this is… The Neighborhood
the Story within the Story
THE 8 ALL TIME BEST PERFORMANCES
Normally, at this time of year, we are gearing up for an awards event or like in 2015, Best Performance of the Year decided in A Star is Born. But this year, we are going to try something quite different. But how could we call it a year without a BEST or TOP 10s list, so let’s go for it.
Very proud to present The Neighborhood’s All Time Best Performances, selected not by committee or a panel, but by thepublicblogger himself. So with no further adieu…
The Neighborhood’s
8 All Time Best Performances
by Category
BEST COLLABORATOR IN A SERIES-FICTION
and the nominees are….
⊕Tomaj Javidtash (Iran) A Forgotten Life SEP 2015
⊕Eric J. Steere (New Jersey) The Religious Right Book III Free Will JUL 2013
⊕Ahmad Al Charif (Lebanon) The Depths of Crazy AUG 2014
and Simply the Best: Eric J. Steere, The Religious Right Book III*
Steere had the impossible task of joining into a 4 part series in part 3. And while the experience was too nerve racking and frantic for him to continue in Book IV, Steere was masterful in introducing the plot twist, that Person never saw coming.
BEST SONG OR SCORE
and the nominees are….
⊕Hussle Crowe (Detroit) I Deserve That from Half Mast
⊕JP Kallio (Ireland) Losing Faith from The Invisible Perception of Black
⊕Renan Javier (Canada) Rise of The Dynasty Overture from One Life to Live
⊕PShaw (Philadelphia) A Thousand Ways from The Hypocrisy of War
⊕Rossi (Los Angeles) Moon Up Sun Down from The Dare
⊕Carlethal feat. Bridgette Cooper (New York) Peace Signs Up from Our Week of Peace 2015
and Simply the Best: a tie As it turns out, a song and a score are very different indeed, making it impossible to choose just one. Best Song: Peace Signs Up by Carlethal, the Official 2015 Our Week of Peace Anthem saw the video views rise from 2500 to over 75,000, and the enthusiasm could be felt as Peace Day 2015, reached all over the web. Best Score: Rise of The Dynasty Overture by Renan Javier. “I would be tempted to call this post (One Life to Live) a theater piece. Because that is what is conveyed with the exquisite use of accompanying music, which boasts an immaculate level of inspirational prowess…” Reviewer C.J. Leger
BEST ARTIST COLLABORATION
and the nominees are….
⊕Rebecca Lemke, Guy White, IvySoul Robinson, Summer Rose A Star is Born, RD VII: An Artists Collaboration Bubba 2015
⊕Guy White and Yelle Hughes, Star Fin 2015
⊕Becca and JP Kallio, Magnificent Discovery 2016
⊕Ned Hickson, Kendrick Merk Nichelson and Stephanie Mark Lewis, A Star is Born RD VII: An Artists Collaboration Dempublican Party 2015
⊕Kenderick Johnson, Wa’Derrious Sellors, H-Y Loco, Aaron Schell, CJ Bennett, Shrestha Bibash, Keyur Pachal and Jay Red Young Black Men 2015
⊕Flower Crittenden, Kendrick Merk Nichelson, The Lives We Live, RD IV The Artists Collaboration Round Freedom: Last Chapter
⊕Jasmine Thompson, Kelly Lewis, Oscar Plascentia and Summer Rose Poetry Stage: Paroxysmal Indulgence a poetry duet 2015
and Simply the Best: Young Black Men directed by Kenderick Johnson of Baton Rouge Louisiana. Everything about Young Black Men screamed disaster. But under the direction of a then 23 year old grasshopper Johnson held the young men together, and brought home one of the most viewed shows in The Neighborhood’s history.
BEST SOLO GUEST PERFORMANCE
and the nominees are….
