The Black Informant

Orlando high school uses seniors to mentor black freshmen

“Defying the age-old tradition of older students putting younger ones in their place, a group of two dozen students at Jones High School hope to succeed where the state and most school districts have failed - in overcoming generations of underachievement among African-American males.

Willy is the chairman of Florida’s first Minority Achievement Committee or MAC. Modeled after a 15-year-old effort at Shaker Heights High School near Cleveland, the group assigns academically strong seniors to mentor struggling freshmen.

Everyone there is a black male.” (more…)

Wonderful news for the black community.

Non-profit profile that is actively working with tsunami victims: Food For the Hungry

Here is just one example of a non-profit that is financially accountable and has opened its book for the public to see. They have been in existence since 1971, so they bring some serious experience to the post tsunami area in Asia. Here is a little about them:

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Food for the Hungry
1224 E Washington St
Phoenix, AZ 85034-1102

Date Joined: 2/1/1980

Providing emergency relief to save victims of famine and war, and long-term self-help strategies to enable the poor to rise above their circumstances, Food for the Hungry works in 28 countries. Delivering almost 90% of total income to the field (WOW! emphasis mine), Food for the Hungry mobilizes caring people and resources to feed both physical and spiritual hungers. Programs include child sponsorship, agriculture training, water resource development, education, medical care, reforestation and skills training. Recent relief efforts include Kosova, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Congo, El Salvador and India. Staff numbers nearly 1000, of whom more than 95% serve in their country of origin.

Click here to go to www.efca.com to view their financial profile

Click here to go to their website for more information on how to help their efforts with the tsunami survivors.

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Please note: I do not endorse any particular non-profit organization. This is being presented to you as a courtesy for those who wish to give to this important cause. The link provided above also has additional information on other organizations for your consideration.

For the price of a cup of coffee

Like you, I cannot tell you the amount of times I have heard this statement accompanied by the sad pictures of sickly children from various impoverished countries. We are told that just our spare change can make a world of difference in the life of a child. I have always wondered how much of this spare change actually make it to its intended destination: The poor and suffering.

In a posting that I did some time ago, I told you about a website that I discovered that provides some insight on how monies that many churches say is earmarked for missions (please understand that much of what is referred to as missions is actually brick and mortar operations that actually foster self-sufficiency for the people that are on the receiving end. For example, missions may include the creation of an water irrigation system, reliable farming equipment, etc. Missions is not just regulated to handing out bibles) actually finds its way back into the general operations budget of these ministries right here in the United States. Here is a stat that many may find surprising:

95% of all church budgets in the US are spent on our own comforts and programs. Less than 1% is spent on evangelism to the most unreached. (this figure comes from William Carey University, a small missions college in Pasadena, CA that is widely considered the college of choice for those in the missions field wanting additional training and support.)more…

Now before I continue, the reason why I am discussing this topic is because in all my years in my involvement with church, I have been very hard pressed to find many ministries that demonstrate real financial accountability, let alone talk about it. Please understand that not all ministries fall into this category. There are some great religious organizations that do exist that are very effective and are very transparent when it comes to providing full disclosure of their finances. (In the very near future, I will provide a listing of organizations that have proven to be very effective and transparent with their supporters. You should see this listing on the menu to your right.)

The other reason why I want to discuss this topic is because as a black person, I have noticed for some time now that we as blacks tend to overlook a person’s financial improprieties just as long as they are “giving back to the community”. To put this bluntly, character rarely becomes an issue just as long as the questionable behavior is legitimized with some type of “giving back” mechanism. O.J. is nothing more than a joke in the black community today because he did not “give back” to the community. Had he done so, he would be as legendary as Tupac in the minds of many of us. I have seen this same mindset in many churches. As long as the pastor tells us that we will be blessed if we just give …, his/her followers tend to willingly overlook the fact that while they themselves may live from paycheck to paycheck (not all cases), the pastor and his/her family live in the lap of luxury. Pastors, like anybody else who has responsibility over large amounts of money should be held to some type of independent financial oversight mechanism.

Independent non-profit organizations such as the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (which as of date only has 99 charter members listed and about 21 new members. This organization has been around since 1979!) and ministrywatch.org were established to serve this very purpose. Sadly, most ministries (from the most well known to the seemingly unknown) choose not to open their books to these types of organizations who only serve to add legitimacy to these various ministries by making public their financial records.

As a person that enjoys giving to worthy causes, I am much appreciative when I know that a majority of the money that I have given is going towards its intended purpose (in most cases the needy), and not to the maintenance of a fleet of foreign cars owned by someone who lives in an exclusive part of town.

I am in complete agreement with Ole Anthony (who heads up the organization known as the Trinity Foundation. This ministry serves the purpose of uncovering suspicious activities by televangelists) when he says “…that most of the preachers begin with a ‘sincere desire to spread the faith. But the pressure of fund raising slowly moves all of them in the direction of a greed-based theology.”

This pressure many times comes in the form of building programs.

