~ AN AFROCENTRIC GATEKEEPERS PALACE FOR INFORMATION ~


Otta Benga, Formerly Enslaved
The Epitome of a Nubian Knight

Otta Benga, Formerly Enslaved<br>The Epitome of a Nubian Knight

Followers of Nubian Knights Network
"Thanks For The Support Everybody!!!"

QUOTATIONS OF "BLACK"

"Whenever I use BLACK it relates to some history of Africans in that particular place. It’s the idea of the color BLACK as a metaphor, or as a representation of African-Americans. It’s the notion of BLACK- BLACKNESS - and all its other meanings in relation to the history of race..."

- Fred Wilson



"Most of my fortitude to continue doing the work comes from the moral outrage I feel about the injustices that Black people endure disproportionately daily."

- N. Abdul-Wakil



"In the end, what matters is not skin shade but pan-African consciousness. Loving your complexion, your nose, lips, hair length and texture, no matter what the politics or trends decide, and simply be. That's the problem with us (African folks). We're still learning how to love ourselves. So used to glorifying others and putting others first..."

- Dredlocks Tree

The REEL Black Same Gender Loving Filmography Resource (A 24/7 ONLINE FILM DATABASE)

The REEL Black Same Gender Loving Filmography Resource (A 24/7 ONLINE FILM DATABASE)
Click The Pic To Access The Film Library Database! (166 Films)
LAST UPDATE: Monday, December 3rd, 2012

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Apple iPad Faulters In My Opinion
Still Eyeing The Nokia N900







This isn't usually isn't the focus of Nubian Knights Network, but wanted to make a few comments about the Apple iPad anyhow.

First, the hype surrounding this device has been incredibly and monumentally HUGE to say the least if you're been following all the tech websites and blog reports. Ok! So the iPad is here now and from y perspective it is just okay and will be interesting to see whether it lives or dies. I watched the keynote address by Apple CEO Steve Jobs and as usual he delivers a stellar performance. Beyond that I'm always practical in assessment in how any device can be useful to me.

First, I've never been a Apple fan boy. I will say I LOVE the design and implementation of Apple products, but never to the point of actually buying a product. I find their devices incredibly rigid from an upgrade or tinkering perspective. You have to buy everything through them and most things cost an arm and leg. Apple always has a shrewd marketing campaign of why you need to buy their devices. However, I look at technology from a rational stand point for myself and I'll say quickly that the reason why I never embraced the iPhone is because:

(1) No physical keyboard

(2) No slot for removable flash card media (secure digital [SD] or micro secure digital)

(3) No removable battery (so if the battery dies you can replace it, or if one is a heavy mobile tech user, you may want to carry a second battery and swap that into your device should your first battery go down during your day due to a low battery failure).

(4) No multi-tasking capability (the ability to move between multiple software applications)




Now we come to the new Apple iPad which Steve Jobs claimed in his keynote speech is a logical device that fits inbetween the smartphone and the laptop markets which the netbook market has failed to do. While I like a lot of what the iPad does during the demonstration, i is an oversized iPod; but if you're going to increase screen size (and offer an optional keyboard) then you need to scale performance.




To that end:

(1) Why are there no USB or firewire (IEEE 1394) ports to connect external device?
In fact, there's a special and optional Camera Connection Kit which gives you two ways to import photos and videos from a digital camera. WHY does one have to purchase this device???!!!! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUILT IN!!!

(2) Why is there no built in camera?

(3) With optional 3G and wi-fi capabilities for the iPad, why is there no option to plug in a USB headset or bluetooth headset to make phone calls?

(4) Why is Apple in the bed and tethered with AT&T Mobility once again (and not with Verizon Wireless or one of the other networks)? It has been widely reported that AT&T's wireless cell network has been overloaded due to people using their smartphones to download data which involves the general Internet along with Facebook, Twitter and the like. And the kicker is that most of the overloads are coming from iPhone users on the AT&T network. The iPad just exasperates the network more with it's (optional) built in 3G abilities.



I give apple credit or making a earth friendly and "green" device, but as functional task device it is limited. In my opinion it wouldn't be a device that fits in my life in between a smartphone or laptop. At this point I'm still looking to purchase the Nokia N900 smartphone and be happy with that.





