Vibes And Pressure

I was shopping in the supermarket the other day and I looked over to a girl with bleach blonde hair and automatically began to imagine her life. I began making judgments about her choices and perceived circumstances. Then, as I’m consciously trying not to judge people at the moment, I stopped myself. I mean hmm who was shopping in Asda in the first place…

While I was reminding myself that we all are doing our best with the information that is available to us in the circumstances we are in and have been in, and we not all that different from each other deep down, I realised that when I make judgements about people I have to separate myself from them. They become ‘Those people’ instead of ‘Us’

Thinking about it I realised that I make judgements about people all the time and perhaps that was why I was feeling so isolated recently. Perhaps this feeling of disconnection was happening because I had had to separate myself from other people so that I could judge them without feeling guilty.

It then made me think about what happens when I judge aspects of myself. Do I separate aspects of myself from myself through making judgements about myself until there is hardly anything left of myself in myself… if that makes sense

Making judgements about each other is what separates us from each other, and I Guess I’ve been told that before in not so many words, but this time I actually understood it

And if this is the truth then it’s not surprising that most of the time the media encourages us to make judgements about other and we even use it as entertainment these days in programmes like Big Brother or X factor.

If we are going to take back the power then we have to reunite with each other and perhaps that means that we have to stop judging each other negatively, and maybe even positively?

Do you know what I mean?


iRebel

If you want to see some grade A brainwashing on terrestrial TV then make sure you turn to ITV1 at 8PM on Tuesdays…

Last Tuesday I was round my Dad’s house and we were sitting after dinner having a chat with the TV on in the background. In the middle of our conversation I was suddenly distracted by loud aggressive noises coming from the TV of a door being broken and police raiding someone house.

What I was witnessing was the weekly instalment of a programme called Cops With Cameras. I haven’t watched TV in a while, so maybe the desensitising effect of watching TV has worn off, because although I’ve seen programmes like this many times before this time I was shocked to see this kind of imagery being shown as entertainment and at prime time on a channel like ITV1.

With fresh eyes the programme struck me as absurd and sinister. Is this really what is considered entertainment these days? What happened to Cilla Black and Bruce Forthsyth? Family Fortunes is entertainment. Not policemen breaking doors in and frightening people out of their wits...

And it’s on for an hour.. every week! Come on man, how can anybody be entertained by this week in week out? (Although saying that 2.31 million people were watching last week!)

Apart from fulfilling a disturbing voyeuristic gratification it seems to me that this kind of ‘entertainment’ has another purpose. The reason why images of police raiding other people’s houses are being beamed into our brains is so that we are acutely aware of what will happen if we break the law. It seems kind of obvious. The outrageous part of it is that they have the audacity to do this under a flimsy guise of entertainment then stick it on at prime time on an established and perhaps respected channel like ITV1 - pre-watershed. And then to keep people interested they use well known media attention holding techniques (i.e. hypnotism) by having quick cuts, fast paced, shaky camera action and dramatic music, better known as Jolts that release pleasurable chemicals in the brain. (Check out the book by Dr Aric Sigman called Remote Controlled for more info about that.)

For me these programmes have taken on an even more sinister edge since I found out that anything written that is judged to be inciting any kind of illegal behaviour (excuse me but what about the freedom of speech) means that as activists the chances of police knocking down our doors could be a real possibility in the future.

I’ve written a strongly worded letter to ITV1 and I’ll let you know what they say…

Peace.


iRebel

If you have read any of my pieces you may be aware that I haven’t got the fortitude to sit down and churn out one piece in one sitting. At the rate things are going in this world right now, not finishing a piece of writing, is liable to render all your thoughts irrelevant because of the simple fact that information is being spread so quickly. When I watched the scenes on the news during the riot I had a similar feeling to what I had during 9/11 or 7/7. (Note to any new readers; I am a conspiracy theorist extraordinaire, I scare myself sometimes) I was seeing it all with my own eyes but something was not quite right. For one thing the news coverage of the “revolution” was rather strange. On the evening of Monday 8 August they were showing the same images over and over again. Okay, so there may be an issue with scarcity of footage, but I can only watch the same “mindless thug” looting or fighting with the Gestapo…..I mean the Metropolitan police force before I start to transform like the Hulk into my conspiracy theorist alter-ego. The bottom line is repeating the same image over and over again has an effect on your psyche.

