Refined and Fly

2010-07-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

SHOUT OUT TO ALL OUR HATERS...MISUNDERSTANDING THE NATION OF GODS AND EARTHS

Before I start, let me first just say that I am not an apologist, nor do I usually write articles of this nature, however, after doing the knowledge (looking, listening, observing, and respecting) to some people's view points, I feel inclined to say a few things regarding relationships and the NGE in general from my perspective.

Before you ask, I have been in the NGE for 6 years (not long in the grand scheme of things...some folks are in their double digits, but it's nothin to sneeze at either), I have been with the same God for almost 7 years who is very grounded in this way of life, I have traveled to different ciphers and seen and heard various things, I am an active part of my local cipher (community),and I have knowledged 120 degrees, meaning I have been taken through a process where I have studied, learned and memorized the curriculum within our pedagogy. Here goes:

1. If you are goiong to critique or pass judgement upon the NGE, your points are less valid if you have never been in the Nation or have just been exposed. You are on the outside looking in. What little I knew before becoming a part of the NGE were misconceptions that were unfounded and based on my knowledge, experience, and perspective. Just because you may know some Gods and Earths somewhere in some place does not mean you are qualified to speak on our behalf, nor are you qualified to give a truly informed critique. We do have "sympathizers" who are not a part of the NGE, but respect us.

2. Just because you have had a negative experience with a God does not make you an authority on "the Gods." That's just like saying if you have a negative experience with a brotha outside of this culture, that all men aint shit. Some women do that...and it's wrong. On the flip side, just because you have had a positive experience with a God does not mean that every woman has had that, nor does it invalidate some of the love hell and right some women have gone through. HOWEVER, I do think that positive relationships and women's positve experiences are not highlighted enough.

3. I was taught and trained by a black man who knows himself to be God (and not God in a religious sense folks). Yes, in 2010 you can actually learn and grow from Black men! There are men out there who are intelligent, knowledgeable, put family first, and take care of their children. Not all of them are what some would call "deadbeat dads" with no civilization. Yes, I grew as a woman by being taught by a man. It is possible.

4."Mathematics is for everybody, but everybody ain't for it."

5. Is the NGE patriarchical? Yes! There, are you happy? lol...meaning men are the "seven in the center of the sun" who strive to be the foundation for their families and their communities. The first 9 born were what? Men. Though women were present at the beginning and we have our First Born women as well, the men strive to give leadership to their families and communities. Why is that bad? Does that mean that women do not exert leadership? No. If you are a woman in this Nation and have a skill, utilize it! Manifest it! Don't just complain about what you percieve as things we are not able to do. Manifest your equality in order to add on. I have met many women in this nation who are great examples of what? Builders! Within the nation, in their families, in their communities, in their local ciphers, on a regional and national scale, they get it poppin. By being the Earth, you are supposed to be the best woman you can be! But don't come here thinking you are going to change the general framework of how we cee the world. It won't work and you shouldn't do it! We complain so much about Black men not being present in our communities and not taking leadership but when we see an example, we still shit on it. We are so lost...Therefore...

6. If you are a feminist or have feminist leanings, this probably ain't the place for you. Can you still be an empowered woman and be in the NGE? Yes. But if you have a problem with gender roles, you will probably be dis-enchanted. There are things that men do and things that women do...like alot of different cultures across the world. You may hear some statements that may make you, with your particular worldview, cringe. ie "I reflect his light; he taught me; the Earth revolves around the Sun." But if you ain't in it, or had a grounded experience with it, you will just have a misunderstanding. Within God/ Earth relationships, there may be egalitarian nuances where there is shared responsibility, sometimes role reversal (ie the woman works and the man stays home with the children, both people work and decide who is best at what regading the household, etc)and how that is expressed depends on that man and that woman. That leads me to say...

7. If you don't like it, why bother? Being a part of this culture is not about force. People make a choice to be here. You can make your choice not to be here and keep it movin. If it doesn't apply, let it fly.

8. Some people are born to destroy and some people are born to build. Meaning, if you think something is wrong, and you keep criticizing, eventually someone will ask you, "Okay, what is your new system or way of being that actually works? How have you forwarded civilization and humanity based upon your perspective?" And I don't just want to hear about obscure examples ie "Well, in this village, in this country on this continent, they do it this way." This culture was born out of the wilderness of North America. Are your examples applicable to people here, today in this day and time? have you experimented? Do you have proven results of success? What framework will you pass on to your children that is comphrehensive enough for them to pass on? Is your relationship structure working? Are you or have you ever been in a successful relationship?

9. If you are a part of the NGE and you say that our way of life is ISLAM, (I acknowledge that Allah said it is "I Self Lord and Master,"and there are many other acronyms)or if you call yourself a Muslim, do not be surprised if Orthodox Muslims challenge or are offended by your statement. The way I was taught,and what I personally advocate is that I am not a Muslim, I am the Earth. Our way of life is based on Supreme Mathematics, and all of the foundational lessons attached to our 8 point curriculum, in addition to Nation History. Others see it differently based on how they were educated in this way of life. I think it is important to distinguish ourselves, while also acknowledging our commonality with other populations. Allah told us that "we would now be the Nation of Gods and Earths" for a reason.

10. God-Earth relationships have issues just like non God-Earth relationships do. With the Knowledge of Self, we should be able to avoid or have the ability to build through those challenges. Our body of knowledge gives us tools to unlock the keys of life. However, yeah, we got problems in our relationships too...just like you do! Don't judge, when what you got or had goin on ain't sweet

11. We have all heard the phrase " a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous." What do I mean? When people try to pick and choose what is applicable from this culture and mix it with some other stuff. I mean, you are free to do so, but you are taking things out of its historical and cultural context. It only "dilutes, mixes and tampers with" that which you say you respect, and therefore, those who know, will not respect what you are doing. There are many different aspects of culture and to function at its fullest equality, those things are likely to work best together, as a comprehensive framework. When mixing a lil Supreme Mathematics here, a lil laws of Ma'at there, a lil Christianity here, a lil Islam there, some Hip Hop and some shit you made up along the way, you get this mix of...I'm not sure....kinda like a hodgepodge of cultural ambiguity. Many people do it, and I can't stop you, and some people prefer it that way so as not to be defined per say, just be mindful of how you may be perceived by those whose religious or cultural tenants you are plucking things from. This should not be confused with us saying, we study "the science of everything in life." This statement should be manifested as within our curriculum, we learn about various things, and the study also extends to things beyond our curriculum, however, we are or should be grounded in this way of life.

12. All ciphers or communities within this Nation are not the same. We are not a monolithic group. In Christianity, aren't the churches different? Doesn't every mosque have their own nuances? With that said, the experience you have within your cipher does not mean every cipher functions this way. Some ciphers are more traditional and conservative. Others are more liberal. Some people may be more grounded inthis way of life than others.These nuances are likely to be traced back to those who civilized that area or who were key in spreading the knowledge. It's just the way things are...here...and in a lot of places.

13. Within our framework (or any one for that matter), mental, physical or emotional abuse is unacceptable. That is not what this is. Those who exert this level of abuse, typically, would manifest those qualities anywhere they went and probably were like that before they came.

14. There are some people within this way of life who are not as knowledgeable as they should be, are inconsistent with how they live this out, or their interpreation furthers misconceptions. This dynamic is not unique to the NGE.

15. If you are in the NGE, be mindful of how you reference the Black man being God. I have read some things that sound like we advocate a mystery God, and I was thoroughly confused,like huh? So if I was confused, what do you think someone outside the culture is going to think? This may not be your intent but that is how it comes off. We cannot be so esoteric or in the heavens that we don't distill the knowledge back down and show and prove the practical applications of how the Black man is God on the planet Earth each and every day, each and every way. "Allah is God in THE EARTH AND HEAVENS and he is just and true and there is no unrighteuosness in him. But he is not unseen, he is seen and heard everywhere, for he is the all eye seeing."

16. Every group whether it is a culture, religion etc has its successes and benefits and challenges amongst those who are a part of said group or in the eyes of the general population, outside of said group. So before you throw stones, make sure you don't have one comin your way gettin ready to knock you upside your head...

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2010-05-10T22:22:00.000-07:00

20 THINGS I'VE LEARNED AS A NEW MOTHER...

Peace! Bearing life and raising my sun has been a great learning experience. My sun is my master work and I am so glad to raise him. Here are some things I've learned from my pregnancy and taking care of him thus far.

1. Do not buy into being the emotional crazy pregnant lady! The power of conditioning is real...meaning,if you keep hearing that when you are pregnant you will be a raging lunatic, it is likely that you will think that behavior is expected and acceptable. Every woman is different and your hormonal levels are more swift and changeable throughout that time, however, I had the ability to maintain control. In fact, folks were telling me how kind and peaceful I was. The only time I was tempted to go off was when I was nauseated, and someone said or did something annoying. Of course you're gonna have a short fuse when you're nauseous! But I still kept it together. And if you have Supreme Mathematics, you have even less of an excuse to go crazy. Even if you're preggers, you know knowledge comes before wisdom! You might become a little forgetful though.

2. So-called "morning sickness" (which should be re-named 24 hour nausea)and cravings are relative. Some women are sicker than others. My nausea was non-stop all day every day for months, but I never vomited. Some women vomit several times a day. Some women do not get morning sickness. If you do get morning sickness, do not feel guilty about not being able to do all of the things you usually do, or moving a little slower. I mean, it feels like you have the stomach flu! Do you still do everything while you have the stomach flu or do you get some rest and relax? I never got super hungry during my pregnancy, nor did I crave pickles and ice cream, but man did I want I nice juicy steak...and I haven't eaten beef in like 6 years! When I thought about food, half the time I was thinkin about beef, but I resisted the urge.

3. I did not have to buy any maternity clothes. Why? because I dress modestly. Being Refined and Fly saved me money!

4.The kind of birth you have (natural or epidural; home birth, birthing center, or hospital...I recommend watching "The Business of Being Born" and "Orgasmic Birth"), if you are going to circumcise (if you have a son), how long you are taking off from work (if you are a working mother)and whether or not you are going to vaccinate your children (a good resource for vaccination info is "The Vaccine Book" by RobertW. Sears) are personal decisions that you as a parent must make and you and your child must live with. It's one thing to have a theoretical perspective. It's another thing to live out that reality and be faced with some tough decisions. Do the knowledge, research, talk to people who can offer you sound advice and make an informed decision. I don't judge.

5. Taking classes and reading books about childbirth and newborn care are helpful, however, it's more of a learning on the job situation. Nothing truly prepared me for what I experienced during birth, and it will probably be or feel like nothing you have experienced in your life. For me, taking care of a newborn is not difficult, but it takes ENDURANCE. You really do have to be okay with not getting much rest. And if you're a working mother like me...sheesh! However, you will find your rhythm and you will get used to it.

6.Let's not downplay the role of stay at home moms(whether its for 6 weeks or 2 years). Let's not act like sisters are just sittin on their asses all day (at least sisters who strive to be responsive mothers). Being fully present and essentially revolving around an unpredictable little being who spits up, urinates, and defficates in the diaper and on you, your carpet, in the car, in the onesie (you get the picture) can be a lot of work. Will you always get everything done? No. Plus, at least in the beginning, brestfeeding makes you SLEEPY. But can you go to sleep? No.

7. Though your child has been inside of you for almost a year, when they come out, there is a "getting to know you" adjustment period. You have to learn each other. Every child's demeanor isn't the same. Some are very active and need a lot of attention and cry alot. Some are real chill and you can put them down anywhere and they're cool. Some want to be on you at every moment of the day. Some are a mixture of these things at different times or different points of their development. Don't have any expectations, except being ready to ride the waves with your life jacket on!

8. A good pediatrician and one of those books detailing the first year of life (there are several) don't hurt. "Your Baby's First Year" by the American Academy of Pediatrics has been quite helpful.

9. One of the best most natural things you can do for you and your baby is breastfeed. Combined with the birth, and a primarily vegan diet(with the exception of some fish), I lost 35 pds in 2-3weeks! I got a fever sometime in the first week I gave birth. The midwives told me to breastfeed and that bad boy was gone by the morning with no medication, herbs, nothing. Your baby is getting everything he needs...from you! That is the beautiful synergy taking place between you and your child. You make enough milk for them (your supply meets their demand)and your milk production will be in tune with his eating habits. Plus, it's a real opportunity to bond. Sing to him, talk to him (minimize the baby talk).I will say that having been back at work for 3 weeks, pumping at work takes diligence. I have to remember to pump 3 times a day in the midst of a busy work environment. When I am tempted to miss a session, I remember my sun is relying on me to eat to live, and that's all it takes!

10. You will learn the art of making choices. When your child takes a nap, you will have to chose whether to sleep, shower, cook&eat, clean, or do some level of work you may need to do. I'm typing this post at 4am (and yes I have to get up at 7:45am for work tomorrow). You learn to operate on a differnt schedule. Every thing may not get done every day...and it's okay. Do the best you can.

11. You really will learn all of your child's crys and what all their little mannerisms mean. You will feel very triumphant at accomplishing this...and you should be! It's a milestone.

12. If you are having a baby shower (or if you do like we did and have something after the child is born so people can meet the baby and also give gifts), don't request too much newborn clothing. They will grow out of that fast, if they are able to fit it at all when they are born. You should ask for ALL of the following size ranges. 0-3months, 3-6, and 6-9months.

13. You may obsess about little things and you will think how he kicked his foot or punched the air or a look in his eyes is the greatest event in the world. If you are at home with your child, this will dominate most of your conversation, along with other things going on with the baby.

14. Going back to work, baby withdrawl is real. You may look at pictures. You may call the person taking care of your child often. You may cry. The highlight of your day will be reuniting with your baby. What helps me remain sane is that the person taking care of my son is a friend I have known for a long time who I trust and love. She knows my wishes, what I advocate and does what I ask. She sends me pictue mail and texts me when little cute things happen. It's a collaboration...and I know she loves hime too! Make sure, whether it's a friend, family, or a daycare center that you sit and talk business before hand. Just because you know someone doesn't mean you know how they take care of children.

15. You will become a fierce protector of your child. You will kill anyone who trys to harm them and you will give your life for them

16. Check the weather daily

17. Build in extra time when you have to go places (and you may still be late). He may throw up on you when you're on the way out the door, he may be hungry and require an extra feeding, he may urinate or defficate (or both) through the diaper and all over his nice outfit, etc. Put at least one extra outfit in the diaper bag.

18.Be patient with yourself and your child. You pretty much are on their schedule until you are effectively able to teach and train them through repitition, consistency, and culture.

19.Both parents must WORK TOGETHER! Establish a flow and synergy enabling you both to be able to get things done

20.Enjoy every moment, every day, every week, month and year...and take lots of pictures!

Feel free to add on!

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2010-05-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

THE COMING OF MASIAH...THE STORY OF THE BIRTH OF MY FIRST BORN SON

Peace and welcome back to me! I've been on an extended hiatus, having taken the time to be pregnant and have my first born son! But Refined and Fly is back like I never left with so much to share. So in honor of my return, I'll share what was keeping me away from all of you...my birth story...

Rewind to Monday, February 15, 2010. I am officially 42 weeks pregnant according to my first sonogram. My son was not ready to make his debut just yet. I had a few lite contractions here and there a few weeks earlier but nothing serious. The accepted time span for a safe birth is between 37 and 42 weeks. February 15 was the deadline.

I had been recieving all of my prenatal care from The Midwife Center for Birth and Women's Health in Pittsburgh, PA http://www.midwifecenter.org/tmc/tmc/content.asp and intended on giving birth there. I took the newborn care, breastfeeding, and childbirth classes. I had a normal pregnancy...no complications. I did everything right. I even had a couple sonograms for good measure. I had a doula and my videographer was on notice. Transportation plan was made. Car seat was set up in the vehicle. I wanted to have my child in the ocean room. I wanted to do my breathing, grunting and yelling in the jacuzzi they offer. I made my birth cd and prepared my birth plan. My bag was packed. I was ready.

He was not.

At 41 weeks, the midwives recommended I do a non stress test and sonogram at the hospital to make sure he was okay. He was fine. Now mind you, my due date had changed a few times. According to the first day of my menstrual cycle, he would have been due on Feb 13th. Then at my prenatal appointment, i was told I miscounted and he was due Feb 6. At another appointment, I was told I counted correctly and he was indeed due on Feb 13. Then I have my second sonogram, and now he's due Feb 2! Since I know this is not an exact science, I just figured some time in February. When they started talkin deadlines in late January, I stated I thought my due date might be wrong and that it may in fact be Feb 13 since he hadn't come yet and an expectant mother feels things. I just didn't feel like he was ready yet.

Back to Feb 15, and I'm back at the hospital for more testing. No problems. Just so happens that one of the midwives is there so she takes some time to talk with me.

So the midwife is telling me my options. Unfortunately, if the pregnancy goes beyond 42 weeks (aka the next day), I would not be able to have my child at the birthing center and would have to come to the hospital the following evening Feb 16 at 10pm for cervical stimulation and induction the morning of the 17th (I could have decided not to be induced and wait it out a little more, but still no birthing center at that point). My dream of having a natural birthing center birth started crashing down.

I waddled to the bathroom and cried.

She said she understood how I felt and she would cry too if she were in my position. She knew how badly I wanted to have a natural birth at the birthing center. She gently reinforced my options.

I knew what I had to do.

I was under the gun and time was ticking. I was determined to do things my way, or to give all I have and all within my power to create the birthing experience I had envisioned. Then, I figured, if I did what I could and nothin worked, I would be at peace with whatever happened next. You have to understand...after seeing The Business of Being Born and Orgasmic Birth all I wanted was a natural birth. It was the midwife center or bust.

I had a matter of hours to make somethin happen.

One of my sister-Earths out here in Power Born (Pittsburgh, PA) told me how she used blue and black cohosh to naturaly induce. I called one of the Earths Scihonor Devotion to obtain the process for using the herbs. I called our local elder Earth Queen Shamika for more guidance. She essentially said do what ya gotta do (within reason). You do not want induction. We were in agreement. I started taking the herbs in intervals at 8pm and did so for 5 or 6 hours and gave it till the morning to work.

The night comes and goes with no drama so I reosrt to what I had been dreading but was resigned to do if I needed to...

Castor oil.

Why castor oil? Ask one of your old school aunties and she'll run it down. Lets just say it gets EVERYTHING out of you and in the meantime,stimulates contractions. I started taking the castor oil with orange juice and started walking up and down the stairs. Taking the castor oil is no joke! I'll just say be prepared for a very uncomfortable day, but it gets the job done!

I start seeing results, though they are small, but good signs of progress. By now I call the birthing center. It's about noon. 10 hours till the deadline. I ask them if we can come in so they can do something to naturally move this process along. Sure.

I get to the midwife center around 2pm. They sweep my cervix (VERY uncomfortable...imagine a pap smear times 5) and we start the breastpumping and walking up and down the stairs. After a few hours of this, I go from being 1 cm dilated to 3 or 4 cm. We were there till about 7 OR 8pm. I am having regular contractions. Unfortunately, they aren't long or strong enough so they had to send me home TO get some rest (are you kidding...how can I rest while having contractions lol) and if things were to pick up, I should give them a call. The good news is, we bought ourselves some time. They gave me till the morning to have to go to the hospital. I had to go into active labor tonight!

We get back to our apartment and I lay down. After about 30 minutes, my water broke!

What followed was something I've never felt...

Intense physical focused PAIN.

Now the car is just down some stairs and right outside (mind you, we just missed the snowstorm and its still slippery outside with lots of snow), but when you are having contractions, it feels like its 10 miles away. I just wanted to be teleported into the jacuzzi. Everytime I had a contraction, I was frozen and could not move. Braxton Hicks contractions ain't had nothin on this.

We finally get to the car. I'm in the car with two Gods having a conversation (my God, Masiah's father, and one of my bros). I'm in the passenger seat. I'm listening or talking with them, then all of a sudden OOOOOOOOOOOH! I'm grabbing anything I can get my hands on, twisting and turning in my seat. They continue their conversation. Do not even think about driving if you are in labor. You are likely to cause serious harm to yourself and innocent pedestrians. We finally park the car, and though the midwife center is a half a block away, again, it feels like 10 miles. With each contraction, I stop walking and grab the God's coat to support myself from my knees buckling.

I finally made it to the ocean room. It was 10:30pm.

I intended on wearing a tank top and skirt during the labor due to it being videotaped for my mother in California. That went out the window. In 10 seconds, my clothes were on the floor and I was in the jacuzzi.

Jets on my back...aaah

Now the jacuzzi was cool but that was only a little relief that came to my aid. I was having what's called back labor, where most of the pain is in my back, mixed with some abdominal pain.

I do not remember what the pain felt like. I cannot really describe it. I suppose it felt like horses were tied to my back muscles and they were all running in opposite directions. My mother's first child's labor was the same way...back labor.

It was the worst pain I ever experienced in my life.

I breathed deep. I grunted. I screamed like I was dyin! And in beween contractions, I either did a short monologue into the camera or fell asleep. It's hard to imagine being able to sleep for 3 minutes in between all that pain, but that little bit of time is heaven on Earth. A contraction is like someone riding a bike up, then down a hill. it starts, reaches its peak of pain, then decreases to nothing. The birthing center does not offer epidurals, which is one reason why I chose them, just in case I was tempted by the pain. A small part of me was. Well, maybe bigger than small.

"I don't know if I can do this!"
"Is there something you can do?!"
"When is this going to be over?"
"Please, I just need a 15 minute break."

I remember saying all of these things. My bros upstairs were wondering if I was okay due to all the nosie I was making. I didn't care what I said or did, though I didn't curse anybody out and remained fairly polite for my condition. My God was the best birthing coach I could ask for. He remained calm and encouraging. He helped me through it.

But when you are in labor, though you may be surrounded by supportive people, it's you and the baby. The child is the understanding being born through you and it is your responsibility to get him out safely. Once the process starts, it does not stop.

By this time, I had to use the bathroom and got out of te jacuzzi. They took it as my cue to permanently get out. I wasn't read yet but I went with the flow. A minute or so later, it was time to get on the bed and push.

My birth cd was playing, which truthfully, I couldn't focus on too much due to the pain. It just sounded like some faint background music that I heard every once in a while...I think while my contractions stopped. However, as my son was crowning, Queen Shamika's song, "3rd Rock from the Sun," about what it means to be the Earth from my mixtape came on. That was really the only song I heard all night and was just what I needed to hear at that time. I focused on the song, who I was, and what I was there to do. I focused on my name. I focused on being a mama warrior

This is what women have done for thousands of years and I am a part of this universal continuum, walking into another level of womanhood...motherhood.

30 minutes after I started pushing, my son had arrived at 1:30am. 12 hours since my first contraction, with 3 hours of active labor& 30 min of pushing.

No epidural, no petocin, no drugs

9 pounds, 8oz, 21 and 1/2 inches long, with a head full of hair and healthy

My big beautiful shining star.

The most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

My prince who will one day be king...Masiah I-Culture Beneficent Allah

A great human leader, a servant of his people, at one with his culture bringing the gift of knowledge, and ruler of his universe...a king amongst kings, his brothers.

As mentally and physically challenging as it was, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

He was worth it.

Peace and welcome back

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2009-06-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

MY "EYEWITNESS" MIXTAPE IS FINALLY DONE!!!!

Peace! My mixtape "Eyewitness" is finally done! So many years in the making (but it really took a good 4 months of concentrated effort) and I am so proud of this project! It's fire for real! It will be ready for sale by next weekend. For the Gods and Earths, I will have copies on hand at the Show and Prove in Mecca (Harlem, NY). I'm setting up a paypal account for those who I will not be able to physically reach so I can send you one in the mail, and I'll be getting them in some local stores in Pittsburgh. But I will always have copies on me. If ur interested and want a cd, hit me at refinedandflyinc@gmail.com.

This was my vision and it's exactly how I wanted it to be. If I wasn't using other people's beats, this would definitely be considered an album. Thanks to everyone who featured and those who added on to make this happen.

Peace!

I Medina/ Angel Eye

2009-04-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

CAN YOU LIVE WITH REGRETS?

Peace. You know a popular adage is that you should live life without regrets. To that, I say hah! Easier said than done. The important thing is not to wallow in them, but I think it is natural to go through life and do some things that had you more knowledge, wisdom or understanding, you would have done differently. So the other day, I was reading the Harvard Business review and there was an article "Go Ahead, Have Regrets." Below are some points that I took into account.

-"The most successful people have been those resolute in the face of failure

-Instead of ruminating what might have been, let what happened point the way. The regret you feel from a frank re-appraisal of your decision making need not undermine your self-confidence. Use regret to improve decision making and clarify values.

-Balance regret and risk. Instead of choosing a less risky option that you are least likely to regret, choose the one that will maximize your chance of reaching realistic goals."

Maybe the key is not to live in regret, to not make a temporary space like regret your home, because you cannot change the past. You can only prevent it from re-occurring...if the lesson has been learned.

WAR AND PEACE (the name of one of the songs on my mixtape)

*Also here's a what I call an "Embrace the Message, Not the Messenger" quote I found in Newsweek that I found to be applicable:

"Whoever thinks that he will achieve something by way of concessions, no, he will only invite more pressure and more wars. If you want peace, prepare for war."
-Avigdor Lieberman, Israeli Foreign Minister

My name, I Medina Peaceful Earth, specifically focusing on the "Medina Peaceful" embodies the essence of this quote. It is a constant process to find peace, and often times you have to fight for it. You can't suppress the chaos or confusion or opposing side (if you try, it will only work for a little while). Eventually, your opponent will rear it's ugly head and you will have to face it. You will have to fight. And if you have the right tools or strategy, you will win. Peace is not constant (though we want it to be). Nothing really is except change. Peace is temporary because in life we are constantly challenged or constantly challenging ourselves, therefore, the process for maintaining peace becomes what is constant. You struggle to maintain your balance when you get thrown curve balls. You have challenges and you work them out. You achieve the peace, you may remain in that space for a while, and then you have another battle. For example, there have been empires that were in ages of peace and prosperity, but someone who was jealous, envious or simply wanted what they had tried to invade. Sometimes you have internal battles and you have external battles (people who may want your peace because you have what they think they have been looking for). I suppose the battle is not one we should fear, but view it as an opportunity for growth, to get stronger, better, faster and more efficient.

Not easy, but necessary

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2009-04-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

CHECK OUT THESE ORGANIZATIONS! YOU'LL BE INSPIRED!

Peace! I arranged a business trip with a couple of co-workers to California to visit these dynamic organizations. If you work with youth or within the social justice area and need some ideas or inspiration, check out the web-sites to these great orgs. They are doing great work and have really good, innovative creative models. We are hittin up everywhere accept the People's Grocery (boo...I want to go there so badly! A People's Grocery is needed in so many neighborhoods without proper access to organic produce). All of these places are in Oakland, CA. It was pretty easy to arrange visits with everybody (most people we are meeting with are Executive staff)...just give them a call or email and be persistent. With all the drama goin on out there, there are some positive things happening. I am truly proud to be from the Bay!

I Medina

1) School of Unity and Liberation (SOUL)

www.schoolofunityandliberation.org

Focus of Org: youth leadership development, youth organizing, trainings on social justice issues. Curriculum manuals for sale

2) Youth Uprising-

www.youthuprising.org

Focus of Org: comprehensive youth centered facility and programming (Performing Arts, modeling, Career Exploration, GED Prep, Personal Development, Neighborhood Unity, Youth Leadership)

3) Leadership Excellence

www.leadershipexcellence.org

Focus of Org: Freedom school, Sister Circle, Brother Circle, Youth Leadership, Summer Camp, Trip to Africa

4) Silence the Violence/ Urban Peace Movement

www.ellabakercenter.org

Focus of Org: Utilizing the arts to bring youth in different neighborhoods together, Turf Unity Project

5) Art in Action/ Green for All-April 9, 12:30pm

www.greenforall.org (check out user guide)

www.artinactionworld.org

Focus of Org: Utilizing the arts to bring youth in different neighborhoods together (Art in Action) and Resources for community campaigning, strategy, and implementation of Stimulus Bill (Green for All).

6) Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

www.ellabakercenter.org

Focus of Org: Books Not Bars (Juvenile justice), Green Collar Jobs Campaign, Soul of the City (community education, ecological sustainability, community leadership), Silence the Violence (it emerged from the Ella Baker Center but is now its’ own entity), Bay Area Police Watch

7) People’s Grocery-

www.peoplesgrocery.org

Focus of Org: Innovative means of supplying organic locally grown produce to neighborhood residents of West Oakland, youth staff and youth led workshops, Nutritional Cooking classes, community education

8) Youth Together

www.youthtogether.net

Focus of Org: utilizes four main programs to meet our mission: 1.) Youth Together Student Teams: Youth Together operates student organizing clubs on six school campuses to develop student leadership skills, multiracial solidarity, and to improve school conditions. 2.) School-Based One Land, One People Youth Centers/Collaboratives: Youth Together operates multi-service collaboratives and youth centers on high school campuses. 3.) Community-Based Youth Centers/Collaboratives: Youth Together advocates and organizes for community based multi-service collaboratives and centers and partners with local officials to design, plan, and develop these centers. 4.) Regional Programming: Youth Together provides regional programming to core youth leaders and is the lead member of the ODB network, a regional network of youth-serving organizations working to improve a variety of issues which impact the areas’ young people

2009-04-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

MIXTAPE DELAYED TILL MAY

Peace! Okay, so today was supposed to be the day that my mixtape drops, but we are lookin at May. We're having some tech issues with the computer in the studio and I'll be out of town for 2 weeks out of this month. The good news is that I'm almost at the finish line...3 more tracks, a lil mix, a lil master, guerrilla style the duplication and voila! It will be ready to get in your hands. So as the 80s song says...Don't you...forget about me! This is not a 52 fake out move! This is not a vague "coming soon" in disguise!

I'll be back soon

Peace!

2009-03-24T21:57:00.001-07:00

Wisdom Culture and To Be Blind, Deaf and Dumb
*This post was originally written yesterday, March 24, 2009

2+4=6

Peace. Today's mathematics is wisdom(2) culture (4) all being born to equality (6). One's way of life is the culmination of things you say and do, and when you connect those two principles, you see what you are capable of. Your wisdom and your culture should be consistent with each other. It's like you're doing stairs. Each step you take is 1 action, 1 form of wisdom. Keep climbing stairs consistently (culture) and you'll see your legs get all toned up (equality).When you look at yourself, and if you realize you are not as balanced as you could be, you are not applying yourself the way you should be, you are not being all that you can be, your wisdom and your culture may provide important signs or indicators for you. If the things you are doing consistently ain't addin up to success, look at your wisdom. If your wisdom ain't right, your culture will reflect the dysfunction, and vice versa on the positive side of that.

Since wisdom comes after knowledge, you have to have a wilingness, motivation or will, to manifest what it is that you have learned...to put your ideas into implementation, and to consistently put them into practice to see what you are made of...to see if what you have to offer is something those around you will benefit from. The wisdom culture degree in the 1-40 asks "What was his idea of making devil?" Applying the degree to myself, "I ask what is my idea of achieving my goals?" When asking yourself this question, one has to be honest about your level of equality...what are your strengths? What are you limitations or challenges...things you need to improve. What are your patterns? Some of our worst roadblocks are the ones we set up for ourselves. They are often the most difficult to move because no one is holding a "sword over our heads" threatening to "take off our head" if we don't fix things. These are often things that we do or don't do that get in our way. Though many of us say we don't need a sword over our heads, or a big stick, or a battery in our back to be productive, some people (whether admitting it or not) do.

My self-acknowledged pattern is that in my comfort zone, I do things in phases. I may be really on writing raps for a while, then I'll stop. I may switich to writing articles for a while. Then I may stop. I may write poems for a while, then I'll stop. Looking at myself today, I don't place a moral judgement on this behavior. I don't consider it to be good or bad. It's all in one's perspective. On the one hand, I can look at it as me valuing a changing environment and responding to my internal clock of when I should and shouldn't be doing something. When I am focused on something, I do it well. On the other hand, those behaviors can hinder my progress. When I'm not focused on something, its almost like it doesn't exist! AKA single minded tunnel vision! Sometimes with equality, your biggest strengths, can be a "weakness" when applied to a different cipher or situation. Many concepts are dichotomous (up/down, left/right, etc.). With many things, there are extremes, 2 sides of the same coin. How I draw this up through today's mathematics is I have asked myself if that pattern of stop and go is conducive to my goals.

Once I realized the answer is "emphatically no," then I had to take control in retraining myself. I am setting and meeting deadlines, pursuing opportunities, creating opprtunities, and not allowing any real or self-perceived "unknowns" to hold me back. I am doing better at balancing my ciphers, completing my personal goals (I have no trouble completing things for other people), applying my own level of pressure to me so that I can make diamonds and not bust pipes. I am taking the plunge and am setting out to do some things I never saw myself doing. I still have a ways to go, but through my consistent application of this change, I will see the equality in me, and so will other people.

When you allow unknowns to hold you (i.e."this could go wrong," and other negative self-talk), you place a limitation on your own equality. Everything starts with knowledge, an idea, or your mental state. So if you tell yourself its not gonna work then it probably won't because you will not "give all that you have and all within your power" to make it work because you see the failure before the success. When this way of thinking becomes culture (you do it all the time), you never really see the greatness of all you can be. I am learning that risks are on the pathway to success and sometimes you may lose, but those losses should build up your knowledge and wisdom so you will be more likely to win the next time because you have applied those lessons to your life. We all have heard the phrase, "Life is like a chess game," and though I am nowhere near a pro, I tend to avoid taking risks on the chess board. Once I learned that about myself, I am learning to balance myself out by learning to take calculated risks...at least with some things. You gotta take steps right? And the more I take those steps, that will create the culture of exploring different avenues and furthering myself. There are lots of companies that after "years months and days", had to bring in a new CEO or implement strategic planning that turned everything upside down, or the CEO and board fired everybody and started over. Some of them never recovered and some of them grew in leaps and bounds. Sometimes you have to put all your cards on the table and see what you'll get or else you'll never know, and sometimes, not knowing can be worse than trying and failing. That's how lots of people end up living with regrets. You may receive a penalty or reward, but the justice you get is partially linked to my next topic...

TO BE BLIND, DEAF AND DUMB

The wisdom culture degree in the 1-36 states "well they were made blind, deaf and dumb by the devil when they were babies." Now guess what? You don't have to be a complete idiot in order to be blind, deaf and dumb. You don't have to be a complete "savage in pursuit of happiness." I don't have an elitist attitude toward the "85%" because I was of the same mentality (that is what I consider the 85, 10, and 5 % to be...mentalities, that many people can embody at different times) and I recovered. In some ways, I'm still recovering...I'm still growing. I don't think I'm better than anybody, I am just at a different point of the spectrum that has proven to be beneficial for me and those around me.

