Assata Shakur Speaks - Hands Off Assata - Let's Get Free - Revolutionary - Pan-Africanism - Black On Purpose - Liberation - Forum - Afrikan Reflections

Struggling Against Cultural Surrender

Moorbey — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:12:32 GMT

Dr. Asa G. Hilliard�s book, The Maroon Within Us, once again reminds us of a major problem by which we, as African people in America, are besieged. Dr. Hilliard described this problem as cultural surrender. In explaining the problem, Dr. Hilliard wrote, �African Americans remain one of the very few groups in the United States who do not honor their own cultural traditions, sometimes even when they are honored by others.�

Continuing on this point, Dr. Hilliard states that, �If there is a major illness among African American people it is that we unceasingly honor and utilize our culture less. All great nations and people do the opposite.�

As Dr. Hilliard further explains, �Cultural surrender is more than a matter of rejecting one�s father and mother culture. It means that one accepts a new definition as a person. The culturally dependent person is a mere spectator, a receptacle for the creativities of others. To demand freedom from slavery only to use that freedom to commit one�s self to a voluntary cultural servitude is to lose the chance to be human.�

The erosion of many of our African cultural traditions and foundations is most evidenced in our family and community life. Far too many African people in America are getting away from the essence of family life. The cultural tradition of African family life is that of the extended family that centers itself on the rearing of children and caring for the elders.

Family life is the basis for which a people maintain their cultural traditions, traditions that are important to the survival of a people. The way we raise our children in the context of extended family life for African people was always connected to the overall development of the larger community.

Dr. Hilliard writes, �There have always been Africans or Black people in America who have been both physically and mentally free. We have also had far too many of those who have yielded their bodies� and worse, their souls� to people and systems whose purpose was to exploit to take all and give nothing.�

It is in this context that Dr. Hilliard provides several reasons why this devastating trend of cultural surrender is taking place. He says, ��we have tended to accept certain false dichotomies,� such as the following:

1.
We have tended to equate sophisticated technology with culture, believing that such technology is exclusively European and that to affirm African culture is to reject technology.

2.
We have tended to equate modern with technology, and to value modern as if it were cultural progress. At the same time, we have seen the affirmation of African/African American culture as a matter of retrogression. Further, we have seen African/African American culture as static rather than dynamic and adaptive.

3.
We have tended to equate European culture with wealth and African / African American culture with poverty.

4.
We have tended to associate education with the acquisition of all the cultural forms of Europeans, and find it hard to conceive of educated persons who live the African/African American culture.

5.
We have tended to equate self-affirmation with the hatred of others.

6.
We have tended to equate religion with particular forms of European interpretations of Christianity and have not seen our people as religious or spiritual.

Generally we have failed to study ourselves and to know our culture.

The challenge that African people face in American, and throughout the world, as we enter twenty-first-century is to create programs, strategies, and institutions that will reclaim and preserve our rich culture.

One such program that has emerged as one approach to preserving our culture and traditions aimed at our youth is the growing Rites of Passage Movement. This Movement seeks to place African and African people at the center of independently working with our young people.

Children in Rites of Passage Programs are generally taught aspects of our history that included our literary accomplishments, our accomplishments in music, science and technology, and the spiritual concepts of African people that direct our moral and ethical behavior and treatment of others.

As we look out and observe the African World Community, we can see a common set of problems that all African people face, as a result of hundred of years of exploitation by Europeans and others against African people. This exploitation has developed into a worldwide system of white supremacy and white domination aimed at wiping out African culture. We must resist and refuse any efforts to wipe out our culture.

Finally, Dr. Hilliard writes, �Cultural surrender or cultural destruction leads inevitably to the loss of any possibility for a group to mobilize on its behalf. There can be no African/African American family in the absence of a cultural base.�

BlackCommentator.com Columnist, Conrad W. Worrill, PhD, is the National Chairman of the National Black United Front (NBUF).

How the Media Treat's Black Murder: Several women murdered and missing in N.C case

Pragmatic — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:57:38 GMT

By Krista Gesaman | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Oct 21, 2009

Gerry Broome / AP

Newsweek Video: Serial Killer's murdering black women; no investigations; no leads
Newsweek Video
How the Media Treat Murder | Newsweek National News | Newsweek.com

Diana Nicholson, right, the mother of Taraha Shenice Nicholson is comforted during a news conference at the Edgecombe County Sheriff's office in Tarboro, N.C.

Ten women have been found slain or have been declared missing in Rocky Mount, N.C., in recent years. But the rest of the country hasn't heard about a possible serial killer stalking the young women in this Southern town of 60,000. The latest victim, Elizabeth Jane Smallwood, was identified on Oct. 12. Why have the Rocky Mount homicides been largely ignored?

"When you think about the famous missing-person cases over the last few years it's Chandra Levy, Natalee Holloway, and Laci Peterson," notes Sam Sommers, associate professor of psychology at Tufts University. All these women had a few things in common—they were white, educated, and came from middle-class families.

The victims in Rocky Mount—which residents describe as a "typical Southern town," and is about 40 percent white and more than 50 percent black—were different. They were all African-American, many were poor, and some had criminal histories including drug abuse and prostitution

"If it was someone of a different race, things would have been dealt with the first time around; it wouldn't have taken the fifth or sixth person to be murdered," says Andre Knight, a city-council member and president of the local NAACP chapter.

"All these women knew each other and lived in the same neighborhood; this is the sign of a potential serial killer. When it didn't get the kind of attention it needed, it made the African-American community frustrated."

Police have not officially linked all the murders and disappearances, but community members claim the similarities among the women, their lifestyles, and the location of their bodies make a connection all too obvious.

"If you find two bodies in the same location, this could be the work of the same person or people," says Rocky Mount Police Chief John Manley, who would not comment on a connection, but implied the possibility.

Ed. Note (*Why isn't the FBI commenting on this case) end note>

Rumors are running rampant around the town about the identity of the serial killer. There is not much physical evidence, leading some to speculate it's a former law-enforcement officer or someone in the military. Others have deduced that the killer is targeting specific women as a form of revenge for contracting HIV from a prostitute.

Along with:

Elizabeth Jane Smallwood,
the murders of Taraha Nicholson, 28,
Jarniece Hargrove, 31,
Ernestine Battle, 50,
Jackie Nikelia Thorpe, 35,
Melody Wiggins, 29,
and Denise Williams, 21, remain unsolved.

Authorities are also searching for:

Yolanda Lancaster, 37,
Joyce Renee Durham,
46, and Christine Boone, 43.

One man is in custody for the murder of Nicholson, who was the fourth victim, discovered back in 2005. This past September, police charged Antwan Maurice Pittman, 31, with her murder. He is accused of strangling Nicholson and dumping her partially clothed body in the woods. So far, authorities have not linked Pittman to the other murders. "There's a lot of mixed sentiments about Pittman," says Knight, referring to community speculation about whether police have charged the right man.
"In this Information Age, cases get solved through sheer publicity, whether it's an Amber Alert or America's Most Wanted, anyone could have a tip or be a potential source of information," Sommers says.

But the national media did show some interest in the story after it was revealed that five women were murdered in or around the town.

"Nancy Grace called and wanted to have some of us on her show, but before it aired there was a white woman from Georgia that went missing. The Nancy Grace show was canceled," Knight says.

HLN network, which broadcasts Nancy Grace, confirmed that Knight was booked for the show, which was ultimately canceled to profile the disappearance of Kristi Cornwell, a white woman from Blairsville, Ga., who went missing during an evening walk.

Representatives from Nancy Grace told NEWSWEEK,

"The booking was changed due to news that was breaking that day," and emphasized the change had nothing to do with the race of the victim. On Aug. 12, Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees covered the story.

That bit of media exposure brought new resources to the investigation.

Originally, only a small amount of reward money was collected for information about the case. After the story aired on CNN , New Jersey philanthropist Peter Pinto, of the Kefalas-Pinto Foundation, donated $10,000 from a personal trust.

In late September, the city donated an additional $5,000, which was matched by a $5,000 county donation, bringing the amount of reward money to $20,000. If there were no media coverage, there might have been no reward. The money isn't just going to help with the investigation, it's helping the families of the victims, specifically their children.

The money proved to be a blessing for Jurary Tucker, the mother of Yolanda Lancaster, who has been missing since February 2008. "We were able to use some of the money to get [Yolanda's] children ready for school," Tucker says. "They have to wear uniforms to school and they are very expensive; the money came at a good time." Tucker became the primary custodian of her granddaughter and grandson after Lancaster's disappearance.

When Annie Le, a 24-year-old Yale pharmacology graduate student, went missing on Sept. 8, it only took three days for the university to offer a $20,000 reward. In the case of the Rocky Mount women, it took more than six years to raise that same amount of money for 10 women.

Concerned residents of the town tried to promote the case by distributing fliers and purchasing a billboard advertisement featuring the women, but their efforts may have backfired. Mug-shot photographs of the victims, many pictured in orange jumpsuits, sometimes appearing disheveled or under the influence of alcohol or drugs, were used in their efforts. Unlike the images of a smiling Annie Le, these images showed the women during darker times.

"Everyone has a dark side at some point, but you want to put your best out front when you are trying to appeal [to the public] for help," Chief Manley says. "When you look at obituaries in the newspaper, [the photos] show a bright time in someone's life; you really want to show the person when they are doing well."

