Saturday, April 30, 2022
Friday, April 29, 2022
Domestic Issues and Foreign Policy Issues.
Some breaking news is that Ukraine has filed war crimes charges against Russian soldiers in Bucha. Right now, the Ukraine military said that they are experiencing massive attacks on multiple fronts. Russia wants to conquer the Izium area in the east. There have been many explosions in Kyiv. The United Nations secretary-general met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv after meeting with Putin in Moscow on Tuesday. The UN wants the evacuation of corridors in the besieged city of Mariupol. Putin and Russian leaders have implied that he wants even nuclear weapons to attack forces if the West continues to aid Ukraine militarily. Putin's words are not only irresponsible, but they are the words of a reckless tyrant. Ukraine is trying to evacuate civilians from the Mariupol steel plant. This is never a time for neutrality. Either people are for democracy or not. Either people are for justice or not. So, we are in favor of justice for everyone, and we reject Putin's imperialistic aggression against the sovereign nation of Ukraine.
Rudy Giuliani is to appear before the January 6th committee soon. The committee plans to make public hearings in June of 2022. This comes before they will make their final report on what happened on January 6, 2021. It is clearly obvious that Trump and many of his allies desired to form a coup d'etat against democracy in trying to overthrow a lawful, legal election in 2020. This situation is not a matter of both sides. We have the GOP with some of its members plotting to overthrow a legal election. This is one of the most important events of our history. The pristine point is dealing with consequences. People, who were involved in the January 6th terrorist insurrection and the plotting to overthrow the 2020 election, should have trials plus be sent into prison. There is no other way around it. We are very close to losing our democracy forever. People like DeSantis and others make no bones about using bigotry and voter suppression policies in their agendas. We should take the time to take matters like this seriously. Trump hasn't changed, and freedom-loving people must be part of the solution-making process.
There is always dishonesty, bigotry, and xenophobia in the ADOS movement. Yvette Carnell is a liar to say that Pan-Africanism is dead. The truth is that I'm more pro-Pan-African than I have been in my life. One of the greatest pro-Pan African scholars in history was the late John Henrik Clarke. Clarke supported the anti-colonial movements that liberated African nations like Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Nigeria, and South Africa. Malcolm X was another great Pan-African leader. Malcolm X wanted unity among black Americans, Africans, and all black people of the African Diaspora in desiring liberation for our people in concrete ways. That is why he wanted to go to the United Nations to bring up charges against America for its unjust mistreatment of black Americans. He also wanted to join another international conference in March of 1965 to confront Western imperialism. It is important to express solidarity with our people overseas. Paul Bogle fought for freedom in Jamaica, and he was hanged for fighting for justice. Many Afro-Caribbeans back in the day couldn't vote. Jason Black ignores the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania. The bigot and hypocrite Tariq Nasheed demonizes people from the Caribbean constantly. The good news is that more international cooperation among black people globally has grown over the years.
Yesterday was the Birthday of Sister Iyeoka Okoawo, and she is 47 years old. She is a well-known singer, activist, educator, and poet. She loves to use soul, R&B, rock, hip hop, and jazz in her songs. Boston, Massachusetts is the location of her birth. Her parents were Nigerian people. Iyeoka was a participating pharmacist before forming her own music career. During the early stage of her career, she was part of the group called The Rock by Funk Tribe (made up of musicians that interweave her poetry with jazz, blues, funk, and gospel). She made her first solo full-length album of poem songs called Black and Blues in 2004. She continues to make albums too. Hum The Bass Line was her second album of poetry and music fusion. She worked with artists like Angelique Kidjo, Les Nubians, Sierra Leon's Refugee All Stars, Vieux Farka Toure, Vusi Mahlasela, and the Soweto Gospel Choir. Say Yes and This Time Around including Run Into Rain were her future EPs and albums. She has toured with many African artists like Femi Kuti, Zap Mama, and Soulive. She is one of the many living legends of music in our time without question. Iyeoka is a revelation of exquisite talent and genius. I wish Sister Iyeoka Okoawo more Blessings.
Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day shows us that we shall never forget about the Holocaust or the Shoah. This comes when Putin and his forces want to wipe Ukraine out from the face of the Earth. The Holocaust was a manifestation of the same old anti-Semitism, racism, discrimination, and genocide that we always condemn. The Nazis promoted the lie of a superior race as an excuse for them to harm Jewish people and other human beings. That is why Germany was taken over by fascists in 1933. Many laws grew that violated fundamental human civil liberties. Despite calls by many to try to stop the Nazis, the Nazis murdered 6 million Jewish human beings throughout the Shoah. It ended in 1945, and many Nazis were brought to justice at the Nuremberg Trials. Today, we have record-high hate crimes in America against Jewish people, black people, Asian people, and other human beings. This day reminds us that blind vengeance and racial hatred have no place anywhere in the Universe. We believe in justice and liberty for all.
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
The First Black Woman to Earn a Physics PhD From University of Glasgow Just Graduated
A New Era in Politics.
According to an UK report, about 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in the conflict. Putin has given his own speech months ago that he said that the reason that he unjustly invaded Ukraine is because he feels that Ukraine has no right to its existence as a sovereign nation. Russia has struck Ukraine's rails, hours after the U.S. visit to Zelensky. The U.S. cabinet members who visited Ukraine are U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Right now, Ukraine has increasingly been given advanced military forces from the West. Top Russian diplomats warns of WWIII. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is obviously evil and unjust. Many Russian forces have committed acts of genocide, rape, targeting of civilian targets, and outright forcing people against their wills into Russia. These actions are overt war crimes that ought to be condemned by people from across the political spectrum. Yet, you have still Putin apologists from the far right and the fake left who still defend Putin. Putin is a far-right nationalist who have laws violating the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press too. He is a tyrant. Explosions hit the state security building in Moldova.
Some historic news is that Harvard University will set up an $100 million endowment fund for slavery reparations. Harvard wanted to use other measures to close the educational, social, and economic gaps that are a product of the legacies of slavery and racism. One email came from the Harvard President Lawrence Bacow included a link to a 100-page report by his university's 14 member Committee on Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery. The panel was chaired by Tomiko Brown-Nagin (who is a legal historian and constitutional law expert who is dean of Harvard's interdisciplinary Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study). More and more people are having conversations about racism, slavery, and discrimination. It is very much true that African Americans deserve reparations. Many Japanese Americans, many Native Americans, and many Jewish Americans received reparations for years. Reparations is not just about monetary or financial payments to us black Americans though monetary resources should be given to black Americans. It is about addressing centuries long structures of racism, discrimination, and economic oppression that have ruined many of our community. Harvard historically back in the day excluded black students, and it had many scholars who were racists. Harvard did have many people who were abolitionists and in the civil rights movement, but the Harvard report admitted that Harvard helped to extend racial oppression and exploitation. A law in Virginia requires five public state universities to create scholarships for descendants of people enslaved by the institutions.
The New York Times have released new McCarthy audio clips. McCarthy said that he was worried that pro-Trump extremists posed a security risk to their colleagues. He said that many far-right members of the conference would incite violence at an incendiary moment in America. The Minority Leader McCarthy said that the mob attack on the Capitol showed how people might respond to the inflammatory talk with violence. McCarthy said to reporters recently that he isn't worried that his statement would impact his goal of becoming speaker of the House. McCarthy initially lied and denied saying these comments, but now he has no choice but to admit his words. McCarthy is the ultimate coward by criticizing Trump about the 1/6 terrorist attack, and then he backtracked being one of Trump's greatest supporters. He has refused to control the extremists in his GOP Party. Now, we see people lying about the 2020 election from Greene to other GOP acolytes. His political ambitions are more important to him than standing up against the abhorrent ideological views of the bigot Donald Trump.
Now, Elon Musk has an agreement to buy Twitter in $44 billion. Elon Musk is the world's richest person on Earth. The deal will take the company private. The deal is about the shareholders getting $54.20 in cash for each share of Twitter stock they own matching Musk's original offer and marking a 38% premium over the stock price the day before Musk revealed his stake in the company. Musk claims to support free speech and democracy. The problem is that threats against people and hate speech are not representative of true free speech. Free speech doesn't mean that people are free from consequences. With one's words, there should exist accountability for those words. So, I don't believe in authoritarian censorship. Censorship have unjustly happened in Youtube and other social media platforms. It's evil and unfair. That censorship in the Internet has nothing to do with refuting misinformation, but it has to do with suppression voices in opposition to corruption from the establishment. That is real, and it has no place anywhere on Earth. Yet, we have to have a balance to make sure that threats and hate speech are not tolerated in any social media platforms too. We shall see what the next chapter of Twitter will be.
