts will gain enough recognition that others around the country can use his model to restore balance in education through the arts in our schools.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

Thoughts on Cormac McCarthy Interview

2007-06-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on Cormac McCarthy Interview

When asked by Oprah Winfrey if he cared whether people read his work or not, Cormac McCarthy answered ‘no’.

No? Well if he doesn’t care, why bother publishing it? That’s my first question. I can understand his other viewpoints, as far as not wanting to be interviewed on television and so on and so forth. I thought the interview was a little boring, but he was otherwise very interesting to me and I may even decide to check his book out at some point. As of this writing, he ranks #19 on Amazon’s book list and I’m sure he will continue to remain at the top for quite some time.

Earlier this morning I thought about just how lonely writing can be, and it may be why I’ve distanced myself from it from time to time. What I find even more lonely though is trying to establish one’s self in the marketplace. I say any advantage you have, take it. Writing in my opinion, is meant to be shared, unless you’re keeping a personal journal. Writing encourages thought, discussion, perspective and formation of opinion. To write and not care if other people read it to me is different, even Oprah thought so judging from her reaction to his statement. Nevertheless, that type of character displayed in McCarthy is the exact type that creates the masterpieces and standards in our society. Reclusive and mysterious, like Prince in many ways, is part of what makes him so sought after.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

Professionals and Online Education

2007-06-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Did you know that construction on The Pentagon began September 11, 1941, and sixty years later American Airlines flight 77 crashed into the side of it? This military building houses the U.S. Department of Defense, which is the headquarters of The Joint Chiefs of Staff. The structure is so impressive that tours are held for the public, which began on May 17, 1976 and have only grown in popularity.

The Pentagon may well be a historical landmark, but it is still buzzing with some of the most significant activity in the world. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has 2,000 military members who support him – and those members also need to be trained. Look no further than Claudia Chladek, who is the Program Manager for the Joint Staff Training Program at the Pentagon. Chladek turned to capella university for her educational needs, like so many other professionals around the globe.

Capella University offers online education to over 19,000 students, many who are highly successful business people with not a lot of time on their hands to engage in a formal classroom setting. Chladek also takes time to talk about her online learning experience in the school’s podcast. Capella University continues to educate current and potential students with their podcast series, aimed at giving listeners an inside look at their program offerings and benefits. The series also gives professionals such as Chladek the opportunity to inspire others with their personal accounts of how they manage their professional life and how they’ve successfully integrated education into the equation.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

Summer’s Almost Here

2007-06-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

Summer’s Almost Here

Are you ready? I just sort of creeps up on you, I know. Every December, no, every January, after I’ve spent two holiday weeks stuffing my face I realize that I have six months to lose ten more pounds, or whatever my goal is at the time. Then, after that far-fetched fantasy, I grab a bowl of microwave popcorn, a blanket, and pop in DVD which usually catches me snoring. I continue repeat that ‘I still have ---- months to get in shape’ and then lay around on the couch until say around the middle of May and then I realize that I’ve squandered away another half a year or so that was meant to be dedicated to total fitness.

I think this year is different. Although I still didn’t get off the couch until May, I am much more motivated to get stronger and healthier than I am to lose pounds and that might be the big difference in my attitude. Whatever the case, I feel better and stronger than I did last month and I expect that trend to continue. I get as much walking and yard work in as I can and cancelled my gym membership finally. I know that might sound backward, canceling the membership and all, but believe me it was just a crutch and strong excuse for me to not do anything to get in shape. I don’t like going to the gym at all, and I was just wasting money. So I figured out what I could do that I like and have been consistent. When I can’t get out and walk because of the weather or nightfall, I dance around my place. One of the better benefits of all of this activity is even when I don’t feel like doing any exercise at all, before I know it I’m up and doing chores that I would normally put off. So even if you aren’t bikini ready, get up and get moving. You’ll look better, feel better, and it will go a long way toward improving your health.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

Find Some Time To Relax

2007-06-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Find Some Time To Relax

With some knitting or crochet needles. If you’re the creative type and need to do something with your hands, give it a try.

I’ve been crocheting since I can remember. I believe my grandmother taught me how, or she taught my sister or something and I learned that way. Or maybe it was my mother? I guess all of them because as I grew I remember being shown different techniques. Over the years I’ve kept it up, but I would say not until recently have I even attempted to make something I would give away. When I say recently I mean in the past ten years or so.

Knitting is fun too and probably a lot more popular. You’ll find classes, clubs, meetings, and workshops – you name it – geared toward helping you make the best looking since sweater since grandma’s days. I learned to knit a little later in life, around the time I became legal. I used to knit my little hear out! I made a sweater too small for someone but they were nice enough to accept it anyway with excitement. I made a few for myself too in bright colors that only the early 90’s could appreciate and wore those sweaters with pride. They took a long time to make, but it was well worth it. Perhaps I’ll get a refresher on how to follow a pattern and make myself a sweater sometime soon.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

Show Yourself Some Appreciation

2007-06-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

It’s so easy to show appreciation for others, how about showing some for yourself? This concept is foreign to many, but the positive benefits of it can astound.

These days, it seems that the sky is the limit when it comes to the possibilities in our career choices, and life choices overall. Sadly, the converse can be true as well, and the amount of stress involved in keeping up with our constantly and rapidly changing environment can wear down the best of us. Our ability to acknowledge and praise ourselves can make the difference between a great life and one that is filled with anxiety and daily pressures.

A new book entitled ‘Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process For Change’ helps the reader become aware of an appreciative approach to themselves and their lives. Designed for career coaches and life coaches, this book by Sarah Orem illustrates the importance of empowerment through framing positive questions and various other tools to strengthen an individual and give them hope for the future. Sarah Orem is an online faculty member at Capella University who co-authored this book with Jacqueline Binkert, PhD and Ann Clancy, PhD. Each of these authors possesses a doctoral degree and with their combined expertise in coaching, consulting and teaching, they have provided a groundbreaking tool to help managers, executives and individuals achieve higher levels of performance and satisfaction in every aspect of their lives.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

The Bachelor: Officer and Gentleman

2007-06-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

The Bachelor: Officer and Gentleman

I managed somehow to catch the last two episodes including the finale of The Bachelor. I think the only reason I don’t tune in to this train wreck earlier in its demise is because of American Idol (see my previous entry). And also, let’s face it, I think it’s cheesy and a bit suspect. I guess I find it a bit hard to believe that any of these women actually take the whole thing seriously, but it turns out that they do, at least during the taping of the show. For the second year in a row I sat and watched dumbfounded as a reject rides in the back of a limousine as she smears mascara all over her face with her tears. It seems that at least one of the women had decided that she was deeply in love with the bachelor and cannot fathom why he would have rejected her.

It’s interesting how first, the bachelor slobbers all over several women during the course of a few weeks, decides he could be in love with at least two or three of them and manages to drum up just enough anxiety for the cameramen over his impending decision. And likewise, in a very short period of time the bachelor is able to narrow down the woman of his dreams, mainly while the camera is rolling.

I have to admit that reality television can be quite compelling. If you can allow yourself to get swept up for just a little while, you can manage to pick your favorite bachelorette and talk to the television as if you’re talking to the bachelor and tell him which one to pick. Then, it’s even easier to tell yourself that you never, ever, in a million years, would put all of your business out there like that for the world to see.

The truth of the matter is that there’s no telling what most of us would do for a few dollars and a few minutes of fame. Their lives will never be the same, that’s for sure, and I wonder how many of the past contestants have found their reality television stint to be an advantage in their personal careers and lives, and how many wish they had just stayed away from the camera.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

American Idol Withdrawal

2007-06-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

American Idol Withdrawal

Every year about the same time I experience a sense of loss and confusion. Programmed internally to park it on the sofa and turn the television on every Tuesday night at 8 PM and Wednesday night at 9 PM, I find that I no longer know what to do with myself now that my weekly dose of American Idol will be administered.

You know this situation started out easily enough a few years ago. At first skeptical about the show, I was drawn in by the poor performers during the search in each city for the singers who would go to Hollywood. Then, the emotional roller coaster began as the top ten were chosen. All of my friends got involved and every Tuesday night after the show and every Wednesday morning I would find an inbox full of emails from around the country about the performance the night before. Every year we swear we won’t get so involved the next year, and every year we repeat the same behaviors.

I think I’m starting to recover though – I didn’t watch the finale, and instead enjoyed a phone conversation with an old friend without the television playing in the background, distracting me. Perhaps next season I will have the strength to even resist the simultaneous call of the remote control and pretend that AI doesn’t exist – maybe.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

Deciding On How To Invest Your Money

2007-06-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

Deciding On How To Invest Your Money

Our economy is constantly changing as we operate in global markets. When my parents were raising our family, a sound investment was in a house that they paid for outright and a good solid savings account and some cd’s. With home prices fluctuating, especially here in California, investing in a home isn’t exactly sound unless you’re in it for the long run, and even then, one never knows what the marketplace will do next. Buy that house to live in, but perhaps we should all be thinking of different and creative ways to invest our funds.

