this is... The Neighborhood

IS MENTAL ILLNESS CATCHABLE?

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Kendall Fredrick Person

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In 1692, the town of Salem, Massachusetts was overwhelmed from one of the most infamous cases of mass hysteria in recorded history. Pinpointing the exact cause, leading to such a bewildering effect, is a task that historians still debate. A family feud, a beggar woman, pirates, and an unsanctioned government, seem to have set the stage, in what would become an out of control, game of nuts. The first domino fell when four young girls became violently ill. Rather than investigating the nature of the outbreak, or questioning a possible ruse (one of the sick girls was a part of the family, feuding with the family of one of the accused). Three women were arrested, and charged with witchcraft.

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from Sacramento
Mozzy with Perk Callin

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Is Mental Illness Catchable?
written & edited by Kendall F. Person

TIME reports: “Researchers from John Hopkins & Stanley Medical Research Institute, investigate a possible link between parasites in cats and mental illness [in us].” A contagious offense, if verified by science. Medical Daily – a conservative news site – however, screams hogwash “The idea that mental illness can be carried from one person to another is almost absolutely false.”

Almost

During the 17^th century, belief in the supernatural was not uncommon, making the initial accusation, understandable when put into context. When word of the arrest spread, however, the opposite transpired, of what a reasonable community could anticipate. So real had this nonsensical gossip become, that the townsfolk of Salem not only believed the jailed women were witches – but were certain – their friends, families and neighbors… were all witches too.

Paranoia of a single individual – stoked by fear and anxiety – can ricochet around the room. If the paranoid speaks loud enough or through a megaphone, than paranoia may erupt into mass hysteria. If left unchecked by voices of reason and help, mass hysteria can grow until epidemic, manifesting into a land of nuts.

Is mental illness contagious? The jury deliberates. But catchable… a verdict has been reached.

Category: Mental Health Week Tags: land of nuts, mass hysteria, medical daily, Mental Health, mental illness catchable, perk callin mozzy, salem witch trials

CRAZY FEUD

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Kendall Fredrick Person

5 Comments

Why is it, that people react the way they do in the face of hardship? What is it exactly, that makes them seek the comfort and ease of handing it all over to someone else, rather than deal with it on their own terms, and do it right? Not that there is anything wrong in seeking counsel, but in the end nobody will bear the consequences of your actions but yourself, and as such the decision should be yours, and yours alone. – Philosopher Ahmad Al Charif, Beirut Lebanon

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from Melbourne Australia
War Drums by 10YRWAR.

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CRAZY FEUD
written & edited by Kendall F. Person

War by gama2956

In 2006, Israel and Lebanon went back to war. To the conscious observer – who was neither for or against, but simply took in the moment as it unfolded – Israel came across as a bully. It was apparent, even viewed via a television screen, from the other side of the world, that their seemingly ragtag opponent, was way out of their league. Not only were they outnumbered and outgunned, but it was not even the nation of Lebanon in combat, but Hezbollah: a political party or freedom fighters or terrorists, depending on the narrative we followed.

If war were contested in beauty, Israel’s strategic precision and aerial assault, would have been a 10. In the first wave, 100,000 homes and buildings flattened, as warplanes rained bombs on Beirut. As residents fled, the Israeli Army blew up 146 bridges, cutting off means to escape. With the Lebanese President visibly weakened, and Israel’s relentless resolve unshaken and with the United States remaining virtually silent, initially, it felt like a route. But Hezbollah – with their makeshift command post – that we could see – not only kept fighting, but landed big enough blows – as to confuse who or if anyone had actually won the crazy feud and what the spoils were. But in the US, the narrative was clear: Israel had defeated the terrorists.

