Good Bye 2007

Happy New Year 2 All

Lets Try It Again

in 2008

No Debate

Treat yourself & your Family to the Great Debaters

Movie Trailer


Oprah Interview

Prepare 2 B Astounded

MR. ATOMS! MRS. ATOMS! SISTER ATOMS! KID ATOMS, JR!

They’re the world WHACKIEST superheroes!
While on vacationing in Nevada in the early 70’s they took a wrong turn down a desert highway and wound up driving into a nuclear test site during an experimental atomic bomb test. Unfortunately, the bomb explodes and the Atoms are bathed in a shower of nuclear radiation.
But something strange happens… Instead of killing them, the radiation from the experimental bomb mutates them into something more than human. It gave them powers and abilities far beyond mortal folks.
But who in their “right mind” wants to risk life and limb to fight aliens, monsters and megalomaniacal super-villains? Not the Atoms Family! Join the hijinks and the misadventures of the Atoms Family and learn how NOT to be super-heroes!

Characters designed by Javier Giangiacomo Story

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The Point of it All

Thanks Venus

Venus Overloaded

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City of Men

City of Men is often cited as a 'spin-off' of the film City of God ; City of Men is a less violent and more light-hearted affair. However, the two do share some common aspects: the directors, some of the actors, and the setting of the Brazilian favela (slum) with its background of gangsters and poverty.

The programme tells the stories of Luis Claudío and Wallace, better known by their nicknames Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha), respectively, who are two best friends who live in a notorious Rio slum, in a community of drug-dealers, hustlers, and teenagers struggling to fulfill their dreams. (Wikapedia)

African Fractals: modern computing and indigenous design

Fractal geometry has emerged as one of the most exciting frontiers in the fusion between mathematics and information technology. Fractals can be seen in many of the swirling patterns produced by computer graphics, and have become an important new tool for modeling in biology, geology, and other natural sciences. While fractal geometry can take us into the far reaches of high tech science, its patterns are surprisingly common in traditional African designs, and some of its basic concepts are fundamental to African knowledge systems.

African Fractals introduces readers to fractal geometry and explores the ways it is expressed in African cultures. Drawing on interviews with African designers, artists, and scientists, Ron Eglash investigates fractals in African architecture, traditional hairstyling, textiles, sculpture, painting, carving, metalwork, religion, games, quantitative techniques, and symbolic systems. He also examines the political and social implications of the existence of African fractal geometry. Both clear and complex, this book makes a unique contribution to the study of mathematics, African culture, anthropology, and aesthetic design.

Click for site

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The Secret?

It is possible that "Ethno-mathematician" Ron Eglash the author of African Fractals, has discover the secret to getting African & African American students to learn in public schools, of course it means that public schools must change the way they teach

"Next time you bump into one of those idiots who starts asking you questions like, 'where is the African Mozart, or where is the African Brunel?' -- implying that Africans do not think -- send them a copy of Ron Eglash’s study of fractals in African architecture and watch their heads explode." mentalacrobatics.com

Venus Down Under

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Elementary My Dear Watson

Who knew foot in mouth disease was so rampant
James D. Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and winner of the Nobel prize, raised a storm recently when a British newspaper quoted him saying that black Africans are not as intelligent as whites. But his own brilliant DNA seems to blur the lines.

A new analysis of Dr. Watson’s genome shows that he has 16 times the number of genes considered to be of African origin than the average white European does — about the same amount of African DNA that would show up if one great-grandparent were African, said Kari Stefansson, the chief executive of deCODE Genetics of Iceland, which did the analysis.

"This level is what you would expect in someone who had a great-grandparent who was African," Kari Stefansson of deCODE Genetics told The Independent. "It was very surprising to get this result for Jim."

According to The Times of London in October 2007, Watson said that “there are many people of color who are very talented,” and he hoped people were equal, but that “people who have to deal with black employees find this not true.”

In October, Watson stepped down as chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York after his remarks, which sparked strong public criticism.

Neither Stefansson nor a representative of deCODE Genetics responded to requests for comment and a copy of the analysis about Watson's genome.
Source

Ashes & Snow Feather to Fire

Ashes & Snow a meditation on man and nature




The Why

Venus has Constant Suprises

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Venus my space

The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters

In this very informative article Ben Joseph reveals Disneys not so inclusive history click here

INCOGNEGRO

"I pitched the story of a mystery based around a Walter White type brother who pretends to be caucasian to investigate black lynchings in the American deep south. They went for it, and bought the movie rights as well. The gifted Warren Pleece is illustrating, and it will hit next year. My cousin Ben Karp and I used to talk about going “incognegro” growing up, or passing, and I always joked that Incognegro would be my breakthrough bestseller (some people think I look like a caucasian, but I am a biracial African American). The graphic form let me tell the tale in an interesting way without doing a stupid commercially driven novel."

Written by Mat Johnson; Art by Warren Pleece; Cover by Stephen John Philips

Writer Mat Johnson (HELLBLAZER: PAPA MIDNITE), winner of the prestigious Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for fiction, constructs a fearless graphic novel that is both a page-turning mystery and a disturbing exploration of race and self-image in America, masterfully illustrated with rich period detail by Wareen Pleece (THE INVISIBLES, HELLBLAZER).

