Poli-Tainment.com One man with courage is
a majority To
live in the presence of great truths and eternal laws, to be led
by permanent ideals; that is what
keeps a man patient when the world ignores him and calm and
unspoiled when the world praises him.
Diaper
Free Baby
How to toilet-train before two
In my many years traveling throughout Asia I saw almost no babies with
diapers. Yet I commonly saw infants who would seem to eliminate on command.
Their moms would hold them over a gutter with their pants down, whistle a
quiet hiss, or grunt, and then the baby would go. At one year! Two-year olds
would find their own place to squat. The real story behind this magic is
that the child communicates their elimination needs to the mom, who learns
to understand their unique signals, and then she communicates back whether
all is ready or not. The result is a baby toilet-trained long before anyone
in developed countries believes is possible, or even healthy. And this
diaper-less, yet mess-less, state is common in parts of Africa and Latin
America as well.
But I never imagined it would work in the modern world of carpeting, cars,
and obsessive sterility. I've had my mind changed by this book and a growing
movement meeting online, where pioneering parents have figured out how to
translate this very natural approach into contemporary lives. They call it
natural infant hygiene to emphasize that this is not about training,
discipline, or being strict. Instead, its success depends on a very close
bond between baby and parents. Indeed, most parents who adopt this style
claim that the incredibly close communication with the baby is worth far
more to them than no pampers, and being diaper free is simply a mere bonus.
So does it really work? Yes. But what about....? Those are questions this
book does a pretty good job at answering, or at least beginning to answer.
Much of the modern version is still being sorted out. For instance for some
families, diaper less mean less diapers rather than no diapers. But in all
cases it requires a pretty big commitment of time (natural elimination does
not work in full time day care), and a different way of thinking (pee is
sterile, not dirty).
The natural baby hygiene program reminds me a lot of the early
breast-feeding movement, with which it shares many attributes. Both
practices were common in developing countries, both demanded an intense bond
with the mother, and both required a re-education of the modern public to
accept. It's going to be a long struggle to get folks used to carrying
chamber pots around, or having their baby pee on your lawn, but I think it
will happen in small numbers. Our family is long past the diaper age, but if
we were doing it again, this way makes a whole lot of sense.
For those so inclined, this is the best book to date. There's a
corresponding active website as well.
----------------------
Black
Student Enrollments in Law School Inch Higher
In the 2006-07 academic year there were 9,529 black
students attending the 194 U.S. law schools accredited by the American Bar
Association. Total black law school enrollments increased by 3.6 percent
from the previous year. Blacks now make up 6.4 percent of all law school
enrollments. This is up from 6.2 percent a year ago.
But black enrollments in the nation’s law schools are still well below the
level that prevailed at the beginning of the decade. In the year 2000,
blacks were 7.1 percent of all law school enrollments.
-----------------------------
Why Congress is Spineless
When it Comes to Israel
AIPAC's Hold
by Ari Berman
In early March, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) held its forty-seventh annual conference in Washington. AIPAC's executive director spent twenty-seven minutes reading the "roll call" of dignitaries present at the gala dinner, which included a majority of the Senate and a quarter of the House, along with dozens of Administration officials.
As this event illustrates, it's impossible to talk about Congress's relationship to Israel without highlighting
AIPAC, the American Jewish community's most important voice on the Hill. The Congressional reaction to Hezbollah's attack on Israel and Israel's retaliatory bombing of Lebanon provide the latest example of why.
On July 18, the Senate unanimously approved a nonbinding resolution "condemning Hamas and Hezbollah and their state sponsors and supporting Israel's exercise of its right to self-defense." After House majority leader John Boehner removed language from the bill urging "all sides to protect innocent civilian life and infrastructure," the House version passed by a landslide, 410 to 8.
AIPAC not only lobbied for the resolution; it had written it. "They [Congress] were given a resolution by
AIPAC," said former Carter Administration National Security Adviser Zbigniew
Brzezinski, who addressed the House Democratic Caucus on July 19. "They didn't prepare one."
AIPAC is the leading player in what is sometimes referred to as "The Israel Lobby"--a coalition that includes major Jewish groups, neoconservative intellectuals and Christian Zionists. With its impressive contacts among Hill staffers, influential grassroots supporters and deep connections to wealthy donors, AIPAC is the lobby's key emissary to Congress. But in many ways, AIPAC has become greater than just another lobby; its work has made unconditional support for Israel an accepted cost of doing business inside the halls of Congress. AIPAC's interest, Israel's interest and America's interest are today perceived by most elected leaders to be one and the same. Christian conservatives increasingly aligned with AIPAC demand unwavering support for Israel from their Republican leaders. (In mid-July, 3,000-plus evangelicals came to town for the first annual "Christian United for Israel" summit.) And Democrats are equally concerned about alienating Jewish voters and Jewish donors--long a cornerstone of their party. Some in Congress are deeply uncomfortable with AIPAC's militant worldview and heavyhanded tactics, but most dare not say so publicly.