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War by gama2956

In 2014, what began as a literary collaboration, grew into a close friendship with a philosopher named Ahmad Al Charif of Lebanon. The Depths of Crazy – a 3 part thriller about insanity – affected us differently. Our roles were clear: no matter how deep into the abyss I took Crazy, and irregards how unhinged the characters became, Ahmad had to find a way – in a tale about insanity – to raise the atmosphere on high. The ordeal nearly overwhelmed him. However, he was who he claimed to be, and made a contribution toward finding inner peace, even in the depths of crazy.

Ahmad is Muslim, but his western travels and spiritual beliefs, gave an unorthodox distinction to his style of worship, nearly unrecognizable – not that it matters. He hails from a good family, a contributor in a loving relationship, a hard worker and a good friend. But eight years after war’s end, Crazy forced him to relive it all over again: the repetition of explosions, the systematic destruction of his nation, the wait and wonder of the missing, and the nightmare-inducing memories of a bridge collapsing after crossing. Yet Ahmad is neither anti semitic, nor bitter. Neither a hate mongerer nor a terrorist, but a man of good nature, the person that he sees.

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“Madness is to have erroneous perceptions
and to reason correctly from them.” – Voltaire.

In the present day, the narrative of our nation is changing so rapidly and being driven so aggressively, that reason becomes fleeting, until one day, there could be none left, for it is not guaranteed, collectively.

If our belief is that Muslim and Jewish and Christian religions are linked together through Abraham; and if our faith and family and friendships forged, have taught love and compassion; and if the philosophy of our wisdom is to remain on a quest for knowledge; and if truth is what we seek; and if we maintain our inner peace and respect for humankind, than we should hold on to the person we know inside; the one we have always seen.

But if we venture outdoors on a daily, yet the safety we feel, that we have always felt, we now believe is not real; if we follow the narrative of a fear, that is neither felt nor seen; if we pretend that everything we know is make believe, and that our lying eyes are deceiving; if we accept truth derived from fiction; if we embrace the ‘us against them’ ideology of hate; if we no longer think for ourselves and follow along like lemmings, led by a house of conspiracy theorists; and if we see our friend Ahmad as foe, then we will no longer be the person we see; and the crazy feud will become our reality.

this is … The Neighborhood

Category: Op/Ed Tags: 10yrwar, Ahmad Al Charif, crazy feud, inner peace, Israel, Israel Lebanon war, kendall person, muslim, tribe of brothers, war drums, wisdom

A PRINCESS ON EVERY STREET

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Kendall Fredrick Person

17 Comments

from 1999, TLC with
UNPRETTY

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In honor of Women’s Day, a special encore presentation of…

A Princess on Every Street
written & edited by Kendall F. Person

There is a princess on every street.
We know who they are by their smiling faces,
and silver braces.
We see the pretty dresses that they wear,
and the adorable ponytails arranged of their hair.
We see them skipping down the walk,
headed off to school,
and ready for the world
because they are daddy’s little girl.

There is a princess on every street.
In the broken down apartment buildings,
and in the houses that blot the streets.
We know who they are,
even if they rarely come outdoors
by the songs they sing,
like the sun will come out Tomorrow,
and other wishful things.

There is a princess on every street. Living with abusers
intent on robbing them of a childhood and a future.
We know who they are from the sadness in their eyes
and the bruises on their faces,
that hide the truth in memorized excuses.
We watch them fail their classes
lost concentration, partly to blame.
We feel them close down, isolating themselves
blocking out the world, but still living with the pain.

Clean and dirty, homeless and rich.
Every color of the rainbow,
in every country on earth.
There is a princess on every street.
And the little girls that do not know this,
please won’t someone tell them
…..they are a Princess too.

Thank you to All the Women in My Life.

And Happy Birthday Mariana (big smile).

