this is… The Neighborhood
the Story within the Story
The Underground’s Most Beautiful People 2016
The measure of beauty is as subjective as art. From rugged good looks to drop dead bombshells and to the more sublime, where beauty is found in the eye of the beholder. And while beauty should not determine what is in someone’s heart or qualifications for employment, there are certainly times when beauty in and of itself falls under the spotlight glare and there is nothing wrong with that. – thepublicblogger
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from London United Kingdom
Neon Hitch with Sparks
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Marysa C from Ottawa Ontario Canada, is simply a bombshell.
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Reel Fam Jake the filmmaker resides in Sacramento. One voting member inquired “May I send my number?”
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“a sadness persist” one judge said of Suzanna Davidson of Lahoma Oklahoma, but she is beautiful nonetheless
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“If beauty had another name” one judge wrote “It would be Kareem Powell of Sacramento”
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rugged good looks has never been so beautiful as Scott & Lisa Troedson of Modesto California
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AmRit Sheneva of Dubai, United Arab Emirates is not only a young genius but a beautiful geek
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Sacramento’s Jill Campbell is beautiful there is no doubt, but it is her inner beauty, that makes her a knockout
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The elusive Keenan Rucker from small town Missouri may be the most beautiful rapper you will never meet
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for the 2nd consecutive year, Marie Chidi Okorie of Lagos Nigeria is voted one of the underground’s most beautiful people
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Russian Alexander Dashichev lives in Ireland brings beautiful to 2 nations
A Very Special Thank You To…
*The Crown by PhotoByMeR96
**wolf by Yorvig
*** The 9-Member Voting Panel for your hardwork
click to enlarge
Why a Civil War, The Voting Rights Act and the Presidential Defeat of a Carnival Barker Did Not End America’s Race Dance
It’s hard to say what I want my legacy to be when I’m long gone. – the late would have been great Aallyah
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from MELLOW episode 7 of Keith Broke A Leg, this is Into the Wild
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Why a Civil War, The Voting Rights Act and the Presidential Defeat
of a Carnival Barker Did Not End America’s Race Dance
written & edited by Kendall F. Person
Until this morn, I could never imagine the perils of a raided history having a chance at redemption. The attempted distortion of the present and past as we are playing witness too on an international political stage, leaves most in a state of utter disbelieve. How the United States of America – one of the most powerful empires in world history – could find itself balancing such a disgraceful fall from grace in only 240 years? How could 150 years after the fall of slavery, home to the top learning institutions in the world, and every boy and girl still not comprehend, that the leaders at the time, took the country to a civil war, because they understood it had to be stopped if America was going to be a model for the world. How can we celebrate Martin Luther King in good conscious, when he died over a half century ago to end racial identity in a land populated by bloodlines directly traced, not simply all over the world, but to all people. How can we ever raise our hands as the greatest nation again, if we do not conquer the one demon that continues to defeat us in a game of chess?
The devil is not in the details, it stands in plain sight. What is hidden and has continuously slipped by us, is how hard many of us are fighting the same fight, yet we remain standing on different sides, rarely giving our commonality center stage. So when the 2016 election ends, and either Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson or Donald Trump takes the helm, the future moment of reason and peace, has been stolen, by a new uproar which has already been scripted and the sides rearranging. now.
How much space has been given to the media centers and reporters for not backing down on untruths and all out lies. For not allowing history to be distorted on their watch. How many Americans ever truly believed the incredibly un-Presidential remarks about Mexicans and Muslims and my African American? But if not for the pitched battles politicians. the empowered reporters and every day people on both sides, in shouting down, then disposing of history altering lies, the country would have already been defeated. But we are so uncomfortable in standing firm unified, that as soon as the jedi-mind players have failed, we immediately retreat back to the “home team” and create new reasons, why its us against them; rarely embracing the peaceful moments. As for the pedestal of reason, has it ever been reached?
