Jill Scott Baby Daddy Break Up: Why Can’t Conscious Sisters Keep their Men or a Happy Home?

Today I was reading Essence online and saw that Philly phenom, Jill Scott is no longer with her fiancé and baby daddy, Lil’ John Roberts. Their son, Jett Hamilton is only a couple of months old, and the relationship has dwindled. I also recall a photo of a tattoo that Jill etched on her neck with his name, and he vice-versa. Now it is a wrap!

I think about E. Badu, who just ended it with baby daddy number three, and L. Boogie, who keeps having babies with a guy who is too generous with his ganja stick. Then, I look at all of the women I have known, old, young, fresh, broke down, and all those in between, including myself, and wonder what in the hell is going on. Why can we not have happy homes, including a mate?

Don’t get me wrong. Happy homes do not mean a strict definition of a two-parent family, a happy home means balance. Male energy or males in the structure of rearing a child does not have to be physically in the home. Many societies it is not. And truly, this close intimacy is a recent phenomenon. A child was always reared by extended family and the extended community. The onus of a child never solely fell on a nucleus family. That is so Euro-Christian-American. Yeah T.D. Jakes, back the eff up on that bS you be spewing. Anyway, the stress of rearing a child, and in this time, needs to be village-like. But damn, are villages are crumbling.

However, I know the mainstream question is, “You know all this African ish and you a baby mama? That’s a contradiction?” Though I like Badu’s response who told people that criticized her having her third child with the third rapper that they could “kiss her placenta,” we really need to look at this thing going on here. I know it is hard to live your life like a normal human in front of the camera’s eye, but unfortunately, this truth that we are seeing in Scott, Badu and Hill needs to be an introspective and reflective juncture in family and culture.

I think about this because family pasts do play a part in the blueprint. For example, Lauryn was reared in a two-parent home and she still is married, though many say it is a bizarre, unhappy union that they hope would end. Then you have Jill and Erykah who pay ode to the rearing of them by their mothers, and who are raising their children as single mothers, excuse me co-parents is the politically correct version. Is there a trend that we can't stop?

So let me dig a little deeper and use me as the focal point. I come from a household where my parents reared 6 children and are still married. Like all families, we’ve seen absolutely sunshine filled days, and then we’ve had our nightmares. But we are still loving, fusing and cussin’ it out together. And hey, sometimes we don't talk to each other at all. I am 33 years old and in a long-term relationship of 4 years, but it took me a llloooooonnnnnnnnggggggggggg series of quick, passionate flops to achieve this goal.

I would say that people describe me as “conscious.” I hate the word “conscious” because it has this funky, ass, ill-informed stigma, but for the argument, I will use the word conscious to indicate that I strive to be aware of myself, my ancestry, the world, the world around me, my spiritual growth, and overall development. It has manifested and taken me down many paths. And yes, I do wear my hair natural. Was raised in the braids, will die with a fade (or locks).

Okay, so what happened to me? First love affair, like many, I was a teen who wanted to be loved and felt lust and passion. Damn it hit me hard. Love. I didn’t care that he was a 19-year old middle-school drop out with cracked parents and serious issues he never worked through, but was manipulative as hell. He was beautiful, so complex, I thought. When I woke up I saw that the insanity of him and the blindness of me created a mixture of TNT. That ended.

Afterwards, I was in college and just did the college thing. I dated and had fun. That was forgettable...well, some of it. Of course, I was looking for the one, but nothing fit. And my father told me never to settle. So after many dances with the dirt at the bottom of the sea I thought that I’d give the foam on top a try.

Then when I thought I finally found HIM, he married another woman. I mourned and really pushed to find me. I began reading and doing more African dance. Going to lectures, and refining my artistic self. Spirituality and Iyanla Vanzant tapes. Do you remember those days when black women were really attempting to better ourselves and we got let down? Anyway. I was getting into me, some of me, but I thought I was whole and finished most of the task. Hah, I was wrong!

But the guys I met were for the most part were jokes. They were horrible Huey P. Newton throwbacks, sketches of what they thought “conscious” was, and all the stereotypes to go with it. Most of them never moved me so I went the international route, around the African Diaspora in six years. After traveling the world I came home empty handed.

By this time, relinquishing my personal freedom was not an option. However, I craved companionship. In many cases, I probably was seen as too tainted, too deadly, too spoiled, too Afro-bourgeois, or an untouchable. After tossing and turning, and playing with the hot-burning stove, I decided that what I really wanted was some calm. When I got calm, I accepted the now of being alone, and embraced the possibilities of sharing love. He is cool, but we are still working it out because relationships are a constant, everchanging dynamic that has you turning, tossing, yelling, and cooing.

Overall, this dating thing is for the birds. We all hope for a fairytale endings, but always get stuck with the horror films. Though my parents have been together for almost 40-years, the formula for staying together and making it work have changed, or at the very least, do not apply anymore. Unfortunately, few of us have found one that works. Though we want to hold “conscious” people as a standard, our framework for “consciousness” needs to be tweaked as well; especially, when it comes to relationships, starting with self.

For example, I was on the train and this guy was referring to his girlfriend as a "bitch". I was like "Really, are you for real?" And he was like, "yup." Damn, dude. We got so much work to do.

Let me leave you with this thought, like the diversity of people, awareness, and being aware have varied shades. At the same time, there are varied dimensions. In that, we must understand that being aware of the problem does not mean we have solved it. Blog on...kns

The Goddess Files: My Mama Made My Daddy...Happy Father's Day

I love my father, but he is a bit much. Throughout my life I wondered how my mom put up with this guy who was for most of the time, an over-the-top husband with a huge heart and a big ego. Quite the Leo, his bravado and showmanship was hilarious and sometimes, made me wanna tell him to go sit in the corner. He was the disciplinarian and macho truck-driver, blue collar brother in my early years, and now is the comfortable house husband who can gossip with his 91-year-old mother-in-law like the best of them.