Some people who have a wealth of information are still blind, deaf and dumb. We know knowledge is the foundation for everything in existence and some people say that it is infinite (I personally do not ascribe to that...there is a lot of information out there and a lot that you can learn, but that doesn't mean you stand on it. That doesn't mean that that knowledge dictates your actions or is the foundation of your existence. Is everything you know your foundation? Is all the knowledge in the world a part of what motivates you to do and be? Like I said, that's my personal vantage point ),however knowledge is the first step! How I define being blind, deaf, and dumb is quite simple cuz Allah said to "keep it simple and teach it real" right?:

Blind- you do not see all that you need to see. Your sight may be skewed which can effect how you percieve your surroundings. Your vision may be limited

Deaf-you do not or have not heard all that you need to hear, due to lack of exposure (someone hasn't said it to you yet) or stubborness (someone keeps telling you and you refuse to listen and activate upon that which you've heard)

Dumb-you do not have the proper understanding to process a situation, internalize a lesson, or produce success. Even looking at kids, when they call another kid "dumb," it's usually because they lack understanding or comprehension in a certain area. The message isn't getting through yet. Or a person says or does poorly judged things or statements.

There are lots of different types of people who can fall victim to this (people who know a lot, people who consider themselves to be good people, people who seem to have it all together), and in some instances, these three traits can be situational (You ever met a woman who has it going on, educated, great job, etc, but makes the worst choices when it comes to relationships...she hasn't seen, heard or have an undersanding of the right things regarding that cipher which produces failure instead of success). Being "blind, deaf and dumb" ain't just reserved for so-called pork eatin, perm havin folks who yell at their kids! You might be someone who knows a lot but doesn't have a lot of money or is not in the position you want to be in in life. You still haven't gotten "there" and you don't understand why. Or you may have no clue of where "there" is and how to get "there." What are the elements that are stopping you from achieving your goals?

These terms can be taken offensively or may sound harsh, but when you look at them beyond "face value," and honestly assess yourself, and all that you are, and all that you want to do and be, you have to ask if any of these terms are applicable to any aspect of your efforts. I don't view these terms offensively anymore. I view them in a dichotomous manner or as issues that I need to remedy. If I am blind, how or what do I need to see? If I am deaf, what do I need to hear? If I am dumb, what understanding do I need to come to that has not crystalized yet? Being blind, deaf and dumb is similar to walking around in a haze. To see, hear and understand aids in giving you the tools to interact within your environment properly to be "successful in you undertakings."

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2009-03-16T15:59:00.001-07:00

IS BEAUTY ONLY SKIN DEEP?

Women all over the world have been dressing modestly for centuries and continue to do so in 2009. It is absolutely nothing new.

A woman’s appearance and specifically her style of dress is an indicator of how she feels about herself, her thought process, her experiences, exposure and her values. When we get up in the morning and select what we will wear for the day, we are consciously and subconsciously sending a message to all those we encounter saying, “This is who I am!” So what message are you trying to project? What first impression are you trying to make?

When a woman puts on a power suit or business casual clothing, she is projecting the message that she is striving to look and be professional. When you see her you may think she may be going to work or to a conference or an important meeting.

When a woman wears a long silky dress with a shawl and heels, you know that she is probably going to a somewhat classy formal event.

When a woman wears a police uniform, you assume she’s a cop… unless it’s Halloween.

When a woman wears “African” garb, she projects the message that she probably has somewhat of an African centered view on life or she has a different cultural perspective.

When a woman wears a crotch length mini-skirt, a tube top, and some hooker boots, where if you bend over or sit without your legs crossed, your goodies are exposed for the world to see, what message is she conveying? Many of us are never asked, nor do we ask ourselves that question, and if we do, here are a couple typical answers:

1) “I wear what’s in style”
-Okay, so that means that your style is predicated upon the creative whims of fashion designers, many of whom are unalike yourself (many are gay white men) who place gaunt unhealthy looking women onto the runways to model their clothing (many of whom have boyish size 2 figures…hmmm), and the clothes go into specialty boutiques, into department stores, and on to your local mall retailers. And, scantily clad clothing is not the only style that is trendy.

Besides, some designers get ideas from the street or from the styles of original people, but do we ever get credit for it?

2) “I wear it cuz it’s cute (that used to be my favorite one to use)”
-Something being “cute” is relative. That is not a universal term. There is not absolute meaning to the word “cute.” You think something is cute due to the context of your life and what you have been exposed to, by which you develop responses, and as you get older, that combination of responses turns into “your style.” What you think is cute, someone else may think is unattractive and vice versa.

3) “What I wear has nothing to do with who I am (my 2nd favorite one I used to use)”

-Um, yes it does. We usually say this when we are getting defensive or have not gone through the recesses of our thoughts to get to the point of origin of why we dress this way. Your clothes are ABSOLUTELY, EMPHATICALLY an indicator of who you are, it’s just not the only indicator. Doesn’t how you eat, how you speak, and the music you listen to give others a glimpse of who you are and your way of life? Well, the same logic applies regarding your wardrobe choices. We oftentimes say this when we are challenged about our way of dress and are resistant to self-analysis and change. If you wear it because you wanna “use what ya got to get what you want”, though it’s usually a saying prostitutes use and is a dysfunctional phrase passed on from woman to woman (often times from uncivilized mother to daughter), at least you’re being honest. We have to stop deluding ourselves.

When we intentionally wear cleavage exposing shirts, it’s because we want someone to look at the ta-tas. When we wear those little crotch length denim skirts ( I mean doesn’t the name itself sound foul?), it’s because we want someone to look at our legs and the hill back there. These thoughts may all be subconscious and we may not think it when we put the clothes on, but after really thinking about it and being honest with ourselves, you tell me what you come up with. When you intentionally put that sexy ish or that freakum dress on(and don’t get me wrong, I like that song for the beat and melody, but I threw my freakum dress out a while ago(smile)), when a man sees you, he is giving you the attention you are asking for. When he looks at you, he doesn’t think of how intelligent you may be…he thinks of (surprise) SEX! So if a brotha is salivating over you while tryin to hold a conversation while staring down ya shirt, don’t get mad at him cuz he’s not looking into your eyes… check yourself first cuz he’s gonna look if you put it out there !

4) “Some women in other countries walk around topless, so what’s wrong with what I wear?”
-We are not in those countries. Different countries produce different cultures, different standards of beauty, and different perspectives on how a woman’s body is viewed. In the United States, a woman’s body is a commodity that is objectified through the process of long-standing sexism. Women are socialized to be sex objects and men are socialized to chase it, so when ya put it out there like that, you’re like a walking advertisement for some of the sexual pleasures he may get once he pulls you. In this country, it’s just too much to ask for a man who hasn’t yet deconstructed his own thoughts and life experiences yet, socialized as he has been, to not think that way when he sees a woman walking around half naked. Remember, he’s constantly exposed to the same images as you, and he is socialized to desire a woman who looks like that.

As a woman who has only been consciously dressing modestly for about four years now, thinking back to when I first decided to embark on the journey of getting the knowledge of self and striving to be a productive citizen in the Nation of Gods and Earths, I had to conduct an analysis of every part of myself, and a large aspect of that was getting to the root of my dress code. Women of my society who are called Earths, usually wear what is called “3/4ths,” because 3/4ths of the planet Earth’s surface is covered by water and as self-respecting women and Queens, we dress modestly and cover our hair to show the world a different paradigm of womanhood and a positive standard of beauty… that you can be beautiful, intelligent, smell good, and have ambitions without all your goodies hangin’ out.

Coming to this conclusion and accepting modesty as a part of my way of life was very difficult, but very rewarding in the end. It was difficult because I had to study myself, and through a logical process of being asked and asking myself questions, I came to the conclusion that I used to wear revealing clothes to boost my self-esteem and attract attention, because I was not as confident as I should have been with my other attracting powers. I knew I was fairly intelligent but I also knew that I had it goin’ on physically and coupled with media images and popular standards of beauty in the wilderness of North America, music videos, movies, Miss America Pageants, magazines, you name it, I thought that this was how I had to dress to get the attention I wanted. Showin’ skin was in baby! It was deep, and I realized that my thoughts and feelings about this went back as far as the third grade (be careful of what your little girls are exposed to! They are picking up messages that are integrated into their subconscious that will shape how they consciously express themselves.).

I fought this concept and thought that my mental did not have to match my physical…that I could still be smart, nice, community minded and active, love and build with the babies, and wear what I wanted. Back then, I didn’t really understand the importance of consistency and discipline. Due to the barrage of distractions that we are exposed to and integrate on a daily basis, consistency is a challenge in the United States in 2009. I suppose you could say I was tryin’ to be revolutionary but sexy. Looking back, I now realize how much of a contradiction that was. Real revolutionaries had other things on their mind beyond striving to appear to be sexy all the time. Not to say that a woman can’t feel sensual or comfortable with her sexuality, however, there is a time and place for everything, and having “sexy” as one of the dominant themes of my existence didn’t really make sense. As my God says, “Civilized people do things inside.” That was not the legacy I wanted to leave behind.

Another dilemma I had was that I thought there was only one way to look modest and rock 3/4ths. Later on, as I grew and developed, saw different examples and looked within myself, I found that that was totally untrue. Me changing my wardrobe forced me to have to be more original. This is not to say that I couldn’t wear some of the styles that I considered fashionable, trendy, attractive or designer clothing, because I can, but I simply wear them in a different way…

There are lots of different options, but you, as the original woman, with her own level of beauty and uniqueness, have to be creative enough to put it together, and if you do it right, you’ll start setting trends! Where do you think the “earthy” look came from? People will start asking you how you put your outfits together, where did you get that head wrap from, lovin’ your accessories and matching purses, and complimenting your shoe game…

Give it a shot and you will see where your creativity takes you and just how refined and fly you can be!

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2009-03-16T15:50:00.001-07:00

ANGEL EYE/ I MEDINA NEWS, UPCOMING SHOWS&MORE

Peace everyone! Thanks to everyone who came out to the Sun Star show March 6. I had a great time and ya'll were a great crowd. Thanks to everyone who's been supporting my endeavors (music, Refined and Fly, community work) thus far. Here's some updates...

NEWS
Check out my feature below in Nakturnal's E-Newsletter. Nakturnal is a female owned company doing great things in promotions, events and night life in Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. For more info about them check them out at www.nakturnal.net.

PERFORMANCES
If you missed my performance at the SunStar Women in Music Festival at the Kelly Strayhorn Theatre, you can catch me at Nakturnal's event "Equinox" at Club Ava March 21, 10pm-2am AND as a featured performer at the Shadow Lounge's Curl Up Tuesday open mic event Tuesday April 28, 9pm.

"EYEWITNESS" MIXTAPE
I'm back in the studio recording, gettin it in and gettin it done! Only a couple sessions left! Look out for "Eyewitness" droppin April 6, 2009. The flyer's attached

REFINED AND FLY
Refined and Fly is my lifestyle company that advocates modesty and magnificence for women and girls. A refined and fly woman is a woman of distinction and elegance who represents class and confidence, knowledge and uniqueness, carrying oneself with grace and respect...and lookin' sharp while doin it all! She knows who she is and strives to be the best woman she can be and her intelligence is her #1 asset. We've got shirts on sale now, as well as some new upcoming colors and items for the spring season. If you want a shirt, i'll meet you or mail it to you, no problem, and I'll be selling items online soon. And brothers, don't sleep! If you know a a sister who fits the description or is striving to, or you just wanna give a young lady some positive encouragement, send her my way. Refined and Fly will also be hosting workshops and events in the near future. For more information on Refined and Fly Apparel, events, vending opportunities, etc, send your inquiries to refinedandflyinc@gmail.com. Flyer's attached

CONTACT INFORMATION & SITES TO CHECK OUT

www.myspace.com/angeleyecali for my music, photos, and blog

www.imedinapeaceful.blogspot.com for my perspective

www.refinedandflyinc@gmail.com for anything related to Refined and Fly

www.twitter.com/imedina78 to get updates on what's goin on wit me

Click here for a live performance of my new song "Pathways" at the Sun Star Women in Music Festival http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MTo3jTOjUk&feature=related

Click here for the "Pathways" song and video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=237h45iiKSg&feature=related

Click here to see a rap video by students in my program (Community Empowerment Association-Asante Nation Safe Passage Program) "Remember Your Roots" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzx1D7yz0NQ

Click here to see another rap video by students in my program "The Facts" spittin that multiplication! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7IhMkrwUdU&feature=related

Check out Get Money, Teach Kids at www.gmtkonline.com advocating Education, Economics, and Community Development

Check out www.classic1824.com for the latest, merging Education and Entertainment

Thanks and spread the word!

Peace
I Medina/ Angel Eye

Featured Artist

Angel Eye

Emcee

A transplant to Pittsburgh from the Bay Area, California, Angel Eye is an active member in Pittsburgh's community and one of the leading women in Pittsburgh Hip Hop. A member of the crew RXC, Angel Eye is a proud citizen of the Nation of Gods and Earths and a Program Manager youth and families at Community Empowerment Association. Balancing her time between the local community and her passion for music, Angel Eye has been rockin' the mic since the age of 17. She currently is working on her mixtape "Eyewitness" droppin' on April 6, 2009. You can catch her at her next performance on March 21, 2009 at Ava Lounge for the Equinox. On April 28 she will be featured at Curl Up Tuesday's Poetry Night@ the Shadow Lounge. Angel Eye is also slated to finish a book of poems and perspective titled, "Affirmations of a Brown Suga from Berkeley" by 2010. And if that wasn't enough to fill your day she currently is the visionary for Refined and Fly Lifestyle Company. Refined and Fly Advocates Modesty and Magnificence for Women and girls. You can check out Angel Eye on her myspace at

www.myspace.com/angeleyecali

or at her blog spot

www.imedinapeaceful.blogspot.com

Ali Pace
Down with Fashion

Ali Pace and her mother Annet Pace have been a design duo for over 10 years. What started out as fun and exciting ways to dress themselves for Halloween costumes and prom dresses has turned into a full on business. In 2005 the family opened up Bombshell Boutique in Shadyside. They ordered the hottest trends and incorporated their own style into the boutique. What better way to do that then to launch their own clothing line, Down with Fashion and sell it in their very own store. Down with Fashion is a fusion of Ali's love for the Broadway style mixed with the Rock and Roll aesthetic.

Ali likes for her fashion to find contradictions that exists and exploit them in order to create something new and exciting. Down with Fashion isn't about following trends, its about making new ones.

You can catch Down with Fashion at their next show on May 7th at Diesel in the Southside. For more information check out their website at www.mybombshellboutique.com

or at

www.myspace.com/bombshellboutique

Check out Featured websitesFollow-up Links

Greetings Pittsburgh!

Congratulations to Janera and Bekezela for a wonderful event. The Sunstar Festival this past weekend was really a beautiful event filled with lots of talented women. What a great way to kick off Women's History Month! Make sure you mark your calenders for the Equinox at Ava on March 21st.

Also, be on the look out for our Nakturnal photographers coming through to take pictures of what's hot in the city. Who knows, you might end up on our next eblast! Also we are starting to feature local artists, musicians, photographers, non-profits, businesses and entreprenuers. If you are interested in a feature on our eblast please email kate@nakturnal.net for more information! Remember to click on display images if you are not seeing any photos or flyers!

She Said

March 15, 2009 starting at 7pm
Byham Theater located at 101 6th St.

This event sells out every year. Our girl Kellee was asked to be a featured poet again this year! Don't miss it!

Equinox

March 21, 2009 from 10pm to 2 am

Ava Lounge located at 126 S. Highland Ave.

A celebration of females in the arts, this show will feature some of the finest female artists, musicians, fashion designers, photographers, videographers, graphic designers, dancers and poets in Pittsburgh.

Classic Material

March 21, 2009 from 10pm to 2am

Shadow Lounge located at 5972 Baum Blvd.

Pittsburgh's premier old-school party, Classic Material is celebrating March Madness with all of the hits from the lengendary Kool Keith, MF Doom and Madlib. So come out on Saturday and enjoy the madness while gettin' down on the dancefloor.

Saturday Tune Up
New Amsterdam Pub located at 4421 Butler St.

Second Annual Hip Hop Buffet Series Award
Sunday March 22, 2009
St. Lawrence O'Toole Rec Hall located at 140 N. Atlantic Ave.

Well that's it for this week! We hope you can join us this weekend at the St. Patrick's Day Parade where we launch Pittsburgh's first Pedicab service. Come down to the parade and be on the lookout for Nakturnal and Green Gear's Pedicabs in the Parade! Also don't forget to check us out at www.nakturnal.net.

Peace,

Nakturnal

Forward email

This email was sent to nakturnalkate@gmail.com by nakturnalinc@gmail.com.

Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.

Email Marketing by

Nakturnal | 1936 Fifth Ave. | Pittsburgh | PA | 15219

__,_._,___

Angel_Eye_Flyer_web.JPG

refined_fly_flyer_web.JPG

2009-03-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

ANGEL EYE (ME) PERFORMING AT THE KELLY STRAYHORN FRIDAY MARCH 6, 8PM

Peace! Come check me out this Friday March 6, for the Sunstar Women in Music Festival at 8pm at the Kelly Strayhorn Theatre (5941 Penn Ave, Pgh, 15206) in East Liberty (Pittsburgh, PA).

It's $15 at the door, but you can get tickets in advance for $10 by simply rsvping to info@kelly-strayhorn.org or call 412.363.3000 ext. 107 and reserve your tickets to be picked up at the door. The festival itself is Thursday-Saturday so if you want to attend all of the events, go to www.kelly-strayhorn.org for more information.

I'll have Refined and Fly and Get Money Teach Kids shirts on sale so come check me out and support local Hip Hop, and specifically women in Hip Hop! There will be a nice line up of performances featuring yours truly. If you can't make it, forward this to folks so they can come out. My mixtape "Eyewitness" is droppin April 6 (finally!) so if I'm gonna keep doin this thing (cuz it is costly and timely) I need your support.

Also check my new song "Pathways" on www.myspace.com/angeleyecali and let me know what you think. A lot of emcees ain't story tellin' no more, but this is a story that some of ya'll might know.

Thanks

Angel Eye/ I Medina

2009-02-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

ANGEL EYE'S (ME) MIXTAPE "EYEWITNESS" DROPPIN APRIL 6, 2009...FINALLY!

Peace! Okay, I know I've been sayin the mixtape is comin soon for the past 2 years...

But for real...

I mean it this time...

Seriously...

I'm back in the studio so Angel Eye's Mixtape "Eyewitness is droppin April 6, 2009. In the meantime, check out the new song "Pathways" at www.myspace.com/angeleyecali and let me know what you think. It's a story some of ya'll might know.

Also, check me out at the Kelly Strayhorn Theatre for the Sunstars All Female Hip Hop Festival March 6, 2009 8pm-12am in Pittsburgh PA. You don't wanna miss it! I'll have Refined and Fly Shirts on sale as well.

Peace and Stay Tuned!

I Medina

2008-11-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

SHATTERING THE ILLUSION OF "MISS INDEPENDENT"

Ladies, sistas, and friends

Here is some real talk that may shatter everything that you've been taught about who you are and your relationships to men. Some of you may not like what I'm gonna say but I'm gonna say it anyway (and if it really don't apply,let it fly)...

First let me say this:

Peace. My name is I Medina Peaceful Earth and I am a former "Miss Independent."

I grew up in a home where my mother was EVERYTHING (and to this day we are extremely close). My father was more of a weekend Dad (we'd spend time together on some weekends, he'd attend special events, but he was pretty hands off in terms of raising me). It was more than what a lot of people had but in retrospect, I know I needed more in terms of a father figure. But as I've said in a previous post, he could not give me what he did not have. I acknowledge that, have forgiven him, and love him for who he is today, and know that some of my inclinations come from him.

A few years ago, when I asked my mother what she wanted to be when she grew up, I expected a response dealing with a career aspiration. But her response surprised me. She said, "I always just wanted to be a good mother." And she was. She was a great mother. She was such a great mother that growing up, I didn't really miss not having a father in the home (they divorced when I was a baby). Quite a few of my friends adopted her as their mother too. She cooked, she cleaned, she went to my games and special events, PTA meetings. She mentored me, encouraged me, scolded me, protected me, listened to me, talked with me. She made sure I was taken care of and educated so I would grow up to be a great woman.

A lot of who I am today comes from the environment my mother created and for that I say praises due. But there is also another side. There are challenges. I came up with a "do it yourself mentality," or as the Pussycat Dolls say in one of their songs, "I don't need a man to make it happen!" Of course I had relationships with brothers, and due to how my mother raised me, I hadn't gone through too much drama because I developed somewhat of a keen insight on "how to pick em." I could see trouble, drama and all kinds of warning signs right away and I avoided those brothers like the plague (no offense fellas). I protected myself.

I did not rely on a man to do anything for me and because of that I became...

Miss Independent

Now some of you may be saying, "Well what the hell is wrong with that?!" You turned out pretty good right?

And I have. But in reality, I did not do it alone.

The term "independence" in regards to this subject matter is an illusion and dare I say unnatural.

Why?

Because the nature of the universe is not independence. It is interdependence.

The universe is a system and within that system, all living things depend upon something else to survive and thrive. We need each other. We rely upon the trees for oxygen. We rely upon the environment for food. We depend upon the sun to nurture our planet and without the water there would be no life...a perfect combination. We pay taxes so that the government can put together $700 billion bailout plans (go figure!).Men cannot produce life without women and women cannot produce life without men...period! Even entertaining the idea of artificial insemination, you still need the sperm!

Many of us raised in female headed households have struggles "listening to a man" or taking leadership from a man. Why? Because we haven't had to do it! It is something foreign to us. It is like throwing a cold pale of water in our faces. It is shocking. It sounds crazy. It is unfamiliar. It is like ploppin somebody in the middle of Russia who does not speak the language. It is dis-orienting. It is a struggle. It feels unnatural.

Why?

Many of us have never seen it up close and personal in real life. We are not used to it. It does not resonate within the fiber of our being because we have been taught and trained that a man may not be there (whether these words were spoken or not...we heard it or saw it played out in day to day life) so you gotta what...DO YOU! We were not raised with direct examples of brothers providing strength and a level of leadership in the home.

Our mothers and some of us have been doing it ourselves to survive. We have been "superwoman" because we have had to hold our families together through the devastation of our brothers falling victim to various societal plagues (racism, slavery, violence, drugs, the prison industrial complex, etc). We should be celebrated for our strength and endurance, but to me, this is not a family model to strive for because so many of our families are falling apart (and for the sisters who raised babies that turned out great without a man in the home, praises due. I just see the other side of the game every day). I know there are success stories.

Being an "independent woman" is not something I advocate because some of the joy or love, peace and happiness within that is an illusion. Some of us are fakin it until we make it.

Oftentimes, some of us are straight up frontin!

NOW PLEASE DO NOT GET MY WORDS OR INTENTION TWISTED!

I repeat...

PLEASE DO NOT GET MY WORDS OR INTENTION TWISTED!

In my eyes, there is nothing wrong with a sister having her own job, car, resources, etc. I do not advocate being so dependent on everyone else that you don't have the ability to think and do for yourself. It ain't ever cool to "bloodsuck" somebody, not even the person you say you love. That is one of the ways of the 10%. In my way of life, the Earth rotates on her own axis as well as revolves around the Sun. To build alongside a king, you must be a Queen, and the more you develop yourself, the more you can bring to the table. You must have the ability to be self-sufficient. If you wanna be with a boss, you gotta be able to be "boss lady."

But beneath all of the strength of doin it ourselves, many of us know deep down that that ain't necessarily how we want things to be and that isn't the best thing for our children. We just deal with what IS and keep it movin. No time for drowning in sorrow or feeling sorry for ourselves. As great of a job that we sisters have been doing holdin it down with the absence of our brothers, many of our communities are in disarray.Our conditioning, life experiences and egos mask the pain. And some of us are too busy making things work to retreat within oneself and figure this shit out. Some of us are still little girls who miss our fathers and pile on accomplishment after accomplishment as a royal shield and wear it proudly.

I DID THIS WITHOUT YOU! I MADE IT WITHOUT YOU!

And what can this manifest into when we are lookin at the brother we're with or a potential prospect?

I DON'T NEED YOU TO DO THIS! I CAN MAKE IT WITHOUT YOU!

Sometimes we say it plainly, and sometimes it's an underlying thought that comes out through some pretty smart ass comments delivered in a mist that one can hardly detect. It can come out as sarcasm or nitpicking.

We are like onions with lots of layers. Some of us are on the verge of imploding. We hold it all inside because we do not want anyone to think we are weak. We have to "be strong" to keep going on.

When many of us "independent" women get into relationships, there can be less cooperation and more competition. How in the world are we supposed to have healthy relationships when we are always competing with each other, trying to out do each other. How will the Black family survive?

Now don't get me wrong, we are not the only ones responsible here. Frankly, for many of us, the source of our pain is a brother who somewhere in our lives, in childhood, adolescence or adulthood, did not deliver, whether it be our fathers or our mates.

When I came into the knowledge of myself and got into the relationship I am currently in, I respected who the brother is because HE IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS. He does what he says he will do. I am intelligent and bring a lot to the table AND i also am able to respect his leadership because he knows more than me, has experienced more than me, and I trust and am secure with the bond we have based on knowledge, growth and development. It is based on logic. And through the knowledge and wisdom came the love, the highest form of understanding. If he did not live up to who he says he is, for a woman like me, I would not have been able to go from independence to interdependence.

I have come to know that the Black man is God...not because I have been brainwashed (and I know at least a few of you may think that...hey you're entitled to you own perspective. You don't live my life so it may be hard for you to cee). Not because I am under some "debo mind control." Not because I was forced. It is because I saw the idea manifested. The knowledge dominates with equality, not control. Brothers, with all that we are and all that many sisters have gone through in life, you simply cannot seperate theory and practice here. I am a very practical person, and if it doesn't make sense, if there is no practical application, an idea is difficult for me to entertain. I need proof. And honestly, so do a lot of women.

So brothers, you must know that if you want us to build with you, if you want us to trust your ability to be responsible, if you want us to listen to you, if you want us to learn from you, you must lead by example. You must give all that you have and all within your power to be who you say you are.

Whether it's "strong black man," "educated Black man," "king," "God," "boss," "maker," "owner" you must BE THAT. And yes, when you think about it, that is a tall order. You've got big shoes to fill. We know that this is your nature, but that nature must be nurtured so that the world can truly see the reality of who the Black man is. If she is trying to be all that she can be, and you are not, you will have problems. You will not achieve the natural level of equality, balance and homeostasis for a healthy interaction. You will have power struggles and it will not be good. It will be a royal headache for the both of you.

Some of us have 87 requirements for what we want in a man and end up "losing time searching for that which does not exist." Our "ideal" man becomes an idea that never materializes AKA who is that "mystery"man (I ain't sayin don't have standards but we gotta be reasonable too)?

I see your magnificence and know that you have it in you. And I know that as much work that sisters have to do within ourselves, brothers have also got their fair share of work to do to destroy the negative and build upon the positive. Easier said than done. There are obstacles. This wilderness of North America has dealt many of us a hell of a hand. But I know you can do this. We have to do this for our future.

So I will say this to the brothers for all of the sisters who are not ready...

For all of the "independent women" who have not yet peeled their layers to the source of their pain....

For the sisters who are trying to work on themselves, preparing themselves for a healthy relationship and have not yet found the answer...

For the sisters who are trying to love you but are going through hell building that things will turn out right...

For the sisters who are moving up the social and economic ladder achieving "success" but are having a hard time getting and keeping a man (some of you may say you don't want or need one now, but as you grow older, most of you will).

For the little girls who become teenagers who become women trying to replace the father they never had with men they are in relationships with...

For the sisters who are not ready to face thier trauma...

For the sisters who have buried their trauma so deep, they don't have a clue it exists...

For all the sisters in straight up denial...

For all the sisters lookin for love in all the wrong places...

We need you

We need you

And you know what?

You need us too

Interdependence...it is simply the nature of life itself. I never said it would be easy. It may be one of the hardest transitions you may have to make in your life. But if you can master this part of yourself, you'll reap the rewards. You will "recieve more gold for your labor."

Love, Peace and Happiness

I Medina Peaceful Earth
...newly crowned, Miss Interdependence...and lovin it :-)

2008-11-11T17:33:00.000-08:00

THE CHOICE IS YOURS...

Peace! Today's mathematics is knowledge knowledge abbt wisdom.When you assess your foundation, the information you have at your disposal and your ability to create something tangible, you are faced with choices. The choices that you have in life are based on the knowledge and experience you have obtained thus far. Therefore, the amount of choices you have are truly up to you!

I want to introduce a concept called integrative thinking.

Check out this situation...

Sometimes, I watch a show called "Entourage" on HBO. One of the main characters, Ari Gold (whose character is based on Ari Emmanuel, the high achieving brother of our new President Barack Obama's high achieving newly appointed chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel) is a talented, successful, politcally incorrect, lovable bulldog of a Hollywood agent. He runs his own agency, has his own staff and lives what some would call the American Dream (rich, powerful, and pretty much does what he wants).

In a recent show, Ari was faced with a decision. A high end Hollywood exec offered him a position as the head of a movie studio...undoubtedly a step up. Ari was being courted with expensive gifts and money and by taking the position he would have access to more money and potentially more power. But Ari likes to do things his way, his staff wants him to stay (though they are often the brunt of his rants), and by taking the job, he runs the riskof giving up his autonomy, the empire he built, and becoming a "corporate bitch." Adding another twist, if he doesn't take the job, the woman next in line to get it hates his guts and would make his, his agency, and his clients lives a living hell and potentially sink his company.

So, as my Old Earth would say, he has 6 in one hand and half a dozen in the other.

Or does he?

What would you do?

Think about it...

Think a little more...

Got it?

Of course, while watching the show, I was asked what I would do, and it turned out that what I suggested was exactly what Ari decided to do.

What was my solution?

For Ari to look within his network and identify another person to recommend for the studio position who would be an ally to his agency. Now, throughout the episode, there was a skilled woman who he had a past nefarious encounter with who was eager to be Ari's number 2 at his agency. By recommending her for the position, Ari dodged the bullet of the other woman who hates his guts, he gets to continue to run his own agency, and the woman who he recommended for the studio position will funnel movies and other opportunities his agency's way.

Hence, all is well in wonderland.

How often are we faced with situations where we only cee Option A or B and neither option looks good? Both options may have substantial risks, and within those options, serious errors can be made and one can feel trapped.

B.u.t. the solution to the above mentioned situation was an example of...

integrative thinking

Integrative thinking is a concept I came across while reading the Harvard Business Review (the magazine produced by Harvard University's Business School). It is essentially creating a another option when the options before you are not appealing. It's having the insight to obtain the best out of the choices or models in front of you and creating a new model that works for all parties involved.

"Integrative Thinking is the ability to constructively face the tensions of opposing models, and instead of choosing one at the expense of the other, generating a creative resolution of the tension in the form of a new model that contains elements of the individual models, but is superior to each."
Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto)

Integrative thinking is an essential quality of leadership, conflict resolution and decision making. It's what takes mediocre leaders to being great leaders. It's what makes great politicians, businesspeople, organizational leaders, etc. And this can be distilled down to day to day decisions i.e. how a person runs their home, how a person figures out how to stretch out that last dollar and put food on the table, etc.

The application of this concept is endless! It's making a way out of what seems to be no way. Oftentimes, generating an integrative solution requires more base building (your base being knowledge and exposure) and deeper thought. It's taking yourself out of panic mode and showing the creativity of the original man and woman. It's expanding your view and looking at all the pieces on the chess board...not just the king or the queen.

Some of us do this everyday, and some, like myself, need to create more of these moments. So do yourself a favor and be creative in your execution because its' all about your perspective. Integrative thinking can be the difference in your perpetual success or failure. It is one of the key factors that may determine whether you will always be sitting at someone else's table, or having a table of your own.

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2008-11-04T16:17:00.000-08:00

A PERSONAL REFLECTION ON THE MEANING OF MY VOTE

Peace. This whole campaign I was really torn between voting my conscience (Cynthia McKinney/ Rosa Clemente of the Green party), voting for Barack (who has advocated for some questionable things, hence there is an air of unpredictability if he gets in office, but he could be decent) or not voting (obviously I wouldn't vote for McCain). Now, I've voted ever since I was old enough to vote and had never seriously considered not voting. I have voted my conscience and I have voted for the lesser of 2 evils (didn't want to but thought it was the best decision). But I decided to take a chance on Barack, especially since out of the options I was considering he had the best chance of getting elected and he has some alright policy on some things. Don't get me wrong...this system is corrupt and Barack could either bring about some nominal change (after he is given the task of cleaning up all the shit first, which could take all of his first term entirely) or he could usher in a new wave of lite imperialism and he'll be pegged as the one who was able to get people to believe in the system again to pacify and get people to continue to take the blue pill.

I still don't know about this guy. But I thought of 3 things: 1) Allah (the founder of the Nation of Gods and Earths) said that this is our country and we have to make the country strong by being a strong Nation (NGE). Allah interacted with the political system and one could say was politically a reformer; 2) As revolutionary as El Hajj Malik Shabazz was (who is one of my heroes), he still organized voter education drives...he knew that the sysem was fucked up but that Black folks had human and civil rights that should be fought for AND that was a way to engage the masses to provide exposure to other ideas; and 3) I used to say that the argument that "our ancestors fought and died for us to vote" was not a good enough argument to keep voting and participating in a corrupt system. But the other day, I thought that if Black folks weren't able to vote in 2008, all those people talkin about fuck voting would be fighting for the right to vote!

So I went ahead and did it.

But the key isn't just in voting and I think we all know that. Voting is just one small thing I do for an hour (if that) every 4 years. So to me, I didn't do anything big. Maybe I was a part of somethng potentially big by my action, but for me, the day to day work that I do means much more to me. So I do the grassroots stuff and I do what some would say is my civic duty (you can do both...doing one aspect does not have to be in exclusion of the other). I still have to improve upon getting involved in local politics.

At this time, whether you love, hate or question Obama, the bottom line is that he has energized a significant portion of the population not just to believe in him, but everybody kinda sees that the country and how it currently runs is fucked up and unfair. People are open to alternatives. People are open to personal and collective change. People are awake! It truly is inspiring to see so many people engaged politically.

