The Focus Oct 2014
The Official Magazine of Focused Radio
No Masks!
Time to Get to the Root of the Problem!
Focus Points Why I Love Hip Hop pg 5 Take the Masks Off pg 6 Beauty and the Beast pg 9 Taking it Back pg 15 Choose Life pg 16
Editor in Chief: TommyP Story Editor: Miyohn Baskin Photo Credits: Facebook Instagram NuFocus Media G. Warner Photography advertise your business or event! Send details to info@focusedradiobobw.com
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Message From the Editor Trick or Treat, smell my.... I couldn’t resist. I remember those days of being a young boy in Roanoke ready to go out and see my friends dressed up in their costumes and we all see who could get the most candy! For some and strange and odd reason, it just doesn’t seem like the same feeling is in the city anymore. Hopefully it is because we have found safer, more efficient ways for young people to get the joys of the holiday while eliminating possible safety threats that we’ve learned over the past 30 years. That same concept is prevalent in the cover story when we take the masks off of the real problem effecting education in the Northwest area of Roanoke. The beauty wears a mask, while the beast let’s us know how he “pimps the hoses!” We also speak of many other happenings that will help us to stay FOCUSED (Fight Obstacles Continue Until Success Every Day). As always thanks for listening to Focused Radio and reading The Focus magazine. We appreciate you #StayingFocusedMyFriends
TommyP
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Why I Love Hip-Hop
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I know this series of articles is titled “Why I Love Hip Hop,” but life is about duality, so I’m going to discuss what I don’t love about Hip Hop. Halloween is a kid’s favorite holiday. You can argue Christmas holds the top spot on the list, but Christmas comes with a stipulation: you have to behave yourself or Santa won’t bring you what you’re asking for. At least with Halloween you just conjure up a costume, knock on some doors, and receive candy for nearly no work at all; and some rappers never grew out of this practice.
Contractions, and Oxymoron. These conceptually titled projects all refer to him doing these bad things, but for good reason. For example, his latest release Oxymoron is a double entendre. It refers to him illegally selling the prescription drug Oxycontin, but doing it to help keep a sustainable life for his daughter. He did something that looked bad on the surface, but had good intentions for doing them; somewhat like an oxymoron using one meaning of a word to actually describe something with a complete opposite meaning.
For some reason, humans naturally gravitate to negativity. We rather hear a rapper talk about inflicting violence and stealing than taking their part in something positive. However, some rappers were born into situations where that’s just the norm. They learned “survival of the fittest” and did everything they could to not be at the bottom of the proverbial food chain. I can somewhat sympathize with this idea: you do what’s best for you and the ones you love, regardless of what it may do for others around you. This is something I learned from Schoolboy Q by studying his music. ScHoolboy is never afraid to invite his audience into his past gang affiliation, drug-dealing, and various other criminal activities. The thing about ScHoolboy is he admits he isn’t proud of his actions. His three album releases through his west coast label TDE are titled Setbacks, Habits and
Now back to the Halloween reference. Some rappers like ScHoolboy will be authentic with their wrong-doings, but some are merely acting. The music business, in this case, especially Hip Hop, reveres rappers who put on a façade. Rappers put on a mask to appear as a monster, knock the listeners’ doors, and they receive payment for this; just like kids during Halloween. So I’m challenging the readers to take a step back and decide for themselves whether or not this is truly who we want the youth listening to. In the end, it’s just music and it’s up to the listener to be mature enough not emulate what they hear, but rappers still have a certain responsibility to be the change they want to see in the society. All I’m asking is for a little more authenticity and appreciation for positivity.
Taking the Masks Off
When it is believed that your city has “two seperate� identities, it helps to get down to the root of the problem. The town hall meeting called by Delegate Sam Rasoul held at Addison aimed to do just that!
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by TommyP Nothing gets to the heart of a problem like sitting down and having a conversation. With all the turmoil in the country, it’s refreshing to see when our leaders find a way to get us back on target. Everyone knows that crime is more prevalent in areas where the inhabitants’ education levels are low. Recent data statistics show that the Northwest Roanoke area has the most crime as well as the households with the lowest education. This is truly not a coincidence, it’s the root of the issue that has plagued our urban communities for years now. One could blame the white families that have established financial security in making sure that stat never changes. Could even say that there are “two Roanoke’s” and something should be done about it. I will say this, there is one young man that came in saying he will do something about it and be damned if he isn’t! Delegate Sam Rasoul, the young “new Kid” on the block of Roanoke politics, is getting things done where they will have an effect. Calling together a Town Hall meeting at Addison Middle School which is located in the heart of Northwest and a historic school for urban progress in Roanoke, he asked folks from the other side of the tracks to attend as well. Different from most sessions that only allow for gripes and complaints to be tossed around and around until everyone gets fired up to go out and picket; this session had moderators at each table engaging dialogue from all that attended. The Focus Oct2014 8
There was a list of “shot callers” in attendance at the meeting which made this format even that more significant. Including Roanoke Councilwoman, Anita Price who was very vocal with her group. Not in a “this is what the city is doing about this...” type of way, but talking to the middle school parent sitting next to her like a friend or team mate looking to get some answers. Dr ET Burton, long time “pastor of pastors” in the Baptist circuit of ministry, as well as the heads of the Roanoke chapter of the NAACP were there saying some thing that were obvious, but also some real ideas of how “all” can take the masks off and get down to making a difference! Delegate Rasoul started off by saying “We called this meeting, because we want to hear from you!” It is true what they say that in order to truly be able to lead, you must first learn how to follow. Things are looking good for the northwest community with actions such as these formulating in the early stages of Delegate Rasoul’s career in politics. Let’s just hope we all find a way to stay “FOCUSED” in order to see this great work come to fruition!
