whatchusay.com

By Don K. Taylor



For most people, understanding finances, economics, the stock market, and how to invest their money seems too complex and over-powering. The entire field of "finance" speaks in a purposeful "foreign language." The stock market of Wall Street, insurance, with policies and risk-management strategies, sometimes are so arcane as to tax the comprehension of even some experienced Life Insurance Agents. Macro-Economics, forget it! So what is one to do? First and foremost, you should strive to become your own Financial Planner. Nobody's going to look out for your financial welfare better than you. But that, of course, is more easily said than done. I believe most of us are emotionally ill-prepared to help ourselves; even sometimes with financial knowledge.

Let me explain: The psychology of money and what it means to us is rarely analyzed, let alone understood. Most people, for example, are afraid of success, although they'll vehemently disagree. Most people work 9 to 5 "jobs". Who's going to get rich working for someone else? Even those who work for themselves find hidden ways to sabotage their own success.

So unlike most financial advisors who tell you "how", I strongly advise you to do the hard work on "working on yourself"! Who are you, really? What do you really want? What price are you willing to pay to become financially successful? If you say "hard work", you're wrong. A ditch digger works hard but rarely get rich. The answer is to work smart, not hard.

I've been a "Financial Advisor" of sorts for over forty years, and still I'm not really comfortable with the term "Financial Advisor" or "Financial Planner." I personally don't feel comfortable with those terms because as much as I know, it's only a drop in the bucket of what there is to know. Even after 40 years, every day I'm still learning. So the beginning of "Financial Fitness" starts with yourself. Take classes at a community college, attend financial seminars, without buying anything. Subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise, and/or watch CNBC finance programs.

Mr. Taylor is a licensed Life Insurance Agent, a stock broker, and a graduate of the University of Southern California, with a degree in Financial Planning. Most recently, he retired from Conseco Insurance Company as a Regional VP. Currently, he's in private practice specializing in Wealth Accumulation and Wealth Preservation Strategies. He enjoys working with motivated people…..people who are smart enough to want to really help themselves.

By Don K. Taylor

In the annals of social psychology, there was perhaps no greater incisive people observer than Eric Berne. He wrote the hugely popular book "Games People Play". He pioneered the work which he called "Transactional Analysis" and broke away from the established psychiatric medical boards of his time to give him the intellectual freedom to develop and practice his work in game analysis. He lived and practiced in San Francisco in the ‘50's and ‘60's.

For me, personally, I was attracted to Sales as a career because it afforded a much better than average income (over 50% of your Fortune 500 CEO's come from Sales). And, more importantly, it provided me the opportunity to work with people. For the average person, they think Sales people are affable, back-slapping, smiling people manipulators. For those of us who are professional sales people, we know better. I have a strong streak of the "loner" in my personality. Since I make my living working with people, however, I am constantly amused, befuddled, and sometimes terrified at the games people really do play!

There is one game some "religious" people love to play, which I call, "Let's go to church". In this game, if you are to be accepted into the group, you must go to church. If you don't go to church, you are somehow viewed as an "outsider" with the attending emblem of a non-believer. Of course, this is pure nonsense! Whoever said going to church is going to get you into heaven? I don't think God bases our salvation on church attendance records. It's all, sadfully, very silly. The more I observe people, the deeper my "loner" need becomes. Of course, I've always gone my own way, and have had an insatiable need for personal freedom. A "nine-to-five" job was always a killer for me.

We all have a need for authenticity, but most people don't have the courage to be "real". Acceptance is the easier route. Of all human traits, I've always thought courage reigned supreme. Without it, we are weak, impotent, and our lives are empty. Courage gives you the strength to be yourself, and not care what the other people think. You won't be the most popular kid on the block, but whoever said being popular makes you happy?

BlogOn: What games do you play to get in the world? Do you have to play them?

By Cheo Tyehimba


The din from the raucous applause in the standing room only Laney College lecture hall in Oakland was enough to make your teeth chatter.

At a Dec. 3 town hall conference about the state of African-American men, more than 200 people by way of a standing ovation collectively confirmed the popular phrase "Barbara Lee Speaks for Me" as they leaped to their feet to recognize her for raising serious questions about the plight of African-American men.
(from left) Congressman Danny Davis (D-Ill), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas), and Bernard Tyson, KP's Senior Vice President, Brand Strategy and Management.

Questions like why are 32 percent of African-American males unemployed? Why are nearly 40 percent of African-American males connected to the criminal justice system via probation, parole or prison? Why are so many Black boys dropping out of school? Why do so many Black men die earlier than their counterparts of diseases that are treatable and curable?

But asking questions is the easy part. The hard part is answering questions like: What works? What doesn't? What is the solution?

Since good health is a vital link to a community's regeneration, several bay area community leaders joined a panel of community activists and politicians that included members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Supervisor Keith Carson, Sen. Don Perata, Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale, and Mayor Jerry Brown. They all echoed the importance of the community finding its own answers to the historical, psychological, social, and health-related challenges facing African-American men.

The conference, sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the State of the African American Male Initiative, presented a unique opportunity for concerned community members to learn what they can do to stem the tide of health disparities affecting Black men.

"The challenges facing our community are mounting and I believe we will reach a state of emergency if we don't work together," said Congresswoman Lee. "This conference specifically focuses on the challenges facing former felons re-entering the community to address problems like record expungement, jobs, education, and health."

When a member of the panel polled the room, asking "How many people here have a family member who is now or has at some time been incarcerated?" about 90 percent of the hands in the room shot up, including the hand of a person all-too-familiar with what incarceration can do to a Black man: Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X.

Shabazz and others in the audience emphasized that the ills that affect African-American men affect the entire African-American community.

