Archive for July, 2017
New York judge’s death ruled suicide, medical examiner says
By Lauren del Valle
Excerpt: “The death of Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam, the first African-American woman to serve on New York state’s highest court, has been ruled a suicide, the office of New York city’s medical examiner said in a statement Wednesday.
Abdus-Salaam died from drowning in the Hudson River, the statement said.
Friends and colleagues described the judge as a trailblazer and pioneer.
Her life had also been marked by personal tragedy. Her brother committed suicide three years ago, two law enforcement sources told CNN.
Abdus-Salaam, 65, had also been stressed recently at work, the sources said. Her body was found April 13. Detectives did not find a suicide note.”
Nana’s Rants On Things From A-Z
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Latest R. Kelly Accusations: Holding Young Women Captive (Videos)
I really don’t have two beans to put in the pot for this guy. I was completely done with his previous record of inappropriate behavior with young girls. But it seems that it gets to be glossed over under some guise of mentorship? And since he was not convicted of a crime, or whatever the case may be, he continues to get away, time and time again.
I am only posting this video as a test, just to see how much traction it gets, while seriously, it does point to some of the most sickening ills in our world today, I am wondering if YouTube will find it within their illustrious power to allow this video to get some views.
The commentary in this article is very, very well spoken and needs to be heard. I am wondering if that may make this video go to the back of the YouTube bus just because it is well spoken.
Houston, we have a problem, and these unidentified predators along with the ones who are identified, need to have some serious work done on them for the sake of our children.
Our young children and youth are under attack, and for some reason it goes on unabated. Just saw a video of two big cops, handcuffing a 6 year old boy… was that really necessary? Handcuffs??? Because he is using profane language and five finger discounting.. He needs to be arrested and put in handcuffs?? Back in the day, a swift beating would be all that was needed. But in today’s world, the police can beat, handcuff, and in some cases, shoot our children right on the street, and with no remorse or accountability.
They keep saying we gotta go to the home front, but even there, we are being monitored and told just how much and in what way we can discipline our children, and then there’s the world that surrounds them, the media, the devices, movies, etc. that encourage disrespectful and lewd behavior.
From there we play the blame game and blame the children. In my video “Why Do We Blame the Children”
I discuss this very fact, we are the adults, it’s our responsibility to protect, nurture, care and secure our children. I ask the question, who is making these video games, the movies, the apps, the TV shows, the styles of dress that they wear, the food that they eat? And so forth?
Is there a child CEO who is overseeing all of this? No? Who is lying to and terrifying our children?
So, anyways, let’s look at this article and see what Tarana Burke to say about this so-called famous Black celebrity doing what he does as it relates to barely legal young ladies.
Excerpt from Atlanta Black Star:
This is Not a Think Piece — I Don’t Need to Think About How I Feel About R. Kelly by Tarana Burke
This is not a think piece.
I don’t need to think about how I feel about R. Kelly.
I’m not trying to land on a position, I’m not weighing the information, and I’m not taking a little time to process.
He’s trash. Full stop.
This is not a think piece.
There have been enough of them written, as well as exposés and articles and timelines about the horrendous sexually predatory behavior of Robert Sylvester Kelly. I don’t want to talk about him. I want to talk about them. The girls. The Black girls who he has stalked, preyed on, manipulated, terrorized, abused and discarded for the better part of two and a half decades.
The saddest fact I’ve learned is nobody matters less to our society than young black women. Nobody. They have any complaint about the way they are treated and they are “bitches, ho’s, and gold-diggers,” plain and simple. Kelly never misbehaved with a single white girl who sued him or that we know of. Mark Anthony Neal, the African-American scholar, makes this point: “One white girl in Winnetka and the story would have been different. No, it was young black girls, and all of them settled. They settled because they felt they could get no justice whatsoever. They didn’t have a chance.”
This quote is from Jim DeRogatis, the Chicago reporter who has spent the better part of a decade writing about and exposing the sexually deviant behavior of the R&B singer known as R. Kelly. This week DeRogatis published another exposé on the Buzzfeed platform alleging that Kelly is operating a “cult”-like commune where he is holding barely legal Black girls at homes in Atlanta and Chicago under the guise of mentorship and preparation for becoming recording artists. The details are horrid but not surprising. Ever since the first story surfaced about 28-year old Kelly marrying then-15-year old singer Aaliyah the allegations against him have grown more and more grotesque and depraved.
