I love the show Girlfriends. I have watched a few episodes. DIana Ross's daughter is a good actress. I love the girl from Beauty Shop.

God Bless Hugo Chavez

And tell the Democrats to go to hell.

I am so in love with Bulgarian Lovers!

I am surrounded by capitalists..ugh.

Hooray for Hugo!!

Chavez called Bush the devil on the floor of the U.N.! Kudos for him!

If They Come To Shoot You

By Alice Walker in Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth

If they come to shoot you
and because you lived in
Mississippi
where so many
died
you know
they might:
ask them first
to let you find
your hidden
picture
of
Che Guevara

Place it just
at eye level
& if you cannot
find it
even after
they've
ransacked
your house
imagine
those eyes
bright & steady
the calm of them
on that last morning
in a poor
chilly
village
in Bolivia

His death offered
as a birthday
present
to a young man
so young & ignorant
that he took careful, prideful aim.

Meanwhile, El Che,
the schoolteacher
who gave him
his last supper
reports,
stood at ease
on his wounded leg
though he
had beld
steadily
through the long night

His imperturbable idea was to come back
after his escape
& build her
a proper school.(Perhaps it was this audacity that caused them,later, to cut off his hands.)
With what compassion
he must have gazed
at his young
murderer

An assassin
kept
brutish &
illiterate
for just such
a purpose
as this.

Someone so mulelike
we can almost hear
the whining
of imcomprehension
thirty years
after
that fateful morning
as all
the campesinos
in this neighborhood
don't even
jeer at him
anymore
but simply
turn

their sun-withered
cheeks
away.

I too

pray for you
young, poor,ignorant
pathetic
assassin

You have been sent by someone
who also
does not
understand

& that is what
we can
remember
to do
pray
for them
when they come
for us.

Today I saw some BLack students tabling in the Stewart Center with a sign on their table that said something about "Gearing Towards Success." It saddens me the mindset of the majority of the people of color on this campus. I am reminded of Cornel West's statement that we have failed to teach our children that it is better to be great than it is to be successful.

I love Fidel Castro. I watched the documentary Fidel which was great. Alice Walker and Angela Davis were in it!

On Cornel West

People enter into academia for one of two reasons-- to explore and create
intellectual dialogue or to assimilate into the power structure. The great
thoughts that are found coming from the words of people like bell hooks and
Cornel West, who represent the intellectual academe and the celebrity of
academia,help to shape at least part of the dialogue that can be found on the
national and international scene. These individuals have sharpened their voices
in order to render messages to the masses that are meant to help bring about
profound and fundamental change in humanity and the way in which the world
operates. These figures use the stepping stool of the academy to buffer their
entrance into the realm of public influence.When Cornel West is called a public
intellectual, this means that his scholarship is geared towards enriching
humanity and making better the conditions under which people are forced to
exist.In that light, people such as bell hooks and Cornel West serve as the
conscience of the nation,constantly reminding them of their humanity and their
responsibilities to it.

On the Pope

The pope can go to hell.

My grandmother, at 86, is as robust as a woman in her 20s.

Today I am in a melancholy/nostalgic/bordering on sad mood. I am very much thinking about how life changes..and how things that were once familiar look terribly different. How things change over time. My cousin Voncile has been sick for a few months now, diagnosed with brain cancer that has swollen her brain and leaves her incapacitated and with varied ability to speak. My mother says that she has burns on her skin and blotches from treatments, she is bald, and she doesnt look the same at all. I am glad I didn't go to chicago. I don't know if I could have seen her in that condition. Also running in my mind, I am a very blessed little boy. I have been taken care of and sheltered my entire life.

My Favorite Contemporary Singers

My favorite contemporary sings would have to be, in this order,

Erykah Badu
Jill Scott
and Mary J. Blige.
Contemporary meaning 90's on.

I Love Barbra--My Mantra

Don't tell me not to live,
Just sit and putter,
Life's candy and the sun's
A ball of butter.
Don't bring around a cloud
To rain on my parade.
Don't tell me not to fly--
I've simply got to.
If someone takes a spill,
It's me and not you.
Who told you you're allowed
To rain on my parade!
I'll march my band out,
I'll beat my drum,
And if I'm fanned out,
Your turn at bat, sir.
At least I didn't fake it.
Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it!
But whether I'm the rose
Of sheer perfection,
Or freckle on the nose
Of life's complexion,
The cinder or the shiny apple of its eye,
I gotta fly once,
I gotta try once,
Only can die once, right, sir?
Ooh, love is juicy,
Juicy, and you see
I gotta have my bite, sir!
Get ready for me, love,
'Cause I'm a "comer,"
I simply gotta march,
My heart's a drummer.
Don't bring around a cloud
To rain on my parade!

I'm gonna live and live now,
Get what I want--I know how,
One roll for the whole shebang,
One throw, that bell will go clang,
Eye on the target--and wham--
One shot, one gun shot, and bam--
Hey, Mister Arnstein, here I am!
I'll march my band out,
I will beat my drum,
And if I'm fanned out,
Your turn at bat, sir,
At least I didn't fake it.
Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it.
Get ready for me, love,
'Cause I'm a "comer,"
I simply gotta march,
My heart's a drummer.
Nobody, no, nobody
Is gonna rain on my parade!

I would so love to do a comparative analysis of Laura Bush and Ms. Millie from The Color Purple. LB: "And we're going to send a book to all of the children in Africa--and their going to be printed here in the United States!" Classic, classic.

I Can See It

Barbra

Ah, okay!
The hills are alive
And it's pretty frightening
The sun goes down
The moon comes out
The people gather 'round and we all begin to shout
Ech... Mud!
You better not cry
You better not shout
You better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is dead

There's a song I must sing,
It's a well known song,
But the tune is bitter
And it doesn't take long to learn, I can learn!
That pretty little world that beams so bright
That pretty little world that seems delightful cambered
Let me learn...Let me learn...

For I can see it, shining somewhere
Bright lights somewhere invite me to compare and learn
And I'm ready, I can hear it silent singing
Inside my ear, I hear them all singing of love!
Who knows maybe all the visions that I see
May be waiting just for me to say
Take me there and make me see it, make me feel it
I know it so, I know that it really may be...
Let me learn!

A New Day--Patti Labelle

Seems my life
Is finally coming together
Feels so good
Don't think I've ever been better
It's clear to me
My future will bring
The peace I've been living for will be mine
Forever more

[Chorus:]
It's a new day
Open my eyes and the path is clearer
It's a new day
Pushin' ahead til my goal is nearer
It's a new day
Spread my wings
I'm doin' things my way
It's a new day

Made the same mistakes
Over and again
Now it's time
For the illusion to end
For every door that shuts
Another opens
Takin' a chance I'm gonna win
Can't go back where I've been

[Chorus]

[Bridge:]
I'm excited for the things ahead of me
I decided I can make it on my own
Embrace the good and bad
And let go of the past
I'm loving what's inside of me

[Chorus]

I absolutely want to stand with the progressive Republican forces that are oppossing Bush's terrorist policies. I am glad to see the break in allegiance.

