‘The Greatest Threat’
‘The Greatest Threat’: New book by political prisoner Marshall ‘Eddie’ Conway
by Marshall ‘Eddie’ Conway
Eddie Conway
June 23, 2010
Michelle Alexander’s ‘The New Jim Crow
Michelle Alexander’s ‘The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness’
Review by Lenore Jean Daniels, Ph.D.
“This book is not for everyone. I have a specific audience in mind – people who care deeply about racial justice but who, for any number of reasons, do not yet appreciate the magnitude of the crisis faced by communities of color as a result of mass incarceration.” – Michelle Alexander in the preface to “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness”
Cover design by Jamaal Bell
On Aug. 3, 1980, in Philadelphia, Mississippi, the U.S. government officially declared war against Black people residing in its borders. Long live the Southern strategy! Sniper shots and dynamite blasts had efficiently terrorized these people into abject numbness. A pogrom could do the trick! Troops, weaponry, ammunition! Call it the War on Drugs. And the beauty of the pogrom – the American public wouldn’t notice the war underway right on its homeland!
Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” (published by The New Press, 2010) looks at the invisible people and the invisible birdcage that keeps the masses of Black people locked in and alienated from society – the targets of the War on Drugs. She asks questions: How could a government wage a war to practice genocide against Black people after the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights bill – after everyone recognized the hatred of a Bull Connors and a KKK pogrom? How could a government conciliatory to civil rights leaders be accused of engaging in war against the same people the government agreed to protect against discrimination? How are we to understand and confront a racial caste system in the age of colorblindness?
November 23, 2009
DREAD AND ALIVE, A GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES
RBA Publishing Inc
775-337-8344
11-23-09
DREAD AND ALIVE, A GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES PUBLISHED IN THE INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER, THE REGGAE E-GUIDE, RECEIVES RAVE REVIEWS WITH FIRST EPISODE
RBA Publishing is pleased to announce the first installment of Nicholas Da Silva’s graphic novel series: Dread and Alive, featuring Drew McIntosh, Jamaican Super Hero. One episode will appear each week in the Reggae e-Guide, the weekly electronic newsletter published by Reggae Festival Guide magazine, the world’s oldest and largest reggae magazine.
The Reggae e-Guide is sent out each Friday morning and enjoyed by 25,000 reggae fans around the world. The episodes are accompanied by amazing original artwork that can be viewed at http://www.dreadandalive.com
The first episode appeared in the e-Guide on November 20 and caught the attention of Jamaican Gleaner reggae aficionado, Howard Campbell as well as various reggae journalists and DJ’s around the globe.
THE STORY
Andrew “Drew” McIntosh is an anthropologist and adventurer. Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in the Cockpit Country, he is a descendant of the Jamaican Maroons. Drew possesses a sacred amulet with untold power. Given to him by Cudjoe, the wise and benevolent village chief of the Maroons. Drew has sworn an oath to guard and protect the amulet from his nemesis, the nefarious ShadowCatcher, a powerful Obeahman mastered in the dark arts of Obeah who just happens to be Cudjoe’s brother.
Drew and his girlfriend, Zoologist, Brandy Savage, traverse the planet working to protect the rights of all living things - humans, animals, and the Earth, from the evils of the world.
THE AUTHOR
Author Nicholas Da Silva was born in 1966 to Philip & Aparecida Taylor. Spending his early years in Brasil with his first language being Portuguese, Nicholas attributes his ambition and drive in writing a multicultural story to his own multicultural upbringing. His father, who was African-American with mixed Indian and Dutch heritage, introduced him to the world and travel through his job with the Corps of Engineers; his mother, a native of Sao Paulo, Brasil.
In his early teens, Nicholas was an avid reader of science fiction books. He soon became disappointed in the lack of positive multicultural superheroes and fictional characters in American literature. Coming from a diverse background, he made a promise to change all that by mixing cultural fact with fiction. The result was the publication of DREAD & ALIVE®: In the Beginning in 1997. This original short-story series featured an immigrant hero from Jamaica and effectively utilized folklore and folk symbols while promoting pride in Jamaican culture.
Overwhelmed by the positive response, he followed up the successful pilot edition with the sequel, a full-length novel entitled DREAD & ALIVE®: Night of the Animals.
Today, Nicholas operates ZOOLOOK, his design studio/new media agency where he develops entertainment properties that promote a multicultural experience. Nicholas Da Silva also volunteers his time by visitings schools to speak with kids. He feels that by sharing his knowledge and experiences, he can inspire the next generation of adults to have a positive outlook on life. When he's not in the studio, you can find Nicholas Da Silva, an avid snowboarder, traveling around the world, looking for the perfect snow. He also enjoys sampling cuisine from around the world and traveling abroad.
http://www.dreadandalive.com
ABOUT RBA PUBLISHING
RBA Publishing Inc, is entering its 16th year with the world’s foremost reggae publications.
Launched in the summer of 2009 was the newest addition to RBA’s media platforms: the new iPhone application called Reggae Guide. It is the world’s first reggae-specific application. Dread and Alive will also appear on the iphone app each week in the news section. Reggae Guide for iPhone currently reaches 11,000 subscribers.
For more information on RBA Publishing's reggae media products, or to subscribe to the free e-Guide visit www.reggaefestivalguide.com or call 775/337-8344.
October 07, 2009
RZA "The Tao of Wu"
RZA Of The Wu Presents; "The Tao O Wu"
A unique book of wisdom and experience that reaches from the most violent slums of New York City to the highest planes of spiritual thought by the RZA, hip-hop's most exalted wise man.
The Tao of Wu
"RZA is a towering artist and deep thinker who has much to teach us. I salute his courageous vision and compassionate witness-as manifest in this book and his life!"
-Cornel West
"I congratulate the world for this beautiful gift, wisdom from the life and travels of RZA, wisdom I truly believe draws from the deepest pools of human thought and spirit...When a wise monk passes away, the monastery builds a pagoda in his memory. Some pagodas get one floor, some get two or three. But if the man was known as the wisest and most enlightened of all monks, his pagoda gets seven. I believe the seven pillars of wisdom in this book are like the seven floors of an exalted monk's pagoda. They represent the wisdom, knowledge, and enlightenment of a soul that has never stopped training, never stopped learning."
-Sifu Shi Yan Ming, thirty-fourth generation Shaolin Temple warrior monk
A unique book of wisdom and experience that reaches from the most violent slums of New York City to the highest planes of spiritual thought by the RZA, hip-hop's most exalted wise man.
The RZA, the Abbot of the Wu-Tang Clan and hip-hop culture's most dynamic genius, imparts the lessons he's learned on the journey that's taken him from the Staten Island projects to international superstar, all along the way a devout student of knowledge in every form he's found it-on the streets, in religion, in martial arts, in chess, in popular culture. Part chronicle of an extraordinary life and part spiritual and philosophical discourse, The Tao of Wu is a nonfiction Siddhartha for the hip-hop generation -an engaging, seeking book that will enlighten, entertain, and inspire.
The legions of Wu-Tang fans are accustomed to this heady mix-their obsession with the band's puzzlelike lyrics and elaborate mythology has propelled the group through fifteen years of dazzling, multiplatform success. In his 2005 bestseller The Wu-Tang Manual, the RZA provided the barest glimpse of how that mythology worked. In The Tao of Wu, he takes us deep inside the complex sense of wisdom and spirituality that has been at the core of his commercial and creative success.
The book is built around major moments in the RZA's life when he was faced with a dramatic turning point, either bad (a potential prison sentence) or good (a record deal that could pull his family out of poverty), and the lessons he took from each experience. His points of view are always surprising and provocative, and reveal a profound, genuine, and abiding wisdom-consistently tempered with humor and peppered with unique, colloquial phraseology. It is a spiritual memoir as the world has never seen before, and will never see again.
The RZA is most famous as the founder and leader of the Wu-Tang Clan, the platinum-selling hip-hop group that is widely considered one of the most important of all time, and has also spanned multiplatinum solo careers for many of its members, including RZA. Originally from Staten Island, he is currently based in Los Angeles, where he has continued his music career while successfully branching out into lecturing, television, and film.
June 05, 2009
Be a Father to Your Child
May 03, 2009
Genetic Roulette
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“When I worked at Monsanto, I warned both scientists and executives that our GM foods may cause disease, but no one was even willing to listen, let alone investigate the unpredicted side effects. For them, it was all about profit. Now our whole population is threatened by the serious dangers described in Genetic Roulette.”
—Kirk J. Azevedo, DC
“Congratulations, Jeffrey Smith, for your courage. Thanks to your tireless investigations, we need wonder no longer why corporations spreading GMOs are so secretive, why they’ve spent hundreds of millions to keep us from even knowing which foods contain GMOs. They don’t want us to examine the shoddy science, the suppressed evidence, and, most of all, the real health risks that GMOs present. Read Genetic Roulette not only to protect yourself and your family but to learn through this breath-taking story what all Americans need to do to reclaim our democracy and protect our planet.”
— Frances Moore Lappé, author of Democracy’s Edge and Diet for a Small Planet
“I used to test for soy allergies all the time, but now that soy is genetically engineered, it is so dangerous that I tell people never to eat it—unless it says organic. Genetic Roulette tells you why you must avoid genetically engineered foods to stay healthy.”
—John H. Boyles, MD, ear, nose, and throat, and allergy specialist
“Jeffrey Smith is the leading world expert in the understanding and communication of the health issues surrounding genetically modified foods. Genetic Roulette, which brings in original contributions by eminent scientists worldwide, makes it crystal clear that the American FDA should not be so cavalier about the potential dangers of these procedures.”
—Candace Pert, PhD, author of Molecules of Emotion and Everything You Need to Know to Feel Go(o)d and former Chief of the Section, National Institutes of Health
“The most comprehensive, well-documented, and highly readable exposé on the serious health dangers of GM foods.”
—Samuel S. Epstein, MD, professor emeritus of Environmental Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition
“This is the authentic book on genetic modification that the world has been waiting for. . . . The case presented is absolutely a smoking shotgun that should stop in its tracks any dabbling with GM foods, whether by individual families, food companies, or indeed nations. . . . Jeffrey Smith is one of the great campaigners of our age, a relentless pursuer of the truth, a fearless advocate in the corporate world of secret influence, and a ceaseless promoter of the public interest across the world. He is the modern David against the GM Goliath. This book may well provide the sling-shot to change the global course of events this century.”
—Excerpts from the foreword by Michael Meacher, MP, former UK government environment minister
Eating genetically modified food is gambling with every bite.
The biotech industry’s claim that genetically modified (GM) foods are safe is shattered in this groundbreaking book. Nearly forty health risks of the foods that Americans eat every day are presented in easy-to-read two-page spreads. The left page is designed for the quick scanning reader; it includes bullets, illustrations, and quotes. The right side offers fully referenced text, describing both research studies and theoretical risks. It is presented in the clear, accessible style that made Jeffrey Smith’s Seeds of Deception the world’s best-selling book on genetically engineered foods.
The second half of Genetic Roulette explores why children are most at risk, how to avoid GM foods, false claims by biotech advocates, how industry research is rigged to avoid finding problems, why GM crops are not needed to feed the world, the economic losses associated with these crops, and more.
