Intern Edition Summer 2008

Washington, D.C. celebrated its 16th Annual Caribbean Carnival this past June, during a two-day festival held on the 28th and 29th of the month. Caribbean bands and dancers decked out in colorful costumes laden with feathers, topped with exotic headdresses, swarmed the Georgia Avenue, NW, corridor during the first-day parade.

The festivities kicked off at 11 a.m. at Georgia and Missouri Avenues, and continued down to Banneker Field by Howard University. Each year the “De Savvanah” festival grounds hosts an international marketplace packed with vendors featuring Caribbean food, crafts, and entertainment. Live music can be caught throughout the day, both during the parade and at De Savvanah. Headlining this year’s live entertainment were Fay-Ann Lyons & Bunji Garlin, and The Soca Queen Alison Hinds.

The DC Carnival is made possible through DC Caribbean Carnival, Inc., a non-profit organization based in the District. According to its website, the carnival is intended to “develop and encourage cross-cultural program within the Washington Metropolitan Area” in the “expansion of Caribbean culture, and educate youths and adults in the Caribbean arts, crafts, and culture.”

In just 13 years, the carnival has grown from nine bands, representing different Caribbean islands, and 150,000 spectators to 25 bands and nearly 300,000 visitors. The carnival not only attracts Caribbean immigrants living in DC and the greater east coast, but from Canada, Australia and the Caribbean islands themselves, most notably Jamaica and Trinidad.

While enjoying the tail-end of the parade on the first day of the Carnival, I spotted a group of guys covered in mud, laughing and joking on the side of the street. Reflective of their inviting and inclusive culture, they called me over and I had the chance to spend some time with this hilarious bunch as they cooked food and wound down from the day’s festivities. All immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago, they made their way from various parts of the country to enjoy their annual journey to the DC Carnival. Below, you can hear from the guys themselves about why they come to the carnival and their thoughts on being a member of Caribbean immigrant community.

Selwyn Williams, NY resident, on why he keeps coming back each year, and explains why he’s covered all over in mud:

Dexter Griffith, on his role in the Carnival, and what being a Caribbean immigrant in America means to him:

Harvey Neptune, a professor at Temple University, describes how he prophesized Obama’s run for the presidency, and how he “convinced” Michelle to let him do it:

New York City just held the “mother of all U.S. carnivals,” as Harvey Neptune puts it, called the West Indian American Day Carnival. The festivities draw in over 3 million people each year for a weekend celebrating Caribbean crafts, music, and food. To get a peek into what went on during the event, click here.

If you missed the DC or NYC carnivals, you have another chance to join in the festivities at the Broward Caribbean Carnival in South Florida, October 12th. Get all of the details here.

Popularity: 58% [?]

Who knew upon starting my internship this summer that wigs would become such a key element of my life? For the last 2 months while researching my Intern Edition piece on wigs and why people wear them on a daily basis, wigs have consumed and intrigued me. I interviewed avid wig wearers, from drag queens to working professionals with little time to fix their natural hair. I learned two very important things: both of these very different groups of people use wigs to form and enhance their identities. And, unfortunately, they are both judged by non-wig wearers. I must admit that I was one of the skeptics who questioned: if it’s not Halloween, and you don’t have a medical condition that results in hair loss, what’s the point?

It wasn’t till I took the plunge and tried on a professionally-made wig at Kay’s Wig Shop in downtown D.C. that I fully understood how empowering wearing a wig can be. Picking one out can be a bit daunting—multiple pairs of eyes from mannequin heads stare you down while you browse the aisles. And how do you pick the right one? For me, it was easy; I wanted something completely different from my own dark brown bobbed hair. I picked out a long blonde wig with lengthy layers and waited for giggles to erupt out of my friends mouths as I tried it on.

The owner of the shop, Kay Kim, first put this skull cap-looking hair net on my head—which is not at all flattering but creates a smooth surface for the wig to rest upon. She slowly pulled the wig over my now temporarily bald head, taking care to curl any excess hair under the cap. Having ditched long hair about a year ago, I’d forgotten what it was like to be able to pull your hair back in a ponytail or flip it to attract attention. I hadn’t dyed my hair since high school, when experimenting with pinks and purples seemed like a good idea. The biggest difference between the wig and my natural hair? The wig looked perfect–and my natural thick wavy hair rarely does unless I spend some time on it.