"The Bush Administration is bad enough in tolerating measures they would not accept anywhere else but Israel," says Henry
Siegman, the former head of the American Jewish Congress and a Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. "But the Congress, if anything, is urging the Administration on and criticizing them even at their most accommodating. When it comes to the Israeli-Arab conflict, the terms of debate are so influenced by organized Jewish groups, like
AIPAC, that to be critical of Israel is to deny oneself the ability to succeed in American politics."
There are a few internationalist Republicans in the Senate and progressive Democrats in the House who occasionally dissent. Representative Dennis Kucinich and twenty-three co-sponsors have offered a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire and a return to multiparty diplomacy between the United States and regional powers, with no preconditions. But even the resolution's supporters admit it isn't likely to go anywhere. Another bill introduced by several Arab-American lawmakers that stressed the need to minimize civilian casualties on both sides was "politically swept under the rug," according to Representative Nick Rahall, a Lebanese-American Democrat from West Virginia who voted against the House resolution. Dovish American-Israeli groups, such as Americans for Peace Now, have largely stayed out of the fight.
The latest hawkish Congressional activity is primarily intended to show voters and potential donors that elected officials are unwavering friends of Israel and enemies of terrorism. "It's just for home consumption," said Representative Charlie Rangel, a powerful New York Democrat who signed on to Kucinich's resolution. "We don't have the support of countries that support us! What the hell are we going to do, bomb Iran? Bomb Syria?" His colleagues, said Rahall, "were trying to
out-AIPAC AIPAC."
Discussion in Congress quickly widened beyond Israel to include a broader policy of confrontation toward the entire Middle East. Congressmen sent a flurry of "dear colleague" letters to one another, hoping to pressure the Administration into tightening sanctions on Syria and Iran, Hezbollah's two main state sponsors. Former Middle East envoy Dennis Ross addressed a packed
AIPAC-sponsored luncheon on the Hill, where, according to one aide present, Ross told the room: "This is all about Syria and Iran...we shouldn't be condemning Israel now." Said Representative Robert Andrews, a Democrat from New Jersey and co-chair of the Iran Working Group, which this week hosted an official from the Israeli embassy: "I concur completely with that approach."
Democrats, as they did during the Dubai ports scandal, used the crisis to score a few cheap, easy political points against the Bush Administration. The new prime minister of Iraq, Nouri
al-Maliki, found himself engulfed in a Congressional firestorm after he denounced Israel's attacks on Lebanon as an act of "aggression." Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rahm Emanuel, who volunteered in Israel during the first Gulf War, called on Maliki to cancel his planned address before Congress. Asked Senator Chuck Schumer, who skipped Maliki's July 26 speech: "Which side is he on when it comes to the war on terror?" Howard Dean one upped his colleagues, labeling Maliki an "anti-Semite" during a speech in Palm Beach, Florida.
Ironically, during the 2004 campaign Dean called on the United States to be an "evenhanded" broker in the Middle East. That position enraged party leaders such as House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, who signed a letter attacking his remarks. "It was designed to send a message: No one ever does this again," says
M.J. Rosenberg of the center-left Israel Policy Forum. "And no one has. The only safe thing to say is: I support Israel." In April a representative from AIPAC called Congresswoman Betty McCollum's vote against a draconian bill severely curtailing aid to the Palestinian Authority "support for terrorists."
Not surprisingly, most in Congress see far more harm than reward in getting in the Israeli lobby's way. "There remains a perception of power and fear that AIPAC can undo you," says James
Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. He points to the defeats of Representative Paul Findley and Senator Charles Percy in the 1980s and Representatives Cynthia McKinney and Earl Hilliard in 2002, when AIPAC steered large donors to their opponents. Even if AIPAC's make-you-or-break-you reputation is largely a myth, in an election year that perception is potent. Thirty-six pro-Israel PACs gave $3.14 million to candidates in the 2004 election cycle. Rahall said his opponent for re-election issued his first press release of the campaign after Rahall voted against the House resolution. "Everybody knew what would happen if they didn't vote yes," he says.
AIPAC continues to enjoy deep bipartisan backing inside Congress even after two top AIPAC officials were indicted a year ago for allegedly accepting and passing on confidential national security secrets from a Defense Department analyst. "The US and Israel share a lot of basic common values. The vast majority of the American people not only support Israel's actions against Hezbollah but also the fundamental US-Israel relationship, and the bipartisan support in Congress reflects that," says AIPAC spokesman Josh Block. Rosenberg, himself a former AIPAC staffer, puts it another way: "This is the one issue on which liberals are permitted, even expected, by donors to be mindless hawks."
By blindly following AIPAC, Congress reinforces a hard-line consensus: Criticizing Israeli actions, even in the best of faith, is anti-Israel and possibly anti-Semitic; enthusiastically backing whatever military action Israel undertakes is the only acceptable stance.
