R.I.P. AALIYAH!

(January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001)

This is one of my favorite artists. Tomorrow will mark the 8th year anniversary of the terrible incident. I miss her sooo much.

Driving from high school, I remember listening to her in my 1992 White Ford Tempo. I was only in the 10th grade but it feels just like yesterday. We were the same age so, I could definitely relate to her music! Not to mention I thought I was one of her background dancers...I knew all the dances to every video! LMAO!

Here are a few of my favorite songs!!!

SHAUNDRIE'S MUSIC THAT'S WASSUP!

Cory Thompson, o.k. Cory-T, is owner/C.E.O. of Creative Minds Records. He was born in New Orleans, LA and started producing at the age of 18. Making his own beats, he composes his own music. Coming from a long line of musicians, Cory-T was destined to become a young success. The death of his father played a big role in his ambition towards music. He uses his creativity to paint a vivid picture of life growing up in the city as a young black male. After signing numerous deals with local record companies, Cory-T decided to put together his own record label and push his own albums independently. His first independent release entitled "First Coming" gained him some local fan base. Throughout the next years, he dropped a series of mixtapes and all together has moved 30,000 units independently in the New Orleans area. He sold albums out of the trunk of his car at local gas stations and barber shops. In 2007, he released his first single off his second LP entitled "In My System". It gained him a larger fan base in the local area and was getting a large amount of spins on Q 93.3, a radio station in N.O. and Max 94.1, a radio station in Baton Rouge, LA. His second single entitled "I'm Fresh" hit the airwaves in 2008. He has worked with local artists such as K.Gates, Shawt, Big Lou, Quarter Key, and Baby Boy. His second LP entitled "D.S.M.C. the Album" is scheduled to hit stores second quarter 2008. Currently, Cory T is grindin in search of a home with a major record label. He is also promoting his current single, "Second Line"

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Cory Thompson's Twitter
Cory Thompson's Myspace

The Rock Star in You

Ladies, I am loving the rockstar look right now! The studs, beads and chains are so hot! Here is one of my favorite looks.

Alexander McQueen Faithful leather tote
$2,295 - net-a-porter.com

Balmain Suede zipped ankle boots
$1,975 - net-a-porter.com

"Starry Heart" - Pink Lovers Necklace with Swarovski Crystals
$35 - yesstyle.com

BKE Double Stud Belt
$20 - buckle.com

Multi Bangle Set
$6.74 - newlook.co.uk

FULL TILT Heart Cutout Earrings - Pink/Black
$3.99 - tillys.com

BALMAIN Leather Jacket
$10,440 - colette.fr

Womens Crafted Skinny Panel Jeans
$51 - republic.co.uk

I Love Hair Metal Top
$16 - forever21.com

Enchanted Evenings 

I just realized that I like gold...a lot...here is a little cocktail ensemble that would be perfect for a wedding or social gathering.

Olive Strapless Twist Corset Dress by Jasmine Di Milo
$909
DEVI KROELL Python Hobo - Champagne Bags - 25Park.com
$3,190 - 25park.com

GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI Snakeskin Pump - Brandy Shoes - 25Park.com
$625 - 25park.com

URBAN DECAY HEAVY METAL GLITTER EYELINER - BAKED (7.5ml)
$15 - lookfantastic.com

Rocks! Eyes: OCEANRAIN: Shimmering vivid oceanic blue green
$4.88 - aromaleigh.com

Tarina Tarantino Metal Heart Earrings in Emerald
$92 - shoplastyle.com

Emerald and bronze bracelet
H&M Shop Online
shop.hm.com

Talking with Shaundrie...that REAL Sugar Honey Ice Tea

The NEW Strain of HIV!

Source:CNN.COM/HEALTH

French researchers have identified a new human immunodeficiency virus, the first derived from gorillas, a report said Monday.

A new virus is difficult to detect by tests because it is not closely related to the other three HIV variants.

The three previous HIV variants came from chimpanzees. The new findings indicate that gorillas, in addition to chimpanzees, are likely sources of HIV, the researchers concluded in a report published in the weekly Nature Medicine journal.

The new virus, called RBF 168, was detected in a 62-year-old woman who moved to Paris, France, from the western Africa nation of Cameroon, the report says. She tested positive for HIV in 2004, and researchers led by Jean-Christophe Plantier identified the virus as being closely related to a recently discovered simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV).

The new gorilla virus "has many of the biological properties necessary for human infection," the report says.

"The human case described here does not seem to be an isolated incident, as before coming to Paris the subject had lived in the semiurban area of Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, and reported no contact with apes or bush meat," the researchers said.

That would indicate that the woman contracted the virus from another human.

The three previous HIV variants are labeled M, N and O. The new one has been classified P. The N and O variants, Fauci said, are extremely rare.