Full Article Here:
This is Not a Think Piece — I Don’t Need to Think About How I Feel About R. Kelly
Further Reading
This is Not a Think Piece — I Don’t Need to Think About How I Feel About R. Kelly
Read the “Stomach-Churning” Sexual Assault Accusations Against R. Kelly in Full
Seriously, Why Are Some of Us Still Defending R. Kelly?
R. Kelly Responds to Past Sexual Assault Accusations
Former Jersey Journal reporter breaks story on R. Kelly ‘cult’ allegations
Sun-Times archive: R. Kelly accused of sex with teenage girls
Sex Trafficking’s True Victims: Why Are Our Black Girls/Women So Vulnerable?
International Cloud Atlas Gives Us 12 New Clouds (Videos)
The International Cloud Atlas released its first update in 30 years, adding 12 new cloud types to their list. NBC meteorologist Indra Petersons reports from the Orange Room (and geeks out a little bit).
Uber Killing Our Business, Lagos Taxi Drivers Lament (VIDEO)
Nigeria: Special Report – Uber Killing Our Business, Lagos Taxi Drivers Lament
By Oladeinde Olawoyin
Jolted back to reality by the presence of this reporter having been dozing off for what appeared the whole day, Lawal Azeez sprang to his feet to make enquiries about this reporter’s intended destination. Mr. Azeez was later joined by his colleagues, a group of old and middle-aged men. With desperation written boldly on their faces, they all scrambled amongst themselves to gain the attention of this reporter, whom they had erroneously identified as a potential passenger..
But the reporter’s response, detailing his mission at the park, would later dash their hope, and they all wobbled back to their respective positions, awaiting the arrival of another passenger.
Mr. Azeez, 49, and his colleagues are taxi operators. But like others at the taxi park located around the Central Business District, CBD, Ikeja, their business has been disrupted by the activities of Uber operators.
Uber is an internet-enabled, relatively stress-free transportation system that allows passengers order for cabs wherever they are at fairly cheaper cost. The system, which started around 2014, has been widely accepted by internet-savvy Nigerians who prefer it for comfort and safety purposes.
“Ah, Uber people have spoilt business for us; I must confess,” said a disgruntled Mr. Azeez, when probed by PREMIUM TIMES.
“To be frank, I didn’t make a kobo yesterday. These days, in a whole week, you may not get N5,000… which wasn’t the situation before now,” he lamented.
When asked to give a rough estimate of how much he used to make daily before the alleged ‘disruption’ by Uber drivers, the Ogun State-born taxi driver said he couldn’t give an exact estimate.
“But I know we make something in the region of ten-thousand plus daily on the average,” he said.
“But as I speak to you, if you make N5,000, you must thank your stars. You, too, must have noticed it from the atmosphere here… imagine how everywhere appears deserted.”
Mr. Azeez’s position was corroborated by another Taxi operator at the Ikeja CBD, Hassan Murphy.
Mr. Murphy, 43, explained that the activities of Uber drivers have been a source of sorrow for them as they no longer get patronage like they did in the past.
“If you notice, there are many taxis on ground here and their owners aren’t here. They’ve all gone home out of anger,” he said.
“Many of them have been here for hours without seeing any passenger; they had to go.”
Mr. Murphy, who claimed to have built a house from his taxi transport business, also lamented that the development has taken a toll on his responsibilities among family members and at the home front.
“These days, people I used to give N20,000 in the past would count themselves lucky if I give them N3,000.
“It has become so bad here in this park that in a whole week, it may not get to your turn to pick up passengers,” he said.
“That’s apart from the fact that we pay dues too. They tax us N200 daily and N1,000 weekly, despite the poor patronage.”
“RECKLESS, UNSUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL”
According to Messrs. Azeez and Murphy, although the business model adopted by Uber operators affects their business as taxi drivers, it is “reckless and unsustainable” even for the Uber operators.
Explaining further, they noted that what Uber drivers charge their passengers as transport fare is “ridiculous”.
“From here (CBD, Ikeja) to Maryland, Uber may charge N800,” said Mr. Murphy.
“That’s nonsense. How do you maintain your big car and service it and realise what you will use to cater for yourself from that money?
“For a trip to the Airport, they charge as low as N600 sometimes, while we charge N2,000 or N1,500.
“See, let me tell you, unemployment is the reason people are into Uber. Ordinarily, the business is not sustainable,” he said.
Mr. Azeez, on his part, agreed with his colleague, adding that many of the Uber operators are workers who got retrenched from companies due to the state of the economy.
