Blackbright Carnival Edition

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C h a n g i n g P e rc e p t i o n s

F e a t u re : f ro m

Black-British History w h o s e P e rc e p t i o n ?

What is Cancer Bush?

Do you run a NightClub?

A re t h e P o l i c e to Blame?

Issue 16

10/09/2009

BLACK - B R I G H T

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But then again, do we need the endorsement of the wider society when we know that the majority of us are good and trustworthy citizens? Is it not true that in every race there is good and bad?

A middle-aged gentlemen at the round robin had been recently stopped by the police, beaten, apprehended under the guise that there was a warrant out for his arrest. It was confirmed that there was no warrant, yet he was confined unnecessarily! He asked the Police to explain their colleagues behaviour but they were unable to do but said they would look into it.

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While Inspector Bartlett assured the group that he will take personal responsibility to ensure that the operational side things are looked at, I wondered what we as a community can do about young people who make it difficult for the black community to be taken seriously.

The meeting room was full of concerned citizens, recently appointed Inspector of Police, Rob Bartlett of the NW Section of Luton and Police Sergeant, John Murray, who were assigned to allay concerns and seek ways to promote community cohesion and build community relationships.

I am overjoyed to see the mature sector of our black community attending positive events, supporting small businesses, working hard to improve themselves academically, financially and physiologically. Hopefully, in the correct environment, our young people will mirror our good behaviour so that the cycle of self-destruction and poverty can be broken and our community can feel safe and empowered!

There was concern that young people were being criminalised by “swoops” and raids which involved innocent bystanders being caught up with others who had engaged with the law just because they represented a particular community group. There was a sense by the local community, that the police were not handling situations sensitively.

Parents were particularly concerned for their young sons:

How can we, as concerned black citizens, berate the police for their intrusiveness when perpetators continually make it difficult for us to defend our cause? The victims who were shot dead were in their early 20s, and have now given the police an excuse to raid and ransack many innocent peoples’ homes under the guise of doing their civil duty.

ISSN No. 1751-1909

www.myspace.com/blackbrightnews

BLACKBRIGHT E-NEWS Studio 57 Saywell Road LU2 0QG (UK) Tel: 01582 721 605

Photo on front cover taken by Myrna Loy Back Cover Design: Lakshmi Narayan Gupta Back cover Photo taken by Garfield Hall (most photos supplied or taken from websites)

Founder & Managing Editor: Myrna Loy

So getting back to business as usual - when will the major improvements for the black community in Luton take place?

The two murders and subsequent 20 drug raids in Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley & Stevenage, should not put improvements for Luton’s black community on the back burner but bring them forward as a priority.

Another instance was raised where a key member of ACCDF had been unjustifiably apprehended by police, which raised concern that the police had not familiarised themselves with key black members in the local community and that they should, as a part of their community cohesion policy.

“We need to be treated with fairness and sensitivity ...” said a Team Member, but with September murders of two young black men just days apart in the Lewsey part of Luton, allegedly attributed to drugs, means the police could argue that they are just doing their job.

We need to get back to ‘business as usual’ and not assume the misdemeanours of our race as a personal attack on our integrity, while at the same time seek ways to resolve the disparities.

“This is not the 1960s or the 1970s..” one member said firmly, “...the days of victimisation and black people feeling victimised are over!”

The reaction of the police reinforced the group’s concerns about wrongful criminalisation which seemed to be the essence of the meeting - that innocent people, especially young boys - were being criminalised because of their appearance, their location and their race!

The Police can now argue that they have every right to stop and search, detain pending enquiries, conduct dawn raids and whatever else, in an attempt to investigate the cause and find the killers and all under the umbrella of addressing public concerns and maintaining law and order.

I was invited to attend a meeting in Marsh Farm, Luton, where the police and key representatives of the black community would thrash things out about the way the black community had been treated of late. I was invited as a member of the community interested in policing practices.

Editorial by Myrna Loy

WHO CAN WE BLAME?

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The British Government is now backtracking on claims that APD is a green tax as already the £2 billion pounds raised each year is much greater than the cost of environmental damage caused by

Currently if you fly economy to the Caribbean you pay the Government £40 for the privilege. From 1 November 2009 this goes up to £50 and from 1 November 2010 to £75, the flying poll tax being called Air Passenger Duty [APD]. This means a family of four going over to visit friends and relatives will pay £200 in tax this year and a whopping £300 in 2011. If you have paid for a little extra legroom in premium economy you will pay double these amounts. Earlier this year the Dutch Government ditched a similar tax on the grounds that the damage it caused their economy vastly outweighed the money going into Government coffers.

