Fangirl here.  Just saw the newest movie.  Seemed to be an unusually high amount of interracial relationships and flirting, though none that pulled through at the end (although the reasons for them failing don't seem to be racism, just convenience).  I just kind of thought that this is more or less the only movie I can think of where interracial dating, flirting, and friendship is just something that HAPPENS, instead of something that the characters need to bring up every other minute and think about and be commended for and attract criticism for.

I mean yes, on the one hand, it would be cool to watch a movie where not only does Daniel Radcliffe get asked out by a hot black chick with an Afro, but he actually dates her.  But alas, this does not happen in the book, and frankly, it's the only time it seems to have EVER happened in the media.  I'm wondering: is it British media that's so much more evolved than us?  Or is it the fact that the main characters and their actors are all under 25?  Because while my mother is the time to actually think about this, me and my friends just....do things.  Hot person looking at me?  Immediate reaction: hit on regardless of race.

Or maybe I was just mesmerized by the magic that is people with British accents and big ol' afros.

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/baby-showers.html

Some cakes make you wonder what species of baby is being welcomed into the world:

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/does-this-cake-make-me-look-fat.html

Attn parents: the last photo in today's post is not appropriate for the little ones.

So you're making a Doritos-run to your local grocery store, and you see this:

And for some reason many of you are convinced by this chipped, yellowing, choking-hazard of a cake that photo cakes are a "grrrr-reat!" idea. So you run home, rifle through the blackmail folder, and order up gems like these:



Photo cakes are also a great way to remind friends what happened during their last black out:


Or why their new nickname is "the dragon":

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/beauty-is-only-skin-deep.html

If you think animated characters today set an unrealistic standard of beauty for your kids, then you're in luck! Today's cakes will show you some great ways to lower that standard, all while teaching important life-lessons!


First, remember, girls: strong jawlines = strong women.


On the plus side, questions like "Where's the rest of her choker? Or her arm? Or her ear?" can help distract viewers from misspellings. Case in point: did you notice "bithday"?


Brenda S., Courtenay P., Aaryn C., & Beth, these cakes are beautiful, no matter what they say.


- Related Wreckage: My Youngest Wreckporter

I don't know how many people listen to Israeli music, but this band has been around for a long time, and they are comprised of many different people from around Israel - Africans, Arab, Jewish, European, etc., etc.  and I just really love this man's music and if you like world music, maybe you will too.

(edited to add my favourite song of theirs)

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/sunday-sweets-harry-potter.html

Years ago, Jen and I were in an airport with nothing to read. So, like so many other hapless victims, we decided to peruse the local den of thieves (aka airport gift shop). On a whim, Jen picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Little did I know that that would be the beginning of what has become a minor obsession in my life. We've been to midnight book releases, I listen to the audio books at work over and over, and naturally I'm far more excited about the movies than any grown man probably should be. So, with the sixth film coming out this Wednesday, I asked Jen to let me do this week's Sunday Sweets.

Now, put down those Fizzing Wizzbies, and let's admire the works of some of the finest Muggle bakers around!

You guys asked for more 2D cakes, so check out this awesome fondant-free example:

We're pretty sure that's either a chocolate or butter cream transfer on the top - cool, huh? I found it on Decolicious!'s Flickr stream.

Next is Margie's amazing Sorting Hat:

For those of you who are not (yet) die-hard Potter fans, the sorting hat is a magical talking hat. Who sometimes sings. Or produces swords. Or bursts into flames. (Just read the books, Ok?)

This next one is reeeeally exciting [pushing up glasses]:

It's a book cake, yes. But not just ANY book cake; a book cake with the very last line from the series on it:

"All was well." [tearing up] This is so beautiful. It's from the aptly named Mike's Amazing Cakes.

And finally, here's the Hogwarts cake Duff and his team from Charm City Cakes made:

I think this was for the last movie's premier.

Here's a closeup:


I know what you're thinking, and yes, there actually are more great Harry Potter cakes out there. You'll just have to tune in next Sunday to see the rest of them. (And if you have one to nominate, you can send it to us at Sunday Sweets [at] Cake Wrecks [dot] com.)

And finally, I know there are still some folks out there who don't like Harry Potter, for any of a number of reasons. I doubt I'll be able to change your mind if that's the case, but I do want to share what I think is the best end result of JK Rowling's work:

hey folks,

another bw from a bw/wm relationship saying hello.

we've been together for over 3 years now, known each other for nearly 4 & have been living together for about 2. we both come from pretty much open minded families which makes all of the visits & conversations harmonious for the most part.

