Giovanni's Room

"The success of Baldwin's effort as the witness is evidenced time and again by the people, black and white, gay and straight, famous and anonymous, whose humanity he unveiled in his writings. America and the literary world are far richer for his witness. The proof of a shared humanity across the divides of race, class and more is the testament that the preacher's son, James Arthur Baldwin (1924-1987), has left us." Washington Post

plutoed

1) to be demoted without due cause or reason

2) to demote or devalue someone or something with considerable cause

3) to demean another to make them feel as though they don't amount to anything

4) to be demoted in some fashion

images

Miss America 1983 Vanessa Williams



Salmon Chase appears on the US $10,000 bill



It doesn't happen often but when their canals freeze the Dutch ice skate across their country



Millvina Dean (1912-2009), the last survivor of the Titanic was a two month old infant the nite the ship sank



JFK's daugther Caroline



Patrick McGoohan (1928-2009) star of the extraordinary 1967 British Sci Fi TV show, The Prisoner

Mr. President

Hail to the Chief!

cancer

First let’s understand that Cancer is not a disease. It’s a syndrome you perpetuate within your body when you create a chemical imbalance or expose your body to excessive toxins. Follow me: It is natural for the body to create cancerous cells. It’s a by product of living in an unclean imperfect environment. But if all other things are equal your body eliminates cancerous cells long before they overwhelm your systems and become a problem. Unfortunately all things are not equal because you are constantly forcing your body to perform massive maintenance cleaning up all the garbage you repeatedly ingest in the form of processed toxic things you have been trained to think of as food.

Now don’t get me wrong. A minority of people are directly exposed to cancer causing agents. For example, the people who lived and worked around the World Trade Center in New York City just after the towers were destroyed were exposed to deadly air toxins. But as difficult as it is to believe even they could have been cured had they been aware of the exposure, and even now many can still be saved if they only understood how. But this is the exception; the rule shows that the vast majority of us create the cancer within our body. Note that 60% of all cancer comes from the food we ingest and 30% from smoking cigarettes.

Understand that cancer is not something attacking your body; it is something your body is doing to itself because you have overwhelmed it with toxins, and the body can simply no longer handle the overload. The human machine no longer produces normal cells but cancerous cells instead.

So what’s a cancerous tumor then? It’s the body’s attempt to isolate bad cells. It is similar to the body’s attempt to isolate toxins in boils or pimples that erupt through the skin. Unfortunately the appearance of a cancerous tumor indicates that the body is not capable of destroying or excreting abnormal cells faster than the body is creating them. So what does that mean? It means that although in certain limited situations chemotherapy, radiation treatment and laser therapy can be used to temporarily destroy an accumulation of cancerous cells these treatments are useless when addressing the cause of the cancer. Most cancer patients die from the treatment, not the cancer, because the treatment kills as many good cells as abnormal cancerous ones. Please understand that the entire body is failing; cancer is not isolated to any part of the body. Cancer does not spread; it is already part of us. Cancer does not fall into remission. Your allopathic medical physician has no technology capable of curing or arresting this condition.

So now that I’ve brought you crashing down into the depths of despair let me tell you that the production of cancer cells is easy to stop. Here’s how to do it:

Constantly cleanse your body of toxins

Because you will never live in a clean environment and because you will always ingest toxic substances you must forever cleanse toxins from your system. Note that even deadly toxins such as tar and nicotine from cigarettes can be cleansed from your body. Start with the colon and work your way up into the intestines, kidneys, liver, stomach and lungs. Fast often, drink more water and kill those parasites living in your body. You should also buy a juicer and use it everyday. Strenuous physical exercise is also an excellent way to cleanse the body. Perspiration allows the body to purge toxins. The higher body temperature attained through exercise kills many foreign organisms living in your body.

Balance your hormones

If you consume farmed animal flesh regularly then you have an excess of estrogen in your body. This destroys a man’s prostate and causes breast development. It gives women fibroid tumors. Women who use allopathic birth control over time will destroy their uterus and lead them straight to a hysterectomy. Surgically removing glands such as the prostate or the thyroid is inappropriate because it does not cure the problem and causes a permanent hormone imbalance.

Reinforce your immune system

Catching a cold that lasts more than 48 hours means you are immune deficient. Beef, chicken, farmed fish are all fed antibiotics that weaken your immune system. Regular use of over the counter drugs and prescribed antibiotics further weaken your immune system and provide no benefit to your body.

Provide proper nutrition to your body

It’s crucial to know what is and is not food.

1) Food is that which heals, cleanses and provides nutrition to the body. Food is alive and carries its own digestive enzymes. Raw vegetables and fruit, whole grain and unroasted unsalted nuts and seeds, dried beans and peas are all good examples of whole food.

2) Hybrid foods are things like seedless grapes, and vegetables and fruits grown with chemical pesticides and fertilizers. These foods have been modified at the genetic level. Their impact on the body is unclear but generally not good. They should be avoided.

3) Formally known as food refers to that which was once food but you processed it and destroyed much of its nutritional value. Note that all frozen or canned fruits or vegetables along with any pre packaged juice have been cooked. Fresh vegetables should be cooked without added water for only a minute or two.

4) Non foods are things we eat that are not meant for human consumption because the substance is dead and carries no digestive enzymes such as refined sugar, white rice and bleached white flour (bread and pasta). Cow mucus (milk, cheese and butter) is alive but should never be consumed. These products require a massive effort by your body for digestion and are the primary causes for your cancer.

5) Animal flesh (mammals, fish, birds, crustaceans) can be food if handled correctly. It is within nature for animals to consume other animals but as primates we need not ingest flesh to maintain proper nutrition. The problem with the flesh you buy in the store is that the animal was feed insulin, antibiotics, growth hormones and estrogen. Additionally the animal may have been cancerous before it was slaughtered. The flesh is preserved with dyes and sulfates. The flesh must also be cooked less the parasites living in the old dead flesh continue to live within you. We also consume far more animal flesh than our bodies can handle.

6) I’m not trying to gross you out here, but note that all the five billion peoples who live outside western civilization consume insects as a regular part of their diet. Peoples in non western cultures do not have the issues with cancer we have, but their bodies develop cancer as they learn to ingest processed animal flesh and smoke cigarettes as we do. Insects are the only living creatures non human primates ingest regularly. Insects are not animals and do not have flesh. Although not part of our cultural diet, insects are an extremely pure, plentiful and nutritional food.

7) Food supplements are created by extracting the active ingredients from a food source, concentrating it into a capsule and calling it a vitamin, but that still doesn’t make it food. Most of the active ingredients in a vitamin capsule simply wash straight through the body because your digestive system is designed to separate active ingredients from whole food. It is much better for your body if you squeeze a fresh lemon into a glass of water and drink it as opposed to taking vitamin C capsules.

