Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Fw: PR: NYC Photographer Highlights Black Women's Beauty

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2012

CONTACT:
Paul Phillips
(917) 312-2511
paul@whatseatingharlem.com

HARLEM-BASED PHOTOGRAPHER TO HIGHLIGHT THE BEAUTY IN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN WITH NEW "BEAUTY IN BLACK" PROJECT

One of many photos to be featured in the project

New York, NY (BlackNews.com) -- Professional photographer Paul Phillips plans to provide artistic proof of the beauty in African American women with his "Beauty in Black" project recently launched on Kickstarter.com. The idea was inspired by a disturbing blog post in 2010 written by evolutionary psychologist, Satoshi Kanazawa who argued that black women are less physically attractive than other women. The post created a firestorm of angry comments across the web and was quickly removed from the website.

The "Beauty in Black" project will be a coffee table book filled with 30 to 40 high quality black & white and color photographs celebrating the beauty and spirit of black women. Phillips explains, "As a black man who is married to a beautiful black woman, I didn't get mad I got busy. I am creating a photo essay that will portray the beauty of African American women of all shades, shapes and sizes." The call for "models" will go out by word of mouth, over the internet, and in the media. The themes will deal with the hair, skin tone and body images of black women and girls from all walks of life from the celebrity to the everyday.

Kickstarter.com is the world's largest online funding platform for creative projects. Phillips explains why he created the project on kickstarter.com, "As a professional photographer, I own all of the equipment to create the book. I plan to photograph women from all over the country. In addition to raising funds for travel and printing, I plan to hire makeup artists and wardrobe stylists to work with my models." He plans to finish the book this year and publish by March 2013.

To learn more about "Beauty in Black", watch the video, and/or make a donation, visit his KickStarter page at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1657641638/beauty-in-black. Each project is required to offer rewards for donations and must reach the stated funding goal before time runs out or no money changes hands. Donations start as low as $5 and rewards includes items such as a screen saver, a set of note cards, and a desk calendar featuring images from the collection.

Although Kanazawa's post was removed from the website, screen shots of excerpts appeared in the Huffington Post "Style" section: "What accounts for the markedly lower average level of physical attractiveness among black women? Black women are on average much heavier than nonblack women. [...] However, this is not the reason black women are less physically attractive than nonblack women."

About Paul Phillips
Paul Phillips' background is in broadcast production (WPIX-TV, NBA TV, CNN), video development and professional photography. He worked under the legendary photographer Irving Penn. Paul has his own distinctive style and created two best-selling photography calendars. He has appeared in myriad newspaper and magazine articles. Paul is a member of Harlem's 100 Black Men and lives in a beautiful brownstone on Harlem's Sugar Hill with his wife. He is currently in production for a new lifestyle website and television show about Harlem. Learn more at www.whatseatingharlem.com.

-END-

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African-American - News

African-American - News January 31, 2012

Charles Murray does it again (Salon)
People wait in line at the 2011 Maximum Connections Job and Career Fair Thursday, Sept.

Our History Makers: Martin Luther King Jr. (WDBZ-AM Cincinnati)
Northerners often depict the South as backwards and racist. During the Civil Rights Movement, the South gave the North plenty of reasons to feel superiors.

Black History Month: Shrines (KFMB-am)
The National Park Service maintains a number of historic sites associated with black history.

Black History (WBAY-TV Green Bay)
On the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, we celebrate the man who fought for the America he knew was possible.

Historic designation for Black school puts $23 million project in limbo (WLOX-TV Biloxi)
TV and WLOX.com - The News for South MississippiHistoric designation for Black school puts $23 million project in limbo The $23 million question is whether or not a former high school for African Americans is a historic building.