With thousands of friends and relatives jetting over from the Caribbean to enjoy Europe’s biggest and best Carnival, ABTA is calling on people to write to their MPs and sign an online No. 10 e-petition to stop the Government drastically increasing taxes on long haul flights later this year. This will have a dramatic effect on the cost of flying to the Caribbean potentially putting visiting friends and family out of reach when people are already feeling the pinch financially.

DID YOU KNOW....

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Four geographical bands will come into effect based on the distance from London to the capital city of the country concerned (with the exception

For travel on or after 1 November 2009

*EU Member States, Albania, Croatia, BosniaHerzegovina, Iceland, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro & Serbia, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.

For travel before 1 November 2009 Reduced Rates (economy seats) £10 for European destinations* £40 for all other destinations Standard Rates (premium seats, including business class only airlines) £20 for European destinations* £80 for all other destinations

For further information contact: Sean Tipton, Communications Officer, tel: 020 3117 0513, Frances Tuke, Public Relations Manager, tel: 020 3117 0514, Mobile 07850 712325, Casia Zajac, Head of Communications, tel: 020 3117 0515, Mobile: 0754 592 7411 Out of Hours: Contact the Duty Press Officer via pager: 07659 190987 E-mail: press@abta.co.uk Web: www.abta.com

The Government estimates that APD will discourage up to 1.4 million people from flying to and from the UK. The e-petition calling on the Government to rethink these increases can be accessed at www.abta.com

Mark Tanzer ABTA CEO said “These APD increases will have a terrible impact on the cost of flying to see family and other loved ones both going to and coming from the Caribbean. They will also discourage tourists from visiting the islands with potentially devastating effects on local economies at an already difficult economic time”.

flying. UK airlines will be joining the European Union’s Emission Trading Scheme in 2012 a much fairer and more efficient way of addressing environmental concerns.

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miles

from

over 6,000 miles from London

4,001–6,000

0–2,000 miles from London 2,001–4,000 miles from

£60 £75 £85

£45 £50 £55

2009-10 2009-10 £11 £12

Reduced Rate

£110

£100

£90

2010-11 2010-11 £22

Standard

As part of its comprehensive package of services to members, ABTA, as a non-party political organisation, also provides an effective voice to represent the interests of its Members to government and key opinion formers at the highest levels.

In 2008 ABTA merged with the Federation of Tour Operators [FTO], thereby cementing its role as the leading travel association and increasing benefits for both ABTA and FTO members. Both the ABTA brand which is highly recognised by consumers and the FTO brand which is well known in destinations will be retained.

ABTA is the largest travel association in the UK and its members provide 90% of the foreign package holidays in the UK as well as selling millions of independent travel arrangements.

BTA – The Travel Association was founded in 1950 and currently has 1,415 members with 5,900 outlets. Members include travel agents, tour operators and support services right across the spectrum from small family-owned businesses to the largest tour operators.

Full details, including the tables specifying which countries and territories fall into each of the new APD bands, can be found at www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2008/pbrn20.pdf.

Band A £24 Band B £120 Band C £150 Band D £170

Band Rate

The Reduced and Standard rates will continue to apply. Rates of duty for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are as follows:

Band A Band B London Band C London Band D

of the Russian Federation which is split east and west of the Urals):

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Mixed Race and Obama

14,

ISSN No. 1751 - 1909 E-magazine

ADVERTISE HERE FOR JUST £25

A Jamaican climbs Everest!

Can Chemo Cure Cancer?

11.

12.

Duke Vin - The SKA Veteran

Inspirational Mentoring Does your child have someone to look Up to?

What is Cancer Bush?

Important info for Clubs!

A Black Briton’s Perception

Editorial - Blame the Police?

10.

9.

8.

6.

4.

1.

CONTENTS

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Lady Loy satisfies the crowd NOT her ego!

Need a DJ for an event? 07915 062 775 Tried the rest? Now try the best!

click on ‘radio’ to listen live EVERY SUNDAY 8PM - 10PM

DJ Lady Loy on Sundays www.jamrockradio.com

The things we learn about Michael’s empathy and compassion, only gets better and better!

true account of what goes on in hotels, that Michael Jackson was very generous towards his fans. The book says “There were always hundreds of them hanging around outside the hotel, chanting his name in the vain hope of luring him to the window.. .. Anyway there was always a hardcore group of fans who set up a proper camp next to the security fencing with their tents and their sleeping bags, and on cold nights, Michael would send out a hundred cups of hot chocolate for them, which I thought was rather kind. No-one else ever did that...”