Manley says the police department used the victims' driver's license photographs to help with search efforts. "You don't need to air dirty laundry. Seeing someone's dark side doesn't appeal to the conscience of other people," he says.

Concern over the buried headlines and lack of national media attention isn't the only thing upsetting residents; some say there are deeper festering racial tensions in the community. When a candlelight vigil was held to commemorate the murdered women, only black community officials attended. When other vigils were organized for deaths in Rocky Mount, there was no racial divide, and community members, both black and white, attended the events in droves. "When a prominent attorney's wife died, we all came together and the church was full, but when the community was coming together to share their pain and reach out to these families, only black elected officials were there," Knight says. "They [white officials] didn't have an excuse, they just didn't come."

White officials, including the mayor, say they weren't invited to the memorial. "It's hard to attend something that you don't even know is occurring," says David Combs, mayor of Rocky Mount. "I was glad that we had the vigil and had people who were involved."

For the families who just want to locate their daughters or bring closure to their murders, the investigation has been a long, drawn-out process. Tucker speaks about her daughter in the past tense, quickly catches herself, and shifts to the present tense, emphasizing her commitment to finding her daughter. "As far as the investigation goes, I just hope they continue to do the best they can to put closure to the missing girls and the girls that have been found," Tucker says. "Whatever it is, we are here waiting."

"Regardless of drug addiction or other problems, that still doesn't give a person the right to kill (murder) another," says Knight. "If we can give a terrorist a day in court, we can get these women justice."
� 2009

Update:

Profilers dive into the details to find more about killer

By Thomasi McDonald - McClatchy Newspapers

RALEIGH, N.C. -- FBI profilers will look into every detail of the crime scenes to tell the story of who, and maybe why, someone raped and killed five African-American women before leaving their bodies to decompose in rural Edgecombe County.

"They will look at whether an arm has been left up or down, or was a hand placed over the chest, to try and reach a conclusion about what sort of person would do it," said Frank Perry, former special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Raleigh.

The profilers have joined a task force formed in late June to investigate the slayings. Rocky Mount Police Chief John Manley said they needed the FBI's expertise and resources to analyze the evidence. The women's remains were found badly decomposed. In several instances, little more than bones and leathery tissue remained.

While those law enforcement officials working the case would not speak about details of their investigation, Perry explained in general terms how such an investigation would normally proceed.

The federal profilers will analyze the details of each crime scene for evidence that could link them to a single serial killer. They also will look for evidence to disprove the serial killer theory, he said.

All of the victims were poor, living on the margins of society. Some, family members told police, peddled sex to finance their drug addictions.

The first victim, Melody Wiggins, 29, was found by police May 29, 2005, on Noble Mill Pond Road. She died of blunt force trauma to the head and had been cut and stabbed repeatedly. Her body was partially covered by tree limbs, and the medical examiner wondered if she was dragged or had run from a field into the woods where her body was found.

The partially skeletal, nude remains of Jackie Thorpe Wiggins, 35, were found Aug. 17, 2007 in a trash heap behind a burned-out crack house. An arm and skull had been separated from the body. The medical examiner did not determine a cause of death.

One year later, on March 13, 2008, the unclothed remains of Ernestine Battle, 50, were found face down in the woods. No cause of death was determined by the medical examiner who wrote that the likely cause was homicidal violence.

The body of Taraha Shenice Nicholson, 28, was found March 7 by several people riding all-terrain vehicles through the woods off Marriot Farm Road. Someone had dragged her into a field along nearby Marriot Road and strangled her. Her body was face up, arms raised above the head, according to autopsy reports.

The skeletal remains of the latest victim, Jarniece Latonya "Sunshine" Hargrove, 31, were discovered June 29 by a farmer working in a field. The farmer told police he found the body just inside a wooded area off Seven Bridges Road. The medical examiner's office has not yet released a cause of death.

Rocky Mount police also discovered the remains of a sixth African-American woman in February on Melton Road. Investigators are not sure if the case is related to the other five deaths, said Capt. Laura Fahnestock with the Rocky Mount police.

Three other women missing from Rocky Mount also are feared to be victims. Christine Boone, 43, has been missing since Aug. 25, 2006, Rocky Mount police said.

"The profilers are looking for psychological clues and cues," said Perry, who now works with the newly founded Foundation for Ethics in Public Service, Inc., which investigates public corruption.

Perry said they will try to determine from the crime scene details what type of person would commit such brutal crimes, and search for clues to a motive such as "some sort of psychological revenge against someone in their past."

Clues found at the crime scenes and pictures taken when the bodies were first discovered could even tell the profilers the age and marital status of the person responsible, he explained.

The profilers take a very clinical approach to the investigation. Their findings are often remarkable, Perry said.

"They can go into a room, see what has been disturbed, what pictures were touched, what valuables were left behind and tell you what type of person committed the crime."

Peace be upon you

How the Media Treat Murder | Newsweek National News | Newsweek.com

http://www.johndouglasmindhunter.com...=3286&start=30

Def Jam�s First Artist Wasn�t On Their Hip-Hop Honors Show

Pragmatic — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:37:45 GMT

By The Urban Daily October 14, 2009 12:51 am

As the world celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Def Jam Records at VH1�s Hip-Hop Honors, TheUrbanDaily wondered where was
T La Rock :shoking: (the very first artist signed to the label), and Nicki D, *(the first female rapper signed to Def Jam Records).

Def Jam's First Artist: T La Rock Speaks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55iap7i5O4s&feature=player_embedded

It's Yours
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KddraKl3pWE&NR=1

:coffee:

Nikki D. "Daddy's Little Girl"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDScONyyQKo

Nikki D, the first female rapper signed to Def Jam Records posted a video on Facebook expressing her displeasure with this year�s Hip-Hop Honors broadcast.

�You talk about creating history, 25 years of Hip-Hop and we begin to erase it ourselves,� she says via her video blog.

In 1989 Nichelle �Nikki D� Strong was signed to Def Jam and in 1991 released the album, Daddy�s Little Girl which contained the hit single of the same name.

�I�m really disappointed in the people who put together the Hip-Hop Honors. I�ve known you Nelson George (the producer of the show) forever. I�ve known Russell (Simmons) even longer. So it baffles me that no one called to ask me if I wanted to go to the (expletive) show. Nobody even sent me an invite to the show.�

After finding out about a Def Jam documentary that VH1 was producing Slick Rick�s wife Mandy passed along the contact information. But when it came down to the actual honors broadcast Nikki says she was not invited.
�When I was 18 years old I was on a mission to become the first female rapper at Def Jam. I hopped on a Greyhound for four days and lied to my mother saying I got a deal with Def Jam. I went through a whole lot and found Russell Simmons in six months.�

She cut her demo with the LA Posse, who was working on LL Cool J�s album at Chung King, and recorded two songs in two hours.

�We got the record to Russell and less than a month later Russell wanted to sign me. He sent me on tour with Whodini and I got to be groomed by the best. I shot a video with Alyson Williams in London before I could even shoot a video. I was in Europe for a few weeks then I put a record out, �Lettin Off Steam.�

After �Lettin Off Steam� Nikki followed up with the song everyone knows her for, � http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDScONyyQKo"][B][COLOR=#d51549]Daddy�s Little Girl.[/COLOR][/� Fueled by a sample of D.N.A�s �Tom�s Diner� it debuted at #1 on the Rap Singles charts.
�Daddy�s Little Girl changed a lot of people�s lives,� she continued. �The record that made young women come up to me in the street and say I appreciate you. That record allowed me to go to schools and speak to young women.�

But appreciation is something Nikki D is not feeling from the VH1 folks right now.

�Everybody is so wrapped up into the show that nobody is into the history. Everyone wants the book but no one wants to really read it. We�re always saying the white man is destroying our history but we�re doing it to ourselves.�

After asking for her release from Def Jam Nikki D worked as a music executive and then with Russell Simmons at Phat Farm as a Marketing Manager.

�I don�t care who had the first platinum record over there, but you can�t erase history. At the end of the day it was a sucky job.�
Nikki D certainly wasn�t the only Def Jam artist left out of the broadcast. Let us know what you think about the omissions from the show.

Peace be upon you
Nikki D Goes Off About VH1 ?Hip-Hop Dishonor? | The Urban Daily

Roanoke Nazi, William White, posted Jena 6 addresses, is being indicted

Pragmatic — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:09:27 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH77L2UBenw&feature=related

Roanoke neo-Nazi condemns Jena Six

Friday, September 21, 2007
William A. White posted the youths' addresses on a Web site that calls for lynching the group.

By Laurence Hammack
981-3239

As thousands of people rallied in Jena, La., for six black youths charged with assaulting a white classmate, the FBI was monitoring a neo-Nazi activist in Roanoke who posted their names and addresses on a Web site that proclaimed: "Lynch the Jena 6."

William A. White also listed some of the defendants' telephone numbers, urging his readers to "Get in touch, and let them know justice is coming."

The leader of a Roanoke-based white supremacy group, White has a penchant for inserting inflammatory rhetoric into racially charged incidents that attract national attention, as the Jena Six case has done this week.
"He has done this kind of thing routinely, but probably never in such an outrageous way as this," said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups.

"It's appalling, but it's not surprising."

An FBI official said the agency is aware of White's posting.