Precious metals are a tried and true commodity that will continue to increase in value. When most people think of precious metals, gold comes to mind, but silver is increasingly becoming the metal that provides a solid investment value. Did you know that silver is slightly harder than gold? Silver is great for jewelry and ornaments, and a lot more practical than gold for making dining silverware, which actually has germicidal properties. Silver coins make fine collectibles and best of all, silver is the symbol of friendship.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

Make Those Complaints Work For You

2007-06-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

Make Those Complaints Work For You

Who’s complaining? Surely not you. Yeah right.

There’s so much to complain about if you’re really good at it – your job, your spouse, that ex, the mailman, that crazy neighbor. You know the one.

One day I made a conscious effort to monitor my own thoughts, and although I have been called a Pollyanna on occasion, I was really sort of amazed at the amount of complaints I logged in my brain by the minute, even by the second. Most of them against myself – ‘Why are you eating that?’ ‘Can’t you move a little faster?’ ‘Why aren’t you a millionaire, you can be so lazy you know’ and the list went on until I had to give myself a time-out.

One thing I managed to gain from listening to myself is that I realized that I still have a lot of unfulfilled dreams and even simple tasks and goals that I need to address. Now I’m not going to sit up and say that I waged a barrage of complaints against myself all day, please! There’s the economy and the government and everything else in between. The one thing that helped me move along (I have to admit I can feel stuck from time to time in my daily life) was to write them all down. I wrote them down, and I noticed how much better I felt and how uncluttered my mind started to feel. Once I wrote them down, I considered what I could do to resolve my complaint so that I wouldn’t have to give it any more energy from that point on. What I realized is that when I get away from writing down my daily to-do’s and big and small goals, they start to kind of back up in my head and I just sit there wishing and complaining, and trying to figure out how I got into task backlog and that emotional rut that creeps up from time to time when things don’t move as quickly as I want them to.

Feeling like everything around you needs to be adjusted somehow, but know that most of it can’t be until you do something about it? Just write it out. Be your own best customer and receive those complaints and take steps to resolve them so you can make everyday a little better.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

How To Avoid A Cult

2007-06-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

How To Avoid A Cult

The term ‘cult’ is used in so many ways. Many people who get involved in religious organizations and see or experience something they don’t like decide that they have gotten involved in a cult and get out of dodge. Others have had legitimate run-ins with cults, and the rest of us just want to make sure that it doesn’t’ happen to us.

Let’s first look at what it means to be involved with a cult. One basic definition of a cult is ‘a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies’. A more specific definition of a cult is ‘a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader’, which is what most people think of when images of Jim Jones and the like come to mind.

Religion is a powerful and important part of most societies and a way in which individuals choose to express their spirituality. Many people, men and women alike who are affiliated with a religious organization and attend church or any other type of religious meeting on a regular basis are said to experience better health, stronger familial ties and an overall feeling of happiness and optimism than those who choose to go it alone.

Then, there’s that gray area. Let’s say you have found a small church that you like, and you start going regularly. Some appointed leaders interact with you on a variety of life situations, and once you’ve decided that you trust them enough with your biggest life issues, you tell them your deepest secrets and/or entrust them with your financial situation or anything other challenges. Several things can happen. That appointed leadership can advise you, make recommendations, and trust that you have been instilled with the wisdom and spiritual food to find a meaningful solution. Or, you might receive some specific advice, and you may not always like what you hear, but you take what you can use and discard the rest but the relationship with you and leadership remains intact and respectful. Unfortunately, the scenario that many people have run into is the one where they have made themselves vulnerable in every way to religious leadership, and find themselves used and betrayed.

What does that abuse and betrayal look like? Let me give you an example. If I am your religious leader and I call you into my office for a meeting in which I tell you that I don’t think you really believe in God enough and that you have to do certain things to prove to me that you do have enough faith, then you might be looking at the beginnings of a cult. Here’s another example – let’s say that your religious organization is consistently pressuring you to give of your time and resources at the neglect of your family, job, finances, etc. – and threatens to dismiss you or alienate you from the congregation or body of worship, then you might want to get away from that cult.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I can say from my experiences that a religious experience should be one that helps you grow closer to God, and not one that requires that you debase yourself before another human being. True spirituality comes from a loving and charitable heart, and a demonstrated lack of judgment of others. Be wise in your dealings with others and strive for balance in your spiritual and natural life. Listen to your instincts and know yourself and no one can pull the wool over your eyes.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

Online Education and Your Career

2007-06-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

Online Education and Your Career

I recall being in college and wishing at times that I didn’t have to make that trek across campus just to sit in a lecture that I wasn’t going to listen to. Now don’t get me wrong, I generally listened when I attended class, about 90% of the time. As a matter of fact, that was how I did well – if I wasn’t interested in the subject in class, I wasn’t likely to do that well in the course overall. The professor generally had my attention or he/she didn’t.

Students are very fortunate these days with the introduction of online education into our learning system. Most schools and universities still require that students attend class regularly, but just think of how convenient and easy life has become for the majority of students who can retrieve lecture notes and discussions from professors and fellow students? The combination of formal classroom settings and online tools and resources can be an unbeatable forum for learning.

Consider the power of online education for those who work full-time or are otherwise unable to attend a formal classroom setting. Many people have achieved master’s degrees and brushed up on much-needed skills through online courses and programs. Yet another component of online education relies on podcasts. Podcasts have emerged as a way to introduce a specific audience to a career path or an inside look into a chosen discipline or career. Capella university, an accredited online university with more than 19,000 students, is providing ongoing education with their ‘Inside Online Education’ series. If you’ve ever wondered if online education is for you, or if real people actually succeed in life with it, their podcast series can help answer some of your most pressing questions. With people working in their actual career or field talking about their daily experiences and the benefits they have derived from online education, everyone is sure to benefit from this offering. What is most amazing is that someone like Carla Chladek, who is Program manager for the Joint Staff Training Program at the Pentagon, is lending her insights to thousands of listeners who may otherwise never hear what she has to say about her experiences in pursuing a master’s degree in education at Capella University.

Podcasting as a viable component of online education will continue to gain prominence as schools such as Capella University continue to find creative ways to educate people form all walks of life.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
Producer
North Bay Media Review

North Bay Media Review April 2007

2007-06-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

This is North Bay Media Review's first newsletter, enjoy!

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution

Single Black Women Got It Goin’ On

2007-04-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Single Black Women Got It Goin’ On

Says who? Well, a whole slew of statistics referenced by Yolanda Young in her editorial/opinion article in USA Today. Seems that single black women are enjoying better health than their married counterparts. Also according to this article, since those black couples who do marry tend to not stay together anyhow, we now ask, what’s the point? ‘If I marry Tyrone, I’ll probably average one more cold a year than I would if I was single, or Jamal could make my blood pressure go up, hmm, I think I’ll skip the wedding and go book that singles cruise I’ve been eyeing for some time now…’

Stop. I’m going to first let you in on a little secret about me, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Statistics. Was I crazy for picking such major? Maybe. But I can tell you that numbers, statistics that is, can be manipulated to support any idea, cause, or opinion. I’m not saying this necessarily to shoot holes in the article Young wrote, but let me offer another viewpoint. Certainly it’s clear that the pickin’s are slim for any educated, independent single woman in America. And more so for black women, it’s true. But is that any reason to give up on your hopes of marrying, and marrying a black man for that matter? I don’t think so. My book Shades of Retribution covers the topic. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend any of the tactics that my heroines employed (unless you’re seeking lengthy jail time). But I would encourage all women considering marriage to spend a lot more time getting to know ourselves instead of allowing statistics to dictate our life decisions. I grew up witnessing several marriages between black women and black men that not only survived but thrived. Many sacrifices were made and sometimes the going got rough, but those couples hung in there and made it happen. I have friends in very happy marriages that will likely go the distance. Marriage is not for everyone. Is it for you? Let your heart decide and your actions guide you.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.adrolitepress.com
www.chandraadams.com
www.northbaymediareview.com

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

I took my day slowly today. I woke up slow, got up slow, even took my time doing my hair. I picked up the phone to call a close relative, and next thing I know I was catapulted into a world I haven’t been a part of in a long time.

One good thing about being away from people that have caused you pain, knowingly or unknowingly, is that when you see them again you have the opportunity to gauge how much you have grown. Or haven’t grown.

Luckily in my case today, I started out in a great mood, and after my reunion with some old acquaintances, I was in a stellar mood. You see, it wasn’t so much because I was happy to see some of those folks. Nope! My sunny disposition was a result of something I realize I have gained over the years, and that is the ability to let dumb *#$%#$* go.

