Some of Things I Think About in this BS Economy

1. The US currency is not backed by gold, contrary to most Americans belief that it is.

2. Gold is a natural resource, while cash is paper that is backed by thin air and our investment in the nothingness.

3. The Federal Reserve is not owned or ran by the US government. In my opinion, it is actually the reverse.

4. Owning land in the US is a temporary fix to American territorialism and old frontier ideology. No one owns land. We all lease it. For example, if you paid off your land and did not pay taxes, than it will be seized by the government (ask the millions of black folk who left their land to go North, and lose it some decades later due to unpaid taxes, oh, and illegal seizure).

5. The biggest and oldest welfare recipients live on plush estates and get yearly tax write-offs for blueblood money that has been stashed in coffers since the big bucks of industrialism and worldwide slavery were rolling in by the kazillions.

6. The newest welfare recipients are those who are profiting from the Iraq war and those who inherited billions from a stimulus payoff that trickles down as about as fast as a slow leaky pipe.

7. People ask about the stimulus money, but forget the billions of unaccounted for money from the Iraq war and Katrina undevelopment that is still being profited by Haliburton.

8. The Republican Party and Right Wing Conservatives have been quite the rabble-rousers lately, but were silent as they stuffed their faces while getting their palms greased while stashing dough in the Bushes.

9. Democrats have once again disappointed.

10. The unemployment rate has declined because damn near everybody is either jobless, part-time, or taking forloughs.

11. How can NY state represenatives refuse to work and get paid, but if I do it, I'd get fired.

12. Why is it that large numbers of "nice" people collecting welfare and unemployment benefits have made being broke chic, and the case workers so nice at the unemployment office they damn near are making caramel frappes for clients?

13. Since when did tent cities like those in Santa Monica, CA become acceptable, but in downtown LA, they were demolished several years ago?

14. I have been passing by the World Trade Center for two years and nothing has been built, but rest assured billions have been spent. Who owns all of these bogus construction contracts?

15. Forget a beer summit, give me some Martinique rum and a Cuban cigar, me and Obama need to get some things cleared away.

Do Fries Go with that Shake? My WTF Moment with McDonalds

Can you resist a McDonald's fry? I thought I could not, but now, I am seriously rethinking this "weakness". A friend of mine just sent me this video about a woman who has 4-year old fries and hamburgers that have not decomposed.

My honey and I joking call McDonald's "McDookie's," but this new video shows that having regular bowel movements is not in the equation of this cyborg super-genetically modified unfood.

Social Thermometer Tests People's Reactions to US Troops on Home Soil

Yesterday, I was listening to reports regarding the former Vice-President's plans to dispatch troops on American soil to apprehend a group of SIX suspected terrorists. No, I did not say 600, nor did I even say 60, I said 6. This proposed strategy was put forth in 2002, but was yanked by Bush who ordered the FBI take the group down.

According to NY Daily News, Dick Cheney's efforts, if they went through, would have violated Constitutional laws regarding military seizing property and conducting raids on US soil.

I am not surprised by the blatant disregard for laws because I have come to see how many people have mastered the sense of entitlement to change laws when they incovenience those in power. Hmm, so I sat back and thought of why the news or the government would release such information.

To me this is a social thermometer moment, a time when the folk test the waters to see how people would react to blatant civil violations. This test is to see what might happen if this happened for real, or in your area.

And from what I've seen, it is treated as a "thank God we have a new president," or passed on like a bag of stale chips, or some people were hoorahing it up justifying that the Administration has to do unsavory things in order for this democracy to flow.

Hmmm, I don't know, this report made me conspiracy nose itchy and suspicious knee is aching like there is an unexpected storm is a brewing.

to those who Demand an Apology from Obama

dag, when bush flicked the country off and basically told us he was going to run this country amuck, there was no apology given. but here is obama pointing out the serious race crisis that has crippled America by speaking about a blatant discriminatory practice that is embedded in the social DNA (racial profiling by police) of America, and now folk getting all upset. well here is to you. kiss it, kiss'em all. got three different flavors, from chocolate to vanilla with nuts.

“Roses Really Smell Like Boo-Boo” in the Garden State

Something is reeking in New Jersey and it is not country flowers. If you did not know, yesterday, FBI and IRS agents arrested over 40 people for allegedly being involved in a money laundering and bribery network that ran from Israel to New Jersey.

Some of the arrestees consisted of three mayors (Hoboken, Seacaucus, Ridge), a deputy mayor (Jersey City), two state legislatures, and a handful of rabbis who allegedly funneled money through yeshivas and non-profit organizations, and were involved in other illegal activities.

As well, New Jersey’s Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, unexpectedly resigned on the same day the arrests took place and right after the FBI ran up into his home to search his residence for possible evidence related to the case.

On the surface, this looks like a dismal blow to the Democrats who have been enjoying a consistent flow of Republican politicians screwing up in the media. With the shoe on the other foot, it might be the Democrats once again, not knowing how to handle blow jobs, funny money and ruthless red elephants shitting in the blue donkey’s stall.

But my conspiracy theory nose is twitching in this “age of transparency” because these busts, just so happened to occur, right as the gubernatorial race for New Jersey is beginning to heat up and get very interesting.

Democrat, John Corzine who is the current governor is also seeking re-election. According to news reports, he is said to not be doing well in the polls. Corzine is up against political bulldog and self-proclaimed corruption ball-buster, Christopher Christie, the former U.S. Attorney for District of New Jersey who left his job for the election sometime last year.

(photo caption: Christie doing the Durty Jersey jig when he convicted former Newark mayor. Are you supposed to celebrate like that?)

Christie is an unforgettable face because the Star Ledger paper took a photo of him celebrating the conviction of former Newark mayor, Sharp James, in 2008. While Christie served in his former position as a big-wig attorney, his stance against those in public office who “betray [ed] public trust” was that they all should go to prison. Oh really, all of them, or your political foes?

So why is it that a 2-year sting operation comes out right before elections?

In this recent sting operation, reports have confirmed that this investigation started while Christie was still serving as a U.S. District Attorney. He knew what the deal was then and he knows that this is a one-up to help him now.

What nice timing to expose these bribes, or alleged bribes! I tell you something is foul in the air.

As a new resident of Jersey, I am still trying to understand the deep layers of corruption that are thoroughly and in most cases, openly, intertwined into every facet of every institution in the state. To me, this is just a fight over who will control the honey pots, and if it is the conservatives I think I might have to move to Philly.

If you would’ve seen some of these Conservatives and Republicans when Obama won last Fall, you would’ve thought you had just witnessed the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in Confederate country along a dusty Georgia road. And it wasn’t just the old heads, but younguns’ vying to seek revenge for the “stupid” Americans who voted for the Moslem.

Now do I think that bribery was involved? Uhh, yeah, most likely somebody’s palms were being rubbed very well. Maybe I’m pissed that they were not mine. Could help pay some of these $80,000 loans. On second thought, I'll pass, maybe I can win something free on Oprah today.

Whose Hair is it anyway?

(photo: Beyonce's lace front wig gone astray, too tight of an application and too much facial expression)

A long time ago I stopped looking at hair magazines, and very rarely did I ever purchase them. In the beginning, most of the hair models were styled in hairdos that were permed, pressed, texturized, or some other type of processed state.

When braid magazines came in, the how-to section was even more disturbing because majority of the styles required that one’s hair had to be blow dried or pressed, or straightened some type of way. What made is worse was that almost all of them either used some type of hair product with a lot of chemicals or required fake hair.

Today when I look at these magazines, I ask myself, whose hair is it? What I mean is that many of these magazines sell all these shampoos and conditioners, and have these flawlessly styled hair models. But damn near all of them are sporting synthetic hair, wigs, weaves, or someone else’s hair, and in some cases, the hair of Shih Tzu dogs.

