Sunday, August 28, 2011
Splitsville: The 3-YEAR Edition
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Arthur Ashe
Born to parents Arthur Ashe Sr. and Mattie Cordell Cunningham Ashe, Arthur and his younger brother, Johnnie, suffered a tragic loss when their mother died suddenly from heart related complications during routine surgery. Arthur Ashe first attended Maggie L. Walker High School, being coached by Ronald Charity, and later coached by Robert Walter Johnson. Tired of having to travel great distances to play Caucasian youths in segregated Richmond, Ashe accepted an offer from a St. Louis tennis official to move there and attend Sumner High School. Young Ashe was recognized by Sports Illustrated for his playing. Ashe was awarded a tennis scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1963. That same year, Ashe became the first black player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup team.
In 1965, Ashe won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) singles title and contributed to UCLA's winning the team NCAA tennis championship. While at UCLA, Ashe was initiated as a member of the Upsilon chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Ashe was also a member of the UCLA Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant after completing camp at Fort Lewis, Washington in the summer of 1966
In 1968, Ashe won the United States Amateur Championships against Davis Cup Teammate Bob Lutz, and the inaugural US Open and aided the U.S Davis Cup team to victory. He is the only player to have won both of these amateur and open national championships in the same year. Concerned that tennis professionals were not receiving winnings commensurate with the sport's growing popularity, Ashe supported formation of the Association of Tennis Professionals. That year would prove even more momentous for Ashe when he was denied a visa by the South African government, thereby keeping him out of the South African Open. Ashe used this denial to publicize South Africa's apartheid policies. In the media, Ashe called for South Africa to be expelled from the professional tennis circuit.
In 1969, Ashe turned professional. In 1970, Ashe won his second Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open. In 1975, Ashe won Wimbledon, unexpectedly defeating Jimmy Connors in the final. He also won the season ending championship WCT Finals. Arthur played for a few more years, but after being slowed by heart surgery in 1979, he retired in 1980.
Ashe remains the only black man to ever win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, or Australian Open. He is one of only two men of black African ancestry to win a Grand Slam singles title, the other being France's metis Yannick Noah, who won the French Open in 1983. In his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, ranked Ashe as one of the 21 best players of all time.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Weekend Look
For Women
For Men
With summer fading fast, unfortunately women only have a few more weeks for their cute mini dresses...:(
For Men
With summer fading fast, unfortunately women only have a few more weeks for their cute mini dresses...:(
Paris, France: Hotel Costes
The Hôtel Costes is a famous hotel in Paris, France. Located in 239 rue St-Honoré, it is perhaps best known for its bar and courtyard café. The hotel was commissioned by the Costes brothers to the designer and architect Jacques Garcia in 1991. The hotel is now renowned as a den of opulence and was built in conjunction with Klay Robson as Developer and construction consultant (the design maxim was "all things in excess").
Hôtel Costes is not to be confused with the hotel Costes K, which is run by the same family, but is not located in Paris' first arrondissement.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Public Displays Of Affection (PDA's)
To help you figure out exactly what acceptable public displays of affection exist, we've broken down some of the most common PDA attacks and their proper place in your relationship. Keep in mind that both you and your woman are bound by the limits of public propriety and should stick to the “acceptable” list to avoid making those around you uncomfortable, jealous or just plain grossed out.
Hand-holding
PDA meter: Acceptable
Grabbing your girl's hand in public, whether to lead her in the right direction or just to feel close to her, is fine in just about any setting. It isn't intimate enough to make the people around you squeamish, but it is intimate enough to let your girlfriend see it as a sign of affection and a declaration of your status as a couple. Proceed at will.
Kissing
PDA meter: Acceptable, within limits
As a greeting, kissing is most definitely on the “acceptable” list and is fairly standard in most relationships. Obviously, this extends to personal social situations, and can be bypassed in professional arenas. For example, it's likely that your girlfriend will expect a kiss hello when you meet at your favorite restaurant for dinner, but if she stops by the office to drop off a file you forgot at home, it's well within your rights to skip it. To keep kisses acceptable, keep them brief and abstain from continued tongue action throughout the course of an outing.
Declarations of love
PDA meter: Unacceptable
Saying those three magical words is a milestone in every relationship, and it's expected that your declaration is private and should be kept between you and your girl. Breaking out a public “I love you” is unacceptable in just about every situation, save for joyous, celebratory events, hospital settings and other highly emotional moments. Under no circumstances should your buddies ever witness you uttering those words to your girl, just as you should be the only one within earshot of your girl when she lets loose on the L word (www.askmen.com).
Hennessy Ads
Monday, August 15, 2011
Did Jay-Z Make $50 Million Off Ace of Spades?
