Andaman Islands

Jarawa people of the Andaman Islands

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Andaman Islands (अंडमान द्वीप) form an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal between India, to the west, and Myanmar, to the north and east. Most are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India, while a small number in the north of the archipelago, including the Coco Islands, belong to Myanmar.

The Andaman Islands are home to the only known paleolithic people, the Sentinelese people, who have had no contact with any other people.

Early inhabitants

The Andaman islands have been inhabited for several thousand years, at the very least. The earliest archaeological evidence yet documented goes back some 2,200 years; however, the indications from genetic, cultural and isolation studies suggests that the islands may have been inhabited as early as the Middle Paleolithic. The indigenous Andamanese people appear to have lived on the islands in substantial isolation from that time until the 18th century CE.


The Andamans are theorized to be a key stepping stone in a great coastal migration of humans from Africa via the Arabian peninsula, along the coastal regions of the Indian mainland and towards Southeast Asia, Japan and Oceania.

The name of the Andaman Islands is ancient. A theory that became prevalent in the late 19th century is that it derives from Andoman, the Malay form of Hanuman, the Sanskrit name of the Indian God.

Chola empire

From 800 to 1200 CE, the Tamil Chola dynasty created an empire that eventually extended from southeastern peninsular India to parts of Malaysia. Rajendra Chola I (1014 to 1042 CE) took over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and maintained them as a strategic naval base to launch a naval expedition against the Srivijaya empire (a Hindu-Malay empire based on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia).

Maratha empire

The Maratha admiral Kanhoji Angre used the Andamans as a base and "fought the British off these islands until his death in 1729."

Of the people who live in the Andaman Islands, a small minority of about 1,000 are the so-called Andamanese, the aboriginal inhabitants (adivasi) of the islands. By the 1850s when they first came into sustained contact by outside groups, there were estimated 7,000 Adamanese, divided into the following major groups:

Great Andamanese

Jarawa
The Jarawa (also Järawa, Jarwa) are one of the Adivasi indigenous peoples of the Andaman Islands in India. Their present numbers are estimated at between 250–400 individuals. Since they have largely shunned interactions with outsiders, many particulars of their society, culture and traditions are poorly understood. Their name means "people of the earth" or "hostile people" in Aka-Bea.

Along with other indigenous Andamanese peoples, they have inhabited the islands for at least several thousand years, and most likely a great deal longer. The Andaman Islands have been known to outsiders since antiquity; however, until quite recent times they were infrequently visited, and such contacts were predominantly sporadic and temporary. For the greater portion of their history their only significant contact has been with other Andamanese groups; the experience of such a lengthy period of isolation almost completely lacking in external cultural influences is equalled by few other groups in the world.[citation needed]

There is some indication that the Jarawa regarded the now-extinct Jangil tribe as a parent tribe from which they split centuries or millennia ago, even though the Jarawa outnumbered (and eventually out-survived) the Jangil.[2] The Jangil (also called the Rutland Island Aka Bea) were presumed extinct by 1931.[3]


The Jarawa are a designated Scheduled Tribe

Jangil (or Rutland Jarawa)

Onge

Sentinelese

As the numbers of settlers from the mainland increased (at first mostly prisoners and involuntary indentured laborers, later purposely recruited farmers), these indigenous people lost territory and numbers in the face of punitive expeditions by British troops, land encroachment and various epidemic diseases. Presently, there remain only approximately 400–450 indigenous Andamanese. The Jangil were soon extinct. The Great Andamanese were originally 10 distinct tribes with 5,000 people in total; most of the tribes are extinct, and the survivors, now just 52, speak mostly Hindi.[32] The Onge are reduced to less than 100 people. Only the Jarawa and Sentinelese still maintain a steadfast independence and refuse most attempts at contact; their numbers are uncertain but estimated to be in the low hundreds.

Jarawa

Jarawa

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: What Donald Trump and ISIS Have in Common

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 

What Donald Trump and ISIS Have in Common

TIME columnist Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA champion and league Most Valuable Player. He is also a celebrated author, filmmaker and education ambassador whose life and career are the subject of Minority of One, a new documentary on HBO Sports.

The 2016 candidate has more in common with the terrorist group than he does with America

The terrorist campaign against American ideals is winning. Fear is rampant. Gun sales are soaring. Hate crimes are increasing. Bearded hipsters are being mistaken for Muslims. And 83 percent of voters believe a large-scale terrorist attack is likely here in the near future. Some Americans are now so afraid that they are willing to trade in the sacred beliefs that define America for some vague promises of security from the very people who are spreading the terror. “Go ahead and burn the Constitution — just don’t hurt me at the mall.” That’s how effective this terrorism is.

I’m not talking about ISIS. I’m talking about Donald Trump.

This is not hyperbole. Not a metaphor. Webster defines terrorism as “the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal; the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.”