In the early 20th Century, when lynchings were commonplace throughout the American South, a few courageous reporters from the North risked their lives to expose these atrocities. They were African-American men who, due to their light skin color, could "pass" among the white folks. They called this dangerous assignment going "incognegro."

Zane Pinchback, a reporter for the New York-based New Holland Herald barely escapes with his life after his latest "incognegro" story goes bad. But when he returns to the sanctuary of Harlem, he's sent to investigate the arrest of his own brother, charged with the brutal murder of a white woman in Mississippi.

With a lynch mob already swarming, Zane must stay "incognegro" long enough to uncover the truth behind the murder in order to save his brother — and himself. He finds that the answers are buried beneath layers of shifting identities, forbidden passions and secrets that run far deeper than skin color.

Click here for Mat Johnson's interview

Power Words Dreamer

Africanhiphop.com

Africanhiphop.com serves the goal of unifying everybody who's inspired by hip hop and by the cultures of Africa and of African origins. The info at Africanhiphop.com is provided mostly by the artists themselves, and edited by the Africanhiphop.com web team in Amsterdam, Holland. Africanhiphop.com is a project of the African Hip Hop Foundation, a non-profit organization registered in the Netherlands which is run by a group of young volunteers from different countries and backgrounds. The foundation board consists of pioneers in African hip hop from South Africa, Uganda and Holland. Our editorial team is made up of young media professionals from Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Cape Verde and Angola, while we work with freelancers from all over the continent.

Click here to see the artist

A Weekend with Venus

Here's enuff Venus to see you through the next 2 days

November 25th Click Here

November 24th Click Here

November 14th Click Here

November 9th Click Here

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Cedric the Conscious Entertainer

Considered one of the funniest comics in America, Actor/Comedian Cedric ‘The Entertainer’ is best known as one of the headlining stars of the hit feature film, The Original Kings of Comedy, directed by Spike Lee. Here h appears on Def Poetry and gives the Conscious crowd something to think about


Click here for his foundation

Ho Che Anderson

Born in London in 1969, Ho Che Anderson was named after the Vietnamese and Cuban revolutionaries Ho Chi Minh and Che Guevara. He's a jack of all trades, master of none type, having worked as a commercial illustrator, writer of fiction, radio producer, and newspaper reporter. And like many before him he has designs on going to Hollywood and becoming a waiter before making it big in the movies.
Anderson is primarily known for inflicting the world with the comics books, King, I Want To Be Your Dog, Wise Son, and Scream Queen.

Check out his interview here

The Tooth Fair

The multicultural family has never been portrayed so well

Multicultural vs. Unicultural

It is well known that people don't always ‘speak their minds’, and it is suspected that people don’t always ‘know their minds’. Understanding such divergences is important to scientific psychology. This web site presents a method that demonstrates the conscious-unconscious divergences much more convincingly than has been possible with previous methods. This new method is called the Implicit Association Test, or IAT for short.

We will ask you (optionally) to report your attitudes toward or beliefs about these topics, and provide some general information about yourself. These demonstrations should be more valuable if you have also tried to describe your self-understanding of the characteristic that the IAT is designed to measure. Also, a variety of factors may influence your IAT performance. The score is provided for entertainment purposes only.

Click Here to begin

Programming Your Happiness

From dreamersanddoers.com

By taking steps every day to build and maintain our happiness, we are better equipped to operate at our optimum. There are actually ways to help mentally ‘program’ our happiness

MEDITATE: Start your day strong. Take a few moments each morning for prayer and meditation. Studies show that meditation may even change how our brain works by increasing activity in a part of our brain associated with positive feelings. Focus on peaceful and uplifting thoughts. Imagine your day going well. Review your goals and dreams. For maximum benefit, meditate several times each day. Even if you can’t get away from work or family, close your eyes and relax your mind.

APPRECIATE:
Think thank you. Being grateful reminds us of the many things we have to be happy about. For example, if your job’s driving you crazy, appreciate the fact that you have a job. Many people don’t. Spending less time complaining and more time counting our blessings helps us look at the upside of life. We can even be thankful for the problems we don’t have.

CELEBRATE:
Self-praise is important. Cheer yourself on. Acknowledge your achievements each day, however small they might seem at the time. Marking our accomplishments is encouraging and reminds us we are on a path of progress. Recite affirmations like, “You go girl (boy)” or “Life is wonderful,” to program positive thoughts. The secret

Comics in the Class Room

Comics in the class room is created by Scott Tingley, an early years teacher in the New Brunswick (Canada) public school system

His site includes k-4 level plans -lesson plans for teacher BUT most can be easily adapted for older students:

- Language Arts -

Developing good word choices - I developed it for use with Write Traits and uses a comic strip as an important part of the plan.

-Using Comic Strips to Teach the Use of Quotation Marks

-Using the “Silent” comic Owly to inspire creative writing

-Pre-reading - Using the “Silent” comic Owly to teach using picture cues to create meaning in reading

Harry Belafonte

Harry Belafonte is an International Treasure, speaking out against racism in-justice and for non-violence as a tool of engagement from the U.S. to South Africa and South America. He was in Oakland, for the 1st Annual National Gathering for Justice an event inspired by the 5 year little girl who was arrested by 5 police officers for misbehavior in class and designed to keep our youth out of jail and out of trouble by providing ideas, opportunities and organizational solutions, city and countrywide! an event that was attended by Walter Mosley, Sean Penn, Danny Glover, Mike Farrell, congresswoman Barbara Lee and many others
He spoke to mostly young organizers giving an inspiring speech on how the youth and the artist can truly change things.
Below are clips of the legendary social activist speaking out against Bush, and Hollywood

Africans 4 Africa

I have spent part of this year focusing on Africa, because it is critical that African Americans youth understand that their future may lie in many of the emerging opportunities that will be available in Africa. First we must educate ourselves beyond what the media presents us, war and Aids. The continent must be seen in its entirety, its poverty, riches, progress and opportunities. The three speakers below believe African must fix Africa and that foreign aide hampers not assist progress.

