Musings

A Racial Con Game
by MixMasterE


So let me get this right:

Asians and Whites are the brightest while..."Hispanics" and "blacks" struggle to keep up academically.According to the stats I read in the major dailies and scholarly journals, the outlook is grim. A few scientists have even labeled such dire statistics "inevitable" & the results simply prove that genetically(once again)
"blacks" and "browns" just don't have the mental hardware to change
this imbalance anyway as it is simply Destiny/Evolution.../God that makes it so.

((ahem))

Something doesn't add up, Mr Watson/Mr Murray/Mr Brand:

If "blacks" just don't cut it, how come African and Caribbean immigrantsare beating both whites and Asians academically? Are we not also "black"? Are we (I'm from the Caribbean)purposely left out of the statistics so that some twisted agenda/mind-set can be perpetuated? I think so. Racism is such a stubborn beast, but the simplest truth can inflict mortal wounds in its' ancient flesh. The truth is the "Asians" are no "model minority"--only selectively so as African/Caribbean peoples trump them in the very things that make them "model minorities". White people have no higher standard as a birthright--there's nothing inherent in their genetic coding that makes them smarter. And who are they to designate who a model minority is?

I've always said, any group that had the means & mentality to brutally enslave another group of people for close to 400 years then institute laws (post-Emancipation Proclamation) to prevent them from getting educated, voting & living with decency and dignity, then that group would have a hell of a head start in terms of a legacy of educational achievement & socio-political power (and all the benefits that come from this, such as wealth/assets passed on from generation to generation, overall health, housing and a legal framework that sweeps otherwise corrupt and illegal actions under the rug). And to think that historical currents can conveniently be swept away and forgotten & to pretend now that everybody is on the same playing field in this country, is just retarded. Of course, who benefits from this deception are the very ones whose ancestors profited handsomely from the dehumanization of Africans (who, paradoxically, are now trouncing their children in school) Indians and Chinese.

Frantz Fanon's observation that "...the fact of the juxtaposition of the white and black 'races' has created a massive psycho-existential complex.." is a fascinating one and fits right into the thick of this complex I will detail the life of this very important historical figure at another time.

Bullshit theories about white intelligence and superiority have been part and parcel of Western societies for ages. Why does this nonsense persist? As stated earlier, there is a vested interest in keeping this delusion alive as it justifies so many things and keeps things moving along (white/black sentencing differences for the same crime, income disparities, red-lining, etc ) without having to expend the time,energy and resources to acknowledge & implement correctives for this dark tide of this nation's history.

What is nothing short of miraculous is the fact that in spite of all the hits that White Supremacy has hurled against "blacks" in particular the world over, we are still standing. Our artistry and genius still bubbles to the surface in dance, song, literature, science and religion. Take it away Bob Marley:

We're the survivors
In this age of technological inhumanity (black survival),
Scientific atrocity (survivors),
Atomic misphilosophy (black survival),
Nuclear misenergy (survivors):
Its a world that forces lifelong insecurity (black survival).


OneLove!

Cornel West on Knowledge

Cornel West on knowledge
Uploaded by dropping_knowledge

Censored!

The Top 25 Censored News Items of 2008

# 1 No Habeas Corpus for “Any Person”
# 2 Bush Moves Toward Martial Law
# 3 AFRICOM: US Military Control of Africa’s Resources
# 4 Frenzy of Increasingly Destructive Trade Agreements
# 5 Human Traffic Builds US Embassy in Iraq
# 6 Operation FALCON Raids
# 7 Behind Blackwater Inc.
# 8 KIA: The US Neoliberal Invasion of India
# 9 Privatization of America’s Infrastructure
# 10 Vulture Funds Threaten Poor Nations’ Debt Relief
# 11 The Scam of “Reconstruction” in Afghanistan
# 12 Another Massacre in Haiti by UN Troops
# 13 Immigrant Roundups to Gain Cheap Labor for US Corporate Giants
# 14 Impunity for US War Criminals
# 15 Toxic Exposure Can Be Transmitted to Future Generations on a “Second Genetic Code”
# 16 No Hard Evidence Connecting Bin Laden to 9/11
# 17 Drinking Water Contaminated by Military and Corporations
# 18 Mexico’s Stolen Election
# 19 People’s Movement Challenges Neoliberal Agenda (Free Trade through Central and South America)
# 20 Terror Act Against Animal Activists
# 21 US Seeks WTO Immunity for Illegal Farm Payments
# 22 North Invades Mexico
# 23 Feinstein’s Conflict of Interest in Iraq
# 24 Media Misquotes Threat From Iran’s President
# 25 Who Will Profit from Native Energy?

We: The Documentary of the Human Race Today

(...or Arundhati Roy's way of seeing which I find refreshingly spot-on and uncompromising. A true Intellectual Warrior of the highest caliber~MixMasterE )

The End of Suburbia

The Die-Off

Factoids:

*The rapid loss of species that we are witnessing today is estimated by some
experts to be between 100 and 1,000 times higher than the “background” or
expected natural extinction rate

*The current extinction phenomenon is one for which a single species - ours - appears to be almost wholly responsible.


*A total of 15,589 species of plants and animals are known to face a
high risk of extinction in the near future, in almost all cases as a
result of human activities.