If violence can be an abstraction — and it can; that’s what a threat is — the Trump campaign meets this definition. Thus, Trump is ISIS’s greatest triumph: the perfect Manchurian Candidate who, instead of offering specific and realistic policies, preys on the fears of the public, doing ISIS’s job for them. Even fellow Republican Jeb Bush acknowledged Trump’s goal is “to manipulate people’s angst and fears.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, however, defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” Now, we don’t require by law that our candidates tell the truth. They can retweet (as Trump did) racist “statistics” from a white supremacist fictional organization that claimed 81% of murdered whites are victims of blacks, when the truth is 84% of whites are murdered by whites. They can claim (as Trump did) to have seen on TV thousands of Muslims in New Jersey cheering on 9/11, even though there is no evidence of this. They can say (as Trump did) Syrian refugees are “pouring” into the country when only 2,000 have come (out of 4.3 million U.N.-registered refugees). Then, when caught lying (as Trump has been over and over), they can do what every belligerent child does: deny, deny, deny.

While Trump is not slaughtering innocent people, he is exploiting such acts of violence to create terror here to coerce support. As I have written before, his acts could be interpreted as hate crimes. He sounds the shrill alarm of impending doomsday even though since 9/11, about 30 Americans a year have been killed in terrorist attacks worldwide — as The Atlantic pointed out, “roughly the same number as are crushed to death each year by collapsing furniture.” Trump’s irresponsible, inflammatory rhetoric and deliberate propagation of misinformation have created a frightened and hostile atmosphere that could embolden people to violence. He’s the swaggering guy in old Westerns buying drinks for everyone in the saloon while whipping them up for a lynching.

About 30,000 foreign fighters have gone into Syria to join ISIS, thousands of them from Europe and at least 250 from the United States. What most of us in these bountiful countries can’t understand is how our young, raised with such opportunity, choose to abandon our values to embrace a culture of pitiless violence. Before going, many of these recruits spend much of their time on social media being brainwashed by propaganda videos. One 23-year-old woman, a devout Christian and Sunday school teacher, was recruited via Skype. The recruiter spent hours with the lonely woman teaching her the rituals of Islam. Maybe that’s because, according to some psychologists, the brain’s default setting is simply to believe because it takes extra work to analyze information.

The same process works for Trump’s supporters. They are impervious to facts or truth because their (understandable) frustration and anger at partisan greed and incompetence have fatigued them out of critical thinking. Like deranged newscaster Howard Beale in Network, they are mad as hell and they aren’t going to take it anymore. To express their outrage, they have rallied around a so-called “outsider” with no political experience, no detailed policies, and whacky ideas that subvert the very Constitution that he would be required to swear to uphold. Electing him would be like asking the clown at a child’s birthday party to start juggling chainsaws.

But understanding and even having sympathy for his followers’ feelings of political impotence doesn’t excuse their dangerous behavior. There is never an excuse for people blindly following a leader who consistently lies to them, who exaggerates threats and who proposes remedies that are unconstitutional. It’s shameful enough that Trump’s solutions run contrary to American values, but it’s more shameful that his followers refuse to acknowledge it. Such brainwashed behavior is demeaning to them and harmful to the country. Perhaps that’s why Trump enjoys the endorsement of several white supremacist groups, one of which proclaimed on their website: “Heil Donald Trump—The Ultimate Savior” and called for him to “Make America White Again!” Don’t worry — he’s trying his hardest.

Trump’s latest enemy du jour are Muslims. He’s the schoolyard bully rallying classmates to make fun of the skinny kid with glasses. When President Obama said that “Muslim-Americans are our friends and our neighbors; our co-workers, our sports heroes,” Trump quickly tweeted: “What sport is he talking about, and who?” The press immediately provided him with a list, as well as photos of Trump with prominent Muslim-American sports figures, including Shaquille O’Neal, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali and, yes, me. What makes his statement even more insidious is the suggestion that, even if there were no Muslim sports heroes, Muslims would somehow be lesser people, less worthy. This cruel and dim-witted thinking is not the stuff presidents are made of.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar poses with Donald Trump. 

My manager Deborah Morales and I with Trump several years ago, before he forgot there are Muslim athletes

Photo provided by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Trump’s claims that he might support registering Muslims as well as call for a ban of Muslims from entering the United States — even U.S. citizens abroad — have elevated him to the level of a James Bond super-villain. And like those villains, he is doomed to failure. Even former Vice-President Dick Cheney condemned Trump: his proposals go “against everything we stand for and believe.”
There’s absolutely no evidence that his unconstitutional ideas would help in any way—quite the opposite. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson criticized Trump’s proposal as “irresponsible, probably illegal, unconstitutional and contrary to international law, un-American, and will actually hurt our efforts at homeland security.”

One of my favorite poems is “The Second Coming” by W.B. Yeats, in which he describes, in a chillingly obtuse and mystical way, a second coming — not of Christ, but of something much darker and sinister:

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,/Slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?

When I read the description of the beast, it’s “gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,” I can’t help but think of Trump and his cynical strategy of using misinformation, half-truths and deception in order to gain access to a position that should only be held by those who would be repulsed by that strategy.


Indeed, what rough beast slouches toward Washington to be born?

Meanwhile, Muhammad Ali released a statement that, while not directly naming Trump, referenced “political leaders” misleading the public about Islam:

I am a Muslim and there is nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino, or anywhere else in the world. True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so called Islamic Jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion.