When the south surrendered, the leaders should have unified their rank and file, but the bitter hate and selfish nature of man escaped. When the Voting Rights Act was passed into a constitutional backed law, the bitter may have adsorbed the loss, but the leaders kept the story of bigotry ongoing, When President Barack Hussein Obama (that is his name) stood front and center, absorbing the humiliation of 40 million people like a soldier when he showed his birth certificate to prove what we already knew, it should have been over. We all suffered in each of these moments, some more than others, but the moments when they are over if our leaders in churches and governments and schools and families had said in a united voice “Lets move forward”, the race dance that has haunted and nearly destroyed our nation, by now would be over. But the masses retreat and the winners celebrate a victory and the righteous losers believe their voices too weak and the madness – even after suffering monumental defeats – emerges unscathed. But since we can see it, they cannot be the details (we tell ourselves) so we return back to the same places, that we just fought and won the ability to escape.
The significance of teaching and embedding the concepts of legacy and humanity and society and even the imaginative arts, have not been introduced into our curriculum and spiritual teachings and home nurturing on the level of math or football or technology or even a free period named study hall. So the idea of making a conscious decision about what we leave here, is relegated to college. So we leave it to our leadership and preachers and parents and community leaders to think about the moments and relay them to us in a way that chips away at the race dance. But the madness had already run passed us, so each opportunity lost.
What would a leader say? Not even half of the cheering Trump crowds are racist, fear- mongering people, but they have hurt and pain too, and this is what their leaders are telling them is true. And at 8:00am, those who believe inner city means darkness, go to the intersection of whatever you believe is the most crime intense, war torn part of your city, and you will immediately take note, there are as many people going to school or work or jogging or crying on the street because the money they spent on drugs was not disposable income – as other parts of the same city. So even after this unejoyable circus of an election is over, we will not celebrate that we made it through together, because the leaders we turn to, are feeding us our outrage in advance. But that is not nearly as heartbreaking as the fact, that in that moment, we know it, but we turn away from the game at check, gifting the madness checkmate… again.
But fear not, as a loosely connected – through karma most – neighborhood of people, who will never stop pointing to the moments and banging pots and climbing trees to be heard, because they truly believe that one day, perhaps centuries after our lives have gone away, that the voice of reason and humanity and peace will rule the world. And the recording of history now, assures their props. (big smile)
- thepublicblogger
Each day, if we listen, we will be the first to sing it.
THE SONG one of my personal favorite essays of inspiration.
THE SONG now playing only at thepublicblogger.com
THE ULTIMATE RIDE OR DIE CHICKS
Ride or Die:
To be down with your husband/wife
[friend/boss/party] no matter what.
– The Urban Dictionary
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Ride or Die by Fetty Wap
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Hollywood has a long history in ride or die. Bonnie and Clyde may be the most infamous, but Bonnie was as crooked as Clyde. So she was not just down for him, but also, in it for herself. Perhaps the relationship – in its purest sense – that exemplifies what it means to be ride or die, came out of Hollywood in 1995, in an independent film titled Leaving Las Vegas. The story evolved around a suicidal alcoholic, who not only left his home in Los Angeles, but said goodbye to his life. He moved to Las Vegas, where he had made up his mind, that he would drink himself to death.
Shortly after his arrival, the boy would meet a girl. As their relationship grew, and her living arrangement changed, she would ask to move in, and with deadpan eyes he told her “You can never ask me to stop drinking, Never” At the time she agreed, but she had no idea that she would fall so deeply in love, nor did she comprehend, that he was in the process of committing suicide.
Through the vomiting and the drunken rages; through the convulsions and the shakes; and through the heart-exploding realization that the love of her life, would leave her soon. But through it all, she never left his side. And the very non traditional unhappy ending of him dying underneath her as they made love for the first time, made her ride or die in the literal sense.too.
written & edited by
Kendall F. Person
The political spin doctors have been around for a very long time. It was their job to either reinforce exactly what the politician said – if it was good news or non scandal. But if the event news broke bad, the spin doctors would not necessarily change the story, but would convey it in a way, that was less damning to the office holder, candidate or political party. Then the advent of the internet created a 24 hour news cycle, which gave rise to the acceptability of partisan news coverage.
As alternate news sources grew, the market became fiercely competitive, forcing the revisiting or even implementing a marketing plan, which included targeted demographics. So FOX News turned right and MSNBC made a left, leaving viewers and voters trapped on media islands, which led up to the climate we have now: the division of America further fueled by political spin doctors.
