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Rant from the Unconscious, Conscious Mind

Poor in America

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

What does it mean to be poor? In America it is the worst thing a person can do, besides being black and poor. Growing up in poverty means a life of struggle, prejudice, and missed opportunities.
A life of struggle Intel substandard school systems, crime riddle neighborhood and a lack of positive role models. The low performing school system is one of the major problems that follow the youth their whole lives. Everybody remembers their 1st day of school how excited one was to learn. Over time some of that naturally fades; but the importance of the education does not. For the unfortunate ones unlucky enough to attend a subpar school system. That lesson is either lost or never learned. Let’s fast forward 2 the end of the school day and our youth journey home is filled with images that should come with a MA rating. With crime all around your young and impressionable mind it would be damn near impossible not to be influenced negatively by this environment. After our youth makes it home from his routine walk through a crime infested neighborhood he sets his bag down with no-one home 2 great him; Except for a full trash can and his best friend Dave who says’s “Let’s go misbehave!” Along their way to go play they run into Dave’s older brother Tre. Tre a teenager, whose morals have been warped by a poor life. He believes doing wrong is right and doing right just ain’t cool enough. He in turn passes on his street sense to his little brother who teaches our youth quote unquote “How to survive”.
The prejudice experienced by poor youth is unique compared to other examples of prejudice in America. Disadvantage youth face a stigma of worthlessness and ignorance as they strive to become a contrubing member of society. Let’s take a look at our youth life after graduation. A lot has changed Dave’s older brother is on probation and our youth is entering the real world. Now he is looking for his first adult job and finds out that he is underquilified to work at the local fast food chain. There’re no Grocery stores or other viable business, because he lives in a “Containment Zone”. Which means big chain stores and small business avoid doing business in his community for fear of losing profit. His community with 100k residents only has employment opportunities 7k. The rest are forced to commute or look for other ways to supplement income legal or illegal.
Finally, the missed opportunities imporveesh Americans face is sad and tragic. Most youth growing up in poor neighborhoods never get to experience things outside of their community like higher education and travel. Higher education beyond high school is very hard to obtain for a lot of poor youth due to 2 main reasons horribly schools and lack of funds. Now I should say there are people who make it out and never return but for the ones left behind, they soon find out that their “Mickey Mouse” education will not cut it in college. Some college’s have lower standers to entertrence exams so they can accommodate these students. Which cause a back lash from alumni who feel that these students are taking away a great education from their kids. With proper pressure and threats from boosters some alumni have mange to take away a great education from someone else’s kid. The importance of traveling is under estimated to the quality of one’s life. To be frank, most impoverished youth have never been outside of their city or town. Hell the only way some even see their state is by going to state jail or the armed forces. Without the opportunity to see a different way of doing things or successful people who live well balanced lives our youth will never believe it exist or is obtainable. I would liken this phemonien to “cabin fever” if you will. They have been inside their district for so long to see the world any other way simple would be unreal to them. I stress the importance to put an end to all prejudice, economic and race based; before we destroy the next generation of middle class.

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A Historic Day for a Historic District

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I want to share a bit about a community here in San Francisco that is important to many including me. On February 5th, the Uptown Tenderloin Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This has been a long and hard fought battle by too many residents and community activist to name and because it is such a triumph of the entire Tenderloin community I won’t name names – this is a win for all.

What was once viewed as a lost neighborhood, one to be walked around not through, the Tenderloin as been recognized for one of the many values it offers.

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Online lifestyle magazine for conscious living in San Francisco

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NakedChicken.us - The Conscious Lifestyle Authority


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Conscious Lifestyle Magazine

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

NakedChicken.us - The Conscious Lifestyle Authority


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New Beginning

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

A cold Tuesday morning in our nation’s capitol, history is forming in the frigid morning air and change is beating in the people’s hearts. Then the moment finally arrives, our 44th President addresses his nation and reassures all who heard that he is our leader. This is a special moment for the world and maybe a new beginning to an old struggle for others. It is time for minority youths especially blacks to rethink how we do things from education, to selecting our leaders and entrepreneurship.

