April 2017v2

Black-Bright News Changing Perceptions

Issue 53

ase e l P ea giv ion at don

BLACK or WHITE ...

WHO’S MORE INTELLIGENT

O T D E E N e w Do d e d n i m e r be ? y r e v a l s of I S I T A C R I M E TO AG E ?

WHY IS DATING SUCH A HASSLE?

How will he Stop planes flying over the Wall?

senter/reporter. What is it that makes them yearn to be part of the limelight, especially when they are not being paid? In the case of the passers by and those on CBBOTS, I can only assume that a few minutes of recognition or ‘fame’ is better than living a life unnoticed!

The Editor’s Rant

A WANNABE, A PARTiCIPATOR, OR A SHUFFLER - WHAT TYPE OF PERSON ARE YOU?

I then wondered where I would place myself, if I was passing and I saw a film crew on the street interviewing someone famous? Knowing me, the first thing I would do is remind myself what I was wearing, whether my make-up looked and hair looked OK. My appearance, endorsed by my critical eye would determine whether I minded getting caught on camera. If I looked good, maybe, just maybe, I would position myself so that the camera got a glimpse of me, but then, there would be no guarantee, that I wouldn’t get edited out if I did not add value to the scenery.

One morning, I was watching the news, where the reporter was interviewing two parliamentarians on the street about Brexit (aka Britain’s Exit from the EU). I noticed three different types of people in that 6 minute interview – the one that was being interviewed and the interviewer (the participators), those who were desperately trying to strain their neck around the interviewee so that they could get their one minute of fame on camera (who I shall call, for want of a better word, the wannabees) and those who were shuffling nervously to pass the spotlight as quickly as possible, hoping not to be noticed (the shufflers).

I can’t imagine me being the one who wanted to shuffle along unnoticed – if I did, it would probably be because I am not where I am supposed to be. Or maybe, it would be one of those days when I had just rushed out, and hadn’t made an effort with my appearance, or maybe a day when my self-esteem was pretty low.

As I watched the programme, my mind went to Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side (CBBOTS as it is commonly known) where I see a similar group of people straining their necks each side of Ryland (CBBOTS Presenter), which guarantees they will be seen on TV by millions of viewers. It doesn’t seem to register that only friends and family will recognise them – people who see them all the time anyway, and they will be forgotten once the programme is over, because they are then replaced with another contrived audience.

There are people who prefer to shuffle through life unnoticed; the ‘behind the scenes type of person’, who hide behind social media - whether it is because of an astrological, personal, emotional or psychological characteristic - who knows?

The Participator, i.e., the one being interviewed or the interviewee, is ideally where I would like to be positioned because it means that my presence is adding value – I am sharing, or contributing something to society, or a cause or an issue.

I can tell those who have positioned themselves near Ryland so that the camera is on them most of the time, from those who want to be there because they love the programme, from those who have been paid to be there.

What is interesting is those who choose to sit close to where Ryland is presenting tend to be scrutinised more by the viewers, especially when they are unable to look like a genuine part of the audience. Viewers can tell they have been instructed to say “oooh”, “aaaaah” groan or laugh, which makes the programme look artificial.

What is the objective of me ranting on about this? I am wondering what is it that makes people want to be so noticed that they will deliberately position themselves so that people are watching them most of the time and not the pre-

Where we position ourselves in life, tells us a lot about who we are, and what we think of ourselves. People who try to get centre stage on television or on camera, without offering information or much of themselves, wanna be somebody. These types may just like the excitement it brings, but it’s more likely that they may not feel that they qualify to be ‘someone’ in their own right, so need cameras to give them credibility.

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The shufflers, who try to get through life unnoticed, are doing themselves a disservice. In

Are you a Wannabe

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Is Ageing a Crime

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Are Black Children less Intelligent?

Britain, where the culture is modesty, it is difficult to be up front and gregarious. Modesty has its merits, but if you are doing something great, share how you did it - your inspiration. If you are not the type to stand on a podium and boast about it, write a book about it, so you can share your legacy, or the work you are doing with others. It’s OK to be recognised and rewarded for your talent.

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Do we need to be reminded of slavery? 7 Why is dating such a hassle Did you know?

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The Participators are usually action-oriented.

They want to get things done, and they want to share what is being done, or what needs to be done with everyone. These people, ironically are getting the attention, even though they don’t really want it, but are willing to sacrifice having all eyes on them, to get their cause out in the open.

Accuracy of information.