This book, prepared in collaboration with a team of international scientists, is for anyone wanting to understand GM technology, to learn how to protect themselves, or to share their concerns with others. As the world’s most complete reference on the health risks of GM foods, Genetic Roulette is also ideal for schools and libraries. Consider some findings:
Animals fed genetically modified (GM) foods developed bleeding stomachs, potentially precancerous cell growth, damaged organs and immune systems, kidney inflammation, problems with blood and liver cells, and unexplained deaths.
Soy allergies skyrocketed in the United Kingdom after GM soy was introduced.
Genes from GM crops transfer to human gut bacteria. This might transform our intestinal flora into living pesticide factories.
Seeds of Deception
Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating
By | Patty Apostolides "Author" |
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Having read a number of articles and books on genetically engineered foods, I found this book to be very comprehensive and very well written. I highly recommend it if you are interested in your health.
As a biologist who has worked with DNA, and respect it, I place great value on Smith's easy to understand explanation on the genetic engineering process on DNA. Smith has also carefully researched FDA reports and quoted several people in his analysis of GMOs and their impact on society. With methodological precision, his research reveals the close ties of the U.S. government with biotechnology industry in several aspects of GMO production. Even more disturbing is the influence of biotechnology companies such as Monsanto, Novartis, Dow, and DuPont having on the government - they gave more than 3.5 million dollars (from 1995-2000) towards campaign contributions, with 3/4 going to Republicans.
His research also reveals the impact of the genetically modifed amino acid L-tryptophan in 1989-1990 that debilitated thousands of people with EMS, a disease that produces severe muscle pain, and even death. Forty people died from taking this L-tryptophan. This product was never labled that it was genetically modified and the Japanese manufacturer - Showa Denko KK did not use the proper filtration level to remove the impurities. Subsequent from these health risks, the product was removed from shelves.
My favorite quotes from this book came from George Wald, Nobel Laureate in Medicine. He said for genetic engineeering - "The results will be essentially new organisms, self-perpetuating and hence permanent. Once created, they cannot be recalled" and "Up to now, living organisms have evolved very slowly and new forms have had plenty of time to settle in. Now whole proteins will be transposed overnight into wholly new associations, with consequences no one can foretell, either for the host organism, or their neighbors." Those are powerful words and cannot be forgotten.
Read this book. It will change your life. You owe it to yourself and your family.
Glitter & Greed: The Secret World of the Diamond Cartel
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"Janine Roberts is that rare individual who unflinchingly speaks truth to power. She battles her way past all the obstacles and provides us a glimpse of those who are in the innermost circles of global power. But instead of being seduced by their power and wealth, she exposes what they do and how they do it and how it comes to hurt us all.
She has hunted down the shady dealers of the diamond cartel and of DeBeers, itself. She reveals here for the first time the disturbing secrets of the individuals, governments, and corporations that have ruled the diamond world for the past one hundred years.
Read and get ready to defy conventional wisdom that no one really cares enough to challenge business as usual in the diamond world. For after reading 'Glitter and Greed', you will be compelled to act. Africans should mine, cut, polish, market, distribute, manufacture, and export the jewelry that originates upon its shores in much the same way that France controls its wine production and the United States controls its defense technology."
--Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
Rare, romantic, and forever: The diamond industry depends on these myths to reap billions of dollars of profit. This sensational investigation explodes such fallacies and reveals how multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns create the impression of rarity and romance. It reveals a very secret and unromantic world, one that is dominated and controlled by a handful of mighty corporations.
With Leonardo DiCaprio's new movie The Blood Diamond making more people than ever aware of the seamy side of the diamond trade, Janine Roberts' explosive exposé, taking us through seven decades of intrigue and manipulation, is the right book at the right time.
The Elite Serial Killers of Lincoln, JFK, RFK & MLK
The Elite Serial Killers of Lincoln, JFK, RFK & MLK,
By | James E. Culp |
"RIVETING" Perhaps the most REVEALING book that I have read as to the "powers" that CONTROL politics, creation of wars and the manner in which we live on an everyday basis. JUST FOLLOW THE "BIG" MONEY. Absolutely frighting and educational as to the "conditions that exist TODAY." This book made me realize how totally ignorant that I am and have been, even though I consisered myself well-informed. An absolute MUST READ for those of us who desire to be aware of the "reasons" that events happen. I have never gone out of my way to FULLY recommend a particular book until I read this one.
March 30, 2009
The Big Necessity:
The Unmentionable World of Human Waste, and Why it Matters’ by Rose George.
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Every day, you handle the deadliest substance on earth. It is a Weapon of Mass Destruction sloshing beneath your feet and festering beneath your fingernails. In the past ten years, it has killed more people than all the wars since Adolf Hitler rolled into one; in the next four hours, it will kill the equivalent of two jumbo jets full of kids. It is not anthrax, or plutonium, or uranium. Its name is shit – and we are in the middle of a shit-storm. In the West, our ways of discreetly whisking this weapon away are in danger of breaking down – and a quarter of humanity hasn’t ever stepped into a functioning toilet yet.
The story of civilisation has been the story of separating you from your waste. The British investigative journalist Rose George’s stunning – and nauseating – new book opens by explaining that a single gram of faeces can contain “ten million viruses, one million bacteria, one thousand parasite cysts, and one hundred worm eggs.” Accidentally ingesting this cocktail causes eighty percent of all the sickness on earth.
I had a small taste of how they feel once. One morning a few years ago, I was trudging up a hill in Caracas, Venezuela – through a vast barrio cobbled together from tin and mud and left-over plastic – when I saw a plastic bag filled with feces hurtling towards me. It splattered all over my chest – and into my mouth. This wasn’t an attack on a gringo-intruder. In many of the slums that scar South America, there are no sewers – so the only way to dispose of your excrement is to squat over a bag, and throw. It’s called the “helicopter toilet”.
Today, 2.6 billion people live like this: “Four in ten people have no access to any latrine, toilet, bucket or box. Nothing,” George explains. “Four in ten people live in situations where they are surrounded by excrement.” Since it squats in every crevice and is even flung through the air, on average they ingest ten grams a day – and so millions of them watch their children die of pointless, preventable diseases. In an epic work of reportage – taking her from the shores of Africa to the bowels of China to the sewers of London – George investigates the slow road away from this shit-smeared existence, and why it is at risk of slamming us all into a dead end.
Her journey opens by tramping down at midnight into the place where it all began – the sewers of London, England. This city beneath the city can be deadly: clouds of hydrogen sulphide – the ‘sewer gas’ that forms when sewage decomposes – will suffocate you if you get caught in its stinking clouds. When rain falls, a trickle can become a torrent and drown you. Your path can be blocked by huge stalagmites of congealed fat and grease, poured down drains by restaurants. These fat-barriers are often so sturdy they can only be broken by road drills; one fat blockage below Leicester Square took three months to be demolished. This underground labyrinth is so vast nobody knows how big it really is. But it is manned by just 39 men (no women) who lead her through its filth and its myths.
Before these tunnels were built, London had “on-site sanitation”. This is a polite way of saying people shat in a covered-up set-aside space, and their feces was collected and sold to farmers as manure. But in the early nineteenth century London’s population rapidly doubled, and the city’s build-up of excrement became unsustainable. The cost for having your private cesspool emptied spiked to a shilling, twice the average workers’ daily wage. So people took to emptying their cesspools into the Thames, which soon ran brown. By 1848 cholera outbreaks were killing 14,000 people – and then came the “Great Stink” of 1858. London reeked so badly people were vomiting in the streets. The drapes of the House of Commons were soaked with chloride in a (failed) attempt to disguise the stench.
At last, the order came to find a better way – and one of Rose George’s heroes entered history. Joseph Bazalgette was the chief engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works, and along with Hamburg’s municipality, he pioneered the great life-saving urban sewers of our time. “His sewers have saved more lives than any other public works,” George notes with pride.
But there is a catch. Much as we want to flush and forget, the excrement does not disappear. No: ninety percent of the world’s sewage ends up untreated in oceans, rivers, and lakes. George writes: “Sanitation in the Western world is built on pipes and on presumption… Even the richest best-equipped humans still don’t know what to do with sewage except move it somewhere else and hope no one notices when it’s poured untreated into drinking water. And they don’t.” The costs of Joseph Bazaglette’s invention – the other end of the pipe – is now becoming inescapable.
Much of our sewage is pumped barely-treated into the oceans – where vast dead zones are emerging, killed by our germs. The rest is kept even closer to home. For example, in 1993, an outbreak of shit-borne cryptosporidium in Milwaukee killed 400 and made 400,000 people sick. It turned out the city was pumping its ‘treated’ sewage – actually only treated for some toxins, not others – into Lake Michigan, and then slurping its drinking water out the other end.
The bridge collapse in Minneapolis has come to be seen as the iconic symbol of the neglect of US infrastructure in the age of Bushonomics, but the country’s faltering sewers are actually more dangerous still. The Environmental Protection Agency in 2000 estimated that a quarter of the nations’ sewer pipes were in “poor or very poor” condition – and by 2020, it will be half of all the pipes. When the people of San Francisco successfully got onto the ballot a proposal to name a large sewer after Bush, they were actually giving him more credit than he deserves.
So as the oceans, lakes and rivers choke on our swill, what can we safely do with our feces? In her search for answers George lyrically dives into the toilet bowl, sloshing about like Gene Kelly singin’ in the rain. “Of all the people of the world, the Chinese are probably most at home with their excrement,” she explains. They defecate openly, chatting away with their friends in toilets with no dividers and no shame. Perhaps for this reason, the Chinese have been more creative than anyone else with their crap. Since the 1930s, they have been turning it into electricity.
Over 15 million rural Chinese homes have been provided with ‘biogas’: a large oxygen-less digester into which they empty their toilet-pans. The organic matter ferments there – and belches out a gas which then fuels electricity. You can defecate then cook with the resulting gases. It may make us retch, but it saves Chinese women from the back-breaking labour of cutting down firewood, and they love it. Is this our future? Alas, its potential spread is limited: if you don’t add ample animal feces too, the machines don’t run for long.
Is there a way to safely use it as fertilizer instead? Some US firms thought so when they began to market “biosolids” – the gunk that is left over after sewage has been treated. It is being smeared over farmland across America today. But George travels to meet people who mysteriously went blind after the sludge was used next to their homes; several deaths have been linked to it. In 1975 the chief of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Technology Board of the Hazardous Waste Division reached a horror-film conclusion. Transforming waste into fertilizer is “the most efficient means – short of eating the sludge – of injecting toxic substances directly into the human body.” There has been a dearth of scientific research into its safety – but the early pointers look bad. Almost all European countries have now banned it.
So we have no answers to where to put the sewage – just as the question becomes even more urgent. Our Western system of sanitation uses vast amounts of water and energy, at the hinge-point in history when they are becoming more precious and pricey. George tells us: “Water is a fixed commodity. At any time in history, the planet will contain about 332 cubic miles of it… We are using the same water the dinosaurs drank, and this same water has to make ice creams in Pasadena and the morning frost in Paris. It is limited, and it is being wasted.” It has become a flat-footed cliché to say the wars of the future will be fought over water – but it is probably true. More people than ever are vying for limited supplies that are ever-harder to access due to global warming.
