Friends of Oakton Library are hosting their semi-annual book sale this weekend. Here’s my haul – all in pristine condition, all for $2.25.
Billy Stewart was an R&B singer active in the 1960s.
He met Marvin Gaye through the Rainbows, a Washington, DC vocal group. Bo Diddley has been credited with discovering Stewart in Washington, DC. This led to a recording with Bo Diddley’s label Chess Records.
Amazing: I didn’t know that Marvin Gaye and Bo Diddley had ties to Washington DC.
Here’s Billy Stewart singing what Wikipedia calls his “radical interpretation” of Summertime from George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess. Forgive the blurriness of this video.
Not sure about the 10-gallon hat and the folks sitting around on hay bales. 🤔
Billy Stewart died in an automobile accident in 1970. He was 32.
Shout-out to the Sunday Kind of Love program on WPFW 89.3 FM for introducing me to Billy Stewart.
Sources:Read More »
South African singer Johnny Clegg died on July 16, 2019 of pancreatic cancer. He was 66. He was instrumental in bringing South African music to a broader audience during the apartheid era.
Here is Johnny Clegg performing “I Call Your Name” with his biracial band Savuka in 1988:
Is this cultural appropriation? We’ve become more sensitive to this issue over the years. I don’t know how Johnny Clegg was perceived at the end of his life, but 30+ years ago, cultural appropriation didn’t stick to him, as he immersed himself into Zulu culture, to the point that he was called the White Zulu.
Women told Macy’s to pull these plates from their stores. Body shaming, I guess.
How can I get these plates from @Macys banned in all 50 states pic.twitter.com/1spntAluVl
— Alie Ward (@alieward) July 21, 2019
I’m overweight, even obese, but I found these plates funny and I’d buy them. They’re by POURTIONS™.
Gucci Westman, formerly creative director for both Lancôme and Revlon, has launched her own #cleanbeauty line Westman Atelier.
Below she demonstrates how to do a dimensional (read contouring and highlighting) face using three shades of her Vital Skin Foundation Stick ($68.00 a piece!). She blends ATELIER I (Fair, with neutral undertone) and ATELIER II (Medium fair, warm beige undertone) to create an under eye concealer.
Gucci Westman on Instagram: westmanatelier and gucciwestman
The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss by Jason Fung
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book gives the lie to the idea that weight gain depends on calories in/calories out. Rather, insulin or insulin resistance is responsible for weight gain.
I’m pre-diabetic, and The Obesity Code has inspired me to cut back on sugars. Also, it’s not only a matter of what you eat, but also how frequently you eat. Fung endorses intermittent fasting.
View all my reviews
Alright, Canadians. For some reason this proud American feels obliged to post about Canada Day when I post about our Fourth of July. Actually I love Canada.
Since I posted a playlist for the 4th of July, I was inspired to post a playlist for Canada Day. Here’s k.d. lang’s Hymns of the 49th Parallel, in which she performs songs by Canadian stalwarts like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cockburn, and Leonard Cohen.
A (belated) Happy Canada Day to our Canadian readers.
Today I listened to a delightful program on NPR called American Anthem. Among the songs that the show profiled were:
NPR writes:
Sometimes, a song isn’t just a song: It’s shorthand for an idea. Some songs can rouse and rally huge masses of people at once, whether they’re chanting in a stadium, marching in the streets or sweating it out on the dance floor.
American Anthem: The Playlist. (2019, July 01). Retrieved July 4, 2019, from https://www.npr.org/2019/07/01/736718887/american-anthem-the-playlist
NPR has put together a playlist that not only includes the songs listed above but also songs that have reached “anthemic status.”
I think that this playlist should include Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” What other songs do you think should be included?
I recently cleaned my makeup brushes:
Brands include Real Techniques, Beauty Strokes, Sigma Beauty, and Wayne Goss.
I picked up the following method from the Internet. If I knew who offered the advice, I’d credit them.
I then swirl my makeup brushes in the mixture and wash, rinse, and squeeze out excess water out of the brushes using the two-sided 2X Sigma Spa© Brush Cleaning Glove (one side for face brushes and the other for eye makeup brushes).
The glove costs $39.00 through Sigma’s web site.
Want to know how to use it? Sigma has made this very helpful video:
I was curious about Drunk Elephant, so I bought The Littles discovery set.
I’ve exchanged brief messages with founder Tiffany Masterson via Linkedin and found her very responsive and friendly. I haven’t tried all the products in the discovery set. Here are the ones I’ve tried:
Beste™ No. 9 Jelly Cleanser is the gentlest cleanser that I have used. I like to do a double cleanse with DHC Deep Cleansing Oil and Beste™ No. 9 Jelly Cleanser. Lalo Retro Whipped Cream is a very good moisturizer with a whipped consistency. While I had no problem with the T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum the first time I used it, I experienced irritation the second time I used it. I skipped all treatment serums and used gentle creams to soothe the irritation the following day.
Of the three products, I’d be most inclined to buy Beste™ No. 9 Jelly Cleanser. Fortunately, there is a sample in Sephora’s 2019 Birthday Gift!
Cold Cream 'n' Roses 
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