Recent Gallup polls show that half of Americans support Israel's military campaign, yet 65 percent believe the United States should not take sides in the conflict. But it's hard to imagine any Congress, or subsequent Administration, returning to the role of honest broker. What the region needs now, according to
Brzezinski, is an American leader brave enough to say: "Either I make policy on the Middle East or AIPAC makes policy on the Middle East." One can always dream.
Where
in the Hell are Our Scholars on the Fact that Christ & Mary were Black
BLACK MADONNA
Of the more than 400 images of the Black Madonna or Black Virgin known
worldwide, the image of Our Lady in Czestochowa, Poland, has received the
most recent recognition because of the personal devotion displayed toward
this religious icon by Pope John Paul II (1920– 2005). The pope, a
native of
Poland
, prayed before the Madonna of Czestochowa in 1979, several months after
his election to the Chair of Peter, and he is known to have made
subsequent visits in 1983 and in 1991. The reports of miracles and
healings attributed to Our Lady of Czestochowa (also known as Our Lady of
Jasna Gora) through the centuries are numerous. They include Our Lady
greatly enhancing the ability of a small group of Polish defenders to
protect her sanctuary from an army of Swedish invaders in 1655 and her
holy apparition appearing to disperse an invading army of Russians in
1920. Records of such spectacular acts of intervention and dramatic cures
are kept in the archives of the Pauline Fathers at Jasna Gora, the
monastery site in which the portrait was housed for six centuries.
The Black Madonna of Czestochowa is
of such antiquity that its origins are unknown. Tradition has it that St.
Luke, the "beloved physician," painted the portrait of Jesus's
mother on the cedar wood table at which she took her meals. Two centuries
later, during her visit to the Holy Land, St. Helena (c. 248–c. 328),
the Queen-Mother of Emperor Constantine (d. 337), is said to have
discovered the portrait and brought it to
Constantinople
in the fourth century. Five centuries later, determined to save the image
of the Madonna from the repeated invasions of the Tartars, St. Ladislaus
(1040–1095) took the portrait to
Opala
,
Poland
, the city of his birth, for safekeeping. Regretfully, not long after its
move, a disrespectful Tartar arrow managed to find its way to the
Madonna's throat, inflicting a scar that still remains visible. In 1430,
Hussite thieves stole the portrait and broke it into three pieces.
Contemporary scholar Leonard Moss has
argued against a vast antiquity for the Black Madonna of Czestochowa,
claiming that the figure of the woman in the portrait was painted in a
distinctly thirteenth- or fourteenth-century Byzantine style. Janusz
Pasierb, another scholar who examined the portrait, counters such an
assertion, stating that the image was "painted virtually new" in
1434 because of the extensive damage that the portrait had suffered at the
hands of vandals.
Another aspect of the mystery of Our
Lady of Czestochowa and all the other Black Madonnas that has puzzled many
individuals is why they are portrayed with such dark skin tones. Some
scholars answer this by stating that it wasn't until the onset of the
Renaissance in the fourteenth century that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph began
being portrayed with pale skin, blue eyes, and blond or reddish-blond
hair. Prior to that period, the Holy Family
Pope John Paul II praying at the Black
Madonna Shrine in Czestochowa, Poland, in 1999. (AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS) and
the apostles were most often depicted as semitic people whose dark skin
tones reflected the hot arid climate in which they lived. If the Black
Madonna of Czestochowa was truly a portrait of Mary that had been painted
from life by the apostle Luke, he would surely have captured a woman with
olive or dark brown skin and black or brown hair.
Other researchers into the mystique of the
Black Madonna state that the reasons that the Roman Catholic Church in
general has not warmly embraced such depictions of the Holy Mother or
Virgin Mary are because they fear that such representations are actually
paying tribute to the ancient goddesses and Earth mothers and that these
images perpetuate strains of pagan worship of the female principle. For
example, church scholars point out that St. Germain de Pres, the oldest
church in Paris (Par-isis, the Grove of Isis), was built in 542 on the
site of a former temple dedicated to Isis. Isis had been the patron
goddess of Paris until Christianity replaced her with St. Genevieve.
Within the church of St. Germain de Pres, however, parishioners worshipped
a black statue of Isis until it was destroyed in 1514.
Christianity warred against goddess worship from
the days of the apostles when St. Paul (d. 62–68 C.E.) found to his
great frustration that his message was being shouted down by the crowds at
Ephesus who pledged their obeisance to Diana. Until they had been
romanized and westernized, Diana/Artemis, together with the other two
preeminent goddesses of the East, Isis and Cybele, were first represented
as black madonnas. And before the people of the East bent their knees to
Diana, Isis, and Cybele, they had worshipped the Great Mother as Inanna in
Sumeria, as Ishtar in Babylonia, and as Astarte among the Hebrews. Most
scholars agree that among the first images of the Black Madonna and her
son were representations of Isis and Horus.