When water is scarce and costly, will our Western model of washing away our waste remain feasible? George summarizes our current methods tartly: “You take clean drinking water, throw filth into it, and then spend millions to clean it again.” One cubic meter of wastewater can pollute ten cubic metres of water – and on a warming world battling for water supplies, that will soon become a ratio we can’t afford. It is strikingly energy-intensive too: a sewage works uses up to 11.5 watts of energy per head, requiring an entire coal-fired power station to run just four sewage treatment plants.
So we need a safe alternative to plopping and peeing into water – but where is it? George talks to environmentalists who “see a future where instead of controlling pollution after it happens, we prevent it in the first place, by some sort of source separation.” This eco-sewage has two prongs. Firstly, we have to change our toilets – and our sewers – so they have two streams: one for urine, and another for excrement. Although it’s counter-intuitive, urine actually contaminates sewer-water much more severely than feces. “Though it only makes up five percent of the flow, urine contains 80 percent of the nitrogen and 45 percent of the phosphate that has to be removed at treatment works,” George explains. If it ran into a separate system, we would slash water use by an extraordinary 80 percent.
The second prong is harder to imagine. As in pre-sewer London, we would defecate into a tank, and it would sit there waiting for collection. We wouldn’t put it into water and then expensively take it out any more. Imagine “a cleaner new world where people put out their trashcans full of compost to be collected on a Monday, like they do with garbage.” This would be a buttock-clenchingly uncomfortable shift – yet on a finite planet with finite resources, it may be necessary.
But if we are going to deal with the coming shit-crises – or solve the one killing kids in the developing world today – we need to overcome our psychological barrier to discussing it. An aversion to feces is hard-wired into us by our evolution. The ancient primates who were not disgusted by excrement got sick and didn’t live to become our ancestors. We are the descendants of the smart shit-screamers, who got as far away from it as they could. But while this aversion was an evolutionary advantage then, it may be imbuing our species with a terrible disadvantage now.
Feces takes a strange and irrational physical journey – we just want it taken away, so we never have to think about it again – because it takes a strange and irrational journey through our minds. Our fear of feces can make us behave in ways that are cruel or crazy. In a village in rural Gujarat, George meets a middle-aged woman who every morning “walks to her owner’s house, and there she picks up his excrement with her bare hands or a piece of tin, scrapes it into a basket [and] puts the basket on her head… She has no mask, no gloves, and no protection. She is paid a pittance, if at all. She regularly gets dysentery, giardia, brain fever. She does this because a 3000 year old social hierarchy says she has to.” If she tries to quit, nobody else in her region would employ her.
In Hindu eschatology, below even the lowest order on the caste rung, there are the Dalits, or Untouchables – the people who take shit away, and so are considered to be shit. Although Untouchability has been technically outlawed since 1949, there are still between 400,000 and 1.2 million manual scavengers in India whose job is to collect feces from people they call their “owners,” and in turn be abused. George gives a random smattering of recent headlines on the subject: “‘Dalit leader abused to for daring to sit on a chair.’ ‘Dalit lynched while gathering grain.’ ‘Dalit beaten for entering temple.’ ‘Dalit girl resists rape, loses arm as a result.’ ‘Dalit tries to fetch water, beaten to death.’”
If our revulsion at excrement is so strong it can sustain this mad form of apartheid for three thousand years, can we hope to ever deal with it rationally? Are the problems George describes doomed to be forever obscured by our evolutionary retch? Perhaps – but the most encouraging aspect of her book is the revelation that even the aspects of defecating that seem eternal and unchangeable are actually recent innovations. In Japan, sixty years ago everybody squatted communally over a dry pit. Today, nobody does: in private, they use techno-toilets that wash and dry your anus while simultaneously playing music and heating the seat. (Think of it as the i-Toilet, or Toilet 3.0.)
Toilet culture can change, and fast; what seems impossible to one generation can seem essential to the next. Neither of my parents had a toilet in the house when they were children, and thought the idea was vaguely disgusting. (Defecating? Next to the kitchen?). Another toilet-tide shift may happen in my lifetime. Will the drying up of water supplies – and a sewage system with nowhere left to spew its waste – force us to regress to earlier, dirtier worlds? Or will we begin a transition to greener options before the system breaks down and begins to spew our filth back at us?
It’s a sign of how superb George’s book is that I am now excitedly bubbling with these questions about the future of feces. ‘The Big Necessity’ belongs in a rare handful of studies that take a subject that seems fixed and familiar and taboo and makes us understand it is historically contingent and dazzlingly intriguing. Jessica Mitford did it with her classic study ‘The American Way of Death’; Michel Foucault did it with ‘Madness and Civilisation.’ Rose George has produced their equal: a gleaming Toilet Manifesto for Humankind. It could end with an oddly rousing cry, borrowed from another manifesto long ago: Shitters of the world, unite! You have nothing but your diarrhoea and your cholera and your dying oceans to lose. You have new toilet chains to win!
http://www.johannhari.com/archive/article.php?id=1406
Amazon: The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters
Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners v. the USA
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| Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners v. the USA |
“Expert and well-reasoned commentary on the justice system. . . . His writings are dangerous.”—The Village Voice
In Jailhouse Lawyers, award-winning journalist and death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal presents the stories and reflections of fellow prisoners-turned-advocates who have learned to use the court system to represent other prisoners—many uneducated or illiterate—and, in some cases, to win their freedom. In Abu-Jamal’s words, “This is the story of law learned, not in the ivory towers of multi-billion-dollar endowed universities [but] in the bowels of the slave-ship, in the dank dungeons of America.”
Includes an introduction by Angela Y. Davis.
Mumia Abu-Jamal’s books include Live From Death Row and Death Blossoms.
Mumia Abu-Jamal is an award-winning journalist and former Black Panther Party member, whose books include Live From Death Row, Death Blossoms: Reflections from a Prisoner of Conscience, All Things Censored, We Want Freedom: A Life in the Black Panther Party and Faith of Our Fathers. He has been living on death row in a Pennsylvania prison since 1982.
Mumia writes:
"This is the story of law learned, not in the ivory towers of multi-billion-dollar endowed universities but in the bowels of the slave-ship, in the hidden, dank dungeons of America .. It is law learned in a stew of bitterness, under the constant threat of violence, in places where millions of people live, buy millions of others wish to ignore or forget"
March 05, 2009
Michelle Obama: In Her Own Words
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Michelle Obama: In Her Own Words |
Michelle Obama - In Her Own Words. The Speeches 2008. Our Nations new First Lady: Michelle LaVaughn Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and the wife of the elected President Barack Obama. Michelle is the first African-American to become the First Lady of the United States. Michelle was born and grew up on the South Side of Chicago and graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
A wonderful and interesting read ..., | By | Monique |
This is a wonderful and interesting read. The book does not only contain Michelle's great speeches but also a long introduction which reads more like a biography. A lot which I did not know about her, but I have to admit that I knew almost nothing about Michelle before I read this book. Very well done.
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March 04, 2009
Culture and Change: Ethiopian Women Challenging the Future
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| Culture and Change: Ethiopian Women Challenging the Future |
Culture and Change: Ethiopian Women Challenging the Future takes an unusual look at women’s issue in Ethiopia. Instead of focusing on the many difficulties that women face in this largely traditional society, it highlights the positives. It releases rays of sunshine rather than fogs of gloom. It describes how customs in various cultures in Ethiopia support and protect women, rather than oppress and harm them. It describes how organizations are fighting to overcome ignorance, change attitudes and better the lot of women. And it tells how a few admirable individual women have struggled against odds, and how they succeeded. The book contains five parts. Part 1, Becoming a woman, describes the ceremonies and rituals that a woman goes through from her girlhood through to motherhood and old age. Part 2, Social and Economic Empowerment, shows how Ethiopian women work together to empower themselves socially and economically. Part 3, Education and Media, looks at the status of girls in the education system, tells how certain women have managed to overcome barriers facing them to get schooling, and describes how the media is being used to change attitudes. Part 4, The Law, shows how national and traditional laws affect women, and how women are trying to change the law. Part 5, Challenging Roles, tells the stories of some individual women who have fought against the odds to achieve something for themselves or for others. The Resources section lists websites, publications and organizations relevant to gender and women’s issues in Ethiopia. This book will be a valuable source of ideas and inspiration for schools, non-government organizations, community organizations and government departments involved in extension, training, development work and policy formulation.
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March 01, 2009
Melchizedek and the Mystery of Fire - Many P. Hall
The Mystery of Fire
By | Cletus F. Wallace |
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Melchizedek and the Mystery of Fire |
This is a great book! Don't be mislead by the diminutive size of this volume, only fifty-four pages. The book is packed with more than enough ideas to ponder in just one sitting. The title is somewhat misleading, only a small portion of the book deals with Melchizedek. The mystery of fire and its meaning to mankind is the actual theme of the book. The author attempts to provide his readers a method to discover the origins of man, who he is, and his true place in the universe. Hall describes how man's body is a living temple, and man a high priest serving at the initiation and rituals occuring in the vaious chambers and passageways of the human body. Lurking just beneath the surface of the world's greatest classical literature from ancient times is the collective esoteric knowledge of the human race. It isn't free. It must be worked for. Read and re-read and ponder to discover the essence of the writer's thoughts burried beneath symbolism and allegory. The possession of the occult keys to human salvation through knowledge of self is the goal for which the wise men of all ages have labored. It was the hope of possession of these ancient formulae that strengthened the candidates who struggled valiantly through the danger and disappointments of the ancient initiations. Sometimes, actually, giving their lives in their quest for the truth. It is unlawful to reveal to the uninitiated the key links to the chain of mysteries. It is possible, however, without breech of confidence, to explain certain of the lesser secrets which will vindicate the intergrity of the older hierophants, but also reveal part of the mystery of man's divine nature. This book should be appreciated by Freemasons!
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Rethinking Globalization: Teaching for Justice in an Unjust World
AWESOME RESOURCE FOR TEACHERS!!!, June 28, 2005 | By | Mish (Australia) - See all my reviews |
This book is something that all teachers should invest in. It is such a wonderful book. It's full of great lessons that integrate writing, history, modern-day history, government, reading, and math. It makes students and teachers more aware of the current and pressing world issues in regrads to poverty, colonialism, child labor laws/workers/working conditions, food shortages, and media. The acitivities can be modified for all age ranges and ability levels. The lessons are clearly outlined, all resources are provided, and everything is so well-thought out. I love the integration of poetry--written by students---throughout the book. It really helps when teaching to bring to life and show by example what is expected from students.
This book is a breath of fresh-air when coupled with district assigned text books. It will be one of the investments you can make as a teacher. Also look out for their other books--because they have wonderful articles on classroom discipline, sexual harrasment, creating effective classrooms, diversity tranining, and additional wonderful lessons.
Rethinking schools is a wonderful organiziation and I am so thankful there are people out there doing such wonderful things for teachers and students!!!!!
