WHAT YOU BRINGING TO THE

The Revolution is digitized - CHE

2008-04-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

SAY WORD?!
4:41
So this album will be
about revolution
& you will hear exactly
what that revolution is
in the album

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun?! Hell to the Naw...

2008-03-31T00:24:00.000-07:00

A writer, a leader, a spokesperson, an activist, a daughter, and warrior woman... Donna Donore is shouting loud:

HANDS OFF HAITI!!!

With a myspace page dedicated to the land of Haiti and it's people, truth telling, and education - this freedom fighter not only keeps her myspace folks up to date on the happenings worldwide, but lets folks know that there's more to sistas than just a pretty face.

Born and raised in the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, Ms. Donore is a Moorish Southern Italian Woman and proud of it. "I am a student and admirer of African, African American and Haitian history," she says. With fire in her belly, and information hanging on her hip like John Wayne's gun, this woman inspires others to seek truth, stand up for humanity, and live a life remembering that we all share the same sky.

This entry is a big up to the sisters worldwide.

"I could what you do, EASY! Believe me
Frontin' niggaz gives me heebe-geebes
So while you imitatin' Al Capone
I be Nina Simone and defecating on your microphone"
— Lauryn Hill, "Ready or Not"

The revolution begins when you open your mouth...

2008-03-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

We've all seen the food pyramid at some point. I remember seeing it as early as elementary school and being told to eat mostly starches in my diet. It was part of the curriculum for public school children nationwide at some point - eat meals based on the servings suggested on "the pyramid."

What I didn't know as a little one was that the the guidelines formed the basis for the school lunch program and other federal nutrition programs impacting hospitals, nursing homes, the military and everyday consumers; and the $500 billion food industry is vitally concerned with how that chart looks.

With society's growing knowledge of personal health and well-being and the shift toward "eating to live," in 2005 the USDA made changes and MyPyramid was born. In a departure from the food guide pyramid, no foods are pictured on the MyPyramid logo itself. Instead, colored vertical bands represent different food groups. Additionally, the logo emphasizes physical activity by showing a person climbing steps. The food guide pyramid gave recommendations measured in "serving sizes," which some people found confusing. MyPyramid gives its recommendations in cups, ounces, and other measures. The food guide pyramid gave a single set of specific recommendations for all people. In contrast, MyPyramid has 12 sets of possible recommendations.

This had food industry folk in a frenzy. The slightest change in the recommendations can mean enormous increases in sales or calamitous drops in profits. The Dairy Council lobbies for an increase in the daily recommendations for dairy products while the American Millers’ Association and the U.S. Potato Board defend their economic interests against the low-carbohydrate craze. Similarly, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Chocolate Manufacturer’s Association, the Snack Food Association, the California Walnut Board, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, and many more are burn the midnight oil, shake some hands, and sign sweetheart deals to insure their place in the food industry's version of The Wire.

Unsurprisingly, the recommended intake of 5 or more cups daily of fruits and vegetables is more than double the World Health Organization recommendation of 400g (about 0.9 lb.) and considerably greater than the UK's National Health Service recommendations.

Interestingly, Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard University Schools of Medicine and Public Health, one of the world’s leading nutrition scientists and his colleagues designed their own pyramid. Based entirely on the scientific evidence, Harvard’s health pyramid It also recommends the regular consumption of alcohol (beer, wine, or spirits) for all adults unless there is good reason for them not to drink. (Ha!) The Healthy Eating Pyramid places exercise at the foundation, with a multi-vitamin and "white" foods included in its dietary shuffle.

So... there's the Vegan Food Pyramid, the Vegetarian Food Pyramid, Cultural/Ethnic Food Guide Pyramids, and on and on.

As an Architect of Rebellion in the Hood, I'd say get brain food, get spiritual food, drink water, pray over your meal (making sure to thank all the hands who made it possible for you to eat and requesting your cells and systems be still to insure the highest level of nutritional intake), eat that which gives you long lasting energy and was prepared with care and love for YOU, get your Qi (Ch'i) up, spend time with the kids, and identify your purpose.

