Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson - The Two Mr. Johnsons

Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson outside courthouse - 1953

I can remember when the name Bumpy Johnson first meant anything to me. I was ten years old, and still upset that my family moved from Harlem to the Bronx the year before. I found it hard to make friends and would often convince my mother to let me to take the number 2 train to Harlem to visit my pals from the old neighborhood. On this particular bright sunny day in July 1968, and I happily trotted up the subway stairs, grasping the two shiny quarters – my weekly allowance which I planned on using to buy a hamburger and a chocolate milkshake at the Rexall Drugstore on the corner of 125^th Street and Lenox Avenue.

            As soon as I walked up the steps from the station I could see something was going on. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, the shoe repair store, which doubled as the neighborhood gambling spot, was closed. There were no shiny –faced Nation of Islam brothers hawking copies of Muhammad Speaks on the corner. Missing too were the winos who usually sprawled on the steps of brownstones, drinking brown-bag wrapped pints of Wild Irish Rose and Swiss Up. Something was up, and it had to be something big. A large group of people was milling through the streets – not a crowd or a mob, like I had seen during the Harlem riots just months before, but something gentler.  It seemed like a stream of swaying black faces, all pointing in one direction – east toward Central Park.

Kanye West discusses Taylor Swift (again) at 'Fantasy' release party

Kanye West Still Ranting About Taylor Swift

Sure, the Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block may have set hearts a-flutter closing out last week's American Music Awards, but the real music news this week is that Kanye's back, alright!

Everyone's favorite opinionated rapper took the stage in a not-so-secret New York concert Tuesday night to celebrate the successful release of new album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," and after rocking a packed Bowery Ballroom, took it upon himself to slam country crooner Taylor Swift - again.

"Taylor never came to my defense in any interview," West, 33, shouted into the mic. "And [she] rode the wave and rode it and rode it."

Time Insurance

Time insurance . . . I need time insurance!

They have insurance for everything else that's precious:  Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Car Insurance, Homeowner's Insurance, Travel Insurance . . .

Well what about time insurance? I mean it!

Honey, I don't know about you; but my time is valuable. And I'm tired of it being abused, so I want it insured.

When someone makes an appointment at my office and shows up an hour late or not at all, I want to be compensated for my time. If I cancelled other important business with this guy, and lost out on a whole lot of money, I should be able to put in a claim against my policy. I need time insurance!

Diamond Dust - in Jewelry, Beauty Products, Art, Weather, Construction!

Diamond dust is the residue that is left behind when a jeweler cuts a large diamond into smaller pieces -- but believe me it's not left behind long because that residue can be used in a variety of ways.

Diamond Dust in Jewelry - Diamond dust is somtimes used as a coating for jewelry, to add sparkle to high-end gold, silver, or platinum pieces. Many jewelers carry various types of pendants filled with diamond dust.

Diamond Dust in Beauty Products  - Beauty icons such as Madonna has been known to use makeup products that contain diamond dust. For instance, eye shadow mixed with diamond dust for extra shimmer and glitter to her eyes and eye brows.  “The resulting brightness and glow from Madonna’s eyes captivate the audience and reinforces the fact that there are always new possibilities with makeup — and no rules,” explains Gina Brooke, artistic director for Shu Uemura.   

photo courtesy of Shu Uemrua

Ropa Vieja Recipe - Old Clothes Never Tasted So Good!

  Ropa Vieja

Ropa Vieja actually means "old clothes" in Spanish. Ugh! Why would anyone want to eat something called old clothes? Well, if you let the name stop you, you're going to miss out on a real treat! I've never met anyone who's tasted ropa vieja who doesn't like it!

Below is my ropa vieja recipe. I hope you enjoy!