The Black Madonna may also refer to Mary
Magdalene, who, in the traditions of many Christian sects, such as the
Gnostics, was the wife of Jesus (c. 6 B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.) In this
interpretation of the events that occurred after Jesus' death at the hands
of the Romans, Mary brought the cup used at the Last Supper—the Holy
Grail—from Palestine to southern France, where it would eventually be
guarded by the Knights Templar.
There is also a belief that Mary arrived in France carrying within her
womb a child fathered by Jesus of Nazareth, who then became the progenitor
for the royal family of France. For those who hold such beliefs, the Holy
Grail is but a metaphor for Mary Magdalene's womb, which carried the true
blood of Jesus in the person of his unborn son. Therefore, many of the
depictions of the Black Madonna and child throughout the regions of
southern France and Spain may be regarded as images of Mary Magdalene
carrying the infant son of Jesus rather than the Virgin Mary carrying the
infant Jesus.
The Black Madonna in the monastery at
Montserrat
. Ignatius held vigil
throughout the night in front
of the Madonna andoffered her his sword asa sign of his conversion.
Black Madonna and Child
It wasn't until
the Renaissance that they begin to have paintings of Jesus and Mary with
alabaster skin, blue eyes and blond hair. Previously, all religious
artwork reflected the olive skin, black or brown hair and eyes of the
Holy Family and the Apostles. Christian Iconography. There was only a
Renaissance because the people were in contact with
Africa
, prior to that there was only the Dark Ages.
The Age of Enlightenment came when Europeans met and were taught by
Africans.
Note: Some say all of the Black Madonna's are Black in coloration
because of candle smoke throughout the years or worship to her. But,
that doesn't wash, literally...too many of them and why aren't there
cloths black too?
Recycled African Neteru
In Catholicism, the first three popes were African as were most
of the bishops. They were used to institute the Egyptian Religious system
and conform it into the Catholic framework. Some of the first Caesars were
also African.
Statue of Black Madonna, Holy Mary, comes from 15 C, moved to
church at Marija Bistrica around 1545 because of threat from the Turks, in
1650 hidden in a church wall under a stained glass window and lost; found
in 1684.
Main altar of church honors Bistricka Gospa (Lady of
Bistrica) and church is now named Majka Bozja Bistricka (God's
Mother of Bistrica).Visited by Pope John Paul II October 1998.
France has more than 300 Black
Virgin sites,
with over 150 Black Virgins still in existence.
Opio
Sokoni, - a Barack Obama supporter - debates Long Beach, CA congresswoman
Laura Richardson on her suppport of Hillary Clinton - on the Bruce
Brussard show (May 4, 2008)...
Bill Moyers interviews Reverend Jeremiah Wright
Opio speaks with Julie Edwards
Oregon Communications Director for
Hillary Clinton for President...
It gets good...
ISSUES:
* Should Obama debate Hillary again
* Will Hillary Add Police Brutality to Her Compact (an
unarmed woman was killed in Oregon by the police)
* Hillary's Fuzzy Math in the Campaign (popular vote,
delegates) and much more...
Ohio Highway Patrol troopers to be fired over KKK photo flap
Following a
recommendation yesterday from Gov. Ted Strickland, two Ohio Highway Patrol
troopers in Sandusky will be terminated after one was photographed by the other
while dressed in a Ku Klux Klan-like costume, according to Col. Richard Collins,
commander of the patrol.
Troopers Eric Wlodarsky and Craig Franklin were placed
on paid administrative leave yesterday pending the outcome of a predisciplinary
hearing to be held later this week.
Trooper Wlodarsky used a cell phone on Jan. 20 to
photograph Trooper Franklin wearing a white cone on his head and a white paper
mask resembling the garb of a KKK member. Both troopers were on duty at the
time.
"It's unfortunate, and I don't think anyone would argue
that what took place was egregious," Colonel Collins said. He said the decision
to terminate the troopers was a response to the governor's recommendation.
Trooper Wlodarsky forwarded the photo by text message
to Sgt. Jason Demuth at the patrol's Norwalk post, who then forwarded the
picture to a dispatcher at the Toledo post. The highway patrol's administrative
investigative unit received an anonymous letter postmarked Jan. 22 detailing the
incident, said Sgt. Craig Cvetan, spokesman for the patrol in Columbus.
Trooper Eric Wlodarsky took a picture of
Trooper Craig Franklin in garb similar to that worn by the Ku Klux Klan.
"This incident has
tarnished the reputation of a great law enforcement agency," the governor said
in a news release issued yesterday. "We cannot and will not tolerate this kind
of insulting, disgraceful conduct which undermines public confidence in the
important work that the patrol does every day."
Governor Strickland, during a meeting Monday, asked
Public Safety Director Henry Guzman and Colonel Collins to begin proceedings to
terminate the employment of the troopers.
The governor said in a news release that the sanctions
imposed by the patrol, including demotions and suspensions, were inadequate.
