These stories about living in the inner cities of Manhattan are but a reflection of inner cities throughout the greater US of A. They serve as a slice of reality not found in the tomes churned out by those baby-boi, wet-behind-the ears, pimped rappers abused by the recording industry.
"The Florida Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), America’s oldest and largest journalism advocacy organisation, has trademarked the term “fake news” in hopes of stopping President Trump from using the term as a way to discredit factual news stories he simply doesn’t like. The project was created in partnership with Calgary creative agency, WAX in Canada.
SPJ Florida Pro Chapter is also filing for a trademark on the term and will be sending out cease and desist letters to frequent abusers of the term, including President Trump."
'Da'Vine Joy Randolph plays a comedian in the new movie Dolemite Is My Name. The actress plays a strong, curvy, funny, black single mother who subverts stereotypes of the Blaxploitation era.' -- All Things Considered
H A R L E M + B E S P O K E: SEE: CONGO IN HARLEM 11: Congo in Harlem 11 , from October 12th-20th at Maysles Cinema , 343 Lenox Avenue and 127th Street. Maysles Documentary Center is pleased... #cinema #film #harlem #harlemnyc #blackentreneur #blackowned
The first overt gentrification protocol put in place in NYC was Seneca (Senegal) Village. Hang on, there is a suggested solution at the end of this post.
Seneca Village aka Central Park is a perfect example, that is not as well known as Tulsa or Freetown, of the early marginalization of people of color that lead to Jim Crow in the early 19th century and 'redlining' in the 20th century.. The same type of divestment of property and land that happened to the indigenous Turtle Islanders happened to 'Black' people because many of us ARE indigenous Turtle Islanders. In fact many of these towns, villages and settlements were a peaceful mixture of indigenous, descendants of Africans and a few Irish and/or German folks.
'Gentrification' is the 21st century version of this historical economic exclusion. And 'White', middle class individuals and families participate by taking advantage of the cheaper rents in historically minority neighborhoods. So when 'White' people say they have never participated in anything that oppresses or marginalizes people. You may want to reconsider the subtleties of how those things actually take place. "Well, it's not my fault; that's the way things are. What can I do?" YES: it is YOUR fault. One must take personal responsibility in this Life. Isn't that what 'White' folks are ALWAYS saying? So what you can do is make sure you know all of the laws involved in acquiring your apartment or property. Such as here in Harlem, you are supposed to be presented with two years worth of Con Edison bills and a history of the rent when the property is Rent Regulated or Rent Controlled. A absence of, or reluctance on the part of the landlord/management to produce, these documents could mean the previous tenant was not taken to housing court and evicted legally. In the case of property, especially HUD reclaimed or tax acquired make sure there were no liens - and if so make sure the correct legal motions were made in regard to the previous owner being given fair opportunity to rectify or settle the dispute. If you do not take the steps to be a informed consumer you could be unwittingly partaking in stealing the apartment away from someone who is supposed to inherit it. Or screwing a older or disabled person out of a rent regulated apartment. Landlords play court games with poor/working class tenants all the time so they can get market rent from someone more affluent.
Be responsible, be informed, do not just jump on it without considering the implications beyond you and your insulated Life. We all effect one another whether we want to accept it or not. You want to truly stop gentrification? That's how you do it. If not then be honest and face the fact that you are part of the problem too and are not truly concerned about the rights of others. That's fine. Just please cease making judgments and racist assumptions about "what's wrong with people of color" anymore.
Guest Post: 'Seneca Village Memory: The Problem of Forgetting'
What many people researching this area miss is that these elites actually deal on *THREE* levels: the Esoteric (secret), reserved for the highest levels of their organizations and institutions; Occult (hidden) knowledge held only for their initiates and Exoteric (mundane) designed to mislead and distract the masses. This goes back to the Egyptian Mystery School Traditions, which was hijacked by those usurpers the Church of Rome and their agents, and applies to everything from symbols (like logos), sigils (such as the money in your pocket) and imagery to marketing and finance. They have been stealing from indigenous people all over the World since the beginning. Not just land; their beliefs and cosmologies as well. Everything has been hijacked. Jazz is now 'American' Music, Gospel has been replaced by an entire genre called 'Christian' which includes any sub-genre from Rock to HipHop and 'World' Music is now a specialty market. I literally grew up with HipHop: sneaking into Kool Herc's project jams in the Bronx (mid 70s), DJ Hollywood suit-n-tie club jamz (late-70s/early-80s) and Bamabaataa/Grandmaster Flash's park parties (early-mid 1980s). So I'm a child of HipHop - it's in my blood! The last groovy taste of it was with Public Enemy and the Neo Soul rash of groups like Arrested Development. The end began in the mid-late 90s with the East vs West 'Divide and Conquer' game move (the elites have been playing that one for centuries - they're very good at it). Sociopaths like Suge Knight are worse than 'bucks' and 'coons' because their behavior spreads like a insidious virus that becomes a systemic malevolence. He and his acolytes are the most dastardly of traitors: giving in to greed and power over their own communities. There is hope though. Princess Nokia, RZA, OSHUN, Nitty Scott, M.I.A. and EarthGang are doing some interesting work; going back to the old skool and bringing some consciousness to the table. I hope it eeps comin' and runs roughshod over this bogus garbage masquerading as 'art'.