I Change My Mind

I do still very much like Rosie O'Donnell. I saw her on the Actor's Studio. It was great.

We Are Quickly Loosing Our Constintutional Protections...

The Republicans in the Senate just approved Bush's secret wiretap plan.

Report

According to Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro is doing quite well and can even almost play baseball. God Bless Fidel!

A Horribly Sad Occassion

Ann Richards, the last true governor of the state of Texas, is dead at 73. What a horrible and sombre occassion.

Tim Gun is Soo Fucking Hilarious!!!

This is what he had to say about Angela's return.

The Funniest Thing I Have Read Tonight

" YEA!!!!!!!! LAURA WINS!!!!

Now, if only Quackboy had been booted for that hooker outfit. "-from a poster named Diane.

Also Project Runway

I want both of those dresses Heidi had on tonight!

Project Runway

I so would have taken Angela back if both Kayne and Jeffrey could have gone. Jeffrey's outfit was atrocious....when he told Tim he was using tights I thought--oh my god, not the Blessed Madonna, but the trashy Madonna--when she was still working at Dunkin' Donuts in NYC! I love Laura and I am so glad she won! Michael is so gonna be the winner of this competition! Michael, Laura, and Uli in the top three!!!!

Answer Me

Barbra

Do you wake up very slowly?
Does it take a while before you smile
Are your dreams like premonitions
Have you lived them through
Some people do
I hope you'll answer me with patient eyes
No hurried words, foolish or wise
Answer me, answer me with soft silent touches
They'll tell me as much as I need to know
Answer me with deep and restful sleeping
And if you dream in sleep
They're yours to keep
No you need not answer me
If we must part
Should someone ask
Who's touched your heart
Perhaps you'll answer me

WHAT? OMG!!!Well, Good For Whitney!!!

Honey, it's about time she got rid of that thug! Now maybe she can get back to herself. Anytime a man will put you AND your child out on the side of the road for three hours to wait on a bus its time to leave his ass! Good going Whitney!

Question

Are Truth and Sincerity the same thing? I am apt to believe that they are.

God Bless Evo Morales!

He is taking great steps in helping his people take control of themselves and wry their way from under U.S. imperialism!!

I have only loved two men since Ive been in Lafayette. The rest have definitely not been worth it.

Karen Silkwood

Here is a link to Karen Silkwood's biography.

There's a New Day Comin' Repeat Post

There's A New Day Comin'
From Their Eyes Were Watchin' God(Oprah & Halle Berry)

There's a new day comin'
Everything's gon' be turning over
Everything's gon' be turning over
Where You gon' be when it comes?

There's a new day comin?
Everything's gon' be turning over
Everything's gon be turning over
Where You gon be when it comes?

For far too many years
I been marching singing and talking
doing things I thought would make me free
While people half way around the world
they been fighting and dying and bleeding
now it comes come that they are gonna be

There's a New World Comin'
Everything's gon be turning over
Everything's gon be turning over
Where you gon be when it comes?

Letter From Col.Ann Wright

Banned in Washington - Where's the Free Speech?

by Ann Wright

Published on Sunday, September 10, 2006 by
CommonDreams.org
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0910-24.htm

So much for free speech in the nation's capital and
capitol. On July, 11, 2006 I was arrested for offering
a citizen's voice in the Senate Judiciary Committee
hearing against the nomination of one of the Bush
administration's architects of torture, William Haynes,
former Department of Defense General Counsel (chief
civilian lawyer) for a life-time appointment to the
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Yesterday, September 7, I appeared in the Criminal
Division of the Superior Court of the District of
Columbia on charges of 'Disorderly and Disruptive
Conduct on the United States Capitol Grounds on July
11, 2006.' During that appearance, I was ordered by the
court to 'Stay Away' from the US Capitol, all Senate
and House Office Buildings and committee hearing rooms
and the streets surrounding the Capitol area.

The court papers state that I must abide by this order
until my case is disposed of and that 'any violation of
this condition (order) could result in your prosecution
for Contempt of Court, the revocation of your release
and/or your detention pending final disposition of this
case.' I was released on my personal recognizance but
instructed in writing that 'a warrant for your arrest
will be issued immediately upon any violation of a
condition of this release. And shall subject you to
revocation of the release; an order of detention and
prosecution for contempt of court (a fine of not more
than $1000 or imprisonment not more than 6 months or
both.)

Another paragraph said that 'if you are convicted of an
offense committed while released, you shall be subject
to the following penalties: imprisonment of not less
than one year and not more than 5 years if convicted of
committing a felony while released; and imprisonment of
not less than 90 days and not more than one year if
convicted of committing a misdemeanor while released;
such to be consecutive to any other sentence of
imprisonment.'

All of these prohibitions are because I stated in the
US Congress that I am opposed to torture and that the
Congress should not confirm a person associated with
the Bush administration's torture policy. These court
orders definitely curtail my ability to voice to the US
Congress my concerns and the concerns of much of the
American people about important issues they are
considering, like the following the Congress will
consider next week:

Bush's demand that Congress authorize greater
warrantless wiretap authority;

Bush's demand that Congress agree to military tribunals
where defendants can be tried and convicted without
seeing the evidence; that classified evidence can be
used with neither defendants nor their lawyers told
about such information; that prosecutors could rely on
hearsay or evidence obtained indirectly and evidence
obtained by coercion if the panel's chief deemed it
reliable and directly related to the accusations;

Bush's demand that Congress agree to keep CIA secret
detention sites in other countries operational;

Bush's demand that Congress confirm John Bolton as US
ambassador to the United Nations;

Don't you believe these are issues that we the people
must instruct our Congress on how we feel? Of course,
you can call, write or email your Senators and
Congresspersons.

But I like to go into the committee rooms and look our
elected officials in the eyes and tell them what I
think. It doesn't take long to tell them because the
Capitol police officer in the hearing room usually
arrives at your side quickly when you speak out. When
you speak out in a committee room, our elected
officials, those who serve us, are left with a succinct
statement of concerns about the issue. Hearings would
probably be a lot better if the Congresspersons had the
same police at their elbows demanding shorter
statements!

I do understand that committees not take the time
generally to hear from the public in their committee
rooms; lobbying for an issue is done in the halls and
offices. But, I think there is a role for a lightning
comment -- but it comes with the risk of being arrested
for 'disrupting' the hearing or at a minimum being
escorted out of the hearing and later released.

Now that I am banned from the Capitol area, I hope
others will come to the Congress and express their
views. We the people must tell the Congress to be brave
and courageous in these perilous times -- now of all
times, we need strong character and moral courage from
our Congress. We the people must give them courage.

But tomorrow, Veterans for Peace is marching around the
capitol area as a stop the war, treat our veterans
right march. I am banned from the area. But what about
peaceful, nonviolent marches? Are all rights withdrawn
because one speaks out against torture?