If I recall the coverage there were a few types of images that were prominent. 1. Fires burning but hardly any being put out. 2. Looting with no police. 3. Youths fighting with the police (The brave ones out front, in their hoodies, whilst the police were in full riot gear) 4.The Aftermath (i.e. destruction, destruction, destruction.) It seemed by the reporting methods that there was an agenda when the riot were being reported and in many cases the riots that were reported never actually happened in the way the newscaster stated.
Nowadays when I watch the news a little method that I use which helps me to “read between the lines” is to imagine that I’m watching a film and ask myself “what is it that these actors need us to believe? (It’s fun and it works every time!)
In the case of these riots or “disorder” as the police try to term it, they want us to believe that our young people are out of control in their hoodies, and they want to kill, maim, burn, loot and pillage. From my recollection there were reports of riots and/or looting in Camden, Chalk farm, Ealing, Bayswater, Hackney, Woolwich. I even heard that they were planning to attack the mass ritual Olympic site.

The plot read like a Hollywood disaster movie. Our “leader” was away on holiday apparently the third one this year, no doubt taking a break from the incestuous relationship he was having with the police and the media. Correct me if I’m wrong but just before these riots hit, the tabloids were in phone hacking city. The right wing on the big fat political bird was taking the flak for the shit that went down when the left wing of the political bird was in power. (Please note that both wings are on the same bird, so you really have to choose the same tired old chicken when you vote) He stayed away whilst Tottenham burned, following the murder of a “gangsta” who came from the Broadwater Farm estate. Hindsight is great thing but I honestly thought that there was going to be a riot after I heard Mark Duggan had been shot. My reasoning? The amount of civil unrest and general dissatisfaction that authority faces is increasing around the world. We’ve seen, in this country the student riots against fees and the wave of uprisings in the so called Middle East. We have all seen with our eyes the power of the people and what it can and will achieve.
In days of old, our leaders would be out front charging into battle but now they are pampered and protected. When SamCam’s husband came back, he started all the tough talk, and promptly held an emergency meeting with the rather sinister name of COBRA. It’s an acronym for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A. (I wonder what goes on in Cabinet Office Briefing Room B? Not much I presume, and COBRB doesn’t quite have the same reptilian ring to it)

Now the courts are issuing draconian sentences for looters who committed crimes against property. I’m not condoning burning people’s homes, and acts of violence against small and private business, but stealing from JD sports or Carphone Warehouse? While it’s stupid and petty, it’s hardly evil. The media have demonised looters and rioters, to the extent a mother even informed on her own child.
On the evening of the day after the shooting, I drove up to the stretch of road were Mark was assassinated (Yes I said it. Before you dismiss me a conspiracy theorist extraordinaire I quote my good friend Mr Wik Pedia, An assassination is "to murder (a usually prominent person) by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons."[1][2] An additional definition is "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons." So that’s why I have decided to call it an assassination. Is revenge for the killing of a police officer political enough? Not sure? Okay, you call it what you want.

Mark came from an estate where during a riot following the death of a member of the black community a police officer was brutally murdered and no one has ever been convicted.(If that’s not a political motivation, I’m a conspiracy theorist extraordinaire) Anyway, as I was saying I attempted to drive up past Blackhorse Road and the road was blocked off. In my mind I was thinking “why have they blocked off such a large section of the road?” According to the reports that were put out following the killing, Mark was said to have fired first. To me that sounded fishy, but if that was the truth it would have been an open and shut case, and we would conclude that Mr Duggan was suicidal. I‘m not condoning police brutality, but remember we are in a country where the police killed an electrician who walked into Stockwell tube station, so firing rounds at armed police (who no doubt need little excuse to fire) is a sure fire way to get your arse well and truly killed.

When the first reports came out stating that Mark had shot at police I thought the likelihood of that to be dubious. The police allowed that version of events to be circulated, knowing that not to be the case. As the shooting happened in broad daylight, all any witnesses would have seen was the police executing a seemingly innocent man. The thing is; there was a wave of misinformation by the media, after Mark was shot. For at least 3 or 4 days all we heard was that he had shot at police, and the fact that one of the police had a bullet lodged in his radio. It turned out later that the bullet was police issue and Mark had not shot at the police.
When Jean Charles De Menezes was shot it was said that he had run away from police down into Stockwell tube station, wearing a bag with wires coming out. It later turned out that he had been followed into the underground station after he had used an oyster card to get through the barriers. (Not leaped over them as it was first reported) When the police cornered him they shot him eight or nine times in the head in front of passengers who probably though Halloween had come early. I picked up on the similarity between the murder of Mark Duggan and the murder of Jean Charles De Menezes. This similarity was way the media allowed lies about the shootings to be circulated to the public.To me, coupled with the level of dissatisfaction with authority in the world at present, shooting someone from the Black community with a connection to an estate where there was a riot following the death of someone from the Black community equates to a march/protest at the very least and another riot at the worst.