By Timothy
Monday, April 25, 2022
Late April Updates in 2022.
Generation Alpha are the group of young people born from 2012 to 2025. They are the youngest generation alive today. They are now in elementary school and middle school mostly. They are much younger than Generation Z. Generation Alpha's birth rates have fallen worldwide. Their childhood has been dominated by smart technology, social networks, and streaming services. Many of them have increased allergies as some can't eat peanuts including other foods. Some have health issues related to increased screen time. COVID-19 will impact this generation for years and decades to come. By 2025, Generation Alpha is expected to reach two billion human beings.
For comparison, the United Nations estimated that the human population was about 7.8 billion in 2020, up from 2.5 billion in 1950. Roughly three-quarters of all people reside in Africa and Asia in 2020. In fact, most human population growth comes from these two continents, as nations in Europe and the Americas tend to have too few children to replace themselves.
2018 was the first time when the number of people above 65 years of age (705 million) exceeded those between the ages of zero and four (680 million). If current trends continue, the ratio between these two age groups will top two by 2050. Fertility rates have been falling around the world due to rising standards of living, higher access to contraceptives, and more educational and economic opportunities. In fact, about half of all countries had sub-replacement fertility in the mid-2010s. The global average fertility rate in 1950 was 4.7 but dropped to 2.4 in 2017. However, this average masks the huge variation between countries. Niger has the world's highest fertility rate at 7.1 while Cyprus has one of the lowest at 1.0. In general, the more developed of countries, including much of Europe, the United States, South Korea, and Australia, tend to have lower fertility rates. People in such places tend to have children later and fewer of them. However, surveys conducted in developed economies suggest that women's desired family sizes tend to be higher than their completed fertility. Stagnant wages and eroding welfare programs are the contributing factors. While some countries, such as Sweden and Singapore, have tried various incentives to raise their fertility rates, such policies have not been particularly successful. Moreover, birth rates following the COVID-19 global pandemic might drop significantly due to economic recession. As a matter of fact, data from late 2020 and early 2021 suggests that despite hopes (or jokes) of a baby boom due to the lockdowns, precisely the opposite happened, at least in developed nations like France or the United States, but not necessarily developing ones, such as Brazil or Uganda.
Education is in fact one of the most important determinants of fertility. The more educated a woman is, the later she tends to have children, and fewer of them. At the same time, the global average life expectancy has gone from 52 in 1960 to 72 in 2017. Higher interest in education brings about an environment in which mortality rates fall, which in turn, increases population density. All these factors reduce fertility, as does cultural transmission. Increasing immigration is real, while policies that encourage people to have more children rarely succeed. Moreover, immigration continues to spread at the global level. During the early to mid-2010s, more babies were born to Christian mothers than to those of any other religion in the world, reflecting the fact that Christianity remained the most popular religion in existence. However, it was the Muslims who had a faster rate of growth. About 33% of the world's babies were born to Christians who made up 31% of the global population between 2010 and 2015, compared to 31% to Muslims, whose share of the human population was 24%. During the same period, the religiously unaffiliated (including atheists and agnostics) made up 16% of the population but gave birth to only 10% of the world's children. Nigeria is having massive population growth now. Africa's population growth in general has been increasing, its growth now higher than Asia.
Generation Alpha kids have experienced an increased role of being taught by teachers. They have an access to more digital learning. Some believe that more allergies among children is based on some parents keeping places too clean without allowing the body to adjust to new environments. Vaccination rates have dropped in the 2010's among all types of vaccines. Many in Generation Alpha have obesity and malnutrition. Many youngsters have a lack of vitamins and minerals. There is an increase of nearsightedness worldwide by regular use of electronic devices and eyestrain. Generation Alpha already have witness COVID-19, the evil Russian invasion of Ukraine, and other events. Generation Alpha will reach adulthood by the 2030's. By that time, the human population will be just under nine billion people. By that time, the world will have the highest ever proportion of people aged over 60, meaning we have an increasingly aging world population. According to Mark McCrindle, a social researcher from Australia, Generation Alpha will most likely delay standard life markers such as marriage, childbirth, and retirements, as did the previous generations. McCrindle estimated that Generation Alpha will make up 11% of the global workforce by 2030. He also predicted that they will live longer and have smaller families, and will be "the most formally educated generation ever, the most technology-supplied generation ever, and globally the wealthiest generation ever."
The United Nations forecasted that while the global average life expectancy would rise from 70 in 2015 to 83 in 2100, the ratio of people of working age to senior citizens would shrink due to falling fertility rates worldwide. By 2050, many nations in Asia, Europe, and Latin America would have fewer than two workers per retiree. U.N. figures show that, leaving out migration, all of Europe, Japan, and the United States were shrinking in the 2010s, but by 2050, 48 countries and territories would experience a population decline.
As of 2020, the latest demographic projections from the United Nations predict that there would be 8.5 billion people by 2030, 9.7 billion by 2050, and 10.9 billion by 2100. U.N. calculations assume countries with especially low fertility rates will see them rise to an average of 1.8 per woman. However, a 2020 study by researchers from Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, published in the Lancet projected there would only be about 8.8 billion people by 2100, two billion fewer than what the U.N. predicted. Generation Alpha will carry the torch from previous generations to make their own legacies to make the world better.
One of the most important events in HBCU history was the October 2021 protest at Howard University. Many students in the university protested the mold, mice, and substandard conditions in campus residential buildings in the Blackburn Takeover. People demanded an improvement in their living situations and representation on the board of trustees. The Blackburn Takeover student protest at Howard University, in Washington, D.C., started on October 12, 2021. Leaders of the protest included people who are Aniyah Vines, Deja Redding, Jasmine Joof, Lettirose Cargill, Cherelle Muhammad, Tyler Davis, and Elishabeth Cunningham. Social media platforms promoted this event like Instagram and Twitter. The Live Movement, which is a HBCU coalition, helped in this protest by amplifying the protest. Students didn't want mice and flooding in their living spaces. About 150 students erected a tent city outside of the Blackburn University Center to demand strong improvements in the living conditions and representation on the university's board of trustees. The students desired the following 4 demands: a town hall with President Frederick and the entire student body, student trustee positions to be permanently reinstated on to the Board of Trustees of Howard University, a comprehensive housing plan to remedy all issues plaguing on campus and off campus housing, and academic, legal, and disciplinary immunity for all of the protesters involved. The university fought back, but the students won. The university claimed that as a result of the protest, Sodexho food service employees of the Blackburn café were laid off. Many people supported the student protest like Senator Elizabeth Warren, Reverend Jesse Jackson, rapper Gucci Mane, Debbie Allen, Martin Luther King III, Rev. William Barbert III, and local lawmakers (like At Large Councilmember Anita Bonds, Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George). Jasmine Joof, spokeswoman for the #BlackburnTakeover, said Monday that the agreement has effectively ended their protest. "We have achieved increased scrutiny, transparency and accountability," Joof told CNN. Rev. Jesse Jackson was on the campus of Howard to help mediate the situation between students and the Howard administration. The necessity for modern-up to date housing in any campus is always important to advance. After about one month, the Howard students reached an agreement with university officials. Wayne Frederick, the president of the historically Black college in Washington, DC, said Monday afternoon that the agreement between the school and the students who occupied Blackburn University Center over poor housing concerns is a "welcome step forward." The students of Howard University in 2021 and in 2022 represent a new era of social protest and advocacy for justice.
It is always important to celebrate past and modern-day STEM experts. These human beings used experiments, inventions, and other forms of research to build up our civilization. Their work will never be forgotten or omitted in the midst of book bans and anti-black history teachings common in Florida plus other places today in 2022. Black Excellence is ever real back then and today. It will continue in the future as well.
Granville Woods was one of the greatest STEM heroes in history. He lived from April 23, 1856 to January 30, 1910. He was an inventor who held more than 50 patents in the United States. Also, he was the first African American mechanical and electrical engineer after the Civil War. For years, Woods was self taught, so he worked on trains and streetcars. One of his greatest inventions was the device that he called the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph.
One of the greatest STEM experts in human history was Annie Easley. She lived from April 23, 1933 to June 25, 2011. She was a computer scientist, a mathematician, and a rocket scientist. She worked for the Lewis Research Center (now Glenn Research Center) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Easley was a leading member of the team that developed software for the Centaur rocket stage. That is why she was one of the first African Americans to work at NASA. By 2015, she was posthumously inducted into the Flenn Research Hall of Fame. On February 1, 2021, a crater on the moon was named after Easley by the IAU. Before the modern-day Civil Rights Movement, educational and career opportunities for African American children were very limited. Jim Crow apartheid existed, and Annie's mother told her that she could be anything. Her mother wanted Anie Easley to work at it. She encouraged Annie to get a strong, potent education. From 5th grade through high school, Annie attended Holy Family High School. She graduated valedictorian. When Annie Easley was young, she wanted to be a nurse, but at 16 she wanted to study pharmacy. By 1950, Easley enrolled classed at Xavier University in New Orleans. She majored in pharmacy for 2 years. By 1977, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Cleveland State University.