And definitely, definitely - REBEL!

What I've got to say is "REBEL!"

Ahhh, but what do I know?!

My God

2008-03-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

K'Naan = TRUTH

oh.... so who's hard?

Big Brother is Watching FOR REAL!

2008-03-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

1984, by George Orwell is arguably one of the best pieces of literature in modern times. Chock full of prophesies into today and our near future, it provided us with language used in popular culture (i.e. Big Brother, doublethink). If you haven't read it... cop it!

"It was curious to think that the sky was the same for everybody, in Eurasia or Eastasia as well as here. And the people under the sky were also very much the same—everywhere, all over the world, hundreds or thousands of millions of people just like this, people ignorant of one another's existence, held apart by walls of hatred and lies, and yet almost exactly the same—people who had never learned to think but were storing up in their hearts and bellies and muscles the power that would one day overturn the world." —pg 181, 1984

So check it...

Geekologie.com: CRACK DEAL CAUGHT ON GOOGLE MAPS, March 25, 2008

Allegedly this is a picture of a crack deal caught using the "Street View" feature on Google Maps. It's in Chicago. Now why everyone is jumping to the conclusion that this is some kind of drug deal is beyond me. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for the picture that doesn't involve illicit substances, and I think this is it: Somebody was lost, and pulled over for directions. The guy in the picture there knows the area really well, so he provided significant help. The driver was so happy about this that they tipped the man graciously with a handful of cash. See? Perfect sense. It's just a good Samaritan being handsomely rewarded. For selling the best rocks in Chicago.

See the real close-up picture of the deal after the jump.

"Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they they have rebelled they cannot become conscious." —pg 61, 1984 (referring the Proles)

poor people there is something for you

2008-03-21T05:27:00.000-07:00

Damian Marley - One Loaf Of Bread (Something For You)

Video was shot and directed by Jason Goldwatch on location in Haiti and South Africa.

"Christ feed the multitude with only one loaf of bread
poor people there is something for you
don't let the pressures of the system get up on your head
poor people there is something for you
mankind care not for his sisters anymore
still there is something for you
written in the book of life
we shall live forever more
there will be something for..."

thank you Damian!

The Roots Crew - Rebelling!

2008-03-21T03:27:00.000-07:00

"Get Busy," (feat. Dice Raw, Peedi Crakk & DJ Jazzy Jeff), directed by Rik Cordero
Ripped off Lichiban Blossom's Blog.
(BIG UP!)

WHAT'S THAT I HEAR?...
0:33
we represent Illadelph
we're still rebelling

GOTTA GET ONE!
1:07

PUNK 'EM
2:08

SHE HOLDING?...
2:55

"75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)," directed by Rik Cordero... again

WHAT'S THAT I HEAR?...
3:15
I'm a rebel
a renegade
must stay paid

The Chi Reppin...

2008-03-21T02:53:00.001-07:00

Gangsta, Gangsta! That's what they're yellin' !!!!!

2008-03-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

One of the most GANGSTA resumes!!!!

GEORGE W. BUSH

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20520

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Law Enforcement: I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine , in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.

Military: I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use.
College: I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

WORK EXPERIENCE:
I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS:
I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America.

I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:
I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.
I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.
I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.
I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.
I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history.
I am the all- time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.
I appointed more convicted criminals to my administration than any President in U.S. history.
I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.
I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.
I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.
I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.
I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:
All records of my tenure as governor of Texas, SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies, and records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed and unavailable for public view. I specified that my sealed documents will not be available for 50 years.

"If you don't think it could happen think again my son/ Be prepared for the worst that's yet to come/ We want freedom, prophecies and ancient wisdom/ Cataclysm, niggas be like fuck the system" - dead prez

*information sent my mass e-mail. hell yeah - CYBER REBELS!