The looting was the result of the perception that the police had lost control of the situation. In my opinion the police never lost control of the situation. It was rather a case of them relinquishing control .My belief is that the looting in Tottenham and Wood Green was allowed to happen. There were military Police at the junction of White Hart Lane and Tottenham High Road at approximately 5am on the Sunday morning. We had received “Intelligence” that looting was going on in Wood Green but the authorities did nothing to prevent it. It would have taken one police car, one armoured black military police vehicle to drive down and stop the looting in Wood Green. News of this spread swiftly and the rest is history. This has now created a climate where people are being criminalised for theft of minor items or in some cases stealing no items at all, and the prisons are filled to the brim, all in time for the Olympics. A little too much orchestration if you ask me but what do I know?

The current climate is one of economic and political uncertainty. The Student riots, the upheaval in the Middle East and all the marches against the cuts are evidence of the tension. We have also seen unrest in Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal. The government would have us believe that the riots were perpetrated by materialistic young people who didn’t care about the death of Mark Duggan. I believe that there was a great deal of opportunism mixed in with a general disillusionment with the system. The fact that ‘normal’ people who had never gotten in trouble with the police before have now been caught up in the penal system is very ironic. I believe that the ‘system’ is aware that there is genuine anti-government sentiment in the air. In one dastardly chess move, we now have a climate where the police have an excuse to increase their powers and the public have almost consented to this. The papers were showing images of ‘thugs’ caught on camera and encouraging people to ‘shop a moron’ they are actively trying to create a climate where we are doing the snooping and the detective work for the police.
Those involved in the riots were acting out what many had been feeling for a long time. In my mind, they were like an aspect of (my) subconscious energy taking the law in into their own hands. It’s funny how the police are now running around picking up people and pushing them through the courts for committing the same crimes that founded America and most of the old British Empire. To dismiss the underlying irony is dangerous. The looting was in most part against property and large stores. With all the talk of cuts in spending and government debt, many people feel they are being ripped off in the UK today and that sentiment was one of the factors driving the unrest. I recall when petrol prices started rising astronomically a couple of years ago there was a blockade carried out by lorry drivers and the prices dropped, accordingly. Petrol is now over £1 a litre and we are in more testing economic times now than we were then. No blockade, no complaints just acceptance.

The other issue that these riots bought up was the issue of race. I watched as the media attempted to racialise events. The murder of the three young men in Birmingham was one of the most poignant moments for me in the media coverage of the riots. Three young men of Asian origin were tragically killed when a car was driven into them following a brick being thrown into a car window. As far as I am aware the suspects for those murders were all black, but from my understanding there are long seated tensions between the Black and Asian communities in some parts of Birmingham. The media quite rightly highlighted the dignity of the father of one of the young men who was killed and then they went on to show solidarity from different communities against the looters/stroke rioters. I saw and heard stories of Sikhs in Southall, the Turkish community in Hackney and the broom wielding community in Clapham, who were predominately although not exclusively white. There was not a media representation of the resistance from the Black community. The Black community was either perpetrator or victim. The images showed rioters of all ages all races and of both sexes. The multiculturalism that supposedly won London the Olympics was now turning on the government. Black culture was blamed, rap music, even the slang spoken on the streets, blackberrys and Facebook were also accused. The latest that I’ve heard, Ken Clarke said it was caused by, and l quote "a feral underclass" . Wow!!!!!Are you hearing the language? The mention of class is ironic because these riots were defiantly fuelled by inequality, whether real or perceived.

I see these events as symbolic of the changes in consciousness. As they say change is the only constant. The one thing we can be sure of is that the world needs more balance, and the amount of energy that it’s going to take to create lasting real change is probably directly proportional times about 100, to the amount of energy it took to create it. So let’s see if we can all be part of the change.

Peace and Love DM

I wrote a song about a month ago as we were putting the finishing touches to recordings we had done for my upcoming EP. The song's title is "Change". It was just a little vibes that turned into a bit of a tune;-). Anyway, once the song was recorded I felt a great sense of release that has only come with a very few of tunes I have written. To be a vessel of words, sound and power can sometimes be spiritually exhausting hence the sense of release I speak of. However, this song stayed with me a lot longer than I thought it would, partly due to the mood on the streets of London (and UK). As I watched the riots unfold, more and more i started to connect with these same words I had just written down. Here is a quick sample of the song.....

"Theres a new breeze i can feel a change coming in the air
the leaves are on the ground, but summers only just appeared
as I look to the sky the sun got a different kinda glare
as i look into the eyes of the youth i see no more fear......

