What a revolutionary concept!!

January 15 – 22, 2012 marks the 3rd annual NY Peace Week, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy of non-violence.

Peace Week galvanizes the efforts of entertainers, cultural icons, government leaders, educators, athletes and community based organizations to host an event or lend their voice to the message of peace. Confirmed NY Peace Week celebrity ambassadors include: Russell Simmons, Deepak Chopra, Michael Strahan, Cheryl “Salt” Wray, and more!

THE MISSION IS TO:

•Promote the value of LIFE
•Develop teens and adults into peer leaders, to avoid becoming perpetrators or victims of violence
•Provide young people with the tools and resources that promote critical thinking, self-empowerment and personal accountability
•Build partnerships between public and private sectors to respond collectively, collaboratively and holistically to the issue of youth violence
•Create a model for reducing violence that will provide stakeholders with the necessary skills and resources to effectively implement positive change within their own communities

7 Days.

January 15 – 22, 2012 marks the 3rd annual NY Peace Week, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy of non-violence. Organized by LIFE Camp, Inc., the collective goal is to create a culture of peace throughout NYC for 7 days by hosting an event, performing an activity or simply taking one personal action toward creating inner peace and setting a positive example for youth.

2012 NY Peace Week’s theme and messaging is: #PeaceIsALIFEStyle. Youth and celebrity ambassadors will blog, tweet and post user generated content for 7 days, sharing experiences that reinforce this year’s theme and messaging.

SOURCE

Special Thanks to @ROBBIENOVAPK (featured in the Maino hit “That could be us”) for spreading the word!

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW>>>>

What you should know:

1. not only can you not text and send messages but no longer will you be able to read and receive texts
2. the law applies both while driving or stopped at a light
3. police can stop you if they see you texting; before police needed another traffic violation to cite you for texting (secondary offense) but now they can stop you just for texting ( a primary offense).
4. You can be fined $70 and get 1 point on your driver’s license but if police determine texting caused an accident, the fine
jumps to $110 and 3 points
5. your driver’s license can be suspended with as little as 8 points and revoked at 12.

You can also be criminally responsible if texting caused an accident that resulted in a death.

SOURCE

By: Deltonia N. Shropshire, MA
Response to an article written by Roderick L. Carey
“Parents aren’t to blame for the achievement gap: A History of Injustice Is!”

This article was very interesting. However, the title does not suit the piece.

Those oppressive situations that brought THE ORIGINAL immigrants to this day in time, should serve as a constant reminder of where we do not ever want to return. Every good thing must be carefully maintained. Our ancestors had to use ingenuity to survive. Creating something from absolutely nothing is our legacy.

But hands off parenting, complete buy in to big business engineered consumerism, and governmental legislation that imposes ineffective rearing regulations on American families-has stripped familial authority particularly within marginalized households.

To know that there was a time in our very short American history when people of color were categorically denied the right to read, should be enough motivation for all in question to find as many books as possible for purposes of regularly flexing literacy.

For the life of me, it is absolutely deplorable that the illiteracy rates worldwide are projected to be approximately 130 million school aged children (UNICEF), most of which are female children.

As an educator on many different academic levels, rethinking how educational systems approach parental involvement in and out of schools is absolutely critical to the academic sustainability of marginalized children and youth.

Agreeably some historical factors remain but presently the absolute truths are:

• Parental Involvement needs to improve;
• Widespread illiteracy is a strong contributing factor towards poor achievement;
• Parental distain for education and/or educational systems has projected negativity that is attributed to the lack of investment on behalf of the teachers, students and the parents;
• A consistently high rate of Black male placement in Special education programs speaks to the systems unfair practices that segregate specific kinds of children; espousing distrust among communities;
• Systems are justifying the drugging of school aged children by providing them with Individualized Educational Programs (IEP) that mandate the process before they can participate in classes. The community may have reason to distrust any situation that requires any child to be medicated to sit still.

Parents must abandon practices that relinquish their active participation in their child’s learning process. Expecting someone who has absolutely no investment in YOUR child is asking for failure.

Teachers are human. Personalizing emotionality towards agitated often very unhappy students is not uncommon. Being biased towards youth and children who constantly agonize over having to participate in a process that may cause them a level of discomfort- is quite simply unprofessional but realistically becomes a necessary defense mechanism for overwhelmed teachers who often do not relate to the socio-economic realities experienced by their students.