So now, we have a window of opportunity to really continue to push our initiatives, ideas, and alternatives before people go back to sleep. Some people may go back to sleep whether he wins or loses. Why? Cuz if he wins, then SOME people will think everything's alright and not push as hard as needed and if he loses SOME people will feel so dejected and depressed, losing interest in politics or anything related, and that depression may manifest into apathy or lack of action.

So if Barack gets in, we can be proud and celebrate the milestone (this is truly a moment in history, not gonna lie about that), but we also have to hold him accountable (as we should have been holding every White man accountable who's been in office, but can't change the past!). We've given him some passes (AIPAC speech, approval of wiretap cover up, not openly advocating for Black or working class people...he talks mostly about the middle class from what I've seen, etc) and overlooked some things in the name of, "Well he may just be doing what he has to do to get elected," or "he's not the president of Black America, he's the president of America," because we want to claim him as ours. But will he claim us is the question. But we won't really know that until he gets in office and shows us who he is FOR REAL. If he doesn't win, especially on some bullshit, maybe we will truly see how corrupt the system is and allow that to motivate all of us for pushing for real change. Either way, we gotta keep pushing.

Remember remember the 5th of November... (V for Vendetta)

I guess we'll see what happens, but regardless, be safe, be prepared, and keep fighting and organizing ON THE GROUND!
Peace
I Medina Peaceful Earth

2008-05-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

WHO IS THAT MYSTERY GOD?

"There is no mystery god. We have searched for that mystery god for trillions of years and was unable to find that so-called mystery god so we agreed that there is no God but the Sun of Man and we would lose no time searching for that which does not exist." 10:40

Peace. This a repost of a comment I made on a myspace page called "God is Imaginary." It may be controversial for some, so read on if you choose...

Peace. Okay, walk with me here...Lets THINK about it... if someone told you about a serpent talking and a forbidden tree nowadays, without ever hearing this story prior to, wouldn't you think they were slightly coo-coo for cocoa puffs? If someone told you that their good friend who just passed away appeared to them while walking down 125th St in New York and they suddenly ascended back into the sky, would you not think they were imaginging things? I used to believe in Santa Claus until one night, I stayed up all night to wait for him..and he never came. Why give some fat white haired guy the credit when you spent your hard earned money to get those gifts. We cannot confuse mythology with facts. This particular brand of mythology keeps people in control and spending money because they have to follow rules and regulations or suffer a penalty or reward. Rules aren't bad, and they are oftentimes necessary so things won't go haywire, but that's what it is. If you can't fathom it happening today (a person being impregnated without having sex, such as Mary, mother of Jesus...have you ever heard of such a thing?), it probably didn't happen 2,000 years ago, save for certain evolutionary or acts of nature things that have changed since then (i.e. there supposedly were dinosaurs and now there are not).

Those who believe in a mystery God, you have your right, it's your life...I used to, until I was asked some questions, I used my sense of logic and really just thought about it one day. And at that moment, I had an epiphany. When I came to the realization that a God in the sky did not exist, for a weekend I cried, I felt alone, I thought something bad was going to happen to me (this is the fear that is instilled in you since childhood...think back to when some of you first got exposure to "God"). I stopped praying that day, a little over 3 years ago, and great things have happended to me since, and I've also had to deal with some struggles, but over all, I have a great life. But those happenings were all due to all of the moment to moment decisions I made, decisions other people made around me, and the decisions made by people whom I don't know. I have student loans cuz I signed the promissary note. I mean JUST THINK ABOUT IT. Don't respond with your emotions, don't focus on how you FEEL, don't just focus on "well I'm better now cuz God came into my life," don't respond with what you've always done or always known, cuz I know when som people read things like this, they may automatically feel attacked and go into emotional defense mode. Try to seperate yourself from your emotional connection to it and just think in this moment and consider the possibility that a God in the sky is perhaps the greatest invention known to man.Just think about it and ask yourself some questions...like does God answer prayers in all the different languages of the world?

Those who have changed their lives, I sincerely congratulate you, but I also implore you to stop giving a mystery God credit for the work you and other people in your life made happen. The strength is in you and those who love and support you. How do those who wrote the creation story of the Earth know that it happened if it happened so many years before they were alive. What evidence is provided besides a story? When you read a book like Harry Potter, or look at Lord of the Rings, do you think those things are possible? You can deduce some life lessons and get messages and inspiration from these stories, but they are stories. At least with science, there is a process of evaluation, measurement and study, and sure, sometimes they get it wrong too. Is it really feasible for a complete planet with Earths qualities to be formed in seven days...or in 6 days and on the 7th day he rested...how does anyone know he rested? How did he rest? Is there a bed up there? Where did he go to rest?) What language did the snake in the garden speak? It had to be the same language as the original writer of that book, or else, how would they know what the snake said? Were they hiding somewhere in the bushes spying on Adam and Eve?

Sometimes, you just have to ask yourself the right questions...but for some, they may ask and when they run out of answers, they say, "I just believe!" You ever notice how most religious experiences where people get the Holy Ghost usually have a few key consistent characteristics...a rousing orator, a crowd of people that feel the same way, and loud music. Do you usually hear of these things happening in a quiet church with a boring decrepid preacher? Do you hear of these happenings in Catholic mass (and I went to private school for 5 years of my life, mass every Friday, so I know)? The "Holy Ghost" is a product of all of those elements. Take away the elements and you don't get the experience.Some things cannot be explained...yet. But that doesn't mean a being in the sky made it happen. I'm sure there was a time when cancer or diabetes or other phenomenon could not be explained. But as people continued to research and study, they identified what it was, the symptoms, etc and gave it a label. So that which cannot be explained now will probably be explained in the near future.

I think positive thinking is real and negative thinking is real, and from that foundation of thought, people make decisions. They do and say things based on those thoughts, and due to that, you get results.Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. 123. Do unfortunate, unplanned things in life happen? Yes. Do "bad" things happen to "good" people? Yes. Does the opposite happen? Yes. Do good things happen to good people sometimes? Yes. Do bad things happen to bad people sometimes? Yes. I consider myself to be a good person. I was robbed walking home from work (I run an after-school program and summer camp). I don't think a mystery God orchestrated this event. I think I was walking, a man saw me walking, saw an opportunity, and took advantage of it. Had I not been walking that way, it wouldn't have happened.There is nothing in the sky but the Sun, Moon, Stars, clouds, and all the other elements of the universe.

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2008-01-23T20:34:00.000-08:00

YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE EM DRINK

Peace. Today's mathematics is wisdom understanding all being born to power. Today served as an interesting life lesson for me that is somewhat in tune with the old adage "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make em drink." Today I learned that no matter how long I've been workin with a child, no matter how much I say, no matter how much I do, no matter how many times I tell a person how beautiful they are, no matter how many ways I break down how this world works, no matter how many hugs I give them, no matter how much I coach them to want more for themselves, no matter how many times I say that they deserve better...

They still might fall victim to some dumb shit.

What qualifies as that?

There are all kinds... countless situations that a child can get into, especially if they were brought into the world with a cup half empty, dealin with life challenges, deficits, unable to see, work or internalize their strengths.

So today, toward the end of a pretty good work day, I walk in on one of my teenage female students gettin ready to get screwed by a boy who isn't in the program in the boys bathroom during center hours. And ironically, she was just told today that she was elected to our Youth Council due to her leadership abilities and improvement.

After I gave the boy a verbal lashing after his weak attempt to explain himself, and cursed him out without actually cursing and kicked him out, I was pacing and pissed.
After her counselor talked to her, now lil sis is in my office sitting on the floor, quiet, staring at the wall.

So, what do I say to her in this moment that I haven't already said?

What do I say to her that she hasn't already heard countless times over the years me and my staff have been working with her. I mean, we have invested a lot of time and energy with this sister. A lot of mentoring and exposure to opportunities. And she's been through some things. There is a passive-aggressive anger and sadness and low self esteem, although she's beautiful.

As I walked into the office and saw her face, all of my anger melted away. The volcanoe that was erupting inside of me cooled off, I sat in my chair, and for a moment, I honestly didn't know what to say.

And then I looked at her...

And I saw that behind her blank stare, and her tryin not to look at me, I saw the pain behind her eyes. I saw that she was gullible and confused, mixed with the stuff a lot of teenage girls have when they're cute, "hot," and are lookin for love in the wrong places.

So I asked her, "Do you know that we love and care about you?"

She looked at me and said, "Yes."

"Do you love yourself?"

Her eyes returned to the wall. The silence was deafening, and I could tell she was fighting back tears.

I knew she was gonna get it when she got home, so I didn't come with an angry current, and I didn't think that would be most effective at the time. One thing I'm striving to really learn and apply is comin with the right current with the right words at the right time with the right person. It's not about how I'm comfortable communicating. It's about being able to say what needs to be said in the way it needs to be said to bring about understanding with that person. I strive to speak in a manner that brings about the best result. Supreme Mathematics is teaching me that...wisdom understanding.

I spoke with her as clearly as possible so my wisdom could be understood. I weighed each word heavily as I delivered it. I wanted to say something profound to create a life changing moment. I talked about some things I went through when I was young. I told her how beautiful and precious she is and how I saw that ever since I first met her and how she has to value and love herself and embrace her greatness. I told her that she has to love herself before anyone else will and if the boy really respected and cared about her, he would not try to screw her in the friggin' bathroom! Then I gave her a hug, told her I love her, and let her go.

I told her that I wasn't mad, but this shows me how much work we still have to do with her. Then I thought about how her mother is gone and the impact that has on a young girl. Then I thought about all the times I went against my mother's advice because of somethin I wanted to do in the moment.

Knowing better, but not doing better, so you end up not being better.

Now mind you, if sis decides to really start doing better, this may be somethin she can look back on and laugh at. Maybe, with this experience, some of the seeds we've planted in her will start growing, and she'll remember all the things we told her ten years from now, and she'll have that "light bulb moment" that Oprah always refers to where she finally "gets it." She finally understands...

Or...

...she could end up pregnant in high school, with the boy leaving her high and dry like so many other little Black girls.

In my line of work, I have learned to recognize and appreciate the small and large victories cuz workin with the babies every day to get them to cee their own greatness is rewarding, but very challenging. And keepin it real, my program is in good shape. The children are improving in several ways, seeing the fruit in our and their labor (cuz we can't do it unless they are willing and open...even if it's just a little bit. THEY have to WANT to do better). But situations like this remind me of somethin my God told me...

"It's not as bad as you think it is, but it's not as good as it could be."

The babies are the greatest, but they have to know that they ARE great so they can BE great and BORN greatness. They have to internalize this, or else, they will continue to know better but not do better. I can talk all I want, but until a child cees it for themselves, unless they have that clear mental picture, then they won't change. Just because you think a child understands doesn't mean that they do. Just because a child says they understand doesn't mean that they do nor are they willing to make a change so they can live out the power that they have inside of them. And that change doesn't always come overnight. It can take years, months, and days, and you may be physically out of a child's life before they get there.

And even after all the work over time you may have invested...

...some may not get there, or by the time they get there, it's too late.

A person (man, woman, or child) does not grow and develop according to your expectations (unless they're fakin it). They grow according to their readiness and willingness, and perserverance. They grow at the rate that they want to grow!

So the lesson of the day for me is...

No matter how much wisdom I have, no matter how much I can offer, a person has to come to their own understanding in their own time.

P.urposefully E.ducating A.ll C.hildren E.veryday (PEACE)
I Medina Peaceful Earth

2008-01-10T09:27:00.000-08:00

WATCH WHO'S BUILDING ON YOUR LAND

Peace!

"8:10 How much useful land is used by the colored man? The colored man uses 6 million square miles." To build is to construct or add on. Destroy is to break down or deconstruct or take away. Build/ destroy is part of the cycle of life. Oftentimes when constructing a building, it is usually not on top of an existing structure. If something else is present, that gets knocked down and somethng else is built on the surface. Just like the area where there is a Whole Foods, Borders, Wine and Spirits and Walgreens in a neighborhood called East Liberty in Pittsburgh...I heard it was once a car wash (this was before I moved here). These changes have brought "new" additions to the area, namely, all the colored folk from Shadyside and Friendship. East Liberty used to be known for it's Black businesses. Within the last year, they knocked down some projects, causing displacement. They had a determined idea to change the makeup of the area...to build in their best interest, so they destroyed to produce a clear palet, and built what they wanted to see to bring about their world manifest. And nobody stopped them. It's as if that car wash never existed. In 5-10 years, that whole neighborhood will look entirely different. And the catch 22 is that there aren't a lot of semi-healthy or healthy food options in Pittsburgh. There aren't a lot of bookstores. So what do ya do if you don't wanna go to Giant Eagle...you go to Whole Foods (or the East End Food Co-Op across town which I frequent more since it's right across the street from my apartment). Just one of the many examples of gentrification.

Unfortunately, when looking at the colored man's (distorted from original) history, in order to build his civilization, his world manifest, he has destroyed, through countless invasions, colonialism, and imperialism. In his world, from his perspective, he sees himself as a builder and sustainer and maintainer of what he sees as equality for his family, for his interests, for his people. All that is destroyed are necessary casualties. So to him, he is doing what he has to do and letting the chips fall. What may be equality for him introduces limitation to those who are negatively impacted by his quest for world domination. He makes use out of the land he uses in order to benefit himself.

In relation to myself specifically, throughout this process of getting knowledge of self, doing a self-analysis along the way (and that's an ongoing process), I had to identify the useful land that I had that was being used by the colored man through my way of thinking, the things I would respond to, what motivated me, subconsciously. The colored man was able to benefit from my lack of knowledge of self through for instance eating the wrong mental and physical foods and my decision making based on that...the clothes I would buy, the food I would eat, all starting with thoughts I had as responses to my environment or what was programmed through society...to resent my features, to want to look like those colored women on Miss America Pageants and videos. So getting the knowledge of self, I realized all of the negative thinking that had been built up over time. Those thoughts were like a fine mist, undetectable to my physical eye, but very present, motivating me to do things, without questioning or knowing the origin. I could not detect those thoughts and the origin until I went through the process of getting knowledge of self. Then I had to destroy those thoughts (develop mental mechanisms to consistenly break them down), and build a mind-state full of the right mental foods, and hence, doing the right thing (knowledge and wisdom). Like 3/4ths for instance...I could not fully embrace that until I got to the bottom of why I dressed the way I used to dress (on some revolutionary but sexy shit), otherwise, it would have just been an act. So now, in the space that was limitation, based on rules and regulations that were not ultimately beneficial for me, there is now equality, balance, peace and homeostasis based on the law of Allah's Mathematics. PeaceI Medina Peaceful Earth

2007-12-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

POWER AND THE EARTH

Peace

5:10 What is the area in square miles of the planet Earth?196,940,000 square miles. Power is one's ability to effect and change your environment by putting in work over time...and influence. The planet Earth is the home of Islam (1:40) or Allah's Mathematics...depending on how you cee it. It is an environment where various things take place and are produced. I cee power in a few ways relating to the Earth...

1)Power is one's ability to assert their influence on the planet which brings about a positive change. For this, I look at how the Black man and myself has put in work over time to make me who I am today. For myself, it means having the internal strength, discipline, and value of myself to embrace this way of life to go in the right direction of being the Earth. It means my will to do what is right is more powerful than any temptation the dead world can bring me, because throughout this process, I have been strengthened and fortified and can see through what the Devil (and I ain't talkin bout some red guy with horns folks) tries to give me (which is nothing, masked in an illusion of pleasure, glory, more gold and greatness). I was not always the Earth (and some may disagree saying this is who I always was, I just knew it not...I'm saying that I did not have this knowledge and therefore did not conduct myself in the way that the Earth should in this culture). But going through this process, it shows me the greatness and effectiveness of Allah's Mathematics, which powered me to save myself. Through this power, I saw the equality and honor in being the Earth.

196,940,000...So through the knowledge (1) that was revealed (9) to me I saw the equality and benefit of what I could bring to the table as the Earth (6) by allowing the teachings to be born (9) inside of me so that I could be a proper manifestation of this culture (4) through my daily walk and talk and represent that in my family (one cipher-0), community (another cipher-0), home (another cipher-0) and amongst my peers (another cipher-0).

2) Power is one's ability to assert their influence on the planet (which is where many battles have taken place) which brings about negativity . This is the other side of the game. Different groups throughout time have acquired land on the planet Earth as a means to build their world manifest and conquer and control others. People have and still are dying on this planet as a result. This process took power from that 4 billion 400 million (population of the original nation-3:10). Many corporations use the land to produce products that pillage the Earths' resources (many are not in unlimited supply) to cake up and assert their economic and political dominance over others, many of whom have been original people. Look at sweatshops and the IMF World Bank and the debt so many countries are in due to this pillaging because "he desires to make slaves out of all he can so he can rob them and live in luxury (12:40)."

Hence the importance of that question in the knowledge degree in the 1-14 (Why isn't the Devil settled on the best part of the planet Earth). Because the Black woman is the way (2) in which the seed is planted so that Nations can be produced (the bridge to understanding), as Black women who are wise and have discernment (proper decision making abilities based on the knowledge we have (196,940,000 abbt wisdom) we have to make sure that our land and resources are not to be used for the benefit of those with devilish intentions. For example, a pimp may see a Black woman's limitations and exploit them for his benefit, using his wisdom and power to destroy her and build up his resources so he can born the reality that he sees for himself. Those intentions can have no home with us and cannot be settled on our planet. Our useful land used by the original man borns power (5:10)...power for who? For our families, for our Nation (as families are the building blocks of Nations), for that 4 billion 400 million. To do this, we have to take the land back (5:14), which for the Black woman starts with the ideas that determine our mindstate and activity. That's what I had to do to become Earth and the Black man with the knowledge of himself (all praises due!) has guided me through this process.

As the only life borning planet in the Solar System, that is a heavy responsibility...to know that from you, comes life, and whatever is put into that life through tilling the land, and fortifying the soil, will determine how that life will exist and what that life will produce. What can make the difference is how we knowledge knowledge and our tangible manifestation of that. We have to know that the information that we have qualified and disqualified is beneficial to be incoprorated into our foundation to act from. We have to know who the Black man is and have a proper undertanding of what he teaches us so that what we do and how we move will be firmly rooted in the knowledge we have been given.

3) That the Earth in herself is powerful in how she applies herself and all that she effects! Look at all we can do. Look at all that the planet does. Look at what our interaction with the currents of the atmosphere can create! Wonderous sites, all kinds of ecosystems and livng things. So if I could sum up that 196,940,000 in two words, I would say vastness and glorious. Oceans, land, hills, mountains, treacherous terrain, and land and water that feeds all that exist. We supply the world with food and sustenance. Isn't it crazy how there is some sort of edible food for every species to live? That is nature (Mathematics taking place on the planet). So as a person who builds with children daily (as is our duty to teach the babies), I take the prescribed law of Islam seriously, especially being the Earth, cuz now I know what it is! I know the weight I carry and the effect that my decision making or wise words can have on a young life, and I'm still learning and growing with this. Do I always get it right 100% of the time? No. But that's when the Earth steps in to correct herself, to do better next time.

Knowing all this, why would I want to be anything else but the Earth?! Striving to live all this out, I am not oppressed...I am EMPOWERED! It's up to us to explore every square mile so that we know all of our potential and all that we can produce. We know that the "original Black man is God and owner of the planet Earth and knows every square inch," so in my experience, the original Black man who is God came to me and saw the potential in me to be made into the planet Earth. He saw something I didn't know I possessed cuz he knows every square inch. Now, I'm exploring my own self. Now I have to tap into all aspects of myself that produce ripe fruit and put it in activation and whatever remnants that have the potential to produce rotten fruit, has to be destroyed.

May the P.ower and E.quality of A.llah C.enter the E.arths (PEACE!)

2007-10-31T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today’s Mathematics and Degree Day Thoughts

Peace! Today's mathematics is understanding knowledge....the day before my wisdom born (29th) degree day (or some may say birthday). This day I'm realizing the importance of not only comprehending what you know, but also seeing that when you have an idea or goal, sometimes we may not always fully comprehend what achieving that goal entails. You might say, "I'm gonna lift this table" and then when you try it, you realize, "Damn, that's a heavy load to carry!" But it still has to be moved right? You may think something is easy, or you can work on it here and there, but as you travel through that process, you realize the endeavor is more than what you thought it was and it will take more input to get the outcomes or fruit you want. In order to get to the finish line of that original idea, consistency (culture) is imperative. I can't half ass it. The understanding knowledge degree in the 1-36 says "Then what happened?" I have to think of this degree every day, every moment, because you are constantly creating, shifting, molding the reality that you want to see born for yourself and every moment, every second, is an opportunity to put energy in motion towards that goal. And when we ask that question, there are so many ciphers to consider...your own life, your family, your community, your nation. Our position in the universe as the Earth is based on what we sustain, maintain, and produce, and must always keep in mind the weight we carry and the speed at which we travel...and we must continue to do what we do for a common cause, a purpose. I've been through the cipher of doing and being busy, working, thinking I was building, but at the end of the day, nothing was produced. Can't lose time on that anymore.

This degree day is very important for me. With wisdom born, I'm looking at the completion of several tasks that I have put in motion but have not completed. So I'm giving myself this year to be successful in ALL my undertakings (29:40). If I don't complete it, I'm lettin' it go, cuz it will be obvious that I didn't truly want to do it. When you want to do something, if you are capable, you do it, plain and simple. Anything else is an excuse.

A very important part of that degree (29:40) is that one word in the question ("Why was Yacub successful in all his undertakings?)...ALL. Not some, not one, not a couple, but ALL. If I plan to be successful in ALL my undertakings, then I have to deal with them equally. I have to enforce the same laws on each and every goal. They may not get the same amount of time, but I have to give them all what they need to be realized. So going into this degree day, instead of being weary of being close to exiting my wisdom ciphers (20s), I'm focused on this year borning some ciphers complete and allowing what I bring into fruition to be the springboard for other endeavors. A person knowledges the knowledge of the Earth due to how I manifest it (abbt wisdom) in my own life. I gotta continue to make it work for me so others can see the utility in making it work for them. Rotation rotation rotation!

Peace!
I Medina Peaceful Earth

2007-09-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

Peace! Today's mathematics is wisdom knowledge abbt understanding (2+1=3). As I was traveling through my degrees, I focused on the question in the wisdom knowledge (21) degree in the 1-40..."Who is the founder of unalike attract and alike repel?" This got me to thinking about why everybody is at a loss for why Black folks (see "African Americans") can't get along. Many people will mention the psychological legacy of slavery and more specifically, the Willie Lynch Syndrome. I think there is some validity in the concept of Black people being seperated and turning against each other based on primarily physical characteristics (as the story reads), but that whole event and speech has never been proven to have actually taken place...sometimes folk just wanna believe in something so much to prove a point but it don't make it anymore true, even if the point is valid. Let's use slave narratives or factual information and research...somethin! But I digress...

The main reason that I see is the differences in people's personal culture. We should know by now that Black folks ain't one monolithic group. We are on different financial, socioeconomic, educational and class levels which determines our way of life. Due to this process of division, we all think that we are different...and to a degree, we are. Due to a level of being grafted and seperated from who we originally were (and there's some diversity within that, depending upon your historical lineage), we have been filtered out into different worlds, spaces and places, which creates division and infighting. So if you see someone who is unalike you, you may turn your nose up at them and justify to yourself how you are superior, failing to see some level of commonality, and hence keeping away from "your" own people. A so-called "square" don't wanna kick it with so-called "gangstas" and gangstas don't wanna kick it with squares. By thinking this way, you may fail to see the equality in both sides, but it's understandable cuz they live in two different worlds.

Culture plays a large role in how a person sees themselves in the world. Nowadays, you may find a Black person that was raised in suburbia around White folks, went to school with White folks, they play sports with White folks, go to parties with White folks, so is it really a surprise that they may feel more comfortable around White folks and that their interests mirror that which they have been exposed to? Besides varying levels of melanin and maybe a similar historical lineage (i.e. their great great granparents may have both been slaves), what does this person have in common with Reggie on the block that sells weed and hustles white tees?

On the flip side, this is how you get rappers like Pall Wall marrying Black women, who is totally comfortable around certain kinds of Black folks...cuz as far as I know, that's what he was exposed to. That's how he was raised. He was conditioned by all within his environment to have the same interests that resonate with some Black people. Even in the Bay, the "hyphy" subculture crosses ethnic lines. You see African American, Mexican, Vietnamese, Phillipino all embracing the same thing (music, sideshows, locks, grills, extacy). Culture is the tie that binds

Herein lies the problem with Black folks still tryin to come up with a universal plan to save other Black folks. Your plan is gonna be according to how you see the world, not how everybody sees it. One plan ain't gon work for everybody cuz we're in different places. If you got money, economics isn't your biggest issue. If you got good schools, education isn't your biggest issue. People (except for a select few who can see and understand the myriad of experiences across the Black community) usually address problems based on the needs of those within their interest group and worldview. So if you're a young Black professional for instance, and you want to network with other YBP's, your priority may be to set up a First Fridays in your city.
If you live in a neighborhood with crappy schools and your child is under-educated, you may fight for change within the educational system in your city. Is this a problem? Not necessarily, cuz if everyone works on their own piece, BUT is open to learn from the struggles, challenges and triumphs from others, and adds on their knowledge skills and talents to other people's issues when applicable, we'll probably be okay. B.u.t. a lot of times, we miss that last part.

So acknowledging that we are not a monolithic group, should we just stay within the confines of those who mirror our own interests and live a similar lifestyle? I would say emphatically no! This is what people TEND to do, which is understandable...you gravitate to those who are alike you. But unalike attracts and alike repels, meaning how are you going to learn and teach new things if you are always around the same kind of people all the time? Of course, I'm gonna be around Gods and Earths most of the time cuz we advocate the same perspective. This is how we continue to reinforce our bond to each other and see the commonality in how we are alike. However, as those who see the world in a similar fashion, we should repel off of each other (alike repel) to go amongst those who think and do differently to build on how we see the world (unalike attract). If I have knowledge of self, it is my duty to go amongst those who do not and share things with them, and also learn things from them.

Another example...if I want more money and am looking for financial abundance, I shouldn't spend all of my time around those who are in the same position as me...broker than a bad joke! I need to, at least some of the time, be around people who have money so I can learn how to get some! (unalike attract) Then I can bring that information back to those who are alike me, share it, and we can all do our own thing, go out into the world, and come up (alike repel). Just like Kimora Lee Simmons. She is a person who is unalike me...she seems to have this kind of diva bitch attitude and I would never talk to my staff the way she does. But in other ways, she is the Self He I Square! She is a mogul, mother, very business minded, loves her children, is a multi-tasker, knows what she wants, good delegater, can make ideas materialize, uses every hour of the day, and is by no means a figure head. She is runnin Baby Phat. So there are things I can learn from her by watching her show "Life in the Fab Lane" that I can apply to myself and strive for that can benefit those around me. See what I mean?

JENA 6

I didn't write a blog on Jena 6 cuz frankly, other people have written blogs and articles, and I wouldn't have had anything different to say. However, I will say this...yesterday, I wore Black (in hot 80 degree weather) in solidarity with those who were protesting. My thought was, this is one small way I can show support and continue to take a stance against abuses against Black babies and show support to the families of those 6 young people. After building with the God (check out I Majestic's blog for more context), I realized that we still got it messed up (not that I forgot, but this was a glaring example).

People were calling this the "new civil rights movement" and got all excited cuz lots of Black folks came together and marched. No, it was a Civil Rights MOMENT, cuz what will be done after this? We are so used to responding to overt acts of racism and prejudice that there isn't as much of an uproar over the systematic, covert, institutional racism that is consistently present, governing our lives THAT IS MORE POWERFUL than one act. I'm not saying that people shouldn't respond to the "in your face" stuff and I'm not really knockin those who went down there to show their support.

However, lets not get it twisted... responding to Jena was one act of wisdom...one tangible (I think) thing we did to respond to this situation. The big beast is culture...the systems that create the consistent activities that determine what kind of life we will have. It's the disparities in schools, neighborhoods, Prison Industrial Complex, economics. It's the diesel trucks that drive through your neighborhood and not other people's neighborhood, polluting the air with black exhaust fumes. Maybe giving all that we have and all within our power to attack those systems seems overwhelming. So we get a false sense of victory by winning one battle, when in reality, we're thowin pebbles at a big ole fire breathin dragon, bringin knives to gunfights.

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2007-09-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

MY TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS

Peace! Today's degree in the Supreme Alphabet is love, hell or right. As I was up thinking this morning, I was focusing on how some relationships between men and women start off with love, descend into hell, and may or may not turn out right. This is largely due to the lack of understanding people have for each other. As I travled through my own specific history BEFORE I got knowledge of self, I reflected upon some of my experiences in relationships and other relationships I've seen. In relationships, sometimes we are easily led in the wrong direction and hard to be lead in the right direction, which can produce re-occuring experiences of chaos or "hell."

Before I got knowledge of self, I learned some interesting lessons that I have now put into perspective and can share with others now that I am headed in the right direction. These points are based off some life situations in the past and relationships I've seen played out by others. And don't be gettin all paranoid with your mate askin' them all kinds of questions after you read this either! These are just things to keep in mind and work on if you need to. So,don't be mad at me...this is for the ultimate benefit and success of the Black Family and is not directed to or about anyone in particular...

1. Do not underestimate what a woman will or will not do when she is pushed over the edge or unhappy. She does have a breaking point that you may or may not be aware of when it happens. In these cases, it is possible that she will do what you think she would never do.

2. Do not ask questions where you are not prepared to hear the answer. Do not ask a question because you are looking for a specific answer that you want confirmed (i.e.Asking "Do I still look good in this dress," if you've gained 100 pounds and self-esteem is a little low and need some positive affirmation...you may not get the answer you want) Ask a question if you truly don't know the answer and open yourself up for whatever answer you may recieve...otherwise, your mate will be tempted to lie to you to make you feel good in the moment or keep the peace, and you won't really get what you want anyway.

3. In that vein, do your best to avoid "Catch 22" questions. These are questions that are akward for your mate to answer honestly, and usually, the root of someone asking is that they want to be told what they want to hear and not the truth, i.e. "Would you ever cheat on me,"...or "If you cheated on me, would you tell me?" Of course, you want to hear "no," so a person may be tempted to tell you what you want to hear instead of the truth, which may be, "I don't know or maybe."

4. If you are physically, mentally, or emotionally abusing your woman, if you haven't completely destroyed her self-concept,once she starts feelin herself, she will leave you.

5. If you do not think your woman's comfort, peace of mind and happiness is important, and disregard these things, her eyes may eventually wander toward someone who is more attentive to her needs. Someone may pop up that at least appears to be all that you are not. She may not tell you and you may never find out.

6. Give each other a little space sometimes! Do things on your own or with your babies or with your brothers or with your sisters. Develop your own interests. This will keep up the level of excitement cuz you will be bringing new things to build about and appreciate to the relationship. You should be learning things from each other, not just feeling warm and fuzzy cuz she's cute and he dresses nice.

7. As my God says, "A happy woman is a productive woman."

8. Do not get caught up in the "honeymoon phase" of the relationship. The first couple months is always great cuz for the most part, ya'll are still getting to know each other and everybody's putting their best face forward. And sometimes, people straight up "send their representatives" as Chris Rock so eloquently stated. Do not be fooled. You cannot say that you truly know someone after a couple weeks. You know what they are choosing to show you. You probably have to live with somebody to truly know who they are in totality. If someone shows even small signs that they are crazy or imbalanced, that is the real "them" peaking out.

9. Communication is key. If a person doesn't know, they are left to assume, and could be assuming the wrong thing!

10. If you "cheat" on a woman, or consistently "cheat," do not be fooled into thinking she will never cheat on you because she loves you so much. Do not abuse her loyalty. Some sistas will take your behavior as justification to be able to "do her thing."

11. Do not assume that the dynamic of being attracted to other people or thinking about other people while in a relationship is relegated to men only. Women do it too, they are just better at hiding it.

12. Know who you're with! For example, if you're with a player/ playette, accept it or reject it cuz most likely, that ain't gon' change no matter how funky you're keepin everything. You must understand what they are made of and how they were made. If you get played, it may not have nothin to do with what you are or are not doing...that just may be their inclination that they are choosing not to suppress.

13. Take responsibility if you mess up with whatever situation it may be. Nobody makes you do somethin you don't wanna do...you always have a choice no matter how tempting your situation is or no matter how much you're tryin to please someone else. Have the discipline to resist if you don't wanna get caught up or take the consequence of your action like a man or woman. You'll be respected more in the end, instead of comin up with obvious excuses. Whatever it is, think "Is this really worth it?" first! If it ain't, don't do it. If it is, do what ya gotta do and accept the consequences.

14. "No strings attached" is an illusion. There are always strings. And if it's the wrong person, you may never be able to get rid of those strings. Those strings may turn into ropes that bind. Do not be fooled!

15. If you're choosing to be a "homie, lover, friend," be warned...somebody always wants more eventually and someone will always catch feelings. If you're serious about no strings, be painfully honest in the beginning so there can be no misinterpretations about the relationship. You do not want a stalker that shows up at your home or job cuz they thought ya'll had a future and you didn't. Do not be fooled!

16. You cannot save or change somebody. You can only give them the tools to save themselves. If they choose not to, don't be mad, they just couldn't get with the program. Some people can put on a real good show for a real long time, but they're still the same, and if you wait long enough or if the wrong situation happens, that other side will come out in full force. By then, it might be too late!

17. Keep it funky in all areas! Do not let yourself go! If you're with somebody for a while, boredom can set in which can lead to wandering thoughts and eyes. Do something a little unexpected sometimes to keep things fresh. Try to break up the monotony when you can.
18. Do not fall into the trap of "someone new" always equalling somethin good, better or long lasting. They're just different. Eventually, the new gets old and you'll be faced with a new person with a different set of problems. You cannot escape another person's baggage and everybody's got a bag! Some people have closets!

19. Set up the rules and regulations of that cipher as soon as possible. Discuss your expectations, contributions, and shared responsibilities. Have a talk, make a list, do whatever you gotta do. This will not happen by osmosis. Everyone has different roles to play and contributions to make cuz we are not the same. If you are letting everything just fall into place, you are gambling, and could waste a lot of time. You might have the talk, and see that you aren't right for each other, versus spending 10 years of trying to figure it out and come to the conclusion that it ain't gon work anyway.