We as Muslims have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda. They have alienated many from learning about Islam. True Muslims know or should know that it goes against our religion to try and force Islam on anybody.

Speaking as someone who has never been accused of political correctness, I believe that our political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people’s views on what Islam really is.

Terrorist: Christian, Muslim or Other- You’re 7 Times More Likely To Be Killed By A Conservative Terrorist Than A Muslim Extremist

If you’ve been listening to the vitriol spewed by the Right — and even if you haven’t — you’ve probably heard whispers that ISIS is sneaking terrorists into the country as Syrian refugees. While this is not in any way true, our conservative friends absolutely believe it, and their politicians — Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Carson, and the rest of the Clown Car™ — absolutely capitalize on the opportunity to demonize Muslims, all while completely ignoring the true terrorist threat: crazy white people.

“We have no idea who these people are, we are the worst when it comes to paperwork,” Trump said of refugees from Syria who are fleeing ISIS in mid-November. “This could be one of the great Trojan horses.” The billionaire adamantly declared that “we cannot let them into this country, period,” because refugees represent a “problem.”

This is a sentiment that has become quite popular with the Right — keep them out, they’re dangerous, they’re going to kill us. After all, we have more important problems — like Planned Parenthood, Benghazi, and whatever nonissue conservatives insist on pretending is an impending threat to America. One very real issue that conservatives all ignore is the threat the Right poses, a threat far greater than any Muslim — one that was very recently placed on full display by Robert Lewis Dear’s attack on a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado.

Dear, a Christian conservative, killed three and injured nine in his terrifying attack, in which he set up propane tanks in the parking lot of the Planned Parenthood and went in shooting. Desperate conservatives, in an effort to shield their violent and hateful rhetoric from any blame, have concocted a story of a bank robbery gone wrong in which the terrorist ducked into  Planned Parenthood to avoid the police, but that story has been disproved time and again. Some, like 2016 presidential candidate Ted Cruz, portray Dear as a “transgender leftist activist” because of a typographical error on his voter registration — another tale that is, of course, utter and complete bullshit. Perhaps conservatives are simply ignorant of literally everything — or maybe, just maybe, they don’t want you to realize that you are more than seven times more likely to be killed by a right-wing terrorist than one of their dreaded Muslims.
Conservatives are right about one thing — the United States faces an unprecedented and growing terrorist threat. To understand the nature of this threat, you need only do one thing: look in the mirror…unless you’re not white; in that case, find a picture of a white person and look at it. There’s your terrorist.


A survey conducted by the New York Times with the  Police Executive Research Forum last year of 382 law enforcement agencies revealed something startling: 74 percent reported anti-government extremism as one of the top three terrorist threats in their jurisdictions while only 39 percent listed “Islamic” extremism. In fact, only three percent listed Muslim extremism as a “severe” problem while seven percent said anti-government extremism is a severe issue. The Times notes that, when compared to right-wing extremism, Islamic terrorism is a minor problem: Despite public anxiety about extremists inspired by Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, the number of violent plots by such individuals has remained very low. Since 9/11, an average of nine American Muslims per year have been involved in an average of six terrorism-related plots against targets in the United States. Most were disrupted, but the 20 plots that were carried out accounted for 50 fatalities over the past 13 and a half years.

In contrast, right-wing extremists averaged 337 attacks per year in the decade after 9/11, causing a total of 254 fatalities, according to a study by Arie Perliger, a professor at the United States Military Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center. The toll has increased since the study was released in 2012.

Other data sets, using different definitions of political violence, tell comparable stories. The Global Terrorism Database maintained by the Start Center at the University of Maryland includes 65 attacks in the United States associated with right-wing ideologies and 24 by Muslim extremists since 9/11. The International Security Program at the New America Foundation identifies 39 fatalities from “non-jihadist” homegrown extremists and 26 fatalities from “jihadist” extremists.
“Meanwhile, terrorism of all forms has accounted for a tiny proportion of violence in America,” the authors note. “There have been more than 215,000 murders in the United States since 9/11. For every person killed by Muslim extremists, there have been 4,300 homicides from other threats.”

Conservatives can continue to fear monger away about the “threat” presented by Syrian refugees all they want, but the fact is that of 784,000 refugees settled in the United States since 9/11, only three have been charged with plotting a terrorist attack. Meanwhile, we deal with white terrorists like Dylann Roof, Jerad and Amanda Miller, and Robert Lewis Dear.


Watch a report on the dangers presented by right-wing extremism, below:

Papantonio: Right Wing Extremism Kills People

AUTHOR: JOHN PRAGER NOVEMBER 30, 2015 3:06 PM

Mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif.; multiple victims, suspects at large

By ABC7.com staff
Updated 7 mins ago
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- Law enforcement officials have identified Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik as two suspects in a San Bernardino mass shooting that killed 14 people on Wednesday.

FULL DETAILS: 14 people killed in shooting at Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino

Police said Farook, 28, was U.S. born and worked as an environmental inspector for the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health for five years.

Malik, 27, was married or engaged to Farook, according to officials.

