Michael Jackson's Birthday Celebration in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY

To celebrate Michael Jackson's birthday, Spike Lee is hosting a party in Prospect Park, Brooklyn on Sunday, August 29th, 2010 from 12-5pm. Mr. Jackson's music will be played the entire time. I plan to be one of the countless revelers that enjoyed and  continue to enjoy Mr. Jackson's music on this very day. Come on out and celebrate!

Hurricane Katrina-5 years later

The great city of New Orleans is reemerging as its former self. Hurricane Katrina all but destroyed this city of pure decadence. But the kind people of New Orleans banded together and funding from the government rebuilt houses and lives. I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity immediately after and stayed for a month, working on rebuilding homes and counseling numerous people during this time of need. And what struck me, during my time, was the enduring qualities of the people. They tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves. They appreciated the volunteers during this time of need. I was there during CNN presentation on TV, and was elated that the coverage never ended. Spike Lee completed a documentary for HBO and numerous others have contributed to spreading the word that this situation is not over and we should do our upmost to help this wonderful city come back to its hey day.

Abbey Lincoln--Goddess of Jazz

I was introduced to Abbey Lincoln's music late in life. I was a junior in college and heard her music and played it for one of my classes as some sort of jazz presentation. I didn't know the voice or the format and one of my peers kindly informed me that it was the great Abbey Lincoln. I was hooked since that day. Ms. Lincoln passed away this month and left a huge void in the jazz world. Ms. Lincoln was committed to her art and it showed in the 1999 album, "Wholly Earth", a true mastery of music and lyrics sung with verve and realism. A true storyteller, Ms. Lincoln provided the jazz community with music ranging from avant garde civil rights era recordings to the equally powerful but more introspective work of her later years. Ms. Abbey Lincoln, I will miss your musical stylings and that voice of love, yearning and regret.