Andrew Mwenda: Let's take a new look at African aid

Eleni Gabre-Madhin: Building a commodities market in Ethiopia

Patrick Awuah: Educating a new generation of African leaders

The Return of Obama

The Speech that brought the house down

Watch and be inspired

Darfur Right Now

Click here for the Darfur Now Curriculum Guide

Darfur Now My space link

Venus Goes Def

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How creativity is being strangled by the law

Larry Lessigpins down the key shortcomings of our dusty, pre-digital intellectual property laws, and reveals how bad laws beget bad code. and how they crimanalize our children

HOW TO GET COMFORTABLE WITH MAKING MISTAKES ON YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS

By Amanda Arcilla

Most of us can agree that when there is something that we want to accomplish that means a lot to us personally, we have yet to develop a thick skin in accepting we will make mistakes and avoid making a decision at all. Unfortunately going this route in the long stops us from realizing our dreams and happiness and maybe contributing something great to society.

We're afraid to take action because we fear the embarrassment if we fail, I say "jump in" knowing the water will be cold, your body will adjust to the temperature the longer you stay in then at least you've given yourself the chance to see how far you can swim.

We stifle any movement in any direction and creativity stagnates when we are in a place of fear. We have to start thinking mistakes equates progression to success. What's the point of perfect execution if you can't land the fall? The desired outcome and product is what we're after and if you still can't get over the perfection complex consider the idea that mistakes are a gateway to discovery, the very thing you were trying to avoid has now given you a gift and at times as history is evident of this has given us greater things than what we were aiming for, can you see where not making enough mistakes is so underrated?

We cannot deny our natural tendencies as human beings and a culture to evolve past our current circumstances, to become better, more efficient and to play life full out. If we are to fulfill our natural instincts we have to get over our personal restrictions which is an illusion we take way too seriously.

So if you have an idea, a dream, something you want to do, experience and create, dare yourself to get off the fence and initiate the mistakes so you can get to your dreams and success quicker.

Amanda Arcilla is an Attraction Coach. You can read her unique story or get in touch with her at http://Intentionalvibe.com

THE DIVERSITY OF ETHNIC GROUPS IN AFRICA

Tribes of Africa A-Z a gorgeous site

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Venus Goes Old Skool (& I Mean Old)

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Shameless Plug

This Halloween purchase Night Biters a Tale of Urban Horror
because ever reader wants to be frightened
Click here to order today!

Black Youth Project

LARGEST EVER NATIONAL YOUTH SURVEY ILLUMINATES THE ATTITUDES, EXPERIENCES, HOPES AND EXPECTATIONS OF YOUNG AFRICAN AMERICANS

The Black Youth Project, under the direction of Dr. Cathy Cohen of the University of Chicago, today unveiled the findings of a comprehensive survey of the experiences and attitudes of young African Americans. The national survey questioned 1,590 African American, White and Hispanic young people, ages 15-25, on everything from pre-marital sex to their beliefs about the “color-blind” society. The data present one of the most complete pictures to date of a generation that finds itself in the center of many of the country’s political and social debates.

Click to hear the Black Youth Project audio press conference

Click here to see the report

Wilson released after two years behind bars for teen sex conviction

Genarlow Wilson was released from prison Friday, after spending more than two years behind bars for a teen sex conviction.

"I've got a new life," Genarlow Wilson tells reporters after being released Friday.

"At times I dealt with adversity ... my family and myself, we finally get to deal with happiness now," Wilson said, with his mother and sister at his side.

The Georgia Supreme Court earlier Friday ordered that he be released, ruling 4-3 that his sentence was cruel and unusual punishment.

Wilson, 21, was convicted in 2005 of having oral sex with a consenting 15-year-old girl when he was 17.

Wilson said he first heard about the possibility he'd be freed Friday when someone told him word was out on the radio.

"I'd seen it coming, but I didn't exactly know when," he said. "I'd just stopped trying to figure the courts out and stopped trying to put a date on it."click here to read article

Venus Returns 2 the Scene of the Rhyme

Thats right, Venus returns with
Hip Hop
& Stuff like that

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Justice Department considers probe of racial bias allegations

"The fact is there is a cancer in Jena and we tried to treat it with aspirin and good wishes and hope. The reality is that it requires a radical solution