"...Change dont come in a day
but everytime the whole world spin around we going somewhere
As the seasons change we'll find a way
But just remember change wont come in a day...."


The song will be released as part of my upcoming EP in either late September or October, as I feel it necessary to release it post Ethiopian new year. Over the past few years as I have observed and lived and written songs, one of the things I have noticed is how alienated young people feel. Yeah, yeah, I know everyone talking is about that now on all the news channels, but I ask myself why it has taken this ting to happen for elders to sit up and take notice.

I had an (friendly) argument with one of my rasta elders as to why little real efforts were being made as a unit to connect with the yout's on the wrong side of the poverty line, it's not the responsibility of the old to guide the young. We can't rely on them people in power to provide funding and youth centres when they're busy trying to fill us wit propaganda and fight or their bullshit causes. Lets take care of ourselves. Anyway let me not go in too deep, I could go on 4eva on that subject.

If you wanna hear me and my brethren ramble on more about this type of thing stay tuned to this page or more to come.

Anyway to link this reasoning back to the song.... Change takes time and effort. We just have to (truly) will it and it will manifest. Now is the time, the time is now etc.... anyway I have taken a break for a while in terms of releasing material. So now is the time for... "Change". Look out for it over the upcoming weeks and stay tuned into the website and the blogspot.

"....As the seasons change we'll find a way
But just remember change wont come in a day...."


Peace and Love

Vibes and Pressure

N

...so the events of last week has played heavily on my mind.
I sat down to write this about 6 times but each time I just stared at the computer screen and there were so many words that my fingers just could not move quick enough.

Every1 been talking about the Riots. But more and more I am starting to wonder what exactly talking achieves. Everyone talking about the looters, Every1 talking about these hooligans, everyone talking about jobless, lazy young people. Some people talking about organization amongst the gangs, some people talking about revolution, some people talking about rubber bullets and the army, hardly any1 talking about Mark Duggan, some people talking about the racsism in this country, a few more people talking about the poverty line.... anyway there's a whole heap of talking going on.

So I thought I'd just Listen!

Prior to listening I was observing!

I stood observing with my two feet planted on Tottenham High Road, yet ready to move when the "fire" got "too hot". How I came to be in Tottenham on that same night is pure coincidence, but that's another story. Even though my heart was racing and palms were sweating, what I saw that night didn't surprise me one bit. I know it sounds mad but there is no effect without cause and the yout's been crying out 4 a while, for the past ten years I been writing songs about my generation and our youngers.... as i say cause and effect.

However what did surprise me was the willingness to destroy our own shops and houses as opposed to the buildings that symbolize babylon. All I can speak of are the frontline brothers I saw at 1am, charred from fire sprayed out by the chopper, wounded from armshousing police officers. That night I saw a wild angry freedom in the eyes of "the rioters". I was there late when there were no more looters, the only ones left were the ones not there 4 free trainers.The only ones left just wanted to lick down them same police that stop and search them. The only ones left were the "angry voice of the youth" crew, not the "free trainers" crew. Black and White united through poverty aiming all their frustrations, anger, burning sticks and stones at the modern-day human symbol of western oppression - The riot police!

The second thing that surprised me was the little action taken by the police, especially to stop the looters. However, as time has continued on its constant path that surprise soon turned into "of course, I should have known....". I think we all have our different theories on the (non)action taken by the police. I'll reserve my opinion for a song maybe one day.

What sticks out the most in my head from that night in Tottenham wasn't actually the burning eyes of the rioters, but instead a burning police van. I stood there staring at this burning police van, and as I looked into the flames my reality shifted. Growing up in London in fear of the police as a yout'man I never thought I would be standing next to a burning police van. Fire does a crazy thing to the spirit, so I guess part of me understands why nuff man took to the streets over the next few days, after seeing the streets ablaze. My good friend was down Pembury estate the next day and his experience was similar in that where he was there was no looting, just people there ready fi war with the feds. Street-soldiers. No interest in tiefing out likkle trainers and TV.... shame on us. There were soldiers out there ready to bun fire on babylon, and let their voices be heard in the same language that is used against them: violence, the language of oppression used all over the world... meanwhile all some people wanna do is take some bullshit material things. Now what voice do these yout' have? Do they not need to be heard?

As long as there is oppression abroad and in your own back yard the streets will be hot, as long as the police keep killing people and getting away with it the streets will be hot, as long as you keep stopping and searching with prejudice the streets will be hot, as long as you get richer while the poor man stay suffering the streets will be hot, as long as you stay the same as you are the streets will be hot!

