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Reply #480 posted 05/02/09 11:19am

Serena

speculator3m said:

Ok first Prince you might want to use Wikipedia more often. Information is not all locked up and spoon fed to people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...l_Congress


Chem Trails? http://en.wikipedia.org/w...hem_trails

ya ok whatever lol

I really enjoyed his discussion of music and how he "tries" to channel his anger into it.

All around very enjoyable. But as per usual I feel like its all been rehearsed.

He even seems to edit himself as he speaks and sometimes you can see him thinking " oops! did I just say that? grr"

hehe

Good Stuff! Prince is one fun guy to watch!
[Edited 4/30/09 17:11pm]



Yeah! Because Wiki is the factual, be-all, end-all!! When I want facts, that's exactly where I look. lol

I think the chem-trail stuff is a bunch of hooey, but I sure wouldn't base that on a fucking Wiki entry.
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Reply #481 posted 05/02/09 11:30am

Serena

wildgoldenhoney said:

worhol said:

I just watched the interviews with Tavis Smiley. Prince is not who he says he is. Bria seems like a sweet girl so i hope you read this message. Prince has been out with a bunch of different girls in la and he sees a girl in nyc who he was out with on saturday. Watch your back he cant be faithful to one person to save his life. He is 51 years old and still playing girls and hanging out in night clubs, what does that tell you? Dont put all your eggs in one basket be smart Bria he is not the kind of man you think he is. I wish you luck in your career. God bless

hmm

stuff1/xtragab is back...


wtf? I don't know who you mean, but whoever it is doesn't know Prince's age but claims to know his personal life? Prince is being 'faithful to Jehovah', he's not married so why not see other women, especially if he's not even in a relationship with someone.
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Reply #482 posted 05/02/09 11:34am

Serena

ernestsewell said:

PurpleRain747 said:

2 reiterate what eye wrote recently:)



Your eye wrote it? I bet that's gross to look at.


As soon as I see someone has written that STUPID FUCKING 'EYE' thing, I move on & don't read one word past it. I can see people abbreviating words when writing quickly, but you're not saving keystrokes with that shit and it doesn't even have the same definition of what you're replacing. hammer
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Reply #483 posted 05/02/09 11:48am

beautyfull1

avatar

Enjoyed the interview...always enjoy learning about my beloved. lol The first part of the interview made me want to tear up...I just love him. Nonetheless, I do agree with others about him going the total opposite/exteme of who Prince is (music, love, spirituality, and a sexual being), yes you should not be consumed by sexuality, but it comes across that he is consumed by religion now. It seems he is rambling at times and still searching for a satisfaction you won't obtain unless you have Christ...I'm jus sayin. But yea, I love you Prince!
Can you hear me?...
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Reply #484 posted 05/02/09 11:55am

itsshananaok

salaciousV said:

WaterInYourBath said:



How about not believing her story? lol



I asked Mr. Hayes he confirmed her age and her 20 years of stalking. biggrin


You asked Mr Hayes huh... yeah right. Its obvious you and others are lying girlfriend, about alot of things on the org.... and you got to give it up already. Ms Valente is a nice girl and Prince is real happy with her. You can tell they are both happy....leave them alone and quit hating so much. Whats the point honey, life is too short and NO I AM NOT BRIA. Stop lying about that too....I dont believe the hype from obbessed fans who are only here to give gossip.
Cuzzin'... when Spooky say dead, u better say died.
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Reply #485 posted 05/02/09 3:11pm

noimageatall

avatar

bellanoche said:

japanrocks said:



[Bait snip - luv4u]


Japanrocks, what about my statements indicates that? If you know anything about the history of blacks in America, which you obviously do not, I referenced facts, actual documented incidents in American history where black people were targeted for destruction. Is used them to state that if Prince bases his acceptance of the chemtrail theory on this history he is not completely "nuts" as 2Freaky opined. So, what about that says that I am breathing chemicals?


I don't want to hijack this thread or get too far OT. However, this is for Japanrocks, so that you know I am not breathing in chemtrails.

Sterilization of Black Women

"Well Grounded Fears

In the 1960s, many African Americans around the country deeply distrusted the motivations behind government funded birth control clinics, fearing it was an attempt to limit black population growth and stunt black political power. Their fears were well grounded in past experiences. In the South, black fertility had a long history of being controlled by whites. Under slavery, African American women were encouraged to have children to increase a plantation owner's wealth. After the Civil War, when African Americans were no longer valuable property, the view among white supremacists abruptly shifted. It became desirable to decrease the African American population in the South. Sterilization abuse of African American women by the white medical establishment reached its height in the 1950s and 1960s. Women who went into the hospital to deliver children often came out unable to have more."

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/a...ocide.html

Tuskegee Experiment

Using Human Beings as Laboratory Animals

The true nature of the experiment had to be kept from the subjects to ensure their cooperation. The sharecroppers' grossly disadvantaged lot in life made them easy to manipulate. Pleased at the prospect of free medical care —almost none of them had ever seen a doctor before— these unsophisticated and trusting men became the pawns in what James Jones, author of the excellent history on the subject, Bad Blood, identified as “the longest non-therapeutic experiment on human beings in medical history.”

The study was meant to discover how syphilis affected blacks as opposed to whites —the theory being that whites experienced more neurological complications from syphilis, whereas blacks were more susceptible to cardiovascular damage. How this knowledge would have changed clinical treatment of syphilis is uncertain.

. . .

When the experiment was brought to the attention of the media in 1972, news anchor Harry Reasoner described it as an experiment that “used human beings as laboratory animals in a long and inefficient study of how long it takes syphilis to kill someone.


A Heavy Price in the Name of Bad Science

By the end of the experiment, 28 of the men had died directly of syphilis, 100 were dead of related complications, 40 of their wives had been infected, and 19 of their children had been born with congenital syphilis. How had these men been induced to endure a fatal disease in the name of science?

To persuade the community to support the experiment, one of the original doctors admitted it “was necessary to carry on this study under the guise of a demonstration and provide treatment.” At first, the men were prescribed the syphilis remedies of the day —bismuth, neoarsphenamine, and mercury— but in such small amounts that only 3 percent showed any improvement.

These token doses of medicine were good public relations and did not interfere with the true aims of the study. Eventually, all syphilis treatment was replaced with “pink medicine” —aspirin.

To ensure that the men would show up for a painful and potentially dangerous spinal tap, the PHS doctors misled them with a letter full of promotional hype: “Last Chance for Special Free Treatment.” The fact that autopsies would eventually be required was also concealed.