Category: poetry stage Tags: little women, poem, Poetry, princess on every street, women in my life, women's day

DAM OUR AMBITION

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Kendall Fredrick Person

4 Comments

“The universe is not required to be in harmony
with human ambition.” – Carl Sagan

“There will always be an underground.”
– Chuck Palahniuk

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The first 60 days of any new year, is a perfect time to shine a spotlight on the best (and the trainwrecks) of the underground scene.

ed. i music & prose

Bap Mason, ChildsAnonymous, Brandon Shutt & Nadine Jordan

It is a curious word: ambition. It is as much a personal emotion as a personality trait. To be ambitious is to be filled with such exuberance and excitement, that the execution becomes its own reusable source of energy and joy. Simply by doing our thing, and not forsaking our God given talent tends to inspire and build a base of fans, if we are fortunate.

Ambition empowers the soul to believe in the self. It forces the brain to think bigger than the moment, to think greater than ‘me’ even when necessity calls ‘me’ first. To imagine the place we will someday be, creates the starry-eyed dreamer, and a sometimes brutal reality strengthens our emotions, fortifying the heart to absorb the blows of loss; to not break the chain of a non stop adrenaline rush, less we never get back up. Ambition is the game of life, played on every level. It is reaching the pinnacle of our profession or within our craft, then reaching higher even still, as it becomes our way of life. And even when despair, temporarily (or for 15 years) knocks us out, and we find ourselves, with neither the window nor the pot, it is ambition that wakes us up, that affords us a shimmer of hope. But dam our ambition comes at a cost. It keeps us honest with ourselves, so we hold off on giving up.

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the sound of music

All I Know song review
by Bap Mason feat. Rocca Varnado
L.R.O., Strong Visual, Young Kings

All I Know by Bap Mason is both a tragedy and an unbridled success. It hits a rare double of being both the problem and the solution, and the simplicity of the song, is also its might. The lyrics are so emotionally charged, if not for the body-swaying groove and catch hook for balance, it would be Shakespearean only a hip hop tragedy. It is at once the jump off song of a dreamer and the war cry of a generation lost. All the times we’ve been through, all we do is smoke All we do is smoke. All I know crashes the starry-eyed flow of hitting the big time with a relentless ambition that separates artist from talk. But the beat saves us from drowning and we remember that it’s only a song.

There is a hint of brilliance, supported by the raw solo of Rocca Varnado, who adds both presence and depth. But it does not matter how sign-of-the-times the song may be, the arts in all its beauty, will devour our ambition, if we do not maintain the blow for blow dedication to match. And if Bap Mason ever believes all he knows is enough, then the voice of genius or a slow rise to the top or just being good with life, gets buried as the lyrics lose their power and the beat becomes the entire song.

deja vu: the spotlight artist

Childs Anonymous
Hip Hop Artists

Talented, smart and professional in his pursuits. He has maintained an unyielding fan base for years, thepublicblogger included.

“I am hoping Childs is here to stay. He adds a flavor to the music scene, The Neighborhood has not seen since Los Rakas (Crossing the Diaspora), who has soared to relative fame. But more than anything, he adds excitement to an underground world, throwing further turmoil into a chaotic, talent-filled pool of artists, one of whom…. is destined to be a superstar.” – excerpt from 2014 song review

Ambition keeps him flowing, and if there is a disappointment, that he has yet to reach the top, he keeps it to himself or a very tight knit inner circle, because year after year, Childs Anonymous puts it down.

⊕ Are Yall Kidding Me by Childs ⊕

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Ambition is not the alpha nor the omega in the totality of who we are. Striving to hit number one, if that is our destination, then we must not stop, even if we believe there is no way out. For ambition – with a fair amount of altruism, to be fair – illuminates and shines and becomes a spark, that may unblock the emotional dam for the generation that follows. And only the unhinged will not release their knowledge, reducing a legacy to victim of eternity.

the writers

Brandon Shutt – not a grasshopper
Brandon is currently a student, studying English and Philosophy at the University of Tennessee, but a grasshopper he is not. A philosophy and a language – to varying degrees – we all possess. But how many times or how often, do we put them to a public test, without taking a fundamental, yet critical first step Never be afraid to take a moment to think. The translation is the same for both verbal and written communication. It pays dividends, that we the speaker notice first.