The Queen, Chief WARHORSE ELWIN GILLUM of the Chahta (New Orleans, LA - formerly Upper Western Florida), goes into the history of 'Black' indigenous people being written out, reorganized, relocated and manipulated by arbitrary laws such as the Act of Discovery, the Sundry Act and the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 (the US Census**). Both allowed Europeans AND Moors (yes, Moors) to take land from the darker skinned indigenous people of Turtle Island. The Census put the nail in the coffin in regard to wiping away the legacy of the original Turtle Islanders. This was repeated throughout S. America, the Caribbean, Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. RESEARCH: Chata Mountain, Bolivia (Chahta is how the Indians spell it) -- the Chata people of Turtle Island and the Xu (Olmec) are the same people. They are still mound builders and master masons to this day. She mentions that the Europeans approached her tribe for assistance reconstructing New Orleans after the great fire (1788). ----------------------------- **They are always altering the names of their games in order to obscure and water down their true intent for subsequent generations to be indoctrinated. #nativeamerican #indians #africanamerican #blacklivesmatter #history #education #indigenous #america
This documentary is tell tale. It mentions that suicides in 'minority' communities have not changed. That's because: nothing has changed for us. It's the same old challenges, exclusions, stereotypes and etc. For 'White' men it's WAY different. They are starting to experience what we do and they are overwhelmed which is as it should be. Now maybe we can stop acting like we are so different and realize how human we ALL are. We all need to feel useful. We all have Dreams we would like to fulfill. We all want acceptance. We all want to be self sufficient. When these needs are not met some very destructive and negative behaviors develop. They also mentioned the alcohol rates are increasing in communities of the Midwest. Well, of course - that's what made it easy for drugs and alcohol to infiltrate 'Black', Latino and Turtle Island communities...along with Depression and Anxiety. It aggravates me a bit to see this because it's the same old pattern: major patterns and issues with this society are never recognized, or accepted as real, until 'White' people are gravely affected by those particular problems. Yet maybe we can find some Compassion and Kindness for one another and take this opportunity to reflect upon how much we are the same and why: we are all Human Beings. Maybe we can take a look at what changes have to be made so that we can finally all be included in this society. #society #mentalhealth #wellbeing #community #BBC #suicide
REVISITING Buffoonery and Blackface in the 2nd Decade of the 21st Century
In the Summer of 2013 Miley Cyrus mande a big sensation with her twerking escapades. Justin Beiber, Miley, etc are the latest incarnations of BlackFace. It is a lot more covert in the 21st Century - just as most forms of racism - to serve the purpose of concealing it. Yet most important: to make folks of color look like paranoid, chip carrying blowhards. Cool, I get it...not going to stop me though. Original Post: This whole thing swirling around Ms Cyrus and the way she was behaving during this 'show', is just another wack take on the music industry's looong history of appropriating what they THINK is African American culture and putting it in a package that appeals to Caucasian male youth. Continuing the sick, sexist AND racist cycle; passing it down to yet another generation of Americans. As a woman of color, who learned culturally-based popular dance from Soul Train, to then watch it repackaged an sifted out sideways on American Bandstand a week later, I am not surprised at this baffonery. Home girl may as well have gone all-the-way-live and busted out in 'Black-Face'. My boy from Maroon 5 says, "I've got the moves like Jagger." Well, where do you think Mr. Mick got his moves? Can you say, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and James Brown? Mick Jagger is not alone in his appropriation however. Musicians such as Dr. John, Bob Dylan and Peter Gabriel were all influenced heavily by Professor Lonhair and Robert Johnson. This mooching of 'Black' and Continental African cultural style has been going on ever since Europeans discovered Africa, lol. On the one hand, they felt as though people of African descent were beneath them and uncivilized, yet they were fascinated by the so-called primitive's level of artistry in music and adornment techniques. In addition to their knowledge of agriculture and complex cosmology. George Barnes "was a world-renowned swing jazz guitarist, who claimed he played the first electric guitar in 1931...George Barnes made the first recording of an electric guitar in 1938 in sessions with Big Bill Broonzy." ~WIKI Mr. Barnes grew up in a suburb of Chicago's South side and spent many hours in the inner South Side area, where all the folks of color are, soaking up the Blues and Jazz. "He started his professional career at the age of 12, when he received his musicians' union card, and toured throughout the Midwest. By the time he was 14, he was accompanying blues vocalists such as Big Bill Broonzy and Blind John Davis." ~WIKI Now, during the time that the young