Are these products being sold for my real hair or my fake hair, or someone else’s hair? Then I ask myself, when people buy “human” hair (although many times it is that of an animal such as a poodle), do they ever stop to think who that person was who shed their mane for money. Were they happy, were they sad, or were they of another religion or culture than theirs? In all, what type of energy do they pass on with the hair that they sell?

Moreover, the weave culture has gone over-the-top among African-American women. Excuse my naiveté, but I was totally shocked the other day when I saw a “stylist” glue this black muck onto the hairline of a woman to apply her lace front wig.

My partner who is a cosmetologist says that he refuses to do weaves or take them out because of the molded and musty smell that occurs after a long period of time when your scalp cannot breathe by a glued or sewed in wig that has so much product guck.

STOP right there. This is not a bash on processed hair, though I think it is important we think about why we do these things in the name of beauty and in the name of “pretty hair.”

Honestly, I don’t care what type of floral, spice, or citrus fragrance that a hairspray has, it does not cover of the stink of the truth; we are indeed bonded to aesthetics that compromise our perceptions of beauty.

Now, now, this is not just processed hair, but this is also for “natural” hair as well. I know women who have dyed their locks every type of color, and in particular the blond-bleach, until they break off; or women who have sister locks would kill over if their edges were too bushy. Then there is this movement to style natural hair in the Euro-styles like chignons and updos, instead of creatively pulling our own ancestral fashion sense.

Though I know that styles are recycled, I don't see anyone (including me) walking into work with ochre-clay and cowfat rubbed into my lcoks.

Ho-hum, just something to chew on...blog on EcoSi

PS, beware of Yakki #10 synthetic hair, it is a hair killer

Thank you Newsweek for Jacking My Shit

They say that immitation is the best form of flattery, so I would like to thank Newsweek writers, Evan Thomas and Suzanne Smalley for jacking an angle in their article about race, class and Harvard University. As you see, in my article's title, "A Tale of Two Black Cities" is very similar to "A tale of drugs, murder and race". And it is front page on the site.

Daag, this is reminiscent of when LA Times Reporters and BBC Reporters would call me up as I crammed five to seven stories in one week on shit they would not cover, but wanted my insight. Only to crank out their version of my story. Hah!

Thanks for the flattery, but I pass.

Too Black and Not Black Enough, Classism and the Untold Tale of Two Black Cities

Yesterday, charges were dropped against Harvard professor and W.E.B. DuBois Institute director, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. who was arrested for disorderly conduct when he complained about the actions of Cambridge, Mass. law enforcement for obvious racial profiling activities. Just back from working on a documentary in China, Gates was identified as a possible suspect when an officer passing by his residence noticed the lauded African-American scholar and his driver attempting to unhinge a jammed front door.

After the “misunderstanding” was somewhat cleared up, an upset Gates expressed his disappointment, which led to him being taken into custody. Resultantly, the Harvard community was in an uproar once word of the incident spread. The “liberal” reputation that the small enclave of Harvard Square happily touted was now receiving a downpour of what some saw as undeserved criticism.

The Gates case has added to the blatant events of racism that are reawakening the grave race issue in America. This dialogue is shadowing the era of Obama where a cry of a post-racial conscious had been celebrated by many idealists, but seen as a dangerous delusion by those who knew better to jump too soon.

However, there is a troubling fissure in this dialogue and debate. Another serious issue that is being swept under the rug is class issues in the African-American community.

Several months ago, a burgeoning female scholar by the name of Chanequa Campbell, who hails from Brooklyn, NY, was kicked out of her campus dormitory and not allowed to graduate for her association to a murder suspect. More specifically, she was the friend of the suspect’s girlfriend. The confusing part of this case is that while Campbell was banned and not allowed to graduate, the suspect’s girlfriend, Brittany Smith did graduate and is allowed on campus grounds.


Campbell, who says she is from a poor family and was not part of the black elite student circle, has pointed out that it is because of her socio-economic status that she was treated in such a way, and without the support of black Harvard students or faculty. The silence of black Harvard in the case of Campbell drastically contrasting the racket made in support of Gates illuminates the serious class issues that have caused serious boiling points in the African-American community.

Gates is an established historian known most recently for his documentary, “African American Lives,” a series that connects noted African-Americans back to their complex lineages such as Oprah Winfrey, Tina Turner, and Morgan Freeman. He is at the zenith of his career. He has achieved what many scholars dream.

On the other hand, Chanequa Campbell was at the beginning of her academic journey. She too has been praised for her academic success, but since her dismissal, her whole life trajectory is questionable. At a time when Campbell needed the utmost guidance and support from black Harvard faculty and peers, she was quietly disregarded, suggesting that her less-than-desirable background would possibly mar the reputation of blacks on campus.

Though many do not like to acknowledge the classism in African-American communities, it is prevalent throughout the group. It is a hideous historical social construct that is determined by more than wealth, but also skin color and hair texture (espcially for women), education level, and sadly how distant is one’s slave lineage.

Ironically, Gates, who in his African-American heritage series repeatedly points out the “white ” blood in him, so much so, that he smiles in delight when a DNA scientist tells him that he has more white blood than black, is nothing but black when the police come. Yet he is not “too” black to be rallied and insulated by the black and white Harvard community. Yet Campbell, with her Brooklyn roots, who is a darker, young woman with blatant West African features, is too black, even for black Harvard.

Like in the days of DuBois, who was proud of his European ancestry (Dutch and French) and his Massachusetts roots from a community of free people of color who were educated and reasonably prosperous; his pedigree, which also included his physical characteristics, were perfect for the black elite of that time. DuBois’ elitist ideology was so heavy a belief that he campaigned for blacks to support his vision of the “Talented Tenth” or a group of black intelligentsia that would further the black race and lead the rest of the group. This idea was heavily contested by other thinkers and black activists of the time, but the idea and practice of an insulated, crème de la crème, black circle still remains.

It is not surprising that Gates’ (or should I say gatekeeper's) name has been saved, and in some eyes, has been elevated, while someone like Campbell, who could’ve been the next Gates or Oprah, or perhaps furthered his work, is now forgotten.

****RETRACTION*****When I wrote this article, I pulled a write up from the NY Post that said in a May 25, 2009 report, Brittany Smith was not barred from campus. However, in a Newsweek report I saw yesterday, Smith was not allowed to graduate like Campbell.

A Nigger with a PhD

Malcolm X’s words speak from the grave when he asked an audience about 40 years ago, “What does the white man call a black man with a PhD? A nigger with a PhD.” This is quite true with the recent arrest of Harvard Scholar and African-American historian, Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was thought to have been breaking into his Cambridge, Mass. house by local police enforcement.

Gates was not arrested for breaking and entering, but was detained with the charge of disorderly conduct for allegedly shouting at an officer and following him outside with more verbal complaints after he had to prove that he was indeed the resident of the house he was entering. Can you believe it, the man who was hooting and hollering about the amount of white blood he had in his family was seen as a negaro?!

Fresh from a trip in China where he was taping a PBS documentary, Gates had every right to be furious. As he and his driver (a black man as well) pushed his jammed front door, automatically, his activities pegged him as a suspect before a homeowner.

A man, who has dedicated his whole life to reconnecting the forgotten members of African tribes to their roots and complex lineages, is now as criminalized as every other black man in the United States, including Barack Obama.

There is an ugliness about black brotherhood in America. It is an insidious open secret that every black man knows and understands. He is the face of the criminal, before anything else, and especially before being seen as a symbol of humanity.

In every black man’s life, he has engaged in a conversation about how someone he knew was harassed by the police, or he himself was the subject of harassment. It is an embarrassing and dehumanizing fact that black men attempt to soothe each other in the throes of explaining a commonsense survival experience that no other man in America can ever understand.