Jay-Z was popping Cristal back when a lot of ya thought it was beer and shit. But then in '06 he realized that them fuckers racist, so he switched gold bottles and went on to that Ace of Spades and overnight it became the hip-hop's drink of choice. But it turns out Hov's co-sign might not be as authentic as you think. In a new piece titled "Jay-Z’s Great Champagne Robbery"—which is excerpted from the new book Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner To Corner Office—The Atlantic uncovers the real depth of Hov's associations with Armand de Brignac (which he casually refers to as Ace of Spades) and how much coin it's generating for one of rap's reigning cash kings.
On how much cake Hov is making off the brand:
"All of them confirmed that Jay-Z receives millions of dollars per year for his association with Armand de Brignac. The connection wasn't through the Cattier family, but through Sovereign Brands. The production cost per bottle of Armand de Brignac is about $13; the wholesale price is $225. The maximum output is 60,000 bottles per year. If Jay-Z splits the $212-per-bottle profit evenly with Cattier and Sovereign, a back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests his annual take would be a little over $4 million. One of my sources confirmed that number, and added that Jay-Z may have received equity in Sovereign Brands worth about $50 million."
On the perceived quality of Ace of Spades:
"Jay-Z may tout Armand de Brignac in his songs and videos, but to some champagne industry veterans, it's at best a mediocre product masquerading as a high-end delicacy. 'It tastes like shit,' says Lyle Fass, an independent wine buyer in New York. 'At least Cristal tastes good.'"
The inconsistent story on how Jay-Z discovered the little known French liquor label:
"Shortly after Armand de Brignac's debut in 2006, Bienvenu claims, Jay-Z came across it purely by chance. 'When we started to ship product to the U.S. and especially to New York, Jay discovered our champagne in a wine shop and bought a few bottles,' he says. 'There has never been any partnership, any financial involvement, or something like this between Jay and us.'... But the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office confirms that the first bottles of Armand de Brignac weren't shipped to the U.S. until the fall of 2006—months after Jay-Z's video was filmed. Obviously, it would have been impossible for Jay-Z to stumble upon a bottle of champagne in a New York wine shop. (complex.com,By Julian Pereira)
Chris Brown: Beautiful People
"Beautiful People" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown featuring Italian DJ Benny Benassi. It was written by Brown, with Jean Baptiste, Marco Benassi and Allessandro Benassi, with the latter two also handling its production. The song was released as the third single from Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on March 11, 2011. It was later included on Benassi's fifth studio album Electroman (2011). Musically, "Beautiful People" is an uptempo song which draws from the genres of electro house, dancehall and Europop, and contains influences of R&B. The song's lyrics revolve around Brown encouraging "everyone on the dance floor to keep their heads up and discover the beauty inside."
The song was well received by most music critics who praised its production and lyrics. In the United Kingdom, "Beautiful People" peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart, and became Brown's fifth top-ten UK hit as a lead artist. In the United States, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart, and became the first number-one single for both Brown and Benassi. It also attained top-ten positions on the Australian, Irish, and New Zealand charts.
An accompanying music video was released on March 22, 2011, and features personal footage of Brown's everyday life. The video features appearances from several of Brown's famous friends, including Diddy, Bow Wow, T-Pain, Nelly, Timbaland, among others. The song has been performed on the American version of Dancing with the Stars, and on Brown's Australian F.A.M.E. Tour.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Get Familiar Fast: Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar (born June 17, 1987) is a rapper from Compton, California. His music is influenced by Tupac Shakur, Nas, Jay-Z, Kanye West and DMX. He is a member of Black Hippy along with Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q. He released an EP in 2009 titled The Kendrick Lamar EP, an acclaimed mixtape in 2010 titled O(verly) D(edicated) and released his third solo project Section 80 on July 2, 2011. Lamar claims he has seen relatives that have died in his dreams for years and on one night in 2010 says that "Lesane parish crooks" AKA Tupac Shakur came to him with the message of "Keep doing what your doing, keep my music alive" this is what he says inspired him to write much of section 80.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Sylvie Van Der Vaart: Rocks a Men's Watch
Vintage: 1930's Rolex Oyster Cushion Shape
‘We must succeed in making a watch case so tight that our movements will be permanently guaranteed against damage caused by dust, perspiration, water, heat and cold. Only then will the perfect accuracy of the Rolex watch be secured’ HW. Continuing his strive for the best, Wilsdorf patented seven more improvements in the next ten years. The Perpetual movement was patented in 1931. This was seen as the best automatic movement, an area where other companies had tried but not succeeded. Wilsdorf was a marketing genius, he raised the profile of Rolex watches with endorsements from sportsmen to explorers; Malcolm Campbell & Edmund Hillary. He presented the 100 000th Oyster watch to Winston Churchill, a gold Rolex Datejust. He also presented the 150 000th watch to Dwight Eisenhower, who later became president of The United States. The ‘Oyster’ name (derived when Wilsdorf had difficulty opening an oyster at dinner ), continues to be on the majority of Rolex watches sold today. ‘We want to be the first in the field and Rolex should be seen as the one and only – the best.’ HW 1914 (www.oldetimers.com)
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