As I have settled in my own relationship, I understand that a woman makes a man. We mold and shape who they are. This is not just our mates, but also, as mothers, sisters and daughters. My father has 5 girls, and we have shaped him just as much. Also, relationships are balance, and my parents balance every day. It is my father allowing a woman who loves him and not coddle him, to cultivate his manhood.

I wrote and performed a poem called Black Super Hero, for my father and all the black fathers who are the unsung heros. At the same time, I wrote something for the black mothers, inspired by my mother, called Mama, In Your Honor.

I am praising our daddies of the community who are caught up for being the burdens of the American social plight of the "absentee father". This history, this history is so funny. There are millions of us who are the great-great-great grandchildren of absentee sperm donors who took liberties of raping black women or forcing them into sexual affairs that produced millions of babies during the enslavement era.

With that said, I wanna wave my hand to the daddies. Happy Fathers Day. Blog on...kns

An Essay I wrote for my father to win the 2006 Judge Mablean Father's Day Competition in Los Angeles

He is love, my father. He is also evolution. He is a superhero, not just of the ghetto, not just of his race, but for humanity. I am proud that I chose to come through this man. He is one of the many African-Americans in South Central Los Angeles who aren’t celebrated or highlighted by media. Nevertheless, he stands—rooted, brilliant and humble. Even after dismal broadcasts point to my community, and ruthlessly portray black and brown men as animals and savages, my father illuminates majestic truth.

In order to fully know the essence of this man, his story must be told. Born and raised in Vicksburg , Mississippi , he saw some of the most blatant forms of volatile, brutal racism. After his father died unexpectedly, my daddy started picking cotton with his mother and other siblings at eight-years-old. Later, he witnessed his mother die in his arms when an all-white hospital refused to service her as she suffered from a stroke.

With his siblings scattered, and he now an orphan, my accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Southern University in Louisiana . There he met my mother and married. Shortly there after, the children came. This August, my parents will celebrate their 35th Anniversary.

My father never graduated from college. He was expelled for leading a Civil and Human Rights protest several months before graduation ceremonies and jailed for his political activism. For years my father could not get a job and sold popcorn balls and homemade popsicles to provide what he could for his growing family. In spite of his tribulations, he supported and encouraged my mother to go further with her education. She pursued graduate school at Ohio State University , while he took care of the three children they conceived in three years.

As the family expanded even more so, we moved to Los Angeles where we were engulfed with the joys, as well as the calamities of South Central. My father heard there was work at the Long Beach ports and would go early in the morning to vie for a job. With no money sometimes he would eat discarded lunches out of a nearby trash can. Finally, he secured employment at this company where he still works today.

What shines in my memory is the depth of love my father gave all his six children and wife. When he could have been bitter about his journey, he grabbed onto love and faith to continue carving his path. He taught us the sweet, tenderness of marriage, along with the sacredness of commitment. Also, he was real and let us know relationships were a lot of work and that life wasn’t a crystal stare. He pushed his children to excel in education, but balanced us, with involvement in a variety of sports and community projects. He volunteered as a coach on all our sports teams and attended every academic, church or community venture after a long day of arduous back-breaking labor. Additionally, my father gave us history lessons so we clearly knew our roots.

Oh yes, I remember the rough nights in my neighborhood. Yet, my father kept us safe and spiritually sound. He was the community dad, even to the bangers that sought guidance. He’d caste no judgments, for all he saw were young, black males in need of love and direction.

On the salary of truck driver, all of his children have attended college, with the youngest graduating from high school this year and preparing for college admissions. Three children have bachelor degrees; two are in graduate school (both will start PhD programs Fall 2006); one is in her last year of undergrad; one is a medical doctor practicing in South Los Angeles; one is a longshoreman; and one is journalist and teacher. Guess where I fall?

My father is still a blossoming soul, but solid in whom he is. We talk about him protesting the closing of the King Drew Trauma Center , or the latest social concern or race issue, but he is an open book ready to learn and grow to do more. His love is deep. He is our superhero, ready to fight for the common good and justice for all.

Sacred/Secular/Spiritual: Where does Your Sadness Settle? Womb Consciousness 101

Some years back I was listening to Kali Alexander, owner of Lotus on the Nile in Los Angeles speak about black women and fibroids. She as a first-hand expert, once once suffered from fibroids and used her knowledge of natural treatments and wholistic living. Good sister, very knowledgable, and more importantly, affordable and ethical, and well-studied.

In her talk, Kali said that her research on fibroids led to discussions around the spiritual links to the issue. Spiritually, fibroids is a result of women not being true to their hearts and living out their purposes. That slapped me in the face.

As many dismal reports show, black women are the number one sufferers of fibroids to the point that it is called, "The Black Woman's Disease." This makes me think of all of my mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, hell, and even me, who have foregone our heart's desires for whatever reason.

Some people may disagree and quote their physicians as they get cut up and take medicine that may shrink the fibroid, but give them crazy migraines...only for them to grow back. But let us look at where SADNESS settles in our bodies. Look at the many women who are walking around with these potbellies full of misery, holding onto bad memories and bitterness. We are depressed, oppressed, and repressed! Our hips don't sway with tilt or pizazz anymore. Truly we have become the world's beasts of burden. Our baggage is our testimony of suffering.

Let me take this a little further. As a result of straying from the truth in our wombs has caused other bombshells to go off. Our hormones are seriously off-kilter and we have lost the art of knowing what to do. My grandmother is 91 and she has a hair full of head, no stretchmarks, and not one strand of facial hair. Today, sister's are dealing with five o'clock shadows, PMS that is off the chain and body odor between the thighs that will knock any living thing out. Dang, let us get this shit together....but I swear to you all, I write this to check myself as well.

I want us to smile some more, laugh some more, get our swagger back. What do you want to do? Seize it, do it, and love it!

Tip: Bellydancing is one of the most effective exercises to massage and repair our wombs. Get it girl! The above photo is of a dancer who participated in the annual Belly Dancers of Color Annual Conference during Memorial Day Weekend in Silver Spring Maryland . The facilitator of the Belly Dancers of Color Association is Sunyatta Amen out of the DC area. Take a class, you will not regret it!