As a result, the job of the surrogate morphed into something, nearly unrecognizable: the replacing of qualified reporters and dignified party leaders, with political pundits and ride or die mouthpieces. When Scotty Hughes’ is a guest or worse yet, sits on a panel, it does not take long for even a respected news segment to resemble an episode of Jerry Springer. Scotty Hughes is a non-bending, non-listening, conspiracy theory-leaning, and utterly devout surrogate for the Republican nominee for President of the United States. Ride or die for the cause, there is no doubt. But she does not actually spin for Mr. Trump exclusively. She is part of The Tea Party Network, and has her own conspiracy filled and fear-mongering agenda, that would exist with or without him.. 
Omarosa Manigault Stallwoth does her best in portraying a serious political spokeswoman, but even those that defend her, take what she says with a grain of salt. When she explodes, upon being unable to defend her point, it simply reminds of her scheming, manipulative ways that made her the most disliked contestant on the first season of The Apprentice – a reality show. But there is reason to sympathized with Omarosa too. She and Trump have been close friends for nearly 16 years, and her high-paying position within Trump Industries, offers a not easy to replace jet-setting lifestyle, that existed before her bosses Presidential ambitions, altered her job responsibilities and title (Campaign Outreach to African Americans) and perhaps, unwittingly a surrogate for a platform she may not actually believe in. With only a 2% approval rating among Black voters, it appears Omarosa is not ride or die for the ideology of her boss, but for the money he pays her.
But Katrina Pierson – the National Spokeswoman for the Republican Presidential candidate: Donald J. Trump – the heights she has taken spin, should have reached unacceptable industry levels a long time ago, as she will say whatever it takes, including altering history itself. Not nearly as zombie-reciting as Scotty and far more convincing than Omarosa, her stone cold delivery, that rarely answers a single directed question, and never holds herself or her boss accountable for anything they do or say. Katrina’s loyalty moves well beyond a committed employee. She is far too sophisticated for a stepford wife. And her shoot from the cuff and aim toward the jugular style is directly in line with the campaign she speaks for, making her appear less like a surrogate, and more like the partner of a snake oil peddler.
Katrina Pierson is the ultimate ride or die. Not because she appears vacant and soulless, unmoved by the lies she invents, spreads and condones. Nor is it due to her lack of knowledge, which is stunning for a spokesperson at her level. But Katrina Pierson wins the ride or die title, for she is not simply a surrogate, but the Bonnie to Trumps’ Clyde.
God help us.
– thepublicblogger
Russell Rosander * ValentinaK * Harold van Lennep: An Artists Collaboration of Beautiful Dreams
The Neighborhood has evolved from a blog named Kendall F. Person to an original masterpiece theater of the online arts. And while The Shows & Events – like the just completed Our Week of Peace – are where the performances are most noted, it is the artists collaboration that has defined thepublicblogger since the very beginning.
The steps to building a collaborative production are few, but patience – as the biggest diva in the room – makes a few seem like many. And assuring that each individual performer is prominently on display, is crucial to a healthy karma and the showcase of each artists. But in a true collaboration, the performances connect and collide into a single occasion, that we call the Show.
INTRODUCING: the Performers
the Show
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FOLLOWING DREAMS
We were meant to dream.
It´s in our nature.
To hope, to wonder if,
to pursue.
Our dreams give our lives meaning,
our reason to be,
and yet,
there is a price,
they are not given for free.
The Great Awakening
Often,
they require us
to risk all,
to leap
into the abyss of the unknown,
to risk failure
or defeat.
Woe to those
who lack the courage,
so many empty lives we see.
A Faraway Land
But,
would we ourselves
be here now
if none had dared to cross the sea?
Would we exist
to dream at all,
if none had gone before,
if none had died,
if none had tried,
if none had tried again?
Happy Easter
And so we ask,
the giver of our dreams,
the creating of us all,
to help us in our pursuit,
to give us what we need,
to protect us
and give us the wisdom and courage
to learn
through our inevitable failures,
to never accept defeat,
to follow those dreams,
the will, the dreams
of our maker
through and of ourselves,
wherever
they might take us.