Producer Langmann holds Uggie the dog aloft in the photo room in Beverly Hills (WHTC)
Civil rights drama "The Help" got a leg up in the Oscar race on Sunday when the movie won three awards from the Screen Actors Guild, including best cast in a surprise over silent movie romance "The Artist." "The Help," which came into the show with four nominations, more than any other film, also earned its star Viola Davis the SAG award for best ... (more)

NEW THIS MORNING

SCANDAL BOOSTS UNIONS' BID TO OPEN HOUSING CONTRACTS: The arrest of a New York City housing official has spurred a union-backed bill to require more disclosure of affordable housing contracts, over the concerns of the city housing commissioner: http://bit.ly/zwpFMn

NEW THIS MORNING:

* The state is considering selling its Shirley Chisolm State Office Building in Brooklyn because a private developer talked about buying it, but Sen. Velmanette Montgomery vows to fight the move, the Daily News says: http://nydn.us/zEY5ct

* Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration wants Gov. Andrew Cuomo to scrap the 2010 teacher evaluation law by putting new language in the state budget making it easier to fire bad teachers, the Wall Street Journal reports: http://on.wsj.com/zAhUUM

* Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver went along with what Cuomo wanted in his freshman year as governor, but the speaker is now staking out his own agenda as the budget cycle progresses, the Gannett Albany bureau writes: http://on.rocne.ws/w5F23f

* The Port Authority will spend tens of millions of dollars to build a temporary loading dock for 1 World Trade Center because the permanent one won't be ready when tenants move in, the Post's Steve Cuozzo writes: http://nyp.st/wYTZrz

* City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will return a $4,950 donation made in 2007 by Suzanne Raffaelli, an actress and model who was a straw donor for convicted fraudster Norman Hsu, the Post says: http://nyp.st/xTHjsk

* Julian Schreibman stepped down as head of the Ulster County Democratic Committee to run for retiring Rep. Maurice Hinchey's seat, but acknowledged the seat could be redistricted out of existence, the Daily Freeman reports: http://bit.ly/A3K4Lm

Ebony, Jet founder immortalized on U.S. stamp

The U.S. Postal Service will have its turn commemorating the life of John H. Johnson, a Chicago entrepreneur who made an indelible mark on African-American history. With a loan from his mother, Johnson founded Ebony and Jet magazines. The feat was pulled off in the 1940s and 1950s, a time when positive images of blacks were [...]

Ebony, Jet founder immortalized on U.S. stamp
The Admin
Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:24:38 GMT

The NYPD’s ugly history of racial profiling

Just as, every day, I pray for the safety of my family members who serve in the New York Police Department, now I also have to pray for safety and security of my community from the very agency that is legally bound to protect them. Recently, it has been revealed that New York’s police commissioner [...]

The NYPD’s ugly history of racial profiling
The Admin
Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:42:10 GMT

NYPD Dogs Will Be Strapped With Infrared Cameras

The new German shepherds in the NYPD's K-9 unit — ones with brutish names like Apache, Tank, and Ranger — will be equipped with $9,000 infrared cameras, "the same type used by the Navy Seals in the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound last year," the New York Times reports. The technology sends real-time images back to officers, which they can view on wrist monitors that look "like an oversize watch." This and other futuristic advancements come courtesy of $100,000 in grants from FEMA and the TSA, which also bought doggy GPS systems and collars that light up, so Shaggy and the gang will never get spooked by the bad guys again.
Read more posts by Joe Coscarelli
Filed Under: crime-fighting puppies!! ,puppies!!!!!! ,nypd ,crime and punishment

NYPD Dogs Will Be Strapped With Infrared Cameras
Joe Coscarelli
Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:52:08 GMT

Monday, January 30, 2012

Man Critically Injured After Plunge from Elevated 1 Train Tracks in Inwood

January 28, 2012 3:14pm | By Patrick Hedlund, DNAinfo News Editor

A man plunged from the elevated 1 train tracks in Inwood early Sat., Jan. 28, 2012. (Flickr/NotoriousJEN)

MANHATTAN — A man was critically injured after plunging from the elevated 1 train tracks in Inwood early Saturday, authorities said.

The victim, in his 50s, suffered head trauma and multiple fractures to the arms and legs after plummeting from the elevated tracks along 10th Avenue at Isham Street about 3:41 a.m., the FDNY said.

He was taken Harlem Hospital after the plunge, which sources estimated to be the equivalent of three stories.

It was not clear if the man fell, jumped or was pushed, fire officials said.

