Information on Culture, Lives, and what's Real.

It is also important to honor Harriet Tubman's roots which are from Africa. She rescued black people and allowed them to go into Canada. Tubman lived in Canada for a time. She worked with Martin Delaney to build up Black Union soldiers to defeat the Confederacy. Black Union soldiers contributed heavily to the Union victory involving the U.S. Civil War. Delaney wanted black people to travel into Africa. Harriet Tubman's grandmother was born in Africa. She was part of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Malcolm X was  Pan-Africanist. Recently, Michael Eric Dyson has spoken about Malcolm X in terms that I find to be wrong. He is now defending Jay Z's deal with the NFL when Jay Z has loved the capitalist system as a means to gain profit. It is oxymoronic for capitalism to try to solve social injustices since capitalism by its nature is amoral (as it is concern to make profit for individual entrepreneurs). I find Dyson's criticisms of Malcolm X to be inaccurate. Dyson said that Malcolm X called Dr. Martin Luther King a "sellout," but his words doesn't tell all of the story. Malcolm X criticized the corporate establishment infiltration of the mainstream civil rights movement during the 1963 March on Washington and on other events. Malcolm X said that he wanted to push Dr. King to be more militant in order for change to come. He told this to Coretta Scott King. Also,  Malcolm X critiqued Dr. King because of his tactics of nonviolence in the midst of a system of violence. Dyson said then he or Malcolm X was murdered. Malcolm X did a lot of things before he was assassinated like traveling the world, confronting voting rights suppression in Selma, and calling on the UN to confront America on its abuses of the rights of black Americans. Dr. King and Jazy Z are black men, but they are different ideologically. Jay Z loves capitalism. Dr. King criticized capitalism. Dr. King opposed the war in Vietnam. Jay Z is not confronting imperialism in public. Jay Z is wrong to blame single families for the incidents of police brutality in America which is grossly offensive, reactionary, and evil. The FBI targeted Malcolm X and Dr. King for years. Dyson omitted that Dr. King criticized Malcolm X as lacking solutions. Dyson once accused Malcolm X of trying to cancel Dr. King, which is false. Malcolm X in 1963 invited Dr. King to attend a unity rally in Harlem. Malcolm X and Dr. King shook hands in 1964. Dr. King didn't want a big association with Malcolm X because of his political views. Yet, Dr. King talked with the Nation of Islam in 1966 and criticized militarism (that caused the corporate media to criticize him viciously). Numerous mainline civil rights leaders back then opposed Dr. King's anti-war views. Muhammad Ali supported Dr. King ironically, and praised his anti-war stance. Dr. King and Malcolm X sincerely wanted black liberation. They just had different approaches in getting it done. Dyson implies that Malcolm X wasn't militantly confronting injustice when Malcolm X confronted the police after Hinton Johnson was beaten plus refused medical treatment. Dyson made the disrespectful comment that Malcolm X would have been manhandled by Connor and his racist cops. That's silly since Malcolm X advocated armed black people defending the black community. Cornel West isn't perfect, but Cornel's views on imperialism are more accurate than Dyson's views on imperialism. Malcolm X sent a telegram to the Nazi Rockwell that if the Nazis harm Dr. King in Selma, Alabama, they would experience maximum physical retaliation in self-defense. Malcolm X was never scared of racists.

