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Yele Haiti!HELP WYCLEF JEAN HELP HAITIANS!!HAITI EARTHQUAKE FUND

www.yele.org

HEY FAM,

I just donated $25.00. If you can match that or greater we can sem the tide together! If you can only give less, then that's qool, too!

ROD

Wyclef Jean is taking the lead in asking for help and assistance for the millions of people affected by the massive earthquake that struck Haiti.

We thank you and gratefully acknowledge your generous contribution to Yele Haiti. Yele Haiti is a movement led by Wyclef Jean that is helping to bring hope back to Haiti. Projects are designed to make a difference in the fields of education, health, environment and community development. Yele Haiti (previously known as the Wyclef Jean Foundation) is a 501 (3) tax exempt charitable organization. No goods or services were provided, in whole or in part, in return for this contribution.Your gift is fully tax deductible as provided in the Internal Revenue Code. 100% of donations from individuals go to our assigned projects.

Thank you once again!

Sincerely,
The Yele Haiti Team

Organization Info:
Yele Haiti
P.o. Box 2345
New York, New York 10108
United States of America
Email: donation@yele.org
Phone: 212/352-0552




ANOTHER WAY TO HELP PUT:
Text YELE to 501501 to donate $5 dollars to help Wyclef Jean's (Haitian native musician) efforts, on his way to Haiti now. The $5 will show up on your cell phone bill.... Pass it on!

Yele Haiti Website: www.yele.org

CAN YOU PLEASE HELP?!!!

UPDATE:
MUCH MORE INFORMATION BELOW

ALSO, A LOT OF SCAMS ARE GOING
AROUND REGARDING HAITI,
SO VERIFY ANY AND ALL
INFORMATION

T-Mobile USA Waives Call Charges To and From Haiti

T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced that they will be doing what they can to lend their aid in the wake of the magnitude 7 earthquake that shook the Port-au-Prince area on January 12. The company will allow current T-Mobile customers to make phone calls to Haiti free of charge. T-Mobile is hoping to help unite family members by enabling phone calls without charges retroactively from January 12, 2010, until January 31, 2010. And any T-Mobile customers will also be able to roam free-of charge while in Haiti.


UPS is shipping anything under 50lbs. for free to Haiti. You can send food, clothes, or shoes.....

American Airlines is taking Dr's and Nurses to Haiti for free. Call 212-697-9767.....

Red Cross needs Creole speaking volunteers for a 24 hour phone bank.Call Mr. Wilifrid @ 305-776-6900 ASAP. Please re-post, spread the word

ASSISTANCE FOR HAITIANS IN AMERICA

Contact the Haitian Embassy at 202.332.4090
or the nearest Haitian Consulate office in your area to locate your loved ones.

ASSISTANCE FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS ABROAD

(How to trace family members in Haiti)
Call 888.407.4747 Department of State (US)

ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT WITH MONEY & RESOURCES

I. Yele
Founded by famed Haitian-American GRAMMY Award winning rapper/musician Wyclef Jean (formerly of The Fugees). Visit www.yele.org for more information. Text “501501” then type “Yele” to make a $5 donation ASAP.


II. Haiti Support Project
Founded by Dr. Ron Daniels (President of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century) this relief fund will collect your cash donations and send it to grassroots organization.


III. Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees
Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, Lakou New York, and MUDHA Movement of Dominican Haitian Women are organizing an immediate delivery of first aid relief. MUDHA is traveling to the Dominican/Haitian border, looking at how to reach affected areas. See first aid list of needs below and bring items to:

• HAITIAN WOMEN FOR HAITIAN REFUGEES
  335 Maple Street, 2nd Floor
  Brooklyn, NY (this is not a mailing address)
  718.735.4660
  
  EVENING DROP-OFF HOURS ARE MON. & WED. 6:30-8:30 P.M.
  DAYTIME DROP-OFF HOURS ARE MON. - FRI. 11:00-4:00 P.M.

Please use rear entrance on Lincoln Road between Nostrand and New York Avenue. Enter through St. Francis Church parking lot. To make a financial tax-deductible donation to Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, Lakou New York, and MUDHA Movement of Dominican Haitian Women, so that they may take supplies to Haiti, please mail donations to:
IFCO/Haiti Relief
418 West 145th Street
New York NY 10031

You may also make a credit card donation designated for Haiti Relief at www.pastorsforpeace.org or by calling IFCO at 212.926.5757.


