deerstalker
https://www.blackenterprise.com/black-women-build-baltimores-vacant-homes/
Baltimore nonprofit Black Women Build is paving the way to revitalizing some of the city’s vacant neighborhoods, making potential homeowner dreams come true, CBS News reported.
Since 2017, the organization has transformed more than 24 homes in the Upton, Druid Heights, and Penn North areas. With the average price of the flipped homes starting at $120,000, program manager Tonika Garibaldi said the group supports Black women in giving them the tools for generational wealth and how to maintain as a homeowner.
“We support Black women in their homeownership journey and expose them to tools and skills to learn carpentry and maintain their home,” Garibaldi said.
“All the homes are open floor plans, kitchens usually in the back, living room here with a bathroom and two bedrooms upstairs.”
Some of the affordable homes they helped establish between Etting Avenue and Presstman Street would hold a mortgage of $600 with the group’s work. Garibaldi admitted that they could go higher but they are not looking to take advantage of vulnerable homeowners.
“We could easily list it for a little bit more, but we want it to benefit the buyer,” she continued.
“It’s not just get the home and you are done, it’s we are there, we have conversations about starting new businesses, paying off mortgages early, buying an investment property.”
Such advice has helped women like Saj Dillard, who says she always dreamed of owning her own home like some of the women in her family. When she found Black Women Build, it became a reality. “I’ve always wanted to own a home. My mom and grandmother are homeowners, and that’s something I wanted, but never thought it would be a reality for me at this age,” Dillard said.
“I have neighbors that I connect with, talk to, am able to share my ideas with, let them know what I have going on, how they can support me, and vice versa,” Dillard said.
The group’s work caught the eye of JPMorgan Chase in 2024 after being one of nine nonprofits who were awarded a portion of a $4 million commitment to help combat Charm City’s vacant housing crisis, according to The Baltimore Banner. The funding is part of a five-year, $20 million investment from the financial institution to the city as it has expanded its reach, including the launch of a virtual call center in 2023 that provided close to 125 jobs.
With support from the city and corporations like JPMorgan, Black Women Build has been able to focus on more than just housing opportunities. Their latest move is opening a community resource center with the anticipation of providing resources such as financial wellness classes, a tool-lending library, and a tranquility garden.
Dillard says she’s excited about what’s next for the organization. “We lack these kinds of spaces in this area, so it will be a welcome addition and step in the right direction for other things to be added to this community as well,” she said.
RELATED CONTENT: Savannah’s Black Woman-Owned Embroidery Business Celebrates Opening During Black History Month
In the seven years that it has taken for Cobra Kai to reach the end of its multi-chapter martial arts high school drama, a lot has changed in my life. My love for the series has not wavered though. From its relatively humble beginnings on YouTubeRed, a platform that no longer exists (a fact that I am aware that I bring it up quite frequently, but I will bring it up to emphasize that I have been here since Ace Degenerate aired on May 2, 2018), to its current explosive run on Netflix that catapulted it into the mainstream (or at least to my group of friends who could now more readily watch it on more household platforms), I have covered this series every season without fail. That has also included reviewing Season 6, Part 1 and Season 6, Part 2.
This will be my final piece covering Cobra Kai. I do not think it will be the last time I cover The Karate Kid franchise, but for now, we gotta do some bookkeeping about the events in Part 2 before we get to the main event and thoughts on the series as a whole.
If you’re not caught up on the first ten episodes of season six, this is your cue to turn back. Spoilers are coming.
Okay?
Okay?
Okay.
So a kid died at the Sekai Taikai.
The marquis brawl of Season 6 started with Kwon taking a cheap shot at Robbie during his semi-final bout with Axel, the undefeated and unhit ace of the Iron Dragon. It ended with Kwon picking up Kreese’s eunjangdo off the ground and attacking Axel only for Axel to counter in such a way that Kwon fell on the knife, and it flat out pierced his heart.