Rebellion and George W. Bush

2008-03-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

My dear friend T. Earth works as a college counselor at an all boys Catholic high school in the city. He recently explained an "educational" game that the boys play in times of boredom- Wiki Races. It's played by going to Wikipedia.org. The purpose of the game is to only use links within Wikipedia to get from one word to another. The person using the shortest amount of links and/or shortest amount of time is the Winner!

All players involved are given two words. One as the starting place for example, Rebellion (in the hood) and another for the finish line for example, George W. Bush (the enemy).

(Riley from The Boondocks going after Santa with a golf club)

(evil laughter)

Here is how the Architects played--> shortest amount of links without typing the word in the search box (cause that's cheating).

Sallome
1. Rebellion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebellion
2. Government http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government
3. Democracy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy
4. United States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
5. George W. Bush http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush

Ashley
1. Rebellion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebellion
2. Government http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government
3. President http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President
4. President of the United States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States
5. George W. Bush http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush

It looks as if Sallome and I tie! Great Minds Think Alike.

Your turn!!
We encourage you to play the game too! Start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erykah_Badu and end at GANDHI. Post your findings in the comment box. We want to see what you come up with.

GOOGLE TOP TEN: REBELLION

2008-03-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

For all those people who THINK they know what a Rebellion is...you might want to ask yourself again. I thought that I would find more historial references to rebellions which I will explain in another top ten. As one of the producers of Rebellion In The Hood I think it's one of my responsibilities to let you all know what a rebellion is and its your responsibility to read further and learn all the various types. In my google search for "rebellion" I found some interesting sites that might be of help. Nonetheless you will learn something new cause if ya don't know...NOW YA KNOW!!

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebellion

Rebellion is, in the most general sense, a refusal to accept authority. It may therefore be seen as encompassing a range of behaviours from civil disobedience to a violent organized attempt to destroy established authority. It is often used in reference to armed resistance against an established government, but can also refer to mass nonviolent resistance movements. Those who participate in rebellions are known as "rebels".

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNfWC4Sgkcs: The Arcade Fire promotional video

3. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebellion
rebellion

Main Entry:: re·bel·lion
Pronunciation:: \ri-ˈbel-yən\
Function:: noun
Date:: 14th century

1: opposition to one in authority or dominance2 a: open, armed, and usually unsuccessful defiance of or resistance to an established government b: an instance of such defiance or resistance

4. http://www.rebellion.co.uk/

Rebellion, the UK Super-Developer, has had one of its most successful starts to any year during its 15-year history with all 3 of its recent PSP products enjoying Top 10 UK chart status.

The Simpsons Game with EA, Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem with Sierra and Star Wars: Renegade Squadron with LucasArts have secured No. 1, 8 & 10 positions respectively. Not only that, Rebellion has produced the lion’s share of The Simpsons GameTop 10 chart positions throughout January.

5. http://www.larebellion.org/
The Los Angeles Rebellion Rugby Football Club is the first rugby club in Southern California that welcomes players, coaches and supporters of all ages, races, genders and sexual orientations.

6. The Boxer Rebellion
http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/fists.html

7. http://www.leagueofthesouth.net/rebellion/
Current events as viewed through the lens of smaller, human-scaled government as a peaceful alternative to the old model of the authoritarian, multi-national empire. We're Southerners, and plan to stay that way.

8. http://www.johnhorse.com/
John Horse and the Black Seminoles, the First Black REbels of Beat American Slavery

9. http://www.rebellion.com/
sticks, skates, and equipment--> hockey

10. http://www.calliope.org/shays/shays2.html
Shays' Rebellion (1786-87) and the Constitution

Jay-Z Quotes for Personal Growth

2008-03-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

The debate over whether or not Hip-Hop artists are or are not role models is really for the birds. We know that each of our geniuses walked the thin line of (in)sanity, and were living, breathing contradictions. What cannot be denied is that we can take what we want of people - their style, vision, writing, teaching, example - and use it to shape the best version of ourselves.

