Rihanna says "I AM STRONG" on 20/20

Rihanna sat down with Dianne Sawyer recently on 20/20 for the first time ever to discuss her ex-relationship with Chris Brown. Rihanna was very honest, forgiving and brave. She gave details of "the night" that made headlines, and Brown has since complained of her disclosure. If he cared so much for privacy, he should not have assaulted a public figure! If he valued his image so much, then he should not have behaved like an arrogant, abusive and savage little boy that gets violent when he doesn't get his way! He went on the Wendy Williams show last week as part of his "remorse tour" and had the audacity to criticize Rihanna for giving her testimony on 20/20, even though her words are inspiring girls and women around the world to not accept domestic violence. Once again Brown shows how self-centered he is to think that he is more important then the millions of girls and women who have been positively effected by Rihanna's interview which encouraged women to put emotions aside, and get out, before it's too late. My favorite part of the interview (which I've posted above) is when Sawyer commented on how Rihanna seemed to be the last person to be in an abusive relationship because she seemed so "confident and strong". - Rihanna interrupts her and says, "I AM strong. I didn't cause this. I didn't do it. This happened TO me, and it can happen to anybody, and I'm glad it happened to me, because now I can help girls who are going through it." It was very powerful for her to set the record straight- when a man hits a woman- it does not show his "strength", it actually shows his "weakness"- and likewise- Rihanna, or any woman, is not weak because they were attacked. The victim is only weak if she stays in the abuse. Women, minorities, spiritually free people, true artists, and oppressed individuals are not "weak" because they live in a violent, capitalistic, superficial, scared and lost environment that seeks to devalue the divine feminine and promote fear and class systems to control and degrade the masses- they are only weak if they buy into all these disgusting lies and propaganda. Physical violence is never the answer- and true power comes from inside, not from the fist. Violence does not not trump love, inside beauty, courage, feelings, faith and forgiveness. "We are strong!"

"DUMBO Arts Festival"

Today, my friend Brad and I went to the 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under The Bridge Festival. DUMB0 (which is an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is a cute little neighborhood in Brooklyn which is home to many emerging artists. My roommate says DUMBO is a more “contemporary version of Williamsburg”, which is also an artsy neighborhood on Brooklyn. The festival we went to today was all over the neighborhood, in a couple parks, on the streets and in some buildings. One theme of many artworks that stood out for me was cleaning up the environment. Many of the artists chose social and political issues to convey through their art work. As I write this blog, Michael Moore is being interviewed on Larry King about his new doco “Capitalism: A Love Story”, he is such a hero, and I love how he speaks the truth, even if some people would prefer to stay in ignorant bliss. Back to the festival, there was a human sculpture of a person draped in recyclable materials, who spoke out against pollution. There were musicians and dancers outside cafes. Maybe next year I will submit some of my drawings or paintings to the festival. I really like Brooklyn, and am considering moving there because Manhattan is so expensive. We will see what happens. Tomorrow the festival continues, so check it out at www.dumboartfestival.com. Enough of Brooklyn for now, gotta go party in Manhattan!

Chris Brown Fails To Redeem Himself, Rihanna Keeps On Shining!

Chris Brown has failed to redeem himself on his interview with Larry King this week (not that an interview on TV could do that anyways, it has to genuinely come from the heart), which was obviously a last effort attempt to save his plundering career and endorsements. He downplayed the magnitude of his incident, and even went as far as to say that the media is “blowing it out of proportion” and insulted blog land for expressing their disappointment in his abusive actions. Newsflash Chris, the severity of what you did was a big deal, you did'nt just push or slap (which would still be horrid), you were repetitive and damaging in your violent blows to a young woman who was “physically” weaker then you (we all saw the picture and read the report!). She may be smaller then you in size, but now we all see she is bigger then you in self-esteem and expression. He sounded so arrogant in the interview, which is the type of attitude that probably led him to think it was ok to hit a woman in the first place. Anytime a man hits a woman, it’s just pathetic! Some abusive men think it asserts their “power” when they brutally attack a woman, however, it takes real power to be gentle, and in control of one’s self. Only a weak and immature man would ever disrespect the feminine in such an aggressive way that Brown did. Also, there are men who are emotionally and mentally abusive to women, and that is just as damaging. Being a “real man” does not mean “controlling a woman”, it means “protecting her well being”, not that she can’t protect herself though. Kanye West has commented on how significant Rihanna is to our culture, and she has been nicknamed “Princess Ri Ri” by the hip hop community, so when Chris Brown hit Rihanna, he did more then hit her, he attacked a community’s princess archetype. He degraded the anima, the vessel of light, the heroine. He needs to apologize to all women, because as a celebrity, he has a responsibility to know that his actions affect millions. Rihanna has handled this situation gracefully, and she is still a strong and great role model in my eyes. Every time I see and talk to her, she radiates light and strength, and even this dark incident will not dim her, for she will only rise above and empower women to not put up with disrespect. I say Rihanna’s own words back at her, from her hit single “Live Your Life”, she preaches, “You're gonna be a shining star, And then you'll see, you're gonna go far. Cause everyone knows who you are-are. So live your life, ay ay ay. Just live your life!” Please visit this site to know more about this important issue: http://www.domesticviolence.org/

Michael Jackson is laid to rest, an angel he was.

Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest tonight. And I do hope people will just let him be. The music he made will forever remain a part of our culture. He was more than the King of Pop, he was a hero to anyone who wanted to authentically express themselves and not conform to what society dictated. Michael was an amazing talent, who taught so many how to dance, and inspired so many singers to try to follow in his footsteps. He was also an activist who fought to make the world a better place, and endorsed so many causes. Even in the lyrics of some of his songs he challenged the human race to acknowledge many important social and humanity issues. I love what he symbolized and I feel a loss that he’s graduated on. However, he will always have a place in our world, for he was an angel whose presence touched so many hearts and lives. God bless you Michael, those vultures can’t touch you now! May you come back as a dove, or a flower or whatever else your beautiful spirit manifests to be. I know the attacks on you provoked troubles for you during your time here, but all that you gave is what matters, and that was a whole lot of light. I’m sending love to you, and a rose.