Blog on. Love

Mardi Gras: Phat Eateries that can Slim You Down

In late 1995 I became a vegan. It was a journey I had been taking since a high school senior when I gave up pork. Three years later, after gradually eliminating meats, then fish, and finally dairy, I embarked on a memorable journey that lasted about 6 years. It was rough some days, but beautiful most days. I had slip ups where I ate dairy or fish, and some days I despised veggie burgars.

Though I ultimately gave in to fish and dairy by 2002, I knew more about the lifestyle and totally appreciate my tenacity to be healthy and how my body was saved from a lot of issues that meat has caused the planet. Still, majority of my meals are veggies and fruits, and I am lactose intolerant, therefore forcing me to elimate dairy.

One of the issues I had as a vegan was the availability of restaurants that respected vegan lifestyles and also the price. As a journalist and active person, I was always on the go. However, the prices were astounding sometime. Nevertheless, I am a sucker for some good vegan foods.

America eats too much meat. Stats say that most of the corn grown in the U.S. goes to feeding livestock rather than as a food source for humans. That is worrisome, considering that hunger is a national and global issue. I contend that if everyone did yoga, got a good massage, had a great lover, and could travel to places where they could swim naked and laugh while dancing under the moon...life everywhere would be a whole lot better.

On a serious note let me give you some facts. If you eat meat and dairy every day, your chances of illnesses such as cancer, high blood pressure, and heart disease are more likely. Mind you, we must keep in mind that the U.S. meat of today is so pumped with steroids and antibiotics that it is more synthetic drugs than meat. I contend that the BS put in these products to increase growth and speed up growth, as well as cut down the disease from animals being crammed in cages without free movement is much of the problem. Add on to the fact that we don't drink enough water, get enough exercise, are stressed the hell out, and do not get enough sleep, puts us in a lifelong battle with preventable illnesses.

Though I am not a vegan anymore (oh, that is so hard to say) I do support vegan and vegetarian restaurants. I've jotted down some, most I have not patronized, but it is worth checking out.

One thing I must note, I have had some funky experiences in a certain vegan soul food chain while living in ATL. The issues were around poor service, inconsistencies, and crazy a$$ male managers that I had to remind that I respect their faith and customs, but I will not be treated like some down-trodden chick. Other than that, I met some cool folk. When I stop through I will let you know. Happy Eats...blog on...kns

Veggie Restaurant Roll Call
Naturally Yours Cafe (American and Soul Food)
4830 Almeda Road
Houston, TX 77002713.520.7694
Calabash Vegetarian Kitchen (Soul Food)
233 Mitchell St
SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
Café Sunflower
Buckhead Location
2140 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 352-8859
Sandy Springs Location
5975 Roswell Road
Atlanta, GA 30328
(404) 256-1675
http://www.cafesunflower.com/
Veggie Heaven (Chinese)
631 Valley Road
Montclair, NJ 07043
The Chicago Diner (American)
3411 N Halsted
Chicago IL 60657-2412
773-935-6696
http://www.veggiediner.com/wp/
Karyn’s Fresh Corner (Raw)
1901 North Halsted Street
Chicago, Illinois 60614
Phone: 312.255.1590
http://www.karynraw.com/
Cousin's Incredible Vitality
3038 West Irving Park Rd,
Chicago, IL 60618
Contact Us at 773.478.6868
http://www.cousinsiv.com/
Vegetate
1414 9th Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20001
202-232-4585
http://www.vegetatedc.com/
Nirvana (Indian and South Asian)
1810 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
http://www.dcnirvana.com/
Sticky Fingers (Vegan Bakery)
1370 Park Road, NW
Washington, DC 20010
202-299-9700
http://www.stickyfingersbakery.com/index.php

Veggie Chains
Hillside Quickies http://www.hillsidequickie.com/
Hillside Quickies Vegan Sandwich Shop
4106 Brooklyn Ave
Seattle Wa. 98105
(206) 632-3037
Hillside Quickie's Cafe
324 15th Ave E.
Seattle WA 98112
Quickie Too
1324 So MLK Way
Tacoma, WA 98405
(253) 572-4549

Soul Vegetarian http://www.soulvegetarian.com/restaurants.php
Source of Life Juice Bar & Deli
(Inside Everlasting Life Health Food Store)
Soul Vegetarian Gourmet - Hampton Mall 9185 Central Avenue
Largo, MD 20743
(301) 324-6900
Soul Vegetarian Restaurant & Exodus Carry-Out
2606 Georgia Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) EAT-SOUL (328-7685)
Source of Life Juice Bar & Deli
(Inside Everlasting Life Health Food Store)
2928 Georgia Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20010
(202) 232-1700
Soul Vegetarian East
205 E. 75th St.
Chicago, IL 60619
(773) 224-0104
Soul Vegetarian Restaurant
879-A Ralph Abernathy Blvd. SW
Atlanta, GA 30310
(404) 752-5194
Soul Vegetarian International
652 North Highland
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 874-0145
Everlasting Life Raw Food Bar
878 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd
Atlanta GA 30310
(404) 758-1110
Eternity Vegetarian Deli & Juice Bar
11 South Euclid Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 454-1851
Soul Vegetarian South
3225-A Rivers Avenue North
Charleston, SC 29405
(843) 744-1155
Soul Vegetarian on Wheels
Kleman Plaza 200 North Duvall Street
Tallahasee, FL 32301
(850) 575-9342

Monday Madness: The Open Policy on the Obamas, Distraction Tactic

A couple of days ago the news reported a South Carolina political official saying that a gorilla that got loose in one of the state's gym was an ancestor of Michelle Obama. The list goes on, and on, and on, about reports of ignorant and racist remarks and jabs being taken at the president and the first lady. Of course, this is higher than usual. The press is releasing these reports from the rip, merely creating a "us versus them" scenario saying that the US is fundamentally a tolerant country with a few loose canons.

