| Subcribe via RSS
Those who are of the belief that what drives a person to kill is poverty should take a look at this story:
Terrorists used a disabled child as a suicide bomber on election day, Iraqi interior minister Falah al-Naqib said today. (more…)
Man, a DISABLED CHILD!!!
If you still believe the poverty theory, then with all do respect, you are just as sick as they are!
April over at the blog krisandapril.blogs.com just recently visited the Buffalo soldiers museum and has quite of few pics from this experience. Click here to visit the photo gallery.
Click here for some more history on these unsung heroes.
Throughout much of our media, you will find widespread criticism of the United States and its large oil consumption. The one fact that is rarely mentioned is that while the US consumes roughly 19.65 million bbl/day (according the CIA World Factbook, 2001), the European Union consumes roughly 14.48 million bbl/day (again, using the CIA World Factbook figures in 2001) putting the difference of approximately 5.17 million bbl/day between the two entities.Although it is clear the the US consumes the most oil, it is also very clear that the EU is not that far behind and should share some of the oil consumption criticisms.
Needless to say, this criticism directed towards the US has reached new heights in light of the current war in Iraq. These same critics, however are almost at a loss of words when they are confronted with the fact that while we have been fighting in Iraq, the price at the pump here in the US has greatly increased. Based on that fact, I find it almost a stretch to believe that the sole reason the US went into Iraq in the first place was for the oil. Another point to consider is that it would have been a lot cheaper for the US to have left Saddam in power and negotiate a deal for oil (like the other other countries involved in the oil-for-food scandal). Please don’t get me wrong, I am quite sure that Iraqi oil was somehow factored in the plans of our occupation; however, based on what I just mentioned, I do not believe that was the primary reason. Like anything else, time will eventually reveal the truths behind our invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Fortunately, time has already revealed (and still is) some of the key players in the oil-for-food scandal. Prior to the invasion of the US, countries like France, Germany, and Russia had already struck deals with Saddam worth billions involving its oil production. This isn’t the first time developed nations like these have placed oil profits over the poor and needy. Today, we will take a current look at Sudan.
Eric Reeves (Professor of English Language and Literature at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. He has spent the past six years working full-time as a Sudan researcher and analyst, publishing extensively both in the US and internationally. His website is www.sudanreeves.org ) has been closely watching the unrest in Sudan. Just recently, he provided this update for that region. I will just provide some excerpts, but please visit his very insightful site for this and other information pertaining to Sudan:
“Reports of large-scale military assaults on civilians in Darfur, by both Khartoum’s regular forces and its murderous Janjaweed militia allies, have been continuous for many weeks. Bombing attacks, ground assaults, and comprehensive village and town destruction have sustained the National Islamic Front regime’s genocidal policies toward non-Arab/African tribal populations and villages…”
“But it is worth noting in particular the aerial bombing attack against the town of Shangil Tobaya (approximately 40 miles south of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state) on January 26, 2005.
Jan Pronk, UN special representative to Sudan, is reported by the BBC to have said the attack left 100 civilians dead…”“[Pronk] said the government bombers and helicopter gunships fly regularly over north and south Darfur, and 40 villages had been hit by pro-government militia.†(BBC January 28, 2005)
“These forty villages had been attacked by “government-linked Janjaweed militia [ ] in the area around Labado in South Darfur†(BBC, January 28, 2005).
“‘fighting between government and rebels troops in Darfur has decreased in the past month, but Arab militias still attack, rape, and abducted villagers in the troubled region,†Pronk said.†(Associated Press, January 23, 2005)
I must again point out that those that are committing these crimes against black Africans are Arab Muslims (with the blessing of the government) in that region.
Reeves also provides a map of Sudan that list the major oil and gas concession holders. Among them are the following nations:
Canada
China
France
Qatar
Australia
Sweden
Malaysia
Click here to see the actual map.
Conclusion
So the basic question that should come out of this information is “If these kind of atrocities against humans in Sudan, then why are the countries mentioned above still doing business with this country?
Not trying to suggest anything here, because black women are beautiful regardless of what kind of hair (or whose hair 
) they have. Here are just some links that I came across that I think you will find helpful!
Enjoy!!
Khamit Kinks (http://www.khamitkinks.com)
Nappyhair (http://www.nappyhair.com)
Nappturality (http://www.nappturality.com)
Our Hair (http://www.ourhair.net)
Black Hair Media (http://www.blackhairmedia.com)
Cornrows & Co. (http://www.cornrowsandco.com)
What is this?
