Luther Vandross - There's Nothing Better Than Love (Music Video) HD

Oh how I miss Luther Vandross and Gregory Hines ~

Martin Luther King Jr. - A Legacy

I got up first thing this morning and made note of all of the things that I am grateful for:
 1. Waking up this morning 2. Having my health and strength
3. Knowing the true God Jehovah 4. Knowing thy-Self 5. Staying conscious 6. Having a great support system i.e. family and friends
7. Being capable of loving 8. Helping others
9. Being able to laugh, sing and dance and love!
10. Knowing what is real and what isn't.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Stood for something. He rocked the world with his greater since of mutual respect for all of humanity. He lived his life, making conscious choices, working towards "the greater good" of mankind. He preached the importance of judging one by the "content of their character" - not their skin type. That is deep.

Thank you, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and those that marched with you, and those that existed before you,  that paved the way so that I can try and make this place a better space for the generations that follow...

I got up this morning,  April 4, 2012, got all dressed up and listened to some Stevie Wonder and had a glow and an inner smile in my heart. Reflecting on a day, not so long ago, that my friend Debbie came by my office and we went to lunch - Italian food. Debbie is conscious of the ugliness that has plagued this nation for generations, racism, a disease that has caused the demise of so many people. So, my friend Debbie, brought me a flower, to celebrate MLK's B-Day. We, as friends, are living the  MLK Jr. Dream. She and I smiled and reflected on the fact that not so long ago, 30 years ago or so, we could not have shared the same table. Why? Because she is a blond hair blue eyed white
(Anglo-Saxon descent) American, and I am an black (West African descent) American.
Today it was not even an issue as we entered the restaurant in Beverly Hills, CA.,  and sat down to
"break bread". Now, that's progress!

Today, due to the many sacrifices of so many black, white, red, yellow and brown Americans -
we can sit down to a meal and not get arrested. We can live together as neighbors and not harm one another. You see, as fellow human beings, we have more in common then we have differences.
Let's think about how we can come together and let go of the hatred that is being stirred up like embers from a flame that burns in a low undertone here in the USA, and just when it looks like the flames have died, someone waves the flames, hoping to re-ignite the fire. Enough.
Let's reflect on the life one man, that died in the name of progress, so that you and I can live and work, shoulder to shoulder, helping one another, not trying to destroy each other.

Let's have more respect for one another, be patient with one another, feed one another kindness - shall we? 

Love & light, C
(updated/edited/from a 2/09 post | no intentional copyright infringement.)

Watts Coffee House - Best Fried Chicken and Salmon Croquettes in TOWN!!

Chef/ Owner of Watts Coffee House, Desiree Edwards

There is  a remarkable woman behind the scenes, making things happen in the kitchen and in the community - who might that be? Desiree Edwards, Owner and Chef, makes sure that every dish sent out of her kitchen is hot, delicious and memorable! Every dish that is prepared is made with love!

Watts Coffee House

When was the last time that you had Salmon Croquettes, made from scratch, with real Salmon?
(Not Mackerel disguised as Salmon...)

Lena Cole-Dennis was so right about the food and the service, so this morning I got up and drove to the Watts Coffee House and had a wonderful breakfast! I had fried chicken, grits and eggs with pepper jack cheese, and a nice cup of caramel macchiato coffee. Oh so good!

Thank you, Desiree Edwards, and your outstanding Staff for a wonderful way to start my day!

Love & light,
Carla

 |Watts Coffee House @ 1827 E. 103rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90002|  Hours -  Tues - Friday, 8:00am - 3:00pm, Sat. 8:00am - 1:00pm, Sun 10:00am - 4:00pm| 323.249.4343|  Follow on Twitter @WattsCoffeeHouz| Facebook

Come Rain or Sunshine, KaBoom! Builds New Playground in Inglewood, CA!

At dark-thirty (early am) this morning, my Cousin Rhonda and I met up at North Park,
611 Hargrave St., Inglewood, CA 90302, the latests park selected by KaBoom!, who partnered up with The City of Inglewood, sponsored by The J. Willard And Alice S. Marriott Foundation.