By Howard Witt Tribune senior correspondent
October 17, 2007
WASHINGTON - Under pointed questioning from Democratic House members who decried the lack of federal intervention in the racially charged Jena 6 case, U.S. Justice Department officials revealed Tuesday that they are weighing an investigation into allegations of systemic bias in the administration of justice in the small, mostly white Louisiana town of Jena.U.S. Atty. Donald Washington also said for the first time that the hanging of nooses from a shade tree in the Jena High School courtyard in September, 2006, by three white students -- a warning to stay away from the tree directed at black students that triggered months of interracial fights in the town -- constituted a federal hate crime. However, he said federal authorities opted not to prosecute the case because of the ages of the white youths involved.Jena school officials dismissed the noose incident as a youthful prank and issued brief suspensions to the white students involved, angering black residents of the town.
"Yes, hanging a noose under these circumstances is a hate crime," Washington, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, told a House Judiciary Committee hearing convened to examine the Jena case. "If these acts had been committed by others who were not juveniles, this would have been a federal hate crime, and we would have moved forward."But during the four-hour hearing, boycotted by most Republican members of the House panel, many African-American committee members said they remained dissatisfied with the reluctance of Justice Department officials to intervene more forcefully in what they regard as the excessive prosecution of six black Jena students for a Dec. 4 attack on a white student.The white student was knocked unconscious and treated and released at a hospital, but LaSalle Parish District Atty. Reed Walters initially charged the blacks with attempted murder. After outcry about the case, Walters reduced the charges.But Walters' refusal to charge other whites in the town who attacked blacks with similar crimes prompted national civil rights leaders, joined by more than 20,000 demonstrators who marched through Jena on Sept. 20, to assert that the town's justice system was biased."Shame on you!" Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) shouted at Washington. "Mr. Washington, tell me why you did not intervene. Six broken lives could have been prevented if you had taken action."'Child of the '60s' defends steps"I was also offended" by the noose incident, Washington replied. "I too am an African-American. I am a child of the '60s, of the desegregation era. ... But at the end of the day, there are only certain things that the United States attorney can do."Events surrounding the prosecution of the first of the Jena 6 defendants to go to trial, Mychal Bell, 17, have drawn scrutiny from civil rights leaders and members of Congress.Walters first prosecuted Bell as an adult on aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy charges in June. But a Louisiana appellate court vacated that conviction in September, ruling that Walters and LaSalle Parish District Judge J.P. Mauffray had improperly tried Bell as an adult.The appellate court then compelled Mauffray to release Bell, who had been jailed for nearly 10 months on the charges, on bail on Sept. 27. But two weeks later, Mauffray sent Bell back to jail, sentencing him to 18 months on four prior juvenile convictions for simple battery and criminal destruction of property."As we all know, it is illegal under the guarantees of our Constitution and our laws to have one standard of justice for white citizens and another, harsher one for African-American citizens," Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said in opening the hearing. "We come to this hearing inquiring as to how we can correct this situation in our nation."Several representatives and witnesses noted copycat noose incidents that have occurred in New York, Maryland, Louisiana and Illinois in recent weeks and suggested that they were proliferating because of inaction by the Justice Department in Jena."What happened in Jena is not isolated," Charles Ogletree Jr., a Harvard University law professor and civil rights expert, told the committee. "The fact is there is a cancer in Jena and we tried to treat it with aspirin and good wishes and hope. The reality is that it requires a radical solution."A Justice Department official told the hearing that conciliators from the department's civil rights division had visited Jena in recent months and that officials were considering whether further action is warranted."The Department of Justice is aware that there are requests to investigate the judicial system in Jena," Lisa Krigsten, an official of the civil rights division, told lawmakers. "At this time, the Justice Department is gathering information and reviewing that information and taking that request very seriously."Added Washington: "If we can prove that charging decisions [by Walters] were made in a racially discriminatory manner, that leads to the strong possibility that we can move forward."That is what happened in Jena, according to Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center.Did whites get 'a pass'?"In Jena, it seems as if black children were hammered and white children were given a pass or a slap on the wrist," Cohen said at Tuesday's hearing.Walters has denied in previous public statements that race was involved in his prosecution of the Jena 6. Conyers said he had invited Walters to testify but that the district attorney had declined.But another Jena resident did appear. Rev. Brian Moran, coordinator of the Jena branch of the NAACP, told House members that his town remains bitterly divided across racial lines."Throughout Jena's history, there have always been two systems of justice, one for blacks and one for whites," Moran said. "That is simply un-American, and we believe it is no longer acceptable."

The Blackest Sheep?

Could Cheney be inherently good? Obama evil?

Lynne Cheney told MSNBC yesterday that her husband and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama are eighth cousins.

A month ago, the Chicago Sun-Times said the two very different politicians are "ninth cousins once removed."

The Sun-Times based that conclusion on this connection:

Obama is related to Cheney through Mareen Duvall, a 17th century immigrant from France.

Mareen and Susannah Duvall were Obama's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents and Cheney's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents.

We can't get our mind around all this. Anybody out there who can bring some expertise to this "important" news so that we can figure out what sort of cousins they are?

Meanwhile, Obama spokesman Bill Burton says of the apparent Obama-Cheney kinship that, "every family has a black sheep." Will he be charged by the political correctness police?

GrRIMM SENTENCES:

A 1993 shooting left Carey paralyzed. Jay was killed. The two had just been offered a contract with Atlantic Records, but after the attack, the record company backed off. In his wheelchair, Carey returned to the same "good/bad" life he had as a child. He sold drugs and produced music. The glimpse he gives of drug dealing rings truer than any I've read. "[A] lot of movies. . . make it sound really dangerous, exciting and glamorous . . . but for the most part, it's just another job. . . . [A]nd it can get crazy boring." Images show his alarm clock at 5:46 a.m., then Carey packaging the drugs.