“Joblessness caused Uber, and it won’t last for long” he said.
On his part, another taxi operator who identified himself simply as Baba Sanje, noted that Uber would soon fade into extinction, like other similar initiatives that came before it.
“Uber met us on ground, they will leave us in the system. We have survived other similar competitors for decades. This ‘Yellow and Black’ (Lagos taxi) has nowhere to go,” he said in Yoruba.
“TAXI, MORE SECURE”
Speaking further, the taxi drivers told PREMIUM TIMES that their taxi system is more secure and safer for passengers than Uber.
Citing a case of a passenger whose belonging was allegedly stolen by an Uber operator, Mr. Murphy explained that taxi drivers are more “loyal and trustworthy”.
“Uber operators are ghost workers and they don’t have any union. Passengers don’t know them and you can’t even spot them from outside unlike us that have our ‘yellow and black’ identity,” he said.
“We are more loyal and trustworthy. When people lose their materials, we give them back; Uber people don’t!”
Mr. Azeez on his part added that Uber will soon fade away because, according to him, most of the operators are “running at a loss”.
“Before Uber, there were Orange Cab, Easy Cab and Metro Taxi, they all folded up,” he said.
“Yes, there also was Afro Cab… LSPC, RED cab, Easy Ride, Oga taxi… they folded up.
“POD too came and folded up. But the ‘Yellow and Black’ taxi survived all of them. It will survive Uber too.”
Uber drivers, however, disagree with the assessment by the taxi operators.
Charles Daniels, a Uber driver, dismissed the account of the taxi drivers, saying they were pained by the popularity and acceptability of the Uber system.
“I won’t say Uber is really profitable, especially now, but it still provides food for some of us,” he said.
Another Uber operator who declined to have his name in print, said in response to PREMIUM TIMES enquiry on how much they make: “You know, we charge very reasonable amount… so we don’t make huge figures like that… but it is something good… say thirty-something thousand naira or even more weekly.
“That’s not too bad, I guess… and it still depends on days of the week and how energetic you are,” he added.
PASSENGERS REACT
Habeeb Adewale, 27, a regular user of Uber, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES, explained that he prefers the system because of the ease it affords him to order for a cab wherever he is.
“Wherever you are, Uber will locate you without stress,” said Mr. Adewale, a banker who lives and works in Lagos.
Femi Owolabi, another Lagos-based passenger, said the system is cheaper and safer, especially for night crawlers.
“Uber, preferably (because of) the comfort, and the timely service,” he told PREMIUM TIMES in an interview when asked about his preference.
For James Abiola, an IT expert, the Uber system is preferable because of its cheaper cost and comfort.
“Sometimes, Uber allows you comfortably ride an exotic car with less than a thousand naira,” he said, amid laughter.
The Hidden Sin (Did Slavery End in 1865?) Video
The Hidden Sin (Did Slavery End in 1865?)
How many of you were taught that Slavery ended in 1865? How many of you have been told “Slavery was hundreds of years ago, you weren’t a slave and it doesn’t affect you so get over it!” Well after you watch this, you won’t believe what you find out. One of the things that you will discover will blow you away!! Did you know that there were Black people held in Chattel Slavery all the way into 1942 in the United States? Well yes it TRUE and that’s just the tip of the Iceberg. Prepare for a mind explosion. This is a story you have to see and you won’t believe the evil that has been hidden from you.
There are more links to resources below, but make sure you watch this video. This is TRULY #HiddenHistory
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Neo-slavery in the American South
http://www.finalcall.com/…/National_News…/article_7151.shtml
http://www.finalcall.com/…/National_News…/article_7151.shtml
Peonage, or the New Slavery
http://www.chesnuttarchive.org/works/Essays/peonage.html
http://www.chesnuttarchive.org/works/Essays/peonage.html
The Shadow of Slavery: Peonage in the South, 1901–1969
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/…/i…/imh/article/view/9694/13099
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/…/i…/imh/article/view/9694/13099
Debt Slavery in America: The Forgotten History of Sharecropping
http://www.globalresearch.ca/debt-slavery-in-americ…/5356693
http://www.globalresearch.ca/debt-slavery-in-americ…/5356693
Slavery Revisited: Peonage in the South
https://www.jstor.org/stable/274733…
https://www.jstor.org/stable/274733…
Peonage: Why it Thrived and How Some Escaped
http://paramountshome.org/index.php…
http://paramountshome.org/index.php…
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