In 1955, Easley read a story in a local newspaper about twin sisters who worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) as "computers." She applied for a job the next day and was hired two weeks later. Annie was one of four African Americans out of about 2500 employees. She started to work as a computer expert at the NACA Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboatory (which became NASA Lewis Research Center, 1958-1999, and later the John H. Glenn Research Center) in Cleveland, Ohio.
Later, she was a computer technician and mathematicians when electronic computers were being used at NASA. She completed internal specialization courses to be a professional. She was unfairly denied financial aid that other employees received for education, without explanation from the agency. She also noted that she did not feel that her pay was very high when she first started with two years of college. Although she was promised a GS-3 in her interview, her first paycheck was a GS-2, and when she questioned it she was told there were no more GS-3s available
Easley's outreach for minorities did not end with her volunteer work at college career days. At NASA she took upon herself to be an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) counselor. This was one of the formal ways that she helped her supervisors at NASA address discrimination complaints from all levels. She was also part of a recruitment effort on behalf of NASA for engineering students from numerous colleges
Her 34-year career included developing and implementing computer code that analyzed alternative power technologies, supported the Centaur high-energy upper rocket stage, determined solar, wind and energy projects, and identified energy conversion systems and alternative systems to solve energy problems. During the 1970s Easley worked on a project examining damage to the ozone layer. With massive cuts in the NASA space program, Easley began working on energy problems; her energy assignments included studies to determine the life use of storage batteries, such as those used in electric utility vehicles. Her computer applications have been used to identify energy conversion systems that offer the improvement over commercially available technologies. Following the energy crisis of the late 1970s Easley studied the economic advantages of co-generating power plants that obtained byproducts from coal and steam. After retiring in 1989, she remained an active participant in the Speaker's Bureau and the Business & Professional Women's association. Despite her long career and numerous contributions to research, she was cut out of NASA's promotional photos. In response to one such event, Easley responded by saying "I'm out here to do a job and I knew I had the ability to do it, and that's where my focus was, on getting the job done. I was not intentionally trying to be a pioneer." which showed that she placed her work and solving problems before everything else.
Sister Dr. Yvonne Cagle, and she is 62 years old. Dr. Cagle was born in West Point, New York. She is a physician, a professor, a retired Air Force colonel, and a former NASA Astronaut. She has been in NASA as an astronaut in 1996 being one of 6 African American women astronauts. Her birthdate was April 24, 1956. She graduated from Novato High School in Novato, California. She earned many degrees and joined the aviation industry too. Dr. Cagle graduated from San Franscisco State University in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. She was a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Washington in 1985. Dr. Cagle completed a transitional internship at Highland General Hospital in Oakland, California by 1985. By 1988, she received a certificate in Aerospace Medicine from the School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas. Dr. Cagle completed a residency in family practice at Ghent FP at Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1992 plus received a certification as senior aviation medical examiner from the Federal Aviation Administration in 1995. She was an outstanding colonel at the Air Force too. She retired from the United States Air Force with the rank of Colonel in 2008. By 1989, she was a commissioned medical officer assigned to the 48th Tactical Hospital at the United Kingdom. Dr. Cagle was an astronaut by 1996 at NASA. She serves as the NASA liaison for exploration and space development with Singularity University. Dr. Cagle has taught STEM related subjects nationwide. Dr. Cagle has received many awards for years and decades like the Outstanding Young Women of America award, Honorary Ph.D. in Humanities from Fordham University, Air Force Achievement Medal, etc. In 2017, she brought Katherine Johnson to the stage at he Academy Awards. She was a TEDx speaker in 2018 on the subject of "Poetry of space" on Earth. Dr. Cagle is a living legend.
Rick Antonius Kittles is an expert STEM expert. He was born in Sylvania, Georgia, and he is an American biologist specializing in human genetics. People know him of pioneering work in tracing the ancestry of African American via DNA testing. He was raised in Central Islip, New York. He has B.S. degree in biology from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1989. He earned a Ph.D. in biology from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. by 1998. In 1990 he began his career as a teacher in several New York and Washington, D.C. area high schools. From approximately 1995 until 1999, as a researcher with the New York African Burial Ground Project (NYABGP), a federally funded project in New York City, in which Howard University researchers, led by anthropologist Michael Blakey, exhumed the remains of 408 African Americans from an 18th-century graveyard; Kittles gathered DNA samples from the remains and compared them with samples from a DNA database to determine from where in Africa the individuals buried in the graveyard had come.
Beginning in 1998, as he was completing his Ph.D. at George Washington University, Kittles was hired as an assistant professor of microbiology at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and also named director of the African American Hereditary Prostate Cancer (AAHPC) Study Network at the university's National Human Genome Center. Kittles also co-directed the molecular genetics unit of Howard University's National Human Genome Center. He served in these positions until 2004. Beginning in 2004, he served as an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology & Medical Genetics at the Tzagournis Medical Research Facility of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
He is currently the leader of the Washington, D.C.-based African Ancestry Inc., a genetic testing service for determining individuals' African ancestry, which he co-founded with Gina Paige in February 2003. He also serves as an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He found out that he descends from the Dakar, Senegal and Nigeria's Hausa people. He published works on genetic variation and prostate cancer genetics of African Americans. He has been featured in part 4 of the 2006 PBS series African American Lives (hosted by Henry Louis Gates). He was in part 4 of African American Lives 2. He was in the BBC Two films of Motherland: A Genetic Journey and Motherland – Moving On (released in 2003 and 2004, respectively). Kittles was one of the earliest geneticists to trace the ancestry of Africans through DNA testing. This led, as mentioned in the biography section, him to co-found the company African Ancestry Inc., which set out to be the leading advocate for tracing the ancestry of individuals with African descent. Now, Kittles and his team have been doing genetic sequencing trials to try and find variations in genes that affect a person's response to drugs. He has studies genetic ancestry, health disparities, and other issues for years (including sickle cell anemia, red blood cell immune response, breast cancer, colon cancer, and pulmonary hypertension).
I have always been progressive on economic issues throughout my life, even during the 1990's. Therefore, my core convictions are set in stone on economic views. The modern day capitalist system takes its influence from Adam Smith and other pro-capitalistic scholars. His book of The Wealth of Nations that teaches in the myth that some "invisible hand" can govern the modern day existence of economic forces. History and reality teach us that any economic system must have regulations and boundary lines. We know that the love of money is the root of all evil as mentioned by the Apostle Paul in the verse of 1 Timothy 6:9-10. Laissez faire theories have been refuted by the destruction of many lives by Reaganomics and supply side economics in general. When you get older, you see that the British East India Company back then and groups like the BIS promote laissez faire capitalism to divide humanity up, enrich the rich at the expense of the poor, and cause many economic injustices. Many people have so much lost faith in capitalism (which is a man-made economic system with imperfections), that they have gone into the totally restricted and atheistic Karl Marx (Marx was not only a religious bigot, but he was a racist too) form of Communism. There are alternatives. We can have universal health care, protections of civil liberties, endorsement of voting rights, and equality plus justice without the extremes of unrestricted Capitalism and Stalinist Communism. What brings economic prosperity deals with federal support for industries, a living wage, and having an economy that gives economic rights to workers (which causes the growth of unions, the increase of workplace protections, and the abolishment of discrimination). Regardless of the imperfections of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence (regardless of if its author didn't believe in equality) is right to say that all of the human race is created in the image of God, equal under God with endowed unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It is the responsibility of human beings to invent, to make the world better, and to use creativity in enriching society in general. We are dedicated to the General Welfare. That is why Article 1, Section 8 gives Congress the right to promote taxes, and provide for the general welfare of the United States of America. That is the government's job. The federal government has the moral right to provide for the general welfare of human beings. After WWII, many far right conservatives promote the lie that any attempt of the federal government to promote the general welfare of the people is equivalent to making to ruin society. Economic justice means to oppose imperialism too.