( more+pic )

Hi :). I'm Keanna and I've been watching this community for a while but I've never posted. Thats about to change , though. I'm African-American, and my husband Dale is White. Love knows no color!! Here are some pics of us!




Us , at a recent trip to the zoo.

And heres our little one, Isaiah who is 10 months!




I love my boys!!!

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/early-detection-is-key.html

During these summer months, it's extra important to perform regular bakery checks. So just remember your ABCs, everyone:



If you see anything suspicious, don't delay: photograph the offending specimen and submit it to a licensed professional* immediately.

*And by "licensed professional", I mean "the blogger who specializes in ridiculing ridiculous Wreckage". (Now say that three times fast...)

Eric P., thanks for this important reminder.


- Related Wreckage: How To Make Your Twins Hate You

» 08 Loveless
» 18 Metal Gear Solid 3
» 11 Nana
» 22 Resident Evil 5
» 04 Resident Evil: Degeneration



here @ rottedcandy

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/love-is-in-air.html

It's wedding season, and the spirit of fairy-tale perfection is in the air. So naturally, I must CRUSH that spirit with tales of wedding cakes gone wrong!! Mwuahahahahah!

[patting hair] Ahem.

Anony Bride wanted a cake with tiers similar to this:


But instead she got tiers like this:


This was Stephanie S.'s inspiration:


Which resulted in...this:


I'm not sure who gets the blame for the ribbon selection, but that neon teal "scroll work" combined with the black icing border is sufficiently Wrecky on its own.

And lastly, Vanessa wanted this, only in a single layer:


Vanessa got:

 For those who were interested in seeing the English dub, Itunes as episodes 1 - 11.5 available for download. $20 for all the episodes and $2.00 per individual episode.

http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/07/09/interethnic-marriage-maligned-on-fox-and-friends/



It features Brian Kilmeade, in a discussion about how marriage is positively related to mental health in Finland and Sweden, saying that the problem in America is that “…we keep marrying other species and other ethnics and other…”




“…we keep marrying other species and other ethnics and other…”

“…we keep marrying other species and other ethnics and other…”

“…we keep marrying other species and other ethnics and other…”

...Seriously?

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/copyright-unfringement.html

Technically, you know, if you want to get all law-abiding about it, you have to have permission to use copyrighted characters on cakes.

Or, you can try one of these techniques:

1. The Alter-Ego:


2. The Unibrow:


3. The Brother By a Different Mother:


4. The Foreign Equivalent:



Tracy L., Ed S., Erin M., & Emily S., er, none of you are lawyers, right?


- Related Wreckage: Guess Who!

I felt like there's probably new members (and I'm not even sure this has been posted here before) that would like to see this, and it always makes me smile that they made it somewhat in your face sexual, but I like it personally and thought I'd share.


I also wanted to say, does anyone have any funny, humbling or moving moments? Seems to me everyone's gotten so down trodden with the negatives that can come with interracial relationships that we don't get to hear enough about those times where your kid says their first word in their second language, or when they learn how to make a dish important to your culture. Even the time when you had to try and explain something and it ended up in a hilarious bonding moment with the in-laws. Maybe even something you were afraid to share with your partners but they accepted it and you felt relieved?

Someone's gotta have some moments. My ex always tells me he's happy I got to share foods like gumbo and what not with him, he always talks about it.

Getting that nonsense off of my friends page and moving on, I came across this article today.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Pool-Boots-Kids-Who-Might-Change-the-Complexion.html

By KAREN ARAIZA
Updated 9:15 PM EDT, Wed, Jul 8, 2009
NBC Philadelphia

Dymire Baylor says he overheard a woman ask, "What are all these black kids doing?" when he and his friends showed up.

More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.
Kids at Creative Steps Day Camp were thrilled to go swimming once a week at the Valley Swim Club. But after only one trip to the private club, they were...
"I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" said camper Dymire Baylor.

The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 to The Valley Swim Club. The Valley Swim Club is a private club that advertises open membership. But the campers' first visit to the pool suggested otherwise.

( Read more... )

 It seems like 90% of recent posts have just been 'BAWWWWW drama' recently, so I'll make one where the tone isn't so...heavy.

Just a chatty post: wondering where everyone here is from, and what the racial attitudes are like there.