The conference also included workshops that focused on economics, education, criminal justice, and health issues, as well as free health screenings. In the health workshop, Richard Ayala, a former felon, talked about the struggle he faced after being diagnosed with cancer while incarcerated. Other health issues addressed were drug addiction, psychological disorders, HIV and AIDS, diabetes, hypertension, and the challenges of getting quality, affordable health care.

On a national level, organizations like Kaiser Permanente has introduced a new policy for tracking patient demographics by ethnicity, race, and socio-economic status, which would offer a better perspective of how we fare as an organization in the treatment of African American men and African Americans overall, as well as, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, women, and patients of lower socio-economic groups.

"Our position is we will eliminate any known health disparities within Kaiser Permanente and we will serve as a role model for the rest of the country," said Bernard Tyson, senior vp with the organiztion. "The tracking of the demographics will help us keep score."

By leading the pack with cutting-edge research about health disparities, Tyson believes Kaiser Permanente is in a unique position to root out possible inequities in national health care delivery.

"It is true that African Americans are living longer but the real issue is the gap [in health care] between African Americans and others," said Tyson. " We want to close this gap."

BlogOn: What do African American men need to do to live healthier lives? Whatchulearn?

give a brotha a blog

A young woman employed at Ladies Home Journal recently got fired for dishing about her editors and the inside goings-on at the mag on her blog. Then as fate would have it, People magazine did an article on her about it. Now she's been offered a column at several other magazines, has a book deal on the table and is "famous." A guy at Google kept a blog and revealed why the company is so successful: they don't let anyone go home! He got canned too. But has most likely already been hired by microsoft. Seems everyone is keeping a cyber-diary or blog these days. Problem is, a lot of 'em ain't saying anything empowering to the powerless. Here's an idea: someone needs to come up with a blog for the brotha on the street corner moving weight. I want to hear from him. What are his daily demons and by-any-means-necessary hustles to stay afloat? Yeah, give a brotha a blog. And watch the world respond.
-ct

By Cheo Tyehimba


From the vaults: This classic travel journal first appeared on "The Black World Today," which was at the time the largest black-owned media outlet on the Internet.

A Daily Journal in the New South Africa

This is a continuation of a journal of my experiences in South Africa in March of 2002. I encountered incredible people and places in the Motherland. Today's South Africa is a nation striving to correct ancient evils and honor Black freedom.

Day 6
Durban's Historic Dustroads

We tour the Kwa Mhule Museum, which highlights Durban's Apartheid history. We learn about the Beer Halls, which were the only legalized places where black men could socialize after work during apartheid. Whites controlled them and the city generated great profits from these oppressive watering holes. In response, many blacks created their own beer halls, which were called "shibens" and the women who ran these illegal pubs were called "Shiben Queens" (similar to madams in US brothels). One of apartheid's greatest feats was to divide black South Africans.

The Durban police force was created in 1854 and they employed an all-black police force to control other blacks. They were known as the "blackjacks," and they were often more brutal than white officers. They only enforced laws against other blacks, coloureds and Indian peoples. Of course, they didn't carry guns. They hit people with a "blackjack weed," a hard stick which left a black mark on the clothes. This is where the term "blackjack" comes from.

Later we head to a spice market, where many Indian traders sell tourist items and curries. Outside the shopping complex where the Indian vendors are, hundreds of other vendors, mostly African, sell their wares. There are also many African healers/root workers (known as an Isangoma), and they play a vital part in healing the sick here. This market is self-sustaining. The vendors trade with each other and the currency turns over many times here. The money remains in the community.

Day 7
The Mandela Homestead

My ears are popping as our plane is descending somewhere over an area called the Eastern Cape. We will be touring the rural, rolling valleys of Mvezo, where Nelson Mandela was born. After we land in East London, we head to our hotel, The Blue Lagoon, which has comfortable rooms with eat-in kitchens. We drop off our luggage, pack in the van and speed off to see Mandela Country.

The rural area of the Eastern Cape is one of the poorest parts of South Africa. The roadside women, balancing sacks of corn on their heads, remind me of folks in West Africa. First stop is Jonopo Traditional Village, where a group of about eight Xhosa women greet us with song and dance. One woman is on the ground pounding out a simple drum rhythm on an empty fuel container. They have a home-cooked, traditional lunch prepared for us: roasted corn on the cob, soup, pap (a cornmeal similar to grits), peas and onions in a spicy brown oil, roasted chicken and Zulu beer. We all try to copy the wonderful clicking-sounds of certain Xhosa words. The Xhosa women find it amusing and we share a good laugh. There are several bungalow-style round huts, which are called "rondavesls," furnished with Xhosa artifacts. From there we head to Qunu, a serene area of endless rolling hills and farmland.

This area is known as the Transkei, where Mandela attended school. I smile because I remember seeing this area in a documentary film called Mandela. Plans to build an international youth center in Mandela's name have already begun here.

"This is Morrison Mandela, Madiba's younger brother," says our guide. The proud, dark man is dressed in a felt fedora, a pink jacket and trousers. He cracks a soulful smile and his eyes glint of ages gone by. We all shake his hand. "This is the Mandela Homestead. This is where Madiba's people come from."

Morrison leads us to the Mandela graveyard, where we see the gravesites of Madiba's son and daughter from his first marriage (before Winnie) and the gravesites of his parents. It is a sacred area and they tell us only men are allowed to enter. It is clear that the Mandelas were well-to-do people. Wealth that comes not only from having all this land and livestock but the kind of prosperity of spirit that comes with honor, respect for oneself, family and a tradition of royal lineage.

