peace and blessings,

 Wed morning, i will be flying the friendly skies of Southwest Airlines headed for ABQ! Im stoked (yea i typed it...what!?!?) about seeing old friends, making new ones, learning more about slamming and seeing New Mexico. i REALLY want to see what the west coast and southwest got going on. i got to see what the South is bringing....its called FIYAH! good luck to all the teams and slam poets!

i plan to do an open mic before the end of the week along with volunteering.  

then upon returning from ABQ, im hoping to spend some time with BLU (if she will have me)walking the loop, sitting in the park, listening to music and talking. just giving and receiving energy  YEA BABY!

i will be thinking about all my TVA and Bravejournal fam....

as always in parting....i say to you:

ONELOVE

Funny what a couple of words can lead to....got this from USA Today:



Disappearance draws media's gaze
By Mark Memmott, USA TODAY

Eleven days after a young, pregnant woman who is black and Hispanic disappeared in Philadelphia, the national media are giving her the type of attention they previously devoted to white women.

Internet bloggers played a role in pushing Latoyia Figueroa's case into the spotlight.
By Figueroa Family via AP

LaToyia Figueroa, 24, who is five months pregnant and the mother of a 7-year-old daughter, was last seen July 18 near her boyfriend's home. Thursday, police searched a park near there for clues.

Sgt. Ron McClane of the Philadelphia police told the Associated Press there was no evidence yet of foul play. Melvin Figueroa told USA TODAY his daughter has never disappeared before. A local crime commission was offering a $10,000 reward for help in finding her.

Her story was updated throughout Thursday on all three cable news networks: CNN, Fox and MSNBC. Today, all four major broadcast networks plan to run the story on their morning shows.

Internet bloggers appear to have played a role in pushing Figueroa's case into the spotlight. Starting last Friday, Philadelphia-area writers of Internet weblogs, or blogs, organized an e-mail campaign and coordinated their blogging efforts.

Their message to the TV networks: Give Figueroa's story the same sort of attention networks have given to Natalee Holloway, a white teen from Alabama who disappeared May 31 in Aruba, and Laci Peterson, the white, pregnant Californian who was murdered by her husband in 2002.

When the bloggers' efforts began, Figueroa's story had been reported briefly by Philadelphia radio and TV stations and once by the Philadelphia Daily News.

Richard Blair, 51, who writes as Richard Cranium on the blog "The All Spin Zone," led the effort. He said he was contacted Tuesday by a CNN producer. A day later, stories started to appear on CNN and the other cable news channels.

To Blair, the issue was fairness. "When I heard about her, the similarities between her case and Laci Peterson's really struck me. And I thought, 'It's been five days — why hasn't anybody picked up on this in the media?' "

Television networks have been criticized in recent months by commentators such as Washington Post associate editor and syndicated columnist Eugene Robinson. The charge: They report only on missing persons who are white, female and attractive. That focus ignores the fact that men account for slightly more than half of the nearly 50,000 active missing persons cases in FBI files and that blacks account for nearly 30%, although they make up just 13% of the population.

Michael Bass, senior executive producer at The Early Show on CBS, echoed on Thursday comments made previously by television producers when asked about whether they favor stories about white women.

"It's the story that drives our decision (on coverage) rather than the gender or race," he said. Bass said his staff heard about the case from the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia, "though we look at the Web, too. ... It's possible someone in our group saw it there first."

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i wonder if it hadnt been for the Bloggers, would her disappearance have been reported. its a shame that WE even have to wonder such a thing!

peace and blessings,

 whats going on good peoples....i hope that everyone is doing well. Peace to my people down south that are dealing with Hurricane season. Prayers go out that you make it through safely

 Today, i went to TVA, something i havent done in a looooooong time (my bad Dessa ) and read some of the posted poetry. TVA has got some damn good writers, most of them are on my Bravejournal friends list. its not that i dont love TVA...i just havent really been in the mood to read any poetry...but im coming back around. now, if i could only do something to kick the creative juices to flow so that i can write!! i havent written in about two month and for me thats a very looooooong time. as Blu say; "you pump poems out once a week"....and for a while she was right. it seemed as if i were writing something everyday. maybe trying to get ready for Southern Fried drained me more than i realized. maybe its the issues going on in my life. maybe im just burned from writing. all i know is that it just needs to go the hell away

anyone got any helpful hints for a brother?

as always in parting.....i say to you:

ONELOVE  

OH YEA.....I FORGOT HOW MUCH DIAL UP SUCKS

peace and blessings,

 this was taken from my friend and fellow STL poet http://www.raquita.blogspot.com blog in response to HER rant about Def Poetry. it was written by http://www.basseyworld.com  

  I actually agree with a huge portion of what you posted. It's late and my computer is acting up so I can't say too much. What I will say is that a lot of people behind DPJ are trying to do what's best for poetry. But with all things, presented to the masses for entertainment, they have to make many, many concessions to people who do not have the best interest of poetry or the poets at heart. Stan Lathan the director of DPJ is an amazing man who is trying to do right by poetry. But HBO won't sign a show of unknowns. And there's no audience for straight poets. It's entertainment, there has to be an audience and folks have been fighting to keep things moving in the proper direction. I won't name names as to who isn't. But it's not as black and white (literally) as it appears.

Also, five years ago when I was approached by DPJ, I was concerned about "selling out" and "commercializing" my work. My father told me, "Why should't you get paid for doing what you enjoy? And why shouldn't you be compensated? You wouldn't ask a painter to paint your house 'for the love.'" and he had a great point. And I realized that people who change who they are for commercial success would do it anyway. Those who will stay true to themselves and the work should be the ones pushing to be heard because those voices are just as important as the ones that scream and rant for the sake of it.

It's a choice. I choose not to do commercials for products I don't use. I don't drink soda. I don't drink liquor. Shit, I can't drive anymore. But I will do a voice over for a PSA on something that I believe in. There's a way to pick your battles and win the ones you didnt' pick too.

Word to just 'cuase you own a pen don't make you a poet. Preach that.

Thanks for the shout out and link.

take care,
Bassey.

PS> I guess I did have more than I thought to say. 

AND I MUST SAY THAT I AGREE AND TO SOME DEGREE FEEL WHAT THE SISTER SAYS....ITS JUST TOO BAD WE CANT HAVE THE POETRY STRAIGHT, WITHOUT ALL THE BULLSHYT!!

AS ALWAYS IN PARTING.....I SAY TO YOU:

ONELOVE