The Dr. Vibe Show™

Ashley Ingram is a singer, musician, Grammy Award-winning songwriter, producer and former member of British soulgroup Imagination. Ashley is the founder and headmaster of the Ainsley Ingram School of Music (http://www.myaism.com/ ) Ashley was born in Northampton, England in 1960. He parents were from Jamaica and he was one six children. During our chat, Ashley talks and reflects on many subjects including why his parents left Jamaica to go to England, some memories and challenges growing up, a game changing moment at 13 years old, starting the band "Imagination" and signing his first record contract at 19 years old, some stories from his performing days, the first time that he produced for another artist (Des'ree "You Gotta Be" which won a British Grammy Award), working with various artists such as Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and artists around the world, why left the music industry to start his own school and his message for Black men. For more information about Ashley and The Ashley Ingram School of Music, please go to http://www.myaism.com/ or info@myaism.com


Marcia Brown is a producer, writer, director, actress and the head of Marcia Brown Productions (http://www.marciabrownproductions.com/). Marcia was born in Jamaica and came to Toronto in 1989. Before coming to Canada, she was performed in many plays in Jamaica. She started Marcia Brown Productions in 2000 and the company has been growing ever since. During our conversation, Marcia talks about various subjects including how her performing career started, the rich and diverse cultural arts environment in Jamaica, why she came to Toronto, the difference between the cultural scene in Toronto versus Jamaica, why and how did she start Marcia Brown Productions, the story behind "I Need To Know My Father" (the first play that she has written and produced on her own), the subject of Black fatherhood and the future of Black theatre in Toronto. "I Need To Know My Father" is being performed on Friday, September 2, 2011 at 8 p.m. At the Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Lane in Brampton, Ontario. Part of the box office sales will be going to the United Achievers Community Services (http://www.unitedachievers.org/) organization. For more information about "I Need To Know My Father" including ticket information, please go to Marcia Brown Productions (http://www.marciabrownproductions.com/) or The Rose Theatre (http://www.brampton.ca/sites/rose-theatre/en/Pages/welcome.aspx)

With the Martin Luther King Memorial being opened, we thought that it would be a great idea to a livestream broadcast on August 24, 2011 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m . eastern time, "What is the state of Martin Luther King's dream?" King's dream was to have a society where people are judged by the content of character not the color of their skin. Colin Jobe of Colin Loves Docs (http://colinlovesdocs.wordpress.com/ ) joins the discussion in which some of the following questions brought up and answered: What is the status of the dream? Is equality for Black moving forward? Has trying to achieve equality caused more problems that it has solved? Have integration been a good thing for Black progress? What issue can Black unite around today? What do Blacks need to do to fulfill the dream? Did Martin Luther King Jr. push hard enough?Can there be improvement for Black and how can it be achieved? What is more important for the Black community: self-development or education? What is Black biggest challenge? What can Blacks learn from other cultures? What would you say to Martin Luther King Jr. if he was alive today? Have Blacks made the most of Martin Luther King's dream? What are the chances of another Black leader like Dr. King to enter? Have Black "sold out " to the corporate work world? Will we see another Martin Luther King in our lifetime?


Cloud computing is one of the big growth areas in the world of internet technology. Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network (typically the Internet). Online services such as Facebook and Twitter are based on cloud computering. Mark Lewis is an internet security consultant with http://cloudaudit.ca/ (Risk I.T.) Mark tells us about cloud computing, it's history and how it it changing the world, and how Blacks can profit from the world of cloud computing. Mark tells us why companies getting their websites hacked, how safe is the cloud,, addresses the issue of the lack of Blacks in IT, comments on the future trends in the world of computing and how long and how much money would it take to start a career in IT. To contact Mark, please go to: http://cloudaudit.ca/ (Web) @schulichcissp (Twitter)


