<![CDATA[Assata Shakur Speaks - Hands Off Assata - Let's Get Free - Revolutionary - Pan-Africanism - Black On Purpose - Liberation - Forum - Blogs - Mamazen]]> http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/ Assata Shakur Speaks is a Site Devoted To Assata Shakur And All Political Prisoners Around The World. Assata Shakur Speaks Is An Oasis Of Pan African Information Geared Towards The Liberation Of Afrikan People. Powered by The Talking Drum Collective. en Wed, 22 May 2013 16:56:57 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[Assata Shakur Speaks - Hands Off Assata - Let's Get Free - Revolutionary - Pan-Africanism - Black On Purpose - Liberation - Forum - Blogs - Mamazen]]> http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/ Welcome to The land of the Little Pan-African Cloth Peoples! http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/153-welcome-land-little-pan-african-cloth-peoples.html Fri, 16 May 2008 16:02:01 GMT *First of all I must thank Sista NattyReb for the idea for the title!!!*:mrgreen: In the quest to have a doll that resembled us, tired of hearing/reading/talking about the lack of such dolls and having a friend who is expecting put me in the quest to find a pattern that I could use. You... First of all I must thank Sista NattyReb for the idea for the title!!!:mrgreen:

In the quest to have a doll that resembled us, tired of hearing/reading/talking about the lack of such dolls and having a friend who is expecting put me in the quest to find a pattern that I could use.

You think finding a doll that resemble us is hard? Try finding a doll pattern...You will be S*** out of luck. Needless to say I had to completely rework the only doll pattern I did find.

And a nation was born....three days later.
http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=26958

The land of the Little Pan-African Cloth Peoples is located here up in the Second Alaska. It was formed in a quaint toasty 68 degree cottage buried in the winterous tundra in January of 2008 after much labor and many doll heads (that did not make the cut) used as footballs by my assistants.

What started out as my off season project has turned into a year round endeavor. Which is nice, since I can only watch plants grow for so long.


These were completed today...headed for the San Francisco Bay area


Yes..you too can have one made in your likeness..


You can have one made for the inner child in you too...with accessories like earrings!


Not only our children like them..but the child in us like them too...They are traveling everywhere and delighting (and sometimes scaring) all that they encounter. Who would have thought that and idea born in the dead of winter could bring such warmth to peoples hearts?

Now just in case y'all have not been seeing much of me...this is where I'm probably spending a good chunk of my time..between this and the world of plants and such.

Want to be part of the nation? Let me know! ]]> Mamazen http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/153-welcome-land-little-pan-african-cloth-peoples.html Yes...They still make these..... http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/145-yes-they-still-make-these.html Mon, 05 May 2008 18:57:00 GMT Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a151/mamazen/000_0002-13.jpg It is three weeks before the official growing season starts up here in the 2nd Alaska. My grass however started growing as soon as the ice pack was done thawing out and turned green. Now my last lawnmower (electric) met an...

It is three weeks before the official growing season starts up here in the 2nd Alaska. My grass however started growing as soon as the ice pack was done thawing out and turned green.

Now my last lawnmower (electric) met an untimely death two seasons ago when I ran over a few things I had no business mowing over...you know poles and rocks, to the extent I shattered the magnet that holds part of the motor and the blade into three pieces. Yeah...I'm not exactly gentle with power tools.
It still sits in my brother in law's workshop as a reminder to him not to loan me anything with a motor. LOL

So last season I borrowed a mower from whoever had theirs available. All I had to do was make sure I got my own gas whenever I used it.

Now that oil is at $120.00 a barrel and the stations around here want about $120.00 a gallon I started pursuing the local hardware store ads for you guessed it...a push mower.

I found a good one for less than $100.00. I called a neighbor and we zoomed down there to pick one up.

When we got there there were already a few people that had the same idea..because they had a few left in boxes unassembled.

I got it home and assembled it. There is nothing like the nostalgia of childhood when I had to cut grass as a kid with one of these. I wanted to put a big bow on it and present it to my oldest as a present but he still had not gotten over the last "present" I had given him..a shopping cart to haul groceries from the store.