We take care to ensure that all information available in this magazine is accurate, however, as information is oftentimes sourced by third parties, occasionally information may be out of date. Medical, commercial and legal practice change frequently and the content in this magazine is offering guidance and has been prepared for general interest only and is not a substitute for specific medical, legal or other professional advice, and should not be read or used as such. For accurate up to date information please contact specialists in the relevant area.

Wherever you are in life, think about where you are, and why you are there. It’s OK to draw attention to yourself, but there are better ways of drawing attention to yourself than monopolising the TV screen, just so you can ask your friends if they saw you.

Think about it – where do you want to stand in this walk called life – a wanna be? A Shuffler or a Participator? The choice is yours.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without prior permission is prohibited. While every care has been taken in compiling Black-Bright News to ensure that it is correct at the time of going to press, we can assume no responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions.

The Editor.

Blackbright News

ISSN No. 1751-1909

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

www.blackbrightcommunityservices.com Blackbright News is a not-for-profit Publication

Myrna Loy, Founder & Managing Editor

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Is Ageing A Crime?

I saw photographs on the internet of celebrities who bore the headlines ‘Celebrities who have aged badly’.

How can someone ‘age badly’? Talk about pressure and pushing the insecure to be dissatisfied with their appearance! If they had excessive surgery that has gone horribly wrong – then I could understand why it may appear that they have ‘aged badly’, but generally, people don’t age badly, they just age.

With the advent of plastic surgery, Botox, and antiageing strategies, the message is, you must try not to look old. There is a stigma to being old in the UK, and that is why so many people are opting to look forever young, so they don’t feel discarded, especially women.

To compound my observations, I watched a commercial advertising a product for the eyes where a woman was putting an anti-ageing solution on the wrinkles around the eye of what looked like a 70 year old woman, to ‘reduce signs of ageing and wrinkles’.

I guess we all yearn for eternal youth, but we signed up to humanity, which includes ageing and death, and while it is great to be able to defer the physical symptoms of ageing, it makes me wonder why we need to do that, if ageing is a natural process?

Are we ashamed of ageing, and if so why? Social Media has its part to play in the way we feel about getting old, and how we age, which is why Angela Rippon in her BBC1 documentary ‘How to Stay Young’ was prancing around trying to show those of us who are similarly aged, that we don’t have to hobble around on a walking stick – we can play tennis and

dance, which is fine, if you don’t have an arthritic condition, degenerative knees or other mobility challenges. For those who are not suffering from health obstacles, they might be jogging, exercising in the gym, or prancing around on the dance floor well into their 80’s, but that’s not the majority.

I can’t help feeling that we are made to feel that it’s a crime to get old. Most of the elderly are not treated with respect; they are often left to ‘get on with it’ in heaven’s waiting room. Adverts ranging from planning your own funeral to the advantage of care homes are cascaded repeately on TV screens. The government ‘s role contributes to the elderly feeling as though they are a burden, when they are forced to wait longer for pension payments, forced to accept cuts in benefits and services, which in turn make their lives harder and shorter, and forced to rely on people they may not trust completely.

The sad thing about those in government who make changes in the law to disadvantage the elderly, is that they cannot relate to the struggle of those who may have no family and are dependent on the benefits and pensions they earned during their working lives.

The ‘How to Stay Young’ and ‘my perfect eyes’ TV programmes, reinforced my perception of society’s view on ageing, in that, you can age, as long as it doesn’t show and inconvenience anyone!

My advice is to age gracefully like Her Majesty the Queen, who is a prime example of how it can be done without jogging around the block, starving yourself of 4 things you love, and without artificial interference.

Why Black Kids Are Deemed Less Int elli ge nt Than White Kids in USA Umar Johnson’s response to Mental Retardation of Black Children

“...Education and facts is what helps the ignorant, if they are willing to accept the facts that is. It appears that the mental retardation process is based off of the IQ intelligence test. The intelligence test has 4 scales on it, which result in 4 scores. From these 4 scores, we get an overall IQ score.

a serious underlying issue; and then there is the 4th scale - which is the one that accounts for the racial bias and cultural discrimination, and that is the Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) scale.

The VCI scale is the scale that accounts for why white children do better than black children on this specific test. The problem is when they talk about this in the media/newspaper and on CNN, they don’t demystify it so that the average John Doe can understand. They just say that white kids are 15% smarter than black kids, so that means black kids must be intellectually deficient. They don’t say that black children do just as well as whites on the 3 other scales, and that the only one they don’t do so well on is the VCI scale.