The Question: Why do most readers gravitate to one-sided editorials and tend to shun essays that offer well-balanced opinions from both sides?

Shutt’s response: One can only process finite amounts of data before coming to a conclusion. Therefore, one must trust their gut as an authority in determining which side in a story is right, and this entails discriminating against sources on the basis of ideology for the sake of one’s sanity. – Please read entire answer/essay here. Not only is it interesting and informative, but he is so skillful as writer and thoughtful in offering his philosophy, that even if we disagree, we do not feel like the enemy. But more important, he has the ability to speak to the masses, but we still must be willing to step free from our bubble and read it.

one hit wonderful

Nadine Jordan
Sometimes, it is what we do not know or choose not to accept about ourselves, that troubles us the most. I learned from my brother-in-law, when I could not outrun the fog that once covered me: ambition never dies, but lives inside all alone, without nourishment or attention to feed the drive. And like all other emotions, the void created by an unrecognized yearning, is often filled by depression, the anti if there ever was.

Nadine Jordan’s writing debut Native America is quite frankly, breathtaking. A one hit wonder, perhaps. But if the craft of writing is not her passion, her one hit is worth reading over and over again. And if literary history is kind and gives it a deserving life, it is the type of essay that may outlast time.

this is… The Neighborhood
by Kendall F. Person

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The River Still Flows ed. II: short films, talking heads and leadership… on deck and coming soon.

Follow KP on Quora

Category: Reviews Tags: bap mason, brandon shutt, childsanonymous, Damn Our Ambition, kendall f. person, Nadine Jordan, not grasshopper, one hit wonderful, recording arts, the underground

MASTERPIECE THEATRE: Attorney General Confirmation Hearing, Incidentally Delivers An All Around American MOMENT

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Kendall Fredrick Person

11 Comments

cover design His name is Michael
by Kendall F. Person

starring
US Senator Elizabeth Warren, MA (D),
1st Woman & 1st African American
to Lie in Honor at Georgia State Capitol Coretta Scott King,
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, AL (R)

“In the end, the American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.” – Julian Castro, 16th US Secretary of Housing & Urban Development

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in honor of Black History Month
within American History
Eyes on the Prize
soundtracked by the legendary Mavis Staples

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MASTERPIECE THEATRE:
Attorney General Confirmation Hearing,
Incidentally Delivers An All Around American Moment

written & edited by Kendall F. Person

I was born in 1966, in the metropolitan city of Denver Colorado, located at the base of the spectacular Rocky Mountains. At 2 years old, I have no memory of 1968, and everything I know is what I have learned and what I have been told, by people that remember it well, because they were there.

Coretta Scott Kiang Peace Rally New York City, 1968

In 1968, only two days following the assassination of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr., and in the midst of civil unrest and uncertainty across the United States, all eyes would turn to his wife, Coretta Scott King. She would make her first appearance at the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church and in a dignified show of strength, she shared words that her husband instilled within his own children, “If a man had nothing worth dying for, then he was not fit to live.” Less than three weeks later, Mrs. King – as a woman – would embolden those words when she stepped into the international spotlight by taking her husband’s place as a speaker at a peace rally in New York City.

Alabama Ku Klux Klan 1981, Michael Donald

In 1981, in Mobile Alabama, an African American man named Michael Donald would be found hanging from a tree, in what would become the last recorded lynching in the United States by the Ku Klux Klan. A few years prior, my family had migrated to Sacramento California and in 1981 I was a freshman at Grant High. While I am certain I had heard of the violent murder and lynching of Michael Donald, and while the Klan held a presence in nearby Rio Linda and Orangevale, I image that a lynching must have seemed abstract. But two and half years later, several members of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan were brought to justice with the cooperation and/or within the jurisdiction of a man named Jeff Sessions, who then was the US Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama.

