kiri davis takes 1st place for short film July 30, 2007

Back in October 2006, on my old blogger blog, I posted a link to the video piece, A Girl Like Me, by Kiri Davis. Well, she recently took home first place in the Cosmo Girl Take Action Hollywood Film Contest. (Thanks, Carla, for the heads up!) Congratulations, Kiri!

The film explores self-image concerns of young black women, and the ever present effect of slavery, racism and discrimination in our society. When you hear girls explaining for themselves why they feel the way they do, it’s hard not to listen up, and be motivated to do something. If you haven’t seen the film yet, check it out here.

Kiri won a $10,000 grant from Take Action Hollywood, a Windows Vista Ultimate laptop, an iPod Shuffle, and a Target gift card.

Find out more about Davis:

Media That Matters Film Festival 

Baltimore Times article 

NPR discussion with Leonard Pitts about his op-ed piece referencing the film

KOMOTV news story (link to video)

recipes: jerk tofu and collard greens July 27, 2007

 

My hunny is from Trinidad and I’m from Miami, but we are now stuck in Ann Arbor, and try to make due with it.  One of the ways I try to make this Michigan city feel more like home is to cook Caribbean style food on a regular basis. This recipe for jerk tofu is by far the best one I have ever made. I used no premade sauces, and the flavors were perfectly sweet and spicy.  You can adjust the spiciness by adding or lessening the about of chile pepper you use. Oh, and try not to eat it all the first night because the second or third night is when the flavors really start to come together.

recipes follow . . . click “more” 

1700s canon found on the venetian islands July 26, 2007

Article in the Miami Herald, July 26, 2007

BY CHARLES RABIN

photo taken FOR THE MIAMI HERALD

Workers — who initially thought they had hit a pipe — unearth a ship’s cannon outside the Lido Spa Hotel on Tuesday.

• Video | Cannon controversy

The cannon dug up near the Venetian Causeway on Tuesday might indeed be from a British brig or Spanish galleon that roamed the seas centuries ago.

But in keeping with South Florida’s zany history, it turns out the cannon spent a good deal of the mid-1900s as a simple decorative piece guarding the entryway of the old Monterrey Motel on Miami Beach.

”They had it out front,” Historic Museum of South Florida curator Jorge Zamanillo said, a day after its discovery under a sidewalk. “It was probably abandoned and used for fill.”

As word spread of Tuesday’s find, a flood of phone calls shed new light on the cannon’s origins: Prior to it standing sentry at the Monterrey, the cannon was pointed toward Biscayne Bay behind a scary old abandoned home — perhaps in wait of an unfriendly armada.

At least, that’s longtime Miami Beach resident Natalie Segal’s recollection.

”There was this old abandoned house like you’d see in scary movies,” said Segal, 69, who remembers the cannon dating back to the late 1940s.

“It had overgrown grass. It was like plodding through somewhere no one had ever walked. We came across this cannon at the waterfront. We just looked at it and thought we ought to get out of there.”

Still, the caretakers of the county’s artifacts weren’t taking any chances Wednesday. By mid-afternoon, county archaeologist Jeff Ransom — who said the cannon was an artifact whether it was above ground or not more than a half-century ago — had workers dig a trench to store the cannon for the time being.

PRESERVATION

He said the state has offered to pay transportation costs to Tallahassee, where it would be preserved. But first Miami Beach officials have to agree to pay to have an electrolysis machine peel away all the elements that have compounded on the cannon over the years.

”Then it will be just iron, and hopefully we’ll find a marking,” Ransom said.

Ten feet in length and perhaps weighing several tons, the cannon was uncovered Tuesday by construction workers installing new pipes outside the Standard hotel, formerly known as the Di Lido Hotel, and before that the Monterrey Motel.

call for artists: imaginative and direct small grants July 25, 2007

In an attempt to move beyond the typical protocol of grant applications, several folks have come up with some brilliant alternatives. Instead of applying to a large corporation, non-profit or government agency, with these grants, you pretty much apply directly to one or a few people. Seeking to minimize bureaucracy and heirarchy, their application process is direct and straightforward: you tell them about your project, how much it will cost, and they quickly decide who gets the grant for that cycle. Got an idea? Submit it to these revolutionary folks . . .

Josh Greene at Service Works - he’s a waiter and artist who will grant one person a month his tips from one night of work

Carla Williams and Deirdre Visser at Cadre - they collect $10 donations from people to fund two projects a year; to apply, you have to donate $10

Damali Ayo at NOW Art Grants- funds work that engages dialogue about current social issues; includes three months mentorship by damali ayo and a second mentor who has specific experience in the project field

Have you heard about other projects like these? Tell me so I can pass on the information.

IFC Free Film Fest July 24, 2007

IFC is hosting a free film festival in several cities throughout the country. Check out their website for local information. As for my two cities: the Miami film fest starts on Tuesday (info below), and the Detroit film fest starts August 28. Other cities include: Memphis, Denver, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C.  Film Fests have already passed in Phili and Atlanta.

Keep reading for Miami info . . .