Fauci lumps the new P variant with the rare group because it has been detected in only one patient.

The new virus is difficult to detect by conventional tests because it is not closely related to the other three HIV variants.

"This demonstrates that HIV evolution is an ongoing process," co-researcher David Robertson of the University of Manchester said in a release. "The virus can jump from species to species, from primate to primate, and that includes us; pathogens have been with us for millions of years and routinely switch host species."

HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which attacks the body's immune system, giving rise to lethal infections. Patients diagnosed with HIV can take medications to delay or stop HIV from developing into AIDS. There are 33 million confirmed cases of AIDS worldwide.

The most likely explanation for the emergence of the new virus is gorilla-to-human transmission, though researchers say they cannot rule out the possibility that the chimpanzee SIV gave rise to the new strain "either indirectly by transmission to gorillas and then to humans or directly by transmission to humans and also to gorillas."

Researchers said they don't know how widespread the virus is among humans.

"The human prevalence of this new lineage remains to be determined," the report says, adding that "it could be circulating unnoticed in Cameroon or elsewhere."

Co-researcher Robertson noted that the new virus may not be restricted to Africa.
"It also highlights how human mobility can rapidly transfer a virus from one geographical location to another as has been dramatically evident with the recent emergence of swine flu," he said.

Now what interests me about this is that they currently have an HIV Vaccine in the experimental stages- HIV VACCINE WEBSITE . Then a new strand miraculously appears. Is HIV really a conspiracy by the pharmaceutical companies to continue the monopoly over the health care system? I mean each patient that suffers from HIV spends thousands of dollars on their prescriptions monthly. I mean people can't really be going out here having sexual intercourse with gorillas and chimpanzees…well can they?

I know one thing, everyone needs to be careful. Better yet, I would be abstinent until the situation is investigated further. It was said the original HIV drugs are not responding to this strand which makes it more lethal. Furthermore, is it known whether it can penetrate the latex condom barrier? I mean you think you are being safe but are you really? 

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Shaundrie's Music - Think Creative.

Wow, where did the week go!?! Its Music Monday ALREADY!!! Today, I am trying something a little different. I feel that there is soooo much unsigned and unrecognized talents that are being overlooked. Therefore, I am altering my Music Monday to feature "NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHTS".

Today, I am featuring LeVar Thomas. LeVar was actually the first person I met on twitter. We both discovered that we have a great love for music. He told me that he was an artist and told me to check out his site www.levarthomas.com . When I heard, "Missing You" I was immediately hooked. The song takes me back to my college days riding through the country side on a sunny spring day. It has a great feel and definitely something you can ride too! Check him out!



Surrounded by a family with a great love for life and music, it must have been the destiny of South Carolina raised LeVar Thomas to become a singer and songwriter. As a child LeVar spent his afternoons at his grandparents house. He would hear his uncles blaring hip-hop in one room, his grandmother listening to gospel records in another room and his grandfather singing while tending his garden. While at home he grabbed every record his mother and father had around and listened intently to each one of them.

Thomas embarked on a journey to become a singer when he joined with 3 of his cousins to form a singing group when he was just 13 years old. Singing and writing with them helped LeVar decide that he ultimately wanted to have a career as a singer and songwriter. “ We’d sit together for hours and practice songs from groups like Jodeci, Boyz II Men, Silk & Shai. We’d also write and it was real magic to create songs that were all our own.”

Their group went on to win talent shows and get local recognition but as they took on more adult responsibilities, it was harder for them to continue on as a group. They took a break after singing together for 8 years

Learning that he had to be more than just a good singer, LeVar took steps to improve his voice by taking vocal lessons with Arrested Development singer Nicha Hilliard and later took lessons at Jan Smith Studios. With the confidence he gained from the lessons, Thomas sang at open mics and benefits like Feed The Hungry, 500 Songs for Kids and the Wounded Warrior Project. He also sang at venues such as Smith’s Olde Bar, Django, Urban Grind Café, Sugar Hill and Eddie’s Attic in the Atlanta Metro Area.



While doing these shows, LeVar met fellow artists who were on the same musical journey. He co-wrote and sang with these artists and further proved to himself that music is what he was born to do. He also started using the ever popular networking sites, Myspace and Youtube to broadcast himself and see how the public felt about his voice. In no time, LeVar had racked up 250,000 hits and was featured as an editors pick on his Youtube account (vazwell). In addition to that he, has been featured on music streaming sites like Imeem and became one of the first singers to win $10,000 in a global internet talent contest called Clipstar.

LeVar decided to take his career further and knew he would need a manager. He took on Jason King, owner of Superlatude Music Group and Professor at NYU’s Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music. “After I hired Jason, he helped me to be a little more savvy about what the industry was looking for. He encouraged me to write, write, write, sing out more and that being a songwriter may be a good starting point for me.”