"Sentences" is a cautionary tale. However, aside from Carey's lyrical honesty (which is miles above most confessional literature), what makes the book stand out is that it's about playing both sides of the track, which Carey did and which is a far more common, far more human way to go. He fully understood both choices and shows us the reality of both. Carey wanted to be the bad boy and the great artist. The two worlds imploded, but the man survived. *
For the full LA Times article click here

Click here for Book preview

MF Grimm myspace

Give Yourself a Hand

The Joke


The Why


The Real Thing

Venus Rocks the Al-Oud !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Click here 2 Hear and to Learn

What is Hardcore

Lyrics 'What's Hardcore?'I put a pen to the paper, this time as visual as possible, guns blast at the hospital,the walls are white washed with tin rooftops, to show love you lick two shots, it's dangerous man, journalists hire gunmen there's violent women, kids trust no one cause fire burnt them, refugees die in boats, headed for peace,is anyone scared of death here' Not in the least,I walk by the old lady selling coconuts under the tree, life is cheap here but wisdom is free, the beach boys hang on the side, leaning with pride,scam artists and gangsters fiendin to fight, I walk with three kids that can't wait to meet Godlately, that's Bucktooth, Mohamed and Crybaby,what they do everyday just to eat lord have mercy,strapped with an AK and they blood thirsty...So what's hardcore? Really, are you hardcore? Hmm.So what's hardcore? Really, are you hardcore? Hmm.We begin our day by the way of the gun, rocket propelled grenades blow you away if you front,we got no police ambulance or fire fighters,we start riots by burning car tires,they looting, and everybody start shooting,bullshit politicians talking bout solutions, but it's all talk, you can't go half a block with a road block, you don't pay at the road block you get your throat shot,and each road block is set up by these gangsters,and different gangsters go by different standards,for example, the evening is a no go, unless you wanna wear a bullet like a logo,in the day you should never take the alleyway,the only thing that validates you is the AK,they chew on Jad it's sorta like coco leafs,and there ain't no police...So what's hardcore? Really, are you hardcore? Hmm.So what's hardcore? Really, are you hardcore? Hmm.I'm a spit these verses cause I feel annoyed,and I'm not gonna quit till I fill the void,if I rhyme about home and got descriptive,I'd make Fifty Cent look like Limp Biskit,it's true, and don't make me rhyme about you,I'm from where the kids is addicted to glue,get ready, he got a good grip on the machete,make rappers say they do it for love like R-Kelly,it's HARD, harder than Harlem and Compton intertwined,harder than harboring Bin Laden and rewind,"to that earlier part when I was kinda like"we begin our day by the way of the gun,rocket propelled grenades blow you away if you front,we got no police ambulances or fire fighters,we start riots by burning car tires,they looting, and everybody starting shooting...So what's hardcore? Really, are you hardcore?Hmm.So what's hardcore? Really, are you hardcore? Hmm.

Knaan website

Hip Hop & Public Safety

Source: Davey D Hip Hop Blog

Legendary Hip Hop star KRS One blew up the spot the other week at the FCC hearings in Chicago. It was a contentious session where Chicago's Hip Hop community made their presence felt. Here in this clip provided by Freepress.. KRS drops serious science about the imbalanced power dynamics that exists between rappers and radio station owners.

He also called for the attendees to not just hold hearings but to actually walk out and surround Chicago Hip Hop station WGCI which he helped put on the map by starting a Hip Hop show called Rap Down with the late legendary Chicago icon DJ Pinkhouse back in the early 90s. KRS notes that despite the postivite efforts he puts forth he can no longer get any of material played on that station.

KRS wraps up his remarks by explaining that radio stations like WGCI and other big businesses have criminalized Hip Hop with its continuous negative presentations. This has caused a public safety issue because police officers and others listen to the radio and come away beliving the falsehoods. This in turn leads to increase profiling of all Hip Hoppers and Black people in general.

KRS gets major props for taking time out to attend the hearings even though he was in town just to do a concert.

Here is the link to those remarks just in case the audio player is not working.

Click here

SUCCESS : DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?

By Cheryl Clausen

Do you know you want to succeed, but at this moment you don’t have any idea how you will do that? You belong to the same group as the vast majority of people. You think something looks good so you follow that path for a while, and then things just begin to fall apart and you feel like you’re back at square one. It’s frustrating, tiring, and it erodes your self-confidence. You can get off this path and make obtaining success easier.

Success is a big journey a life-long journey, and you want to think about it that way. The reason the things you’ve tried in the past didn’t work out was because you weren’t thinking long-term. Begin with the end the ultimate outcome that you want, and the “how” will come later. You can’t develop a plan to succeed when you don’t fully understand what success means to you in all aspects of your life. You need to think about this in enough detail that you can envision a typical day in your life when you’re successful.

Knowing the ultimate outcome will help you to avoid some of the pitfalls. Knowing the ultimate outcome you want will help you to know what you’re looking for. There a places you can go where they allow you to dig for gem stones. You pay a certain amount and you get to keep the stones you dig up. Now if you were to visit one of these places you could go with certain intentions or objectives. You might just want to see what happens to turn up and just dig for a little while turning in your rocks and seeing if you got anything of value. You might also have the objective of finding at least one stone that’s value exceeded the fee you paid to dig for gemstones. Because you know the ultimate result you want, a gemstone whose value is greater than the fee to dig, you would go to the library to learn what various gemstones look like in their natural state. Now as you dig for stones you’ll be able to recognize what they are, and you can then even begin to focus on a specific gemstone. If you did that can you imagine that you would be more likely to find a valuable gemstone than if you went and just did some random digging? It’s a whole lot easier to find something when you know what you’re looking for. It also helps when you know how what you’re looking for fits into your overall plans making it easier to get the ultimate result you want.