One of the most underrated artists of human history was Augusta Savage. She lived in a time decades before the 21st century, but her impact in the culture of artistic expression was widespread. Augusta Savage was one of the most unsung artists in human history. She wanted her legacy to inspire younger, future generations to form sculptures, paintings, and other forms of works of art. By the 1930's, people worldwide knew her in Harlem as a sculptor, art teacher, and community art program director. Harlem is an epicenter of black glorious culture. Like many people, she was born in the south in Georgia. Later, Augusta Savage studied worldwide from America to Paris to cultivate her wisdom in art history and other aspects of designs. Her accomplishments existed by her own hard work, determination, and faith in justice. Savage worked in many jobs to provide for her own livelihood, but she never gave up on her dream to create sculptures. Gamin was a bust of her nephew. She wanted to portray accurate images of black human beings, because back in the day stereotypical images of people of black African descent were commonly promoted by racist individuals. Augusta Savage wanted that situation abolished completely. Savage was the first director of the Harlem Community Art Center and made a sculpture to represent the musical contributions of African Americans at New York World's Fair of 1939. During her later years, Augusta Savage taught children in local summer camps, wrote children's stories, wrote other stories, and produced portrait sculptures of tourists. She loved her daughter, and now we know more of her life. She was the icon of the arts.
By Timothy
Sunday, April 24, 2022
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Friday, April 22, 2022
The Late April 2022 News.
President Biden announced that he will send extra $800 million in military aid to Ukraine. Biden wants to send them Javelin missiles. Putin said that their Russian terrorist operation in Mariupol is a "success." Putin is a war criminal who deserves condemnation and accountability for his evil actions. There is no conclusive evidence that Mariupol is completely conquered, and Putin has refused to send humanitarian aid in the city. Ukrainians continue to fight in Mariupol. There is a new book saying that GOP leaders like McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, etc. privately tried to oust Trump, but they later backed them. These GOP leaders were cowards who only care about power. They know that Trump is an evil person. The Trump base is part of the mainstream Republican Party just like the Southern Strategy supported back decades ago were in the mainstream of the Republican Party too.
Some breaking news is that Alex Jones says that he is willing to speak to prosecutors about the January 6 insurrection in exchange for immunity. Alex Jones is a far right extremists who did his best to not only promote slander against the Sandy Hook victims and their families. He also is a notorious liar and hypocrite. He claims to be against eugenics, but he omits that anti-immigrant racists are known in large measure to be in favor of eugenics. He claims to be against the Left/Right paradigm, but he supported the reactionary Donald Trump (who is a habitual liar, a racist, a xenophobe, and a sexist). Alex Jones lost credibility with his false predictions, mania, and overt bigotry against human beings (who disagrees with him). He did more than anyone else to put a stain on even sincere researchers of real conspiracies and investigations into the mysteries of life. So, no one can trust a syllable of what Alex Jones has to say.
One of the disgraceful acts of the Chinese government is that it banned the mention of Christ in social media. The Chinese government lied and said that word causes incitement. It is no secret that Chinese Christians face massive censorship and persecution in China. This act once again documents that the leadership of the Chinese government is not only violating religious liberty rights but freedom of speech rights too. I have empathy for Chinese Christians and other minorities in China experience overt persecution. They never deserve this overt violation of their God given rights. China's new law bans more religious phrases on social media, and to have a church in China, you must register. The French election continues. The problem with Le Pen is that she is a far-right extremist. The problem with Emmanuel Marcon is that he plays both sides. He claims to be a hero of democracy, but he is a centrist trying to act like he is a progressive. Marcon said that he doesn't want to support the extremes. Le Pen's rose in popularity because of his reactionary views on immigration, security, and Islam. Many French politicians have banned full face coverings and burkinis in public spaces. Marcon appointed Gerald Darmanin to the Ministry of Interior. Darmanin has supported the French police and said not to be soft on Islam. Len Pen is overt in her manifesto to restrict immigration, family reunification, and asylum. She is a racist bigot who doesn't know a thing about French history. France is not a monolithic nation. For centuries and thousands of years, the Franks, black people, the Celts, the Iberians, Arabic people, and other groups of human beings have lived in France. French identity is not monolithic. Le Pen wants to extend the ban on wearing headscarf in public.
The Department of Justice found evidence of unconstitutional conditions at a Mississippi state prison. The name of the prison is Parchman. The Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said that the department's civil rights division found that the practices found at Parchman violates the 8th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution. For years, activists have exposed the terrible conditions in the prison system. These abhorrent conditions include failing to provide adequate mental health treatment, failing to protect people at risk of self-harm, subjecting people to prolonged isolation in solitary confinement (that is torture), and failing to protect people from violence at the hands of other inmates. Twelve people at Parcham, who was incarcerated, committed suicide in the past 3 years, and 10 others were victims of homicide (according to the Justice Department's report). Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke is right that the Constitution guarantees that all people in jails and prison should be treated humanely. It is already clear that all forms of abuse and exploitation in any facility should be banned 100 percent.
Now, it has been 6 years since Prince has passed away in 2016. I was 32 1/2 years old when he passed away. I remember it just like yesterday. Many people experienced a surprise and shock at the events. His fans are globally. He changed culture, broke down stereotypes, and wanted the Earth to witness his talent. Through creativity, artistry, and talent, Prince didn't have to prove anything. On that stage, everyone knew that Prince could play multiple instruments like the piano, guitar, organ, congas, flute, harmonica, drums, and the bongas. His songwriting ability was excellent too. Prince wanted artists to know their stuff in terms of notes, rhythm, vocals, melodies, and other important aspects of music. We know Prince as being a person involved in R&B, rock, swing, jazz, soul, new wave, funk, etc. When you think about the 1980's, Prince has to be on the list as one of the influential artists in human history. He was raised in Minneapolis as a shy child. Later, his persona on stage represented the necessity for him to outline his own form of human expression. He had predecessors like Rick James, Jackie Wilson, and other artists. Many people didn't know that Prince was a great basketball player, and he stood up against police brutality. He opposed racial injustice as he wanted his work to be judge solely on its merits, not by the color of his skin. As time went on, his music evolved to talk about politics, philosophy, and the meaning of life, not just about romance. His recent album about America is about Prince's political views in opposition to the commercialization of music and culture. One aspect of Prince is that he was a competitor. Prince wanted to be the best at what he did as a iconic musical legend. That is why he used humor, wit, and charisma not only as a way to outline how he felt. Prince desired his words to mean something to his contemporaries and future generations that the essence of real music means something to value. Prince always loved the beauty and essence of women. Likewise, forever, I will always love the beauty, intellect, and tons of inspirational qualities of women. Prince made many albums from the 1970's to the 2010's plus beyond. People respected Prince, because he was honest. He spoke his mind. Musical diversity remains a pristine part of his purpose. Never wanting to be confined into one genre was part of his life. Some of his famous songs are When Doves Cry, Purple Rain, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, Thieves in the Temple, etc. From overcoming the trials and storms of his youth to be one of the greatest musicians in history, Prince used his falsetto voice to inspire a generation. By 2002, he was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
Rest in Power Brother Prince.
By Timothy
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Politics, War in Ukraine, and other Information.
Tim Scott holding a sign saying "keep yo money" is not only racist by the Republicans. It shows the hypocrisy of them. The GOP political leaders have used people like Herschel Walker and Tim Scott in trying to save face from their racist, xenophobic, and bigoted agenda. Mocking black people with that sign show their callous leadership. The Republicans claim to be more morality and family values, but most of them support Donald Trump. Trump is one of the most corrupt, immoral Presidents in American history. The Republicans claim to be against Big Government, but they want to use the government to whitewash racism in the classroom, suppress the voting rights of Americans, harm the rights of other minorities in America, and promote race baiting, anti-black propaganda. For the record, I wholeheartedly do believe in a strong federal government to protect the environment, to protect our civil liberties, to enhance our civil rights, to advance our health care, and to protect justice including equality among all. They claim to promote free speech, but they want to end the free speech rights of progressives who stand up against racism and any form of injustices. Many of them supports laws that restrict peaceful protests against police brutality, and many of them hate anyone just making a knell to protest racial injustice in the world. These are outright contradictions. The Republican leadership is dominated by special monied interests, and they believe in the lie that certain people deserve equality and justice. The truth is that all human beings are deserving of equality and justice.
Tons of events are going on in Ukraine. Russia is continuing its new phrase of the invasion of Ukraine with their bombardment of the city of Mariupol. There is an increase of Russian forces attacking Donbas. It shows that Putin is a hypocrite to claim to care about residents of Donbas, but his forces bombed civilians in Donbas plus all over Ukraine. Many civilians at Luhansk have been told to evacuate. Also, Malcolm Nance is in Ukraine now carrying weapons to fight Russian invading forces. A humanitarian corridor has been formed at a location in Ukraine, but Russian forces have not only bombed civilian targets. They have destroyed schools, hospitals, and many Russian troops have raped Ukrainian people too. All of these actions are war crimes. Any apologist of Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine (which includes far right extremists, fake leftist "anti-imperialists," and numerous Hoteps) is not a traitor to democracy and freedom. These types of people are evil and sick. Many civilians are rapped in the Azovstal steel plant too. Now, Zelensky has filed an application in paperwork to try to join the European Union. While this is going on, America still has to deal with high oil prices and high inflation. Yet, one man or any human being can never control every aspect of the economy singularly.