So if a black child has an overall score of 100, it refers to the overall IQ. That overall IQ came from 4 other scales. The first three are universal scales, which are 1) Processing Speed (how quickly a child can solve problems) 2) Working Memory (how well a child can hold information in their mind and recall it at will) 3) Non-Verbal Reasoning (How well a child can solve problems where they have received no previous education about it). It was found Verbal comprehension is the words, ideas that children regardless of race, colour or and definitions that white people use that financial disposition, do equally well on the are normally foreign to the average black 3 universal scales above, unless there was 5 child’s vocabulary even if they are middle

class - so VCI is about vocabulary, concepts, definitions and verbal comprehension, it has nothing to do with intelligence. Verbal comprehension is dependent on the quality of education a child receives.

Working Memory is intelligence – its not dependent on previous learning experience; Processing Speed is intelligence, which is also not dependent on previous learning experience as is Non-Verbal Reasoning – that’s also intelligence because it, too, is not dependent on previous learning experience. However, Verbal Comprehension (e.g. definitions, vocabulary, etc.) is based on previous learning experience.

So I ask myself, if that scale is the reason why my child doesn’t do as well as the children of other cultures, why don’t they take it out of the IQ test, because it has nothing to do with intelligence, and replace it with something else that is universal? Or why not take it out all together and leave the three other scales – because you can derive an IQ score from the three other scores?

They won’t take it out because if they do, it eliminates the white privilege that European children are naturally given on these tests. If you take the vocabulary comprehension score, you could potentially have a situation in America where the black children are earning higher IQ scores than the white children – so they will never take it out because it eliminates the reason why they give the test in the first place, which is to give a false impression that white children are more intelligent – and they have to give a false impression to justify why so few blacks are in medical school, law school, nor own engineering firms and construction plants.

IQ tests help to explain away racism by putting the burden on the intellectual ability of black people. If you take out the racial bias, you might as well get rid of the test.

They can’t stop people from coming into ‘privileged’ institutions because they are black, so they have devised IQ tests, which are still racist, but made to look scientific; so instead of saying your child can’t get in a university/law school/medical school because they are black, they say your child can’t attend because their scores were too low.

This is the new racism, they use numbers instead of words because the numbers look like it doesn’t discriminate, but it does the job just as effectively, if not more effectively.

Transcribed (and slightly adapted because of space limitations) from a video of Umar Johnson.

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ROOTS (The Movie)

Do we need to be reminded of slavery?

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Early February, a remake of Roots was shown on BBC4. Texts, tweets and posts were cascaded reminding black people that ihey should watch it, as though it was a programme we should get excited about. Personally, I had already decided I wasn’t going to watch it, because I could imagine the violence, humiliation and degradation that would be inflicted on black people.

In my mind, the only reason, Roots was being put on our TV screens was because Trump was in power, racist comments were being bandied about, and it was another reminder of where we came from. However, I wanted to know if other people felt as I did, because I am forever the cynic, so I put this question on Facebook “Why do we need to be reminded about slavery?” Below are a cross-section of responses, which seem to confirm my thought process:

Response 1 I’m not really for Roots... I can’t lie.... It’s a negative depiction of black people. Why don’t you show us about the richest man ever to live who was a black man (Mansa Musa)? Why 7

don’t you show us the great universities in Timbuktu and Egypt where the Greeks and lots of other Europeans went to study? Why don’t you show us about powerful black women in history like Queen Candace of Ethiopia, who caused one the biggest Leaders “Alexander The Great” fear to even go to war against her!

Response 2 Black people have achieved a lot.

There’s powerful history, positive impacts on the world that go way beyond slavery. Without Africa, the world would not be the way it is.... Facts! Get educated on a holistic level.

Response 3 Movies etc indoctrinate and support control of the masses. I will certainly not be encouraging my youngest son, nieces, nephews and godchildren to watch this [Roots].

Until we are firmly grounded in knowledge of self as it pertains to us, as the original people, source of all other so called races, the secret gifts of melanin - our impact on the so called civilised world and involvement in some of the

greatest wonders of the world like pyramids and evidence of our ancient space travel and perhaps even super sensory/ spiritual powers among us before Chattel slavery.

ture of bland bodies seemingly devoid of feelings and character that appear weak and immediately submissive) then perhaps it wouldn’t even be so bad! I say be careful how you feed slave movies even to your own self!

Until we are steeped knee deep in our greatness, then in my view, we should not be watching or reading anything about the interruption of our journey - that is the 400 year black holocaust that is slavery. Seeing these emotive and moving pictures, permeate the psyche on a deep level. It’s like advertising in its effect.