Maintain proper pH balance

Cancer and virus thrive in an acidic body. Because you are only a bag filled with water and a few pounds of chemicals your water must be balanced between acidity and alkaline levels just like you balance the pH level in your swimming pool. Everyone reading this is acidic. The use of magnesium, calcium and potassium will balance your body’s pH levels.

Build spiritual and emotional calm into your life

This statement is obvious but its attainment may not be. You can start by remembering that you are just another creature of the earth, not its master. Without the earth, we don’t exist. Your health, your life force comes from the earth and is nurtured by the fruits of the earth, not by man made by products. Because we feel ourselves above life, not part of it, as civilized urbanized human animals we cover our skin with unnatural fibers and cover the earth with concrete and asphalt. If you want to reconnect with your spirit just let your bare skin touch the bare earth: Close your mouth, still your mind, feel the spirit. Roll in the ocean and feel the sea creatures around you; stand alone naked in the forest and hear what the non human animals, plants and rocks say to you. The earth speaks; we just don’t listen.

Conclusion

It is not easy to comprehend what is written here. We haven’t been trained to think this way. Your doctor works for the drug companies, not you. The drug companies want to keep you addicted to sell more products. The food manufactures are only concerned with product distribution without regard to nutritional value. Your health is your responsibility.

Allopathic medicine is designed to handle trauma. Your doctor is trained to repair a broken body. Surgery and drugs are exactly what your body needs if you are run over by a bus, your bones are broken and your life fluids are draining from your body. Doctors also have some fairly competent technology enabling them to diagnose certain issues and imbalances within the body. They also have chemicals that can rebalance the body’s fluids and temporarily maintain a body in crisis. What a doctor cannot do is heal your body. Only the body can heal itself.

Perhaps one day medical technology will advance to a stage where physicians can regulate the body’s chemistry safely with ease and precision, but that day has not yet arrived. All your doctor’s cancer drugs are experimental. Currently, your doctor has no technology to stop your body from producing cancer cells. Only you can do that.

Oh by the way, the above painting is entitled, “David with Head of Goliath #1”, painted by Caravaggio in 1598. The painting is also a self portrait, as it is the artist’s head that David holds in his hand.

message

Jesus, the Christ: Over two billion people believe this to be true.

Here now let us learn the message and not lose ourselves in the details of the history.

Who was Jesus?

Jesus was a man who walked the earth without fear or guilt or ego.

Jesus had no fear of death.

He showed this by giving his life away.

Jesus had no guilt.

Jesus did not know sin;

He had no need to feel guilty.

Jesus had no ego;

He had no concept of self.

All that Jesus did he credited to his Father in heaven.

What did Jesus do?

Jesus conveyed God’s absolute love to every single living creature he encountered. Jesus lived only in profound and total gratitude for the wonders of God’s grace.

Jesus totally perceived God’s love and let it penetrate his very marrow;

This was the only way he could respond.

Was Jesus God?

The man Jesus was one with God the Divine.

Only his physical presence allowed Jesus to distinguish himself as separate from God. The human manifestation of Jesus allowed God to sense Himself as a separate.

Was Jesus special?

Only Christians proclaim that God walked the earth as a man.

Jesus was a man who lived without fear, guilt or ego.

Were we to meet a man who lacked these human characteristics, we too would recognize him as God.

Such a man could see God, be taken for God, and raise sufficient fear in men to require his destruction.

Although we will never attain the qualities of Jesus, the world improves anytime anyone touches the path Jesus followed.

The message of Jesus

Live and believe as I do and you will be with me with God

Using adoration and love, Jesus showed the way to be with God.

Christians believe Jesus transformed into the Christ through his faith and belief.

A message for you

Belief in Jesus is not necessary;

To live as Jesus lived is necessary.

Oh by the way, the painting above is entitled, The Death of the Virgin, oil on canvas by Caravaggio in 1605

Three People

Homer Plessy (1863 - 1925)

No photos exist of this light skinned 7/8 white creole Louisiana man who was the Rosa Parks of his day. Homer looked white enough to pass but dark enough to be arrested for publically declaring his African bloodline while sitting in the white section of the train in 1882. He was convicted of violating the Jim Crow law. Like Ms Parks, Mr Plessy's arrest had been orchestrated by civil rights activists. He appealed his case (Plessy vs Ferguson) to the US Supreme Court in 1886 and lost! The ruling established "seperate but equal" as the law of the land and institutionalized American segregation until the ruling was overturned by Brown vs Board of Education in 1954.

Charles Houston (1895 - 1950)

This lawyer (pictured above) architected the series of lengthy legal battles that ended the "seperate but equal" doctrine that resulted from the US Supreme Court decision in Plessy vs Ferguson in 1886. From 1930 thru 1950 Houston led a successful law team that challanged discrimination in education throughout the US. Although Houston never lived to see his dream bear fruition, before his death he mentored a bright young lawyer who later successfully argued the case before the US Supreme Court in 1954. The name of the bright young lawyer was Thurgood Marshall.

Fannie Lou Hamer (1917 - 1977)

Civil Rights Activist

Extraordinary Person

"I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired"

Ms Hamer spoke at the 1964 Democratic National Convention against the segregated Mississippi delegation. Ms Hamer's zeal forced the Democratic Committee to agree never again to seat a delegation from a state that practiced voter discrimination. Ms Hamer's voice was impossible to ignore because she had been arrested 17 times and brutally beaten by police while attempting to register to vote.

Lena Baker

In 1945 the state of Georgia executed Ms Baker for murdering her employer. She is the only woman Georgia ever electrocuted. She was pardoned in 2005.

The History of Western Medicine

2000 BC

“Here, eat this root”.

1000 AD

“You fool, that root is heathen.

Here, attach these leeches and say this prayer”.

1850

“You Neanderthal, that prayer is superstitious.

Here, drink this potion and get rid of those damn leeches”.

1920

“That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill”.

1945

“That pill is ineffective. Here, take this penicillin”.

1965

“Oops, germs got stronger. Here, take this tetracycline”.

1985

“Oops ... Here, take this ciprofloxacin”.

2009

“OMG, the germs have won. Here, eat this root”.

Muscle Growth Food

Eggs

Some egg producers are adding flaxseed to the feed of hens. Adding omega-3-6-9 fatty acids, in the form of flaxseeds, to the diets of hens increases the omega-3-6-9 fatty acid content of eggs by over six times that of regular eggs. Egg producers also add vitamin E to the flaxseed feed to keep it stable. This can cause the vitamin E content of fortified eggs to be as much as eight times higher than that of normal eggs. Eggs should be consumed raw as cooking destroys its benefit. You should also purchase eggs from chickens not fed hormones and antibiotics.