But this skill didn’t appear overnight, and every once in a while when someone gets on my nerves I know I still have a long way to go with it. But today, oh today!!! I walked in the room, held court, smiled, and departed when I knew it was time to leave. Learning how to rise above the petty concerns of the petty – I learned this by being a woman who lost her father not long ago, survived a few difficult relationships over the past few years, and by being a self-published author trying to do it all. Just yesterday I was moping around the house trying to look for signs that all of my efforts in the past few years were worth more than they appeared, and today, I had my shining moment (albeit in my own mind). There wasn’t a thing anyone in that setting could have said to me that would have wiped the smile off my face and the self-assurance in my heart.

Earth Wind & Fire once said, ‘You can’t shake me way I feel today, come tomorrow I’ll feel the same old way’. I hope to be able to rack up more of those kinds of days from here on out.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.adrolitepress.com
www.chandraadams.com
www.northbaymediareview.com

Single Women In America

2007-04-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

Late last night I was perusing my cable line-up, first very happy to discover that I had TV One finally, which meant that I could watch all the episodes of Martin that I wanted to watch. A little later, I noticed that Oprah was on and there was an ‘America Talks to Oprah’ episode or something like that. You know what’s funny is that I came in on the middle of a discussion on how there are now more single women in the country than married women, and what followed was an interesting discussion on the merits of being married versus being single. Allow me to say before I go on that I’m a proponent of neither, or I suppose both. Everyone has to do what’s right for them, and I definitely think that not everyone should be married. I suppose the thing that irked me about what some of the women in the audience had to say about it all. One woman thought that marriage should not be looked at as some sort of burden and that married people are a very important part of keeping a community together. In some ways I agree with that, but for the most part nobody should be married for marriage’s sake. If you are in love, are a responsible individual, want to share your life with someone, I say go for it. But if it’s like ‘hey, okay, I finished college, have a good job, what’s next? Oh time to get married’ I’d say you could possibly be heading for trouble.

The discussion devolved into one of my all-time favorite subjects, which is that of black women and our marriage (or lack thereof) rate. Where the percentage of single American women overall is 51%, according to Oprah statistics the percentage of African-American single women was something like 70%. Whuh? Man! One black woman in the audience went on to address that statistic by letting everyone know that she dates all types of men, which for me didn’t explain the statistic. So anyhow, Oprah engages her for a moment before explaining how the statistic made sense to her because so many black men are unavailable, which she could see happening by the number of her black girlfriends who are still single. I thought, ‘oh, here we go…’

In the next split second another black woman got up to speak her mind, and let folks know that she was married to a good black man and that they are out there, then went on to introduce her single available brother seated next to her in the studio audience. I was relieved that that sister was there, because I felt like the issue wasn’t really being addressed fairly. For one, African Americans happen to be a diverse group of people and I think there are many reasons and subsets of reasons why black women are single in such higher proportions than the national average. I wish that for once the generalizations on the subject would cease though, and I wish too that black people that feel like a non-black mate or date is the answer to all of their problems would really think about what they are assuming. The bottom line is that if you have nothing to offer, than nothing is what you will get. That goes for black, white, purple, yellow, or anyone of plaid or polka-dot race. Most people gravitate toward that which they are most comfortable and accustomed to, and that’s one of the reasons why people tend to marry people that look like them and/or think like them. I do believe the ‘shortage’ of black men to marry is all in the minds of those who haven’t taken the time to look inward at their own situations. I think it’s all a bunch of hype that we need to get past and it just keeps us isolated from each other.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.adrolitepress.com
www.chandraadams.com
www.northbaymediareview.com

Eugene Stovall at McGee Avenue Baptist Church

2007-02-27T00:10:00.001-08:00

Eugene Stovall, author of Frank Yerby: A Victim's Guilt is one of the featured authors at The Second Annual African American Book Festival at MgGee Avenue Baptist Church in Berkeley California

Charles at McGee Ave Baptist Church

2007-02-26T23:52:00.001-08:00

Charles makes his appearance at the Second Annual African American Book Festival in Berkeley California on Saturday, February 24th

2007-02-18T22:50:00.000-08:00

Mixed Matters co-host Charles Chatmon talks about two upcoming events with Chandra Adams

2006-11-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

TheVoice on BlackStarz

Bookstores and Retail Outlets Selling Shades of Retribution

2006-10-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

Internet

NorthbayMediaReview.com
AdrolitePress.com
Amazon.com
Barnesandnoble.com

Northern California

A World of Books • 137 Pelton Center Way, San Leandro, CA 94577 • (510) 483-5587
Alexander Books • 50 2nd St, San Francisco, CA 94105 • (415) 495-2992
Black Oak Books • 1491 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709 • (510) 486-0698
Marcus Bookstore • 3900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland, CA 94609 • (510) 652-2344 •
1712 Fillmore St. San Francisco, CA 94115 • (415) 346-4222
Thelma’s African Connection • 511 Georgia St, Vallejo, CA 94590 • (707) 649-8667
Underground Books • 2814 35th St, Sacramento, CA 95817 • (916) 737-3333

Southern California

African Marketplace Boutique Trade & Import Center • 2520 S. West View St., Los Angeles, CA 90016 • (323) 734-1164
Express Yourself Books • 425 W Manchester Ave # B, Los Angeles, CA 90047 • (323) 750-4114
Smiley’s Books • 20220 Avalon Bl. Ste. D, Carson, CA 90746 • (310) 324-8444
Zahra’s Books & Things • 900 N La Brea Ave, Inglewood, CA 90302 • (310) 330-1300

Event Calendar

2006-09-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

March 24, 2007
8:30 am til Noon
Mr. Carey's Coiffeurs
914 Texas Street
Fairfield, CA

March 17, 2007
Black Writers On Tour
9:00 am - 9:00 pm
LAX Crowne Plaza
5985 W. Century Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

September 20
Vallejo Wednesday Night Celebration
Georgia Street
Vallejo, CA

September 22-24
Los Angeles Black Business Expo
LA Convention Center South Hall
Los Angeles, CA

September 30
Pomona Public Library
625 S. Garey Ave
Pomona, CA
2pm-4pm

October 6-8
NCIBA 2006 California Trade Show
Oakland Convention Center
10 10th St
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 238-7765

October 28
Private Reception
Berkeley, CA

Now Hear This!

2006-09-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA)

August 20, 2006
Section: Local
Article ID: 4211322

Now hear this!

CHRIS G. DENINA/Times-Herald staff writer

Pastor Stephen Smith of Worldwide Church of God in Fairfield is seen in this image taken off a computer screen. Ean Dawson (aka: Indecent the Slapmaster) of Vallejo, left, describes the equipment used in the home studio where he and his friend, Gabriel Thomas (aka Krypto) produce their rap music, some of which is placed on the web as a podcast. (Mike Jory/Times-Herald) What do an author, two rappers and a handful of church pastors have in common in Solano County?

The answer: They're all podcasting.

If you haven't heard, podcasts are like Internet radio shows that listeners can download on a computer to hear at home, or on the go, using a portable music player.

Once a listener subscribes to a show, the audio is automatically downloaded whenever a new episode is released.

The technology lets anyone with some computer know-how preach to the masses, rap to listeners across the globe or host a show about books that might have a tough time getting play on a traditional radio station.

And that's what the author, rappers and church pastors are doing - using audio shows to promote their books, music and faith.

Mainstream media, too, like television stations and newspapers are embracing podcasts. Even 707, a monthly magazine published by the Times-Herald, has a podcast.

Boosters say podcasts are empowering anyone with the means to communicate beyond typing text on a Web page. Critics, however, say podcasts are sometimes so narrowly focused and unpolished, they're bound to be a passing fad.

But for the Solano County podcasters, there's no denying the medium is a new frontier.

At Worldwide Church of God in Fairfield, podcasts are reaching a new audience.

If you can't make it to church in person, there's always church on the go, listening to sermons on a music player, Pastor Stephen Smith said.

"You can go to church on your time," Smith said. "In the gym or in the car, out running, they can listen."

Podcasting sermons help reach younger generations who might not make the time to sit in on a service, Smith said. And as his church's membership ages and the congregation dwindles in numbers, attracting newcomers by offering podcasts and downloadable videos of sermons is becoming more key to the church's survival, he said.

"Otherwise you just grow old and die," Smith said.

iPod and iTunes

The term podcast was coined in 2004 and is a combination of the words iPod and broadcast, according to online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Despite the name, podcasts can be listened to on any digital audio player, not just an iPod.

Early on, podcasts were for Web-savvy folks who had the patience to download a sometimes confusing mix of software and search for sometimes hard-to-fit links, called feeds, that point to the audio files.

It wasn't until a version of online music store iTunes that supports podcasts was released last year that an estimated millions learned about the free homemade radio shows.

The iTunes interface simplified the process for finding podcasts. All you had to do was click on a picture and title of a show you liked, then click subscribe and the show would automatically download to your computer.