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Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
Continuing the Legacy, February 6, 2001
By | Lisa Heath |
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| Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters |
"Let It Shine: The Stories of Ten Black Women Freedom Fighters" is an amazing, entertaining, and educational journey back through time for both children and adults alike. The stories accurately depict the changing face of America for all people. The author, Andrea Davis Pinkney, uses a combination of oral stories and historical facts to re-create the lives of ten African American women "freedom fighters" (a.k.a. civil rights activists.) The descriptive language Pinkney uses keeps the style of the text upbeat and enjoyable. Among the list of women are Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks. However, there is also a presence of many unknown women, such as Shirley Chisholm, an inspirational politician, and Biddy Mason, a one-time slave with never ending generosity. The stories are quite diverse, spanning a history of nearly the entire 20th century. Some of these historical references include the signing of the emancipation proclamation, the peaceful demonstrations of the civil rights movement, and the Democratic Convention of 1968. There is one common, underlying goal of each story- inspiration. From Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad to Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat, there is a sublte undertone that promotes and requires action. These women learned that justice comes from not only speaking, but doing. Their stories and successes encourage people of all ages to get up and fight against inequality. The combination of descriptive oral stories and historical facts, along with the colorful illustrations, keep readers of any age interested in this text.
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500 Years of Chicana Women's History/ Anos de Historia de las Chicanans
The history of Mexican Americans spans more than five centuries and varies from region to region across the United States. Yet most of our history books devote at most a chapter to Chicano history, with even less attention to the story of Chicanas.
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| 500 Years of Chicana Women's History/ Anos de Historia de las Chicanans |
500 Years of Chicana Women's History offers a powerful antidote to this omission with a vivid, pictorial account of struggle and survival, resilience and achievement, discrimination and identity. The bilingual text, along with hundreds of photos and other images, ranges from female-centered stories of pre-Columbian Mexico to profiles of contemporary social justice activists, labor leaders, youth organizers, artists, and environmentalists, among others. With a distinguished, seventeen-member advisory board, the book presents a remarkable combination of scholarship and youthful appeal.
In the section on jobs held by Mexicanas under U.S. rule in the 1800s, for example, readers learn about flamboyant Doña Tules, who owned a popular gambling saloon in Santa Fe, and Eulalia Arrilla de Pérez, a respected curandera (healer) in the San Diego area. Also covered are the "repatriation" campaigns" of the Midwest during the Depression that deported both adults and children, 75 percent of whom were U.S.-born and knew nothing of Mexico. Other stories include those of the garment, laundry, and cannery worker strikes, told from the perspective of Chicanas on the ground.
From the women who fought and died in the Mexican Revolution to those marching with their young children today for immigrant rights, every story draws inspiration. Like the editor's previous book, 500 Years of Chicano History (still in print after 30 years), this thoroughly enriching view of Chicana women's history promises to become a classic.
About the Author
Elizabeth (Betita) MartÃnez is a widely known Chicana writer, activist, and lecturer. Now director of the Institute for Multiracial Justice in San Franciso, she has published six books, most recently De Colores Means All of Us: Latina Views for a Multi-Colored Century.
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Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Cushite Empire, Book 1
By | wooten@aloha.com(Honolulu(Honolulu, South U.S.A.) |
Western civilization has grudgingly recognized that homo sapiens evolved in Africa, within the last 40 years through the work of Richard and Louis Leakey and the discovery of the "Lucy" skelital evidence in Ethiopia.
However, Drusilla Huston's book copiously documents legends of of African culture before the dessication of the Sahara and the Egyto-Nubian desserts. She continued with ancient references to the ancient Kushite and Ethiopian civilizations and Kings refered to by Homer, Heroditus, Diodorus, Massey Champoleon and others to flesh out the stories of the Nubian, Nahesey, Napatan, Meroic, Alumic, Egyptian, Summarian and Ethiopean nations over 75 years ago.
It is therefore, a prophetic and profound example of pioneering African-American scholarship operating in a bleak and hostile environment over many decades. It's veracity is only enhanced and fortified with the passage of time and recent production of books such as "Black Athena" by Martin Bernal, "Civilization or Barbarism" by Cheik Anta Diop and the 1996 "African Exodus" by Chris Skinner and "Egypt Revisited" edited by Ivan Van Sertima and numerous others.
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January 29, 2009
The Promised Key: The Original Literary Roots of Rastafari
Required RastafarI Reading, | By | Bonam Pak |
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This early 1930s text is the first known which can be described as being directly RastafarI. However, the continuing line of texts leading up to this one is very long. Nevertheless, such a "foundation paper" of a eligion has to be rated with full stars. Non-RastafarI may not know what to do with it and/or even misinterpret it and give a different rating accordingly.
Only 19 text pages long, this book includes (additional) 15 pictures and additional 29 introduction text pages. The latter includes a well-selected passage of H.I.M. Haile Selassie-I; a prayer; information on Marcus Garvey and Leonard Percial Howell. A lot of references to other early Rasta and pre-Rasta texts; early responses to The Promised Key; some rudimentary information on RastafarI and the context in which this text had been written.
The Promised Key itself covers the coronation of Haile Selassie-I, "King of Kings"; biting remarks towards the then contemporary Vatican; Empress Menen; Ethiopia's Kingdom; spiritual notes on e.g. healing, fasting, way of government and some behavioral advice.
Note to non-RastafarI: The remarks towards the pope have to be seen in the context of the times. Colonialism was still in full swing, slavery still remembered. The historical Vatican had participated in and in a way even initiated both. The contemporary popes were Pius XI and Pius XII, who fell short of expected reactions towards fascism, in fact even blessing the bombs Mussolini dropped on Ethiopians during the occupation. One of their successors, Pope John Paul II, apologised for them. In this light, The Promised Key emancipated from white supremacy thinking and religious downpression (oppression). RastafarI is completely, radically pacifist and uses the tongue as the sword instead, not really getting concerned with political correctnes (which didn't exist in the 1930s anyway).
Howell aka G.G. Maragh made rejecting statements towards a mixing of black and white. This will have to be seen not literally, but metaphorically: In this context white representing the belief system of separation, black representing the knowledge of unity.
Note to RastafarI: The Promised Key makes rejecting remarks towards Moses, Abraham and descendants as being white. This was in the context of countering the white divisionist interpretation of the Western Bible version and back then lived Western Christianity of white supremacy. By doing that, Howell favoured a focus on Ethiopia and Haile Selassie-I instead. More recent knowledge suggests that Moses, Abraham and his descendents were indeed black skinned, connected to the ancient black Egyptians in way of belonging to the larger "ethnic" group of the Akan, back then populating vast areas in North Africa and southern Asia. (With the descendents of Abraham turning much lighter in skin color by prolonged Diasporan mixing processes.) With that in mind (and other knowledge not mentioned here) the respective passage in The Promised Key may today be interpreted accordingly in a not quite that literal way.
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January 27, 2009
Kill Them Before They Grow: Misdiagnosis of African American Boys in American Classrooms - Michael Porter
Powerfully Enlightning!, November 13, 2000 | By | "nudgey" |
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Where do I begin......this book has been extremely informative. Specifically in regards to the "public" school system. I am a 31 year old single parent of an 11 year old boy. Recently I have been dealing with various issues within the public school system. It alarms me to know that the experiments to "distruction" of our black children still goes on. Moreso, how we continue to allow are children to be "test cases". We can no longer turn a "blinds eye" to our African American children (specifically boys) any longer. This book has encouraged me to continue to be a "visible" advocate for my son as well as other African American boys. It has compelled me to become more pro-active in my childs education. It is imperative that we as African Americans put an end to this "Progressive Genocide" in the school system. We can no longer afford to be complacent! I pray that you recieve the message this book has to offer. It is time we "Rose" to the occassion!
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Why Are So Many Black Men in Prison? A Comprehensive Account of How and Why the Prison Industry Has Become a Predatory Entity in the Lives of African-American Men - Demico Boothe
(RAW Rating: 4.5) - What is happening to black men?, August 3, 2007
| By | The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) |
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Demico Boothe has explored the reasons so many black men are indeed in prison in, WHY ARE SO MANY BLACK MEN IN PRISON? He begins with his own story of a shaky upbringing and his subsequent dabbling in drug dealing. He was caught with a few grams of crack cocaine but because it was the dreaded crack, he was given 10 years in prison. When he left prison after serving his time, he was actually railroaded back into prison by a crooked justice system. He delves deeply into our justice system and the motives behind all the new prisons that are being built. He gives succinct and reasonable views of exactly what is happening now in the United States and how the past has played a role in the present. He uses persuasive statistics regarding the number of black men in prison as compared to the number of white men who are incarcerated.
Demico Boothe has done an excellent job of researching his subject and it is a plus, if unfortunate for him, that he has actually experienced first hand what he's talking about. I knew I was hearing the real story rather than just statistics from an intellectual who had no real idea of what the prison system is really like. I would have liked for Boothe to search a little deeper into the Haiti, Aristide and USA question, maybe even reading Randall Robinson's take on the situation, and then he might see it a bit differently. Otherwise, it is a good book and one every one in America should read. We indeed, have a crisis going on.
Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
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Man Up! Nobody is Coming to Save Us - Steve Perry
Powerful Book! Now, we need action., September 4, 2007 | By | R. hector |
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I confess, I'm not much of a book worm, I tend to do most of my reading on-line -- This book, I read in two days!
The facts are clear; we in the black community are in crisis! My heart aches, wondering how we will correct the many issues that plague us.
Mr. Perry does an expert, incredibly honest job at pointing out both the issues and providing salient solutions.
It truly is up to us in the Black community to help ourselves. No more pointing fingers; no more relying on the same old broken methods of the past.
Well, this was supposed to be a book review. Bottom line, EVERY SINGLE black person
Should read take to heart the simple, but profound methods offered in this book. Well done Mr. Perry, keep up the important efforts.
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Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete
Forty Million Dollar Slaves, July 29, 2007  |
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This book enunciates the problems in graduation from the inner city into the big leagues. Historically, by the late 1890s, black athletes excelled at an ever increasing rate. Despite the progress made, the profile of the black athlete stands at the periphery of power in the sports establishment. This has lead to the loss of an overall mission, although the psychological armor remains in the achievements of the black athletes over the years. The author states that the plantation slaves performed great physical labor. Prior to the 1970s, segregation was a significant limiting factor. Sojourner Truth worked on behalf of the black women of the time.
Today, there are multiple tiers of blacks in America. The book provides some very important historical background; however, the next step is to turn the capital acquired from the sports into personal wealth .
In addition, an athlete's physical stamina remains until the mid-30s or early 40s. What does an athlete do when his/her career has peaked athletically? The book could discuss this aspect in more depth. For instance, black athletes could graduate into their own businesses or attend college/further study to branch out into other careers/ventures. Another important issue regards how the black athlete invests money for the future.
Overall, the book provides an important perspective relevant to the black history of athletes in the various sports. As such, it is a valuable addition to American History in the sports arena.
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January 26, 2009
Unity and Struggle: Speeches and Writings - Amilcar Cabral
Review of Amilcar Cabral's Seminal Work on Liberation, December 19, 2001 | By | donaloc "donaloc" |
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This book is currently out-of-print, it details the thoughts of Amilcar Cabral a central leader of the revolution in Guinea-Bissau. I was personally introduced to this book by a comrade who spent a number of years in the Long Kesh prisons in Belfast. The Republican prisoners studied this book and he still reads a little most mornings to give him daily inspiration.