As for now I am still listening, refusing to cast judgement, meditating and trying to get a grip on what is to come. I wrote a song called "change" a few weeks before the riots, so it is about time I put something out for these hot streets and those observing from their houses. Look out for it over the next coming month.

Peace and Love

Vibes and pressure

N

I am the face in the mirror that u never want 2 c, I am the man on the dark side of the moon. I am that which u love 2 hate, the road that u tread, the abyss. I am called Scourge, the reflection of yr goodness. The stone the mason rejected.

I am the myth that excited yr fantasies, and the bogey man creeping at the edge of yr nightmares. I was clueless 2 yr civility, let loose in my corner of the world. I served no purpose 2 u, useless, occupying space bt not paying my way. I was a curiosity, something just as u r… bt not, less than… somehow. I was that upon which kingdoms were built, empires forged, the shoulders that yr giants needed 2 stand on.

I was yr fuel, the engine that drove yr success, the unnamed hand, the unknown warrior who won yr wars. I was the discarded armour of your defence, the sword that u beat into a ploughshare. I was the hewer of wood and the drawer of water. I was the heathen in need of yr deliverance. The fact of my existence proved 2 u the goodness of yrs, the truth of my origin revealed the fallacy and baseness of yr own, and even tho my reality made yrs possible, I needed 2 b kept in place, underfoot. I learned 2 b thankful 4 this, reverent, understanding that all this was part of the gr8r whole and assured of yr righteousness. I wanted 2 b u, bt clued 2 the fact that I cld never attain ascension in this life, comforted that my reward awaited me beyond. I was the darkness in u made manifest. My voice screamed yr name, even as I had no name of my own. The savagery with which u showed me what my place and purpose was, that was justified bcos this was the only way 2 bring me yr culture, yr sophistication and yr salvation.

Somehow, I desired more, even when I knew this was a dream unattainable. I knew my place was below yrs, bt questioned why yr blood was as red as mine. The old answers no longer held water, the foundations were found 2 b feet of clay, and the strength of yr words became mud. The strength I gave in yr servitude, the strength that u took 4 yrself, was slowly becoming my own. Yet I was bound in my physicality. I fought and raged, pleaded and reasoned, slowly freeing myself. I had overcome… bt u had other plans 4 me. Whereas 1ce I was broken, all alpha forcibly removed, I became… broke, the physical bounds replaced by the social, economic, the academic.

My miseducation and underdevelopment made me n2 the agent of my destruction, yr despise 4 me comparable only 2 my own self-hate, my fear holding me in my place while my love made me grateful 2 have a place at all. I sought out my status, my caste, my class. I was as nothing, educating my younger self in the art of nothing, yet as I wasted away, my woman strived, becoming superwoman, and did this as she carried twice the burden. The embers smoldered. I craved recognition, marched 4 it, sat 4 it, bled 4 it, was raped 4 it, starved 4 it. Even as I began 2 finally receive it, I tore down those whose light guided me 2 the new path. Yet I was still a prisoner 2 yr grand design, yr guiding hand bcoming ever more subversive. U handed me a new set of tools, and I, still believing in yr love, gladly accepted these gifts. My families imploded, my communities devolved n2 war zones.

Even as I had nowhere left 2 go, u still pushed. I pushed back, with bricks, sticks, slipping on yr spit. I pushed back, with the songs of my ancestors, spiritual songs forged in the night of my soul. I pushed with sounds dark and blue, with the horns of the Bird and the Monk. I slipped in yr spit and stood tall 2 spit rhymes. Beaten, I beat back with nyabinghi and 808’s. Divorced from my tongue, I took yrs and gave voice 2 soul, my darkness shining 2 all hidden corners. I enriched culture, redefined sophistication, gave salvation 2 yr expression. My contribution far outweighed my compensation, yet I’m still not given my recognition. I am that which u relocate with yr gentrification, yet I am still here The refused stone now the cornerstone. The embers lit with broken promises. The dream unattainable now a dream deferred.

I am the face u refuse 2 c, the screaming voice drowning out with yr platitudes. I am the bogeyman manifest, I am love. I am no longer the face in the mirror, I AM THE MIRROR. I am hope, I am faith, I am rage. I am Alpha and Omega. I am a million desolate souls, I am the streets. I am hip hop, I am rock and roll, the scream and the silence. I am the winter of yr discontent, I am the hand and the stone, hurtling 2 the glass house. Generations of breeding made me the superman I am still searching 4. The shine of my darkness will guide us all 2 the light. I am yr deliverance.

I am the hate that hate produced, I am… La Haine.

p.l.h.o.