East Village Schools Split Along Racial Lines Under City Policy

January 30, 2012 6:46am | By Julie Shapiro, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

click to see all pictures (9 photos)

LAUNCH INTERACTIVE

EAST VILLAGE — When Martha Kessler decided to send her son to the East Village Community School six years ago, one of the biggest draws was the tiny school's diversity.

The stately brick building on East 12th Street sits within easy walking distance of both million-dollar condos and public housing projects, and the school admitted plenty of children from both worlds through a process that prioritized racial and socioeconomic diversity.

But to Kessler and other parents' dismay, that careful balance did not last for long.

In 2007, the city put an end to the diversity-based admissions policies at the East Village Community School and other elementary schools in the neighborhood. Since then, the East Village Community School has seen a rapid influx of white and high-income families, according to parents andDepartment of Education figures.

"Our school has radically changed since they stopped looking at ethnicity," said Kessler, 47, an East Village resident who is co-president of the school's PTA and has two children there.

"I think it would be better for my kids to be exposed to a range of people."

While several schools in District 1 — which stretches from Chinatown up to 14th Street — have seen a drop in diversity since the city forced the district to change its admissions policies, the impact is clearest at the East Village Community School.

Police Dangle Gun-Wielding Suspect Outside 7th-Story Harlem Window

January 27, 2012 6:34pm | By Julie Shapiro, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

Police grabbed Michael Mulraine as he tried to jump from a seventh-story window in Harlem's Grant Houses. (NYPD)

HARLEM — Investigating a report of child neglect and narcotics sales in a Harlem apartment building, police wound up dangling a suspect outside a seventh-story window Thursday morning, NYPD officials said.

Officers Isaias Alicea and Vincent Gagliostro responded to a 911 call about illegal activity at the apartment at 75 LaSalle St., in Harlem's Grant Houses, at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, police said.

A woman inside the apartment initially refused to open the door but agreed once the officers said they needed to check on children who could be in danger.

Once inside, officers saw a man flee to a back bedroom, locking the door behind him, police said.

The officers told the man, Michael Mulraine, 40, to unlock the door, which he did, and they found him lying on a bed with a gun in his hand, partially hidden by the mattress.

Harlem - News

Harlem - News January 30, 2012

When New York was New Amsterdam; and other Dutch things (Examiner)
Ever watch the movie Gangs of New York ? It is about the different immigrants coming to the New World, preferably, the area of the Five Points in Lower Manhattan.

The National Conference of Artists Conference 2012 at the Schomburg in Harlem (Harlem World)
The National Conference of Artists founded in 1959, is the oldest African American visual arts organization in the United States.

OVO's insects egg on the love bug in a most spectacular way (Examiner)
The bugs are busy in Cirque du Soleil 's "OVO" playing now through March 11th under the Big Top at the Santa Monica Pier.

Where Did Haiti's Earthquake Aid Go?

In his column at the Chicago Tribune, Clarence Page asks a critical question that has reverberated across the nation since the 2010 Haiti earthquake: What has happened to the generous donations that Americans gave? Two years later, more than half a million Haitians are still sleeping outdoors.
... No one is charging corruption, at least not at the top of the aid organizations. But as aid agencies pumped out news releases touting their successes during the second anniversary of the quake, the charities also confronted a rising tide of skepticism.
Read full article...

Where Did Haiti's Earthquake Aid Go?
Clarence Page
Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:41:00 GMT

Faith, Courage & Purpose: Artists of the Diaspora-Exhibition

Date: February 9, 2012
In commemoration of Black History Month, the Arsenal Gallery is pleased to present Faith, Courage & Purpose: Artists of the Diaspora, an exhibition of over twenty paintings by Betty Blayton, Stacey Brown, Leroy Campbell, James Denmark, Essud Fungcap, April Harrison and Charly Palmer. Curated by Karen and Sharon Mackey, founders of Mackey Twins Fine Art, this exhibition is sparked by their unyielding commitment to educate and expose people to artists of color. These Diaspora artists’ “faith” and “courage” have enabled them to continue on course in spite of racial adversity and exclusion.
Start time: 9:00 am
End time: 5:00 pm
Contact phone: (212) 360-8163
Location: Arsenal (in Central Park)