"The FBI reviews information provided for possible violations under our jurisdiction, and would seek a prosecutive opinion at the appropriate time," said Sheila Thorne, a special agent with the agency's New Orleans division.

The review came as protesters gathered Thursday in Jena, the site of racial unrest since last summer. After a black student asked the school for permission to sit under a tree where white students traditionally gathered, three nooses were found hanging from the tree. Months later, the Jena Six were charged with beating a white student.

On his Web site, White complained of "agitators" who were demanding acquittals.

A posting Thursday afternoon that contained contact information for the six youths was headlined:

"Addresses of Jena 6 N-----s; In case anyone wants to deliver justice.":redface:

In a second item, White was quoted as saying:

"If these n------s are released or acquitted, we will find out where they live and make sure that white activists and white citizens in Louisiana know it ... in order to find someone willing to deliver justice."

White, commander of the American National Socialist Workers Party, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Earlier this year, White seemed unconcerned about reports that the FBI was investigating death threats against Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts, whose phone number White posted online during a controversy over a Pitts column about black-on-white crime.

"Law enforcement doesn't care," White told a McClatchy-Tribune reporter.

"We have a controversy like this about every two or three months. They don't waste their time contacting me anymore."

Potok said attorneys with the Southern Poverty Law Center were researching whether the language on Overthrow.com could amount to a criminal charge, either as a hate crime or as some form of inciting violence.

"It's a close call," he said.

>>>update<<<

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Neo-Nazi arrested, jailed on federal charge

William A. White of Roanoke has been charged with obstruction of justice, an assistant U.S. attorney says.

By Laurence Hammack
981-3239
William A. White

Photo courtesy of the Roanoke City Jail

A white supremacist known for his inflammatory Internet postings about race-related issues -- and for his verbal attacks on the people involved in them -- has been charged with threatening a federal juror.
William A. White, head of the Roanoke-based American National Socialist Workers Party, was being held without bond Saturday in the Roanoke jail.
White was arrested late Friday afternoon and charged with obstruction of justice, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bondurant said.
Bondurant said the charge involves the "threatened use of force" against the foreman of a Chicago jury in the case of Matthew Hale, who was convicted in 2004 of soliciting the murder of a U.S. District Court judge.
At the time, Hale was the leader of the World Church of the Creator, which adhered to some of the same neo-Nazi beliefs as White's organization.
Bondurant declined to comment on the details of the alleged threat, except to say that White's trial will be held in Chicago.
In an interview last week, White said he recently posted information about a juror in the Hale case to his Web site, overthrow.com. White said he included personal information about the juror but made no threats in discussing what he said were his concerns about the fairness of Hale's trial.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, an Alabama organization that monitors hate groups, said on its Web site last month that White did not directly propose violence against the juror.
It is not clear, however, if the conduct described by both White and the SPLC is related to the federal charge against him.
According to the SPLC blog item, White posted the name, home address and several phone numbers of what he called the "gay, Jewish, anti-racist" juror who helped convict Hale.
Previous coverage

White's Web site closed by FBI (Oct. 17, 2008)
Roanoke neo-Nazi cleared of threat allegation (July 29, 2008)

In 2005, Hale was sentenced to 40 years in prison for encouraging his head of security, who turned out to be a federal informant, to kill Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow. The judge had ruled against Hale in a trademark infringement case involving the name of his organization.
White "told his readers that the [juror] played a leading role in inciting both the conviction and the harsh sentence that followed," the SPLC blog post states. "He also described the conviction as wrongful and said the prison term handed Hale was a 'criminally long sentence.' "
Mark Potok, director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project, said Thursday that although White has often come close to the line between free speech and criminal activity, he may have finally crossed it by posting personal information about a juror.
Federal authorities are particularly sensitive about protecting jurors in cases such as Hale's, Potok said.
One week ago, FBI agents seized computer equipment from White. Several days later, White posted to a Yahoo message group what he said was a partial copy of the search warrant.
The warrant authorized FBI agents to search a Patterson Avenue building that houses White's online operation. According to the warrant, authorities were looking for computer files and other records "that may contain all evidence of the crime of threatening Hale Juror A."
The warrant also covered "documents, photographs or other information that shows an intent to intimidate or injure persons whose personal information has been posted in the same manor [sic] as Hale Juror A."
White has a penchant for posting the personal information of people whose views or activities run counter to his own neo-Nazi beliefs.
In September 2007, when thousands of people converged on Jena, La., for a civil rights demonstration on behalf of six black teenagers charged with assault, the event caught the attention of overthrow.com.
"Lynch the Jena 6," a headline stated, followed by the home addresses and telephone numbers of the youths, "in case anyone wants to deliver justice."
White also has published the home addresses of Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts, attorneys on the other side of a housing discrimination case he inserted himself into and officials at the SPLC.
In addition, he has used overthrow.com to issue blanket condemnations of an entire race.
In July, he attacked what he called the "respectable n------" in the NAACP and elsewhere in America, according to the SPLC. "I am convinced, more and more each day, that the only solution to the problem is to kill all the n------ involved, preferably with state sponsorship," the post stated. "When the death squads come, line me up as volunteer number one."
More recently, the Web site overthrow.com carried an image of presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, his head in the cross hairs of a rifle sight fashioned into a swastika, along with the headline "Kill This N-----?"
Officials with the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division in Washington, D.C., have been saying since shortly after the Jena Six case that White is under investigation. It is not clear if the probe includes the Obama material.
White and two other sources have said a federal grand jury has been empaneled in Roanoke to hear testimony against him. The two sources said they had personal knowledge of the grand jury but declined to speak publicly about an investigation going on behind closed doors.
Legal skirmishes are nothing new to White, who moved to Roanoke in 2004 and began to buy inner-city homes in the West End neighborhood for his rental business.
Claims of housing discrimination -- critics once claimed that White planned to exclude blacks from his homes as part of what he called a "ghetto beautification project" -- were investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development but produced no charges.
Attorneys who have opposed White in court have twice sought sanctions against him for his heated online rhetoric, but so far he has yet to be cited by a judge.
As for the Hale case, White's recent online commentary about the juror was not the first time he weighed in on that case.
In 2005, after Lefkow's husband and mother were killed in their Chicago home, White wrote on overthrow.com that "I don't feel bad."
"In fact, when I heard the story I laughed," the post continued. " 'Good for them' was my first thought."
In his commentary and an interview at the time, White said he looked forward to future killings of Jews and their sympathizers. He said that he did not encourage violence, but that violence by white supremacists is justified because they are being persecuted for their views.
Since the FBI raid of White's computer operation a week ago, overthrow.com has been down.
In a posting to a Yahoo message group for white supremacists, made either late Thursday night or sometime during the day Friday, someone identifying himself as White said the FBI had just executed a second search warrant, this one on his home.
"They left remarking on how they did not have anything with which to chargesme [sic] and they needed to plan theyre [sic] next step," the post stated.
With White now in jail, the next step will be an initial appearance before a magistrate judge, which is scheduled for this afternoon.

Supremacist indicted on additional charges

As William A. White awaits trial in Chicago, a grand jury in Roanoke has brought seven more counts against him.

By Laurence Hammack and Mike Gangloff
981-3340
Eric Brady | The Roanoke Times
"This case will not serve as a referendum on freedom of speech," acting U.S. Attorney Julia Dudley said. "This case is about innocent people being threatened, intimidated and extorted by a man that in most cases, they did not know and have never met."

The Roanoke Times | File October
William A. White is led into the Roanoke City Jail following a bond hearing in October on federal charges of encouraging violence against a juror. White was indicted Thursday in Roanoke on additional federal charges.
What happened

The new charges against William A. White include five counts of threatening people, including nationally syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts, one count of making a threat linked to extortion and one count of trying to intimidate witnesses in a federal lawsuit.
Maximum sentences are five years in prison on each threat charge, 20 years on the extortion charge and 10 years on the witness intimidation charge, plus $250,000 fines on all counts.

What happens next

The new charges won't be prosecuted until a federal charge White faces in Chicago is resolved.
In that case, White is accused of encouraging violence against a juror. A trial is scheduled for March.
Attorneys for White said they plan to ask that is case in Chicago be transferred to Roanoke, where it could be consolidated with the other cases.

Related

Video

See video from the news conference

Documents

Read the indictment against White handed down by a Roanoke federal grand jury (PDF, 3.28 MB)Editor's note: These documents contains language that some readers might consider offensive.