So we send a big SALUTE to the comrade - Jullien Gordon - for his "Jay-Z Quotes for Personal Growth." And encourage all you rebels to read his blog for a regular dose of empowerment.

Quote: ...Remind yourself. Nobody built like you, you design yourself... from A Dream, Blueprint 2

Jullien's Insight: We are fully responsible for our being. We are co-creators (with God) of our lives and can be whoever we choose to be.

------------------

Quote: I love what I'm doing. I love the artist I'm developing. I love the whole thing about it. Once again, I have to really look at it for the next three years and say, "Am I doing it for the right reasons?" 'Cause all I want to do is make history at this point. They got to pay me to make history of course. But that's my goal. I want to sit there with people really into making history. I mean everybody. I don't mean just artists. The interns -if everybody's not committed to making history every time I go into a meeting, and if I can't look into their eyes and I don't see the fire, then I gotta move on. ' Cause, you know, I don't have time. I don't have the luxury of time to just blow off three years. I do, but I don't. But I'm not looking to have a job. That's not hot! December 2007 XXL Interview

Jullien's Insight: It's about making history. Music is just to the tool.

Read all of Jay-Z Quotes for Personal Growth.

Revolution begins with the self, in the self. -Toni Cade Bambara

DJ Dawg

2008-03-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

+ =

Fido can help you produce a track...

http://www.beatbox.tele2.se/

*shakes head*

Cuz we're all rebelling against something...

2008-03-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

Brother at Yume party clearly didn't want to sweat his hair out.

Rebel against the humidity!

Um...yeah.

*shakes head*

(photo courtesy of Lichiban Blossom)

They're tryin' to kill us!

2008-03-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

If you intend to be of service to the community - to be an active part of any revolution - you must be well. Resist the following... RESIST, RESIST, RESIST!

1. Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal
Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonald's (5 pieces) with creamy ranch sauce

830 calories
55g fat (4. 5g trans fat)
48 g carbs

2. Worst Drink
Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz)

900 calories

10 g fat

183 g carbs (166 g sugar)

3. Worst "Healthy" Burger
Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger

1,145 calories

71 g fat

56 g carbs

4. Worst Chinese Entree
Pork Lo Mein

1,820 calories

127 g fat

95 g carbs

5. Worst Pizza
Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza

2,310 calories

162 g fat

123 g carbs

4,470 mg sodium

6. Worst Starter
Chili's Awesome Blossom

2,710 calories

203 g fat

194 g carbs

6,360 mg sodium

7. The Worst Food in America
Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing

2,900 calories

182 g fat

240 g carbs

This information was gathered by WebMD, to read more about the Worst Food in America click here.

The New Kid

2008-03-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

Jay Electronica

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

BANANAS...
1:00:
fuck that fuck rap this GOD hop
kingdom music for the hard rocks
imma spit it to TRL get it ann hot, 97 hit a nigga with a bomb drop
ask Flex, ask Slay, ask whokid
Just Blaze said JAY, is the new kid
i took eternal sunshine and i looped it
no drums, no hook, just new shit

Vimby features The New Kid in a photo shoot w/ Erykah Badu for URB Mag

Read more about Jay Electronica on the following sites:
Weapons of Mass Distraction
AllHipHop
Mixtapeshow

*shouts out to Goldi & JUNGLE45 for the link up!

Cyber-Rebels

2008-03-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

March 6, 2008
Cyber-Rebels in Cuba Defy State’s Limits

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
HAVANA — A growing underground network of young people armed with computer memory sticks, digital cameras and clandestine Internet hookups has been mounting some challenges to the Cuban government in recent months, spreading news that the official state media try to suppress.

Last month, students at a prestigious computer science university videotaped an ugly confrontation they had with Ricardo Alarcón, the president of the National Assembly.