Nokia N900 Internet Tablet/Smartphone




Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez Forgives
Haiti’s $295 Million Dollar Debt


The ManilaTimes.net
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

CARACAS, Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) said that Petrocaribe, Venezuela’s cut-rate regional energy alliance, will forgive quake-stricken Haiti’s debt. Haiti’s debt with Venezuela is $295 million, about one-third of its global foreign debt of $1 billion, according to International Monetary Fund figures.

“Haiti has no debt with Venezuela—on the contrary, it is Venezuela that has a historic debt with Haiti,” Chavez said as he made the announcement.

Chavez was referring to the support that Haiti—which obtained its independence from France in 1804—gave Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar in 1815 and 1816 in his quest to free his country from Spanish colonial rule.

Chavez made the announcement at the closing ceremony of a meeting of foreign ministers from leftist countries with the ALBA trade alliance, a Cuba and Venezuela-supported regional common market founded in 2004.

Petrocaribe provides preferential oil pricing for its Caribbean members, with Venezuela picking up 40 percent of the cost if oil is selling over $50 a barrel.

When oil prices are above $50, member states will have up to 25 years to pay the bulk of the debt at a one percent interest rate, with two years grace.

Haiti, struggling to recover from the January 12 devastating 7.0 earthquake, received in the past days 225,000 barrels of Petrocaribe oil sent through the neighboring Dominican Republic.

Both Haiti and the Dominican Republic are Petrocaribe members.

Other Petrocaribe members include Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, SaintVincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as founding member Venezuela.

Separately, ALBA foreign ministers approved an aid package for Haiti that includes sanitary, energy, financial and educational assistance.

The ministers also expressed their concern over the “excessive foreign military presence” in the Caribbean nation, with no clear parameters over its “authority, purpose, role and length of stay.”

Their presence “threatens to further complicate conditions on the ground and . . . international cooperation” for Haitian reconstruction, the ministers said.

They called on United Nations to take a central role in coordinating emergency efforts, and emphasized that the Haitians must take the lead in their country’s reconstruction.
AFP


President Barack Obama
Met Venezuelan Leader President Hugo Chavez
For The First Time At The Summit of the Americas
(April 2009)


Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Black Panther Animated TV Series
A Marvel Comics Superhero Coming To BET
Starring Kerry Washington, Alfre Woodard, Jill Scott & Djimon Hounsou


ShadowandAct.com
On Media Of The African Diaspora – Emphasis On Cinema
By Tambay, on January 26th, 2010



From my inbox… As was announced last year, Reginald Hudlin, & BET Networks have been working on bringing the Marvel Comics’ Black Panther superhero series to your TV screens.

Eight episodes have apparently already been produced, and begun airing last week in Australia. Is there a strong Black Panther following amongst Australians that I’m just not aware of?

No word on when the series will come to the USA, but I’d guess it’ll be very soon.

Below are the opening credits to the cartoon series which features the voice talents of Kerry Washington, Alfre Woodard, Jill Scott and Djimon Hounsou as T’Challa, the Black Panther.



Black Panther Animated Intro


ALSO,
Black Panther Animated Series: 2 Minute Sneak Preview

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Jim Kelly Is Black Belt Jones And More...
4 Film Favorites: Urban Action Collection
Definitely A Childhood Hero Of Mine From Da 1970s


New Urban Action Collection DVD Release
Starring My Boyhood Hero Jim Kelly








DOOOOUUUUUUUUUHHHH!!!!!!!!!



Rejoice y'all! On the FUN side, I'm happy to announce that Warner Bros just released (January 12th, 2010) the Urban Action Collection on DVD which is part of their 4 Film Favorites series of DVDs.

This particular set of films feature: Belt Black Jones (1974) , Hot Potato (1976), and Three The Hard Way (1974) all star my childhood Black (martial arts) hero Jim Kelly; the other film Black Samson (1974), which I never heard of, is also featured. You can pick up this 4 film set DVD for like $13 to $15 duckets at Amazon.com. A bargain. And the films are remastered and letterboxed. ( I HATE the term widescreen; I'm old school from the laserdisc days! Yo' heard!)