Legumes

Legumes are an excellent source of soluble fiber, which is important for keeping an athlete’s blood sugar and energy levels stable. As far as plant foods go, most legumes are relatively high in protein and are a good source of slow releasing complex carbohydrates. This is great for providing a more stable and longer lasting supply of energy for working out. Legumes can be eaten in chili, stews, and soups, and are also enjoyable when served cold in bean salads. Some of the more common legumes found in the U.S. include pinto beans, kidney beans, navy beans, lima beans, black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and black-eyed peas. Legumes can be purchased dry, canned, and sometimes frozen. Of course fresh beans and peas are always best.

Allium Vegetables

Allium vegetables, such as garlic, chives, onions, scallions, and leeks, are a flavorful way to add healthful nutrients to a bodybuilders diet. The benefits of garlic and other allium vegetables may come from their abundant flavonoids, such as quercetin, and also from their sulfur-containing compounds. Allium vegetables are more beneficial when uncooked. So you may want to add them to sandwiches, salads, salad dressings, and other raw recipes to get the most from them.

Mollusks

Low in fat, a source of protein, and high in essential minerals, mollusks can be a good addition to a bodybuilder’s diet. Three popular and nutritious mollusk choices are clams, oysters, and mussels. Clams, in particular, lead the way for all foods in heme iron content. Heme iron found only in red meat, poultry, fish, and seafood is iron bound to a non-protein compound that is much more easily absorbed by the body than free iron. Clams are also an excellent source of vitamin B12 and copper. These three nutrients may help maintain good blood status for delivering oxygen to working muscles. Along with copper, mollusks are also rich in zinc and selenium. These minerals are necessary for the proper functioning of the body’s immune system and its antioxidant defenses.

Nuts

Nuts are a very rich source of nutrients, including polyunsaturated fatty acids, vegetable proteins, fiber, vitamin E, potassium, folate, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, phosphorous, phytosterols, antioxidants, and arginine. Although nuts are considered a fatty food, the fat in them is beneficial. Some healthful choices for the bodybuilder include almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, and pistachios. Eat raw unsalted nuts only.

Whole Grains

Bodybuilders may find whole-grain foods helpful in providing steady energy for hard training. Whole-grain foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and essential fatty acids. Some examples of good whole-grain foods include oatmeal, whole-wheat flour, barley, spelt, and some hot and cold breakfast cereals. Avoid products labeled 100% wheat, stone-ground, multi-grain, seven-grain, 12-grain, or organic. They often contain very little whole grain. Instead, look for whole-grain products that say 100% whole wheat.

Salmon

One of the best sources of omega-3-6-9 fatty acids, salmon is a great way to add more muscle building protein to your diet. Omega-3-6-9 essential fatty acids are important building blocks of cell membranes and, like protein, may help athletes recover from strenuous workouts. Omega-3 fatty acids are also a great addition to anyone’s fat-loss plan. Only purchase wild caught fish because farm-raised salmon is dyed pink and fed antibiotics.

Processed Tomato

Not often do you find a natural food that actually benefits nutritionally by being cooked and processed. This seems to be the case, however, for tomatoes. It appears that even though some vitamin C is lost when tomatoes are heated, the antioxidant power is increased during the process. Researchers have found that the antioxidant lycopene, which is the pigment that makes tomatoes and other fruits like pink grapefruit and watermelon red, is made more bioavailable to the human body after heating. Foods rich in lycopene include canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice, tomato paste, salsa, and ketchup. Unfortunately high fructose corn syrup is added to sweeten these products and that is not good. It is best to find processed tomato products without corn syrup.

Flaxseeds

Also known as linseeds, flaxseeds are small, oval-shaped seeds from the blue flowering flax plant. Flaxseeds are considered one of the best plant sources of healthful omega-3-6-9 essential fatty acids, and they're also a good source of fiber. Flaxseeds (but not all flaxseed oil) are rich in phytochemicals called lignans that may have strong antioxidant properties that can help you stay healthy. There are several sources of lignans, such as whole grains, various berries, and soybeans, but flaxseeds are the best source. For easier digestion, flaxseeds should be ground first; a coffee grinder is good for this. The pleasant, nutty flavor of ground flaxseeds can be enjoyed in many foods, such as baked breads, muffins, and cookies. They can also be eaten in salads, cereals, soups or sauces. Add golden flaxseed meal to your blended energy drinks.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Vegetables such as watercress, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, and cabbage are known as cruciferous vegetables. These vegetables are high in fiber, rich in vitamin C, very low in calories, and a good source of healthful phytonutrients. Eating cruciferous vegetables is a good way to take in important micronutrients without taking in a lot of calories. Bodybuilders wishing to lose bodyfat will find cruciferous vegetables to be a good addition to their focused diet. Try to get three or more servings of these vegetables each week. It is also interesting to note that cruciferous vegetables can be a dieting bodybuilder’s best friend, as in many cases they require more calories to be digested than they provide. Cruciferous vegetables not only help fill you up, but they also help you burn more calories! Bodybuilders put great demand on their bodies during heavy training. Eating well will keep you going strong and staying healthy.


Remember that proper nutrition is the key to health, healing and muscle development.

Michael Lockett

paul dillet

Victor Martinez Guest Posing

Corn

Because your well being is of the utmost importance to me as it should be to you, I am always giving unsolicited advice to others about their health. I am an herbalist. My approach to health is holistic. I usually find that most of our health concerns originate in our diet. So let’s talk about corn.

On the surface one would consider this to be a good food source. But one must realize that the pretty yellow stuff we buy from the supermarket is not the product the indigenous Americans consumed when the first Europeans arrived here. Indian corn more closely resembles that dark brown, purple corn we hang on our doors as autumn decorations: That is corn. That food product is dark in color because the protein content is so high. Indian corn is structurally closer to beans and peas. But Indian corn is also difficult to grow.

So to accommodate our vast population increase, foodologist (I just made up that word) cultivated the pretty yellow and white hybrid corn you and I consume today. The lovely color results from the high starch content of this hybrid product. You see, the yellow corn we ingest is a carbohydrate and structurally more closely resembles white potatoes and rice. Now we all know that starches break down in the blood and become sugar. And we all know that raising our blood sugar level to excess leads to diabetes.

Now this wouldn’t be a problem if we didn’t ingest yellow corn in such massive quantities. For example, the animal flesh you purchase from your local supermarket has been feed huge quantities of corn grain. All the soda and juice beverages, along with the tomato sauce and ketchup you purchase are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.

Most people don’t realize the vast quantities of corn they consume. So add all that corn to the rice, bread, pasta and refined white sugar the average American ingests and you will understand why diabetes is so rampant in our society today. It is this message that I wanted to share with my readers.

It is easy to reduce your yellow corn intake:

- Never consume any product with high fructose corn syrup

- Only purchase animal flesh not feed corn grain (meat should also be free of hormones and antibiotics but that’s another conversation). This information must be clearly stated on the product label. The words, “all natural, no preservatives”, are meaningless. Don’t be fooled.