Mr. Alarcón seemed flummoxed when students grilled him on why they could not travel abroad, stay at hotels, earn better wages or use search engines like Google. The video spread like wildfire through Havana, passed from person to person, and seriously damaged Mr. Alarcón’s reputation in some circles.

(en Espanol)

Something similar happened in late January when officials tried to impose a tax on the tips and wages of employees of foreign companies. Workers erupted in jeers and shouts when told about the new tax, a moment caught on a cellphone camera and passed along by memory sticks.

“It passes from flash drive to flash drive,” said Ariel, 33, a computer programmer, who, like almost everyone else interviewed for this article, asked that his last name not be used for fear of political persecution. “This is going to get out of the government’s hands because the technology is moving so rapidly.”

Cuban officials have long limited the public’s access to the Internet and digital videos, tearing down unauthorized satellite dishes and keeping down the number of Internet cafes open to Cubans. Only one Internet cafe remains open in Old Havana, down from three a few years ago.

Hidden in a small room in the depths of the Capitol building, the state-owned cafe charges a third of the average Cuban’s monthly salary — about $5 — to use a computer for an hour. The other two former Internet cafes in central Havana have been converted into “postal services” that let Cubans send e-mail messages over a closed network on the island with no links to the Internet.

“It’s a sort of telegraph service,” said one young man, shrugging as he waited in line to use the computers at a former Internet cafe on O’Reilly Street.

Yet the government’s attempts to control access are increasingly ineffective. Young people here say there is a thriving black market giving thousands of people an underground connection to the world outside the Communist country.

People who have smuggled in satellite dishes provide illegal connections to the Internet for a fee or download movies to sell on discs. Others exploit the connections to the Web of foreign businesses and state-run enterprises. Employees with the ability to connect to the Internet often sell their passwords and identification numbers for use in the middle of the night.

Hotels catering to tourists provide Internet services, and Cubans also exploit those conduits to the Web.

Even the country’s top computer science school, the University of Information Sciences, set in a campus once used by Cuba’s spy services, has become a hotbed of cyber-rebels. Students download everything from the latest American television shows to articles and videos criticizing the government, and pass them quickly around the island.

“There is a whole underground market of this stuff,” Ariel said.

Pedro, a midlevel official with a government agency, predicts that the 10,000 students studying the Internet and programming at the University of Information Sciences would transform the country over time, opening up more and more avenues of information.

“We are training an army of information specialists,” he said.

"It's a Take over; not a Make over." - dead prez

To read the entire article from the New York Times, click here.

*Shout out to Goldi for the info!

Rebellion 101

2008-03-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

re·bel·lion (rĭ-běl'yən)
n.

An act or a show of defiance toward an authority or established convention.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin rebelliō, rebelliōn-, from rebellāre, to rebel; see rebel.]

Types of rebellions:

nonviolent resistance or civil disobedience
resistance movement led by freedom fighters against occupying foreign powers
uprising by militants
revolting is a localized rebellion
mutiny led by mutineers, the revolt of military or security forces against commanders
subversion by subversives or foreign spies and is a non-overt attempt as sabotaging a government
revolution carried out by revolutionaries toward a change in government; successful rebellion

The picture above is an example. Attica Rebellion in New York, where from September 9-13th hundreds of inmates organized a massive prison takeover to highlight the callous repression and murders by the state of New York.

The Freedom Archives believes that knowing what happened in the early 1970s prison movement is essential for youth, communities of color and progressives to effectively confront today's unprecedented prison growth. They bring you this history through the voices of the people who were there - taking young people back to a time filled with lessons for today and tomorrow.

LISTEN to a piece that covers the events post-rebellion.