It is also important to recognize the Afro-Caribbean contributions to American history. John Brown Russwurm was from Jamaica, and he created the first black owned newspaper in America. Earl Graves was the founder of Black Enterprise. He has roots from Barbados. Robert Maynard was the son of immigrants from Barbados. He was the former owner of the Oakland Tribune. Yvette Clarke, who is a Congresswoman and daughter of Jamaican immigrants introduced a bill to erect a statue of the late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (She was the first black woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress. She is the daughter of Afro-Caribbean parents). The first Black female appointed to the federal bench is Constance Baker Motley. She was co-counsel with Thurgood Marshall in the Brown v. Board case that ended Jim Crow segregation. She was the daughter of Caribbean immigrants from the islands of Nevis. Kwame Ture who coined the phrase “Black Power” in the 1960s was born in the Caribbean island of Trinidad. The Gullah people of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida are related to the people of the Bahamas. Michelle Obama has Geechie people roots. One of the largest slave revolts in the US was led by a Haitian named Charles Deslondes in New Orleans. People like Claude McKay who wrote the poem “If We Must Die” during the Harlem Renaissance was from Jamaica. In fact, long before Sidney Poitier (from Bahamas) one of the most successful Black actor during that time was Bert Williams from Bahamas. Afro-Puerto Rican Arturo Alfonso Schomburg helped to chronicle Black American history in the New York library and other places. J.A. Rogers was from Jamaica. Actresses with Afro-Caribbean roots are Nia Long, Kim Whitley, Tatiana Ali, Kerry Washington, etc. Hip hop was born from Kool Herc, who has Caribbean parents. Hip hop is similar to toasting. 
 
 
Hair is part of the world society in general. People wear it, use it, and talk about it. Now, it is the perfect time to mention a lot of information about this subject. From its basic level, hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. It is found in mammals. As for us, humans, hair is found in many areas of the human body. Alpha-kertain is a major part of hair. Hairstyles and cultures dealing with hair are diverse and very old. For thousands of years, we have used hairs in cornrows, fades, and other ways. Barber shops and beauty salons are places where men, women, and children feel relaxed, talk about the issues of the day, and allow their creative spirits fly in hair types. Many people wear their hairs for many different reasons out of religion, culture, age, and other factors. Even in our generation, we have some ignorant people that want to demonize women with a certain type of hair. You won't find that judgment here. We believe that whether a person has natural hair or weaves, that human being is equal and is worthy of dignity plus respect. I am an inquisitive person by nature, so studying about hair types, history, pigment, and other matters are important. Hair found found underneath the skin and grows from the dermis out. The shaft is the filmentous part that extends above the skin. Hair fibers have the cuticle, the cortex, and medulla. The beauty of hair is that we don't make apologies for it. Also, hair is an way that people can be creative and acknowledge our own sense of self-expression. People who are bald have value too. There is no such thing as good hair or bad hair. Hair is just hair. The more folks realize this truism, the better off the world will be.


 
It is also important to recognize volleyball playing legends. Karch Kiraly is a coach of volleyball, and he was a great player in the sport. He broadcast the sport in the 1980's. He won gold medals from the sport of volleyball in 1984 at Los Angeles, 1988 at Seoul, and in Atlanta in 1996 for beach volleyball.  He is the only player (man or woman) to have won Olympic gold medals in both the indoor and beach volleyball categories. He played college volleyball for the UCLA Bruins, where his teams won three national championships under head coach Al Scates. Kiraly is currently the head coach of the United States women's national volleyball team. He grew up in Santa Barbara, California. His father was from Hungary. Kiraly has worked as a broadcaster for ESPN, and provided color commentary for the AVP on NBC broadcasts. Kiraly worked as an analyst for NBC Sports during their coverage of the beach volleyball competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics.  In October 2014, Kiraly coached the Women's National Team to the FIVB World Championship, defeating China in the Gold Medal final. In doing so, Kiraly became the fourth person to win a World Championship gold medal as a player and a coach. During the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Kiraly led the US women to a bronze medal, becoming the fourth player to win medals as player and coach. He is an author too. Gilberto Amauri de Godoy Filho, known as Giba from Brazil is another legendary volleyball player. He was once an outside hitter.  For much of the 2000s, he was widely regarded as one of the best volleyball players in the world. During his professional career he played in Brazil, Italy, Russia, Argentina and briefly in the United Arab Emirates. He is mostly remembered for his successes with the national team. He won many gold medals in the Olympics, World Championships, World Cup, World Grand Champions Cup, and other events. He won gold in 2004 at Athens, silver at Beijing in 2008, and at London with silver in 2012. He is retired now since 2014. He has won many awards like FIVB World League Most Valuable Player, etc.  Lang Ping was a Chinese former women volleyball player. She coaches the China women's national volleyball team. She is of Manchu descent. She won Olympic gold in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She won many World Championships. The Afro-Cuban volleyball woman player  Alejandrina Mireya Luis Hernández, often referred to as Mireya was an outstanding player. She is retired now. She and her Cuban team won gold in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, and Sydney in 2000. She won FIVB World Championships, FIVB World Cups, World Grand Champions Cups, etc. Luis is known for her spectacular jumping power reaching 3.39 meters, more than any other player, though being only 1.75 meter tall. She earned numerous "best scorer", "best spiker" and "best player" awards at world, Olympic and continental championships.  Mireya had a totally legendary career.