Police said Farook and Malik were killed in a gun battle with police after the shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.

Officials said Farook attended a banquet held at the center by the department of public health, but left angry.

MORE: Father receives text message from daughter during San Bernardino mass shooting

Shortly after, that's when police said the shooting that killed 14 people and injured 17 happened.

It was earlier believed that a third suspect may have been involved and police detained a person spotted running nearby where Farook and Malik were killed.

Police said later Wednesday evening that they now have reason to believe that Farook and Malik were the only shooters involved.

The brother-in-law of Farook said he was stunned to hear of his relative's involvement in the shooting.

Farhan Khan, who is married to the sister of Farook, spoke to reporters at the Anaheim office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

MORE: San Bernardino Inland Regional Center Shooting - What We Know

Khan said he last spoke to Farook about a week ago. He added that he had "absolutely no idea why he would do this. I am shocked myself."

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the couple left their baby with family Wednesday morning and never returned.

Officers were investigating a home in Redlands, which is believed to be connected to Farook and Malik.


The Associated Press contributed to this report

San Bernardino Shooting: Reports of Up to 12 Dead at Center for Developmentally Disabled, Official Sources Say

There were reports of up to 12 people dead in a shooting Wednesday in San Bernardino, California, according to various official sources.

The San Bernardino Fire Department has reported that they were responding to reports of 20 people being shot at the Inland Regional Center, a facility that cares for the people with developmental disabilities.

Marybeth Feild, the president and CEO of the Inland Regional Center, told the Associated Press that the shooting took place near a building that houses a library and conference center where at least 25 people work.



According to the San Bernardino Sheriff, authorities were searching for one to three suspects. The suspects were heavily armed and were possibly wearing body armor, according to San Bernardino police spokeswoman Sgt. Vicki Cervantes.


The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have both confirmed to ABC News that they are responding to the shooting.

A White House spokesman confirmed to ABC News that President Obama has been briefed on the situation by Homeland Security advisor Lisa Monaco while in Paris for the climate summit,

A man whose wife works at the Inland Regional Center said that his wife saw a man she believed to be a shooter.


"The guy came in next to her office and I guess started shooting," said the man, who identified himself to KABC as Marc.

A swat team arrives at the scene of a shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., Dec. 2, 2015.

What we know so far:

*Police responded to reports of an active shooter at an Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, Calif., Wednesday afternoon.

*There were initial reports of at least 3-12 dead and 20 others injured, officials said.

*Eyewitnesses said they saw as many as three gunmen, according to the San Bernardino Police Department.

*The suspects were wearing what appeared to be ski masks and vests, witnesses said.

*Witnesses also said the alleged gunmen left the scene in a black SUV.

*FBI and ATF agents are working to clear the building.

*Bomb technicians were called to inspect a suspicious device.


*President Obama has been briefed on the situation, according to the White House.

Sources: Dylan Stableford Yahoo News

             By MEGHAN KENEALLY ABC News Dec 2, 2015, 4:03 PM ET 

Click here for Yahoo News Live

Click here for ABC NEWS

So frequent are these mass shootings that it may seem normal, but it is not. We cannot accept this as normal. 

View image on Twitter

Million Man March 20 years later: What progress has been made?

POSTED 7:30 AM, OCTOBER 12, 2015, BY PIX11 REPORT

This weekend’s the “Justice or Else” rally took place in Washington D.C. on the 20th Anniversary of the historical “Million Man March.”

The rally was to raise awareness against police brutality after the officers involved in both the Michael Brown case and the Eric Garner case were not indicted.

What progress has the nation made since then when it comes to race relations? Chuck Creekmur from AllHipHop.com and Tamika Mallory, chair of the New York Justice League and member of the National Action Network to talk more about this weekend’s rally.

HISTORY SHOT: 20 years ago @meetdrben was the National Director of the Million Man March, this year @tamikadmallory did a magnificent job in that role!! Two friends. Both mentors. All love. — with Tamika Mallory and Benjamin F. Chavis.

Click here to view pix11 article

********************************************

People who were there knew better! You could see as plan as day the construction site in front of the monument and the crowd was not that large! Yet when you try to correct people you get flack and nasty comments. Learn to respect and do your research! Technology allows you to put the name and hit images. No one was standing on the grounds in front of the monument which was chained off! Bottom line...we were there and got informed and educated. Others weren't and had excuses! ~Maureen Moe Forté

Crowds rally for 'justice or else' on 20th anniversary of Million Man March

By Emanuella Grinberg and Ralph Ellis, CNN

Updated 7:16 PM ET, Sat October 10, 2015

(CNN)"Justice or Else" was the theme of a rally Saturday organized by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to mark the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March.

Messages from the first march were echoed Saturday in speeches from African-American leaders, including Farrakhan, calling for unity and institutional reform in social justice issues affecting the black community.

Farrakhan, 82, spoke to the crowd on the National Mall in Washington and reflected on the importance of passing the torch to the next generation.

"We who are getting older... what good are we if we don't prepare young people to carry that torch of liberation to the next step? What good are we if we think we can last forever and not prepare others to walk in our footsteps?" he said.