In a series where we have endured repeated attacks on existing injuries: an accidental kick that caused Miguel to fall two stories and left him in critical condition as the season 2 cliffhanger, a literal home invasion at the end of season 3, brainwashing, fight fixing, witness tampering, and a prolonged war flashback, it is not like we are unfamiliar with the brutality of unchecked violence. But Kwon’s death inevitably changes the calculus of the universe.
It was perhaps the inevitable conclusion of the mini-arc that was Part 2, given how Danny boy had started to learn about the unsavory parts of Miyagi’s past. This culminated in a flashback where they digitally resurrected Miyagi for a scene, something I have exceedingly mixed feelings about. Yes, they got permission from the family; however, the series had manage to respect the character’s legacy via exceedingly well-used clips from the original movies. Also, Brian Takahashi, the actor that played Young Miyagi, was doing an incredible job within the scene to the point where I don’t think we needed Danny to be haunted by the visage of his father figure.
Although, the events and revelations at Barcelona did set the stage for the final act of Cobra Kai. Unfinished business, guilt, worry, trepidation, and the want for answers and redemption.
The final five episodes of the series take us back to the Valley, and everyone is going through it for different reasons. The death of a peer, however much of a… firestarter Kwon was, has shaken the now high school seniors who were also counting on the tournament as a way of moving past their own hang ups. And the adults aren’t taking it well either with Danny easily out of character and unsure what to do with knowledge and Johnny lamenting for the lack of opportunity to prove that all of his character growth meant something.
However, this is martial arts high school drama, so it takes all of ten minutes for Terry Silver to induce machinations to try and finish the tournament. Thomas Ian Griffith continues to play the megalomaniac villain perfectly. Also, Kreese, continuing on his weird pseudo redemption arc, mourns the loss of his star student and manages to make it back Stateside with absolutely no problem despite being a literal prison escapee, one of many logistical oddities that plague the series’ final run.
By the end of episode 1 (or 11 depending on how you’re counting), the Sekai Taikai is in fact back on, and it’s happening in the Valley, courtesy of… plot predominantly. It certainly helps that two (one and a half?) of the three participating dojos are based there, but it’s mostly for the narrative book end.
What follows is sort of an accelerated version of a season. We get a training montage, we get the rest of the tournament, and we get the aftermath. Due to this acceleration, the focus of the show pretty much centers solely back on the core ensemble. A lot of the supporting cast is relegated to cameos, references, and one-off jokes, as the bulk of the runtime has to be dedicated to the characters that have been active participants throughout the series. This is ultimately fine, given that the ensemble had grown to a massive size, and the reduced scope in Season 6, Part 2 helped with pacing so an even more reduced scope in Part 3 is only sensible.
The show continues to impress me with how it handles teen topics, as it has one of the more realistic and practical depictions of kids dealing with the reality of post-high school lives and adults dealing with their hang ups and reservations. This particular stretch didn’t quite impress me with the martial arts tournament, something that is almost expected as Season 6, Part 2 made it very clear that the Sekai Taikai’s rules and regulations were full of loopholes that allowed for rampant roster and allegiance changes at pretty much a drop of a dime. The fights themselves continued to be fantastic, although they didn’t quite reach the same levels of hype as some of the early fight scenes.
My personal top 3 are:
- Chozen demonstrating Miyagi’s Pressure Points (Season 3, Episode 5)
- Robbie’s handstand kick (Season 1, Episode 10)
- Daniel LaRusso vs. Terry Silver (Season 5, Episode 10)
You know. I will sneak in my number four. The Season 6’s tag team fight. That was admittedly glorious.
Still, the fight choreography remains impressive, and it remains a lot of fun to watch. The music team put in the work, and it shows. Whether it is a clever pairing of an 80’s rock song or a crisp orchestral score, it’s a constant stream of good tunes.
