“The unforgivable crime is soft hitting. Do not hit at all if it can be avoided, but never hit softly.” -Theodore Roosevelt
Quote Of The Day
Month: August 2014
Where Did NutraSweet AKA Aspartame Come From?
“Aspartame was first discovered in the late 1960s as an ulcer drug. By accident, a chemist discovered that the drug was sweet. Voila, aspartame was born! Corporate bigwigs eventually created the NutraSweet Company, and the campaign to revolutionize the sugar-free diet industry was on its way to the top.
Scientists for and against this new sweetener immediately began an extensive research campaign. In 1969, Dr. Harry Waisman fed his laboratory monkeys aspartame. One died after 300 days on the stuff, while five others had grand mal seizures. According to Dr. Waisman, the results of this study were deleted when aspartame testing was first submitted to the FDA.
The following year, in 1970, the FDA banned the use of cyclamates, and the safety of saccharin was seriously questioned. It was perfect timing for the introduction of a new sweetener. Aspartame seemed to fit the bill. By 1984, seven million pounds of NutraSweet had been consumed by over 100,000 people in the United States. The next year, consumption rose to sixteen million pounds. That same year, consumers started reporting side effects. By 1987, four deaths associated with NutraSweet had been reported to the FDA.” From, “Sweet Poison: How the World’s Most Popular Artificial Sweetener Is Killing Us” By: Janet Starr Hull
Black History Fact Of The Day: Alice Augusta Ball
Even though she only lived 24 years, Alice Augusta Ball was quite accomplished. She was the first African-American and the first woman to graduate with a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii. As a chemist, she came up with the most effective treatment for leprosy during her time. She extracted chaulmoogra oil to be injected for the treatment of the disease.
Quote Of The Day
Book Excerpt Of The Week, “Women In Prison” By: Kathryn Watterson
“Another area worthy of investigation is the big business of building prisons; who is getting the contracts to build these billion dollar facilities that cost millions to run? What political donations have led to the sites chosen for new prisons, and to the many contracts made as part of the building process? Taxpayers should demand to know these facts, since public funds are being poured into prisons in such huge quantities for such unproductive results…Greater profits also can be made by spending as little as possible on the prisoners- just enough to keep order and promote the likelihood of return. The profit makers can insure the security of their investments by keeping the public in a state of fear from ‘the criminal element.’ As we’ve seen from the recent growth of the prison industrial complex- like the growth of the military industrial complex before it- when the public is living in fear, it doesn’t complain about the price tag, no matter how outrageous. It is important to realize that the safety and well being of the community is at odds with the interest of the profit makers.” -From, “Women In Prison” By: Kathryn Watterson
TODAY IS BUY BLACK FRIDAY
PLEASE PASS THIS ON! (EACH ONE TEACH ONE OR TWO!) THIS IS PHASE ONE ON HOW WE CAN HELP TO STRENGTHEN & EMPOWER OUR COMMUNITY:
The 2008 not guilty verdict in the Sean Bell case evoked outrage, emotion, and debate. It is not an anomaly that the police officers involved in the Sean Bell slaying were acquitted of all charges on all counts in State Supreme Court. I could run out of ink printing the names of people who have been victimized by the inaptly named justice system.
The American justice system has been especially terroristic towards the African American community. Many community members can cite historic and personal accounts to prove this. Therefore, it would be foolhardy (at the least) to turn to a system that has methodically oppressed us, and request that they free us. We can only free ourselves through extreme discipline and intelligent planning.
As a community we have been too compliant with leaders who organize ineffective, delayed reactions. The only strategy that can save us in this last hour is one that calls for a collective code of conduct that will be conducive to improving the conditions of our community, and shifting the paradigm of how we are treated by outside entities. The first step of this code of conduct should be based on economics.
The old adage of “money talks,” still reigns true in the new millennium. Any political scientist worth his or her library card will tell you that: “Economic powerlessness equals political powerlessness,” and conversely “economic power equals political power.” This means that if we continue to allow our wealth to be extracted from our community, we will remain impotent.
The power of the collective “Black Dollar” is often discussed. However, that power has been left unchanneled. Today is the day to change that. A one-time boycott is not going to bring long-term change and respect to our community. Our community has launched boycotts before. Our success and ascension will be based on what we consistently do. For this reason, we should initiate “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS.”
BUY BLACK FRIDAYS is a small step towards our community acquiring power via controlling our economics. Every Friday, people who acknowledge the injustice and oppression that the African American community has been consistently subjected to should do one of the following:
Option #1: Spend $0 on Friday
Option #2: Spend no more than $10 on Friday
Option #3: Only Shop at Black Businesses on Friday
[PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE OPTIONS CAN & SHOULD BE EXERCISED ON A DAILY BASIS. However, we can all at the very least focus on Fridays. This way we can take a collective stand and build our collective discipline. Please remember that this is only Phase 1!].
To the people who are tempted to label “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS” as racist, I say this: In the big scheme of things, this is about right & wrong, justice & injustice. The African American community is a strong, proud community that has endured the brunt of America’s iron fist. We must stop the pounding. I feel that any fair-minded individual will concur, and join in.
ANY business that is privileged to enjoy the support of the African American community MUST return that support.
I thank you in advance for your effort and dedication.
-Elsie Law AKA Starface
Quote Of The Day
“When people care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul.” -Langston Hughes
The Dangers Of Waxed Food
“Avoid waxed foods. You can tell if something is waxed by smelling the stem; if it does not smell like the food, then it’s likely waxed. the problem with wax is that it locks in pesticides that can be found on fruits like apples, pears, and nectarines. Other big pesticide offenders include berries, potatoes, peppers, spinach, lettuce, and celery.
Here are the fruits and vegetables with the highest and lowest pesticide contents, if you’re not going to go organic:
Highest: Peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes.
Lowest: Onions, avocadoes, sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwis, cabbage, eggplants.” -From the authors of the “You” series; Drs. Roizen & Oz
Black History Fact Of The Day: Charles Drew
According to Biography.com, “Charles Drew was an African-American surgeon who pioneered methods of storing blood plasma for transfusion and organized the first large-scale blood bank in the U.S.”
Quote Of The Day
“Talents are best nurtured in solitude. Character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world.” -Goethe