In 1986, groups like NWA, Public Enemy and X-Clan would become the soundtrack of my life. Introduced to a wealth of knowledge about the many contributions made by Africans and Africans Americans, to my country and world. I became bitter about the lack of Black History taught during my k-12 education experience, so I encapsulated myself within an African American bubble within the university bubble, making my experiences much different than the majority of the students at that time, but no less unforgettable.

It was an academia, where a woman named Elizabeth Warren would build a name for herself, becoming a full professor at the University of Texas Law School before joining the University of Pennsylvania Law School, then moving on to Harvard Law where she became an influential law professor in bankruptcy. She soon evolved, releasing the warrior inside, discovering a passion in consumer advocacy.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren

By 1986, Coretta Scott King’s influence was well established. After the signing of Martin Luther King Day into a National Holiday 3 years prior by President Ronald Reagan, she had become a voice in world peace, Women’s Rights and an early supporter of the LGBT community.

But fortune had not shined on Jeff Sessions, whose failed appointment as a US Federal Court Judge would become a crossroads. Claims and occurrences of unfair treatment of, and racial bigotry toward the specific demographic of Black Americans during his tenure as US Attorney General for the Southern District of Alabama, had either come back to haunt him or forced an inventory of self.

His nomination however, had captured the attention of Mrs. King who had reasons to believe his appointment as a federal judge would be a catastrophic setback to civil rights, so she decided to put her influence to perhaps its biggest test. Clear, measured and precise, her written opposition – the now famous letter – was sent to the Senate judiciary Committee, becoming a part of the arsenal that sunk Sessions’ nomination to the federal judiciary. Reason noted: reasonable doubt had been established in his ability to be fair and impartial.

By 2006, I had spent several years in corporate America, published three novels culminating in a relatively successful nationwide book tour, became a spokesperson and fundraiser for a national nonprofit, before losing valued years to the stranglehold of addiction.

In August of 2006, Coretta Scott King would lose a battle to ovarian cancer and America lost a national treasure. But so precious was her hfe and valued her contribution, that she would be the first woman and first African American to Lie in Honor at the Georgia State Capitol

Lie in State Coretta Scott King

On a national level, then majority leader Bill Frist, a Republican Senator from Tennessee, would sponsor Resolution 362 A resolution honoring the life of Coretta Scott King and expressing the condolences of the Senate on her passing. It was agreed to by Unanimous Consent which included the consent of Senator Mitch McConnell, who served as Senate Deputy at the time.

As one star faded, another was on the rise. Elizabeth Warren’s work in academia and in consumer advocacy would draw the attention of President Barack Obama, who named Warren Assistant to the President with designs on appointing her as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But Republicans and big business, recognized a fighter and crushed her nomination before it even got out.

But neither Elizabeth Warren nor Jeff Sessions could be defeated. By 2012, both had won a seat from their respective states in the United States Senate. During the 2016 US Presidential Campaign, both would become national figures. Jeff Sessions for his early support of now President Donald Trump – which led to his appointment as the US Attorney General. Elizabeth Warren came into her own, as one of very few political opponents, who was not afraid to exchange blows with GOP Presidential Candidate Trump, who had silenced the leaders of his party in a recklessly political, but nonetheless, dazzling performance.

By 2012, I had returned to my center and the 15 years of creative dormancy burst forward and writing was no longer the end game, but the foundation. In January 2013, an original online artists collaborative, known simply as The Neighborhood was born But in 2016,the country’s divisive rhetoric and the scorched earth/bring down the nation approach of the national campaign forced a move from the artistic to the political. But The Neighborhood stood firm in its all inclusive positioning, embracing and contrasting our differences in the social media/blog based reality show The Search for COMMON GROUND.

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In 1902, a fist fight broke out in the senate, between two old friends, who found themselves on opposing sides of the aisle. Unable to control his rage, white supremacist Senator Benjamin Tillman, who according to The Atlantic, advocated the lynching of Black People who tried to vote, threw the first punch, and the United States Senate dissolved into a barroom brawl. In its aftermath, Senate Rule XIX gave rise.

United States Senate

“No Senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator.”