The overall message seemed to be directed at the black community at large, not just men. Many women and children were in the crowd and Farrakhan talked at length about how men should honor women.

Another difference: This rally was clearly aimed at the digital generation. A website, www.justiceorelse.com, carried a live webcast of the events and made it easy for people to donate money or volunteer. Speakers encouraged the crowd to share images and video of the rally on social media, and #MillionManMarch became a trending topic for much of the day.

Following

#millionmanmarch

The first march on October 16, 1995, drew attendees -- most of them black men -- to Washington from all over the country for more than 12 hours of speeches calling on black men to take responsibility for improving themselves, their families and communities. On that day, Farrakhan spoke for more than two hours and expounded on the role of white supremacy in the country's suffering while calling on black men to clean up their lives and become better fathers, husbands and neighbors.

Farrakhan blasted the white establishment again on Saturday.

"Moses was not an integrationist and neither are we," he said. "Let me be clear. America has no future for you or for me. She can't make a future for herself, much less a future for us."

On passing the torch, he specifically mentioned Black Lives Matter, the group that arose in response to police-involved deaths of black men, as the "future leadership."

"These are not just young people who happened to wake up one morning. Ferguson ignited it all," he said. "So [to] all the brothers and sisters from Ferguson who laid in the streets, all the brothers and sisters from Ferguson who challenged the tanks, we are honored that you have come to represent our struggle and our demands."

Follow

#millionmanmarch2015dc #justiceorelse👊 #blacklivesmatter #alllivesmatter

Civil rights leader Benjamin Chavis, who attended the first march, noted that in the crowd 20 years ago was an Illinois state senator who went on to become President, "so we've made some progress," he told the crowd.

"But you and I know we've got a lot more progress to make," he said. "There's too much injustice, too much inequality, too much mass incarceration ... too (many) situations in our community that need addressing, and that's why we're here today."

U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis, D-Illinois, who also was present in 1995, said the rally was a testament to struggles and progress, past and present.

"We will march on so over-aggressive law enforcement procedures will not be the order of the day. We will march on until every child has access to high-quality education. We will march so that every citizen will know that they can get health care," Davis said.

"Today's gathering is a reaffirmation of the faith that the dark past has taught us and of the hope the present has brought us."

CNN's Jareen Imam contributed to this report.

Louis Farrakhan’s striking two-hour stemwinder at the 

Million Man March anniversary

In a sprawling speech made from the Mall on the anniversary of the Million Man March on Saturday, the allegedly retired Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan, held forth on a list of topics so long that they are difficult to capture.

For more than two hours.

Farrakhan advised against abortion and arrogance. He praised the Black Lives Matter movement. He lambasted socially acceptable forms of bribery, along with child abuse, the corrosive nature of colonialism, corruption, and edits made to Jefferson's initial draft of the Declaration of Independence. Farrakhan decried foul language, human trafficking and squandering one's inborn gifts. He took a position against integration that may have been missed in his rather large and amplified word cloud.

Farrakhan attested to the damage caused by Native American mascots, mass incarceration and materialism. He talked about natural disasters and the natural rights of man. There was mention of the universal nature of our mortality, misogyny, narcissism, and the wealthy puppets and puppeteers at the center of the presidential election.

Farrakhan lectured about the responsibilities of parents, police and other leaders who are, of course, male; the personal strength that can be derived from faith; and what he regards as the poisonous capacities of fear, pork and vanity. He also had much to say about racism, reproduction — sperm, seed, eggs and wombs — slavery and the value of diversity in flora and mankind. Farrakhan rebuked what he considers vapid acts of racial contrition as well as violence and offered a prayer for the unborn.

And that was just the first hour. Farrakhan's remarks amounted to the oratorical equivalent of a bulk-size can of mixed nuts.

Farrakhan's speech also included some passing references to the dietary guidelines, gender roles, groups with permanent residence on the nation's do-not-trust list, as well as the numerology and creation myths that have prompted a million pop culture references and landed the Nation of Islam on the Southern Poverty Law Center's list of hate groups.

He denied any role in the 1965 murder of Malcom X. In fact, he implied that it was more likely a government-backed assassination with terrorist aims and offered his own brand of pity for those who believe something different. His proof: his own freedom despite aggressive and disproportionate prosecutions in cases involving slim evidence and black suspects. Also, Farrakhan noted the presence of at least one FBI agent in the room where Malcolm X was shot in front of an audience that included his children.

Bill Cosby Volume 1: Malcolm-Jamal Warner opens up about Cosby allegations while 'Dateline NBC' gathers Bill Cosby accusers for special

Actor and musician Malcolm-Jamal Warner poses for a portrait Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, in Los Angeles. Warner, who won his first Grammy earlier this year for his work on Robert Glasper's “Jesus Children,” is currently promoting his new album, “Selfless.” He describes the third record with his band Miles Long as “funky passionate vulnerability.” (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP) 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "The Cosby Show" alum Malcolm-Jamal Warner says the series' legacy is "tarnished" by the sexual assault allegations made against Bill Cosby.