IV. The Global Syndicate’s Haiti Project
Give any financial support you can by donating to http://www.theglobalsyndicate.org/get_involved.html. All proceeds will be used to support relief efforts of Project Medishare and Yele (two of our partner organizations that have robust structures that offer direct support).

V. S.H.A.D. (Soin Humanité Amour Dévouement)
“S.H.A.D.” translated into English means Care Humanity Love Devotement. It is a non-profit organization (with 501c3 status) that is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, while providing education, medical, emotional, and social support services unavailable to low-income Haitian women from 14-45 years old. Their work includes servicing pregnant women and those who live under poverty level who are affected and infected by the HIV/AIDS virus. All monetary donations are being collected via PayPal at donation: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-click&hosted_button_id=10554585

WHAT HAITI NEEDS

Americans and concerned citizens in the entire global community should ask friends, neighbors, religious institutions, social, cultural, or political organizations, local businesses, or your coworkers to begin to gather the following for the people of Haiti. MORE INFORMATION on how to get them to Haiti will be coming soon:

I. Nonperishable foods
WATER
Canned goods
Bags of rice, bags of beans


II. Clothing
New/clean underwear for women, men, girls, and boys
Sneakers/tennis shoes and socks of all sizes for women, men, girls, and boys
Shoes of all sizes for women, men, girls, and boys
Shirts and tee-shirts of all sizes for men and boys
Blouses and dresses of all sizes for women and girls
Jeans, plants, and slacks of all sizes for women, men, girls, and boys
Bras of all sizes for women and girls


III. Supplies
MEDICAL SUPPLIES
Blankets
First-aid kits
Diarrhea medication
Eye drops
Insect repellent
Hydrogen peroxide
Skin disinfectant spray
Flashlights, Candles, Matches
Batteries of all sizes
Tents (sold at Walmart and K-Mart)
Scissors
Book-bags and knapsacks and purses
Tape (both scotch tape, and thick electrical tape)
Hammers, nails, screwdrivers, pliers
Thick outdoor garbage bags
Water pails, pots, and pans
Paper towels
Cleaning liquids
Disposable utensils (plates, forks, spoons, knives, cups, napkins)



III. Toiletries Toilet paper
Soap
Shampoo
Toothbrushes
Deodorant
Hair combs
Hair brushes
Rubbing alcohol
Hydrogen peroxide
Conditioner
Body lotion
Toothpaste
Sanitary napkins
Tampons
Cotton balls and cotton swabs
Wash cloths
Bath towels

RECOMMMENDED HAITIAN & HAITI EXPERTS (For Media Interviews)

I. MARGUERITE LAURENT, ESQ.

A foremost Haitian activist, Ms. Laurent’s daily online newsletter, Eli Danto, provides all kinds of info about Haiti. Contact her at erzilidanto@yahoo.com. Visit her website at www.ezilidanto.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Ezilidanto.

II. DR. RON DANIELS

Scholar, historian, activist, and the most Haiti-involved African American in our country. He is the founder of the Haiti Support Project. Contact Dr. Daniels at ronmae@aol.com or visit his website at www.ibw21.org.

RECOMMMENDED MEDIA (Books and Films)

Many people following the earthquake are new to Haiti, its people, and its culture. Many people are being introduced to this great nation for the first time as the “poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.” The list below is our humble attempt to reframe the conversation and the context. Our first thoughts of Haiti are as the first independent majority-Black nation in the Western Hemisphere. We know it as a country that is rich with history and beauty. Their heroes and human rights activists, Toussaint L'ouverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines, are our heroes and models of resistance. January 1, 1804 is the official declaration of Haitian independence and we celebrate that victory, too. We have compiled some background info about this Caribbean island that has long been tied to American history. In fact it was a Haitian immigrant, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, who founded the American city of Chicago.