I have been watching these reports and they are usually white males from a rural area, or the South or Midwest. Highly religious and ultra right-wing. This type of profile I do not find unusual because that is the repeated identity that the news always highlights as the "ignorant cracker or red neck" who is stuck in Neanderthal politics. This is problematic because the news does not update the depiction of the crazy racist, thus placing an image that has people thinking they are crabby middle-aged, white guys with five-inch nose and ear hairs growing like weeds out of their orifices. These social deterrents are smelly, anti-social schizoids who secretly scratch their jock-itch while watching child pornography drinking off-brand hot beer.

Though these profiles might be true, but I assert that this is just one slice of the crazy pie that makes remarks such as these. Why do I say this? Because I have heard more come from people the news would not profile or bash as such. These people are not all ultra-right wing, or Republican. They are your boss, your teacher, your representative, your doctor, a scientist, hell a grocery-store owner. They are people who do not fit the bill in any way. However, it is far and few between that these people are exposed because it is hard for "America" to deal with the embedded racial hierarchy that people have been reared on since they've been on the tit of Liberty.

One of the most famous ones is Don Imus. He got a good tongue-lashing, a brief removal of on-air presence, and a public flogging. Boo-hoo! After roughly eight months, he was given back his show and thunderous support from millions of listeners. Now, could the news argue that all of his listeners are parallel to the profiled nut bags that shot shit up? Of course not. These suit-and-tie folk are upstanding civil people. The only time news is spread about them is through talks about how the office or the university has this racist professor who takes gut-belly jabs and messess over people, but is regularly ignored by administration. Or better yet, the law-abiding mom who just does not understand those other people, you know those criminals.

It is easier to deal with the extreme cases, then really deal with the daily, insidious, systematic workings that really create the atmosphere for a nut bag to be singled out as the "real problem."

Overall, I have been thinking about the biased reporting of these profiled individuals that I will call special cases because they resemble crazy, race assassins of the 1950s & 60s. This is very interesting because it keeps people who have historically been victims of these attacks on edge, and the other half, on edge because their color category resembles the attacker. So it is a process of hiding and forgetting.

I wonder in the bigger picture why all of this sensational media on these people. I have heard from the old folks that this is nothing but a case of bait-and-switch. While CNN loops the same story of terrorism throughout the day, other things are going on that we don't know about. Bills are being passed in congress unbeknownst to us. And here we are cringing about a crazy f*cker. This rants and raves are merely distractions. What is the real agenda?

Things to Do: Free Weekend Festivals

Philadelphia
Odunde Festival
Odunde means "Happy New Year" in the Yoruba language, a culture and people currently living mostly in southwestern Nigeria. It is a festival that was started in the 1970s to pay homage to African spirits, in particular, Osun, the Goddess of Fertility, Love, Wealth, Art, Refinement, Children, etc. You cannot miss this "cultural jewel". It is an uber fest of black folk. Great dancing, food, singing, clothes, and good vibes. It gets hot and it is rainy this weekend so bring an umbrella and comfortable shoes.

I've gone to Odunde twice and the first time was breath-taking. The part I enjoy is the Sunday ritual where people make offerings into the Schuylkill river. Oh yeah, and I love the great food, especially the vegan jerk goat. Oooh weee! I MUST also recommend that folk who love the music that comes out of Philly attend because the live performances are outstanding. You will see a plethora of African ensembles with popular soul & r&b performers. The last time I went Kindred was performing, but the sound outta Philly is incredible. You will not be disappointed.

June 13, Saturday
Saturday the African Business Roundtable - 9AM - 1PMBusiness Roundtable Ambassdors include: Guinea and Sierra Leone.Location:
Philadelphia Department of Commerce1515 Arch Streets - 18th FloorPhiladelphia, PAFREE!!ODUNDE Cultural Center – 2308 Grays Ferry Avenue (23rd & South Streets). The Egungun Procession celebrates the memory of our elevated and honorable African ancestors. We humbly request that everyone wear white clothing. Bembe (a drum and dance celebration) will follow the procession.

June 14, Sunday
ODUNDE Festival and African Marketplace 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. South Street and Grays Ferry Stage Performances…Following the river procession, performances begin on ODUNDE's stages and end at dusk. As a cultural celebration designed for families to enjoy together, ODUNDE emphasizes performers and craft artists from throughout the African Diaspora whose work celebrates the diversity of traditional African or African-American art forms including: African dance, hair braiding, stepping, roller dance, drill team formations, hip-hop and tap dance, traditional African instruments, drumming, rhythm and blues, and traditional African American popular dance forms. Each year ODUNDE employs over 40 artists. Many have launched their careers from our stage. The ODUNDE Festival was an originator of authentic African Marketplace festivals, featuring traditional foods, art, crafts, clothing and jewelry. The most colorful aspect of the festival which continues throughout the day, The African Marketplace draws return customers every year. We are grateful to its vendors, who are major supporters of our organization. http://www.odundeinc.org/

Newark
Portugual Heritage Celebration "Dia de Portugal"
Ironbound Section of Newark (East of Newark's Penn Station)
This section of Newark has legacy of housing immigrant populations over the centuries. Portugues migrants began settling en masse into this neighborhood in the early 1900s. Today it is a combination of Portuguese Americans and Brazilians, and currently is experiencing an influx of Mexicans. If you come to Newark, you gotta eat at one of the famous eateries in the area, Forno's of Spain or Iberia's. The food is plentiful and delicious. The service is impeccable. The ghetto grapevine told me that the official end of the party only starts a night of dancing, eating and drinking until about 3 am.
Saturday: 2PM - Midnight
Sunday: 9AM - 11PM
Just go down Ferry Street and you will not miss a thing.
http://ironboundnewark.com/