Fiona Clarke is an actress and writer who was born in Calgary, Alberta and currently lives in Toronto. She has lived in a number of countries around the world and has her Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from the University of Toronto. Fiona is very passionate about the arts in Black Canadian community. During our interview, Fiona shares about various subjects including where her passion for the arts came from, how she wrote her first novel at seven years old, the state of the arts in the Black community in Toronto and Canada, the lack of Black Canadian support and government funding of the arts. Fiona also talks about her next step in her journey, some of her favorite authors, the challenges of being a single, Canadian born Black female in Canada, what the Black Canadians need to do to better support the arts community and her thoughts about Black men. To touch base with Fiona, go to: http://fionarayeclarke.blogspot.com/ (Blog) @fionarclarke (Twitter)

Direct download: VIBE_AND_VEGAS_SHOW_-_FIONA_CLARKE_-_JULY_21_-_2011.mp3
Category:Citizen Journalism -- posted at: 11:18pm EDT

Michael Tillery is the founder and writer of the sports blog "The Starting Five" (http://thestartingfive.net/). He is a former athlete and baseball coach. Michael wrote his first article in 2005 about Tiger Woods. He has covered sports for various magazines including Slam and The Nation. He believes in "changing the narrative" and connecting the sports fan with the athlete. He talks about memories about the University of Michigan's "Fab Five", Julius Erving and Reggie Jackson (both of whom influenced him to start writing about sports). Michael also provides his thoughts about the current state of sports journalism, his concerns with many Black reporters on how they cover Black athletes and what they need to change and improve and what changes the Black athlete needs to make. You can touch base with Michael via: http://thestartingfive.net/ (Web) @MichaelTillery (Twitter)


One of the more interesting apps that we have stumbled upon recently is "Audioboo". "Audioboo" can be described as a cross between You Tube and Twitter. It is application that is web and smartphone based. You can download it to your iPhone, Android and a high end Nokia phone. It allows you to record and share audio. After your recording is finished, you can add a photograph, a title and hash tags. You can upload your recording to an embedded player on your website or blog. You can also have your recording post automatically to Facebook, Twitter, Posterous, Tumblr or Friendfeed. With Facebook, you even get a fancy player. Kate Arkless Gray is the editor at Audioboo. She was born and lives in London. Kate is a freelance and radio broadcaster who has recently done some work for the BBC. During our conversation, Kate talks various subjects including how she found out and, the increased use of Audioboo during the London riots, some stories from the London riots and the aftermath and the future of social media. To find more information about Audioboo, please go to: http://audioboo.fm/ (Web) @audioboo (Twitter) info@audioboo.com (Email) Please feel free to visit Kate's sites at: http://www.radiokate.com/ (Kate's site at Audioboo) http://spacekate.com/ (Kate's blog about finding out about what options there are for getting astronauts into space, what the future holds for commercial space flight and how you night get a random girl from East London up there too.)
Direct download: Vibeandvegas-VIBEANDVEGASSHOWKATEARKLESSGRAYAUDIOBOO376.mp3
Category:Citizen Journalism -- posted at: 10:52am EDT

Two members of The Black Daddies Club (BDC), Taisha Lewis and Chevy X, share with us why they are involved with the BDC, what their friends are saying about and some of their experiences with Black fatherhood and how the BDC has changed them. For more information of the Black Daddies Club, go to: http://www.blackdaddiesclub.com/ (Web) https://www.facebook.com/groups/blackdaddiesclub/ (Facebook) @BlkDaddiesClub (Twitter) info@blackdaddiesclub.com (Email)


While filling out a form to get himself a facial, Brandon Hay (Founder and The Executive Director of The Black Daddies Club) talks about the picnic and it's future. http://www.blackdaddiesclub.com/ (Web) https://www.facebook.com/groups/blackdaddiesclub/ (Facebook) @BlkDaddiesClub (Twitter) info@blackdaddiesclub.com (Email)