Now, we are witnessing the new bloody era of the war between Ukraine and Russia. We are clear that Russia initiated an unjust invasion of Ukraine. Today, Russia is issuing their counteroffensive against Eastern Ukraine. Zelensky, who is the President of Ukraine, is continuing to fight the Russian imperialistic invasion. On Monday on April 18, 2022, Russia fired 4 missiles in the western city of Lviv. At Lviv, at least 7 people were killed by the missiles. Putin has not only committed war crimes in Ukraine (that some omit). He has also shown cruelty by wanting Mariupol to surrender or die. They have attacked the Azovstal Ukraine steel plant. So, now, Russia has intensified its strikes in order to save face from their defeats. Russia is a lot weaker not militarily than months ago. Russian forces now control the eastern Luhansk region city of Kreminna. About 100,000 people remain at the city of Mariupol. The battle for Donbas is another chapter in this long war for Ukraine's survival. Putin is a far-right authoritarian who only cares about power. That is why Putin passed laws that harmed the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, and the right to protest.
There is a recent situation of texts among Mike Lee, Mark Meadows, and Chip Roy. These text messages were obtained by the House select committee investigation the January 6th insurrection. Mike Lee is a Senator from Utah, Rep. Chip Roy is from Texas, and Meadows was the former Chief of Staff under Trump. The text message show that Republicans like Lee and Roy were willing to support Trump, and they wanted evidence to promote their cause. They wanted Trump to meet with lawyers like Sidney Powell and John Eastman. Lee and Roy were frustrated with Meadows about how Meadows didn't find evidence to promote the lie that the 2020 election was a fraud. Roy privately didn't want Trump to use wild speculation, but Trump did it. These people should be experiencing an investigation. For all 3 of these far-right extremists to promote the big lie shows what they are. They are antithetical to the tenets of democracy and freedom.
Some sad news is that on April 17, 2022 (or Resurrection Day of 2022), DJ Kay Slay passed away. He was in the hospital for months fighting COVID-19. He was 55 years old. For decades, he has been one of the greatest and famous DJs of hip hop history. Before he passed away, he organized dozens of hip hop artists in doing freestyle songs and music videos with freestyles in them. He released 4 albums. He was born in New York City. As a youth, he was involved in the hip hop scene as a graffiti artist being featured in the 1983 hip hop documentary called Style Wars. Keith Grayson was his name. His nickname was Dez. Kay Slay learned how to DJ from the best like Grandmaster Flash, Grand Wizzard Theodore, and Kool DJ Red Alert. He was raised in East Harlem, NYC. He helped to bring Amerie into another level of prominence. He worked with Nas, Foxy Brown, Raekwon, Lloyd Banks, and a who's who of hip hop musicians. As a legendary DJ, he didn't want patronage. He just wanted to live with respect and dignity. He belongs to the ages in the history of music in general.
Rest in Power Brother DJ Kay Slay.
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Monday, April 18, 2022
Jackie Robinson after 75 Years.
This year is the historic time of the 75th year anniversary of Jackie Robinson going into the Major League Baseball organization. He was the first black man to join the MLB since Reconstruction. He was a hero. Jackie Robinson not only fought racism and discrimination throughout his life. He married a black woman who was his complete equal too. She is Rachel Robinson who is almost 100 years living today in this world. Rachel Robinson has worked very hard in nursing and using activism to advance the cause of social justice. Jackie Robinson was born in Georgia, and Robinson was raised in California. As a gifted athlete, Jackie Robinson played track, basketball, football, and baseball when he was in high school plus college. He played professional football and was a WWII era veteran in the U.S. Army. From early on, he opposed Jim Crow apartheid verbally, and he was constantly invested in the Civil Rights Movement. He stood up against the extremism from Barry Goldwater, supported Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and promoted a black owned banking institution in New York City. His children carried on his traditions of courage, love of truth, and fighting for justice. Robinson wanted black administrators in the leadership of baseball institutions. So, he was thinking of the fight for human liberation for a long time. As he lived, Jackie Robinson possessed human humbleness and compassion. Tons of average people of any color would not nonviolently respond to vulgar plus racist words thrown at them. Yet, Jackie Robinson survived vicious racist baseball players with grace and profound dignity. As a black man in the 21st century, Jackie Robinson gave us hope, inspiration, and strength to carry forward the legitimate, just cause of black liberation. Jackie Robinson remains a true role model of the black community and any freedom loving human being worldwide.
To start, Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919. He was born in Cairo, Georgia to Mallie and Jerry Robinson. His family were sharecroppers. Mallie's maiden name was McGriff. Jackie Robinson's siblings are Edgar, Frank, Matthew, and Willa Mae. Jackie was the 5th and last child of the family. Later, the family moved into California in 1920. They lived in Pasadena, California where he stayed for numerous years. The extended Robinson family established itself on a residential plot containing two small houses at 121 Pepper Street in Pasadena. Robinson's mother worked various odd jobs to support the family. Growing up in relative poverty in an otherwise affluent community, Robinson and his minority friends were excluded from many recreational opportunities. As a result, Robinson joined a neighborhood gang, but his friend Carl Anderson persuaded him to abandon it. In 1935, Jackie Robinson graduated from Washington Junior High School and was enrolled at John Muir High School (or Muir Tech). At high school, he played football, basketball, track and field, and baseball. He played shortstop and catcher on the baseball team, quarterback on the football team, and guard on the basketball team. With the track and field squad, he won awards in the broad jump. He was also a member of the tennis team. By 1936, Robinson won the junior boys' singles championship in the annual Pacific Coast Negro Tennis Tournament and earned a place on the Pomona annual baseball tournament all-star team, which included future Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Bob Lemon. In late January 1937, the Pasadena Star-News newspaper reported that Robinson "for two years has been the outstanding athlete at Muir, starring in football, basketball, track, baseball and tennis."
After Muir, Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College (PJC), where he continued his athletic career by participating in basketball, football, baseball, and track. On the football team, he played quarterback and safety. He was a shortstop and leadoff hitter for the baseball team, and he broke an American junior college broad-jump record held by his brother Mack with a jump of 25 ft. 6+1⁄2 in. on May 7, 1938. As at Muir High School, most of Jackie's teammates were white. While playing football at PJC, Robinson suffered a fractured ankle, complications from which would eventually delay his deployment status while in the military. In 1938, he was elected to the All-Southland Junior College Team for baseball and selected as the region's Most Valuable Player
In 1938, he participated in the JC Track Championship, and he set a national record (back then) in the broad jump (in April at Pomona, California. He races to Glendale and arrived at midgame to help the Pasadena Junior College to win the Championship in baseball by getting 2 hits and a stolen base). In 1936, his brother, Mack Robinson, won an Olympic Silver medal only to the great Jesse Owens during the 200 m. dash race. This Olympics took place at Berlin, Germany. Back then, Jackie Robinson was known to have opposed authority "figures" who expressed racism against black people. While at PJC, he was motivated by a preacher (the Rev. Karl Downs) to attend church on a regular basis, and Downs became a confidant for Robinson, a Christian. Toward the end of his PJC tenure, Frank Robinson (to whom Robinson felt closest among his three brothers) was killed in a motorcycle accident. The event motivated Jackie to pursue his athletic career at the nearby University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he could remain closer to Frank's family.
In 1939, Jackie Robinson attended UCLA. He was the school's first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports of baseball, basketball, football, and track. He excelled in sports like football, baseball, basketball, and track.
He was one of four black players on the Bruins' 1939 football team; the others were Woody Strode, Kenny Washington, and Ray Bartlett. Washington, Strode, and Robinson made up three of the team's four backfield players. At a time when only a few black students played mainstream college football, this made UCLA college football's most integrated team. They went undefeated with four ties at 6–0–4.
In track and field, Robinson won the 1940 NCAA championship in the long jump at 24 ft 10+1⁄4 in. (7.58 m). Baseball was Robinson's "worst sport" at UCLA; he hit .097 in his only season, although in his first game he went 4-for-4 and twice stole home.
While a senior at UCLA, Robinson met his future wife, Rachel Isum (b.1922), a UCLA freshman who was familiar with Robinson's athletic career at PJC. He played football as a senior, but the 1940 Bruins won only one game. In the spring, Robinson left college just shy of graduation, despite the reservations of his mother and Isum. He took a job as an assistant athletic director with the government's National Youth Administration (NYA) in Atascadero, California.