Well, this has been a 'banner' week for being banned.
Besides from being banned from the Capitol area,
yesterday the Commanding Officer of Fort Myer, VA
denied my request for reconsideration of a one-year ban
from Fort Myer, VA and Fort McNair, DC, a ban he
ordered in May, 2006 after I placed a few 3'X5'
postcards on Fort McNair concerning the limited showing
in Washington, DC of 'Sir, No Sir,' the documentary
about GI resistance to the Vietnam war.

I had asked for a reduction to 'time served' (two
months that I had not been on the base-I didn't know I
had been banned as his letter went to my home in Hawaii
and I only got the letter once I arrived there in
June.). The Commander denied my request and commented
that my conduct 'clearly violated common standards of
good order and discipline on a military installation.'
As a US Army retired 29 year Colonel, I now am
prohibited from entering the two military bases nearest
to Washington, DC until May 25, 2007! I would say
that's quite remarkable treatment for a three decade
veteran!

I am now banned from the Capitol area and from two
military bases in the DC area as well as also banned
for life (along with Codepink Women for Peace Medea
Benjamin) from the National Press Club. In April, 2006
we dared to question to a Press Club speaker and were
banned for life for our questions. The speaker was
Senator Hillary Clinton and we asked why in her 50
minute energy policy speech she never mentioned the war
on Iraq and Iraqi oil.

It surely seems that freedom of speech and the right to
question our elected officials in our nation's capital
is a dangerously endangered right.

But that's what its all about. If we don't stand up for
our freedoms, they will be taken away.

So in the spirit of they can't take our country away
from us, I will see you in Congress, the National Press
Club and on the military bases---or in jail or
detention camps!

You can't ban speech and thought.

It is our country and they are our freedoms. Let's take
them back!

-----------------------------------------------------
Ann Wright is a 29 year retired US Army Colonel and a
16 year US diplomat who resigned in March, 2003 in
opposition to the war on Iraq.

I just saw Silkwood for the first time in a long time. It still troubles me immensely.

Floating Through My Mind

"People want sincerity
And nothing false"

I'm Every Woman

[CHORUS:]
I'm every woman, it's all in me
Anything you want done, baby
I'll do it naturally
I'm every woman, it's all in me
I can read your thoughts right now
Every one from A to Z

I can cast a spell
With secrets you can't tell
Mix a special brew
Put fire inside of you
But anytime you feel
Danger or fear
Instantly I will appear, 'cause

[CHORUS]

I can sense your needs
Like rain on to the seeds
I can make a rhyme
Of confusion in your mind
And when it comes down
To some good old fashioned love
That's what I've got plenty of, 'cause

[CHORUS]

I ain't braggin' 'cause I'm the one
You just ask me ooh and it shall be done
And don't bother to compare
'Cause I've got it
I've got it, I've got it, yeah

I'm every woman(repeat to fade)

Sympathies for Anna Nicole Smith

Deepest sympathies for Anna Nichole Smith. What a devastating Loss. Her son Daniel just died after she gave birth to a new baby girl. He was 20.

What A Beautiful Picture

This link is to an NPR report on Hugo Chavez and his championing of progress in the Western Hemisphere and in the world. God Bless him!

God Bless whomever invented the hot toddy.

Watching Me

Jill Scott


"Watching Me"
First thing when I wake up and right
Before I close my eyes at night
I think, sense, feel man like I'm
Under some kind of microscope
Satellites over my head, transmitters
In my dollars
Hawkin', watchin'
Scopin', jockin'
Scrutinizin' me
Checkin' to see what I'm doin',
Where I be, who I see, how and
Where and with whom I make my money

What is this?
"Excuse me Miss. May I have your phone number and social security?"
Who me? When all I came to do is buy my double or triple A batteries?
Please.
I decline.

Watchin' me

Look here at this watch of mine
Gotta open it up
Don't know who's been in it
Trackin' where I go
Findin' out all my bin ness
Sa cure a ty
Video cameras locked on me
In every dressing room on every floor in every store
Damn can I get that democracy and equality and privacy
You busy watchin' me watchin' me
That you're blind baybe
You neglect to see the drugs comin' into my community Weapons comin' into my community
Dirty cops in my community and you keep sayin' that I'm free
And you keep sayin' that I'm free and you keep sayin' that I'm free
Busy watchin’ me Watchin’ me Watchin’ me

I ain’t got no bars to this cage
If I’m gon stay here
Gon build me a lead house
Keep them satellites out
Direct t.v
Am I watchin’ it or is it watchin’ me
Man I don’t really know

But I feel like feel like I’m being scoped cha’ll,
Watched ya’ll
Somethan ain’t right
Somethan ain’t right
And you keep sayin’ that I’m free and you keep sayin’ that I’m free

Backlash Blues

Langston Hughes, Nina Simone


Mr. Backlash, Mr. Backlash
Just who do think I am
You raise my taxes, freeze my wages
And send my son to Vietnam

You give me second class houses
And second class schools
Do you think that alla colored folks
Are just second class fools
Mr. Backlash, I'm gonna leave you
With the backlash blues

When I try to find a job
To earn a little cash
All you got to offer
Is your mean old white backlash
But the world is big
Big and bright and round
And it's full of folks like me
Who are black, yellow, beige and brown
Mr. Backlash, I'm gonna leave you
With the backlash blues

Mr. Backlash, Mr. Backlash
Just what do you think I got to lose
I'm gonna leave you
With the backlash blues
You're the one will have the blues
Not me, just wait and see

Black Masculine Disturbed

This is a powerful essay from SeeingBlack.com on the construction of the Black Macho image in the 60s and 70s and the queering of Black masculinity that was the presence of Luther Vandross.

Alice Walker

At the moment of crisis I realize that, because my hands are bound, I can not adjust my glasses, and therefore must tilt my head awkwardly in order to locate and focus on a blue hill. . . . I notice there is a blue hill rising above and just behind the women and their naked-bottomed little girls, who now stand in rows fifty feet in front of me. In front of them kneels my little band of intent faces. Mbati is unfurling a banner, quickly, before the soldiers can stop her. . . All of them--Adam, Olivia, Benny, Pierre, Raye, Mbati-- hold it firmly and stretch it wide. RESISTANCE IS THE SECRET OF JOY! it says in huge block letters. There is a roar as if the world cracked open and I flew inside. I am no more. And satisfied.
--Possessing the Secret of Joy

"When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his "proper place" and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His 'education' makes it necessary..."
- Carter G. Woodson

Real Love-Mary J. Blige

[Puffy]
Yes indeed once again
For those who don't know
What the sounds of the youngest DJ in charge
Ron G
I wanna say whassup to Mary
And this that uptown classic

Give it to 'em
Take 'em uptown to the Polo Ground
Take 'em uptown to the Polo Ground
Take 'em uptown to the Polo Ground
Take 'em uptown to the Polo Ground