Respnses 5 To keep reminding us of a negative part of our history where we had our culture, language and history erased - why would the BBC invest time in showing re-write of something disturbing, first shown almost 40 years ago? There’s less positive programmes on national TV, then there was 20 years ago. Why not show something more positive - like the black civilizations, such as the Kemet Empire, which many Europeans learned and were taught about. It is all about shaping perceptions, minds and keeping certain stereotypes alive, that we are lesser than everyone else and not the Kings and Queens we truly are.

Don’t get me wrong my son knows of it academically, as it’s something that hap-

Response 6 We who are conscious enough- know what the system is depicting and know we are not what they make us out to be. We as Africans/black people find it hard to even support ourselves. This [Roots] shows where it all went wrong.

pened, but just as I did with his brothers before him, I am not putting this 12 year old man of mine in front of any slave movies at this delicate time in his development. I’m investing energy in making him feel super proud of a great and brave history and hugely confident with super ability to design the life he wants.

No thanks! We saw it as kids Chuh! They continuously want to remind us of our negative history and now they need to make movies about our Positive History, that we came from Kings & Queens & that Diamonds Gold Oil minerals bauxite, etc were ours. When there’s a movie on the richness of Africa & the fact that it has nourished & built up every other country, then I will watch it. Slavery interrupted our history.

I actually think slave movies serve a purpose to demean, keep us dejected and feeling perhaps that we just can’t win. Mmm.., not on my watch!

Response 4 If the story of Roots even started with our great history and showed the many uprisings and rebellions and kidnapping of doctors, teachers, vets, craftsmen, scientists and so on (as opposed to the blanket cap-

Jacqui Forte.

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Response 7 It’s a direct attack on the pysche of black people. To incite fear and reinforce white supremacist thinking. Whenever a black man tries to tell our story, it is sabotaged like The ‘Birth of a Nation’ and Nat Turners ‘Resistance to Slavery’. We have suffered more than 400 years of oppression. White

supremacists want our dynasty eradicated. Unfortunately, history and truth cannot be denied. So still we rise.

WHY IS DATING A HASSLE?

I never thought I would say that I find dating in order build a relationship, exhausting. I believe that many of the Millenial Singles are voluntarily so and are happy that way. Singles might want some company occasionally, but nor necessarily, a committed relationship. It would appear that singles who want to commit quickly, usually have little to offer and try to enamour their unsuspecting target with flaky charms. Sometiimes, societal pressures prompt the desire to be with someone, but dating can be a hassle when both parties are not fairly matched.

Response 8 Interestingly, this [Roots] is after a series on black Britain and our contribution to building this nation. Propaganda!!

What has changed? Why are there so many singles unwilling to commit? Why are they content to be a lone driver with no particular destination? I guess one of the reasons I came up with, is because we live in a disposable society where if you don’t like something about someone you don’t have to put up with it. Women are no longer dependent on men to finance them, and men are no longer dependent on women to look after them, cook for them or wash their clothes! Both single men and women are happy to exploit the ‘dating’ game, without the hassle of living together with someone who may be more trouble than its worth.

Response 9 Regardless to what you say it’s a part of history and people of all races need to watch it and get real. People pretend it didn’t happen or that racism doesn’t exist.

We’re the only race who hides from our past. Jews stand up for the holocaust and we need to do the same for slavery.

Note from the Editor: Response 9, seems to infer that we should have our legacy of slavery drilled into us.

No-one is saying that we should hide from our past, but after seeing it year after year for over 20 years - we get it!

In some ways it’s sad that it has come to this. Weekend Lovers; Vacation Lovers; Booty Callers; Social on Online Friendships all come without responsibility, commitment and hassle. You spend a couple of hours or a couple of days with your lover, and by mutual agreement, they go home. No-one feels guilty or awkward. Home is where they can make a mess if they want to, laze around watching football all day, go to the gym, talking with girlfriends - there is no-one nagging you about what you should or should not be doing (male or Female). A night out with the boys or the girls goes unchallenged.

What the majority of responses are saying is to ‘balance the information about our history’ i.e., carry films and stories that depict our regal heritage as well. Response 9, sees nothing wrong in honouring our legacy as slaves and negating our regal legacy that made us great.

Like Response 7 said: Yet still we rise!

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Many couples believe that there is something wrong with people who live alone. Of course, Millennials may be tempted to experiment with ‘Coupledom’, but if the Partner doesn’t come up to scratch, or be-

comes too demanding,’it’s time to revert to single status. It is hard to ‘capture’ a Millennial Single there has to be something that satisfies a need.

men are unhelpful, unmanly and stingy; and he man is left wondering what went wrong?