Next we tour the two year-old Nelson Mandela Musuem, housed in a revamped government building in a nearby town called Umtata. Before we go in a local drama troupe stages a series on re-enactments of Apartheid history. We see a rendering of the early days of the ANC and the first trial of young Mandela and his life sentence to Robben Island. They also provide a series of funny-but-profound plays about the social ills of South Africa. They depict unfortunate-but-common themes like a husband who rapes his daughter and gets caught by his wife; men who have jobs away from home for months and sleep with prostitutes and then return home to spread AIDS to their wives; and homosexuality is even casually dealt with.

Inside, the museum is a repository for Mandela's awards and honors given by hundreds of heads-of-state. There is ornate artwork dedicated to him and a photographic essay of his life in the struggle. The staff here are young and there is a vibrancy and grassroots involvement that wasn't felt at the sleek Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. Later, on our nearly 3-hour drive back to The Blue Lagoon hotel, we are exhausted. However, our driver's lead foot propels us down the pitch black roadside and around vaulting cliffs faster than our stomachs can bear. As we sped past a fender-bender at an intersection and waited for a family of goats to cross, I tried to just let it go and get some sleep. A few seconds later, I was clutching my seat and staring bug-eyed into the bumpy, dark night.

Day 8
African Americans in Cape Town

Ah Cape Town! After a short flight from East London, we arrive at Sunset Beach Villas (www.sunset.co.za). These exclusive guesthouses are owned by an African American couple from Atlanta. George and Steronica Hawthorne welcome us into a guest home that could have been right out of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." Marble floors, vaulted ceilings, beautiful art and other luxury appointments are everywhere. Currently, they operate 38 rooms between five guesthouses and nearly all have a spectacular view of Table Mountain. The homes could easily fetch a million-plus in the states but here they were purchased for much less (est. under $300,000 each), which is why owning income property in South Africa is such a great opportunity for Americans. Here you have all the luxuries of home but at 1/10th of the cost!

George is a tall, down-to-earth brother and former college basketball star at University of Arizona. He grew up in Oakland and L.A. and later settled in Atlanta. After several years investing in tourism in the Caribbean, he realized South Africa was where it was at. "This is the place for African Americans," he says. "As African Americans, this is home for us. We are African by blood and DNA, so we should claim a right to Africa. And just as important, there is a great opportunity for African Americans to do very well here financially." And then he says, with great emphasis, "This is the African Century!"

That night, we check out a live broadcast and recording by a jazz band at the South African Broadcasting Company. The concert is part of "The Wonder Gig Series," a series of concerts that provides an outlet for many of the unheralded jazz greats of South Africa to perform for live audiences. We listen and jam to saxman Robby Jansen, a Cape Town brotha whose band reminds me of Spyro Gyra.

Next morning we check into the Table Bay Hotel, in the waterfront area of Cape Town. I looked out on the majestic Table Mountain and knew immediately why some racist white settlers wanted this divinely beautiful place all to themselves. The majestic, table-shaped mountain lies adrift in the crystal-capped bay. It is said that on cloudy days, the clouds settle just over the mountain and it appears that the mountain has a tablecloth on it. Sailboats are docked in the harbor and flocks of tourists stroll leisurely by. It is all very cosmopolitan. I could easily be in Sydney or San Francisco.

Day 9
Wine in South Africa...Who Knew?

Rolling hills look like dusty blankets flapping in the wind outside my car window. We are speeding by the Winelands of South Africa, headed to Nelson's Creek and New Beginnings wineries. The weather is noticeably hotter, a Mediterranean climate. It all looks and feels very much like Northern California's Napa Valley.

Nelson's Creek winery is one of South Africa's most highly-regarded wineries and begun selling wine in 1993. The farm dates back to 1692 and the area, the foothills of the majestic Paarl mountain, flows with crystal clear waters which nourish the vineyards. The first vineyard in the area was established by the French Huguenots on a beautiful farm in the fertile Windmeal Valley, situated some 65 km from Cape Town.

In 1997, the owner Alan Nelson, donated a portion of the winery's land to 25 black laborers (16 families) of Nelson's Creek. The winery, called New Beginnings, is the first black-owned and operated winery in South Africa with grapes grown on their own land. Many of the black farmers were illiterate and the new responsibilities of running a winery were supported with the guidance of South Africa's only black Master Winemaker, Victor Titus, also an employee of Nelson's Creek.

Solly Skippers, Vineyard Manager of New Beginnings, says the experience of making wine by their own methods was liberating. "When we work for other farmers we are always told when and how to do things," says Skippers. "On this land we do it like Frank Sinatra, 'Our Way.'" Skippers, who was born on the farm and grew up along side his father working in the vineyard, has no formal schooling. But he understands what it takes to make good grapes. He understands the soil and the climate. "A lot of wine makers coming from University can learn a little from me," he says. The first bottles of wine sold by New Beginnings were a huge hit in South Africa and sold out quickly. The wine is now available internationally, including here in the States.

After learning about the history of New Beginnings, we have lunch at the winery restaurant and then take a tour of the wine cellars and have a tasting lesson. Learning about the fermentation process and how to smell, sip and taste is an enlivening experience. Nelson's Creek has won awards for its Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cinsaut, Chenin Blanc and Muscat. The wines range in flavor from woodsy and dry to light and fruity. Later, I go to sleep, wishing I'd bought a few bottles of wine to take home.

Day 10
Island Imprisonment

On a slightly overcast Cape Town day, we head down to the pier to board a boat bound for Robben Island, the infamous island prison in Cape Town bay where Nelson Mandela was locked up for many years. The ride across the bay is brisk and as we approach the island I can't help thinking of Alcatraz back home.

In the early days, when white Dutch settlers came to South Africa to steal it from the San people (indigenous Africans), many Xhosa Chiefs were banned to the island. Lepers and other outcasts were also banned to the island. During W.W.I.I., the island was occupied by defense forces. In 1948, Robben Island became the "hellhole" of the apartheid regime. During apartheid, the island was used mainly to hold political prisoners of the ANC, such as Nelson Mandela and Robert Sobukwe and many others. We tour the grounds of the island, see its hospital, post office and general store. In the prison we see how inmates lived their daily lives, we learn about how they were forbidden to speak to each other.