teen Mr. Barnes played with them, both Mr. Broonzy & Mr. Davis did not have the provilage of being given musicians' union cards, since they were not welcome in any 'White' man's union at that time. They were stuggling to establish their careers while Mr. Barnes was on his way to stardom. Mr. Barne's is "world-renowned", whereas the two gentlemen that he developed his chops from are just codas in American musical history. Yet when the two gentlemen went to tour Europe in the late 40's through 1952, they were greeted with standing ovations and media accolades. They are still highly respected and well known in European Jazz music circles yet virtually unknown in their birth country. During the time Mr. Broonzy and Mr. Davis were on tour in Europe, many young ones like, Mick Jagger, Steve Winwood and other musicians of the 'British Invasion' were exposed to this music and promted to delve into it further. Robert Johnson, Ma Rainey, Charle Patton, Big Bill Broonzy Blind John Davis inspired the next generation of Black performers like Berry, Little Richard and Fats Domino, who seized upon the introduction of the electric Guitar, incorporated the old Blues, injected it with the energy of the inner-city aesthetic and the struggle for equal rights. They turned it into something entirely new. Out of this innovation and redefinition of African American cultural style and music sprung good ole Rock and Roll. Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Steve Windwood, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton have all said, in interviews throughout their career, that they were influenced accordingly by these 'new' musicians; in additon to Blues singer's like Bessie Smith, Jazz artists like Dizzy Gillespie and Early 'Motown' Soul music. Miley Cyrus' performance is yet another generation sucking on the teat of African American culture. The other issue in this otherwise irrelavent drama is her 'dancing'. The ridiculous choreography in her 'performance' only served to project her sexual immaturity rather than reflect any kind of Feminist expression. The silliness surrounding this yong lady is making it difficult for women who have consciously made the choice to be professional entertainers; Exotic & Burlesque performers and dancers. Strong, confident and empowered women that not only enjoy what they do -- they take it very seriously as an art form. Belly Dancing is an ancient art form -- as well as the sensual dance forms that are part of the Vedas' Kama Sutra & Tantra. I was s Modern, Jazz & Improvisational dancer as well as an Exotic dancer for over 14 years; a continuing Belly Dancer and, recently (the past 3 years), a Tantric dance practitioner. I am concerned about the escalation of this into the ridiculousness of minutia, such as the wrangling over grinding vs gyration and making issue of whether Ms C is making a "feminist statement" or not. I have no judgement regarding a young woman of any age experimenting with Sensual Dance Forms yet someone under 25 would not have the Life experience to truly and fully express the power of this Divine Feminine activity. It appears that Ms. Miley doesn't either. ORIGINAL ARTCLE http://www.newstatesman.com/music-and-performance/2013/08/memo-miley-twerking-not-feminist-statement
Two and a half years ago I attempted to write a blog post regarding the murder of a transgender Human Being that I knew. I could not because it was so raw. The backlash of violence against young people of color over the past five years has demanded a revisit from me. because although the police were not involved directly, their lack of response was equivalent to covert abuse. The original, intended post: I knew Islan Nettles. She was a intelligent, articulate and accomplished young woman. She had her whole Life waiting for her and a career in the clothing design industry. Insead, she was beaten to the point of Death. I am sick to my stomach because what the NYS media monsters failed to mention, in ALL of the articles I'd seen for an etire week, is that the incident happened RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE 148th Street POLICE STATION! If it was a citizen considered to be 'White' or Caucasian', they would have been there johnny-on-the-spot; all over the 'perps': feet on necks, knees on backs and gun barrels pushed up against temples and/or throats! The entire neighborhood put on lock-down until a perp was found. The police materialize, it seems out of thin air, when they want to Stop and Frisk you for handing a friend $5 standing in front of your own dwelling (SIDE-NOTE: I thank DeBlasio for being serious about cracking down on this and not just using it as a campaign nibblet - yet, the police are hard nuts and are no giving it up easily). The people crying about NYC turning into the Wild, Wild West or some 'Mega-City' straight out of a Judge Dredd strip obviously don't live in the communities where this protocol is being abused at every level of policing. The precinct I'm referring to, located on Frederick Douglass Blvd (8th Ave) between 147th & 148th streets, has a history of harassment & detention of young Latino and Black males. Question: tell me how a beating of that level, right in front of the precinct with cameras upon the roof, NOT catch at least ONE officer's attention? In addition to the ones installed on top of the traffic light