During the troopers' initial disciplinary hearing, Colonel Collins said it was
recommended they be terminated. But given their relatively clean disciplinary
history, the troopers were able to take advantage of the patrol's "last-chance"
program, he said. The provision in their union contract allowed the
troopers to keep their jobs if they maintained a clean record for two years.
Representatives of the union, the Ohio State Troopers
Association, could not be reached for comment last night. Trooper Wlodarsky, who
has been on the force since 1998, was demoted from sergeant to trooper, was
required to attend diversity awareness training, and was transferred to the
patrol's Norwalk post. Reached at his home in Norwalk yesterday, Trooper
Wlodarsky declined to comment.
At a disciplinary hearing last month, Trooper Franklin,
hired in 1990, received an unpaid five-day suspension, was ordered to attend
diversity awareness training, and requested a transfer to the patrol's Fremont
post. Sergeant Demuth originally was given a three-day suspension for failing to
report the incident to a supervisor and forwarding the photo to a subordinate.
His discipline was reduced to a one-day suspension.
During separate administrative hearings held in
February, Trooper Wlodarsky and Trooper Franklin said the prank was not meant to
be malicious. Trooper Franklin, who made and wore the outfit, said it was
similar to a skit performed by comedian Dave Chappelle.
"It was meant as a joke," he said during the hearing.
"After the picture was taken, the items were discarded, and that was the end of
it." He said he later realized it was wrong and was embarrassed by his actions.
Trooper Wlodarsky said he should have stopped Trooper Franklin from putting on
the outfit. "It's my bad for not squashing it right there," he said.
Trooper Wlodarsky also
admitted during the hearing he has been counseled in the past about improper
conduct in the workplace after he had been accused of making a
racial slur while working at the patrol's Mansfield post in 2006.
Colonel Collins said that allegation could
not be substantiated, but Trooper Wlodarsky was counseled. The colonel
said he spent two hours yesterday discussing the incident at the patrol's
academy.
Throughout the next few days, Colonel Collins said, he
plans to visit district headquarters around the state to discuss the incident
and look for ways to prevent anything similar from happening. "When something
like this happens, it gives you cause to look inward and see if there are things
you need to be doing," he said. The Sandusky and statewide chapters of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have been monitoring
the matter since the incident was made public.
Ida Alexander, president of the Sandusky chapter of the
NAACP, met last week with Colonel Collins and urged the patrol to fire the
troopers. Sybil Edwards-McNabb, president of the state organization, said
displays of racially motivated expressions should not be tolerated.
"You're talking about state patrol officers, you're not
talking about a Halloween prank or the general public," Ms. Edwards-McNabb said.
"You're talking about people being paid to protect and serve on a state level.
Things like that should not be tolerated."
Private citizen issues parking tickets
to cop
An Oregon man issued a series of parking
citations to a uniformed police officer who parked his patrol car next to a
"No Parking" sign while he went to buy food at a Chinese restaurant last
month in Portland.
Eric Bryant says he
approached Officer Chad Stensgaard, but the cop dismissed his concerns about
the illegal parking spot. "If he had acknowledged and corrected his error,
we could have avoided this whole thing," Bryant tells the
Portland Mercury.
"But instead, he kept watching basketball and told me he wasn't doing
anything wrong."
The paper says Bryant, a newly minted lawyer, used
a
section of state law
that allows private citizens to issue citations. He filed a complaint that
accuses Stensgaard of illegal parking, illegal stopping, ignoring parking
restrictions and illegal operation of an emergency vehicle.
The Associated Press says the officer was summoned
to appear in traffic court next month. If he's convicted, Stensgaard faces
more than $500 in fines. Police officials say he didn't do anything wrong.
"I think asking an officer to spend an inordinate
amount of time trying to find a 'legal' parking space that may be a long
ways away from where they're going is unreasonable," Assistant Chief Brian
Martinek tells
KGW-TV.
In 2006, Portland brought in $3.3 million from parking citations, according
to this
report.
Update at 8:11 a.m. ET: Bryant has issued a
statement on his law firm's website:
Many news outlets have taken an interest in
my court case against Officer Stensgaard. This is a healthy public
dialogue and I encourage it. It should be noted that the Portland Police
Bureau has a policy that officers shall obey all laws. The law in
Oregon states that emergency vehicles are exempt from traffic laws only in
certain circumstances. None of the exemptions apply to this case because
Officer Stensgaard was not responding to an emergency or pursuing a
violator of the law.
PROFESSOR GRIFF'S HOME DESTROYED ****
Professor Griff TOCZ Buffalo
Support
Professor Griff
Professor Griff house burned down in the ATL... (gas leak)... He was in NY at
the time preparing to do a lecture... He had just left Portland, Oregon
after keynoting a youth summit... He says 90% of his belongings - including
his studio, books, cds, dvds, clothes, pictures and more... Anyone knows him,
contact him and provide support to him and his family... To all who are going to
Savior's Day, maybe a hat can be passed around... It's the least we can do for a
brother who continue to stand strong for his people... I did an interview with
some youth who heard his lecture this past Saturday and these sisters were aw
struck by the information he provided... check it out here...