Zinjun Croon

Huge Bodybuilder Johnnie Morant Chest Workout

SPF

Recently, a close associate approached me for assistance with a severe skin condition. Having no experience in this area a significant amount of research was necessary on my part to understand this issue. First some basic skin facts should be reviewed. The skin is the largest organ of the body. It is also the largest organ for elimination. Because we are only a very porous bag filled with water and a few pounds of minerals, the quality of the internal ingredients is immediately apparent by the condition of the external container. In English that means a toxic body is revealed clearly by the lack of cleanliness and unhealthy appearance of the skin.

My background had taught me to only consider the skin as a direct indicator of the internal health of the subject. This is true but the skin must also be considered and treated as a functioning organ with specific functionality and special care needs just as we think of the liver, heart, kidneys, et al. When taken in this context treatment and understanding of issues like skin cancer can be isolated to understanding of the organ's functionality and not just as a simple covering for the fluids and tissues within. Skin cancer is the issue under scrutiny here.

Next the issue of skin pigmentation had to be addressed. We know that within our species there are slight variations caused by diversity within our planet’s environment that require a change in the manor of understanding and treatment for physical conditions based on these variations. For example, greater importance on skin care has been relegated to skin based on the amount of melanin in the skin. This is correct because skin conditions change based on the amount of the natural occurrence of this substance in the skin.

When addressing skin we must first consider the main factors for us which are the sun and internal toxicity. Let's start with the sun. The sun does not cause skin cancer, nor does it cause the skin to wrinkle or burn as a direct consequence of normal and reasonable exposure. All animals know when to shield their bodies from the direct and damaging impact of exposure to the sun. Left totally exposed to direct intense sunrays the body would simply evaporate and dry out completely leaving only dust. But when used less dramatically, the bleaching effect of the sun cleanses the body. To understand this better hang your dirty white cotton sheets in the bright sun and watch them bleach clean pure white. Notice the sheets do not burn. The sun does the same thing to us. It pulls toxins from the body with a dry cleanse. As the toxins rise to the skin it twists which causes wrinkles in the skin because the cleanse is dry, no water to allow more flexibility in skin movement. This effect is far more apparent in fair color skin with relative low levels of melanin.

Now I’m not going into a conversation about UVA and UVB and UVC rays. The sun is what it is and you know how much you can handle. The sun can't help wanting to cleanse the toxins you have loaded into your body. Clothing doesn’t help much either. Ultra Violet pierces those meager coverings easily. Tanning booths and sun block will kill you because they cause skin cancer. Mineral oil is petroleum. Why would you want to cover your skin with petroleum? Paraffins like coca butter and shea butter are too thick for absorption. Colognes and perfumes are filled with alcohol, dyes and chemicals. Notice how you rub them on your skin avoiding your precious clothing so not to have the chemicals stain your garment. Is not your skin at least as precious? The lotions, powders and creams you generously apply to your skin are loaded with harsh chemicals. An analogy is required. If you drink lots of liquor you will develop liver problems. If you smoke lots of cigarettes you will develop lung problems. If you rub lots of chemicals on your skin.....Are you beginning to see why we have skin issues?

The dual functionality of skin acting both as an organ and as a protective covering requires double concern. Usually skin maladies are a direct by-product of internal elimination of toxins showing on the skin’s surface or reaction to application of external chemicals causing reactive skin conditions. When we find that applying a particular soap, lotion or fragrance to the skin causes a reaction what we are experiencing is a reaction from the toxic chemicals in our bodies with the chemicals in the mixture we applied to the skin surface. It is important to realize that we are filled with toxic chemicals so applying more chemicals to the skin’s surface cause’s a chemical reaction. There is no more to it. So the duel strategy referenced before refers to both the intense need for internal cleansing and a change in the types of applicants we place on our skin.

So what’s good for the skin? The list is long. Of course vitamin E is great. Ingest it and apply it generously to the skin. Cold pressed wheat germ oil is the best source. Black Jamaican Caster oil is a marvelous substitute for sun block. Lavender and clove oil are wonderful for skin issues but very strong. So either dilute them or use them in soap. Tea tree oil kills many skin fungi like athletes foot but it is very caustic and should not be used to treat this condition because the skin is in such a weakened state. Use myrrh powder, Bentonite clay and a simple vegetable glycerin to make a skin salve for results you won’t believe. Cleaning your skin with course corn meal and myrrh powder or bathing in sea salt, Epson salt or baking soda is just great. Zinc rich foods are a great benefit for skin conditions. Foods like spinach, wheat grass, raw unsalted nuts and mushrooms are excellent. Lightly steam some comfrey leaf and rub the moisture on the leaf on your skin.

Of course these remedies are for external or skin related issues. Skin revealing issues indicative of internal toxins rising to the surface require internal solutions. For example fair skin ruddy beet colored complexion or dark skin with dark areas under arms or between legs indicates high acidity and requires application of more internal remedies. The point here is that the list of skin friendly concoctions is endless. The problem is you're not using any of them instead you are pouring dyed chemical fragrances on your skin.

Oh by the way, SPF or sun protection factor is a designation used to indicate your extended sun exposure time allotment after application of the chemical to the skin. The bigger the SPF factor the more toxic chemicals you are applying to your skin. The inner layers of the skin react negatively with those chemicals and that’s what causes skin cancer. In addition to the external skin remedies I referenced above I also recommend a strong internal organ cleanse and an alkaline mixture for those suffering from any form of this malady.

The Obama's

The New Yorker, July 2008

heavy metal

Our previous health conversations have highlighted the dangerously high level of toxins we hold in our bodies as one major source of our health concerns. We have touted the need to cleanse chemicals we regularly ingest from processed food and flesh from our bodies. Now let’s talk about heavy metals. Don’t shirk. We are all filled with them. Let me explain. The most obvious example of heavy metal poisoning comes from smoking cigarettes. The tar and nicotine are brutal but the real killers are the heavy metal elements added to the product. The heavy metals remain in the body long after the smoker abandons the habit. That’s why so many smokers develop lung cancer years after they have kicked the habit; they failed to cleanse the heavy metals from their system.

Now just because you never smoked don’t get the idea that you are not filled with heavy metals. All your tap water has them. Not to mention the acid rain that falls on your fruits and vegetables as they grow in the field from any part of the world. If you cook in aluminum or Teflon coated pots imagine the heavy metals you scrape into your foods each time you stir with your tin flatware. Are you beginning to see the amount of poisonous metals we consume regularly?

Now don’t confuse a heavy metal with the necessary trace elements our body needs to sustain itself. Iron, cooper, silver, zinc, et al are all needed by the body and regulated well. These elements in excess wash through the body. The body signals potential poisoning scenario if levels of these necessary minerals are too great. Here a heavy metal is defined as something the body incapable of using or eliminating in quantity, like arsenic, silicon or lead.