Have you noticed that big success is always tied in one way or another to specialized knowledge? You aren’t necessarily the person who has to have that specialized knowledge. But you do need to know how to organize that knowledge, and put it to use in a way that supports your plan for success. In fact, great success can be had simply from compiling and presenting specialized knowledge into a more user friendly format. You can even take the specialized knowledge of others and identify a new way to use that knowledge to solve an existing problem. You may also need those with specialized knowledge acting on your behalf supporting the various functions you need to get to success.

Know what you’re looking for by knowing the end result you want. Start to rough out your plan for how you could get that. From your rough plan begin to identify your action steps and search for the resources you’ll need to put your plans into action. Once you know exactly what you’re looking for it’s a whole lot easier to find it.

Want to develop your path for success? Success Model.

Ready to get unstuck and get going? Start here.

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Accentuate the Positive

Success and Imagination

Whatever your dream, there’s always someone out there who can help you with the background and understanding you are looking for. We have resources from around the globe on an assortment of topics that can help with tools, methods and more. If there’s a specific topic you are interested in, or if you have a particular area of expertise, please let us know.
SUCCESS AND YOUR IMAGINATION By Michael Obi
Do you realize that in order to succeed in any of life’s endeavor, you need to use your imagination? You have to start imagining things. If you really wish to succeed begin here and now to imagine that. Imagination can be described as “the workshop or the laboratory of all man’s plans”. Desire is the very first principle of success discussed in an earlier article. Yet for that success to actualize and materialize, you need to use your imagination. This is in consonance with the popular saying that “whatever the mind of man conceives and believes, it can achieve”. This quotation has been referred to in other articles I wrote.
So, if you badly want to succeed, begin to imagine and begin to believe that which you have imagined. I have often maintained that the expression “seeing is believing” should be changed to read “believing is seeing”. I want you to begin to think of the various technological inventions that have taken place in this age of ours; and that includes space travel. There was a time when space travel was featured only on cartoons or in fiction movies. Today, all this has become reality because man has imagined things and successfully materialized these things. He has been able to use his imagination to maximum effect.
It is creative imagination that is being referred to here. Those who rely on creative imagination are the ones who are most likely to make the big discoveries and bring about innovation. They generally make things happen in this world, as it is often said. To make maximum use of your imagination, you need to be aware of your intuitive feelings. These feelings are sometimes referred to as the sixth sense by experts in psychology and spiritualism, a topic I wrote about in my book and hope to develop further in another article.
To develop your imaginative and creative powers, you need to practice frequently, and there are simple methods devised to achieve this in my book. Did you know that the secret of great leaders of industry, business, finance, music and other fields of human endeavor, is the ability to use their imagination effectively? Only those who can imagine can create and when you create you have no competition because you produce something new and spectacular. This is why the copyright law of every country in the world protects your invention and your interest. For instance, my philosophy and book which I labeled “Success Through Mind Power” are the products of my imagination. Think today, what wonderful new thing your imagination can bring to you.
Many people in life are prisoners of their own imagination. They are so full of fear to use their imagination that they would not consider new or big ideas. They get caught in their own rut and refuse to make the necessary changes to take them to the next level in life. Thus, they do not achieve the success they only dream about. So if you want to make outstanding progress in life, you must break out of your rut and begin to use your imagination creatively.
It is good to heed this warning; any thought that is registered strongly in your mind is acted upon, though it might not be immediate. The seed is sown through your imagination. Remember your mind is like a garden where you can plant weeds or sweet roses. Your garden does not discriminate. The mental weeds are the major fears of poverty, failure and ill health or death. These weeds are so dangerous that they can strangle excellent ideas by blocking your imagination.
Finally, remember that your mind has been described by one psychologist as a camera picturing whatever thought or ambition fed to it by you. Mix your thought of success with strong positive feelings and the means to achieve your goal will manifest physically. Knowing how best to do this is the basis of my philosophy and book Success through Mind Power, which is very popular at the prestigious National war College in Abuja, Nigeria, where the author has been a guest lecturer of long standing. A copy of the book is available at the website http://www.mindpowersuccess.com

Ethiopia's New Millennium

By ANITA POWELL Associated Press WriterADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia Sep 11, 2007 (AP)

Seven years after the rest of the world, Ethiopia celebrated the third millennium Tuesday those with money shelling out for a gala concert headlined by the hip hop group Black Eyed Peas and others gathering in quieter, candlelit observances. Ethiopia's government, which follows the Coptic calendar instead of the more common Gregorian, spruced up the capital for months before the festivities, moving homeless people to the countryside and poisoning stray dogs that roamed the streets.

While many in this impoverished country complained about the money spent for the celebration, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi predicted it would usher in better times.
"A thousand years from now, when Ethiopians gather to welcome the fourth millennium, they will say that the eve of the third millennium was the beginning of the end of the dark ages in Ethiopia," Meles said at a multimillion-dollar concert hall built for the occasion.
Ethiopia, which captured attention in the 1980s with a civil war and famine that killed as many as 1 million people, remains among the world's poorest nations and suffers chronic food shortages that affect hundreds of thousands every year.

