“I opened the door for a lot of people, and they just ran through and left me holding the knob,” he told The New York Times in 2003.

Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley (born December 30, 1928)

Bo Diddley broke new ground in rock and roll’s formative years with his unique guitar work, indelible African rhythms, inventive songwriting, and larger-than-life persona. He will forever be known for popularizing one of the foundational rhythms of rock and roll: the Bo Diddley beat. He employed it in his namesake song, “Bo Diddley,” as well as other primal rockers like “Mona.” This African-based 4/4 rhythm pattern (which goes bomp-bomp-bomp bomp-bomp) was picked up from Diddley by other artists and has been a distinctive and recurring element in rock and roll through the decades. It can be heard on Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” (later covered by the Rolling Stones), Johnny Otis’s “Willie and the Hand Jive,” the Strangeloves’ “I Want Candy,” the Who’s “Magic Bus” and Bruce Springsteen’s “She’s the One,” to name just several songs.

Read the entire bio at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame website.  He was finally inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

He was a hero to those who had learned from him, including the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. A generation later, he became a model of originality to punk or post-punk bands like the Clash and the Fall.

In 1979 Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon of the Clash asked that Mr. Diddley open for them on the band’s first American tour. “I can’t look at him without my mouth falling open,” Mr. Strummer, star-struck, said during the tour. (Source: NY Times)

“If Malcolm or Huey had the outlets our musicians have today, it’d be global. I have to figure out a way to do it myself” – Alicia Keys 

America’s favorite bright skinned darling has people buzzing with her apparent closeted radicalism.  In the latest issue of Blender magazine, Alicia Keys, openly shares her opinion of a coordinated conspiracy to promote black-on-black violence through the media created genre ‘gangsta music’.  She says:

“‘Gangsta rap’ was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other,” she says, putting down the sandwich. “‘Gangsta rap’ didn’t exist.”

Come again? A ploy by whom?

She looks at us like it’s the dumbest question in the world. “The government.”

Add another line to her résumé. Alicia Keys: piano stroker, budding actress… and conspiracy theorist? This is the side of her that doesn’t square with the media-trained pro—the side your mom probably doesn’t know about when she hums “No One” on the way to Walgreens. This Alicia pores over Black Panther autobiographies (“I’ve read Huey Newton’s, Assata Shakur’s, David Hilliard’s …”). This Alicia says Tupac and Biggie were essentially assassinated, their beefs stoked “by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing.” This Alicia wears a gold AK-47 pendant around her neck, “to symbolize strength, power and killing ’em dead.” (“She wears what?” her mom asks Blender. “That doesn’t sound like Alicia.”)

No, it doesn’t sound the Alicia Keys we’v come to know through her sensible love songs.  But, I think this is a conspiracy we’ve all connected the dots on already.  I know the light clicked in mind after hearing Kevin Powell speak about his experiences as a journalist covering the so-called “East Coast/West Coast Beef” of the mid-90s.  I always wondered if that was a gun on her chain.  But, when I just knew that it was, I’d think “there’s no way in hell Alicia Keys is walking ’round the world kissing cheeks with white folk with a uzi on her neck.”  Well, there’s a first for everything, ’cause I was obviously wrong about that one. 

Anyway, what I learned later in the article makes me think that I’m the last one to be put on to this side of Ms. Keys.  I mean, I was surprised to see her chilling extra hard at the 2006 Black August Concert, but didn’t think much about it afterward.  Come to find out, the NYPD had been surveilling AK for suspicion of ANARCHY!

This might surprise the Grammy committee: Last year, the New York Police Department declassified documents revealing that they’d put Keys under surveillance prior to the 2004 Republican National Convention. The department released a statement explaining that they’d targeted “those openly talking of anarchist actions.” Keys, who had spoken publicly against President Bush and donated $500 to the Democratic National Committee that year, was suddenly labeled an enemy of the state. “Hell,” she says. “Someone’s gotta be an anarchist.” (SOURCE: Read full article @ Blender)

Now, PETA has thrown down the gauntlet and offered to buy Ms. Retha out of her financial troubles by offering to cut her a check for her the $19,000 in back taxes in exchange for her giving up the furs for good.  If she were to accept the offer yes, I realize that’s as likely as R. Kelly seeing jail time) they would have her donate all of her furs to PETA (a la Mariah Carey).  Here’s an excerpt of the letter:

Dear Ms. Franklin,

I am writing regarding the pending foreclosure of your home.  We would like to help you out by paying the approximately $19,000 in back taxes that you owe-if you’ll agree to save animals from hideous suffering and death by promising never to wear fur again and donating your old furs to PETA.

Click to see the original letter.