Voices include:

Frank 'Big Black' Smith, Attica Brother and prison activist
L.D. Barkley, Attica Brother killed during the re-taking of the prison
Elizabeth Fink, attorney for the Attica Brothers
Michael Deutsch, attorney for the Attica Brothers
Historical recordings in Attica prison during the rebellion and the bloody retaking of the prison

School to Prison Pipeline

2008-03-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is one of the nation's foremost defenders of civil liberties and civil rights. Their mission is to defend and promote the fundamental principles and values embodied in the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution, and the New York Constitution, including freedom of speech and religion, and the right to privacy, equality and due process of law for all New Yorkers.

With youth advocacy focused around the "School to Prison Pipeline," military recruitment, teen health, and LGBTQ youth, this organization is leading the rebellion on youth rights in NYC!

In the summer of 2007, the NYCLU partnered with youth from three community organizations – Future of Tomorrow, Make the Road New York and Youth on the Move – to produce three short documentaries on student experiences with the over-policing of New York City schools and the School to Prison Pipeline. The NYCLU supported the youth in creating their own videos using their own words and footage.

The documentaries feature over a dozen youth discussing the School to Prison Pipeline as well as school safety agents, police officers, metal detectors, the over-reliance on suspensions, over-emphasis on discipline, and criminalization of students. If ordered, the films are accompanied by a School to Prison Pipeline Toolkit that includes information on the issues and ways to take action.

Check out Schoolhouse to Jailhouse, Make the Road New York’s Youth Power Project (below).

To view all three videos click here.

For more information about this project or the School to Prison Pipleline, please visit the NYCLU website.

"My Existence is a REBELLION!" - Taina Asili, poet

Lacing is Key

2008-03-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

You ever had the ill shoes but the lacing you wanted you couldn't figure out? I know when I was young I wanted to have the checkerboard lacing in my LA Gears - since it came with pink and white laces - but could not get the laces right.

Alas! I have found the ultimate lace guide. Ian Fieggen (aka Professor Shoelace), shoelace guru covers fun, fashion & science in his crazy site about shoelaces: www.shoe-lacing.com.

Sneakerfreaker.com posted 15 different ways, as laid out by the Professor, to tie em up. Nevertheless, what was most important to me... the checkerboard lattice!

How To:
1. Start with two pairs of different color laces, preferably the wide, flat variety.
2. With one color (orange in th diagram), lace the shoe using Straight (Easy) Lacing.
3. With the other color (red in the diagram), start at the bottom of the shoe and weave the lace in and out of the other lace until you reach the top.
4. Fold around the top lace and head back down, weaving out and in until you reach the bottom.
5. Continue across the shoe until you're out of room or out of lace, whichever comes first.
6. Tuck all the loose ends of the laces into the shoe.

Professor Shoelace says, "Whilst mathematics tells us that there are more than 2 Trillion methods of feeding a lace through the six pairs of eyelets on an average shoe, this section presents a somewhat more realistic, typical cross-section of traditional and alternative lacing methods that I've either found or created or that have been sent to me by web site visitors." He lists 33 in the linked section.

Thanks Professor Shoelace!

Um....

2008-03-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

"No comment."

*shakes head*

You Live on a Million Dollar Block?

2008-03-04T17:26:00.000-08:00

Do you live on one of Brooklyn's Million Dollar Blocks?

And we don't mean a block where the majority of real estate is pricey or the residents' net worth is at an average of a mill. We are talking about a block where where so many residents are in prison that it costs at least $1 million to incarcerate them.

In Brooklyn in 2003, there were 35 blocks that fit this category. In at least one case, the price tag surpassed $5 million. These blocks are, unsurprisingly, concentrated in the poorest sections of the borough, including East New York, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Brownsville.

In 1998, Brooklynite Eric Cadora was working at a nonprofit agency in Manhattan called the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES). He studied the plethora of ways mapping was used, including by the New York City Police Department to identify crime hot spots, and taught himself mapping software.
Cadora says, "People weren't coming at [mapping] from a policy reform perspective. Most of the [of the mapping] was about getting tough." Cadora - being the ultimate Brooklynite that he is - decided to create a new set of maps, which he hoped "would help people envision solutions."