BOOKS ABOUT HAITI
Danticat, Edwidge. Breath, Eyes, Memory and Krik? Krak!
Lawless, Robert. Haiti's Bad Press
Metraux, Alfred. Voodoo In Haiti
Ridgeway, James, Ed. The Haiti Files: Decoding the Crisis
Thompson, Ian. Bonjour Blanc: A Journey through Haiti

FILMS ABOUT HAITI

The Agronomist is about Jean Leopold Dominique who hosted Radio Haiti-Inter, Haiti's first independent radio station. Jonathan Demme puts together this documentary with historical footage and interviews. The result is a serious recount of Haiti during its numerous regimes.

Radio Haiti-Inter was Radio Haiti in 1960 and in 1969, it became Radio Haiti-Inter. It finally ended its broadcast three years after the assassination of Jean Dominique. His broadcasts were primarily for the struggle of democracy and he was able to capture the feelings of those who were poor and powerless.

The documentary starts with an interview where Jean Dominique recounts a day when he was able to broadcast gunfire outside Radio Haiti-Inter. Visit this site for ordering details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Websitehttp://www.thinkfilmcompany.com

Haiti: The Untold Story by Kevin Pina, chronicles the brutal daily human rights violations committed against democracy supporters in Haiti since the February 2004 coup d'etat. The film focuses on abuses in poor urban neighborhoods by the Haitian National Police and United Nations Stabilization Mission (MINUSTAH) troops in Haiti, especially the July 6, 2005 Cite Soleil massacre. It was produced at great personal risk by journalist/filmmaker Pina, who has covered the grassroots democracy movement in Haiti for the past ten years. It contains stunning footage not available elsewhere. For more information, or to view a trailer, see www.teledyol.net/KP/HUS/HUS.html

Aristide and the Endless Revolution by Nicolas Rossier (Baraka Productions): An hour south of Miami, the elected president of the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation has twice been forced from office with the complicity of the international community. Aristide and the Endless Revolution investigates the tragic events that led to the second violent expulsion of Jean Bertrand Aristide from Haiti. This documentary reveals the tangled web of hope, deceit, and political violence that has brought the world's first black republic to its knees. For more information or to view a trailer, see http://www.aristidethefilm.com.

Pote Mak Sonje: the Raboteau Massacre Trial (Christine Cynn and Harriet Hirshorn) is a few years old, but is an important reminder of the possibilities of democracy in Haiti. The film chronicles the tenacious, non-violent and ultimately (but temporarily) successful fight for justice by the victims of the 1994 Raboteau Massacre. The victims took risks for justice, because they saw it as a way of breaking Haiti's cycle of violence and transforming the justice system from an instrument of repression into an instrument of liberation. They succeeded in convicting the top paramilitary and military leadership of murder in a trial hailed as a landmark in the fight against impunity. After the film's release, all those convicted were freed following the February 2004 coup d'etat. For more information, see http://www.ijdh.org/articles/article_raboteau-4.htm.

TIME LINE OF HAITIAN HISTORY

To get a quick and general sense of 500 years of Haitian history over the past 500 years, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Haitian_history

Action Martial Arts Magazine Hall of Honors 2010Kyud Leon (Lakeim) SimmonsHonored with the "Execllence In Teaching Martial Arts" Award

Pictured Right: Kyud Leon (Lakeim) Simmons


YEAH, LAKEIM! GO BOY!!!!!

Saturday, January 9th, 2010 I went to Atlantic City for the Action Martial Arts Magazine Hall of Honors 2010. It was an awesome event and I as honored with the "Execllence In Teaching Martial Arts" award. What a way to start the New Year! I want to thank Grand Master Carlito Lanada, Kyud Bill Kossman and Kyudai Alice Kossman, Kyud Roberto Lao, Master Troy Barcia, my students, my family, and my friends for all their support and help whom without this achievement would not have been possible.

Kyud Leon (Lakeim) Simmons
Lakan Guro

New Africentric 44-Cent U.S. Postage Stamps:U.S. Navy Sailor "Dorie" Miller,Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux andThe Negro Baseball League

I finally got a chance to look through the new issue of USA Philatelic magazine that the United States Postal Service sends out quarterly and came across a few upcoming 44-cent stamps for 2010 that I wanted to share with the FAM.

