Make your voice heard, ‘we are the 99%’

By Ernest F. Camel III

“We Are The 99 percent!!!” This mantra can be heard in cities across America and in various countries across the world.

September 17, 2011 began the initial protest in New York Cities Zucotti Park in the New York financial district.

I became a part of the Occupy Jackson movement in solidarity with the Occupy New York protest on Saturday, October 15, 2011.

Who are the 99 percent? According to an article on fastcompany.com, 64 percent of the protestors are younger than 34. The movement also includes Generation X’ers and Baby Boomers, with one-third of respondents older than 35 and  one-fifth 45 and older.  The 99 percent are categorized by the movement as the group of people in America who are the largest percent of the population, but have the least amount of wealth.

Occupiers across the U.S. and the globe are protesting the corporate control on government via finacial contributions to the political system, among other things.  The protest has spurred crticism, where some have said there is no cohesive message.  The protestors feel like this is a good thing because there are too many problems with our democracy regarding corporate greed than can be narrowed down into one demand.

I decided to join in the protest when my eyes were opened to the way greed has caused a number of problems in the U.S.

For those of you who don’t know why the Occupiers are mad, here are just a few facts for you.
In 2008, our government gave Wall Street a $700 billion bailout package, financed by our taxpayer dollars, but who bails us out when we can’t pay our bills or when we have gone to college and can’t find a job that pays well enough to pay back our student loans?

According to an article on thehill.com, student loan debt is at an all time high and will reach the $1 trillion mark this year  surpassing even credit card debt.  Also it has been said in an article on msnbc.com that the rising college costs, low graduation rates and poor job prospects are getting more and more students over their heads in debt as the student loan default rate has risen to 8.8 percent and climbing.

Many of the protestors have criticized banks such as the federal reserve, Bank of America and others for their lack of transparency and not being held accountable for their actions with the money they recieved on the backs of the American taxpayers.

I urge you to ask yourself, when will the Corporations, banks and Wall Street representatives who were given $700 billion dollars in an effort to kickstart our economy be held accountable for their actions?

While you are struggling to pay your student loans, credit cards, mortgages and every day neccessities they are drinking champagne and enjoying million dollar bonuses.

These are the same people who created the largest foreclosure crisis in recent history due to shady lending practices and sent our troops to war looking for fictional weapons of mass destruction; killing, according to about.com, more than 4,000 and seriously wounding more than 30,000 troops who will return from Iraq to a country that doesn’t even have a job waiting for them.

Some of my fellow protestors here in Jackson, Miss.  had this to say about their reasons for occupying Jackson.

“I like this because it is non-violent and it’s people coming out and saying we share a discontentment across the country,” said Daniel Brantly, a supporter of Occupy Jackson.

“I’m here because it seems like we are having to fight the fights that we were having in the 60’s all over again.  We should already have these things taken care of.  There’s no reason why every generation should have to fight for the right to a job, the right to medical care, or the right to an education,” said Carol Miles, a supporter of Occupy Jackson.

I urge you to look beyond your political ties and examine how our government is run and ask yourself, are those in power looking out for the best interest of the 99 percent of Americans or the one percent of the population who control 97 percent of the nations wealth?

With elections coming up in November, I feel you should take an active role in your local elections.  Don’t vote based on party but for the candidate that will help the 99 percent.

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L.A. & Dee discuss their book 'Real Talk'

L.A. & Dee

www.realtalklive.com

 

Tell us about your book Real Talk?

Real Talk is a compilation of conversations from Black men about their perspectives of Black women. We made a conscious decision to begin our series of Real Talk books within the Black community because we felt there was great strain in how Black men and women view one another. We wanted this book to be positive, yet still cover controversial topics. So you'll have sections within the book that'll make you laugh and others that'll definitely trigger some deep thought. This book is not an attempt to prove who's right or wrong, it's simply an attempt to spark conversation without bashing one another. We interviewed 8 Black men from diverse backgrounds (i.e. cities, ages, religious backgrounds, family structures). The interviews were held in a location of our participants’ choice. After we conducted the face to face interviews, we transcribed each interview verbatim. We wanted to keep the voices of the men as honest and as real as possible.