[Mary]
We are lovers true and through
And though we made it through the storm
I really want you to realize
I really want to put you on
I've been searching for someone
To satisfy my every need
Won't you be my inspiration
Be the real love that I need

[1] - Real love
I'm searching for the real love
Someone to set my heart free
Real love
I'm searching for a real love

Oh when I met you I just knew
That you would take my heart and run
Until you told me how you felt for me
You said I'm not the one
So I slowly came to see
All of the things that you were made of
And now I hope my dreams and inspiration
Lead me towards a real love

[Repeat 1]

I've got to have a real love
Love so true and oh, baby
I thought that love was you
I thought you were the answer
To the question in my mind
But it seems that I was wrong
If I stay strong maybe I'll find a

[Biggie]
Look up in the sky
It's a bird, it's a plane
Nope, it's Mary Jane, ain't a damn thing changed
Kickin' ill flava with the Teflon Don
Record shop getting props
She got it goin' on
So what's it gonna be?
The real one, the fake one
Ya need a minute to think for whom ya better take
What up? My time is up
Peace out to brooklyn
Helpin' daddy-o hey yo, bring the verse in

[Mary]
So I try my best and pray to God
He'd send me someone real
To caress me and to guide me
Towards a love my heart can feel
Now I know I can be faithful
I can be your all and all
And give you good lovin' through the summertime
Winter, spring and fall

[Repeat 1]

You see I'm searching for a real love
And I don't know where to go
I've been around the world and high and low
And still will never know
How it feels to have a real love
Cuz it seems there's none around
I gotta end it in this way
Because seems he can't be found

[Repeat 1]

[Repeat 1 until fade while:]
[Puffy]
It's that flavor
That's what I'm talking about
Ain't no other way to explain it

Everything-From A Star is Born

I want to learn what life is for
I don't want much, I just want more
Ask what I want and I will sing
I want everything (everything)
I'd cure the cold and the traffic jam
If there were floods, I'd give a damn
I'd never sleep, I'd only sing
Let me do everything (everything)
I'd like to plan a city, play the cello
Play at Monte Carlo, play Othello
Move into the White House, paint it yellow
Speak Portuguese and Dutch
And if it's not too much
I'd like to have the perfect twin
And who'd go out as I come in
I've got to grab the big brass ring
So I'll have everything (everything)
I'm like o child who's set free
At the fun fair
Every ride invites me and it's unfair
Saying that I only get my one share
Doesn't seem just
I could live as I must
If they'd give me the time to turn the tide
Give me the truth if once I lied
Give me the man Who's gonna bring
More of everything
Then I'll have everything
Everything

Woman in the Moon-From A Star Is Born

I was warned as a child of thirteen
Not to act too strong
Try to look like you belong bur don’t push girl
Save your time and trouble
Don't misbehave
I was raised in a "No You Don't World"
Overrun with rules
Memorize your lines and move as directed
That’s an age old story
Everybody knows that's a worn out song
But you and I are changing that tune
We're learning new rhythms from the woman
I said the woman in the moon
Little sister, little brother
Keep on pushin'
Don't believe a word about
Things you heard about
Askin' too much too soon
’Cause they can hold back the tide
But they can never hold the woman in the moon
I believe there's a best of both worlds
Mixing old and new
Recognizing change is seldom expected
As I long suspected
They believed that strange was a word for wrong
Well not in my song
‘Cause you, you and I are changing that tune
We're learning new rhythms from that woman in the moon
Little sister, little brother
Keep on pushin'
Don't believe a word about
Things you heard about
Askin' too much too soon
’Cause they can hold back the tide
But they can never hold the woman
I said the woman in the moon...

There is a sweet, sweet spirit that is looking after me. I am blessed.


Sweet heavenly dove
Stay right here with us
Filling us with your love
And for these blessings
We lift our hearts in praise

What Can I Do For You?

Labelle

People want truth
Or nothing at all
People want sincerity
And nothing false
People need happiness
As land needs rain from above
We need rain. we need life, we need love
Most people find it so hard to live without
Love, love, love, love, love, love
Oh yeah

People want to live, not merely exist
People want to enjoy, not suffer and fear
People need understanding, not impatience or confusion
Oh I wonder should we hate those
Who present us disillusion
They talk about love, love, love
And lie about love, love, love
And they talk about love, love, love
Oh yeah

We need power
We need power
And we need peace, peace, peace, peace
I think we all agree
Lets stop fighting
Lets stop fighting
And become sisters and brothers
And become sisters and brothers
And become sisters and brothers
And become sisters and brothers
And show its not too late to
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
What can I do for you
What can you do for me

Oh June

I am not wrong: Wrong is not my name
My name is my own my own my own
and I can’t tell you who the hell set things up like this
but I can tell you that from now on my resistance
my simple and daily and nightly self-determination
may very well cost you your life

Hard Candy Christmas

Dolly Parton

Hey, maybe I’ll dye my hair
Maybe I’ll move somewhere
Maybe I’ll get a car
Maybe I’ll drive so far
They’ll all lose track
Me, I’ll bounce right back
Maybe I’ll sleep real late
Maybe I’ll lose some weight
Maybe I’ll clear my junk
Maybe I’ll just get drunk on apple wine
Me, I’ll be just

Fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow bring me way down

I’ll be fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow get me way down

Hey, maybe I’ll learn to sew
Maybe I’ll just lie low
Maybe I’ll hit the bars
Maybe I’ll count the stars until dawn
Me, I will go on

Maybe I’ll settle down
Maybe I’ll just leave town
Maybe I’ll have some fun
Maybe I’ll meet someone
And make him mine
Me, I’ll be just

Fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting throung tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow bring me way down

I’ll be fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow bring me way down

I’ll be fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow bring me way down

’cause I’ll be fine
(I’ll be fine)
Oh, I’ll be fine

Gotta Move

Barbra

Gotta move, gotta get out
Gotta leave this place, gotta find some place
Some other place, some brand new place
Some place where each face that i see
Won't be staring back at me
Telling me what to be and how to be it
Some place where i can just be me
Gotta move, got to get out
Gotta leave this town, gotta find some town
Some big new town, some bright new town
Some new town with new places, new lives
And most of all some new faces
Gotta find a man, a new man
A man who won't worry 'bout where i go
A man who wont ask how i learned what i know
A man who will know that you've gotta be free
A man who will know when to just let me be
Gotta move, gotta get out
Gotta change my life, gotta find my life
I'll find me a place in some new town and baby
And when i find me that new place, then maybe ours,
Gotta leave this town
Gotta leave this place
Gotta find a new man...
Gotta move!

In The Belly of the Beast of Bentonville

From the Socialist Worker

JOSH GRYNIEWICZ tells what it’s like to work for Wal-Mart--and how workers pay for its “everyday low prices.”

I WORKED for Wal-Mart just under a year. I was fired two days before Christmas, which in retrospect was probably the best holiday bonus I could have received.