Podcast directories like iTunes offer thousands of shows for free. Countless people are starting their own, finding they can form a community of individuals with similar interests, said Jesse Drew, acting director of the Technocultural Studies Program at of California, Davis.

A big part of podcasts is they're not tied to any one geographic location, Drew said. That may be why only a handful of podcasters could be locally, he said.

For instance, someone who likes novels can make a show about literature for fellow bookworms to follow, or create a show featuring songs that might not make it to commercial radio.

"They're looking for a community," Drew said. "They want to share stuff with their friends."

You don't have to be a professional to create something, he said. That's the attraction - anyone can podcast and share their personal interests with the world, he said.

Many radio stations stick to Top 40 hits, he said. Now, someone with an eclectic collection of music can play disc jockey and spin tunes for an hour and share it online for anyone else to hear.

"Maybe there will be 50 people who enjoy this thing, maybe 50,000 - it's hard to say," Drew said. 21st century

Several Solano County churches offer podcasts, including New Community Church in Fairfield and The Father's House in Vacaville.

Smith, the pastor at Worldwide Church of God in Fairfield, said it doesn't matter if he never hears from a listener - what matters is people are hearing his message.

He gets about 600 hits daily on his church's Web site, which greets visitors with the message "EVANGELISM: Doing It The 21st Century Way..." Some visitors download the podcasts and hear his sermons from their computer or on their music player.

"It is a lot of work, but if somebody, if one or two or three people have access to that and they can hear it and it's helpful to them and it changes their life, then it's worth it," said Smith, 60, of Vacaville.

The online sermons were started as a way to help church members who live out of town or are older and have trouble making Saturday services. Technology has been a way to reach more people, as the church's membership dropped over the years, Smith said.

About a decade ago, about 240 regularly attended the Fairfield church, he said. Then, the church changed its doctrine to no longer require members to limit activities on the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

Membership dropped. Today, it's about 20, Smith said.

Now, you also need to do more to fill seats, he said.

"Our churches, if you don't have a number of programs going, you're not going to attract the younger generation," Smith said. "They're very podcast-oriented and the like. They're so busy."

Smith, too, is busy. He pastors at two other churches. On Saturdays, he leads services at 9:30 a.m. in Santa Rosa, noon in Fairfield and 3 p.m. in Modesto. That's more than 300 to spread the word.

He can reach only so many people in person, and travel only so many miles a day. Podcasts let him preach to a larger audience.

Smith even records video of his sermons - in high-definition video, no less - which are posted online. The church even mails DVDs of the videos to Christians as far away as China, he said.

Last year, he said he mailed DVDs to 19 countries. Some videos are translated into languages including Chinese, he said.

Even though Christians can listen to his podcasts and watch his videos, Smith said they can get more by attending in person.

"It's almost like you're there, but you miss the tailgate party," Smith said. "You miss the smell of the hot dog and the garlic fries. You miss the whole big picture. You may see the finest details but you miss the big picture."

Passing fad?

There are drawbacks to all this free expression.

Podcasts are letting people surround themselves with only things they like, giving them less exposure to popular culture, said Drew, the acting director of the Technocultural Studies Program at UC Davis.

"I think the downside is people are talking to each other less and less," Drew said. "They have less culturally to refer to."

Podcasts may be a new competitor for radio.

But don't tell that to disk jockeys. Podcasts are a fad, said DJ Randy, a Vallejo disc jockey who runs a pirate radio station out of his house.

"I don't see it really surviving that long," DJ Randy said.

He asked his real name not be used, since his station is unlicensed and he has no plans to obtain government permission to continue broadcasting.

Podcasts allow anyone to have a show, and sometimes it's not something you want to listen to, he said.

"It's not really mainstream - it's more personal," DJ Randy said. "I think it's targeting only a certain audience."

A fan in Japan

Even rappers podcast.

Vallejo hip-hop duo Indecent & Krypto have released a number of songs from their catalog, including tracks dating back to 2003, through a podcast on their page at music site GarageBand.com.

The idea is to give fans a sampling of their work in the hopes listeners will buy their CDs, said Gabriel Thomas, 26, aka Krypto. They released their fourth project, "Rap Athletes Track Meet," under their own label last month.

"It gives them a taste, you know," said Ean Dawson, 27, aka Indecent the SlapMaster. "You can be an artist out there, but if you don't give them a taste, no one's gonna hear about you."

Getting all the listeners you can helps when you're an independent artist, they said. Their podcast is available any time of day, even when they're at their day jobs. Thomas installs heating and air conditioning systems. Dawson works as a vocational counselor for kids with autism.

The pair post their songs online through MySpace.com, a social networking site that many recording artists use to promote their music. But MySpace only allows four songs per page, while podcasts allow artists the freedom to add as many songs as they want, Dawson said.

"They key to the game independently is make as much material as you can and get it out there as much as you can, so you can flood the market," Dawson said. That gets people familiar with your music so they buy CDs and attend live shows, he said.

Podcasts go beyond your normal audience, said Thomas, aka Krypto. Many of their fans are local, but they've had downloads from listeners as far away as Japan, Thomas said.

"I think that's great because it's getting to places we can't get to ourselves right now, doing it independently, without a budget," Thomas said. "That's one of the ways we're getting out there."

Sometimes, however, people might get the wrong idea when they find Indecent & Krypto's music online. Somebody

might buy it in the store and they'll put it online, Thomas said.

"When you're first coming out, of course, any type of publicity is good," Thomas said. "But sooner or later you want to make sales. Right now it's helping us, but further down the line it could hurt us."

On the air

Podcasting is another avenue for a first-time author seeking publicity, said Chandra Adams of Vallejo. In 2004, she released a suspense novel called "Shades of Retribution" through Adrolite Press, her publishing house.

"I remember how hard it was to get on the radio," Adams, 38, said. "So when I found out how easy it was to do a podcast - and I've always had a secret desire to be a talk show personality - I put up a Web site."

She's been podcasting her show interviewing authors since February. So far, she's hosted more than a dozen other writers, letting them promote their books, the way she wished she had help promoting hers.

Adams' shows, available at northbaymediareview.com, have pulled in as many as 82 listeners each, she said. That adds up to hundreds of listens, she added. The publicity helps sales of her book, which has sold more than 1,000 copies, she said.

Adams said she has a list of authors seeking a slot on her show to talk about their book. The podcast is getting her more attention in her field.

"It's establishing me as someone to go to," Adams said. "If you need help promoting your book, obviously you want to get an interview."

The next frontier

Adams, the author, said she already had a computer and Internet connection. All she did was buy a microphone for less than $20 at RadioShack, plug it in and begin recording her talk show podcast.

It's been fun, but it's also taxing, she said.

"It's definitely responsibility," Adams said. "At first, kind of nerve-racking because I felt I had to have everything just right."

Now, she's looking at the next level of podcasting - video blogging.

"I'm going to see if I can start recording interviews on video and putting them on in place instead of just audio," Adams said.

- E-mail Chris G. Denina at cdenina@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6835.

* * * *

Podcasts

The term podcast was coined in 2004 and is a combination of the words iPod and broadcast, and describes audio that can be automatically downloaded to a computer through an online subscription. An iPod is a digital audio player made by Apple Computer Inc.

*Source: en.wikipedia.org

* * * *

How to listen

To listen to podcasts, you'll need a computer, Internet connection and software to download the audio. Among the more popular programs is iTunes, free from www.apple.com.

The iTunes music store includes a directory of free podcasts to subscribe to, so whenever a new episode is released, your computer will download a copy.

You can listen from your computer or if you have a digital audio player such as an iPod - though any kind will do - you can to the podcast wherever you go.

*Source: Times-Herald research

* * * *

Making your own podcast

To create a podcast, you'll need a computer, microphone, Internet connection, Web site and idea for a show.

The following is a quick guide on the basics. For more details on getting started, check the sites in our list on podcasting resources.

• Download and install a free sound editing program like Audacity from audacity.sourceforge.net. Plug the microphone into your computer, hit the record button in Audacity then speak your mind. • Edit your masterpiece and save it as an mp3, a standard format for audio on the Internet. • When you're finished, you'll need to find a Web site where you can store that mp3 file. Once the file is on your site, you'll need to create an XML file, which points to where the file is stored. • If you don't know how to create that file, some sites make it easier to generate by filling out a form. One example is www.tdscripts.com/webmaster-utilities/podcast-generator.php. • Next, create a feed that listeners can subscribe to, using a site like www.feedburner.com, which is free. • Finally, promote your podcast, getting it listed on sites like www.podcastalley.com and telling friends and family to listen. *Source: Times-Herald research

* * * *

If you go

• garageband.com/artist/krypto • northbaymediareview.com • worldwidechurchofgod.com • newcommunitychurch.us • newharborchurch.com • www.tfhweb.com • www.code707.com *Source: Times-Herald research

* * * *

Podcasting resources

• www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts • www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com • www.feedburner.com • www.podcastalley.com • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting • www.podcastingnews.com *Source: Times-Herald research

* * * *

Sites for finding podcasts

• www.podcast.net • www.podcastalley.com • podcasts.yahoo.com • www.ipodder.org • podfeed.net *Source: Times-Herald research

Photo:
Vallejo author Chandra Adams is among a handful of Solano County podcasters. (David Pacheco/Times-Herald).