As churches become larger, instead of dividing up into smaller, more manageable and effective pieces (like the early church [Read the first half of the book of Acts]), they make the decision to develop into what is known today as a mega church. Literally millions of dollars are spent buying property and building a facility that is large enough to hold the thousands of people that belong to this ministry. Thousands of dollars are spent every month for things like utilities, upkeep, etc. All of this for a building that is only used maybe twice a week at the most. I think that most financial planners would agree that this is far from being fiscally responsible.

As a person that has been all over this country, I can’t tell you the amount of times I have seen these large pristine edifices towering alongside other major buildings in the city only to find out that as I get closer to these edifices to find that they are surrounded by low income communities. A low income community does not need a multi-million dollar edifice to admire. The million dollar budgets that are needed just to keep these buildings (again, buildings that are on average used twice a week) open could be put to better use in the communities that they serve. Please hear me when I say that is nothing wrong with mega churches/mega ministries in of themselves. A church with a large building doesn’t “set me off” every time I see it. For me, when I see the amount of money that is spent on marketing, building, television and radio, conferences (a big money maker), etc., the first question I keep asking myself is “what percentage of the money I give actually go to the causes I am giving to?” The problem lies in the fact that many of these ministries flat out refuse to open their budgets for public view. Financial proprietary may be a benefit of being under a non-profit status, but if an organization wishes to gain ground in the arena of public trust, proof of financial accountability and transparency must exist.

If a church or ministry wishes to continue the example of Jesus by serving mankind, then the amount of money that it takes to run their organizations must be far from the high water mark of exceeding the amount that is invested back into the communities they serve. The church here in America cannot continue to use the hopeless faces of the poor and hungry only to build bigger church-meetin’ buildings. The way I see it, a large church building with all the trimmings or a massive ministry that enables certain Christian individuals access to the white house is not always sign of our success, but our failure to meet our responsibility to the less fortunate among us.

White Liberalism speaks for the rest of us again

The Washington Post provides a excerpt of Mr. Egeland’s initial press conference where he accuses rich nations being too stingy in their response to the countries affected by the recent tsunami:

Despite his claim of being “misinterpreted,” a review of the transcript of Mr. Egeland’s initial press briefing confirms that he asked reporters at the United Nations why Western countries are “so stingy” and specifically cited the United States as an example of a country whose citizens want to pay more taxes so that foreign aid can be increased.
“An unprecedented disaster like this one should lead to unprecedented generosity,” Mr. Egeland said in his Monday briefing. (more…)

Mr. Egeland (who is not even an American citizen) somehow feels as though he has the authority to speak for us Americans who he believes wants to pay more taxes to do the job of the U.N.

I don’t remember seeing his name on the ballot last month. Maybe my voting district did not get the memo.

ref. Tarzan: The father of white liberalism

Woman becomes 1st black female sergeant

“The 35-year-old now holds the distinction of becoming Boynton Beach’s first African-American female sergeant, but she wants people to look beyond the label and laughs about the number of times people have commented on it.

“It really doesn’t matter if they hired a green Martian if a person is able to do the job and is the best person for the job,” said the six-year police officer.

Cannon said that’s what she strives for — doing her best.” (more…)

Congratulations!!

60,000 and counting-Continued silence of Black Media on this catastrophe - Some Facts

The bad news regarding the Tsunami keeps coming in. I just cannot bring myself to write about anything else today. 60,000 lives lost is not just another issue. This makes me wonder why most black media has treated this as an afterthought. BET finds itself bypassing the real news of this situation and gravitating towards the “America is stingy” remark made by someone in the U.N. I have had it with this anti-American crap from our black media. REPORT THE NEWS, OR GO SELL SOME FREGGIN’ SNO CONES!

I did a little homework at www.reliefweb.int. Here are the facts per the U.N.’s own records:

% of Global Funding Donor Value US$

22.84% United States 989,156,831.00

15.73% ECHO (European Commission) 681,334,092.00

6.54% United Kingdom 283,093,584.00

4.17% Germany 180,428,799.00

3.07% Canada 132,875,323.00

2.52% European Commission 109,280,980.00

1.87% France 81,059,705.00

0.80% Saudi Arabia 34,574,098.00

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Taking a page from history—More on Kwanzaa

I happened to come across this press release this morning and all I could do was shake my head. Here is a small excerpt:

“Keeping Kwanzaa Sacred is Paramount to Keeping Christ in Christmas”

The non-profit organization, the African American Holiday Association (AAHA) stands in solidarity with Christian efforts waged to keep the name of Christ in pageants and holiday parades in order to keep the spirituality of Christmas from falling deeper into commercialization, paramount to AAHA’s on-going campaign to “keep Kwanzaa Sacred” from commercial exploitation (more..).