poles at the intersections of 147th and 148th streets? Answer: because, the police are worthless when it comes to doing anything that resembles real, sincere support in this community. A neighbor told me that they overheard a officer say, "If we hadn't of responded as quickyl as we did, it woulda been worse..." Excuse me but, last time I checkd: Death is about as bad as you can get. Ummm, maybe I'm wrong, eh?! What's really funny? The day after the tradgedy, I was on my way back home from a walk at around 9:00pm that evening. As I passed the precinct, I noticed that there was a cop on patrol out front, casing the block. LOL!!!!!! I had to find the irony; the humor, to keep myself from wringing that man's neck. It's the first time I've ever seen that in the 10 years I've lived here (on 8th Ave -- only a few blocks from the station). The lives of Black folks don't mean much in the US - esp. young males, women and those of alternative gender orientation...the levels of racism, sexism, gender bias and class snobbery in this country is sick, insane and detestable. NEWS ARTICLE http://tinyurl.com/m6cpb7l
In this ground-breaking book, Egyptologist Robert Bauval and astrophysicist Thomas Brophy uncover the mystery of Imhotep, and ancient Egyptian superstar, pharaonic Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo, and Newton all rolled into one. Based on their research at the Step Pyramid Complex at Saqqara, Bauval and Brophy delve into observational astronomy to 'decode' the alignments and other design features of the Step Pyramid Complex, to uncover the true origins and genius of Imhotep. Like a whodunit detective story they follow the clues that take them on an exhilarating magical mystery tour starting at Saqqara, leading them to temples in Upper Egypt and to the stones of Nabta Playa and the black African stargazers who placed them there.
Imhotep: the African, describes how Imhotep was the ancient link to the birth of modern civilization, restoring him to his proper place at the center of the birthing of Egyptian, AND WORLD, civilization.
The production was decent yet the interviews were stereotypical, one-sided and lacked depth for both the Law Enforcement and former gang members. Cops/DEA: good guys; Barnes, et al: bad guys. Basically following the timeline of the Barnes operation, from its beginnings in the streets of NYC to his incarceration, with no new information was presented. The interviews should have been an opportunity to flesh out the individuals more thoroughly, instead of relying on the sensational Thug-Life aspects, such as expounding upon the reasons why a young Harlem boy would say that Mr Barnes was his hero as opposed to the World Series winner Mr. Jackson. In fact, Mr. Barnes DID have other business AND community interests besides drugs in NYC - Harlem in particular. He was instrumental in getting the Apollo Theater renovated, he opened clubs and grocery stores (providing jobs to local residents), provided funds to after school, breakfast and lunch programs for children and the homeless. He was known to furnish the apartment of many families following a fire or other tragedy and/or providing one for those who lost them. Every year during his tenure a truck would pull up in neighborhoods around Harlem during Thanksgiving filled with Turkeys and TVs, furnishings, clothing, etc. for Christmas. He could also be found walking around Harlem handing out money to children and the indigent. In addition there was no mention, by the law enforcement interviewees, of the complicity by thousands of police officers - even entire precincts - that took pay offs from Mr. Barns and his crew for a variety of services, including hits. The implementation of the Rockefeller Drug laws, now a pock mark upon the history of inner cities in this country destroying communities in Harlem, the Bronx and Brooklyn much more than Barnes or his ilk ever could, was glossed over like a sound bite. There are many missed opportunities for a more balanced and compelling documentary here, yet I would suggest folks watch it for an interesting look at the products of a soul less culture, regarding a country that produces the kind of desperation and greed surrounding drugs and its trade.
"On June 8, 2011 the following unfortunate arrest
took place in Canton, OH. Notifying the policy
when you have a firearm is required by Ohio Law,
but when this individual with a thirty-day old
license tries to do that he is repeatedly ordered
to look away, shut up, or interrupted and "forced"
to change what he is speaking about by the actions
of an aggressive cop who maintains verbal control
of the situation." ~Excerpt of video submission by
'Ohio',
http://www.facebook.com/thugmidget POLICE OFFICER (OverSeer) speaking to the driver:
"I tell you what I shoulda done? As soon as I saw your gun I should taken two steps back, pulled my Glock 40, and just put ten bullets in your ass and let you drop." Yes, this is for real. Unfortunately...what happened in this video can be found repeated in every 'hood of the USA; whether it's a trailer park, rez, inner city or, these days, a suburb, the Fear and lasting trauma suffered at the hand of those who swore to 'protect and serve' is a travesty. (click on 'Police Brutality' to see Video)
'This Type Of Police Brutality Needs To Stop: Ohio Officer Makes Death Threats & Goes Ape Sh*t!'