According to the book ‘Hotel Babylon’ which gives a

DID YOU KNOW...?

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My Grandmother had worked in nursing in Jamaica and went to church every Sunday, a tradition for most people from the Caribbean that they have tried to maintain. So what a joy when she discovered that there was a church just down the road from the room that she had rented. She put on her best clothes and made sure that she had money for the collection. While in the service she felt that she stood out as she was the only black face in the congregation, but she did enjoy fact she was still holding onto the values that she had in Jamaica. The service only lasted an hour and when it finished she sat down, hoping that someone would come and talk to her as she was still feeling very isolated and was in urgent need of making friends. Suddenly she heard a voice behind her saying, “hello, we have never seen you here before”, she also sensed a little intimidation in the voice. She looked behind her and noticed it was the priest who had been giving the

I have always thought that coming from a colony has probably made a lot of us culturally richer than we care to believe and the economical racism that many of us face from a visible minority today, can be traced right back to the attitude and ideals of our old colonial masters. When we were in our own country we were made to feel very much like second class citizens so why should we be made to feel any different in the country of our masters? My grandmother was a very God-fearing woman who went to church from a very early age and thought it was very important to hold on to her religious beliefs when she moved to England.

By Winston Walker

Is our History a Perception?

The Black British Experience through the Eyes of a Jamaican.

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Although I would deny that I am racist, I do believe that racism has dictated the lives of many black people in Britain, whether it be through

When I was 16 I began taking an interest in these people and also the general history of the many black people who were born in the Western world and I came to discover that we are a people who have no name, no religion no culture and no identity. I remember talking to a Rastafarian friend many years ago and him asking me my name and replying “Winston Walker” “No” he said, “that is your masters’ name”. I didn’t understand it then, but I would get to know what he was talking about in years to come and would embrace these values as I tried to find something I could identify with in life.

We often confine stories like my Grandmothers to Bible belt America or Apartheid South Africa, although racism was not as harsh in Britain as it was in these places for a lot of people from visible minorities. In Britain a lot of these people would embrace the ideals of such black leaders Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.

Although I do believe in non-violence, I would have believed in the Ideals of Malcolm X as I believe that we all have a right to defend ourselves by any means necessary. I do not believe in the saying that we should turn the other cheek, it does not make sense.

The priest asked if he could sit down and have a chat with her and she said that was fine. “Thank you for coming”, the priest said, “but my parishioners are not comfortable in the presence of black people, so if you don’t mind please don’t come back to this church.” At that moment she just wanted to get on a plane and go back to Jamaica. My Grandmother would never express her views vocally and she would not have done so on this occasion, but this would be a story she would tell myself and the rest of our friends and family many times. This experience was also to make her a very bitter woman, but she would not be the only one who would have these experiences, and in years to come there would be a generation who would not tolerate these prejudices and many would lose there lives or find themselves imprisoned fighting for the right to be treated the same as their fellow human beings.

sermon, she felt reassured by this and the sight of the man in the black robe made her feel very comfortable, but all that was to change.

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Continued on page 8.

Throughout the 70s and early 80s these problems were highlighted only through frustration that led to riots in many British inner cities where people were getting a little sick and tired of living in these atrocious conditions and also by the way many were being treated by the law and the judicial system. If you were black you were more likely to have some form of social stigma attached to you, whether it be a criminal record or mental illness, or there was always that expectation that if you were black you were expected to have some form of negativity attached to you, you could be a drug dealer, mugger or thief etc. There are certain elements of people within white middle class Britain, who will always find it hard to accept that all black people are not drug dealers or robbers or thieves, and these people, I do feel, need educating.

The area I grew up in reflects the economical racism that many of us experienced and are still experiencing today. A few years ago I looked on the internet and was looking at the area that I grew up in Birmingham. I was to discover that many years before, people of a visible minority were invited over here to live. These areas were very suburban, exclusive areas, so why, when these people moved to these areas, were they never developed? I think it would be fair to say the same about many places where people of these minorities decided to settle in Britain.

housing, education, social welfare, judicial issues or employment etc. I have always asked myself, why is it that when we - people of a visible minority want anything to maintain that certain level of integrity within our cultures - we always seem to find ourselves going to areas that look like they have not been developed since the second world war?

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So club owners, bar managers,performers - Get behind the petition, sign it and send everyone affected to it!!

A club owner recently spoke with Lord Clement-Jones (the one who introduced the bill barring tobacco advertising) for a telephone interview and he said that despite the swelling numbers, we still need many more signatures on the live music forums petition.