Previous coverage
- White to be held without bond in Chicago (December 06, 2008)
- White pleads not guilty to charges in Chicago (November 13, 2008)
- Did neo-Nazi White go too far this time? (October 26, 2008)
- Neo-Nazi fails to persuade judge to release him (October 23, 2008)
- Roanoke white supremacist remains jailed (October 19, 2008)
- White's Web site closed by FBI (October 17, 2008)

After spewing hate from his Web site for years with no legal consequences, neo-Nazi leader William A. White has been charged for the second time in two months with crossing the line between free speech and threats.
White, who is awaiting trial in Chicago on a charge of encouraging violence against a juror, was accused Thursday of more threats and intimidation.
From behind his computer screen, White allegedly picked targets across North America: a bank employee in Kansas City, Mo., a human rights lawyer in Canada, a newspaper columnist in Maryland, a university administrator in Delaware, a small-town mayor in New Jersey and a group of tenants at an apartment complex in Virginia Beach.
All of them were strangers to one another and to White, united only by his contempt for blacks and Jews.
White's indictment is a major blow to the white supremacy movement nationwide, said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, an Alabama organization that monitors hate groups.
"White has been seen as the leading threat-maker in the entire white supremacy scene for many years," Potok said. "He really specializes in pushing the First Amendment to its absolute limits."
In a seven-count indictment returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, White was charged with threatening or intimidating his victims by telephone, by e-mail and on the Internet, either on his Web site, overthrow.com, or in chat rooms frequented by white supremacists.
White has said his posts were satire and protected free speech -- a claim that federal prosecutors rejected during a news conference held Thursday to announce the indictments.
"This case will not serve as a referendum on freedom of speech," acting U.S. Attorney Julia Dudley said. "This case is about innocent people being threatened, intimidated and extorted by a man that in most cases, they did not know and have never met."
White, the self-proclaimed commander of the Roanoke-based American National Socialist Workers Party, was indicted Thursday as he sat in a Chicago jail.
The 31-year-old is awaiting trial on a separate charge of encouraging violence against a Chicago man who served on a jury that convicted a fellow white supremacist in 2004.
In that case and most of the ones included in the Roanoke indictment, White inserted himself into race-related disputes that he learned of through the news media, subjecting the people involved to verbal attacks, veiled threats and death wishes.
In one example cited in the indictment, White was angered when Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts, who lives in Maryland, wrote about public reaction to black-on-white crime.
"You and your fellow black filth are quickly losing ground," White wrote in an e-mail to Pitts, "and I look forward to the rapidly approaching day when whites once again rise up and slaughter and enslave your ugly race to the last man, woman and child. Itz [sic] coming."
Similar rhetoric appears throughout the 19-page indictment, which contains charges that could carry up to 55 years in prison if White is convicted.
White's Chicago attorneys described the charges as yet another effort by government officials to silence someone whose views they don't agree with.
Many of the comments attributed to White in court documents are partial quotes taken out of context, said Nishay Sanan, who represents White along with co-counsel Chris Shepherd.
"They're playing with words," Sanan said. "If you're picking and choosing the words that you want somebody to focus on, it's going to look like a threat."
But for some people -- including those in Roanoke who have been dealing with White since he arrived in town four years ago and began to buy up rental properties -- there's little doubt about his intentions.
Ever since White commented online in May that he had developed a detailed plan to murder several dozen of Roanoke's "Negro nuisances," people have expressed fears that their names might be on his list.
Daniel Hale, president of the Roanoke branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he was pleased to see the charges against White but disappointed it took so long for authorities to act.
"It was allowed to fester, and the more it festered, the bolder he became," Hale said.
Thursday's indictment came less than a week after a federal judge in Chicago ordered White held without bond. White is charged in Chicago with posting a juror's address and telephone numbers on his Web site, which federal authorities say was an invitation for others to harm the man. The juror served in the case of neo-Nazi Matthew Hale, who was convicted of soliciting the murder of a federal judge.
The new charges against White cover incidents in which he allegedly made threats against Pitts and four other people:
-- A Citibank employee in Missouri during a dispute about a business account. Prosecutors say White threatened to make public the employee's personal information and mentioned the murder of a federal judge's family, saying "Lord knows that drawing too much publicity and making people upset" led to the murders. White also faces an extortion charge linked to the dispute.
-- An administrator at the University of Delaware, Kathleen Kerr, who oversaw a diversity seminar for students.
-- Richard Warman, a Canadian lawyer involved in an effort to shut down a Canada-based Web site that White administered.
-- Charles Tyson, who was the target of racial attacks after he became the first black mayor of South Harrison, a small New Jersey township.
White also is accused of trying to influence witness testimony by sending inflammatory letters to black tenants who were involved in a housing discrimination case against their landlord in Virginia Beach.
The charges against White followed a yearlong investigation by federal authorities in Roanoke, who were assisted by attorneys in the civil rights division of the U.S. Justice Department.
Potok called the case one of the government's most significant prosecutions of a white supremacist.
"By and large, it's been a hair or two short of being considered a threat under case law," he said of the individual postings. But when viewed collectively in the context of White's movement, Potok said, "I think there's very little question that he's encouraging people to go out and kill his enemies."

Peace be upon you
Supremacist indicted on additional charges - Roanoke.com

We were captured, not defeated! South Carolina Pardons Joyner�s Ancestors

Pragmatic — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:14:18 GMT

By Associated Press October 16, 2009 2:52 pm

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Two great-uncles of syndicated radio host Tom Joyner, sent to the electric chair for the 1913 murder of a Confederate Army veteran, were unanimously pardoned Wednesday by South Carolina. {see article below}

Getting a pardon must be nice? But what would that mean full scale, for African's, if Europeans conceded to there innermost selves, that African's people were "never guilty" nor punishable for any crime resulting in "Common Law slavery" from the years dating 1640 thru 1865?

It would mean:

Due process of law did not guarantee fundamental fairness, justice, and liberty for African people, and meant never to justify the European's of there criminal act ('s) of self preservation, genocide, depravity, and deliberate lawlessness.

The Europeans never intended to have any respect for the principle of Government, which must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person according to :blackidea: "the law".

That African's should always keep in mind, that, Europeans, can, will, and must upsurp law('s), morallity, and principles. Forever violating there own tenets, and doctrines without contradiction, restriction, or scrutinity.

In the new testament the term "lawless" is used to describe those who knowingly, deliberately and willfully rebel against the laws of god and man. These are people who despise and defy the law. They refuse to be under god’s rule and god’s government. They refuse to surrender to god’s word and god’s will. They want to make their own laws and be their own king and follow their own way. The lawless person cries out in his heart, "not god’s will, but my will be done!" (this was the sin of Lucifer–isaiah 14:l2-14).

The greek word for lawless is anomos (a=without; nomos=law; and thus anomos means without law or lawless). In the new testament (king james version) this word is translated in different ways ("lawless," "unlawful," "wicked," "transgressor") but it always conveys the basic meaning of lawless. The noun (anomia) is also translated in various ways ("unrighteousness," "iniquity," "transgression of the law") but each time it carries the basic meaning of lawlessness.

The irony is...~ Great Britian owns the "Crown patent" for the Bible. Higher Level

GOD willing, I told my kids, "Anyone who says your ancestors were slaves are wrong"! "Your ancester's were captured, not defeated!".

U.S. Constitution - Amendment 13 cleary states:

1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

United States

In U.S. law, most civil trials are bench trials unless a party requests a jury.

But a criminal bench trial will only occur if the right to a jury trial is waived. In the case of a criminal trial, in most states the criminal defendant alone has the ability to waive the right to a jury.

In a U.S. civil trial, one of the parties must request a jury trial (and pay a small fee), otherwise a bench trial will result. See FRCP 38. In United States Federal criminal trials, jury trials are usually a matter of course and cannot be waived without certain requirements. Under the rules of Federal Criminal Procedure: If a defendant is entitled to a jury trial, the trial must be by jury unless: :blackidea:(1) the defendant waives a jury trial in writing; (2) the government consents; and (3) the court approves. See Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure 23(b).

Europeans don't know or practice there own law!

What interpretation sounds better in the ears of your children? All I can say is let the facts speak for themselves.

GOD willing, all of Ancestor's deserve a pardon and I didn't wait for the White man to give it to them!

Honor your ancestors and Give them the pardon they deserve today.

Quit calling them "slaves". They were "Captives of War".

No jury, no conviction!
Peace be upon you

P.S Congratulations Tom Joyner

Notes:

1640

John Punch, a runaway black servant, is sentenced to servitude for
life. His two white companions are given extended terms of servitude.

Punch is the first documented slave for life.

The 13th Amendment, which prohibits slavery, except as a punishment for crime was Ratified 12/6/1865

Higher Level (*notes on Bible and Crown patent)
http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/co...her-level.html
UPDATE: South Carolina Pardons Joyner’s Ancestors | News One
Lawlessness
Bench trial - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://sharondraper.com/timeline.pdf

Creative Punishment: A Magnet for success

Pragmatic — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:46:00 GMT

I commented on the post titled*(below)

The Murder of Oscar Grant Demands Justice in Alameda County
by Minister Keith Muhammad
, which to me highlights how Officer Mehserle, tied his "defense" against the "Moral misunderstanding"of Africans, who seek "justice" from "White Law".

That post spoke volumes. European Law can sure "walk that dog".

Africans, in America are still "being held accountable", and "responsible" to "unmanageability" of the White man's limited power (scientifically speaking; Theologically speaking; a lack of, surely).

Oscar Grants' murderer will follow the blueprint. A collective formula "manufactured" out of the wombs and minds of African people. A subversive mindset that "encourages" incorrigble obediance out malfeasance. Firmly established by a long persistence of unsound principles and moral values.

malfeasance=Misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official.

We, and few, of the adopted breed of Africans. Who, being manufactured, have been since, bred, to justify this limited disillusionment of authority. Based on the virtue of color. Disarmed, scientifically, and "encouraged" to justify and stand by "naively" for: genocide, incest, homosexuality, bestality, diefication, mayhem, rape, and torture.