"My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film, no matter what ... negative stereotypes of people of color, we've always had 'The Cosby Show' to hold up against that. And the fact that we no longer have that, that's the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale," said Warner, who starred as Cosby's son, Theo Huxtable, on the long-running NBC sitcom.

Warner said he has been in touch with Cosby, but he would not comment on their conversations.

"I think the things that we discussed really have to stay private between us. But it's just a bad situation all around — for him, for his family, the women, their families, the legacy of the show," said Warner during an interview Thursday.

Cosby admitted having extramarital relationships with several women, including some who now accuse him of sexual assault. He has never been charged with a crime.

Warner, who won his first Grammy earlier this year for his work on Robert Glasper's "Jesus Children," is currently promoting his new album, "Selfless," out now.

He describes the third record with his band Miles Long as "funky passionate vulnerability."

Warner is also filming "American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson," directed by Ryan Murphy. He plays Simpson's friend Al "A.C." Cowlings.

"I grew up with a maniacal obsession with not wanting to be one of those 'Where Are They Now Kids,' " said Warner of his busy year. "I feel very blessed to be able to have all of these avenues of expression ... to be where I am now and finally at a place where I can let go of that worry about having a life after 'Cosby.' "

'Dateline NBC' gathers Bill Cosby accusers for special

NEW YORK (AP) — NBC News correspondent Kate Snow says that bringing 29 women who have accused Bill Cosby of assault together for a "Dateline NBC" special Friday took on an importance beyond the individual cases.
Snow said that many of the women who participated sensed an opportunity to educate others about the need to talk forthrightly about sexual assault.
"That was important, not just in the context of Bill Cosby but for every woman, every American," she said.
The NBC broadcast was timed to coincide with Cosby's scheduled deposition Friday in the case of a woman who accused Cosby of molesting her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974, when she was 15. NBC also was inspired by a New York magazine cover story this summer that gathered many of Cosby's accusers together for a photograph, although Snow said the network had begun working to gather the interviews before that.
Snow said all of the women who have publicly accused Cosby were asked to participate in the interview, which was recorded in Los Angeles in late August. Twenty-seven women agreed. Snow said she interviewed four other women involved anonymously in a 2005 case against Cosby, and two of them subsequently said they would join the other women on camera.
The interview took five hours, and NBC's team had to edit it down to a one-hour special that airs at 9 p.m. EDT and PDT.
Some of the women hadn't discussed their cases before in such a public forum, Snow said. The special includes no women who had not previously made allegations against Cosby.
"They didn't know each other before, and now they are sitting in a room talking about intimate personal details about the allegations," she said. "They say there is a power in that."
While it's a challenge to interview so many people at the same time, Snow tried to use the sheer numbers to connect dots between their allegations. She asked the women for a show of hands on how many believed Cosby had raped them, had sexually assaulted them and had drugged them.
She also asked how many had reported their allegations to police at the time, or had asked for an examination with a rape kit following the encounters. No women raised their hands to that question, she said.
"I believe it's healing and it's cathartic to be able to talk to each other, to look around and be together," said one woman, Sunni Welles.
Snow said there were several attempts to get Cosby or his representatives to appear on "The Cosby Accusers Speak," to be broadcast on the network where the comic had his greatest success during the 1980s. They were all declined. A Cosby representative, Monique Pressley, declined to comment to The Associated Press about the NBC show.

Republicans- We have met the enemy and he is us: Can They Regain Control of Their Party?

Can Republicans Regain Control of Their Party?

OCT 4, 2015 11:02 AM EDT
By Albert R. Hunt

The state of the Republican Party is summed up by a quote from the late cartoonist Walt Kelly: "We have met the enemy and he is us."

At both the presidential-campaign and congressional levels, the problems are self-induced. The party fostered unrealistic expectations, and the failure to meet them emboldened a nihilistic streak in a core of House Republicans and with the likes of Donald Trump. There is little agenda, lots of lashing out.

This is what led some Republicans in the House, encouraged by presidential candidates, to threaten to shut down the government if funding for Planned Parenthood wasn't ended. A USA Today survey showed that almost two-thirds of Americans favor federal support for the organization, which provides health care services for women. A small percentage of Planned Parenthood's budget goes to abortions, and that fraction isn't covered by the federal funds. In a list of a dozen organizations and political figures in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, Planned Parenthood was viewed the most favorably.

A shutdown was avoided last week, but there already are threats to try again in December.

Much of the bluster of this minority can be traced to the Republicans' successes in the 2010 and 2014 non-presidential elections. These victories largely were based on running against the then-unpopular President Barack Obama and overpromising.

At the federal level, the battle cry was: Elect Republicans and we'll defund the Affordable Care Act, slash federal spending, reform the wretched tax system and lower taxes, and restrain Obama. The party won both houses of Congress but hasn't been able to deliver on politically unrealistic commitments.

That has alienated the rank and file. A recent Bloomberg Politics poll showed that Republicans, more than two-to-one, have an unfavorable view of House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. One-third have negative views about their own party.

Reflecting these views, hard-core right-wing members in the House, many elected in those last two off-year elections, forced Boehner to resign.