Travel & Things to Do: Recession Proof Outings for FREE my favorite word

Last week I got into the Newark Museum free because I am a resident. I have started to look for free events that I can explore in my recession proof summer. When you get bored and are without any spare cash, you get very creative and inventive. Here's a start for you in some cities... (Disclaimer: the text below for events I did just copy and paste and am not claiming any ownership)

blog on kns

50 FREE Things to Do in New Orleans
1Jackson SquareTake in the sights and sounds of Jackson Square, a good spot to take a rest, too. 2. Gallery hop in the Arts District along Julia Street on the first Saturday night of each month.
3. Join the parades during Carnival Season and Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
4. Stroll Royal and Chartres streets and window shop the arts, antiques and boutiques.
5. Enjoy French Quarter Festival every April, the South’s largest free music festival.
6. Watch the ships pass on the Mississippi River from Woldenberg Riverfront Park and listen for the Steamboat Natchez’s calliope.
7. Visit the Historic New Orleans Collection and the Williams Research Center.
More freebies in NO http://www.neworleansonline.com/news/2009/May/fiftyfreethings.html

12 FREE Things to Do in Los Angeles
1. Stroll through the black cultural mecca of Leimert Park Village located on 43rd & Leimert Blvd.
2. Take a tour of the small ethnic communities: Little Ethiopia, Little Tokyo, Little Korea, Chinatown, Little India (in Cerritos), Little Tijuana, and Little Thai.
3. Pick a farmer's market: Santa Monica (Saturday); Hollywod (Sunday);
4. Forecourt of the Stars at Grauman's Chinese TheatreVisit the Forecourt of the Stars at Graumans’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard to measure your hands and feet against the footprints and handprints of Hollywood legends.
5. Hollywood Walk of FameMeander along the Hollywood Walk of Fame to find the stars of your favorite celebrities.
6. Hollywood SignTake a look at the Hollywood Sign from the viewing area at the Hollywood & Highland shopping and entertainment complex next to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre or drive up Beachwood Canyon for a closer look. Another good viewing point is looking up Gower Boulevard. The sign itself is fenced off from the public, so there is no legal access to it.
7. Venice Beach BoardwalkTake a stroll down Venice Beach Boardwalk to check out the street performers, the hard bodies at muscle beach and the interesting characters wandering the strand during the summer and on weekends. Parking in the area ranges from $3 to $15 depending on the lot and the time of year. Limited free street parking is available in the neighborhood if you have the patience to look for it. Plug into more http://golosangeles.about.com/od/laforfree/tp/TopFreeStuff.htm

10 Free things in Portland
1. Forest Park: With more than 5,000 acres to explore, Forest Park is the largest city park in the United States. There are 50 miles of trails and 30 miles of gated roadways for mountain biking. Visit Forest Park for a run, hike, bike ride, or horseback ride.
Where: Because the park is so large, there are many entrance points. Check the maps at the Friends of Forest Park website
When: Daily 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
2. Saturday Market: Hundreds of vendors sell handmade goods such as pottery, jewelry clothing and candles. Plus, enjoy food from the international food court. Each week, there's entertainment from live musicians, jugglers, and a variety of street performers. This is a great place to bring out-of-town visitors.
Where: Underneath the Burnside Bridge on the west side of downtown Portland.
When:Saturdays and Sundays from March – December 24. The market is also open for an entire week leading up to Christmas Eve for what’s called “The Festival of the Last Minute.”
3. Portland Farmer’s Market: Local farmers and food vendors sell the goods they’ve grown or made locally. In addition to excellent produce, you’ll find baked goods, meats, cheeses, and a variety of gourmet foods.
Where: Saturdays in the south park blocks between SW Harrison and Montgomery. Wednesdays in the south park blocks between SW Salmon and Main.
When: Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., April - October. For more visit http://portlandor.about.com/od/artsentertainment/tp/Free_Things.htm

Freebies in Atlanta
http://www.atlantaonthecheap.com/tag/free-events/

Freebies in Baltimore
http://baltimore.org/events/type/category/category/66
http://www.freefallbaltimore.com/

Free Admission Days in Chicago
http://www.naperville-lib.org/otherWebSites/entertainment/chicagofreedays.htm

Socio-Culturo-Politico Thursdays: Gentrification Roll Call

When I moved back to my hometown of Los Angeles in 1998 I thought I had stepped into a ghost town. In the black community there were blocks and blocks of empty commercial buildings and in the residential areas, there were abandoned, half-eaten homes. The decline increased rapidly right after the 1992 civil unrest and was at an apex at the end of that decade.

Shortly after, the famous homeless tent city in downtown Los Angeles was being bulldozed and the tenants were being forced out. There were rumors that downtown Los Angeles was about to go through a serious transformation. And it did. Today, the downtown L.A. that I knew has been replaced with gorgeous restored buildings and renovated warehouse spaces that are serving as upscale trendy lofts. You have the Staples Center and this new addition right across the street called L.A. Live, which is supposed to be a West Coast rendition of New York’s Time Square. Of course, it does not come close and is only a bunch of blinding lights and frou frou fake madness. Horrible copycats.

Now, on the surface, people might think. Isn’t that nice that L.A. is getting cleaner and fancier for its residents? Those homeless people need to get a job and get the hell on. But that is a convenient answer and one that is uninformed and filled with historical and political gaps. Gentrification happened in Los Angeles, and just like the California economy, the ones who benefited is not the common resident, and definitely were not the residents who sustained those broken sections of Los Angeles while the scarred lived in gated communities on the Westside or left the area for the desert.

According to Merriam Webster, gentrification is the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents. It is the reverse white flight that happened when blacks began moving into the cities in the early 1900s for more job opportunities. Back then white folk created suburbs, or communities outside of the city, but most of them still worked in the metropolises.

To give you a quick example of how white flight undermined cities, I will talk about education. Now, when people bitch and beef about inner city schooling without understanding the politics of it all they actually support the myth that inner cities offer poor education because the children and the communities are biologically crippled due to circumstances.