When I started, I knew very little about unions, even less about workers’ power and nothing about working-class history. I’d like to credit Sam Walton with radicalizing me, but mostly, that’s because I know he would be rolling in his grave at the thought.

As a member of the 4-to-1 crew (4 p.m. to 1 a.m.), my responsibilities were to unload up to three trucks a night, with freight ranging from 1,000 pieces to 2,300 and up; stack the freight according to department; and pull it to the floor for overnights to restock the shelves.

According to the program description, this job required 14 unloaders, but we rarely had more than eight.

What else to read
Two union-sponsored Web sites--Wake Up Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Watch--contain a wealth of information on the giant retailers scandalous behavior toward workers, as well news of various activist campaigns.

For a book that details the company’s rise to economic dominance, try Anthony Bianco’s The Bully of Bentonville. Charles Fishman’s The Wal-Mart Effect looks at the impact of the company and its policies on the U.S. economy. Liza Featherstone’s Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Worker’s Rights at Wal-Mart documents the class-action lawsuit filed by women workers over sex discrimination in promotions, pay and job assignments.




“We were intentionally understaffed,” John Murphy, a former support manager with seven years on the job (during one of which, he was my direct supervisor), told me in an interview for this article.

“A truck has six-and-a-half panels; managers are told that each panel should take no more than 10 minutes to unload, regardless of size and amount of freight,” Murphy said. “A truck should be unloaded and ready to be pulled to the floor in an hour and ten minutes. Realistically, a smaller truck should take 45 minutes to an hour-fifteen; larger-scale trucks up to about an hour-forty-five.” And that’s without considering that we consistently operated with half a crew.

To make matters worse, our equipment was archaic. The line that we used to move freight through the dock along rollers was falling apart--we actually had to use paint buckets to prop it up.

None of this kept management from hopping into the trailer to shout insults, snap their fingers, bark at us or do just about anything to speed things up (except, of course, throw a box themselves).

Not only was the combination of unrealistic expectations, high pressure and decrepit equipment inefficient--it was just plain dangerous. Accidents were a routine part of the job, but John’s complaints fell on deaf ears.

In fact, it was only after a wall of freight literally buried me alive--something that the crew had been warning about for years prior--that we actually received a replacement line.

I was struck so hard at the base of the skull that it knocked the natural curve of my spine ramrod straight. According to the doctor who examined my X-rays, I was lucky that I hadn’t been paralyzed. I was in physical therapy for weeks--but back on the job at Wal-Mart in a matter of days, holding down the fort in Ladies’ Garments, a point that management seemed to revel in making over the radio.

It was a bureaucratic nightmare to get worker’s comp costs covered. There was a succession of lost faxes, misplaced paperwork and endless games of phone tag. While I was navigating this labyrinth, the word “union” began to form in my vocabulary.

Apparently, women’s lingerie was Wal-Mart’s dumping ground for the lame, and it didn’t take long before I found someone with a saga far worse than mine--a co-worker whose wrist was crushed between a shelf and a clothing cart. The injury required surgery, but thanks to Wal-Mart, the procedure was delayed for five years, while the bills piled up. At the time, Wal-Mart was self-insured, meaning that it had a legally sanctioned opportunity to manage or mismanage its own claims.

“Don’t let management take care of it,” she advised me. “They’ll try to guilt you into dropping it, or bully you into letting it go--make it seem like you are hurting the company. But you have to look out for yourself.”


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

BY THE time I was back on the line, I started floating the idea of a union regularly--not as much to see if anyone was interested, but to find out if anyone knew what to do.
The majority of the crew said they’d be in favor of a union, but most raised the same concerns that came up when the Chicago City Council recently considered an ordinance to require a living wage at “big box” retailers. “If we were actually successful in getting a union,” went the argument, “they would just shut down the store and set one up somewhere else.”

The store we worked at provided the perfect counter-argument to this common objection to both union drives and living-wage laws. Nestled in a cluster of affluent suburbs south of Chicago, the store operated in a community with heavy retail competition, and where annual household income was considerably higher than the state average.

But its primary customer base was drawn from poorer suburbs to the south--directly accessible by a main road that literally fed into the Wal-Mart parking lot--and an island of Section 8 public housing that had been built in its backyard. In short, if the store was forced to relocate even a couple blocks from this site, it would feel the pinch having contend with other stores and being cut off from its primary source of poor and working class consumers.

A co-worker who had been through an organizing drive previously set up a meeting with a contact from UCFW. Almost immediately after the meeting was set, it was postponed. Since we worked receiving, the contact told us, we would probably have to meet with somebody else. A different bureaucratic nightmare of rescheduled appointments and unreturned phone calls followed.

While labor debated, Wal-Mart organized. Over the course of these few weeks, a transfer from a store in Tennessee was brought onto the crew.

His story didn’t seem to add up from the start. Wal-Mart had footed the bill for his transfer, and he was put into a quasi-supervisor position right off the bat.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to keep the guys from inviting him out to the bar with us, but his unconventional conversation topics eventually exposed him as a union-buster. He seemed all too eager to know personal details about the crew, including whether anyone ever stole from the trucks, who on the crew did drugs, etc.

A couple of us finally came up with a plan to freeze him out. We developed a habit of quoting movie lines about undercover narcs anytime he was working the line. His meltdown resulted in an hour-and-45-minute closed-door session with management, and a promotion to manager in another department two days later.

His last day on the line, he approached me, tried to shake my hand and said: “I think that if we had met at another time, under different circumstances, we would probably have been friends.” I told him I doubted it.

As Murphy explains, such tactics are routine. “Managers are expected to take it personally if their employees want to organize,” he said. “At one point, there was a store in Indiana that actually had a campaign underway. Almost immediately, the district transferred managers and assistant managers from throughout the Midwest to work there.

“They initiated these four-hour ‘labor relations’ meetings, where they hand-picked supervisors from every department, through six levels of management, to go over Wal-Mart propaganda--‘Why we are so successful,’ ‘Why employees are better off without a union’-type bullshit.

“They trained us to look for employees that were ‘going against the grain’--employees who not only were frustrated, but who were most likely to do something about it--and we would fire them for bullshit excuses.

“So at least a hundred managers, probably more, from throughout the Midwest actually turn up at this store in Indiana. There were at least one or two from every store in the district. Seriously, what the hell do you need that many managers for? That’s the way they operate though--a hundred managers can be pretty intimidating.”


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

AT MY job, with the union-buster out of the picture, Wal-Mart picked up the pressure. Harassment from managers to speed up unloading grew more intense. They locked the front doors and set the alarms so we wouldn’t be able to leave without a member of management present, and visits from store security became a routine part of our breaks.
At one point, a box of broken merchandise set aside for “claims” mysteriously found its way onto a pallet to be pulled out to the floor, providing the store with enough circumstantial evidence to shake things up on the docks and formally interrogate members of the crew.

I was terminated a few months later. Four of us refused to unload a truck until the manager left the dock. We sat on the boxes and waited patiently while she turned red-faced and stormed off.

