E2W NEWS

FYI’S LIST…
AAAHHH NEW YORK CITY’S FINEST! BUT IS IT REALLY? I’M TALKING NEW YORK CITY’S PUBLIC HOUSING… NOW “UNLIKE” ALL OF N.Y.C.’S OTHER WELL RESERVED BUILDINGS THAT EXHIBIT THE SPLENDOR AND GREATNESS OF THIS CITY’S WELL-POLISHED BIG APPLE. NEW YORK CITY’S HOUSING DOES NOT REPRESENT OR CARRY THAT UNBLEMISHED PICTURE. IN FACT IT’S QUITE THE CONTRARY! I HAVE BEEN AROUND IT LONG ENOUGH TO SEE THE DILEMMA THAT THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH AND CONTINUE TO DO SO IN SILENCE. LIKE AS IF TO SAY THEY SHOULD KEEP QUIET, BE HAPPY AND SATISFIED WITH WHAT THEY ARE GIVEN. ALSO, THE PEOPLE ARE QUIETLY FORCED TO DEAL WITH THE UNHEALTHY AND HAZARDOUS LIVING CONDITIONS. WHICH HAVE COME TO BE THE NORM WHEN ONE IS FACED WITH LIVING IN AN ECONOMICALLY LOWER AREA. DON’T GET ME WRONG. NO, I’M NOT SAYING THAT WE SHOULD GET ANYTHING FOR FREE! BUT WE SHOULD GET WHAT WE PAY FOR IN TAXES JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. IF MONEY TALKS THEN WE SHOULD BE WAY PASSED WALKING… LOL… HELL WE HAVE ALREADY WON THE RACE. WE AS A PEOPLE SPEND WAY MORE THAN OUR SHARE IN THIS ECONOMY… SHOOT WE SPEND WHAT WE DON’T EVEN HAVE. BUT, BACK TO THE SUBJECT AT HAND…. WHY IS IT THAT MOSTLY SO CALLED MINORITIES WHO LIVE IN NYC HOUSING… AND FURTHER MORE WHY IS IT THAT THE REGULATIONS AND PRINCIPALS AS OTHER APARTMENT BUILDINGS/LUXURY APARTMENTS/BUILDING COMPLEXES AND SUCH DO NOT GOVERN THESE BUILDINGS? PUBLIC HOUSING CONDITIONS ARE WAY BELOW ACCEPTABLE STANDARDS. EVERYTHING IS DONE JUST THE MINIMAL. IT’S ENOUGH TO GET BY WITHOUT CAUSING ONE TO RAISE AN EYEBROW OR GO A STEP FURTHER AND PLACE COMPLAINTS. I’VE KNOWN PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN NYC PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS FOR OVER 25 YEARS AND THE MAINTENANCE AND APPEARANCE OF IT HAS NOT IMPROVED. IN DEVELOPMENTS OF SUCH SIZE ONE WOULD THINK THAT SOME FORM OF SECURITY WOULD BE INSTITUTED; JUST FOR THE SAKE OF SAFETY OF THE TENANTS AND THE PRESERVATION OF THE BUILDING. NO SECURITY ALLOWS NON-TENANTS, UNDESIRABLES AND VANDALS TO HAVE ACCESS TO PREMISES WHICH THEY PROBABLY HAVEN’T ANY RESPECT OR REGARD FOR. IS THIS REALLY HOW PROGRESS WORKS? OR IS IT JUST HOW IT WORKS WHEN IT INVOLVES US? HOW IS IT THAT THE BUILDING INSPECTORS COME AROUND AND SEE ALL THE INFRACTIONS AND COSMETIC WORK THAT IS NEEDED TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE STRUCTURE AND INTEGRITY OF THE BUILDINGS? ISN’T THERE A GRADING SYSTEM FOR WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE AND WHAT IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE (OUT OF COMPLIANCE)? THE PROJECTS ALWAYS FALL SHORT OF THE AMBIANCE OF LIVING IN ONE OF THE WORLDS MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY… NEW YORK! WHICH LEADS ME TO THE ACTUAL TERM “PROJECT”! WHY IS IT WHEN REFERRING TO N.Y.C.’S HOUSING’S FINEST. WE COIN THE TERM “PROJECT”? BUT, TRUTH BE TOLD IT IS CORRECTLY SO…. AS WITH A “PROJECT” IN THE VERB FORM MEANING; SOMETHING YOU SEE IN THE FUTURE, FORECAST OR FORESEE. ALSO, “PROJECT” THE NOUN FORM MEANING; BEING A TASK, SCHEME OR SOMETHING WORKED ON WITH A FINAL OUTCOME. THE SAD THING IS THAT THE FUTURE’S OUTCOME IS NOT GOING TO BE GOOD OR BENEFICIAL ONE FOR THE CURRENT OCCUPANTS. BUT IT IS BENEFICIAL TO THE ‘NEW’ OUTSIDERS WITH THE HIGHER INCOMES. LET’S GO BACK A LITTLE… REMEMBER HOW I STATED THAT WE PAY TAXES? BUT PAYING TAXES WHEN WE SPEND MONEY IS NOT THE SAME AS THEM TAXING YOU WHEN YOU GET YOUR PAY CHECK! THIS IS WHERE THE PLOT THICKENS! SEE THERE’S A LITTLE FORMULA THEY USE TO DETERMINE WHO GETS WHAT? NOW ALTHOUGH WE DO PAY TAXES… WE AS A PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THE MORE PROSPEROUS OR BETTER PAYING JOBS. MORE PEOPLE IN LOWER-INCOME AREAS, DON’T WORK OR HAVE THE LOWER PAYING JOBS. THEREFORE, THIS AREA BY SURVEY STATES THAT THEY DO NOT PAY ANYWHERE NEAR AS MUCH TAXES AS OTHER HIGHER INCOME/MORE DENSELY EMPLOYED POPULATED AREAS. THESE RESIDENTS MAKE MORE MONEY THEREFORE TAXED MORE. THUS MEANING THAT YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET! SO SINCE THEY HAVE CONCLUDED THAT WE DON’T PAY MUCH IN TAXES… WE GET JUST THAT! NOT MUCH! SO WITH THIS FORMULA IN PLACE WE COULD NEVER WIN THE RACE. WHY? BECAUSE WE DON’T GET HIRED FOR MOST JOBS. NEVER MIND THE HIGHER PAYING ONES. THE ONLY TIME THE SECTION WOULD STAND A CHANCE AT DECENT ACCEPTABLE LIVING CONDITIONS, INCLUDING THE PROVISION OF MORE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, IS WHEN MORE PEOPLE OF A HIGHER INCOME BRACKET MOVE IN. THAT’S’ ONLY WHEN YOU WOULD START TO SEE THE GRADUAL YET STEADY CHANGE OF AN IMPOVERISHED COMMUNITY. THE POWERS THAT BE WOULD BESTOW THAT AREA WITH WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A GIVEN. ALSO, THEY TAUGHT US IN SOCIAL SCIENCE THAT WE COULD NATURALLY ONLY DO AS GOOD AS OUR PARENTS HAVE TAUGHT US AND LAND SIMILAR JOBS THAT THEY MAY HAVE HAD. IN OTHER WORDS, GENERATION AFTER GENERATION STUCK IN THE SAME VICIOUS CYCLE. NOT TO MENTION THAT WE WERE AN OPPRESSED PEOPLE FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF AMERICA AND THE SAME OPPRESSION STILL EXISTS TODAY IN MANY DIFFERENT FORMS, WHETHER IT IS INDIRECTLY OR DIRECTLY. SO WITH THIS IN MIND HOW DO WE BREAK THESE CHAINS AND GO FORWARD WITH OUR OWN “PROJECT” SET IN PLACE… DESIGNED TO WIN WIN WIN!!! SEND IN ALL YOUR COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS AND VIEWS TO E2W@FYI’S.LIST