After much protesting with very little results, many of the white student organizations on the campus of Cal-Berkley in the 1960’s began to be drawn to the militancy of the Black Panther Party. These organizations saw not only the unwavering inner strength that these black people possessed, but they were the only group that was willing to stand up to the police toe to toe WITH GUNS. These white student organizations began to morph their message with the struggle of black people figuring that they too could be heard through this outspoken mouthpiece. It worked! Since then, liberals have been using the black cause to get out their message. This is why to this day, they will just about in most cases portray themselves (non-black liberals) as the oppressed party. This is also why they will use people like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and others to make the case for liberals. It is always in the end that issues of the black community are rarely solved.

The AAHA is using this same tactic in trying to validate Kwanzaa. As I pointed out in the last posting (More Fodder for the Left: Kwanzaa—PLEASE READ), Kwanzaa is far from being a sacred holiday. This move only further proves the point that I raised in that piece: That most blacks do not celebrate this holiday; therefore, this liberal organization must morph its message in order to find relevantly. If black liberalism is so driven to reconnect blacks here in America with African culture, why then can we not just ask the many Africans that have moved (and still are in droves) to this country what holidays do they celebrate? Surely they can reconnect us to motherland since they have just come from there. If this holiday is all about Africa, then why not include real, 1st generation Africans? This also further proves the point that I raised in an earlier piece how liberalism always feels the need to speak for others who are perceived to be oppressed (please read Tarzan: The father of white liberalism.[Although I am addressing the ideology of white liberalism in that piece, the same thing applies to this situation]).

Blacks who wish to celebrate Kwanzaa should never be denied the right to do so. But we are fall into great error when we attempt to compare this celebration (again, whose foundations are explained in More Fodder for the Left: Kwanzaa) with organized religion. Culture and religion are two totally different things and should never be compared.

More Fodder for the Left: Kwanzaa

Jesse Lee Peterson, a man that I have mixed views recently voiced his opposition to the African-American holiday known as Kwanzaa. Before I get into his take on this issue, I must first take the time to say that most blacks in this country do not even celebrate this holiday. Here is a brief history of the founder of Kwanzaa, Ron N. Everett (a.k.a Ron Karenga):

Short excerpt. Please follow link for the rest of the story:

The inventor of the holiday was one of the few black “leaders” in America even worse than Sharpton. But there was no mention in the Times article of this man or of the fact that at that very moment he was sitting in a California prison. And there was no mention of the curious fact that this purported benefactor of the black people had founded an organization that in its short history tortured and murdered blacks in ways of which the Ku Klux Klan could only fantasize.

It was in newspaper articles like that, repeated in papers all over the country, that the tradition of Kwanzaa began. It is a tradition not out of Africa but out of Orwell. Both history and language have been bent to serve a political goal. When that New York Times article appeared, Ron Karenga’s crimes were still recent events. If the reporter had bothered to do any research into the background of the Kwanzaa founder, he might have learned about Karenga’s trial earlier that year on charges of torturing two women who were members of US (United Slaves), a black nationalist cult he had founded.

A May 14, 1971, article in the Los Angeles Times described the testimony of one of them: “Deborah Jones, who once was given the Swahili title of an African queen, said she and Gail Davis were whipped with an electrical cord and beaten with a karate baton after being ordered to remove their clothes. She testified that a hot soldering iron was placed in Miss Davis’ mouth and placed against Miss Davis’ face and that one of her own big toes was tightened in a vise. Karenga, head of US, also put detergent and running hoses in their mouths, she said.” (more...)

All of us make mistakes from time to time, I do not hold that against him. What bothers me is that there is no record of Karenga expressing any remorse for these crimes. It almost appears that he trumped up this holiday only to cover up his real past. His jailhouse conversion was actually a conversion to Marxism.

The holiday in of itself is a mishmosh of various African celebrations that does a very poor job of celebrating real and authentic African culture. This holiday also illustrate the wide misconception that so many of us had growing up (if we are honest) that Africa is a nation and not a continent.

Here are some comments from Peterson and a local pastor:

Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that celebrates family, community and culture; and its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The word Kwanzaa is derived from a phrase that means first fruits.

Patterson said he has conducted research, attempting to find evidence to tie the celebration with African roots, but has found none.

“There’s no such thing as Kwanzaa. You can look up and down the coast of Africa and you won’t find it,” Patterson said. “It’s made up — a lie.”

Pickerington Pastor Alyce Hardin-Cook, one of the few African American pastors in Fairfield County, said she doesn’t encourage her church members to celebrate Kwanzaa.

“I don’t necessarily adhere to it,” said Hardin-Cook, pastor of Gethsemane United Methodist Church. “When we speak of Christmas our single focus and everything we do in our life is centered around Christ.

“Christianity doesn’t take away from our tradition, culture or heritage. It celebrates all that.” (more...)

If someone wishes to celebrate a holiday that is not Christian-based, that is their choice. But when a holiday is strategically placed to counter a holiday that takes the time to celebrate a major event in Christian history (notice, I did not say that Christmas was a Christian holiday–a quick look into the history of Christmas will prove this point), one needs to reconsider celebrating this holiday.