(c) 2006 Times-Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.

Thelma's African Connection

2006-07-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

My friend Thelma's shop is just a stone's throw away from the apartment I lived in at one time. Thelma Brown has impeccable taste, and it shows in her products, ranging from African artifacts and clothing to artwork and jewelry from some our country's finest. Thelma's African Connection is located at 511 Georgia St., Vallejo, CA 94590. (707) 649-8667. Thelma may also be reached at: thelmasbrown@aol.com. Interested in a trip to Africa? Click play below to listen.

Author and Poet Charles Chatmon is Author of the Month

2006-07-18T15:50:00.003-07:00

Check out my co-host y'all! He's author of the month at www.literaryworld.org
Well deserved, keep up the good work Charles!!!

Smiley's Book Signing July 16, 2006

2006-07-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked my first Southern California book signing at Smiley's Bookstore. Smiley's just reopened about four months ago and my internet radio talk show co-host Charles Chatmon and I enjoyed the afternoon talking up our books! Smiley's Books is located at 20220 Avalon Blvd, Suite D in Carson, CA. Stop on by and support this great bookstore!

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com
www.PassionateInternetVoices.com

Wednesday Night In Vallejo

2006-07-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

I just had the unique experience of marketing my book, Shades of Retribution at the Wednesday Night Celebration here in Vallejo. The happenings along Georgia street are filled with people, food, vendors and great people! If you're in the area, come on down, it starts around 4 PM and ends around 8 PM, although it seemed like it was just getting started around the time I packed up, which was a little after eight.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com
www.PassionateInternetVoices.com
www.InternetVoicesRadio.com

2006-06-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Turning Pages Book Club invited me to set sail on the San Francisco
Bay on a yacht filled with four authors, great food, and great people!
Music by V - Born Again Featuring Jill Scott

2006-06-28T00:06:00.000-07:00

Charles Chatmon recites 'I Dream of Freedom' from The Voices of South Central at the African American Museum and Library at Oakland on Saturday, June 24, 2006 at 'Meet the Authors Day'. Maurice Phillips was a featured author at the event, along with June Cross, Marvin X and Larry Ukali Johnson-Redd. Maurice Phillips is the author of Destiny's Son: Now Is Tomorrow, and invited Charles and I to be his special guest at the event. I had the pleasure of being a featured guest at the library's 'Meet the Authors Day' last June.

Mother’s Day is May 14th, 2006

2006-04-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

Mother’s Day is May 14th, 2006

This is just a friendly reminder to all you procrastinators out there: Mother’s Day is May 14th, 2006. If you read this and you don’t get your mama something special, well, shame on you!
I know that these days seem to only boost the bottom line for Hallmark and all the flower stands in your neighborhood. Only on Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day can you find some ridiculously priced gifts, but you can also find some bargains if you look hard enough. Think about this – think about all the things your mother has done for you. Uh huh. Now, start making that list of mothers day gifts. Flowers should be only the beginning of your expenditures. Add some candy, a nice hat, a beautiful blouse, and you’re in business.
Many would argue that they just don’t have the money to spend. That may be true, but here’s your chance to show your creative side. Does your mum need her car washed? Wouldn’t your mama be happy if you cooked her a nice meal or took her to a movie or for a walk? It’s the thought that counts. A lot of folks don’t exactly get along with their mothers. Might be a good day to put your differences aside, if you can. Before I start sounding too preachy, just know that life is very short, and I’ll leave it at that.
Well just get ready because before you can recover from mother’s day, father’s day and graduation day will be here. Any way you look at it, it’s still about celebrating the people that you love, and to me there’s nothing better.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.adrolitepress.com
www.chandraadams.com
www.northbaywriter.blogspot.com

Is It Just Me Or Are We In Trouble

2006-03-29T12:41:00.000-08:00

Is It Just Me Or Are We In Trouble

Have I been watching too much of the evening news, or are we really in trouble? Where do I begin with what I’m talking about? Well…
For starters, who ever thought gas prices would get up to $3.00 a gallon? I know that’s old news right about now, but in a way it really isn’t if you have to commute every day. And this is only the beginnings of troubles. Why is that bird flu hanging over our heads like a biblical plague waiting to unfold? Enough already! Can’t they quarantine all those birds and people who have it and be done with it, I say? Leave us out of it, I don’t want any parts of any bird flu, I’m not a bird.
Why is the entire world, save a few pockets here and there starting to resemble a third world country? You know what I mean. I love fish but I am scared to eat it because I don’t want mercury poisoning. Beef and chicken are all pumped up with steroids which means I could go crazy, grow hair where it doesn’t belong and get real, real big from eating it. I’m waiting for them to say there’s a hybrid virus developing that is a cross between bird flu and mad cow disease. As soon as I hear it announced – Mad Bird Flu Cow Virus – I’m packing up and moving to a remote village in Africa. But you say wait? Why? Oh, they are having problems over there too, with famines, and holocausts, and viruses? I wonder how soon they are planning to colonize Mars.
All this apocalyptic talk is giving me all kinds of pains, a friend of mine recommended Vioxx so I’m just going to take one. Why are you shaking your head? Vioxx can do what????? I guess I’ll be joining the rest of the vioxx lawsuits.
I can honestly see why some people just go nuts, but there is an upside to all of this. I can turn off the news shows, stop worrying and live my life. I’m sure the generation before us, and the generations before them had some of the same questions and concerns when faced with life-threatening plague-ish diseases and questionable environmental and economic situations. But we are still here, still thriving.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.adrolitepress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.northbaymediareview.com

Ways to Celebrate Easter

2006-03-29T11:59:00.000-08:00

Ways to Celebrate Easter

Easter is such an interesting day. It comes on a Sunday, as it always has, but you don’t get Monday off, which kind of isn’t so great. Nevertheless, it is a special day for many, and so many traditions remain for that day.
I don’t get excited about it that much these days, but when I was a little girl I remember looking forward to a new dress and a new pair of shoes to wear to church. If my mother didn’t plan a special dinner, my grandmother did and after church we would spend the rest of the day eating ham, potato salad, coconut cake, pineapple upside down cake – you name it. As I grew older, we relaxed a bit on the big Easter meals and even found an excuse to barbecue.
Easter eggs, chocolate, baskets full of them along with jelly beans and stuffed animal rabbits would thrill me to no end, and when my folks decided that I was too old to receive them I felt sad. These days, when I’m lucky I receive Easter Flowers, or just go ahead and buy them myself.
Spring is such a beautiful time of the year, and even though Easter doesn’t amount to a day off, it is a perfect time to dress up, smell the flowers, get in touch with your spirituality, and even just take a walk to take in the fresh air after a rain shower. There are times when I have felt that holidays and rituals were a waste of time. Now, to me, they represent a way to celebrate all of the big and small things in life.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.adrolitepress.com
www.chandraadams.com
www.northbaymediareview.com

2006-03-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

The Chandra Adams Show -- On Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 11pm eastern
time. Click Play to listen!

2006-03-21T00:35:00.000-08:00

I attended the Black Writers on Tour this year held at the LAX Radisson and the event was well worth the time and investment! Click play below to listen.