When we come to the cell that held Mandela for 16 of the 27 years he was imprisoned, many stop and grab the bars, peer inside. It is a solemn moment. Some study the cell closely, perhaps looking for a trace of his fighting spirit lingering in the stone cracks. We visit the lime quarries where ANC freedom fighters did back-breaking work and began to form alliances to begin the ANC. It was here in the quarries where Mandela said: "We are going to turn Robben Island into our own university."

Day 11
The Seat of South African Government

We, the people of South Africa,
Recognise the injustices of our past;
Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land;
Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country;
Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
-- a Preamble excerpt from South Africa's new constitution. which was adopted in May 1996

Today we get an early start. We head downtown where we will get a tour of Parliament. South Africa's Parliament is composed of two parts: the National Assembly, a body of elected officials to represent the people; and the National Council of Provinces, a group of mostly appointed officials to represent the interests of the country's many provinces. The high-security building is impressive and many of the chambers have a very "British" look about them.

After the tour, we head to the cultural market downtown, where many West African vendors sell jewelry, clothing, woodcarvings, and other cultural items. After that I hook up with a brother who goes by the name of "Suede." He is an African American photographer from Brooklyn and Atlanta (we met aboard the boat ride to Robben Island) who has made Cape Town his home. We decide to go clubbing and are joined by his wife, a young sista from Zimbabwe and his friend, Morgan, another woman from LA who is visiting South Africa for the first time.

The club scene in Cape Town is jumping. Kinda similar to New Orleans. People hang out on streetcorner cafes and hip cigar bars such as Kennedy's (as in JFK) where "the beautiful people" trade glances and puff beneath large-framed photos of Hollywood idols. Out on the strip, hip hop and house music blares from open terraces, where inside a multi-hued mix of young people drink and dance. "Some of the clubs are definitely more suburban," informs Suede. "Which means they are mostly black."

It's a funny twist on words, because in the States black folks are associated with "urban" areas. Here blackfolk still, for the most part, live in the townships, outside of the cities. After hitting two or three spots, we decide to stay at a club called the Pulse. We arrive and order another round of drinks. The diverse, twenty-something crowd looks like they've learned a step or two from watching MTV videos and as the music pumps I see black, white, indian and coloured folks -- all groovin', bumpin', and grindin' as one.

Day 12
"Was That Will Smith?"

Back at Table Bay Hotel, we learn that Will Smith is in town and staying at our hotel. He's in town promoting the South African premier of Ali. Black South Africans seem to love Will and he's said he loves South Africa. In fact, he says he will buy a home in South Africa soon. We are finally given a free day. Many of us use the time to check emails, pack and make phone calls. Our trip is on its last legs and many of us are ready to go home.

Day 13
African Connections

We check out of the Table Bay Hotel. In the lobby, I am introduced to a yet another African American living in Cape Town. He came by way of a fellowship and decided to stay. His name is Fertice Miller and he runs TransCape Trade, a thriving export business. His track record is impressive and I expect South Africans will be hearing big things from this enterprising young man. Then I meet Marc Matthews, a brother from Cape Town who is launching his own men's magazine. He is familiar with Code magazine. "I loved that magazine!" he says. He is surprised to learn that I was once the senior editor of Code. He gives me his business plan for a magazine similar to Code, a magazine that he hopes will provide new insight into the lives of black men in South Africa. "And maybe, I can get you to come back and run my magazine, too," he smiles. Hey, you never know.

Day 14
Not Goodbye. So Long, Sweet South Africa

Not much going on during this last day except travel. We hop a flight back to Joburg then wait in the airport for about four hours for our flight to JFK. It will take nearly 22 hours of travel to get back to California. I spend some time just observing people in the airport. I notice a group of Japanese tourists who just arrive. There is a wonder, an almost apprehension in their eyes. When they spot a welcoming man with a sign in his hand, they are all smiles and seemingly excited for their South African adventure to begin.

The brothers who work in the airport helping people with their bags, are hustling. Dressed in orange short-sleeve shirts, many stand idle, like stock cars at the starting line. They await an opportunity to grab a bag and gain a tip. "We don't get paid by the airport," one tells me. "So we really work hard to help."

Aboard the flight to JFK, we are told we will be stopping on an island off the west coast of Africa to refuel. It is still night when we land on the island and although we don't get out of the plane, I wonder who lives on the island. From the plane window it appears desolate. Beyond the runway, a few palm trees sway in the night wind and there is a small building in the foreground. Then after nearly an hour, we take off again and some 15 hours later land in New York City.

After going through customs ( a shorter line for Americans) we go to get our luggage. Here, no one approaches asking to help with our bags. Yep, we're definitely back home. We are tired. Weary goodbyes and hugs are exchanged. For those journalists who live in NYC, this is the last stop and they head outside to grab a cab home. It's times like this when I wish I was still living in Brooklyn. But for me, there is one more leg of travel, another 6-hour flight to get to Oakland.

On that final flight I reflect on my trip. Being an African American in South Africa can be a strange paradox. On the one hand, you immediately recognize our peoples' parallels: (1) we've both endured the painful costs of racial oppression and segregation in similar movements for justice; (2) our contributions (free labor, culture, etc.) to our respective societies have gone without full recognition or reparation; (3) pieces of our culture were systematically stolen from us. Yet, there are striking differences too. As person of African descent, you can be a "black as you wanna be" here in America but to many Africans born and raised on the continent, you are an American before you are an African. As an African American in South Africa, you are always reminded of your "Americanisms" and somehow this forces one to seek out all that is good and right in America. It is a will of conscience. Ultimately, we American blackfolk come to the conclusion that "African America" is a country, in and of itself. A country that is the envy of the world. The real question is what will we, the world's most economically-privileged Africans, do with our power? What will we contribute to our brothers and sisters in Africa? In the Caribbean? Throughout the Diaspora?