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Guerrilla Warfare
Radical Chic at its Chicest, May 12, 2003  |
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It's all so long ago. I remember sitting under an eucalyptus tree in Ethiopia in 1982 and listening to Marxist-Leninist Internationalism and how peasants who had never seen an industry or a capitalist were being exploited by the forces of imperialism. Reading the classic books of Che Guevara and his obsessive dreams of emancipation by guerillas, it is almost like an exposition on the devine rights of kings or a doctrine of a flat earth. But if you know the rest of the story about this man you expect all the things he says. It all fits in with the battle of Santa Clara, his dreams of turning the Congo into Cuba or inspiring Bolivian farmers to unite in the dream of transforming the old and corrupt into something beautiful and new. I think that this book should be a required part of a liberal education, not because it preaches bloody revolution but rather that Che Guevara is an icon of our times, martyred, mutilated and buried in a field by people who would never understand why he made the sacrifices he did or even what he wanted to say.
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Thomas Sankara Speaks, The Burkina Faso Revolution 1983- 87
Martydom is not the end, but the beginning, February 7, 2002 By Adeyemi Joashan
Martydom is not the end, but the beginning, February 7, 2002 | By | Adeyemi Joashan |
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This book had a tremendous impact on my personal and political ideology. It had so much impact that I named my first child Sankara! "Thomas Sankara Speaks" is a must read for all aspiring revolutionaries. Brother Sankara, exemplifies the importance of Pan-Africanism as a solution for all people of African descent. He also emphasizes the importance of international solidarity of all oppressed people. "He who loves his own people also loves other people." Thomas Sankara is one of many heroes that suffered from imperialism's bullets. Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. Patrice Lumumba, Augusto Sandino, Amilcar Cabral, Maurice Bishop and now Thomas Sankara speak from the grave, "Don't Shoot...You Can Not Kill Ideas!"
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Women's Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle
"...a gem of a pamphlet..."| By | Eugen Lepou |
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Among the many useful titles on women's liberation published by Pathfinder Press sits a gem of a pamphlet titled Women's Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle. It contains the full text of a speech given by Thomas Sankara, the revolutionary leader of the West African country Burkina Faso (formally Upper Volta) until his assassination in 1987.
Sankara gives his speech to thousands of Burkinabe women gathered to commemorate International Women's Day on March 8, 1987. His speech is bereft of the dogma and the rhetoric normally seen in capitalist politicians and is remarkably direct but sincere.
Sankara devotes a good portion of the speech detailing the specific challenges confronting African women in pursuit of their liberation on the continent. Based on a Marxist understanding of the development of class society he points to this fact as the origin of women's oppression.
Sankara puts the fight of Burkinabe women as part of the struggle for women's liberation world wide. A special strength of the speech is when Sankara stresses how the emancipation of women goes hand in hand with "the struggle for the rehabilitation of our continent".
For supporters of women's rights this pamphlet is a must read.
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The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach and the Experience - Wangari Maathai
Absolutely fascinating work,| By | SBT "Reader of Many Things" |
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This book took me into the grassroots level work of the newest Nobel Peace Prize winner. I was glad to get a glimpse into what the world is just recognizing as the new frontier - the hope that comes from action at the local level which makes real course changes in our world as a whole. I enjoyed the very practical outline of this movement's accomplishments and connections to the growing consciousness for earth's slow, steady salvation.
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Unbowed: A Memoir - Wangari Maathai
Impressive, Incredible, & Motivational. It will have you believing in the Impossible!,| By | Reginald Johnson "Success-Tapes.Com" |
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I enjoyed this book! "Unbowed" is a straight-forward, gripping, and majestic effort by Wangari Maathai --- a formidable woman who faced unimaginable hurdles in a noble effort to help others ... and shape the destiny of her country.
During her fantastic journey, she became a mother of three, an inspiration for millions, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Her life is an eloquent triumph of good versus evil. Those who have asked: "What can one person do?" Need only to read about her "Green Belt Movement". I'll give you a hint: It is about trees, self reliance, and human endurance.
Prepare yourself for spell-binding details (page 277) on crime, corruption, and monumental waste of natural resources by so-called leaders --- who feed off the carcasses of their people.
"Unbowed" is a book that will have you believing in the unattainable. Exquisitely written ... it is a compelling story of incredible courage, tenacious will, and survival in modern day Africa.
I loved it. You will, too!
Reviewed by Reginald V. Johnson, Upper Saddle River, NJ
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Biko - Cry Freedom - Donald Woods
A must read - highly recommended, | By | Stephen Boord |
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Subjected to 22 hours of interrogation, torture and beating by South African police on September 6, 1977, Steve Biko died six days later. Donald Woods, Biko's close friend and a leading white South African newspaper editor, exposed the murder helping to ignite the black revolution.
Despite the dramatic shift in the political climate of South Africa since his death, Biko's words and beliefs are every bit as relevant today. His Black Consciousness movement was as much a political force against apartheid as it was an indictment of self-inflicted notions of inferiority. This book powerfully tells the story of Biko's life, his beliefs and the circumstances of living in banishment in South Africa. In the absence of any physical memorial for Biko, this book is a powerful rememberance to a man who should not be forgotten, and a tribute to an author who bravely brought us Biko's story.
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The Wise Mind of Emperor Haile Sellassie I - Prince Ermias
A BOOK FOR EVERY BLACKMAN,| By | Ras Abraham |
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I love this pocket-size collection of quotations by His Majesty. It's a wonderful guide for daily living, full of useful wisdom, and should be given to every black child.
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Selected Speeches of Haile Selassie
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These speeches portray the breadth of the Emperor's vision. They detail the persistence, the determination and the unflagging drive with which he pursued the application of "modern Ethiopianism," to which history cannot fail to testify. The Emperor's idealism, coupled with his insistence on transforming his country, both on the domestic and international fronts, his courage in the face of adversity, his unchallenged perspicacity, his keen sense in evaluating world events, his unfailing respect for principles, and his abiding faith in humanity should make this volume a ready-reference on the history of modern Ethiopia.
Description by Minasse Haile, Minister of State of Information
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The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey, Or, Africa for the Africans
Great advice from the father of Modern Black Nationalism,By A Customer
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Product Description
The Philosophy and Opinions, first published in two volumes in 1923 and 1925, quickly became a celebrated apologia for the leader of the largest Pan-African mass movement of all time. "As we approach the 1987 celebration of the centennial of Marcus Garvey's birth, the time seems appropiate for the United States and Jamaican governments to declare null and void the legal proceedings that unjustly sent him to jail in both countries. Nor should a mere 'pardon' suffice, presupposing as it does, the presence of guilt to begin with." --From the Preface.
About the Author
A man who stands without equal in the history of the worldwide mobilization of African peoples. For Marcus Garvey did not merely organize the most massive Black movement in the history of the United States of America. He also organized the largest and most successful movement among African people in the Caribbean.
This is truly a classic of Black literature. The first half of the book contains very constructive advice on living and self-determination regardless of color. The second half gets into his organization the UNIA with some actual documents. The "Declaration of the Rights of the Negro" (1920) is the blueprint for many of the anti-colonial movements to come. My only problem with the book is the occasionally divisive comments about light-skinned Blacks in his discussion of the destruction of his movement. Other than that, it's great reading.
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The Souls of Black Folk - W. E. B. Du Bois
Du Bois, Race and "The Color Line"| By | Matthew Stelly |
The Souls of Black Folks, as other reviewers have pointed out, is a masterpiece of African-American thought. But it is even more than that when we consider the context and time in which the book was written. Most of what DuBois discusses is still relevant today, and this is a tribute to the man, not only as a scholar, but as someone who was continually adapting his views in the best image and interests of black people.
Some reviewers refer to DuBois as "the Black Emerson" and, as a university instructor, I heard similar references made: 'the Black Dewey" or "the Black Park," referring to the Chicago School scholars. Du Bois was brilliant; indeed, these white men should be being called "the white Du Bois"! Du Bois literally created the scientific method of observation and qualitative research. With the junk being put out today in the name of "dissertations," simply re-read Du Bois' work on the Suppression of the African Slave Trade and his work on the Philadelphia Negro and it is clear that he needs not be compared to any white man of his time or any other: he was a renaissance man who cared about his people and, unlike too many of the scholars of day, he didn't just talk the talk or write the trite; he walked the walk and organized the unorganizable.
White racism suffered because Du Bois raised the consciousness of the black masses. But he did more than that; by renouncing his American citizenship and moving to Ghana, he proved that Pan Africanism is not just something to preach or write about (ala Molefi Asante, Tony Martin, Jeffries and other Africanists); it is a way of life, both a means and an end. Du Bois organized the first ever Pan African Congress and, in doing so, set the stage for Afrocentricity, Black Studies and the Bandung Conference which would be held in 1954 in Bandung, Indonesia. Du Bois not only affected people in this country, he was a true internationalist.
Souls of Black Folk is an important narrative that predates critical race theory. It is an important reading, which predates formal Black Studies. The book calls for elevation of black people by empowering black communities -- today's leadership is so starved for acceptance that I believe that Karenga was correct when he says that these kind of people "often doubt their own humanity."
The book should be read by all.
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African Holistic Health - Llaila O. Afrika
Very Helpful, April 7, 2004 | By | Lee Thompson |
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My first encounter with this book was about 1995 a friend presented it to me, at the time I had no knowledge of Holistic health, reading this book open my eyes to many thing's that were unknown, even though there were things I didn't understand and had a hard time believing, I found myself drawn to at least try that which I felt pertain to me and I must say I owe yrs of pain free living because of this book. I lived with a lot of pain within my stomach from 1983 until 1995 doctors of traditional medicine were not able to tell me the cause or even a cure from what I was dealing with but soon after reading this book I found myself pain free and I could throw away the medicines I was prescribed and now I live life better with out the pain. I am thankful for this book. I recommend it to any one no matter the ethnic back ground it's a great book and a great author Thank you Dr Llaila O. Afrika
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Nutricide: The Nutritional Destruction of the Black Race
Excellent Information!,| By | Nefertiti AfriKa "Born Again Afrikan" |
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This book is excellent! It was insightful and I fully recommend it for the person who wants to open their "Third Eye!" I have always felt that the way I feel (mentally and physically) could be better and have always thought that there was some underlined destruction to our diet! If you want to save yourself from physiscal destruction as well as metal slavery, then get this book. If your are an africausian, then you will not be able to fully except what Mr. Afrika will enlighten you with. If we are taught european history in school and you except that, then why question someone who is a scholar and teacher of the YOUR his-story! This book is not for the eurocentrically brainwashed!
Amazon: HIP HOP, Books, Reggae & R&B
Heal Thyself Natural Living Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Natural Living Through Vegetarian Cooking and Holistic Juicing
Wellness intro, April 5, 2007 | By | M. Cadabes |
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Amazon: HIP HOP, Books, Reggae & R&B
I have been introduced to wellness and new ways of living a healthier and wealthier life. This book coupled with Queen Afua?s books have been great ways for me to begin. As a mother of a happy toddler, there are so many recipes within this book that I can cook to satisfy my son?s nutritional needs as well as his palate.