⊕AUTO (Maryland) Bridges & the 2013 Thepublicblogger Awards Autobiography
⊕Swift Slay (Florida) 2014 Thepublicblogger Awards Goodbye My Love Naked
⊕Chio Smith (La Puente California) A Star is Born RD VIII The Preliminaries: The Proxy Performances
⊕Crystal Fairrington (Sacramento)) The Plight of the Powerless Consciousness
⊕Anonymous Soldier, I Don’t Feel Good 2013 (via link)
⊕Robert M. Goldstein (San Francisco) Goodbye Mamma 2015
and Simply the Best: Chio Smith In The Neighborhood’s all time most popular show, in the heat of battle that was not her own, and on the biggest stage, 2nd only to the finale, Chio Smith was flawless, and all 4 score cards agreed (Judges, Inner Council, Producer, Public Vote). Her grand victory swept her brother into the finals without him needing to even take the stage. (Ironic to the end result)
BEST SHORT FILM
⊕Fran Daddy (Philadelphia) RAW 2015
⊕Kareem Rejeb, Perfect Holiday
⊕Matt Salvo (Sacramento) Trader 2015
⊕Silverreploid Cle Slenderman The 8 Pages A Reaction!!! Video 2015
and Simply the Best: RAW by Fran Daddy. A first film made with one camera, and one shoot, in one location and a first time actress to boot. Unpolished and shaky and had he taken his time, more entertaining. But it handily won The Short Film Festival in viewers and the twist hits as hard as a major motion picture.
MOST DRAMATIC MELTDOWN
and the nominees are…
⊕Tobe Damit (Canada) TAG:The Neighborhood Anthology on Leadership & Authority – FROZEN OUT
⊕Charles Okpere (Nigeria) A Star is Born RD VII An Artists Collaboration – DQ’d
⊕John B. Strong (Oklahoma) Michael DeBerger(Indiana) A Star is Born – Judges Quagmire
⊕Christian Marc (Washington) A Star is Born RD I – Backstage
⊕Eric J Steere, Book III Free Will The Religious Right- When Nerves Give Way
and Simply the Best: Judges Quagmire. When Lead Judge Michael DeBerger stormed out of chambers in protest of John B. Strong not being thrown off the panel, it not only gave Strong the decisive vote, but it elevated him to lead judge for the final battle. With literally thousands awaiting the score to fall, Strong froze and held the show hostage for 12 hours sending the audience into a never before and never again rage. One Star watcher even called for the canines to be sent in.
THE DEFINING MOMENT
and the nominees are….
Kirby Workes, A Star is Born – the DQ of Okpere
Yavonne Squeaky Pen, Our Week of Peace 2016 The Opening Prayer
Fran Daddy, Chair of The Neighborhood Shows, Our Week of Peace, the expulsion of Robert Webster
Ned Hickson (Oregon) The Sexiest Number – Crowned Champion
Rebecca Lemke (Oklahoma) A Star is Born… After the Show Ends
Charles Okpere, The Lives We Live, The Comeback Kid
Nadine Jordan (Sacramento) Our Week of Peace Native America
Kenderick Johnson, Young Black Men, Director
and Simply the Best Moment… Ned Hickson Not only at Age 49 did he school a flock of youngsters to win The Sexy Show, but it would further demonstrate to his family, his readers, his friends and his fans, that he is a man of his word, and his never give up, fight till the finish, its not over till its over, accept the thrill of victory and agony of defeat with pride and honor demeanor… is profoundly defining of The Neighborhood.
GREATEST ENSEMBLE OF ARTISTS
and the nominees are…
The Lives We Live a Reality Show
A Star is Born
2016 Mental Health Week
Opening Day 2015
and Simply the Greatest Ensemble of Artists…. Opening Day 2015 (see video) 22 Artists, 7 Stages, World Music Premieres, A Short Film Festival, Poetry, Photography, and The Exorcist… All on the same day and all in the same place.
Congratulations to the Best and much love to every artists and activists, grasshopper and veteran who has made their way to thepublicblogger.com and much gratitude to the neighbors, visitors and guests. You have always been appreciated. (JAN 2013 – Present)
– thepublicblogger aka Kendall F. Person (big smile)
Up Next: The Neighborhood Award: Our Highest Honor
PROMOTING VIOLENCE Speaks to Inner City & GOP
“You are cockroaches. We will kill you.”
– Broadcast Voice of a National Public Radio Station, Rwanda
On April 6, 1994, an airplane carrying the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi was shot out of the sky, killing everyone on board. The incident is considered the breaking point leading to a swift, but catastrophic and all out civil war, that would leave the rest of the world in shock. In less than 3 months, over a million people – not cockroaches, but human beings – all related by national identity, slaughtered one another in savagery. The intensity of mistrust, between the Hutus and the Tutsis, traces back to their conquerors, who divided them into separate tribes by spinning a web of lies.
The Rwandans would survive history, but they could not withstand the infiltration of hate, when a sociopath gained control of a popular, nationwide radio station. The repetition of false claims soon became their “truth” even though it was him, not their eyes, that later proved deceptive. And in less than a year, all reason would forsake them. No longer did they see people, only cockroaches, everywhere.
