The 43rd edition of the Pirelli Calendar is causing a stir, ironically, for NOT featuring overtly sexual images as it has been wont to do in previous years.

The 2016 calendar takes, in my humble opinion, a leap forward, by appositely shining the spotlight on talented and accomplished women - among them artists, writers, filmmakers, athletes and philanthropists. 

Iconic photographer, Annie Leibovitz, given a free rein in choosing and capturing the faces, decided on women she admired, including director and… Read more

Remember the thrill of receiving a letter or a postcard in the mail? I mean the mail box outside of your house or apartment. 

Remember the warm glow you felt when you heard the voice of a loved one on the other end of the telephone line?

Better yet, remember the smile on that person's face as you met each other and shared a heartfelt hug?

What about the contentment of curling up with a favorite book, unwilling to budge or be distracted until you got to the very end and learned of the fates of the characters… Read more

 

Empress - Happy Mother's Day!!! (by Alicia Saldenha

  When I was a child, I sang this to my mother.
My teachers taught it to the class at our Catholic primary school. 
I thought that it was beautiful and that it captured everything I wanted to say to the wonderful, strong, caring and nurturing lady who worked so hard to take care of me.

M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word that Means the World to Me)
Written by Howard Johnson and Theodore Morse (1915)

M is for the million things she gave me
O means only that she's growing old
T… Read more

AlienOwl (by Alicia Saldenha)

Hi Guys,

I hope you are all well and having a good weekend. I've had a busy week and yesterday I traveled to Gifu, Japan, to sing at a party. So this is my first opportunity to share my new interest with you.

A few weeks ago I discovered a website dedicated to visual art and literature called Deviant Art. Browsing the galleries for pieces that I could possibly use for cover art for my upcoming music, I came across a genre of digital art called Fractal Art.

A fractal is a natural… Read more

 I was very honored and pleased to be invited to do an interview with Sisters with Beauty, a hot new blog about natural hair and beauty based in the United States. If you've seen my photos, from the past braids and dreadlocks to the present fro, you'll know that natural hair is a passion of mine. So I was very happy and excited to do the interview.

Like me, Diana Ramsey, founder of the blog, is passionate about what she does and very dedicated. I wanted to be a part of her growing online presence as well… Read more

Hi Friends,

I found this beautiful picture and article recently on Pinterest. Please take a look.

Ella Fitzgerald has been such an inspiration to me as a jazz vocalist. I have also always been fascinated by Marily Monroe. She deserves far more credit as a singer and actress than she usually receives. So I was very happy to read of the mutual respect my two icons held for each other.

Click on the link below to read the article.

Enjoy!

Source: allaboutjazz.com via Alicia on Pinterest

Today I am sharing this very moving piece by one of my dearest friends, the talented Duane Ferguson.

Justice for Trayvon Martin!

I am..... Keep Your Hood Up
Developed, produced, and directed by Duane Ferguson. RIP Trayvon Martin.
(C) 2012, Baba Soul, Ent?.

(With my band in Japan, wearing our hoodies for Trayvon and for justice)

 I don't know what is worse - that in 2012, a young, innocent black boy can be pursued and shot to death by a self-righteous, racist, self-proclaimed vigilante, or that, despite the growing evidence, witnesses and public outcry, the police not only fail to arrest the shooter, but even make excuses for him.

It is deeply troubling that parents still have to teach their children - sons especially - that they must be careful, that… Read more

It is still difficult to accept the passing of Whitney Houston. The loss is compounded by the fact that it was so untimely - she was only 48 years old - and the fact that she was in the middle of a comeback. I, like countless other young children, sang to Whitney Houston in front of the mirror, or in front of the TV screen watching her on MTV, dreaming of the day when I, too, would be on the stage.

I don't want to think only of the sadness, however. This post is meant to focus on the happy news that we… Read more

(http://news.yahoo.com)

It has now been two years since the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti, which killed over 300,000 people, injured countless others and destroyed the infrastructure of the tiny Caribbean island.

Here in Japan, we can have special empathy for the people of Haiti, having experienced a terrible earthquake and even worse tsunami in 2011.

Unlike Japan, however, Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the Western hemisphere. The earthquake also destroyed Haiti's government and… Read more

When I reflect on 2011, the word "explosive" comes to mind. On an individual and on an international level, it was a year of transformative events.

As the fire of protest swept the Middle East, then Europe, water inundated the United States, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. The tsunami in Japan which claimed so many lives was followed by an ongoing nuclear disaster; both have affected me personally.

Yet out of the ashes, Japanese and other nationals have come together to help the victims and to… Read more