 

Who is the audience for the book and how will they benefit from reading?

The book is intended for both male and female readers. It's great for women because it provides answers and a sense of understanding to some of those questions that we over-analyze in our own minds. It's basically like having Barbershop talk--in a book.  On the other hand, it's just as great for men because it gives them an opportunity to relate and gain insight from other men. We wanted to reach out to all adult readers. It doesn’t matter what racial/ethnic background, age, or gender you are, because there is something for everyone in this book. We wanted to discuss topics that are sometimes uncomfortable for people to share with one another. Real Talk gives our readers the opportunity to hear the voices of some very opinionated men.

What is your opinion of the availability of the African American Male perspective?

There's not enough. There's an abundance of negative portrayals from the media of Black men but definitely a lack of availability of perspectives from Black men themselves. Honestly, that was one of our main reasons for creating a book from the perspective of Black men. We felt there were several  books that catered to women so it was important for us to give Black men an open forum to discuss  topics such as growing up in fatherless homes or how the really feel about the "Independent" Black woman. Unfortunately, oftentimes perceptions of Black men may not be very positive. This is due to the inaccurate and negative stereotyping that we see in the media. Black love does exist. Yet, we are all too familiar with the staggering statistics. Today, nearly 70% of African-American births are to unmarried mothers. In truth however, many Black people experience well-functioning and successful family units, yet very little research exists on positive marriages, satisfaction, happiness, and Black men’s view of love. 

 

 

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Think Occupy Wall St. is a phase? You don't get it

By Douglas Rushkoff, Special to CNN

Editor's note: Douglas Rushkoff is a media theorist and the author of "Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age" and "Life Inc: How Corporatism Conquered the World and How We Can Take it Back."

(CNN) -- Like the spokesmen for Arab dictators feigning bewilderment over protesters' demands, mainstream television news reporters finally training their attention on the growing Occupy Wall Street protest movement seem determined to cast it as the random, silly blather of an ungrateful and lazy generation of weirdos. They couldn't be more wrong and, as time will tell, may eventually be forced to accept the inevitability of their own obsolescence.

Consider how CNN anchor Erin Burnett, covered the goings on at Zuccotti Park downtown, where the protesters are encamped, in a segment called "Seriously?!" "What are they protesting?" she asked, "nobody seems to know." Like Jay Leno testing random mall patrons on American History, the main objective seemed to be to prove that the protesters didn't, for example, know that the U.S. government has been reimbursed for the bank bailouts. It was condescending and reductionist.

More predictably perhaps, a Fox News reporter appears flummoxed in this outtake from "On the Record," in which the respondent refuses to explain how he wants the protests to "end." Transcending the shallow partisan politics of the moment, the protester explains "As far as seeing it end, I wouldn't like to see it end. I would like to see the conversation continue."

To be fair, the reason why some mainstream news journalists and many of the audiences they serve see the Occupy Wall Street protests as incoherent is because the press and the public are themselves. It is difficult to comprehend a 21st century movement from the perspective of the 20th century politics, media, and economics in which we are still steeped.

Occupy protests spread across U.S.

Unions join 'Occupy Wall Street'

 

In fact, we are witnessing America's first true Internet-era movement, which -- unlike civil rights protests, labor marches, or even the Obama campaign -- does not take its cue from a charismatic leader, express itself in bumper-sticker-length goals and understand itself as having a particular endpoint.

Yes, there are a wide array of complaints, demands, and goals from the Wall Street protesters: the collapsing environment, labor standards, housing policy, government corruption, World Bank lending practices, unemployment, increasing wealth disparity and so on. Different people have been affected by different aspects of the same system -- and they believe they are symptoms of the same core problem.

Are they ready to articulate exactly what that problem is and how to address it? No, not yet. But neither are Congress or the president who, in thrall to corporate America and Wall Street, respectively, have consistently failed to engage in anything resembling a conversation as cogent as the many I witnessed as I strolled by Occupy Wall Street's many teach-ins this morning. There were young people teaching one another about, among other things, how the economy works, about the disconnection of investment banking from the economy of goods and services, the history of centralized interest-bearing currency, the creation and growth of the derivatives industry, and about the Obama administration deciding to settle with, rather than investigate and prosecute the investment banking industry for housing fraud.