As a doctor explained, “If the colored population becomes aware that accepting free hospital care means a post-mortem, every darky will leave Macon County...” Even the Surgeon General of the United States participated in enticing the men to remain in the experiment, sending them certificates of appreciation after 25 years in the study."


http://www.tuskegee.edu/G...?s=1207586

There are too many cases of intentional dumping of toxic waste in black neighborhoods for me to post. Just Google "dumping toxic waste in black neighborhoods" some time.
[Edited 4/28/09 20:02pm]


Bella, thanks for the articles. I have not studied the subject of chemtrails extensively, but I remember last year during BHM, there were articles posted about experiments done in poor, Black neighborhoods in Baltimore and E. St. Louis. I was angry as hell and if the government is still doing this as of 2005, then what are they doing that don't we know about? confused

http://dianarn.wordpress....oth-decay/


Sewage Waste Tested as Lead Fix on Poor Black People
April 16, 2008 at 1:49 pm

Sludge Tested As Lead-Poisoning Fix

Apr 13 05:18 PM US/Eastern
By JOHN HEILPRIN and KEVIN S. VINEYS
Associated Press Writers

BALTIMORE (AP) - Scientists using federal grants spread fertilizer made from human and industrial wastes on yards in poor, black neighborhoods to test whether it might protect children from lead poisoning in the soil. Families were assured the sludge was safe and were never told about any harmful ingredients.

Nine low-income families in Baltimore row houses agreed to let researchers till the sewage sludge into their yards and plant new grass. In exchange, they were given food coupons as well as the free lawns as part of a study published in 2005 and funded by the Housing and Urban Development Department.

The Associated Press reviewed grant documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and interviewed researchers. No one involved with the $446,231 grant for the two-year study would identify the participants, citing privacy concerns. There is no evidence there was ever any medical follow-up.

Comparable research was conducted by the Agriculture Department and Environmental Protection Agency in a similarly poor, black neighborhood in East St. Louis, Ill.

The sludge, researchers said, put the children at less risk of brain or nerve damage from lead, a highly toxic element once widely used in gasoline and paint. Other studies have shown brain damage among children, often in poor neighborhoods, who ate lead-based paint that had flaked off their homes.

The idea that sludge—the leftover semisolid wastes filtered from water pollution at 16,500 treatment plants—can be turned into something harmless, even if swallowed, has been a tenet of federal policy for three decades.

In a 1978 memo, the EPA said sludge “contains nutrients and organic matter which have considerable benefit for land and crops” despite the presence of “low levels of toxic substances.”

But in the late 1990s the government began underwriting studies such as those in Baltimore and East St. Louis using poor neighborhoods as laboratories to make a case that sludge may also directly benefit human health.

Meanwhile, there has been a paucity of research into the possible harmful effects of heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, other chemicals and disease-causing microorganisms often found in sludge.

A series of reports by the EPA’s inspector general and the National Academy of Sciences between 1996 and 2002 faulted the adequacy of the science behind the EPA’s 1993 regulations on sludge.

The chairman of the 2002 academy panel, Thomas Burke, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says epidemiological studies have never been done to show whether spreading sludge on land is safe.

“There are potential pathogens and chemicals that are not in the realm of safe,” Burke told the AP. “What’s needed are more studies on what’s going on with the pathogens in sludge—are we actually removing them? The commitment to connecting the dots hasn’t been there.”

That’s not what the subjects of the Baltimore and East St. Louis research were told.

Rufus Chaney, an Agriculture Department research agronomist who co- wrote the Baltimore study, said the researchers provided the families with brochures about lead hazards, tested the soil in their yards and gave assurances that the Orgro fertilizer was store-bought and perfectly safe.

“They were told that their lawn, as it stood, before it was treated, was a lead danger to their children,” said Chaney. “So that even if they ate some of the soil, there would not be as much of a risk as there was before. And that’s what the science shows.”

Chaney said the Baltimore neighborhoods were chosen because they were within an economically depressed area qualifying for tax incentives. He acknowledged the families were not told there have been some safety disputes and health complaints over sludge.

“They were told that it was composted biosolids that are available for sale commercially in the state of Maryland. I don’t think there’s any other further disclosure required,” Chaney said. “There was danger before. There wasn’t danger because of the biosolids compost. Composting, of course, kills pathogens.”

The Baltimore study concluded that phosphate and iron in sludge can increase the ability of soil to trap more harmful metals including lead, cadmium and zinc, causing the combination to pass safely through a child’s body if eaten.

It called the fertilizer “a simple low-cost” technology for parents and communities “to reduce risk to their children” who are in danger of lead contamination. The results were published in Science of the Total Environment, an international research journal, in 2005.

Another study investigating whether sludge might inhibit the “bioavailability” of lead—the rate it enters the bloodstream and circulates to organs and tissues—was conducted on a vacant lot in East St. Louis next to an elementary school, all of whose 300 students were black and almost entirely from low-income families.

In a newsletter, the EPA-funded Community Environmental Resource Program assured local residents it was all safe.

“Though the lot will be closed off to the public, if people—particularly children—get some of the lead contaminated dirt in their mouths, the lead will just pass through their bodies and not be absorbed,” the newsletter said. “Without this iron-phosphorus mix, lead poisoning would occur.”

Soil chemist Murray McBride, director of the Cornell Waste Management Institute, said he doesn’t doubt that sludge can bind lead in soil.

But when eaten, “it’s not at all clear that the sludge binding the lead will be preserved in the acidity of the stomach,” he said. “Actually thinking about a child ingesting this, there’s a very good chance that it’s not safe.”

McBride and others also questioned the choice of neighborhoods for the studies and why residents were not told about other, possibly harmful ingredients in sludge.

“If you’re not telling them what kinds of chemicals could be in there, how could they even make an informed decision. If you’re telling them it’s absolutely safe, then it’s not ethical,” McBride said. “In many relatively wealthy people’s neighborhoods, I would think that people would research this a little and see a problem and raise a red flag.”
The Baltimore study used a compost of sludge mixed with sawdust and wood chips packaged as “biosolids,” the term for sludge preferred by government and the waste industry.

“What we did was make the yards greener,” said Pat Tracey, a Johns Hopkins University community relations coordinator who recalled helping with the lawn work. “They were bald, bad yards. It was considered sterile fertilizer.”

Baltimore environmental activist Glenn Ross says choosing poor neighborhoods destined for demolition makes it hard to track a study’s participants. “If you wanted to do something very questionable, you would do it in a neighborhood that’s not going to be there in a few years,” he said.

HUD documents show the study’s lead author, Mark Farfel, has pursued several other studies of lead contamination including the risks of exposure from urban housing demolitions and the vacant lots left behind.