Trump’s “Animal” Rhetoric Is The Kind Of Hate Speech
That Will Lead To More Violence. – Jen Froderman, The Daily Banter
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from Sacramento
Mula Gang feat. Mozzy
PROMOTING VIOLENCE
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Promoting Violence by Mula Gang feat. MOZZY:
Rap Brilliance, Speaks to Inner City and GOP
written & edited by Kendall F. Person
MULA GANG
The opening sequence is unnerving. A police officer responding to a call, The voice of a young woman, frantic at first, then panic in her voice. A blitzing round of shots fired – before her voice melts into sorrow. As the chaos fades out, Mula Gang, along with Mozzy, take to the stage, lowers the mic, and delivers life in a performance..
MOZZY
The masterful precision of the track, works as a smooth blend with Mula Gang’s unique treble sounding voice. And if this were a stage play – Mozzy – Sacramento’s biggest rap star, would be the encore. When he makes an appearance the confidence in his delivery carries a cadence all his own. But somehow it would seem unfortunate if Promoting Violence is appreciated only for its sound, since its depth moves well beyond the recording arts. The ability to induce flashbacks for Generation X while staying current and in fact, defining the present, is no simple task However, it is the irony that elevates Promoting Violence to a sign of the times importance.
“Hate her with all your heart. Forget about the rule of law, lock her up!” – Donald Trump of his political opponent, at a United States of America 2016 Presidential Election Campaign Event
Promoting Violence exposes the violence still trapped in many Black communities, yet it does not leave us in despair, as hope can be found in the promising lyrics “OG’s in the hood trying to give knowledge” But rather than imagine solutions to the challenges, the GOP would often use inner city violence as a shield, to pivot a way from any topic concerning the shooting deaths of unarmed Black men by Law Enforcement. To be fair – Promoting Violence was not meant to speak to the state of the Republican Party. But that makes little difference as the presence of violence gains a stranglehold on the GOP, promoted by the former presidential nominee.
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A Blog and Social Media Post Challenge: The Karl Becker Moment Takes Us Higher
“When they go low, we go high”
– First Lady of the USA, Michele Obama
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STARIN’ THROUGH MY REAR VIEIV
by Tupac Shakur,
feat. Outlawz, and Phil Collins sampled
⊕⊕⊕
The Karl Becker Moment Tales Us Higher
written & edited by Kendall F. Person
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As individuals, we may live our lives within cultural and demographic comfort zones, well aware that we are not alone, but for whatever reasons, we may rarely venture out. As a result or a consequence, and with neither malice nor glee, our perception of the people who live outside of our circle of familiarity is shaped by people, institutions and mediums, that we put our trust into, at times, without questioning. And if we believe, that our pursuit of happiness has been jeopardized by others, then our built up frustrations -related or not – boil to the service as anger, allowing the mind to materialize others, and they become the ones to blame.
There are historic moments – few and far between, but one we are in now, when I-the-individual, must think as We The People. We must accept our responsibility as citizens, to seek common ground and forge communication, both key in the continuous building of a nation of over 324 million people. Windows of opportunity come and go, as there is no such thing, when one closes all is lost. However, we may close or simply not open the one window, we actually needed for that moment.
“Regardless of the current rhetoric,
would either of you name one positive thing,
that you respect in one another.”
– Karl Becker, St. Louis Missouri USA
In a forum resembling a Yo Mama! contest, more so than a Presidential debate,, which in fact, it was, how appropriate that an individual citizen – representing We The People – imagined a different way, With a single question, he placed the spotlight on civility, provided a weary nation with a moment of carefree laughter, based on common ground. But perhaps of most importance, was the powerful affirmation, that the idea of the American Dream, while fleeting, is very much alive.
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GO HIGHER!:
A Blog & Social Media Post Challenge
issued by The Neighborhood at thepublicblogger
GO HIGHER BY MARK ASTHOFF
WHEN: If you accept The Challenge PLEASE PUBLISH ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 18TH – the eve of the final 2016 US Presidential Debate.
SCENARIO: It is the day after election day. and rather the newly elected President won in a squeaker or by a landslide, is irrelevant, as we aim to try and live by our personal pledge of giving Madam President or Mr. President our support. We told our-self to take all the mistrust we had and channel it toward trust, the best we can. And we have to believe, for Her or Him is our President by then, their intent is to serve the nation with strength and compassion, within a collaboration of the visionary leaders of our nation. And we pray, that their never give up or no holds bar style… is leadership.not ambition.