Statistics show two things when it comes to black youth and education. First, the less education one has the less earning power they will be able to obtain over their lifetime. Second, people who have little to no education vote little or not at all. This leads to a perception that they don’t care for their community. Then in turn, government dollars for their school systems go to build bridges to nowhere. Schools are left to deteriorate, roads to crumble, the police force to become crippled and more importantly hopelessness to spread creating what we call a Ghetto.

Next we need to look at who we call our leaders and how we create new leaders. To give an example of how important leadership is to a community, ask yourself how many times you have heard the world’s view of America and it was dramatically different from your view. This is due to our leaders and diplomats representing our country and giving us a good or bad name depending on the job they perform. Minorities and blacks are in desperate need of positive leadership in our communities for them to thrive and survive in the 21st century.

Finally, we need more business men and women who have nothing to do with the music industry to step up and be leaders to our youth. It is time for more blacks and minorities to not only work in the kitchen but to own the restaurant. Our parents, community leaders and the youth themselves need to be taught how and expected to own business, not just for the benefit of their community but for the greater good of the nation.


Photo credit: Las Vegas Sun

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Reaching Back

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

While I was out and about this week I had some really interesting conversations that had a recurring theme. “Why are our youth so out of control?” (In reference to the latest Oakland civil unrest.) I think the reason our youth are so wild is due to a few reasons; lack of job opportunities, no youth leadership and most adults are too scared to talk to them. Lack of work is a double edge sword it causes hopelessness and disenfranchisement. Just imagine if you were 16-24, you have little to no college education and a child to support. To feed your family it’s going to take more than hourly wage from a fast food chain or an electronics store to survive. Facts show since 9/11 youth have been competing for lower level jobs against seasoned professionals and losing.

Secondly, youth have no peer leadership. Unlike in the 80’s and early 90’s there are no well defined role models; everyone wants to be a shade of gray. On one hand you have some artist saying love and respect your community, but on the next track it’s about if you want to get rich sell drugs. These lyrics push behaviors which ultimately lead to the destruction of our youth and community.

Lastly, and more importantly grown ass men and women are too afraid to say anything to the youth today. They would rather walk with their heads down then tell some teenager “come here and let me talk to you for a minute.” The only reason the generation before us is successful is because people reached back to mentor them. Weather it was a teacher, pastor or neighbor the people around them cared about their future and took time out to mold their minds. To sum it up, you get out what you put in.

Photo credit: nineraven.com

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Red, white and blues

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

America is starting to see Red due to the white color’s non-accountability for giving us the blues. The start of ‘09 has been a shaky start at best. With job losses for the next year projected to be over one million and an unemployment rate pushed up to 7.2% a grand total of 11.1 million of us are out of work. Then pile on the proper or in-proper use of another $350 billion of tax-payer dollars. Come on man?! We need leadership. I’m asking myself what good did the first $350 do? We were sold on the belief that if we gave the banks solvency they would open up the lending lines. Instead, they’ve closed the vault doors with one hand and reached out for more with the other. I’ve never been bear hugged, but I know when I being squeezed. The only other question I have is what can you buy for 700 billion?







Photo credit: www.icedout.info

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Can't we all just get along???

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

When does profiling go too far? When did baggy jeans and your favorite color t-shirt turn from a fashion statement into jail jumper? Due to profiling mixed with lethal aggression two lives have been forever changed; Oscar Grant 22, who lost his and Robbie Tolan 23. Oscar’s incident happen at an Oakland Bart station New Years Day. Robbie Tolan was in front of his mother in his parent’s driveway in Bellaire, TX. Both stories have the same plot young blacks approach under mistaken identity, and then shot by a police officer doing his job.