One by one, each of us was called into the office and grilled. Expressing a truly unique form of motivational speaking, the overnight manager used an interesting analogy when stressing to me the importance of accepting consequences. “Say I was to lose my temper and punch you in the face,” he asked casually, “there would be repercussions for such behavior, wouldn’t there?” He then handed me a pink slip for “insubordination.”

The lessons I learned from this experience were invaluable. Only through a focused effort to organize unions at Wal-Mart--one that extends beyond public relations efforts and incorporates the whole of the labor movement--will wages and conditions at the retail giant change.

The alarm has been ringing for years, and U.S. workers are awake to Wal-Mart’s exploitation. It’s time for labor to take the cue.

On Barbra

I first fell in love with Barbra, I believe, when I first heard “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” which was when I first saw Funny Girl That song, that movie, that orange suit and brown fur hat just did it for me and I knew that not only had I found my mantra in that song, but that I had found the one persona that I completely identified with. Barbra became my greatest icon that day, which I don’t remember, but which I know was during my pre-adolescence. I was Funny Girl. She spoke to me and I responded wholeheartedly. And from that moment forward, I have been a die-heart and dedicated Barbra Streisand fan. It was then that I knew that I had to have everything Barbra. I read the books, I saw the films, I bought the albums. I became totally enmeshed in the Streisand lore... and I still am to this day. The kooky Jewish girl from Brooklyn was my hero and I loved everything that she represented and I still do. I am completely and wholeheartedly a devotee.

I have so been listening to Rebecca's ipod.

Tomorrow Night-Yentl

Look at me-I must be absolutely crazy!
How did 1 ever let it get this far?
Look at me! I'm getting deeper into trouble.
Am I woman or a man?
Am I a devil or a demon?
Papa was right!
I ask too many questions.
He said a soul can get perplexed-
I can't believe what happens next!
Papa was right!
It seems this little game I play
Becomes more risky every day!
Tomorrow night, tomorrow night...
Under the canopy
I'll stand with her tomorrow night!
And place a ring upon her hand
With her all dressed in white
Tomorrow night
I don’t know how this came about
But I'll be wed without a doubt.
Oh, my God, I've got to get out!
Look at this-The way one lie begets another
Somebody wake me up and say
It’s all a dream!
(Look at this!)
Look how easily I fool them
They may have eyes but they don’t see
They never really look at me
People are blind!
How else would everyone believe me?
It might be interesting to know
Just how much further I can go
Tomorrow night, tomorrow night...
I can’t believe what I’ll presume to be
Tomorrow night,
I'm not the bride but I'm the groom to be
Tomorrow night,
And that's a monumental trick
I'd better think of something quick
(Oh, my God, I'm feeling sick!
I could run away
I could leave without a trace,
Go anywhere or any place
Where no one knows my face.
As a woman or a man?
I don't know just so I can
Run away-run away!
I'd be free-I'd be rid of all of this
But there’s someone I would miss
And being near him is what this is all about!
So running away is out!
Papa dear, you dreamed of dancing
At my wedding;
But something tells me that I'm right
You wouldn't want to dance tonight!
Isn't this a strangely logical solution?
Things may not be as they appear
But the advantages are clear:
He loves her-she loves him
He likes me-I like her
And I've reasons to think she likes me.
She keeps him-he keeps her
I keep things as they were
It's a perfect arrangement for three!
Who'd have ever predicted
The moment would come
When I’d find myself grateful
They’ve kept women dumb!
She's an innocent maiden
But then so am I!
That’s why it's possible I could get by.
Look, I’ve seen the impossible happen before,
So maybe, God willing, it'll happen once more.
For I feel like a train on a perilous track.
With no way to stop and no way to go back.
Like a snowball that’s gathering speed down a hill,
Going faster and faster and faster until...
Tomorrow night, tomorrow night...
Even if someone would pray for me
Tomorrow night,
There's not a prayer
That they could say for me
Tomorrow night,
Tomorrow night, tomorrow night...
Tomorrow night...is now tonight!

Let's Hear It For Me!

From Funny Lady

Blow the bugle
Sound the cymbal
All my troubles fill a thimble
I'm as happy as it's legal to be
Come on kids let's hear it for me
Get the tom tom
Start the drumming
Queue the colours
Keep them humming
Cause I'm climbing of the limb of that tree
Come on kids let's hear it for me
For this overwhelming sensation
I could stand a standing ovation
Give my entrance queue to the band
Give the little lady a great big hand
Slide the trombone
Let it swell out
This performance is a sell out
And the critics and the public agree
I'm the number one attraction to see
So applaud it and cheer it
Come on now let's hear it for me

Standing in the wings
All prepared to start
Usually I'm tense
A pounding in my heart
But now I'm not afraid
Cause butterfly's are gone
My act is looking great
I can't wait to go on, on
Grab a ticket
Find you row kid
I am strictly an SRO kid
Tell these ougly boubly feelings I'm free
They been banished by a royal decree
And your head feels so good when you finally clear it
If I saw a worry I wouldn't go near it
Come on now come on kid lets hear it
Let's hear it for me...

I Remember This Song From My Youth

Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
Each vict’ry will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.
Refrain:
Ask the Savior to help you,
Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.
Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,
God’s name hold in rev’rence, nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.
To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown,
Through faith we will conquer, though often cast down;
He who is our Savior, our strength will renew;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

The British Are Getting Rid of Blair!!!

Tony Blair is stepping down within one year! Please let him take George Bush with him. When Tony Blair first appeared on the scene, I was quite supportive. Then he became a lapdog for evil white men in this country. God forbid!

I join, and am most proud to join, that most wonderful and glorious traditon that includes Angela Davis, Howard Zinn,my grandmother, and my beloved Uncle(although he only fits into it superficially). I have a rich and beautiful legacy behind me.

Audre Lorde

When I dare to be powerful-to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.

Project Runway

I hate Jeffrey. I hope he's gone next. I so thought Kayne was going home. I hope he leaves too. Michael Kors was soo brutal tonight! But he was honest. I soo am rooting for Michael!

Mos Def Arrested

This past Friday, Mos Def was arrested while giving an impromptu performance from his Katrina album at the VMA Awards. You can watch what went down here. I think this begs the question, what purpose do police forces serve in this country. Are they supposed to play in politics(with political arrests,beating up people, assassinations--i.e. Fred Hampton) or are they supposed to serve the people?

Give Me My Flowers

Spiritual

GIVE ME MY FLOWERS
WHILE I YET LIVE
SO THAT I, I, I CAN SEE THE BEAUTY
THAT THEY BRING


FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES
MAY GIVE ME FLOWERS
WHEN I?M SICK?
OR ON MY SICK BED
BUT I?D RATHER HAVE
JUST ONE TULIP RIGHT NOW
THAN A TRUCK LOAD OF ROSES
WHEN I?M DEAD

SPEAK KIND WORDS TO ME
WHILE I CAN HEAR THEM
SO THAT I, I, I CAN HEAR THE BEAUTY
THAT THEY BRING

George Bush is wicked,stupid, and must be desperate since he is invoking the name of Hitler and WWII in his mission to wreak havoc on the middle east. To hell he may go! Oh Nina, oh Nina, where are you? Come strike tis man down to hell....