We truly appreciate
Beauty
Yuletta Diggs
Model, Health Care Professional
Beast
Those Making it Happen
Gil Wright Entreprenuer, Hookah Life
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Zumba/Exercise Classes Mon, Tues, Thurs - 7pm to 8pm FIrst class free, each additional $5.00 or you can purchase a bargain card at $50 for 12 classes and $30 for 7 classes Middle School Afterschool Program 3:00pm - 6:30pm Monday through Friday Rent The CAFE Building- for small parties, dinners, celebrations, classes, workshops and etc. Rental includes tables, chairs and use of the patio call for rental rates Classes and workshops Coming Soon Yoga Personal Safety Nutrition Dates To Remember: Pancake Breakfast November 1, 2014 8am - 12pm All you can eat pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee $5.00 Fall Fling Community Vendors will be set up advertising and selling various goods such as homemade jewelry, crafts, Baked Goods and etc. Free raffle and free giveaways all day
Marvelous Makeover
By Money Mon
Do you find yourself applying more makeup to your face than needed? It may be to cover up blemishes, fine lines or wrinkles. No matter the reason, applying an excessive amount of foundation, blush, eye shadow, lip color, mascara, and eye liner, honestly looks monstrous not marvelous. This may take away from your natural beauty ladies and actually can be more time consuming. Do you want a dash out the door marvelous makeover that is flawless and achievable in minutes? Here are some tips on how to give yourself a marvelous makeover in minutes. If you want to look flawless ladies, always remember “less is best”. Beauty can be covered up by too much makeup or other facial agents, such as highlighters, concealers, or tint. To start your marvelous makeover you must have a light luminous foundation, a luscious lip color, eye-liner, shadow, mascara and cheek color. Start by applying a light layer of foundation to your cheeks in a downward motion, while spreading it along your forehead, chin, neck and temple area. Blending the foundation in and spreading it evenly should be enough to give you a natural flawless look. Next you would apply a nice cheek color to your cheeks. Focus on the apples of your cheeks while smiling and swooping the color in an upward motion towards your temples. The color should be an accent to your natural skin tone and should not overpower the look you are trying to achieve. Your eye makeup eyeliner, eye shadow, and mascara should be applied lightly and the color on your eyes should exemplify a specific look. We are trying to achieve a natural look so you should use two colors that blend but don’t contrast, one on the top of your eyelid, then apply the other from the corners of the eyes up to creases in a “V” shape and blend. Sapphire and gray usually blend together wonderfully. However choose a color that works for you. The eyeliner should be a light line going from the inner eye to the corners of your lower eyelid. Do not make this line to thick or dark, it will make it look like stage or costume makeup. Keep the look subtle. Your mascara would be applied with upward strokes from the outer lash to inner, while looking up apply the mascara by combing through your eyelashes in a swift motion. Do not apply an excess amount it may cause your lashes to have a clumpy and unnatural look. Last but not least you have to put on your lip color with a nice lipstick with a gloss on top to add a little shine. Pick a color that is not too bright or fluorescent. To apply to the lips correctly be sure to swipe the lips with color so that it is visible but not too bold. Be sure not to go outside of the natural lip line and the gloss should enhance the color and add a subtle shine. So now you have the tips to how to give yourself a marvelous makeover in minutes you are now ready to Dash out the Door. Keep it simple ladies “less is best.”
A Scary Decline In Trick-or-Treating By MiYohn Baskin
Halloween, celebrated across the globe on October 31st each year, could easily have been considered one of the most highly anticipated holidays for the average youngster years ago. It was once customary for communities to celebrate the legendary occasion with pumpkin carving, Halloween parties and of course trick-or-treating for children through well lit, decorated neighborhoods. Trick-or-Treaters dressed up as their favorite cartoon characters, scary ghost, goblins and witches to parade through town chanting trick-or-treat in exchange for candy, lollipops and bubblegum. The biggest fear was to rip the seat of the plastic costume or for the elastic on the back of the mask to break. Of course the ultimate betrayal was to climb what seemed like a million steps only to receive a handful of those dreaded peanut butter taffy candies wrapped in either orange or black wrappers. Children seemed to remember the houses that gave out “bad candy� and would avoid them at all cost. A tainted candy scare in the early 80’s got the attention of parents and caregivers alerting them to check for unwrapped candy before allowing their children to tear into their bags of treats. Hospitals even The Focus Oct 2014 14
got involved by offering to x-ray candy, reducing the fear of a child biting into candy that may have been tampered with. Annual Halloween festivities continued for many years with little interruption following the scare until recently. Within the last 10 years, Trick-orTreating has become almost a forgotten tradition. Of course danger is present all around us. The fear of pedophiles targeting innocent children on Halloween has even prompted many states to forbid sex offenders from leaving the house or even turning their porch lights on during the designated time for Trick-or-Treating. Although, Religious Organizations and Community Centers are hosting more events for children and Shopping Malls encourage businesses to participate in the day long festivities, are we protecting our children in order to keep them safe or are we robbing them of an experience that most adults enjoyed and looked forward to as a child?
Community
Leaders of the African Americans in Criminal Justice hold a great event at the Harrison Museum
Loaded with great information, fellowship, and a scholarship awarded; the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ) Western Regional Chapter, held it’s annual showcase at the Harrison Museum of African American Culture on October 16th. Speakers included Councilman Sherman Lea Sr, Sherriff Tim Allen, and Sherman Lea Jr.
September is over, Sickle Cell isn’t
www.faith4acure.org
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