It cuts really well. It is so quiet I could hear the bees this time as I started mowing around the mini-orchard getting in the way as I ducked under the blossoming trees to get the grass growing around them.

Back Roof shot...where I like to hang out during warm days

The Back of the mini-orchard obstacle course.. The bush is red currants, pear tree on left, tree behind bush is peach, trees on right side are plum and tart cherry...I might have a branch of the apple tree on the right but I was also ducking bees as I took this picture.
]]> Mamazen http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/145-yes-they-still-make-these.html BREAKING NEWS!!!!! RBG Action Figure Dude is GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/141-breaking-news-rbg-action-figure-dude-goooooooooooooooooone.html Thu, 01 May 2008 18:58:11 GMT Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a151/mamazen/000_0006-3.jpg 1/27/08 picture of RBG Action Figure Dude as he demonstrates his skills at playing the Dejimbe.. For background on this breaking story!!http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/24-adopt-doll.html It was a perfect day for an...
1/27/08 picture of RBG Action Figure Dude as he demonstrates his skills at playing the Dejimbe..


For background on this breaking story!!http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/24-adopt-doll.html

It was a perfect day for an afternoon tea and doll showcase here up in the second Alaska, where my friend and I discussed politricks, drank tea and looked at my growing inventory of dolls here in the balmy 65 degree weather...balmy for up here that is.

She asked if I had any male dolls. I dug to the bottom of my bin for RBG Action Figure Dude.

Her eyes lit up when she saw him "And he has the pan-African colors too! Can I get him?!?!?"

Now of course RBG Action Figure dude has been here forever. I did not want to face him as the weeks wore on and being that it is now May could not bear the fact that he was still here in my house acting like a 3rd son.

"Sure!" I exclaimed. I was happy and relieved that he now has a new home to go to.( No... I'm not splitting the proceeds of the sale with the abandoner..his share went to reimburse me for room, board and doll support.)

"Oh my gawd! I love this!!" she repeated to herself. I put him back in the bag and she kept him by her purse.

I swear I saw his grin getting wider as she left for her car after tea. ]]> Mamazen http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/141-breaking-news-rbg-action-figure-dude-goooooooooooooooooone.html I want to thank Gaiamon! http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/75-i-want-thank-gaiamon.html Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:41:20 GMT In my last blog entry gaiamon mentioned that my squirrel problem may just be something else...http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/34-draptomania-here-some-squirrels-babys-coat.html

"As to tree damage,something else is going on thats prehaps you are not observing;ie woodpeckers and other wood borers,for most animals donot destroy their base(land,water,food source etc,unlike humans do....."

The brother was not lying.

As I walked out to survey the latest winter storm results once again I saw wood shards all over the snow banks under the maple tree.

I looked up and OMG..



This is a very good size red-headed woodpecker. It was carving yet MORE holes into the poor tree.

Several feet above this were also some very peeved squirrels.

The woodpecker could have cared less about any of us. It sat still (It obviously was not afraid of me or my son) for a good while. I crept way slowly as I could so that I could get my camara and left my son to watch him. When I came back my sudden movements sent him higher into the tree.



It eventually came back down to further put the finishing touches on the new and improved bigger holes it had just finished carving into the branch.


This newest resident of the maple tree is usually found to the south of where I'm at and comes to my area during the summer to breed. (Which is the reason why I dismissed something like this would be drilling holes of this magnitude in the middle of a winter like this.)

It likes to make its nest in dead or dying trees.

Likes to eat insects, primarily carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae, fruits, and nuts.

It should be a very interesting wildlife season around here. I can now understand why the squirrels are not happy. Squirrel competition... BWAHAHAHAHA!!

Sucks to be a squirrel in this tree now. ]]> Mamazen http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/75-i-want-thank-gaiamon.html <![CDATA[Draptomania.. Here are some squirrels for that baby's coat...]]> http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/34-draptomania-here-some-squirrels-babys-coat.html Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:28:34 GMT Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a151/mamazen/000_0005-5.jpg *The Maple tree that is in front of my house that the rouge squirrels are trying to carve into oblivion * As I prepared for the next upcoming winter storm this morning and trying not to bust my ass walking in the melted...