Although no part of the body benefits from presence of these elements, the kidneys and the liver first suffer the most. These are the first organs that attempt to eradicate these substances from the body hopefully before they accumulate in the brain and cause Alzheimer’s. The kidneys will attempt to separate the poisons from the internal organs by pushing the toxins into your feet. This can turn your toe nails dark blue or black or, maybe make the bottoms of your feet hard and crusty.

There are many ways to remove these unwanted substances from the body and obviously help the body purge the materials through the feet. You know this because you have seen advertisements for those foot pads for nighttime usage claiming to absorb heavy metals through the feet. They do work. There is also an ionized foot water massage that attracts the metals into the water coaxing them out your feet. Because this method usually involves a sodium mixture, potassium and magnesium will be excessively and unnecessarily extracted from the body also. The easiest method is to regularly walk barefooted on the rich moist brown soil of the earth. And if you’re a sun worshipper note that beach sand is good too. Still better is to ingest seaweed, Irish Sea moss is the absolute best. Because you are a creature of the earth, the planet does take care of its own. I favor the traditional foot soak in hot water with Epson salt and baking soda or, use raw apple cider vinegar instead. If you are truly serious about cleansing your body you will immerse your entire body in this solution. Don’t forget to shower after the soaking. Shower with course corn meal instead of soap. You can’t imagine how clean you will feel.

lebron & gisele

Vogue, April 2008

Jack Roosevelt Robinson

Born in georgia in 1919 and died in connecticut in 1972, played for the brooklyn dodgers from 1947 until 1956.

separation

Recently some associates of mine suggested that African American history month was passé. They felt that the concept of African American history month was patronizing in the 21st century; after all there is no Greek American history month or Quaker American history month. I was stunned by their revelation. I had never thought of African American history month in this vain. I cautiously shared some agreement with their observation, but felt unwilling to make such a pompous proclamation.

The political state we call America has existed in some form for about 400 years. Slavery or some form of legal segregation based on skin color has existed here for approximately 350 of those years. It seems impossible for us not to have strong emotional feelings about skin color. No matter how civilized and educated and prosperous we may feel we are, no matter how liberal our thinking, no matter how color blind our parents may have been, no matter how progressive the academic institutions we attended purported to be, no matter how devout we may believe ourselves to be, skin color is a big issue in this land today. Now whether we allow this pain to surface or whether we choose to bury this pain deep into our subconscious is of course another matter.

So I asked myself why I was unwilling to call the idea of celebrating separation obsolete, because that is what we do for black history month, we celebrate separation. We honor the achievements of African Americas as opposed to the achievements of other Americans. I wondered why I couldn’t declare this ritual obsolete and discontinue it.

I searched my soul and found I felt that because the issues of skin color are still buried beneath our civilized exterior, the message of this month was still needed in some way. I thought about how I have suppressed feelings like hate and fear and envy and contempt and lust that live in me because my ancestry is rooted in institutions like slavery and segregation. I thought about what this knowledge and heritage has created in my mind and what it has created in this land in the minds of its peoples.

It would be foolish to think that these emotions have disappeared when I know that just 50 years ago an integrated forum such as this would have been impossible. Our parents lived in a segregated society, so how can we imagine that the impact of that institution does not still rest heavy on us just because we don’t talk about it. Do we believe that we are so civilized that these primitive emotions no longer operate within our subconscious?

I don’t agree with my associates. I don’t believe African American history month is passé or patronizing. But to their credit, they did stir me to reevaluate the meaning of this month. Anyone can read the historical facts and events attributed to African Americans. I will not waste time reciting them to you here now. But instead I will use this time to remember those negative subliminal issues of skin color or religion or culture that we inherited from our parents, and from our text books, and from those never ending specials on public television.

In this way, then perhaps we can avoid the fate of destroying ourselves silently, unbeknownst to ourselves that it is each of us doing the killing without knowing it. If we search our hearts and acknowledge that we harbor those subliminal negative emotions against each other as Americans, just imagine the feelings we hold against them, in those other places over there, beyond our borders. You know them, the people we want to fence out. Perhaps a better use of February would be to celebrate and embrace differences between peoples everywhere, so as to help us see that they are really just like us.

On my lips February will always be African American history month, but in my heart February will be a month dedicated to eliminate the separation that keeps us apart.

january

When we go raw we are giving the body an inner vacation.

Enzyme-rich, raw foods aid digestion giving internal organs a rest.

When we talk raw we talk enzymes, we talk life.

Enzymes are supplied naturally via two sources:

our bodies produce and store them,

and we get an abundance of enzymes from raw and living foods.

Our goal for optimum health and longevity is to conserve the body’s own enzymes for use in repairing and rebuilding rather than to deplete them during the process of digestion.

We cannot see enzymes with our naked eyes,

but we can see the life and energy that is result of enzymes:

for example,

take two tablespoons of lentils,

one tablespoon raw and one tablespoon cooked,

place them in soil,

within a few days the raw lentil will sprout and the cooked lentils will disintegrate into the soil. This illustration shows the difference between the raw and the cooked lentil is life and death. One has enzymes and the other does not.

One carries the potential of life;

the other has had life cooked out.

You bite into a sweet baked apple,

and stimulate your taste buds creating a pleasant sensation.

You finish eating then go lie down.

You are feeling sluggish and tired.

Inside your body your own enzymes have to leave their work,

maybe cleaning the liver,

to come digest the cooked apple that does not have any enzymes of its own.

When this apple finally leaves your body,

into the toilet,

it is filled with your own enzymes.

These enzymes are gone forever.

Cooked food does not contain live enzymes and so takes enzymes from your body to digest food. These enzymes are gone forever,

leaving your body with fewer enzymes than you started out with.

A raw diet lets the body purify itself,

protecting you from tumors,

by evacuating toxins.

Every year starting January first we go totally raw to get rid of long standing problems like arthritis,

skin rashes,

body odor and other stubborn toxic wastes that’s been sitting in our system for years.

A raw food diet helps us lose wastes and gain health.

Avocado Shish Kebab

1 firm avocados, peeled and cut into chunks

5 small mushroom caps

1 carrot cut in round, thin slices

5 radishes

½ red pepper, seeded and cut in chunks

1/2 head iceberg lettuce cut in chunks

Wooden shish kebab sticks

Dressing of your choice

Sprouts

Skewer vegetables in rotation on a wooden stick and serve on a bed of sprouts with dressing on the side.

Guacamole

2 avocados, ripe

Juice of 3 small limes

1 stalk celery

1 red onion

1 cucumber, peeled

1 red pepper, seeded

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded

Braggs to taste

1 tsp. cumin

½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Peel and mash avocados adding lime juice.

Mince all the vegetables and mix together.

Add cumin, cilantro and Braggs.

Mix all ingredients and chill.

Substitute dill for the cilantro for a variation.

