Mos Def and Dr. Cornell West on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher

You know... I agree with some of the things that Mos Def said on this particular Real Time with Bill Maher show. I'm in total alignment with him when he said (summary paraphrase) "I'm from the projects. I know DANGER.... someone from the projects ain't worried about that boogeyman shit." I definitely feel that way and further, everytime I get on a New York City Transit train I wanna scream when I hear the message "...protect yourself. If you see suspicious activity on the train or platform edge, do not keep it to yourself". I mean YO, IT'S A FUCKING JOKE THAT 8 FREAKIN' YEARS LATER (ALMOST A DECADE NOW) WE ARE STILL ON WITH THIS BROKEN RECORD (PROPAGANDA OF FEAR MESSAGES) BY SAYING THIS SHIT! I think people are capable of articulating if there's a potential danger without having a propaganda message reminder constantly. And then it end with NOT "...have a nice day" BUT "...have a SAFE day". Like Mos Def said, if someone is going to get you, then they're going to get you. Ain't no one going to make no damn video tape of what they're going to do to you. Now I'm not proposing that there aren't real threats out there, but at the same time I'm a Black man living under a FUCKING potential and very real siege everyday. It is more likely that I'll have a run in with a white racist police officer and possibly shot and killed than in my honest opinion, then a blown up building or other activity by terrorists. The NYPD as Mos Def said are hired terrorists of the state.

As much as I LOVE most of Bill Maher's views he's totally off base by saying in the very beginning of this clip that racist police officers (that Mos Def was alluding to without having to say it) and terrorists are apples and oranges. Terrorism is terrorism, and the scale in which they happen doesn't minimize who it is happening to. But Bill is a white man and his reality is always going to be different than that of a African peoples living in Amerikkka. It's really just that simply.

And as Mos Def so aptly mentioned, we NEVER question what terrorists motivations are. I've always said that 9/11 didn't just happen out of thin air. What did the United States do COVERTLY to FUCK with another nation to the point hat they'd plan and pitch a large scale terror attack on the U.S. - And this is the discussion that never happens.

And, oh yeah, THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE HAS GOT TO GO!!

March/Rally Against Hate Crimes This Saturday!By Nathan James - Author & Activist

March And Rally Against Hate Crimes This Saturday!
By Blogger Nathan James, Author & Activist

49-year-old Jack Price was beaten so severely
he suffered a broken jaw, ruptured spleen,
every one of his ribs were fractured,
and his lungs both collapsed.
He languishes in a coma, on a ventilator, in a city hospital.

Third World Newsreel Office Mural It's Really BEAUTIFUL ART!!!(Also... Fall 2009 Film/Video Workshops!)

Third World Newsreel Office Mural

| TWN Workshops: The Fall 2009 Edition!

Tuesday, October 20th, 6:30 PM
New Approaches to Fundraising ** Free **

Grants, investors, loans, house parties - how are people raising money now - with various guest speakers. Includes: Shaady Salehi, of Active Voice, on strategies such as their successful "Prenups" program, which helps forge more productive relationships between the media artist and its funders.

Tuesday, Oct. 27th - New Media Series
Part 1: Web 2.0 with The Hip Hop Association
Blogging, websites, podcasts, RSS - an introduction to the use and rationale for the various social media. Best practices, how-to's and why-to's and where to find the help to get started.

Wednesday, Oct 28th - New Media Series
Part 2: Transitioning to New Media Platforms: with Ann Bennett
It's not enough to make your film for theatrical and television broadcast - you have to plan to have your production work on various media platforms simultaneously. What do you need to know and plan for, and how to get the info you need to "catch up".

Editing: Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro Workshop
6 week course on Saturday Afternoons This Fall - STARTS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3rd!
Learn to edit through examining films, exploring media literacy principles - and learning Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro, in a 6 week course on Saturday afternoons from 1-3 PM. The class costs $300 and an application and pre-registration is required. Registration includes free entry to the Wednesday Night Workshops. Taught by filmmaker Alonzo Rico Speight. For application/ info, email: workshop@twn.org.
All editing classes are on Saturdays at 1 PM.

All classes take place at:
Third World Newsreel
545 Eighth Avenue, 10th Flr
between 37th and 38th Streets
1, 2, 3, A, C, E, N, R, W to Times Square
212 947-9277 x 15
email: workshop@twn.org

Register Now! Email: workshop[at]twn.org.


MISSION / ABOUT US...

TWN is a 501(c)3 nonprofit alternative media arts organization that fosters the creation, appreciation and dissemination of independent film and video by and about people of color and social justice issues.

It supports the innovative work of diverse forms and genres made by artists who are intimately connected to their subjects through common bonds of ethnic/cultural heritage, class position, gender, sexual orientation and political identification. TWN promotes the self-representation of traditionally marginalized groups as well as the negotiated representation of those groups by artists who work in solidarity with them.

Ultimately, whether documentary, experimental, narrative, traditional or non-traditional, the importance of the media promoted by the organization is its ability to effect social change, to encourage people to think critically about their lives and the lives of others, and to propel people into action.

New 44-Cent KWANZAA Postage Stamp Released From the United States Postal Service

New 44-Cent KWANZAA Postage Stamp
Released By The USPS October 2009

The USPS (United States Postal Service) just released the new iteration of the venerable KWANZAA stamp and to coincide with the recent price increase of 44-cents for all first class regular mail. The stamp is not bad and I like it; though it is the third stamp iteration for KWANZAA hands down, the very first KWANZAA stamp (started back when the postage was 32-cents) still remains my top favorite. I really wish they hadn't changed it ver the years, but I support the effort of the KWANZAA stamp's continued existence in it's many incarnations.

Harambee (ha-RAHM-bay'-AY)
Let's All Pull Together

My Block of 10 KWANZAA Stamps I Received In The Mail