Farfel has since moved to New York, where he directs the World Trade Center Health Registry surveying tens of thousands of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. He denied repeated requests for interviews and referred questions to Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute, the children’s research facility that was the recipient of HUD grants with Farfel as project manager.

The institute referred questions to Joann Rodgers, a spokeswoman for Johns Hopkins. She said a review board within its medical school approved the study and the consent forms provided to families that participated. “The study did not test children or other family members living in the homes,” she said.

Some of Farfel’s previous research has been controversial.

In 2001, Maryland’s highest court chastised him, Kennedy Krieger and Johns Hopkins over a study bankrolled by EPA in which researchers testing low-cost ways to control lead hazards exposed more than 75 poor children to lead-based paint in partially renovated houses.

Families of two children alleged to have suffered elevated blood-lead levels and brain damage sued the institute and later settled for an undisclosed amount.

The Maryland Court of Appeals likened the study to Nazi medical research on concentration camp prisoners, the U.S. government’s 40- year Tuskegee study that denied treatment for syphilis to black men in order to study the illness and Japan’s use of “plague bombs” in World War II to infect and study entire villages.

“These programs were somewhat alike in the vulnerability of the subjects: uneducated African-American men, debilitated patients in a charity hospital, prisoners of war, inmates of concentration camps and others falling within the custody and control of the agencies conducting or approving the experiments,” the court said.



So, tell me what has changed? disbelief
"Let love be your perfect weapon..." ~~Andy Biersack
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Reply #486 posted 05/02/09 3:28pm

stanleylieber

avatar

do you guys really believe that if/when these things are happening, they are really being targeted only at black people? and specifically because they are black people?

logic should tell you that people lacking in education and resources to defend themselves would be the obvious targets of this kind of thing, if it were being done.
it's time for a new direction / it's time for jazz to die
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Reply #487 posted 05/02/09 4:15pm

2elijah

stanleylieber said:

do you guys really believe that if/when these things are happening, they are really being targeted only at black people? and specifically because they are black people?

logic should tell you that people lacking in education and resources to defend themselves would be the obvious targets of this kind of thing, if it were being done.


Logic should also tell you that with evidence provided, that it has happened. Documented evidence proves it, as well as it being done in largely, minority and poor communities. It's been done with drugs, so why should you not believe it's done with toxic waste?


Book on environmental racism: Dumping in Dixie

Excerpt from book:

"To be poor, working-class, or a person of color in the United States often means bearing a disproportionate share of the country’s environmental problems"
.

More....

[i]In the 1980s some changes occurred in the way black community groups and national advocacy groups dealt with the toxics issue. This new environmental activism among blacks did not materialize out of thin air nor was it an overnight phenomenon. It did, however, emerge out of the growing hostility to facility siting decisions that were seen as unfair, inequitable, and discriminatory toward poor people and people of color.

Toxic-waste disposal has generated demonstrations in many communities across the country.[38] The first national protest by blacks on the hazardous-waste issue occurred in 1982. demonstrations and protests were triggered after Warren County, North Carolina, which is mostly black, was selected as the burial site for more than 32,000 cubic yards of soil contaminated with highly toxic PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). The soil had been illegally dumped along the roadways in fourteen North Carolina counties in 1978.

What was the source of the PCBs? The PCBs originated from the Raleigh-based Ward Transfer Company. A Jamestown, New York, trucking operation owned by Robert J. Burns obtained the PCB-laced oil from the Ward Transfer Company for resale. Faced with economic loss as a result of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ban on resale of the toxic oil in 1979, the waste haulers chose the cheap way out by illegally dumping it along North Carolina's roadways. Burns and Ward were subsequently sent to jail for the criminal dumping of the tainted oil.[39]

This dumping was the largest PCB spill ever documented in the United States. More than 30,000 gallons of PCB-laced oil was left on 210 miles of roadway in the state for four years before the federal EPA and the state of North Carolina began clean-up activities
. In 1982, after months of deliberations and a questionable site selection exercise, North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt in 1982 decided to bury the contaminated soil in the community of Afton located in Warren County. Local citizens later tagged the site "Hunt's Dump."

[Edited 5/2/09 16:40pm]
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Reply #488 posted 05/02/09 4:15pm

ernestsewell

Serena said:

As soon as I see someone has written that STUPID FUCKING 'EYE' thing, I move on & don't read one word past it. I can see people abbreviating words when writing quickly, but you're not saving keystrokes with that shit and it doesn't even have the same definition of what you're replacing. hammer


Exactly. The occasional "u" or something is ok. For "4get" or "2sday" and that shit has GOT to go. It's beyond retarded, even when Prince does it. The FAM doing it makes 'em look like a total dunderhead.
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Reply #489 posted 05/02/09 5:39pm

stanleylieber

avatar

2elijah said:

stanleylieber said:

do you guys really believe that if/when these things are happening, they are really being targeted only at black people? and specifically because they are black people?

logic should tell you that people lacking in education and resources to defend themselves would be the obvious targets of this kind of thing, if it were being done.


Logic should also tell you that with evidence provided, that it has happened. Documented evidence proves it, as well as it being done in largely, minority and poor communities. It's been done with drugs, so why should you not believe it's done with toxic waste?


first of all i never said i don't believe it's happening. nothing you added here contradicts anything i said above.

my point is that i think it's obvious that if these things are happening they are going to be targeted primarily at those who can't defend themselves. obviously there is overlap between black americans and poor americans, especially in urban centers.

the point i am trying to make is that i think people are often too quick to jump to the next conclusion that these things are happening only to black people and only because they are black.

that said, i do think racism probably plays a role in these situations. i think that when the cia helped nicaraguans bring cocaine into the u.s., the fact that much of it was being diverted to dealers in south central los angeles and other urban centers (read: ultimately, to black end users) probably factored into their decision that these measures were acceptable. it's not hard for me to believe that the toxic dumping in black communities is partially the result of racism.

but i don't think these things usually happen simply because the victims are black, and i think that is an important distinction between my point of view and the point of view that is usually advanced along with these various conspiracy theories (many of which may be generally accurate). the toxic waste would have to dumped somewhere even if blacks didn't exist. the cia would have found some other way to fund the contras even if blacks in south central weren't interested in buying crack. the point is that the targeting of blacks is often happening as a side-effect of some larger operation, not as an attack on blacks full stop.

obviously, there is more than one level to these things, and often events occur as the result of multiple motivations held by multiple people.

i'm certain racism comes into play.

regardless of all of this, the people advancing these theories most often have very little in the way of actual evidence to offer. it's not that these things aren't happening, it's that the spokespeople are completely unable to defend their claims.