Leafy Avocado Salad

2 avocados, ripe but firm

½ bunch spinach

½ bunch watercress

1 head Bibb lettuce

1 bunch scallions, green part only

1 sprig fresh mint, minced

2 red radishes, minced

Juice of ½ lemon

Braggs to taste

Cut avocados in half, remove pit and cut into balls with a melon ball cutter. Use a firm avocado! Clean and chop greens. Mince scallions. Combine all ingredients together, tossing with lemon juice and Braggs.

Avocado Salad

2 avocados, ripe but firm

6 mushrooms, sliced

1 cup snow peas, stemmed

2 tbsp. fresh basil, minced

3 red radishes, sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

Braggs to taste

½ tsp. cayenne

Peel and slice avocados.

Gently mix in remaining ingredients and adjust seasonings.

Hot Chickpeas with Tahini Sauce

2 cups sprouted chickpeas

½ lb. spinach

1 jalapeno peppers, minced

1 red peppers, chopped

½ green peppers, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

2 scallions, minced

Tahini dressing

Wash and finely chop spinach.

Combine all ingredients and coat with tahini dressing.

Be sure to remove all seeds from jalapeno peppers.

Italian Style Chickpea Hummus

3 cups sprouted chickpeas

¾ cup tahini

½ cup lemon juice

3 scallions, sliced

¼ cup fresh parsley

½ cup fresh basil

6 stalks celery, chopped

¼ tsp. cayenne

Braggs to taste

Combine chickpeas, tahini and lemon juice in food processor to a paste consistency,

adding a little water if necessary.

Set aside.

Then process the garlic, scallions, parsley and basil together.

Combine with chickpeas mixture.

Next process celery with cayenne until very finely minced.

This is all done with the S blade.

Combine all ingredients together and add Braggs.

Chill and serve.

Sprouted Chickpeas Hummus

3 cups sprouted chickpeas

½ cup tahii

½ cup lemon juice

2 large cloves garlic

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. paprika

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Braggs to taste

Process all ingredients with the S blade,

adding water only if necessary to make a thick paste.

Serve with fresh vegetable slices.

Depending on the size of your processor, you may need to do this in steps.

Zesty Sprouted Lentils

1 cup lentil sprouts

½ red pepper, diced

½ bunch fresh oregano, minced

1 carrot, shredded

4 scallions, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Braggs to taste

¼ tsp. cayenne

1 cup basic tahini dressing

Remove tough stems from fresh oregano before mincing.

Combine all ingredients.

Toss well and serve.

Basic Seed Cheese

2 cups sunflower seeds

1 cup pignoli nuts (cashew)

1 inch piece ginger peeled

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp. dried oregano

¼ cup fresh basil

Braggs to taste

Combine all in a blender with enough water to cover.

Start blender, adding more water to produce a very thick creamy liquid.

Pour into a sprout bag and squeeze out liquid.

You are left with the cheese.

(The remaining liquid becomes a dressing with the addition of fresh minced herbs and a little more Braggs amino.

To thicken dressing blend in some tahini.)

The yield varies, so double or triple the recipe to meet your needs.

Use this cheese as stuffing for celery, mushrooms, cucumber boats, etc…

If you have a small blender, cut recipe in half to accommodate its size.

Make this into a sweet cheese by eliminating last five ingredients and adding dates with cinnamon instead.

Pumpkin Seed Cheese

2 cups pumpkin seeds

1 cup pignoli nuts (cashew)

1 stalk celery, chopped

3 shallots or garlic cloves

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup fresh basil

Braggs to taste

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Yin Yang

Because Taoism (pronounced dowism) has such a light, airy and free flowing nature, at first, you might feel this more like a philosophy than a religion. But when you read some of their sacred texts you will feel the Taoist desire for oneness with the spirit. The Taoist knows that the spirit is beyond the mind’s comprehension.

The creation of Taoism is credited to a Chinese man nick named Lao Tzu who was born about 604 BC. I say nick named because Lao Tzu is not a proper name but a term of endearment; it means “Grand Old Master”. Reported to be a man with a depth of understanding that defied ready comprehension (he and Confucius may actually have met and spoken) with age he desired to leave civilization to live in solitude to garner greater wisdom and spiritual awareness. As he rode off to the high mountains atop the back of a water buffalo he was asked to record his wisdom for posterity. He then disappeared from the pages of history, if he ever existed at all, but the small extraordinary book attributed to him became the foundation for Taoism.

By 440 BC Taoism was a full blown religion and Lao Tzu was elevated to deity status. Taoist influence on Chinese history and art is boundless. But by the early twentieth century the Chinese government withdrew support for this religion. Today barely twenty million practice Taoism, mostly in Taiwan. Only about 30,000 people subscribe to this faith in North America.

Tao literally means path or way. The Tao is basically indefinable; it must be experienced. The Tao is the power which surrounds and envelops all things living and non living. The Taoist bible called the Tao Te Ching is comprised of a series of verses that describe how to engage the Tao to let the spirit flow through the individual. It is very basic and very profound in its elegant simplicity. The Tao exists in three states: the Tao which is the ultimate reality that cannot be perceived or conceived, the Tao which is the natural order of the universe, and the Tao that pertains to human existence.

The Tao itself culminates through a power called Te. The nature of this power can be approached from a philosophic perspective, a religious perspective or as an energy that can be applied to human beings through such physical practices as yoga and Tai Chi. As with Hinduism and Buddhism this eastern tradition also lacks a concrete godhead.

The Taoist seeks answers to life’s problems through inner meditation and outer observation. They do not pray to a deity. A Taoist believes that development of the three virtues (compassion, moderation and humility) is one’s chief task. A Taoist believes that people are compassionate by nature. When left to their own devices they will show this compassion without expecting rewards.

Although the writings of Lao Tzu are the foundation of this faith he did not actually organize this religion. About 200 years later a man named Chuang Tzu is credited with popularizing philosophical Taoism. The writings of Chuang Tzu supplement the original works of Lao Tzu.

The bible of Taoism has only eighty-one verses. For your enlightenment, here I present five verses from the Tao Te Ching:

Verse Ten

Nurture the darkness of your soul until you become whole. Can you do this and not fail? Can you focus your life-breath until you become supple as a newborn child? While you cleanse your inner vision will you be found without fault? Can you love people and lead them without forcing your will on them? When Heaven gives and takes away can you be content with the outcome? When you understand all things can you step back from your own understanding? Giving birth and nourishing, making without possessing, expecting nothing in return. To grow, yet not to control: This is the mysterious virtue.

Verse Thirty-three

Those who know others are intelligent; those who know themselves are truly wise. Those who master others are strong; those who master themselves have true power. Those who know they have enough are truly wealthy. Those who persist will reach their goal. Those who keep their course have a strong will. Those who embrace death will not perish, but have life everlasting.

Verse Forty-four

Which is more important, your honor or your life? Which is more valuable, your possessions or your person? Which is more destructive, success or failure? Because of this, great love extracts a great cost and true wealth requires greater loss. Knowing when you have enough avoids dishonor, and knowing when to stop will keep you from danger and bring you a long, happy life.