Amazon: HIP HOP, Books, Reggae & R&B
Life in Prison - Stanley Williams, Barbara Cottman, D. Stevens
Life in Prison, February 16, 2007 A Kid's Review
Delanie Gilbert
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| Amazon: HIP HOP, Books, Reggae & R&B |
The life in prison is not like the life out in the world, it's worse. The life we live today Tookie Williams did not live it. He lived life in prison since 1981. he was on death row and that's nothing to mess with.
The death penalty is a cruel and uncivilized matter. More than a thousand death penalties have been issued since the Supreme Court of the U.S. brought back the death penalty in 1976 . Williams, at the age of 41, was convicted on 1979 for killing a man during a robbery and the murders of one couple.
If I had a brother and his name happened to be Tookie Williams and someone told him to commit a murder and he ends up on death row. I think they should punish the person who came up with the bad idea.
The police would have to have a million pieces of evidence to convict Williams.
For the sick and the wounded inmates the two or three day wait to see the doctor is ridiculous.
The smell the inmates can get sick off of it, but if the doctor goes head and takes the inmate there will be a clean environment . but if you leave them in there for more than five days the germs spread. So that's my story of the life in prison, I encourage you to read this wonderful book there is no one out there that would not want to read this book this book taught me a great lesson to stay out of trouble or this bad experience will happen to you.
Amazon: HIP HOP, Books, Reggae & R&B
Redemption: From Original Gangster to Nobel Prize Nominee - The Extraordinary Life Story of Stanley Tookie Williams
Redemption and Value,| By | Suzanne Robinson |
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Amazon: HIP HOP, Books, Reggae & R&B
Stanley Tookie Williams accepted the consequences of his life as a gangster, and while he wanted to live, he met his death straight on. I do not idolize Williams, but I also do not think the world is better off with him gone. Gang membership and violence has increased tenfold and that will continue long after Tookie's death. There was social value to keeping him alive, and a resource for us to draw from to help combat this terrible problem. That was important. Tookie owed society an incredible debt for the lives that he took, and alive, he could have continued to pay that debt. Dead, he serves no purpose.
There are many many Stanley Tookie Williams on the streets, and many people who will meet them in the dark of the night, and in the light of day. We have to examine the disease, the river of darkness that pulls our children into this lifestyle and costs them their lives and the lives of innocents.
You do not fight anger with anger, nor violence with violence and win. The only outcome of that is more anger and more violence.
There is value in redemption. Remember that.
Amazon: HIP HOP, Books, Reggae & R&B
January 02, 2009
Breakdown FM: An Interview w/ Sister Souljah-Still at War 'Til Midnight
Click Link Below to Listen to Breakdown FM Interview
http://odeo. com/episodes/23722448-Sista-Souljah-Interview
An Interview w/ Sister Souljah
Still at War Till Midnight
The first time I met Sister Souljah was back in 1989 when she rolled through the now defunct New Music Seminar in New York City and set the place on fire.
There was a historic panel discussion featuring Chuck D of Public Enemy, film director Spike Lee, Singer James Mtume and if memory serves me correctly music exec Bill Stephany also sat on that panel.
At that time we knew Souljah as Lisa Williamson and she was no joke. Fiery, articulate and uncompromising, she was one of those folks who made everyone step up their game.
She was the type of person who you wanted to be riding alongside you because there was no way she was gonna lose. She proved that during this panel discussion. The conversations that took place that day were heated. Mtume was a source of controversy because several months prior he had gone on the radio said something about rappers and sampling and how it was not a cool thing.
This prompted a response from the group Stetsasonic who released a song called 'Talking All That Jazz' which took Mtume to task. The Stets crew showed up to the session deep as it was first time the two parties had met. Anticipating more controversy, folks were pleasantly surprised as Mtume eased tensions by backing off the harshness of his initial statements and clarifying what he meant. He noted that he was a fan not an enemy to Hip Hop.
Spike Lee was the man of the hour because his movie 'Do the Right Thing' had dropped and set off racial tensions in New York. That day Spike was bold and brash and seemed to relish the storm that surrounded him and his movie. He pulled no punches as he explained that he felt his movie and the issues it raised was the 'right thing' and that it was high time folks dealt with the issue of race head on.
A few months after later New York's simmering racial tensions would boil over with the shooting death of Yusef Hawkins in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
Public Enemy was the biggest rap group at that time with Chuck D making folks quiver as he talked about his disdain for Elvis in the song 'Fight the Power'. That afternoon he spoke eloquently and laid out a 6 point platform that he said would take Hip Hop and industry to new heights. There were a lot of folks in the room that day that took notes and launched their careers using Chuck's advice. The tenet of his speech was centered around importance of positioning oneself to be a presenter of music and not leaving it up to others who did not love or respect the culture. He who controls and defines the music has major power was Chuck's mantra that afternoon.
Like I said the panel was on tilt, but the person who really rocked the house was the lone woman on that panel Lisa Williamson, who at the time was unknown to folks outside of New York, but known to many of the rappers in the room.
If memory serves me correctly, I think fellow journalist Harry Allen described her as a raptivist. That day she gave an impassioned speech about the importance of NOT allowing 'media middlemen' get in the way of the social, political and business dealings of Black people. She talked frankly about people outside the community coming in and playing folks off one another, by sparking conflict and redefining our issues and pushing their own agendas. She talked about how Black folks needed to communicate directly with one another and not let people come between us.
At that time she named off several music industry executives including Lyor Cohen and Cara Lewis.
She said, "If your name is Eric B you don't let Cara Lewis come between us you come talk to me first because I'm your sister... The middleman will beat us every time". Her remarks were riveting and for many in the room prophetic as many of us would have our own challenges with middlemen who would come into our midst and divide us if we didn't support or agree with their ideals and outlooks.
Sadly Public Enemy would be the first of many who would weather such a storm over remarks made by Professor Griff who was accused of being anti-semtic
Fast forward 19 years.
Lisa Williamson is now Sister Souljah, best selling author, scholar and most importantly still an uncompromising community activist and organizer. She's still the type of person who makes you straighten up your shoulders and step up your game when she enters the room. You step up, not because you're intimidated or brow beaten, but because her energy is infectious and you simply can't help yourself.
I caught up with Souljah the other day when she touched down in the Bay Area to promote her new book 'Midnight' which is the prequel to her book 'The Coldest Winter Ever'. It's her first book in 8 years and has got a lot of people buzzing as they were left wanting to know so much more about the character Midnight. We talked at length about her book, the process she underwent when writing and what sort of things she wanted to convey. Souljah noted that nowadays she finds it easier to get life lessons across through her works of fiction versus real life narratives.
She britsles at the notion of her being the jump off of what the industry now likes to coin gangsta /urban lit. She explained that there's no jumpoff and that Black folks have been writing and reading forever. She's a writer and a good one at that who produces material that is captivating to an audience that is often underserved and discounted. She doesn't dumb down her material or compromise on the quality of work. She strives to give her audience the best she has to offer and hates that there are those who feel that as a writer who is popular amongst this underserved audience that she has somehow compromising her talents.
We also talked about whether or not the stories were true about her and Will Smith's wife Jada Pinket Smith were working on a movie for 'Coldest Winter Ever'
She gave us the full 4-1-1. She said she is still working with the Smith's on making her book into a movie. She says she has plans to make sure all her books go to the big screen. She also talked about the importance of people owning their intellectual property. In 2008 with all the new technology around, owning your creations is more important then ever. "Get your business straight", she said.
That point would be reiterated later that evening before a packed house at Eastbay Church of Science in Oakland as she told the audience how HBO agreed to make the movie' but then backed out at the 11th hour after she and Jada had done all sorts of leg work including penning a screenplay. She noted that HBO backed out the deal, retained the movie rights to her creation and for the most parts were making no moves to go forward. She talked about how she had to shell out 300 thousand dollars to buy back her rights and how she learned a hard lesson. Now she owns everything outright and won't make such a mistake again. She told the audience to make sure they always understand their value in the larger scheme of things.
During our interview we built upon a number of topics.
She talked about President-elect Barack Obama and what his victory means to us as Black people. She broke things down as she explained that Obama has a job to do as president and that it doesn't have much to do with the day to day job each of us have to do to uplift our communities. She went into detail about this. We also touched upon Obama's background as a community organizer and how that measured up to the work she has long done as a community organizer who worked with and still works with homeless youth.
Souljah talked at length about how we should understand that all of us have jobs to do. All of us have a place to fit in. She talked about how we should not be lured into the trap of celebrity worship where we expect a rap artist to suddenly come along and craft a bill or get knee deep into work details that are required to be an effective community activist. She said we often put the wrong expectations upon people and then are left disappointed when they don't come through.
This discussion then led to a larger breakdown about leadership in the African American community and the current state of Hip Hop. With each topic Souljah kicked some keen insight that will leave many re-adjusting some of their concepts.
As we talked I realized that over the years and with all the topics we've discussed in interviews from politics to Malcolm X to relationship advice, I never got the background story that prompted her middleman remarks during that 1989 New Music Seminar panel.
She explained that as a young activist at 19 years old she was doing a lot of work with homeless kids and spending what little money she had on those kids.
She talked about how she met LL Cool J and came up with the idea of doing some sort of fundraising concert for the youth. LL wanted to make sure she was on the up and up and sat down with the kids sans Souljah and got the scoop. Once sastified that she was sincere he agreed to do a concert and not charge her so she could raise funds for her summer camp. This was the start of good thing as soon a number of other artists joined in and added to the lineup. Souljah soon developed a reputation for doing these big concerts at the Apollo Theater in Harlem where some of the biggest names in Hip Hop would come donate their time while she charged a high ticket price that was aimed at all the so called uptown ballers. 100% of the money went to the kids.
Souljah explained it was the perfect marriage. At the time everyone was under 21 and all who participated was excited at being able to contribute their talents to something that was overwhelmingly positive. This was all going down at the height of the crack era where you had young Black people who had been written off by society. It was astounding to critics and enemies of Black people and Hip Hop culture to see young people doing for self and pulling themselves up by their proverbial boot straps and not looking for handouts. People were helping build up their communities. Many of the artists who participated did so gladly because they saw the immediate benefits as that the money raised not only went to Souljah's camps but would also help spark after school programs for the youth in many of the artists own hoods.
As Souljah's concerts became legendary throughout New York she started to get some outright haterism from industry executives. Frustrated because she had violated no laws and the artists she tapped were in compliance with their contracts, they saw her concerts as something that was cutting them out and therefore a problem. Souljah had eliminated the middleman and went directly to the artists where she leveraged her friendships by highlighting everyone's mutual interests to help out the kids in the neighborhood.
Industry folks worked overtime to find ways to undercut Souljah including going to some of those popular rap artists and threatening to mess up future financial earnings. Souljah noted it was a cold game and quite eye opening to see outside forces could come into the hood and economically strong arm some of our best and brightest stars. One by one folks caved in fearful of economic reprisals. She noted that many weren't the soldiers she had thought they would be. many did not live up to rhetoric and science they kicked in their songs.
Souljah went on to note that many didn't come directly to her to explain their concerns. Instead industry execs inserted themselves into the equation insisting that they would handle all dealings including bookings for Souljah's concerts. The artist would no longer perform for free and in fact they were being priced out of the market. The end result was her being pressured and eventually written (black balled) out the picture.