Corrd the Seeker.

Initially, I felt exhilarated and excited by the idea that Londoners were finally standing up and "raging against the machine", then I felt confused by the apparent extreme indiscriminate way in which the rage was being directed. I couldn't help but think if these "rioters" were focusing on the monuments of oppression and the systems of suppression then I could try to see the validity of their right to fight.

I had always thought that if a day ever came where we could find the thing that gave us the justification so that we all finally stood up and waged war on the structures which have manipulated and orchestrated destruction, then i would see the very edifices that have been the physical manifestation of these symbols fall but instead what i saw was the fall of "Carpet Right"!!

I mean seriously we can only blame ourselves if the message is being somehow lost in translation and the young people coming up have no idea of who and what are the representative of the social inequality which we are all currently living in. Burning local people's businesses and homes just doesn't make sense and to me felt like a real sickness within the psyche running within these communities. Self harm and self hate seem to be apparent in these acts. They are no different to black on black crime.

But let's be clear. We are not the first place to see unhappy citizens raging and rioting for something, i think that in this case no one is quite sure of what that something is, because it's certainly not just about getting some trainers from JD sports.

I, for one, am not jumping on the condemnation wagon because i was not unhappy to see the images of unruly streets and burning buildings. I’m aware that some of us though were secretly wishing that those burning buildings were the buildings representing the halls of power or seats of manipulation or oppression that affect many. Its probably an unpopular opinion but i'm gonna voice it cause its true that this is what some people have expressed.

Now when we look at the context to which these events occurred i feel like there are a number of questions which have to be asked. We live in one of the most watched cities in the world we have innumerable amount of CCTV monitoring our streets and yet they claim they were unable to predict or work out where the rioters were and send the police or fire services to appropriate locations to stop even one of these outbreaks so tell me why the hell we are spending hundreds of millions on these nanny services??

I also have to wonder in the absence of threats from terrorist groups, is this yet another plot to submerge us in the pit of fear and "cold war" tactics? I was wondering if they had sent some undercovers/plain clothes into the midst of these communities to be the trigger for the initial events and being mammals which adhered to the group mentality without thought or conscience. Trust me these tactics are used across the world and after the chaos and the dust settles no-one quite knows who threw the first stone.

and finally as ever the media has their own agenda on what angle their working and what view of the end greater agenda they are pushing the masses too, maybe all those legislation are getting dusty or their a new one waiting in the wings or they just need some form of justification for doing some other bullshit. It will come out in the wash maybe 50 years from now.

All i know is i was embarrassed not only by the rioters but by those of us who allowed the fear to enter and push us to transform our views and way of being to accommodate the mass hysteria which was actually changing the very taste of the air. Lets take a moment to not let the hype creep in and have us acting like fools and pleading for the government to water-canon childrena and bring in the army. These are our communities and our children, our neighbours, our families, our friends, our people and we should have all got together and gone out in mass and stopped what was happening rather than calling those outside of our communities to deal with those who are not just their responsibility.

If we don't want them to decide how to govern us then we have to show them that we can govern ourselves.

Parents are not only responsible for their children, the community has a hand in raising them too. I remember the days when if you were caught on street acting up by someone who knew your parents then you knew you were going home for tough times!! But i acknowledge that right about now we are deeply fragmented community from many different backgrounds but it's time to take it to the old school and start building a new understanding and representation of community to reflect these changing times but with some solid old school principles!!

Stepping down from my soapbox now :)

Chatter Boxx

Yes Iyah

Just wanted 2 give the I dem a quick shout out, I an'I realise that y’all really busy right know, doing all that “powers that b” stuff and whatnot, and I kno it’s been a hectic period, what with summering in the South of France, Tuscany and wherever, but I just wanted 2 let y’all kno that we down here in the trenches r supporting the skism.

C, I kno that over the past few days, the opium box has been flashing images of the yout’ dem seemingly out of control, rampaging and looting. And I kno that, bcos u love us so much and that u r only concerned abt the welfare of the yout’, that u had 2 put dem on lock down. I kno that the water canons y’all wanna bring out, whilst reminding us eerily of what u had 2 do back in the day 2 those of us of a darker hue (well, we didn’t kno our place then) r only bcos u wanna show that if we don’t play nice that we’ll b reminded that we r all disposable and that, well, a little shower never did any harm anyway. I also kno the the baton rounds ( or rubber bullets), whist they have been known 2 kill, r only there 4 the protection of our young people.