Navy Petty Officer Jonathan W.
Hutto, Sr. enlisted in the United States Navy in January of 2004. Two years
later, along with a small group of fellow service men and women, he helped
build one of the first active duty anti-war groups since Vietnam. Drawing on
his own experience as an activist, as well as the experiences of the GI
resistance movement of the 1960s and 1970s, Hutto reminds us of the
citizenship rights of active duty, reserve and National Guard forces, while
providing guidance and expertise for those who wish to be heard.
In the short term, writes Hutto, the goal is to "mobilize hundreds and
thousands of military members throughout the world to file their grievances
and reservations with members of Congress on the Iraq War." In the long
term: "To build permanence with the formation of an Active Duty Network that
can advocate on behalf of active duty members on a range of issues to all
levels of government."
About the Authors
Navy Petty Officer Jonathan
W. Hutto, Sr. enlisted in the United States Navy in January of
2004. Hutto previously worked for Amnesty International USA as Membership
Program Coordinator (MPC) for the Mid-Atlantic United States from May 2000
to January 2003. As the MPC, Hutto provided direction and guidance to over
250 student youth chapters. In the fall of 2001, after the brutal killing of
Howard alumnus Prince Jones by a Prince George's county officer, Hutto
initiated a police accountability project in Prince George's County,
Maryland to combat police brutality which affected mostly Black and Latino
citizens.
Before joining AI, Hutto worked for the American Civil Liberties Union of
the National Capital Area (ACLU/NCA) as their Community Outreach Director.
Invictus
by
William Ernest Henley; 1849-1903
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.
Minister Farrakhan holds intimate conversation with industry
artists and executives
The
Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan speaking to the hip hop community at Justin's
Restaurant, Oct. 14. Photos: Kenneth Muhammad/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ‘It’s one thing to talk about the condition in which we live and say we
keeping it real. But is that the way you want to continue to live and keep the
reality of what the slave-masters and then their children placed our people in?
Is that the reality you want or do you want something better for yourself and
our people? ..But how will you get something better if you don’t raise their
consciousness to a certain level for something better.’
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATLANTA (FinalCall.com) - On Sunday, Oct. 14, the Honorable Minister Louis
Farrakhan hosted a private invitation-only brunch with over 300 hip hop artists
and top music industry executives to engage in an intimate conversation on the
subject of “The Evolution of Hip Hop.” The brunch was held at Sean “P. Diddy”
Comb’s restaurant, Justin’s, where the intense dialogue would bring tears to
many as Minister Farrakhan delved into the value, leadership abilities and
potential power engrained in the capacity crowd.
“I am honored to be here with you. I thank Allah (God) for the greatness that is
in this room, the power that is in this room, the leadership that is in the
room, but above all the potential that is this room,” stated Minister Farrakhan
in his opening words after being introduced by Dr. Benjamin C. Muhammad. “Who
are you? I want to encourage you to be the light that produces a revolution.
That word sometimes inspires fear, but we shouldn’t be afraid. Jesus was the
supreme revolutionary. Revolution means a complete change that brings a thing
back to its original point.”
Minister Farrakhan then connected our pain as slaves on the plantation to how it
produced the music the artists express today. “Without the pain of slavery we
would not have what is called Negro spirituals. Blues was born out of our pain.
Jazz was born out of our pain. Our poets like Langston Hughes wrote and spoke
pain. Bebop came and then was hip hop. All produced out of our pain.”
During the questions and answers portion of the meeting, N'Dea Davenport of The
Brand New Heavies, spoke on the humiliation she and other women are subjected to
by executives in the record industry.
When addressing the need for people to feel respected with the addition of big
houses, fine cars, “bling-bling” and other material things, Minister Farrakhan
shared that “we keep adding things to ourselves for respect because there is
emptiness on the inside. You don’t need a diamond if you are shining. Why do you
need gold when you are the standard of value? We only need these external things
to cover the nakedness of our being or soul that needs to be fed. To cover a
mind that needs to be taught and a people who needs to be raised.”
“Your talent and genius is being manipulated to create conditions that make your
people less than what they should and what they could be,” he passionately said.
“The enemy makes you wealthy beyond your dreams to make you think that wealth
means that you are right.”
On the issue of derogatory lyrics and rhymes that unmask the condition of the
Black community, Minister Farrakhan stated, “In the 60s, the language changed.
We called one another Brother and Sister. It’s one thing to talk about the
condition in which we live and say we keeping it real. But is that the way you
want to continue to live and keep the reality of what the slave-masters and then
their children placed our people in? Is that the reality you want or do you want
something better for yourself and our people?”