This incident incites a question I have been asking since Obama’s election, and since the official announcement of a depression. Why are racial incidents increasing in the era of post-race?

Gates’ arrest is the epitome of an American society that is created on a false consciousness called “Whiteness,” an idea that being white and the belief system of a certain white person is not just superior, but the only accepted standard. In this ideology of “Whiteness” it is manifested by everyone. What I mean by that is, "Whiteness" cannot be maintained by just white folk, but is a social construction that people of color help perpetuate, and sometimes perpetuate it the best. It is the idea that a machine can keep going as long as you replace the parts that know how to keep it running, regardless of what brand or factory they were manufactured. If they fit and can do the job then the machine continues to run.

In the case of the Harvard scholar, the fact that Gates was a suspect before a resident is part of a slave code that evolved into a black code, which then transformed into Jim Crow, and is now a foundation of institutional racism, or “Whiteness”. This new code is part of an old consciousness that Black Bucks are dangerous and not to be trusted, even with a goddamn degree and all.

Man, Maniac or Manning-Up! Chris Brown Apologizes to Rihanna and the World

Today, Chris Brown did on television what most men would not do in private or even if they had a court order. He apologized AND accepted full responsibility for his actions. I hate the term "man-up" but in the American definition of manhood, C.B. stepped up to the plate. And you know what, it took a teenager (or someone just out of his teens), to teach a lesson of growth and humility to a lot of these overgrown (and old ass) closeted and very public domestic abusers.

In a society where celebrities are casually dismissed by the public, it was very interesting the way that C.B. was depicted by news. It was as if this serious stain on his human growth was a circus show and a platform where all could spit upon him and not serious look at the whole situation, especially, Rihanna's participation in an abusive relationship. Feminist organizations were in an uproar at what he did to RiRi, as they should've been, BUT there sudden burst of energy around this topic troubled me deeply!

If these organizations were soooo concerned with RiRi, where were have they been before with all of these other cases of black women in domestic violence?

In case you did not know, according to the American Bar Association: The number one killer of African-American women ages 15 to 34 is homicide at the hands of a current or former intimate partner. And now I hear the crickets.

I take issue with people and organizations that take advantage of unfortunate incidents and use it to blast their agendas with no real concern with the individuals.

As a result, brothers who have the potential to redeem themselves, like Chris Brown, are not able to be nurtured and taught healthy relationship behaviors and attitudes. Instead, C.B. was vilified, and on some notes, the hood rejection of the media’s biased coverage has glorified his actions. Consequentially, the black community and ALL of America's domestic violence issues (oh, lets not forget the violent legacy of slavery as a serious domestic violence issue) are not seriously worked through. As a result, women's bodies and lives are regarded as fodder for the course.

Furthermore, the extreme violence that the music industry promotes, enforces, and frankly narrowly pushes in “urban” markets is something that many organizations have not connected to this incident. C.B. who sings love ballads gets bashed more rappers and their songs that talk about violence and sexually violence acts such as “beating” a woman’s insides (womb) as a form of sexual gratification. This is the classic ape shit that blows me sometimes.

Lastly, it fucks me up that the media's coverage of RiRi’s “recovery” or rebound from the incident has her partying in New York, tattooing someone in a parlor, getting pissy-ass drunk in a club, smooching on some dread in Barbados, or hugged up with her girlfriend/assistant, oh yeah, and the new do, and in all the photos she is looking flawless and fearless with top-of-the-line fashion.

What type of message does that send to women and young girls in the similar serious process of healing? Buy some Prada and the shit will go away? Come on!

And if that is not enough, the press has given so many passes to other celebs for the same ill-reputed actions. To me, the real reason for the C.B. bashing was that Rihanna is such a money bag$ to the industry, her investors were fiery, red hot when she could not perform. And the fact that her relationship would mess up their investments before she cashed in were simply too costly. You know what I mean, all of her plastic surgery, clothes, jewelry, hair, shoes, private flights, and body guards has to be paid back 100 fold before they will dismiss her. Ask Michael Jackson...oh shit, he's dead.

The fact is, Rihanna keeps many punk-ass executives in Hollywood afloat and paid very well. These industry types were thinking, “Rihanna is much more of a commodity than that Virgina-country as coon, Chris Brown.” Ask Jay-Z, he’ll confirm this.

So, today, I salute Chris Brown for his courage. I really wish him well on his growth, but if he ever tries that again, he needs a good ass-beat down.

BTW
Here is a quick list of left hookers: Christian Bale (star of Batman) can hit his mother; Don Cornelius can smack the shit out of his vanilla candy, Robert Van Winkle (aka Vanilla Ice) can put the smack down on his spouse, Alan Panettiere (“Heroes” Hayden Panettiere’s father), Marty Crandal (Keyboard player for Shinns) can whoop on his girlfriend leaving bruises on her body, Amy Winehouse, Shannon Price (Gary Coleman’s wife), and Bishop Thomas Weaks for literally stomping fellow minister, Juanita Bynum. Blog on...EcoSi

Things to Do: Harlem Book Fair 2009

As much money as I give to Barnes & Nobles and Borders, it is time for me to find one good book and give the money directly to the author. Although I almost sold my book at the 2006 Harlem Book Fair (I was there, but the publisher did not have the books...long story), I cannot speak much about it. It was the rainy weather and the drama with the book, plus the vending tables were screwed up. However, I recommend this event.

This reminds me of the summers, my mother would take us to the library and we would get books to read. To this day, I am ususally strapped with something to read and can read a 300 page book in 24 hours. Oh well, let us see what we can find. See you there.

The 10th
HARLEM BOOK FAIR
Anniversary Celebration & Gala
Harlem, New York
in association with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Events from July 18 - 20, 2008
West 135th Street from Malcolm X Blvd. to Frederick Douglass Blvd.

Here are my panel picks...
SATURDAY, JULY 19
SCHOMBURG CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE
LANGSTON HUGHES AUDITORIUM
515 Malcolm X Blvd., corner of West 135th Street

11:15a - 12:30p 40 YEARS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLISHING
Moderator: Max Rodriguez (QBR The Black Book Review)
Panelists: W. Paul Coates (Black Classic Press); Kassahun Checole (Africa World Press); Cheryl Willis Hudson and Wade Hudson (Just Us Books); Tony Rose (Amber Books)
Long before the advent and success of contemporary urban-based writers, these publishers nurtured and primed the African American reader to the multi-million dollar market that it is today. They will discuss their histories, their vision for the reader market, and what they must do to thrive within a quickly evolving publishing and generational revolution.

2:15p - 3:15p BEVERLEY MANLEY: LIFE WITH MICHAEL MANLEY(The Manley Memoirs)
Interviewer: Cliff Hughes (Commentator, Nationwide Radio, Jamaica WI) with Beverley Manley As a young girl, starved of her mother's love because she was darker than her siblings, and forced to do housework while her sisters relaxed, Beverley was a modern-day Cinderella. Told incessantly that she was good for nothing, she defied her mother's prophecy by becoming a household name in local radio, television, and on stage. It was her path at the then Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation that lead her to Michael Manley and to the Jamaica House. Marriage to Michael also leads to her political awakening. Not content with being the docile wife, Beverley assumed an activist role in the governing Peoples National Party (PNP), becoming embroiled in the ideological politics of the 1970s that would eventually lead to her estrangement from Michael, the destruction of their marriage, her flight into the arms of a rival lover and finally to a self-imposed exile in the US, where she took refuge from the ire of the Jamaican elite for daring to walk out on one of their own.