CHALLENGE: What is “the idea of the American dream’ to you? If you are or have lived it, please include a personal experience in defining the phrase. If you fear it is lost or believe it cannot happen, expand on your reasons, as it relates to your life. Delivered in sincere honesty, without fear of political correctness, but please maintain the spirit of The Challenge. Welcome comments and replies with an open heart and mind. Communication carries the ability to build trust and bring change.
WHERE/HOW: Via blog post or a social media post or tweet or in a song,video or visual artistry. NOTE: Please share by linking to The Neighborhood here or The Neighborhood Google+ or thepublicblogger Facebook Page or @thepublicbloggr
Good Luck.
The Neighborhood offers gratitude to Mr. Kart Becker
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES THRIVE UNDER LEADERSHIP THAT LEAVES NO ONE BEHIND
TAG
The Neighborhood Anthology
on Leadership & Authority ed. VIII
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INTO THE WILD by LP
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HEALTHY COMMUNITIES THRIVE
UNDER LEADERSHIP THAT LEAVES NO ONE BEHIND
by Robert M. Goldstein
I found the Neighborhood via CELONA’S BLOG. I was impressed by the idea of blog as reality Show, and followed it. I watched the show unfold and saw a sight I’d never seen before in my experience on the internet. I saw collaboration, passion, real diversity; not a Rainbow of already entitled people of every color, nationality and sexual preference. But a genuine mix of people who in today’s version of the United States often view each other with suspicion.
Country Music and Hip-Hop. I didn’t understand what made the Neighborhood work. Then I saw a post by Kendall. I don’t recall the details of Kendall’s post but I know that I disagreed with one of his assertions and wrote a reply.
As an adult survivor of sexual abuse, I say this from experience: Before one can stop being a victim, one must accept, that one was a victim. What you are describing is the “false victim’… it is a mask designed {to hide} the real pain, that for many survivors is so overwhelming, that it often feels like dying. – Robert M Goldstein, in response to Dreams & Nightmares: Changing of the Guard
Kendall’s response was to read my blog, to find out who I am. Then he did something even more unusual. He sought me out on Flickr and asked me to contribute some art for a piece he was writing. He had decided to present Dissociative Identity Disorder to the Neighborhood. I was concerned about how Kendall might write about DID…but I enjoyed processing pictures for the project. When I read his essay I was moved to tears.
Kendall knew nothing about DID prior to his reading of my blog. He researched what he needed to know and wrote one of the most compassionate and honest descriptions of DID I’ve ever read. This was not a clinical analysis. This was a man describing how it felt to interact with someone who has a scary and confusing illness. An illness that provokes disbelief.
“I had only lived in Robert M Goldstein’s world for less than 24 hours, but that was all it took, before I had become a nervous wreck. Trying to understand a mental illness, that divides the mind into its own society, giving rise to new personalities, as alternates to self, completely real inside the head, but all named Bob to the outside world. Reliving Bob’s past with an abusive and narcissistic mother, trying to determine one alternative from the other, not even knowing if Robert M Goldstein was a man or woman, and during our back and forth written. communication, wondering which one it was… became nearly too much.” – Kendall Person, July 26, 2015, Complexity of Mental Health: An Artists Collaboration with Robert M Goldstein & the Alternate (Personalities)
The writing of that paragraph illustrates Authority and Leadership. Kendall introduced his community to the most extreme psychological aftermath of child abuse and he felt free to let them know that it is OK to be confused, a nervous wreck and to think of it as all too much. What he did not do or say was that it was OK to opt out on me as a person, or on the commitment that he made. He stayed with it and he completed the essay. And in doing so he won the kind of trust that I almost never give to anyone.
This is how a leader shapes a community. By earning trust. One person at a time. After I read Kendall’s essay on DID I understood that everything I saw in the neighborhood is reflection of the spirit of the man who leads it. If the people stay with the challenge it is because he does, and this gives them permission to succeed, and more important, to fail without shame.
But the most important and unusual aspect of the neighborhood, from my experience of the online world, is that the “games” have rules and those rules are based on communitarian principles of honesty, collaboration and fair play. No filing false IP complaints or launching smear campaigns as a strategy for winning. It is the content that counts, not its popularity.
Kendall wants a contribution to his vision.