So let’s do basic suburban life 101. You have John who lives in Oxnard, but works in downtown Los Angeles. He makes a $1 million plus a year. Now John makes sure that he is out of the city before dark and is back home comfortably with his wife and children. His children go to schools that are ample in resources and parent support. John’s wife, Sue is a typical stay-at-home soccer mom who shuttles her children back-and-forth, and is very involved. This is what the American Dream offers, so I’m not hating.

Now when it comes time for taxes and John pays for his house taxes which go directly to the school district where he lives, it does not account for the money he makes in a neighborhood he has absolutely no financial or political obligation. Oh, I’m sorry, he does donate $100 to the NAACP yearly. If John worked and lived in the same area than his taxes would greatly help the local schools.

However, where John works, most of the residents are unemployed, underemployed, and undocumented workers. The schools in downtown Los Angeles barely function off of subsidized money. The little resources have been allocated by someone who probably has been working for the LA Unified School District before downtown L.A. became a mess and cannot understand why these Mexicans and Blacks never get their shit together.

One question that someone might ask is, “Why do rich people want to move to the hood?” Well, inner cities are the prime property throughout the country. Cities are the most developed, or at the very least, are the easiest to renovate. They are near the major government facilities, water & electric supplies, and have the oldest history of the city. Most cities have precious underground pathways that have been abandoned, but can be restored, and all major cities were built by a significant body of water and sacred lands of the former indigenous people that were massacred. Plus the intricately mapping of the cities made these metropolitans an architectural and geographical landmine.

For example, my parents live a 10 minute drive from the beach by the highway, 10 minutes from LAX airport, and live about a 3 – 7 minute drive to five major freeways. But where they live is South Central. The social stigma of the place draws people away, but in the back door there are people waiting to snatch the land.

Now, now dear one, L.A. is definitely not the only city that has experienced the ugliness of gentrification. There are cities like Harlem that you would not even recognize. About seven years ago I saw a Jewish couple walking a poodle at night on Lenox Avenue and 119th. Yes, gentrification is coming to a hood near you. And though it could be stopped, it will take a miracle to remove the crust of ignorance from millions.

Gentrification usually begins to occur around a section of the city where commercial and government wants to rebuild. Look for historical landmarks or buildings, usually around a mega university, a large water source, a lucrative business district, or a sports arena for football, baseball, or basketball. These areas have serious social and economic ills such as high crime and power. The property value is also ridiculously low so that investment firms will buy large numbers of plots and monopolize ownership. Once a significant portion is

So here is your gentrification roll call. These are not all the cities…please add (click on cities for links to gentrification articles)
Atlanta
Austin
Baltimore
Brooklyn
Camden
Charleston
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Detroit
Harlem (NYC)
Houston
Jackson
Los Angeles
Miami
Montreal, Canada
New York City (Manhattan/Washington Heights & Lower East Side/Chinatown)
Newark
New Orleans
Oakland
Philadelphia
Portland
Richmond
Seattle
St. Louis
Trenton
Washington D.C.
Blog on..kns

High Vibration Foods

This is the Kemetic Food Pyramid for sisters who are becoming obese @ alarming rates and black folk who are dying and acquiring preventable diseases due to our diets. luv..blog on

Goji Berries

Spirulina & Dulse Flakes

Organic Fresh fruits and Vegetables

Freshly juiced fruits and vegetables

Miminally processed raw, sprouted, and orgranic produce

Dark Leafy greens like collards, spinach, turnips, kale and dandelions

Raw cacao heightens the spirit and elevates the mind; chew like tobacco

Positive Mantras over your food aka PRAY before you eat

Organic meats & dairy foods, and halal and kosher products

Wild caught fish and fish farmed in a pound that does not use hormones to increase fish eggsOrganic herbs and herbal teas that include flowers, spices and dried fruits w/out sweetener

Sacred/Secular/Spiritual: Allow Yourself to Feel Rich Without Money

My credit crashed my first semester of college. It was the usual story. I got an MCI calling card and gave it to a boyfriend. He called his other women and ran up the bill and did not pay it back. Since all of my money went to school I could not either. I learned, never take out anything for anyone under your name. Wait, but my credit got worse as I attempted to establish credit and failed. I thought when I settled with the credit companies my credit rating would be restored. What I did not know then was that I still had a bad rating and that the credit card company had closed my account, wrote it off on their taxes, and sold my account to a credit agency who sold me lies in order for me to pay. I was hurt.
CAPTION above left: Sperm whale tooth bone was used in Fiji as their form of currency; whales are treasured and sacred in many Pacific island nations.
CAPTION on the right: Sumerian shells were used as currency in ancient Sumer that predated the Christian era several thousands of years.

In the early 20s I was depressed about my credit because I was told that bad credit would not get you anywhere. I could not get a house. I could not get a car. I could not be a successful citizen because I was negligent. So what did I do, attend seminars to establish a corporation. The guy who led them went to jail with millions of dollars. I took credit seminars and finance workshops, only to realize that I was giving away the money I could've saved.

CAPTION above left: Cowrie shells were used in Africa, India, Asia, and were the earliest forms of currency in China.

CAPTION below right: Beaver pelts were traded among many of the nations in the indigenous Americas.

And what do we have today. I failed industry that makes my student loans and other bills look like spittle in an ocean full of thieves and financial f*ck ups. Today, when I look at Suze Orman deny all those people and these shitty talk shows with credit advice that they did not follow, I flick the channel as easily as I flick a bugar. Because and all of them perpetuate this dependence on something that is FAKE. Today's currency is worthless! But why does the government continue to make junk money. Because we believe and slave for it.

Caption above left: Cacao seeds were used among the Aztecs as money. Cacao seeds are treasured because they create products such as chocolate that heighten awareness and trigger the release of endorphins in your system.
Caption below right: Grains were one of the oldest forms of currency. When Europe was experience severe food shortages and viral outbreaks Queen Hatshepsut launched the first Relief Aid by sending boatloads of grains, and other foods to enrich the starving tribes enclosed by the Caucasoid Mountains.

