This came from an email I received:
"PLEASE, READ AND TAKE HEED TO THIS WHITE WOMANS OPINION OF US!!!
BLACK PEOPLE, PLEASE, READ & HEED. POIGNANT.
The sad thing about this article is that the essence of it is true. The truth hurts. I just hope this sets more Black people in motion towards making real progress. Chris Rock, a Black comedian, even joked that Blacks don't read.
Please Note:
For those of you who heard it, this ibs the article Dee Lee was reading this morning on a New York radio station. For those of you who didn't hear it, this is very deep. This is a heavy piece and a Caucasian wrote it.
Dee Lee, CFP
Harvard Financial Educators
Dee Lee
THEY ARE STILL OUR SLAVES We can continue to reap profits from the Blacks without the effort of physical slavery Look at the current methods of containment that they use on themselves: IGNORANCE, GREED, and SELFISHNESS.
Their IGNORANCE is the primary weapon of containment. A great man once said, "The best way to hide something from Black people is to put it in a book." We now live in the Information Age. They have gained the opportunity to read any book on any subject through the efforts of their
fight for freedom, yet they refuse to read. There are numerous books readily available at Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com, not to mention their own Black Bookstores that provide solid blueprints to reach economic equality (which should have been their fight all along), but few read consistently, if at all.
GREED is another powerful weapon of containment. Blacks, since the abolition of slavery, have had large amounts of money at their disposal. Last year they spent 10 billion dollars during Christmas, out of their 450 billion dollars in total yearly income (2.22%).
Any of us can use them as our target market, for any business venture we care to dream up, no matter how outlandish, they will buy into it. Being primarily a consumer people, they function totally by greed. They continually want more, with little thought for saving or investing.
They would rather buy some new sneaker than invest in starting a business. Some even neglect their children to have the latest Tommy or FUBU, And they still think that having a Mercedes, and a big house gives them "Status" or that they have achieved their Dream.
They are fools! The vast majority of their people are still in poverty because their greed holds them back from collectively making better communities.
With the help of BET, and the rest of their black media that often broadcasts destructive images into their own homes, we will continue to see huge profits like those of Tommy and Nike. (Tommy Hilfiger has even jeered them, saying he doesn't want their money, and look at how the fools spend more with him than ever before!). They'll continue to show off to each other while we build solid communities with the profits from our businesses that we market to them.
SELFISHNESS, ingrained in their minds through slavery, is one of the major ways we can continue to contain them. One of their own, Dubois said that there was an innate division in their culture. A "Talented Tenth" he called it. He was correct in his deduction that there are segments of their culture that has achieved some "form" of success.
However, that segment missed the fullness of his work. They didn't read that the "Talented Tenth" was then responsible to aid The Non-Talented Ninety Percent in achieving a better life. Instead, that segment has created another class, a Buppie class that looks down on their people or aids them in a condescending manner. They will never achieve what we have. Their selfishness does not allow them to be able to work together on any project or endeavor of substance. When they do get together, their selfishness lets their egos get in the way of their goal Their so-called help organizations seem to only want to promote their name without making any real change in their community.
They are content to sit in conferences and conventions in our hotels, and talk about what they will do, while they award plaques to the best
speakers, not to the best doers. Is there no end to their selfishness?
They steadfastly refuse to see that TOGETHER EACH ACHIEVES MORE (TEAM)
They do not understand that they are no better than each other because of what they own, as a matter of fact, most of those Buppies are but one or two pay checks away from poverty. All of which is under the control of our pens in our offices and our rooms.
Yes, we will continue to contain them as long as they refuse to re ad, continue to buy anything they want, and keep thinking they are "helping" their communities by paying dues to organizations which do little other than hold lavish conventions in our hotels. By the way, don't worry about any of them reading this letter, remember, 'THEY DON'T READ!!!!
(Prove them wrong. Please pass this on! After Reading it..) Share this on your blogs...."
------------------------------------------------------
After reading this - here's what jumps out for me:
"They are fools! The vast majority of their people are still in poverty because their greed holds them back from collectively making better communities."
We talk about unity...coming together to collaborate - we talk about making and want to see change happen. But then personal ego's and agendas get in the way and often times we don't follow it through. Holding ourselves back! We just keep talking... lets look closely at what she's saying:
"They will never achieve what we have."