And the acting remains fantastic. The entire cast that gets proper screentime shows off how much they have learned to embody their characters, none more so than William Zabka bringing his iconic character’s arc to its end. Ralph Macchio and Courtney Henggeler play beautifully off each other. Yuji Okumoto continues to be the best part of the continuation. And I am so ecstatic to see where Xolo Maridueña, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Peyton List, and Jacob Bertrand go next (which given Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Bettle and Peyton List’s School Spirits, I think the answer is to say, great places).
What drags Part 3 down is the complete loss of sense of scale and time. Without getting into too much detail, the pacing of the final tournament sequence feels drawn out and yet somehow, there are still missed moments and opportunities. To say more would require me to spoil things, and we can’t have that. That said, the end of the series I feel does mostly stick the landing, but whether or not you agree is going to be up to you.
Cobra Kai has been a series about balance and legacy. It has been a story about unlearning and learning. It has been one of my favorite shows despite its many flaws because the series manages to tell an epic story that manages to continue the tale of one of my favorite film franchises in a way that brings the story to a whole new generation. It has introduced me to several great talents who I am excited to see post-Cobra Kai. It is a brilliant sports drama and an interesting attempt to analyze the stark values dissonance of the 80s and 2010’s/2020’s with mixed results. It mostly succeeds.
I feel satisfied. Not elated, not defeated, just satisfied. Which is perhaps not the way I wanted the run to end, but Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg had a story they wanted to tell and they told it well.
We’ll see what the future holds for the extended Karate Kid Universe (specifically in July), but for one last time, say it with me.
COBRA KAI NEVER DIES.
All episodes of Cobra Kai are now available on Netflix.
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The post ‘Cobra Kai’ – Back in the Valley for One Last Round appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live is a new “2.5D” musical entertainment show coming to the United States in March. It is based on the manga of the same name made by Naoko Takeuchi, who also made the anime. The show’s previews start March 12 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The show is in Japanese with English subtitles. Sailor Moon’s musical adaptation follows a recent wave of anime musicals like last year’s Attack on Titan one.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live officially opens March 15 in Austin, Texas, in partnership with South By Southwest. Anime veterans populate the crew of the show. Kaori Miura, known for their work on other anime musical adaptations like Tokyo Revengers The Musical and Musical: The Prince of Tennis, wrote the book and lyrics and directed the production. Go Sakabe and KYOHEI will compose the music for the show. Go Sakabe has provided music for anime like Digimon Adventure tri. in the past.
“At its very basic, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is about five girlfriends banding together to fight for what they believe in… that’s timely,” said writer and director Kaori Miura. “Sailor Moon and her fellow guardians are equipped with powers that help them defeat evil and the characters are imbued with the self-determination to have agency and make their own confident decisions. In short, they are the ultimate example of ‘girl power.'”
Sailor Moon is one of the most popular manga ever. Since starting in 1991, it has sold over 46 million copies and has been translated into over 17 languages. The manga led to the equally popular anime series and a live-action series. Now, the Sailor Moon franchise is reaching new heights with its transition into stage.
The show is currently playing in the United Kingdom before it crosses the pond. Tickets are available for purchase starting January 31. Prices range from $30 to $120, depending on the location of the show. To purchase tickets and for more information on the show, go to the musical’s website.
The post A SAILOR MOON Musical Is Setting Sail in the U.S. appeared first on Nerdist.
Mikkel: I very clearly recall the very first crossover ship I ever saw. It was fan art by bluedog44 that I saw on Tumblr of Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony and Mordecai from The Regular Show, with lyrics from B.O.B.’s “Airplanes” over their heads.
That said, I mostly left the world of crossover ships alone until the algorithm saw fit to indoctrinate me into the wild realm of crossover ships (inexplicably set to “We Become We” from Journey to Bethlehem), I saw… many, many things. Freddy from Five Nights at Freddy’s x Chuck E. Cheese. The Eye of Sauron x The Bee from The Bee Movie, assorted Genshin Impact characters with Peppa Pig. The crack crossover ships are wild and varied, and I’ve stopped questioning the internet.
Of course, this got the crew thinking about our favorite crossover ships, and well…for Valentine’s Day this year, perhaps you could hear us out.