“Of the common cosmetic procedures, permanent waving, bleaching and dyeing all damage the hair to some extent. Permanent waving, by its nature, disrupts the structure of the hair: indeed, it has to do so for the perm to be successful. In order to change the shape of the hair, permanent waving agents first break the disulphide bonds that give the hair shaft its structure. The hair is then put into its new shape and ‘neutralised’. Neutralisation is the name given to the re-forming of the chemical bonds in their new positions, a process that fixes the hair permanently into its new shape. The secrets of satisfactory perming lie in the manufacturer’s formulation of the product and the stylist’s expertise in applying the neutralising lotion after just the right length of time, so that the perm is fixed but the hair is damaged as little as possible. Permed hair should always look beautiful in spite of this deliberate ‘damage’.” (part of the on-line reference by Dr. John Gray for the P&G Hair Care Research Center. Click here for the rest of the article along with the entire online reference)
Natural Hair Care
by Ms SNIPS (ourhair.net)
Do you remember seeing your first Afro? Where you impressed, jealous, disgusted or shocked? Nothing gains a second look faster than a person of African or Ethnic descent wearing what God gave them naturally.. Whether you are on one side of the fence or the other about natural styles, their beauty is undeniable.Over the last 40 or so years, hair worn in its natural state has been as much about politics as it has been about personal choice. During the turbulent ’60’s and ’70’s hair worn naturally was about freedom more so than a sense of style. It was an attempt by people of color to embrace their individuality.
As we moved into the 1980’s, a more businesslike attitude overtook the country and our hair conformed right along with it. Relaxers where more popular than ever and the Jeri Curl was being born (thank heavens it died!).
Now we fast forward to the new millennium and people of color are redefining themselves and their commitment to hair that’s been fried, dyed and laid to the side. Once again, the hairstyles worn by African American and Ethnic women point to a new sense of pride and acceptance of natural hair.
Embracing this fierce new acceptance of self is a breed of woman who is dropping the lye habit in droves. Popular culture reflects this trend in commercials showing nappy heads in corporate offices, theatres, and malls, driving expensive autos and chatting via cell.
Many women who are either considering dropping the lye habit, transitioning, newly natural or have been natural for years, have all come from a common place of thought about their hair. They were tired of the chemicals, the long waits at the salon, the scabs and burns, the fear of anything touching our hair (even our men) and the thin lifeless beast relaxers left us them. For them, to no longer relaxer gave them truly wash and wear hair. In this article, we will walk you through the process of going natural and how to take care of a style the newly natural you! (cont. …)
In my latest commentary “Don’t trust ‘whiteyâ€Â, I made the suggestion that “…affirmative action can be seen as institutionalized distrust” of both white people and the United States government.
With that being said, how then do we as people of color obtain the superiority that determines when these two entities (whites and government) have reached the place of compliance where all sides are in complete agreement?
Have a great weekend and I see you on Sunday in the Weekend Health Clinic!
Duane
The Black Informant
“McCombs wants between $500 - $600 million and he wants the deal done in the next couple of weeks. Well that may be a huge problem considering the finance committee in the league needs the vetting that. You are talking about getting 31 owners to approve a deal from someone who is not really well known in the sports circles. It’s not impossible but what we are talking about is the first African American business owner to be a majority owner of an NFL franchise so you better believe that there are sharks out trying to smell blood. In doing a search on Spiral, Inc., I have come across numerous stories about Fowler wanting to buy the Vikings but I had to dig a little deeper…” (more…)
Missing Child: HAFIZ ABDUS-SALAAM
DOB: Jun 28, 2000
Missing: Oct 4, 2004
Age Now: 4
Sex: Male
Race: Black/Hisp
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 3′0″ (91 cm)
Weight: 45 lbs (20 kg)
Missing From:
CHARLOTTE
NC
United States
Last seen with: KARIMAH ABDUS-SALAAM (Abductor)
Abductor
DOB: Nov 19, 1951
Sex: Female
Race: Black
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5′2″ (157 cm)
Weight: 130 lbs (59 kg)
Hafiz was last seen on October 4, 2004. He may be in the company of his non-custodial grandmother, Karimah Abdus-Salaam. A felony warrant was issued for the abductor on October 12, 2004. They may still be in the local area, or they may have traveled to Georgia. They may be traveling in a green 1997 Ford Escort with North Carolina license plates and a broken passenger side mirror. Karimah has a mole above her lip and is missing a bottom tooth. She has been known to wear her hair in dreadlocks and wrapped in a scarf.
ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
——————————————————————————–
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (North Carolina) 1-704-353-1000
Mauritania raises wages by 600%
Mauritania has raised its minimum wage by more than 600% - the latest in a series of measures aimed at preventing further trouble after three coup attempts…
…Former army officer Salih Walad Hananna, on trial along with more than 190 other suspects, has accused the government during his court appearances of not doing enough to help Mauritania’s people (more…)
New child labour laws help police act quickly
Libreville - Gabonese police picked up 60 foreign children working illegally on the streets of Libreville as well as 20 of their suspected employers in their first swoop under new legislation against the practice, officials said on Wednesday.
Deputy police commander Colonel Matthieu Douana said that all but four of the children held on Tuesday were girls, more than half from Benin but also from Togo, Nigeria or Ghana. The four boys were all Nigerian (more…)
SNC-Lavalin awarded $750M contract to build water treatment plant in Algeria
Construction giant SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. has been awarded a $750-million contract to design and build a water-treatment plant and pumping station in Algeria.
The facility will be built at Taksebt, about 100 kilometres east of the capital Algiers, and will include a 600,000 cubic-metre-per-day water treatment plant and pumping station (more…)
Wave of deadly clashes in Sudan’s Darfur region
Dozens of people have been killed or injured during a series of attacks by rebels or armed tribesmen against villages in Sudan’s war-scarred Darfur region, the United Nations Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS) reported today.
In the deadliest incident, between 24 and 36 people were reported killed, and 26 others injured, when a convoy of rebels attacked the village of Al-Mallam in South Darfur state last Friday (more…)
Mugabe’s party riven with dissent as his power ebbs
ACCUSATIONS of violence and voter intimidation yesterday dogged internal polls held by Zimbabwe’s ruling party to select candidates for the general election in March…
Earlier this month, in a rare challenge to the party’s leadership, angry war veterans stormed a ZANU-PF meeting in a Mutare hotel to complain that candidates for this year’s parliamentary elections were being imposed on them, according to the weekly Manica Post. “There was chaos,” Shadreck Chipanga, who heads ZANU-PF’s co-ordinating committee in Manicaland province, told the newspaper (more…)
FAMU, Howard Students Aid Tsunami Relief
Rachel Melson sat in a state of utter disbelief over the winter break as she bore witness to the devastation caused by the tsunami that wreaked havoc from Africa to Asia…(more…)
HU TO CONSTRUCT CUTTING-EDGE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER
Hampton University is planning the construction of a 64,000 square foot Biomedical Research Center on the university campus. Funded by HU and a federal government agency, the state-of-the-art facility will be an interdisciplinary center for biomedical researchers from both HU and the local region. (more…)
Track team nationally ranked (Jackson State U)
Thanks to a new attitude, new facilities and determined leadership, the Jackson State Tigers men’s track program has . . (more…)
NCCU RESEARCHERS FIRST TO CREATE MOLECULAR MODEL
Researchers at North Carolina Central University have created a molecular model they believe would lead to the development of a better pain reliever based on the active ingredient THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is found in marijuana. (more…) [Now don’t ya’ll don’t start smokin’ the stuff ]
New Society to Guide Young Men (Howard U)
At a time in Howard’s history where the enrollment rate of male students is at a low, the Society of Collegiate Black Men steps in to assume the responsibility of restoring the status of the traditional Howard man (more…)
Go to BlackCollegeWire.org for all of your black college updates!!
Here is an interesting piece that I came across recently:
More than 20 years after the AIDS epidemic arrived in the United States, 15 percent of African-Americans embrace the theory that government scientists created the disease to control or wipe out their communities, according to a study by Rand Corp. and Oregon State University.
More than one-quarter said they believed AIDS was produced in a government lab, and 12 percent believed it was created and spread by the CIA.
A slight majority said they believe a cure is being withheld from the poor. Forty-four percent said people who take new medicines for HIV are government guinea pigs, and 15 percent said AIDS is a form of genocide against black people. (more...)
Quite a few reports left out the following from the actual press release:
Significant numbers of African Americans believe in conspiracy theories about AIDS, and black men with such beliefs are less likely to use condoms as a precaution against spreading the HIV virus…(more…),
As the title suggests, the basic translation of this statistic/survey is simply that a good percentage of blacks today still do not trust most white people and government. For those of us that are in the over 30 crowd, we have witnessed such suspicious tragedies as the Tuskegee syphilis project, the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. , Malcolm X, and the Jim Crow laws of the south. More recently, the dismissal of 4 LAPD officers of charges for the senseless beating of a black motorist did very little to improve are trust of white people or “the system†(better known as the government). [Hey, let’s not forget if you were one of those that saw the movie Rosewood right before or during a work week. ].