^The state of the world’s threatened bird species is worse than ever.
Since 1994 the number of bird species threatened with global
extinction has risen to 12%. Of the new total, 1,175 (99%) are at risk
of extinction from human activities.

*The total number of threatened animal species has increased from 5,205
to 7,266 since 1996.

*Habitat loss and degradation affect 86% of all threatened birds,
86% of mammals, and 88% of threatened amphibians.


*Indonesia, India, Brazil and China are among the countries with the most
threatened mammals and birds

*Every time we lose a species we break a life chain which has evolved
over 3.5 billion years


*We (Humans) take natural habitats convert them to agriculture, to suburbia, to roads, to monoculture forestry. We fish the oceans so heavily we literally have these trolling nets that scrape the bottom of the ocean clean...


*Scientists have released an updated list of the world's most endangered plants and animals. It's called the
Red List, and it's widely viewed as the world's most authoritative guide to the status of disappearing plants animals.

*A species becomes extinct when its last representative dies.A reassessment of our closest relatives, the great apes, has revealed a grim picture. Their population has declined by more than 60% over the last 20-25 years

Sadly, we are killing the Earth..killing ourselves....and we go about our business as if it does not matter. I would prefer to think that most people just don't know and with a shift of focus, this sad tale can have a better ending. With that said, take a look at this informative clip and let's all try to do..and be...better.

Species Extinction

OneLove

Lucky Dube (August 3, 1964 – October 18, 2007)

I just read that the great Lucky Dube was shot dead in South Africa last Thursday. What a tremendous loss after a 25-year career recording 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans.

Listen to a few of his memorable tracks here:



Music Playlist at MixPod.com

R.I.P my brother...

Poet's Nook: "You Don't Have to Act Crazy Anymore" by Hafiz

You Don't Have to Act Crazy Anymore
We all know you were good at that.

Now retire, my dear,
From all that hard work you do
Of bringing pain to your sweet eyes and heart.

Look in a clear mountain mirror -
See the Beautiful Ancient Warrior
And the Divine elements
You always carry inside

That infused this Universe with sacred Life
So long ago
And join you Eternally
With all Existence

- with God!

-Hafiz

OneLOve

:::MME:::

Stevie Wonder's "Truth Is The Light (Of The World)"

Outstanding performance!

Check MixMasterE Videoz for other great performances.

OneLove!

A Conversation on God

Karen Armstrong on God

(Her book, "A History Of God", is a must-read for any seeker)



Karen Armstrong in Conversation with Alan Jones from City Arts & Lectures and City Arts & Lectures on FORA.tv


::MixMasterE:::

Cornel West Takes It To The Streets

Love him or hate him--one thing is undeniably clear: Cornel West is a rare genius who elucidates with impressive style the underpinnings of our complex, interwoven reality. His latest CD, "Never Forget" features some of the brightest lights in R&B and Hip Hop such as Prince, Andre 3000, Jill Scott, Talib Kweli and KRS-1.




Ruminate& Enjoy!

by MixMasterE

The Wastelands Of Empire

Musings

Fame is vapor
Popularity an accident
Riches take wings.
Only one thing
endures...character.

War As Spiritual Death
by MixMasterE

In war, truth is the first casualty. ~Aeschylus

The rhetoric of conquerors can be like a cool, soothing balm or fiery bromide inciting any given population to blindly support & acquiesce to the powers that be (the military-industrial-media triumvirate). This intent to deceive and furtively sabotage democratic principles is as old as empire itself, but in any given population, there is always a small minority that can recognize bullshit when they see (or smell) it. One of those people is Norman Solomon who produced the following documentary, "War Made Easy" which details a 50-year pattern of government deception and media spin/hypnosis that has dragged the citizens of the United States along from one war after another from Vietnam to Iraq.

It's amazing how people can accustom themselves to chains, but I guess if you feed them junk long enough, they get used to it and feel it's God's or Nature's Law that makes things the way they are. Hitler once said, "All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach". How true.


War Made Easy Trailer:


Click here for entire documentary

MME's Jam Of The Day

One of my favorite Third World cuts, "Shine Like A Blazing Fire", still lights the skies of my hemispheres.


Sing a new song in the morning
Jah has done you no wrong
I awake and sing the rising sun
And like the birds fly free,
Human psychology and bad mind got to get a blow

Shine like a blazing fire, shine like a blazing fire

Just like the morning sun
Lord knows we got to shine, shine, shine
It’s not the love you take, it’s the love you give

Got your rightful place in this earth.....to live

-Third World



...and speaking  of shining like a blazing fire, check this out....

-MixMasterE

The Incredible Brain Pt 2

The Incredible Brain

The President Of The United States

A Nation Of Sleep-Walkers

"If you want to understand how a particular society works, you have to understand who makes the decisions that determine the way a society functions. In the U.S., the major decisions over what happens in a society (investment, production, distribution, etc.) are in the hands of a relatively concentrated network of major corporations, conglomerates, and investment firms. They're also the ones who staff the major executive positions in the government, and they're the ones who own the media, and are the ones who are in the position to make decisions. They have an overwhelmingly dominant role in the way life happens, what's done in this society. — Noam Chomsky