~”Iqwe”~… Man or Machine / iqwespeaks

Tags

Brooklyn, E3E, Education, Entertainment, Flatbush, Iqwe Haywood, iqwespeaks, New York City

• Born in the heart of Brooklyn NY, Downstate Medical Hospital to be exact.  Mother & Father both from Trinidad, West Indies. Iqwe (pronounced; E-quwa) attributes his views & life differences to his multicultural & strict upbringing. A product of the hard hustle, cut throat streets & impoverished regions of New York City, yet always a visionary, Iqwe saw his future in prominence from since a youth. He launched his first business at the tender age of 7, trading & bartering deals between fellow classmates. The hot commodity then was comic books & athletic trading cards. Till this day he still has a modest collection of both. Also, with a similar mentality to actor Will Smith‘s character in the screen play “Hitch,” Iqwe was sought after by class mates of both genders to aid in making the “Puppy Love Connections.” However, this service he rendered for free. 

I enjoy watching the human species connect & interact, while studying the patterns that either keep two joined or lead to separation. To me that trek is an art of itself.

• Conventionally schooled in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is the fact alone he credits to his diversity.

My mom worked in Williamsburg. So she was able to enroll me in the District 14 School Systems. P.S. 250 & I.S. 318 were extremely culturally diverse. Latinos being the majority. Mainly Puerto Ricans & Dominicans. Followed by individuals from the lands of Ecuador, El Salvador, etc. Without knowing the numbers off-hand I’d have to say Latinos made up at least 60% of the population. Running a close second was African-Americans. We also had a strong presence of Asians. Mainly Chinese, from both the Mandarin & Cantonese dialects. Polish, Russian, German and many other forms of Caucasians rounded out the Williamsburg culture. Thinking back, our lunch rooms probably looked like a rainbow. But it was wonderful! No segregation. At least not by race or skin tone….. We got along well. We learned & shared each others foods & cultures.

• Iqwe was in the gifted & talented program through-out all his years of schooling. A bright child, he approached school with an arrogant nonchalance. In definition….

School…that’s what they call it (laughing). For me it was a breeze. Honestly, I really don’t ever remember studying. Except when mom was looking. I usually did my homework in each class while the teacher was teaching. Unless it was a fresh Math or Science subject….it was a bore. I caught on real quick. But I’m not a loner, there were others & they placed us in the elite classes, while subconsciously formulating some kind of Order or Spiritual bond between us all. This thing, as we call it, still lives on to this day. I believe they called it the Honors Program. We just acknowledge it. I was afforded the privilege & benefit of meeting some very special people back then.  

• With popularity, he was given the task of mentoring many of the exchange students who migrated to Williamsburg & ended up attending these schools. The main duty was to  assist with their English & to show them around. Through this program, he discovered that the Nations abroad are advanced, in comparison to the U.S. in subjects such as Math & Science. So while he taught them, in turn they were teaching him…. However, the negative, in these self studies, is the fact that these new lessons made school become even more of a bore. With maturity, it started to be more about dating the prettiest & most popular girls & wearing the best clothes to accomplish being the best dressed, but less about studies.

When I look back on those years now. I graduated to high school with honors. However, my conduct was the complete opposite.  One day I’d love to give a big thank you to all those teachers who assisted academically, that I gave hell to behaviorally. They tried (laughing). I was just on another path. For the most part I’d have to say if the school system now equates to that of my P.S. 250, I.S. 318, District 14 travels….parents….our youth are safe!

• Directly after graduation, now 13 going on 21, Iqwe’s life began to take a turn for what society would label the worst. I can tell through-out this interview that he’s traveled a journey far from the norm. However, he neglects to truly let me in. With shock, I learn that he’s never graduated High School. He earned the equivalent to a High School Diploma…..a G.E.D. Not to my surprise, on this test, he recorded an excellent score. And once again without studying. So when I inquired about college, he responded.

Higher learning? Yea…..I’ve been going to college all my life! I’m self-educated, well read & can hold my own in any debate or conversation with society’s elite. And for whatever reason I’m not fully enlightened on the topic of discussion. I’m wise enough to shut up & listen. If there’s knowledge to be gained , we live in a world of information, I’ll find it & dig deep till I understand it. I’ve never been too interested in how a world interprets history, politics, social studies, etc. I’m a truth seeker! Hence my passion for Math & Science. Don’t like grey. Black & white I dig…..