do you really believe prince has strong supporting evidence for the anti-black conspiracy talk that comes out of his mouth?

look at the rest of his life, and how his statements about other subjects relate to reality.

why would prince suddenly be a learned elder when it comes to anti-black conspiracies when he can't even articulate the corruption of the music business clearly? "they're spraying chemicals on us, peeps. oh, and i'm also the reincarnation of moses. dont' buy the black album."

it is a documented fact, for example, that the cia sprayed lsd on berkeley, california in the mid- 1960s. they also setup fake whore houses and dosed customers without their knowledge.

it is a documented fact that toxic waste has been dumped in the ghetto.

the conclusions about the whys and the wherefores, however, are drawn by us.
[Edited 5/2/09 17:41pm]
it's time for a new direction / it's time for jazz to die
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Reply #490 posted 05/02/09 5:45pm

Serena

I haven't read up much on the Chem-trail conspiracy crap, but what I don't understand is how people think it could be targeted at a certain class of people. Now, if it's that it's to affect the general populace, that's one thing. But do the chemicals know, oh hey, that's a poor person, so I can get him, oh, he's black, I can get him too!

If it's neighborhoods they're targeting, even that wouldn't work where I live. What used to be the 'wrong side of town', now has brand new developments with 200k+ houses across the street from poorer, older neighborhoods. So do the chemicals discriminate and know not to float 50 feet to the 'richer' side?
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Reply #491 posted 05/02/09 6:10pm

2elijah

stanleylieber said:

regardless of all of this, the people advancing these theories most often have very little in the way of actual evidence to offer. it's not that these things aren't happening, it's that the spokespeople are completely unable to defend their claims.


Really? So if someone else made that claim, but they provided hard evidence to support that claim of this happening, what is the difference if Prince made that claim compared to another individual making the same claim?

He was asked by Tavis where he got the inspiration to write "Dreamer" and Prince apparently took the opportunity to explain only "one" section of the lyrics, in the song "Dreamer", that pertained to the "chemtrails" conspiracy. During the interview, P explained the inspiration behind those particular lyrics, came from listening to Dick Gregory, political activist/author, speak at the 2008 SOBU conference discussing the chemtrails conspiracy.

No one is forced to believe that, that's why there's this thing called "research". The interview happened. Not much you could do about it, he said what he wanted to say about it, and you could either believe it or not, do the research or forget about that part of the interview. I just don't see the big deal because that comment came from Prince. The album was released last month and folks read and heard the lyrics to the song, well before his interview with Tavis. Besides, the chemtrails issues, is not the only issue the song is focused on. Besides, no gun is being put against anyone's head to believe the chemtrails conspiracy. Just my 2 cents. Moving on.
[Edited 5/2/09 20:12pm]
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Reply #492 posted 05/02/09 6:19pm

2elijah

noimageatall said:[quote]

bellanoche said:



Bella, thanks for the articles. I have not studied the subject of chemtrails extensively, but I remember last year during BHM, there were articles posted about experiments done in poor, Black neighborhoods in Baltimore and E. St. Louis. I was angry as hell and if the government is still doing this as of 2005, then what are they doing that don't we know about? confused

http://dianarn.wordpress....oth-decay/


Sewage Waste Tested as Lead Fix on Poor Black People
April 16, 2008 at 1:49 pm

Sludge Tested As Lead-Poisoning Fix

Apr 13 05:18 PM US/Eastern
By JOHN HEILPRIN and KEVIN S. VINEYS
Associated Press Writers

BALTIMORE (AP) - Scientists using federal grants spread fertilizer made from human and industrial wastes on yards in poor, black neighborhoods to test whether it might protect children from lead poisoning in the soil. Families were assured the sludge was safe and were never told about any harmful ingredients.

Nine low-income families in Baltimore row houses agreed to let researchers till the sewage sludge into their yards and plant new grass. In exchange, they were given food coupons as well as the free lawns as part of a study published in 2005 and funded by the Housing and Urban Development Department.

The Associated Press reviewed grant documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and interviewed researchers. No one involved with the $446,231 grant for the two-year study would identify the participants, citing privacy concerns. There is no evidence there was ever any medical follow-up.

Comparable research was conducted by the Agriculture Department and Environmental Protection Agency in a similarly poor, black neighborhood in East St. Louis, Ill.

The sludge, researchers said, put the children at less risk of brain or nerve damage from lead, a highly toxic element once widely used in gasoline and paint. Other studies have shown brain damage among children, often in poor neighborhoods, who ate lead-based paint that had flaked off their homes.

The idea that sludge—the leftover semisolid wastes filtered from water pollution at 16,500 treatment plants—can be turned into something harmless, even if swallowed, has been a tenet of federal policy for three decades.

In a 1978 memo, the EPA said sludge “contains nutrients and organic matter which have considerable benefit for land and crops” despite the presence of “low levels of toxic substances.”

But in the late 1990s the government began underwriting studies such as those in Baltimore and East St. Louis using poor neighborhoods as laboratories to make a case that sludge may also directly benefit human health.

Meanwhile, there has been a paucity of research into the possible harmful effects of heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, other chemicals and disease-causing microorganisms often found in sludge.

A series of reports by the EPA’s inspector general and the National Academy of Sciences between 1996 and 2002 faulted the adequacy of the science behind the EPA’s 1993 regulations on sludge.

The chairman of the 2002 academy panel, Thomas Burke, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says epidemiological studies have never been done to show whether spreading sludge on land is safe.

“There are potential pathogens and chemicals that are not in the realm of safe,” Burke told the AP. “What’s needed are more studies on what’s going on with the pathogens in sludge—are we actually removing them? The commitment to connecting the dots hasn’t been there.”

That’s not what the subjects of the Baltimore and East St. Louis research were told.

Rufus Chaney, an Agriculture Department research agronomist who co- wrote the Baltimore study, said the researchers provided the families with brochures about lead hazards, tested the soil in their yards and gave assurances that the Orgro fertilizer was store-bought and perfectly safe.

“They were told that their lawn, as it stood, before it was treated, was a lead danger to their children,” said Chaney. “So that even if they ate some of the soil, there would not be as much of a risk as there was before. And that’s what the science shows.”

Chaney said the Baltimore neighborhoods were chosen because they were within an economically depressed area qualifying for tax incentives. He acknowledged the families were not told there have been some safety disputes and health complaints over sludge.

“They were told that it was composted biosolids that are available for sale commercially in the state of Maryland. I don’t think there’s any other further disclosure required,” Chaney said. “There was danger before. There wasn’t danger because of the biosolids compost. Composting, of course, kills pathogens.”