He continued, “But how will you get something better if you don’t raise their
consciousness to a certain level for something better. Who are you? You are the
bearers of light or darkness. If you continue to make your people think that the
way we act is right, then you are an emissary of darkness and not a bearer or
light. The artists are the most important people. You are the teachers.”
“I believe Killer Mike expressed it best, the feelings that some of the younger
folks felt, that raw emotion. When you hear a kind or caring word that touches
your soul, you feel it in a major way and you process it in a way that lasts
forever,” stated Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur, co-founder of AllHipHop.com. The elite
hip-hop site was the lead sponsor of the brunch. “Some of us have to lead by
example and set a tone and create the climate conducive for change. I think
we’ll see it soon. There is a current and a more balanced approach to the art.
We have been looking for more socially responsible hip hop and we’re getting
it.”
“The light the Minister shed on us at Sunday’s brunch was the answer to all of
the social confusion in the world today. I encourage all of the youth and the
entire hip hop community to take heed to the guidance given from our Brother
Farrakhan. We can do better,” stated Brother Hasaun, brunch co-organizer.
Minister Farrakhan’s powerful message to artists, managers, producers, radio
personalities and executives is a charge for positive change. His instruction to
“Do not be a spokesperson for the hurt of our people” is key. If we adhere to
this simple charge, we can make positive change in our industry, said Dee Dee
Murray of Murray Media Music Corp. and brunch co-organizer. “Working to organize
this event on behalf of Minister Farrakhan has forever changed my life and
validated my purpose in working to better my community and advancing my people.”
“The Minister has inspired me to change some things about my artistry,” stated
poet Tamika Harper, who performed at the brunch. Up and coming music artist
Radiant Amar also performed.
The list of guests also included Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, DJ Toomp, D4L-Shawty
Lo, Cee-Lo, Chuck D, Professor Griff, Jahlil (Whodini), Doug E. Fresh, Vexx,
David Banner, Teddy Riley, N’Dea Davenport, No ID, Ray Murray, Bryan Michael
Cox, Diamond D, Griffey 2 K, Capricco Scates, Bryan Barber, Dave Tolliver,
Charles Mathis, Kendall Minter, Omara S. Harris, Ray Murray (Organized Noize),
Ric Ross (Capitol Records) and Vision (Dungeoneze).
The Most Important Man You
Don't Know
The
Inventor of the Modern P.C.
Dr. Mark Dean
You may not have heard of Dr. Mark Dean. And you
aren't alone. But almost everything in your life has been affected by his work.
See, Dr. Mark Dean is a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He is in the National
Hall of Inventors. He has more than 30 patents pending. He is a vice president
with IBM. Oh, yeah. And he is also the architect of the modern-day personal
computer. Dr. Dean holds three of the original nine patents on the computer that
all PCs are based upon. And, Dr. Mark Dean is an African American.
So how is it that we can celebrate the 20th anniversary of the IBM personal
computer without reading or hearing a single word about him? Given all of the
pressure mass media are under about negative portrayals of African Americans on
television and in print, you would think it would be a slam dunk to highlight
someone like Dr. Dean.
Somehow, though, we have managed to miss the shot. History is cruel when it
comes to telling the stories of African Americans. Dr. Dean isn't the first
Black inventor to be overlooked consider John Stanard, inventor of the
refrigerator, George Sampson, creator of the clothes dryer, Alexander Miles and
his elevator, Lewis Latimer and the electric lamp. All of these inventors share
two things:
One, they changed the landscape of our society; and, two, society relegated them
to the footnotes of history. Hopefully, Dr. Mark Dean won't go away as quietly
as they did. He certainly shouldn't. Dr. Dean he! lped st art a Digital
Revolution that created people like Microsoft's Bill Gates and Dell Computer's
Michael Dell. Millions of jobs in information technology can be traced back
directly to Dr. Dean.
More important, stories like Dr. Mark Dean's should serve as inspiration for
African-American children. Already victims of the "Digital Divide" and failing
school systems, young, Black kids might embrace technology with more enthusiasm!
if they knew someone like Dr. Dean already was leading the way.
Although technically Dr. Dean can't be credited with creating the computer --
that is left to Alan Turing, a pioneering 20th-century English mathematician,
widely considered to be the father of modern computer science -- Dr. Dean
rightly deserves to take a bow for the machine we use today. The computer really
wasn't practical for home or small business use until he came along, leading a
team that developed the interior architecture (ISA systems! bus) that enables
multiple devices, such as modems and printers, to be connected to personal
computers.
In other words, because of Dr. Dean, the PC became a part of our daily lives .
For most of us, changing the face of society would have been enough. But not for
Dr. Dean.. Still in his early forties, he has! a lot of inventing left in him.
He recently made history again by leading the design team responsible for
creating the first 1-gigahertz processor chip.. It's just another huge step in
making computers faster and smaller. As the world congratulates itself for the
new Digital Age brought on by the personal computer, we need to guarantee that
the African-American story is part of the hoopla surrounding the most stunning
technological advance the world has ever seen.. We cannot afford to let Dr. Mark
Dean become a footnote in history. He is well worth his own history book.