4:45p - 6:00p FROM THE DOOR OF NO RETURN: THE BICENTENNIAL OF THE ABOLITION OF THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE TO THE U.S.
Moderator: Howard Dodson (Ideology, Identity, and Assumptions)
Panelists: Rosanne Marion Adderley (New Negroes from Africa: Slave Trade Abolition and Free African Settlement in the Nineteenth-century Caribbean); Sylviane A. Diouf (Dreams of Africa in Alabama: The Slave Ship Clotilda and the Last Africans Brought to America); David Eltis (Extending the Frontiers: Essays on the New Transatlantic Slave Trade Database); Thomas Norman DeWolf (Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Slave-Trading Dynasty in U.S. History). Although it went unnoticed, the year 2008 marks the bicentennial of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade to the United States. This American amnesia stands in stark contrast to the yearlong commemorations - costing $40 million-that took place in Great Britain in 2007 to commemorate the bicentennial of the British abolition. This missed opportunity perpetuates the general ignorance about a central aspect of American history. This panel will provide the audience with the latest scholarship on the transatlantic slave trade and its abolition, including numbers and ethnicities. It will explore the little-known illegal slave trade to the United States that continued for half a century after 1808; the re-Africanization of the Caribbean with the arrival of Africans liberated from the slave ships; and the northern involvement in the trade. This will be an extraordinary opportunity to bring to the public the latest information on and analysis of this fundamental
part of U.S. history that still has immense resonance today.

HBF FINANCIAL PAVILION
SCHOMBURG CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE
AMERICAN NEGRO THEATRE
515 Malcolm X Blvd., corner of West 135th Street
SATURDAY, JULY 19

2:00pm - 3:00pm CHANGING THE MINDSET FOR WEALTH
Edgar J. Ridley, Author and President, Edgar J. Ridley Associates
Black peoples almost uncontrollable appetite for the latest fashionable lifestyle ranks us as America's biggest consumer group. Because of our must have it now mentality, we have a negative attitude towards creating wealth for our children and ourselves. What does the future hold for a people living under such condition? Edgar J. Ridley, author of Symbolism Revisited and The Golden Apple, heads a multi disciplinary team of organizational and behavior development specialists that help corporations and governments develop more efficient operations.

4:45p - 6:00p THE LONG RISE AND HARD FALL OF BLACK RADIO
Moderator: Sabrina Lamb
Kristal Brent Zook (I See Black People: Interviews with African American Owners of Radio and Television), Sanford Moore - KISS-FM Week In Review Co-Host. Bob Law - Veteran Broadcaster, Film Producer "History of Black Radio" Black radio has long provided an unadulterated perspective of the Black American experience. Mergers, conglomerates, audience diversification and the high costs of maintenance have caused many smaller stations to fold, while other rely on exaggeration and caricature to survive – all at the expense of providing the type of critical, hard-edged analysis a community requires to stay armed and informed. This panel discusses black media’s demise and future.

1:45 - 2:30p YOU CAN'T BOX ME IN: The (R)Evolution of Spoken Word Poetry
Moderator: Jameel Adams (Harlem 1-2-5)
Panelists: Tantra (Sacred), J. Ivy (HBO Def Poetry Jam), Helena D. Lewis (Call Me Crazy), Vanessa Hidary (Culture Bandit). These acclaimed artists recognize poetry as the first element of hip-hop. They have successfully translated their poetry into new platforms of performance theatre, music, and the visual arts. These poet-visionaries discuss their art and the evolving direction of leading edge spoken word.

2:45 - 3:30p SINS OF THE FATHER: HOW FATHERS IMPACT DAUGHTERS RELATIONSHIPS
Moderated by The Flow (Marc Collins, Angelo Hunt, Roy Frank)
Panelists: Jonetta Rose Barras (Whatever Happened to Daddy's Little Girl?: The Impact of Fatherlessness on Black Women); Randy Williams (Filmmaker, Fathers and their Impact on Daughters Relationships); Grace Cornish (You Deserve Healthy Love, Sis!: The Seven Steps to Getting the Relationship You Want); June Cross (Secret Daughter: A Mixed-Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away); D. E. Brown (Fatherless). How much of a woman's relationship choices are influenced by their father? How do fathers impact daughter's definitions of womanhood, intimacy and self esteem. How many women are trying to make up for the absence, abuse or neglect of their fathers their lives, in romantic relationships risking their own authenticity and relationship success? What attitudes do fathers pass on to their daughters regarding male privilege, domination and control, and what do daughters pass on to their sons?

HBF PUBLISHING PAVILION – COUNTEE CULLEN LIBRARY (MEZZANINE)
SATURDAY, JULY 19
1:00 - 2:00pm CONTENT CONTROL PUBLISHING: THE PROS AND CONS OF Room A DIGITAL PUBLISHING (DIY)
Cost effectiveness and immediacy to market have been heralded as major advantages of do-it-yourself publishing. But there are numerous others, many of which are being emulated by majority publishes, which make DIY effective and ideal for entry into the publishing marketplace. This panel of experts explains DIY in detail and offers insider tips on capitalizing on this booming technology. This seminar is sponsored by
HBF Publishing.

2:15 - 3:30pm LOW COST/NO COST MARKETING
Room A Exclusive Seminar by Adrienne Smith, Adhere Network
We live in a progressive and technologically advanced society. Big budget marketers are reaching their customers in ways that we never would have considered years ago. Big budget marketers have just that, Big Budgets! How do you compete when you don't have the budget? You go back to the basics. This presentation will provide affordable concepts to business owners who are interested in promoting their business on a restricted budget. This seminar is sponsored by HBF Publishing.

3:45 - 5:00pm CMS TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTHORS & PUBLISHERS
Room A Exclusive Seminar by Darnell Smith, Business In The Black. This seminar will discuss how using a Content Management System-based website can help authors, journalists and writers build a powerful presence on the web to promote their work. It will introduce the value of Content Management System-based websites; advantages and disadvantages of having a member based website; how Group Level login can increase your bottom line from your internet sales; how to setup Credit Card processing for free using Paypal, 2CheckOut and others; affiliate income online and how to find high yield affiliate partners like Google's Adsense; Viral Marketing (Internet advertising, E- mail marketing, Opt-in and Opt-out laws); using CraigsList and BackPage to boost your sales early in the game; Search Engine tricks to get your website high on the search engines fast... and much, much more. This seminar is sponsored by HBF Publishing.

TMA (THURGOOD MARSHALL ACADEMY)
214 West 135th Street, corner of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.

PANEL DISCUSSIONS - SATURDAY, JULY 19
1:00 - 2:15pm HEROES AND HEROINES: The Impact of the African GYM American Romance Novel on Street Fiction
Moderator: Donna Hill (Wicked Ways)
Panelists: Gwynne Foster (Getting Some Of Her Own); Nathasha Brooks Harris (Can I Get An Amen); Sandra Kitt (Celluloid Memories); Leslie Esdaille (Better Than). This discussion will provide insight into the genre's longevity and popularity and how its basic structure has provided an "acceptable" medium to mass produce stories about African Americans, build an audience and a marketplace thus providing the platform for the current surge in black fiction. Find out why the genre has remained unshakable, how it has retained and developed its fan base and how black romances,
street fiction and commercial black fiction all tell of the black experience by reflecting the environment from which their heroes and protagonists emerge.

3:45 - 5:00pm CYPRIAN EKWENSI: JAGUA NANA and ONITSHA MARKET GYM LITERATURE
Moderator: Chudi Uwazurike(Uzo Nwanna and the Song of a Thousand Tunes) Panelists: Ernest Emenyonu (The Rise of the Igbo Novel);Kurt Thometz (Life Turns Man Up and Down); Marie Umeh (Flora Nwapa: A Pen and A Press); Olotosin Mustapha; George C. Ekwensi. Cyprian Ekwensi was a contemporary of the much-lauded writer Chinua Achebe. While Things Fall Apart received critical acclaim and government-supported approval, Jagua Nana, Ekwensi's classic street life narrative, was dismissed and even banned from being read. Onitsha Market literature, like today's street fiction, is gritty, violent, and unflattering of societal norms. This panel discusses the impact and success of Jagua Nana and the African street novel.