The Maple tree that is in front of my house that the rouge squirrels are trying to carve into oblivion


As I prepared for the next upcoming winter storm this morning and trying not to bust my ass walking in the melted slush (it was 42 degrees this morning) I noticed that I had chipped wood all over the snow banks under my maple tree in front of my house.

I had no clue of where all these wood chips were coming from until I looked up and saw a squirrel looking down directly at me out of a hole that was newly chewed into the tree.

Now this is a very old 60-75 foot tall tree which has definietly see better days.

This is what these little rats with fluffy tails have done to this particular branch;


This is squirrel damage on two sides of the same branch.

Now tonight we are going to have 30-40 mph wind gusts along with more snow along with a very nice 30 degree drop in temps this evening. My concern is that this branch may get taken out...

I e-mailed my SO (for this week so far :lol:) these pics this morning and he was more concerned with me killing them than the branch coming down. Just for that.. I'm going to name a squirrel after him.

So Drapt...I just may have some fur for that baby's coat! Wish me luck! ]]> Mamazen http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/34-draptomania-here-some-squirrels-babys-coat.html How Did I Turn Five? http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/28-how-did-i-turn-five.html Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:54:22 GMT

Head of Cheap Child Labor for RBG Homesteaders- Izzy as he stands next to one of his masterpieces hanging on the wall of accomplishment


Today is my youngest ones' birthday. He had been looking forward to this day for weeks but yet when I told him happy birthday this morning he was genuinely shocked.

"How did I turn Five?" He asked.

I looked at him. He is the one out of my two boys who asks the types of questions that make you scratch your head not because you don't know the answers to them but you're trying to figure out why he is asking them.

"Um....a whole year passed. That's why you are now five".

"So when do I turn 42?" he asked with a oatmeal dripping grin.

"In 37 years Izzy. Quit being in such a rush to grow up."

"Why is my hair growing?" he then quipped.

"Because it's supposed to." I said resigning to the fact it was going to be one of those mornings that I have to start thinking without having a cup of coffee.

We brush our teeth and started getting ready for the bus..as we go onto the patio he was amazed that the sunrise was a vivid pinkish purplish peach. We love to watch the sunrises and sunsets together, remarking on the colors that change and fade as the moments progress.


He then wanted a picture taken in his new snow suit (It was $10.00 on sale!). He loves this time of year..as his feet crunches in the snow and the temperatures awaken him (it was 15 degrees with a wind chill of 6 when I took this picture).


As the day light progressed I could not help but to look at his profile as he looked at the sky turning different hues the wonderment and amazement at the natural world through his eyes.

For a child who sees the beauty of each and every individual sunrise with the same intensity and amazement-must have an old soul. ]]> Mamazen http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/28-how-did-i-turn-five.html Adopt a Doll! http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/24-adopt-doll.html Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:06:13 GMT Occasionally up here at the homestead I have a few abandoned orders for whatever reason ...either the purchaser decides not to pay (usually I give them 2-3 weeks) or the purchaser decides to not tell me they no longer want the item. They just languish until I decide what I should do with them... Occasionally up here at the homestead I have a few abandoned orders for whatever reason ...either the purchaser decides not to pay (usually I give them 2-3 weeks) or the purchaser decides to not tell me they no longer want the item. They just languish until I decide what I should do with them them.

Right now I have 2 abandoned orders; one of which is this delightful doll. He was the one that was featured in this entry of my blog.http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/22-rbg-valley-dolls-sad-day-doll-left-behind.html

It was so heart wrenching that after a few hours of meditating and thinking I decided to do a special story...an interview of sorts to get him a new home. He was absolutely delighted! My 2 assistants and I were touched by his magnanimous attitude and enjoyed putting this expose together. We hope that for a $25.00 placement fee (we pay all transportation costs!) that you will consider taking this fine doll into your home and making him a part of your family!