Paul Green is an educator and community activist. Nigel Barriffe is an educator and a member of the Board of Directors of The Urban Alliance On Race Relations. We had the opportunity to chat with both men at the 2nd Annual Black Daddies Club Family Picnic on August 13, 2011. They discuss Blacks and politics and the upcoming Ontario provincial election, accountability and what Blacks have to do and why they need to get involved. You can contact Paul at blackstarz@sympatico.ca You can contact Nigel at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nigel-Barriffe/39779960551 (Facebook) www.stopthecuts.com http://goodjobsforall.ca/


Junior Burchall is a writer and a member of The Black Daddies Club. We had the opportunity to have him share with us at the Black Daddies Club Family Picnic on August 13, 2011. Junior talks about the state of Black men at this time, some of the challenges that Black men face, Do Black men talk?, how did he got involved with the Black Daddies Club, how does Black manhood come out in his writing, Black brotherhood, misconceptions that Blacks have of Black men, his thoughts about the London riots, what Black men need to do to improve and the division between older Black men and younger Black men . You can listen to an earlier interview that we did with Junior by clicking on the following link: http://bit.ly/pTyxwb You can contact Junior at iconseries@live.com (email) (647) 342-9313 (Phone)


We had an outstanding time at the 2nd annual Black Daddies Club Family Picinic on August 13, 2011. During the picnic, there was a panel discussion held. The guests included: Rathika Sitsabaiesan (New Democratic Party Minister of Parliament in Ottawa, MP, Scarborough- Rouge River - Ontario, youngest member of Parliament in the GTA), Yosief Mehari (Pardons Advisor - John Howard Society),Nigel Barriffe (educator, member of The Good Jobs For All coalition - http://goodjobsforall.ca/) and Paul Greene (educator). We had the privilege of acting as the moderator for this event. The guests and the audience take part in a great discussion about civic engagement, Blacks and voting, investing in Black youth, Blacks and the education system and the disconnect between Black youth and their parents. We would like to apologize for the sound quality. The sound quality is not 100% because the discussion was being broadcast live throughout the park that the picnic was being held at. We have done our best on improving this broadcast but we felt that it was important for our audience to hear this discussion. We would like to thank the Black Daddies Club for putting on this special day. For more information of the Black Daddies Club, go to: http://www.blackdaddiesclub.com/ (Web) https://www.facebook.com/groups/blackdaddiesclub/ (Facebook) @BlkDaddiesClub (Twitter) info@blackdaddiesclub.com (Eamil)
Category:Citizen Journalism -- posted at: 3:13pm EDT

One of the biggest stories in the news over the last week was the riots in London. We are privileged to have a friend in London. He is Alexander Mushroe (@blackhistoryuk). Alexander is a university student who attends school in London. Alexander talks about what he feel was the cause of the riots, the relationship between Black men and the police, the British press coverage of the riot including a controversial interview done by a female BBC reporter of an older Black man, the role of social media and the riots, what changes he would like to see the British government act upon, will we see uprisings in other countries. You can touch base with Alexander on Twitter @blackhistoryuk.


Dax Devlon-Ross is an author, educator, blogger and experience designer. He was born in Washington, D.C. And has lived in New York City for the last ten years. He has a degree in law. During our chat, he talks about a number of subjects including growing up in Washington, his time at Rutgers University where he became more aware of what was going on in the world. Dax comments on the recent American debt ceiling crisis and the recent National Football Leauge strike, why many Americans don't want to share, what a experience designer, the current state of Blacks and Black men in America, Blacks and social media and the fact that integration has not been a totally good thing for Blacks. If you would like to touch base with Dax, go to: http://www.daxdevlonross.com/ (Web) @daxdev (Twitter) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dax-Devlon-Ross-Esq/200676613311252 (Facebook)

Direct download: VIBE_AND_VEGAS_SHOW_-_DAX-DEVLON_ROSS_-_JULY_30_-_2011.mp3
Category:Citizen Journalism -- posted at: 5:22pm EDT