Rick Santorun is in deep trouble.

I've Never Been In Love Before

I've never been in love before.
Now all at once it's you,
It's you forever more.

I've never been in love before
I thought my heart was safe,
I thought I knew the score.

But this is wine,
That's all too strange and strong,
I'm full of foolish song
And out my song must pour.

So please forgive this helpless haze I'm in,
I've really never been in love before!

So this is wine,
That's all too strange and strong,
I'm full of foolish song
And out my song must pour.

So please forgive this helpless haze I'm in,
I've never really been in love before...

My Poem

Nikki Giovanni

i am 25 years old
black female poet
wrote a poem asking
nigger can you kill
if they kill me
it won't stop
the revolution

i have been robbed
it looked like they knew
that i was to be hit
they took my tv
my two rings
my piece of african print
and my two guns
if they take my life
it won't stop
the revolution

my phone is tapped
my mail is opened
they've caused me to turn
on all my old friends
and all my new lovers
if i hate all black
people
and all negroes
it won't stop
the revolution

if i never write
another poem
or short story
if i flunk out
of grad school
if my car is reclaimed
and my record player
won't play
and if i never see
a peaceful day
or do a meaningful
black thing
it won't stop
the revolution

the revolution
is in the streets
and if i stay on
the fifth floor
it will go on
if i never do
anything
it will go on

I Rise

Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
you may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise

Gin House Blues

Nina Simone

Stay away from me cos I'm in my sin
Stay away from me everybody cos I'm in my sin
If this joint is raided somebody give my gin
Don't try me nobody cos you will never win
Mm yeah don't try me nobody cos you will never win
I'll fight the army and navy somebody gives me my gin

When I'm feeling high I don't have nothing to do
Oh when I'm feeling high I don't have nothing to do
Just fill me full of good liquor I'll sure be nice to you
Any bootlegger show him a pal of mine any old time
Any bootlegger show him a pal of mine
Cos a good bottle of gin will get it everytime

Lord I don't want no clothes
I don't even want no bed to lay my head
I don't want no clothes
I don't event want no bed to lay my head
I don't want no pork chops and green
Just give me gin instead

Oh oh stay away from me cos I'm in my sin
Oh oh stay away from me yeah everybody cos I'm in my sin
If this joint is raided somebody give me my gin
Somebody give me my gin

I should also remember what Bernadine Dorhn said. The power structure always wants to make you feel as if you are helpless and have no power against them. We must remember that we possess our own power.

Nobody's Fault But Mine

Nina Simone

Ah, nobody's fault but mine
Nobody's fault but mine
If I die and my soul be lost
Nobody's fault but mine

I had a mother who could pray
I said I had a mother who could pray
Nobody's fault but mine

Hey now

I had a mother who could sing
I had a mother who could sing
If I die and my sould be lost
It's nobody's fault but mine

Nobody's fault but mine.
Nobody's
If I die and my soul be lost now
If I die and my soul be lost now
If I die and my soul be lost now
If I die and my soul be lost
Nobody's fault but mine

Listening to Nina Simone is a religious experience.

I think that I need to look at power differently. There are many different forms of power....and everyone possesses it. We all need to realize our power.

I am so absolutely blessed. Let me never forget that.

Oh for the castration of power.

Sometimes I get in my Nancy Wilson mode and sing every one of her songs that I know from the two albums I previously owned and some that I just found on the internet.

The Way

Jill Scott

Woke up this morning with a smile on my face
Jumped outta bed, took a shower, dressed, cleaned up my place
Made me some breakfast, toast, 2 scrambled eggs, grits
Grabbed my keys, grabbed my purse, grabbed my jacket
Off to work, beaming all the way down 3rd

Is it the way you love me baby
Is it the way you love me baby (Yeah)

4:30, can't wait to get home (I know u commin out tonight)
Nah, girl I got somethang else to do (Damn Jill, don't be frontin' on your girls, for real)
Go 'head, really get your groove on cuz tonight my man's coming through
We gonna have to connect some other time
As much as I like to shake my thang on the dance floor
I got another nasty, freaky just right way in mind
Tonight I'm gonna beat the high score

Is it the way you love me baby (Yeah)
Is it the way you love me baby (Baby)
Is it the way you love me baby (Is it, is it the way)
Is it the way you love me baby

James Blunt is a beautiful man. I believe he was crying on Oprah while he was singing.

I woke up this morning with June Jordan's "Poem About My Rights" floating through my brain. It is my favorite poem. It is my mantra. I revel in the legacy of June Jordan, her passion and her anger.

They say Michael Knight is straight....I definitely would like to convert him....They should make me a saint....so many souls.

More Project Runway

Laura is like an Oracle. Truths just pour out of her.

Project Runway

About last episode, I really hate those Kulaks that Kayne put Michael's mother in. Also, Robert's outfit for Vincent's sister will now be sold in Walmart for $10....So, Angela is finally gone. That outfit she made to "jet-set" looked like something my friend Shannon would wear. Not good. I adored Michael's outfit. He is gorgeous. Bye Kayne, you're next.

I do so very much appreciate Cornel West. He is definitely a part of my beloved community.

Sixth Radical Progressive Carnival

It has been a while since the last carnival was posted. Here is the latest edition. Our first offering is my belated essay,Autobiography of an Activist which is a personal narrative of the development of my consciousness and my involvement in activism. The second offering is a great analysis of Thoreau's essay, Civil Disobedience and how it relates to the present over at GT. Thirdly,Jewbuquest offers a stark, very frank, and surreal analysis of the state of alzheimer's care in assisted living facilities. It is a powerful polemic on the lack of attention given to this growing problem. These are the very few offerings for this edition of the radical progressive carnival. I hope that others will submit and that the carnival will grow. Enjoy.

It's The Little Things-India Arie

Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh

Been around the whole world, still ain't seen
Nothin' like my neighborhood
And of all the fancy satin and silk
My white cotton feels so good

Searched high and low for a place
Where I can lay my burdens down
Ain't nothin' in the whole wide world
Like the piece that I have found

(It's the little things) It's the little things
And the joy they bring
(The little things) It's the little things
And joy they bring

As simple as a phone call just to make it known
That you're gonna be a little late
Pure as a kiss on a cheek in a word
That everything will be okay

Call in the mornin' from my little sister
Singin' to me, "Happy Birthday"
In the quest for fortune and fame
Don't forget about the simple things

(It's the little things) It's the little things
And the joy they bring, yeah
(The little things) It's the little things
And joy

Give me some roomful, give me seclusion
Give me some peace of mind
Bring me some sunshine, bring me some blue sky

Runnin' 'round in circles, lost my focus
Lost sight of my goal
I do this for the love of music
Not for the glitter and gold

Got everything that I pray for
Even a little more
When I ask to learn humility
This is what I was told

(It's the little things) It's the little things
And the joy they bring, it's the little things
(The little things) It's the little things
Oh...hee...