• Growing up in the Flatbush sections of Brooklyn, gave him the opportunity to be introduced to a lifestyle other than the sheltered schools of Williamsburg. Hailing from an apartment on Albemarle Rd., between Flatbush Ave & E21st St., the scenery isn’t the best. Yet, rather ironically, he still calls Brooklyn home.

I’ve had my fair shares of what society may deem ups & downs. To me it’s a path I had to walk to get to where I stand today. I live with no regrets. Period! Trust….most grown men or animals couldn’t make it a day in the shoes that I’ve walked. They call Brooklyn, ‘The Jungle’ for a reason…. I’d rather not discuss these times in depth this early in my career. I don’t want anyone to get the wrong impressions or draw their own conclusions. I have no regrets. But I don’t glorify certain lifestyles either. I’m a colorful guy. I’m not hiding, just not in the right position to fully reveal. Just know that I’m me…. A loving, caring & trust-worthy individual. Loyalty I give & in-turn expect. I possess the best of both worlds. I can relate to any professional tycoon in corporate America in more ways than one. And then I can bang in the complete opposite & enjoy a day with an individual that the masses may write off as being not fit for society. And with no fear! I’m that guy. Whatever, or whomever you want me to be.

• Iqwe has since made Atlanta, GA his home. A place he’s grown to love.

This spot here was meant for me! It embodies everything, ‘Iqwe!’ I can engage the nightlife with a quick drive into the city & I’m at the doorstep of any posh restaurant,  upscale lounge or venue. Then when I want seclusion… I go home to a fine woman & my handsome son. My mother, siblings & immediate family is here. Family is everything to me. The days of so-called friends are long gone.

• By day you can find Iqwe utilizing those same “Math & People” skills acquired years ago. He’s employed on the South Side of Atlanta Georgia, at one of the city’s best dealerships. Here he holds the title ‘Finance Manager.’ At night he’s steadily pushing at building and growing his company E3ECivilization. A parent company, joint venture, that he shares with his brother Mayne Echelon. An extremely hard working man, he’s always busy on a project. He’s currently managing the career of Singer/Songwriter, Mayne. Developing his own website. Working on E3ETV. And still finding the time to offer others motivation. With only 24 hours in a day. I can’t see how it’s all possible. But this guy doesn’t sleep. In his rest he’s working. His future is clear. The question here is, Man or Machine? to be continued…..

-follow iqwespeaks @ the following social networks:      facebook.com/iqwespeaks & twitter.com/iqwespeaks

Why Lil Wayne’s ‘Carter IV’ Outsold Jay-Z and Kanye’s ‘Throne’ – iqwespeaks

Tags

BestBuy, Billboard 200, iTunes, Jay Z, Kanye West, LilWayne, MTV Video Music Awards, Nielsen SoundScan

I Think They Forgot To Mention The Age Demographics Of Waynes Fans Equals More Sales. But Congrats Anyway

 

The numbers for Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV came in this morning, and they were staggering: 940,000 copies sold in the first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, placing the album firmly atop the Billboard 200 chart.

Tha Carter IV was Lil Wayne’s third No. 1 debut; remarkably, its first-week sales total was more than twice that of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne, which moved 436,000 units when it hit stores last month. So how did the diminutive Young Money/Cash Money star—who finished behind Jay-Z and Kanye on our annual Hip-Hop Cash Kings list—manage to outsell a pair of heavyweights?

“I think just the hard work, all the years and everything we’ve been through as a unit,” says Cash Money Records chief Bryan “Birdman” Williams, who was deeply involved in the album’s production and promotion. “It’s our season, that’s just how it goes … [Wayne] is the best doing it, and everybody is just starting to see it. I don’t think any artist in the world is going to be as big as he’s going to be.”

Hard work and experience aside, there were a number of other factors that contributed to the comparative success of Carter IV. Jay-Z and Kanye pursued a complicated release strategy that  included exclusive windows with Apple’s iTunes and BestBuy, in part to safeguard against the possibility of a leak (and angered some retailers in the process). The Young Money/Cash Money team did nothing of the sort, and didn’t expend much energy on security, either.

Although Carter IV did leak a few days before its debut—unlike Watch The Throne, which remained airtight—many people, including Lil Wayne himself, believe the leak actually helped. Birdman agrees with that assessment, mostly because the leak occurred too late to have large negative impact on sales.

 

 

“It always depends how much time you have with a leak,” he says. “This one was two or three days. When you got a project like this and it’s three weeks to a month, it can really hurt you … but in this case I don’t think the leak hurt at all.”