The Baltimore study concluded that phosphate and iron in sludge can increase the ability of soil to trap more harmful metals including lead, cadmium and zinc, causing the combination to pass safely through a child’s body if eaten.

It called the fertilizer “a simple low-cost” technology for parents and communities “to reduce risk to their children” who are in danger of lead contamination. The results were published in Science of the Total Environment, an international research journal, in 2005.

Another study investigating whether sludge might inhibit the “bioavailability” of lead—the rate it enters the bloodstream and circulates to organs and tissues—was conducted on a vacant lot in East St. Louis next to an elementary school, all of whose 300 students were black and almost entirely from low-income families.

In a newsletter, the EPA-funded Community Environmental Resource Program assured local residents it was all safe.

“Though the lot will be closed off to the public, if people—particularly children—get some of the lead contaminated dirt in their mouths, the lead will just pass through their bodies and not be absorbed,” the newsletter said. “Without this iron-phosphorus mix, lead poisoning would occur.”

Soil chemist Murray McBride, director of the Cornell Waste Management Institute, said he doesn’t doubt that sludge can bind lead in soil.

But when eaten, “it’s not at all clear that the sludge binding the lead will be preserved in the acidity of the stomach,” he said. “Actually thinking about a child ingesting this, there’s a very good chance that it’s not safe.”

McBride and others also questioned the choice of neighborhoods for the studies and why residents were not told about other, possibly harmful ingredients in sludge.

“If you’re not telling them what kinds of chemicals could be in there, how could they even make an informed decision. If you’re telling them it’s absolutely safe, then it’s not ethical,” McBride said. “In many relatively wealthy people’s neighborhoods, I would think that people would research this a little and see a problem and raise a red flag.”
The Baltimore study used a compost of sludge mixed with sawdust and wood chips packaged as “biosolids,” the term for sludge preferred by government and the waste industry.

“What we did was make the yards greener,” said Pat Tracey, a Johns Hopkins University community relations coordinator who recalled helping with the lawn work. “They were bald, bad yards. It was considered sterile fertilizer.”

Baltimore environmental activist Glenn Ross says choosing poor neighborhoods destined for demolition makes it hard to track a study’s participants. “If you wanted to do something very questionable, you would do it in a neighborhood that’s not going to be there in a few years,” he said.

HUD documents show the study’s lead author, Mark Farfel, has pursued several other studies of lead contamination including the risks of exposure from urban housing demolitions and the vacant lots left behind.

Farfel has since moved to New York, where he directs the World Trade Center Health Registry surveying tens of thousands of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. He denied repeated requests for interviews and referred questions to Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute, the children’s research facility that was the recipient of HUD grants with Farfel as project manager.

The institute referred questions to Joann Rodgers, a spokeswoman for Johns Hopkins. She said a review board within its medical school approved the study and the consent forms provided to families that participated. “The study did not test children or other family members living in the homes,” she said.

Some of Farfel’s previous research has been controversial.

In 2001, Maryland’s highest court chastised him, Kennedy Krieger and Johns Hopkins over a study bankrolled by EPA in which researchers testing low-cost ways to control lead hazards exposed more than 75 poor children to lead-based paint in partially renovated houses.

Families of two children alleged to have suffered elevated blood-lead levels and brain damage sued the institute and later settled for an undisclosed amount.

The Maryland Court of Appeals likened the study to Nazi medical research on concentration camp prisoners, the U.S. government’s 40- year Tuskegee study that denied treatment for syphilis to black men in order to study the illness and Japan’s use of “plague bombs” in World War II to infect and study entire villages.

“These programs were somewhat alike in the vulnerability of the subjects: uneducated African-American men, debilitated patients in a charity hospital, prisoners of war, inmates of concentration camps and others falling within the custody and control of the agencies conducting or approving the experiments,” the court said.



So, tell me what has changed? disbelief

Here's another. This one deals with Britain dumping toxic waste in Africa.
http://www.blackpresence....xic-waste/

Dumped in Africa; Britain’s Toxic Waste


"Tonnes of toxic waste collected from British municipal dumps is being sent illegally to Africa in flagrant breach of this country’s obligation to ensure its rapidly growing mountain of defunct televisions, computers and gadgets are disposed of safely.

Hundreds of thousands of discarded items, which under British law must be dismantled or recycled by specialist contractors, are being packaged into cargo containers and shipped to countries such as Nigeria and Ghana, where they are stripped of their raw metals by young men and children working on poisoned waste dumps.

In a joint investigation by The Independent, Sky News, and Greenpeace, a television that had been broken beyond repair was tracked to an electronics market in Lagos, Nigeria, after being left at a civic amenity site in Basingstoke run by Hampshire Country Council. Under environmental protection laws It was classified as hazardous waste and should never have left the UK..."
(to read more, click on link)


[Edited 5/2/09 18:29pm]
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Reply #493 posted 05/02/09 9:33pm

noimageatall

avatar

2elijah said:

For the song "Dreamer", Prince spoke of Dick Gregory, activist/author from the 60s, who was/is one of his mentors and friends, and mentioned that he was the inspiration for writing "Dreamer". Prince stated how after listening to Mr. Gregory speak at one of "State of the Black Union" (SOBU) conferences about "chemtrails", and how it was Mr. Gregory, who is a friend of Prince...

Tavis also asked Prince who his mentors were throughout his life, and Prince mentioned the late boxer, Jack Johnson, as one of his mentors based on Mr. Johnson's strength and perseverance as a boxer. He stated that during Mr. Johnson's time, and during those tumultous times, that no matter how many times Mr. Johnson, as a boxer was knocked down, he still got up, and he admired Mr. Johnson basically for his strength and perseverance.



I'm sorry, but first Prince says he is a Jehovah's' Witness, rolls his eyes when Obama's name is mentioned, states that he has nothing to do with politics, then he says a political activist is his mentor and good friend??? confuse

He also claims a boxer was one of his mentors, and he still watches, if I'm not mistaken...yet boxing was listed in the JW elder's manuel as a disfellowshipping offense. And watching "boxing" matches are considered violent and against Jehovah's laws... shrug

From the elders manual:


*** w81 7/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***

The individual should also be reminded that while professional boxing might provide him with a comfortable livelihood, Christians do not need to stoop to such means, for God’s Word assures us, at Hebrews 13:5, 6: "Let your manner of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things. For he has said: ‘I will by no means leave you nor by any means forsake you.’ So that we may be of good courage and say: ‘Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’"

Therefore, such a person should be given a reasonable period of time to discontinue his unchristian profession or occupation. His failure to do so would mean that the elders would have no alternative but to exclude him from the congregation.—1 Cor. 5:11-13.