On one hand, Liberals see this as a wedge issue (a term that they love to use) to put black conservatives who happen to be Christian against the majority in the black community who lean towards the liberal ideology. This is why Peterson got so much press from his remarks. On the other hand, I believe that we will not see Kwanzaa becoming a hot topic because as I said earlier, most blacks do not celebrate it. Kwanzaa was birthed out of the black nationalism movement and has since lost a lot of steam in the black community.

Culture is something to be celebrated, not something to use as some political tool.

Click here for more commentary on this subject.

A great loss this holiday season

If you do not know by now, Reggie White, husband, father, the current NFL all-time sack leader, entrepreneur, community leader, minister, died yesterday of unknown causes.

This was a particular blow to me because I remember Reggie best earlier in his career with the Philadelphia Eagles when he first got the nickname of “Minister of Defense” for not only being outspoken about his faith, but for being an inspiration to so many in the world of sports for not hiding theirs.

Many years ago, both he and his wife came to the church that I used to be part of to speak. The one thing that impressed me about him the most was how his faith went beyond any eloquent speaking ability (he did not posses that in my opinion, but he was very inspirational nevertheless). Instead, he was a man that was determined to make a difference. He challenged those who were in attendance to not to just settle for being in a nice church community, but to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the places where it was needed the most: outside those nice, stained-glass doors. To me, his strength was seen not just on the field, but what he did off the field. He was one of those rare athletes that proved that fame and fortune does not always have to be accompanied with drugs, violence, baby mamma drama, etc.

Because he was such an outspoken Christian, I saw how some ministries tried to brand him as their own (I see this a lot with some athletes who are famous in their own right who become a part of some large ministry. The pastor will have them sit on the front row. I doubt very seriously this is done because they can’t hear the message. God forgive us!). Reggie went beyond settling on being the “athlete who depends on God to make touchdowns” role by doing things like helping to start around 400 businesses and created over 1,000 jobs through his non-profit organization Urban Hope. Here are the three main purposes of his organization:

*Create a giving back responsibility as a condition of our free enterprise system
*To empower people to gain influence over their own lives and the community
*Develop economic self-sufficiency

This posting is inspiring me to write more about some of the things I mentioned in this piece. No doubt I will use Reggie’s life as the backdrop. Stay tuned.

The season of giving

As we enter into this season of giving, this website (http://www.ministrywatch.org) will assist those who give to religious charities. It gives a full rundown of revenues, effectiveness, etc. relating to that ministry. They even include a “watchlist” of ministries to avoid giving donations.

This site is related to my upcoming posting entitled: “For the price of a cup of coffee…”.

Stay tuned!

The San Francisco Black Film Festival

For any aspiring filmmakers out there, this is a good place to make connections!!

The San Francisco Black Film Festival announces the call for entries for the 7th Annual San Francisco Black Film Festival, June 8-12, 2005. - February 1, 2005 (Early) - March 1, 2005 (Final)

Go to website: www.sfbff.org

Commentaries of Note (Booker Rising)

BOOKER RISING COMMENTARY: Bill Cosby’s Libertarian Side
“Most importantly, Cosby puts his money where his mouth is. Not other people’s money. He isn’t sitting on the sidelines talking theory, but doing nothing. Cosby has donated more than $20 million in scholarships for promising but low-income black students to attend college. He regularly forgoes his $150,000+-per-speech fee to raise funds so low-income high schools can acquire better equipment and teachers.” (more…)

BOOKER RISING COMMENTARY - Communitarianism: A Strategy for Black Moderates and Conservatives?
No, not communism but communitarianism. Tyrone and Imani, you’re probably thinking: “What the hell are they talkin’ about here?” Communitarians emphasize the role of communities in shaping individuals (vs. libertarianism, which emphasizes the role of individuals in shaping communities). Communitarians are staunch advocates of a civil society - instead of government - promoting social mores. However, they believe that individual rights must be balanced with social responsibility. Now what’s this got to do with black folks?(more…)

Black College round-up for 12-21-04 (shortened due to school break)

Student Nets $100,000 in Scholarships
Internet search paid off for Xavier freshman

“I knew that if I wasn’t able to pay for school with grants or scholarships, I was not going to be able to go to college,” said Price, who is majoring in business administration at the New Orleans institution.

“…Every time I got tired, I would just think of my dream to go to college and that this was my way to fund my education,” said Price. (more…)
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Gay P.R.I.D.E. Comes to N.C. A&T

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Greek-letter Organizations Impose Membership Intake Limit (Jackson State)

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Some People just Require Quick Execution

The FBI said Montgomery came to Stinnett’s home after inquiring over the Internet about buying a rat terrier dog, a breed Stinnett raised. It was a trace on the e-mail that led investigators to track down Montgomery at her home in Kansas. She had been showing off the child as her own and told her husband that she had suddenly given birth.

Police also said Montgomery had told her family she suffered a miscarriage at some time in the past, though it was not known when or if she really had been pregnant. No information has been released on what might have motivated the crime.