MZ

RBG Action Figure Dude as he demonstrates his skills at playing the Dejimbe..



RBG "Action figure" Dude was born on January 10, 2008 in the region known as the "2nd Alaska". As soon as he was born he looked forward to exploring and thriving in a warmer climate but, to no avail.

We spoke to him briefly about his life, his aspirations, his dreams over a pancake and sausage breakfast.



MZ: What keeps you sane? What motivates you to keep going in this type of adversity?

RBGAFD: My quest for warmth. I'm a warm doll. I dream of balmy tropical breezes or even sometimes just a nice blazing sun outside with a nice breeze...anything over 68 degrees I'm happy.

MZ: But, your clothes are not removable. What if it gets too hot?

RBGAFD: I would be extremely happy. It's what I have been living for.

MZ: How do you get past the frustration of being.....stuck here in a place that does not meet you needs warmth wise?

RBGAFD: My favorite part of the day here is meditation time...the candle bares its warmth to me for those fleeting moments of wanting....it soothes me and makes me realize that there is hope for as long as the candle burns...there is hope.

RBG Action Figure in one of his serene meditative moments


MZ: So you don't like cold weather at all then?

RBGAFD: No...but I manage. You have given me hope... I have hope that a warm home with an indoor temperature of over 70 year round will take me in *tear running down face*...I would like to thank you and your assistants for all the help you have given me in my quest to find a home in a warm climate. ]]> Mamazen http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/24-adopt-doll.html RBG Valley of the Dolls...A Sad day for a Doll Left Behind http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/22-rbg-valley-dolls-sad-day-doll-left-behind.html Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:03:24 GMT Today was the day that all the dolls shipped out....all but one. As the packing material was being prepared the happy chatter filled the room; laughs and giggles on what their new home is going to be like and all the love that they will receive. However you could feel the ominous sad cloud... Today was the day that all the dolls shipped out....all but one. As the packing material was being prepared the happy chatter filled the room; laughs and giggles on what their new home is going to be like and all the love that they will receive.

However you could feel the ominous sad cloud hovering over the one doll that was left.. a cloud crackling with frustration as he wondered when he was going to experience the same joy; the same happy fate as the others... and if he was going to at all.

He buried himself under the chair blankets as much as he could..covering his eyes so that we could not see the sadness and tears welling up cause that would be just...creepy. But back to the story...



"When...am.... I.... going to leave (*sob*)!?"

"I have no idea" I replied..."The one who ordered you had been sent a reminder and I got a reply that he was "bogged down." but... he will need to complete the remittance process and will then send for you. I don't know when though".

The wails got even louder. As my sons and I looked at his heaving body (and my oldest swearing that he now does not know any of us..cause we have truly lost our damn minds)
my youngest volunteered to take him to his room but the spirit of that offer was fleeting..since it then turned 11 am and video game time pretty much squashed that offer and off ran the little one to the living room, leaving me with the sobbing RBG doll. Geez...what a predictament.



I went and got another cup of coffee (cause by this time I really needed it) and saw that he had worked himself further under the covers in his despair. I really feel bad for him.

*Sigh*...I hope things will get better for him...soon. ]]> Mamazen http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/22-rbg-valley-dolls-sad-day-doll-left-behind.html Sleeping with Cookies..The Fight to Maintain Junk Food http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/13-sleeping-cookies-fight-maintain-junk-food.html Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:31:30 GMT

I have a teenager who thinks he's the only one who resides in my home, even though I'm the only one who buys the groceries.

I don't really buy that much junk..mainly because it has such low nutritional value so for my weekly shopping I buy a 2 pound bag of cookies as a treat for all of us.

So you know it's pretty bad when you come down the stairs from your bedroom and your youngest asks why do you have a large bag of cookies with you.

Because If I left them in the kitchen we would not have any cookies left or with my oldest being the occasional comedian left with two cookies out of 2 POUNDS like he did us yesterday morning after discovering the latest hiding place where I had stashed them. The cookies had only been opened for a day and I only had given 3 of them out to the youngest. I get the typical shrug and mumbled "I don't know what happened to them"..