"Their selfishness does not allow them to be able to work together on any project or endeavor of substance. When they do get together, their selfishness lets their egos get in the way"
I don't see this as an attack more than it's a message aimed directly at us - to force us to look at and understand -- that in many ways we are still slaves. There is much power in our numbers and in our dollars. We must begin thinking differently.
Share this on your blogs.... peace, Alicia
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
MSNBC Drops 'Imus in the Morning'
While they would like us to think that it has nothing to do with dollars. We know better! Without the advertisers there is NO show. But we'll go with it. After all they did say "what matters to us most is that the men and women of NBC Universal." Smart decision!
Peace, Alicia
Here's the article:
"MSNBC Drops 'Imus in the Morning'
Decision Was Driven by 'Integrity,' Not 'Dollars'
By Andrew Hampp
Published: April 11, 2007
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- MSNBC has canceled its simulcast of CBS Radio's "Imus in the Morning" following a long line of advertisers pulling their support of the show yesterday and today.
MSNBC called its decision to drop Don Imus' show as 'driven by integrity.'
Photo Credit: AP
Originally planned hiatus
The cable news network had originally planned to put the show on a two-week hiatus, but the it issued a statement today saying, "What matters to us most is that the men and women of NBC Universal have confidence in the values we have set for this company. This is the only decision that makes that possible. Once again, we apologize to the women of the Rutgers basketball team and to our viewers. We deeply regret the pain this incident has caused."
The "Imus" show was one of MSNBC's more high-profile offerings but was a consistent runner-up in the ratings race with CNN in its 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekday timeslot, where it attracted 271,000 household viewers compared to CNN's 374,000.
An NBC News spokeswoman said the advertisers' withdrawal was "in all honesty, not a factor in today's announcement. It really came as a result of numerous conversations with our employees. It was not driven by dollars. It was driven by integrity."
8% of revenue
The show's advertisers -- which include General Motors, Procter & Gamble and Sprint -- collectively account for about 8% of MSNBC's total revenue. The top spender, GM, spent a total of $691,000 on the show in 2006, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
CBS Radio, meanwhile, is sticking with its two-week suspension without pay for Mr. Imus, adding in a statement, "During that time, CBS Radio will continue to speak with all concerned parties and monitor the situation closely.""
Source: http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=116041
Peace, Alicia
Here's the article:
"MSNBC Drops 'Imus in the Morning'
Decision Was Driven by 'Integrity,' Not 'Dollars'
By Andrew Hampp
Published: April 11, 2007
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- MSNBC has canceled its simulcast of CBS Radio's "Imus in the Morning" following a long line of advertisers pulling their support of the show yesterday and today.
MSNBC called its decision to drop Don Imus' show as 'driven by integrity.'
Photo Credit: AP
Originally planned hiatus
The cable news network had originally planned to put the show on a two-week hiatus, but the it issued a statement today saying, "What matters to us most is that the men and women of NBC Universal have confidence in the values we have set for this company. This is the only decision that makes that possible. Once again, we apologize to the women of the Rutgers basketball team and to our viewers. We deeply regret the pain this incident has caused."
The "Imus" show was one of MSNBC's more high-profile offerings but was a consistent runner-up in the ratings race with CNN in its 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekday timeslot, where it attracted 271,000 household viewers compared to CNN's 374,000.
An NBC News spokeswoman said the advertisers' withdrawal was "in all honesty, not a factor in today's announcement. It really came as a result of numerous conversations with our employees. It was not driven by dollars. It was driven by integrity."
8% of revenue
The show's advertisers -- which include General Motors, Procter & Gamble and Sprint -- collectively account for about 8% of MSNBC's total revenue. The top spender, GM, spent a total of $691,000 on the show in 2006, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
CBS Radio, meanwhile, is sticking with its two-week suspension without pay for Mr. Imus, adding in a statement, "During that time, CBS Radio will continue to speak with all concerned parties and monitor the situation closely.""