12:30 - 1:30pm ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN'S BOOK: ONE ON Room 303 ONE WITH THE EXPERT (PANEL DISCUSSION)
Moderator: Irene Smalls (Little Brown)
Panelists: Linda Trice (Kenya's Word); Troy Johnson (Founder of aalbc.com); Bernette Ford, Publisher ColorBridge Books; Eric Velasquez (Illustrator); Monique Hardin-Cordero (Program Director, Reach Out and Read of Greater NY) An expert panel featuring legal and marketing executives, book agents, illustrators and authors will take you through the world of producing a successful Children's book. The panel will discuss the "NEED TO KNOW" facets of how you produce and present your product for the general market as well as a detailed look into what the industry is looking for in their next best seller. This panel will also discuss a detailed overview of their job description and HOW THAT CAN HELP YOU. At the end of the discussion you'll have an opportunity to ask a question ONE-ON-ONE. This workshop is sponsored by HBF Publishing.

3:15 - 4:15pm COMIC BOOKS: WHAT'S THE STORY WITHIN THE STORY Room 319 (WORKSHOP)
Facilitator: Jerry Craft (Mamasboyz) Learn how to draw comics. What's the story behind Iron Man? What's the story behind The Hulk? Comic books and graphic novels are often the first access to reading for our youth. This workshop creates access to creative self-expression and enhances self-esteem.

3:00 - 4:00pm WRITING FOR THE YA MARKET: ONE ON ONE WITH THE Room 303 EXPERT (PANEL DISCUSSION)
Moderator: Clara Villarosa (Founder Hue-Man Bookstore)
Panelists: Rita Garcia-Williams (No Laughter Here); Jaira Placide (Fresh Girl); Dominic Carter (No Mamma’s Boy) Our children are still reading adult content; can you make a difference? If your product is creative, stimulating, identifies with the Young Adult niche market and is simply a great read this panel is for YOU! The panel will feature expert in the industry who will open the hidden chambers on how to stimulate the YA readers with age appropriate content. At the end have a chance to ask a question ONE-ON-ONE with an expert. This workshop is sponsored by HBF Publishing.

SCHOMBURG CENTER/LANGSTON HUGHES AUDITORIUM
515 Malcolm X Blvd., corner of West 135th Street
PANEL DISCUSSIONS - SUNDAY, JULY 20
The QBR Author Stage

1:00 - 2:30p FROM BARAKA TO BARAK: THE EVOLUTION OF BLACK POLITICAL THOUGHT: A Conversation with Herb Boyd and Amiri Baraka Poet, activist, elder statesman and political gadfly Amiri Baraka has seen his share of art and political movements; in fact, he is credited with sparking the Black Arts movement of the 60's. Author Herb Boyd is a critically acclaimed journalist/activist who has dedicated his life to chronicling the breadth of the black life in America. Together they discuss politics, Barak Obama, and the parting of the Red Sea.

Black Gay Leader Tells Mainstream GLBT Community to Back the F*ck Up on Obama

Yesterday, I was listening to Ed Lover's morning show in NYC. The topic was Obama and a caller phoned in expressing his disappointment with Obama over his "lax" approach with Lesbian and Gay Rights. I am paraphrasing what the caller said, but he commented that he could not understand how Obama, an African-American, could not sympathize with the GLBT or LGBT (however you want to flip it). He further said being black and gay were similar in the area of civil rights violations, and it behooved him that Obama was acting so slow on the issues.

Ed Lover flipped the hell out and smashed the notion that being black and gay are socially congruent. He said, "Being black is not being gay. When I wake up, I am black. I cannot scrub that off. Being gay is something that I don't have to broadcast. I don't have a choice being African-American."

With this said, there has been a lot of bad blood between this argument of civil rights around race and sexuality. And recently, there has been a lot of bad blood between these factions. Where I work, white feminists and members of the GLBT committee were blasting black Californians on the recent rejection of the state recognizing civil marriages. As I read these people who were totally incensed with the bogus news reports of "black homophobic" voters being responsible for the bill passing that destroyed civil unions, it was another reminder of how deeply race is embedded in every facet of this society. Regardless of who you do, or screw.

Instead of me going into detail, a poignant commentary by LZ Granderson, who responded to the criticism of Obama by mainstream GLBT spokespersons concerning civil issues around these communities.

Here's the link...blog on EcoSI
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/16/granderson.obama.gays/index.html

Resting & Celebrating my Urth Dai

Catch up with you in a minute...my soul is somewhere up there

Obama's Long Empty List to Africa

Obama, you witty young man you. I gotta give it to you for all that you have accomplished, though, I totally disagree and am frankly disappointed with your speech in Ghana that addressed the African continent's nations.

Today, I will not applaud you for being one of the few US presidents to make the mighty trek to Africa. As a son of Africa, or as you said, as having "the blood of Africa" within you, this is non-negotiable. Just like other Americans who are of Irish, British or Polish descent make the journey to their home countries if and when they have the means, as the American president, you should be an example and do the same.

I will not agree with you just because you are a black man. As you have so proficiently pointed out and provided well-noted and well-needed constructive criticism to African-Americans, I will dialogue with you as a US citizen who has deep interests in Africa and must critique the empty banter of your long-winded speech. So no, I will not pull my race card today, I will be using my Democracy card that says I am in a country where ideas are civilly discussed. Hah!

Your speech, I must say, was generally patronizing at best, and superficial at worst. As you cast the age-old reprimand of "don't blame the white folk for your problems" among people who have been governing themselves before colonialism dissected their antiquated governments, I was scratching my head at the "ho" pass you pulled. It was like you were saying, "Now, now you bitter African people, let me school you on global diplomacy. The rip in your ass does not need to addressed in today's post-colonial era."

Plus, I am not hating or bashing you, because I want you to win. Please know that. You see, if you win, we all win...I hope. Oh shit, I almost forgot that hope stuff went out the door the first hundred days when you experienced the difficulty of getting a red-neck Republican WASP to agree with you that both of you pee from the same hole.

For real though, I just want you to know that I do understand the complicated tax (pun is intended) of being a public servant. The key word is "servant" and I just want to make sure you are serving the people.

But as they say, the show must go on, so I am giving you some pointers for the next script that you should seriously study and address in earnest, because as you said, "Together, we can partner on behalf of our planet and prosperity..." So I am replacing your long, empty list with a short one that has substance. Now I must note, this is just a portion of what I need you to say, so please sharpen up your skills and please do not break a leg, your swagger is the shit.

EcoSoulIntellectual's List for President B.H.Obama.

1. Inequitable and grossly disempowering trade agreements between United States & Europe and Africa.
2. The lack of ownership of natural resources by Africans and African companies, especially farms, gold, diamonds, and other precious metals.
3. Corrupt African leadership that is bought and paid for by Western governments.
4. The large ownership of African businesses by foreign investment firms that exploit local labor.
5. The gross exploitation of multi-national non-profits such as WHO and American Red Cross that provide inferior services and goods to Africa, but make billions of dollars from grants and other funding sources.
6. The implementation of AFRICOM, the military initiative that is supposed to provide "diplomatic" support to conflicts in Africa, but has not dealt with decades-long conflicts in Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nigeria and other places.
7. The large sex tourism trade that services mostly white American and European males.
8. The sexual exploitation of disenfranchised and poor African immigrants in Europe's porn industry that has created a porn genre called "African Porn" where men and women are paid to copulate with animals and endure excrutiating pain by engaging in high-risk sexual acts.
9. The non-GMO food and the funky ass seeds that sterilze land and can only yield one season of crops that are shoved down the throats of local farmers.
10. The protection of women and children against civil wars that are funded with Israeli, Chinese, American, and European resources.
11. Better immigration policies for all of Africa and not just select countries where America strips places like Ghana and Nigeria of doctors, lawyers, and other professionals that have caused a brain drain in promising nations.
12. Serious disruption of oil companies that have contributed to the internal disorder in Nigeria; and has created an petro-elite that shits on the "have-nots".
13. The dismantling of modern-day plantations that harvest cocoa, coffee, palm oil and other natural resources that the workers are not allowed to sell or make profit from to supplement their lower-than-living-wages earnings.
14. One more thing, exposing and eradicating the blackwater-style tactics funded by Barrick Gold Corp, a Canada-based corporation with George H. Bush as senior advisor, that funds military invasions in Zaire for gold-grabbing operations.