But, this is the ting… I kinda did tell y’all that this was coming. I wrote well over a year ago in the blog "Meanderings" abt how off key tings were, yet still y’all never holla'd back. I an' I kno dat u r telling us we have no right 2 feel the frustration and angst , even tho down here it’s like the air itself is almost 2 heavy 2 breathe. Not bcos some1 may not have the tools 2 articulate a feeling, that does not make that feeling less valid. But it's all love...

Now I kno it’s looks really dumb 4 the rioters 2 b burning down their own hoods, manors or ends, and I guess that’s why we need 2 b under even greater control. Even tho these ruffians c no reflection of themselves in the monuments and infrastructure around them, they shd have more civic pride, regardless of how little of said infrastructure is there 4 mental, emotional and spiritual upliftment. That’s not the point now, is it? They shd try harder 2 assimilate, as our Dear Leader did declare that multiculturalism is dead. He spoke the New Truth, so we shd all fall in line. I even heard the Dear Leader say that po-po have the power 2 now remove any face coverings at any time 4 any reason. I kno that even tho y’all wanted this 4 a long time, bcos let’s face it, some of these Muslim women r really scary, the recent events have helped 2 get this popping. Don’t say the yout’ dem never contribute.

Y’all had the good graces 2 give us phones and social media, and these ungrateful yout’ just abuse yr beneficence, and then end up in court. I also kno that y’all have been bringing in magistrates from outside the local jurisdictions, even tho the point of magistrates is that they kno, relate 2 and understand the peeps that stand b4 them bcos they r locally based an' so they understand local issues, but I guess even tho I don’t get it, it’s in our best interest. I kno some parents lament that they have so much less power 2 discipline their children, and that the kids have so much power of choice, but y’all did that in the best interest of us all, so I think they shd play their position and chill, y’all got this…

I did say in my blog "1 is a Symbolic Representation of an Idea" abt how the unheard who feel the hand of po-po in their lives may just wanna express their plight, but y’all did outline 2 every1 that any expression shd only take the forms laid down by yr good selves, so I can’t tell u what happened 2 the yout’s... I guess they didn’t read that memo, but they probably need re-education.

However, pls 4give me but I had a concern, hence the letter. I kno that all of y’all r very well educated, and kno all abt social issues, urban planning, psychology, all dat. I kno y’all get all these reports, and kno us all better than we kno ourselves. So I just wondered… y’all knew this was gonna happen, and yet u did nothing. I kno it’s not my place 2 question, and again I appreciate the business of yr good selves, but I just wondered...

I kno that it’s all in I an’ I best interest, and I kno y’all r only motivated by love 4 us all.

Thank u so much 4 allowing me 2 write 2 u, and if u seek me out, and kick off my door 4 “inciting” anything u don’t approve of then it’s only 4 my own good. The Lady of Iron said in ‘81, “nothing, but nothing, justifies what happened”, and there is no need 4 disobedience in our society, after all the youth dem have nothing 2 complain abt, really. Then again, she did also say there is “no such thing as society. There is the individual, their families, and the State”.

Bye 4 now, it’s all love from the trenches as we await further guidance.

p.l.h.o.

Corrd the Seeker

Part of the reason that this (Vibes and Pressure) blog site exists is bcos of the love of harmony. Harmony is what unites I an’ I, strengthens the weak, turns discord and chaos in2 music. The gathering 2gether of voices can b a magnificent thing 2 behold, and this overstanding has, in part, given rise 2 the ideas and observations presented by the scribes who contribute to this site.

It is in harmony that the breadth of the power of expression can be seen, and the funny thing is that this power rests within I an’ I… yes, each and every 1 of us. The power itself is the contribution that each individual gives as a manifestation of their self-expression. As I delved in2 the concept of harmony I started 2 pree the expression of the individual.

2 give voice 2 a thing is not only to give it power, but also form. The expression of that form, the representation, is what allows others to know what that thing is and, in essence, who we are; yet that knowledge is based on the interpretation of the (re)presentation of the individual thru self-expression.

Self-identity is becoming an increasingly difficult thing 2 attain within our homogeneous environments, as mass shared culture, mores and values r becoming more prevalent due 2 the rise of the information age. Not that this (in and of itself) is a bad thing. But as the expressions used, more and more, r based on shared ideals, those expressions are merely reflections, or echoes, of concepts long since separated from their origins.

Yet all of us r capable of original expression, each of us has, and is, a voice as we make manifest our expression, which gives the expression of self form. The expression both informs and shapes that same self. 1 of the great struggles of our age is 4 each of us 2 b heard and understood. The only way that we can even know if this understanding takes place is thru the echoes of ourselves as shown 2 us by others. How we come across, what we mean 2 others, how much credence we r given, is measured thru our echoes. The power of the echo is not 2 b underestimated, as this incentivises us 2 redefine, and in that process, re-present ourselves, which in turn refines the voice. The voice, it can b said, becomes an echo of an echo.