Anyway, not gonna type much more here other than to say that Black Belt Jones and Three The Hard Way are winners. Hot Potato unfortunately is not a good film. In fact, it's rather horrendous and wasn't funny! The following pics are from Black Belt Jones, which a campy FUN film. I also found and embedded below the opening film fight sequence and the ending film fight sequence from YouTube.

So, chill a while on Nubian Knights Network and watch a few minutes and have FUN.

Lata y'all...
DOOOOUUUUUUUUUHHHH!!!!!!!!!

ROD







Jim Kelly Givin' A Beat Down




A Hit To Da Balls! DAMN! Dat Hurts!




Another Beat Down Is Comin' By Black Belt Jones




Jim Kelly In His Cute Shorty Shorts Kickin' Butt!







Black Belt Jones: Intro/Opening Credits Fight Scene





Black Belt Jones: Ultimate Car-wash Kick Butt Scene






Jim Kelly Tribute With "Afro Samurai" Theme Song By RZA







Jim Kelly (Being Falsely Set-up) Kickin' The Police's Ass
Awesome Clip Is From Three The Hard Way






Monday, January 25, 2010

The "Black Artist As Activist" Exhibit
Opening Reception Sunday, January 31st, 2010
4PM - 6PM
Brooklyn, New York



Our Children’s Journey
by Kevin E. Cole




OPENING:
Sunday, January 31th, 2010
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
The art exhibit is on view through Sunday, March 28th, 2010

WHERE:
Corridor Gallery
334 Grand Avenue
(Between Gates and Greene Avenues)
Brooklyn, NY 11238
718.230.5002
GOOGLE MAP






ARTISTS:
Regina Agu, Andrea Chung, Kevin E. Cole, Sheryl Renee Dobson, Khalid Kodi, Zoraida Lopez, Joanna Mcfarland, Jasmine Murrell, Shani Peters, Terrance Sanders, Malik Seneferu, Ademola Olugebefola, and Derick Cross, among others.


ABOUT: Working with a grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College partnered with the Danny Simmons Corridor Gallery and the National Conference of Artists New York to bring forth a multitude of various voices and mediums from around the country to raise awareness of the ways in which Black artists use art as a tool of transformation and liberation for themselves and the larger global community. The exhibit at Corridor Gallery will feature artists who use various media including collage, painting, printmaking and photography to depict images that represent the artist as activist and art as an instrument for social change.

# # #


About The Center for Black Literature (CBL) at Medgar Evers College/CUNY

Founded in 2003, the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College was established to expand, broaden, and enrich the public’s knowledge and aesthetic appreciation of the value of black literature, to continue the tradition and legacy of the National Black Writers Conference, to serve as a voice, mecca, and resource for black writers, and to study the literature of people from the African Diaspora. As part of its mission, the Center also collaborates with educational, cultural and community-based organizations. It is the only Center devoted to this in the country and also serves as a vehicle for nurturing and cultivating the critical reading and writing habits of a cross-generation of readers and writers, particularly those who are in school, and for sponsoring programs which demonstrate the Center’s commitment to nurturing and supporting emerging writers.. Among its major programs are the National Black Writers Conference, the Re-Envisioning Our Lives through Literature High School Collaborative Project, the North Country Institute and Retreat for Writers of Color, the Writers on Writing Radio Program, and the Elder African American Writers Workshop.


About
Corridor Gallery
Corridor Gallery (Clinton Hill, Brooklyn) is a core program of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization founded in 1995 by brothers Russell, Danny and Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons. Corridor Gallery is dedicated to providing exhibition opportunities to the emerging artistic community including artists, curators and writers primarily living and working in Brooklyn and the surrounding areas. Since its establishment in 1996, the gallery has supported a unique constellation of artists and creative practices—experimental ventures in performance, visual art, and curatorial work and has exhibited the work of hundreds of non-commercially represented artists. The gallery serves the local community by hosting special events aimed at initiating a dialogue on matters relating to contemporary art. In addition, Corridor Gallery is also home to Rush Education Programs that expose and immerse disadvantaged urban youth in the study and practice of contemporary art. The exhibitions and educational programs of the galleries are sponsored in part by a grant from the New York State Council for the Arts and are free and open to the public. In 2008, the Gallery was awarded the Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture from the department of Cultural Affairs for its pioneering programming.