Thought I would pass the details on of this petition, as it affects small live music venues/pubs in particular, and felt that whether you are a live music lover, a performing artist, or a venue owner/manager, you would be keen to sign up and show your support. (the weblink takes you to the petition on the no 10 website.) http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/livemusicevents/

Under the Licensing Act, a performance by one musician in a bar, restaurant, school or hospital not licensed for live music could lead to a criminal prosecution of those organising the event. Even a piano may count as a licensable ‘entertainment facility’. By contrast, amplified big screen broadcast entertainment is exempt. The government says the Act is necessary to control noise nuisance, crime, disorder and public safety, even though other laws already deal with those risks. Musicians warned the Act would harm small events.

About 50% of bars and 75% of restaurants have no live music permission. Obtaining permission for the mildest live music remains costly and time-consuming. In May, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee recommended exemptions for venues up to 200 capacity and for unamplified performance by one or two musicians. The government said no.

But those exemptions would restore some fairness in the regulation of live music and encourage grassroots venues.

DO YOU OWN OR MANAGE A SMALL NIGHTCLUB?

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Colin Powell

“In Prosperity Our Friends Know Us. In Adversity We Know Our Friends.”

“Never make someone a priority when you are only an option for them.”

“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.”

good and the bad.

Never receive counsel from unproductive people.

Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how.

Not everyone has a right to speak into your life.

You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person.

Don’t follow anyone who’s not going anywhere.

With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it.

Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life.

Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships.

If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.

“A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.” The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate - for the

Consider this:

Words of Inspiration by Colin Powell

We thank you and praise you for answering our sincere prayers, In Jesus’ Precious Name, AMEN

We pray mightily for his protection.

As we plead the Blood of your son, Jesus, over him and his family. We reverently ask you to dispatch legions of angels to protect them from all hurt, harm, danger as he serves as the President of the United States of America .

We also pray that when his enemies come upon him they will stumble and fall; and that your love will fill his heart to the end that ‘ Your will’ be done through him.

We pray for optimum health, mental clarity and political prosperity for President Barack Obama.

We pray that what he lacks in political ‘experience’ you make up for with supernatural wisdom and power.

A PRAYER FOR OBAMA

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Black-Bright has provided employment opportunities for its volunteers and the Founder has obtained the requisite qualifications to enable her to teach and Mentor in the Lifelong Learning Sector so that she can assist adults with their literacy needs. Myrna transfers best practices and has the life experiences and empathy needed to mentor young people with conduct disorders. The Founder is currently assisting KS4 students with their GCSE English and is also assisting EEC & Asian students with English Literacy, pronunciation and Grammar. She hopes that by helping one person at a time, she can eventually positively impact the whole Luton community.

Blackbright News was nominated for the Nationwide Award for Voluntary Endeavour. Blackbright News was nominated for and received: the Black Business Initiative Award for using social entreprenurialship to enlighten the black community; the Mayor’s Citizenship Award for its outstanding service to the local community and the African-Caribbean Achiever’s Award in recognition for outstanding accomplishments in Luton and was also nominated for Learn Direct Award.

Implementing ethical, moral and spiritual character building strategies within articles and stories for the upliftment of its readers and stability of a race.

BLACK-BRIGHT Elevates by:

Focussing on the emotional and physiological needs and aspirations of its readers; identifying ways to rejuvenate, rebuild and reshape our culture; encouraging positive attitudes and realistic expectations to enable a sense of wellbeing.

BLACK-BRIGHT Motivates by:

subliminally developing readers who are limited from their full potential because of life experiences; removing the ceiling that limits that potential through awareness raising strategies; providing a new paradigm of thinking (hence its award-winning appeal and global readership); and acting as a cross-generational and cross-cultural advocate for life-long learning.

BLACK-BRIGHT Educates by:

encouraging our readers to develop their talents, views and positive ideas; actively inviting participation from people who have constructive ideas, enthusiasm and a passion for expressing issues; providing a medium where readers and contributors can express themselves to a global audience.

BLACK-BRIGHT Stimulates by:

Readers say they have found Black-Bright “relevant, useful and informative”

Black-Bright News Changing Perceptions

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While living in Scotland I often saw a lot of weariness when it comes to the English, but that same weariness, I would say, is the same weariness that people of a visible minority have experienced with whites for many years, hence referring back to the story of my grandmother. I personally am not looking for sympathy or pity, but understanding and to be able to share what I have to offer.

Am I happy with race relations in Britain? The answered would have to be yes, but there is always room for improvement. Things have changed since my Grandmother came to Britain, but I also think that these situations must never be forgotten, so that they cannot be repeated.