That the European, left with the "wreckage of there past" has since refused to take responsibility for there "own" actions and retribution for there carnage is upsetting. That they, forgot and lost any remnants of there humanity in there own hype. And must use "us" as a "moral compass" to achieve what they consider "heaven". Is a sure sign they are human, with err, and will have us entertain this dismal existence, along side there's. If we "choose" too (unhappily).

Though the base moral judgement of Africans and there inflated moral turpitude of the direst sort. (*ie. The unlawful enslavement and manufacturing of African peoples in the America's)

We further keep ourselves entwined in there Depravity and moral corruption. They make us believe " We are a Power greater than themselves", by "allowing us" to discredit there moral judgment, using there "interpretation of justice and morallity". This is plainly insanity..., how far must we go on with this charade?

We, cannot hold the European accountable, any more than they can hold themselves accountable? This is why the seperated the "Church from the state"?

With that, what can the African do, what even Jesus could not accomplish?

The Quran tells us, through Spiritual principles that:

[72:21] Say, "I possess no power to harm you, nor to guide you."

42:48] If they turn away, we did not send you as their guardian. Your sole mission is delivering the message. When we shower the human beings with mercy, they become proud, and when adversity afflicts them, as a consequence of their own deeds, the human beings turn into disbelievers.

Is it not unusual, to content "ourselves", with the loathsome and disgusting language of European law?

Is this the sort of success we truly need for long after? Built on "Creative Punishment", and genocide.

In theory, scientifically, it works on the majority of people who believe in carrying on the legacy of undomesticated lawlessness, and oppressive depravity. According to Dr. Francis Cress Welsing, this system attacks people of color, particularly people of African descent, in the nine major areas of people's activity: economics, education, entertainment, labor, law, politics, religion, sex and war. Dr. Welsing believes that it is imperative that people of color, especially people of African descent, understand how the system of white supremacy works in order to dismantle it and bring true justice to planet Earth

But if the American Dream is what you desire. You can aquire it by:

figuring in, a unproportionate level of "Creative Punishment for are selves, one.

By whooping our kids down for being children. Hitting them, strictly on impulse, because it feels good.

Supporting "Public schools" that teach your children, who, and what there, "strategic position" is under ,European Scientific Socialism.

Begging for reparations.

Suspending moral judgement to get ahead;

Crediting the "white man" for how you got ahead on the rhythm of Black people ie. "Slanging crack, killing all the black folks in your city, then turn around blaming the hood that made us"...while all the while, using that same "rap money", buying all the White man's stuff up, and celebrating his warped out holiday's. Man...~

Moving along,... aimlessly, without righteous principles being our foundation. Something like a 2 year who doesn't ask to "be picked up", and cries when you won't lift them. Case in point: 1870 Naturalization Act cleary points out..."Africans are not citizens"..."claiming "our" Judicial existence in a Court of Law is a "fraud".

Constantly trying to "find our place" among undocumented advocates of unrighteous; Probably like spending the night, at your uncles house, who's a rapist, but you never speak up and tell him no (or nobody else for that matter)

Or drinking with your father, and later becoming an alcholic; blaming your Father for all your mistakes.

Destroying everthing in your path, never taken accountibility for your own shortcomings.(As a woman or man with there own principles and choices ought too).

Encouraged to enjoin in moraless proclamations, heathenism, and genocide. Ie. joing the millitary, or the Prison industrial system.

"The majority of people, no matter what you do, are not believers." (12:103)

"And the majority of those who believe in God are idolworshipers." (12:106)

The article reads:

"It is a shameful, travesty of justice, and a perversion of truth that Johannes Mehserle has allowed his attorney to pander to the fears of the judge and hurled revisionists history of Black activism to frighten the public into agreement that Johannes Mehserle cannot get a fair trial in Alameda County.

In closing, we take personal offense that Johannes Mehserle has instructed or permitted his attorney to include in his arguments the false statements, diversionary tactics, smear campaign, and racist innuendo as the basis for his defense, as he attempts to try community leadership in the court of public opinion. Black elected officials, activists and supporters of justice did not kill Oscar Grant III. Johannes Mehserle did. Let his trial begin and end in Alameda County, the place where his grievious act occurred."

The Murder of Oscar Grant Demands Justice in Alameda County
by Minister Keith Muhammad

"Didn't they believe Black people were attuned with "normal" white authority without question??? ie. Black codes

Didn't they believe that?"

Reparations is Bloodmoney!

Don't they believe that, still?

Don't they believe that since they have created a enviroment of distrust *(from the ashes of abuse); that at any given time, one can use his "white sovereignty card" to escape justice.

If retribution is what the European is up against, they use there white guilt trip, to get out trouble a whole hella of alot. They truly believed they had become the "Universal will" for Mankind.

When I was growing up, we got "whooped" for honest behavior's and mistakes. I'm fortunate today, not to do that to my kids. I can listen to there troubles without spanking em and still give them consequences for there actions.

I can have a relationship, with my parents, built on principles, and choice.

The two things I didn't know I had as a child; The two things that were'nt reinforced through hitting. (*Naivety, ignorance, and irresponsibility; 3 triggers I learned as child that I use very frequently.)

I didn't learn, until my adulthood, that I could trust what I felt, without reprisal. It was only then, this freedom to have "shortcomings" and "character flaws" that I was able to start "trusting" people around me. People who didn't punish me for being myself. Who gave me "friendly advice" but didn't hurt me when they gave it.

I was watching "Divorce Court". They never start the show with pointing on the "good" in the peoples relationship. They immediately go right into why the couple can't make it work. Then after they rehash all that old` stuff', they ask, "What could they do to make it work"? Of course it's to late. Ni'ther one of them ain't trying to make it work. They just had to relive a whole half hour of the b*llsh*t they been living with for the longest time already.

* Punishment is a magnet most of us know to well. We see standup comedians clownin' about it. But who's running to the Black community's rescue.

Ex. The Mormon's practice polgamy. When it got out of control, outside forces, came in and held them accountable for there "cultural shortcomings".

What about Black folks. We have a culture steeped in abuse. But where is the rescue team for us? It's not so funny when we are the "ass end of the joke".

I learned to distrust, the one I loved the most, my dad. Who, beat me for my honest shortcomings, behaviors, (*and dishonest ones).

I'm grateful. GOD willing, I can give my Dad back, what he couldn't afford me. A friendship based on Spirtual principles, and choices, of my own accountablity (whether right or wrong, they are mine, today, GOD willing)

Today I have the opportunity to give that back to my Dad, without fear, shame or apprehension, in no given amount, GOD willing.

I believe in unity, just for today. I believe it works, because I believe that can't no one justify my behavior (s), failures, and personal achievements better than I can.

Just for today, I'm trying to listen to be heard. Instead of punishing myself, and others around me cause I'm afraid of taking responsibility for being me, GOD willing.

Question: Why do they use a Black women on "Divorce Court"?

Thank you, Moorbey and Metalstorm for the lesson plan

Peace be upon you
:gyenyame::sankofa:

http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/open-forum/39873-murder-oscar-grant-demands-justice-alameda-county.html#post171562

http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/bl...r-obama-1.html

http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/li...-thinkers.html

LIFE STYLE; In Leather Medallions and Hats, Symbol of Renewed Black Pride

Pragmatic — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:38:34 GMT

By LENA WILLIAMS

Published: Sunday, July 30, 1989

They are throwbacks to the 1960's, recalling the time when the civil rights and black power movements inspired a generation of young black men and women, when everything and anything black was beautiful.

Once again, symbolic jewelry and clothing is being worn by young black Americans making statements of pride and identity: leather necklaces with medallions of red, black and green, some shaped in the outline of Africa, others framing photographs of Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie; kufi hats of leather and kinte cloth; T-shirts that declare ''Black by Popular Demand'' or ''Black to the Future.''

''They're a symbol of us becoming one again,'' said Andre Lee, an 18-year-old from Washington who owns several of the leather necklaces. ''It's like the 60's all over again. I like it. I like it a lot. At least it's not that tacky gold stuff.''

''It's a whole new style,'' said Dennis Powell, 20, from Washington. ''I've seen kids as young as 5 wearing these Afrocentric fashions.'' Asked what he thought it meant, he said, ''It's like that T-shirt. On the front it says 'It's a black thing.' The back says 'You wouldn't understand.' '' Possible Caribbean Origins

As with most trends, no one can pinpoint how it started. But two merchants in Harlem, Tyrone Edwards, a native of Antigua, and Lawrence Riley, of Trinidad, believe it came from the Caribbean.

''A lot of the Caribbean vendors had been making jewelry of leather to sell to tourists,'' Mr. Edwards said as he stood outside his shop on Lenox Avenue. ''When some of the merchants came here, they brought the trade with them.''

The leather jewelry sells for $3 to $10, the kufi hats for $15 to $20 and the T-shirts for $5 to $15. Most of the items are sold by private vendors, but with their growing popularity, some smaller department stores now stock them.

While the trend may have started abroad, it is young black Americans who have adapted it most enthusiastically, in part inspired by movies and television.

The wearing of kufi hats was popularized by ''Coming to America,'' in which Eddie Murphy wears several of the West African crown-shaped hats. And Avery Brooks, the black actor in the television series ''The Hawk,'' sent youths running to the nearest corner vendor in search of the elaborate African styles he wore.