I’m not saying mistakes don’t happen or that every police man or woman has a chip on their badge. I am saying those mistakes can’t afford to happen. I mean seriously, if one of the Full House twins was shot and killed behind racial profiling or mistaken identity…the next week we would have The “Mary-Kate and Ashley" law against racial profiling and mistaken identity”. We can never move forward as a culture if we’re only going to judge books by their cover or fight with our fist instead of our heads. In both case these were young men trying to better themselves and their future. Now in both case we know their future.
“Be the Change”

photo credit: kenoath.wordpress.com

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We Are the World


Related to country: Mexico
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

While traveling abroad I found a truer definition of Culture Connections. I saw how one culture can directly affect another. I had visited Mexico and Costa Rica where the majority of households earn their income from farming during the wet season and the tourist trade during the dry season. Due to America’s mismanaged financial system tourism has slowed substantially. I know what you might be thinking, so what if a few less people can travel abroad? Let’s look deeper. With the world spending less the countries that depend the most on those dollars are hurting more making them vulnerable to seeking alternate sources of income be it from jobs obtained as an illegal immigrant or the drug trade.

One cultures impact on another’s is not limited to economics alone. Imagine 12 million Americans disappear and are redistributed globally? To put it into context that would equate to all of the Bay Area’s 7.3 million, LA’s 4 million and San Diego’s 1.3 million gone. That means no movies, commercials or entertainment. No 49ers or Raiders games and no famous San Diego Zoo. Culturally America would be devastated. Physically and emotionally it would be hard for us to recover with our leaders, families and educators absent, never to return. Hard to imagine? Hard to believe? It has already happened.

Africa lost 12 million of its people, mothers, fathers, and siblings to the slave trade, along with culture and development. To this day its resources are still being plundered by our corporate citizens with government knowledge and cooperation. Stan Lee wrote it best, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Photo credit: kevin eikenberry

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Nido

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start”

Recently these words of Nido Qubein have been in my mind. To me she speaks of self-belief and overcoming adversity. To rise above any circumstances in America where the odds are against you, you first have to believe that you can achieive.Then you have to distance yourself from people who would love to see you fail. The sad thing about this is that some of the people you will have to give the “stiff arm” are family, friends and possibly lovers. For all it takes to overcome adverse conditions you will have to dig extra deep to separate yourself from those you love. I never said it would be easy, or that it has been for me, but that is why it’s called adversity. After you surround yourself with supportative friends and find yourself a mentor you are prepared to go through any situation one may face, so go get’em!

Photo credit: brianhuntphoto.co.uk

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Fingertips

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

When I hear “the world is at your fingertips” I’m put in the mind frame of a little kid being told they can “do anything” by their parent. Now that I’m an adult and searching for my “anything” I’m finding that phrase rings truer today then at anytime in history. What is unsettling about the amazing progress brought about by the internet is that most poor people either don’t have access or haven’t realized the power of this tool. Imagine the cultural change if every single citizen had reliable internet access. Current stats show that home internet access is on the rise in households at or below the poverty line. If programs where created to teach adult internet and computer literacy the positive ramifications will reverberate through our community for generations to come.


Photo credit: business watch international

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Shotgun

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Giant’s receiver Plaxico Burress wanted to go out with a teammate and decided to bring a gun. By the end of the evening he ended up in the hospital with a self inflected gun shot wound to the leg. Now the 31 year old receiver is facing a few felonies and mandatory jail time. Most people are looking at this situation from the same angle. He should have not had a gun the first place! In his case maybe your right. In cases where high profile athletes decided to enjoy the local night life with a firearm, for personal protection, responsible and legally, I have no problem with that. I mean what would you do if you where in a dark crowed room and everybody knew how much you made?

It is hard to criticize pro-athletes after incidents like Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics for wanting to carry firearms. In Plaxico case he wasn’t an athlete trying to be something he’s not. Facts are he has a concealed handgun license out of Florida and he has done many good works for the community. It is still up to the New York criminal system to punish Plaxico. One would hope a hole in the leg and loss of game day checks would be punishment enough.