WHAT GOD GAVE YOU IS BEAUTIFUL
THE
HISTORY OF TURN OFF CHANNEL ZERO (As
told by Carlos Muhammad)
Luv4self Press
September 5, 2007
When Luv4self columnist GWBUSHWACKER attacked Flavor Flav and the "Flavor of
Love" none of us knew that this online conversation would become the beginning
of a mass movement called TURN OFF CHANNEL ZERO (TOCZ) that began on the
LUV4SELF NETWORK.
A few responses from Professor Griff expressing his obvious disgust for how
Flavor Flav was single handedly destroying the reputation and legacy of the Rap
Group Public Enemy caused Hip Hop Columnist Davey D to chime in and offer the
suggestion for us to produce our own show exposing negative media images and
shows like the "Flavor of Love". The attack soon broadened to Viacom ran
stations B.E.T, M.T.V, VH1 and other conglomerates and media outlets (including
radio) that display Blacks in a negative light.
Opio Sokoni became the front man for the job and soon pulled the whole crew
together. Professor Griff would be the leading man in the film and activists,
authors, students and community leaders would soon jump on board. Paul Porter,
Steve Muhammad, Bessie Winn, Sawanda Nzinga, Top Cat, Carlos Muhammad and the
rest of the TOCZ crew was pulled in. Various conference calls resulted in Opio
finally requesting a name for the project.
I remember thinking of several names before the song by Public Enemy "She watch
channel zero" popped in my head. I immediately sent out an email to Opio and the
group suggesting the name Turning off Channel Zero. Opio responded "I love it"
but responded that we should make it more of a demand then an action and later
suggested that we call it TURN OFF CHANNEL ZERO. Thus the TOCZ movement was
born.
Soon the filming began in Atlanta, Oakland, Baltimore, NYC, Boston and other
cities across America. Upon completion of the filming, actual screenings started
taking place starting off in Chicago Illinois when sister Tasleem Firdausee
jumped on board. Soon after, screenings were done in Atlanta, DC, NYC,
Baltimore, California and places as far as London and Japan. Movement
surrounding the film started taking place and others began to jump on board.
This movement has picked up momentum and several screenings are scheduled on a
monthly bases throughout the US and abroad.
When Steven Muhammad who runs all of the web, Myspace pages and PR for the
movement asked Carlos Muhammad to comment on his and the Luv4self Networks
involvement with the project Carlos Muhammad’s reply was “I can honestly say
that little things like having something to do with the naming of this project
and being the moderator and co-creator of the forum THE LUV4SELF NETWORK that
the movement was initiated on have meant so much to me”.
The TOCZ movement has just begun and it won’t end until we do what the film
suggests and that’s TURN OFF CHANNEL ZERO.
PHILADELPHIA
- Brittney Exline is too young to vote, drive a car
or go to an R-rated movie, but at the age of just 15 she is beginning her Ivy
League career Wednesday when classes start at the University of Pennsylvania.
She said she doesn't really notice the age gap
between herself and her 17- and 18-year-old peers — and neither do they.
"I didn't tell people right off the bat that I was 15," Exline said. "A lot of
people were pretty surprised."
Exline grew up in Colorado Springs, Colo., where at 8 years she was already in
sixth grade. By 13 she had finished high school math. She turned 15 in February
and graduated a few months later
. She's not preoccupied with how unique her accomplishments are. "I wouldn't even
really realize that if people didn't tell me," she said. She excels at math and
science and is really interested in politics, so she enrolled in a Penn program
that will award her degrees from both the engineering and liberal arts schools
when she graduates in 2011. But her resume also includes years of dancing and
singing and a couple of teen pageant titles.
"Her motivation, discipline and maturity provided clear evidence that, despite
her age, she was ready to travel halfway across the country and thrive in Penn's
rigorous academic environment," Eric Kaplan, interim dean of admissions, said in
a statement.
There have been much younger college students: Jessica Meeker enrolled at Penn
State two months before her 13th birthday, graduating in 2004 at age 16.
Exline's mother, Chyrese, a geriatric supervisor, said her concerns about her
daughter's freshman year are probably no different from any other parent's. "We
did our best to prepare her," Chyrese Exline said.
Exline has already been on the Philadelphia campus for about a month,
participating in a pre-freshman acclimation program. Program counselor Noemi
Maldonado described her as "extremely outgoing, ve
An Oregon man issued a series of parking
citations to a uniformed police officer who parked his patrol car next to a
"No Parking" sign while he went to buy food at a Chinese restaurant last
month in Portland.
Listen!!!
Live Radio
LISTEN: February administrative hearing with
Support
Professor Griff
The
Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan speaking to the hip hop community at Justin's
Restaurant, Oct. 14. Photos: Kenneth Muhammad/