Source: http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=116041
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
The Appointment - Part 2
PART 2: The photo shoot
There's a cool breeze as she enters the room. It's quite sterile. The walls are bare there's a huge machine "the photo booth" and a chair with a computer for the photographer behind a radiation proof wall. The photographer approaches Miss Petro and puts the radiation proof belt around her waste. She tells Petro to have a seat that she still needs to set the machine up. Petro is sitting there waiting thinking, "what the fuck is going on, I'm too young, I have so much left to do, why am I in this room?" She was trying to fill herself with positive thoughts "that all is going to be alright."
"Let's do this! It's time for your photos," says the photographer. She tells Petro that it's only going to be six photos. She's preparing to take two photos of the left breast, two of her right, and two of the section in question. She starts with the right breast lifts it onto this cold glass plate, and the machine begins to come down closing in on the breast. She's told not to breathe, hold the pose and not move a muscle. But all Petro can think of is "where the hell am I going?" She moves to the left breast the one with the questionable bumps and Petro was cool up until the third set of photos.
She was finding it very uncomfortable to hold the poses, but the photo shoot was coming to an end. this was going to be the last shot and it had to be the best shot -- the photographer had to keep rearranging the breast and finally Petro couldn't hold back the tears any longer because she was convinced she going to get bad news. She was thinking about all the cigarettes she's smoked in her past, the fact that her grandmother died of breast cancer it was just a matter of time before death caught up with her.
She wanted the photo session to come to an end she could no longer hold the uncomfortable poses. Imagine taking a breast in the palm of your hand flipping it to the left -- squishing it on to the metal plate, having to keep your arms closed to your body -- your chest straight -- head looking up -- right hand holding the machine -- left hand against your body -- hold your breathe and don't move -- try doing this for over thirty minutes.
The photographer says that she has all the shots she needs "it's a wrap." She leaves Petro alone to show the films to the doctor. Petro thinks she's done, the photographer returns and tells her that now she needs to have an ultrasound done on her breasts and moves her to another room and once that's done she can leave and wait to hear back from her doctor on the results. She gets a call a few days later that she is clear; she has some cysts but nothing to worry about. Millions of women have had this procedure done every day and she is one of the lucky ones. Petro is thrilled to be alive, she knows how very blessed she is and gets right back into writing her novel and enjoying her time with her beloved daughter.
The story above was written the same day I started writing my novel - I share this very personal story with the group about my life in hopes that it will inspire and push you to write every chance you get. It didn't matter at the time what the news might be for me. What mattered most was that I be writing. I turned a scary experience into a creative experience where I could be present with my thoughts and write about it. Writing is not easy and doesn't always have to fabulous and well written.
I have to admit it's been incredibly difficult for me to balance my novel, the writers group, the new podcast, my role as mother, my job at BusinessWeek, spending time with friends and family, and taking care of myself. I can't stress how important it is to MAKE THE TIME! You are SOOOOOO worth it. Creativity comes in spurts -- I wrote for three days straight to start my novel and am proud to say that I have a good 159 pages of typed (single spaced) from only the first week in March. But last weekend I wrote nothing having to do with the novel or podcast, maybe just some scribble and journaling. Resting the mind is very necessary...
Peace~
There's a cool breeze as she enters the room. It's quite sterile. The walls are bare there's a huge machine "the photo booth" and a chair with a computer for the photographer behind a radiation proof wall. The photographer approaches Miss Petro and puts the radiation proof belt around her waste. She tells Petro to have a seat that she still needs to set the machine up. Petro is sitting there waiting thinking, "what the fuck is going on, I'm too young, I have so much left to do, why am I in this room?" She was trying to fill herself with positive thoughts "that all is going to be alright."
"Let's do this! It's time for your photos," says the photographer. She tells Petro that it's only going to be six photos. She's preparing to take two photos of the left breast, two of her right, and two of the section in question. She starts with the right breast lifts it onto this cold glass plate, and the machine begins to come down closing in on the breast. She's told not to breathe, hold the pose and not move a muscle. But all Petro can think of is "where the hell am I going?" She moves to the left breast the one with the questionable bumps and Petro was cool up until the third set of photos.
She was finding it very uncomfortable to hold the poses, but the photo shoot was coming to an end. this was going to be the last shot and it had to be the best shot -- the photographer had to keep rearranging the breast and finally Petro couldn't hold back the tears any longer because she was convinced she going to get bad news. She was thinking about all the cigarettes she's smoked in her past, the fact that her grandmother died of breast cancer it was just a matter of time before death caught up with her.