Photo credit: republicanmarket.com

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A House Divided

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Recently I watched some news reports out of Chicago where 250 fired workers staged a sit-in to protest against the loss of their jobs and the actions of those they feel are responsible, the employer, Republic Window and Door and Bank of America. You see Bank of America refuse to continue offering credit to Republic which resulted in them closing their doors. The out of work men and women carried signs saying “Bank of America – you got bailed out – we got sold out” drawing international attention and making their fight the focal point of millions of frustrated unemployed Americans. All this coupled with watching the Big 3 humble themselves at Capitol Hill hoping to avoid failure and the resulting staggering number of job losses made me think about the increasing void between the haves and the have not’s as well as a old speech by Malcolm X.

I believe, should these companies be allowed to fail the additional losses and the resulting ripple effect will cause a rift in the social fabric of our society. These events are, if you will, creating a perfect storm with the middle class at its center. If we continue at this pace the division between the two classes could create the same turmoil as the last time America divided it’s self into two.

As Malcolm said, “I believe that there will ultimately be clash between the oppressed and those who do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the system of exploitation. I believe that there will be that kind of clash, but I don’t think it will be based on the color of the skin…” Even if you don’t vote or care about equally rights for the ‘working class’ and have a secure career, be aware all Americans care for and will fight for money.

photo credit:mugshot.com

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Follow the Leader

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Recently I watched three young, yet adult men ruff house and play around while waiting at a bus stop. As I casually observed them it was obvious that the two older boys were through with kid games and wanted to get into something a bit more serious. It surprised me that their plans changed after the youngest one voiced his disapproval. I was baffled at first that the boy’s opinion was valued over the rest. Then it hit me, the reason they listen to the younger boy is that he is their leader. I doubt that they would have been into too much trouble, but it demonstrates the importance of positive leadership in ones life.

Everything falls back on leadership. From CEOs, sports teams, our relationships and even the President. Our successes and failures lie in who we decide to follow. Choose wisely.

photo credit: enigmaengine.wordpress

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Giving Thanks

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

With everyone traveling to and fro to see family for Thanksgiving, the importance of community and the relationships it creates is self evident. In times of turmoil we have as Americans, turned to these connections for shelter. With jobs being lost at an alarming rate, this holiday meal may be the last decent meal for a number of us for some time. I’m proud to say with all the doom and gloom hovering over the nation like a toxic cloud we have a holiday to pay homage to the things for which we are thankful. So when you gather round the tables this Thanksgiving remember the things you are truly thankful for and that you are blessed.

Have a happy Thanksgiving and GO COWBOYS!!

photo credit: soundbites

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Commerce without Morality

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

With the American auto industry in financial trouble and asking for a “bridge loan” a.k.a. bail out, it looks like our corporate citizen’s neglect has finally ran its course. What’s interesting to me is how so many jobs are considered collateral damage or at best a bargaining chip. The big three claim 58 million jobs and 4% of the American GDP will disappear if they were allowed to fail (part of the estimated 58M comes from lunch counters that won’t be patronized by the big auto employees). With these eye popping numbers one has to ask what can the corporate citizens do to ensure this from repeating? They might be warned to consider Gandhi’s “seven deadly social sins” one of which warns of “Commerce without Morality.”

Regardless, once again it looks like the little guy or in this case private citizens will get the raw side of any deal struck. Luckily for us the men and women on capital hill are demanding the leaders come with a plan to ensure liquidity. However, I’m willing to bet by the time congress comes back from the holiday and approves whatever dollar amount, one of the big three will have passed on to auto maker heaven.

photo credit: gas2.org

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Pot Calling th Kettle black

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Following the aftermath of prop 8 being passed it has been reported that the reason for its success was due to blacks voting. To me that eerily sounds like Jim Crow thinking. In the land of the free and a place where all minorities have struggled for equal rights, why would one group of minorities allow finger pointing at another. I understand the frustration and disappointment of the campaign against prop 8 failing, but we cannot allow dissention and discord between minority groups. Especially when the majority will be the only clear winner. One never knows when the other minority’s influence, money or vote will be required in the next struggle. We should stay focused on change and do more to promote our issues to the public instead of finger pointing and freedom treading.

Words to consider from June Jordan:



“We will prevail because we have proven to the world and to ourselves that we are not “fringe elements” or “special interest groups” or so called “minorities”. Without us there is no legitimate majority. We are the mainstream.



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