I'll start: I'm from Chicago, and currently spending most of the year in Tucson, AZ.  Chicago, while it certainly does have it's down sides (historically, one of the most segregated and racist cities in the US.  Possibly worse than the Deep South during some time periods, although a good quote I've heard is 'at least here, the blacks fight back.'), I have noticed that people, at least people in my age group, tend not to think about race very much at all.  Many neighborhoods and suburbs are VERY diverse, so most people in the area either have to move or get used to it.  I see plenty of interracial couples (even the supposedly super-rare BW-WM couple, which has recently seemed MORE popular than the inverse, at least among younger couples, in the past few years, but I am not the census beaurau (sp), what do I know).  I won't deny that there's still lingering racism, but it seems to manifest itself in the form of moving 50 miles away.  People at the very least know to keep their mouths shut.

Since I've only been in Tucson for about a year, and nearly 100% of that was spent within 1 mile of a college campus, I can't totally get a feel for it, but it seems like the vast majority of the city probably doesn't even know what a black person looks like, though I have heard of no issues involving race.  The campus is a bit different.  There are very few black people, and they seem to have split off into two groups: the black kids who hang out at black frat parties, and the black kids who hang out at white frat parties.  Personally, I couldn't tell you for the life of me what the first group is like, which troubles me (because people really do refer to black people in ways such as 'dark skinned Bob who hangs out with white people' and such).  No one ever seems to have an issue with anyone else, but minorities tend to stick to themselves (if blacks are cliquey, Asians seem to have formed their own country) or be 'the *insert race* guy/girl who hangs out with white people.'  I've never heard of any racial issues on campus, though, and while interracial couples are somewhat rare (though certainly not nonexistent), I've never heard any negative comments directed to any.  Alas, that may just be college for you.  In a red state, we still all voted for Obama.

Okie.  Your turn.

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/christmas-in-july-going-dutch.html

Ok, sure, it's July, and the last thing on your mind is broadening your...uh...mind...with exposure to international holiday traditions - I get it. However, this particular post was deemed by the powers that be* too controversial to post back in December, so all my hard work and sparkling wit got shelved, its radiance cloaked all these long months.

So what changed?

Well, that's a long story. One involving too many mango mojitos, a Chuck marathon, and a malfunctioning alarm clock. (Ok, so maybe it's not that long of a story...)

But enough intro: you guys ready to have those minds broadened? I promise it will only sting a little.

*meaning me, John, and the cat


In the Netherlands Santa Claus (called Sinterklaas) doesn't have elves for sidekicks; he has Zwarte Piet (meaning "Black Pete"). Zwarte Piet is usually played by a white guy in blackface makeup, a curly black wig, and big gold hoop earrings. (I am SO not making this up.)

Here's a reference photo from Wikipedia:


Zwarte shows up in cake form quite a lot, too, and in less than flattering ways:

However, if this seems a little insensitive to you, Wreckporter Kiki has a perfectly reasonable explanation:


OH, so it's soot! Ok, I get it. And you're right: this does look a lot like Bert the chimney sweep:




This one found by Wouter T. is probably the most wreckish; it looks like the remains of a melting muppet:


Ever heard the expression "in for a penny, in for a pound"? Well, since I'm already stirring up trouble here, I may as well share what Megan H. found at a bakery in Argentina:

They're little cakes called "Africancitos", or "little black men". With bows on their heads. I don't think they're a holiday treat, though, so you can enjoy your little-black-men cake heads any time of the year. "Great for parties!"

(Yes, I've officially crossed the line from horrified disbelief into horrified humor. It's more fun over here - won't you join me?)

To those of you offended by all this, you should know that Zwarte Piet was not intended to be offensive. (Argentina, you're on your own.) And to those of you who see nothing wrong with outdated and racially insensitive traditions, you should take a look at this poster:

...


HAPPY NANA DAY!!!

I wanted to announce the birth of my son, Atreyu Antonio, who was born on June 10, 12:21am, 7lbs 4oz, 20 in long. Hubby and I are so happy to have him in the world, and we are so glad we were all able to be there together since we are currently dealing with deployment. I still maintain that biracial babies are the most beautiful in the world, and not to sound cocky, but we sure made a handsome little angel :)
( ..and baby makes three! )( We are now complete!  )</div>

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/who-ordered-poo-poo-platter.html

Amy H. & Clinton C., who gets to dig the plastic plate out of all that frosting, and who gets to pinch off one of those "logs"?

Cross-posted to hungrytiger11 and shika_ino sorry for any repeat posts....


Title: A Rose Bloomed Chapter 5: Blue As
Author: hungrytiger11
Rating: G
Character/Pairings: Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru
Summary: Friendship is tricky. It is as much about the secrets we share as the secrets we keep.