After his career at UCLA, Jackie Robinson was hired to play semi-pro football with the Honolulu Bears. Their first exhibition game was in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He left Honolulu on December 5, 1941, which was just 2 days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was on the ship called Lurline on his way home when Congress formally declared war against Japan. Jackie Robinson played for the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the Pacific Coast Football League in December 1941. In 1942, Robinson joined the Army during World War II. He was a friend to the famous boxer Joe Lewis too. Robinson was drafted and assigned to a segregated Army cavalry unit at Fort Riley (in north central Kansas). Many people like Robinson (who were black soldiers) applied for admission to an Officer Candidate (OCS) located at Fort Riley. Although the Army's initial July 1941 guidelines for OCS had been drafted as race neutral, few black applicants were admitted into OCS until after subsequent directives by Army leadership. As a result, the applications of Robinson and his colleagues were delayed for several months. After protests by heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis (then stationed at Fort Riley) and with the help of Truman Gibson (then an assistant civilian aide to the Secretary of War), the men were accepted into OCS. The experience led to a personal friendship between Robinson and Louis.
Jackie Robinson earned a promotion to the 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army by 1943. Afterward, Jackie Robinson and Rachel Robinson became engaged. By April 1944, he became the platoon leader of Company B of the 761st. After receiving his commission, Robinson was reassigned to Fort Hood, Texas, where he joined the 761st "Black Panthers" Tank Battalion. While at Fort Hood, Robinson often used his weekend leave to visit the Rev. Karl Downs, President of Sam Huston College (now Huston–Tillotson University) in nearby Austin, Texas; in California, Downs had been Robinson's pastor at Scott United Methodist Church while Robinson attended PJC. On July 6, 1944, he refused to move to the back of a military bus at Fort Hood, Texas. Texas had Jim Crow apartheid back then.
While awaiting results of hospital tests on the ankle he had injured in junior college, Robinson boarded an Army bus with a fellow officer's wife; although the Army had commissioned its own unsegregated bus line, the bus driver ordered Robinson to move to the back of the bus. Robinson refused. The driver backed down, but after reaching the end of the line, summoned the military police, who took Robinson into custody. When Robinson later confronted the investigating duty officer about racist questioning by the officer and his assistant, the officer recommended Robinson be court-martialed.
After Robinson's commander in the 761st, Paul L. Bates, refused to authorize the legal action, Robinson was summarily transferred to the 758th Battalion—where the commander quickly consented to charge Robinson with multiple offenses, including, among other charges, public drunkenness, even though Robinson did not drink.
By the time of the court-martial in August 2, 1944, the charges against Robinson had been reduced to two counts of insubordination during questioning. Robinson was acquitted by an all-white panel of nine officers.
Although his former unit, the 761st Tank Battalion, became the first black tank unit to see combat in World War II, Robinson's court-martial proceedings prohibited him from being deployed overseas; thus, he never saw combat action.
He was later honorably discharged on November 28, 1944. As early as 1942, Jackie Robinson had a tryout with the Chicago White Sox. After his discharge, Robinson briefly returned to his old football club, the Los Angeles Bulldogs. Robinson then accepted an offer from his old friend and pastor Rev. Karl Downs to be the athletic director at Samuel Huston College in Austin, then of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The job included coaching the school's basketball team for the 1944–45 season. As it was a fledgling program, few students tried out for the basketball team, and Robinson even resorted to inserting himself into the lineup for exhibition games. Although his teams were outmatched by opponents, Robinson was respected as a disciplinarian coach, and drew the admiration of, among others, Langston University basketball player Marques Haynes, a future member of the Harlem Globetrotters.
In 1945, Jackie Robinson joined the Negro American League baseball team. He played for a while and gained baseball experience. Jackie Robinson met the great pitcher Satchel Paige and goes on to play on the American All Stars Team. By April 16, 1945, Jackie Robinson had a tryout with the Boston Red Sox. Neither the manager nor the players showed up for his "tryout." In August 28, 1945, Robinson meet with Branch Ricky of the Dodgers and agreed to join the Dodger Organization. Later, he was drafted by the Montreal Royals, and then signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers. By October 23, 1945, Robinson signed a contract to play with the Montreal Royals of the International League. He earned a $3,500 bonus and a $600 per month salary.
Soon, he was the first African American to play professional baseball at the MLB since Reconstruction. Many teams threatened to strike rather than play against Jackie Robinson because Jackie is a black man. By April 11, 1947, Jackie Robinson played his first major league game. Many fans and even some teammates mocked him, cursed him, and disrespected him in many ways. Yet, Robinson played great on the field. Jackie Robinson even won the Rookie of the Year Award. By 1949, Jackie Robinson joined a few other African American men to play in the first All Star game that included African Americans in 1949. On February 10, 1946, Jackie and Rachel Robinson (her maiden name is Isum) married at the Independent Church in Los Angeles, California. By the Spring of 1946, the new couple came into Daytona Beach, Florida for Spring training. Robinson met with John Wright, another African American on the Montreal Roster. The Montreal Royals team is locked out of a Ballpark in Sanford, Florida, because Jackie and John are black men. Jackie Robinson played his first professional baseball game for the Montreal Royals at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey. Joe Cummiskey of the Jersey Journal wrote: "Jackie Robinson, first Negro player ever to play in organized baseball, broke in yesterday with the Montreal Royals - and with a bang. He smashed out four hits in five times up-a homer with two men on base and three singles. He stole two bases, drove in four runs, and scored from third twice by forcing Jersey City's pitchers into balks. Montreal won 14-1." The Montreal Royals will go on to win the International League by 19 1/2 games and go on to win the Little World Series against the winners of the American Association the Louisville Colonels. Jackie finished the year as the International League batting champion, compiling a .349 average in 124 games. On November 18, 1946, Jackie Robinson and Rachel Robinson had their first child, named Jackie Robinson Jr. February 1947 was when both the Dodgers and the Montreal Royals held their spring training in Havana, Cuba. On April 11, 1947, The Brooklyn Dodgers announced the purchase of the contract of Jackie Roosevelt Robinson from Montreal. Jackie Robinson made his Major League debut on April 10, 1947 against the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, NYC in an exhibition game. There were 24,237 people in attendance. On that game, Robinson grounds out against Johnny Sain in his first at bat. He goes 0-3 and scores a run. On April 15, 1947, Robinson made his major league debut at the relatively advanced age of 28 at Ebbets Field before a crowd of 26,623 spectators, more than 14,000 of whom were black. Although he failed to get a base hit, he walked and scored a run in the Dodgers' 5–3 victory. Robinson became the first player since 1884 to openly break the major league baseball color line. Black fans began flocking to see the Dodgers when they came to town, abandoning their Negro league teams.
Some Dodger players insinuated they would sit out rather than play alongside Robinson. The brewing mutiny ended when Dodgers management took a stand for Robinson. Manager Leo Durocher informed the team, "I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a f____ zebra. I'm the manager of this team, and I say he plays. What's more, I say he can make us all rich. And if any of you cannot use the money, I will see that you are all traded."
Robinson nonetheless became the target of rough physical play by opponents (particularly the Cardinals). At one time, he received a seven-inch gash in his leg from Enos Slaughter. On April 22, 1947, during a game between the Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies players and manager Ben Chapman called Robinson a "n____" from their dugout and yelled that he should "go back to the cotton fields." Rickey later recalled that Chapman "did more than anybody to unite the Dodgers. When he poured out that string of unconscionable abuse, he solidified and united thirty men."
By May 9, 1947, a strike threatened by the St. Louis Cardinals is abruptly stopped by National League President Ford Frick (right) who stated "...The National League will go down the line with Robinson, whatever the consequence." By July 5 of the same year, the Cleveland Indians announce the signing of 22-year old outfielder, Larry Doby of the Newark Eagles.
However, Robinson received significant encouragement from several major league players. Robinson named Lee "Jeep" Handley, who played for the Phillies at the time, as the first opposing player to wish him well. Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese once came to Robinson's defense with the famous line, "You can hate a man for many reasons. Color is not one of them." In 1947 or 1948, Reese is said to have put his arm around Robinson in response to fans who shouted racial slurs at Robinson before a game in Boston or Cincinnati. A statue by sculptor William Behrends, unveiled at KeySpan Park on November 1, 2005, depicts Reese with his arm around Robinson. Jewish baseball star Hank Greenberg, who had to deal with ethnic epithets during his career, also encouraged Robinson. Following an incident where Greenberg collided with Robinson at first base, he "whispered a few words into Robinson's ear", which Robinson later characterized as "words of encouragement." Greenberg had advised him to overcome his critics by defeating them in games. Robinson also talked frequently with Larry Doby, who endured his own hardships since becoming the first black player in the American League with the Cleveland Indians, as the two spoke to one another via telephone throughout the season. Ben Chapman was one of the most racist baseball players in history along with Ty Cobb. Everyone knows that Ty Cobb was a racist. I knew it since I was a child. According to Roger Kahn's The Era book, Chapman told Jackie Robinson these words, "...Hey you, there. Snowflake. Yeah, you. You heah me. When did they let you outa the jungle... Hey, we doan need no n______s here... Hey, black boy. You like white p____nt__g, black boy? You like white p____? Which one o' the white boys' wives are you f_____ tonight?"