Stinnett said the fact that his daughter survived the ordeal was a miracle (more…)

What infuriated my about the pregnant woman who was murdered by this deranged sicko was not just the act itself, but the fact that we have a justice system that will probably place her in some mental institution for the rest of her life due to “mental disorder”.

Although the justice system in this country has not always been correct in applying “justice”, the one thing I think most people can agree on is the fact that blatant crimes like murder was dealt with swiftly. There were no slick lawyers , or ACLU around to use these obviously crazy people to make some sort of point by helping in their defense. They also did not have year long media coverage of the trial. In these cases, justice was very swift.

Generally speaking, most blacks are against the death penalty for good reason: Too many of us have been shuffled to the verdict of “death” instead of having the “innocent until proven guilty” clause applied. As true as this may be, we cannot take the other extreme and totally throw out all executions. Inmates that are on death row who have not had a fair trial need to have their cases re-tried. As for the others who, like this woman who are blatantly guilty based on the crime, not race–Let justice be served.

Weekend Health Clinic: Carrot Juice

For maximum benefit, please use ORGANIC carrots. If you use regular store-bought carrots, you will taste the pesticides in your juice. Yuck!

Carrot juice is one of the richest sources of vitamin A that can be used in the daily diet. It also ranks high as a source of the other vitamins, especially those of the B complex. Its mineral content is equally rich, and includes calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, and iron.

The vitamin A content of carrot juice helps to strengthen the eyes. In many cases where defective eyesight was noted–as during the war–the condition was overcome by fortifying the diet with fresh carrot juice.

One of the first evidences of vitamin A deficiency may be noted in the difficulty of adjusting the sight in a dim light, as in entering a dark room, or theatre, from a brightly lighted hall. A more serious symptom is the inability to regain focus of the road after the glare of passing automobile headlights. This sight defect is known as “night blindness,” or “glare-blindness,” and has been the cause of many serious accidents.

Vitamin A is essential in keeping healthy condition the mucous membranes which line all the cavities of the body. The mucous membrane may be described as consisting of two layers. The top layer, ~nown as epithelium is composed of billions of cells. Close under the epithelium lies the mucous membrane, a thin layer of involuntary muscle fibers., which are extremely pliable and elastic. The vitality of this lining depends upon an adequate supply of vitamin A. When a deficiency of vitamin A exists the cells harden and degenerate into a horny rough surface, obstructing the normal function of the secretion of the disinfectant mucous. Infections resulting from vitamin A deficiency may affect the bladder or kidneys, the alimentary tract, the mouth, tonsils, sinuses, the tongue, ear canal, eyes or tear ducts.

Vitamin A promotes growth of bones and teeth, the maintenance of healthy body tissues, and the maintenance of normal glandular functions. It aids in the resistance to infections. Vitamin A is especially necessary in the diet of expectant mothers to build up and maintain the health of both mother and the developing child. Fresh carrot juice should be included in the diet not only during pregnancy, but also during the period of nursing the baby.

In addition to those already mentioned, some of the symptoms which have been traced to vitamin A deficiency are: dry, scaly and rough skin, especially on the arms and legs; intestinal disorders and diarrhea; poor appetite; retarded growth; lack of vigor loss in weight and physical weakness; atrophy of the glands; poor development of teeth through defective formation of enamel and dentine–and poor gum structure, and may also be a causative factor in cases of sterility; nerve degeneration and stones in the kidney and bladder. (more…)

Weekend Health Clinc for 12/19/04: The Benefits of Juicing

The following excerpt provides some information on the importance of juicing. If you are not a big salad eater like me, juicing is a wonderful option.

In most cases, jucing is a much better alternative to a muti-vitamin.

Fresh juices are a tremendous source of enzymes. In fact, the “freshness” of juice is one of their key features, because enzymes are destroyed by heat. When you eat cooked foods, whether its meal, grains, fruits, or vegetables, if the food is cooked at temperatures above 114 degrees, the enzymes have been destroyed by the heat. Since fruits and vegetables are juiced raw, the enzymes are still viable when you drink the juice.

Coincidentally, many of the phytochemicals that nutritional researchers are focusing their attention on are either enzymes, or more often, they are substances that help build or activate enzymes that play essential roles in protecting cells from damage.

In addition, fruit and vegetable juices are good sources of the traditional nutrients. Citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, etc.) provide healthy portions of vitamin C. Carrot juice contains large quantities of vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene. A number of green juices are a good source of vitamin E. Fruit juices are a good source of essential minerals like iron, copper, potassium, sodium, iodine, and magnesium, which are bound by the plant in a form that is most easily assimilated during digestion.

Plus, since juicing removes the indigestible fiber, these nutrients are available to the body in much larger quantities than if the piece of fruit or vegetable was eaten whole. For example, because many of the nutrients are trapped in the fiber, when you eat a raw carrot, you are only able to assimilate about 1% of the available beta carotene. When a carrot is juiced, removing the fiber, nearly 100% of the beta carotene can be assimilated.