Another reason for Carter IV’s strong performance: Young Money/Cash Money ditched the typical release cycle, instead dropping the album immediately after Lil Wayne’s performance at the Video Music Awards last Sunday night.

“They didn’t really do it Tuesday to Tuesday,” says entertainment attorney Bernie Resnick. “People were very much into the album, and [the label] didn’t try to guard it like a big military secret.”

Resnick also wonders how much personality and perception played into the sales of Watch The Throne and Carter IV, given the difference between the images of the artists involved.

“The potential for negative perception of an artist is certainly part of the sales equation,” he says. “I think that people perceive Wayne as a fun guy to be around, and perhaps he takes himself a little less seriously than the Throne guys.”

Of course, there are other, more nefarious theories as to why Carter IV outsold Watch The Throne. Some bloggers have suggested that Birdman is using his millions to buy up copies of his pal’s album with the explicit goal of topping Kanye and Jay-Z, who may have taken a shot at the Cash Money chief earlier this year. Birdman, however, denies this notion.

“I don’t know where that came from, I ain’t buy no copies,” he says. “No indeed, man, ain’t no way in the world, it’s impossible. Why would I do that? We got this money, and this money here come hard.”

Though Birdman vehemently asserts that he didn’t make a dent in Carter IV’s sales numbers, he admits he always makes a few token purchases when his artists release new music.

“I always support my brand, our brand,” he says. “So whenever we have anything out, I buy myself a couple albums for the homies, maybe two or three for myself.”

via Why Lil Wayne’s ‘Carter IV’ Outsold Jay-Z and Kanye’s ‘Throne’ – Forbes.

Facebook doubles first-half revenue | iqwespeaks

Tags

AOL, Facebook, Google, Yahoo!

By

How’s This For Social Networking!

Alexei Oreskovic

SAN FRANCISCO | Wed Sep 7, 2011 3:07pm EDT

(Reuters) – Facebook‘s revenue doubled to $1.6 billion in 2011’s first half, a source with knowledge of its financials told Reuters, underscoring its appeal to advertisers while it grapples with intensifying competition from the likes of Google Inc.

Net income in the first half of 2011 came to almost $500 million, according to the source, who wished to remain anonymous because privately-held Facebook does not disclose its results.

Facebook’s stronger results come as investors have pushed its valuation to roughly $80 billion in private markets, with many industry observers expecting the world’s No. 1 Internet social network to go public in 2012.

Its growing popularity among its advertisers and 750 million users has pressured entrenched Web companies such as Yahoo Inc, which ousted its chief executive Carol Bartz on Tuesday.

Search leader Google Inc launched Google+, a rival social network in June that attracted more than 10 million users in its first two weeks. Google is trying to increase the appeal of its social network by offering games such as Zynga Poker and Rovio’s Angry Birds.

Some venture capitalists and industry experts see early signs that Google+ is headed down the right path in taking a bite out of Facebook.

FROM DORM ROOM TO MARKETS

Facebook earned $355 million in net income in the first nine months of 2010 on revenue of $1.2 billion, according to documents that Goldman Sachs provided to clients during a share offering this year.

The source did not provide figures for a direct comparison for the first half 2011 figures.

Created by CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a Harvard dorm room in 2004, the company is expected to introduce new features this month such as music services from Spotify and Rhapsody, according to people familiar with the plans.

Facebook has become one of the Web’s most visited destinations by people who spend hours on the site every month sharing photos and videos, and conversing with friends.

Facebook accounted for nearly one third of all Internet display advertisement impressions in the United States in June, more than the combined total of Yahoo, Microsoft Corp, Google and AOL Inc, according to analytics firm comScore.

It was not clear what portion of Facebook’s $1.6 billion in revenue in the first half of the year came from advertising sales. Facebook also gets a 30 percent cut of sales of virtual goods, such as digital cars or animals, that enhance the experience in social games such as Zynga’s FarmVille.

In January, Facebook said it had raised $1.5 billion from investors including Goldman Sachs and Digital Sky Technologies, as well as through a private offering to overseas investors conducted by Goldman Sachs, at a valuation of roughly $50 billion.

Facebook declined to comment on its financial results.

(Editing by Edwin Chan and Derek Caney)

via Exclusive: Facebook doubles first-half revenue | Reuters.

Poem: “Nothing Even Matters” – iqwespeaks

Tags

Aia P. Echelon, Poem, Poetry, Water Seed

By The Author; Aia P.