The geography of Antarctica is very unique. It is the southernmost continent on Earth. As found at the South Pole, it is well known to explorers, scholars, and everyday people. It is filled with 5,500,000 square miles. It's the fifth largest continent and nearly twice the size of Australia. About 1,106 people live there. On average, Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth. It is mostly a polar desert. It has an annual precipitation of 20 cm (7.9 in) along the coast and far less inland. The temperature in Antarctica has reached −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) (or even −94.7 °C (−135.8 °F) as measured from space), though the average for the third quarter (the coldest part of the year) is −63 °C (−81 °F). Anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at research stations scattered across the continent. Organisms native to Antarctica include many types of algae, bacteria, fungi, plants, protista, and certain animals, such as mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Vegetation, where it occurs, is tundra. It is the last region on Earth discovered in recorded history. In modern times, it was only in 1820 when it was seen. This was when the Russian expedition of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev on Vostok and Mirny sighted the Fimbul ice shelf. The continent, however, remained largely neglected for the rest of the 19th century because of its hostile environment, lack of easily accessible resources, and isolation. In 1895, the first confirmed landing was conducted by a team of Norwegians.  Antarctica is a de facto condominium, governed by parties to the Antarctic Treaty System that have consulting status. Twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, and thirty-eight have signed it since then. The treaty prohibits military activities and mineral mining, prohibits nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal, supports scientific research, and protects the continent's ecozone. Ongoing experiments are conducted by more than 4,000 scientists from many nations. Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet. It hold 70% of the world's fresh water. Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica at 4,892 m (16,050 ft), is located in the Ellsworth Mountains. Antarctica contains many other mountains, on both the main continent and the surrounding islands. Mount Erebus on Ross Island is the world's southernmost active volcano. Antarctica evolved the the super-continent Gondwana. It broke apart to form Antarctica. It can get from 41 to 59 degrees during the summer. Much of Antarctica is more than 9,800 feet above sea level. That makes it colder than the Arctic as temperature decreases with elevation in the troposphere. Global warming has increased the surface temperature of the continent. The ozone zone has been depleted too. Antarctica is divided into West Antarctica and East Antarctica.




The culture of Louisiana is part of American culture too. Music, clothing, art, architecture, sports, religion, etc. are found in the state. As a culturally diverse state, New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz. Jazz has strong rhythms and much syncopation. It has piano players, trumpet players, and other orchestras. Jazz is American. From Cajun music to blues, Louisiana is known for its musical expression. Creole cuisine is influenced by Spanish, African, and Native American influences. It has been spicy and deals with frying. Seasonings such as Cayenne pepper, Tony Chachere's, Tabasco sauce and Zatarain's are prevalent in the cuisine of Louisiana. Other foods popular in Louisiana include Gumbo, Étouffée, Jambalaya, Muffuletta, Po'boy, and Red Beans and Rice. Seafood is especially popular in Louisiana either as an ingredient or as a main dish such as Shrimp, Crawfish, Crabs, Oysters and Catfish. Tons of festivals are found in the state like New Orleans Jazz and Heritage, the Essence Music Festival, bayou Country Superfest, Voodoo Experience, and Madri Gras. American football, basketball, baseball, hunting, fishing, etc. are popular in the state of Louisiana too.


By Timothy