He then began his first mapping project with the criminal-[in]justice data from a state agency on - what else?! - Brooklyn. With the help of colleague Charles Swartz, the two made a series of maps illustrating where inmates come from and how much money is spent to imprison them.

One element makes these maps "conservative." That is, they feature only prison costs—not jail costs. Prisons hold people who have been convicted of a crime; jails, like those on Rikers Island, are for people who have been accused of a crime and are not yet convicted, or for people who have received sentences of one year or less. There would be many more "million-dollar blocks" if jail expenses were factored in or if other criminal-justice costs—like those for probation and parole—were also added.

Word spread. Holla! Today, Cadora's maps are well-known in criminal-justice circles. By now, he and Swartz have made maps for agencies in states throughout the country.

This map, created by Eric Cadora and Charles Swartz, illustrates the estimated cost per block for people who entered the state prison system in 2003. To make the map, Cadora and Swartz obtained home addresses and prison sentences—like three to six years—for everyone who was sent to prison in 2003. Then they took each person's minimum sentence (in the above example, that would be three years) and multiplied that number by $30,000 in order to figure out what the total expense will be for his or her incarceration.

The darkest red areas on this map are "million-dollar blocks." In 2003, there were 35 million-dollar blocks in Brooklyn, out of a total of 9,589 blocks.

What would be possible if the $35 million plus that upstate economies received from the incarceration of our residents in 2003 was used within our communities?...

This is worthy of a REBELLION!

Visit the following sites for more info:

1. Columbia University's Spatial Information Design Lab
http://www.spatialinformationdesignlab.org/projects.php?id=16

2. The Real Cost of Prisons

http://realcostofprisons.org/

3. Jennifer Gonnerman's article in the Village Voice, 11/9/04

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0446,gonnerman,58490,1.html

Tell 'em where you're from...

2008-03-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

(click image to view full strip.)

Some say Brooklyn is it's own planet. Coming from the West coast we (Sallome and Ashley) notice that Brooklyn has a lot of PRIDE! Truth be told when asked what Borough you REP, we are with Caesar, Throw ya hands up and Shout: BROOKLYN!!

So to all you Brooklynites, leave us a comment and tell us why Brooklyn is the sh*t.

Meet the Architects of Rebellion in the Hood

2008-03-02T14:21:00.001-08:00

Check what THE ARCHITECTS are bringing to The Rebellion...

(All photos courtesy of TL Conerly Photography)

Sallome

Literary addictions: blogs

When you grow up... I hope I don't grow "out" too!

Best hip hop line/rhyme: "you get too drunk on power / and your drive get reckless" - Talib Kweli

Bjork, Nina Simone, Santogold: Would have a dope sound if they'd have had a chance to do something together.

What you hope others will "bring to the rebellion": love

First thoughts when waking up: oh sh*t! What time is it?!

Hate when people ask you... "are you married?!" Arrrgh!

----------------------

Ashley

Toilet seat reading: comic books :)

No Nos: cigarettes, lotto tickets, bad breath, and ashy elbows

Won't be caught wearing: real fur

Where I get my political guidance/info: Comedians..cause they tell it like it is!

When visiting BK, you've gotta...pay attention and mind ya f*ckin business!!

Worst thing about concerts: mofos stepping on my shoes!!

My BK Hood: OGs on the block, cars don't know how to stop, blue birds circling the block, a street symphony of garbage trucks, buses, babies, sirens, neighbors conversations and gunshots.

----------------------

Aziza

Contact sport you're good at: footsie

Ways you capture special moments: inside jokes last forever

Explain myspace to an 80 year old: its like personal ads in the paper but on a screen with pics and music

Phenomenal BK landmark: Biggie's building on St. James Place

A cause worth living for: the future of marginalized people

Person that reps the best of BK: Fab Five Freddy

Guaranteed to make you laugh out loud: adultswim and Paul Mooney