A very interesting interview with Ms. Swinton, if you can get passed Mr. Rollins' flippant attitude and occasionally superficial questions,that reveals a humorous side to the actress.
I truly appreciated her reply to Mr. Rollins regarding Tangiers (from 1:00 - 2:10).
She's straight up; no chaser throughout the entire tete a tete. A woman after mine own Heart. LoL!!
As I've always said, "The Heart Perceives well beyond the '5-Sense Prison' ". Recent scientific research shows that our Energy Field originates from the Heart Chakra.
Heart dis-ease is the #1 killer in Western societies. Most of us are 'Heart-Sick' -- especially historically oppressed cultures. This is why the return to indigenous, African and First Peoples' concepts of Heart-Centered breathing, drumming, dancing and Be-ing (or Consciousness) is so important. Yes, diet is very important for the physical level, yet quantum physics proves that Consciousness creates reality. Therefore,no matter what you eat or how much exercise you do, if you are in a consistent negative and stressed state of thinking and being, your will undermine all of that hard work. How many people do you know, or heard about, that have dropped from Heart Attacks who were supposedly ate healthy and went to the gym every day?
This is an excellent presentation on our Connections: to each other, Ghaia, our Solar System and Universe. They prove it scientifically - this is NOT what some people refer to as hockus-pockus, mamby-pamby, feel-good stuff. If you really want to understand what the essence and purpose of our Lives, as Human Beings, are for and about check out this VID.
The Cognitive Dissonance that this presentation will create in Western mindsets, which are programmed and indoctrinated using the Cartesian Model of everything placed in its proper little box and Duality (either right/wrong; black/white, etc), is evident in the arrogant and ignorant comments and responses on UTube. Western society is laden with 'ISM Schisms'; racism and sexism (incl. gender bias) at the top of the list.
So discussions regarding our collective birth from out of Africa; first civilizations being Matriarchal (check the off-shoot Neanderthal culture) and cycles, as opposed to linear time, make the fact that we've been culturally and Spiritually regressed by narcissists and sociopaths glaringly obvious.
The National Geographic Genome Project has verified our African ancestors and there is plenty of archaeological evidence pointing towards a widespread Sacred Feminine worship throughout the Ancient World. The new discoveries by pioneers such as David Hatcher Childress, finds like the Stone Circles and Adam's Calender of South Africa, World wide Megolithic structures - and those found on the Moon & Mars (thanks to the Rovers and satellites) - reveals that a pre-flood, Global Civilization existed in our Ancient History.
There was indeed a moment in our history that a wonderful, united, sacred, technologically AND Spiritually advanced, multi-cultural society existed upon Ghaia. It is also evident that since the advent of religion, the Catholic Church in particular, in cahoots with the merchant classes, usurped and destroyed those who advocated this higher Consciousness and replaced it with Kingship and aristocracy. These megalomaniacs then set about the business of burying all traces of this knowledge by burning and looting Libraries, Colleges and Monasteries. These were considered SACRED learning places for Spiritual enlightenment and expanding Consciousness. What we have allowed these progressive spaces to be replaced with is some programmed, one dimensional, job oriented career path designed to feed, clothe and house the bigots and bullies masquerading as rulers.
The rediscovery of this lost legacy should be embraced instead of falling into our programmed, knee-jerk reactions: leveling criticism and accusing scholars and layman of being afro-centric and/or feminists. We have regressed into a complacent, arrogant and judgemental 'Jerry Springer Culture'. We think we know what the deal is; always in our heads and disconnected from our Hearts and Solar Plexus (the seat of Will guided by intuition). We have lost our Empathic capabilities and thrown away Compassion, Kindness and Forgiveness in exchange for toys, material gain and assets.
Yet the Truth is very clear; the reality is that we are horses with blinders on following carrots and apples being dangled in our faces. The rulers refer to us a "Sheeple". So, we can either relegate ourselves to being horse meat for them, in the end, or get our Hearts back and begin the cycle anew.
Radioactive Wolves Of Chernobyl [Full Documentary] | Witness the perseverance and strength of Ghaia! In the shadow of Chernobyl, wildlife that was once hunted and scared away by Stalin's socialist, land clearing and urbanization is thriving, despite the high levels of radioactivity found in the bones of much of the wildlife, plants and water.