A-List rap artists doing a free concert in New York-a city with more than 8 million people was apparently a big problem. Several years later Souljah's formula to help fund community organizations would be replicated by commercial radio stations around the country who would have major rap stars come through and do free Summerjam, Wintetrjam and every other type of 'jam' concerts for charity. The coldest part about this is while some of the gate receipts would go aid a few community groups, many of these stations would make up to a third of their yearly budget in behind the scenes sponsorship money for these megajams. So almost overnight, these huge rap stars went from helping fund community social programs in their own neighborhoods that were being systematically under-funded by the then Reagan and Bush administrations to helping fund the portfolios for investors and media moguls to tunes of millions of dollars. The platforms of these media moguls would later highlight harsh stereotypes that would far too often be used to demonize us and put us in bad light. Souljah's recounting of these incidents were sobering as we can see that in way too many instances the same tactics are used today with similar results.
It's with this backdrop and understanding that Souljah's remarks to the audience about owning your own, building institutions and us respecting and loving one another take on heightened meaning. The fact that after 15 years of marriage she and her family still hit the road attending all her lectures is a testament to her understanding about how we should strive to keep ourselves firmly rooted.
It was a pleasure chopping it up with Sister Souljah. As I said she's inspiring and full of insight. Her new book Midnight is one that she says she put her heart and soul into and is her favorite work to date. She noted this is the type of book that will hopefully help us grow and become better men and women..
This interview also weeves in excerpts from speeches that Souljah has given in the past as well as a reading from her new book Midnight...
Enjoy
http://www.daveyd.com/
December 30, 2008
"Holistic Parenting From the Pan-Afrikan Perspective"
Pan Afrikanism is the idea that all people of Afrikan descent regardless of whether they reside in the United States, United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, or Ghana, are focused on the advancement and liberation of all Afrikan people. Explored here is parenting for liberation of the Afrikan family. |
There is a saying, “if you heal a woman you heal a nation”. I offer this book as a token of peace and healing. As a group of people, Afrikans hold much sickness, hurt, toxicity, and disease. These ailments are brought on by emotional and physical issues. Women especially hold on to this hurt in their centers, their wombs. All life comes from the womb. Afrikan nations depend on the womb to build and grow. The men have wombs too. Men and women have many relationship issues due to a myriad of factors. Afrikan women have forgotten what it was like to hold the Afrikan man in her womb, sending him love, protection, and healing. The Afrikan man has forgotten the womb from which he came. He has essentially forgotten who his mother is. He has forgotten floating in those sweet peaceful waters. Afrikan men and women were connected through the womb, vibrating on the same degree. This connection established harmony. They both have forgotten about the womb experience. Your subconscious mind remembers the experience, go within and reclaim it. |
The womb is attacked through everyday household chemicals, foods, and emotional issues. The emotional factor is a big component. Water carries emotions. Emotions alone can change the conditions of the womb including the taste of the amniotic fluid. Not only are Afrikans in a dire need of healing, but it must start in the primordial waters. |
Afrikan women and men have to listen to the ancestor’s advice. They are spiritual people with a connection to the universe. The people and the universe are one. The universe provides everything to heal thyself. So live in a state of Maat, balance, truth, and reciprocity.Source:http://www.afrikanparenting.com/about.html |
November 30, 2008
The Black Male Handbook - Kevin Powell
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The Black Male Handbook is a collection of essays for Black males on surviving, living, and winning. Kevin Powell taps into the social and political climate rising in the Black community, particularly as it relates to Black males. This is a must-have book, not only for Black male readers, but the women who befriend, parent, partner, and love them.
The Black Male Handbook answers a collective hunger for new direction, fresh solutions to old problems, and a different kind of conversation -- man-to-man and with Black male voices, all of the hiphop generation. The book tackles issues related to political, practical, cultural, and spiritual matters, and ending violence against women and girls.
The book also features an appendix filled with useful readings, advice, andresources. The Black Male Handbook is a blueprint for those aspiring to thrive against the odds in America today.
November 25, 2008
MIDNIGHT by Sister Souljah
October 06, 2008
Mercedes Ladies - by Sheri Sher (Author)
Based on a true story...
| By | The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) |
In the seventies, a new form of music was beginning to emerge on the East coast where beats and rhyming were blended together to create a style only few people outside of the area knew anything about. This new music was like a lifestyle with crews, dance, clothes, and speech all blending together for the beginnings of hip-hop. This fictionalized account is the story of the first all female hip-hop MC crew known as the Mercedes Young Ladies from the Bronx. Author Sheri Sher tells the story of how Shelly Shel and a few of her friends got together, first as a crew, then as an actual hip-hop group. MERCEDES LADIES begins by setting the foundation by explaining Shelly's life as she was growing up.
Shelly was one of ten children being raised by a single mother. Life was tough for the family who had to do without and an eviction was something the children were accustomed to. Hanging out with friends, Shelly found something that held her attention and it was the hip-hop music of the time. Under Shelly's direction, a few of her closest friends started the Mercedes Young Ladies crew with bylaws, uniforms and support for each other. When they were approached about being the first female MC crew, they all jumped at the chance. Their adventure led them to perform with known and unknown groups of the time including Grandmaster Flash and other MCs and DJs. However, the ladies were naïve to the aspects of the music business and never truly got what they deserved monetarily nor the respect for their contribution to the hip-hop genre.
Sher has written a fictional account of the rise and eventual fall of the first all female hip-hop crew. Sher writes it like an autobiography, which at times causes the flow of the story to be somewhat erratic. She sets the chapters out as different situations and events that occurred during the tenure of the group. The concept is good, but I would have liked more character development of the members, especially since there were a myriad of other characters peppered throughout the story. MERCEDES LADIES is a fascinating look into a culture whose beginnings are still being discussed today and it was gratifying to realize there was an all female crew that made a contribution to the initiation of hip-hop.
Reviewed by Cashana Seals
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers
Amazon: HIP HOP and R&B
September 02, 2008
Exclusive Book Review of Kim Osorio's New Book
by Ms. Smalls
Former Source Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Kim Osorio, releases her expose' of
Hip Hop in her new book, Straight from the Source. The book is to hit stores
September 9th but of course Ms. Smalls got the exclusive. Before I read the book, all I saw on these hip-hop blogs were the names 50 Cent and Nas associated with it. These sites made it seem like Osorio has changed her name to Superhead and had traded her law school degree (yes, home girl graduated from law school) for a for a new car from a superstar lover.
I just think readers never understand the point of a book especially once they see that you placed in a famous name or two. All of a sudden good content is out and gossip is in. Well Ms. Osorio, who is not one to be shy with words, has discussed her associations with rappers in the book but I don't understand what's the shock. She was the head hauncho at a "hip hop bible" of course anyone would partake in the Disciples. Wait...that came out wrong.
No but seriously, she does mention the times she got her groove on but its not in a "oh my God his penis was so..." type of a way. It was more of a confessional way in which helped to tell the story not blow up the spot (as she would say). I wish she would have gotten into more details about her sexcapades because I was dying to know if 50Cent really could blow that back out like he brags about in his songs but like a real woman, she never tells. Besides, no one wants to hear anymore lies from 50 Cent talking about someone blowing his balls. Anything can tick him off these days especially with the sad sales of G-Unit's latest effort, Terminate on Sight.
I think the book is good for anyone to read but it's mostly geared to women and not just any woman- a woman on the come up of her career. Men will see the background bashment it takes to run a magazine and the minuet beefs that can get started in the entertainment industry in a New York minute if you're not paying close attention. Women, on the other hand, will get lots more from it if they really sit down and read it. They will understand what it's like to be a woman in a male dominating industry and how lots of times if something went wrong, it would be automatically be blamed on your emotions. It will also show you how petty the entertainment industry is and why you shouldn’t deal with these cornballs in the industry because one moment you're enjoying nice love sessions in your favorite telly, the next you know your dessert of choice is blowing you up on the radio. Sad but true, there is a double standards when it comes down to men, women, and sexuality.
Dudes who work in the business and bust down chicks like Trina and Mya are given hand claps and looked up as playas and pimps while a female who gives up the booty is considered a tramp. It killed me when 50 Cent said that Rosci (who isn't one of my favorite people) was a ho because she slept with 8 guys. Newsflash 50, if every girl who slept with 8 dudes is a ho then induct almost every female in the land-of-hobelieve because it happens. I think that's what I find most disturbing about this book is the amount of references that Ms. Osorio claimed that Benzino made regarding who she messed with. Man, one thing for certain, two things for sure, you're not going to like Benzino's corny ass more after reading this book. He comes off as a power driven, Puff Daddy type but without the swag, money, or fame.
The title Straight from the Source is appropriate because most of the book is about her time at the Source which goes from exciting, to moderate, to damn near a hell zone and you start to feel sorry for their workers as if you were there. A great thing about the book is it has a lot of names and you can learn a lot about their journey in the industry and she tells the behind the scene drama behind the Eminem and Source Magazine beef. I chuckled when she explained what went down with the Eminem cover when he had his middle finger up that came with the CD in which he was talking badly about black girls, because I still have that issue in my stash. I deem that a collector's item because it was a mirror image of how dumb consumers are when it comes down to the disrespect of black woman. I was S&A (shocked and appalled) back in the day when I read that Eminem had confessed to the tape-I never liked him since. Um, goes to show ya.
Anyway, Ms. Osorio works hard to show you her personal journey during the maniacal days at the Source and under the rule of Dave Mays (wanna-be-black behind) and Benzino. I think it's a good read if you're interested in getting in the industry or was a avid reader of the Source during her tenure, 2000-2005. I give this book 8 out of 10 stars respectively because everyone knows that Kim Osorio is a legend in modern-day Hip Hop in her own right
Source:The Fabulous Ms. Smalls
August 26, 2008
Michal Moore "Mike's Election Guide"
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Aug 26, 2008
From Michal Moore: I've Written a Book I'd Like You to Read
Friends,
This morning my new book officially goes on sale.It has a fancy title: "Mike's Election Guide". It's cheap ($11.19 on Amazon) ( http://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Mike%27s+Election+Guide&x=12&y=21 ). It's got a cool quote on the back cover from Republican congressman Tom Davis: "The Republican brand is in the trash can ... If we were dog food, they would take us off the shelf."
And it's got 200+ pages of facts and ideas that you won't read anywhere else, like:
** Does John McCain think it's right to drop bombs on civilians in (his words) "heavily populated" cities?
** The only reason Social Security is running out of money is because people who make over $102,000 a year pay NO social security tax on what they make over $102,000 (if they did, we'd have enough money in Social Security for the next 75 years!).
** Bring back the draft -- but only draft the rich. If they have to serve, they won't be so eager to start ridiculous wars.
** Despite what you've heard, we actually pay more "taxes" than France or any European country -- and get none of the benefits they receive.
** Why we must arrest Misters Bush and Cheney as they slip out of the White House this coming January 20th for the crimes they have committed.