20. Be honest with yourself about where you're at and where you wanna be. If the two don't match, you may have some serious thinking and explaining to do. Don't waste years months and days if you know it's not gonna work. If you're unsure, or are just going through a rough patch, try to work it out. Don't make the call prematurely. Otherwise, if you're absolutely sure, make the decision and open yourself up for some "you" time or the possibility of someone, not better than that person, but better for you.
PEACE!
I Medina Peaceful Earth

2007-08-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

Peace! Although this isn't in my voice or words, it's applicable...

Do you keep falling for jerks?

By Evan Marc Katz and Linda Holmes

Repeat this to yourself one thousand times:
Screwed-up people are not more interesting than people with their heads together. Baggage is not fascinating, romantic, or exciting. It is very, very tiring. Men who are polite and emotionally mature are hot. Learn it, love it, live by it.

LindaI have no idea whom to blame for the romantic mythology surrounding brooding, emotionally limited, narcissistic yahoos. I’m tempted to chalk it up to movies, where most men who start out as selfish jerks are eventually revealed to be wounded birds of some sort. Or it might be the uglier side of the therapy culture, which tempts you with the idea that these jerks might be amenable to solution, like crossword puzzles. For whatever reason, there are a surprising number of women who are attracted to guys who can’t commit, who can’t relate, who can’t get along with anyone, who can’t tell the truth… these guys get a lot of action.It’s not that women really want jerks, exactly.

I think it’s a matter of mistaking emotional clutter for emotional complexity. Here’s an analogy: Imagine a messy apartment. You walk in, you survey your surroundings, and there’s an incredible quantity of stuff lying around. Books in tall stacks, Chinese food containers in the corners, DVDs in and out of boxes scattered around the TV… the place is in chaos. And while you wouldn’t really want to live there, there might be some part of you that would look around and grudgingly admit, “There’s a lot going on here.” Now, imagine the same apartment, once somebody has managed to get it cleaned up. The books are on the shelves, the trash is thrown away, the DVDs are alphabetized. This is a much nicer place to live. But it’s a little… you know, boring. And that’s in spite of the fact that the same books are being read, the same food is being eaten, and the same DVDs are being watched. You’re just in the presence of a person who knows how to clean up after himself. I think that for a lot of women, guys in turmoil seem strangely fascinating, as if they are, by definition, more interesting than everyone else. There’s more of that clutter, so there’s more going on, and there’s more to sink your teeth into, and there’s maybe even more emotional depth to such a person.

Let me tell you something about the guys I know who are emotionally mature. The ranks of the healthy and rational include plenty of guys who have been in rehab, or been divorced, or seen their parents’ marriages end horribly, or had their own dreams thwarted in some ugly way—all the things that creeps are fond of waving around as explanations for why they lie or cheat on you or generally continue to be creeps. The difference is that the healthy and rational people have at least undertaken the process of digesting all of that stuff and placing it in some sort of perspective so that it doesn’t have to become your problem. They know from suffering, just as much as the ones who sit around brooding into their beers and writing free verse and dragging everyone else into their little theater of agony. The sane ones are still working on their crap, too—who isn’t? The difference is that they’re not fetishizing their own misery or asking you to embrace it. And that’s a benefit to you, because the only thing you can guarantee yourself about that kind of hair-pulling drama is that if you cuddle up next to it, it’ll get on you. You’re going to get plenty of emotional complications from anyone. Even people who have their lives very well pulled together are going to give you lots of opportunities to practice patience and understanding. There’s no point in starting out with someone who isn’t even trying.

EvanAccording to Linda, many intelligent women prefer men with emotional complexities, even if it means that he can be verbally abusive, inaccessible, and generally loonier than Courtney Love on a bender. Now, I can’t speak for all men, but while I may have tolerated similar behavior, I can’t say I’ve ever preferred it. Any time I found myself dating a woman who was an emotional roller-coaster, the only reasons I stuck with her were because a) I was lonely and her presence in my life helped to fill a void or b) I was getting the best sex of my life. Lame, but true.Put another way: Could you ever picture a man saying out loud, “There’s something that’s just so mysterious about her. Sometimes I look in her eyes and I feel like she totally understands me, and other times, I have no idea what she’s thinking. She runs really hot and cold but I can’t get enough of her. I think I’m going to stick around until I can crack her shell. One day she’ll learn to be more emotionally available and loving.” Tolerance for female ambivalence is not a stereotypically male attribute. This isn’t at all to castigate women, as much as it is to acknowledge that women see more nuance in every scenario, so it’s no surprise that they give undeserving men the benefit of the doubt. But what for?

Hasn’t every woman since the beginning of time had a thing for jerks and realized at some point that jerks were always going to be jerks? I was the nice guy in high school who enjoyed being friends with cute girls who wouldn’t go out with me in a million years. I figured, “If that’s as close as I can get, I’ll take it. Maybe one day they’ll realize what I’m worth.” I would listen to boy problems galore — essentially, nice girls being treated badly by jerks — and not once did any of these girls ever say: “Hmm, Evan’s a great guy with a really kick-ass mullet. I’ll bet he’d be a wonderful boyfriend.” But it’s not simply the rejection of the nice guy that’s keeping so many women single. It’s the acceptance of the screwed-up guy. Because screwed-up guys draw screwed-up women into a whole Misery Loves Company episode of Love Connection—where both parties are brought together not by the audience but by their insecurities and inadequacies.

All that “You can’t love anyone until you love yourself” stuff? So true. And if you’re choosing to date guys with major issues, you’re just as guilty as he is. Yes, everybody’s got issues, but not necessarily deal-breaker-type issues. Which is why women often say they’re seeking men who can fit their baggage in a carry-on. Unfortunately, there are lot of men who try to sneak a 75-pound trunk onto the plane and protest that it has wheels so it’s technically a carry-on. Women with issues are the ones who choose these guys. Women who have their act together simply don’t have the patience. Admittedly, there are a few people who probably enjoy the histrionics and the moods and the make-up sex that come with dating drama kings and queens. But I’d bet that most are just willing to tolerate the drama, because, thus far, that drama comes attached to the “best” person they could find. Essentially, they’re saying, “Yeah, he’s inconsistent, selfish, and distant, but he’s all mine.” Just realize that every second you’re spending with the wrong guy is a second that you’re not out looking for the right one — the guy who gives, the guy who listens, the guy who learns.

Peace

2007-07-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

THE NAACP BURIES THE N WORD...SO WHAT?!

Peace! I build all is well with everyone. I just had to comment on this. So the NAACP (Still the National Association for the Advancement of COLORED People!) choses to take the time to have a ceremonial burial for the N Word. Hey, sometimes symbolism is good...symbolic gestures can convey a greater meaning to those who are actually concerned about the meaning, understand it and will apply it. However, what is the point with this exactly?

Now understand, I am someone who does not use the word "nigga" in my vocabulary. Haven't since I was young (I tried due to peer pressure, but it just didn't sound right so I stopped) and even wrote a poem at one point against its common use. Even at my program, the word "nigga" is restricted (among other words, and I remember doing a whole presentation on why). I do not refer to any man, woman or child as "niggas" and I probably never will and I'm okay with that(although my God has an interesting perspective on it that I can't really disagree with...I'll leave that blog to him). Maybe if I was still in that space of ridin on everybody who says "nigga", I'd support the NAACP's efforts more or truly think that the burial is a step to achieving something great.

Do they, or anyone for that matter, truly think that having a burial for the word "nigga" from an organization that many who probably use the word deem rather irrelevant, is going to effect its' usage in the lexicon of popular culture? Is it gonna stop the everyday kids playin with broken bottles and firecrackers on the 4th of July when it's illegal, from callin themselves niggas when they hear it everyday, not just on the radio or videos, but on the street? In school? At the house? The word "nigga" is a worldwide phenomenon and I don't advocate its' usage. And on the one, somebody has to think its important enough to try to work on it if that's what they see fit. I'm just thinkin there are larger things to focus on, especially of an organization of this stature. And are they at least building with young people directly and introducing other things to call each other? If you remove somethin, you have to put somethin in its place. Even if Russell Simmons wants to ban certain words coming out on albums...too little too late. The word officially has a life of its own (due to the life we gave it) and has for some time now. And why do this now after all the Imus controversy? To me, it just comes off as opportunistic damage control.

Although the NAACP hasn't gone anywhere technically, for them to come back into the public eye (read: publicity) based on this kind of issue, as part of the ripple effect of Imus and others, is pretty lame to me. Are we just that unfocused or unorganized that we're just lost, not knowing what issue to focus on? I stress PRIORITIZE! A lot of kids see themselves as niggas cuz they're living a way of life that reflects oppression, and trying to beat odds when the cards are stacked against them. A life change may bring about a change in self-definition. I couldn't truly see myself as the Earth if I didn't change some things about my life so that my life would be in tune with what I am calling myself. You have to look at how a person, place or thing was made. Change the conditions of those who see themselves as "niggas" and they may not consider themselves "niggas" anymore.

EDUCATION
ECONOMICS
HOUSING
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM
HEALTH

These are a few issues worthy of working on. They can never get too much publicity and too much work can never be done.

P.lease E.valute A.ll C.orny E.vents (PEACE!)

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2007-07-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

HOW POWERFUL ARE YOU FOR REAL?

Peace. Power is your ability to effect and change your environment through the work you put in over time. There are many types of power, or shall I say, there are many ciphers in which one's power can be manifested i.e. financial world, politics, neighborhood, community, etc. Within this, you have different levels of power. First comes your internal process...your inner strength and will power. Lots of people, including myself at an earlier point in my life, stop here. I AM THE QUEEN OF THE UNIVERSE!!!! is how one may feel inside. For as long as I can remember, even as a child, I felt a certain level of royalty about how I carried myself...walking with my head high like a queen. That's the pride my mother instilled in me, and an inner confidence that I've always had (even though I had self-esteem issues like a lot of lil Black girls do).

I remember I wrote this long ass poem called "Visions of a Superwoman," and it was a long poem about how I was the shit basically (sometimes, in the world of poetry and even rhymin, one can boost themselves up through metaphor...lots of "I" statements). I was feelin' myself that day :-) B.u.t. in order for your inner strength to matter in the grand scheme of things, your power has to start inward and then be applied outside of yourself. You have the power to change yourself, and as important and necessary as that is, that is just the first step, with power.
In our supreme mathematics, culture comes before power, so there are consistent activities that have to be taking place to show and prove your impact on your environment.

So, if I'm not consistently effecting and changing other people's lives am I truly powerful? My inner strength can be a great self-esteem builder, and once I have that strength, I have the ability to act upon it. B.u.t., if I don't act upon it, if I ain't changin anybody's life, then guess what? In the grand scheme of things, I don't have any real power...yet. I know the power I do have which is manifested through tangible activities (my work with children, my poetic, rhyme, and writing abilities, etc.) and that's cool, but being honest with myself, I have yet to change a block, neighborhood, city, state, country, world, and for the billions of people that exist at this moment, the overwhelming majority have no knowledge of my existence!

So I guess this is an ego check for myself and if it applies to you, that's peace too. I can read books, and develop myself, and all that, b.u.t., if it ain't effectin nobody, my power really only matters to me! And if I'm effecting a handful of people around me, that's peace, b.u.t. I know that I can't stop there in order to live out the qualities I assign to myself. One can start small, and do what you do well and thoroughly, before expanding, b.u.t. just think if all of us really did our best to make the greatest impact in this world as possible!

As Gods and Earths (as well as others who use some of this terminology to define oneself), we have a lot of qualities within our worldview to live up to...king, queen of the universe, god of the universe, earth, mother of civilization, father of civilization, ruler, master, etc. All of these qualities cannot stop at us as individuals or within our immediate ciphers (family or home) in order for us to have a large impact in the world. If we are kings and queens, we must have a kingdom (aside from our homes, although that's included). If we are captains and lieutenants, we must have private soldiers right? If we are leaders, we must have a team. So we as individuals, have to make an honest and critical assessment of our impact on others. I know I positively effect a handful of people, but at the moment, I don't have much power in the world. This doesn't mean I can't pursue it and grow and develop, cuz I am and I will, b.u.t., I have yet to "conquer the world" per say. I'm not really runnin' shit all like that.

Reality check...There are so many ways in which power is being exercised over us in our daily lives that we either are not conscious of or seemingly have no control over. And yes, we do have the power to change what we don't like, but just follow me here. We are living in America, and live within this government, and move according to this country's laws, policy, and political decision making! We did not create them, but we live by them and are effected by them every single day. If you see Michael Moore's new movie "Sicko," you will see how much our Health Care System is the reflection of the interests of those in government, whcih matriculates down to people's personal health care. So knowing this, how much do I truly control? Do I even have the money to purchase a neighborhood block and put up a school, right and exact grocery store, movie theatre or entertainment venue, clothing store fit for a queen and other daily needs that are suitable to my culture? Unfortunately, at the moment, my answer is "Emphatically no!"

The sign of a great neighborhood is when you can meet all of your needs within that section. B.u.t., having done the knowledge to all of these dynamics, this is what I am striving for. I know I'm doing a lot of great things, b.u.t. I can't be content with where I'm at. Otherwise, I stop growing, and anything that stops growing is dying a slow death. People knowledge or respect your culture through the power that is shown...through the perceived benefit that one can attain from participating. So I have to take responsibility for striving to produce things that will tangibly benefit as many people as possible to continue to show and prove the power of Allah's teachings.

So whatever it is that you advocate, go hard to positively impact your environment. That's power that people can relate to.
P.owerful E.xamination of A.llah's C.ourageous E.xample (PEACE!)

2007-07-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

WHO'S WORLD IS THIS?

Peace! First and foremost, I want to thank the Gods and Earths in Philly for hosting a beautiful Family Day. The Sun, Moon, and Stars (men, women, and children) were in full effect! Good food, good music, water ices, pictures, family...what more could you ask for in an event at the park (besides sanitary bathrooms...I know that wasn't on ya'll :-)! It's good to see people see us doin "regular things."(doin the knowledge to our cipher) Yeah, we barbecue, eat fish, jump around in those blow up play areas, play b-ball, blast our music, take flicks, do the two step, eat water ices and capri suns and chill shit too. Just like my God says in one of his rhymes, "I'm just like you, I happen to know a little more." We are not some mystical underground cult, so as R. Kelly, the perverted musical genius so eloquently stated in the "Make it Rain" remix..."DON'T GET IT TWISTED!!!!!!"

Well, Philly's an interesting place. It's very different for me. Coming from Cali, I'm used to a certain level of space, trees, blue skies, beaches. In Philly, it's crowded, and kind of gray, soulful, and more of a fast paced hustle. I can dig it! I learn new things every time I visit. This time around, I saw a few things that I had never seen before that cracked me the hell up. This may only be funny to me cuz I've never seen it so bear with me...

1) I saw a billboard that said, "Don't get it twisted...you are a child of God." Don't get it twisted?! I guess somebody was tryin to appeal to the "Hip Hop generation" maybe?

2) Black kids trotting down the street on horses. I was absolutely shocked! The landscape and the horses just didn't match. Not to mention somebody walkin their horse down crowded dirty ass 52nd street (no offense Philadelphians...I get great salmon nuggets, Muslim fish hoagies and shea butter down there too:-)

3) Muslimas in all Black just chillin at Fairmount park...as if sistas in all Black don't do regular things like go to the park and movies...at least in Philly anyway.

4) The children have virtually no fear! They will ride one of them bikes or four wheelers in four lane traffic, comin towards, you, only to turn around 5 inches from your whip!

I respect the culture of Philly. There's a lot goin on, and you definitely gotta stay on your toes. Don't get caught slippin!

With that said......

Today's mathematics is knowledge cipher, all being born to knowledge. This morning, I was reflecting on the importance of honesty with oneself, in relationships (any relationship...god, Earth, friend, father, mother, self, etc). Sometimes we are still looking for that mystery God or earth, or loved one or thing and we don't even know it! It's like bein with somebody, and expecting them to live out certain qualities based on your experience, b.u.t., you fail to see that those qualities are not present in the person you're with. So doing the knowledge to the cipher means being aware of who and what is around you AND within you, that said person's abilities, strengths and limitations or challenges.

If a sista for example, ain't been cookin' all her life, and just cuz she calls herself the Earth now doesn't mean she'll be a culinary chef in 3 weeks! Or on the flip, expecting for a God to be your everything, fulfilling 100 different roles rolled up into one person, relying upon the God for all of your stimulation and entertainment. The God is the foundation, the source of light in this way of life and ya'll set up how that is supposed to play out in real time, day to day interactions. However, it's also important to have time with yourself for self-development and processing, time with your sister-Earths, time with some young people, developing your skills. And when you take time to do this, the equality you bring to the relationship will be that much greater.

Throughout my process of getting knowledge of self, I also had to do the knowledge to my cipher...everything that is encompassed within me. This degree in mathematics was very important to me cuz it allowed me to take personal inventory myself, in the dark, when nobody else was around... my "self work," if you will. Mathematics helps you get to the origin of all things, most importantly, why you are the way you are. I'm not using mathematics to its' fullest capabilities if I don't do this. What is the danger in not doing this? If I don't get to the origin of where my ideas come from, where my feelings come from, where my thoughts come from, then I will act based upon an idea that I am not aware of! Or I will react to something that happens and my reaction will be based upon previous experiences, my emotions, or information that is not right and exact.

All information is not knowledge, cuz in this culture, knowledge serves as a platform for you to act that is contextually relevant to the natural order of all things. Peep game... if I grew up watching TV all my life, or consistently bore witness to unhealthy relationships, that information that I am taking in is going to impact me. However once we choose ourselves, then we have to make the conscious decision to move off of info. that has been qualified, quantified and that takes us determining whether it is of value enough to integrate it into our way of life. For instance, I may have watched Charm School, but I know that the info. presented is not knowledge (although there were a couple redeeming qualities about the show, but I won't get into that right now :-)

Our relationships are supposed to be based in mathematics (the natural order of the universe) b.u.t., when you have been without mathematics for the first 20-25 years of your life, you may not always be operating off of mathematics just cuz you got the student enrollment down or even if you knowledge 120! Reshaping your thought process takes time...the amount, depends on the person and the pressure you put on oneself to change. It's almost like re-programming yourself. So I might have more pregnant pauses in conversations cuz I sometimes have to say to myself, "Hold up, don't say that Earth. That ain't right and exact. That's some otha shit from way back". Or I may truly want to be honest with a person if they ask me a question. The events of our childhood, our formative years effect us. We can be 30 years old and react to situations based on somethng that happened when we were 9 years old. Shoot, I remember when I was 13, and I went out on a limb and approached a dude. He said, "I'm cool," and ever since then, I have not approached a dude for fear of being rejected. That was like 15 years ago!

So if one doesn't take the time to truly know themselves, the relationship with whom or what is based on wisdom...your emotional attachment to it, and because feelings change, that can bring about a lack of stability. This don't mean you gotta be a robot! You can still have fun, meaningful interactions with people b.u.t., it is a challenge to strive to rise to for mathematics to consistently be the ruling principle in all of the decisions we make. Otherwise, don't let the ensuing chaos and confusion surprise you.

Even in one's physical family for example. A person may look for the qualities in a father that are just not present, and due to this dynamic, this can shape and mold your interactions with men for life! For example, I would have liked for me and my physical father to have had more of an emotional connection. More father-daughter talks, more time with him. B.u.t. growing up and doing the knowledge to him, I learned that due to his family history and the Vietnam War, he was a little more detached emotionally. So I had expectations of a father that he couldn't deliver. And no matter how much I may have felt I could have benefitted from it, I accepted that he couldn't give me what he didn't have! So, I forgave him, and now, I love and appreciate him for all the things he was able to give me...even the challenges that ensued from all the things he didn't give me, cuz I grew from it. Love is the highest form of understanding, which is seeing something or someone AS THEY ARE, not as they present themselves to be or how YOU WANT them to be. Knowing that, loving someone and maintaining that love long term isn't so easy and it ain't always fun.

So whether you're in my culture or not, be aware of who and what is around you, know their purpose, be mindful of your expectations, and most of all, take the time to go to the root of you. Otherwise, you'll be living life, discouraged, confused and frustrated asking yourself, "Who's world is this," or "What world am I in," and you won't be able to give yourself an answer you're satisfied with.

P.ractice E.valuation A.nd C.onsistent E.levation (PEACE!)

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2007-06-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

PLIGHT OF THE FEMALE EMCEE

Peace. This is a comment in response to an article posted on Hip Hop journalist and radio personality Davey D's page called, "Is the Female Emcee Extinct?" on my myspace page (www.myspace.com/angeleyecali...check my top friends to get to the original article)

Peace. I don't think female rappers are extinct in general. There are plenty of females who rhyme (including myself...check the page for music). There are plenty of female emcees (and even the fact that one has to say"female emcee" shows a double standard...nobody says male emcee when referring to a male) who are skilled and have something to say. It's a matter of what is being promoted. Unfortunately, in this day and time, music is very categorized. I guess the categories are supposed to help people understand who you are and what you do in 5 seconds so you can decide if the music is your cup of tea or not. It's like fast food...Taco Bell, Burger King, McDonald's, coming in a glossy stylized package that's easy to figure out so you can choose whatever unhealthy meal you wanna eat that night. So if you don't fit into a category (and I'm sure some dudes have this issue too) i.e. vixen, hardcore, tomboyish, ride or die chick, "conscious," etc then labels feel it's harder to market your music.

This is so related to economics. The easier you are to package, the easier you are to sell...and it's fucked up, cuz this being the case, half the artists who came out back in the day wouldn't be put out in this day and time. That's part of the reason why songs are so formulaic now...not much originality, and the cycle repeats itself. A standard is set and people keep puttin out music according to that standard so their music will sell i.e. the ever played out "club song." I mean how many ways can you talk about going to the got damn club! Can we at least explore a different kind of club?! How many songs about hustlin? How many songs about Bonny and Clyde relationships or fucked up relationships? At the least, the nature of the popular Hip Hop landscape is boring, among other things. I do like some artists that are out though, for varying reasons so I'm not hatin.'

Even Shawnna and Remy Ma for instance...I know they can spit fire and I like them. But their songs you hear on the radio are about sex, bein fly, whatever kind a shit. And say what you want about Lil Mama and her "Lip Gloss", but I happen to like her. She's not rhymin about sex and ass, she's fully clothed in her video dancin havin a good time like a teenager would, and she sounds like she can actually rap....(and if you peep the beginnig and ending scenes of the video with her an her mom in the car, there's a positive message).The nature of the game at this point creates artists and songs who are not memorable. I can't really remember off the top of my head 10 popular songs from 2005. This shit is just kind of all running together. I barely even buy music at this point (why should you when you know you'll here your favorite song on the radio 50,000 times?)

There is a double standard when it comes to being a female emcee. You're expected to be weak off the bat, just cuz you're a woman, and women didn't create that standard, so you have to work harder to prove yourself...write better, sound stronger, come harder. And in this industry, you can't be "unattractive" or considered "overweight" and sell. And that's fucked up cuz the bottom line is that in order for you to be put out as an artist, for people to hear you, you have to be considered, ultimately, fuckable! That's what that shit is about. But shit, look at Biggie! He proclaimed that he was "Black and ugly as eva," but because of his rhymes and general swagger, most people dug it. But I will agree with another person's comment that more and more you see dudes with their shirts off with ripped abs and muscles for eye candy. Even the whole shit about having to put out a "song for the ladies." I mean damn! We would like a variety. We don't always just wanna hear love songs with R Kelly, Ne-Yo or Akon singin on the hook. Sure, I'll admit, a lot of us like to sing along with choruses, but I like hardcore shit or songs with some level of substance just as much as any man. People continue to underestimate female fans.

There are so many female emcees who would crush half of these dudes out. Usually, when people here me, they're pleasantly surprised, and I used to like that...being underestimated by my looks and provin cats wrong. It's a double sided coin...one side, because female emcees are becoming more rare these days, when you grab the mic as a woman, you have people's ear cuz they wanna hear what you have to say...you're just not expected to say much. "You're one of the dopest females I've heard" is what I'll get sometimes, and I know people mean well and I appreciate it, but that just shows me that not much is expected from a woman.

When you hear a dude that's a dope emcee, you know what he's called...

A dope emcee. Period

How bout you? Do you or have you underestimated a "female emcee" because she simply is a woman? And don't get it twisted...this question ain't just for the fellas. Women underestimate each other too...

2007-06-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

WHITE GIRLZ, THE BIG 4, AND TED

WHITE GIRLZ

Peace. Today's mathematics is equality which represents balance. I tell you there is no balance in the way women are projected in the media, specifically white women and original women within Hip Hop.

Follow me here...

You ever wonder why Black folks and other original people can rap and sing about the craziest, violent, sexually inappropriate subject matter and still get play on every major radio station or video program, but mention only the two words "white girl" and you know what happens?

IT'S NOT GOIN' DOWN!

If you ever questioned where video and radio station owners' and the tip top dogs at the major record labels interests and preferences lie and who's really runnin shit, the writing is officially on the wall. You can not in any way shape or form disrespect the white woman and expect for that shit not to get bleeped out.

Case in point...two songs: 1) Kanye West's "Goldigger," where the word "white" was bleeped out in front of the word "girl," and 2) Jeezy's new song "Girl," officially titled "White Girl," where the same censoring happens (if you don't know what the song is about, I'm not gonna explain it to ya. I'll just hint that "White Girl" is a metaphor)

The media empire was not built for us to see ourselves in a positive light (unless it makes some white man that you rarely, if ever see, a shitload of money). We can disrespect and degrade the Black woman (including self-degredation and self-disrespect) but the white woman is off limits.There are makers and there are owners (and some people who occupy both slots). Right now, we MAKE the music and images that sell, and other folks OWN and are in control of how it is distributed, marketed and sold, gaining more profit than the artists themselves. We have to understand the significance of this! Yet in still, I know some of us will not get the memo and keep doin the same shit. I can only scratch my headwrap in confusion and frustration at the moment.

Disclaimer: I do not advocate the exploitation of any woman in the media, however, if it's gonna be done, there should be EOE...Equal Opportunity Exploitation. So in that sense, at least in Jeezy's video, they had a white girl shakin her ass half naked for a change, instead of only seein my original sistas degradng themselves. There is no balance in this media movement.

I also realized that people saying that radio stations and videos are just "giving the people what they want" is a crock of shit. Why? Cuz Akon's new song "Mama Africa," featuring 50 Cent is gettin a lot of burn. it's a real positive song. If you play that song over and over again, you'll be singin the lyrics and likin it, just like they play all the violent, degrading stuff, and you hear it over and over again, and eventually sing the lyrics, dance to it and like it. The repetition is the key. It doesn't matter what is played, as long as it makes money. THE WORLD IS MOVED BY ECONOMICS AND DECISIONS MADE BASED ON ECONOMICS. There is no conscience in this. Morality, for the most part, doesn't matter.

THE BIG FOUR
Speaking of the 4 major record labels, here's a little info on each (according to Bill Lamb on http://www.about.com/):
70% of the world's recorded music is sold by one of the 4 major record labels. All 4 are major media conglomerates with multiple record label imprints and dozens of recording artists under contract.
1) Universal Music Group
The Universal Music Group sells more music than any other major label. They accounted for 25.5% of the market in 2005, according to IFPI. The group's well-known label imprints include Geffen, Interscope, Island, Motown, and Universal. Key artists are:
Black Eyed Peas
Mariah Carey
50 Cent
Gwen Stefani
Kanye West
2) Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Sony BMG Music Entertainment is the second biggest major record label in music sales. They accounted for 21.5% of the market in 2005. The company's well-known label imprints include Arista, Columbia, Epic, J, Jive, and RCA. Key artists are:
Kelly Clarkson
Alicia Keys
Outkast
Shakira
Britney Spears
3) EMI Group
The EMI Group is the third biggest major record label in music sales. They accounted for 13.4% of the market in 2005. The group's well-known label imprints include Astralwerks, Capitol, EMI, Mute, and Virgin. Key artists are:
The Beatles
Coldplay
Gorillaz
Rolling Stones
Robbie Williams
4) Warner Music Group
The Warner Music Group is the fourth major record label in music sales. They accounted for 11.3% of the market in 2005. The group's well-known label imprints include Asylum, Atlantic, Lava, Reprise, Rhino, and Warner Bros. Key artists are:
Green Day
Madonna
Alanis Morissette
My Chemical Romance
Rob Thomas

TED

When you get a chance, go to this web-site www.ted.com (TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design...the scope of it is broader now and includes global issues, culture, business, science and arts) is an annual conference held in Monterey, CA that started in 1984, where some of the world's most innovative, creative and well recognized thinkers get together and discuss ideas about a variety of things. Over the course of 4 days, 50 speakers do no more than an 18 minute presentation to an audience of one thousand people. This is like one of the best kept secrets in terms of what folks are getting together and doing to further how they see the world. Discussing ideas can contribute to forward thinking, movement and advancement in society if applied correctly.

On the web-site, many, if not all of the presentations are available for your listening pleasure. So far, I only listened to two on "How School Kills Creativity" by Sir Ken Robinson "who led the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements" and Michael Shermer (Skeptic Society founder who dedicates his life to debunking myths, superstitions and urban legends) on "Why People Believe in Strange Things," These presentations were pretty good and there are so many more! Knowledge the knowledge!

P.ick E.xcellence A.nd C.hallenge E.xpectations (PEACE!)

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2007-05-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

BEING SUCCESSFUL IN YOUR UNDERTAKINGS

Today's mathematics is wisdom born all being born to knowledge knowledge. The wisdom born degree in the 1 to 40 asks "Why was Yacub successful in all his undertakings?" So wisdom born in this regard indicates that through a series of activities; through a process, things were born complete because the question is asking one to evaluate an end product. By evaluating your success (sometimes we only evaluate our failures) you are able to analyze all of your steps, especially the foundation and knowledge it took to start the process. So when completing something, it is important to debrief, cuz others will look at you and your success and will want to know how you did it. Why? Because people want to be successful and a lot of folks don't know where to start. They were not given the tools. So they will look to wise men and women to show them the way (i.e mentors). But people often times have to see your success before they truly knowledge your knowledge. Why? Cuz for all the mystery shit that a lot of folks "believe" in, when it comes to adopting a method or practice, even if it's seemingly beneficial, they usually will not take it on face value. Everything is subject to analysis, and when you do something good, there is usually someone waiting in the wings to discredit you by knowledging your knowledge. What are some of the laws of success? Not to big up my own way of life, but I would say that Supreme Mathematics offers you a blueprint for success. They are steps in a process, where if followed properly, you will achieve your desired result. Analysis is required at each step.

1=Knowledge (the idea, conception, start, foundation)
2=Wisdom ( physical activity to reinforce the idea. Communicating your idea to others. Working with the knowledge you have to see if your idea will bear fruit
3=Understanding (the clear picture that results from the activities. You now know for sure what direction you need to go in. This is the fruit born from testing your idea)
4=Culture (Now that you know what to do, you have to have consistent activities that will further your idea
5=Power (Your ability to effect and change your environment through the work you put in over time. Now you will start seeing if you and your idea hold any weight i.e. are people responsive to what you're doing? Is it having a positive or negative effect?
6=Equality (What does your power produce? What is your idea and related activities contributing? Does it matter? Are you filling a void/ something needed that provides a level of balance
7=God (alright, things are moving smoothly in an orderly fashion based on a system that is mathematically correct
8=Build/ Destroy (what do you need to add on to what you're doing to make it better? What do you need to take away? Do you want to expand your venture? Do you need to fall back a little?9=Born (you have brought your idea into existence in a way that is full and complete. You've opened up the store, or you've had the baby, or you got that tax return back after going through the labor of meeting with a specialist)
10= Knowledge Cipher (now that you have accomplished your goal, what you have produced becomes knowledge for other people, places and things...an example to study, good or bad. You may also want to expand and add a cipher (add another store, develop a chain, expose more people to your ideas.

"Because the people who were his followers followed Yacub's law. Regardless of what he told them to do they did it, if not, they paid the price with their lives for every law that they broke..."

For one to accomplish goals, 9 times out of ten, you need other people to buy in to your vision and work with you. You need soldiers and lieutenants if you are the captain. There will be times when it's appropriate to question those in authority, and times when you have to do as your told and know that said authority is leading all in the right direction. I know this aspect is hard for me sometimes. I seek the understanding before wisdom sometimes (knowing what and why I am doing something, having a clear picture of what it all means, when at times, I may be required to just do it, and ask questions later). I didn't grow up with a sort of hierarchical structure so it's an adjustment for me. If you break a law and don't get things right, the consequence could be death, depending on the situation, or death in the sense of being ejected from the cipher.

"Yacub did not build prison houses for his people that fell victim to the law. Instead the penalty was death and was enforced on each and every one that fell victim."

There is no need to keep someone locked up in a space that they don't want to be in or have them held captive to a role that they cannot perform. They may not be the said person of that ability. May as well let them go, cuz they'll be less of a danger out of the cipher, then to stick around and continually throw things off balance. Enforcing this on each and every one that fell victim means that this is a constant. It is a consistent law applied to the cipher. Nobody recieves special treatment regarding this. The decision that you make can't be led by your emotions. Everyone is dealt with equally.

PEACE
I Medina

2007-04-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

GROWIN' UP TOO FAST...

Peace. Working with youth, and even more specifically young ladies, sometimes I am taken aback by how fast they are growing up physically. What's a dangerous combination? I'll tell you...a girl with the mind of a 10 year old with the body and accompanying fashion sense of a risque' teenager or early adult. I see young girls as young as four wearing mini-skirts, big boots, and shirts that proclaim,"SEXY." I know nine year olds who already getting their nails done. For this, I hold parents responsible cuz it's the parents that purchase and endorse items that turn these babies into "little women." Society, sexism, and media also play a large role in how we socialize our girls into becoming sex objects. Not to mention young ladies eating the wrong foods with hormones that give them breasts and booties by the time they're 9. These "hot little mamas" just keep getting younger and younger...

ARE BRATZ DOLLS TOO SEXY?
By Sally Wadyka for MSN Health & Fitness

There’s something undeniably disconcerting about seeing teen and preteen girls dressed to emulate their idols like Britney Spears—decked out in butt-grazing mini skirts and tight, belly-baring T-shirts. And probably the only thing even more alarming than that sight is seeing a similarly sexy outfit on girl who’s still in kindergarten. It’s a phenomenon that has child development experts worried and some parents fighting mad.

“Little girls are being encouraged to immerse themselves in the preoccupations of adolescence,” says Susan Linn, co-founder of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC). “They are going straight from preschool to teenager and skipping over the important development stages that should take place during middle childhood.”