A City in Space , on a Moon the mass of Genemede…
A very special thank you to the stars of the show
⊕ FOLLOWING DREAMS by Russell Rosander Short Stories
⊕ DREAMS by Harold van Lennep
⊕ VALENTINAK by Ekaterinya Vladinakova
produced by Kendall F. Person
Just Be Cool
cover Quentin Tarantino Wallpaper
courtesy of Wallpaper Folder
“Each of us holds the power to defuse our own anger and even others’. This is especially critical because often it’s not our own fuse that hinders our success; its someone else’s”.
– Dr. Joe Strand
The Art of Cool by XIXX
JUST BE COOL
WRITTEN & EDITED BY
KENDALL F. PERSON
In 1994, a young Quentin Tarantino would make his mark in the motion picture industry with an independent film titled Pulp Fiction. With the backing of Miramax Films, Tarantino had an extravagant (for an independent film) $8 million dollar budget, and he made good use of every cent.The ultra violence of the film was neutralized by sophisticated directing, a splash of humor, Oscar worthy performances, and the intriguing, intersecting story lines. To date, Pulp Fiction is one of the highest growing indie films of all times, with a worldwide gross of more than $220 million dollars. There were many memorable scenes and characters, some shocking others prolific, but most only make sense within context of the movie. But one line, just “be cool” delivered with veracity by Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) transcends this cinematic wonder to become a part of our day to day lives.
There are exceptions, of course. When Seung-Hui Cho walked onto the Virginia Tech campus in 2007 and initiated the deadliest school shooting in American history, telling him to just be cool were words that would have fallen upon deaf ears, as a blood lust was all he could feel. But most of us are not psychotic, and even if we are prone to rage or challenged with managing anger, we find ways to lower the volume before it alters our fate. Breathing in and out, counting to ten, going for a run or drowning ourselves in art, are all proven tools to maintain control of our emotions and to defuse our anger, allowing the mercury to peak well before it hits ten.
When Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) flies into hysterics upon seeing Jules holding a gun to Pumpkin’s (Tim Roth) head, she nervously pulls out a gun herself, elevating a tense confrontation among thieves, one of whom is a hit man. But Jules is able to defuse the deadly situation by convincing Honey Bunny to just “be cool…. like Fonzie.” While many of the scenes from Pulp Fiction were allusions, imagined by the director and manufactured by Hollywood for maximum entertainment, according to Harvard Medical School instructor, Dr. Joe Strand, this one was not, “Each of us holds the power to defuse our own anger and even others’. This is especially critical because often it’s not our own fuse that hinders our success; its someone else’s”.**
Anger is a natural emotion and usually a shared experience, and although it is associated with – and more often than not – the root cause of arguments and violence, anger does have cognitive and supportive qualities, that allow us to defend and speak up for ourselves. In competitive sports, anger causes an adrenaline rush, placing players in a zone, forcing focus and the elevation of the plan, which can affect momentum, and ultimately, alter the outcome of the game. Anger helps to maintain or build self-esteem, which in the case of domestic violence, is the first emotion beaten out of the victim. But managing anger – internally and externally – is a challenge we face daily, and its element of surprise, may find us erupting from zero to ten in split seconds. And on the occasion, there is no defuser in the crowd, we may say something that we will regret or in worse case scenario, someone could end up dead.
The imagery of Fonzie, an iconic character from 1970’s t.v. who epitomized cool, was enough to calm Honey Bunny, deescalating a fatal situation, allowing her and Pumpkin to stroll out of the diner, both very much alive.
COOL by Imani Clovis
So the next time you are cut off in traffic, then race ahead to flip-off the rude driver, or the children are visibly frightened at the intensity of their parents’ shouts, or you are bumped into at a jammed pack nightclub and decide to give the accidental bumper a piece of your mind, or a troll submits an off-topic, vicious comment on your page, that has yet to be approved or moderated, take a deep breath before responding. Enough time to roll the tape forward in your mind, and to fully comprehend, that on a scale from one to ten, five can help you think clearly, locate a solution, defuse a situation and maintain control of an otherwise beautiful day; but a ten – an explosion of emotions – no one wins.
Do not allow anyone else’s bad day to affect your good one, and deliver the same respect in return. And if you find yourself in a tense situation, and can think of no other way out, remember Jules, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny and these three little magical words….just be cool.
– thepublicblogger
**How to Defuse Anger in Ourselves & Others, PyschCentral
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