At the beginning of my story, I referred to myself coming from a colony. I do think there is a lot of ignorance from the nations who ran these colonies, as being the servant we knew everything about our masters, but at the same time our masters knew nothing about their servants, in that sense the servants have become richer than their masters. Whereas in our home countries we were taught everything about the British Empire it also amazes me that we were never taught anything about our cultures. Whatever I learned was taught by my parents, so does this mean that although we live in multi-cultural society that one culture is more important than the other? I say that we need to embrace each other’s cultures and learn something from each other.

(Continued from page 5)

By Winston Walker

The Black British Experience through the Eyes of a Jamaican.

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Email: info@cancerbush.org.uk

www.cancerbush.org.uk www.myspace.com/cancerbush Tel: 07943 144 544

lion lives worldwide is Cancerbush, undefeatable evidence shows that Cancerbush is 1000% times effective in the elimination of Influenza / Swine flu. The objective of cancerbush.org.uk is to educate all visitors on this disease, and the herbal remedy, it is not our intention to castigate the current conventional methods offered to the general public, what we are not told is that cancer does not have to be terminal. So visit our website for information on cancerbush and other natural herbal remedies.

The great medicine that was used to kill the effects of the devastating 1918 influenza pandemic which claimed 50 mil-

The “Spanish” influenza pandemic of 1918 -1919, caused 50 million deaths worldwide, this remains an ominous warning to public health. In the United States, during the Great Swine Flu Massacre of 1976 the national program of swine flu injections was hardly under way before alarming “rumors” of sudden death and of terrible side effects such as various forms of paralysis, acute heart failure and cancer began to alarm the american people, during which the officials desperately tried to complete their announced goal of vaccinating every person in America with this poison. In the ensuing weeks, this figure continued to be revised upward until the officials admitted that sixteen hundred persons had died immediately after being injected with the vaccine despite these casualties, the officials continued the program of injection until Dec. 16, 1976, when public outcry became so great that it was officially stopped.

Within the United Kingdom there are four different countries, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

I always ask myself in which category do we people of a visible minority fit in. I personally do not want anything to do with any of these, to be part of one would be separatism, but I would prefer to be part of something that is British as I see a whole multitude of people included in the term of being British. We have Scottish, Welsh, Irish and English and I would also include people from the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, etc. In my eyes that’s what makes Britain great.

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Assists young people to achieve their potential.

Myrna Loy,

email: culturalgarden@aol.com for more information.

Inspirational Mentoring can help young people regain perspective and focus

At some time or another, everyone gets into a mode of rigid thinking, that causes discontent and stress and with young people with Emotional, Social and Behavioural Disorders (ESBD), these patterns are exacerbated. Young people with ESBD can get overwhelmed by conflicting priorities and their reactions to things that happen that they don’t expect and don’t want in their lives, causes them to lose focus, waste effort, miss opportunities and impose on others. Young people with conduct disorders, could become their own worst enemies through self-criticism, self-doubt, and unresponsiveness to their own needs. The risk, when these things happen, is that they mentally obliterate whats bothering them to avoid doing what they have to do, or they tolerate an unsatisfactory situation until they feel emotionally burned out, get angry, become seriously stressed, panic or suffer depression.

Myrna’s inspirational mentoring work is driven by her interest in helping young people release creative energy for progress. A consistent thread is her belief in the need for parties to experience themselves as respected, treated justly in a safe environment, and are helped to realise their purpose and potential. Myrna feels that nurturing one’s culture and identity, is the centre of growth, stability and wholeness. She believes that the essential basis for selfimprovement is a “true” relationship with oneself.

Myrna has been called a ‘cauldron of creativity’. Born in London of Jamaican parents, she is a Visual Artist, Published Author, Performance Poet, Radio DJ and Publisher of Black-Bright News.

Myrna spent 11 years in the United States working for the United Nations as a HR Administrator, 1 year in Angola on a peacekeeping mission trying to motivate vulnerable staff who accompanied her on the hazardous assignment. Myrna returned to the UK in 2000, to be close to her family.

“My family of origin was heavily influenced by the strictness of the Caribbean and the unforgiving attitudes of Victorianism. I was raised in a private fostering home during my primary years. Much of my early experiences with formal education, employment and relationships lacked the emotional support and guidance necessary for optimal growth. Adults ruled in my pre-school world: “children must be seen and not heard”; during my pubescent years: “.keep your mouth shut, do as you are told, and obey your elders”.