I have counted each cookie before I went to bed numerous times...so did he as he ate each one after I was sound asleep.

I have hidden the cookies everywhere from the dishwasher to the microwave to the oven..I got a call one day while I was running errands asking why the cookies were in the dishwasher...how was I supposed to know that he was acually going to look for a clean dish in there? I had to stifle a laugh because by the time he finished asking that question the answer to him was pretty obvious. When I got home he then told me with an amused face that all the cookies were still there. And, they were.

He has paid for the cookies and other missing snacks with his parts of his allowance but he figured that was such a good deal that he decided to eat the rest of his allowance right along with it...Mainly in the form of cheese; pounds of it.

I had resorted to stopping the purchase of them but that only deprived me and my youngest who do like the occasional cookie with our tea and milk.

I stopped buying the name brand cookies and only buy the store brand. But with teenage indiscriminate taste buds as long as it has sugar its fair game. It just a matter of how much I want to spend at this point.

I have even resorted to shame and family pressure...it had gotten to the point of my youngest yelling at him telling him "You're not the only one who lives here!"...mainly echoing the same thing I myself had screamed at him hours earlier as I discovered the remains (or lack of) of the latest raid.

So last night as I was lamenting to one of my friends over the phone the latest casualty of the snacks in my house I came up with the idea of taking the snacks to bed with me...she came up with an idea of a "cookie safe" .

I have a safe; it's just filled with things that really need to be there...so no room to put them in there. I was imagining a cookie jar with a hasp, a very thick lock and a huge chain rope to swirl around it. But with my luck it would mysteriously be broken and the cookies would still be gone.

At least the cookies do not snore. ]]> Mamazen http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/13-sleeping-cookies-fight-maintain-junk-food.html New year...New Physical Exams...New Medical Technology http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/10-new-year-new-physical-exams-new-medical-technology.html Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:49:54 GMT Image: http://re3.mm-a2.yimg.com/image/2240538697 I started out this year with a complete physical. Complete fasting bloodwork, urinalysis, GYN, the works. Today I finished my examination with a pelvic ultrasound and the infamous, breast smashing mammography. Did I tell you that not only...

I started out this year with a complete physical. Complete fasting bloodwork, urinalysis, GYN, the works.

Today I finished my examination with a pelvic ultrasound and the infamous, breast smashing mammography.

Did I tell you that not only am I paranoid about my health but my medical provider is too?

Hence all of the poking and prodding that I endured..only to be asked what do I do to get results like that..which is a clean bill of health.

But today.. when I went in for my imaging tests, before I left I was given CDs of both my ultrasound and mammography images AND the imagining centers website, a password and such so that any future providers that I may have may look at the images too.

Now I worked in the medical field and not so long ago (about 2.5 years to be exact) you had to carry the actual films in a very large flat bulky envelope or have the facility deliver them after going through a hellava lot of red tape to the requesting provider in order to view them.

So, I could not believe that now you can take them home on a CD Rom, look at them and if you wish show them as party entertainment to your closest friends and guests..(I kid! I kid!.....well maybe a few people..LMAO)

Now I can't wait until next year how further technology has gone. ]]> Mamazen http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/10-new-year-new-physical-exams-new-medical-technology.html Winter is Overated http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/3-winter-overated.html Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:48:59 GMT Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a151/mamazen/000_0002-5.jpg This is Marty the Monk...the Buddhist statue that resides in my herb garden. He took the place of a pretty much to almost dead bush that I tore out of the ground this past summer. As you can see by the serenity of his...

This is Marty the Monk...the Buddhist statue that resides in my herb garden. He took the place of a pretty much to almost dead bush that I tore out of the ground this past summer.

As you can see by the serenity of his facial features...he enjoys winter much more than I do... because he is not stuck in a house for several days with two boys of very different personalities that are always at each others throats now-a-days......that is enough to acually go outside in 18 degree weather and find something to do....other than shoveling another pathway.

It does however beat a picture of me being thoroughly disgusted with winter. ]]> Mamazen http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/blogs/mamazen/3-winter-overated.html