Anyone who says he has no idea what these folks are protesting is not being truthful. Whether we agree with them or not, we all know what they are upset about, and we all know that there are investment bankers working on Wall Street getting richer while things for most of the rest of us are getting tougher. What upsets banking's defenders and politicians alike is the refusal of this movement to state its terms or set its goals in the traditional language of campaigns.

That's because, unlike a political campaign designed to get some person in office and then close up shop (as in the election of Obama), this is not a movement with a traditional narrative arc. As the product of the decentralized networked-era culture, it is less about victory than sustainability. It is not about one-pointedness, but inclusion and groping toward consensus. It is not like a book; it is like the Internet.

Occupy Wall Street is meant more as a way of life that spreads through contagion, creates as many questions as it answers, aims to force a reconsideration of the way the nation does business and offers hope to those of us who previously felt alone in our belief that the current economic system is broken.
But unlike a traditional protest, which identifies the enemy and fights for a particular solution, Occupy Wall Street just sits there talking with itself, debating its own worth, recognizing its internal inconsistencies and then continuing on as if this were some sort of new normal. It models a new collectivism, picking up on the sustainable protest village of the movement's Egyptian counterparts, with food, first aid, and a library.

Yes, as so many journalists seem obligated to point out, kids are criticizing corporate America while tweeting through their iPhones. The simplistic critique is that if someone is upset about corporate excess, he is supposed to abandon all connection with any corporate product. Of course, the more nuanced approach to such tradeoffs would be to seek balance rather than ultimatums. Yes, there are things big corporations might do very well, like making iPhones. There are other things big corporations may not do so well, like structure mortgage derivatives. Might we be able to use corporations for what works, and get them out of doing what doesn't?

And yes, some kids are showing up at Occupy Wall Street because it's fun. They come for the people, the excitement, the camaraderie and the sense of purpose they might not be able to find elsewhere. But does this mean that something about Occupy Wall Street is lacking, or that it is providing something that jobs and schools are not (thanks in part to rising unemployment and skyrocketing tuitions)?

The members of Occupy Wall Street may be as unwieldy, paradoxical, and inconsistent as those of us living in the real world. But that is precisely why their new approach to protest is more applicable, sustainable and actionable than what passes for politics today. They are suggesting that the fiscal operating system on which we are attempting to run our economy is no longer appropriate to the task. They mean to show that there is an inappropriate and correctable disconnect between the abundance America produces and the scarcity its markets manufacture.

And in the process, they are pointing the way toward something entirely different than the zero-sum game of artificial scarcity favoring top-down investors and media makers alike.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Douglas Rushkoff.

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Today In History: Morant Bay Rebellion

The Morant Bay rebellion began on October 11, 1865, when Paul Bogle led 200 to 300 black men and women into the town of Morant Bay, parish of St. Thomas in the East, Jamaica. The rebellion and its aftermath were a major turning point in Jamaica's history, and also generated a significant political debate in Britain. Today, the rebellion remains controversial, and is frequently mentioned by specialists in black and colonial studies.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morant_Bay_Rebellion

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Iranians charged in U.S. over assassination plot

(Reuters) U.S. authorities broke up an alleged plot to bomb the Israeli and Saudi Arabian embassies in Washington and assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, court documents and a U.S. official said on Tuesday.

The alleged plotters were identified as Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri -- both originally from Iran -- in the criminal complaint unsealed in federal court in New York City.

Arbabsiar, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was arrested in late September. Shakuri is still at large.

The plot was disrupted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration.
U.S. officials said one overarching question is whether elements of the Iranian government were behind the plot. Court documents identified Shakuri as a member of the Quds Force, a branch of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Shakuri approved the plan to try to kill the Saudi ambassador during telephone conversations with Arbabsiar, the complaint said.

In July and August, Arbabsiar paid $100,000 to a DEA informant for the murder of Saudi ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir, court documents said.

Arbabsiar was arrested late last month at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. After his arrest, court papers said, Arbabsiar confessed to authorities.

The men are charged with one count of conspiracy to murder a foreign official, two counts of foreign travel and use of interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire and one count each of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism.