How many people knew that David Marriott, grandson of J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott, was leading the helms, with shovel and tools in hand, to re-build the playground for the children in the Inglewood community?!
The City of Inglewood, Sabrina Barnes, Director, Park, Recreation and Community Services, and her staff, kindly greeted each and every volunteer, along with representatives from Senator Steve Bradford's office,  assisting them in signing in and getting to the designated area where the staff @ Kaboom! readily awaited us!

There was a remarkable woman that got us all started with a very good warm-up -
Zumba! Zumba! Zimba! - style, along with stretching our hands up to the sky and criss-crossing around the park - oh yes, we were doing the darn thing!

KaBoom! requested 200 + volunteers, and it was wonderful because so many people showed up to help. Keep in mind that it's been raining cats and dogs these past few days in Southern, CA., and wouldn't you know it, this morning was truly another beautiful, predictable sunny California Day!

Kaboom! and the City of Inglewood and General Managers from the Marriott Hotels around the globe showed up, from New York, Switzerland, Bangkok, India, Polynesian Islands,  and the United Kingdom, just to name a few places, jamming to the beats of an excellent DJ - physically assisting in building the playground from the ground up. Seriously! These men and women worked tirelessly to create a park that the children in the neighborhood would love!
After all, the children in the community attended a meeting, and got a chance to draw their dream playground, and out of all of the schematics, Option # 2 won!(See photo to the left).

The next time that you and yours are out and about, and walk or drive by a really nice playground, just think - "How can I make sure that all children have the same opportunities to play in a nice, clean, safe place?" Then click on to the KaBoom! link and make a donation and volunteer to help build a park near you. Come rain or sunshine, you can be the change you want to see...

Love & light,
Carla

McDonald's is All About the Community ~ Celebrating the Newly Renovated McDonald's in Inglewood, CA

Lois & Donald Bailey, Sr., President, D Bailey Management Co., Carla Thomas, Gino Potesta, VP, QSC & Operations McDonald's

My good friend, Lena Cole-Dennis - CEO of Cole Dennis & Associates, said, 102.3 KJLH Radio's DJ, Bigg Pwee said that he's going to be at the McDonald's @ 401 E. Manchester, between Locust and to support the newly renovated McDonald's! Everyone who listens to 102.3 KJLH Radio - Stevie Wonder's radio station in Inglewood, CA - knows that Bigg Pwee is the man on the go and the man to follow!

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr., Lois & Donald Bailey Sr. - President of  D. Bailey Management Co., Deirdra Bailey, Donald Bailey Jr., - Owner Operators of McDonald's - along with

Mayor James T. Butts, Carla Thomas

Gino Potesta - Vice President, QSC & Operations, Akins Akinnagbe, celebrated the newly renovated McDonald's in Inglewood, CA. What a beautiful establishment - Congratulations to the Bailey Family!
                                                                                                                                                                 

Romel Villaverde, Deirdra Bailey, Moi, Ronald McDonald

Can I tell you how kind, courteous and helpful the McDonald's Staff is at this location? Stop in and say hey to Jayson Lim,Carmen Suaverdez , Ruth, Lourdes, Lakeisha, Danny, Ashley, Mellanie, April, Jesus and the entire crew - You make our day, everyday!

Stevie Wonder's team @ 102.3 Radio-Free KJLH Radio were there, making it oh so much fun!

Bigg Pwee got the community to show up and he kept the crowd going, giving away T-Shirts, CDs, Tickets to concerts and events - and more!
It was so good seeing Nautica De La Cruz  do her thing!

Nautica De La Cruz, KJLH Radio interviewing Robert Glasper

Check out Ms.Nautica interviewing the talented
Blue Notes Records recording Artist, Robert Glasper.