She wanted the photo session to come to an end she could no longer hold the uncomfortable poses. Imagine taking a breast in the palm of your hand flipping it to the left -- squishing it on to the metal plate, having to keep your arms closed to your body -- your chest straight -- head looking up -- right hand holding the machine -- left hand against your body -- hold your breathe and don't move -- try doing this for over thirty minutes.
The photographer says that she has all the shots she needs "it's a wrap." She leaves Petro alone to show the films to the doctor. Petro thinks she's done, the photographer returns and tells her that now she needs to have an ultrasound done on her breasts and moves her to another room and once that's done she can leave and wait to hear back from her doctor on the results. She gets a call a few days later that she is clear; she has some cysts but nothing to worry about. Millions of women have had this procedure done every day and she is one of the lucky ones. Petro is thrilled to be alive, she knows how very blessed she is and gets right back into writing her novel and enjoying her time with her beloved daughter.
The story above was written the same day I started writing my novel - I share this very personal story with the group about my life in hopes that it will inspire and push you to write every chance you get. It didn't matter at the time what the news might be for me. What mattered most was that I be writing. I turned a scary experience into a creative experience where I could be present with my thoughts and write about it. Writing is not easy and doesn't always have to fabulous and well written.
I have to admit it's been incredibly difficult for me to balance my novel, the writers group, the new podcast, my role as mother, my job at BusinessWeek, spending time with friends and family, and taking care of myself. I can't stress how important it is to MAKE THE TIME! You are SOOOOOO worth it. Creativity comes in spurts -- I wrote for three days straight to start my novel and am proud to say that I have a good 159 pages of typed (single spaced) from only the first week in March. But last weekend I wrote nothing having to do with the novel or podcast, maybe just some scribble and journaling. Resting the mind is very necessary...
Peace~
Friday, January 5, 2007
Writing My Novel In 3-Days...Is she crazy?
From one of the writers in the NYC Latina Writers Group
“Dear Alicia,
Well, how did you do on your "Novel in 3 days"? Were you able to complete the task? What challenges did you discover in your writing? Any anxiety?
I hope that you were able to complete it. Tell us the update, we all want to know!”
Hello dearest!
Happy New Year!
I am so happy to hear you are committing to writing daily - it’s not easy. I applaud you! It's wonderful that you are on week 8 - this is where it counts - keep going - you are almost there. I feel like if you get past 8 you made it past the hump. For whatever reason I never pass 8 - so I am cheering for you.
OK so I didn't write the novel in three days - but I definitely wrote for three days. It was the most challenging thing I've done to date. So you have an idea - here's how it went down:
Friday, Dec. 29
9:00am arrive to work - office closes at 2:30pm (I stay until 5pm)
6:00pm plan was to start writing (never happened as I worked the full day - then I decided to go to Macy's)
8:30pm leave Macy’s (with the most amazing Carlos Santana shoes - 3 pairs - delicious)
9:00pm arrive home - decide to make dinner - return calls - and start writing
10:00pm start writing
12:00am stop - go to sleep - I was exhausted just thinking about writing (figured I would start again at 5:00am - get that fresh start)
Saturday, Dec. 30
5:00am - so not getting up
6:00am - still hitting snooze
7:00am - thinking about getting up
7:30am - finally got up
7:45am - 9:00am - decide I needed to at least drop off laundry (aka procrastination) at the wash n fold - because as we know I have serious writing to do, then off to drop the dry cleaning - so I can start the new year off right...
9:00am - start getting ready to write - decide that I need to leave the house to be productive
10:00am - on 1 train - reading writing
10:30am - arrive to grand central - go to P.O. Box -pay bills - get mail (must get coffee and something to eat - must build strength)
11:00am - 3:37pm wrote non-stop at GCS (for some reason I do my best speed writing there)
3:37pm BREAK - time to leave GC and go grab lunch - headed home
4:00pm walk to 42nd and 6th - entrance to train closed - walk to 40th (since I’m on a break figured I would call my daughter and check in since she was away on vaca... we catch up for a bit and I realize I am near staples -and of course every writer needs supplies... a good friend of mine told me that its good luck to write in purple - that it brings money - so that’s what I went in and bought some purple pens... which write terribly by the way - "too light")
4:45pm time to head home - grab the D train - do some writing on the train
5... somethin I arrive to my hood - walk around a bit with a new friend I made on the train - picked up dinner - did you notice never had lunch...