(Reporting by Basil Katz in New York, James Vicini and Mark Hosenball in Washington; Writing by Jeremy Pelofsky; Editing by John O'Callaghan.)




 http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/11/us-usa-security-iran-idUSTRE79A5E020111011

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COMMUNICATION KILLED ASSUMPTION

Communication Killed Assumption

Written by: Enitan Bereola, II

From the Russ Parr Morning Show

 In today’s news, assumption was found dead and communication has been arrested in connection with the murder.

The miscommunication of male and female relations has led to debate, divorce and death. Man and woman’s understanding of each other is only half the battle. Communication with the opposite sex is like trying to send a text message with a Metro PCS phone on a plane – you attempt delivery, but it just won’t go through. The main problem with a lack of communication is that it forces people to jump to their own conclusions.

Ladies want to know the way men think. They’d like to know why we have double standards, why we lie and lead them on, why we’re not upfront, why we’re so afraid to commit, why we don’t completely answer questions, why we have a hard time communicating and when there will be an answer to all of these questions. When men refuse to address the issues, women begin to assume the answers. Some women think a few dinner dates and some intimacy makes a man her boyfriend, while the man is simply enjoying her company. She then begins to expect much more than her date is willing to offer because they’re communicating two different things.

That’s the problem that most men have with women today. We simply don’t understand how “yes” can mean “no” and why “nothing is wrong” means something is definitely wrong and it needs to be addressed not now, but right now. When she says, “just kidding,” she’s telling the damn truth. When she points out something sweet another man does, she wants you to do it too – but make sure you do it better. Telling her she’s acting crazy is the worst way to get her to stop acting crazy. If she looks upset, she’s upset; and she’s mad at you for you not knowing why she’s mad at you. If she asks, “Is that what you’re wearing,” she probably wants you to change. Sometimes she pushes you away to see if you’re willing to come forward. If she leaves upset, follow her. When she cries, it’s best to hold her tight and not say a word. Women test our reactions; they observe and judge our every action, expression, word and gesture. She notices how long it takes you to respond to a text message and analyzes why it took that long. Women create a connection and sense of intimacy through communication; her personal questions aren’t intended to invade your privacy so don’t be afraid to open up.

If you don’t know how to open up, start by actually answering her questions. A great way to emotionally connect to a woman is to simply let her in. Create a way for her to feel something. Share personal stories that she can relate to. The neurons in her brain will actually generate the same response as if she was right there with you sharing the experience. A woman puts into a relationship exactly what she expects out of it. You can’t watch football with the cable unplugged – you can’t function in a relationship with you unplugged. Relationships are useless with no connection. Communication is cable.

Women really aren’t as complicated as we make them out to be – they just want to be loved and express that much differently than men. A woman wants more than anything else to feel emotion. That’s why she tells us about her day when we don’t feel like being bothered or ask us all sorts of detailed questions when we think it’s unnecessary. To her, communication is a way of emotionally connecting on a level deeper than surface. Mental stimulation is better than sex … chivalry is foreplay.

But the communication barrier is so thick simply because men and women think and interpret information differently. The male mind is based on hard facts & reason whereas the female mind responds more to emotion and empathy. Women are natural nurturers and men are natural workers. Ask a man to go to the store for bread & he’ll bring back bread. Ask a woman to go to the store for bread and she’ll bring back groceries. Understanding this basic concept will help us understand our breakdown in communication.

Some of us may be crazy, but we’re not nuts and you damn sure can’t crack us open. Ladies, never attempt to pry or force communication out of a man. The results are similar to prying out teeth, no anesthesia. Be patient with us more, love us harder, and show us that we can count on you. When a dog begins to trust a new houseguest, it’s behavior changes … well you say we’re dogs, right?

Women must understand that most men can’t decipher your cryptic code. Psychics aren’t real, so either try to learn the way we communicate or date a psychic. Your tendency to communicate emotionally & inwardly often leaves us confused trying to figure out what you’re really saying. We often wonder what you want, but it’s tragic when you wonder the same thing. Get to know you before you expect a man to.

As simple as men are, we understand that sometimes ladies just don’t get us. Take a look at my “Five Communications Do’s & Don’ts” to help you out.