I went to the Newark Museum last week and there was an excellent display on the history of money. It was in the kid's section right behind the mini zoo. When I walked through it, I was saying to myself that it needed to be in the adult's section because we are so poor in the history of money. It was very informative and it validated my point that money is what you make it. Blog on...kns

Caption left: Swords were used by the Celts and Sudanese as currency.


Spiritually, we are so invested in something fake that we call money. This paper, these plastic cards, these accounts that sit in online limbo telling you an amount you have in the bank that you would not be able to take out if the bank crashed. It has happened so many times. But here we are moaning and getting salt-and-pepper hair over a myth. Money is not only a myth, it is a system of control. So what if a country, or a community stopped working? What if all the immigrants just packed their shit and said to hell with the American dream and went back to their home countries. What if African-Americans said that they would not lift a finger until they were compensated by the American government? No, their would not be a nuclear war. Their would be some renegotiating over labor and money.

The money system would plummet, as others in the past. Paper and plastic were not the only forms of money. In fact, the oldest money system recorded was the currency of cattle and then grains. Damn, if I could buy a house with five cows and a ton of wheat. Money is a social and political system that is implemented by those who are sure that they can control its flow. What is petro/gas was the currency? What if it was hair or sperm or toe nail clippings? We would be some carless, blad, over-ejaculated, flip-flop wearing, swollen feet folk.

Finally, money is not being rich. That is the biggest fallacy. Richness defined in the context of how much paper money you have is a social construction to control. Richness is to be spiritually full. Is to laugh and cry without any inhibitions. Richness is an intangible experience that money can never buy. And I am not coming from a preach-me, then tithe-me perspective because even in religions, money becomes the center to buy happiness, forgiveness, "godly" favors, and even validate anti-humanistic actions. To be rich, is to be you.

How do you allow yourself to feel rich without money....you tell me.

The Goddess Files Sunday: Majora Carter, Greening the Ghetto

Popularizing the term "Greening the Ghetto," the South Bronx Born, Majora Carter has branched out to be one of the top recognized people in the Green Movement in the U.S., especially when it comes to urban green development.

Majora makes me think about the dire need for a complete rejuvenation and the return to respecting the land in black and brown inner cities.

At one point, African-Americans were the bricks in U.S. agriculture. We owned millions of acres of land and cultivated it well. It was our connection to Mother Earth and a way that we sustained our communities with organic food and food grown out of love. From the South to all points outside, we had farms and when we did not have farms, we had our own little gardens in the city.

When the mass exodus took place and people migrated to the North and West, many blacks abandoned their land and lost precious soil. What we once did out of survival and culture, growing organic and participating in recycling, repurposing and reclaiming products, we are now watching it on HGTV. How does the saying go. "At one time, we owned the land and they had the bible, now we have the bible and they own the land."

Today, the black farmers association and the small number of those that have maintained their land are the most underrepresented and neglected in the farming industry. Now, I am struggling to pay for high cost, low grade tomatoes at Shop Rite. Oh boy, I gave up on Whole Foods several years in to graduate school.

What is more troubling is living in the inner city in neighborhoods that are severely neglected. Everywhere I go to black city USA where there is a mixture of economic status, the streets are usually unkempt and often dirty. The pavement and roads are worn down, and the businesses usually cater to unhealthy living such as mini-marts with horrible food, no grocery stores, cheap clothing outlets, liquor depots and run down hair salons. But best believe, the churches are the nicest thing on the block. People save their souls on Sunday and die spiritual deaths the rest of the week.

Majora Carter has pushed her dream of continuing to revitalize her neighborhood and those around the country. I have included a small excerpt of her story, but you can go to her site and check her out more.

Majora Carter's Story
In the late 1990's Majora Carter took a bold step into the world of urban planning - simultaneously working to shift a Giuliani administration plan from additional waste handling for the South Bronx to positive green development, while scoring a $1.25M Federal Transportation planning grant to design the South Bronx Greenway. This 11 mile network of bike and pedestrian paths connects neighbohoods to the river front and each other with low impact storm water management features, local entrepreneurship opportunities that economically encourage active living and reduce traffic congestion.

She went on to spearhead the first South Bronx waterfront park in over 60 years (see image left), and in the process Majora amassed a beautiful collection of strange bedfellows from policy makers to business leaders and community members that made those projects happen. While this project is an important and very visible accomplishment, it was only a part of a larger strategy to move under-performing communities into a healthy and productive economic condition.

In 2001, Majora Carter founded the pioneering and highly successful non-profit environmental justice solutions corp: Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx); serving as Executive Director until mid 2008.

With a focus on goals over ideology, Majora Carter then built one of the nation's first and most successful urban green-collar job training and placement systems by 2003. Moving on from Sustainable South Bronx, Majora Carter brings the value of this type of leadership & talent to bridge the gaps between clients and the interests we all want served. Majora Carter Group, LLC can help clients connect the value of governm goalsent, business & industry and community. We want to use our integrity and abilities to bring disparate parties together to help break the impasse between sustainability goals and entrenched inter-stakeholder distrust with buy-in from all parties, by creating an environment where all dreams can thrive.

You can read more http://www.majoracartergroup.com/
Here is a Youtube video at a Green conference: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2883494385256707942&ei=YmgrSoimCIGYrQK317XFDQ&q=majora+carter&hl=en

Blog on...kns

Small Gifts of Humility

About 2 months ago I was finishing up a mile jog on a soccer field in Newark. As I began to head home I saw a woman struggling with quite of few plastic bags. She also had one of those steel carts that older women use to carry their groceries. Her clothes were too big for her and she was very petite. To me she looked like a bag lady. However, she was seriously struggling so I offered to help her with her things. She told me she was going to class down the street at the local county college.