Finally, fruits and vegetables provide one more substance that is absolutely essential for good health - water. More than 65% of most of the cells in the human body are made of water, and in some tissues, for example the brain, the cells can be made up of as much as 80% water. Water is absolutely essential for good health, yet most people don’t consume enough water each day. Plus, many of the fluids we do drink, coffee, tea, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and artificially flavored drinks each contain substances that require extra water for your body to eliminate. Fruit and vegetable juices are free of these unneeded substances and are full of pure, clean water. (more…)

Here are some other tips on starting out juicing:

If you are thinking about trying juicing, I have a couple of suggestions:
1) Don’t go right out and buy your own juicer. There are lots of things to think about with regard to owning your own juicer. I would suggest you first try some juices from the Nature’s Harvest juice bar at the Confederation Court Mall downtown and then talk to a few people who juice to find out preferences of juice, make and model of juice machines, preparation, clean up etc., before you make any decisions.

2) Start out slowly. Generally, most people find it quite easy to drink a freshly extracted fruit juice, no matter what the fruit. However it is usually a little different with vegetable juices. I would suggest starting out with either one juice such as carrot or a mixture of a couple of juices such as carrot and apple for your first vegetable juicing experienced the sweetness of carrot juice, then you can begin adding other vegetables for a delicious healthy colorful mixture.

It is recommended that you consume two glasses of live juices ad day for maintaining your health and four glasses a day if you are trying to recover from an illness. Here are a few tips to help you ensure that your juices are pure, nutrient rich and appetizing.

Whenever possible, buy and use organically grown produce. This will prevent chemical residues from ending up in your juice. (more…)

Black Vintage Film Profile: The Bronze Venus

Originally released by Million Dollar Pictures in 1938 as The Duke is Tops, Lena Horne’s first film at age 21 was re-titled The Bronze Venus and re-released to capitalize on her Hollywood success in two 1943 musicals, Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather.

For more black vintage film information, for to www.separatecinema.com.

Arts & Entertainment Wrap up for 12-17-04

NELLY AND DUPRI: Both host charity party; Nelly calls Chingy on ‘Thurr’; Dupri pubs Janet’s next CD.
from EURweb.com
*Nelly and Jermaine Dupri teamed up Thursday to host “Atlanta’s Biggest Christmas Party” for more than 1,200 underprivileged kids at the city’s Dunbar Recreation Center. The two rappers spent $10,000 on more than 3,000 toys for the little ones.
Date: 12/17/2004

THE LATEST SNOOP: Rapper wants his wife back; ‘Drop’ still hot on Billboard; pushes pot candy.
from EURweb.com
*Apparently, Snoop Dogg’s embrace of all things pimpin’, including his top-selling “Snoop Dogg: Doggystyle” series of porno tapes, was part of what drove a wedge in his marriage, leading the rapper to file for divorce last May from his childhood sweetheart Shante. The MC is now reportedly regretting that decision, claming he made a big mistake.
Date: 12/17/2004

MIJAC DAILY: Kids invited to Neverland holiday bash today; ex-wife wants visitation.
from EURweb.com
*Dozens of children have been invited to a holiday party today at Jackson’s Neverland Valley Ranch - which happens to be the place where he was accused of molesting a young boy.
Date: 12/17/2004

MARIAH IN DISNEY’S CHRISTMAS PARADE: Ashanti, Wynonna also on tap for annual ABC special.
from EURweb.com
*Mariah Carey will sing “Joy To The World” and her version of “All I Want For Christmas” on the 21st Annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, airing Dec. 25 from Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, 1 to 3 p.m. ET on ABC.
Date: 12/17/2004

ASHANTI ON ‘SHE CAN’T SING’ TALK: Singer also shrugs off her overuse of ‘baby’.
from EURweb.com
*Say what you want about Ashanti’s singing skills - enough people are buying her records to make her a bona fide, platinum-selling recording artist, and that’s all that counts these days, right? …Anyone?
Date: 12/17/2004

JAY Z ON NEW DEF JAM GIG: Jigga also talks about possible Nas collabo.
from EURweb.com
“I think artists will relate to me ’cause I know their story,” Jay Z told MTV of his new position as president and CEO of Def Jam. The retired rapper and former Roc-A-Fella exec says his background as an artist will offer invaluable insight into his ability to run the company.
Date: 12/17/2004

FAT JOE DONATES COMPUTERS: Rapper gives back to his Bronx grade school.
from EURweb.com
*Fat Joe will donate 20 Hip-e computers to his Bronx Grammar School, PS 146, as a holiday gift on Tuesday.
Date: 12/17/2004

CONTESTANTS REVEALED FOR MISSY’S UPN SHOW: ‘Stardom’ hopefuls vie for cash, contract.
from EURweb.com
*You’ve already seen the promos - or maybe not - but it looks like Missy Elliot’s new UPN “dramality” series will give Diddy’s “Making the Band” a run for its money.