A Move Away From Gold

Rap groups like Experience Unlimited, Heavy D and the Boys, Kool Mo Dee and Public Enemy - associated with the fad of large gold jewelry - now wear African-inspired jewelry and hats during their performances. So do two of the main characters in Spike Lee's new movie, ''Do the Right Thing.''

The growing commercialization of these styles disturbs some. ''I saw a guy in the mall wearing a T-shirt that had an emblem showing Africa with bat wings,'' Mr. Powell said with disgust.

''This is about black heritage,'' said Joe Eustache, a Trinidadian who sells many of the items from a stand on the corner of 125th Street and Lenox Avenue. ''You've got Korean merchants in Times Square selling this stuff. Stuff they bought from blacks in Brooklyn or Harlem. So it's free enterprise, but there's something there that just rubs me raw.''

But others say the message still comes through. ''It doesn't matter whether it's a fad or not, if it's something positive,'' said Darren Grinage,

16.
Ausar Amemhotep sells medallions, T-shirts and hats at his stand at 126th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem; T-shirts presenting a variety of black-pride slogans (The New York Times/Marty Katz); Denise Simmons and Akina McKinnie wearing kufi hats in Silver Spring, Md. (The New York Times/Michelle Agins)

Peace be upon you
LIFE STYLE; In Leather Medallions and Hats, Symbol of Renewed Black Pride - The New York Times

President Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

Pragmatic — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:30:43 GMT

Congratulation's President Obama!!!

The Associated Press

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks at Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt, June 4. President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize today for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples, " the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, citing his outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.

Oslo -- President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize today for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, citing his outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.

The stunning choice made Obama the third sitting U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize and shocked Nobel observers because Obama took office less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline. Obama’s name had been mentioned in speculation before the award but many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to award the president.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the committee said. “His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.”

The committee said it attached special importance to Obama’s vision of, and work for, a world without nuclear weapons.

“Obama has as president created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play,” the committee said.

Theodore Roosevelt won the award in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson won in 1919. Former President Jimmy Carter won the award in 2002, while former Vice President Al Gore shared the 2007 prize with the U.N. panel on climate change.

The Nobel committee received a record 205 nominations for this year’s prize.

In his 1895 will, Alfred Nobel stipulated that the peace prize should go “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses.”

Unlike the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded by Swedish institutions, he said the peace prize should be given out by a five-member committee elected by the Norwegian Parliament. Sweden and Norway were united under the same crown at the time of Nobel’s death.

The committee has taken a wide interpretation of Nobel’s guidelines, expanding the prize beyond peace mediation to include efforts to combat poverty, disease and climate change.

By The Associated Press

October 09, 2009, 6:07AM

President Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize | News from The Post-Standard -
Peace be upon you

The Freeman Institute: Black History Collection by Joel A. Freeman, Ph.D.

Pragmatic — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:24:07 GMT

The Freeman Institute�
Black History Collection

Powerful Images of Black History from the Ancient to the Modern

African
European
Caribbean
South American
American

truth crushed to the earth shall rise again

Please wait for images to load -- It's worth the wait. If you were to print this entire website, it would be about 90+ pages...

This Web Site is Sponsored by:
The Freeman Institute� andThe Freeman Institute� Foundation

"se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yennki" (translation below)
"There is nothing wrong with going back to fetch what one has forgotten." -- Ashanti saying

The TFI Black History Collection is not for sale...with 2500+ authentic documents and artifacts -- oldest piece is 1553 (see #21). The Freeman Institute� (founded by Joel A. Freeman, Ph.D.) administers its use. (The Freeman Institute Foundation). The Freeman Institute Black History Collection is being used to open Black History galleries -- under the umbrella of The Freeman Institute Foundation, in strategic alliance with the Return To Glory, LLC, in major American cities and selected cities internationally...designed to educate and inspire young people.

<<< Click to check out the TFI Foundation. Contact info for Dr. Freeman is at the bottom of this page
Thanks to the many people who have been mentors, cultural / historical guides,
and an inspiration to Dr. Freeman along the way (in no particular order):
Mark Mitchell, Don Griffin, Jeffrey Wright, Ivan Van Sertima, Ben Carson, Clarence Walker, Darryl Colbert, Steve Fitzhugh, Patricia Ware, Lenny Moore, Adrian Branch, Errol Griffith, Marcella Hinton, and many others...

Check out the 4 minute Return To Glory film clip (just before #11, below). Order Black History and other
resources by clicking on the Return To Glory book cover to the right (a new window will open) >>>>>>>

Peace be upon you

The Freemen Institute
The Freeman Institute Black History Collection -- oldest piece is dated 1567...

Hip Hop History: The Source's Five Mic Albums

Pragmatic — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:48:50 GMT

The Source's Five Mic Albums

The "Record Report" is a special feature in the publication in which journalists rate albums. Ratings range from one to five mics paralleling a typical five-star rating scale. An album that is rated at four-and-a-half or five "mics" is considered by The Source to be a superior hip hop album[citation needed]. Over the first ten years or so, the heralded "five mic" rating only applied to albums that were universally lauded hip hop albums. A total of 44 albums have been awarded five mics; a complete, chronological list is below

Run-D.M.C.

Run-D.M.C. (1984)

Godfather Hats: Gold chains and black leather jackets. The young trio of Run-DMC made it clear that they did not aspire to the space-age theatrics of Afrika Bambaataa or the street-glam fashion of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Nor did the Hollis, Queens, crew buy into the early hip-hop formula that stressed 12-inch singles over full-length albums.

Run-DMC�s self-titled debut is simply hip-hop�s first classic album, setting a stylistic and musical precedent for future rap releases.
The stripped-down beats and rhyme production of �Sucker MCs� was a shocking revolution during hip-hop�s funk band era, and �Rock Box� introduced the dynamic pairing of rock guitars over hip-hop tracks.

Run and DMC�s tough-minded yet witty lyricism was versatile, whether they were reporting on the harsh realities of the day (�Hard Times�) or bigging-up the turntable supremacy of their DJ (�Jam Master Jay� ). But this was only the beginning for these three kids. 2LL Cool J

Radio (1985)

3Beastie Boys

Licensed to Ill (1986)

Back when Marshall Mathers was catching hell from DeAngelo Bailey, these white-boy denizens from New York�s Lower East Side were making it okay for folks of a lighter shade to grab the mic. Although Ad-Rock, Mike D and MCA�s debut, Licensed To Ill, was rooted in hip-hop�s boom-bap, there was a peculiar smug pre-slacker sensibility that proved popular with Middle America.

Unlike their contemporaries, the Beasties could play with hip-hop in new ways. The narrative on �Paul Revere� was deliciously twisted and the beats on �Hold It Now, Hit It� and �Brass Monkey� were irregular and anarchaic. The album was a masterwork of attitude, birthing classics such as the burly �(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party),� which remains a potent after-hours anthem. White men may not be able to jump, but this trio destroyed the premise that Caucasians couldn�t be slammin� on the microphone. 4Run-D.M.C.

Raising Hell (1986)

Yeah, it�s 1985�s King of Rock is credited with introducing Run-DMC�s b-boy rock to the commercial masses. But Raising Hell propelled the pioneering trio to icon status, as Run, DMC and Jam Master Jay became the first hip-hop group to attain platinum sales and be embraced by MTV.

You know the songs, �Peter Piper,� �My Adidas� and �It�s Tricky� are the stuff hip-hop classics are made of. �You Be Illin�� is still flat-out hilarious (Run DMC�s mentally challenged character orders a Big Mac at a Kentucky Fried Chicken), and the heavy 808 bass drop of �Dumb Girl� can still bust the tweeters of any sound system.

The trump card, however, was �Walk This Way,� their groundbreaking cover and collaboration with a seemingly washed up Aerosmith. Every rap-inspired rocker from Kid Rock to Linkin Park should get on their knees every night and thank the sweet Lord that underrated producer Rick Rubin and the hard-core hip-hop group rerecorded a dusty breakbeat favorite. 5Boogie Down Productions

Criminal Minded (1987)

Schoolly D�s self-titled debut, Boogie Down Production�s Criminal Minded stands as a precursor to gangsta rap, an irony in the 15-year career of Kris �KRS-ONE� Parker. Although KRS would go on to initiate the Stop The Violence movement in 1989, the album is a testimony to the violent politics of the streets at that time.
On the dancehall reggae-influenced �9MM Goes Bang,� KRS mockingly bucked down �Peter� the drug dealer. �The Bridge Is Over,� which delivered body blows to Juice Crew�s MC Shan, was one of the templates for all ego bruising dis records. And acting as the East Coast model for N.W.A�s �Straight Outta Compton� was the bad boy anthem �South Bronx,� which initiated the battle between Shan & KRS.

But inside Kris lurked a socially conscious individual fighting to come out. �Poetry� found him forecasting his eventual edutainment doctrine with lines like �I am teaching a class, or rather school/ �Cause you need schooling/ I am not a king or a queen, I�m not ruling.� 6Eric B. & Rakim

Paid In Full (1987)

More than any other album release of 1987, Eric B. & Rakim�s �Paid In Full� forecasted hip-hop�s Golden Age. Eric B.�s James Brown-infused production on such breakthrough tracks as �Eric B. For President� and �I Know You Got Soul� were ominously funky- � a departure from the crushing rock beats of LL Cool J and Run-DMC.