Black South Africans are now being given many opportunities for business development (government contracts) and many of them welcome Black American investment. Now is the time to do just that. In the Sixties, many of our parents furthered an ideological connection with Africa. Now, at a time when pan-Africanism is a flickering candle amid a legacy of white supremacy and corporate globalization, now, more than ever, it is time for us to take it to the next level. Yes, South Africa is a great tourist destination for African Americans. But more than that, it offers us a way to INVEST IN OURSELVES, INVEST IN AFRICA. See ya next go 'round my South African brothas and sistas!

GETTING THERE
Our press trip was coordinated by Treva J. Marshall, president and founder of TJM Communications, a public relations firm in Orlando and Paula Newton, an executive with South African Airways South African Airways, Africa's leading airline. We flew non-stop to Johannesburg from New York. The airline's service is impeccable and it offers really affordable rates.

For more information about inspiring South African tours, including Robben Island, a Game Reserve Safari, traditional villages and townships, and Capetown, Contact Sophia Dhlamini of African Flavour Tours, +27 (21) 396-5979, or visit the website: African Flavour Tours

For tours of Johannesburg, home of Nelson Mandela, the famous Soweto township (The Uprising), Shibens, etc. Contact Mandy Mankazana of Imbizo Tours (011) 838-2667 or (011) 787-0194, email: imbizo@africa.com, or visit the website: Imbizo

Original Copyright © 2002 Article by Cheo Tyehimba. All Rights Reserved.
[NOTE: This article is not to be reproduced, forwarded, or distributed in any form without *explicit* permission from the author.]

Review



Failing to live up to the billboard chart toppers for Mariah Carey, Usher, and Bow Wow, Jermaine Dupri's Young Fly & Flashy Vol.1 features some of the Dirty South's best, minus the crunk. Featuring Pastor Troy, Bun B, Daz, and some of JD's So So Def labels up and coming acts, the CD simply lacks JD's hit-making touch. With its predictable hooks and contrived bass beats, the album is more like a left over sampler of closet hits. One of the hottest tracks on the album is the club banger "Gotta Getcha." However this song title should not be taken literally when it comes to buying this CD.

Other highlights include "Throw'd Off" performed by T. Waters and "I Think They Like Me (Remix)" featuring Dem Franchise Boyz, JD, Da Brat, and Bow Wow. Neither convincingly fly nor flashy, JD flat lines. Let's hope any ideas for Vol. 2 get "Throw'd Off." Grade: D

- Maya Pope-Chappell

By Jenee Osterheldt

In "Hustle & Flow," this summer's critical movie darling, DJay, a pimp who wants to be a rapper, rhymes: "That's the way the game goes, gotta keep it strictly pimpin/Gotta have my hustle tight, makin' change off these women, yeah."

The sad thing is those lyrics are not only a pimp's reality. A lot of rappers, too, are making money by degrading women.

And for the first time in a long time, many women are getting fed up with these one-sided, shameful images of females in videos and songs.

There's a horde of songs shaming women stampeding the airwaves this summer.

--"Wait" by the Ying Yang Twins: The Twins think it's sexy to describe their organs and aggressive sexual prowess. Their current single, "Badd," describes their ideal woman, who will move like she has something to prove and is a schoolgirl by day and stripper by night.

--"Give Me That," by Webbie, has the young rapper practically demanding sex from a female and demeaning her while he is doing it.

--"Ass Like That," by Eminem, parodies hip-hop's saturation with sexually explicit lyrics.

--And BET's late-night "Uncut" showcases soft porn-like videos by Nelly, Ludacris, 50 Cent and other rappers.

"The misogyny has always been there," says Serena Kim, features editor for Vibe magazine. "But it's different now because the culture is bigger and mainstream. Now every kid in America is well-versed in hip-hop."

It's becoming harder for women of the hip-hop generation to defend the culture when the mainstream is latching on to the ho-stomping, booty-shaking elements of hip-hop.

The tipping point for many people came last year via BET's "Uncut," when Nelly swiped a credit card down the backside of a stripper in his "Tip Drill" video.

Kim says that video and the lyrics crossed the line.

Spelman College, a historically black college for women in Atlanta, made headlines last year when it banned Nelly from performing at the school unless he engaged in a dialogue about "Tip Drill."

He declined.

From there, a snowball began to roll. Earlier this year, Essence kicked off a "Take Back the Music" campaign to raise the level of dialogue on how women are depicted in popular culture. Throughout the year the magazine will run features that explore the hyper-sexuality in hip-hop, and each feature will include actions readers can take to help fight the negative imagery. Organizers say the goal is not to ban hip-hop music or enforce censorship but to bring attention to the imbalance.

"We aren't attacking hip-hop," says Cori Murray, arts and entertainment editor of Essence. "There are still very good things in hip-hop; I love hip-hop."

Teandra Howard, a hip-hop fan, says Nelly's controversial video got a bad rap.

"I think there was a lot of controversy behind that song, and people had the impression that he was saying every woman is like that," says Howard, a sophomore at Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph. "But he wasn't talking to college girls or career women. He is talking about the groupies and those types of girls."

But after really listening to the lyrics on her Lil Jon and Ying Yang Twins CDs, she says her opinion of the artists is changing.

"When I first heard 'ait' by Ying Yang Twins, I thought it was kind of funny, so I bought it so I could hear the words. When I heard what they were saying, I felt offended because I feel like it puts a negative impression on women. And I feel like if you dance along or sing along to it, it's like saying you agree with what they are talking about."