As a result, by the age of 15 years old, I had closed up emotionally, internalised my fears and became apprehensive towards those who claimed they loved me. I developed my capacity for resilience by mentally recording my feelings and writing them down in either poetry or prose. In my 20s, I started to paint. The process of transferring the frustration on canvas was therapeutic. Reflecting on the steps I took to overcome the challenges I faced and the subsequent self-examination has been pivotal to my work.

Myrna, says:

10/09/2009

INSPIRATIONAL MENTOR

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Back Issues, Art Cards and Myrna Loy’s Travelogue “The Other Side of Tourism” (Buy Now for only £5) (It’s the funny side of being British in Jamaica!)

Tel: 01582 721 605

please email blackbrightnews@aol.com

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Duke Vin came to the UK in 1954 and said it was the silence

Duke Vin - a man too busy for interviews and far too influential, I felt privileged that he gave me 20 minutes of his time.

I was astounded by his warmth, his openness and honesty.

It was not a formal interview of course but it gave me an insight to the man who gave David Rodigan a ‘hard thrashing’ at the Electric Ballroom; the man who built the first sound system (‘the Tickler’) in the UK and mobilised it on an icecream truck when asked by the local council to perform at the very first Notting Hill Carnival.

I asked him if he was inspired by Rodigan. He laughed and said he thrashed David so badly many years ago. He claims he has many tunes that no-one else has and I believe him, which could possibly be one of the reasons he has so much kudos and is still so much in demand around the world.

Duke Vin made the first Sound System in the UK in 1956, and in (presumuably) his mid-70s he is as active now as he was in his 20s. He told me that his father lived to way past 100 years old and he had every intention of doing the same as he cleverly avoided the issue of age.

On 1 September 2009, it was significant for me because I had been asked to conduct an interview a week earlier with Duke Vin. I am used to interviewing artists who see the process as a win-win situation, so I didn’t think it would be a problem when I agreed to interview him. However, after going through a variety of sources, I was told that he was a hard man to interview and very expensive. I didn’t have a budget. Duke Vin was in demand but a mutual friend arranged for me to call him. When I called, Duke had just come back from Paris where he had been commissioned to play his sound out there, and had been also commissioned to play in Italy so he was planning the 4-day trip. It was good timing when I called. He was receptive and excited about his imminent departure to Italy.

Lady Loy Chit-Chats with Legendary Veteran Duke Vin

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TEL: 07915 062 775 or : lutonloy@aol.com

SATISFIES HER LISTENERS - NOT HER EGO!

DJ LADY LOY

HAVING A PARTY?

I asked him how old he was, but he avoided the question.

Photographs, the time he came to the UK in 1954 and the two years it took him set up his sound system placed him, in my mind, in his mid to late 70s – so I had to ask him: “How come at your age, you keep going like an ever ready battery?” He said it is in his genes. He comes from a long line of old-timers and he was not ready to throw in the towel yet! Yes Duke Vin keeps going and going and he is a credit to the history of sound!

Talking with Duke Vin reinforced the components needed for success – experience and knowledge of the ‘product’, filling a gap in the market, sustaining a reliable team, specialising in a particular genre of music, consistent in producing highquality music and being the best at what he loves doing and sticking with it. He sends out warm, friendly vibes through the phone line and I sensed his pride and achievement at still being so much in demand.

Duke Vin spoke fondly of his friend, the late Peckings , who was instrumental in his musical journey (and who, he felt obliged to repeat) was with him when he beat Rodigan in the sound clash at the Electric Ballroom.

of the streets, silence in pubs, and the absence of music that motivated him to bring life to Ska in London - and not any degay degay part of London either! Duke Vin found himself clear inthe middle of the prestigious west End entertaining in the SoHo club on Wardour Street to a diverse audience.

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1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion.. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person’s lifetime.

3. When the person’s immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidlygrowing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal

Original Email: Johns Hopkins Update – AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY (‘TRY’, BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.

Don’t mean to be to burst anyones bubble, but this information is not from Johns Hopkins. Chemotherapy, although not the best option is the best that we have right now, and we know plenty of people that tried to fight cancer the natural way (ie Farrah Fawcet) and look what happened to her. When penicillin was discovered, people thought that they would try to fight bacterial infections the “natural way”. They died on the battle field with overwhelming infections. The bottom line is that everybody knows that healty nutrition including fruits, vegetables and whole grains and fiber will help to prevent a lot of illnesses not just cancer. Exercise and a positive attitude helps with all diseases.