Where Are They? [Waldo and Carmen Sandiego]
Mikkel: So, when I went to the trusted tomes of TVTropes, the Crossover Ship page’s key art provided an image to a crossover ship that I did not strike me dumbstruck, but one that I could actively get behind.
Tell me this doesn’t work. Iconic game franchise characters characterized by people constantly searching for them. Color coordinated to the T with a vibrant, nay passionate red. Fashionable hats. Furthermore, they are both ostensibly normal humans who occupy a semi-realistic version of the Earth: if not one where Waldo manages to find himself in the constant company of people who inexplicably wear the same red and white striped shirt, and Carmen Sandiego oscillated between international villainous criminal and straight up modern day Robin Hood with the amount of questions you’d expect from governing bodies. Hell, now that I mentioned it, Waldo might be the Manic Pixie Dream Guy out of the two of them.
This is a ship characterized by yearning, longing, and constant seeking. It’s all the makings of a slow burn romance across the globe. Is it as basic as crossover ships get? Yes. But we need to start somewhere and the rest of this list escalates super quickly.
Tianami [Princess Tiana (Disney’s The Princess and The Frog) and Kento Nanami (Jujutsu Kaisen]
Carrie: Y’all, I’m going alllll the way in for one of my favorite (later) pandemic ships that arrived a year ago. Yes, you may have read or seen the JJK men with other female Disney characters–forget all about them. This is the only one that matters. Every Disney Princess or female adjacent type character is on the struggle bus at some point in her story. Born Tiana Rogers, this Disney Princess introduced to us in 2009 has a story of having dreams, being perpetually exhausted, and having to work at achieving her dreams of opening her own restaurant. This puts her in contact with a prince in frog form, who is later revealed to be Prince Naveen: a man who wants to be human again. As a hardworking, courageous, young woman, she’s known to mostly keep her head on her shoulders in the thick of mess and adversity and adventure. We know Tiana and her story. (Speaking of stories, here’s a shameless shout-out to promote my friend, Jamilla Rowser’s Almost There: A Twisted Tale Graphic Novel— a re-imagining of The Princess and The Frog, exploring what might have happened if Tiana had made a deal with the Shadow Man.)
So, when I first stumbled upon fan-art of one of my fave Disney Princesses along with my favorite adult sorcerer from the realm of manga and anime via Jujitsu Kaisen, I admit I was stunned–with how well this ship–while I still acknowledge in the crack ship territory–meshed so well.
Kento Nanami: Tokyo Jujutsu High graduate, former salary man, and grade one jujutsu sorcerer, operating out of the Tokyo campus. Also known as a mentor to the youth, especially one pink haired cinnamon roll, Yuji Itadori. As the anime adaptation rolled along, we saw just how much of a protector of children he was, how fiercely he fought for and alongside of them, and even what he sacrificed for them. Starting with Yuji, he confidently verbalized that being young shouldn’t be seen as a weakness or a disservice–Nanami has heart. Even if that tie he chooses to wear is atrocious. Hating overtime, being great at the work and being of service to others (curses have to be taken out or at least pushed away from younger, less experienced aspiring sorcerers) has made him a likeable character.
We also know that he loves bread or at least has enjoyed the local bakeries–so what makes you think he wouldn’t be utterly in love with Tiana after eating Tiana’s famous beignets? Why wouldn’t Tiana be impressed with his similar workaholic nature to get business done? You telling me you can’t imagine these two loving the company of each other with how much QUIET they could have when surrounded by such eccentric and high-strung characters like Charlotte (Tiana’s bestie) and Gojo Satoru (Nanami’s self-proclaimed bestie), really? These two are well loved characters who exude much focus and drive–finding each other? Baby, it works.