Honestly, I did not believe her, but helped her to campus anyway. She told me she was finishing up her A.A. degree at the end of the semester and had just been trying to make ends meet. I told her I was in school and could understand the "brokeness." She told me that a lot of people passed her up before I helped her and many thought she was homeless or some junkie. I kept my guilty, judgmental mouth shut as I listened. She thanked me and gave me some life blessings and dropped jewels of wisdom. We talked for a minute then I went home thinking about my preconceived notions. Although I still did not believe her story it was something about her that made me think of times I was mistaken for something I was not, and it was always an inferior assumption.

Then I learned a huge lesson. This past Friday I was going to get a pizza slice and I saw that same woman dressed in her cap and gown with her diploma jacket from Essex County College. I was shocked, embarrassed and proud. She told me, "I did it," and nobody believed. I was like, wow, not even me. She looked so radiant in her green ceremonial clothes. That day I learned a little something about my prejudices. For one, I got a lot of them. I am working on me.

Blog on...kns

Travel & Things to Do: Free Wine Tastings Across the Country

Recession Proof Fun...free wine tastings

CHICAGO
Fion Wine & Spirits

http://fionwineandspirits.com/
In the Lincoln Park neighborhood
426 W. Diversey Pkwy.
Chicago, IL 60614
Free tastings Every Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Event Phone Number: 773-549-5400

NYC
Crush Wine & Spirits:
http://crushwineco.com/

153 E 57th Street New York, NY 10022
212-980-WINE
Free tastings Thursday, 5-7 p.m.
Annual “War of the Rosés” June 11, 2009.

This event is where you taste 16 different roses
session one 5–6pm, session two 6:30–7:30pm;
R.S.V.P. is needed to events@crushwineco.com.
You may bring a guest or two if you like, just let us know. As always, all roses poured will be offered at 10% off, while mixed or solid cases will receive a 15% discount.

WASHINGTON D.C.
Bistrot Lepic
http://www.bistrotlepic.com/
Neighborhood: Northwest
1736 Wisconsin Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20007
Free tastings every Tuesdays: 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
202-333-0111

LOS ANGELES
Seven Restaurant Bar
http://www.sevenrestaurantbar.com/
Neighborhood: Downtown
555 W. 7th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
213-223-0777
Free tastings Every 2nd Thursday of the month

The Nose Wine Cellar
http://www.thenosewinecellar.com/
In downtown neighborhood
696 E. Colorado Blvd, Shop 6Pasadena, CA 91101(626) 666-6991
Free tastings every Wednesday

Seattle
12th & Olive Wine Company
(206) 329-23991125 E Olive, SeattleTastings occur every Friday from 5pm to 8pm; also Saturday & Sunday

All Things Wine
(425) 254-84004605 NE 4th Street, Ste 4, Renton
Free Tastings occur every Saturday from 11am to 6:30pm

Kansas
Rimann Liquors of Lenexa

In the Country Hill Center
Lenexa, KS 66219913-492-1604
Free tasting every third Thursday

Travel & Things (NOT) to Do: ISRAEL

I got this video from Max Blumenthal and Joseph Dana who was reporting from Israel on the eve of Obama's speech in Cairo. You gotta see this. If this is the feeling toward Obama, the travel trip of the day is STAY the hell outta Israel. This video solidifies some of the things I have heard from other American Jews who grew up in Israel and the collective feeling toward blacks. I'm sitting here scratching my head wondering how could someone invoke "Never Again" after the Holocaust then turn around and call Obama a "Nigger". Now I know how the Falasha Jews of Ethiopia feel when trying to seek asylum in Israel.

I know we are contradictions and accept that this can happen and happens often; but this video does not help the tourism trade that Israel is pushing.

One another thing, I bet you this video will not come up in national news inspite of the other videos we get such as "The Marta Train Souljah Girl" and the numerous student-teacher fights that are all black folk.

Here is the video, plus the excerpt. Go to philipweiss.org
Max Blumenthal: Feeling the Hate In Jerusalem on Eve of Obama's Cairo Address
Max Blumenthal writes: On the eve of President Barack Obama’s address to the Muslim world from Cairo, Egypt, I stepped out onto the streets of Jerusalem with my friend Joseph Dana to interview young Israelis and American Jews about their reaction to the speech. We encountered rowdy groups of beer sodden twenty-somethings, many from the United States, and all eager to vent their visceral, even violent hatred of Barack Obama and his policies towards Israel. Usually I offer a brief commentary on my video reports, but this one requires no comment at all. Quite simply, it contains some of the most shocking footage I have ever filmed. Watch it and see if you agree. (Warning: this video contains profanity and material offensive to just about anyone.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxt9HwfPwPo

Socio-Culturo-Politico Thursdays: Why They Still Hatin' on the Chocolate Sisters

Driving on the 280 in Jersey I finally get to really hear the lyrics of Lil Wayne and Drake's latest radio song, "Every Girl". It starts out with Weezy saying, "I like a long-haired thick red bone." For those of you who do not know what a red bone is, it is a slang word for a fair-skinned, black person such as Lil Wayne's latest baby mama Lauren London. Why Lauren? Why?

And then Drake (who looks like he is quite the flamer) goes on to describe the woman he wants to sex as a "caramel skin long hair thick ass." The next description is a "butter pecan Puerto Rican."

I cannot argue with people's preferences, but this colorism and complexion tripping is so tired. To continue to maintain a fair-skinned black woman as the standard and epitome of black beauty totally dismisses the fact that most people who identify as being black or of African descent are quite the opposite. Then, it perpetuates the "brighter-lighter" fallacy of white supremacy and places codes on terms. For instance, when you big up a brown beauty, you are stigmatized as being "conscious," or going against the mainstream grain. There have been a list of issues with brown women not being cast in the media or neglected starting with Vogue Magazine that has had only a handful of black women on the cover anyway.

Why should I care about Vogue? Actually, I don't, but in the age of "diversity" there are chocolate girls and sisters who worship a magazine that either animalizes their beauty, but for the most part, totally disregards African aesthetics.

Lil Wayne and his tired New Orleans ass needs a root put on him and I don't know why Drake is crooning about the type of girl he likes, when clearly, his love of fish is really a fetish for beef.

Blog on...kns