And everyone has something to offer; that includes a man whose mind functions as separate parts. After the essay on DID I thought that I would not hear from Kendall again, but I was wrong. He launched a day of peace and asked me to contribute some art. I was so impressed that I made a pictorial essay on my blog for it. Now I was interested in the Neighborhood as a place to call home.
We are not simply entitled to be where we please, when we please. Civilized people present themselves to a community; civilized people earn the trust of other people by demonstrating that they are worthy of that trust. Civilized people do not bind themselves to each other in hate. Civilized people treat themselves and each other with compassion and understand that life is precious and fragile. They understand that our children are precious and fragile.
A leader carries the authority to act on behalf of the people who choose him to lead. A leader is a reflection of those who choose him. He carries the authority of their respect and he becomes an authority on who his people are. A good leader has vision and takes a stand. He accepts and weathers adversity. He is consistent. He is ready to protect his vision and his community from those who oppose it. He treats everyone with respect, even his enemies. He is humble and human enough to understand when he is wrong. But more than anything else, a good leader inspires the best from those he leads.
In a healthy community everyone prospers, no one is left behind and the leadership does not need scapegoats. The strength of the community is the power of each individual’s commitment to it. A good leader understands this and is led by those he leads. I chose the Neighborhood and Kendall as the focus for this essay because the Neighborhood shows us that social media is a tool that we can use to heal a broken world.
It also shows us that good leadership transcends time and space, and serve as a hand up to a soul in isolation.
TAG: an online game played and published SEP 2015
BUILDING LEADERSHIP IN UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY
TAG
The Neighborhood Anthology
on Leadership & Authority ed. IX postlude
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I didn’t believe him at first. It was only when I begin to engage him, and watch him, did I understand it wasn’t a facade. He was genuinely committed to reconciling black and white South Africans and to build a nation**. – Rory Steyn, Chief of Security and Personal Bodyguard of President Nelson Mandela
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BUILDING LEADERSHIP IN UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY
by Kendall F. Person
On September 21, 2010, Tyler Clementi was a freshman at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey. He was well-liked among his peers, and raised in a loving, supportive home. Studying at one of the finest universities on the eastern seaboard, and living within the shadow of The City of Brotherly Love, Tyler had the world at his feet and everything to live for. On September 22, 2010, Tyler Clementi, left an ominous note on his Facebook Page, scaled the George Washington Bridge and without further adieu… jumped.
Two students, one was Tyler’s roommate, were arrested for secretly video taping Tyler as he shared a private moment with his boyfriend. To assure the humiliation was complete, they then uploaded the tape, and blasted it around the world via twitter. The defendants were later convicted for invasion of privacy, and received a 30-day sentence.
As tragic as his death and the resulting non-sentence of the wealthy offenders, the most important question, at least for Tyler, would never find an answer. Humiliation at that level is far greater than most of us will ever face; but he was loved by his family and had a host of good friends. How could that not have been enough? How could the ignorance in hate, overpower his sphere of leadership and manage to destroy his life? And how could two young people of the same age, feel granted the authority to bully a classmate in such a callous way?
Leadership is connected to our decision making abilities. It is fueled with emotion and guides our sensibilities. It comes at us from every direction, telling us what to believe and who we should not trust. So if leadership has failed in our homes, communities, schools and churches, confusion and panic become impostures, giving the allusion, that the leadership void has been filled, then granting authority to an imagined fear.
The Neighborhood Anthology on Leadership & Authority, serves as a reminder: We have held the tools of change all along. As leaders of our families, clubs, precincts, cities, networks, campaigns and self, we must think bigger and we must comprehend, what we project, those who follow will project as well. But if a leader is led by those he leads,then we the people must seek leaders like President Mandela and his faithful bodyguard, whose history together was much more divided, than we believe we are right now. .
By asserting our authority to reach out to one another with decency and in peace, we not only free ourselves from a windowless box, with walls made only of differences, but it gives rise to communication, opening our hearts and allowing our minds to embrace the idea of earning and establishing trust — the foundation in leadership building. . .
— — TAG: an online game played and published SEP 2015
** Paraphrased. Read or listen to full Rory Steyn interview for context.
Seeing all the cops in riot gear time and time again these last few months. Armored up, and black as night, giving off that command presence of Darth Vader himself…. {Perhaps} for a lot of the black kids/adults, they don’t see cops, they see Darth Vader.
an interpretation by Illustrator James D. Foster
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