Many have often inquired about the meaning of a Gold Star Mother, at one time or another I was even congratulated on being one. However naive the comment or questions are presented, it is the constant reminder that my son as well as many others has sacrificed their lives for the freedom we often take for granted.
A Gold Star Mother is an unwanted title. It is a group; none of us have ever wanted to belong to. But we are here, amid one another. We support one another, as we are fully aware of the daily effort it takes to exist after the loss of our child to war. To get by, we find ways of coping, one of which is becoming actively involved in our military, publicly but non-politically.
GSM’s has a resilient connection to service members. An association in which can never be broken or disassembled. We are dedicated to the commemoration of Military observances, such as the day referred to as Veterans Day, Sunday, November 11th.
Veterans Day was an act amended in June making the 11th day of November reserved as a legal holiday devoted to our Heroes, men and women who came before us protecting and defending our country, like my son and countless others ready, willing and able to preserve this great nation. A Veteran is a title to be proud of. It speaks to the heroism of many men and women who chose military life. Men and women who have courageously joined based on the understanding of wanting to make a difference or quite simply, “Be the Difference.”
This day, November 11th Veterans Day should be viewed and remembered as a day of gratitude, not just a day off from work, because by all means it is by far more than that. So, I ask that you take a moment and pledge your unending thankfulness to our past, present, and future Veterans.
Gold Star Mother signing out . . . Hooah!

Michael N. Dickerson a national of Trinidad and Tobago, Executive Director of DICKERSONS HURBZ R US LTD., Certified Consultant by the Diabetes Resource Center, Inc. and the Center for Nutritional Medicine, Georgia, USA. Specialized in the promotion of natural and organic products through his radio programme ‘Health Talk With Big Mike’ on 106.5fm and 91.9fm and to date has helped improve the health and lifesytle of thousands of listeners throughout Trinidad & Tobago, the region and internationally. A highly sought after natural health consultant, whose vision it is to establish a network of healthy lifestyles by stimulating humans in their God given potential to not only achieve, but to maintain health to its crest through nutrition and natural remedies.

Michael Dickerson (Big Mike): Tel. 1-868-346-2612
Kelvin Duke: Tel. 1-868-758-4225
#19 Market Street Arouca, Trinidad, W.I
Email:hellobmike@gmail.com

The historical Bay; East Oakland, California. Once know as a thriving middle class black town. This area has had it’s share of chaos. Especially around the 90’s. 97th St. 98th St. and 96th St. also known as the “hood”. At first glance you will see poverty, an d the residue of a very strong drug culture in the East Oakland. It would not be surprising to notice the dilapidation in certain areas of the town, but there is a gem from this are, and everyone loves her. It’s Keisha Cole.

Keisha Cole raised in this area, and found a way to prosper; despite her own personal family issues. Growing up in East Oakland alone is rough, but to become an accomplished singer/performer is like searching for gold in these streets. Keisha Cole has had a positive impact on the place in which she comes from and represents.

Keisha Cole has not forgotten where she has come from, nor does she hide the painful past of her childhood. Every year, Ms. Cole comes back to her home town and is affectionately welcomed. She sponsors events for the people of the town to have a good time. One such event is, “Keisha Cole Day”. A day of fun excitement and all types of activities for the young and old.

Usually held on the last Sunday of the month. The event is special to the youth of the town. With very few people to look up to, the youth of East Oakland have an official “star” to model after, Keisha Cole.