The favorite to replace him is Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, though Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah said Sunday that he would seek the post, too. McCarthy offers a more cheerful face than Boehner and is an exceptionally able political operative. But whoever takes job will face the same daunting demands -- no compromises with the Democrats or the White House. The main agenda of congressional Republicans is to oppose anything Obama is for, with the exception of international trade deals. 

The best hope is that Boehner, who now can afford to ignore the hard right, will use the next four weeks to forge a deal on extending the debt ceiling and a multiyear budget plan, leaving less lethal matters for his successor to handle. Boehner is a skillful legislator, but this may be a reach.

At the presidential level, the same forces are on display with the three front-runners, Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, who, combined, have less governing or political experience than any president of the past century.

Waiting in the wings is Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who arouses grass-roots conservatives with attacks against Republican congressional leaders.

Some Republicans acknowledge these problems, but insist the party is in good shape. They point out that, in addition to both Houses of Congress, they hold 31 of the 50 governorships and that in most of these states, they also control the legislature. But not much of this success had to do with any Republican initiatives; it was more linked to the party's ability to ride the anti-Obama wave.

"We look great on paper, but most of our gains have been because we weren't the Democrats," says former Representative Tom Davis of Virginia, who was the Republicans' leading political strategist in Congress.

Moreover, as the Democrats learned a generation ago, after years of controlling everything but the presidency, agenda-setting and power flows from the White House.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story:
Albert R. Hunt at ahunt1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Max Berley at mberley@bloomberg.net

EVERYDAY LIFE REVOLVES AROUND FOOD ~ Akbar Ahmand, aka. Shef Ak

BY:
YVETTE RIVERS

---

The cultural climate growing up in the Bronx, New York, during the late 1980s-1990s,was an exciting and empowering time. Black culture was changing with a new explosion of expressive music, language, art and fashion – notably called the Hip Hop culture, which was “intrusive” and portrayed everywhere! The images associated with this new genre portrayed black and minority youth finding their “own voices” in many facets of black culture. Simultaneously, entertainment television programs, were very popular, and watched religiously by black families: A Different World, The Fresh Prince of Belair, Def Comedy Jam, Martin, In Living Color, The Cosby Show and Degrassi High/Junior High. The black community, especially, the youth were being influenced in a new dynamic and authentic way. During this time, eight year old, Akbar Ahmand, aka. Shef Ak, was being deeply impacted by his three older siblings and the environment. He observed minority youth living life on their own terms, creating their own lifestyle expressions in the urban setting.  

Shef Ak was also learning that cooking and food were essential to his family’s structure.There were many mouths to feed (2 working parents and 4 other siblings.) Money was tight, and there was not always a parent home to cook daily meals. So, each sibling was assigned a week day to “feed the family”. So every Thursday after school, Shef Ak was left in the kitchen to make the family meal—his specialty was egg salad! It didn’t take long before Shef Ak was adding different ingredients to “spice” up his simple dish.

After a couple of years, he graduated to cooking on different days making sandwiches, hamburgers and hot dogs. What Shef Ak learned during this period in his life, was that he could autonomously and passionately contribute to his family’s welfare by serving and feeding them his own creative dishes! Hence, his ideology, “Everyday life revolves around food!” 

After his family relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, 16 year old, Shef Ak got his first job in a bakery.Here, Shef Ak became more fascinated with culinary when he rolled his first dough and baked his first tray of donuts. Soon after, he decided that culinary arts would be his outlet in life. So, he made the wise decision to go to Delaware Valley Job Corps; within six months, he became engrossed and graduated with a Culinary Arts certificate. 

The experience at Job Corps motivated Shef AK to re-enroll into Maryland’s Woodstock Job Corps, months later, where he earned a Culinary Arts II certificate. His foundation was set. Throughout his 

career, Shef Ak researched different black chefs, who were making their mark in the culinary industry. He was fascinated learning about their passions, challenges, perseverance, and triumphs, which helped him to solidify his commitment to the the craft. Following are some of Shef AK’s Inspirations:10 Black Chefs– (see link at the bottom of this article thank you.)  

Shef Ak has not wavered with developing his passion for culinary excellence, with Urban Life creations as his inspirational theme. 

Shef Ak has gained valuable experience working for large numbers of patrons at various Baltimore establishments, namely: Omni Hotel, The Tremont Plaza, and the Best Western Plus Hotel. Often, the Management would be skeptical about ShefAk’s culinary creations; however, they conceded with respect and praise.

 

Especially when the patrons returned to the establishments,requesting to meet the chef to compliment him on his culinary flair. Additionally, Shef Ak’ has been honored to create his urban style meals for personalities, such as, Vivica Fox, Billy Dee Williams, Jeff Majors, the Ravens NFL team, and others. 

Now residing in Georgia, Shef Ak continues to advance his culinary expertise by promoting and operating his own business, Platinum Plus Catering, where he serves a blend of every day (urban)soul food combined with other global essences under the description of “Heavenly Urban American Cuisine.” 