Communication Do’s:

▪ Do approach with caution. The four words men hate to hear is “We need to talk.” It’s not what you say; it’s how and when you say it.▪ Do acknowledge our efforts. A lot of men won’t admit it, but we require affirmation just like you. So before you communicate that we’re doing something wrong, acknowledge what we’re doing right or even that you know we’re trying.▪ Do be upfront … but not “in your face upfront.” I know that sometimes women aren’t blunt to protect a man’s ego, but speak matter-of-factly so that we understand the serious tone and nature of the conversation. When we see that a woman is sure and clear about what she wants, we’ll definitely straighten up and take notice. Most men like direct women because most men are direct, but there is truly an art to approaching us so that we not only receive what you’re communicating, but also open up to you.▪ Do find the right time we communicate together effectively. Timing is everything. Sometimes an issue will arise that requires communication and since women are more emotionally driven, she may want to discuss things in the heat of the moment. In the meantime, a logically driven man may want to sleep on it & discuss when our mind is settled. She doesn’t understand our logical argument when she’s arguing emotionally. Forcing communication while emotions are high is like sparking a lighter in a gas factory. The way to come to a compromise about finding the right time to effectively communicate is by communicating when nothings wrong. The best time to talk to us about problems is when there are no problems.▪ Do speak in love and pick your battles. Not everything under the sun needs to be communicated. Decide what’s important and what can be figured out overtime or else every day will be another boring board meeting with your boyfriend. Communication Don’ts:

▪ Don’t get mad at us when we laugh or smile when you’re trying to have serious communication. There’s just something so sexy and so cute about her when she’s mad and trying to have a serious conversation. We’re listening … you’re just sexy!▪ Don’t text him 10 times a day to ask over & over where the relationship is going. You have to strike a healthy balance in letting a man know what you stand for & expect, while still allowing progression to happen naturally. As men don’t always go into situations looking for relationships but we get into them because we recognize a good lady when we see one. Forcing yourselves onto us creates a force field around us and blocks you. Set boundaries and state intentions early and you won’t have to bring up “the talk” at all because we’ll gladly do it for you.▪ Don’t always have something to say. Sometimes communication is simply listening. Just like you need to vent, at times we need to vent and prefer you just listen.▪ Don’t communicate problems in public. If you’re out with friends and an issue occurs, keep your class and wait until you’re behind closed doors to discuss it. Maintain your relationship’s privacy and integrity because you’ll eventually forget about your public blow-up but friends & family won’t & some will be happy to always remind you.▪ Don’t ignore body language. 55% of communication is non-verbal, 38% is vocal (pitch, speed, volume, tone of voice) and only 7% is actual words. So listen to what we do. If we’ve scheduled a time to talk about something and we look like we’re not in the mood for discussion but we made an effort to discuss anyway, just change the subject. It can wait and we’ll love you for it.▪ Don’t focus on what we’re NOT saying. Forget what you’d like us to say, take us at face value. It’s a known fact that we speak different languages, but most of the time our communication doesn’t require interpretation. As we understand that we’re both saying the same thing, just saying it differently, then we can begin to move forward in understanding one another. Don’t dive deep into shallow water. THIS JUST IN: Text messaging has been arrested in the attempted murder of effective communication. Text tried to kill real conversation. If all he does is send you words over a mobile device, it isn’t a real relationship. Oral communication is an intimate act so if a man goes as far as reaching out to pick up a phone and call or wants to talk a lady in person, he’s definitely interested. Now back to your program already in progress.

Communication killed assumptions! The more we attempt to effectively communicate with each other, the more we can begin to love one another. Men and women desire the same thing – to be loved. It’s the way in which we seek out love and attention that causes so much friction. We may speak different languages but that’s the beauty of it. Love is the language that a deaf woman can hear and a blind mind can see. We need to kill this senseless Venus vs. Mars act that’s been going on for decades. We need ladies and they need us. It’s not Venus vs. Mars, it’s Venus

with Mars. Let’s focus on everything right with us, instead of everything wrong with us. Learn to appreciate, enjoy and love our differences instead of shunning them; it’s what makes us beautiful.

R.I.P. Assumptions.

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