A lot of the mainstream hip-hop can influence younger listeners, says Aaron Wedgeworth, a hip-hop dancer and junior at Paseo High School.

"Those songs put images in little boys' heads that make them feel like they can act disrespectful or talk like that to girls. It's gotten real bad because a lot of youth don't see it as negative, but it is."

Wedgeworth says some of the lyrics have gone too far.

"The lyrics make the artists look unprofessional, and it seems like they are lowering themselves. And when you see women in those videos or hear them in those songs, it makes me look at them differently. But I know all women aren't like that."

All that said, Wedgeworth says he will always be a hip-hop fan.

"I live hip-hop. But you do have to work harder to find music that isn't negative, violent and sexist. Those negative images are becoming a part of our community, and you have to really look for the positive images."

Socially aware artists just aren't as popular, says Meigan Yarbrough, a senior St. Teresa's Academy in Kansas City who likes conscious hip-hop.

"You have good artists, like Mos Def and Common, but that's not what's selling. I think ignorance and inequity sells. The thinking is, if it has a good beat and you can dance to it, then why not? But the message is degrading. Girls bend down and shake it, and the guys watch. I won't dance to it, and I just won't listen to it."

Misogyny in hip-hop is running rampant, Murray says, and what's popular in hip-hop is misogynistic and headed toward porn.

"If we (black women) start telling them 'stop calling us that' or 'stop showing us that way,' think about what could happen," she says. "We have so much power. I doubt these guys are going to turn their backs on us."

Joc Max, a well-known Kansas City party DJ and producer, says women aren't solely responsible for change.

"We have to take a stand as men and realize we have control, we can teach our youth and help our children. We can have a good time without singing songs like 'Wait' or (exploiting) scantily clad young women."

Rich Lester, Kansas City hip-hop producer known as Jkr70, says an answer is complicated.

"It's like a company that has been run badly for so long that you have to get another job, that's the state of the music industry," he says. "The path should have been steered in a different direction a long time ago. Now it's about the money, and sex sells. It's just not my bag. I am a guy's guy, and I don't need to hear some of that stuff. It just makes me uncomfortable."

Joc Max decided to get a new bag when the music got too raunchy.

"There is no gray area, you roll with it or don't," he said. "But I choose to not play that music. I feel like I need a shower after some of those records.

"I have to get deeper, I have to move on. Rap is part of hip-hop, and it came from funk, so I am going to play that. The awkward position for me is which venues are going to be risk-takers and allow me to play a different form of hip-hop. I might be less popular now, but at least I have my integrity."

Noted hip-hop journalist, historian and DJ Davey D, based in California, says radio and music executives carry a lot of the responsibility.

"At the end of the day the public walks around fooled by (listener) requests and charts," says Davey D, who says it's no coincidence you hear the same 10 songs in every city.

It's the music and program directors along with record label executives who control the airwaves, he says.

And if people don't start to examine how songs get on radio and television and start talking to decision-makers, Davey D says, talking about changing the situation "is a meaningless conversation."

When it comes to radio, Julee Jonez says as a radio personality, she's on the fence.

"We are put in a hard spot because we don't directly choose the music," says Jonez, co-host of "The Breakfast Jam" on KPRS 103 Jamz. "But we have to guard ourselves and use the most-clean versions possible. But we do receive backlash. If we pull every Lil Jon and Ying Yang Twins song off the air, the numbers will suffer.

"You would think at this point this trend would have phased out, but it seems to be heavy hitting. You can't stop people from having their own taste, but when you have so many people complaining about it and consuming, it's (the campaign against misogyny) not going to go anywhere."

The "video vixen," recognized as a voluptuous, half-naked and often gyrating model in music videos, is another factor figuring into the rise of misogyny in the industry, Jonez says.

"It has gotten glorified by our younger ladies -- and you have your people like Common who don't do that -- but the majority of people in the club are listening to Ying Yang Twins and 'Tip Drill,' " she says.

If there is anyone who knows about the effects of video models, it's Karrine Steffans, author of Confessions of a Video Vixen, a tell-all book about her hip-hop experiences.

Steffans has been in videos for Jay-Z, Mystikal, LL Cool J and R. Kelly and has been featured in magazines. She says video girls are on their own.

"I wish the industry would provide some sort of counseling. I wish someone would have told me what was going to happen or called me to see how I was doing. No one wonders how you are feeling or who you are."

As a model, "you are performing a service to help this man sell records," says Steffans, 26. "They give you the clothes to wear, tell you where to stand and how to move. If a man tells you to shake it like a salt shaker and you do it, (people reprimand you) and call you a ho."

The misogyny in music is a reflection of society, Steffans says, speaking from Los Angeles.

"As a society, we are well aware of what happens with young boys and girls without fathers. Women are looking for an authoritative figure; they are looking for a voice. They don't have it at home or in the community, so they instantly turn to the most prominent male voice, and it's hip-hop."

"Society has changed when men aren't looking to protect women. There was a time when nobody would allow you to walk out of the house with tight shorts and a halter top, but now we are being exploited by our own men."

The answer, she says, is women banding together.

"We have to change our behavior," Steffans says. "We are the mother, the first teacher and we have to start our own revolution. We need to speak up and say we don't like this music, we don't want to wear these clothes, and we need to educate ourselves and stop letting the men get all that air time."

(Article reprinted from The Kansas City Star, Mo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News)

BlogON: What can women (and men) do to change the misogyny in hip hop? Whatchusay?

By Ipeleng Kgositsile

Some people go to church regularly on Sundays. Others go to brunch. I'm one of the latter. I owe this to my childhood. As a little girl, church for me was Sunday Brunch at Wilson's, a soul food restaurant on 158th and Amsterdam in New York. Mommy loved their peach cobbler. I was head over heels about their fish and grits.