The US organic market remains on track for strong growth over the next five years…report by Mintel, which claims that the increased availability of organic foods through mainstream channels is set to change the playing field…the report values the organic food market at an estimated $3.6bn in 2006, more than double the $1.5bn market of 2001. And between 2006-2011, …the sector will see a 44 percent increase in constant prices, headed by strong demand for organic fruits and vegetables and prepared foods.(read more)

so the integrity of the term “organic” is slowly being eroded by big business. in the movement to capitalize off a growing consumer health and eco-consciousness, food corporations are investing, lobbying and shopping in the “organic” market. the “organic industry food structure” chart to the left -created by public health advocate and msu professor, phil howard -shows which food biz giants are buying out your favorite organic food makers, on the low. big food corporations acquire “organic food” companies and no one’s the wiser. i was wondering why the appearance of the rice dream carton and the color and consistency of the milk had been changed so many times in the past year and a half! i thought they were just making more money and stepping up their marketing game. that wasn’t all: they got bought out! (<–press release) food giants encourage the use of synthetic pesticides and other nature altering chemical agents to expedite crop growth, streamline food production and increase profits. these chemicals not only have a detrimental effect on the environment, but are harmful for the human body. many of these chemicals are well known to cause cancer but are still approved by regulating organizations for commercial usage. although the organic food production act of 1995 set the tone for nationally standardizing the term “organic”, meticulous caution should be taken because the terms “natural”, “organic”, “certified organic”, “made with organic ingredients”, “100% organic”, and “free-range” have very different and distinct definitions. the branch of the usda that mandates organic certifications -the national organic program or nop – breaks it down here (click the picture above). the whole purpose of going organic is to eat healthy and avoid the vicious cycle but with big food corporations like heinz and coca cola buying companies like west soy and odwalla we see that nothing’s sacred. even the coveted rice dream rice milk and vegan ice cream desserts are “sleeping with the enemy.” well it’s back to soaking, blending and straining nut milk. (nite*vision makes a mean hazelnut milk with agave nectar. bangin’!) there’s some more tid-bits, but be sure to click on the links for more information. other good sources on this topic are from: grocery store wars, organic trade association

“Once you have Kraft marketing an organic product, albeit through another brand, you really can’t be more part of the mainstream than that,” said Don Montuori, editor of Packaged Facts, an industry publication. MSNBC

“U.S. organic food sales totaled nearly $17 billion in 2006, up 22 percent over the previous year, according to preliminary findings from the Organic Trade Association’s 2007 Manufacturers Survey. In the U.S., organic foods’ share of total retail sales of food and beverages was up to about 3 percent, up from 1.9 percent in 2003 and approximately 2.5 percent in 2005.” treehugger.com

With sales of roughly $12 billion, organic food remains a niche market within the $500 billion food industry. But the sector’s growing appeal to consumers has fueled a 20 percent annual growth rate in recent years, making it highly attractive to food giants looking for gains in a slow-moving business. NYTimes

it was bound to happen: blactivegan and nite*vision have linked up! blactivegan’s been on my blogroll and on my radar for a minute (see red hot post & mlk reference). his blog is a refreshing narrative exploration of physical activity, healthy eating, and black culture.

(nite*vision & blactivegan)

soooo, i’ve done a couple of guest posts over on blactivegan:

food watch: dropping like cows
dropping science on the massive beef recalls of 2007-08 (so far)

battling obesity one corner at a time
bringing news about nyc’s newest secret weapon against obesity

check out blactivegan. check me out on blactivegan’s blog. expect more!

cheaters, cheaters, cheaters.  don’t judge me for watching hours of the kitschy melodramatic show cheaters today.  sometimes there’s not much else to do during convalescence. according to my sister, who knows her stuff(!), this is a really old one.  how do you go back to hosting a show like this after getting jigged like this.  joey greco is my hero.

all i want to know is why the culprits always have the nerve to get indignant about being caught!  on one episode, the cheating guy immediately gave his girlfriend the ultimatum of either forgiving right then or just calling the relationship quits.  how rude?!

10% of the U.S. population will experience a seizure in his or her lifetime.

Immigrants make up just over 10% of the U.S. population.

In 10% of U.S. counties, people of color are the majority of the population.

Incarceration is at an all time high – over 10% of the adult U.S. population is locked up.

The NY Times reported on the Pew Center on the States’ latest report:

Nationwide, the prison population grew by 25,000 last year, bringing it to almost 1.6 million. Another 723,000 people are in local jails. The number of American adults is about 230 million, meaning that one in every 99.1 adults is behind bars.

Incarceration rates are even higher for some groups. One in 36 Hispanic adults is behind bars, based on Justice Department figures for 2006. One in 15 black adults is, too, as is one in nine black men between the ages of 20 and 34.

The report, from the Pew Center on the States, also found that only one in 355 white women between the ages of 35 and 39 are behind bars but that one in 100 black women are.

Full NY Times article

I’ve seen this posted on another blog already tonight and one of the commenters thought the whole scene was just a funny prank and that the women just shouldn’t have eaten it. It’s mighty sick how bullies, racists, and other sickos think it’s lighthearted and funny to literally endanger someone’s life…not to mention that the end of the video actually confirms their white supremacist intentions. Read on…

Watch clips from the video on CNN

Whites tricked blacks into consuming urine, university says

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) — White students at a South African university tricked black residence hall workers into eating stew containing urine, prompting a march Wednesday in which five people were arrested, university officials said.

Students protest against a racist video on the campus of Free State University in Bloemfontein, South Africa.