Many people dismissed Meles' description of the holiday as an "Ethiopian renaissance," saying their celebrations would be subdued because of a tense political situation, a conflict with separatist Muslims in the Ogaden region and Ethiopian involvement in Somalia's war.
"The average people, they have nothing," said Kiddy Tesera, a 40-year-old who nevertheless was out in the capital celebrating. "It's the millennium," she said.
But she disdained the appearance by the American singers Black Eyed Peas, which followed a cultural and musical festival at the new concert hall and cost $170 a seat two months' pay for an average Ethiopian. "For me, it's not worth it," she said.
Yoself Passew, a shoe shiner, had no party plans but said he hopes the new millennium will bring him gainful employment.
"In the future I will have a job, that is my hope," said Yoself, 25. "The future will be bright

Officials at the Millennium Secretariat noted some festivities were free, notably several cultural events at a stadium in Addis Ababa and at a field just northeast of the city center. The concert also was broadcast live on television and on a big screen at the stadium, which holds more than 15,000 people.Officials at the Millennium Secretariat noted some festivities were free, notably several cultural events at a stadium in Addis Ababa and at a field just northeast of the city center. The concert also was broadcast live on television and on a big screen at the stadium, which holds more than 15,000 people.

Call Me Mister

The mission of the Call Me MISTER National Initiative is to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader, more diverse background, particularly among the State’s lowest performing elementary schools. Student participants are largely selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities.

The project provides:
Tuition assistance through Loan Forgiveness programs for admitted students pursuing approved programs of study in teacher education at participating colleges.
An academic support system to help assure their success.
A cohort system for social and cultural support.

“Call Me MISTER” was developed by some of our State’s visionary educational leaders who sincerely believe we can build a better tomorrow by getting you involved today.The Call Me MISTER program is a collaboration between Clemson University and other leading edge colleges and universities to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader more diverse background particularly among the lowest performing public elementary and middle schools. Student participants are largely selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities.

For more on Call Me Mister click here

Venus with a Cold

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Mychal Bell Released on Bail

JENA, La. (AP) — A black teenager whose prosecution in the beating of a white classmate prompted a massive civil rights protest here was released on bail Thursday.
Mychal Bell's release came hours after a prosecutor confirmed that he will no longer seek an adult trial for the teen.
Bell, one of the six teenagers now known as the "Jena 6," walked out of the LaSalle Parish courthouse Thursday afternoon, still facing trial as a juvenile in the December beating.

We All Live in Jena

Monday, October 1st, 2007 at Noon, Central Time.

Artist/ Activist Mos Def along with M1, Talib Kweli, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Sankofa Community Empowerment, Change the Game, National Hip Hop Political Convention, Hip Hop Association, and student leaders from 50 campuses call for a National Student Walk-Out to rally and show support for the Jena 6, who are being denied their human rights by the Louisiana criminal justice system.

The Case of the Jena 6

Last fall, when two Black high school students sat under the "white" tree on their campus, white students responded by hanging nooses from the tree. When Black students protested the light punishment for the students who hung the nooses, District Attorney Reed Walters came to the school and told the students he could "take [their] lives away with a stroke of [his] pen." Racial tension continued to mount in Jena , and the District Attorney did nothing in response to several egregious cases of violence and threats against black students. But when a white student--who had been a vocal supporter of the student's who hung the nooses, taunted a black student, called several black students "nigger"--sustained minor injuries from a school fight, six black students were charged with second-degree attempted murder. Last month, the first young man to be tried, Mychal Bell, was convicted. He faced up to 22 years in prison for a school fight until the Black people began to organize and his conviction was thrown out because he was tried as an adult. However the DA and the Judge still refuse to set a reasonable bail or to drop the charges in this case and Mychal is still in jail!!

Mos Def is asking students worldwide to assist in the fight against racial injustice and show solidarity for these young people, who have been treated unequally by the law. The prosecution of these young men symbolizes a terrible miscarriage of justice, by punishing students who opposed segregation in their schools and disregarding the threatening acts of others who advocate it.

As students and activists we say enough is enough! What is happening in Jena is happening all over this country. From Sean Bell to Mychal Bell, the criminal justice system is killing and incarcerating us. We will not be silent!

Demands
Judge J.P. Mauffray and District Attorney Reed Walters have engaged in a string of egregious actions, the most recent of which was the denial of bail for Bell on Friday. We call for:

1. All charges against the Jena 6 be dropped

2. The immediate release of Mychal Bell

3. The United States Department of Justice to convene an immediate inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the arrests and prosecutions of the Jena 6;

4. Judge Mauffray to be recused from presiding over Bell 's juvenile court hearings or other proceedings;

5. The Louisiana Office of Disciplinary Counsel to investigate Reed Walters for unethical and possibly illegal conduct;

6. The Louisiana Judiciary Commission investigate Judge Mauffray for unethical conduct; and

7. The Jena School District superintendent to be removed from office.

Other endorsers include: Common, Immortal Technique, NyOil, Cynthia McKinney

For more info contact info@mxgm.org
To add your school to the list assata@pitt.edu or spjlewis@hotmail.com