Some teachers could absolutely careless whether some students fail or pass. Rather than attempting to resolve the psycho-social barriers that impede learning and the development of strong social skills- systems will give what they can and expect PARENTS to step in and finish the enhancements.

Sadly, many marginalized parents are often not equipped to continue the productive process on their own. Conforming to the world that rejects the urban or rural culture-is abjectly unacceptable among members. Constant struggles between schools and homes cause a daily psychological tug of war for students that teeter on disbelief, distrust and potential family betrayal (as some are conditioned to believe)- that there will ever be anything more than their present condition. What can be done?

Some options may include but not be limited to:
• Provide a playroom at Parent Teacher conferences for the other children of parents with babysitting conflicts;
• Provide online webinars that provide a bevy of parental skill development modules;
• Create parent-teacher kiosks at recreation centers and libraries;
• Create parent-teacher kiosks at drop in centers within the school (counselors or often overwhelmed with other meetings);
• Collaborate with outside agencies that are dedicated to the healthy development of children and youth…not the business relationship that can devised with communities;
• Initiate mobile school units that go to the students home or other pre-approve location to conference;
• Incorporate technology (e.g., access to computers, twitter, skype, and facebook);
• Create awareness training for teachers to reduce stigma and to improve emotional intelligence.

Invariably the strongest opponent in the learning process is the opposition from all participants. Every stakeholder in the business of shaping a child- must take the responsibility to be the best possible vestibule of knowledge, wisdom, and discernment as humanly possible.

Learned hopelessness has categorically paralyzed the spirit of Timbuktu in the descendants of those builders that cultivated Egyptian civilization with archaic tools. Just imagine what they would have created if they had access to the equipment, books and nutrition that today’s society takes for granted on a daily basis.

UNICEF
Illiteracy: The Downfall of America
STATISTICS: Begin to Read

@wURkerbee

“Thank God I’m very satisfied with the way God created me and I wouldn’t change a thing,” Lopes said. “I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I intend to follow these for the rest of my life.”

SOURCE

SOURCE

Written by: Deltonia N. Shropshire, MA

THERE IS HEAVEN and HELL IN HIP HOP

Talib Kweli
Common
Mos Def
Mary J. Blige
Queen Latifah
MC LYTE
Heavy D
KRS 1
Eric B. and Rakim
The Roots
Diggy Simmons (offspring of the infamous REV Run from RUN DMC, also among the elite)

….just to name a few.

There is HEAVEN in HIP HOP.

The issue is discerning between those artists who are authentic about their actual testimony and those who are faking the funk.

Hip hop from its inception has been the amped up deliverer of testimonies from those categorized by the church/society as “lost” or “in the wilderness”. These sagas are often from hungry souls fighting to make ends (material or spiritual) meet by any means necessary yet still bold enough to give honor, chastise, and/or repent through rhyme and lyricism.

Original hip hop had heart, soul, and zeal that breathed fire into listeners because it came from the artists’ genuine personal experience. The audience identified with the struggle and connected with the artist and his/her label-much like the Bible to many previous generations.

There were forces (seen and unseen) that were intimidated by the quick thinking, well versed brown and black wordsmiths that could insight crowds to ascend to a higher consciousness. They were concerned that the dances that the children created to go along with these songs were likened to those moves seen in churches by those worshippers overcome by an omnipotent force. That power had to be harnessed.

“Did we allow big business to extract the soul out of our music and people?”

As with many other musical forms namely gospel, rock ‘n’ roll, blues and invariably rap-the music evoked rebellion amongst the children.
That type of palpable reaction from the underserved populations (specifically those individuals who were impoverished, of color, and uneducated) were immediate threats that could not be allowed to breathe life and purpose into suffrages.

Where have all of the conscious hip hop artists gone? In short, they have been run underground or out of circulation altogether and categorically deemed irrelevant by the superficial, inarticulate, auto-tuned, studio generated, falsified pipers of communities that require more deliberate leadership. The integrity of the art form has been so saturated with minutia that there is no real competition in the game.