And....WT 15th June 1961 pages 368-374. Progressing Toward Maturity (paragraph 16)


''Do not feed your mind on the disgusting wrestling and boxing matches that television offers! Do you think that men will abuse their bodies in that fashion in God's new world? Do you think that it was God's will at creation for man's body to be punched, jabbed, hooked, gouged and headlocked? Of course not!''

Oh well..he looked good as hell and I love his voice. What more can I (eye) ask for? lol
[Edited 5/2/09 21:34pm]
"Let love be your perfect weapon..." ~~Andy Biersack
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Reply #494 posted 05/02/09 11:11pm

stanleylieber

avatar

2elijah said:

stanleylieber said:

regardless of all of this, the people advancing these theories most often have very little in the way of actual evidence to offer. it's not that these things aren't happening, it's that the spokespeople are completely unable to defend their claims.


Really? So if someone else made that claim, but they provided hard evidence to support that claim of this happening, what is the difference if Prince made that claim compared to another individual making the same claim?

He was asked by Tavis where he got the inspiration to write "Dreamer" and Prince apparently took the opportunity to explain only "one" section of the lyrics, in the song "Dreamer", that pertained to the "chemtrails" conspiracy. During the interview, P explained the inspiration behind those particular lyrics, came from listening to Dick Gregory, political activist/author, speak at the 2008 SOBU conference discussing the chemtrails conspiracy.

No one is forced to believe that, that's why there's this thing called "research". The interview happened. Not much you could do about it, he said what he wanted to say about it, and you could either believe it or not, do the research or forget about that part of the interview. I just don't see the big deal because that comment came from Prince. The album was released last month and folks read and heard the lyrics to the song, well before his interview with Tavis. Besides, the chemtrails issues, is not the only issue the song is focused on. Besides, no gun is being put against anyone's head to believe the chemtrails conspiracy. Just my 2 cents. Moving on.
[Edited 5/2/09 20:12pm]


i really don't even know what you're arguing anymore, so perhaps it is best if we moved on. no offense. i think my point was simple enough (especially after i explained it several times).
it's time for a new direction / it's time for jazz to die
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Reply #495 posted 05/02/09 11:35pm

danzakairos

myfavorite said:

...omfg


his affairs with more headstrong women, such as madonnna, sinead o ‘connor, and the new york artist-singer carole davis, tended to be very short-lived.
"I don’t think he actually wanted to be around anyone more wordly or knowledgeable than himself for very long." Observed Leeds. "He gravitated to more simple women who’d settle for staying in his house, sharing popcorn and movies and not challenging his comings and goings."



Hmmm well if he has not changed, let this be a future warning for any women wanting to be in Prince's life... Seems to me she or they would have to be willing to "bend in the wind"as he puts it. I wonder if he means; simple,below average intelligence-and self esteem women, who are to afraid to ask him wear he keeps going late at night...

Wow I guess I have mean side to...nah.. lol

I just tell it like it is eek By the way I probably would not last a day being around him, he would have be booted out by days end... cause I do not have any of the qualities above.. geek
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Reply #496 posted 05/03/09 8:35am

2elijah

stanleylieber said:

2elijah said:

stanleylieber said:


Really? So if someone else made that claim, but they provided hard evidence to support that claim of this happening, what is the difference if Prince made that claim compared to another individual making the same claim?

He was asked by Tavis where he got the inspiration to write "Dreamer" and Prince apparently took the opportunity to explain only "one" section of the lyrics, in the song "Dreamer", that pertained to the "chemtrails" conspiracy. During the interview, P explained the inspiration behind those particular lyrics, came from listening to Dick Gregory, political activist/author, speak at the 2008 SOBU conference discussing the chemtrails conspiracy.

No one is forced to believe that, that's why there's this thing called "research". The interview happened. Not much you could do about it, he said what he wanted to say about it, and you could either believe it or not, do the research or forget about that part of the interview. I just don't see the big deal because that comment came from Prince. The album was released last month and folks read and heard the lyrics to the song, well before his interview with Tavis. Besides, the chemtrails issues, is not the only issue the song is focused on. Besides, no gun is being put against anyone's head to believe the chemtrails conspiracy. Just my 2 cents. Moving on.
[Edited 5/2/09 20:12pm]


i really don't even know what you're arguing anymore, so perhaps it is best if we moved on. no offense. i think my point was simple enough (especially after i explained it several times).


lol There was never an argument, just a difference of opinion on the issue. Peace dude.
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Reply #497 posted 05/03/09 8:50am

2elijah

noimageatall said:

2elijah said:

For the song "Dreamer", Prince spoke of Dick Gregory, activist/author from the 60s, who was/is one of his mentors and friends, and mentioned that he was the inspiration for writing "Dreamer". Prince stated how after listening to Mr. Gregory speak at one of "State of the Black Union" (SOBU) conferences about "chemtrails", and how it was Mr. Gregory, who is a friend of Prince...

Tavis also asked Prince who his mentors were throughout his life, and Prince mentioned the late boxer, Jack Johnson, as one of his mentors based on Mr. Johnson's strength and perseverance as a boxer. He stated that during Mr. Johnson's time, and during those tumultous times, that no matter how many times Mr. Johnson, as a boxer was knocked down, he still got up, and he admired Mr. Johnson basically for his strength and perseverance.



I'm sorry, but first Prince says he is a Jehovah's' Witness, rolls his eyes when Obama's name is mentioned, states that he has nothing to do with politics, then he says a political activist is his mentor and good friend??? confuse

He also claims a boxer was one of his mentors, and he still watches, if I'm not mistaken...yet boxing was listed in the JW elder's manuel as a disfellowshipping offense. And watching "boxing" matches are considered violent and against Jehovah's laws... shrug

From the elders manual:


*** w81 7/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***

The individual should also be reminded that while professional boxing might provide him with a comfortable livelihood, Christians do not need to stoop to such means, for God’s Word assures us, at Hebrews 13:5, 6: "Let your manner of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things. For he has said: ‘I will by no means leave you nor by any means forsake you.’ So that we may be of good courage and say: ‘Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’"

Therefore, such a person should be given a reasonable period of time to discontinue his unchristian profession or occupation. His failure to do so would mean that the elders would have no alternative but to exclude him from the congregation.—1 Cor. 5:11-13.

And....WT 15th June 1961 pages 368-374. Progressing Toward Maturity (paragraph 16)


''Do not feed your mind on the disgusting wrestling and boxing matches that television offers! Do you think that men will abuse their bodies in that fashion in God's new world? Do you think that it was God's will at creation for man's body to be punched, jabbed, hooked, gouged and headlocked? Of course not!''