Robinson finished the season having played in 151 games for the Dodgers, with a batting average of .297, an on-base percentage of .383, and a .427 slugging percentage. He had 175 hits (scoring 125 runs) including 31 doubles, 5 triples, and 12 home runs, driving in 48 runs for the year. Robinson led the league in sacrifice hits, with 28, and in stolen bases, with 29.
By August 27, 1947, the Dodgers bring up a second black player, 27-year old Dan Bankhand, a strikeout pitcher from the Memphis Red Sox. On September 23, 1947, with permission for the Dodgers, Jackie's admirers staged a Jackie Robinson Day for him at Ebbets Field where he and Rachel are presented with a new Cadillac. Jackie is also presented with a interracial goodwill plaque from Jack Semel, a season box holder and supporter. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, a great entertainer, presented Jackie with an inscribed gold wristwatch from Tiffany's, which he cherished and always wore. The Robinson's also received a television and cash gifts that day. It would be October 1947 when Jackie Robinson was voted the first ever major league Rookie of the Year. Two years later they would give one to a member of each league. Jackie also finished fifth in the National League's Most Valuable Player voting. On July 12, 1949, Jackie Robinson joined Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe and Larry Doby as the first African Americans to play in an All-Star Game. Jackie Robinson testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee about the role of blacks in the military. He criticized Paul Robeson (who was a heroic black man), but Jackie Robinson later apologized for his statements to Paul Robeson later in his life. By October 1949, Jackie Robinson was named the National League Most Valuable Player. He wins the batting title by batting .342, with 203 hits, 124 RBI's and 37 stolen bases.
By January 13, 1950, Jackie and Rachel Robinson had their only daughter, named Sharon Robinson. In that same year, he stars in his own biography called, "The Jackie Robinson Story." Ruby Dee played Rachel Robinson in the film. On October 26, 1950, Branch Rickey resigned as the President of the Dodgers and Walter O'Malley was introduced as the new President of the team. By May 14, 1952, Jackie Robinson's 2nd son named David Robinson was born. By the Winter of 1953, Dodger manager Church Dressen quit and was succeeded by a minor league manager in the system, Walter Alston.
After a time, Jackie Robinson and his teammates played against the Yankees and won four games to allow the Dodgers to win their World Championship in 1955. In the year of 1957, Jackie Robinson retired from baseball. He had played 10 years for the Dodgers, winning 6 pennants and one World Series. Jackie Robinson worked with the NAACP to fight for freedom and justice for all. In 1957, Jackie Robinson joined Chock Full O'Nuts, a restaurant and food chain, as Vice President of community relations. By June 7, 1957, Jackie Robinson, alongside with Martin Luther King Jr., received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Howard University. In 1958, he was the spokesman and fundraiser for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Increasingly, he was involved in politics. Many people in my generation didn't know that Jackie Robinson campaign for Presidential candidate Richard Nixon. Back in the day, there were equal number of moderate/liberal and conservative Democrats and Republicans. Today, most Republicans are conservative and most Democrats are liberal. So, back then, Jackie Robinson was a liberal Republican. He worked with Nelson Rockefeller, who was a liberal/moderate Republican too. By 1957, he was diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes caused the continued deterioration of his body.
In October 1959, Robinson entered the Greenville Municipal Airport's whites-only waiting room. Airport police asked Robinson to leave, but he refused. At a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) speech in Greenville, South Carolina, Robinson urged "complete freedom" and encouraged black citizens to vote and to protest their second-class citizenship. The following January, approximately 1,000 people marched on New Year's Day to the airport, which was desegregated shortly thereafter.
By 1962, Jackie Robinson was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame. It was a great achievement in his life in 1962. His Hall of Fame plague reads the following words of : "Jack Roosevelt Robinson, Brooklyn N.L. 1947 to 1956, Leading N.L. batter in 1949. Holds fielding mark for second baseman playing in 150 or more games with .992. Led N.L. in stolen bases in 1947 and 1949. Lifetime batting average .311. Joint record holder for most double plays by second baseman, 137 in 1951. Led second baseman double plays 1949-50-51-52." Jackie Robinson was the first black player to be inducted into the Cooperstown museum.
In 1963, Jackie Robinson worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other human beings in a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama. He was also present at the historic 1963 March on Washington with his son. By 1964, Robinson was named by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller as one of the six national directors of his Presidential campaign. Rockefeller obviously lost, and Goldwater was the Republican nominee. During that time, Jackie Robinson legitimately opposed Goldwater, because Barry Goldwater refused to support federal civil rights legislation. Barry Goldwater publicly opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Goldwater was definitely wrong to do that. During this time, Robinson supported Rockefeller's 1964 Presidential run. Goldwater believed in the faulty liberation argument that equality involving civil rights must be done in the state level. The problem with that argument is that some states will have more protections than others causing a breakdown of equal enforcement of the law involving civil rights. That is why you need federal, strong civil rights legislation in order for all parts of the nation to have uniform, powerful protections. Also, Goldwater appealed to many far-right extremists, war mongers, and racists who want to press the clock back on progressive progress. Jackie Robinson supported LBJ in 1964 and became a Democratic supporter by the 1964 Presidential election. In 1965, Robinson served as an analyst for ABC's Major League Baseball Game of the Week telecasts, the first black person to do so. In 1966, Robinson was hired as general manager for the short-lived Brooklyn Dodgers of the Continental Football League. In 1972, he served as a part-time commentator on Montreal Expos telecasts. He chaired the NAACP's million dollar Freedom Fund Drive in 1957 and served on the organization's board until 1967. He praised President John F. Kennedy for his support for civil rights.
By 1966, Jackie Robinson was appointed Special Assistant to the Governor of New York State Nelson Rockefeller. By 1967 and 1968, America changed. The Vietnam War existed, there was the rise of Black Power, there were rebellions in America (the rebellions had legitimate grievances against police terrorism plus against oppression in general, but as Dr. King has said, it's a long term self defeating action. You build things up to solve problem without burning building down. Dr. King was right to say that a riot is the language of the unheard meaning that the neglect of the problems of black people caused these rebellions to flourish back then). Jackie Robinson supported the Vietnam War, and Dr. King opposed the Vietnam War. I agree with Dr. King on the Vietnam War. Jackie Robinson was from an older generation who believed that joining the military represented courage, patriotism, and fidelity to giving more black people opportunities in society. Yet, the Vietnam War was an unjust war at every level. It should have never been in existence. Jackie Robinson was skeptic of Black Power. Of course, I believe in Black Power. Black Power is not violent or racist. Black Power is about promoting self-determination and political including economic independence in the black community. We have to be careful to advance progressive economic policies (i.e. capitalist exploitation must end, and we don't want lax wages or labor rights being violated. We desire a radical redistribution of economic and political power), but Black Power used in the right way is not reactionary.
In 1968, Jackie Robinson's mother, Mallie, passed away. Dr. King passed away too in Memphis, Tennessee. Also, Robinson was named the National Chairman of the Brotherhood Week for the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Jackie Robinson support Hubert Humphrey's 1968 Presidential campaign.
Robinson also became a prolific writer, including a column for the Amsterdam News, a weekly Black newspaper, where he further developed his fierce opposition to the Republican Party.
“I suspect that unless the party showed a desire to win our votes,” he wrote in a letter 1968 to Clarence Lee Towns Jr., the leading Black member of the Republican National Committee, “it may rest assured that I and my friends cannot and will not support a conservative.”
Jackie Robinson also wrote, “I have my right to remember that I am Black and American before I am Republican,” Robinson wrote in the Amsterdam News. “As such, I will never vote for Mr. Nixon.”