Dates are taken much too seriously these days, and I guess that is because so many people have been hurt, and have lost out both financially and emotionally at some point.

Millenial men are not interested in women who give it up too quick, and Millennial women are not interested in men who can’t get it up. So both enter a romantic arena tentatively, not knowing whether its worth the time and effort. However, paradoxically, the romantically involved, are expected to invest emotionally, spiritually, physically and sexually in order to get to the next level, at some point.

Both parties are usually entering the dating arena with sceptism. “What’s wrong with her/him why s/he is single?” “I wonder how many kids s/he has and how old they are?” “I wonder what the financial position is like?” “I wonder if s/he has their own place?”, “I wonder what kind of baggage they are carrying?” So instead of the spontaneity of dating, many ‘eligibles’ enter it with trepidation and reserve.

I used to hold a Talking Blues Forum where a man told me he met a disabled woman who had a child prior to their marriage. He had his own house at the time. The marriage broke down 3 years later, and the judge ruled that she should get the house because she was disabled and had a child. He ended up with nothing because she refused to put the house on the market so he could get his share.

Needless to say, he is still very bitter and says he would never take another woman into his home

I remember the days, when a few dances led to a relationship. You would meet someone at a dance or a club, they would chat you up, you would go on a date, hit it off, and that was it. Chemistry was the key ingredient. How things have changed. Even if you hit it off, it doesn’t guarantee that either party will want to see you again, or that the relationship will last into senior years..

I believe the major factor for the demise of successful dating, is the lack of real need for a relationship. Most women are looking for ‘partners in crime,’ a person who is compatible financially and emotionally - who will be a friend and a lover. Similarly, men are looking for someone who is not going to use them - so tend not to spend money on a date until they are sure where the date is going. Some evem resist DIY jobs until they get an inkling that the relationship is going somewhere.

What happens is that women end up thinking these

Another revelation was where a woman married a man from the Caribbean after dating him for a while. She had a property with a mortgage when she met him. They both set up a fostering arrangement and fostered children for 8 years, during which time, the mortgage was paid off. It also took 8 years for his British citizenship to come through. As soon as he got his citizenship he told her that he didn’t love her anymore and wanted his 50% share. Because he could prove that he was instrumental in getting the mortgage paid off he was awarded 50% of the sale proceeds, and she had to remortgage to pay him his share. She was devastated, and died two years later.

When we, as single men and women hear these stories, we question the integrity of people that come into our lives, and as a result, we wonder if there are any genuine people out there. However, we must believe that our partner is out there, and when the conditions are right, you will cross paths eventually.

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(The End)

Aviv also Juval known as Yuval Aviv, is an Israeli-American security consultant and writer. He may be best known for his work with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, and for having conducted the counter-terrorist operation as detailed by George Jonas in his book Vengeance (1984).

DID YOU KNOW...

It has been claimed that he lunches with the President, testifies in Congress and headed the killing of the Munich Killers in 1972. He has Interpol, which is a major organisation.

He warned the then President of the United States, George W Bush, 30 days before the Twin Towers was attacked, that they there was chatter that the terrorists were going to use aviation to create a massive terrorist attack. They didn’t listen to him – 30 days later the Twin Towers were attacked.

More than 100,000 visas were revoked since President Trump’s executive order on immigration was signed on 27 January.

However, according to the Guardian, District judge James Robart granted a temporary restraining order stating that the President’s Executive unfairly discriminated against Muslims and countries who had not been found guilty of terrorism in the United States.

He further said that the ban caused unreasonable harm.

He has now predicted that the terrorists will strike 11 cities in America simultaneously during either rush hour morning or rush hour night, by the time this edition of Blackbright News is published (i.e. 11 April).

Washington state’s attorney general, Bob Ferguson (Washington’s State Attorney General) stated: “We are a nation of laws. Not even the president can violate the constitution,” Ferguson is alleged to have told reporters outside the courtroom that “No one is above the law, not even the President.”

Mass transit is claimed to be one of their targets. Apparently, New York is definitely going to be one of their targets; Chicago; Las Vegas and a few other cities as well.

THE BORDER WALL

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A border wall is in Donald Trump’s plan A wall that will cost over US$22 billion It will take over 3 years to construct And goodness knows how much manpower to do that And in the end what objective does it meet When planes carrying Mexicans fly above it by just a few feet?

I guess border control will help facilitate the ban So if they fly by plane they won’t be able to get in What can I say, apart from watch this space While mixed emotions are seen on my face.

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