About The National Conference of Artists – NY
The National Conference of Artists (NCA) was founded as The National Conference of Negro Artists at a gathering on March 28-29, 1959 in Dean Sage Hall of Atlanta University during the annual exhibition of Black art held by the famed artist and educator Hale Woodruff. The organization was later renamed the National Conference of Artists with chapters in many of the major Black cities, including Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Birmingham, Dallas, Los Angeles, Boston, Richmond and Rochester, NY. Through exhibitions and cultural programs, NCA's goal is to inform, train, and motivate those in the arts to make their talents a force for social change, to help provide employment opportunities, and to reach the general public in a way that will move them in a positive direction through various programs. The New York chapter of NCA was established in 2006.

Contact: Lea Byrd of LEABYRD PR at 917.319.5449 • leabyrd[at]gmail.com


UPDATE (TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND, 2010):

I went to the opening celebration of this Black art on Sunday and FOLKS... the place was freakin' packed wall-to-wall with just a sea of Black folks. It caught me completely off guard and considering the cold weather, too. But yo, we definitely showed up to support and it was great to see. The art pieces and art installations were FUCKING POWERFUL. I don't think anything has ever jarred me more in all my years of going to see Black art exhibitions than seeing the DARFUR DIRTY LAUNDRY art installation in particular. I have pictures of this installation below but the pics don't do the installation justice as you have to be at the art gallery to experience it for yourself.

The Black Artist As Activist Exhibit will continue to be on display the Black owned Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn, New York until March 28th, 2010!

WHERE:
Corridor Gallery
334 Grand Avenue
(Between Gates and Greene Avenues)
Brooklyn, NY 11238

718.230.5002
GOOGLE MAP

Check out the pictures I took of Sunday's opening day below. I apologize in advance for the lack of quality regarding the pictures. I didn't think to bring my good camera gear with me and all I had was my Palm Treo 700P camera phone and it takes crummy pictures with no flash to say the least.



PLEASE GO AND SUPPORT
THIS INCREDIBLE ART EVENT!


GET ON THEIR MAILING LIST!

AND LEAVE A DONATION BEFORE YOU LEAVE, TOO!



Click on any of the images to enlarge them...



The Art of Malik Seneferu









Artist Malik Seneferu Explaining To Onlookers
The Inspiration Behind His Exhibited Work
(About Haiti) That He Created in the Mid 1990s
























The Director of Corridor Gallery Addressing The Black Family
And Explaining The Programs Of The Gallery
And Different Upcoming Events











Darfur's Dirty Laundry
Art Installation
(Painting Hung On The Wall)





Darfur's Dirty Laundry
Art Installation

(On The Floor)





YES,
This Is A Simulation Of Victims/Dead Bodies In Darfur





Because It Was A Packed House, It Was Interesting
How We Were All Being Careful Not To Step
On The Installation As People Either Looked On
Or Walked Around To See Other Art!
THIS WAS POWERFUL BEYOND WORDS!!















This Tribute To Sean Bell Was So Beautiful.
I Couldn't Help But Think How Somber This Installation Looked
In Comparison to Some Of The Other And More Edger Art Pieces






Sean Bell Was Gunned Down & Executed By
New York City Police Officers



The Faces of Sean Bell And His Wife Nicole Paultre Bell
SO BEAUTIFUL!!




The
"It's 10PM. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE?"
,
The Bullet, And The Syringe Are Powerful Symbols
On This Clock Installation
Art

















A Crowded And Packed Corridor Gallery




I Never Got This Sistah's Name But She Is A Spoken Word Artist.
SHE WAS AWESOME!
I Was At A Documentary Film Shoot The Night Before
At A Barbershop In Greenpoint, Brooklyn
And She Was An Invited Guest.
It Was Nice To Bump Into Her Twice Within 24 Hours




A Bite Of My Apple Tree Play Was Perfomed
















Malik Seneferu's Pan-African Fist Artwork