Lillian Cauldwell Interviews Chandra Adams

2006-03-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure last Thursday, March 16th of being interviewed by Lillian Cauldwell! Please listen in:

If you would like to know more about Lillian Cauldwell, you can find her at

Small Business Referral Network

or

Lillian Cauldwell

Truck Fetish

2006-03-17T01:18:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to own a truck. I don’t know exactly why, but it always seemed like something that would come in handy.
Many have discouraged me over the years, and I succumbed every time, particularly when it came time to purchase a new automobile a few years back. My first choice became a Honda – I was influenced by a relative and it has actually been one of my best decisions, considering the fact that I have faced some pretty heavy commutes. Great on gas, I can get from here (Vallejo) to Los Angeles on one tank of gas or about 10 gallons providing traffic is light to moderate. I can fit in small parking spaces, and generally my Civic is generally a fairly feminine car. I don’t mean that men who drive one are pansies or anything like that at all. But as far as macho cars go, I’d say the Civic lands somewhere in the bottom of the pile.
Trucks have always held some level intrigue for me. Once I learned that most of them have a lot of power, I really wanted one. Ever see those fools on the highway, rain, shine, blizzard, tornado, hurricane flying by you in their pickup trucks? If I had eight cylinders, there’s no telling what I’d do in it, truth be told. I would probably have a truck tool box full of speeding tickets, parking tickets, you name it.
The other great thing about trucks is that they have gone luxury on us. Ever been in the cab of one of those larger trucks? Comfortable, great sound systems, you name it and you can have it. Plus you get to haul your trash, buy big pieces of furniture from garage sales or furniture stores and never have to worry how you’re going to get your treasure home. Yes. Me in a truck. I’m getting even more attached to the idea except…
You’re probably wondering what’s wrong. Those ‘what’s a little lady like you doing in that big old truck, you can’t handle that’ comments just popped up in my head. I remember renting a truck and a companion was amazed that I could handle it. Either he’s an idiot or I really do come off like the damsel in distress. Whatever the case, I have a confession to make. Although my heart yearns to own a big, curb-hogging eight-cylinder truck, I really just want to keep my Civic until I can afford a Mercedes or an Infinity. If I ever have some extra cash lying around, then I’ll spring for one. My first priority is a much faster car than the one that I have, but not necessarily more bulky. It’s a tough decision, isn’t it? And trucks seem to cover a broad range of automobile types according to Car and Driver Magazine: Ford F-150, Honda Pilot, Cadillac SRX, Subaru Forester, Honda Odyssey. Who knew? I certainly did not. Well, I’m finished now, I’m going to do some more research on these trucks.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com

Home Office Blues

2006-03-13T17:30:00.000-08:00

Like a lot of folks who work at home, I use a spare bedroom for my office. Truthfully, I’m ready to expand into the garage, but I’m a little unsure of which direction to turn in. A small list of items to furnish the garage-office is appropriate right now, but before you know it that list can turn outrageous. I already have desks and chairs, but as visions of a boardroom, waiting area (you’d think I have a ten-car garage) complete with Office Room Reception Chairs continue to expand, I realize that if I don’t develop a budget for it I could be headed for trouble.
For starters, I need to insulate, paint, run phone and DSL lines. Of course I have to make sure it’s alright with the city, county, state, and perhaps even the country and their offices before I make that move. Since the garage isn’t attached to the house, I have to make sure my path is well lit and the boundaries secure for those late night work sessions. More and more my spare bedroom appears to be the place to stay.
As business expands and grows, operations will as well. I suppose I’ll know the right time to lay those bigger office plans. In the meantime, I’ll continue to wake up and walk those twenty-five steps to the office.

I Considered Plucking My Eyeballs Out

2006-02-28T19:27:00.000-08:00

I Considered Plucking My Eyeballs Out

Barry Bonds in a honey blonde wig, a strapless dress, socks and flip-flops. Here are the pictures so you can understand my dilemma today when I turned to sfgate.com to read the news and saw this.

Now I have a good friend who lives in Atlanta, and we at one point engaged in a light discussion on men in drag, particularly black men in drag and how she refused to acknowledge this uh, phenomenon. From Madea to Martin Lawrence, I have not taken offense to it, and actually think it is quite funny. Until today. Oh, excuse me for a minute my stomach is roiling…

Okay, I’m back, although my queasiness could make me take leave of the computer at any second. This latest man in drag has caught my attention, and I’m beginning to wonder what the heck is going on here.

Let’s examine Barry Bonds for a moment. Here we have an extraordinary sports figure with unparalleled confidence. This is a man who makes no apologies to anyone, knows his worth in gold, and seems to thrive amidst controversy. He is the subject of many a scathing sports article, which never seems to matter to him because he knows and will tell you that he is the heart of San Francisco.

My eyes, oh how they suffered. At first they considered shriveling at the sight of the wig perched atop that chocolate brown head. Then, when I saw the shirt he turned into that hideous dress, my eyes blurred. When I saw his little legs peek out beneath the dress, tiny compared to his bare shoulders, I just wanted to take a skewer and put my burning eyes out of their misery.

Realizing that ridding myself of my eyes wouldn’t solve anything, I began to try to deal with the disappointment I felt over this. Some still might say, what’s the big deal? Why can’t Bonds wear a dress without somebody freaking out?

Deep down inside, I really admire Barry for his cockiness. He has the nerve to do everyday what I’m just learning how to do, which is stand tall in the face of the harshest criticism. He has slowly become my hero as he has shown that he can go toe-to-toe with the most obnoxious, and I have studied him as he turns just about every media circus into his own show, all about him, and how great he is. With that said, there’s always the possibility that he flipped it, and distracted everyone from the steroid controversy that has been threatening to rear its ugly head once again. For the first time in a while, we got the opportunity to see him laughing with his teammates, and it seemed that he finally found a way to decrease the ever-growing distance between them.

But why did it have to be that emasculating, hideous get-up to do the trick? I have to say officially, now, I am tired of seeing black men dress up as women, whether it is just Grandma or Paula Abdul. There’s no reason for it. I know that Milton Berle and Dustin Hoffman have done it. Sure, of course, there’s no reason to make it a race issue, right? Wrong. In this case, it really does bother me that this man’s man, this big hunk of masculinity felt the need, for whatever reason, to dress up as a woman. Did he think he needed to do it to make himself more palatable to the world? I’m sure it worked. But why did he have to become more palatable? Why couldn’t he just remain himself and be the great player, stellar athlete that he is, amidst his every fault? I felt proud of him and his accomplishments, regardless of his faults and inconsistencies. He wouldn’t have become who he is without them. Maybe I doubt his self-assuredness. Perhaps he knows something I don’t know about his own world, that dressing up like Paula Abdul is just another way to disarm his critics. Whatever the case, it was hard on the eyes today, and I hope I can get some advance warning next time beforehand.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com

What’s Goin’ On

2006-02-26T21:51:00.000-08:00

What’s Goin’ On

I just watched a documentary on Marvin Gaye, a man I’ve actually known quite little about for the past few years. I did know that he was extremely talented, attractive and charming. I also knew that he had a drug problem and his father shot him to death.

I didn’t realize that he married Barry Gordy’s sister, Anna Gordy Gaye, who was thirty-nine to his twenty-one years when they did marry. I also didn’t realize that he had an entourage to make M.C. Hammer’s following look considerably sparse, and that same entourage was one of the main causes of his financial demise.

The documentary showed footage of him talking about his life in later years, and the one thing that struck me was the sad and hollow look in his eyes. Here was the man who, at one time, was Motown’s bread and butter, and could mix his oozing sex appeal with social commentary in both his performances and music.

I felt haunted by the look in his eyes. This man, brought up in a religious family, went against the grain to become one of the greatest rhythm and blues singers of all time. He is a legend, yet somehow fell prey to his own sense of limitation. I got the feeling that he was someone who wanted to help others, who cried out against injustice, and was clearly a trailblazer in the music business. He worked overtime to set new standards and assert control over his own destiny, yet seemed unable to rise above his own demons.

The inability to rise above one’s own demons in their various forms is just one aspect of the human condition. Some folks drink too much and abuse substances, others can’t seem to control their anger or tendencies toward violence. It doesn’t matter the vice, since we’re all subject to error. What strikes me as interesting is that struggle that some artists seem unable to manage. It seems that the same creative energy that makes them so remarkable and ingenious is the same energy, on the flip side, that can pave the way to self-destruction. Does their ability to create and invent overwhelm them? Is this world too difficult and too ugly to cope with after experiencing the brilliant visions and ideas they see in their own minds? I wonder. I wonder probably because I’ve seen people close to me, brilliant and highly creative, self-destruct. Very disturbing yet very curious.

On the other hand, there are individuals like Prince. Prince is an absolute genius, and a great businessman all at the same time. He has been extremely adept at protecting himself from exploitation. Prince has maintained a very clear view of reality and has been unafraid to let everyone know when he feels he has been given a raw deal. My comparison of the two artists in no way diminishes my respect for Gaye. I just can’t help but wonder why we lose some of our most brilliant too soon. While I know that each of us follows our own separate path, for better or worse, perhaps we can learn something from both of them and apply it to our own lives.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com

On Racism

2006-02-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

On Racism

I just came from watching Freedomland starring Samuel L. Jackson, and Julianne Moore. It was really pretty good. I’ll leave it at that, because this blog entry is not a movie review. I’ll let you go see it for yourself, and maybe we’ll get a chance to talk about it one day.

Anyhow, one of the main themes of the movie is racism. I have been hearing so much about racism in the past couple of weeks, I just don’t know how to process it. Oprah did this show the other day where she had these two families, one ‘black’ and the other ‘white’ dress up to be the opposite. It was most interesting to see the white folks done up as black folks. The mom was the least convincing for me, but the father and the girl were dead on. I guess I have gotten so used to seeing Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence and Marlon and Shawn Wayans dressed up as Caucasians that I wasn’t totally convinced with the white-face makeup.

These days, everybody throws around the term racism. African-Americans are even sometimes labeled as racist. Just so that everyone understands (who’s reading this) what racism is, I’d like to establish some meanings. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, racism is: The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.