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First Look: Hotel Rwanda

Release Date: December 22, 2004 Limited Release NY/LA
Distributor: United Artists (MGM)
Film Genre: Drama
Country: United States
Director: Terry George
Screenwriter: Terry George
Cast: Don Cheadle, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix, Sophie Okonedo

Synopsis:
Ten years ago, some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda - and in an era of high-speed communication and round-the-clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, almost 1 million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages. Harrowing and deeply moving, Hotel Rwanda is his story.

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Nona Gaye plays the role of Hero Girl in the animated film “The Polar Express”. I saw the making of this film and I found it very fascinating how the actually used her (along with the other actors) real motions and digitized them for their characters in the movie.

Click here for the the interview with the actors in this film.

Check out www.blackfilm.com for all of your entertainment news.

Personal Ad Translations

I heard this on the radio yesterday. “Laughing my head off” was an understatement for me. Enjoy!

A List of Abbreviations in the “Women Seeking Men” Classifieds.

Code Word: 40-ish
Really Means: 48

Code Word: Adventurous
Really Means: Has had more partners than you ever will

Code Word: Affectionate
Really Means: Possessive

Code Word: Artist
Really Means: Unreliable

Code Word: Athletic
Really Means: Flat chested

Code Word: Average looking
Really Means: Ugly

Code Word: Beautiful
Really Means: Pathological liar

Code Word: Commitment-minded
Really Means: Pick out curtains, now!

Code Word: Communication important
Really Means: Just try to get a word in edge-wise

Code Word: Contagious Smile
Really Means: Bring your penicillin

Code Word: Educated
Really Means: College dropout

Code Word: Emotionally Secure
Really Means: Medicated

Code Word: Employed
Really Means: Has part-time job stuffing envelopes at home

Code Word: Enjoys art and opera
Really Means: Snob

Code Word: Enjoys Nature
Really Means: Bring your own granola

Code Word: Exotic Beauty
Really Means: Would frighten a Martian

Code Word: Feminist
Really Means: Fat; ball buster

Code Word: Financially Secure
Really Means: One paycheck from the street

Code Word: Free spirit
Really Means: Substance user

Code Word: Friendship first
Really Means: Trying to live down reputation as easy

Code Word: Fun
Really Means: Annoying

Code Word: Gentle
Really Means: Comatose

Code Word: Good Listener
Really Means: Borderline Autistic

Code Word: Humorous
Really Means: Caustic

Code Word: Intuitive
Really Means: Your opinion doesn’t count

Code Word: In Transition
Really Means: Needs new sugar-daddy to pay the bills

Code Word: Light drinker
Really Means: Lush

Code Word: Looks younger
Really Means: If viewed from far away in bad light

Code Word: Loves Travel
Really Means: If you’re paying

Code Word: Loves Animals
Really Means: Cat lady

Code Word: New-Age
Really Means: All body hair, all the time

Code Word: Non-tradional
Really Means: Ex-husband lives in the basement

Code Word: Open-minded
Really Means: Desperate

Code Word: Outgoing
Really Means: Loud

Code Word: Passionate
Really Means: Loud

Code Word: Petite
Really Means: Wouldn’t stand out in a pack of Munchkins

Code Word: Poet
Really Means: Depressive Schzophrenic

Code Word: Redhead
Really Means: Shops on the Clairol aisle

Code Word: Reliable
Really Means: Frumpy

Code Word: Reubenesque
Really Means: Grossly Fat

Code Word: Romantic
Really Means: Looks better by candle light

Code Word: Self-employed
Really Means: Jobless

Code Word: Smart
Really Means: Insipid

Code Word: Special
Really Means: Road the short schoolbus

Code Word: Spiritual
Really Means: Involved with a cult

Code Word: Stable
Really Means: Boring

Code Word: Tall, thin
Really Means: Anorexic

Code Word: Tan
Really Means: Wrinkled

Code Word: Voluptuous
Really Means: Very Fat

Code Word: Weight proportional to height
Really Means: Hugely Fat

Code Word: Wants Soulmate
Really Means: One step away from stalking

Code Word: Widow
Really Means: Nagged first husband to death

Code Word: Writer
Really Means: Pompous

Code Word: Young at heart
Really Means: Old Toothless Fogie

Tarzan: The Father of Modern White Liberalism

I was never a big fan of the original Tarzan show; however his ability to not only communicate with the animals, but to almost instinctively know exactly what they wanted was very interesting to me. This self-appointed “Lord of the Jungle” was also the mouthpiece as well as the defender of the native Africans that had been living in the jungle for centuries. With Tarzan and his wife Jane, the jungle was assured to be a much orderly place.

Like Tarzan, white liberalism has attempted over and over again over the past decade or so to be the mouthpiece of those “who don’t have a voice” (according to them). If “perceived victimhood” does not exist, white liberalism cannot exist. You can always find white liberalism swinging through the jungles of humanity in search for someone to save—someone who is in need of a voice.