But it’s not just pop stars who are to blame for popularizing looks that are too sexy for grammar school. The latest culprit in this culture war is something seemingly innocent—a line of dolls. The Bratz are marketed as dolls with “a passion for fashion.” Fashions that include low-cut jeans and halter tops worn over little girl-like bodies. MGA Entertainment (the company that makes them) says the dolls are geared toward girls ages 7 to 11, but girls as young as 4 are eager to play with them too. And in a culture that glorifies fashion, runway models and celebrity cover girls, it’s no surprise that the obsession would trickle down even to preschool fashionistas. Little girls have always wanted to emulate older ones. But critics claim that the message of the wildly popular Bratz dolls (according to the manufacturer, over 145 million have been sold since they debuted in 2001) is that image is everything. “The dolls encourage girls to think about themselves as sexualized objects whose power is equated with dressing provocatively,” says Linn.

The Bratz Web site is rife with examples that seem to play to that point. While waiting for the transition from one screen to another, the message flashes “Please wait … it takes time to look this good.” And included in the “profiles” of the dolls is each one’s “favorite body part.” “Little girls shouldn’t be thinking of their body parts in that way,” says Linn. “Plus, the very idea of a ‘favorite’ part encourages you to think about your least favorite.”

But the company selling the dolls disagrees with such criticisms. “Adults see sex in everything, but kids don’t,” says Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment. “Bratz dolls promote diversity and creativity.” He asserts that kids buy them because they are “beautiful,” and scoffs at the notion that there is anything sexual about the dolls. “I’m looking at a whole wall of them in my office, and I don’t see them wearing sexy clothes,” he says. “They’re just fantasy dolls.”
And since much of childhood play is about fantasy, what’s so bad about playing with such “fantasy” dolls? According to child development experts, kids use play as an opportunity to learn and to experiment with things from their own experience that they see in the world around them. “When young girls have an open-ended toy—like a generic baby doll—it encourages creativity,” says Diane Levin, a professor in the early childhood education department at Wheelock College in Boston. “But the scenarios of Bratz dolls tells them how to play—to dress up, do your hair, go to fashion shows.” Taken one step further, playing with these types of toys, experts assert, makes girls want to imitate the roles they see in the dolls—to dress up like them, do what they do.

The argument is that lines of Bratz clothing (similar to the dolls’ garb) and places like Club Libby Lu, where girls can dress up like their favorite pop idols (complete with hair, makeup and clothing) turn girls into living embodiments of sexy dolls. “At a time in their development when children are trying to understand what it means to be a boy or a girl, they are getting the narrowest possible image of what those gender roles mean,” says Levin. If what girls are learning as early as preschool is that they have to be sexy and attractive, that is supposedly setting them up for self-image issues and eating disorders later on.

That was the conclusion reached by the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, in a report released earlier this year. The task force defined “sexualization” as a person’s value coming only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior to the exclusion of other characteristics. The analysis of all the available research on the subject showed evidence that this sort of sexualization can negatively impact a girl’s self-confidence, body image, self-esteem, sexual development and mental health.

The existing research was all done on middle school and older girls. “It’s upsetting not to have any research on the younger girls, but we can infer from those studies that if being exposed to these things in middle school affects girls, the same images and messages probably have an even greater effect on younger girls,” says Sharon Lamb, professor of psychology at Saint Michael’s College, co-author of Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughter From Marketers’ Schemes and a member of the APA Task Force.

And while the much-maligned Bratz dolls did warrant a mention in the report, they were far from the only culprits singled out. “Even American Girl dolls are being sold with accompanying body lotion,” says Lamb. That sends a message, she says, telling girls that lotion is something they need. “And girls don’t need to be self-conscious about needing soft skin at 7 years old,” says Lamb.

The report calls out examples from across current popular culture that present equally sexual messages—in advertising, TV, movies, fashion and music. Researchers cited things like thongs sold by stores catering to “tweens” (girls ages 7 to 12) and lyrics to widely played songs (like the Pussycat Dolls “Don’tcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?”).

Overly sexualized images of women and girls in the media are also having a negative impact on boys’ development, say many researchers. Just as girls are learning at ever-younger ages to equate attractiveness with sexiness, boys are learning that it’s perfectly acceptable to judge girls purely on how hot they look. “It’s a confusing message for boys,” says Lamb, “and the more of these idealized images they see early on, the more dissatisfied they are likely to be with real women, and that could affect their future romantic relationships.” And the fact that these things are impacting younger and younger children means that boys and girls are both missing out on an important time in their gender development. “Middle childhood is when boys and girls should be able to be friends without sexualization getting in the way,” says Linn.

Although the pervasiveness of sexy images can make it hard for parents to combat marketing messages, there are ways to fight back. One is to get involved. The CCFC recently launched a letter-writing campaign trying to convince Scholastic Inc. to stop promoting and selling Bratz brand books through its school book fairs and clubs. It’s certainly worth trying to limit children’s exposure to inappropriate media, music, clothing, etc., but experts agree that the most important thing parents can do is communicate with their children. “Help them to recognize and go beyond these stereotypes,” says Levin. “Don’t just say ‘no’ to something, since that cuts you off from discussion.”

Sally Wadyka is a Boulder, Colo.-based freelance writer who writes regularly for Shape, Runner’s World, Real Simple and The New York Times.

2007-04-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

IMUS, CHO, HIP HOP AND OTHER THOUGHTS

Peace to all! I build everyone is in the best of health mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally. There's been quite a bit going on in the news and world (as always). A couple comments on the latest controversies...

THERE WILL BE NO IMUS BETWEEN US
Of course everyone's heard about Imus and the "nappy-headed hoes" incident, and his subsequent dismissal from his popular show. What do I think of Imus? Well, he's a 66 year old White dude who was given the forum to voice his racist, prejudiced, sexist views. He's been around for a long time, having lived through the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights Movement so he obviously still has some shit embedded in him. I will make this comparison: A large part of the problem is that he is a representative of a large demographic of White males who think like him...otherwise, the show wouldn't be so popular. If he didn't have a base and support, which included ratings and advertisers, he wouldn't have had a leg to stand on. In Hip Hop, a lot of the criticized artists represent a demographic of people who think like them, relate, and purchase, download, and shake their collective assses to their music (shame on the guilty, I've done it too, and still do occasionally...come on I'm from the Bay, one of the homes of some serious pimp culture...No, that doesn't make it right...I know). I don't purchase the music, but then again, I don't really purchase any music. I'm just not moved to spend $15 on this shit anymore, but that's another story.

Now Hip Hop is the latest scapegoat and folks are trying to attack our use of terms that degrade women and project violence. Here's the link to the Town Hall on the Oprah Show if you missed it http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=MyBlackAmerica. In my opinion, they didn't really get anywhere, but all in all, it's just a one hour TV show. To be real, Hip Hop that is primarily projected through mainstream mediums is pretty wild. I will stick to my guns and say that Hip Hop has always had a mixture of controversial messages. Bitches, hoes, sexism, misogyny and gangsta shit ain't nothin new, however, the issue is the lack of diverse messages on the radio and in videos. Now, instead of gettin it in 2 out of 10 songs, it's more like 8 out of 10. I don't wanna keep turning off the radio or breaking down some song lyrics when I have kids in my car.
On the flipside though, I also think it's important for sisters to step up and take responsibility for our role in projecting these images as well. Without our willingness to be put out there like that, these rappers would have no token models in their videos to flaunt. I know some sisters may have it rough and see their ass as their only assets, and many like myself grew up admiring "beautiful" women I saw on TV and wanted to experience that, so you coulda seen me in a video (although not degrading myself) had I not changed my priorities, focus, view about myself, and self esteem. I got INTERVENTIONS...something that a lot of young girls don't get. Someone sat me down and talked to me about this shit and my understanding came in time. Work needs to be done on all fronts, but I always stress EDUCATION, CULTURE and OPPORTUNITY! Otherwise, you'll always have young men and women willing to sell their ideas and ass for money, no matter what is censored, banned or boycott.

Hip Hop needs analysis and a critical eye, but music is only a manifestation of what's going in society. The music isn't going to change until society changes. Censorship is not the answer, but those of us who who are offended and want to challenge Hip Hop should build with those responsible for projecting negative images. The problem also emerged when Hip Hop became a career path for a lot of folks, as my God consistently emphasizes. So if you starvin, got kids to feed, whatever, and the only talent that you see within yourself is rappin, you will rap about whatever makes you money, thereby paying less attention to "preserving the art" and being socially responsible. Now all the images we see perpetually reinforce themselves and that's what we see and hear over and over again cuz people BUY the Cd's and WATCH the videos, making money for corporations...so of course, you keep reproducing what makes money. That just seems to be how the game goes at this point. If you want to see the rappers' message change, then the conditions of said rappers have to change. You can't ask somebody to rap about that which they do not know or have not been exposed to. The issue is with the value systems people are growing up with, so the problem isn't the music, it is society, and the music is just a reflection of that. Work to positively impact some youth so they change their values so as not to support misogynist sexist music (cuz the young girls like it just as much, if not more than the young boys). I wouldn't recommend Calvin Butts or C. Delores Tucker's strategy. That will just repel you further from rappers and the young people who listen to them. Be critical, but it's going to take building with those who perpetuate messages you don't like, not necessarily attacks.

Misogyny, sexism, racism, and violence are embedded in the fabric of American culture. It is what this country is founded and built upon. We so-called Americans have such short term memories. We, and old school civil rights activists also have to remember that in their generation, rock and roll was what was criticized as "the devil's music." They're doing to us what their parents did to them. We'll probably do the same thing to our kids, further promoting a genrational divide, unless we consciously remain connected to the youth in a meaningful influential way. Otherwise, as some Christian folk say, "We're goin to hell with gasoline drawers on"...and I ain't talkin bout after you physically die!

VIRGINIA TECH AND CHO
Well damn. This indeed was a tragedy. This guy was definitely a disaffected youth who had poor socialization skills. Check http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18195423/ for some pics and video (if you haven't had enough already). For all ya'll bullies out there that pick on the kid with floodin' pants, dirty tennis shoes, thick glasses, and buck teeth, I got one message...LEAVE THEM THE HELL ALONE! You never know what a person's tolerance level is or what's going on inside of their minds. You could be planting the seeds for a very disturbed personality, and what is in the mental will manifest in the physical in some way, shape or form. Everybody doesn't have great coping skills or someone to talk to about their feelings. Children can be very cruel. Shoot I was teased for a few years growin up, and I seriously wanted to pummel those kids till they were bloody...shit I still remember their names (you bastards better be glad I was a well adjusted person). Had it not been for my Old Earth (my dear mama), I could have had some serious self-esteem issues. You might have ended up seeing me in one of those pathetic "Look At Me Now" Jenny Jones shows where they bring on their childhood bullies after 15 years to tell them how great they're doing. Meanwhile, the bullies don't remember your names. Save yourselves the embarassment and find another way to get closure!

In all seriousness, another point on this matter is how Americans are so self-centered. Why? Well, not to sound unsympathetic to the situation but, this shit happens EVERY FUCKIN DAY in Iraq since we started bombing them. Could you imagine bombs and gun shots and death every day in your life... If Virginia Tech or 9/11 happened every day? You don't see a whole bunch of candlelight vigils for all of the innocent Iraqi men, women, and children, oops, I mean, "insurgents," who are murdered every day due to the U.S. takeover, ooops, I mean intervention. Do the knowledge:

"In Iraq, universities struggling to operate in the midst of a war zone have been struck repeatedly by bombings, shootings, assassinations, and abductions that have left behind hundreds of killed and wounded, victims and forced thousands of students and professors to stay away, or even leave the country.

On Monday, the same day as the Virginia Tech mass shooting, two separate shooting incidents struck Mosul University, one killing Dr. Talal Younis al-Jelili, the dean of the college of Political Science as he walked through the university gate, and another killing Dr. Jaafar Hassan Sadeq, a professor from the Faculty of Arts at the school, who was targeted in front of his home in the al-Kifaat area, according to Aswat al-Iraq.

In January, Baghdad's Mustansiriya University sufferred a double suicide bombing in January that killed at least 70 people, including students, faculty, and staff. A month later, another suicide bomber struck at Mustansiriya, killing 40.
Kidnappings of students and faculty are another all-too-common occurrence on Iraq's campuses. Members of the univerisity community have been abducted and murdered for sectarian reasons, or simply held for ransom. At a Baghdad University, one student reported to Slogger that he was abducted by sectarian thugs working in cooperation with the National Guard Forces who were supposed to be protecting the campus.

In January, students reported that violent events had threatened students and that attendance rates at Baghdad University had dropped to six percent.

Earlier this month, the Dr. Qais Jawad al-Azzawi, head of the Geneva-based Committee International Committee of Solidarity with Iraqi Professors said that 232 university professors were killed and 56 were reported missing in Iraq, while more than 3,000 others had left the country after the 2003 invasion. "
Source: http://alternet.org/blogs/peek/50682/

BAMBOOZLED
This Don Imus and Virginia Tech controversy sure did take the attention off of the brutal murder of Sean Bell by New York's finest, the Duke rape case, and Shaquanda Cotton, the 15 year old Black girl in Texas who got seven years for pushing a teacher or hall monitor. Fortunately, she was recently released.

BASTARDS OF THE PARTY
If you have not seen this documentary, please go find it. It's a great piece on the origins and evolution of the Bloods and Crips from the Black Power Movement, and the main person narrating is an Athens Park Blood. It was On Demand, but try Blockbuster, Netflix, or your local public library. Please show it to some youth if you can, especially if you know children who live in gang territories or claim sets. Most of these kids have no idea how these groups started and once they learn, they'll probably think twice.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE...GET KRUMPED UP!
Yo, for real, I'm feelin krump dancin. I recently watched this documentary "Breakin vs. Krumpin," where Shabba Doo (Ozone from "Breakin") got 5 of the best B-Boys in the world and Todd Bridges (yes, Todd from "Different Strokes") got 5 of the best Krumpers and staged a battle for a $5000 prize. I support both art forms as genuine expressions of emotion, release and a certain level of beauty, but on the real, for me, watching the krumpers was just amazing. Their energy is so raw that you're drawn to it. They kind of remind me of the Tazmanian Devil from Looney Tunes with the speed and force of their movements...but in a good way. The breakers did a lot of great moves, acrobatics and such, but I was drawn to the emotion and feeling that the krumpers gave off. It was really like they were releasing all the pain and anger of every day life in these dance movements. Go watch it On Demand or check the Krumpers out a www.KrumpKings.com.
P.lease E.ducate A.ll C.hildren E.veryday (PEACE!)
I Medina Peaceful Earth

2007-04-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

BALANCING HOME AND WORK AROUND THE WORLD

Peace! As I was sitting at Monroe's waiting for my oil change, I started checking out a magazine called "Working Mother." Now although this of course isn't their tag line, flipping through the pages, it seems to be a mag targeting working corporate mid to upperclass white mothers. However, taking knowledge for knowledge and not discouraging it on face value, I found a lot of jewels in it and will probably subscribe. There are many topics covered that working mothers or women preparing to be mothers of any ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or background can use. This specific issue (October 2006) covers lots of topics such as preparing an organized morning routine, the 100 best companies that are family friendly, school lunches, arts and crafts, entrepreneurial moms, and health. One story I found particularly interesting (obviously, I indefinitely borrowed the mag) was the "Global Snapshot: Parent Perks Around the World," focusing on different countrys' work/ life benefits. Many of these countries may have other structural issues, but when it comes to balancing family and work, they seem to take a family-centered approach that assists with maintaining the balance of work and home, and frankly, puts the U.S. to shame. Do the knowledge:

PHILIPPINES
Self-employed workers who register with national Social Security and health insurance plans recieve free maternity care and discounts on dental visits and eye exams. Almost 85% of the participants in this program are women.

SWEDEN
Named a top country for working women by the World Economic Forum, Sweden offers a generous family leave policy-up to 18 months off at partial pay-and parents can work reduced hours until their children are 8. Under the "leisure time care" program, children recieve before-and afterschool care until age 12, with sliding scale fees.

JAPAN
In this driven corporate culture, all employees are granted flexible schedules-shorter hours, flextime or overtime exemption-for the first 2 years of parenthood. Large firms, those with more than 300 employees, must provide childcare options, such as on-site centers or temporary leaves.

ISRAEL
Mothers here recieve free hospitalization and a "maternity grant" of 20% of their montyhly wage to purchase supplies for their newborn.

SENEGAL
This West AFrican nation gives mothers protection from being fired for any reason upon return from maternity leave. Like its neighbor, Mali, Senegal offers an impressive 15 months of secured job leave.

NEW ZEALAND
New mothers are entitled to 14 weeks of paid leave, and single moms can take off as much as six months with pay before and after childbirth, depending on their income. They also recieve a small cash stipend, based on earnings, for three months before and after having their child.

SLOVENIA
Moms and dads in this small Balkan nation recieve 365 days of fully paid family leave that they can use anytime before their child's eighth birthday.

FRANCE
After a 16-week long paid maternity leave, mothers can enroll their babies in home based care or at full-day care centers at little or no cost until age 3, when they enter subsidized pre-school.

MEXICO
Child care here is a constitutional right. Workers are entitled to free employer-provided day care until children reach age 4.

*Reprinted from pp76-78 of "Working Mothers Magazine" (October 2006 issue)

2007-04-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

BORN

Today's mathematics is born. Born is completion, to bring a reality into existence. Bringing a reality into existence might sound like some far off utopic idea, but what does that entail really? How do you make this real? To bring something into existence, just like a baby being born is a process. When something is complete, it has all the necessary parts to function and it has gone through a process of validation through checks and balances within our mathematical process(taking things properly from knowledge to born). This reality I see, is having what you need to do what you gotta do; to have the resources and ability to produce something valuable for self, those around you, and generations to come. When people in our nation don't have enough money to feed their children, struggling with education, food clothing, shelter, and the other 9 jewels we have, the new reality is ensuring that we have those things we need to have a productive nation. That's the revelation to me.

After getting the knoweldge of self, your reality should change in some form or fashion. Why? Because throughout this process, you are changing parts of your life. You're taking in new information, eliminating the wrong foods, eating the right foods, changing your way of speaking and how you dress. So on a personal note, the reality that you first bring into existence is the change that takes place within you, which thereby affects all that is within your circumference (the people, places and things that you interact with and effect, which also effects you), which effects and changes the reality you live in.

That's how we know everything starts with self. A new reality ain't like some sci-fi movie where people are flying, surviving off air alone, and everyone walks around in metallic latex suits. It's a lot more simple and feasible than that. When you change, the people, places and things around you change, hence, a "new reality." You may not associate with the same people, or your interaction with them changes. You learn new things. Your behavior changes. From this, you gain new experiences, and a new life to a degree. There are probably a lot of people who have been in this nation 10-15 years and are different than they were 10-15 years ago, even if the essence of the person is the same (i.e. if a person was aggressive before KOS, most likely they will be after; if someone has a peaceful calm demanor before, that most likely won't change; if a person is abusive before, they may be after). Getting knowledge of self has saved a lot of people's lives and when you see them today, you may not fathom who they were pre-knowledge of self. Everyone has a story.

All things are made born eventually. As I'm taught, something can be born dead or alive. So if you take an idea to fruition, and the fruit that is beared is successful, it's born alive. Lack of success..born dead. But knowledge is added to the cipher (the next step...10) cuz you learned something from that experince so you know what to do and what not to do next time.

Today's degree in the alphabet is I. I see "I" as self-realization. The "I" is ownership and accountability. The "I" is a magnet for whatever comes after it. So my name being "I Medina Peaceful Earth," means that I am bonded to those qualities that are in my name. If I say "I am happy," then I am bonded to that idea and activities that make up that idea. So when you say "I..." that is powerful, because you are attaching your being to whatever words and activities that come after that I. Those ideas and activities become what defines you. So make sure to attach that "I" to words of honesty, truth and positivity, cuz whatever comes after that "I " is an affirmation of who and what you are.

May the P.ower and E.quality of A.llah C.enter the E.arths (PEACE!)

2007-03-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

IS HIP HOP'S AUDIENCE REALLY 80% WHITE?
By Davey D

In recent days a debate has ensued on my website ..around one of HipHop's biggest myths. It started in 1991 when Newsweek Magazine did acover story on Gangsta Rap and in their article they put out anun-researched statistic that said 80% of Hip Hop's audience is whiteand that its reflected in record sales. That stat has been banteredabout ever since as an undisputable stone cold fact.

Adding to this myth was a conversation that took place at the GavinConvention in San Francisco around the same time when Ice T during apanel discussion stated that anything above his average 750 thousandrecord sales was attributed to white kids.But is this really true? Granted if one goes to a Mos Def show or evena Wu-Tang concert you will see a majority white audience in manycities, but does that translate to that 80% white audience? How doesan all white Wu-Tang show in Northern Cali compare to a sold outpredominantly Black T.I. or Yung Joc show in Atlanta or in Oakland?How does that compare to a sold out predominantly Latino Psycho Realmor Sick Symphony show in East LA?

Back in 91 when this 80% first surfaced, there was no study ormethodology that that kept track of race when it came to album sales.About the closest one could come was by estimating based upon recordstores in a particular area, but that would yield far from accurateresults. To start in many areas, folks from different ethnicbackgrounds would frequent stores that were in sections of a citydominated by one race. For example, if you came to Berkeley inNorthern Cali, you found three main record stores up near the UCcampus in an area that was statistically majority white. Folks fromall over including predominantly Black South Berkeley and majorityBlack Oakland shopped at those stores. How were statistics based onpurchases by race kept?

The truth of the matter is that this 80% white Hip Hop fan myth haslong been a nice marketing tool used by media corporations to justifyad revenues for Top 40 radio stations. Here's a little background onthis.Back in the late 80s and early 90s, many rap artists complained howthe urban (Black) radio stations did not play rap except on theweekends and even then it was only in the mix late at night. Chuck Dhighlighted this concern in his song 'Don't Believe the Hype'. He goesinto further detail about this lack of support by Black urbanprogrammers in a song called 'How to Kill a Radio Consultant'.

According to Black radio programmers they avoided playing rap, becauseit was affecting their advertising. In spite of Hip Hop's cross oversuccess with groups like Run DMC and the 'positive, vibe that existedwithin rap at that time-(it was the Golden Era), many companiesassociated Hip Hop with violence done by Black people. Hence a Blackradio station playing Hip Hop was likely to have difficult timegetting money.Around this time several prominent Top 40 radio stations were startingto aggressively play Hip Hop. Most notably was KMEL in San Franciscowhich became very successful and quickly moved into the number onespot over its urban competition KSOL which had been number one foryears.

This sparked a lot of controversy and resulted in a big face off in1992 at the Gavin Convention in San Francisco between Black urbanprogrammers and white Top 40 stations that were starting to play HipHop. The packed panel discussion was hosted by Lee Michaels an AfricanAmerican editor at Gavin who interestingly had laid down thegroundwork and started Top 40 giant KMEL which went on to win Best RapStation in the country 5 years in a row. He posed the question as toweather or not Top 40 stations should be playing Rap or were theyexploiting it?The argument put forth by Black programmers was that they were playingthe music but not getting both the ad dollars and promotions benefitsfrom record companies. They talked about how the industry had a dirtysecret which two sets of rules and budgets, one for Black urbanstations which were small and one for Top 40 stations which in somecases were 3 to 4 times bigger. These budget disparities were alsoreflected in the Black music departments of and the Crossover and Popmusic departments of the record labels

They went on to talk about how major labels would come to town andshow support to these urban stations by giving them a bunch of tapesand later CDs for giveaway to the audience while across town these newpop stations playing rap were given huge prizes like tickets and allexpense paid flyaways to music awards and album release parties.Black programmers contended that they were responsible for breaking alot of the urban music into the market place only to see their crosstown Top 40 rivals reap the benefits.The biggest point of contention was that these Top 40 stations werebeing allowed to keep their Top40/ CHR classification in popularindustry trades like Gavin, Billboard and R&R which kept them in ahigher budget class.

Hence Top 40 stations could walk into an ad agency and even thoughtheir playlist was 90% identical to their urban counterparts theycould walk away with a higher ad rate even if they were not number onein the marketplace. Plus they wouldn't have any negative stigmaattached to them for playing rap. A white Top 40 station playing rapweighed differently in the minds of ad buyers compared to a Blackstation playing rap.The top 40 programmers countered by saying that many of the urbanstations were missing the boat by not playing rap. I remember it beingsaid that the urban stations were not staying close to the streets andpaying attention to what was going on with their own kids who nolonger wanted to hear slow jamz and sappy R&B songs.

They also insisted that they keep their Top 40 classification. Whatthey emphasized was that Hip Hop was the new Top 40 and that was whatwas being reflected in the playlists was what the mainstream (whiteaudience) now wanted to hear. The compromise to this particular pointwas the creation of a new classification called Churban which meantCrossover-urban. However it got applied to the Top 40 stations playingrap and not to the urban stations so in many people's mind they werestill seen as Top 40 crossover entitiesThey also pointed out that like their urban counterparts their salesdepartments had a difficult time convincing ad buyers to purchase timeon a station playing rap. One of the Top 40 programmers pointed outthat this was a competitive field no matter how you sliced it and thatit was up to the urban programmers not only to put together a strongprogramming team, but to also have a strong sales team as well thatcould successful convince skeptical advertiser to purchase air time.

What wasn't stated and this is where this 80% myth comes in, is thefact that the Top 40 stations had this Newsweek quote along with theirCHR status that they could present to ad buyers. Essentially they wereable to say, 'yes we're playing Public Enemy, NWA and 2 Live Crew'which we (KMEL) was doing at that time, 'but this is what themainstream (white audience wants). Look at this Newsweek article. It'sproof positive that 80% of the people who like this aggressive musicare the main ones purchasing it. I recall specifically seeing saleskits with that page and quote highlighted.The bottom line whether we like it or not is that many advertisershave a hierarchy of who they want as consumers. It may be as followsdepending on the product; White males between 18-34, White males25-54, White women 25-34. Women of color 25-34, white teens etc. Laston the list is often time Black males. The pervasive belief is thatwhite males have the most disposable income and can afford to purchaseexpensive appliances, cars and computers.

Women are desirable because they not only have income of their own,but usually influence the purchasing in households if they aremarried.Black men, especially young males are seen in many instances asunwelcome. We all got a glimpse of this several weeks ago with theCristal debacle where their spokesperson dissed Hip Hop artists forsupporting them. He said all the mentions by artists like Jay-Z andP-Diddy was 'unwelcome attention'. Author and former ad agencyexecutive Hadji Williams in his book 'Don't Knock the Hustle'underscores a lot of what I've written and goes into greater depth about all this in his book.So it's with all this in mind that we can better understand how andwhy this 80% myth was sold over and over again. It was if people'slives depended on it or in this case, people's livelihoods dependedupon it.

Now the real question was weather or not Top 40 stations KMEL andlater stations like Hot 97 in New York and Power 106 in Los Angeleswhich followed suit a couple of years later really had large whitelistening audiences.Well as I mentioned earlier one of the first and more successful Top40 stations to embrace rap was KMEL who's sale staff definitelyflipped that Newsweek quote their advantage. They had another thing tohelp them out, and that was Arbitron Ratings to show large whitelistener-ship.If I remember correctly we were boosting a number one rating with halfour audience being white. However, you wouldn't have known that from the large numbers of people of color who would show up at our events.You never saw like 50% of our crowds being white. It was alwaysexplained that many of our white listeners weren't our 'active' P1listeners who would enthusiastically show up at station functions. I later learned something different.

What wasn't really publicly known or even taken into account was howAsians were classified when it came to radio ratings. They were alwayscounted as white people. You see in the Bay Area where KMEL is basedthere is a huge Asian/Pacific Islander population. In San Franciscomore then 50% of the population is Asian with Chinese followed byFilipino being the largest ethnic groups. Outside of their respectivecountries, the largest concentration of Filipinos, Tongans andCambodians live in the Bay Area. There's a sizeable Vietnamese, KoreanSamoan and Laotian populations. Many of the people within these Asiangroups have grown up and listen primarily to urban music. Many of theyounger people went from listening to Latin Freestyle to Hip Hop asstations like KMEL evolved.

I recall when the Arbitron people came to our station to talk aboutratings and this fact about Asians being counted as whites was madeclear one of our Asian deejays damn near hit the roof and went off.She wanted to know why Asians did not have their own category and shesaid she found it offensive that they would put an entire populationdown as whites. She noted that it played into the model minority myththat was impacting a lot of Asian communities and it also added tothis pervasive perception of them being an invisible group of people.The Arbitron rep said he understood the concerns and acknowledged thatalthough the Asian population was growing, it would be a while beforethey would count Asians as a separate group away from whites.Nevertheless the large amount of 'white listeners' enjoyed by Top 40urban leaning stations in California was touted to advertisers andhelped rake in a substantial amount of ad dollars. It was laterestimated that the actual percentage of white listeners was more like20% when we subtracted the Asian count, but we never really knew for certain.

But lets suppose for the moment many of these Top 40 Hip Hop radiostations have large white audiences as asserted with the 80% myth, whyis that we rarely hear many of the artists being played in regularrotation that we know for fact have a large white audience?When was the last time we heard Living Legends, Del, Sage Francis,Atmosphere etc etc? We might hear an Eminem song, but hardly a MosDef, Public Enemy or even Talib Kweli. The aforementioned artists seemto always have packed houses at their shows. Some of those groups dopretty well in record sales as independent artists, but dont hear themnow and we didnt in the past-why is that? Shouldnt they be gettingairplay to satisfy the tastes of this 80% white audience?

So now that we understand how and why the 80% myth came about letslook at the results of an actual study that was done.In January 2003Jesse Jackson and his Rainbow Push organization held their 6th AnnualWall Street project conference. In the past Jackson had not puttogether panels focusing on the entertainment industry and its impacton Wall Street, but that year he did. He put together is memorablestanding room only panel which included some very distinguished guests including; former Vibe Magazine CEO Keith Clinkscales of VanguardeMedia, Carol H Williams of Carol H Williams Advertising, ThomasBurrell of Burrell Communications, Samuel Chisholm of the ChisholmGroup, James L Winston of the National Association of Black OwnedBroadcasters and Daisy Exposito-Ulla of the Bravo GroupThe Bravo Group is part of the powerful Young and Rubicam company isconsidered the third largest multicultural agency in the US. The paneldiscussion talked about market share and leveraging dollars. Duringthe discussion Daisy Exposito Ulla was making her remarks and while itwasn't the main focus she mentioned that her company had done a studyand come to find that the Latinos are the biggest purchasers of Rapmusic. They buy more rap music than both African Americans and whites.

Because this wasn't a Hip Hop specific panel her remarks were made inthe context of talking about some other issues, what she was not metwith any big gasp from the audience or anything like that. But for meI took special note as she continued her presentation, because itbasically coincided with the push in broadcast media to target Latinosas a primary audience. http://www.daveyd.com/articlelainsupport.htmlYes, Hip Hop is large and everybody enjoys it. And yes, a large partof that audience are white folks. But 80%? No way. Unfortunately whiteHip Hop fans were used to validate to skittish advertisers and evenvenue owners that Hip Hop is safe and non threatening. To me its nodifferent and just as bad as those programmers and industry expertswho hawk Black gangsterism and stereotypes and make it appear as ifits a vital part of Black culture and a true representation of HipHop.

2007-03-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

"PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT"... (Rick Ross)

Peace! First off on a health note, make sure you are all getting your vitamins and minerals and taking good care of yourselves. A stomach virus subtley but swiftly came through Power Born and took me out for a couple of days, as well as a few co-workers, a few of my dear brothers and sisters, and children I work with. So, if you see someone with symptoms such as vomitting, multiple bathroom trips, the chills, fever, headache, and nausea, do what you can for them at a distance...this joint was highly contagious. I know at least 8 people personally who caught it. For me, what worked was time, ginger tea for the stomach, peppermint tea for the headache, orange juice for vitamin c, lemon ginger echinacea juice for some of the same, rest and a cold towel and oatmeal water to lower the fever (peace to my good brother Sha-King for that one...one of our resident herbalists). It lasted two days.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

So I was sitting in my office this morning thinking about my upcoming mixtape and frankly, keepin it real with myself, how I keep pushing back the release date. As one date approaches and it's not finished, I'll choose another date. I then realized that this is my first effort as a solo artist. I am used to being in groups...that's how I came into rapping. I like interacting with people onstage. I like making songs with people, and honestly there was always someone else (or we did it as a group) booking the studio time, getting the cover art together, paying for duplication, booking shows, getting flyers together, putting an album release party together...the whole business aspect. Now it's all up to me. I am the person accountable for making sure all of these things are done which is a shift, and I know I don't always give something so important the time it deserves to manifest itself properly. Ultimately, I am responsible for the success or failure of this project and that's a lot of weight to carry, but I can if I choose to (and I will :-).

Today's mathematics is God. One thing I thought of this morning were two things me and my God built about on different occasions.

1) "God is not here to put a battery in your back" (speaking universally, not specifically referring to me). This rings very true and there are a lot of examples for this. I should not be waiting for a push from anybody else to complete my own project if it's something I really want to do. Your God shouldn't have to make you study your degrees if it's for your own growth and development and you say you wanna be here. I know it's not easy and we all have that in common. No one should have to tell you to incorporate fruit and vegetables in your diet if you have the knowledge that it is necessary for you.

2) We also built about refinement being "high culture," as we were going through the knowledge god degree in the 1 to 40. I know people cee refinement in many different ways (i.e. to purify from what is coarse, vulgar, or debasing; make elegant or cultured, etc...this is how I identified with it) and perhaps that was a jewel for me. After building on it, it makes a lot of sense, and can often times be a lot to live up to. One may have a culture that they ascribe to...a way of life with a system of values, traditions, dietary laws, ways of dress, language, etc. B.U.T., high culture is living up to said principles. Sounds easy, but it's not so simple. Just a couple of examples of not living out "high culture" may be...

