Saturday, May 28, 2011

Gil Scott-Heron Dies-age 62

NEW YORK — The author of the song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" – which helped pioneer sounds that would fuse to become rap – has died in New York City. Musician Gil Scott-Heron was 62. read more

Gil Scott Heron, a true giant of commentary music, understood the power of how to move, groove and teach through his music. He, along with The Last Poets, effectively married the spoken word with hypnotic beats.

His searing insight will truly be missed...


Friday, May 27, 2011

Bishop Eddie Long and the Mega Church Failure



My faithful reader, Barbara (thanks mom) wrote,
I have a negative opinion of most mega churches. There are so many positive things that they should be doing
.


Not to make light of Bishop Eddie Long's sordid affairs and troubles, but it raises the question of the role of the Black Church in an era of high crisis (we all know the statistical data) in the black community.

Instead of using church funds and resources to buy mansions, private jets, exotic vacations, fancy cars (plural) and other extravagant material bling-bling, just maybe the church could use more resources to uplift our community from economic chaos and Depression like conditions.

Or, are we as a people, so vested in materialism and individualism - I got mine, you got to get yours - that we fail to see that collectively we are greater than our individual parts?

Heru Ammen of the Urban Village Blog writes:

The black church is the worst culprit of what I term purveyors of conscious neglect. This institution, which should be standing in the gap for its poor and disenfranchised constituents represents the worst exploiter of the poor and disenfranchised that has ever existed in the African American community. Its raw embrace of individualism and materialism is couched in a feel good message of salvation and prosperity. Unfortunately the message of salvation and prosperity that the black church promotes seems to only apply to a few of its select clergy and members

He goes on to explain:

Their are approximately 70,000 black churches in the United States. Partial statistics show us that the median-average income of black churches is $200,000 annually. With a combined annual income approaching fourteen-billion (or more), the black church has the financial capability to effect change within our urban communities on a scale that is as wide as it is deep

All I can add is, preach on my brother, amen.

Bishop Eddie Long's Settlement




Bishop Eddie Long:

Do You remember what you pledged?

“I’ve been accused, I’m under attack. I want you to know, as I said earlier, that I am not a perfect man,”

“But this thing, I’m going to fight.”

“And I want you to know one other thing, I feel like David against Goliath, but I’ve got five rocks and I haven’t thrown one yet.”


All this cage rattling bravado and now this:

And finally, Long settled out of court for a reported $15 Million and an apology to his accusers.

So much for, I will never surrender. Not only do you have to raid the church's building fund for your trysts, you have say:

I am sorry!

The hypocrisy is not that you fell from grace nor that you are not perfect - we all fall short of the Word.
There go I but for the grace of god.


The problem is you threw the most and hardest (Goliath not David) rocks, while you lived in the thinnest glass house.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Tupac and Biggie: Still unresolved




A man suspected in the high-profile beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow at Dodgers stadium on March 31 is in custody, Los Angeles police sources told the LA Times.

The arrest comes after a month of public appeals from the Dodgers and Los Angeles police for anyone with information to come forward.

Giovanni Ramirez was arrested by an LAPD SWAT team on Sunday and is being held on one-million dollars bail.


I applaud the LAPD for their sense of urgency to collar the 1st suspect of this heinous crime. Mr Stow, in critical condition, by all reports, did nothing to provoke the attack.

The LAPD assigned 17 detectives to work full time in the investigation and raided the residence of the alleged attacker with a 60 officer strong SWAT team.

Now LAPD could you muster the same sort of urgency to bring the killer or killers of Biggie Smalls to justice. And while you are at it, teach the Las Vegas PD how its done - so that they can solve the Tupac murder as well.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Dr. Barbara Sizemore: BLACK PEOPLE STILL DON'T GET IT

Dr. Barbara Sizemore on the high black incarceration rate:

They come from a culture that doesn't save them because the people don't have enough sense to save their culture



Do you get it?