So when this ship popped off online in 2023, it took off! Tiktok featured video after video of people planning their cosplays of each character and meeting up a cons, and fan-art exploded along with fanfic. Other than Tiana and Nanami being two really sensible characters who both experienced great loss that shaped them– (Yes, yes never mind, she marries a formerly disinherited prince who redeems himself and Nanami meets his end in the Shibuya arc)–As much as this is a crack ship, it is a comfort ship as these are both deserve a bit of comfort. As I stated in the BNP Slack: “Tiana x Nanami just makes sense tho! Her food would keep him from going to Shibuya. Those beignets would have kept my fave alive!”
From Krakoa to Konoha [Emma Frost and Kakashi Sensei]
Ja-Quan: Ok I’m going a little off the rails with this one, but I can see the chemistry bubbling from Krakoa to Konoha. I have to apologize to my dear editors as I simply could not choose a ship that has been circulating the interwebs. No, I had to go and be extra and pick what I believe is the most obvious ship from the anime x comics universe: Kakashi from Naruto and Emma Frost from X-Men.
Just imagine: Emma Frost is mysteriously teleported to another universe. One still clinging to the era of shinobi and men of substance. She looks around, sees way too many trees for her liking, and heads towards the smell of food wafting through the forest. As she walks into a clearing, 24 carat diamond studded stilettos sinking into the ground with every step, a beautiful mountain range with 5 heads carved into the stone comes into view. Emma is famished after her hike and intrigued at the bustling village before her. Heads turn as she struts down the paved dirt roads in her outfit that leaves little to the imagination. And wouldn’t you know it, the first person brave enough to walk up to this statuesque blonde beauty is none other than Jiraiya Sensei. Unfortunately for him, his binoculars staring directly at Emma’s bosom while standing a mere 5 feet away (as if that was necessary) results in a diamond form backhand smack that sends Pervy Sage flying across the village and back to the peeping bath house he once came from.
Emma sits down at a quaint joint by the name of Ichiraku Ramen and orders a seaweed salad appetizer and roast pork ramen. As she’s enjoying her salad and the porcelain like shine it gives her already impeccable skin, a loud young man slurps down an ungodly mouthful of noodles and shouts down across the shop, “hey auntie, I’ve never seen you around before. Are you new around here?” Emma being the international tastemaker and elite level telepath, she understands the yellow haired twerp and shoots back in perfect Japanese, “Do you plan to put a muzzle on this brat or show a girl what a real Shinobi is capable of?” The left eye of Kakashi Hatake opens in all its Sharingan glory, takes in all 5 feet and 10 inches of this deadly woman of conviction, and simply says, “Naruto, this one is dangerous. Let the hokage know I’ll be detained indefinitely.” Emma telepathically says to Kakashi, “indefinitely is right,” finishes her ramen, and walks out of Ichiraku Ramen without paying a dime as Teuchi’s jaw remains firmly glued to the ground. Ms. Frost and Kakashi take their leave together.
Tell me that ain’t romanticism of the highest form!! Kakashi Hatake, the Make Out Paradise/Tactics aficionado and man who can replicate damn near any move you can think of. Emma Frost, the woman known for her edgy fashion, sharp wit, and audacious sexy appeal. Put these two into a situationship and you have Emma teaching Kakashi hundreds of different unique intimate positions in seconds all to be utilized at her command. Put these 2 into a real relationship and you have something that could truly blossom into a love with the power to topple governments and unite hopeless romantics worldwide.
Honorable Mentions
Carrie: Usagi and Seiya (Sailor Moon)
ANY ship where either Usagi or Mamoru are romantically coupled with other people pretty much falls into crack ship territory, if I can be honest. Over the years, I’ve seen all manner of ships which include Mamoru and Rei, Usagi and Zoisite, and so many more. I am forever going to be thinking of Usagi and Seiya, hold me please.
DJ: Beat (Jet Grind Radio) x Ulala (Space Channel 5)
The lady bought me a Dreamcast for my birthday so I gotta show love to one of my favorite crossovers of all time. Not as cracked as some others, and arguably endorsed by Sega.
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The post For Valentine’s Day, You Can Hear Us Out: Wildest Crossover Ship Editions appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.