One of the interesting people that we met at the "Diversity In The New Media Era" presentation that was held in Toronto on July 16th was Sean Clarke. Sean is the CEO of Photoriot. Sean is Canadian born with Jamaican parents. He went to college in the United States on a basketball scholarship where he graduated with a Bachelor of Education. He started Photoriot about 1 ½ years ago. He regards himself as a freelance event photographer. Sean shares about various subjects including what was like getting a basketball scholarship to the United States, why he majored in education in college, the disappointment of not getting a teaching job in Toronto, the story of his love of photography, the process behind a photo shot and how he gets a photo shot, what it is like to be a young Black entrepreneur, meeting people and going to places he would have never imagined and how he is venturing into new areas. We also talk about the "Diversity In The New Media" event from July 16th.


CORRECTION: At the start of this interview, we said that Jerk Fest 2011 is being held on August 5, 2011 and August 6, 2011. This was incorrect. It is being held on August 6, 2011 and August 7, 2011. Our apologies.


Walter Fields is the Executive Editor of NorthStarNews.com (http://www.northstarnews.com/). The site was founded by Walter and two other gentlemen in 2002. It is dedicated to providing an online service for African Americans and being a source of credible information in order to motivate African Americans to become more engaged. Over the last few weeks, the major news story coming out of America was the debt ceiling issue. Walter provides us some background on the debt ceiling debate and what the parties agreed to and the long term effects especially on African Americans. He also shares with on various subjects such as the unfairness of the current American tax system and why tax increases for the "have gots" were not approved, how divided America is, Americans abandonment to the commitment to equality, the challenges that Barack Obama is facing for his re-election campaign in 2012, what can African Americans and African American men in particular can to improve the economic challenge that many of them currently face. He asks us to not take what is said in the media as the true sentiment of African Americans. Many African Americans are working hard to make things better. Walter feels that "giving back" is a cultural imperative and that African American need to reinvest into their community. To check out NorthStarNews.com, please go to http://www.northstarnews.com/ Please feel free to email us at info@blackcanadianman.com. If you live in North America, you can leave us a message at 1-866-280-9385 (toll free). Please feel free to "Like" the "The Vibe and Vegas Show" Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Vibe-and-Vegas-Show/155099174532923 God bless, peace, be well and keep the faith, Vibe and Vegas info@blackcanadianman.com Podcast: http://thevibeandvegasshow.wordpress.com/ 2011 Black Weblog Awards Finalist (Best International Blog and Best Podcast Series): http://www.blackweblogawards.com/bwa2011finalists.pdf Black Blog Of The Day - Black Bloggers Network - June 23, 2011: http://www.blackbloggernetwork.com/category/black-blog-of-the-day/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/vibeandvegas "The Vibe and Vegas Show" Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/The-Vibe-and-Vegas-Show/155099174532923 iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-vibe-and-vegas-show/id434781229


Charles Major is currently the thirty-one year old CEO of several business ventures, mentor and a consultant. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He is the youngest of four children. His main job is to motivate people. In seventh grade, he knew that he was going to be somebody and was signing autographs and told people to save the autograph. Growing up, his mother told him to go to school but he realized that school was not for him and that no job could or would pay him what he is worth. So, he quit college at nineteen years old and has been an entrepreneur ever since. During our interview, Charles talks and shares about the challenge of growing up with the support of his father, the challenge of having a Black male role model and that all of his male role models are white, his first business that he started at nineteen years old (selling women's clothes), the importance of teamwork and relationships, the story behind his book "Become A Mogul", some of his favorite books, what services he offers, some of the challenges that Black men face, the disconnect between older and younger Black men, thoughts on hip hop and it's effect on young Black men, that entrepreneurship is the only way that Black men can move forward, two common errors of entrepreneurs and three key elements that entrepreneurs need to succeed, messages to Black women and Black men and what would he like his legacy to be. You can contact Charles via: http://becomeamogul.com/ (web) @iamamogul (Twitter) http://www.linkedin.com/in/becomeamogul (LinkedIn) http://www.youtube.com/user/Iamamogul (You Tube)


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