*4 pounds of pot roast or beef chuck (get the toughest -- i.e. cheapest -- piece of beef here. For ropa vieja, it won't matter!)
*3 large onions (1 sliced, 2 chopped)
*Salt
*Black pepper
*1 large bell pepper (sliced)
*1 large red pepper (sliced)
*1/4 cup of olive oil
*3 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed) or 4 teaspoons of minced garlic
*1 large can of crushed tomatoes
*3 bay leaves
*1/2 cup dry sherry
*1/2 cup capers

1.  Season beef with salt and pepper, and let sit for an hour.

2.  Place beef in iron skillet with enough water to cover, add sliced onion, cover skillet, and put on low heat. Let cook for three hours (keep adding water as needed) then remove beef from pan, and let cool.

Catya Washington from Bad Girl Club Season 5 in Jail on Drug and Gun Charges

Catya Washington, the DDD buxon beauty from Season 5 of the Bad Girls Club, was arrested in Philadelphia on November 5th on drug and firearm charges.

According to police, Catya was found to be in possession of mushrooms, ecstacy, cocaine, and one gun. Bail has been set at $500,000, and sources say that her family has set up an online fundraiser to raise the ten percent of that figure ($50,000) to get her out of jail. They've allegedly already raised $20,000 in just a week.

But it seems that this is not the only time the Bad Girl Club vixen has been in trouble. Sources say that she was arrested a few weeks before the drugs bust on charges that she beat up the wife of the guy she was dating.

Catya allegedly rear-ended a car that was driven by the woman, and when she and Catya got out of their vehicles, Catya repeatedly hit the woman in the face with a chain, and sprayed her with mace.

Yeah, so okay . . . I believe it. Catya is a REALLY bad girl.
UPDATE----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, for those who want to make a donation to get your favorite Bad Girl out of jail (and Catya was my favorite Bad Girl on the show . . . too bad she left early!), you can go to http://www.touchpaydirect.com/ and put in the password cat2010. Also, according to her twitter account (which is now locked!), there was a Fish & Chicken Fry for her on November 12th (we missed it!!!!!!!!!!!!), and tickets were going for $15.00

Cat vs. Alligator

Now I know what they mean when they say the power of the . . . um . . . the kitty. <smile>

SAMPLE QUERY LETTER - NON-FICTION

SAMPLE QUERY LETTER - NON-FICTION


(((Go back to look at my previous posting about how to write a query letter, than use this post as a sample of what to say. Good luck!))))


Dear Ms. ___________

Al Capone may have ruled Chicago. Lucky Luciano may have run most of New York City. But from the 1930s to the late 1960s, when it came to Harlem, the undisputed king of the underworld was Bumpy Johnson.

He was called an old-fashioned gentleman. He was called a pimp. A philanthropist and a thief. A scholar and a thug. A man who admonished children to stay in school, and a man who some say introduced heroin into Harlem.

Bumpy was a man whose contradictions are still the root of many an argument in Harlem. But there is one thing on which both his supporters and detractors agree in his lifetime, Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson was the man in Harlem. People best remember him as the hot youngblood who fought to keep the notorious and murderous Dutch Schultz from taking over the Harlem numbers racket. In reality he was so much more.

Divorce Proceedings of Actress Deitra Hicks - SHE LIKES TO HUM AND FIGHT!

Okay, this is TOO funny! Okay, perhaps funny in a . . . well . . . in a tragic way. But funny nevertheless!

I don't know when it was originally taped, but I'm assuming it was before she started acting (she was Jackie in Tyler Perry's "Madea's Family Reunion) because they never mention her acting career during the proceedings.

Beyonce Too Hot for British TV?

Beyonce Promoting Her New Fragrance - Heat

We all love Beyonce, and think she's sexy as hell. Well, it seems the censors in Great Britain thinks she's a little TOO sexy. At least in the commercial she did for her new perfume, Heat. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has banned the commercial from daytime television.

“Beyonce’s body movements and the camera’s prolonged focus on shots of her dress slipping away to partially expose her breasts created a sexually provocative ad that was unsuitable to be seen by young children,” the ASA said in a statement. “We considered that the ad should not have been shown before 7.30pm due to the sexually provocative nature of the imagery.”