-If you know we are not supposed to eat bottom feeders (scavengers of the sea...crabs, shrimp, etc) and the health reasons have been researched, but still eat some clam chowder every now and then and your auntie's special gumbo (with those dungeoness crab legs)
-If you know we don't eat pork, but eat ho-ho's, ya momz greens with the hamhock in it, or some other food that you know has pork by-products (no one can hold you accountable for what you don't know, but once you know...well, you know it, and cannot claim ignorance)
-If you know we wear 3/4ths but the hills and mountains are out...intensionally ( I know this is a touchy subject:-)

In this day and time, living in America, it is very difficult to live a life that includes that D word... DISCIPLINE. Everyone has their own level of what they can and cannot do, or what they choose to do or not do. But you never know what you're made of until you push yourself to your own limit. I remember I never thought I could ever stop eating chicken, beef turkey, all that...but I quit cold turkey (no pun intended), surprising myself. Damn, it was hard to give up my favorite food (Alaskan snow crab legs)! But I did it, and I probably eat healthier now, than I ever have in my life due to the influence of this culture. Many of us say that we have to make the teachngs "walk and talk," and that starts with us right? How are we living out this culture (or whatever you advocate if not in the Nation of Gods and Earths) to our highest ability? Are we really doing our best? Can we do better? Not much is outside of our realms of thought so if you will yourself to stop or start doing something, then you can.

-Can I study more?
"Yes"
-Can I eat better?
"Yes"
-Can I give more time to writing?
"Yes"
-Can I do more background research for my degrees?
"Yes"
"Well, I don't remember details that well."
"You can always make flash cards."
"True."

Personal accountability and responsibility is deep cuz once knowledge has been made born to you; once you know something it is up to you to put that knowedge in motion and act upon it. We move faster for some things (maybe those things that are easiest to act on), and for other things, we move slower (maybe those things that are harder to act on), but to live out Allah's World Manifest...to be the trendsetters and trailblazers of the world, we have to know that we are doing all we can to live up to our fullest equality as we know how in every moment that we are in. By saying ," I have the knowledge of self," I am saying that I am making a choice not to just be a regular American anymore. I have chosen to swallow the red pill and go down the rabbit hole. Otherwise, whatever we choose not to do due to procrastination, laziness, conditioning, anger, spite, self-loathing, how we grew up, systematic programming, or whatever (and I am speaking to myself first), will come back to bite us in the ass, and we may fall victim to the knowledge born degree in the 1 to 40, where the blood is on our own hands and the future reality that we must endure and our children must endure shall beat us with many stripes.

P.owerful E.xamination of A.llah's C.ourageous E.xample (PEACE)

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2007-02-15T07:50:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY...SIKE!

Peace! I tried to post this yesterday but the Internet was trippin. Anywho, my good brother Born Shamir posted a nice piece on Valentine's day and his humorous perspective. You can find him on www.myspace.com/born_shamir. You won't be disappointed...

VALENTINE'S...I WISH I WOULD
peace everyone...no matter what your background, this one is for u...this actually came from a msg in response to do I celebrate valentines day and this is what i wrote, then i thought everyone needs to taste this stew...so follow me and ask any questions you seem fit and I will hit u back if the need is there.I dont mean to ruin your fun. However I build to destroy.

Because of your roman catholic background, it may seem logical to go along with traditions. I don't really jive with the vatican and the council of Nice or their twistory of jesus's history or biblical history in its entirety. I can't support the origins of african slave traders and kings and queens of conquest of the world in the name of a symbol Constantine had a dream about or the symbol that is a device that was used to cruxify political tyrants or My righteous brother jesus (ISA). So really for the conscious minds that would be insane. for those who respect history objectively, that would be bugged out. Rome was filled with theives of the arts and sciences, just like greece was. Everything Rome did was based on the bumrush. Troy. Gladiators...America is based in Roman overtones...check the coins and monetary system...monuments...justice system (I could stop right there and segway) and Even folowing a calander which is inaccurate...the Pope Gregorian Calander. Anthony Browder and the Browder files are some good references to check out in regards to that.

So it seems hypocritical (another roman/latin term) to align my behavior with the customs of folk who destroy historically. The history of Valentines day and Juno (Queen of all the Gods and Goddesses, I mean like that is even a trip how you gonna be Goddess of all the Gods and Godesses??) I love Mythology Roman and Greek, Egyptian, for which all that other stuff is based on (Egypt is African, I mean you might have know or not known that), but gee whiz...Ok so the Feb 14th is in commemoration of her being goddess of woman and marriage. But then all of the pagan celebrations which are at the root of most holidays (major) on the Gregorian Calander have some kind of Roman origin....I am not Roman, I am not of European Decent, I am not ignorant of each family of the planets contributions, and that , the holidays in the name of mythogical or fake ficticious character is not the move in this day and time and especially not for the Original man and woman.

I say lets be universal. But lets be logical and aware of what we are doing. If you know the history and trail of events and still choose to go along with it, that is an educated (um maybe not so educated) decision. I get the story of St. Valentine marrying folks when he was ordered not to by Claudis the II. It was war time and he had his reasons for not advocating it. And Valentine was like f that and did it anyway and lost his head , literally because of it. So he is a hero and the name of the holiday bears his name. However you got Eros or cupid, hearts, candy, Chocolate, Sex, images of the supposed devil, RED, blood, hearts as symbols of love...my heart dont look like that. Mine is a big ol muscle and so is yours :)

And Lupercalia...the big ol feast in Feburary... nah...i reject that and try to educate myself more on why such methods are still intact when we are not in ROME or in EUROPE...answer...this is an environment based in those origins though the ppl of those areas didnt discover it, but did make the ppl here suffer and even brought more of the original diaspora to make it for them. I can't possibly side with that. Thats my stance..The Buffalo stance,..haAAnswer $$$$ dolla dolla bill.

The 85% falls victim to the 10%'s trickery and get rich from their labor. And there stupidity too. I did it but I went from 85% to a 5% who dont believe or adhere to those teaching because they are false and destructive to the well being and a slap in the face to all the glorious history that took place in a less elusive, much less devilish way.Why keep lying to out kids, Easter bunnys, Santa clauses, tooth faries, boogie monsters, Cupids arrows. I have been told its fun, its for the kids ...its lying and that is not cool at all. Then you make it ok to lie and after making children fooled for their childhood to only break the news to them that it was you the whole time...and it is only tradition, what really does that say?

There are explanations for all things...we must re route our thinking and reprogram. If this information age bring us nothing but closer to that reprograming for the positive, then this age in 2000 more years way afte babylon falls again, will have proved to be exactly what it was suppose to be. Websters dictionary changes defintions year to year. And love is not and emotion or feeling....that would be infactuation or lust or liking or something like that. How I see love...I will have to break it down in another message. It deserves its own book. Emotions are swift and changable and sway...love doesnt sway...it was here before us, brought us here and will exist when we are gone...not just tommorrow. Take that.:)

PROPER EDUCATION ACTIVATES CONSTANT ELEVATION

2007-02-06T06:44:00.000-08:00

THE WAYS OF WATER (I posted this yesterday in another forum)

Peace to all the human families! Today's mathematics is power. This morning, I reflected upon the power degree in the 1:40, and within that, specifically, "How much is water?...139,685,000 square miles of water." Adding the numbers up borns POWER! We, as Black women are symbolic to wisdom, and one of the things wisdom represents is water, which can be very powerful depending on the force of the current and its' contents. Water can assist growth and development, providing a nurturing presence, it can eliminate toxins like a cleanser, or it can come with such a force that it destroys and clears everything in its' path. It is a primary characteristic of our planet that makes it a life sustainer. As Black women in this culture, part of our power lies in our ability to communicate our knowledge effectively, being a physical manifestation that reflects as the moon and absorbs as the earth and we do this with the fluidity of our wisdom and being glowing examples.

Our wisdom is perhaps the first step in mathematics where you apply what you have learned to yourself first, then others. Different currents may have to be utilized at different times, but like water, the wisdom is what carries the information to the next step. As Earths, we all have to analyze the contents of our water. Is it toxic? Is it clean? Is it spring water or distilled water packaged in a plastic container? Are there creatures lurking beneath that you have never seen or heard of? Is it saline or freshwater? What are the sources of your water? Where does it come from?

What are the emotional undercurrents that underly how you see the world?

One thing that we must remember is that on our planet, there are many forms of water, containing different components and within each of these forms of water are various categories and types. All of this exists on our planet! The following is a list of seven forms of water and some info. about each. So do the knowledge and see where the water takes you...

POND

A pond is typically a man made body of water smaller than a lake. Scientifically, a pond is any man made body of water where light is found in the entire body of water. In origin, pond is a variant form of the word pound, meaning a confining enclosure. A pond is characterized as being a small body of water that is shallow enough for sunlight to reach the bottom, permitting the growth of rooted plants at its deepest point. There are various regional names for naturally occurring ponds.

Pond usually describes small bodies of water, generally smaller than one would require a boat to cross. Another definition is that a pond is a body of water where even its deepest areas are reached by sunlight or where a human can walk across the entire body of water without being submerged. Typically, a pond has no surface outflow draining off water Hence, because of the closed environment of ponds, such small bodies of water normally develop self contained eco-systems. Ponds in heavily vegetated areas also display the formation of "scum", which is a common term for dead and decaying vegetation condensing on top of the water. A contributor to this is the presence of algae, which multiply quickly in a nutrient-rich eutrophic pond exposed to strong daylight. Decaying flora provide significant amounts of such nutrients. www.wikipedia.org

STREAM

A stream, brook, beck, burn or creek, is a body of water with a detectable current, confined within a bed and banks. Stream is also an umbrella term used in the scientific community for all flowing natural waters, regardless of size. There are 14 parts to a stream listed at www.wikipedia.org .

RIVER (which is a type of stream)

A river is a natural waterway that conveys water, derived from either precipitation or glacial meltwater, from higher ground to lower ground. Most commonly rivers flow on the surface but there are many examples of underground rivers where the flow is contained within chambers, caves or caverns. In some areas of highly variable rainfall, some rivers exist that carry water only occasionally and may be dry for several years at a time. Rivers have been used by man since the dawn of civilization as a source of water, for food, for transport as defences, as a source of power to drive machinery and as a means of disposing of waste.

The world's ten longest rivers
It is difficult to measure the length of a river, the more precise the measurement, the longer the river will seem. Also, it is difficult to determine where a river begins or ends, as very often, upstream rivers are formed by seasonal streams, swamps, or changing lakes.

These are average measurements.

Nile (6,690 km)
Amazon (6,452 km)
Mississippi-Missouri (6,270 km)[1]
Yangtze (6,245 km)[2]
Yenisey-Angara (5,550 km)
Huang He (Yellow) (5,464 km)
Ob-Irtysh (5,410 km)
Amur (4,410 km)
Congo (4,380 km)
Lena (4,260 km)
www.wikipedia.org

LAKE

A lake is a body of water or other liquid of considerable size contained on a body of land. A vast majority of lakes on Earth are fresh water, and most lie in the Northern Hemisphere at higher latitudes. In ecology the environment of a lake is referred to as lacustrine. Large lakes are occasionally referred to as "inland seas" and small seas are occasionally referred to as lakes. Most lakes have a natural outflow in the form of a river or stream, but some do not, and lose water solely by evaporation and/or underground seepage. They are termed endorheic lakes (see below).The term lake is also used to describe a feature such as Lake Eyre, which is a dry basin most of the time but may become filled under seasonal conditions of heavy rainfall. Many lakes are artificial and are constructed for hydro-electric power supply, recreational purposes, industrial use, agricultural use, or domestic water supply. There are at least 11 types of lakes and some are millions of years old. www.wikipedia.org

BAY

A bay is an area of water bordered by land on three sides. It is a body of water partially enclosed by land but with a wide mouth, affording access to the sea:

SEA

A sea is a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, or a large, usually saline, lake that lacks a natural outlet such as the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea. Check out www.wikipedia.org for a list of seas and the oceans they flow in to (keyword: sea)

OCEAN

Oceans are saline waters (water with dissolved salt content) that cover almost three quarters (71%) of the surface of the Earth. The area of the oceans is 361 million sq. km (about 139million sq mi)., and nearly half of the world's marine waters are over 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) deep. The average salinity of the Earth's oceans is around 35 parts per thousand (ppt), and nearly all seawater falls in the range of 31 to 38 ppt. The vast abyssal plains of the deep ocean cover about 40% of the Earth's surface. Geologically, an ocean is an area of oceanic crust covered by water. Oceanic crust is the thin layer of solidified volcanic basalt that covers the Earth's mantle where there are no continents.

Though somewhat arbitrarily divided into several "separate" oceans, these oceans are in fact one global, interconnected body of salt water, often called the World Ocean. The major divisions are defined in part by the continents and a variety of archipelagos, and are labeled the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. There are also some smaller bodies of salt water that are not interconnected with the World Ocean (e.g., the Caspian Sea, the Great Salt Lake). These are not considered to be oceans or parts of oceans, though some of them have been given the name, sea. www.wikipedia.org

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2007-01-30T08:25:00.000-08:00

CLUB ETIQUETTE

Peace! Just to lighten the mood a little, I had to post this cuz it's hilarious but true. Heed these words club hoppers!

CLUB ETIQUETTE 101 by Karlie Hustle (www.myspace.com/karliehustle)

1. Don't leave the house without gum.

2. If you leave the house without gum, don't open your mouth until you reach your vehicle post-club. People don't want to smell your stank liquor/cigarette breath. Gross.

3. If you don't know how to hold your liquor, don't drink much. A history of blacking out, making out with people you don't know, and waking up on a sidewalk with a cocktail napkin stuck to your arm are all symptoms that you can't handle an adult club outing. You have two options: stay home or taper off on the booze.

4. If you go somewhere knowing you're going to be drinking and knowing your baby daddy/mama or ex-boyfriend/girlfriend will be in attendance, and you haven't yet made peace with the situation, you're not that bright. Not only is the outlook for a good time slim to none, after a few drinks, you'll likely make an ass of yourself by confronting them and/or a person they are dancing/drinking with. You will look a hot mess, cause a major spectacle, and be the head float of fellow club goers shit parades. Don't fuck up a decent time for other people because you have emotional problems. Just stay home and take some pills or something til you're over it.

5. Fellas, if you're interested in a female, try to make eye contact with her. If she sees you once and doesn't continue eye contact with you after, she's not interested. Don't force the issue.

6. Fellas, if you decide against my advice noted in point #5 and force the issue, don't call the woman a bitch because she blows you off. Call yourself a dummy for trying to twist her arm. Women choose men. Not the other way around. It's nature. Don't fuck with nature, or you'll be the dick in the club that hollers at everything walking and the one we complain about in the bathroom like "God! Why won't that dude in the black hat get a clue!?!"

7. Ladies, if you're going to drink yourself under the table, for God's sake don't wear a short skirt. The whole club seeing your cooter as you're getting manhandled on the dance floor by some dude that looks like Craig Mack's cousin is a bad look.

8. If you want to act a fool and start shit because you're bored, you have problems with your inner child and should seek counseling. Only people with major issues resort to violence when someone accidentally bumps into their drink in a packed club. If you're first instinct is to yell and wild out or make bodily threats in the event of a total accident, you don't belong in a crowded place at all. Another place to avoid for people like you is Wal-Mart on a Sunday.

9. Going out requires a shower and the use of an iron and some form of wardrobe discretion. If you look like you just got off the sofa after three days of strep throat, that's the reason why women aren't returning your lustful gazes. Get your hygiene game up.

10. If you buy a drink for someone, that doesn't mean they owe you anything other than a thank you. A 10-minute conversation full of "so, shawty, you lookin kinda thick" and "what's yo man got ta to wit me" type shit is not mandatory for the receiver of the beverage. If you don't get a convo out of it, take it as a good deed done and move on. It's a club. Having any kind of expectation past getting drunk is a launching pad for disappointment.

2007-01-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

WALE'

Peace to you and yours on this day of wisdom born all being born to knowledge knowledge,all being born to wisdom. A few months ago I took a productive trip to D.C. As I'm doing the knowledge to the area, gettin a taste of what the people do and how they get down, my God pops in a C.D. Now, one thing that D.C is known for is go go. Truthfully, I have never been in to too much go go. It's cool if I'm at a party with a band and I'm dancin the night away, but you wouldn't find it in my C.D. collection. On the flip, one thing D.C. is not known for is rappers. But one talented emcee, Wale' is attempting to change all that. Mix together, Lil Wayne's cadence, D.C. swagger, and a little bit of go go, and you get in my humble opinion, a very talented emcee who may be relatively unknown outside of the D.C. area. He raps his ass off, has a lot of personality, and reps his area well. My favorite track happens to be "One Thing About a Playa," a song with an infectious hook, successfully interweaving hip hop and go go. Check out his myspace page at www.myspace.com/wale202 AND you can download his entire album for free at www.studio43group.com.

PEACE

I Medina

P.S. I finally got with the program and put up a myspace page (Angeleye/ I Medina), complete with a few songs I rhyme on. Check me out and let me know what you think!

www.myspace.com/angeleyecali

2007-01-15T11:36:00.000-08:00

GANGSTA RAP IS HIP HOP

Peace to everyone on this day of knowledge power all being born to equality. First I would like to thank all those who voted for me (Angel Eye) and RXC/ Classic 1824 for the Pittsburgh Hip Hop Awards. We didn't win (wasn't judged based on who was the best rapper, but who got the most votes on the Internet), but thank all of you for your love and support.

Recently, on a list serve I'm on, there was a discussion about whether gangsta rap should be considered Hip Hop. In being aware of the power within all of the ciphers we are a part of, we cannot overestimate nor underestimate the effect that music has on people. So often, Hip Hop gets the blame for what's wrong with the world, and don't get me wrong, some stuff is too much for me, and I'm very liberal minded. However, we cannot underestimate the effect that a lack of values and cultural base has on our communities, namely children. Here are a few points from my perspective:

1) Hip Hop did not start off with the intent of being some positive revolutionary movement. It was a combination of things based on where people were at. There was so-called gangsta music, party rap, bling music, just kickin it having fun ridin down the street music,so-called mysoginistic music about how many girls you could get, straight beats and rhymes and music with positive messages. We cannot continue to romanticize this. That's like how people romanticize pre-colonial Africa or ancient civilizations (as if it's just one big place where everybody did things the same way in a positive manner). Everything wasn't all good about it. You can't just focus on the best part cuz that's relative anyway. One person's best part might be De La Soul. Another person's best part might be Kool G Rap or Snoop.

2) Hip Hop is a reflection of the good, bad and ugly side of what's taking place in our communities. For the most part, Hip Hop is where the people are at. Not to say that there aren't studio gangstas and some people's images are manufactured and pushed to a certain population cuz there are. But there are some rappers that people actually relate to. I understand why Jeezy was upset when Nas said Hip Hop is dead. He's like, "Hip Hop ain't dead cuz I'm rappin." And I respect a lot of the music comin from the south and the bay cuz it reflects the struggle and experience of a lot of the masses of people, and if I don't respect it, to a degree, I don't respect my people and our varying experiences. Then I start separating myself, thinking I'm different (7:14) from the masses of people (sometimes unconsciously, with good intentions), then how effective can I be in positively impacting?

How can I hate on somebody if that's where they're comin from. Just because someone raps about different topics, with a different style from a different region doesn't mean that it's not Hip Hop. It just may not reflect where you are coming from, and of course people would like to see more of a relatable experience on the radio. I agree. Coming up, there was more diversity in the music. That's the main issue to me and see that fight as valid, although not the largest priority. I get tired of having to turn the radio down when I have some children in the car, cuz they can't listen to most of it on my watch, especially after having broken some lyrics down (but they listen to it anyway on their own time, just like I did when I was a kid). Now you're inundated with the same shit every day and that's counter-productive and boring. I wouldn't want to just hear so called conscious rap all day every day either, cuz that only reflects one experience and I would be bored with that. Are we really remembering accurately what we listened to when we were kids? I bet it wasn't just one thing, and some of us as junior high and teenagers were shakin our asses to some mysogynistic, pimpin, gangsta shit. Don't tell me ya'll weren't fuckin with NWA or Snoop's Doggystyle, or Dr. Dre's The Chronic, or Kool G Rap, etc.

3) If you have a problem with the music people make, go grab some kids and teach them something else. Expose them to different things. Help change their living situation. Then they'll make different music. You can't ask a kid to be a rap nationalist or whatever if that's not their experience. Even if you challenge the "system," there will always be kids rappin like that as long as those conditions exist. When me and a brother did Creative Liberation, our youth arts and Hip Hop program, there was a heavy educational component that many of them experienced before they came to the program. We had to reorient them mentally and culturally first. With some kids, it was easier due to their orientation growing up. With other kids it was harder due to their orientation growing up. We unveiled many of the lies, myths, and reasons behind the condition of our people, they understood and expressed their reaction to it, started changing their mind set and the things they valued, and THEN they were able to make some music that was reflective of their mindset while still being themselves. Take whatever lyrics you don't like and break it down with the children, ask them what a pimp, hoe and bitch is and see what they say (cuz most of them don't even know...they're just singing what they constantly hear all the time) and after that, see if that is how they see themselves. Our issues are so much deeper than the music. I remember being 9 years old, listening to Too Short Freaky Tales in my walkman, and even went to a Too Short and 2 Live Crew concert with some other neighborhood children. I grew up and still do listen to all kinds of stuff. The music was not detrimental to my existence cuz of the values that were instilled in me. That's what has the most power.

4) Part of the issue with so called conscious rap (and I don't like the term "conscious" either. Consciousness is awareness, regardless of whether the awareness reflects good or bad) is that not enough focus is placed on instrumentation, bangin beats and being relatable enough for folks to understand you. Unless you're preachin to the choir or making music to perform in coffee shops with people who already think like you, you gotta make that shit hard man! Not meaning be other than yourself, but being able to make your message relatable to people. Put some knock into it and don't be preachy! Otherwise, you just look like a lame, separatist corny hater who cats wouldn't want to be around for 2 minutes cuz you don't have any fun.

You can't teach somebody if you see yourself as so unalike, that you repel them. And everybody can't play that position (but check out www.myspace.com/rebelmusic1824 or www.classic1824.com for some of our music that strives to strike that balance....music with a message, but not corny). Hell, even take some popular beats that you would love to rhyme to, jack that shit, and spit some hot shit over it. At least the music will catch people's ears. No matter how I look, headwrapped and queenly, I don't want to spit to no flowery stuff cuz I know what I like and I'm not trying to preach to the choir. So when somebody hears me rhyme, to a beat or acapella, I rhyme aggressively (not like a dude, but strong and confident, assertive.), I try to choose a bangin beat selection (original or not), and get my message out where it's visual, but not too complex. I ain't rhymin bout no hexagons and some cloudy flowery shit, and I don't wanna hear it either. So at the very least, no matter who's listening, they'll say, "She can rhyme," and may get something out of it. It's a shame to go to a show full of conscious artists who make music "for the people" and the people we rap about aren't even in attendance cuz it doesn't appeal to them. Next time you're at a so-called conscious hip hop show, check who's in the audience, and you'll see if the music is doing its job. Mos Def could have been that artist that resonated with different populations across the board. Even Lauryn Hill could have been somebody who related to all sorts of people, particularly women everywhere. But they went in another direction for various reasons.

If you do music for the people and you perform your music for a block party in the hood, and it doesn't bring people to the stage or they walk away you gotta think about if your music is applicable to them and change your strategy...not the essence of your message, but how it is delivered. Rap for some kids and see if they like your music. I love trying out rhymes on the kids I work with, asking them if they understand what I'm saying, and when they say "Oooh, Sister Medina, that's hard," I know I'm going in the right direction.

5) Gangsta rap is Hip Hop. Pure and simple. It just might not be Hip Hop you particularly like or relate to. Times are a little different and it's hard to sell "conscious music" to 80s crack babies who don't live your lyrics. Do the knowledge to the cipher you're in or trying to speak to (meaning, look and see what's going on around you) and see what you need to do while still remaining your authentic self. It ain't easy, but it ain't for everybody.

P.ractice E.valuation A.uthenticity C.reativity E.ffectively (PEACE)

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2007-01-04T08:20:00.000-08:00

PITTSBURGH HIP HOP AWARDS- VOTE FOR ANGEL EYE AND RXC/CLASSIC 1824

Peace to All! I build that everyone is positive, productive and peaceful on this day of culture. Pittsburgh, PA is having its first Pittsburgh Hip Hop Awards and I am nominated as a finalist for Best Female Artist (under the name Angel Eye), and the crew I rhyme with, RXC/Classic 1824, is being nominated for Most Inspirational Artist (we don't preach to the choir, we teach to inspire!- I Majestic). It would be great if you could support us and go to www.pittsburghhiphopawards.com, go to the vote section, and put in your bid for "Angel Eye" for Best Female Artist and RXC/ Classic1824 for Most Inspirational Artist. It's really quick and takes about 3 minutes! Voting ends Jan 12 and the awards are on Jan 14 so vote and spread the word! If you want to hear a sample of our music, go to www.myspace.com/rebelmusic1824 or www.classic1824.com. I'm unsure about the out of city/state voting stipulations (didn't see anything on the web-site that said you can't) so if you don't live in Pittsburgh, give it a shot anyway! Thanks to all who nominated us!

Peace and Love

I Medina (Angel Eye)

2007-01-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

YOU MUST NOT KNOW BOUT ME...THE BRUISED EGO OF THE BLACK WOMAN

Peace! In the past few months, Beyonce's song, "Irreplaceable," has become the anthem of scorned sistas everywhere (Beyonce and Destiny's Child are good for anthems...usually relating to some relationship or lack there of with a man...hmm). On this day of understanding, I came to the realization that this latest effort looks good at the surface, but reeks of a bruised ego beneath. I'm not going to get into whether the song is for a certain someone cuz that's beside my point. She's tellin this dude to roll out cuz he did her wrong and she can replace him in a second so hurry up, pack your shit and get the hell up outta here, with no regret, remorse, sadness, nothing. Now she might be speaking for the woman who is so fed up from being dogged out that she is cold and callous toward the brotha. Truthfully, I don't see this as realistic. Although it's just a song, the fact that so many women identify with it calls its relevance into question when looking at the state of Black male-female relationships and our ability to hurt, disregard, and discard one another without so much as "shedding a tear." To me, if this is a man who you've been with, who you cared for, it may not be so easy to send the brotha "to the left." I'm not saying that if a man continiously disrespects a woman and she has reached her limit, she is in the wrong for removing that negative element from her life if that's what she sees fit. On the contrary, I do not advocate keeping anything or anybody around who is hurtful (especially one who seems to be talkin shit on his way out). But we can't keep acting like we don't feel things and mask our emotions under a shield of this tough, superwoman as a defense mechanism from feeling and dealing with the pain cuz what lies beneath is a bruised and hurt ego that doesn't understand why a brotha could act the way he did. I am by no means saying get stuck in the pain, but if you don't deal with what happened and why, you'll only continue to bury your feelings, moving from man to man, potentially attracting the same type of brotha going through the same cycles. I mean, would you really want "another you in a minute" if the previous dude did you wrong? Do the knowledge...

To the left
To the left
To the left
To the left
To the left
To the left
Everything you own in the box to the left
In the closet that's my stuff - Yes
If I bought it nigga please don't touch
And keep talking that mess, that's fine
But could you walk and talk at the same time
And It's my mine name that is on that Jag
So remove your bags let me call you a cab

Standing in the front yard telling me
How I'm such a fool - Talking about
How I'll never ever find a man like you
You got me twisted

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I could have another you in a minute
matter fact he'll be here in a minute - baby

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I can have another you by tomorrow
So don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable

So go ahead and get gone
And call up on that chick and see if she is home
Oops, I bet ya thought that I didn't know
What did you think I was putting you out for?
Cause you was untrue
Rolling her around in the car that I bought you
Baby you dropped them keys hurry up before your taxi leaves
Standing in the front yard telling me
How I am such a fool - Talking about
How I'll never ever find a man like you
You got me twisted

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I could have another you in a minute
matter fact he'll be here in a minute - baby

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I will have another you by tomorrow
So don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable

So since I’m not your everything
How about I'll be nothing
Nothing at all to you
Baby I wont shead a tear for you
I won't lose a wink of sleep
Cause the truth of the matter is
Replacing you is so easy

To the left
To the left
To the left
To the left
To the left
To the left
Everything you own in the box to the left

To the left
To the left

Don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I could have another you in a minute
matter fact he'll be be here in a minute - baby

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I can have another you by tomorrow
Don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I could have another you in a minute
matter fact he'll be be here in a minute - baby

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I can have another you by tomorrow
Don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable

2006-12-20T15:34:00.001-08:00

WISDOM CIPHER

Peace. Today's mathematics is wisdom cipher all being born to wisdom. Today, I am focusing on my conduct, in making the best decisions in all ciphers I am in. One thing I realized was that you are always related to a cipher, being a person, place or thing, or environment. Even if you are just with yourrself, you are in the cipher of whatever space you are in. A cipher is continuous and constant. It does not stop. It is something that will always be. Even if throughout life, your cipher changes, you are always related to one. That concept is ever present and is always with you. So what is my relationship to all of my ciphers as the Black woman. What role do I play? Do I lead? Do I follow? Do I build? Do I destroy? Am I powerful? Am I learning and doing the knowledge? Am I civilized and do I civilize? Am I a strong carrier of culture and information to all those I encounter?

I know that I am many things in several ciphers and I have to always be aware of how I conduct myself, because I am always serving as an example for others (whether I want to be or not). People who you don't know exist are watching you, so I have to do and act in a way where I am comfortable with what is presented about me. This does not mean that you have to conform to other people's standards, just make sure that you are consistently living by your own, and people see and recognize that consistency through whatever wisdom they see in you. I use wisdom, cuz a lot of people don't see you everyday to be able to knowledge your culture (although you're always a representative of your culture). They may see you walking down the street, sitting at a restaurant, at the club, on a children's outing, etc. and they formulate their judgements based on the act of wisdom they see. We know our wisdom is the individual acts that compose our culture, but other folks don't know that. Act as if the whole world is watching, cuz how you would act if the world is your stage should be the same as if a couple dozen people are your stage. Those people use their wisdom to inform others about you, so people know of you who you don't know.

Today's degree in the alphabet is truth or square.

truth (trūth)
n., pl. truths (trūTHz, trūths).

Conformity to fact or actuality.
A statement proven to be or accepted as true.
Sincerity; integrity.
Fidelity to an original or standard.

Reality; actuality.
often Truth That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.
fact (făkt)
n.

Knowledge or information based on real occurrences: an account based on fact; a blur of fact and fancy.

Something demonstrated to exist or known to have existed: Genetic engineering is now a fact. That Chaucer was a real person is an undisputed fact.
A real occurrence; an event: had to prove the facts of the case.
Something believed to be true or real: a document laced with mistaken facts.
A thing that has been done, especially a crime: an accessory before the fact.
Law. The aspect of a case at law comprising events determined by evidence: The jury made a finding of fact.

So I see a fact as information, and I see truth as the reality that makes the information real and relevant based on it being shown and proven. For example, the statement, Medina was born in 1978 is a possible fact, but there is a process of research and verification to demonstrate whether the statement is true or not. When using the example of a person telling the truth, your're looking at them verifying what the facts are through their statements. When a person says, "I will be true to myself," I see that to mean a person's wisdom, (and culture if done on a consistent basis) will be in accordance with who they know themselves to be...the conduct that is most familiar or comfortable to them. That does not mean that their conduct is right and exact or righteous (although that is somewhat relative).

I see square as the standard of conduct that I as the Earth live according to and within. Although the Earth is a cipher, and a square has four sides (therefore, I am not the square), I thought of the phrase "four corners of the planet." Within a circle, when starting from the center, you can move in four directions... North, South East or West...up, down, left or right. Today, I was thinking of my four corners being Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet, Nation History and Flag, and 120 degrees. So whatever direction I travel, I will always come to an aspect of our way of life. That is what I am accountable to and that is my armor or shield of protection from negativity. So when a person tries to enter my cipher, at all corners, at all directions, this is what they see and experience, and if they come with unrighteous intent, they will not be able to penetrate these walls. By using mathematics and integrating it into my circumference, I am able to discern who should be amongst me and who should not.

20:40 q) What is the prescribed law of Islam to a said person of that ability?

a) That the civilized is held responsible for the uncivilized, and must be punished by the Nation of Islam.

So in this degree, we know that it has already been established that if you are a said person of that ability, or a person capable of civilizing others, it is your responsibility to do so, or you will be punished (i.e. 19:40). We will be punished by what the world will we be because we did not do all that we could to make it better by teaching and being a walking expression of civilization to others in every cipher that we are in. If you are not a said person of that ability, then you cannot be held accountable, however, the next step is to draw up how you can become a said person of that ability (i.e. teaching techniques, gaining more knowledge, strengthening your foundation, mentoring, etc.). If you haven't yet knowledged 120, how can you still make a positive impact on others? This is what will bring about peace or submission (acceptance) to our way of life.

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2006-12-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

APOCALYPTO...FACT OR FICTION?

I guess Mel Gibson just can't get it right. After the public outcry against "Passion of the Christ" he apparently offends more folks with his latest cinematic endeavor.The following is an article critiquing Mel Gibson's new film, Apocalypto, a brutal chase action flick about a hunter gatherer, Jaguar Paw, who is hunted by bloodthirsty Mayans who make human sacrifices. Now, I just recently saw the movie and in terms of cinematic entertainment, it was very engaging and you were hanging on the edge of your seat to see what happened next. I did ask my Colombian sister Aymara what she thought about it in reference to it being offensive to the "two million Indians" and she stated that there may have been portions that were historically inaccurate so I have to further research Mayan civilization to determine the potential inaccuracies (was there widespread human sacrifice? A couple sources I briefly researched stated that there was, however, my search is definitely not complete).

In recent Mel Gibson interviews regarding the film, he makes it fairly clear that the movie is not a historical factual account, but more like an action flick set in a certain place and time. The potential danger in a film such as this and others like it is that the masses have a short collective memory, and especially when dealing with events of the past, our memories are often based on lies, media, and pop culture. Some may believe in the presentation of Mayan civilization and take it for face value, possibly perpetuating lies and falsehood, justifying the genocide of indigenous peoples. So I say, read the article, see the film, do some research on Mayan civilization, and then you be the judge.

Apocalypto: The Cinematic Logic of Genocide
by Juan Santos

Mel Gibson's Apocalypto is not a mere adventure tale,
it's not just another excruciatingly brutal portrayal
of apocalyptic violence for its own sake, and the
Village Voice is dead wrong when it says that unlike
Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto
is "unburdened by nationalist or religious piety,"—
that it's "pure, amoral sensationalism."

Despite its extreme brutality Apocalypto isn't just
Gibson's latest snuff film with a religious theme. The
film is a morality play, and there are only two things
one needs to remember to get a hint of the ugly moral
intent behind Mel Gibson's depiction of the Maya.