There is one other element to this anti-trust mixture that I think is very important to mention. Many of our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. have also contributed to this negative trend as well. As a child, I remember all the stories I would hear various family members that would recall all of the times a white person did them wrong. As the stories were being told, I can remember my aunts in the room shaking their head while saying “um – um – um.†The men in the room would just say something like “see there! That’s why… (you fill in the blank)â€Â.
To this very day, when I am telling a story about something that happened to me, I still have friends that will inquire weather or not the people that I am talking about were white or black as if the outcome would have been drastically different if it had been a white person (trust me, its is a hard habit to break 
).
Whites on the other hand are guilty as well in this “lack of trust†conflict. One obvious place you will see this is when a black person enters into an environment and is not dressed like everyone else (who happens to be white). Regardless, when you compare the two groups, it is my belief that we as black people tip the scale in this game of distrust. I believe that one of the biggest issues that place us over the top is made up of two words: Affirmative Action.
Once a much needed plan to even the playing field in America, affirmative action has now turned iinto a vice that is used to further divide us as a nation (In short, affirmative action says two-fold: to whites it says that you can never be trusted to be fair to people of color. To blacks, it says that white people and/or the government are innately flawed when it comes to allowing us to have equal opportunities. In other words, “once a racist, always a racist“. In short, affirmative action can be seen as institutionalized distrust.
As I have said many times before, like anywhere else America may not be perfect, but it has certainly come a long way. Otherwise, I do not think that many of our brothers and sisters from Africa and other people of color would be still coming to this country to make a living.
The political “playas†that stand on the corner of Unending Black Struggle and Injustice Ave. would want to keep us in an unending state of distrust of white people so that they can more easily reap the spoils of white guilt while at the same time embolden their image as a so-called leader of black people.
I am not proposing some kind of great love fest between blacks and whites. Instead, what I realize is that at some point we are going to have to start trusting white people on a much greater scale than we have been in the past. Otherwise we will see ourselves once again at the back of the bus – this time , of the global economy.
“Defense attorney Johnnie Cochran tells us, ‘Race plays a part of everything in America.’ Whites, guilty. Blacks, innocent. Whites, bad. Blacks, good. A white woman clutches her purse when a black guy gets on an elevator. Racism! As a black lawyer enters a courtroom, someone mistakes him for a defendant. Racism! Cochran tells blacks, ‘remain hyper-sensitive. Turn these slights into assaults.” (excerpt from the book The Ten Things You Can’t Say in America by Larry Elder)
French President Jacques Chirac continued his insane suggestion that the whole world should be taxed and that the money would go towards fighting AIDS:
In a speech via video link to political and business leaders in the Swiss resort of Davos, he said at least 10 billion dollars (7.7 billion euros) a year was needed — up from six billion annually now — to stem the spread of the disease.
Chirac, prevented from flying to the World Economic Forum here through poor weather, said that despite huge efforts so far, “we are failing in the face of this terrible pandemic.” (more…)
He also said:
“… developed countries should also create tax incentives to stimulate private donations to charity.”
The United States has been doing this for years and still get criticized for being “stingy”!
Throughout Chirac’s passionate plea for the world to increase, he failed to mention the pile of crap that he had to wipe off his shoes from the Oil for Food scandal before making his speech. Throughout the war in Iraq, evidence has shown that France has been a key player in accepting payments from Saddam Hussein via the UN’s Oil for Food campaign. Millions of Iraqi citizens were forced to fend for themselves for much needed food and medicine while Saddam and his cohorts along with the governments of France, Germany, and Russia enjoyed the “fruits of their arrangement”. Another thing, the current laws of France are written as such where the president of France is automatically granted immunity from any type of investigation.
A little bit later, I will go into how European countries have been raping Africa (yet again) via the oil industry. Here again, you will see how millions of dollars go directly to hands of corrupt governments while ONCE AGAIN, the people who need it the most suffer.
Now Chirac wants to give them more money?
Developing…
The New York Daily News reports:
Hip-hop radio station HOT 97 has sparked outrage across the city by airing a twisted song that shockingly mocks the 200,000 victims of the South Asian tsunami.