Keep these stamps in mind when you go to your local post office and ask for them, or call TOLL-FREE 1-800-STAMP-24 (1-800-782-6724) tp place an order, order online from www.usps.com

First, as part of the Distinguished Sailor series
of postage stamps is Doris "Dorie"Miller.
Set For Release February 4th, 2010



I Found This Pin Image Of Dorie On A Google Search.
It Looks Vintage and So Qool And So I Wanted To Share It

Second,
Oscar Micheaux Was a Prolific African-American Filmmaker
Who Made 30+ Black Films (from 1919-1941)
Way Back In The Days
-
How He Was Able To Raise Money And Get Those Films Done
Is INCREDIBLE In And Of Itself For Those Days.

Truly KUJICHAGULIA (koo-GEE-chah-GOO-lee-AH):
SELF-DETERMINATION

More on Oscar Micheaux...

The 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series, to be issued June 22nd, 2010 honors pioneering filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, who wrote, directed, produced and distributed more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century. An ambitious, larger-than-life figure, Micheaux thrived at a time when African-American filmmakers were rare, venues for their work were scarce, and support from the industry did not exist. Micheaux’s entrepreneurial spirit and independent vision continue to inspire new generations of filmmakers and artists.

This stamp features a stylized portrait of Oscar Micheaux by Gary Kelley. The artwork is based on one of the few surviving photographs of Micheaux, a portrait that appeared in his 1913 novel The Conquest.

Although only 15 of his movies are known to have survived in whole or in part, Micheaux has become a cinematic icon. In 1986, he was posthumously awarded a special Directors Guild of America award. In 1995, the Producers Guild of America established the Oscar Micheaux Award to honor “an individual or individuals whose achievements in film and television have been accomplished despite difficult odds.”

Third and Final New Stamp:
Negro Baseball League

-
Andrew "Rube" Foster

ROD's Top 20 Black SGL Films;Also: RAG TAG (2006)A Black British Same Gender Loving FilmNow Available On U.S.'s Amazon.com

Hey FAM,

Just got word from a friend that the British Black same gender loving (SGL) film Rag Tag is now available stateside on Amazon.com (HERE). Amazon sometimes fluctuates its prices on various items; you can get the film for like $23 bucks or so. I purchased my copy not too long ago from Rag Tag director Adaora Nwandu from her company Muka Films Limited and had it shipped from England. Rag Tag is one of my favorite Black SGL films of all time (in fact, it's in the top three!) an it's highly recommended if my word means anything to ya. LOL!

I also decided to compile of list of my top 20

The criteria for my top 20 Black same gender loving films is based upon:
(1) The majority of the characters (fiction) and/or real persons (documentaries) are of African descent and same gender loving.

(2) The stories are the primary focus of the African same gender loving (homosexual, bisexual, transgendered) experience (a slice of life)

(3) Black films that I (ROD) have SEEN (NOT word of mouth)

(4) American and foreign (import) films

(5) The films were exhibitioned in movie theaters or via tv/cable viewing

(6) The Black films depict people of African descent in a affirming, cultural, uplifting and respectable way.

ROD's Top 20
Black Same Gender Loving Films

The list below is arranged in alphabetical order
and DOES NOT signify a particular order
of importance or ranking!!

1- Batty Man (2006)~

2- Billy Turner’s Secret (1990) [From The Short Film Anthology Boys' Shorts] [available on DVD]

3- Blind Faith (1998)

4- Blueprint (2007) [available on DVD February 2010]

5- Brother To Brother (2004) [available on DVD]

6- Dakan (1997)~ [available on DVD]

7- DL Chronicles, The (2005) [available on DVD]

8- Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project (2008)

9- Four Rent Boys And A Sangoma (2004)~

10- Kevin's Room (2001)

11- Living With Pride: Ruth C. Ellis @ 100 (1999)

12- Looking For Langston (1988)+ [available on DVD]

13- Make A Move (2006)

14- Mississippi Damned (2009)

15- Paris Is Burning (1990) [available on DVD]

16- Rag Tag (2006)~ [available on DVD]

17- Reception, The (2005) [available on DVD]

18- Rude (1995) [available on DVD]

19- Ski Trip, The (2004) [available on DVD]

20- Surrender (2000)~


SYMBOL LEGEND:
FILMS HI-LITED IN YELLOW DENOTE MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE BLACK SGL FILMS

~FOREIGN FILM [PRODUCED & MADE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES] (4)

+INCREDIBLE CINEMATOGRAPHY