Skilled artisans have taken their abilities and gone elsewhere. Which more often than not is anywhere outside of the United States.

There are those within the hip hop industry/community that are false prophets, much like some of those posing in the pulpits for the sake of prosperity.

They are rapping about nonsense and leading the audiences that have fallen by the way side of rap into further delusion about what true hip hop was intended to instill.

The authentic creative spirit has been sampled beyond recognition by those who aren’t as authentically gifted. For instance, Kanye West and Jay Z recently released a single entitled “OTIS” and Lil Ma gave the world “Scrawberry” a nod to MC Lyte, both of which were dubbed homages to the greats that inspired the artists. Quite frankly the homages were dysfunctional and ill prepared.

Art is art and one’s expression is undeniably individual. However, the extraction of the original soul and the reinsertion of any semblance of manipulated synthesis is inappropriate at best. Herein lie the same dilemma within many faith based entities and churches.

The authenticity of spirit has been replaced with half hearted man made perceptions of what God ought to represent according to an everchanging world.

The barren fruit that is that form of “music”, undeniably leaves our youth spiritually, morally and intellectually empty.

Objectivity is futile.

This is the HELL in Hip Hop. There isn’t cause nor purpose beyond making a profit. There are music executives and other decision makers who could care less about the “spirit” in a song. As a matter of fact, it is questioned whether or not these individuals even think on that level.

If something sells, then the pattern is to milk that type of music dry until there is nothing left to do but re-invent the music, discard the artist or both.

The present state of mainstream hip hop is wholly temporary. The vicious cycle of supply and demand keeps insignificance in circulation. The uselessness is feeding a generation that is easily satiated by grunts, tricked out beats, moans, and cotton candy hair dos. DISTRACTIONING LISTENERS FROM REALIZING THAT THERE IS SOMETHING LACKING.

Nicki Minaj
Rick Ross
Trey Songz
Lil Wayne
Diddy and all of his acts

At what point do those that know hip hop for its authentic self, reinsert themselves back into the culture to inform those that are lost? Dazed and confused children and young adults are wandering aimlessly from the effects of schemes waged against those things that seek to destroy their consciousness.

Is this not the time for wisdom, truth, and understanding to be more vigilant than ever before? The days of radical leadership seem to have dissipated but that leaves the flock unattended.

There is HEAVEN AND HELL IN HIP HOP just as with every other dynamic in the universe.

The guardians, parents, overseers, protectors and pastors have got to reclaim their authority in ways that are relevant to the people. Leading from behind or in the middle is a highly recommended strategy. People must be validated, so let them develop their purpose by honing their particular talents that will invariably lend to fortified Kingdom/community BUILDING.

People have got to refuse to support that which leaves them feeling more assaulted than before they listened.

… choices, work and action…it is written so let it be done.

@wURkerbee
@faith_4_change

Researchers analyzed data from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey that tracked, among other things, how many days of school children aged 6 to 11 missed and the reason for their absence.

They found children living with one or more smokers in the home missed one to two more days of school per year on average, than those who lived with non-smokers. The research suggests that families could reduce absenteeism by 24 to 34 % if smoking was eliminated from their households.

According to the study: (1) About one third of children in the United States live with a smoker. (2) Among children aged 3 to 11, at least 56% have detectable levels of a chemical called serum cotinine, an indication of tobacco smoke exposure. Cotinine is a breakdown of nicotine and can be measured by analyzing levels in the blood, urine or saliva.

Researchers say this establishes a link between household smoking and two specific respiratory illnesses.

“Kids living with people smoking in the home were more likely to have ear infections and chest colds,” Dr. Douglas Levy, the study’s principal investigator and Assistant in Health Care Policy at the Mongan Institute for Health Policy said.

“Among kids who were living with smokers, a quarter to one-third of the days they missed from school can be attributed to the fact that they live with someone who smokes in the home.”

The study found that having multiple smokers in the home resulted in more illnesses reported and days of school missed. For instance, a child living with 2 or more adult smokers had more ear infections– three or more–in a year, than a child living with no smokers or even just one smoker

SOURCE

In 2009, about 71,900 children spent time in the hospital because of serious skin infections, a rate of 9.4 cases out of every 10,000 children — up from 4.5 cases per 10,000 children in 2000. By 2009, skin infections had become the seventh most common reason for hospitalization among children, moving up from the 13th spot in 2000.