In 1970, the Jackie Robinson Construction Company is established to build housing for families with low and moderate incomes. Jackie Robinson didn't just talk about civil rights. He executed programs to help people from the black owned bank to his construction company. By June 17, 1971, Jackie Robinson's son, Jackie Robinson Jr., was killed in an automobile accident. It was one of the saddest moments in the Robinson household. Jackie Robinson also had health issues from his heart and other parts of his body. In June 4, 1972, Jackie's number 42 is retired in a ceremony at Dodger Stadium along with Roy Campanella's number 39 and Sandy Koufax's number 32. On October 14, 1972, Jackie makes his last public appearance before the start of the second game of the World Series in Cincinnati. He said "I'd like to live to see a black manager, I'd like to live to see the day when there is a black man coaching at third base."
On October 23, 1972, Jackie Robinson passed away by a heart attack at his home in Stamford, Connecticut. The Reverend Jesse Jackson gave the eulogy at the funeral, held at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn. A portion of that eulogy is below:
"Jackie's body was a temple of God, an instrument of peace that had no commitment to the idle gods of fame and materialism and empty awards and cheap trophies... Jackie, as a figure in history, was a rock in the water, hitting concentric circles and ripples of new possibility. Jackie, as a co-partner with God, was a balm in Gilead, in America, in Ebbets Field... When Jackie took the field, something within us reminded us of our birthright to be free. And Somebody without reminded us that is could be attained. There was strength and pride and power when the big rock hit the water, and concentric circles came forth and ripples of new possibility spread throughout the nation... He didn't integrate baseball for himself. He infiltrated baseball for all of us, seeking and looking for more oxygen for black survival, and looking for new possibility... His feet on the baseball diamond made it more than a sport, a narrative of achievement more than a game.
For many of us...is was a gift, of new expectations, on that dash... He helped us to ascend from misery, to hope, on the muscles of his arms, and the meaning of his life. With Rachel, he made a covenant, where he realized that to live is to suffer, but to survive is to find meaning in that suffering. Today we can raise our hands and say Hallelujah... In his last dash, Jackie stole home. Pain, misery, and travail have lost. Jackie is saved. His enemies can leave him alone. His body will rest, but his spirit and his mind and his impact are perpetual and as affixed to human progress as are the stars in the heavens, the shine in the sun and the glow in the moon. This mind, this mission, could not be held down by a grave... No grave can hold this body down. It belongs to the ages, and all of us are better off because the temple of God, the man with convictions, the man with a mission passed this way."
Jackie Robinson passed away on October 24, 1972. By 1973, the Jackie Robinson Foundation was created. The Jackie Robinson Foundation is a public, not-for-profit national organization founded by Rachel Robinson as a vehicle to perpetuate the memory of Jackie Robinson and his achievements. To this very day, it has provided scholarships to those without enough funds to go to college. By February 7, 1981, UCLA's Baseball stadium is dedicated to Jackie Robinson. This statue stands in front. By August 2, 1982, Jackie Robinson becomes the first baseball player ever to be depicted on a U.S. Postage Stamp called "Black Heritage."
By 1984, he was inducted into UCLA's Hall of Fame, and he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1987, on the 40th anniversary of his historic Major League debut, the National League Rookie of the Year award is named in Robinson's honor. In 1997, MLB celebrates the 50th anniversary of Jackie breaking baseball's color barrier by retiring his number 42 in perpetuity.
Major League Baseball dedicates the season to Robinson on the 50th anniversary of his debut.
Jackie Robinson Day was formed in 2004 by the Major League Baseball organization to honor one of the greatest players in human history. In 2005, Jackie Robinson was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Jackie Robinson back then and today continues to make an impact of people.
By Timothy
Saturday, April 16, 2022
Friday, April 15, 2022
End of the Week Updates in Mid April of 2022.
The suspect Frank James have been captured by the NYPD authorities at Manhattan. He was found in NYC's East Village neighborhood. A tip came about by him including others for authorities to capture him without incident. The manhunt has existed for a day. Like always, we are glad that none of the victims have passed away. We live in a new era of time where gun violence has increased because of complex factors like the pandemic, the spread of gun trafficking, socioeconomic issues, and other reasons. James has been charged with violating a law that bans terrorist and other violent attacks against a mass transportation system. He will be arraigned in federal court as he has done a felony. James' YouTube video has been filled with hatred of women, hatred of Mayor Eric Adams, and his advocacy of violence against human beings. His videos have been removed from YouTube. His views are very similar to the extremist manosphere movement (which harbors sexist views and many of them have hatred of pro-black people). It is very important to acknowledge the heroes in the Brooklyn subway that saved lives and did excellent work in showing compassion for fellow people in New York City. This situation is not an excuse to support oppressive law and order policies in NYC though like dismantling homeless encampments and driving the homeless away from subway stations. We don't need law and order. We need progressive laws and justice for workers and all human beings.
Tons of news are going on involving Russia and Ukraine. The Russian warship in the Black Sea sinks after it was hit by a Ukrainian missile. This ship was a prominent Russian Navy ship. While this was going on, Trump and Tucker Carlson are coddling Putin. We know the truth about Putin. Putin has suppressed media services in Russia, jailed peaceful protesters, and made it illegal to call the conflict in Ukraine as a war. So, Putin is violating civil liberties in Russia. Yet, you have some of these fake leftist "anti-imperialists" glorifying Russia when Russia is a far right nationalist imperialist state. Russia continues to build up forces to attack Eastern Ukraine. Russia feels that Eastern Ukraine is an easy target for them to control thoroughly. Russia has threatened Sweden and Finland with showing nuclear policies if both nations join NATO. So, Putin is in a desperate state after Russian forces being heavily defeated in Ukraine. Putin is no hero. He's a murderer and a vicious tyrant. The NATO Harpoon anti-ship missiles are now in Odessa. Russian missiles have harmed the Kramatorsk station killing over 50 people. Some Russian forces have a munity when 60 paratroopers in Pskov region defy the order to go to the front. BND German Intelligence has released audio about Russian occupation forces desiring to have the mass murder of civilians in Ukraine.
One U.S. Capitol rioter has been found guilty on all charges. That is certainly great news. This criminal said that he was following "presidential orders," but he has to have accountability for his wicked actions. He stormed the U.S. Capitol and stole liquor and a coat rack. His name is Dustin Thompson. He's an exterminator from Ohio. He faced 6 charges of obstructing an official proceeding, theft of government property, illegally entering the Capitol, illegally protesting in the Capitol, and 2 counts of disorderly conduct in the Capitol. The federal Judge Reggie Walton blasted former President Donald Trumps' conduct. He said that Donald Trump was a charlatan who didn't care about democracy. The judge is right. Almost 800 people have been arrested in connection to the January 6 terrorist insurrection. More than 250 people have pleaded guilty to federal charges. 3 people have been convicted by juries so far. Individuals can never minimize on what occurred on January 6, 2021. At that date, terrorists waved Neo-Nazi and Confederate flags at the Capitol. People stole political documents, they threatened to hang then Vice President Mike Pence, and they assaulted police officers with fists and sticks (while hypocritically claiming to be for the blue). It was one of the most evil terrorism done in American history. More trials are coming about during the Spring of 2022.
Days ago was the Birthday of Brother Al Green, and he is 76 years old. For decades, he has been involved in gospel, soul, and R&B music. His music has always been timeless. He is a pastor, a record producer, a singer, and a songwriter. He was born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. His parents were sharecroppers. Later, he moved into Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was raised by a religious father. Al Green loved the music of Jackie Wilson. He loved Mahalia Jackson's music. Later, he formed a group called Al Greene and the Creations. He worked on his solo music career too. Green is Blues was released in 1969. Al Green had hits like Tired of Being Alone, Let's Stay Together, etc. One of his greatest songs was I'm Still in Love with You. He made gospel music too after being born again during the 1970's. His 1980 album was The Lord Will Make a Way. Al Green worked with Annie Lennox, Heather Headley, and other people. Al Green loves all of his 7 children. I wish Brother Al Green more success in his life.
Yesterday, protests have happened in Grand Rapids, Michigan over the police killing of a black man named Patrick Lyoya. We know that police kill black people 2.9 times more than white people. We know of the prison industrial complex, and how police kill more people than any industrialized nation on Earth. Last year, over 1,000 people was killed by police officers. The incident started with a routine traffic stop. Patrick Lyoya was in his vehicle. Later, a struggle ensued. The officer said to Lyoya put the taser down. He was on top of Patrick, and the cop shot a bullet in the head of Lyoya. The situation is a tragedy for Patrick Lyoya's family and friends. It is obvious that Lyoya doesn't deserve a bullet in his head when tons of alternative solutions could be enacted to solve the situation. Multiple videos have existed that show the encounter among many different angles. There is a Michigan State police investigation, and the civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump has represented the Lyoya family. Attorney Crump had called for the officer to be charged and fired. It's a tragic, sad story which shows how far we have to go in 2022.
Black Lives Matter.
By Timothy