There are also environmental and genetic factors which this does not address. For example, living in NY and being exposed to horrible pollution in addition to smoking will increase your risk of cancer no matter what you eat. If your mother, grandmother and sister had breast cancer, there is a high chance you will get it even if you lived on an island, ate spinach for breakfast, vitamins for lunch and swam around the island 5 times. So, bottom line is control what you can by being healthy. Eat foods in moderation including red meat, and exercise. But, we can’t change our genetics. Treat your body like a temple. But, if I do all that, and if I get cancer, give me some chemotherapy, and if I get a staph infection, give me some antibiotics—-just don’t give me spinach.

Response to the article from KL (Ph.d)

This has been circulated and I thought it only fair to print it with a response from a qualified doctor.

Can Chemo Cure Cancer?

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tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence t he person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply. *CANCER CELLS FEED ON: a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells.

Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg’s20aminos or sea salt. b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved. c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meatbased diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer. d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C). e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it..

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more 11 toxic buildup.

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Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don’t freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin.

So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Pa per isn’t bad but you don’t know what is in the paper. It’s just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering.

By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body’s killer cell s to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body’s normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.

A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

1. No plastic containers in micro.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

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12

Freeman began his ascent of Mount Everest from the Nepalese village of Lukla on April 1 accompanied by two sherpas, or Nepalese mountain guides. From Lukla, which is 9,380 feet above sea level, Freeman trekked 35 miles over eight days to a base camp on the south side of the mountain.

All he could process, he added, was the spectacular view of the Earth’s curvature and the layers of the atmosphere.

“When I reached the top, I thought, ‘Wow! I can’t believe I made it,’” Freeman said. “But then I thought, ‘It doesn’t count unless you get down safely.’”

Town resident Rohan Freeman inched closer to his goal of climbing all “Seven Summits” — the highest mountain on each of the seven continents — when he reached the summit of 29,035-foot-high Mount Everest on May 19. In the process, Freeman, 43, became the first African American man and the first Jamaican-born citizen to ascend to the top of the world’s tallest peak.

ROCKY HILL — - Five mountains down, two to go.

Rohan Freeman, who climbed to the top of Mount Everest in May, is photographed at his Rocky Hill home. (RICK HARTFORD / HARTFORD COURANT / August 11, 2009)

DID YOU KNOW THAT before Usain ran his amazing sprint, with quiet dignity, Rohan Freeman became the first Jamaican to summit Everest. (says Nadine) Read below:

Above: Rohan Freeman, who climbed to the top of Mount Everest

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A former track star at the University of Connecticut, Freeman said he first wanted to climb mountains in 1998, when he booked his first vacation to a winter resort. One winter sport led to another, he said, and in June 2002, Freeman and several friends

“I remember walking by the spot where the body should have been,” he said. “I thought to myself, ‘This could have been me, this could have been anybody.’”

But one incident nearly caused him to reconsider his climb. The day before Freeman scaled a notorious glacier — the Khumbu icefall — an avalanche struck a party and killed one climber. Words of assurance from his sherpas, Freeman said, helped him overcome the mental hurdle of climbing the icefall.

Death was never far from Freeman’s thoughts, he said, although it was more of an acknowledged risk than a constant fear. Most books about Mount Everest “celebrate death,” he added.

Loss of appetite was another issue throughout the climb, Freeman said. Despite forcing himself to eat high-calorie food, when he returned to Connecticut, he had lost more than 10 pounds.

“You take five breaths for every step,” he said.

“You never catch your breath.”

But there are limits to how much the body can acclimate. Above 24,500 feet, Freeman, like many climbers, uses supplemental oxygen. Even with the extra oxygen, he said, each breath was a challenge.

The acclimatization process takes weeks, Freeman said. To adjust, climbers never sleep more than 1,000 feet higher than where they slept the day before. The higher the elevation, he added, the longer it takes to adapt.

Progress slowed once Freeman reached the base camp, located 17,500 feet above sea level.

Besides the challenges of the terrain — there are numerous ledges, ice walls and the occasional avalanche to negotiate — a climber also needs to adjust to reduced levels of oxygen. Because there is only about a third as much oxygen at the summit of Mount Everest as there is at sea level, the body must produce more red blood cells to compensate. Otherwise, headaches, a gradual loss of consciousness or even death may occur.

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13

The Editor

I would appreciate any comments yuou may have on this article. When I googled Rohan Freeman, a white man came up in a space helmet talking about ‘his friend’ Rohan Freeman!!

Copyright © 2009, The Hartford Courant

“When I returned from Everest, I stared my own engineering company,” Freeman said. “I’m trying to see if I can make that a success.”