Make sure hands are washed as often as possible to prevent the spread and contraction of this very powerful staph infection.

SOURCE

Written by: Deltonia N. Shropshire, MA

In her profile on the site, Taylor describes herself as “a full-time college student studying psychology and looking to meet someone to help pay the bills.” Photos on the site show her in revealing outfits, a mane of caramel-colored hair framing her face. But unlike other dating sites, where a user might also list preferred hobbies or desired traits, Taylor instead indicates preferences for a “sugar daddy” and an “arrangement” in the range of $1,000 to $3,000 a month.

Saddled with piles of student debt and a job-scarce, lackluster economy, current college students and recent graduates are selling themselves to pursue a diploma or pay down their loans. An increasing number, according to the the owners of websites that broker such hook-ups, have taken to the web in search of online suitors or wealthy benefactors who, in exchange for sex, companionship, or both, might help with the bills.

Historically, women and men have “danced” their way through college. Now a side hustle has taken on a whole new meaning. Young people are resorting to prostitution to pay their bills. They strike an “arrangement” online with potential “Sugar Daddies”, who agree to pay off debt and other bills in exchange for sexual favors. There are high profile “pimps” that capitalize off of the young people in dire straits. Businesses have been created on the backs (literally) of these students paying any price to ensure that their future is brighter than today.

The new term affords the workers the psychological positive distinction that almost, makes the circumstance bearable.

In this social adaptation scenario, the psychological effects of having to partake in this type of behavior to produce a desired result may in fact condition the students to believe that this type of activity is a viable option whenever there is a financial crisis in their lives. The ramifications of this alternative will be significant and long lasting not only on the ones partaking in the activity but to those children and loved ones that are affiliated to them.

The same pattern has been seen time and time again in those who have forgone integrity to survive (e.g., strippers of the past, women in slavery who were forced to become sexual servants to save their other family members, and boys who were “taken” and subsequently used by an attacker with the fear that the attacker would hurt the boys family). Though the situations posed as examples are different-the psychological impacts are definitely similar.

How will/can this impact our society?

How will this activity that was fostered by economic falter-invariably impact the people who are actively seeking these measures to rectify debts/loans? How will/can it impact later generations?

Is this behavior a cry for help? What can be done to stop it?
Is it good for the economy?

Why aren’t students opting to sell art, music, clothes that they make or any other product?

Why is selling one’s body the ONLY viable option, for some?
SOURCE

LISTEN TO THE SHOW AIRED JULY 24, 2011

Solutions:
Written by: Deltonia N. Shropshire, MA
 
Engage in productive activities with your children

• Get away from the TV , hand helds and computers
• Read to infants and toddlers.
• Hide the Wii and get outside and ACTIVELY engage with family and friends. Manipulated video games will never replace one on one interactive social skill development.
*Get involved with school meetings, functions and activities.
*Participate in Parent Education courses, classes and workshops that will help retool your parenting toolbox.

Properly Socialize The Young
SAY NO! It is more than acceptable to tell your children “NO”. As a matter of fact it is necessary in building ethics within children. “No you cannot have this right now, you have to earn it” is in fact the message that kids need to receive to prepare them for a world filled with rejection. When told “NO” by someone else the resolve on behalf of the child will be: “ok, so how can I find a way to get what I need without impacting someone else?”.

Parents are too willing to give children and youth whatever they want without any negotiation. Young people must learn the value of work ethic through demonstrated, tried and true examples of emotionally, and yes even physically WORKING through situations.

Rejection is not a bad thing, if proven in small increments throughout a child’s life that they can find practical solutions then they can inevitably build a resistance and learn to fend for themselves rather than resort to criminal behaviors to get what they think they ought to have in the time that they think they ought to have it.

The world does not revolve around the demands of children, nor should we be unintentionally conveying that non-verbal message to our young.

As babies-it is vital that parents speak to their children in a loving manner. It is also equally important to establish behavioral boundaries as early as two-three months old.