But more importantly, Paid In Full was marked by the debut of hip-hop�s most influential lyricist, Rakim. Suddenly, opposing rappers were required to do more than just rhyme about Adidas, Kangols and gold chains. His low key yet fiery lyrical arsenal was one of the first to utilize Five Percent Nation idealogy and complex rhyme cadences that seemed more poetic than street. But it was the intricate verbal jabs of �I Ain�t No Joke� that signaled the end of hip-hop�s old school regime: �Write a rhyme in graffiti in every show you see me in/ Deep concentration, �cause I�m no comedian.�

Mcing would never be the same. 7Big Daddy Kane

Long Live the Kane (1988)

He was just fresher than the rest. So full of action, his name, as he suggested on the battle-rhyme blueprint �Raw,� really should have been a verb.

When a pompous Big Daddy Kane debuted with 1988�s Long Live The Kane, he could care less about playing his position. Much like the Kangol-endorsing teenager from Hollis, Queens, did years earlier, he came, saw and conquered � with much emphasis on conquered.

�Raw� hinted at his brash arrogance. �Ain�t No Half Steppin�� confirmed it with lines like �For you to beat me/ It�s gonna take a miracle.� Though the album was dominated by this grab-my-dick motif (�Set It Off� and �Long Live The Kane�), Kane did have a keen social awareness, as evidenced on �I�ll Take You There.� Envisioning a place where war is relegated to video games and crack can only be found on walls, Brooklyn�s finest showed the range that eventually crowned him king of his era. 8Boogie Down Productions

By All Means Necessary (1988)

The first of many tragedies to mar hip-hop, Scott La Rock�s August 1987 murder could�ve sunk his Bronx-based Boogie Down Productions crew. Yet, somehow, his prot�g� KRS-One managed to follow Criminal Minded with 10 tracks of concentrated potency in the form of �By All Means Necessary�.
With songs like �I�m still #1,� featuring the verse that buried Melle Mel, the record cemented BDP�s rep as rap�s most fearsome sound system.

Opening with �My Philosophy� and closing with �Necessary,� the LP also introduced us to KRS-One as the wise, peaceful Teacher and foreshadowed his gift for contradiction. After all, on the album cover, he clutches an Uzi, mimicking the famous photo of Malcolm X, while �Illegal Busines,� �Jimmy� and �Stop The Violence� dropped science on sex, drugs and violence in America.
Thugging, battle-rapping and philosophizing, KRS made us believe his boasts that BDP would be here forever. 9EPMD

Strictly Business (1988)

The outskirts of New York City had a potent voice in the late �80�s. Alongside Strong Island natives Eric B. & Rakim and Public Enemy, EPMD were so ahead of their time it was downright scary. With their funk-sweltering debut, Strictly Business, these two boys from Brentwood, Long Island, had an influence on the sound of the West Coast by incorporating funk into hip-hop.

Out of nowehere, Erick Sermon�s trademark lisp and Parrish Smith�s monotonous flow poured over the wobbling, warbling funk of a mysterious �double-A� side, yellow-and-black single, �It�s My Thing� b/w �You�re A Customer.�

But these suburbanites had a few more tricks in their bag. While rappers like Big Daddy Kane and BDP rhymed over rugged, streetwise tracks, E-Double spearheaded the duo�s groove revolution by sampling artists like P-Fuink and Zapp to construct dance floor-packing hits like �You Gots To Chill. And although it took a little longer than Erick bragged on �So What Cha Sayin�,� the LP did eventually go gold. 10Jungle Brothers

Straight Out the Jungle (1988)

The Jungle Brothers kicked off the Native Tongues era with 1988�s Straight Outta The Jungle, a bold declaration of Afrocentric pride and genre-splicing experimentation.

Unlike their mid-80�s predecessors, Mike G and Afrika Baby Bam didn�t just rap about themselves (though they weren�t afraid of a good sex rhyme). They made their album a political platform.

�What�s Going On?� sampled the Marvin Gaye track of the same name, and �Black Is Black� (which featured a young Q-Tip making his debut) was a potent race manifesto. The JBs also weren�t afraid of the dance floor, meshing hip-hop with house music on the anthemic �I�ll House You� and filing out many other tracks with energetic, James Brown- style horns lines.

Though De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest gained more fame, the Jungle Brothers got there first, paving the way for spiritual and political hip-hop. 11N.W.A

Straight Outta Compton (1988)

If the streets ever had anything to say, N.W.A�s revolutionary debut, Straight Outta Compton, served as its definitive voice. Although hip-hop eggheads initially shunned these original gangstas� criminal-minded approach, the album remains one of hip-hop�s most influential.

While Public Enemy injected heavy doses of self-empowerment and social analysis into their musical attack on the establishment, N.W.A simply threatened to rob it and burn it down. Seconds after the album�s violent, jarring, rampageous title track exploded, Compton instantaneously became a hip-hop landmark.

Dr. Dre�s production genius was undeniable and Ice Cube�s chilling Charles Manson-inspired prophecies frightened America.When MC Ren, Cube, Dre and the late Eazy-E protested police brutality by returning fire with �Fuck Tha Police,� the FBI threats began. Meanwhile, slick, funk-injected villainous anthems like �Dopeman� and �Gangsta, Gangsta� placed listeners in their criminal mindset, making it acceptable to root for the �bad guy�. 12Public Enemy

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)

South African Apartheid was in full effect. Reganomics was raping inner cities. Crack was on a rampage. And Black Power was playing dead. So Public Enemy HAD to do it. They had to drop a second album that would slap our 14-carat asses back to the righteousness Malcolm X represented.

This mission demanded a musical Uzi that weighed a ton. So the Bomb Squad painstakingly crafted street beats using below-the-belt bass, siren-like horns and revolutionary sound bites. Flav bought the agitated ad-libs, and Chuck D unleashed his pure rhyme animalism.

The result was a compendium of classics: �Rebel Without a Pause,� �Bring The Noise,� �Don�t Believe The Hype,� �Night of the Living Baseheads.� And those were just the singles. It�s a no-brainer, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back slammed jams def enough to make a generation trade in their truck jewelry for stop watches on strings 13Slick Rick

The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988)

Ask any MC. Go �head, ask �em. From Jay-Z to Nas to Snoop Dogg, so many of today�s most successful rappers have borrowed something or another from the original ruler, Slick Rick. That�s because they all know who mastered the art of storytellin� in hip-hop.

After he and Doug E. Fresh made history together with songs like �The Show� and �Lad Di Da Di,� Rick debuted with his solo effort, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.
Slick Rick (along with his alter-ego MC Ricky D) took hip-hop on a journey throughout The Great Adventures, covering every color of the spectrum.

The classic party cut �Mona Lisa,� the storytellin� jewel �Children�s Story� and the introspective �Hey Young World� all have endured the test of time. With his Brit-accented flow, Rick went from hardcore (�Lick The Balls�) to love story (�Teenage Love�) in the blink of an eye - a quality not easily mastered. 14Ultramagnetic MC's

Critical Beatdown (1988)

Kool Keith became the lyrically perverted Dr. Octagon, he was the left-field rap pugilist who pulled no punches. He used the wop-inducing �Ego Trip,� which successfully jacked the classic �Substitution� breakbeat drum patterns (bah-boom b-b-b-bap, boom-b-b-b-bap) to blast Run-DMC�s �Peter Piper� (�Say what, Peter Piper?/Hell with childish rhymes�).

Ced G, Ultra�s production arm, who also laid the musical foundation for KRS�s Criminal Minded, took hip-hop tracks to nerdy heights, pairing obscure samples and doeses of technical know-how with Keith�s lyrical oddballing. Critical Beatdown�s underground aesthetic, which included sampling Star Wars on �Ease Back,� predated the backpack-and-notebook scene that emerged much later.

With Beatdown, Ultra stood on rap�s periphery throwing stones at its central figures, thumbing their noses at the parade of MCs who passed them by to claim prominent places in hip-hop history. And so, one of hip-hop�s most original albums received critical acclaim but has been beat down by the passage of time. 15The D.O.C.

No One Can Do It Better (1989)

Along with being the principle architect of N.W.A�s menacing, groundbreaking West Coast sound through much of the late �80�s and early 90�s, Dr. Dre was also an influential talent broker, whose 1989 introduction of Texas-born lyricist the D.O.C. preceded high-profile discoveries such as Snoop Dogg and Eminem.