Okay Barry, oops, I mean Barack, you're in Africa now, this is just the beginning, but I'll be back. Blong on, kns

Goddess Files: The Original Juk

Here I am on a Sunday morning re-activating my Goddess by taking a fat burning belly dance class. It was good because I sweated my tail off, but I needed some more funk.

So I switched to some Soukous Dancing videos. Soukous is a music and dance from the Congo that is a mixture of African traditional music, with some Cuban & Haitian, and South American Rhythms. It is an upbeat tempo that was named after dances of peoples in the Congo, as well as some indigenous nations in Tanzania and Kenya. The dance centers around hip movement and is an excellent dance for women who suffer from fibroids, endometriocis, back problems, and issues with getting pregnant. The 15-minute songs that invoke you to move your hips in intricate circular rhythms works the center or core of your body. This is an excellent supplementary to Bellydancing and burns fat faster, especially around the mid-section.

I came across these videos and though I liked them I thought is was very interesting how lighter-skinned African women are featured in the videos. Not hating on the sisters, but for every light-skinned sister, there are thousands of brown-skinned hues. This disporportionate represenation is a rapidly growing trend in African videos and film, and there is an element of Black Hollywood-ism of the light, bright BS that reverberates throughout movies in the US that have definitely played a part in how contemporary global black media produces their material. Also, the European aesthetic that is repeatedly played in mainstream and celebrated by bourgeois and elite Africans, has also ripped black female self-esteem up in some areas. Just look at the First Lady of Cameroon, Chantal Biya, who looks like a Drag Queen version of Beyonce.
As well, some of these videos had me saying, "hmm-hmm-hmm" because I thought I just stepped into the African-hood version of a Luke show. Though I know that we as black women are so goddamned sexually repressed and oppressed that we do not have a healthy space to explore and express our sexuality, the videos were interesting. However, I ain't hating, I winin' and grindin' on the other side participating. Just something to look at.

I AM the Black Dot in the WATER that is Pissing in a Philly Pool

(PHOTO CAPTION: In 2004, Maritza Correia is the only African-American woman to qualify for the US Olympic Swim Team)
It was the early 80s and I just finished winning a 50 meter freestyle race somewhere in the Valley, right outside of Los Angeles. I was the only black in the event and one of the few blacks there. My older brother and sister made it to these finals for LA County's aquatic summer swimming program. As I was rounding the corner, a group of white girls who I just beat came up to me. The leader of the hyena pack said, "My daddy told me to tell you that you are a nigger." Appalled, hurt, and upset, I ran to my parents and told my father what happened. He told me to run back and tell them, "You ain't nuthin' but a peckerwood, cracker."

Oh no, my father does not believe in the non-reactive Civil Rights approach found in the black swimmers' movie "Pride". That was the typical MLK "turn-the-other-cheek" song and dance that we did not boogie to. So when I saw that girl, I let her have it, and of course, a couple of choice words I had picked up from my father as well. Then, I won another event and went on to become a lifeguard for 10 years.

Racism in the swimming pool and at swimming areas still goes on as we can see in the latest contempo-segregation at a Philadelphia pool where 60 black and Latino kids were turned away. Unfortunately, this is a norm that white America likes to avoid. That for the most part, there is an inner anxiety in intimate settings with darker hued folk.

Black people do not swim as much in this new world, not because they don't want to. For the most part, many of us did not have access to pools. Also, I argue that blacks, in particular, in the US, have not dealt with the spiritual pain of the Atlantic waters, or the sea. Plus, black women are so imprisoned by their hair care regime that the pool was never an option for many black women.

In spite of the aquatic segregation that was fought in the 1960s with "wade-ins", we are lovers of the water, best believe. My mama told me that one of her older brothers used to dive in the bayous in Louisiana to pull out the bodies that drowned in the waters. Talk about having Jacques Cousteau beat!

On a serious note, aquatic recreation has dried up in many communities of color, and like the long list of things we have not fought for, nor have funded---efficient and clean public pools are one of them.

Here is a little list of stories of inkwells (black swim areas) that were either removed, or set up to segregate black communities. Click on them to read a link about their histories.
(PHOTO: Black Inkwell in Santa Monica)

Martha Vineyard's Black Inkwell

Santa Monica, CA's Inkwell Beach

Racial Division in Chicago Public Beaches

Carr's Beach in Annapolis

Sparrow's Beach in Annapolis

Atlantic Beach in South Carolina

Segregation in Cape May, NJ

Gulf Coast Segregation

This reminds me about a documentary about Black Surfers called "Whitewash" that is being showed in Harlem next Thursday at an amphithetre by Marcus Garvey Park. The music score is by The Roots and Erykah Badu. A surfer girl who is land-locked. I will be there doing my AquaBoogie, yep, yep. Here is a trailer of the documentary.



However, I would like to the know the address of this recreational facility so I can piss in the waters and perhaps donate a Baby Ruth candy bar.

The Official D.O.A.

So here I was perusing through the airwaves trying to find something to do for the weekend and I came across this profilic response to the current recording industry. A song called "Robot" by KRS-One and Buckshot (aka Buckshot Shorty from Boot Camp Clik). This song does what Jay Z's mainstream response "D.O.A." could not, drop atom bomb seeds. Now don't get me wrong, "D.O.A" or death of the autotune is cool because the instrumentation absolutely kills on the album. Plus, I must admit, Jay worked his swagger in terms of delivery, but lyrically, nope, naw, nyet, not happening. How many times can Jay say "unh" to use up four bars on a track. Dammit, if we could put Jay Z's intstrumentation with KRS's shit and spruce up Buckshot a little more. Killing it! OMG. Anyway, check this out. Blog on

The 40 Million Dollar Slave Who Did Not Know His Worth

All the major US news sources have already reported about the murder of NFL star quarterback, Steve McNair by his mistress, Sahel Kazemi. A Dave and Buster’s (come on dude) employee who is of Iranian descent, Kazemi was not old enough to legally drink, but was caught up in a DUI, just days before she shot her lover four times.

The story is the same lover’s quarrels we have heard for years. Married famou$ guy meets broke-down bitty and lies to her about his marital circumstance or she goes with the flow. Promises of divorce are never met then the bitty gets indignant and down-right sassy due to false feelings of entitlement. The break up is ugly, and perhaps deadly.

One of the things that is interesting in the coverage of this event is some of the terms that have been used. For example, the condo that McNair and Kazemi were found was as a “bloody love nest” by NY Times. This conjures up the Buck and Sally stereotypes of wild and feral animal copulation by a typical black male who had no control over his “dumaflitchie”.

Then there is the “crazy” mistress, a typical dismissal of Kazemi as a mentally unstable chick who was a low-bred Sand Nigger without morals or marbles to hold a good side-piece relationship down.

The whole coverage smells like “two niggers who just fucked and loved too hard” so lets cover this and get on with it.