If he secures enough funding, Freeman said he plans to climb the last two of the “Seven Summits” — Vinson Massif in Antarctica and Mount Kosciuszko in Australia — in early 2010. But before that, he has a different goal to accomplish.

“Just the idea that he’s done outreach and work with the youth of Hartford and has shown them a much broader world ... that was very important [to us],” said fund President Kirk Sykes.

Freeman’s climb cost about $100,000, $75,000 of which he paid himself. The Urban Strategy America Fund, a real estate investment fund based in Boston, was a sponsor of Freeman’s climb. The fund made a $2,500 contribution to support outdoor activities at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, where Freeman is a board member.

climbed Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain. He then scaled three of the other “Seven Summits” — Mount McKinley in Alaska in June 2004, Mount Elbrus in Russia in June 2006 and Aconcagua in Argentina in December 2006 — before he attempted to climb Mount Everest.

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I was a product of the 70s. My friends Josh and Natalie have a mixed-race child whom they only see as “Ruby”. At six, she’s a product of the new millennium.

“I see Ruby as Ruby - no colour, no race, even though I know in my mind she is mixed-race,” says Josh.

“Obviously I want her to feel comfortable describing herself as she wants to,” adds Natalie. “But I would just like her to be aware of her history.”

But, pushed to define her in racial terms when filling out forms, they are unequivocal that she is mixed-race - a possibility census forms did not allow me until 2001. I had to make do with “other” - whatever that meant.

father and a black mother, explained why this moment was so profound to me. The verbal abuse I once suffered from ignorant strangers will never leave me. Nor will the treatment of my ancestors - and the legacy that left.

I certainly never envisioned ever seeing a non-white as the American President in my lifetime. Like many, I think this offered real hope to the marginalised.

As President Obama said in his speech, if someone who may not have been served in a restaurant 50 years ago can become President the ambitions of those once persecuted for their ethnicity surely can know no bounds.

14

acter image on it.”

in their lives. Maybe the racism I have experienced, as the son of a white

early 1970s. The whole self-esteem thing is a crucial thing for me; [it’s

dren from mixed-race relationships around when we got together in the

My father said: “Certainly there were nowhere near the numbers of chil-

Obama himself used the term “mutt” to describe his ethnicity

than mixed-race; my mother preferred black in my case.

differing views on the issue. My father felt dual heritage was a better term

Speaking to my parents about the term “mixed race” I learnt even they had

er Beverley was born in Jamaica.

I grew up in north London. My father Terry is from England, and my moth-

tive, maybe expecting a horror story about my conception.

labels by others who seemed to see broaching this subject as too sensi-

Rarely was I ever asked to define myself - instead I was offered various

Hamilton, when he won the F1 Championship for that matter?

the media at the time. I wondered, had no one asked him? Or Lewis

frustration that there was no agreed way of describing him across

As someone with a black mother and white father I felt a personal

really knows.

fusion. Self-deprecation or taking ownership of an abusive term? Only he

as President Elect, Obama threw in the term “mutt” to cause greater con-

“African-American” appeared to be a safe bet. At his first press conference

was a term used to divide and rule.

of downplaying black achievement. Some went as far as to tell me that it

Others preferred black, feeling mixed-race was a divisive term and a way

Those in favour of mixed-race felt using black ignored his white heritage.

reasons.

and African-American - frustrating sections of communities for different

However, the media have variously described him as black, mixed-race

mother was from Kansas and his father from Kenya.

Much has been made of his background - it is now well known that his

helped to open up the discussion on people of mixed race.

Leon Mann

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cal because in the grand scheme of things we are all mixed!

Comment from the Editor: The term ‘mixed race’ is nonsensi-

(extracted from http://mannsports.blogspot.com)

race as a youngster

I certainly would have appreciated more discussion about people of mixed

My mother told me: “When I made a cake, I made sure I put a black char-

people, not least those who have struggled against racism and inequality

Now the most powerful man in the world, President Obama has also

was an important issue for my parents.

history. The inauguration of Barack Obama means many things to many

I’ve always felt most comfortable describing myself as black politically, but

about] having a positive identity.” mixed-race culturally. Promoting the positive sides of both of my heritages

Page 15

It was a moment that will live long in our memories and be cemented in

MIXED RACE AND OBAMA

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Photo of Back Cov

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Photo of little girl by Garfield Hall Back Cover by Lakshmi Narayan Gupta

Founder & Managing Editor: Myrna Loy

www.myspace.com/blackbrightnews or www.blackbrightmagazine.com email: blackbrightnews@aol.com

Brightens the future of a New Generation!

Blackbright News

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