France

Another Reason I Won’t Be Voting for Bloomberg Again…

by raquel on August 1, 2009

The blind love Mayor Bloomberg showed Israel while they bombed the crapola out of Gaza was embarrassing for many New Yorkers. The bombing of the UN school in Gaza would have been viewed as a war crime had it been the other way around and it were Palestinian missiles razing and murdering many innocent children [...]

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And if You Don’t Know, Now You Know!

by raquel on July 24, 2009

It’s so hard to say goodbye…REWIND
“No one can be profoundly original who does not avoid eccentricity” ~ Andre Maurois

“The present is what man ought not to be. The future is what artists are.” ~ Oscar Wilde

“The leader shows that style is no substitute for substance, that creating an impression is more potent than acting from [...]

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$25.58 for a Chocolate Milkshake And a Cappuccino

by raquel on July 24, 2009

Honestly, the cappuccino and milkshake didn’t taste all that good at Café de Flore. But I believe in ghosts and I wanted to connect to some of those great minds who parlayed in the cut of  here, on the corner of Boulevard Saint-Germain and the Rue St. Benoit, at one time or another to get [...]

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racism is high art

by raquel on July 24, 2009

“I  never believed in Santa Claus because I knew no white man would be coming into my neighborhood after dark.”  — Dick Gregory

Racism is so homologous in society that very few people take notice when it reflects itself even in the most unexpected places. We were hardly surprised to see grotesquely exaggerated depictions of Africans [...]

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Paris, A Day in Pictures

by raquel on July 19, 2009

We walked about seven miles today. I am so grateful I didn’t wear heels! If you have a fresh pair of kicks, by all means bring at least two pairs. Paris is a gorgeous city (though I am excited to make an exit for the outskirts where my peeps live at some point this week). [...]

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Planet Hip-Hop: Piecebook Battle, Paris

by raquel on July 18, 2009

Sacha Jenkins and David “Chino” Villorente co-hosted the “Piecebook Battle” @ Fondation Cartier in the Montparnasse district of Paris. It was very cool. Despite the intermittent rain, the crowds came through all day to support the 15 contestants and four finalists chosen by the hosts and my mellow JonOne 156 (Dominican Power!).
The Contestants had an [...]

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Citizen of the World: Paris

by raquel on July 17, 2009

I met a lot of people in Europe.  I even encountered myself.  ~ James Baldwin
And I always do just that when I travel: encounter myself. I’ve been doing it for as long as I could remember. First, as a child shuttling back and forth from the Dominican Republic, New York City, and the Bay Area [...]

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