Heart heavy with grief it has lost it’s beat,
Days have ceased to be.
I liquify as the rain,
Flooded in a baptism of pain.
A whirl wind of storms, that leaves no remains,
Lightning crashes through my body, with every breath that I breath,
Thunders destruction of disruption flows free through Me.
He holds the key so I can be, but has not found me.
Fire & pain, engulfed in rage,
Pleasure has brought pain,
Flowers have withered away, the night last all day.
The sun does not light my way,
Intertwined in a mind cage,
Veins of ice that freeze animation, staggered respiration-
Immersed in an ice cataclysm.
The daze remains the haze, A repeated scene that lies deep in me,
I have not erased his channel, still lost in his shadow,
I was with mine own eye & saw…he was crucified!
I won’t be replenished until his heart is beating next to Me,
Until his breath breathes for Me!
We are in a battle that has left me shattered,
Drained hope for Me.
Redesign…Redefine what was our existing time,
Undefeatable…Unquenchable, our life line.
A lonely dark road is what my life foretold…
It has captured my soul.
Only 1 holds the key to redemption in Me!
Only the Sun can save Me!
Inescapable dark matter is mastering Me,
Circulating deep in Me…a void that is replacing Me!
Caught in D’EVIL’S laughter,

Now…Nothing…Even…Matters………..

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Check Out the Five Best Bikini Bods of Summer! – iqwespeaks

Tags

Denise Richards, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, Rhianna

If it felt unseasonably warm these last few months, well, the sun wasn’t the only one to blame.

Or, in this case, thank.

We’re referring, of course, to the lovely ladies who managed to contribute to the rise in temps throughout the summer by sticking to the old adage that “less is more.”

Here now are five fabulous females that definitely heated things up this season…

1. Jennifer Lopez: This one, of course, is a bit of a no-brainer. After all, we are talking about the most beautiful woman in the world. And while the American Idol judge will soon no longer be Mrs. Marc Anthony, it’s probably safe to say she won’t have any trouble moving on.

2. Denise Richards: It would be tempting to make a comment here about how, with a body like this, Charlie Sheen‘s ex is the one who’s winning, but we won’t. (OK, fine, we kinda just did). Instead, we’ll just say that if the phrase “It’s better in the Bahamas” is true, then this might be one of the reasons why.

3. Kim Kardashian: Sure, we might be little biased here. (Um, did you see our wedding coverage over the weekend?). But, seriously, who could argue that the E! star doesn’t belong on this list, right? While she and new hubby Kris Humphries are holding off on a honeymoon for now, we can only hope that when they do eventually decide to take one, it’s somewhere hot.

4. Halle Berry: Let’s get this out of the way right up front. 45 years old. Yup. You read that correctly. That’s not a typo, folks. The Oscar winner celebrated being on the planet for that long by confidently frolicking with friends on the beach in Malibu. Well, do you blame her? (Or, Jennifer Garner for stealing her look, for that matter?)

5. Rihanna: Yeah, so technically, this isn’t exactly a bikini, but we would definitely be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the Barbadian beauty as she decided to dip her comely curves in the waters of her home country. What’s that? You want more, Ri-Ri? No problem!

via Check Out the Five Best Bikini Bods of Summer! – E! Online.

Beyoncé Celebrates Birthday and Baby Bump Overseas With Jay-Z – iqwespeaks

Tags

Beyoncé Knowles, Beyonce, Birthday, Jay Z, MTV Video Music Awards, Piers Morgan, Venice

How sweet!

Just a week after Beyoncé Knowles announced she’s expecting, the mommy-to-be rang in her 30th birthday in style over the weekend with hubby Jay-Z.

So, where did the “Love on Top” crooner celebrate the big occasion?

Venice, Italy!

After the uber-couple was spotted leaving a hotel in the city Saturday, Beyoncé and Jay-Z went on to grab dinner at one of Venice’s most celebrated restaurants on her birthday Sunday, according to People.

Back in June, Beyoncé told Piers Morgan she was looking forward to turning the big 3-0.

“I feel like a woman,” the singer told Morgan. “I feel like I’m very aware of who I am. I feel great and I feel like 30 is the ideal age, because you’re mature enough to know who you are and to have your boundaries and your standards, and not be afraid, too polite, but you’re young enough to be a young woman. I’m so looking forward to it.”

Beyonce also hinted that she was ready to start a family, adding “I always said I’d have a baby at 30.”

Looks like Beyonce’s birthday wishes came true. Happy Birthday indeed!

via Beyoncé Celebrates Birthday and Baby Bump Overseas With Jay-Z – E! Online.