Verse Sixty-one

A large country should take the low place like a great watershed, which from its low position assumes the female role. The female overcomes the male by the power of her position. Her tranquility gives rise to her humility. If a large country takes the low position, it will be able to influence smaller countries. If smaller countries take the lower position, then they can allow themselves to be influenced. So both seek to take the lower position in order to influence the other, or be influenced. Large countries should desire to protect and help the people, and small countries should desire to serve others. Both large and small countries benefit greatly from humility.

Verse Sixty-seven

The world talks about honoring the Tao, but you can't tell it from their actions. Because it is thought of as great, the world makes light of it. It seems too easy for anyone to use. There are three jewels that I cherish: compassion, moderation, and humility. With compassion, you will be able to be brave, With moderation, you will be able to give to others, With humility, you will be able to become a great leader. To abandon compassion while seeking to be brave, or abandoning moderation while being benevolent, or abandoning humility while seeking to lead will only lead to greater trouble. The compassionate warrior will be the winner, and if compassion is your defense you will be secure. Compassion is the protector of Heavens salvation.

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rule britannia

Although the empire is not what it used to be, you wouldn’t suspect that from the activity in London town. It’s an unbelievably lively, cultured and entertaining place. The underground is great and necessary because it is so very difficult to drive around town. Piccadilly offers theater like you couldn’t believe. And how can you not help but love Her Royal Highness, the Queen and head of this constitutional monarchy. London is extremely civilized, diverse and well ordered. In this regard the British are not exceptional, just experienced at ruling the world and integrating diverse peoples. Remember that regardless of who you are or where you are right now you are reading and speaking English. For an Englishman, it is obviously difficult not to be pompous when so much of the world’s culture has been shaped by your own history and when so many of today’s political states were not very long ago subjects of your realm. If you can understand this attitude then you will have no problem enjoying London.

First bring lots of money. And if you want your little dollars to last for any period of time stay out of Harrods’s, don’t make a habit of taking taxis around town and stay away from those fancy restaurants in Westminster. Oxford Circus is a wonderful place to shop but you will pay dearly for the privilege. The best shopping is found in those huge flea markets and they are great. Also, the stores in Tottenham were more reasonable in price and still very trendy. London people frequent New York when they desire to do some real bargain basement shopping. Last time in London I foolishly picked up the check at a very nice Benni Hanas Japanese hibachi grill. Dinner for four costs me $300 US currency.

So by now you’re probably asking yourself why on earth you would be tempted to visit such an expensive town. Well it’s cheaper than Tokyo and a lot closer. Airfare to London is also cheap. Like any big town there are numerous economy locations to stay and good bargains abound if you do your homework. In a word: London is amazing. You’ll forget about the cost once you get there or at least until you run out of money. And while in London, if you really want to do something to blow you away, hop a train, take a day trip and spend the afternoon in Paris.

soylent green

This is the name of a 1973 movie that predicted overpopulation, starvation, death and chaos for mankind in the year 2022. The Soylent Company produced a green protein biscuit that was rationed to the hungry masses once a week. The plot revealed that the Soylent Company was secretly using the ever growing pile of human corpses as stock to manufacture their biscuits. The movie although not very good was provocative for its time. The point here is to determine if you do in fact have any idea what you are eating.

Let’s take beef for example. Does a body good? Well of course you know cows are feed growth hormones to make them bigger and thicker. That’s why beef eaters are all growing bigger and thicker. And of course you know that cows are virgins and don’t produce milk so they are given estrogen to induce milk production. That's why men develop breasts and breast cancer. And surely you know that cows are feed meat and grain to bulk them up further. The meat of course is provided from the millions of abandoned stray dogs and cats that are captured and killed. Their meat and bones are ground into a meal and mixed with corn and other grain products to produce cow food. Naturally you know that cows like humans are not meant to eat grain so the imbalance causes diabetes in the cow just as it occurs in humans. Of course the cows can not be allowed to die from diabetes so they are given insulin to compensate. And naturally because a human will eventually eat the cows flesh and because the cow has been loaded with so many contaminants, the cow is given a generous dose of antibiotics to clean her up.

So now the cow makes her final appearance at the slaughterhouse. Now because the cow ate like a human she may have developed cancer like a human. But of course nothing can be wasted so the cancerous parts of the cows flesh are carefully cut out and thrown away. So all that’s left is to add a few sulfates to help keep the flesh fresh in transport and add some red dye to maintain that nice fresh meat color and what you see on your plate might cause you to think that Soylent Green wasn’t so farfetched after all.

by-products

For decades now the media has blitzed the world with negative advertisements about the ills of alcohol and tobacco use. The message is correct but as usual there is more to the story. After all both substances occur naturally and have been used by mankind for thousands of years. Let’s take a drink and see what happens. If you feel sophisticated and try a shot of Remy Martin VSOP Cognac you have just consumed an 80 proof mixture which means by volume you have swallowed 40% alcohol. So besides water and sugar what is in the other 60%? Well as much as I tried the makers of this alleged fine champagne cognac won’t disclose. Therein lays the problem. It seems that consumption of reasonable levels of alcohol is really not the problem. The chemical additives placed in the mixture to manipulate the taste and to preserve the tonic are the true culprits. That means that if you must drink it is best to consume pure alcohol and dilute the chemical directly. The substance is quickly absorbed by every part of the body. That’s why so many of your medications have alcohol as a base: For absorption, not intoxication. Beer and wine get high marks but once again additives spoil the brew. Red wine clears blocked arteries but unfortunately is loaded with sulfates to stop fermentation and surely you don’t want to know what is added to American beer during pasteurization (foreign beer makers generally do not pasteurize, hence comes their crisp bitter taste).

So surely there can be nothing good about tobacco. Nicotine is a natural addictive toxic substance found in tobacco. It can be removed by washing the leaves with water. This product’s usage is not to be encouraged but once again the makers of today’s packaged cigarettes and cigars have taken the lead in poisoning their users by adding loads of extra nicotine and tar to enhance the flavor of their stale prepackaged product and to ensure the users addiction. Additionally, thousands of chemical and metal additives are included to insure the product burns evenly and handles well. In essence the makers of today’s mass produced tobacco products have taken the relatively inane tobacco product and created a poisonous addictive concoction.