However, the D.O.C.�s confident debut, No One Can Do It Better, was not the typical Niggaz With Attitude threat. Clearly, he was a streetwise rhymer more interested in battling MCs than busting caps on wax, as evidenced on tracks such as �The Formula� and �The D.O.C. & The Doctor.�

The platinum album�s barrage of groove-heavy live guitar, drums and keyboard synthesizers allowed space for his authoritative vocal presence to sine (�It�s Funky Enough�) � vocals that were tragically cut short after a life-threatening car accident. Yet, along with the extensive writing credits on The Chronic, No One Can Do It Better remains an influential work revered by hardcore rap aficionados. 16A Tribe Called Quest

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)

17Brand Nubian

One for All (1990)

18Eric B. & Rakim

Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990)

19Geto Boys

Grip It! On That Other Level (1989)

we said then: Bushwick Bill the midget "ain't kissin no ass to be accepted" and partner Willie D is kickin' "'mo ass than a donkey." (May 90)

What we say now: While the review singled out Bushwick Bill's perverted bravado and Willie D's uncouth, stinging rhymes, it overlooked Brad Jordan. Without him, there would be no "Scarface," a cut that portrays a ghetto-glamorized Fifth Ward version of Tony Montana, or crude treasures like "Gangsta of Love." In addition, the Geto Boy's rawer-than-sushi LP is so nice that the legendary Rick Rubin remixed the album, releasing it twice. 20Ice Cube

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990)

21Main Source

Breaking Atoms (1991)

we said then: As a debut, Breaking Atoms is a beacon of hope that New York artists can continue to advance rap to new heights of musical and lyrical depth. (May 91)

What we say now: The original review reads like it's describing a five-mic LP. From the sour relationship, boo-chanting "Looking At The Front Door" to the subtle sampling of Large Professor, Breaking Atoms blazed trails that are still less traveled to this day (see Nas' "I Gave You Power" for the Professor's large conceptual influence). The powerful posse cut "Live at the Barbecue," featuring Nas and Akinyele, merits the additional half mic alone. 22A Tribe Called Quest

The Low End Theory (1991)

23De La Soul

De La Soul Is Dead (1991)

24Ice Cube

Death Certificate (1991)

we said then: People may have been expecting to hear a "politically correct" Ice Cube record. (Jan 92)

What we say now: On his second solo release, his first as a member of the Nation, Cube achieves a yet-to-be-matched balance between hard-core and conscious rap. On tracks like "I Wanna Kill Sam," "Black Korea" and "True To The Game," he not only rails against the government, exploitative Korean merchants and money-loving sellouts, but also attacks his enemies with the ruthlessness of a gangsta. Sure, he's slangin' bean pies and St. Ides in the same sentence, but we love the music anyway. 25Dr. Dre

The Chronic (1992)

we said then: One cut, "Lil Ghetto Boy," could go but that's about it...Overall, an innovative and progressive hip-hop package. (Feb 93)

What we say now: Dre's lovely, funk-laden, Cali-scorched beats on The Chronic set a standard for production that has never been exceeded. And with fellow Death Row inmates Snoop, Daz and Kurupt spitting smooth, gang-affiliated venom on every track, this ode to California living has become one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever created - "Lil Ghetto Boy" included. 26Snoop Dogg

Doggystyle (1993)

we said then: Doggystyle is only half the album we were expecting. The other half, the stuff that would have blown us away a year ago, now seems average by 1994 standards. (Feb 94)

What we say now: Not sure what we were smokin', but if today's rappers would drop a joint half as nice as Doggystyle, hip-hop would sound a whole lot better, Virtually every song on Snoop's debut is a classic ("Gin and Juice," "Ain't No Fun," etc). Unfortunately, nobody makes music like this anymore. Not even snoop. 27Wu-Tang Clan

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)

we said then: This album is a throwback to the days of 1986-87, when rap was filled with honesty, greatness and skill. (Feb 94)

What we say now: The Wu-Tang Clan undoubtedly restored feelings of the good ol' days. But they also set a new benchmark in the realm of hard-core hip-hop with songs like "Protect Ya Neck" and "C.R.E.A.M." Enter The Wu-Tang influenced and inspired an entire generation of fans who yearned to copy the many styles of these nine Shaolin masters. 28Nas

Illmatic (1994)

29The Notorious B.I.G.

Ready to Die (1994)

we said then: Some of the beats get a little repetetive ("Me & My Bitch," "Respect") and the two sex skits are annoying. (Oct 94)

What we say now: Dark and lovely. That about sums up Easy Mo Bee and DJ Premier's board work on Ready To Die. Balancing those instrumentals are clever up-tempo samples manipulated by Chucky Thompson and TrackMasters. And, as brainless as the sex skits are, they're an entertaining glimpse into the persona that would help the legendary MC soar to "big" heights. 30Scarface

The Diary (1994)

we said then: They say you should never read someone's diary because you may find something you didn't want to know. (Jan 95)

What we say now: Listening to Scarface's inner thoughts is truly a Pandora's box experience. Caught somewhere between sanity and a nervous breakdow, his lyrics make listeners believe he converses with the grim reaper. Although The Diary is as dark and jarring as a suicide note, it's easily his most distinguished body of work. 31Mobb Deep

The Infamous... (1995)

we said then: The Infamous falls short of classics like Illmatic and Strictly Business but definitely upholds their tradition. It proves once again that Queensbridge heads don't play. (Jun 95)

What we say now: Prodigy's thugged-out entertainment and Havoc's sonic production on cuts like the bone-chilling "Shook Ones Pt. ll" and the stick-up-kid anthem "Give Up The Goods" proved tp be timeless street joints in the same vein as "Life's a Bitch" and "You Gots To Chill." The album was a staple for all hardheaded delinquents comin' up in the game. 32Raekwon

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (1995)

we said then: The beats are solid and while many aren't as catchy as those on previous Wu solo joints, the tracks are suited to distinct flow of the Chef. (Sep 95)

What we say now: This LP beats out any other Wu project in terms of "catchiness." As memorable as Raekwon's loungin' big-dick-style bravado is, it's those looped Mr. Softee bells that take center stage on "Ice Cream." And if "Incarcerated Scarfaces" isn't considered crack-rock catchy, maybe the word needs to be redefined. 332Pac

Me Against the World (1995)

we said then: Me Against The World is quite simply a manifestation of 2Pac's talents becoming completely whole as they are mixed with the tracks that may, for a change, overshadow him. (Apr 95)

What we say now: Yes, Pac finally found tracks able to compete with his subject matter and flow on Me Against The World. But suggesting he was overshadowed by the production may have been overstating things a bit. It would take quite a backdrop to exceed his tales of run-ins with the law, Black Panther ideology and appreciation of Afeni Shakur. 34Fugees

The Score (1996)

we said then: What really holds this album together is its tight production, courtesy of the Refugee camp with an assist from their man Salaam Remi. (March '96)

What we say now: While the tracks did captapault Wylcef Jean into hip-hop's elite production circle, the lyrics played an undeniable role in making The Score one of the most thought-provoking rap albums of the '90s. Recall a sly Lauryn claiming to "play her enemies like a game of chess" on "Ready Or Not." 35Jay-Z

Reasonable Doubt (1996)

we said then: In terms of subject matter, Jay-Z isn't saying anything new. It's the same 'ol criminal melodrama that you hear on so many rap LPs nowadays. (Aug 96)

What we say now: Although hustling on wax in 1996 was more common than a Bad Boy R&B jack, Jay's recollections of his street occupation are pregnant with detail. While MC Drug Lord would do no more than tell us that he made his living in the streets, Shawn Carter went further by meticulously explaining the reasons for his illegal activities. Songs like "Politics As Usual" clearly describe a man torn between his conscience and love of money. Ain't nothing same 'ol about that. 362Pac

All Eyez on Me (1996)

we say: Whether exacting revenge on his foes on "Ambition az a Ridah," making up for lost time on "California Love" or searching for the meaning of existence on "Life Goes On" and "Only God Can Judge Me," Pac fully epitomizes the ghetto-fabulous lifestyle on this album, becoming the quintessential artist most rappers secretely desire to be. Even after his death on September 13, 1996, thug life lives on. 37The Notorious B.I.G.

Life After Death (1997)

38OutKast

Aquemini (1998)

39Dr. Dre

2001 (1999)

we said then: If his 2001 has one glaring flaw (other than too many skits), it's that we don't hear him alone enough. The overloaded of guests makes some tracks sound cluttered. (Jan '00)

What we say now: While The Chronic does rely on a smaller core of gangsta MCs, Dre turned the sequel, Dre 2001, into a crowded West Coast block party. But the funk-in-outer-space production that runs throughout the LP makes up for the extra unnecessary verse or two. The album also proved that Eminem was capable of delivering more than a nasal flow and initiated the mainstream validation of Xzibit. It's time-tested and sure-to-get-you-high classic material. 40Nas

Stillmatic (2001)

41Jay-Z

The Blueprint (2001)

42Scarface

The Fix (2002)

43Lil' Kim

The Naked Truth (2005)

Peace be upon you

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Source_(magazine
The Source Magazine's 5 Mic Rap Albums - Rate Your Music

Ebony magazine for sale

Pragmatic — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:07:09 GMT

Potential Sale Of Ebony Breeds Anger

By News One October 2, 2009 1:56 pm

From Black America Web:

Is Ebony magazine for sale? And is the legendary black-owned publication on the verge of being purchased by a white media company?
Business insiders say that Ebony, the 64-year-old black-oriented magazine founded by John H. Johnson in 1945, may be looking for a buyer � and soon.
RELATED: Report: Ebony Magazine Up For Sale
�Now it appears Johnson Publishing�s chairman and CEO, Linda Johnson Rice, has reached what must have been an agonizing decision: Johnson Publishing is seeking a buyer or investor for its flagship publication, Ebony, in an effort aimed at securing the survival of the nation�s oldest magazine devoted to African-American life,� Newsweek reported in last week�s edition.
Newsweek said that Rice has contacted Time Inc. and Viacom about a possible purchase of Ebony or a partnership. Time Inc. bought Essence magazine � a publication for black women � in 2000. Viacom purchased BET in 2000.
Potential Sale Of Ebony Breeds Anger | NewsOne

Peace be upon you