Now, let’s compare the term racism with prejudice: An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts. Let’s also take a look at bias: A preference or an inclination, especially one that inhibits impartial judgment; an unfair act or policy stemming from prejudice. And last, but not least, bigotry: The attitude, state of mind, or behavior characteristic of a bigot; intolerance. And what exactly is a bigot? Bigot: One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.

Are you still with me? Good. To sum it up, racism is a belief, prejudice is based on judgments and opinions in the absence of facts. A bias is a preference, and a bigot is partial to one’s own group and is intolerant of others. I believe in each and every one of our every day lives, we are challenged to rise above our own biases, prejudices, and bigotry. If we encounter a person who is different from us, often we initially rely on what our parents, friends, media and entertainment tell us about that different person. And, if we are fortunate, we take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about that different person and begin regarding that other as a human being worthy of kindness, compassion and mercy, if we haven’t done so already.

I can only speak from a ‘black’ American perspective when I speak of racism. I know that it is something that undermines the sanity of the racist individual as much as it does his or her victim. African-Americans definitely have suffered unaccountably from systematic oppression, but what happens to the heart of the racist? What happens to the person, and I’m not just referring to white people, that look at my dark skin and kinky hair and decide that I’m not worthy of kindness, compassion, mercy, and respect? Many people already feel that they know black people and how they think, act, what they value and how they behave. Television is their guide, and that seems to be enough for them. I am used to people becoming uncomfortable when they cannot easily assign one of many readily available stereotypes to me and my life. I hate it when non-black people tell me that I am ‘articulate’. I hate it even more when some individuals are so disturbed that I am not poor and ignorant that they feel the need to go out of their way to treat me as if I am. Sometimes I take it all in stride, sometimes I want to and do go completely off on folks.

One thing we must all understand is that we all reap what we sow. It may not seem like it to some, but it is true. What goes up, must come down. What you put out comes back to you. One cannot oppress another without poisoning one’s own heart. Nowadays, racism is casually observed, and seemingly accepted as ‘just the way things are’. It’s the topic of talk shows and movies, yet it plays out in the same way every time like a broken record as it has for the past hundred years. And unfortunately, it won’t change until it ceases to be profitable. One man’s pain is another man’s gain. We poke fun at it, get angry at it, throw money at it, go to jail behind it, but as long as it works, it won’t change. People who don’t know their history in this country and don’t take time to examine their reactions toward people who are different tend to cry ‘reverse racism’ and ‘reverse discrimination’. Wouldn’t it indeed be nice if we could just reverse racism and reverse discrimination?

I’ve probably ranted enough, but I want to leave everyone with this. Life is not a zero-sum game, where someone has to give up something for another to have more. Oppressing other people is a lazy man’s game. It requires very little creativity, and lets a few individuals sit back and relax while everyone else suffers. Think about it.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com

Portal to Hell

2006-02-15T16:52:00.000-08:00

Portal to Hell

One of the hot items in the news today, most likely sparked by the Oprah show, is that of child predators on the internet. One young man sat on Oprah’s couch today and explained in fairly graphic detail his victimization over the internet. As this youngster gave his account, I could see flashes of innocence lost, pain, and a lingering numbness in his eyes.
The shocking part for most of us, I would presume, was in hearing that many of the people that victimized him were pediatricians, teachers, and others who are constantly exposed to and responsible for our young children in some fashion. The seduction, and subsequent molestation of this young boy was easily achieved through the technology that has helped so many of us thrive in so many ways in our daily lives.
E-mail, Pay Pal, instant messaging and websites are the tools many people use to build online businesses. I am an information-seeker by nature; anytime I want to satisfy my curiosity about anything from jellybeans to the war in Iraq, I can consult Google and find the answers to my most burning questions. I have only had one experience with a web cam. An old college friend of mine convinced me to access his while we chatted and caught up on old times, and sure as the sun shines, he showed me his moon and every other part of his anatomy I wasn’t interested in viewing. Needless to say, our reminiscing ended and I still try to put that most recent shock of my life behind me.
The possibilities of how the internet can be used are endless, but one thing I have said about it and now know for certain: the internet can be the portal to hell.
One never knows what darkness lurks in the hearts of men, but if you were ever curious, just cruise the internet for a little while and I’m sure one can find out more than they ever hoped to know. The prevalence of predators poses a difficult dilemma for parents and children alike. It is so easy to sit back and ask why these parents aren’t monitoring their children’s activities. I honestly don’t believe that any child should be allowed to spend hours in his or her room alone with the door closed because I sincerely doubt that anything productive would be going on inside. On the other hand, with the stiff competition to get one’s child prepared for college, it is important that the child have a firm grasp on technology and its workings. With online encyclopedias, newspapers, and new technologies sprouting up everyday, I can’t imagine a child not understanding how to use the internet at this point in time. The more technologically savvy the child becomes, however, the harder it is to monitor their activities short of looking over his shoulder every second that he is logged in.
The portal to hell is there, beckoning each and every one of us on a daily basis. How do we go about protecting our young children and our impressionable teenagers who don’t have the maturity and emotional resources to resist its call? I think that’s a tough one to answer for many, unless those who allow the internet in their homes understand the exact nature of the beast and are capable of effectively communicating its dangers to their offspring.
I hope that everyone who could tuned in to Oprah’s show and considered how the information presented applies to their own situation. It’s so easy to say, ‘not my child, not in my household’, but that’s usually exactly when it happens. I applaud Ms. Winfrey for finding ways to continually expose child predators on so many levels. Children have the right to be children, to experience innocence, and learn about and learn from technology without being seduced and assaulted. We have to become better gatekeepers and protect those who can’t protect themselves.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com

No Smiles Cheney

2006-02-14T17:09:00.000-08:00

No Smiles Cheney

Cheney really scares me. It’s not because of Halliburton, or the fact that he shot a 78 year-old companion while on a quail-killing excursion. It’s not because he’s a part of one of the most questionable administrations to plague the White House in a while, either.
And it’s not because he’s had serious heart trouble himself since 1978. Well, alright, the fact that he scares me has a lot to do with all of these things, but that’s still not exactly it.
The truth is, I get a cold chill that runs from the top of my head and all the way down my back every time I see Dick Cheney on television.
In all these years in the public eye, I have never once seen Dick Cheney smile. It could be that his non-smiling is more noticeable in contrast to the uh, let’s say, boyish grin that George W. Bush always seems to have planted on his face. I dunno. But I’ll tell you, images of Star War’s Anakin as he made his descent to the dark side override my senses every time I see that plain mug of his, void of any real human emotion.
I’m sure that everyone is raking him over the coals today for shooting that poor old guy and giving him a heart attack. I know it was probably an accident, albeit a strange one and one that could have definitely been avoided. But what does it mean when one doesn’t smile, not even for the media?
Let us give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps no one ever taught him how to smile, or never defined a smile for him. Maybe, just maybe, he is actually giving us a Cheney-smile as he trails Bush around from building to building, from Air Force One to press conference after press conference. Now that’s a scary thought, isn’t it? Well just to be sure, I looked up the meaning of the word smile in The American Heritage Dictionary. Smile is categorized as follows: A facial expression characterized by an upward curving of the corners of the mouth and indicating pleasure, amusement, or derision. So, I guess that theory didn’t work.
Then, I’ve considered the notion that if I had experienced heart trouble for the past twenty years or so, would I be all smiles? I’m not so sure, so I’ll give him a little credit. But don’t they say that laughter is the best medicine? If it is, and I believe that it is, wouldn’t the virtues of a simple smile be akin to that old saying? I obviously have a lot of questions on the matter. But for the life of me, I just don’t get the no-smiling thing. I understand that he probably feels like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and now that he’s being portrayed as an irresponsible, untrustworthy liability to the president, I doubt that we’ll ever see one. And what a shame, because it probably is quite a pretty smile. (I don’t believe that I just wrote that either).
The last consideration to the question of no-smiles is dental health. Is he toting around a few wooden teeth? Or, maybe he has a penchant for gold teeth and has gold fronts, which we all know wouldn’t go over too well with his White House crew.
Although I’m sure the lack of smiles was the last thing on Cheney’s list today, one wonders if all of his troubles began with the absence of them. Smiling, even if it just a show to the world, is a positive affirmation of hope, of good days ahead and good days in the past. If one is having a bad day, when you can find even the smallest thing to smile about, half your battles are over. When I see him walking around numb and lifeless, I feel like the world is full of trouble. Either his demeanor is a reflection of the reality he has created, or a sign that his own world is void of any happiness. If he makes it through this latest media trial, I hope he can go somewhere, take a seat in the sun, and just smile.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com
www.AdrolitePress.Blogspot.com

Do We Still Need Black History Month?

2006-02-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

Do We Still Need Black History Month?

