the lady with blue eyes

- THE DEBUNKD. CITY –

I love that someone took the time to paint this image of a peculiar looking lady, on the concrete slab of an unfinished condo on Bay Street. Perhaps I’m a sentimental, but things like this make my mind wander. It conjures ideas of ‘permanence,’ ‘beauty  underneath the skin,’ and how instantaneous life can be. It’s a sad notion, that soon she’ll be covered with walls and materials – never to be seen again. She’ll be among everything else that is branded and obscured on Bay Street.

IN SPIN Pt III | Nick Holder

“I don’t know why, but I’m feelin’ so sad…”

The truth is that I’m known for celebrating my DJ’s and Producers for their music, but I also love their ability to inspire other musicians. As an observer, I can appreciate their work as pure enlightenment, but also as a therapeutic medium with emotional relevance.

My proof is that I hear this phrase more than any other, by house music-lovers, “House music is a spiritual experience…” And it is definitely more than just the music.

Nick Holder’s live shows draw a magnetic energy from the crowd, so charged with emotion – it’s beautiful. There are distinct elevated moments, where he pulls the music into a quiet lull…then resumes with the severe and intense. You need to experience it, to understand.

And then there are the Nick Holder repertoire of songs, which tend to lead me into a state of melancholy. They’re simply compelling. I’m not listening to them the wrong way, just internalizing it in my own way. It’s not to say that the songs themselves are sad, but it’s most often an evocative treatment. So I came right out and asked him in my cheeky manner, “Are you sad?” He laughed, claiming, “I’m interested in music that’s more thoughtful.”

But all sadness/thoughts aside, and in the spirit of his repeated ingenuity, what’s surprising to note is that he’s tirelessly working on what he believes is his last house album, currently untitled, due at the end of summer. I suppose that after years of creating and imagining, and being held as one of the finest house DJ’s – one might need to recalibrate.

Though he may diverge – this isn’t the end by any means. He’ll always be producing, and is currently working on tracks for Zaki Ibrahim’s album Eclectica, also to be released later this year. In my opinion, Nick Holder is the producer – continuously ‘makin’ beats,’ and providing DJ’s with a new source.

And you never know, as his last thought to me was…‘I might be back.’

For more visit: http://www.myspace.com/mrnickholder

Listen to Nick Holder on the radio: Soulfusion Express, every Tuesday night on CKLN 88.1, from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Cruz on Wall Street: It’s not easy sailin’!

There’s no argument on whether gender inequality exists in today’s working world, which is why as a young woman re-entering the workforce, I find stories like Zoe Cruz’s fascinating, inspiring and despite the outcome – absolutely encouraging. Her story is a testament to the times, and illustrates what women have had to systematically endure for years, and personally - her perseverance and triumph.

Read the full story in the New York Magazine by Joe Hagan, who attempts to tell Cruz’s story, as one of the most powerful women on Wall Street. In his article entitled ‘Only the Men Survive,’ Hagan highlights the goings-on behind the scenes, blatantly exposes those directly involved in Morgan Stanley’s loss of billions of dollars, and the ultimate debate surrounding Cruz’s dismissal.

Background on Zoe Cruz:

• Harvard graduate and Harvard Business School graduate.
• Started at Morgan Stanley as a trader in 1982, and rose to Managing Director by 1990, despite being passed over for a promotion that went to a male colleague.
• Tripled the size of the foreign-exchange division in three years, and was finally promoted to manage $2 billion fixed-income division in 2000.
• Revenues in Cruz’s division rose by 110 percent in 2006, earning her $30 million that year, and by the beginning of 2007 the firm earned $1 billion.
• Forbes named her No. 16 on the list of the 100 most powerful women in the world.
• Cruz was singularly blamed for losing Morgan Stanley billions of dollars in 2007, and on November 29, 2007, was asked to resign by the President.

 

 

Observation #1:
What I loved about this article was a clever bar graph clearly revealing Cruz’s supporters and adversaries throughout her career. Hagan exposed those who displayed resentment and bitterness towards Cruz (those hilighted in green, how apt), and subsequently portrayed her as a target. He even stated that her dismissal was a long time coming, what a surprise. If ever there were an article that you didn’t want a writer/journalist to write about you, as a business person on Wall Street – this would be it! A loud document that publicly describes you as fearful, petty, chauvinistic, and embittered, and echoed by many at that! I wonder if any of these men feel slightly embarrassed?

Observation #2:
It’s very clear from the article that the man, who actively helped to create her career, was the one man who single-handedly stripped her of it (see the final break-up in green). So what does this ultimately say about the dynamic of our business relationships, our mentors, our ‘friends,’ and our ability to create our own destiny?

Observation #3:
Does Hagan dodge the real issue here? I’d like to know why was Cruz singled out and blamed for the loss?  Or do we already know the answer to that question?

Observation #4:
Cruz was referred to as the ‘Cruz Missile’ – how shocking! Her ability and capability landed her several promotions over ‘the boys,’ while she vehemently ‘broke the rules in the boy’s club.’ So she’s proof that there is space in the club for an assertive woman in the 21st Century. It can be done. But it didn’t last for very long. So the question remains, “Is a woman’s strength in business, still her ultimate demise?”

These are my thoughts, I’d love to hear from everyone on this topic!