Also, I loved the scene. Multi-layered birthday and wedding cakes adorned the bakery part of the restaurant's windows. Throngs of people waited outside and inside for a meal. In fact, I'm pretty sure that while Mommy and her friends were chatting that's where the start of my people-watching career began.

There was also much drama unfolding on the block, outside the restaurant. It was on 158th Street that I first learned about crack. One Sunday as my mother and I were walking to brunch, a woman offered my mother a vial. I had to be about eleven or twelve at the time. My mother being my mother, it was the last time I walked on 158th where Broadway leads to Amsterdam. That was nearly twenty years ago.

In the nineties, I banned myself from Wilson's altogether. I was living in Brooklyn at the time. Washington Heights had since become one of this nation's crack capitals. One afternoon after brunch, Mommy and I stepped outside and a hail of bullets sent us to the ground.

Crack has since moved to the middle of our nation. Wilson's has since closed. My mother has joined the ancestors. I'm, now, an Oakland resident.

Folks enjoying dining at Maxwell's Lounge, located at 341 13th St. Oakland, CA.

When it comes to soul food in Oakland, one has some choices when it comes to Sunday Brunch. But the choices are either few or unreliable. So, when I found out that the somewhat newly opened Maxwell's Lounge in my neighborhood of Downtown Oakland does a Sunday Gospel Brunch, I was eager and got on the horn. For nostalgia sake, I called up my New York crew in Oakland. Did I enjoy my experience? Yes. But this is owed to the company I was with.

This is, unfortunately, owed to one of the pitfalls of working in restaurants. When I'm sitting tableside, it is, often, hard for me to enjoy myself because I have such high standards when it comes to service. Having said that, Maxwell's could be the bomb, but they have plenty of kinks to straighten out.

One of them: the restaurant seems to have an identity issue. The room is cute in that it feels very R&B---it's hip, dramatic, and colorful, the crowd is good-looking, the tables are pre-set with champagne and water glasses. But something as simple as their jelly presentation does not go with the decor. We received Smucker's Jelly packets on a plate decorated with a paper doily.

Maxwell's may look official, but service is, also, a bit of a disaster. For example, it took a half hour for four Bloody Marys and a Mimosa to land on our table. Five plates of food took an hour. Plates were auctioned off when they arrived at the table. My toast came to the table after my plate had been cleared. Maybe that's just one of my pet peeves but when you are paying $30 per person for brunch, I want restaurant service. Not Denny's.

Another pet peeve? There are no biscuits. Granted, it's not my restaurant. But if I'm going out for a soul food breakfast, I want biscuits and rolls. Not white toast, wheat toast or an English Muffin.

To their credit, the food is good and the portions are generous. Malaika had the New Orleans Style Eggs Benedict. Tanicia had Max's Classic Waffle. Cynthia, Southern Fried Buttermilk Chicken. Eric, The Legend, which consisted of two eggs, sausage, and grits. Me, Down Home Fried Catfish. We pretty much licked our plates clean.

Maxwell's also scores points with its band. Though it's a bit loud (at one point, the hostess had to go outside the restaurant to use the phone), we like places that encourage young people and the arts. The band was, mostly, young people. Our meal was spent listening to them working it out onstage.

So. How do I feel about brunch at Maxwell's? I'd recommend the place, but keep the service issues in mind. For this reason, alone, you want to make sure you're with company you enjoy. So glad I was with friends I adore. As you and I both know, breaking bread is, rarely, about the food itself. It's about the company you're with.

Still, there's a part of me that wishes I could find Mrs. Wilson. She'd be able to help Maxwell's straighten their kinks out.

BlogOn: When you go out to eat, is it about the food? Or the company you keep?WhatchuTHINK?

By Michelle

On a January Boston night, I sat with two friends and analyzed the concept of interracial dating. One was Angela, a black woman, and the other was a late twenty-something Asian male, who I will call "Mr. January." During our conversation, I admited that I had a slight crush on him, which as a black woman, may go against the expectation of society. This quickly became a hot topic of our conversation.

What made me mad with them was their view that a black woman (me) couldn't have an attraction for an Asian male. According to Mr. January as well as Angela, I seemed to have some type of fetish with Asian men. They thought I had no type of genuine attraction for him but that it was purely based on something else. And somehow I was more attracted to Asian men than my own race. I could believe something like that would come out of her mouth. But not him. But maybe it was a first for him: To have a black female who found him to be very intelligent and attractive.

To me, this was another case of a hit-and-run stereotype and putting a sista in a box. The lie is that some of us don't look outside of our race. And if we do it is because we have some hard up issues with our own men. If a man from another race does look at us, it is because he just wants some black tail or wants to see a brown nipple. Either way, black women going outside the race.... hell, even looking, is still is a taboo for many.

Why is this? I notice that no one seems to think twice about black men or women of other races being with each other. But when it comes down to black females, the idea of even looking at a male outside of her race is unheard of. Later, Mr. January confessed that the idea that I found him attractive was strange to him. I asked him why and he replied that it was something he never heard of -- a black woman having an attraction for an Asian male.

However, I did my best to explain to him, and I really was hoping that his lack of understanding was not because he was ignorant but more about the fact that he is from Taiwan. This is a person I have known for sometime. So, I am more inclined to have a little bit patience with him. I explained to him that I saw him as a man. I admired his rational view on things and the fact that he is a very respectful man. I had never heard him swear, yell, or even lose his temper. No matter what the case he always keeps his cool. Whenever we go out he always stimulates my mind. Whether teaching me a Chinese dialect or teaching me how to play pool, I always learn something and he encourages a sista' to grow. Throw in the mix that he is an M.I.T. graduate and you have a man among the "holy grail" of men. I haven't said anything about his looks. But I will tell you this, even my ghetto critical sister, commented on the fact that he was good looking.