The early reviews are in. The New York Daily News declares that "Mike's Election Guide" "takes no prisoners." The Associated Press calls it "a manual of mockery for the 2008 presidential election." And the St. Petersburg Times says that "Mike's Election Guide" is a "mix of outrageous humor, passionate partisanship and common sense." The McClatchy Newspaper chain calls it a "no-holds-barred examination of our politics. Pages explode with so much humor, you'll find yourself laughing out loud at Moore's sharp wit on serious topics such as health care, childcare, taxes and terrorism." And this piece from AlterNet ( http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/95906/michael_moore_dares_to_ask:_what27s_so_heroic_about_being_shot_down_while_bombing_innocent_civilians/ ) lays out my reasoning for telling the whole truth about what John McCain did in the Vietnam War -- and asks why everyone else seems afraid to bring this up.
I've written this book to give you some good arguments to make as you discuss the election with family and friends. And I've laid out the 12 Senate seats and 30 House seats we can win -- and how to do that.
I need to warn you -- I don't let the Democratic Party bigwigs off the hook. I challenge them to have a spine, to not repeat the past mistakes they've made in the past two elections, and I ask them why they're so afraid of Republicans ("Is it true that Democrats still drink from a sippy cup and sleep with the light on?").
I hope you get a chance to read my book and that it gives you a good (and needed) laugh -- and also a bit of inspiration as we head toward that fateful day on November 4th.
Click here to order ( http://www.amazon.com/Mikes-Election-Guide-Michael-Moore/dp/0446546275?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219768845&sr=1-1 ).Click here to visit "Mike's Election Guide" on the web ( http://www. michaelmoore. com/mikeselectionguide/ ).
Thanks for all your support of my work.I wish all of us well as we have but ten weeks to go before Redemption Day!!
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
http://www. michaelmoore. com/
Join Mike's Mailing List ( http://www. michaelmoore. com/mikesmailinglist/index. php ) | Join Mike's Facebook Group ( http://www. new. facebook. com/pages/Michael-Moore/24674986856 ) | Become Mike's MySpace Friend ( http://www. myspace. com/mmflint )
June 16, 2008
The Color Of Ice: A Canadian Serenadem - George Graham
Color of Ice, The: A Canadian Serenade
George Graham
After his father’s death, Eric Taylor is left to fend for himself on a small farm in the mountains of Jamaica. He decides to seek his fortune abroad, and chooses Toronto as his new home. It is a decision he immediately regrets. Alone and half-frozen, he longs for the sunshine and sensuality of his homeland.
The civil rights movement is at its height, and the Vietnam War is raging. Catastrophic events in the United States have a profound effect on his perceptions—and on his life.
Early encounters with bigoted Canadians make him acutely self-conscious of his swarthy skin and Caribbean accent. When he falls in love with a white Canadian girl, his mind is filled with self-doubt and mistrust. But his talent for music and help from newfound friends open doors he never knew existed and shape a destiny beyond his wildest imaginings.
May 28, 2008
Steve Perry - Up! Nobody is Coming to Save Us!
Nationally known author, Steve Perry, has made his mark on the Essence Bestseller with his book, Man Up! Nobody is Coming to Save Us! All over the country, people are applauding his message that we have the power within ourselves to change our circumstances. Perry states: "Women stop raising Mamma's Boys", "Men stop the bad eating, drinking and sexual habits that are killing you", The negative 'Thug' imagery is stunting our youth" "Black community leaders, black intellectuals, and black churches need to focus more on solutions to community needs."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Best selling author, founder and director of a profoundly successful college preparation program for low income minority students, founder and principal of one of Connecticut's most successful middle and high schools, sought after speaker, candidate for state representative, founder of a publishing house, community college adjunct professor, educational consultant, columnist, nationally recognized television and radio commentator, often honored community activist, father, husband... And he's just getting warmed up!
Steve Perry is action. His words do more than inspire, they provide stark insight and compelling commentary on the states of Black America, education and the plight of the poor. He can talk about it because he is about it. Born to a teen mother, Perry spent his first 20 years living in public housing projects. Since then he has climbed the tree of opportunity and tasted its sweetest fruits.
A rare mix of scholar and community activist, practitioner and prognosticator, speaker and doer, Steve Perry's intricate understanding of the problems and solutions make him an essential voice. He knows what the community is grappling with because he fights these fights everyday as an urban high school principal.
Whether serving as the director of a homeless shelter or receiving his masters from the University of Pennsylvania, Perry brings a singular focus on improving the lives of others. Whether appearing in Essence Magazine or a local newspaper, Perry's biting commentary is fearless. No matter where Steve Perry is, his ability to see an issue and devise the necessary solutions has become his hallmark.
To hear Steve Perry speak is to learn where he is coming from. To know him is to understand why.
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May 13, 2008
NEW JAMAICAN WRITER SECURES INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING DEAL AFTER WiSPA PRIZE COMPETITION
NEW JAMAICAN WRITER SECURES INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING DEAL AFTER WiSPA PRIZE COMPETITION Written by Mark on March 5th, 2008
WiSPA 2006 finalist, Helen Williams, is having her award winning entry published by London company, A & C Black Publishers Ltd. The story ‘Finding My Roots’ is featured in an anthology entitled ‘All in the Family’ which is due to be released in May 2008. The contract was secured after WILDE Network promoted the short story to several publishers in the UK. This is just one the numerous benefits of entering the annual WiSPA Creative Writing Prize competition; other prizes include cash, laptops, books and vouchers.
The WiSPA Creative Writing Prize which is set to become one of Jamaica’s most prestigious arts awards is hosted by UK company WILDE Network Limited in partnership with DMA (Ja) Ltd. The competition is the central feature of the annual WiSPA Literary Retreat, which brings together women from the US, UK and Jamaica for two weeks of creative writing workshops. The free workshops will be taking place from 24th November – 8th December 2008 at Jackies-on-the-reef in Negril.
Speaking about the Prize, Managing Director of WILDE, Jendayi Headlam , a Jamaican living in the UK stated: “We are very excited and honoured to be able to provide this opportunity for our Jamaican sisters. Not only does the prize give women a sense of achievement, pride and self-powerment, it is also a real source of opportunity for our writers to engage an international audience and increase their earning power.”
The 2007 Awards ceremony was held at the Hilton Hotel, Kingston and celebrated the achievements of Jamaican women. Last year’s winners were Ann-Margaret Lim and Sabrena McDonald in the short story and poetry sections respectively. Sabrena McDonald said: “Winning first prize in the WiSPA poetry competition was more than encouragement to me as a writer; it was the needed nudge for me to seriously work on compiling my anthology for my first publication and also an added inspiration for me to rediscover my voice as a spoken word performer. All in all, it has encouraged me to keep writing as a woman with opinions and as a human with purpose. So….write on!”
WiSPA 2008 is now inviting women to register their intention to enter. Closing date for registration is 30th June 2008 and all entries must be submitted by 31st August 2008. Registration forms and full details about this year’s competition can be found at www.wilde2000.org.uk/wispa or by emailing wispa-prize@wilde2000.org.uk.
About WILDE International Network
Founded in 1999 and incorporated in 2003, WILDE International Network is an arts production company, whose services include learning & development, events design & management, audio services and publishing. WiSPA is the annual literary retreat for female authors and poets from the UK and the US who are joined by their Jamaican counter-parts, in an invigorating interaction of diverse feminine creativity.
Contact:
Mike Brooks, DMA on 876 850 2755
Jendayi Headlam, Public Relations, WILDE International Network, +44 794-940-0495 or email jendayi@wilde2000.org.uk
Jamaican Author Tells Immigrant’s Story
Jamaican Author Tells Immigrant’s Story Written by GeorgeGraham on May 6th, 2008
Popular author George Graham, whose book, “Hill-an’-Gully Rider,” sparked widespread comment in the Caribbean, explores the life of a Jamaican immigrant in his new novel, “The Color of Ice: A Canadian Serenade.”
Born in Black River, Jamaica, Graham immigrated to Canada during the late 1950s and lived there for about 20 years, with two breaks to return to live and work in Jamaica. During one break he was Public Relations Director for the Jamaica Industrial Development Corporation, and during the other he was one of the founding editors of The Jamaica Daily News.
His Daily News columns created intense controversy, and when he declared he was “voting with his feet” to return to Canada in 1973, he was subjected to a torrent of abuse and even received threats on his life.
The episode that sparked his decision to leave Jamaica had nothing to do with his columns, however. It was sparked by a car-jacking during which an escaped prisoner held a pistol to his head for nearly half an hour before dumping him in the street and taking off.
The gunman was killed a few days later in a shoot-out with police, and the car was found wrecked and abandoned on a country road. The trunk was full of ganja (which, Graham hastened to make clear, was placed in the trunk by the car jacker).
“I didn’t think I was a coward,” Graham recalls. “But when I heard the click of the gun’s safety catch that night, every hair stood up straight on the back of my neck.”
In “Hill-an’-Gully Rider,” Graham attempted to reconstruct a Jamaica that might have been if the policies he deplored had been rejected by the island’s leaders.
In “The Color of Ice: A Canadian Serenade,” Graham sings a gentler tune. He tells the heartwarming and often-amusing story of a Jamaican country boy who immigrates to Toronto in the early 1960s and finds himself in a strange and hostile environment.
Alone and half-frozen, he longs for the sunshine and sensuality of his homeland.
The civil rights movement is at its height and the Vietnam War is raging. Catastrophic events in the United States have a profound effect on his perceptions – and on his life.
Early encounters with bigoted Canadians make him acutely self-conscious of his swarthy skin and Caribbean accent. And when he falls in love with a white Canadian girl, his mind is filled with self-doubt and mistrust.
But his talent for music and help from newfound friends open doors he never knew existed, and shape a destiny beyond his wildest imaginings.
“The Color of Ice: A Canadian Serenade” is available on the web at :http://www.publishamerica.com/shopping/index.htm
“Hill-an’-Gully Rider” is available at http://stores.lulu.com/georgeg
April 20, 2008
"Jamaica would have been better served to protect its environment"
Lakeland, Fla., June 26, 2007 - A transplanted Jamaican journalist, who has spent half a century in Caribbean and North American newspapers, has written a book that is expected to trigger political controversy in his native island.
A founding editor of The Jamaica Daily News, George Graham evoked furore - and even threats on his life - with a 1970s column deploring the political and cultural path that the "barefoot island" was taking. "A plague on both your houses," the column stated. "I am voting with my feet." True to this promise to emigrate, Graham left for Toronto within weeks. He has since held various editorial positions in Ontario and Florida, retiring from The tampa Tribune in 2006.More than 30 years after Graham's Daily News column, Jamaican journalist Jean-Lowrie Chin recently recalled his comments, and declared that the island's "sufferer mentality" still had not improved. In his book, Graham describes the development of an unnamed Caribbean island similar to Jamaica. He makes fun of the "Good Ol' Boy" style of politics inherited from the island's Colonial government, but shows the island blossoming into independence under caring leadership.One of the book's startling claims is that the island is able to achieve economic success and political stability without taking advantage of such get-rich-quick initiatives as bauxite mining and petroleum-fueled electrical generation."I honestly believe Jamaica would have been better served to protect its environment and concentrate on earth-friendly development," said Graham, who worked for the Jamaica Industrial development Corporation during the 1960s. The book is titled "Hill-an'-Gully Rider" and is published by Lulu.com. It is available on the web in both hard cover and paperback versions.Contact: George Graham / (863) 816-1535 / gwgraeme@yahoo.com