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On February 7, 2017 American History inside of Black History Month would unexpectedly collide, during the US Attorney General Confirmation Hearing, that is best described as an artistic imitation of life or Masterpiece Theatre with a twist, as the explosive Act I finale delivered a moment – by chance, happenstance, karma or God – to nearly every American demographic.

By Category

In Academia: American history, political science, law, black history, civics, public speaking and even English: Creative Writing were all big winners. But with the shaky confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education and the simultaneous introduction of H.R. 899 a bill introduced by Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie to dissolve the Department of Education, and with the President tweeting threats to defund one of the most prestigious public universities in the world, the hearings allowed the embattled American Institution of Learning to storm back in a big way.

Judicial System:
Criminal Henry Francis Hays was convicted and sentenced to death by electrocution for the savage and senseless murder of Michael Donald (today it would be considered an act of domestic terrorism). In 1997, he was executed by the State of Alabama, thus becoming the only known member of the KKK to be executed for a crime against an African American in the 20th Century.

Civil: In 1984, a wrongful death lawsuit was brought against the United Klans of America for the murder of Michael Donald. In 1987, an all white jury found the Klan legally liable and awarded the Donald Family $7 million dollars in damages, officially bankrupting the Ku Klux Klan.

Civil Rights: While the unfunny joke may have been on President Trump (first Melania and now the Donald, one must wonder if their speech writers are friend or foe?), as the White House kicked off Black History Month with a confusing speech about abolitionist Fredrick Douglass. The high profile dustup over civil rights icon Coretta Scott King’s letter, gave civil rights, freedom and voting rights their due and offered a proper kickoff to Black History Month to boot.

Women: Rather Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell committed a political choke job for the ages, or it was his attempt to put women in their place, I have no idea, but by invoking the archaic and rarely used Senate Rule XIX, he gifted a grand slam for the movement – one that had already produced millions in January 21st marches, that dotted every corner of the globe.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions

American Dreamers: An overwhelming majority of American citizens and illegal aliens/undocumented immigrants prefer to live in communities with law and order (yes, I recognize the irony; but I do not view immigrants as a separate entity of people, while I understand the need, however, to maintain our borders). And yes, even young Black men would prefer law enforcement as a part of the community, as opposed to an “us against them.”. Only the self righteous take comfort in political wins by voter suppression or illegal voting. And only the top brass of an industry that makes its fortune penitentiaries are happy when prison populations are exploding. Very few residents of big cities or rural lands, are opposed to imagining viable solutions to reducing crime, rather than just rehashing the failed lock ’em up and throw away the keys approach, which proved disastrous for California.

Fair and Impartial, Mr. Sessions. Millions of Americans and hundreds of agencies now look to you for leadership and guidance.

In the light most unflatteringly to Jeff Sessions, that he in fact imposed the laws unfairly over three decades ago and denied a segment of the population their rights guaranteed under the Constitution, the American dream includes forgiveness and the opportunity – through hard work and dedication for a chance at redemption – to roll the dice again in a pursuit of happiness, while making a contribution to mankind.

The confirmation of Jeff Sessions, the lasting influence of Coretta Scott King now legacy, the celebration of the strength and intellect of a woman like Elizabeth Warren proved a priceless affirmation, that the American dream lives on. But…. to be continued over the next four years or months.

Government/Technology/Media: No alt facts, no demoralizing tweets, just a seamless confluence of information, opinion, debate and respect for government procedure (but a sincere hope that our branches of government, can become leaders elected by the people).

KP/Above the Clouds (UNHINGED coming to Youtube March 2017)

References
cover image of Coretta Scott King The Woman Behind the Man by Poison-Ivy-Alice
The Atlantic: A Brief History of the Senate Rule That Silenced Elizabeth Warren
Wikipedia: Coretta Scott King Elizabeth Warren Jeff Sessions Murder of Michael Donald
Congressman Thomas Massie: Bill to Abolish Federal Dept of Education