The first is that, despite Gibson's vile portrayal of
the Maya as a macabre cult of deranged killers
straight out of Apocalypse Now!, there is no evidence
that the Mayan people ever practiced widespread human
sacrifice, and they certainly didn't target the
innocent hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists Gibson
chooses to portray as the victims of a Mayan death
cult.

Gibson knows better. He studied the terrain in depth
and had no practical limit to the funds he could
expend on research. His portrayal is a conscious lie,
one he uses to justify the premise that the Mayan city
states collapsed because they deserved to collapse,
and that they deserved to be replaced by a "superior"
culture in the genocide known as the Conquest.

"A great civilization is not conquered from without
until it has destroyed itself from within," is how
Gibson puts it. In other words the Conquest was not
genocide but a moral comeuppance; the civilization
didn't fall, in the final analysis, from climate
change or inadvertent soil depletion or even war – it
was conquered in god's wrath against the forces of
evil. And Gibson's made sure you see the ancient Maya
as a force of profound evil.

Here's a taste of the standards Gibson used in
conjuring his image of the Maya. The LA Times quotes
production designer Tom Sanders:

"We had an archeologist, Dr. Richard Hansen, onboard,"
said Sanders. "It was really fun to say, 'Is there any
proof they didn't do this?' When he said, 'There is no
proof they didn't do that,' that gives you some
license to play." And "play" they did. Rex Reed calls
the racist portrayal of the Maya Gibson's "huge cast
of spear-carriers from the Oom-Gawah-Bwana School of
Dramatic Art."

In a stunning interview with Chris Garcia of the
Austin American Statesman, Julia Guernsey, an expert
on Mayan culture at the University of Texas says of
Gibson's agenda, "'We got the Jews last time (in 'The
Passion of the Christ'), now we'll get the Maya.' And
to highlight that point there's a lot of really
offensive racial stereotyping. They're shown as these
extremely barbaric people, when in fact, the Maya were
a very sophisticated culture… I hate it. I despise it.
I think it's despicable. It's offensive to Maya
people. It's offensive to those of us who try to teach
cultural sensitivity…"

The other hint you might need to remember is this. No
matter what happens in this film, the Spanish don't
show up at the end, at the collapse of the Mayan
civilization, to "save" anything at all.

Hundreds of years would pass between the collapse of
the Mayan city states and the American Holocaust. For
the sake of empire the Spanish would sacrifice 95% of
the population in Mexico, a horror they would achieve
in a mere 100 years. Hitler's holocaust, with its 20
million dead, pales: the Conquest of the Americas by
Europe would claim 100 million lives. There is no more
savage genocide in the history of civilization.

But if you're looking for savagery, the holocaust
against the Mayan people doesn't stop there. The most
recent wave ended a mere decade ago. A quarter of a
million innocent Maya were slaughtered in Guatemala by
a death squad regime backed by the Gibson's cohorts on
the Christian Right, including Ronald Reagan and
apocalyptic fanatics like Pat Robertson and Jerry
Falwell. It's called "The Silent Holocaust" by those
who know of it.

The Maya have suffered a modern apocalypse more brutal
than anything in Gibson's sadistic imagination, more
brutal than even he would dare bring to the screen.
It's a tale he would refuse: its demons aren't
"savage" Mayans in horror movie drag, they're
Christian death squads backed by fundamentalist
leaders using old school Spanish methods. A British
anti-war organization writes:

"Working methodically across the Mayan region, the
army and its paramilitary teams, including 'civil
patrols' of forcibly conscripted local men, attacked
626 villages. Each community was rounded up, or seized
when gathered already for a celebration or a market
day. The villagers, if they didn't escape to become
hunted refugees, were then brutally murdered; others
were forced to watch, and sometimes to take part.
Buildings were vandalised and demolished, and a
'scorched earth' policy applied: the killers destroyed
crops, slaughtered livestock, fouled water supplies,
and violated sacred places and cultural symbols.

"Children were often beaten against walls, or thrown
alive into pits where the bodies of adults were later
thrown; they were also tortured and raped. Victims of
all ages often had their limbs amputated, or were
impaled and left to die slowly. Others were doused in
petrol and set alight, or disemboweled while still
alive. Yet others were shot repeatedly, or tortured
and shut up alone to die in pain. The wombs of
pregnant women were cut open. Women were routinely
raped while being tortured. Women - now widows - who
lived could scarcely survive the trauma: The presence
of sexual violence in the social memory of the
communities has become a source of collective shame."

Gibson hasn't told the story of the hunted refugees
fleeing Christian death squads a decade ago. His
ancient hunters are nothing more than figments of his
imagination, racist stereotypes of ancient Mayans who
existed nowhere but in his own delirium tremens. They
are his own demons chasing his imaginary hero / victim
/ alter ego, Jaguar Paw, through a "savage" jungle.

The framework of the story is deeply embedded in
Gibson's extreme right wing religious and political
views. He casts Mayan priests and leaders as
demonically malevolent at a time when interest is
growing world wide in Mayan politics – the Zaptistas –
and in Mayan spirituality and prophecy. The subtext of
the film and its social context involve the Mayan
prophecies of the end of an age of destruction, and
the beginning of another around 2012 C.E., an age that
can lead to harmony between humanity and the Earth.

The biblical counter-vision is of a righteous
world-destruction carried out by a vengeful god who
destroys all living creatures, a vision embedded in
the Apocalypse of Saint John, the Book of Revelations,
which was the inspiration for the film's title.

The Maya who survived the killing in Guatemala and
elsewhere kept their spiritual traditions alive -
including their prophecies of the end of this age -
despite 500 years of intensive efforts to eradicate
them. Right wing Christians see hell-driven New Age
plots at every turn, and understand attacking other
culture's spiritual traditions not as cultural
genocide but as legitimate "spiritual warfare" at a
time of approaching apocalypse.

Gibson brought Apocalypto to life on the propaganda
front of a spiritual war, a deadly serious culture war
between those who would protect and defend the Earth's
ability to live and those on the Christian Right who
want to "bring on" Armageddon.

The larger stakes are the future of life on planet
Earth in a time when the industrial civilization of
the West is seen by many as on the brink of collapse
and when the world's most respected scientists see
Earth as on the verge of ecological destruction, a
sentiment that is deeply shared by the living Mayan
wisdom keepers whose indigenous spiritual tradition
Gibson has chosen to paint as evil.

The survivors of the most recent wave of genocide
haven't seen Apocalypto yet – no Maya has, not even
those who had the bit parts Gibson reserved for them,
or who worked as extras and maids.

One can't help but wonder how Apocalypto will play to
Guatemalan audiences, but one thing is a sure bet:
Mayans will be deeply disturbed to see their culture
portrayed as a madhouse of killing, while those who
supported the death squad regime of the Christian
fascist Efraín Ríos Montt will take solace: their view
of the Maya as subhuman will be "justified" by the
film, and so will their genocidal reign of terror.

Racist stereotypes, after all, serve one function and
one function only – they serve as a story, a script
that justifies the use of violence against a targeted
group, whether the weapons of the oppressor are the
sword and cannon, the gas chamber, the M16, a lynch
mob's rope, or a camera.

One viewer understood and embraced Gibson's intent in
its entirety, saying Apocalypto:

"Pretty much precisely describes the whole point of
the civilizations of such "noble savages" as the
Mayans, if you ask us. There isn't one, there wasn't
one, and there never will be one. Those bloodthirsty
mongrels and many others before and after them were
brutal, savage, cruel and entirely without redeeming
qualities, and the best thing that ever happened to
this planet was when they were wiped out, never to be
heard of again.
In fact, we owe the Spanish Conquistadores an eternal
debt of gratitude for having wiped that
blood-curdlingly bestial, brutal blight upon humanity
off the face of the planet because, had they not done
it, we would have had to do so ourselves."
The son of a Holocaust denier, Gibson defended his
father in a 2004 interview, and, in the wake of his
recent drunken tirades against Jews, Gibson can ill
afford charges of propagating racism against Indians.
The film's PR campaign has carefully skirted potential
opposition and negative exposure. Despite that effort
Mayan activists who've seen nothing more than the
film's trailer denounced the film the day before it
opened.

Ignacio Ochoa, director of the Nahual Foundation, said
"Gibson replays, in glorious, big budget Technicolor,
an offensive and racist notion that Maya people were
brutal to one another long before the arrival of
Europeans and thus they deserved, in fact needed,
rescue."

The Indians who've seen the film itself have been a
carefully chosen crew; Apocalypto, for all its epic
pretensions, premiered in an Oklahoma casino, and
certainly not for an audience of American Indian
Movement activists. The initial Latino audience was
chosen just as carefully. A Beverly Hills-based PR man
arranged screenings of the film for the Los Angeles
Latin Business Association – not for Mexican and
Central American migrants who know the Maya, not for
indigenous minded Chican@s, and certainly not for LA's
substantial community of Mayan refugees.

The Latin Business Association obligingly gave Gibson
their "Visionary" Award. But it's too late for Gibson
to hide behind such contrived honors. Even the LA
Times pointedly noted, " it's one thing to acknowledge
a work's… merits and quite another to proclaim Gibson
a 'visionary,' especially at a time when the
immigration debate has reminded Latinos that virulent
racism is only a few drinks away."

Genocide is even closer than that. Ask the Spanish.
Ask the death squads. Ask Mel, behind the camera or
behind a small glass. It's just a shot away.

________

Juan Santos is a Los Angeles based writer and editor.
His essays from 2006 can be found at:
http://the-fourth- world.blogspot. com/. He can be
reached at: JuanSantos@Mexica. net.

2006-12-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

"TOP FLIGHT SECURITY OF THE WORLD CRAIG!!!!!!!"- Friday After Next

Peace! I just want to give a quick shout out to the Gods in Power Born, my brothers, who always make sure that the Earth is safe and secure. When I first came around, the level of security consciousness and concern was a bit of an adjustment, as I was used to doing my own thing, without regard to what anyone said or thought, no matter the time of evening or place. I was like, "Damn, I already have a physical father!" It took me a while to start calling when I got home, alerting my god specifically of my whereabouts, and so forth. I used to despise the concept of "checking in," and thought of it as losing some form of independence.

Then in February 2005 I got mugged walking home from work one night and realized that with all my positivity and concern, the world was not a rose garden and I had to be more prepared and conscious of my moves, cuz someone can always be watching you. This mofo followed me from the job till I was about 2 blocks away from my rest on a busy street mind you, ran up on me, and snatched my purse! Thankfully, dude didn't pull a gun out, but I was still shook, and was paranoid for a good while afterward. I knew someone was walking behind me and I looked back to let him know I saw him, but people always walked behind me. I had a thought to stop in a funeral to shake this dude, but I didn't follow through. I thought I'd be safe at the busy street.

I am now fortunate to actually work with several of the gods and I enjoy their building, laughter (the gods are FUNNY!), and appreciate their level of concern when leaving the gig, making sure that I am okay, and at times staying late with me or calling to make sure I made it to the rest safely. It is part of the black man's duty to protect the Black woman, and we have gotten so far from that as a people, that when God attempts to do so, it is foreign, and depending on your orientation to life (as I myself, did not grow up with a father in the home and didn't personally bare witness to this dynamic)you may reject it. But I have learned to embrace it, as the proper activation of culture can come in time. So PEACE to all of the Gods of Power Born, specifically the Gods I work with (I Majestic Allah, Knowledge Build Allah, Sincere Master Allah, and Aru Self Allah) for always lookin' out for your sista and having me covered on all sides!

Peace, Love and Appreciation to My Brothers!

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2006-12-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

"MANIFESTO OF THE ASCENDANCY OF THE MODERN AMERICAN NIGGER"

PEACE! I build that everyone is positive, healthy and happy within their ciphers on this great day of God. About a week ago, I was sent an email about a disturbing article in Esquuire magazine by John Ridley called "Manifesto of the Ascendancy of the Modern American Nigger." And folks, I did check the Esquire web-site and the article is indeed there. It is in the December 2006 printed issue. This article, mind you, is written by a Black man (published in a magazine with a majority white readership), "Bill Cosby" style who is essentially tired of "niggers" fuckin' up and doesn't understand why we don't have our shit together. He then expresses his high regard for Condeleeza Rice, Colin Powell and those like them as examples of who and what the new Black America can be if "niggers" pull themselves up from their bootstraps. He further expresses his disdain for accusations of police brutality by "Blactivists" in Cincinatti, Ohio due to the nature of the youth who were killed.

A couple of thoughts I had were:

-This article exemplifies the obvious gap he sees between "niggas" and black people (see Chris Rock's HBO stand-up "Bring the Pain."). He definitely does not see himself as a part of the group he is berating.

-He totally goes against what your mama and grandma told you about airing your dirty laundry. Black folks may discuss and some may even agree with some of his points (see other "well to do" Black folks like John Ridley), however, this was not the appropriate forum. What is the fruit of this diatribe? What are the tangible (one of my favorite words)solutions he is offering to the Black community's ills?

-Did he have to vent in a magazine with a majority White readership? Did he even try Essence or Ebony? Damn...even Sister 2 Sister? Jet?

-Why would Esquire print this?

-What we are seeing amongst disenfranchised segments of the Black community is the result of over 400 years of oppression. What we see in "any hood USA" is the result of a process set in motion centuries ago that is being born out the way it is. Some folks knowingly make unwise choices and others are as Jim Jones eloquently states in the title of his latest album "P.O.M.E."s (Product Of My Environment). Some may say that in 2006, we should all be caked up, ballin' without a care in the world, due to hard work and intelligence and the aforementioned statements are excuses. We forget that a lot of folks who say things like this either have not struggled through anything nor been exposed to the conditions they are downgrading OR they did come up rough and recieved interventions that helped them through the tough times (a gym teacher, guidance counselor, after-school program, grandma, Old Man Willie on the block, etc.) Unfortunately, in 2006, everyone does not recieve these interventions.

-This article shows that some Black folks think the same way as some White folks. John Ridley and Michael Richards for that matter just vocally expressed what some folks think. And speaking of Michael Richards, he can keep his apology. He just blurted out what he really thinks. I'd rather see a wolf, than a wolf in sheeps' clothing...but I digress.

Below, is an excerpt of the article and a link to the full piece. Some people have written letters to Esquire expressing their contempt and cancelled their subscriptions. Do the knowledge and do the same if you are so inclined...

"MANIFESTO OF THE ASCENDANCY OF THE MODERN AMERICAN NIGGER"
by John Ridley
Esquire Magazine
December 2006

For eleven days in 2001, two blacks ran our country. It's their example and their achievement—and not the culture of failure fomented by the leftovers of the Movement—that must set a new agenda for black Americans.

Let me tell you something about niggers, the oppressed minority within our minority. Always down. Always out. Always complaining that they can't catch a break. Notoriously poor about doing for themselves. Constantly in need of a leader but unable to follow in any direction that's navigated by hard work, self-reliance. And though they spliff and drink and procreate their way onto welfare doles and WIC lines, niggers will tell you their state of being is no fault of their own. They are not responsible for their nearly 5 percent incarceration rate and their 9.2 percent unemployment rate. Not responsible for the 11.8 percent rate at which they drop out of high school. For the 69.3 percent of births they create out of wedlock.

Now, let me tell you something about my generation of black Americans. We are the inheritors of "the Deal" forced upon the entrenched white social, political, and legal establishment when my parents' generation won the struggle for civil rights. The Deal: We (blacks) take what is rightfully ours and you (the afore-described establishment) get citizens who will invest the same energy and dedication into raising families and working hard and being all around good people as was invested in snapping the neck of Jim Crow.

In the forty years since the Deal was brokered, since the Voting Rights Act was signed, there have been successes for blacks. But there are still too many blacks in prison, too many kids aggrandizing the thug life, and way too many African-Americans doing far too little with the opportunities others earned for them.

If we as a race could win the centuries-long war against institutionalized racism, why is it that so many of us cannot secure the advantage after decades of freedom?

That which retards us is the worst of "us," those who disdain actual ascendancy gained by way of intellectual expansion and physical toil—who instead value the posture of an "urban," a "street," a "real" existence, no matter that such a culture threatens to render them extinct.

"Them" being niggers.

I have no qualm about using the word nigger. It is a word. It is in the English lexicon, and no amount of political correctness, no amputation into "the n-word"—as if by the castration of a few letters we should then be able to conceptualize its meaning without feeling its sting—will remove it from reality.

So I say this: It's time for ascended blacks to wish niggers good luck. Just as whites may be concerned with the good of all citizens but don't travel their days worrying specifically about the well-being of hill billies from Appalachia, we need to send niggers on their way. We need to start extolling the most virtuous of ourselves. It is time to celebrate the New Black Americans—those who have sealed the Deal, who aren't beholden to liberal indulgence any more than they are to the disdain of the hard Right. It is time to praise blacks who are merely undeniable in their individuality and exemplary in their levels of achievement.

Read more...

http://www.esquire.com/features/articles/2006/061105_
mfe_December_06_Essay_1.html

2006-11-29T17:41:00.000-08:00

COMMIT TO THE PROCESS...WISDOM BORN

Peace to all! Today's mathematics is wisdom born all being born to knowledge knowledge all being born to wisdom. After a good trip back home to the Bay and waking up this morning, I thought about the importance of committing to what you do/ or what you say you do, and being engaged in the process until it is born or complete. Don't be a quitter or waste time being wishy washy. I know it's hard, but by doing this, you are able to knowledge your knowledge and assess whether your path was the right one, based on the ultimate result of the work you put in. See your challeneges through so you can see what you're made of.

Case in point...several months ago, I had the opportunity to work with the August Wilson Center here in Pittsburgh (for those who don't know, August Wilson was a popular playwright from Pittsburgh)to perform a poem at the Conference for Foundations, that introduced Mae Jemison, the first woman of color to go in space. This sister is in history books! The crowd would be the largest I've ever performed for (approximately 1200 people) and the gold was the most I would recieve for a poetry performance ($500). The catch was, I had a little under a week to write and memorize and perform with conviction, this earth shattering piece.

I accepted the offer and got to work. One thing I find as a writer is that I write my best pieces when I am "inspired." When it just flows. So having to come up with a topical piece about this sister that could not be mediocre in a couple days, was a challenge. I found myself loving and hating the process. Loving it cuz it was a challenge that had a sweet reward and I tend to work pretty well under pressure. Hating it cuz I was unsure if I could pull it off and just wanted to get it over with. I eventually cranked somethin' out that was good but this ambivalence stuck with me until showtime.

Fast forward to the big day and I was nervous as hell cuz I barely had the poem memorized and I did not want to choke in front of 1200 people. I had butterflies in my stomach, teeth chattering, everything. But the moment I got on the stage, I had to commit to the performance and see it through. I couldn't break out and leave people hangin (although I wanted to at times). What was born? I turned in a solid performance that everybody loved and although I did stumble and forget a little, I improvised and nobody even noticed.

This experience showed me that I am capable of writing and performing under pressure, that people actually enjoy my work, and I can and deserve to get paid for it (I've been performing for free for a while so let's not talk about paying dues...I want my talent to pay me for a change!). So that was an experience of growth and expansion. Sometimes, people see things in you that you don't see in yourself so I figure I would not have been asked unless folks thought I was capable. The "I" that makes up you encompasses so many aspects of your life, history, experiences, knowledge, genetic coding and sometimes you can sabatoge yourself if you let fear or something new limit you or keep you from realizing a part of yourself that you may not know you had. After completing that challenge, I can look back at the whole experience and determined that I made the right decision, and that I should open myself up for similar opportunities in the future. This was just an example of potential, or stored energy. You don't know what you can turn that energy into unless you apply it to something tangible and bring that reality into existence.

An example of a person not fully committing to the path they chose is Jay-Z. (Click here http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/columns-editorials/id.676/title.who-the-hell-am-i-has-jay-z-outgrown-hip-hop for a decent article on hiphopdx.com by Andreas Hale).I respect Jay-Z as a rapper and like a lot of his music. However, when he made the decision to be a record executive at Def Jam, that is what he should have stuck to. But, like my god says, he is the Michael Jordan of rap. Similar to the title of Too Short's 10th album, he "can't stay away." He had to come back and outshine some of the artists on his label (Method Man, Ghostface, The Roots, even Jeezy) and put out another album right before his other artists. Great marketing and promotion (Budweiser commercials, Monday Night Football spots)for him which provided a nice pay day ($680,000 first week)for the label's 4th quarter sales, B.U.T. it's a bad look for folks whose album is about to drop mid-December. With all the hoopla for Jay-Z, whose gonna rush to get a Method Man album aside from die hard fans? The aforementioned artists have barely gotten promoted, which is why they're salty. Not good on the management side...you gotta keep your employees satisfied or else they'll be tempted to jump ship or turn in mediocre work.

And herein lies my point...either Jay-Z was trying to boost 4th quarter sales by putting his album out, which would be guaranteed platinum at the least (giving him the benefit of the doubt) or Jay-Z was too selfish to sacrifice the spotlight for himself as an artist, to be a great record executive. And I heard the album is getting less than favorable reviews, adding credence to the Michael Jordan comparison (Jordan's mediocre performance on the Wizzards before dippin' out). You don't wanna come back like that, when you could have bowed out gracefully and took being an executive and a power broker in the rap industry to born...put your focus and energy on your artists and find new, creative and innovative ways to promote and sell their album. How are you going to do your artists justice when you're out on tour and you have your own album to sell?

Because he is being non-committal, I don't think he'll ever know how good of an executive he could have been if he had put all of his energy in that lane. He might have been a good exec with 3-5 years of development, but with these crucial management mis-steps, he may not get the chance. Jay, commit to what you are doing so you can do it well! Not to say that a person can't multi-task, but you don't wanna be a jack of all trades and a master at none. Folks can still knowlege your knowledge but you don't want them analyzing your ideas and how you got down as a means of learning what NOT to do.

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2006-11-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

HIP HOP POLITICS AS USUAL

Peace! Our beloved Hip Hop has been around for over 30 years and there are many Hip Hop enthusiasts, critics, and supporters who think the foundation has been laid for Hip Hop to have have something to say; that it should be a force to be reckoned with across a global political landscape (today's mathematics..knowledge equality). There are several organizations that are trying to facilitate this process (i.e. HSAN, National Hip Hop Political Convention, etc.) and usher in a new day where Hip Hop can be used as a tool to change our communities. As an artist and community contributer, I tend to generally agree, although I find the manifestation of this concept easier said than done .

Some of us have heard terms like the "Hip Hop Generation," "Hip Hop Politics, and
"Hip Hop Activisim" and there is an assumed meaning of who these titles implicate...folks between the ages of 18-45 who are in some way, shape or form involved with or impacted by the sub-culture of Hip Hop. I personally am of the mindframe that when talking about a National Hip Hop Political agenda to assert upon society, these categories are fairly broad, and can encompasse a variety of people with diverse cultural, social, personal and political worldviews.

Why does this matter?

Glad you asked...

When deciding upon agenda items or issues to agree upon that we as the "Hip Hop Generation" will endorse, with such a diverse body at the table, the challenge will be in forming a consensus. The trend seems to have been that those involved in such initiatives and circles tend to be progressive or liberal leaning, which narrows the playing field. However, what happens when you have a person that is say for instance anti-voucher, pro-life, pro-immigration, and anti-gay marriage. How would they be defined or categorized (could you call them progressive if they are not pro-choice or pro-gay marriage)? When deciding upon a uniform agenda, where do you fit if you agree with some things and not others (and I have seen first hand these kinds of challenges)? I see the importance in coming together across commonalities and breakin' loose on divergent views. Even still, after toiling away to do the meticulous work of creating said agenda, which side do you go to that everyone agrees upon that has enough power to assist the grassroots in actualizing it? I think the most change can happen on local levels, dealing with issues relevant and specific to those residents, and build up from there.

The following is an article that I found on www.daveyd.com providing an interesting analysis on where the Hip Hop voice was in 2006 politics, and where it should be. Do the knowledge...

Where was Hiphop's Politics in 2006?
By: Hadji Williams

Where in the hell did the hiphop go? Do you know? Do you know? Do you know?
—Freestyle Fellowship

We're halfway thru the Race for '08 and the Democrats just retook Congress plus a few governorships and local juice crews. Bush finally threw Rumsfeld under the bus. Nancy Pelosi is getting her Sherman Helmsely stroll on as the first female Speaker of the House. Obama is sounding more like a frontrunner each week. And if all that weren't enough, the
Dow Jones is gliding over 12,000...

But before they get DJ Shadow on the Fleetwood Mac remix, can somebody tell me where the youth vote and hiphop's politics went? For example:

Arnold Schwarzenegger movie-clichéd and failed-promised his way into a sequel without even a bark from Snoop Dogg. Last year Snoop was about to set-trip on Sacramento calling Schwarzenegger "a racist out to kill Tookie." But with the governorship up for grabs, where were Snoop's "Vote the Tookie-nator out" cries? He hyped his upcoming blue carpet album, his weed stash, and his perennial pimp-hand but not so much as one Snoop DeVille fulla anti-Arnold voters hit the polls Tuesday. But Snoop's not alone…

Why weren't any hiphop and urban artists and celebs out galvanizing their fans around candidates and issues? Bush still hates Black folks, right Kanye? Well if you put as much
energy into the Democratic Party as you do into politicking for worthless awards and media love, we'll get a Black president in '08. Where was L'il Wayne? T.I.? E-40? Nas? Ludacris? Queen Latifah? Were Russell Simmons and the HHAN or the Zulu Nation on anyone's campaign trail? Where was Diddy (besides pushing Play and Unforgivable)? Where was Hiphop's CEO (besides doing HP, Budweiser commercials and working on his new album)?

Davey D and Chuck D aside, why weren't DJs at least needle dropping candidates on their radio shows and mixtapes? (Politicians have budgets, too. Or do y'all only take payola
from labels?)

Where were was And-1? (Mudslinging and double-dribbling mix!) Where was Marc Ecko? BET? Radio One? Clear Channel? Where was MTV? (Too many videos block your political agenda?) Where was Jacob, the jewelers, the fashionistas and all the rest who claim the hiphop and urban communities when it's profitable/cool?

Hey Graff writers: Not one train, not one wall, not even a sidewalk was burned with an issue-based or candidate-driven piece?! Not even a t-shirt! What, elections ain't "street"
enough for y'all?

As for the masses: we can spit BIG and Tupac's catalogs bar for bar but can't name our own alderman, senator or congressperson. We know when Hov's album is dropping but
can't find the polling centers in our own neighborhoods. We follow America's Next Top Model and American Idol but not issues. We're on top of latest slang and trends but not with how our reps vote on major policies and issues. We lean on Talib, Nas, and Immortal Technique, and John Stewart for political insights but ignore the folks in office. We'll pay for concerts and X-Boxes but won't hit free public forums and public hearings held by our city and state leaders, or meetings by our local DNC, RNC, and Third Party chapters. Then we wonder why, for example, they ignored our political gatherings?

I was at this summer's HHPC, by the way. It was a nice, well-run event but as LB—my activist friend from Boston said on Day Three: "Hadji, I'm 38-year-old Black Lesbian. Hiphop doesn't really embrace me anymore, so I came for the politics. I don't see much politics here.")

Conversely, from Barbra Streisand to Madonna to George Clooney to Bono to Moby to the Dixie Chicks to Toby Keith to Jeff Gordon to Howard Stern to Susan Sarandon, etc. White
artists and celebs can't wait to rally for candidate or a cause. Consequently, the DNC and RNC bend over backwards for `em. (And like I told y'all years ago in "Hiphop Voting Block?
It's a Rap," quit letting their hipster posturing fool you—those fake White Liberals only care themselves, not communities of color. "Vote or Die" was nothing more than a Rock the Vote remix. Suckas.)

In the end, politics ignores the hiphop community because hiphop ignores politics. The biggest conspiracy at work these days is: You Don't Care + You Don't Vote = You Don't Matter. Speaking of which…

HIPHOP CIVICS 101

Every special interest group has a platform—a fairly galvanizing stance on an issue(s). Successful groups have one or two key issues, some do three or four. For example:

The NRA's trigger happy: Every "law abiding citizen" over the age of 18 should have as many guns as they want long as they're registered, holstered and the owner gets safety training. Period. And because baring arms is #2 in the Constitution the NRA is pro-
Constitution, as in "Don't change it and interpret it as is." They're also pro states' rights.

The NRA focuses on specific issues relevant to their communities. They translate `em into clear actionable agendas and identify candidates they will vote for/vote against. They follow up in regular meetings. They lobby their federal, state and local leaders for influence and don't stop until somebody listens. Every special interest group—the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), NOW (National Organization of Women), PETA,
unions, etc. all roll the same way.

Hiphop must do the same. Hiphop must galvanize around (no more than five) key issues, reach a consensus; make it known to the DNC and RNC and our government leaders at every level. Then we must vote, back candidates and lobby leaders accordingly. Only then will major parties and media outlets take the hiphop and urban communities seriously.

(And quit saying politics is "too political" for you. Yes it's political, that's why it's called "politics"! The music industry is political but we'll shoot each other and sell our souls for a platinum plaque. Yet politics is "too political" for you? Stop whining!)

WHERE'S OUR PLATFORM?

I don't care which issues Hiphop builds on, but HOT 97's play list, Tupac's legacy, the Boulè/the Illuminati/Trilateral Commission, or anything that "Stop buying it/Stop watching it" can fix had better not be any of `em. Here's a couple thought starters:

WAR ON TERROR. With Saddam about to get Silverado'd (a fair trial followed by a first class hangin'), should we bring the troops home and send a smaller hit squad for Bin Laden and
Al Queda? Do we invade North Korea? Iran? Saudi Arabia?

ABORTION: Is Hiphop Pro-Life or Pro-Choice? Under what circumstances (if any) would we support/deny an abortion?

EDUCATION. Should a quality K-12 education to be a Civil Right that's amended into the Constitution? How about a college education? Should our schools be funded by local, state,
and federal budgets? Or should they be like businesses with a free market model (i.e. you get what you can afford)? Is Hiphop pro- or anti-School Voucher?

HEALTH INSURANCE. "Universal" or "You're on your own"? If "universal", then who funds it? (Lottery money? Property taxes? Sales taxes? Higher taxes on the rich and corporations?)

GAY MARRIAGE. Is Hiphop pro- or anti-Gay marriage? Is Hiphop pro- or anti-Civil Union? Is Gay marriage part of the Civil Rights movement (as the gay community contends)?

IMMIGRATION. Citizenship for all, no matter what? Deport and Wall up? Wall on the Mexican border, but not the Canadian? No wall? Prosecute American businesses that use illegals?

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. If you think Affirmative Action is good stay out of Michigan. AA was put to a referendum on their Nov. 7th's election and Michiganders (those who bothered to vote, at least) banned it. It wasn't close. So AA is an official no-no in Michigan. No more AA in school admissions, business hiring or contracts. (Thanks, Ward Connerly and Jennifer "white-woman-who-was-waitlisted-as-1100-lesser-qualified-whites-were-admitted-ahead-of-me-and-I've-blamed-black-people-ever-since-but-don't-call-me-
a-bigot" Grantz.) Anyway…

Lookit: 2008 is right around the corner. The White House, the Senate plus numerous local and state seats will be up for grabs. And with so many critical issues affecting our communities, hiphop needs to be a factor. But as it stands, I believe we're just too segregated in our needs and concerns to unify around issues and candidates. And as individuals I question whether or not enough folks care enough to really get involved.

I maybe wrong, but this much is certain:

If we don't change now, the +80 million 18-45 year old Black, Hispanic, Asian and Whites who consider ourselves to be part of America's hiphop community will go ignored, taken
for granted, and hustled by those who voted, organized and took this process seriously. And we'll be stuck with the government that we deserve.

Again.
----
Hadji Williams is author of KNOCK THE HUSTLE (2006) and KNOCK THE HUSTLE: VOLUME 2
(Spring 2007). (E): hadji@knockthehustle.com * www.knockthehustle.com * myspace.com/

2006-11-08T15:51:00.000-08:00

AFTER THE SMOKE CLEARS

Peace! So it's the day after the Elections and the Democrats have won ...at least in Pennsylvania. We have Ed Rendell for Governer, who was a shoe in, and Bob Casey won for U.S. Senate. Check this link for a brief summary of the candidates http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6199724,00.html. Time will show and prove whether these are candidates who will bring something beneficial to the table, or if they are "the lesser of 2 evils." But I'll share something with you.

As soon as I was of age to vote, my mother told me to vote Democrat. No matter who they were or what they said, vote Democrat. Although I never formally chose a party, I did vote Democrat a couple of times. Looking back, if I voted during Clinton's first run, I voted for him. With Bush's first election, I was one of those horrible people who voted my conscience and put in my bid for Ralph Nader. Second term, although I was not sold on John Kerry in any way shape or form, and knew that he and Bush had similarities and ties, I went with the lesser of two evils approach (anybody better than Bush). However with this election, I will admit that I did not vote. Casey didn't seem too different than Rick Santorum. Ed Rendell was surely going to beat Lynn Swann. I wasn't going to vote for Lynn Swann just because he was Black (and had no political experience mind you...too reminiscent of The Terminator, a former movie brute(Arnold Scwartzeneggar) as the governer of California). However, the real reason I couldn't vote for Ed Rendell was due to his history in the late 1970s to mid-eighties as a Philadelphia prosecuter during the bombing by police of a neighborhood and group of row houses of an organization (filled with men, women, and CHILDREN) called Move, a so-called radical group of black folks who really just believed in a natural way of life, and were uncompromising (http://www.fantompowa.net/Flame/hougland_move_massacre.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOVE,
http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/MOVE-Phihladelphia-BombNYT14may85.htm,
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-11-philadelphia-bombing_x.htm).

This is a big skeleton in Ed Rendell's closet that we cannot forget, just because he's a Democrat.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am an advocate of voting, in addition to other activities, specifically when your vote will have some tangible effects, particularly on a local level. But I just couldn't vote for wolves in sheeps' clothing again. Too often, politicians on both sides will rally the troops to the battleground states, visit Black churchs around election time, show their faces at community events, never to be seen or heard from again after they've magnetized the audience with their rhetoric and snatched their votes with promises of a new and better day. And I may sound controversial with this one, and he seems like a nice enough guy, but can anyone give me five reasons (besides being young, Black and Democrat) why Black folks love Barack Obama and why we want him to run for the 2008 elections? I just haven't heard anything that makes me think he's going to change the world. Understandably, he has to speak to many audiences so he can't come off too controversial, however, he just reminds me of one of those brothers that you might see in an Abercrombie and Fitch add (not too threatening, digestible, safe). I know we want Black folks in positions of power, but we can't let that blind us (look at Clarence Thomas). We have to put the issues first, no matter who's doing the talking.