Out of all of it, there is few mentioning of his family life, something that balances the depiction of his affair. Why can white men go out respectably when they do things like uh, rent some prostitutes, spend government money to travel out of the country for international snatch. Or my favorite, in Brazil, when some white men were on trial for sleeping with 12-to-14-year old girls, their defense was that they thought that age was alright in Brazilian culture for females to engage in sex with nasty, old as men such as themselves.

Anyway, the tragedy of all of this is the final records of a legacy that McNair leaves behind. At the end of an impressive career his story is marred by this unforgettable stain thus throwing him into a pile of historical rubbish. His actions are warranting him history-less in the eyes of those who made so much money off of his genius.

Now McNair’s wife, Mechelle, is totally distraught over the loss, as Steve leaves behind four boys that have to be told why their daddy is dead.

Wow, what a tragedy to go out like that---over a lover’s spat or secretive affair. But it goes to show you, brothers have not learned from Al Green. Nowadays the grits are not effective, but a bullet seems to be proficient.

On a serious note, McNair’s end and the consistent list of black athletes who are being found at the end of a gun, a conviction, a down-low scandal, a nasty brawl, or an OJ case, solidly proves that majority of them can be categorized as “40 Million Dollar Slaves.”

A book and term used by William C. Rhodes, he argues that the black male athlete of today has garnered a plethora of wealth (comparatively speaking) without any social and even personal progress; and a large amount of prosperity without personal or collective freedom for the communities that reared him. This raises the question of why are black athletes reared to be physical power-horses and not intellectual, social, economic, or spiritual powerhouses? They are trained to be brutes to make money for an establishment that values them as long as they are bringing in multi-million dollar fan support. Then, after they are worn and tired, they are left for the dogs.

Have you ever seen a recruiting day for the NFL? Guys are weighed, their body fat and muscle are closely observed, and they are asked to do physical feats such as lift weight s in their underwear, and sprint. Does this sound familiar to you? To me it does, it is called an auction block, and McNair was an old beat up slave.

McNair was a brother who was cultivated in the heart of Mississippi, the cornerstone of where many brothers have fallen due to the insidiousness of social injustice; however, it was his weaknesses for a young, damn-near underage waitress (come on) and undisciplined character off the football field that got him seriously caught up. Damn, we are still operating like breeders on the plantation.

Blog on EcoSoI

Memorial Update Play-by-Play, Pt. 3

Warning, this is something that women at the church say in the pew...some of it is politically incorrect, but I gotta give it real.

Jermaine sang, yeah, yeah, yeah, next. T'aint nuthin like his brother. Oh yes, the The Kings have arrived, as in the children of MLK. Bernice King, who is an eloquent speaker indeed shared a story about how MJ spoke to her mother, Coretta, before she passed, saying that he was praying daily for her health. This is the humanity that we never got to see. Now Sheila Jackson Lee, good speech, but typical politico verse. Please don't ask me how I know. Usher, or should I say Ursher does a decent ballad with extras by going to the coffin and going to the family. Extras, I sense a show for his career. Smokey Robinson gives a candid and loving narrative. Okay, now here is a little boy doing a rendition of MJ's who is loving you. The crowd goes wild, t'aint the soul of MJ, no blues in it. Oh he's a Black Brit named Shaheem. They are about to swoop him up and do the Hollywood 1-2 step. Okay y'all I might be able to do one more, but I gotta go soon...oh, I think its over. That's it! Wow, a little flat. Party on the street! holla and blog on...kns

Memorial Update Play-by-Play Pt. 2

Warning, this is something that women at the church say in the pew...some of it is politically incorrect, but I gotta give it real.

Jennifer Hudson, love her powerful voice and inner strength to sing at a memorial big and pregnant with her mom and folk just passing away a near while ago. She deconstructed MJ's song and took it home to church (no Snoop not you boo). Love it. She is glowing with her big pretty, pregnant self. The people around her, jackin' the praise dancers need to quite. Oh ish, Michael is talking and his poem is deep. He's talking about unconditional love & trust. His voice just sent chills. Al Sharpton is speaking. I heard this sound bite a million times before, but he has many points. T'aint nobody like Michael J. yep, yep. But I must agree Al, MJ was strange, and in order for him to do what he had to do he had to be outta the box. Okay, now I just saw Prince Michael, you know MJ's "son". Well he was smacking on some gum and just popped a big bubble. WTF, soemone smack that out of his mouth right now. Oh, next is a guitar solo, was decent, needed some stank on it though. Brooke Shields speaks of their friendship and the strains of child celebs...good stories, i guess, but it was sincere, i guess.

Memorial Update Play-by-Play Pt. 1

Warning, this is something that women at the church say in the pew...some of it is politically incorrect, but I gotta give it real.

Mariah Carey reminds us of how impeccable of a performer MJ was becasue she is sounding uggghhh right about now. Nick needs to haul her off the stage, get her some vicks, hot water and holy oil. Bless her throat...she is rusty. Latifah is in the house and looking stunning. Queen L word reads a prolific poem by Maya Angelou, yes Deaconess Maya, "we had him" and we still do have him. Lionel Richie takes it back to his Alabama roots, sang it! Barry Gordy, yawwn. Stevie Wonder, absolutely flawless. I liked what he said, "I am at peace." So am I. Kobe Bryant & Magic Johnson are sound. Pass on Kobe, but the other, other "MJ" has evolved into a distinguished brother and still keeps it real. Magic is talking about his experience with "Remember The Time" and how Michael ate Kentucky Fried Chicken. I didn't know that. The things we are hearing about our loved one shows we are all multi-dimensional.

Ancestral Homage to Michael Jackson

In the tradition of our ancestors, I start this day with a simple prayer sending Michael Joseph, son of Katherine, back to the ancestral dimensions of our foreparents. May his road be cool and his soul be healed, as he goes back to where we all came, and simultaneously his spirit still walks with us.

I will speak as much as possible during today's memorial service, so I will have a number of posts. Please, join me in this virtual ancestral ceremony by adding a collectible to his memory. I start with a photo of Michael as a baby, pure and innocent. As well, I add a candle and his favored glove.

Ase...blog on...

July 4th Alternatives

Photo: Great Serpent Mound

Near Peebles, OH (Southwest Ohio).

Every year I think of the hypocrisies of US Independence Day when it applies to African-Americans and First Nation Peoples (Native Americans). I know, I know, people moan and groan about the history, but ‘tis true, our ancestors were enslaved, and many indigenous nations had either been massacred or displaced as former British subjects celebrated freedom.

Photo: African Burial Memorial New York City

I always think of doing something different on that day, be it big or small. Personally, fireworks stopped thrilling me a long time ago, and in this economy, there are cities that are asking to be funded. I know the traditional barbecue, is a perfect family outing, but why don’t you throw a traditional dish in there that reminds you where you came from and where we came from. Why don’t we be the change that we need, instead of relying on it being dictated to us.

Here are just some of my ideas.

1. Morning prayers that recognize your ancestral lineage.
2. Visiting a Native American site.
3. Visiting a family member’s site.
4. Play some of your folks favorite songs, such as gospel, blues, African, soul.
5. Fasting half of the day.
6. Invite all your folk to your house, even the ones you can’t stand to have a day of fun and love.
7. Replace pork ribs with a healthier alternative.
8. Eat all organic foods for the barbecue.
9. Get all your ingredients from a local farmer’s market.
10. Donate to a worthy cause.
11. Read the history of the American Indian Movement
12. Brush up on the Manifesto for the Independence of Native Americans

13. Write a letter to universities and NFL teams that still use Native American images as their mascots and demand that they stop the dehumanizing practice.
14. Strike a pleasant conversation with someone you do not know.
15. Dance like there is no tomorrow.
16. Attend the Maafa Celebration in New Orleans hosted by the Ashe Cultural Center in Armstrong Park's Congo Square in New Orleans.

What We Don't Want to Say About Michael Might Save Someone's Life Tonight

The evolution of a troubled man....