Before one airing of the song, the station’s news reader, Miss Info, who is of Asian descent, objected to the song, only to be attacked by Jones and her cohorts.
“That song is really offensive to me, and I opted not to involve myself,” Miss Info said.
Jones replied, “I know you feel you’re superior because you’re Asian, but you’re not.” Later, co-host Todd Lyn, incensed at Miss Info’s criticism, said, “I’m going to start shooting Asians.” (more…)
Here are just some of the lyrics:
And all at once, you can hear the screaming ch**ks
And no one was saved from the wave
There were Africans drowning, little Chinamen swept away
You can hear God laughing, ‘Swim you bi***es swim.’
[Chorus]
So now you’re screwed, it’s the tsunami,
You better run and kiss your a*s away, go find your mommy
I just saw her float by, a tree went through her head
And now your children will be sold to child slavery
Glad to see at least some black media outlets at least mentioned this incident. Otherwise, this is shameful.
I’ll let you guys do the commenting if you like.
A while ago, I did a series on the state of the public school system here in the US (check the menu to your right for the associated links to that series). Between the elections and other issues that I blogged on, I never had an opportunity to finish that series. Currently, I am in the process of gathering some additional information from a homeschool group.
I don’t know if I have mentioned it on this site or not, but I am the proud father of two beautiful children. Currently they are a tad bit too young for school, but my wife and I have already made the decision to homeschool both of them. One of the homeschool groups that I have been associated with is based out of Arizona area. They have an e-mail list that I have been a part of for while now. This has been a good way for me to meet other black parents who have been homeschooling their kids.
Because this group is made up of families from all over the US, they decided to have a meet-up in the Grand Canyon area this past summer. Unfortunately, we were unable to join them, but from what I was told, it was an experience of a lifetime. The picture above is from the trip to the Grand Canyon.
This part of my series will talk about the growing number of black families that are opting for this type of education for their children.
While doing my online research on my current series on the slave trade in Sudan and Mauritania, I came across this wonderful site that I have already added to my links over to your right. Here is her posted bio:
My name is Sokari. I am an African feminist, a woman of a certain age who has traveled the world, the cities of Africa, the Americas, Middle East and Europe, now living in rural Spain under the guise of being an organic farmer. But still my heart is and always will be in mother Africa and Abonnema in particular. Two years on and I am just beginning to realise there is no money to be made from being a “farmer” ( a stretch of the word in my case) just very hard work - maybe I could earn a living from blogging! Any suggestions welcome.
So as you can see, she adds a lot to the blogsphere just by all the places she has traveled to. I personally like her site because she gives a very unique perspective on what is going on back in the motherland as it relates to politics, injustice, etc. Here is a sampling of some of her most recent postings:
Darfur crisis: political and state made
Short Stories from Francophone Africa
Ovation
Minority Rights in Botswana
On A Darkling Plain
WOZA members arrested
Protocol on the rights of women in Africa
The Angel Gabriella
Whats happening in Somalia
Check her site out today!!
Black Looks - her site
Black Bloggers Association (http://blacklogs.com)
This is another wonderful recent addition to the blogsphere. Here you will find snippets of articles from various black-authored blogs. According to their website, they are still hammering out some details as it relates to the purpose and direction of the site.
Check them out today and be sure to bookmark their site. Also, spread the word!!
Ann M. Fudge
Chairman and CEO, Young & Rubicam Brands
Age: 52
In an industry that focuses on big accounts, great slogans, and advertising awards, Fudge may seem somewhat of a misfit. She is not your typical advertising executive — in background or ideology. Since being named chairman and CEO of WPP’s marketing and communication giant in May 2003, Fudge hasn’t emphasized new business or a creative savvy. Fudge has been steadfastly focused on strengthening the company, which has 540 offices in 80 countries, to function as one multifaceted organization — renaming the company Young & Rubicam Brands to make her point. This move speaks to Fudge’s efforts to create a company that can offer holistic marketing solutions to satisfy the needs of a client looking to enhance brand awareness. Why is the client so important? She used to be one. The former president of the $5 billion Kraft unit for the beverages, desserts, and Post cereals division, made her name in the consumer packaged good industry, reviving products brands that included Minute Rice, Maxwell House, and Stove Top.
(click here to read Black Enterprise’s feature on more black execs.)
The people over at the weblog visioncircle.org are in the early stages of planing this website and are asking for your input. Just click the “Contact Us” link on the left to submit any comments, questions, or suggestions while they are in the early stages of this site.
Please show them your support! A great and much needed idea to the blogsphere!