The heat didn’t cause the wig to frizz. It remained perfectly in place. Kay smiled at me and said: “You look so good!” I stared back in astonishment because , I must admit—I looked great. And I felt good, too. The way the wig made me look boosted my confidence and made me feel…different–just like when I get a hair cut and feel new again. But with a wig, you never have to worry about your hairstyle growing out.

As I admired my new hair and flirted with the idea of buying the wig, Kay said, “And you look so much younger too!” That’s when I knew I’d had enough. At the age of 21 looking like a teen again was my not my intention—I’m finally at the point when people don’t stare for several minutes at my ID questioning whether I’m of legal drinking age or not. Thinking back, I probably gave Kay a bit of a look when she said this—exactly how old did I look to her?

For drag queens, a wig completes their feminine transformation, making them look like a woman. For working professionals with no time to fix their hair, it gives them confidence to know they can easily slip on a wig and be ready a day at the office or a night on the town. But for me, there was something a little unnerving about the smiling blonde in the mirror, who looked a little too comfortable in my clothes.

Popularity: 83% [?]

Last month, Carina Giamerese wrote a note about Playing the Building, an installation by David Byrne in New York City’s Battery Maritime Building. Recently I was lucky enough to visit Byrne’s installation, with Carina and some other friends and fellow interns, to play the building myself.

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Popularity: 97% [?]

Shauna and I left Maryland around 1 p.m.  It was July 13 and a hell-hot day. 

I’ve never owned one of those thick, spiral-bound Thomas Guide-thingies and I don’t have a portable GPS. So I Googled the route to Winton, North Carolina.   I find it interesting that all those computer generated route-makers such as Mapquest and Yahoo disclaim every path they chart.  I think Google should include some sort of backwoods disclaimer. 

“Warning… this route will take you through winding country roads with no street lights.  Cell-phone reception will not exist.  Beware of farm machinery on two-lane roads that only fit one car.  Don’t get lost.”   

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Popularity: 90% [?]

Sohodolls | Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation | Released October 18 2007 in US

Somehow the British electro trio escaped my attention since their most recent album earned them radioplay, but fortunately one of my favorite trash-rock duos remixed the Sohodolls this summer, bringing them much-deserved limelight this side of the Atlantic. Singer Maya van Doll is unabashed in her aims of bringing sex and self-awareness into synthpop, and pulls it off without a hitch, amalgamating disco-era uptempo hooks with punk attitude and just enough postmodern sleaziness to work.

Popularity: 100% [?]

As the official countdown begins until I see Radiohead in Camden, NJ next week (five days, by the way), I am reminded of the pre-In Rainbows tour two summers ago when I purchased tickets to both nights of their Tower Theatre run for 450% above face value. Both nights sold out within seconds, and I was at work that morning anyway. So imagine how wide my eyes opened when my friend called me a few weeks later and said those fateful words, “There is still a way to get Radiohead tickets.”

Of course he was talking about ticket broker sites like StubHub, where I eventually traded my tax refund for Thom Yorke. The next question is inevitably, “Well, was it worth it?” and the answer an equally inevitable and resounding, “DUH.” So does that mean those slimy scalpers are right – that they play a fair game in an open marketplace, that whatever someone will pay is what a ticket is worth?

Parents of pre-teen Hannah Montana fans would beg to disagree. Read more »

Popularity: 97% [?]

Kid Sister’s radio-friendly Pro Nails featuring Kanye West was fun and infectious and all, but this Control remix made it physically impossible for me to sit in my chair. I swear, one of these days a Kid Sister induced dance party while driving is going to make me crash into a telephone pole. The hook is that transfixing. The Chicago MC has just reminded us all that women in hip hop are alive and well. Listen with caution.

Hear the LA Riots’ remix of “Control” at hypemachine here.

Popularity: 97% [?]

When you experience the excessive price points at boutiques like Cusp on M Street, Georgetown shopping can seem like it’s limited to getting fingerprints on the storefront glass.

With a little help from the District of Columbia’s Sales Tax Holiday, though, your window shopping dreams could finally come true.

Washington, D.C., is offering the city’s second Sales Tax Holiday of 2008 from Aug. 2 through midnight on Sunday, Aug. 10.  D.C.’s sales tax may not be as obscene as Chicago’s — a painful 10.25 percent — but shopping tax-free is definitely a plus.

With that said, as my 10 weeks in D.C. come to a close, I’d like to offer my two cents on some of the best deals, hot spots and most interesting boutiques I’ve encountered in the D.C. area:

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Popularity: 98% [?]