Oh well..he looked good as hell and I love his voice. What more can I (eye) ask for? lol
[Edited 5/2/09 21:34pm]


Hi Noimageatall,wave He was comparing the boxer's "mental strength" to his, (not the "actual physical act" of boxing,) as how he handles criticism/anger throughout his career. At least that's what I got from the conversation. In other words, when people continuously knock you down with harsh criticism, you get up and stay up no matter what. Look at the racial tension and pressure Jack Johnson had to face with an "angry" crowd, throwing racist insults at him. Jack had to be "mentally" strong to deal with that, in order to win and stay on top;much like some of the harsh, negative criticism Prince seems to had to have dealt/deal with throughout his career from some fans, friends he thought were his friends and others in his life. He basically said his music helps him get through it, just like Mr. Johnson kept himself trained mentally, to deal with all the harsh, racist insults and anger he received from angry crowds or if he had let all that break his spirit, he would have never become the champion he aspired to be and became. I believe that is the point Prince was trying to make when he compared himself to Jack Johnson.

As far as Dick Gregory, besides the fact that he's longtime, well-known political/social activist, was Prince not friends with Dick Gregory before Prince became a JW? Dick Gregory has social concerns and talks about it. Should he give up all his friends based on their lifestyle, career choices? Dr. Cornell West talks politics, Tavis Smiley talks politics, so my question to you, since you are a former JW is, should JWs not associate with anyone that votes or have social/political concerns about economic situations and the status of a communities as a whole, even if JWs don't vote? Don't JWs have social concerns about other JWs and the communities they reside in? i.e., their well being, family issues, etc.? On another note, I can say I was pretty much surprised at Prince's remarks about President Obama, however, he did not say anything nothing disrespectful about President Obama, he basically stated in more ways than one, that he doesn't vote because he's a JW.
[Edited 5/3/09 9:17am]
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Reply #498 posted 05/03/09 8:52am

Babieve21

1BAND1SOUND said:

lastdecember said:

I dont why people are reading so much into Prince's interview, hes a person with beliefs and opinions, just like joe schmo on the corner. Just because hes got talent and hits and things like that dont mean that he has to have something that will change the world, hes a person. As for the Obama thing, why does Prince have to say anything? He complimented him, he said no ill of him, so he didnt bow down and kiss the ground, Prince is not into politicians like that, he is more into SPEAKERS he said this long ago. So take it with a grain of salt, agree with what you want, disagree at what you want, but remember you are the one that are putting him in this higher power persona and then bitching because he doesnt say what you want to hear.

but Obama is the greatest SPEAKER since MLK!



According to you he is, to someone else he may not me
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Reply #499 posted 05/03/09 9:01am

Babieve21

I watched both interviews and I must say 'im very happy with what I saw. We should be happy that he sat down and shared a part of him that we NEVER see. Stop with all the negative hating bull! You may not agree with prince, so move on and shut up! I come on the org to learn and share and enjoy prince's music and all I end up leaving with is anger. If your a fan why so much hate? On the subject of 'chem trails' I dont know if our govt is spraying chems to control but maybe you should look into the effects that why the trails are left (jet fuel) and what effects if any the chemicals in the fuel could have on a person. After seeing the interview I have a new respect for him as a person. He is right there is to much hate in the world we need each other.
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Reply #500 posted 05/03/09 12:03pm

Milty

avatar

ok so.....i just watched the whole thing except for Bria's part.

man, Prince really veers off with his answers. Some answers weren't even necessarily related to the question. And Tavis is such a suck up.
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Reply #501 posted 05/03/09 12:26pm

Vendetta1

Milty said:

ok so.....i just watched the whole thing except for Bria's part.

man, Prince really veers off with his answers. Some answers weren't even necessarily related to the question. And Tavis is such a suck up.
I cannot stand Tavis Smiley.
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Reply #502 posted 05/03/09 7:58pm

myfavorite

avatar

the women had to have been strong enough to tell prince they wanted to sing....?????
THE B EST BE YOURSELF AS LONG AS YOUR SELF ISNT A DYCK[/r]

**....Someti
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Reply #503 posted 05/03/09 8:21pm

BriaVelveeta

IstenSzek said:

why does everyone like "2nite" so much? to me it sounds like a
lazy rewrite of one of them "gett off" house style remixes.

there are many much better songs on the album. i'd say that the
only one that i don't like too much and that disrupts the flow
a bit is in fact "2nite".

weird.

I don't like '2nite' either. I do think there are some great songs on the CD, but I don't think '2nite' is one of them.

That whole 'disco, disco dance' thing sort of ruins it for me, so it may be better than I think it is, but I can't get past the annoyance of the 'disco' bit.
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Reply #504 posted 05/03/09 9:10pm

stanleylieber

avatar

BriaVelveeta said:

IstenSzek said:

why does everyone like "2nite" so much? to me it sounds like a
lazy rewrite of one of them "gett off" house style remixes.

there are many much better songs on the album. i'd say that the
only one that i don't like too much and that disrupts the flow
a bit is in fact "2nite".

weird.

I don't like '2nite' either. I do think there are some great songs on the CD, but I don't think '2nite' is one of them.

That whole 'disco, disco dance' thing sort of ruins it for me, so it may be better than I think it is, but I can't get past the annoyance of the 'disco' bit.


My technique with this CD is to just ignore the lyrics completely, as much as possible. That song in particular is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me, lyrically, but I do like the music. It reminds me a bit of 'The Human Body,' but mixed differently.
it's time for a new direction / it's time for jazz to die
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Reply #505 posted 05/04/09 3:21am

BriaVelveeta

stanleylieber said:

BriaVelveeta said:


I don't like '2nite' either. I do think there are some great songs on the CD, but I don't think '2nite' is one of them.

That whole 'disco, disco dance' thing sort of ruins it for me, so it may be better than I think it is, but I can't get past the annoyance of the 'disco' bit.


My technique with this CD is to just ignore the lyrics completely, as much as possible. That song in particular is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me, lyrically, but I do like the music. It reminds me a bit of 'The Human Body,' but mixed differently.