So make no mistake, smoking cigarettes and drinking liquor is extremely dangerous to your health. But alcohol and tobacco have really been given a bad rap by the way the makers have altered and mass marketed these products. Much the way food manufacturers have taken simple products and destroyed their nutritional value by loading the products with refined salt and sugar. Be clear that it is best not to use tobacco or alcohol. But note that when used in reasonable quantities and in their pure form, neither product tolls the death knell that occurs from using the altered by-product found in your local store.

growth and responsibilty

September 11th, 2001 was a very special day. Not since the British burned the president’s residence (which was subsequently painted white to cover the smoke stains and burns; hence came the name: White House) in the war of 1812 had a foreigner taken American lives and destroyed property on American soil. It was also the day we faced the grin reality that this rich powerful nation might have to finally grow up and swallow that very large pill called responsibility. Americans have always tried to pretend that if we ignored the world it would simply go away. America failed to join the League of Nations after World War I and of course the organization failed. That’s why we had World War II. Fortunately the world learned the depth of America’s isolationist streak and planted the newly formed United Nations in New York to keep the US from abandoning that forum too. It is only kicking and screaming that the US has finally recognized that people speaking a foreign language are not necessarily taking about them. And although it is very likely that soon English will be spoken universally around the world, currently the Spanish American population is changing America’s attitude about this being a strictly mono-lingual society.

Five years after the twin towers were transformed into a heaping pile of rubble; Americans still don’t ask themselves some very basic questions about that event: Why did they do that? And could it be possible that we might have done something to help precipitate such an attack? In simpler terms, do you think we might have pissed somebody off? It isn’t necessary for me to expound on US foreign policy in the Middle East: First try to bully them, if that doesn’t work then bomb them and if all the above fail then just buy them. It isn’t necessary to rehash how the Arab states felt about the creation of Israel. And God knows that if that region of the world wasn’t so rich in oil it is very unlikely that we would be so preoccupied with their transformation into free democratic states.

So I ask you this question: if I covet my neighbors wife, unbeknownst to him for years every day while I smile and wave at my neighbor. And one day he learns of her indiscretions and burns down my house (which is of course an illegal act) what responsibility do I shoulder as a moral educated civilized man? As I sit in court and the judge sentences my neighbor for burning my house does not the judge look at me with disdain. What responsibility do I bear? Can I stand before God and say that I am innocent? Can I demand justice?

Grow up America. September 11th is beyond memorials and holidays. More people died in Iraq this year than died on September 11th, 2001. It will cost more to rebuild Southern Lebanon then it will to reconstruct an unnecessary office complex in lower Manhattan. But then it does take growth to know that some lives are not worth more than others. And one must shoulder responsibility to know that they desire the same things as we: security, love, nourishment and happiness. And although it was easy to covet your neighbor’s wife, and of course now he sits in jail, but while rebuilding that burnt out hulk you once called home a spark of conscience and caution and respect should ignite within when you see the new neighbor moving in next door with his new wife.

Africa

At long last the “Dark Continent” has taken the world’s center spotlight in a very positive way. The journey to recovery is just beginning and it is still fraught with peril. Centuries of colonial depletion of animal, mineral and human resources has brought the birthplace of the human species to the brink of incomprehensible catastrophe. But all is not lost. Hope reigns supreme. It was the emergence of the new African nations after WWII that helped to spark the US civil rights movement. The US government suffered much embarrassment in the world forum preaching democracy and freedom while denying basic constitutional rights to its African American citizens. The new fledgling African nation states were quick to bring this fact to the world’s attention. And conversely, it was the constant pressure from the US civil rights organization that helped topple South Africa’s skewed society.

It is unnecessary to detail the issues that plague Africa: AIDS, poverty, poor education, lack of conservation, no infrastructure, et al. But most regrettably is the neglect and wayward treatment the world has shown to its mother. Remember, the DNA of every human alive now or who has ever lived traces back to a single African women. Why do we treat our mother’s home and our brothers and sisters so badly? Perhaps in our quest to civilize the world we forgot where we came from and lost our sense of home.

Clearly Africa was home. Perhaps if we sit still some small part of us can feel that time when a man knew he was just another of natures animals. Perhaps such an experience would take us back to Africa. No part of the earth more closely resembles the crib nature would prepare for an infant human animal.

So now that we have grown and stand tall on our own let us turn back and help to rebuild mother’s home. It’s the least we can do in memory for her who gave us life in the place where she lived.

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The RSS feed on this blog application does not work correctly. This is not surprising. A spot survey of RSS feeds on most websites visited indicates that where offered this feature is not generally supported correctly. Those that do work usually have bugs. This occurance has no bearing on the size or reputation of the provider. RSS technology is just a poorly supported feature currently.

the duke

Twenty-two year old tight end Vernon Davis recently signed a five year contract worth $23M with the San Francisco 49ers.

new york city

NYC is a very unique place. It’s filled with rude fast talking people rushing after money and throwing litter in the streets. It’s very expensive and not very clean. It’s filled with scavengers like pigeons, rats, roaches, con artist and street hustlers. It houses a million unregistered aliens. One in three registered residents carries a green card. And as if that’s not enough it is the number one terrorist target in the world! This is no big deal. New Yorkers are accustomed to doing business under hardship. Port Amsterdam was the main African slave trading port in early 17th century America. At that time the African slaves outnumbered the Dutch. Of course the Africans revolted and burned the city to the ground but New Amsterdam rebuilt. When the English moved their warships into port and claimed the island, the people of New York just pulled down the Dutch flags, hoisted English flags and went off to work. New York has always been about non stop business. No city on earth claims greater financial wealth than New York. The average Manhattan resident makes $100,000 a year. Naturally such big business attracts large scale culture and entertainment. That’s why people flock to the Big Apple. By the way, an apple is an ancient jazz term for the breakdown in the song. And although New York did not create jazz, exposure on the scale New York offered projected jazz into the mainstream and so New York became known as the Big Apple.

Because the city is so dense and exciting you will constantly find yourself asking this question, “So what to do now?” Go to the museum of the City of New York. It’s very cool and small and quaint. You might as well stop in the International Center of Photography because you’re in the neighborhood. Their small gallery is a nice blend of traditional and nouveau. You will notice Central Park and the impressive Upper East Side Fifth Avenue apartments as you stroll. Keep going uptown to 125th Street if you want to do some clothes shopping. Another fashionable shopping area is downtown on Broadway below Astor Place. You can shop your way straight down into the Financial District. Or when you hit Canal Street feel free to turn eastward (your left) and shop your way into Little Italy or Chinatown. Go over to the Chelsea Piers to bowl or swim or play golf or skate or just hang out. And always exercise caution when approached even on a crowded street in the bright of day because the scavengers can spot an out-of-towner two blocks away.

If you don’t have much time and really just want to over indulge in shopping, partying, people watching, socializing and general merriment as quickly as possible, map out Tribeca, Soho, the West Village, Greenwich Village, Chelsea and Clinton. This small area alone is packed with more people, stores, bars, restaurants, gyms, hotels, theatres and excitement than you can possibly consume during your stay in the city. As you stroll about, go in Manganaro’s on 9th Avenue at West 38th Street and have lunch. Manitus on Bleecker and West 10th Street is always open. Have dinner at Moran’s on 10th Avenue and West 19th Street. Stop at Yaffa’s on the corner of Greenwich and Harrison Street for late evening soup and sandwich.You will never do all the things you want to do in New York. So be careful not to hurt yourself trying.