So, why would not I or any woman not find him attractive? But I guess he is only human. And like the rest he is subjected to fall under the stereotypes that plague all races. But for whatever reason, the thought of black women considering dating men of other races seems to be a taboo. Some sista's think about it. But few like me are bold enough to admit it.

Mr. January and I are still friends and still speak. Four days ago he celebrated his 30th birthday. I very much admire our friendship. I can say is that he is one of the few male friends that I share an intimacy. No, I don't mean sex. But pure respect and appreciation.

Not because he's Asian and I'm Black, but because we are both human.

BlogON: What's your view on interracial dating? WhatchuThink?

by Tom Luce with AUMOHD investigators

HAITI -(Aug.21, 2005). Dredging up fearsome memories of days thought to have gone by forever, eyewitnesses here in Port-Au-Prince have portrayed an unbelievable massacre-by-machete/hatchet rampage by red-shirted killers, backed up by the Haitian National Police (PNH), of up to 50 victims on Aug. 21 at a soccer field in Gran Ravin-Martissant.

This summary, extra-legal execution follows similar type massacres in Bel Air and Solino earlier this month. This time the killings were done in plain daylight in front of and involving 5000 soccer fans, an incredibly bold assault by Haitian police and their civilian accomplices in the presence of troops from MINUSTAH. As has been the case this entire past year, the "targets" in Saturday's massacre, were all identified as "bandits", "Lavalas" scum (Rat pa caca).

Eyewitnesses described to a group of human rights agents today this super T.V. drama styled event. As fans were being entertained during one of the breaks in the soccer game--highly attended because national league players had joined the local teams--a group of police and men wearing red tee shirts and head bands entered the playing field and took over the microphone from the announcer.

The people in the crowd at first thought that this was a friendly show of security by the police. But that idea was immediately dashed when the red shirt announcer stopped the music being played by the DJ and then demanded everyone to lay on the ground. A shot was fired into the air and people began a panicked response. Some tried to run away, some tried scaling the walls to escape and several of these were shot.

Others tried running into the adjoining rooms of the stadium and later were found hacked to death. The red shirts, backed up by the police began demanding specific individuals lying on the ground if they were affiliated with Aristide, asking for confirmation from others whether these people were "bandits". Then without mercy these red shirts either hacked their victims to death or hacked them and then had their victims shot by the police.

According to eyewitnesses and the family members of the victims interviewed today, the victims of the executioners were innocent people and were attacked only because they were allegedly Lavalas supporters.

The red shirts were equipped with machetes and hatchets that were distributed, according to witnesses, by the police at the Martissant police station. These same civilians who appeared in red shirts and head bands at the soccer game, armed with machetes were recognized by people in the area as the same people who at least a month previously were thrown out of the area as trouble makers among whom were some prison escapees and thieves.

Some of these executioners were named by witnesses: Georges Jean Yves, Gérard, aka, Gwo l'Ombril (Big Belly Button), ...lifet aka TÍte Calé (Shaved Head), Ti Clody, Rudy, JoÎl, Eddy, Apoupann aka Colonel, Ronald Toussaint, Kiki , Rocky Rambo, and Cliska. The chief of police of Martissant was also implicated in the operation by the witnesses and according to the witnesses threatened to come after them and "wipe them out the next day."

On Sunday, Aug. 21 the same red shirts, accompanied by the police, invaded residential areas and burned more than four houses alleged to be inhabited by Lavalas supporters. They also severely damaged an electricity transformer in the area. They also damaged several other houses.

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By Christopher Rawson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"It's not like poker, you can't throw your hand in," he said by phone from Seattle. "I've lived a blessed life. I'm ready."

Doctors at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle discovered his condition in June and recommended immediate chemoembolization -- cancer-fighting drugs injected directly into the tumor -- followed by a liver transplant. But the disease proved too far advanced for treatment. Wilson said his physicians told him then that he had a life expectancy of three to five months.

"I'm glad I finished the cycle [of plays]," Wilson said, referring to his famed Pittsburgh Cycle. An unequaled achievement in American drama, it chronicles the tragedies and aspirations of African Americans in 10 plays, one set in each decade of the 20th century.

The final and chronologically latest in the cycle, "Radio Golf," set in 1997, takes place, like all but one of the other nine, in Pittsburgh's Hill District. It premiered at New Haven's Yale Repertory Theatre in April and is currently having its second production at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum (through Sept. 18).

Wilson spent the two months after learning of his illness working on a major re-write of "Radio Golf," although his condition did not allow him to go to Los Angeles for the rehearsals, the first such absence in his career.

A Pittsburgh native, Wilson moved to St. Paul, Minn., in 1978 and to Seattle in 1990, where he lives with his wife, Constanza Romero, and their daughter, Azula Carmen Wilson, who will be 8 this week. He has an older daughter by a previous marriage, Sakina Ansari.

Wilson's plays include "Fences," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," "The Piano Lesson" and "Jitney." Together, the 10 of the Pittsburgh Cycle have won him a Tony Award, Olivier Award, two Pulitzer Prizes, five New Play Awards/Citations from the American Theatre Critics Association and seven New York Drama Critics Circle Awards. He also was nominated for an Emmy award.

His many other honors include honorary doctorates (from the University of Pittsburgh, among others), Rockefeller and Guggenheim fellowships, a National Humanities Medal and the 2003 Heinz Award in Arts and Humanities. He is a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

One additional honor of which Wilson is especially proud: He has the only high school diploma issued by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, testimony to his experience of leaving school at 15 in disgust at being accused of falsifying a paper he wrote on Napoleon Bonaparte and then educating himself in his local Carnegie Library.

At present, he is working against time, as much as his condition allows, on a number of writing projects.