6:00pm eat dinner - watch the x games/skate boarding competition (seriously will I watch anything to not write?)
6:30pm pick up dry cleaning and laundry
7:00pm realize home is not where I ever need to be to write - too many temptations: to lie down, make a call, or sleep
8:00pm - 12:00am leave home go to starbucks near Columbia - where I write and I write and write some more
12:15am - 2:00am - head home - kept on writing - now I’m on a roll
Sunday, Dec. 31
10:00am started off late - just woke up / started writing - right where I left off
12:00pm stopped to make coffee and breakfast - eat and write/drink and write
1:00pm - 4:30pm serious writing goin on
4:30pm - BREAK - get house in order - decide I want to make a nice dinner for myself - do the dishes - take out the trash - go to the market for pernil. By myself a bottle of champagne... kept it movin
6:00pm - arrived home put food away - season meat - prepare house for New Year’s celebration
7:00pm - start cooking - still organizing - putting laundry away
8:00pm - get myself ready for solo dinner/writing into the new years
10:00pm - dinner
10:30pm 11:53pm - writing
11:53pm - my daughter called me - she wanted to be on the phone with me at midnight
11:55pm - writing my resolution - chatting with my baby girl - glass of champagne
Midnight - daughter and pen in hand - welcoming 2007
12:00am - 12:30am - a little sad to be alone, but happy too (writing is such an isolating endeavor the perfect way for me to start my New Year) / ALL the Happy New Year calls/text messages being made
1:00am - watched the honeymooners
2:00am - went to sleep
Monday, Jan. 1
10:30am - eased into my day
12:30pm - my beloved arrived home - we watched TV together ("Goonies never say die" so much fun)
3:00pm - went to the market together / had dinner and junk food together
6:00pm-11pm - more writing - daughter doing homework
11:00pm - 12:00am - typed two of my daughter’s papers
12:30am - went to sleep
Tuesday, Jan 2
- printed out country maps for my walls at home
- More research for my book
- edited timeline for novel / printed out pages to hang on walls at the house
- Was interviewed by La Prensa - at my house regarding the writers group (article comes out on Sunday)
My conclusion: I have 42 handwritten pages (from this weekend - not including the 100 pages written from weeks prior) completed / 56 pages of historical notes with times lines for every Latin country--from the year 1200 to 2006 which are on my walls for inspiration / as well as maps for every country I am including in my novel. Yeah I’m tryin to rock it!
So all and all - I am quite proud... it was a personal goal to just be working on my new novel before the New Year came and I did that. However, my new goal is to have my manuscript done in 6 months.
I really want to hear how everyone else is doing!
Please share your progress - even if your just thinking about writing - share that.
Ideas are where dreams come to life - plant the seed and it will grow!
Peace and love!
Alicia "Letting go for 2007"
“Dear Alicia,
Well, how did you do on your "Novel in 3 days"? Were you able to complete the task? What challenges did you discover in your writing? Any anxiety?
I hope that you were able to complete it. Tell us the update, we all want to know!”
Hello dearest!
Happy New Year!
I am so happy to hear you are committing to writing daily - it’s not easy. I applaud you! It's wonderful that you are on week 8 - this is where it counts - keep going - you are almost there. I feel like if you get past 8 you made it past the hump. For whatever reason I never pass 8 - so I am cheering for you.
OK so I didn't write the novel in three days - but I definitely wrote for three days. It was the most challenging thing I've done to date. So you have an idea - here's how it went down:
Friday, Dec. 29
9:00am arrive to work - office closes at 2:30pm (I stay until 5pm)
6:00pm plan was to start writing (never happened as I worked the full day - then I decided to go to Macy's)
8:30pm leave Macy’s (with the most amazing Carlos Santana shoes - 3 pairs - delicious)
9:00pm arrive home - decide to make dinner - return calls - and start writing
10:00pm start writing
12:00am stop - go to sleep - I was exhausted just thinking about writing (figured I would start again at 5:00am - get that fresh start)
Saturday, Dec. 30
5:00am - so not getting up
6:00am - still hitting snooze
7:00am - thinking about getting up
7:30am - finally got up
7:45am - 9:00am - decide I needed to at least drop off laundry (aka procrastination) at the wash n fold - because as we know I have serious writing to do, then off to drop the dry cleaning - so I can start the new year off right...