Speaking of talking, during this election, I heard some truly disturbing radio spots from both sides trying to get the Black and Latino vote (i.e. "Don't vote for Santorum because he is just like Bush, and doesn't understand what it means to struggle to pay the bills."), playing to our basic fears and needs. But that doesn't come anywhere close to the following radio spots I read about from a Republican group called America's Pac. Do the knowledge...

Republican Group Chides Democrats With Abortion Ads
Aim Is To Win Minority Voters, But Democrats Cry Foul
By JOSH GERSTEIN
Staff Reporter of the Sun
October 17, 2006

A little-known Republican group that claims to have swayed the 2004 presidential election with provocative radio advertising aimed at black and Hispanic audiences is spending nearly $1 million this year to boost the GOP's chances of holding on to a majority in Congress.

The group, America's Pac, began running ads last month in more than two dozen congressional districts.The campaign discusses issues ranging from warrantless wiretapping to school choice, but the most inflammatory spots pertain to abortion.

"Black babies are terminated at triple the rate of white babies," a female announcer in one of the ads says, as rain, thunder, and a crying infant are heard in the background. "The Democratic Party supports these abortion laws that are decimating our people, but the individual's right to life is protected in the Republican platform. Democrats say they want our vote.Why don't they want our lives?"

Another ad features a dialogue between two men.
"If you make a little mistake with one of your ‘hos,' you'll want to dispose of that problem tout suite, no questions asked," one of the men says.
"That's too cold. I don't snuff my own seed," the other replies.
"Maybe you do have a reason to vote Republican," the first man says.
Read more at http://www.nysun.com/article/41648?page_no=1

Are you kidding me? But this shows the sophistication of their practices. Although offensive as hell, their aim and methodology was very simple. We have to remember that there are political think tanks that research how to market people and concepts to different segments of the population. So by using, or shall I say misusing what they deem as urban vernacular or slang ("snuff my own seed?!")and knowing that Black folks tend to lean toward the socially conservative side, they were actually able to convince some people to vote in their direction (based on the article). To me, these ads display 3 things: 1) what they think of our intelligence; 2)their ability to bamboozle us through the media; and 3)what they think our voting practices are based on.

On either side, Democrat or Republican, or any other party, we have to make them work a little harder for our endorsement and hold them accountable to whatever they say they will do and keep up the hard work where it can be seen...on the ground level.

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2006-11-01T15:58:00.000-08:00

BUSINESS AND BUILDING

Peace to all! I build all is well within everyone's respective ciphers. First a Happy Born Day shout out...to me! Happy Born Day to Me! Happy Born Day to Me! Happy Born Day to Me! Happy Born Day to Me! On this month of Now Cipher Victory on the knowledge day (November 1), I turned wisdom build or destroy in my physical degree (28 years old). Whew! It's been a long and fruitful journey and I'm still traveling, spinning, and rotating. On that day, and subsequent days after, I focused on the history that is written on my planet, and the history I would like to write on my planet. Now is the time to use whatever I am saying and doing to build and add on to something that will be greater after I touch it, and destroy all the extra things I don't need anymore, nor serve my best interests. It's time to clean house, take inventory, throw away the extra and keep what's valuable. Sometimes we can be packrats in our homes and in our lives, wanting to hold onto things that you think you need or may need one day. But all it does is clutter your time and space and keep what you should clearly be doing out of focus.

Time is something that you never get back, and the way you spend your time indicates the priority said activities have in your life. If I spend most of my time building with children, that's a priority to me. If I spend most of my time watching television, then that is a priority. If I spend most of my time working on ways to make money, then that is a priority. So I have to make sure that my activities bear fruit and that I become stronger, more knowledgeable, and more experienced in what is important to me so that I can take all that I know and add a cipher (person, place or thing)by sharing with others. No more doing something just to be doing something!

This leads me to my topic...the Business and Building Weekend hosted by Blackelectorate.com. Myself and a few of the gods traveled to Divine Cee (Washington D.C.)to build with other people who were interested in getting our business together and building with eachother so that we can all maximize and share resources with folks across the country. I would personally like to thank Cedric Muhammad and the Blackelectorate staff for hosting a truly progressive event, and showing the Gods and Earths a lot of love. It is not easy to coordinate a national event, and I give a lot of respect to folks who take care of logistics (being a coordinator myself). It is often a behind the scenes position that often goes unrecognized. The relatively small group provided an intimate and productive setting where everyone had an opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns, or share ideas if they chose to. Sometimes, it is the quality, not the quantity of the people in the room that matters (too often, an overabundance of voices muddles progress and blurs the objective...I've been to many meetings).

We came armed with business cards, products to sell, and ideas to share in order to build with like-minded folks. First up was the mixer,at the Frederick Douglass Museum. Scheduled to speak were Ras Baraka (Deputy Mayor of Newark, NJ), Rosa Clemente (Hip Hop Activist), Armstrong Williams (controversial Black Conservative), Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Reuven Brenner (international economist), and Dr. Steve Hanke (economist who battled the IMF Bank). Unfortunately, we arrived late due to traveling in from out of town and missed most of the speakers. However, I will say that the vision to include "experts" with such diversity was refreshing. So many times at conferences, meetings, etc., there is either no one knowledeable enough to advise anyone on a topic in the room, or those scheduled to speak push a similar line. This lineup showed me how important it is to expose people to information on many fronts, and let folks choose their own leanings. How many times have you been at an event talking about business, where they had had actual economists in the room? Not many. What a resource!

After we lived it up downtown (folks were in their Halloween regalia as we just walked by in awe...sheer pandemonium!) we rose early Sunday morning for the "Coffee Talk" Meeting (peace to my brotha Divine Culture(www.divinecultureallah.blogspot.com) for letting us rest at your rest :-). This was the space where we formulated initiatives, built about them, wrote them out, and saw who's in the room by sharing our views. Throughout this process, every one had a chance to exchange best practices, information, and share their vision for economics and community development within the black community.

All in all, it was a fruitful weekend, and the cost was well worth it. Some may take issue with having to pay a registration fee for entrance, however, if we are really talking about building, sometimes you have to put your money where your mouth is and support an event or initiative that you see as valuable. And that is what our communities need...tangible resources...clearly seen additions that people benefit from that address peoples' ability to serve their own needs (food, clothing, shelter, education). If you say you love the babies, then you may have to put your money where your mouth is. A child cannot hear you if they are hungry and cold, so instead of first shoving a flyer in their face or trying to recruit them to your mission in your first interaction, you may have to give them $10 for food, get to know them, buy them a warm coat, and then sit down and build. If you support young black entrepreneurs and you think the concept is good, you may have have to support an economic endeavor (not necessarily bankrolling, but buy a White T shirt or a CD they may be selling for instance). Black folks have been known to be great speakers and talkers throughout history, and everyone plays different roles. However, we must talk the talk and walk the walk not only with good intentions, but with our wallets when we can. Anything else is just lip service.

Taking Care of Business and Building

PEACE!

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2006-10-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

WHAT'S IN A NAME: SELF-DEFINITION

1:36 My name is W.F. Muhammad

Peace! The weekend of the first Show and Prove that I attended, I was still doing the knowledge to the culture (checking things out). I remember a conversation me and my god had in a New Jersey parking lot regarding two things that are imperative to our culture: wearing 3/4 and changing my name...2 things I was fairly resistant to. After embracing 3/4, I had to come to grips with choosing what we call, a righteous name. At the time, I just didn't see the importance of it. I thought it should be enough for people to recognize who I am through my deeds...the kind of person I am, how I interact with people, and my activities that positively impact others. I also thought of what seemed to be the inconvenience of having to tell everyone that I knew my chosen name and the reasons why, and some of the grey areas (what should I put on resumes and business cards, how do I sign important documents or checks, etc.). I didn't want to go through an entire dissertation with every single person I encountered about why I changed my name. After a good hour of a fairly heated exchange, the god simply stated,"This is a part our culture and you can either accept it or reject it."

"Accept it or reject it," I questioned in my mind. No compromises? No knowledging 120 and keeping my honorable name? No meeting me half way? I have to change my clothes and my name too? I know I cried at some point that evening. But eventually, I had to start questioning my attachment to it. Part of my unwillingness to let it go was due to how I was named. My father wanted to name me Samantha, but my mother rejected that due to her thinking people would call me Sam. So they decided to let two of my older brothers, Willie and Tony, name me. My brother Willie chose my first name, and Tony chose my middle name. They wanted a little sister so bad and they were very proud to be involved in naming me. I always thought that was special and I was proud of that as well. Nonetheless, I decided to accept the name change as part of the process, considering it a worthy sacrifice to make, and the understanding came later.

I soon understood how empowering it is to choose a name for yourself based on qualities you currently or strive to embody. I understood that throughout the process of our enslavement, that was a key aspect of our identity that was taken from us. Unfortunately, in 2006, the process of naming a child doesn't seem to have as much meaning. We may name a child something that just sounds good, a name where it won't be too hard for them to get a job, or after a relative (no disrespect), or hell, even after our favorite drinks (I helped mentor a girl named Tequila, named after her mother's favorite drink)! We give our children names without knowing the meaning of those words or their significance or lack thereof. I also began to see it as a great segway into conversation about the Nation of Gods and Earths, specfically Nation History, with a name like Medina. I would have short and long versions of the breakdown of my name and the Nation History to go with it, which provided teachable moments for people I interacted with who never heard of the Nation of Gods and Earths. I used it as an opportunity for a form of public relations, if you will, so that with me, my co-workers, children I work with, friends, whomever, can say they at least know one person in the Nation of Gods and Earths.

Through building and elevating, I began to see that your name gives you a legacy to live out. It helps chart our path, good or bad. It holds you accountable for being that which you claim to be and is a significant aspect of living out the reality of being God or Earth. If my name is I Medina Peaceful Earth, then I am held accountable to living out the reality of being a warrior, who brings balance and homeostasis, and creates an environment that fosters growth and development in others (this is the short version). That is a heavy responsibility.

Medina, was a name that had been with me for quite some time, prior to getting knowledge of self. While reading through the book, 'The Life and Times of Muhammad," on a sunny afternoon in Cali, I reached the chapter where it talked about the Hijra and Medina, and there was a beautiful picture of the mosque where the Prophet Muhammad was buried. I thought the name was so beautiful, and the story so significant, that if I had a daughter in the future, I would name her Medina. Years later, after building with the God, he thought that was a name that suited me, being a warrior for children and the land of understanding. I am a loyal person, so whatever I am a part of, once I really cee it, I advocate it and will fight for it. I also learned about the history of the nation in Medina (Brooklyn, NY) and went back to the names' origins in Islamic history (the City...the space where hubs of activity are taking place, productivity) While drawing up a name, I couldn't think of a name that suited me better. I added on "Peaceful" because that is a quality that is frequently assigned to me by others, and I've always been a fairly calm person who enjoys being in places and spaces of peace. I wanted to be a person who was able to bring peace to chaos, whether it was within self, friends, family on the street, children I work with, etc. I added on the "I" as a magnet to the qualities after it, self realization and definition, and to be bonded to my God and his universe.

After choosing my righteous name, I first told those in my local Power Born cipher, and then my close friends. They accepted it with open arms. Next came the gig...I had to tell my supervisors, my co-workers, and all of the children that I work with. It took a little getting used to, as there were many slip ups in staff meetings and at the water cooler, and some of the children stated, "I like your other name better!" However, they got used to it, and some of the children now proudly state my entire name when they are calling me. After I got that out of the way, it was time to make the call...my beloved Old Earth. I was dreading this cuz I knew this was about to be some shit. I had made her, my father and brothers fully aware of my transition into the Nation, but I knew she wasn't ready for this megaton bomb...

It was one of the hardest conversations I have ever had.

I cried, and she sounded like she was on the verge of tears. She boldly told me, " I just don't see my self calling you that...you will always be my little "Honorable Name Goes Here" to me. Well, I'll let you tell your father." Even as I cried, the loving mother that she is, told me that I was going to have to be strong and stand on my principles, and I couldn't be afraid or apprehensive of telling anyone where I stand and why...not even her. It was at that point that I realized her hardship. My name is associated with my identity. She still sees me as a certain person, but since we live in different states, she has not been able to fully see my transformation and how much I am embraced. She doesn't see that every other person I interact with calls me by my righteous name, so she still sees me as her little girl. I'm sympathetic and have a certain level of understanding.

However, there is an issue when family members, friends or just people who have known you for a while refuse to call you by your righteous name. It is oppressive! I know you've heard those conversations..."He says his name is Malik, but I'ma still call him Joe Johnson! That's what his mama named him!" Shoot, I've even done it so I know how it is. They are trying to maintain their image of you when you've changed and accepted yourself. It goes against the natural flow of a person's growth and development by trying to hold them in that space. And although they may love that person, it only makes things harder for them.

Ultimately, what happens is that a person will get annoyed by hearing their honorable name over and over again (any time I attend family functions in Cali) to the point where it's hard for them to be there. So, would you rather have the person's presence with their new name, or stick with the old name and identity, but gradually see the person less and less due to your lack of acceptance of said person's chosen identity and self-definition? And most times in these situations, it is the people who are closest to you (your physical fam) who oppress you the most and outright refuse to accept you. Even with international figures such as El Hajj Malik Shabazz...most people still insist on refering to him as Malcolm X, but throughout his growth and development he took on a new identity, and with that came a new name, which was the name he had when he returned to the essence. He should be more widely acknowledged as that, because that is how he saw himself in the last phase of his life.

Now, with that said, if you want to be taken seriously by others, then you have to live your name out. Everything starts with self. You can't be contradictory. For example, if your name is Peaceful Serenity, you shouldn't be out at the bar fighting every weekend. Every time I encounter situations where I am afraid, I remember my name, and know that I have to face whatever challenge lies before me, and build to be victorious.

These days and times, my mother gets an A for effort for at least trying to refer to me as Medina. When she writes letters, she'll write my honorable name/ my righteous name/ my rap name (AngelEye). It's kind of funny. But she is at least trying to come to an understanding.

PEACE

I Medina Peaceful Earth, reflecting the light of I Majestic Allah

2006-09-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

THE QUEENS' CODE

Peace! Last Sunday, on the day of knowledge god (Sept 17) I reflected on what it means to be a queen (the 17th letter in the alphabet is Q, which stands for Queen in our Supreme Alphabet). We may walk around and say "Peace Queen," to each other, and sure, it's a nice self-esteem builder, and makes you feel good about yourself, but how does a woman really live that out? Today's meathematics is wisdom wisdom all being born to culture, so what are the wise words, ways and actions of a queen? As my God, I Majestic Allah mentioned in one of his posts (www.authorofchange.blogspot.com ), I am very concerned with the practical side of things...how to implement ideas (I am a brown/wisdom soil). So I put together some points on what I cee as the qualities and code of embodying that fabulous letter Q...

-Quality- a queen is unique, being the original woman. Every woman takes the knowledge from her God/ educator/ foundation and applies it in her own way. There is something distinct about her.

-Royalty- she carries herself with dignity and respect. She walks with her head up high, not looking up at the clouds, but straight ahead, so she can see what's coming, but also has a holistic and comprehensive view of all taking place in her periphery and remains grounded

-A queen knows when to stand down, when to negotiate, and when to go to battle and wage war. She picks and chooses her battles wisely. For example, Queen Elizabeth I of England...although not a personal favorite, I recently saw a movie based on her life and did the knowledge to her decision making and demeanor. In most situations, she placed knowledge before wisdom, even when it was extremely painful. She did not allow anyone to jepordize her position or the people of her country, even when having to take unpopular stances.

-A queen walks with honor and integrity and does not allow herself to be dragged into petty bullshit

-A powerful queen is a thinker. She is no puppet and can be a strategic force in accomplishing the goals of the kingdom. She can be a trusted advisor and confidante to the king . She is a builder who adds on to what is taking place. She assists in increasing the quality of life of those around her. She is a teacher and example who is just as committed to the kingdom as the king because she is of and about the people. She is the bearer of the message and law of the king and she upholds it in the presence or absence of the king...knowing how to act at home and abroad (14:14)

-A queen knows the best parts of herself (strengths) and her challenges. She builds on the strengths and acknowledges, takes responsibility for and addresses the challenges. She knows when "all of the above is caused by the Sun of Man," (8:40) and when her level of internal turbulence promotes and maintains "rain, hail, snow and earhtquakes." She can delve deeply within herself and discern the difference betwen the two.

-A queen knows when to show mercy and when to serve justice.

-A queen is loyal to the king and kingdom. She will not betray her king/ kingdom and knows when to keep matters of the house inside the house. Choose your confidantes carefully, because if house matters are leaked and unfavorably becomes public knowledge, it all comes back to you.

PEACE

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2006-09-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

IT'S BIGGER THAN HIP HOP...OR IS IT?

I was recently on a list serve and the topic of discussion became Mos Def, and his apparent inconsistencies (Katrina Klap video and him being a "conscious" artist, but he is in court for a lack of child support being paid...he paid $8,000 instead of his agreed upon $10,000 per month for two children). For all those who think that Hip Hop artists, specifically deemed by some consumers as "conscious" (I place it in quotes becuase I don't favor the term, although it is most recognized) should be flawless, here is a little food for thought.

Hip Hop Artists are primarily just that...artists. They don't make movements, they make music. Some may make contributions and grind in the community along with their music and some do not. People do what they can and are willing to do. You aren't going to see you favorite musician as the Executive Director of a community based organization because their primary job, as they have chosen, is to make music, and without that, we wouldn't know they existed. Some live the life that they speak of and some do not. Due to the entertainment value and capital music raises and the commodity it has become, people can put all kinds of messages out there regardless of how they actually live, so why depend on them when artists have been known throughout time to be inconsistent and for some, they do and say what is necessary to make a dolla?

I am not saying not to hold artists accountable, but 1) these inconsistencies are subjective, based on every individuals definition and personal experience of what consistency means; and 2) There are way more influential people to hold accountable who control the distribution of resources. We shouldn't hold them to standards any higher than our local politcians and others in a position of power. They are seen as inconsistent by many as well. We shouldn't hold them accountable to any standards higher than what we set for ourselves.

On the flip, you can look at someone like David Banner. Say what you want about his music but he and his people created a foundation for Katrina survivors (not that that's the end all be all but it's something concrete). Or T.I. who has used some of his money toward housing development for residents in his area. On another note, look at Lil Wayne's song "Georgia Bush" about George Bush and Hurricane Katrina...more people may hear that one drop of "consciousness" because more people (specifically youth) are in to Lil Wayne than Mos Def, and that song may reach the people Mos Def can't reach and expose them to different ideas.Some of these artists may not always have the message "conscious" people want but some are doing something tangible to assist people. Would you rather have the person with the "right" message or someone who's doing the "right " thing? Pick your poison cuz for Hip Hop in 2006, you ain't gonna always get both.

It is something to say for the lack of at least recognized leadership if folks are looking to musicians to spark and maintain change. It is something to say when musicians and people in entertainment are many children's biggest role models. That speaks to a lack of alternatives being brought to their attention due to various reasons and something is wrong with that picture and we are in trouble. Artists like Mos Def add to the diversity (or lack thereof) of music that people have access to on a mass level (cuz there are a lot of "conscious" artists out there that many folks have never heard of). I do not rely on or expect anything out of Mos Def or artists like him or unalike him.

Their music at best provides powerful inspiration for folks to continue to work for change and may provide a certain level of public affirmation for those who think similarly, and may assist some people in changing their minds and their reality. However, he is a musician that projects his thoughts and ideas, according to where he's at at the moment...like many other artists...and that opens the doors for what some may see as inconsistency (a person may be in a different space socially, culturally, mentally today than they were 5 years ago...were you the same as you were 5 or 10 years ago?). Music compliments and may be the heartbeat of a movement, but it is not the movement itself.

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2006-08-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

TODAY'S MATHEMATICS IS WISDOM POWER ALL BEING BORN TO GOD

Peace! Whew, it has been an extended minute! I build that everyone is in the best of conditions, mentally and physically. Since it's been so long, I had to take it back to the foundation and build on today's mathematics. This is the process that informs my perpective for every day. We in the Nation of Gods and Earths build on these concepts to keep us grounded in the knowledge that we live by. For those new to the cipher, when you see something like "5:14" that means I am referencing the 5th degree in the set of lessons known as the 1 to 14, which is 14 questions and answers between Elijah Muhammad and W.D. Fard.

Peace. Today's Mathematics is wisdom power all being born to god. When conflict arises or an external party attempts to exert influence on a cipher, the Black man with the knowledge of himself has to know whether that influence is beneficial to the cipher and allow it to remain present, or send it away. Within wisdom, one has to weigh the pros and cons of any action in a given situation to determine the best course of action, because once a decision is made, you have to deal with all the consequences, negative or positive, that come with that decision. Kingdoms and civilizations have been built based on one decision and they have been detroyed based on the turn of events stemming from one decision, no matter how large or small. The acceptance of something or the giving of something; saying someting or not saying something; moving forward or stepping back. And when reviewing one's history to renew one's history and looking at Why a situation was born out as it was (wisdom power degree in Alphabet), a lot of times, you can trace the outcome back to one decsion or action that was taken. We make decisions every moment of our lives...even deciding when to think and when not to think, or thinking and focusing on one thing versus another.

For example, many African chiefs who sold their people into slavery for what was seemingly gold probably did not imagine the ramifications of that one decision. Now the foundation of that may have been greed, or they saw the benefit of letting an external party come into their cipher and exert their influence (and they saw the exchange of some Africans as beneficial to the whole collective). They may have seen themselves as different from their own people (a chief versus a common person) and placed less value on their lives ("...The original people call this continent Asia but the Devil calls it Africa to try and divide them. He wants us to think that we're all different."7:14). And that's deep because people may treat others negatively because they see themselves as different (they are not like me so I can treat them this way, or their issue is not as important because we do not have the same position or standing) which breeds seperation, contempt, and feuding.

You always take it back to the foundation regarding when a decision is made that could negatively or positively impact people, because that produces change, and we know that the original Black man who is God is the author of change and therefore has to take into account how a decision made will effect all parties involved in the cipher. Change is hard for many to accept and work through.That is a heavy responsibility, because if God is the foundation of the cipher, then the consequences (negative or positive) of all the decisions that he makes comes back to him.

But also, we know that "the planet Earth, which is the home of Islam is approximately 25,000 miles in circumference. So the wise man of the east (Black man) makes history or Koran to equal his home circumference, a year to every mile..." (1:40). So this also indicates the responsibility that the Black woman has to make sure that her circumference is in tune with the history that the Black man writes and the structure that he sets up. The foundation of that is knowledge, and through his wisdom and power, she integrates that information into herself so that it enhances and furthers her wisdom and power so that she can come in the name of her God.

She has to know what is land and what is water and what dominates her existence ("How much is land? how much is water? 57,255,000 square miles of land; 139,685,000 square miles of water" 5:40)). She has to know what is fluid and what is consistent, and firmly rooted. Water is also a conductor, meaning you use your wisdom to communicate well thought out ideas. You can place something solid in it, and it can travel, if it is constructed properly to float(like a raft) or swim through deeper levels (like a submarine) At the foundation of all bodies of water, is land. At the bottom of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, bays, and ponds is land. At the root of all things is reason, no matter how deep that ocean is, no matter how much you can't see it. When an object sinks down far to the bottom of the ocean, it travels in dark places, and depending on how deep, the pressure can destroy the object. Black women have miles of oceans to swim through and discover, and when building with the Black man she carries all that exists within those dark places until they travel down deep together, and she alone, to explore, and heal whatever wounds she has so she can stay above water and not implode due to the pressure.

She takes all of that with her as she travels at 1037 1/3 mph ("How fast does our planet travel"...7:40). She spins fast but what keeps her from spinning out of control is the knowledge, the sunlight that keeps her in rotation that she actively recieves on a consistent basis and/ or the knowledge that is stored within her wherever she goes to continue to keep the planet warm, as an environment that is able to produce and sustain life. So she has to make sure that all that she is, her circumference, is in tune with him, and what is taking place in the cipher so that the proper order is lived out every day. This speaks to the operationalization of this concept. God knows what he knows, Earth knows what she knows, they share ideas, and put them in motion for a powerful cipher that is of the order that God has laid down. So the Black woman must also use her wisdom and power to detect external influences and be wise enough to know whether to allow them to impact her or not. Both parties have a responsibility in upholding the order because if one or two is out of tune, then mathematical order cannot take place which breeds misunderstanding. The exchange of wisdom is what assists everyone in seeing what the order is and the impact that it can have, and the general benefit that said order can have on the cipher. If Gods' Koran does not equal out to the Earths' circumference, then then the cipher won't work. The measurement is 1 year to one mile, one being knowledge, which is the foundation. So what we stand on and our principles provide an established commonality and basis to move forward.

When I thought of the wisdom, power, god, and wisdom power degrees in the 1:36, "I came to North America by myself," "He does not know he is my uncle," "Why does he like the Devil," and "Can a Devil fool a muslim?" since today's mathematics borns God, I thought of the importance of brotherhood. Everyone has to walk their own path and they have to live with all of the things they say and do throughout life. Everyone makes their own decision to come to this Nation and everyone makes their own decision to stay or leave. Sometimes you may think you are by yourself but you have family amongst you, people who are willing to put their lives on the line or embark on endeavors with you, but you may not recognize them, because you may not have the same means of communicating or they do not see the wisdom and power that they have because they have not been taught this culture or they may live out this culture but are still working on developing themselves and they may not be ready yet to embark on such endeavors.

It's kind of like on the slaveship. You feel like you are alone because your are surrounded by others who do not speak your language, bear no blood relation, and they may practice a different culture or have different interests. That takes one out of their comfort zone. But wisdom speaks to adapting and adjusting to any situation that is brought forth, being swift and changeable. So there were times when brothers were able to unite under the unified banner of freedom or getting off the slave ship, and found a way to communicate, a place of commonality where they saw each other as brothers united for freedom, and saw the collective power of them joining together as one. Those who were ready to fight did so. Others did not because they were not in the same space mentally, emotionally, socially, or physically.

"He does not know he is my uncle," lets me know that brothers are walking around not knowing who to trust, who is family and who is not, because they are so focused on the differences that they do not see what they have in common. So you have your"uncle" amongst you and they nor you recognize each other. But wisdom is the way and the bridge that connects us to people, places and things, which may call for stepping out and expanding one's network, or approaching someone based on what you see you have in common that can be used to advocate one common cause or to benefit the both of you (coalition building).

A person who does not recognize their own wisdom and power will be drawn to someone elses, the Devil's/ devilishment. So people will "like the Devil" until something else is presented to them that they like better, which may provide an impetus to change and be God. God may not be fooled by the Devil by also heeding the word of his brothers. So if one god has been down a road and they warn another god not to be fooled by what lies ahead, you are given an option because by having the knowledge of the cipher, it provides the choice of whether to continue or not. It presents a fork in the road where prior to, you may have only seen one way. God then make choices according to his own wisdom and power.

When taking back a city ("Why did we take Jerusalem from the Devil? How long ago?..."5:14), one thing that takes place is civilization ("Why did Musa have a hard time civilizing the Devil in the year 2000B.C?...2:14). You have to teach knowledge and wisdom to all of the inhabitants that may already exist there. You have to know who built the city, what that city symblozies, why those people are there, and your right or reason for taking it back, and establish a mode and form of communication and interaction with the people that live there. Why do you want to take the city back? What qualifies you as the rightful owner? Do you want to take back a city or do you want to be a stakeholder in the city (full ownership vs. sharing)? Or do you want to just live there? Is there a possibility of peaceful co-existence? Why or why not? Relationships may be establised through trade, subtle infiltration, bargaining and negotiating, brute force, and treaties and you have to discern what method is best which will produce the impact that you want to see.

When you approach a person or a neighborhood full of people, and want to teach them or positively impact them, you have to know what is already there, so you can know the manner of using your wisdom and power to produce the change that works best for that person, so they can work well within the system. This is a difficult process because not only are you fighting with their conditioned inclination to be savage (no knowledge of self, responding to immediate wants and desires as culture, questionable decision making), once you have attracted them, then they have to embark on the process of fighting the savage within self until it is dead. You and them together have to find out why they are at their current level of existence (cuz they may not know), so that way, everyone knows the source of favorable and unfavorable behaviors that arise. A new way of thinking and being has to be shown that is attractive. Then, a new system is laid out before them (Supreme Mathematics) and they can choose whether to follow it or fight it...whether they see themselves as the same as you or whether they see themselves as different (7:14). Then a struggle can emerge and a victor must be shown and proven, or who's way of life or thought process borns out better results. The loser either submits, leaves, or dies. This takes time and dedication on part of the teacher and the student...dedication of the teacher to see the student grow and develop and dedication of the student to stay the course. A person must see it for themselves because they have to fight those moment to moment battles alone, when no one else is looking.

The negative impact the colored man ("Who is the colored man?"...2:10) has had across the square miles of the planet earth has been profound and in order for the original man to find and cultivate that useful land ("23 million square miles"...7:10) within the original woman, the earth, she has to know the impact of the colored man on her planet, do a self-assessment of all of her square miles ("196,940,000 square miles"...5:10), she has to know what her job is (what the original man wants to use the land for and how he wants to use it...there may be a lot of raw materials there and he has to have a determined idea of the best use) and start and continue to do the hard work of becoming land that is beneficial for the the original man that together shows and proves the power of original people who have the knowledge of themselves.

P.roper E.xecution A.lways C.alls for E.valuation (PEACE)

2006-07-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

PEACE!

Today's mathematics is understanding knowledge all being born to culture. When trying to convey an idea to bring about a level of understanding that people will implement into their every day lives, you may have to appeal to multiple intelligences. Some people are visual learners and have to actually see something occur in order to think that it may be true or worth considering. I will not "believe" that dogs fly until I see one flying, and even then, I would have to look at that dog as the exception, not the rule, until every dog I saw had the ability to fly.

When presenting facts regarding some of the dangers of meat, one may not take to knowledge alone, but may need another representation of said information to bring it all together. Videos can be effective in that it stimulates at least 2 senses (sight and sound) and they stimulate other thoughts, patterns, and pictures. Enclosed is a web-site I was sent through a list serve that has about a 20 minute video on how different animals are treated on the way to slaughter. It also includes vegetarian recipes and cookbooks that provide tasty alternatives, as well as more info. on the meat industry and helpful information for those who are interested in being a vegetarian and don't quite know where to start.

After viewing this video, you may want to think twice about putting that steak on your plate.

www.meat.org

Peace and Prosperity

I Medina Peaceful Earth

2006-07-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

Peace to All! Pardon self for my absence. I have been busy running a summer camp with 40-50 children and it is no joke! Very time consuming and requires a lot of mental, emotional and physical energy. But have you ever met a 5 Percenter where teaching and positively impacting the lives of children was not hard work? I beg your pardon, I've never heard of one. To carry the weight of being responsible for the growth and development of young people is serious business and it takes intestinal fortitude (guts), consistency, love, and the ability to administer justice. I take it extra seriously due to me carrying the name of Earth, and there are good days and days where I would have liked things to be different. It requires thinking on your feet, staying level headed, and not beng emotionally sucked into any situation. Not meaning that you can't feel things when something goes awry, but I cannot remain in that space. I do what I must do, and unload when I get home. Equality is knowing that it's not always about me and putting the needs of others before mine.

Sometimes you have to share and give when you don't think you have anything left. But there are times when you don't have a choice but to push yourself beyond your own self-imposed threshold because a situation is challenging you to do so and there is struggle and beauty in that. Struggle, because it takes you out of a space of comfortability, and change is not always easy to embrace, and beauty, because once you get through the situation, you can see what you are made of and can continue to push yourself further to advance and grow in ways you may not have thought possible. There are days when I want to walk out the door, but I don't because there are people depending on my equality to create balance and order in the cipher. So I give props to anyone who is consistently struggling to build a world or create an environment that people can learn and grow from, cuz 1) Consistency and committment to a cause or purpose is becoming a rare thing in the wilderness of North America (why stick to one thing when there are so many other things to try?) and 2) You may not hear it in your own cipher, as those who work hard are often not appreciated

Peace and Balance

I Medina

2006-06-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

WOULD YOU DIE FOR YOUR CONVICTIONS?

Peace! Today's mathematics is wisdom born all being born to knowledge knowledge, being born to wisdom. When making your word bond and giving your life before your word shall fail (11:14), I think of staying true to your convictions, and living and dying for them if necessary. Three sisters from the Dominican Republic lived and died by this code: Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patricia Mirabal, collectively known as The Butterflies. The Mirabal sisters, who were all married with children, lived during the time of Rafael Trujillo's regime (1930s-1961), which turned into a dictatorship of political and economic turmoil. The Mirabal sisters opposed and worked to end the regime by joining an organization called the Movement of the Fourteenth of June, and within that group, their underground code names were Las Mariposas (The Butterflies). Throughout their fight, they were incarcerated and tortured many times. On November 25, 1960, they were led to a sugar cane field where they were beaten and strangled to death, by the order of Rafael Trujillo. The murder of the Mirabal sisters backfired on Trujillo, causing resistance and public outcry toward his regime, bringing national attention to the atrocities that occurred. In 1961, Trujillo was assassinated, and to this day, Novemebr 25 is considered the International Day Against Violence Against Women in memory of the Mirabal sisters, and many women around the world who have undergone violent experiences.

We have all heard famous quotes, such as "If you stand for nothing you will fall for anything," and the Mirabal sisters are but one example of many sisters and brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice for making their word bond and standing so firmly upon their principles, that they were willing to die. Many brothers and sisters fought, were stabbed, defended, sacrificed years, and were imprisoned for not compromising the way of life of the Nation of Gods and Earths. Allah, the Father, spent time in Mattewan and Bellevue for seeing the divinity within himself and standing by the proclamation that he was indeed, true and living God. To stand by what you cee as right and exact is the road less traveled and it ain't always paved with gold and can be more work than fun at times. So as we all continue to live our lives, whoever you may be, whatever you may "believe,"carrying the weight of what you advocate, remember the seriousness of your principles and know that there may be a time when what you advocate is challenged, and in that moment of truth, you will really know if you are who you say you are.

Check out these links for more info about the Mirabal sisters:

http://gbs.glenbrook.k12.il.us/Academics/gbseng2/
ButterfliesAlvarez/influencebutterflies.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabal_sisters

http://www.enotes.com/time-butterflies/11852

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/
0452274427/002-2370642-7383229?v=glance&n=283155

VIVA LAS MARIPOSAS (LONG LIVE THE BUTTERFLIES!)

Peace!