Create an environment that cultivates trust and encourages the respectful, free spirited child to navigate the world without fear. Imparting an awareness of certain dangers establishes trust between the parent and the child. For example, if the parent keeps dropping the child and causing pain, then the child will be less likely to attach with that parent or care giver and less likely to trust the careprovider and the rest of the biosphere from which the child draws social skill development.

Discipline The Children
Children must have discipline, guidance and correction. Letting children and youth do whatever they want to do is not an option.

The arguement that “not killing the spirit” of a child nor “creating resentment” have immobilized modern parents. The heads of households have opted to take a hands off approach when raising their children.

Granted many parents are working several jobs to keep the household afloat. Many parents are often working without a partner or in a situation where the partner is not a viable contributor to the home, which in turn causes stress on the single provider. The stress then causes irritability and in many cases depression. The lack of interest is then projected onto the child or children in the home who still need their nurture, guidance and attention.

It has not helped matters that municipalities have inserted themselves into the child rearing practices of most American families.

The debate as to whether corporal punishment within households continues to be a case by case matter-largely contingent upon whether judges agree or disagree with the force a parent uses on their children or other youngsters when exacting discipline.
RESOURCE
RESOURCE
The arguement among leading child care agencies is that spanking a child is a temporary fix to a problem and that striking a child out of anger and frustration is sending a bad message to the developing child. The point is well made; however, there is disagreement in whether or not the discipline strategy is more effective in certain cultures. There is also reason to challenge the notion that it is a “temporary solution to the problem”, when learned conditioning is the particular methodology.

A child who receives a spanking/discipline/correction for an undesired behavior is far less likely to revisit the same behavior in a manner consistent with the last “unsuccessful” effort. The child will in most cases, formulate a new way to revisit the same situation to achieve a different account, in most cases the desired end result that is more conducive to the socializers requirements.

At its most basic level- reasonable corporal punishment is a very strong behavior modification tool, used to cause children to THINK about their actions and the consequences that the action may cause before they cause damage or an unfavorable outcome. This method is a last resort and is not the ONLY form of discipline.

The discipline technique selected for every household is different. Historically-corporal punishment was not an issue in homes that were headed by persons of color.

RESOURCE

Children and Youth need Positive Outlets
Sports, music, drama, technical skill development (cooking, mechanics, gardening, etc.) are all viable considerations when selecting extra curricular activities for children and youth.

Having children and youth participate in these types of engaging activities teach them how to cultivate and utilize strong social skills with others, as well as help shapes strong character. Unfortunately with the insurgence of technology, kids are less active and less socially intelligent. The person to person interface has been significantly reduced and therefore kids are being hindered from learning proper human development.

Engage in Effective Communication with your Children.
Stop talking at them and speak with them. Make a solid effort to understand their concerns, and future. Sit down, turn off all things that would distract and provide them with the attention that they deserve.

Children and youth need us to reinsert ourselves back into their existence. The parents, guardians and care-providers must reclaim their roles as household leaders and stop letting children assume their duties. The youngest members of our society are not able to have a childhood because they are being forced to grow up faster than they ought. There are images conveying that increased sexuality is popular. Girls and boys being raised without fathers are engaging in activities that are sexually recreational rather than fundamentally rooted in anything that will sustain a lasting relationship later.

Go to church. Find “safe harbors” where communal raising is common place. Church often offers other activities such as choir, youth ministry, and other service opportunities that would afford bonding.

Train the children in the way that they should go, so that when they get old enough to appreciate the lessons, they will not depart from them!

The adults must do alot of soul searching and put some love back into their homes in order to see any marked improvement in the behavioral displays of those set to run this world.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW AIRED JULY 24, 2011
Special Guests included: Mr. Worthy, Esquire and Mr. Mark Sturdivant- Vice Principal at Ceasar Chavez Public Charter School

INSPIRED BY THESE HEADLINES (to name a few):
HENRI PRATT, fatally stabbed 27 times

Florida boy kills parents and then throws a party

Twins murder their mother in ATL

Boy commits suicide because he was bullied at school

Teens violently attack man in the metro station

Teens violently attack on the metrobus

Pack of teens jailed in the murder of their classmate because the victim was dating the killers “crush”; decapitated and burned the body

Columbine

UVA attack; Boy brutally kills girlfriend

Boy kills girlfriend over Facebook status