9:00am - start getting ready to write - decide that I need to leave the house to be productive
10:00am - on 1 train - reading writing
10:30am - arrive to grand central - go to P.O. Box -pay bills - get mail (must get coffee and something to eat - must build strength)
11:00am - 3:37pm wrote non-stop at GCS (for some reason I do my best speed writing there)
3:37pm BREAK - time to leave GC and go grab lunch - headed home
4:00pm walk to 42nd and 6th - entrance to train closed - walk to 40th (since I’m on a break figured I would call my daughter and check in since she was away on vaca... we catch up for a bit and I realize I am near staples -and of course every writer needs supplies... a good friend of mine told me that its good luck to write in purple - that it brings money - so that’s what I went in and bought some purple pens... which write terribly by the way - "too light")
4:45pm time to head home - grab the D train - do some writing on the train
5... somethin I arrive to my hood - walk around a bit with a new friend I made on the train - picked up dinner - did you notice never had lunch...
6:00pm eat dinner - watch the x games/skate boarding competition (seriously will I watch anything to not write?)
6:30pm pick up dry cleaning and laundry
7:00pm realize home is not where I ever need to be to write - too many temptations: to lie down, make a call, or sleep
8:00pm - 12:00am leave home go to starbucks near Columbia - where I write and I write and write some more
12:15am - 2:00am - head home - kept on writing - now I’m on a roll
Sunday, Dec. 31
10:00am started off late - just woke up / started writing - right where I left off
12:00pm stopped to make coffee and breakfast - eat and write/drink and write
1:00pm - 4:30pm serious writing goin on
4:30pm - BREAK - get house in order - decide I want to make a nice dinner for myself - do the dishes - take out the trash - go to the market for pernil. By myself a bottle of champagne... kept it movin
6:00pm - arrived home put food away - season meat - prepare house for New Year’s celebration
7:00pm - start cooking - still organizing - putting laundry away
8:00pm - get myself ready for solo dinner/writing into the new years
10:00pm - dinner
10:30pm 11:53pm - writing
11:53pm - my daughter called me - she wanted to be on the phone with me at midnight
11:55pm - writing my resolution - chatting with my baby girl - glass of champagne
Midnight - daughter and pen in hand - welcoming 2007
12:00am - 12:30am - a little sad to be alone, but happy too (writing is such an isolating endeavor the perfect way for me to start my New Year) / ALL the Happy New Year calls/text messages being made
1:00am - watched the honeymooners
2:00am - went to sleep
Monday, Jan. 1
10:30am - eased into my day
12:30pm - my beloved arrived home - we watched TV together ("Goonies never say die" so much fun)
3:00pm - went to the market together / had dinner and junk food together
6:00pm-11pm - more writing - daughter doing homework
11:00pm - 12:00am - typed two of my daughter’s papers
12:30am - went to sleep
Tuesday, Jan 2
- printed out country maps for my walls at home
- More research for my book
- edited timeline for novel / printed out pages to hang on walls at the house
- Was interviewed by La Prensa - at my house regarding the writers group (article comes out on Sunday)
My conclusion: I have 42 handwritten pages (from this weekend - not including the 100 pages written from weeks prior) completed / 56 pages of historical notes with times lines for every Latin country--from the year 1200 to 2006 which are on my walls for inspiration / as well as maps for every country I am including in my novel. Yeah I’m tryin to rock it!
So all and all - I am quite proud... it was a personal goal to just be working on my new novel before the New Year came and I did that. However, my new goal is to have my manuscript done in 6 months.
I really want to hear how everyone else is doing!
Please share your progress - even if your just thinking about writing - share that.
Ideas are where dreams come to life - plant the seed and it will grow!
Peace and love!
Alicia "Letting go for 2007"
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