Give me my guitar, bring me a bright star
Give me new clothes, give me some cute shoes
Give me a ladder, give me some matter
Bring me my peace of mind

Give me some Stevie, give me some Donny
Give me my daddy, give me my mommy
Pour me some sweet tea, spoonful of honey
I don't need no Hollywood

This Is One Of Those Moments--From Yentl

by Barbra


There are moments you remember all your life.
There are moments you wait for ans1 dream,
Of all your life.
This is one of those moments.
I will always remember this chair,
that window, the way the light streams in.
The clothes I'm wearing,
The words I'm heating,
The face I'm seeing,
The feeling I'm feeling,
The smell, the sounds, will be written
On my mind, will be written in my heart
As long as I live!
I can, travel the past and take what I need
To see me through the years
What my father learned and his
Father before him will be there
For my eyes and ears.
I can walk through the forests
Of the trees of knowledge
And listen to the lessons of the leaves.
I can enter rooms
Were there are rooms within rooms
Wrapped in the shawl that learning weaves.
I remember, Papa-everything you taught me
What you gave me, Papa-
Look at what it’s brought me
There are certain things that once you have
No man can take away-
No wave can wash away-
No wind can blow away-
And now they’re about to be mine!
No tide can turn away-
No fire can burn away-
No time can wear away...
I can open doors and take from the shelves
All the books I’ve longed to hold
I can ask all the questions,
The whys and the wheres
As the mysteries of life unfold
Like a link in a chain
From the past to the future
That joins me with the children yet to be,
I can now be a part
Of the ongoing stream,
That has always been a part of me!
There are certain things that once you have
No man can rake away-
No wave can wash away-
No wind can blow away-
No tide can turn away-
No fire can burn away-
No time can wear away-
And now they’re about to be mine!
There are moments you remember all your life.
There are moments you wait for
And dream, of all your life.
This is one of those moments!

I love those lyrics to the Fugees "Ready or Not." I am going to have to find that song. Nina Simone...reincarnated....

Its all about the values we hold. I see that more and more everyday. "All night, all day angels watching over me my lord. All night, all day angels watching over me."

I have been meaning to blog this for a long time now. Sandrika had a beautiful wedding this summer. Her colors were Florentine Orange and white. Lovely choices. Everything went well except for the rain which hastened the pace of everything. Great time. Sandrika is also a trip! Ha!

What I Truly Believe

That Right will out and Evil will find its way to hell...in all things.

Race Decoded

Black=illegitimate, White=legitimate. Period.

Interview with Ilyasah Shabazz

This is a link to a very short, but great interview with one of Malcolm X's daughters.

The Black community is in a mess. They are stuck in between assimilation,assuming a conciliatory posture and Louis Farakhan and no one has listened to Malcolm. We need dignity, self-respect and integrity in this community.

Ready or Not

By the Fugees/ Lauren Hill

Chorus: Lauryn Hill

Ready or not, Here I come, You can't hide
Gonna find you, and take it slowly
Ready or not, Here I come, You can't hide
Gonna find you, and make you want me

Verse One: Wyclef

Now that I escape sleep walk away
those who convolate knows the world they hate
Jails bars ain't golden gates
those who fake they brake when they meet they four hundred pound mate if i could rule the world, everyone who have a gun and together of course we'd get the up in our their horse I kick a rhyme drinking moon shine
I poor sip on the concrete, for the deceased
but no don't weep, Wyclef in a state of sleep
thinking about the robbe-RY that I did last WEEK
Money in the bag, bank a look like a drag
I wanna play with pelicans from here to Bagdad
Gun blast, think fast I think I'm hit
My girl pinch's my hips to see if I still exist
I think not, I send a letter to my friends
A born again, hooligan only to be king again

Chorus

Verse Two: Lauryn Hill

yo, I play my enemies like a game of chess
where I rest no stress if you don't smoke cess, less
i must confess my destany's manifest
to some gortex and sweats I make tracks like i'm homeless Rap orgies with Porgie and Bess
capture your bounty like Eliot Ness YES!
Bless you if you represent the FU
but I hex you, with some witches vu if you do-do
Voodo, I could what you do, EASY!
Believe me, frontin' niggaz
gives me heebe-geebes
so why you imitatin' Al Capone
I be Nina Symone and defacating on your microphone

chorus

Interlude: Lauryn Hill

You can't run away from these styles I got
Oh baby, hey baby cause I got a lot oh yeah...
Anywhere you go, my whole crew gonna know
Oh baby, hey baby you can't hide from the black gold no...

Verse Three: Pras

Ready or not, refugees taking over
The buffalo soldier, dread like rasta
On the twelve hour flyby in my bomber
crews went for cover now they under pushin' up flowers
Superfly, true lies do or dies
toss me high only profile with my crew from Lacaille
I refugee from Guatanamo Bay,
dance around the border like I'm Cassius Clay
Chorus



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There is definitely something about music...and I am trying to put my finger on it... Dubois was definitely obssessed with music...I just started thinking about this the other day....but there is definitely something there.

Buddhism

I think I finally understand what Buddhist philosophy has to say(this after a conversation with Rebecca). You may try to do whatever you want to me, but I know what I can do." Perhaps that is the sum of it.

Idlewild

Yesterday, while in Chicago, Rebecca and I saw Idlewild. I spent a while after watching the film trying to formulate my thoughts about it, which were very much mixed. The sentiments that I hold I find very much expressed in this Village Voice review of the film. Too much like the bad part of hip-hop today, the film cared nothing about misogyny and gave no voice whatsoever to the queer or that which is not heteronormative. The filmmakers had absolutely no problem showing dozens of shots of women's breast and them scantily clothed or in lude sexual positions. However, Andre Benjamin only bared his nipples. It definitely left something to be desired.

A Turtle's Dream

R and I got back from Chicago last night. It was a great time. All morning today, Abbey Lincoln's "A Turtle's Dream" played in my mind. I did a search for the lyrics and it is incredible that they are not to be found on the internet. However, I have transcribed them and here they are.

Often I think
When I'm all alone
and no one can see me but me
I think and I wonder just who I am
and how I came to be
I can swim the ocean and it's deep and wide
and in the house above me abide.

Maybe one day I'll fly like and eagle
fly like a bird and go and gooo
soar like an eagle
walk like a lion
although I won't be I know
but I can swim the ocean
and it's deep and wide
and in the house above me abide

I guess the time has come for me to go and look
for something thats moving in my house
you know moving slowly
is not really bad
you see the wonders of the deep
just waiting there for me
and I can swim the ocean and it's deep and wide
and in the house above me abide
and in the house above me abide