I’ve heard that question come up a few times so far this month (and the month is still fairly young). Some feel that it is divisive, that people in America whose ancestors were kidnapped from Africa and enslaved should stop thinking about the past and just move forward like everyone else. Others believe that it is an insult to black people to relegate their rich and diverse history to the shortest month of the year.

I believe that what most people, black, white, yellow, red, or whatever have failed to realize is that so-called black history is American history. The descendants of slaves from Africa are as American as cotton, sugar, rum, sweet potatoes, jazz, rhythm and blues and hip-hop.

I could go on about the numerous inventions and patents contributed by those slave descendants to our modern society. Yes, I could go ahead and maintain a defensive stance about what I see as blatant disrespect for a group of people who were forced to be here and given very little in return.

As far as statistics go, black Americans make up 12 percent of our population. This group of people percentage-wise also represent frighteningly well in the number of people in this country who: have contracted HIV and have AIDS, are victims of homicide, are likely to be incarcerated, and the list goes on, hardly any of it good.

The good news? Black Americans, those descendants of slaves, are still here. Despite the racism, discrimination, and stigmas placed against their skin color, they are still here, and are here to stay. But instead of being praised and supported, often our society continues to treat them as if they don’t belong. If they don’t belong here, then where do they belong?

Black History month is for everyone here in this country, to seize the opportunity to learn more about our precious, yet little known history. Perhaps it should be renamed the Real Deal American History? Maybe that would make it clear that this segment of our rich American history is worthy of being noticed and well recorded in our minds and our hearts. It is difficult to comprehend, understand, and embrace what you do not know or understand. It’s even easier to go ahead and continue to ridicule, discriminate against, and distance one’s self from this highly misunderstood group of people.

As a slave descendant myself, truthfully, I used to feel uncomfortable pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. I just didn’t feel like, in my youth, that ‘black’ Americans were regarded as true Americans. But as I studied my own family history and continued to resolve for myself some of the inconsistencies in what I was taught in school, I realized that I am as about as American as they come. My ancestors came here as slaves, picked cotton, lived among native Americans, were African, native American and European, became sharecroppers, owned land, freed slaves, some migrated from the south, some stayed. My parents, as their parents did, lived, loved, paid taxes, owned land, raised families, and served in the military. My siblings and I carry on their legacy as we also live, love, pay taxes, vote, own land, go to work, run businesses, and generally thrive. As a true-blue, real-deal, red- blooded ‘black’ African-American, my history is American history, which makes it every American’s history. Happy Black History Month!!!

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com

Press Release for Mixed Matters

2006-02-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chandra Adams
Writer/Publisher
PO Box 2332
Vallejo, CA 94592
(707) 332-8961
(707) 643-1115 (fax)

ADROLITE PRESS LLC LAUNCHES MIXED MATTERS INTERVIEW SERIES

Vallejo, California
February 8, 2006

Adrolite Press, LLC has produced Mixed Matters, an author interview forum via podcast. The interview show, featuring up and coming writers and authors, will be distributed every other week beginning the week of February 5, 2006.

Mixed Matters will feature published poets, writers and authors. Chandra Adams, the author of Shades of Retribution will host the show. Adams states, “We want to provide an opportunity for published authors to share their work and their insights with their audience. Literature is, and always has, been very important to me and I will continue to do my part to promote it.”

Adams published Shades of Retribution in 2004 under Adrolite Press LLC. Since 2004, she has come into contact with several talented authors while promoting her work. Book signings, author discussion panels, workshops, and bookstore appearances are all vital aspects of marketing and promoting, but securing the all-important interview has proven to be far and away the best marketing tool for the writer who wants to get noticed. “Podcasting drew my attention immediately with its potential,” Adams says. “Once I realized that we could provide a platform for authors to share their voices and their work, I knew we had something special.”

Mixed Matters distributed its first podcast on February 7, 2006 featuring Charles Chatmon Jr., a poet and author of The Depths of My Soul and The Voices of South Central. The Chatmon interview is available at http://www.NorthBayMediaReview.com

For Information: http://www.NorthBayMediaReview.com
Contact: Books@AdrolitePress.com
Phone: (707) 332-8961

Please check out my other blog

2006-02-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

I've decided to move my ongoing blog to a new address. To view my posts from the past, visit www.adrolitepress.blogspot.com, where I've added my interview show, Mixed Matters, which is an audio blog.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.adrolitepress.com
www.chandraadams.com
www.northbaymediareview.com
www.adrolitepress.blogspot.com

The Year Is Still Young

2006-02-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Year Is Still Young

Are you taking care of your money? That’s something I ask myself every time I reach into my pocket now. The answer to that question for me is, I am, and I’m getting better at it everyday. But there’s always room for improvement.
I’ll tell you where I’ve improved – I’ve trimmed the fat off my cell phone bill and regular telephone bills. There’s nothing nicer than opening either bill up and paying a fraction of what I used to carelessly dish out. No call waiting on my home phone, and I purchased an answering machine instead of dishing out the seven or eight dollars monthly for voicemail. I would eliminate the phone service at my home period, but I send and receive faxes quite a bit and I have DSL. Plus, I guess I just can’t get used to relying on solely on a cell phone as a means of communication. Now, as for the cell phone, I’ve slashed those minutes like a stalker slashing some poor celebrity’s tires. I have to watch how much I talk, which can be inconvenient and even more costly if I go over my allotted minutes, but I have a smaller cost and less gossiping to show for it.
I stay out of Marshall’s, Ross, the outlet malls, and anywhere I know I could potentially go nuts with the cash. When I think about all of the clothes crammed into my closet, I get a little sick and dizzy when I think about acquiring more and often have to leave the mall as quickly as possible. I drive less (no oil addiction here), eat less, and cut back on cable service. I’m becoming more and more mature financially; yet, some things still need to receive some attention.
I do invest, and have become more creative with it as of late. I realize, though, that it is high time for me to step it up. I mean, I’m not getting any younger here and I’m not sure I can see myself ringing up shower rods and trash bags at Target at seventy years of age. I’m kind of spreading my little pennies here and there between the credit union, this company and that, and a savings account. One thing I’ve been interested in since business school is stock option trading. I learned a lot about it theoretically in my finance classes, but now I’m ready to broaden my horizons and really do some trading. At some point, when I actually can spare fifteen percent of my earnings, I will devote some time to investing aggressively, or identify someone trustworthy who can do it for me. When you work for a company, you invest (or divest, depending on your perspective) a little more than 7% toward social security, and your company matches that amount to total 15% of your earnings that are contributed to social security. Depending on what you believe, that money is available to you upon retirement. To keep up with what I’ll need to retire, I’ll need to invest an entire 15% of my earnings from now until I retire. There are so many ways to do this, and as I learn more, I will do more, and share more. Whatever you or I do, don’t despair. The year is still young, and we can do what we need to do to establish our financial independence.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com

Exercise Your Right of Way

2006-02-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

Exercise Your Right of Way

I was driving through San Francisco about a month ago, looking for parking and got caught up on several one-way streets just trying to get where I needed to go. Expecting it, and used to it by now, I just sat back, trying to remember the street I needed to turn on to put me out of my temporary misery. As I drove through one city block and onto another, it struck me that pedestrians just walked out into the street, many without looking.

Now, everyday I read the San Francisco Chronicle online, and every week, it seems, some poor pedestrian has either been struck by, dragged by, or dragged under some vehicle, usually a public transportation vehicle. And, whenever I am a pedestrian in the city, I stay far away from the curb when I’m waiting for the signal to walk, and even when I’m venturing into that crosswalk, I wait to see if anybody is going to come flying around the corner in their automobile. Unlike R. Kelly, I don’t believe I can fly, and I’m not interested in finding out if I can or not. I’m especially careful when on foot because I know how hard it is to see people darting out from the sidewalk in the best of circumstances.

But there they are, many wearing colors that blend into the concrete and the surroundings, just walking out into the street, either on faith, or sheer stupidity. You realize that it doesn’t matter which mind state, right? Because once a moving car takes a chunk out of your behind, there’s no turning back. Had it not been for one man’s hot pink hair, one particular afternoon in the city, my car’s bumper and his uh, bumper if you will, would have merged to become one. I had never seen any body with hot pink hair jump so high, and as much as it frightened us both, I apologized and made sure to keep a closer eye out for folks.

Lawyers in San Francisco must make a killing, I suppose a lot like ny lawyers. These two cities, like many other large ones, are all a-buzz with pedestrians, taxi drivers, bicycle couriers, and traffic, traffic, traffic. Lots of incidents, small and large, are sure to jump off every hour on the hour. Everybody is interested in exercising their right-of-way, and some even take it a step further and just believe that it’s their right-of-way in any and all circumstances. I wouldn’t exactly risk my well being just to get to the other side of the street, but I realize that not everyone thinks that way. So in the meantime, when I’m braving the streets of San Francisco, I’ll have to keep my third eye for jaywalkers peeled.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com