Take the recent example in the news regarding the protestor that became so angry with CNN anchor Paula Zahn for having a hawk nest that was located near the windows of her high-rise apartment in New York removed, that he stalked Zahn’s family for about five days. If that was not bad enough, this protestor also made some very disturbing threats towards Zahn’s seven year old son. One news source referred to these birds as now being “homeless” (how can a bird be “homeless”? The fact that this bird had built its nest on a high rise apartment in NYC shows that it was already “homeless”. Nests belong in trees. Unlike people, this bird along with any other bird can easily rebuild without the use of money). Somehow, the frustrations of this hawk had been transferred to this “spokesman” of the animal kingdom.

This “assumed spokesman for the victim” role can also be seen among some environmentalist. Julia Butterfly Hill, a writer and activist who stayed in a thousand-year-old Northern California redwood for two years from Dec. 10, 1997, to Dec. 18, 1999, without touching the ground to protest the logging of ancient forests. Somehow, this specific tree communicated to her that it a brave person to plead its case against mankind.

Pleading the case for birds and trees may seem admirable to some, but when the tenacity of the protest can be compared to the liberation of some impoverished nation, one has to admit that their cause has now crossed over into the irrational.

How about environmental groups like ELF (Earth Liberation Front) who feel the displeasure of the environment to the degree that they feel compelled to burn down auto dealerships that sell SUVs as well as multi-million dollar homes. They show very little regard for all the families that have been affected by their actions. I guess somehow the wrath of the trees is somehow squelched after these people offer up their sacrifice of insanity.

Although these groups only represent a fraction of white liberals, white liberalism makes very little attempt to distance itself from these fringe groups. This ideology becomes even more dangerous when people become its target.

Months before the current war in Iraq began, white liberalism again came crying out for the lives of the innocent Iraqi children that would be intentionally destroyed by American bombs. All throughout the streets of America where there was anti-war protest, pictures of young Iraqi children could be seen being paraded as some sort of reminder that this impending doom to Iraqi children would happen. The truth is although there were causalities that involved children; there is no proof that tells us that it was in any way intentional. Some people who bought into these “doomsday prophesies” even went as far as going to Iraqi to act as human shields in an attempt to thwart US attacks. What was very interesting was that on the day that infamous statue of Saddam Hussein was brought down, among the thousands of cheering Iraqis, a few of these newly freed people held up a sign telling these “human shields” to go home.

White liberalism has also convinced thousands of American citizens to take pictures of themselves holding signs that tell the world that they are sorry for living in a country that invaded Iraq (a perceived victim). These people have totally ignored the fact that although the true motive of our Iraqi invasion is still questionable, millions of people no longer have to live under constant fear for their very lives, including the children that they so cherish.

At the time this article was being written, there is a death row inmate in the state of Connecticut that is pleading with the state to execute him for the eight women he admits sexually assaulting and eventually murdering. White liberalism in the form of the ACLU and other fringe groups have made the choice that this man must be insane to make such a request is currently fighting the courts to ignore his plea. White liberalism always knows what is best for the victim that they represent.
In many cases, blacks have unknowingly been a victim of white liberalism. Of course the most recent example can be seen in our last elections. For the first time in many years blacks have begun a small trend moving to different political parties other than Democratic. It was sad enough to hear other blacks refer to these “out of the mold” blacks as “Uncle Toms’”, but when whites began to do the same thing without being challenged by their fellow black Democrats, it truly became a sad day in America. White liberalism was able to somehow assume that it represented the majority of blacks in this country so much so it felt very comfortable in using the same racial slang that sadly we as blacks use on each other. All of a suddenly, white liberalism became “our brother in arms”.

Currently, white liberalism is fighting every little town and city for the purpose of removing any reference to Christmas in the public square. Their reason is that it offends many people who do not acknowledge a Christian God. What has been very peculiar about their little cause is that when confronted, those that buy into this ideology are unable to produce the millions that they say they represent. I have known of many people who do not consider themselves Christian to tell me “Merry Christmas”. Are we now to assume that those that buy into white liberalism has some kind of ability to see into the inner pain of these people every time they have to endure the holiday season? In many cases, this fight for the “perceived victim” is in vain. Another example of this can be seen in the recent decision by the city of Los Angeles to remove the cross off of the city seal. Numbers of people in the Los Angeles area voiced their opposition to this decision versus only a few showed support for this action. Yet it was the majority that was ignored. White liberalism knows better than its victims.

The odd thing about white liberalism is that those who are its victims are from all various backgrounds—whites included. The reason why I make the distinction of calling this ideology “white liberalism” is because this elitist attitude that suggests it knows what’s best for the victims they claim to represent is seen most among whites who consider themselves liberals. One needs to be very careful to assume that this applies to all white liberals. This is simply not true. What is true is that unless this forced ideology is confronted and dealt with, this country will be filled with “perceived victims” that will only look to this twisted ideology for its salvation.

In the end, we are all nothing more than badges of validation for this movement that is fueled largely by its own insecurity.