For many years, I have had the great 

privilege and pleasure tasting many of Shef Ak’s dishes. He is my stepson, who I have help raised since the egg salad days! I have seen him grow into a talented chef, who has not been restricted by society’s culinary protocols, but rather, his own limitations. I remain supportive and proud of Shef Ak’s consistent vision to serve creative urban dishes from his SOUL.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/28/famous-black-chefs_n_5036401.html.

TRUMP ROAST: Carly Fiorina takes charge in round two of GOP debate — scores big applause when clashing with The Donald

Making her debut on the main stage Republican presidential debate, Carly Fiorina took charge — frequently tangling with front-runner Donald Trump while raising her profile in the crowded GOP primary.

Carly Fiorina shines in round two of GOP debate, clashes with Donald Trump

BY CELESTE KATZ , ERIN DURKIN  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Updated: Thursday, September 17, 2015, 7:42 AM

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — In a combative field of 10 men, the lone woman stood out.

Carly Fiorina took charge in her debut on the main Republican presidential debate stage Wednesday, going toe to toe with front-runner Donald Trump - and further elevating her profile in a crowded GOP primary.

TWITTER REACTS TO SECOND GOP DEBATE

Fiorina's breakout performance came as the candidates piled onto Trump, who ripped into each of them - as moderators from debate host CNN served up opportunities to slash the bombastic billionaire's views and campaign-trail antics.

The one-liner trading between Trump and the rest of the field dominated the showdown until struggling Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called foul.

"This is what's wrong with this debate. We're not talking about real issues," Walker said - before slipping in a zinger of his own: "And Mr. Trump, we don't need an apprentice in the White House. We have one right now."

JEB BUSH ADMITS HE SMOKED MARIJUANA 40 YEARS AGO

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Fiorina scored one of the biggest applause lines of the night when she coolly suggested Trump's attacks on her looks would alienate him from female voters.

"I think women all over the country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said," said Fiorina, whose strong performance in the under-card "kiddie table" of the cycle's first TV debate in August helped land her a podium at Wednesday's main event.

"Look at that face," Trump said of Fiorina last week in Rolling Stone. "Would anyone vote for that?"

At Wednesday's face off, the traditionally unapologetic Trump somewhat sheepishly extended an olive branch as Fiorina stood icily by: "I think she's got a beautiful face, and I think she's a beautiful woman."

The squabble was one of many between Donald Trump and Jeb Bush.

DONALD TRUMP CLAIMS VACCINATIONS ARE LINKED TO AUTISM

The two business moguls later clashed over their records - with Fiorina charging Trump couldn't be trusted to handle the federal government's purse strings because his companies went into bankruptcy a "record four times."

Trump countered with attacks on Fiorina's record at HP - from which she got fired after overseeing substantial layoffs - until the rivals' domination of the debate prompted a frustrated New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to jump in.

"You're both successful people. Congratulations," scoffed Christie, who's struggled to capture voters' attention. "You know who's not successful? The middle class in this country who's getting plowed over by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Let's start talking about those issues tonight - and stop this childish back-and-forth between the two of you."


The hand-to-hand combat between Fiorina and Trump seemed at times to relegate other candidates to a battle for the moderator's attention or to stop the intramural bloodbath in favor of a united attack on the Democrats.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie reacts during the debate.

Fiorina and Trump’s fire-and-ice exchanges stood in contrast, for example, to the modulated tones of pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who has jumped to second place in the primary polls, and to the generally positive message purveyed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

In one of the three-hour debate's most dramatic moments, Fiorina appealed to conservatives with a passionate - and graphic - denunciation of Planned Parenthood.

"I dare Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama to watch these tapes," Fiorina said of controversial sting videos that have prompted conservative calls to defund the organization.

"Watch a fully formed fetus on the table - its heart beating, its legs kicking - while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain. This is about the character of our nation, and if we will not stand up in and force President Obama to veto this bill, shame on us."


Candidates at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library were intentionally stationed just inches from each other in front of the late president's Air Force One to encourage maximum conflict - and the focus was on Trump from the start.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said the bombastic billionaire's history of vitriolic personal attacks made him unfit for the White House.

"Short, tall, fat, ugly. My goodness. That happened in junior high, are we not above that?" said Paul, taking on Trump's penchant for personal attacks against women and opponents.

Trump moved quickly to shut Paul down in vintage style: "I never attacked him on his looks - and believe me, there's plenty of subject matter there."

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush got into it with Trump over special interest money and the record of Bush's brother, former President George W. Bush.


Defending his brother's military record, Bush said, "He kept us safe."

"I don't know. You feel safe right now?" Trump shot back. "I don't feel so safe."

The intense focus on Trump frustrated some commentators -- and the sheer number of candidates and questions left others whipsawed.

Moderator "Jake Tapper is like a reality-show producer whose every question tries to create drama by playing two people against each other," griped Twitter user @realityblurred.


With 11 candidates on stage, said the University of Virginia's Larry Sabato, the program ultimately punished watchers with a "dizzying pace and switching of topics."

 ON A MOBILE DEVICE? WATCH FIORINA'S TOP MOMENTS. WATCH TRUMP'S TOP MOMENTS.