Holding BET Accountable

Last week another Rally took place, one that was no less powerful than the one in Jena New Orleans one holding BET accountable for the garbage that they flood impressionable minds with everyday

Washington DC – A crowd in excess of 500 rallied in a powerful yet peaceful demonstration outside the upper Northwest Washington DC home of Debra L. Lee, Chairman and CEO, Black Entertainment Television Networks. With signs reading, “BET Does Not Reflect Me”, “Lift Us Up, Don’t Tear Us Down”, “We Are NOT Gangsters and Pimps” and “I Am NOT a B I # * H – Respect Me!”, the largely African American crowd of children, teens, young adults and adults marched for two hours. They rhythmically chanted, “Enough is Enough” and “BET – Be Better, Do Better!”Joining in the rally were representatives from the National Congress of Black Women, the National Organization of Women, the Feminist Majority, other local activists and Maryland Delegate Justin D. Ross.
At the 2:00 p.m. press conference Rev. Delman L. Coates, Ph. D., campaign organizer, stated that the campaign is about home – about what is being brought into people’s homes everyday – regardless of whether or not they want it in their homes. "The purpose of the campaign is to protest the commercialization, marketing and distribution of content that degrades black women and portrays negative stereotypes of black and Latino men as pimps, players, hustlers and thugs."Coates articulated the campaign goals, the first of which is for media and music companies to develop universal creative standards for the music and videos they produce, market and distribute. He also stated another goal - “We are also looking for Congress to allow consumer choice in the cable industry; more popularly known as ‘a la carte cable.’ We believe this is important because, currently, even if consumers change the channel, a portion of their cable bill still goes toward subsidizing those outlets that produce content they don't desire or support.” Coates referred to a 2006 FCC report concluding that ‘a la carte cable’ could reduce cable bills by 13 percent." Rally participants of all ages and backgrounds peacefully expressed their disdain for the ways in which people of color portrayed in the popular culture. Supporters demand a change.Demonstrators vowed to return next Saturday, September 22nd @ 1:00 p.m. to continue the protest in full support of Coates’ statement, “This is a movement not just a moment.”For more information or to schedule an interview with Rev. Delman L. Coates regarding this campaign, visit the http://www.enoughisenoughcampaign.com/ website or send an email to:

enoughisenoughcampaign@hotmail.com.

SELF CONFIDENCE - FIRST STEPS TO A MORE CONFIDENT YOU by Lynne Lee

The first step is to become your own best friend and cheerleader.
Begin by acknowledging your talents and abilities. Write a list. Include the 'little things', they count! Everybody is good at something. Think of the things that come easily to you. Take time to do this exercise, it will encourage you to recognize what you're good at.
Spend time thinking about all the things you do well and the things that have gone well for you. Look for things that make you feel good about yourself.
Collect
photos of past achievements
note exams that you've passed
things that you've written
thank you cards
memories of compliments you've received and positive things that have been said to you ...
Create a scrapbook or journal and add to it as you progress. Concentrating on things that you've achieved will give you confidence to start moving out of your comfort zone.
To build self confidence you need to do things that will help you to gain confidence.
Decide to stop under estimating yourself and stop comparing yourself to other people. Stop demanding that everything be perfect, things seldom are, yet they are often 'good enough'.
Remember, everyone makes mistakes - let yourself off the hook. Don't dwell on past mistakes. Learn from them and move on. Concentrate on the positive things that you've done and let your successes be your inspiration.
Focus on what you're capable of rather than what you can't do. Give yourself credit for your efforts even when things don't turn out as expected. Learn from your mistakes - ask yourself what you could do differently next time.
Monitor your self talk. That's the inner voice that says, 'I can't do this', 'I made a mess of that again' ...
It's time to shut you inner critic up. Remember, you're going to be your own best friend, Friends encourage one another and build one another up. So, the next time your negative critic starts to tell you that you're no good at something, silence it.
Replace the negatives with positives. Tell yourself, "I can do this, I just need a bit of help." "I did much better this time, I'm getting there."
Make a decision to only allow your inner voice to offer constructive, encouraging comments.
Observe your self talk for a week. This is the first step in turning your self talk into an ally. Listen to what you're telling yourself.
What kind of things have you been saying to yourself?
Are they helpful?
Would you speak that way to a friend or a young child?
If not, work on changing what you say to yourself. Replace the negative comments with something positive and encouraging.
You develop self-confidence by thinking well of yourself and feeling good about yourself, not by beating yourself up.
Try giving yourself gentle advice and encouragement. For example, when you've made a mess of something, tell yourself, "I could have handled that better but it's time to move on, learn from my mistake and think about how I can do it better next time.
Remember to record your achievements in your scrapbook or journal. When you need a boost, look at them and remind yourself of your successes. In time, you'll have more faith in your abilities and more confidence to try new things.
"Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was." Richard L Evans
"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." Norman Vincent Peale
"The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear." William Jennings Bryan
You'll find more practical coaching articles at http://www.christianlifecoaching.co.uk/
When you subscribe to my free newsletter - The 5 Minute Life Coach, I'll send you a valuable free guide - Be Your Own Life Coach Now. This step by step guide will help you to start changing your life straight away. And each month, I'll send you a link to a valuable free eBook. You can start transforming your life today.
Lynne Lee is a Christian life coach and spiritual mentor. She helps people to re-design their lives around what matters most. Copyright: Lynne Lee - All rights reserved

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