Something like a prophet was Michael Jackson, yet the world ignores the obvious that is tightly interwoven into the story of his passing. There are some stories or some journalist that have touched upon MJ's internal suffering, but most tend to lean on the bogus molestation charges that were politically and financially motivated.

Truth be told, Michael was one of the most powerful people in the world at the height of his career. There have been very few that could move, educate, inspire, and challenge a planet of people with the most peaceful force of music.

For years there have been jokes about MJ's appearance evolving from a strikingly handsome young, black man, to a phenotype that resembled a ghostly, transparent androgynous person that favored a waif-like white woman. Unfortunately, in the jokes, there was a grave neglect of addressing a climate in the industry that encourages and enables destructive lifestyles.

Today as people blast MJ albums, and his records sale off the chart, thus creating a boom for the dwindling record companies, many are refusing to admit that our brother, our friend, and our pastor of soul-pop-r&B fusion was messed up. The industry can exploit one's insecurities to secure as much money from an artist is a major force that drives many folk in the industry, plum the fuck crazy. Hence the recent Blog reports have written about a Twitter episode involving southern-based rap artist Souljah Boy. The 18-year-old, Mississippi-native, now based in Atlanta vented on his Twitter, yesterday, July 1, 2009 that he was tired of the industry and tired of the people, mainly whites, who attempted to dictate his every move, consequentially diluting his music.

Of course people are describing his blast as a racist tirade---a very convenient way of not dealing with how twisted, manipulative, and blood-sucking the industry is and is controlled with a mentality that perpetuates a whiteness that even all whites cannot ascribe to. Just like MJ, Souljah Boy and the rest are wrapped in this warped existence, this ugly fight between identity, artistic growth, creative control, manipulation, and greed.

With MJ, we either dismissed him or turned a blinds' eye his unhealthy behaviors when the molestation charges scarred his legacy. Neither sides thoroughly looked at the Man who was unhappy with the "Man in the Mirror". We just shook our heads and kept it pushing, not really looking at the mental and spiritual anguish he was in, and being honest with how deep he was into his insanities. This is not saying that Michael was totally crazy, but the genius in him (like many prodigious people) was left to run amuck.

MJ's story presses the issue for the public to actively engage in changing the industry's exploitative behavior by refusing to buy mainstream and support the local, independent artists and music distribution labels who allow healthy and economically equitably working environments. This will open the door for people who reject so-called mainstream standards of aesthetics, the heavy drug & alcohol use, and all the other self-destructive living that we read about in gossip and soft news blogs.

Support our artists to be healthy, so they can produce life-sustaining work. Blog on...kns

Essence Festival Artist S.A. Walker, Designs with a Purpose

Walking into the work rooms of designer Sia Ann Walker is like stepping into a part of her essence. Every hue, textile, accessory or tool describes this artistically gifted and culturally rooted sister. The tables aredraped with elaborate Kenyan printed fabrics, flowery Hawaiian dresses, Egyptian sheer silks, tie-dyed cottons, Brazilian agates, Mexican silver, Nigerian trade beads, Native American peacock feathers and East Indian gold-platted buttons.Her shelves are aligned with domestic and imported materials that are bright and colorful. The floor is covered with boxes of cowrie shells, camel bone buttons, wooden beads and pieces of jewelry that she has been carefully cultivating. And in the corner, sits her sewing machine.

Walker's equipment may not be the latest, top of the line, state-of-art machinery, but the simple and sturdy machine has worked with her through the countless pieces of beautifully innovative designs that she bringsforth. And being that Walker is very practical and diligent in her work, she gives thanks that she is able to create with limited resources.The proof of Walker's talents hang on the clothing racks that display her latest creations. Designing clothes on the foundation of the purest form of expression, her designs resemble a Basquiat painting rather than simple fashion wear.

This year she will be featured for the fifth time at the Essence Festival, and just like the previous years, she brings fashion artwork that is profoundly constructed and ingenious. I was floored and did a double-take when I passed her booth in 2005 and had to talk to Walker about her clothes and jewelry that were being bought by the half-dozen. I walked away with a dress that was a jean-skirt bustier with a quilt-like skirt. Her work surpasses the every-day predictable runway lines. It is, as Kanye professes, amazing.

Walker explains, "I don't consider my clothes as fashion. They are pieces of artwork to me because they are all original expressions of who I am, what I see and the daily trials and tribulations that I go through to be true to my spirit. My designs represent my life. They are reflections of my life and I know they are reflections of divine light."

Though the Fort Pierce, Fla. native uses a humble approach to design dynamic pieces ensembles which encompass her clothing line, "Soul Interprets Art, Goddess in Motion," the attention that she is beginning to attract points to the direction of her deep-seated commitment to dig up bits of heritage to interweave into the clothes and jewelry she creates.

Walker's is so culturally grounded that there is no doubt that she is destined to rock the world of fashion and beauty.The way she connects with the clothing is apparent in her designs which range from patterns adorned with African cultural symbols and other indigenous traditions to eclectic and bold styles that accentuate the manyshapes and sizes of her customers. The clothes literally speak for themselves.

"I've heard sisters tell me that my clothing has been healing and that's what I want to do," says Walker who is also known as Ms. Sia. "I am about healing, especially when it comes to the nociperception of beauty that have been placed upon us and the false standards of aesthetics we have been perpetuating."

She added, "Sisters also tell me that my clothes feminize them and allow them to see their natural beauty in clothes that speak to their spirit and their culture. We can be sensual, beautiful, natural and cultural with what we wear. And I feel that's one of the things we need to do--move closer to loving the way we came into this world."

Discovering that she could sew at the tender age of 10, Walker rarely uses patterns or standard methods of sewing. Trained by intuition and guidance (which Walker credits as coming from her mama, ancestors and God), the designer knows the fashion industry very well."In the fashion industry, everything comes back around about every 20 years. Like I can tell you what will be hot the next season and people will be like whatever, but it will be hot. My designs, my pieces are not createdto be trendy or to cater to the trend that is out. My artwork is original and customized."

Walker continued, "I don't have a television in my house and once in a while I pick up a fashion magazine. My ideas don't come from the influence of a man or woman, or the industry. I must say that my inspiration comes from the Most High. I can walk into a fabric store or a thrift store and be on my way out and something tells me to go back inside. And throughout all that clothing, a fabric catches my eye ... squinting and all without my glasses, I walk straight to a fabric."

For the last 20 years, Walker has been developing her creative sewing skills in Northern Florida. She started selling reworked vintage clothes at her alma mater, Florida A&M in the 80s & 90s. She was so successful that Walker began to add her own pieces to her selections and turned her apartment into a mini-boutique. With her designs appearing in numerous fashion shows in the South, she is known to steal the show on and off the runways.Now ready to broaden her clientele to a national, possibly international, market, Walker is no longer going to be one of the Southeast's best-kept secrets.

"I feel it's my time to step up to the plate and share my creations ... a part of me through my designs. My clothes are not expensive. I'm not trying to make people pay exorbitant amounts of money to wear my clothes. I'm not trying to pimp or get over. To me that's ridiculous and insensitive to the economic situations that we are in when designers charge these high prices. We have people living in the projects wanting some of our work and I'm not going to make them pay $500 for a shirt. All I ask is for my customers to pay for my work, nothing more, and definitely not anything less."

Although Walker balances being a full-time teacher, pursuing a master's in education and rearing her six-year-old daughter, Niani, she still taps into her energy to manifest dynamic pieces of artwork in cloth." My clothes are created to make people feel good and for me to feel good because it is an extension of myself--a part of my soul that I am sharing."

For more information on Goddess in Motion by Sia Ann Walker, call (850) 284-8505 or look her up on Facebook or myspace.com/soulinterpretsart.