I admit, i listen to the CD a lot more than I originally expected to. There is one part toward the end where the song (musically) sort of 'blows up.' I wish that part came sooner.
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Reply #506 posted 05/04/09 8:23am

japanrocks

Milty said:

ok so.....i just watched the whole thing except for Bria's part.

man, Prince really veers off with his answers. Some answers weren't even necessarily related to the question. And Tavis is such a suck up.



thank you.....and isn't it funny how some people did not notice this?

kinda like he had all this stuff he wanted to say and then said it despite the questions

Tavis was probably just so happy he had Prince on that he did not even notice when Prince would go off on tangents about Larry beating the shit out of someone because he is from Oakland, etc.
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Reply #507 posted 05/04/09 9:47am

noimageatall

avatar

2elijah said:

noimageatall said:



I'm sorry, but first Prince says he is a Jehovah's' Witness, rolls his eyes when Obama's name is mentioned, states that he has nothing to do with politics, then he says a political activist is his mentor and good friend??? confuse

He also claims a boxer was one of his mentors, and he still watches, if I'm not mistaken...yet boxing was listed in the JW elder's manuel as a disfellowshipping offense. And watching "boxing" matches are considered violent and against Jehovah's laws... shrug

From the elders manual:


*** w81 7/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***

The individual should also be reminded that while professional boxing might provide him with a comfortable livelihood, Christians do not need to stoop to such means, for God’s Word assures us, at Hebrews 13:5, 6: "Let your manner of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things. For he has said: ‘I will by no means leave you nor by any means forsake you.’ So that we may be of good courage and say: ‘Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’"

Therefore, such a person should be given a reasonable period of time to discontinue his unchristian profession or occupation. His failure to do so would mean that the elders would have no alternative but to exclude him from the congregation.—1 Cor. 5:11-13.

And....WT 15th June 1961 pages 368-374. Progressing Toward Maturity (paragraph 16)


''Do not feed your mind on the disgusting wrestling and boxing matches that television offers! Do you think that men will abuse their bodies in that fashion in God's new world? Do you think that it was God's will at creation for man's body to be punched, jabbed, hooked, gouged and headlocked? Of course not!''

Oh well..he looked good as hell and I love his voice. What more can I (eye) ask for? lol
[Edited 5/2/09 21:34pm]


Hi Noimageatall,wave He was comparing the boxer's "mental strength" to his, (not the "actual physical act" of boxing,) as how he handles criticism/anger throughout his career. At least that's what I got from the conversation. In other words, when people continuously knock you down with harsh criticism, you get up and stay up no matter what. Look at the racial tension and pressure Jack Johnson had to face with an "angry" crowd, throwing racist insults at him. Jack had to be "mentally" strong to deal with that, in order to win and stay on top;much like some of the harsh, negative criticism Prince seems to had to have dealt/deal with throughout his career from some fans, friends he thought were his friends and others in his life. He basically said his music helps him get through it, just like Mr. Johnson kept himself trained mentally, to deal with all the harsh, racist insults and anger he received from angry crowds or if he had let all that break his spirit, he would have never become the champion he aspired to be and became. I believe that is the point Prince was trying to make when he compared himself to Jack Johnson.

As far as Dick Gregory, besides the fact that he's longtime, well-known political/social activist, was Prince not friends with Dick Gregory before Prince became a JW? Dick Gregory has social concerns and talks about it. Should he give up all his friends based on their lifestyle, career choices? Dr. Cornell West talks politics, Tavis Smiley talks politics, so my question to you, since you are a former JW is, should JWs not associate with anyone that votes or have social/political concerns about economic situations and the status of a communities as a whole, even if JWs don't vote? Don't JWs have social concerns about other JWs and the communities they reside in? i.e., their well being, family issues, etc.? On another note, I can say I was pretty much surprised at Prince's remarks about President Obama, however, he did not say anything nothing disrespectful about President Obama, he basically stated in more ways than one, that he doesn't vote because he's a JW.
[Edited 5/3/09 9:17am]

I know, 2elijah. I got the same thing from the interview, but as for your other questions...yes, we were told to give up all worldly associations. Maybe not just someone who voted, per se, for example, workmates, but to actively invite a political activist to our home? No way! As far as Jack Johnson being used as an example, if boxing was not a focal point, why couldn't Prince have used another example? There are many examples of strong Black people who have overcome hatred, racism, and criticism.

hug I'm sorry...I just get tired of the double standards and the wishy-washy bullshit. sigh I get tired of certain JWS getting to do whatever they want and excusing it, while others would get called into a back room for the same things.
"Let love be your perfect weapon..." ~~Andy Biersack
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Reply #508 posted 05/04/09 10:41am

2elijah

noimageatall said:

2elijah said:



Hi Noimageatall,wave He was comparing the boxer's "mental strength" to his, (not the "actual physical act" of boxing,) as how he handles criticism/anger throughout his career. At least that's what I got from the conversation. In other words, when people continuously knock you down with harsh criticism, you get up and stay up no matter what. Look at the racial tension and pressure Jack Johnson had to face with an "angry" crowd, throwing racist insults at him. Jack had to be "mentally" strong to deal with that, in order to win and stay on top;much like some of the harsh, negative criticism Prince seems to had to have dealt/deal with throughout his career from some fans, friends he thought were his friends and others in his life. He basically said his music helps him get through it, just like Mr. Johnson kept himself trained mentally, to deal with all the harsh, racist insults and anger he received from angry crowds or if he had let all that break his spirit, he would have never become the champion he aspired to be and became. I believe that is the point Prince was trying to make when he compared himself to Jack Johnson.

As far as Dick Gregory, besides the fact that he's longtime, well-known political/social activist, was Prince not friends with Dick Gregory before Prince became a JW? Dick Gregory has social concerns and talks about it. Should he give up all his friends based on their lifestyle, career choices? Dr. Cornell West talks politics, Tavis Smiley talks politics, so my question to you, since you are a former JW is, should JWs not associate with anyone that votes or have social/political concerns about economic situations and the status of a communities as a whole, even if JWs don't vote? Don't JWs have social concerns about other JWs and the communities they reside in? i.e., their well being, family issues, etc.? On another note, I can say I was pretty much surprised at Prince's remarks about President Obama, however, he did not say anything nothing disrespectful about President Obama, he basically stated in more ways than one, that he doesn't vote because he's a JW.
[Edited 5/3/09 9:17am]

I know, 2elijah. I got the same thing from the interview, but as for your other questions...yes, we were told to give up all worldly associations. Maybe not just someone who voted, per se, for example, workmates, but to actively invite a political activist to our home? No way! As far as Jack Johnson being used as an example, if boxing was not a focal point, why couldn't Prince have used another example? There are many examples of strong Black people who have overcome hatred, racism, and criticism.

hug I'm sorry...I just get tired of the double standards and the wishy-washy bullshit. sigh I get tired of certain JWS getting to do whatever they want and excusing it, while others would get called into a back room for the same things.


Good point..
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Reply #509 posted 05/04/09 4:59pm

DesireeNevermi
nd

thumbs up! 2elijah and noimageatall. great posts
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