Inglewood High School Band

102.3 KJLH Radio kept everybody up and in tuned with the music, and the positive energy was just flowing!
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the brilliance of Aundrae Russell, Program Director, KJLH Radio,
and Greg Johnson, Marketing Director, KJLH Radio - both whom make the ebb and flow of the station run smoothly. Hats off to the Inglewood High School Band Director, Mr.Conrad Hutchinson III for doing such an outstanding, remarkable job instructing/leading the AWESOME Inglewood High School Band - you all ROCKED it!
Smooches, Carla

Mario Canali Art Exhibit @ DAC Gallery - 3.10.12 - 4.6.12

DAC GALLERY

Iconica - Mario Canali

Mario Canali, a native of Monza,Italy (15 km north-northeast of Milan, Italy) experienced success very early in his career.
In 1975, Mr.Canali stepped on to the Italian Art scene with his first solo exhibit as a painter, then shortly there after,
combining his knowledge of electronic and digital art, he and his colleagues,
Flavia Alman, Sabine Reiff and Riccardo Sinigaglia,
collaborated as a part of the Correnti Magnetiche Research and Electronic Art Group, thus creating 3-D Animations which earned the group international acclaim, earning awards at Siggraph in Los Angeles, CA., Arts Electronica in Linz,
Imagina in Monte Carlo, and Nastro d'Argento in Rome.
In 1989, they were awarded the L'Immagine Elettronica Prize in Ferrara for his pioneering work in electronic art.
 Mr. Canali eventually teamed up with Computer Scientist Marcello Campione (1993) to create a revolutionary virtual reality for artistic and expressive purposes called Satori.

The innovative works of Satori lead Mario Canali to team up with Elio Massironi,
a renowned psychologist as well as with furniture designer Leonardo Aurelio, to create interactive installations capable of sensing psycho-physical parameters which then expressed that data as displays of light, sound images and video.

There will be some really interesting pieces of Art work, this weekend, @ DAC Gallery, you can stop in, meet Mario Canali and view some really visually stimulating Surreal Art!
 In my opinion, Mario Canali is to Surrealism,
what Placido Domingo is to Opera Honey Child!
See you there, Smooches, C
Sponsored by: The Italian Institute of Culture of Los Angeles (IILCLA), 

The Italian Consul General of Los Angeles,
The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF),
COM.IT.ES Los Angeles, 

AVATARS Talk About Life - Mario Canali

So Many Excellent Films at the Pan African Film & Arts Festival 2012

The Pan African Art & Film Festival ended on Monday, Feb 20, 2012 on a high note!
There were so many great films to watch! These are my top picks!
If you get a chance, as they appear in your theaters, check them out! www.PAFF.ORG

A Lucy - PAFF Jewel - Dir:  Radhaa-Rajen Jaganathen
(1993/Maurittus/ Narative)

A Small Town Called Descent -  Dir: by Jahmil Qubeka -
(US Premiere 2011/ South Africa/ Narrative Feature/120min)

Better Mus' Come - Dir: Storm Saulter
(2011/Jamaica/ Narrative Feature/104min)

Bring Your "A" Game - Dir: Mario Van Peebles
2009/US/Short Documentary/23Min)

Brooklyn Boheme - Dir: Diane Paragas & Nelson George
(West Coast Premiere/2011/US/Documentary/80min)

Chico & Rita - Dir: Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal & Tono Errando
(2010/Cuba/Narrative Feature/94min)

House Arrest - Dir: William Washington
(World Premiere/2011/US/Narrative Feature/104min)

Inside Story - Dir: Rolie Nikiwe
(US Premiere/2011/South Africa/Narrative Feature/98min)

One Flight Stand - Dir: Saladin K. Patterson
(PAFF Jewel/2003/US/Narrative Short/12min)

Salvation Road - Dir: Karamuu Kush
(West Coast Premiere/2010/US/Narrative Short/17min)

Slavery by Another Name - Dir: Sam Pollard
(2011/US/Documentary/90min)

Sunset Red- Ian Foxx
(2011/US/Short Narrative/25min)

Think Like a Man - Dir: Tim Story
(World Premiere/2012/US/Narrative Feature)

The Education of Auma Obama - Dir: Branwen Okpako -
(2011/Germany/Documentary/79min)
Winner of the PAFF.org, Best Documentary - 2012

Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day - Dir: Neema Barnette
(World Premiere/2012/US/Narrative Feature/101min)