But here’s the thing, even tho it’s the echoes around us that inform us, they r still just that, a facsimile of the self, and, in this age of ours, the types of expression used r based in shared cultures and cliches. So, even the expression of an individual idea is done via signs and signals used and understood within the confines of mass culture.

Now, thru the power of voice, and the echo of that voice, I an’ I finds form, and then refines and re-presents that voice (y’all remember that back in the day, the idea that brothers and sisters shd “represent” was a big ting!). Say that I had been involved in a family conflict, and those closest 2 me had then told me abt myself, as much as there may b much truth 2 what was said to me, that expression is based on a reflection coloured thru the prism of the individual who bounces that back 2 me , bearing in mind the original expression, my voice, has been spoken using tools acquired thru mass culture. The prism of the echo may b tainted by many things; our shared history, their own preconceptions of who they think I am (or should b), the echoes of others (multiple echoes, even from the same source, can distort each other) etc… And still, it is the acknowledgement of these echoes that helps refine and redefine the voice, and so give the individual form. Who I am becomes either what I desire it 2 b, or more likely what I’m shaped in2 being, based on the reflected distortions of my voice.

Some say that all tru knowledge is contained within, and we just have 2 relearn (as this is unlearned thru the process of our education and integration) how 2 access this inner repository. An overstanding of that fact means that no1 can truly, even with the best of both intentions and insight, tell u who u r. That overstanding can allow I an’ I 2 b free of the parameters of self set by the echo, and give I an’ I the freedom 2 find the voice.

Even in this free state, the voice may still not b truly of itself, as the tools used may still be those handed 2 us by our environment. Only by examining our own capacity 2 echo the voices of others can we comprehend how much of the tools used r inherent, and even then the process can b tricky. The thing that is most important is the recognition that the voice can become pure and distinct, even if this is then alien 2 all other voices around.

But then, if all voices become like this, no voice wld b alien, and it wld only b the fear of the power of the pure voice that wld motivate others 2 negate this.

As the times r a changing, it may b an idea 2 find that tru voice, its tru power, and as giving voice to a thing gives power and form, create 4 each of us that form, and that power.

Try 2 imagine, just 4 a moment, the sheer majesty of the harmony that such a thing cld make manifest.

Just imagine…

p.l.h.o


corrd the seeker62

The other day I read an article in the metro. In fact it was an interview of Grant Morrison; he is a popular comic book writer. Many of the statements that he made in his article were particularly resonant with me. To be quite honest article was quite strange (which says a lot about me) He spoke very candidly about being visited by inter dimensional aliens, about dabbling in magic and the occult, he spoke about Voodoo and advised readers not to get involved with it.

He said that he felt that it was too “Culturally specific" and felt that people shouldn't dabble with it as it was only suitable for people who lived in a certain context. He recognised that the Voodoo Gods were African Gods that had been warped into something people could use. It was a real indication (well to me at least) that things are changing energetically in the world. I thought that it was a very matter of fact interview. Now, increasingly the stuff of science fiction is becoming science fact and no one seems to be batting an eyelid. To me (at least) this is becoming more and more the case.

The other thing that he said was that magic works. I was thinking "wow! All of this in a daily newspaper" (and free one at that!)

On one level you could argue that technology is a form of magic. I remember when my mother first saw me using Skype. "Who are you talking to?" she asked gingerly. "Are they in the computer?" To a person who is not technologically minded the idea of speaking to someone through a computer screen is bordering on mysticism.

If you look at new smart phones (no free advertising here!) the technology works in a very intuitive way. The best technology is always simple to use even in its most complex intricacies. The interview also spoke of the Voodoo Gods as being scary and savage. (That's one thing that was consistent. The demonization of African tradition)

Yes there is definitely something afoot. You know this when you start getting multiple coincidences, on two or more levels. To me that shows that something has shifted. I don't exactly know what this shift is but it’s almost as if the split between the mental and material realms is starting to blur. That old cliché "be careful what you wish for" is starting to ring truer than it ever has been.

You may not believe what I am about to say but I am going to say anyway. Hopefully you will feel the truth in my words. The other day I was on the train and the door to the adjoining carriage was open so I decided to try an experiment. Like any self respecting metaphysical student I whole-heartedly believe in mind over matter. I sat in my seat and concentrated all of my non-existent telekinetic powers on the door and in my mind I chanted the mantra “close close……” and to my surprise the door started to close, so much so to the extent where I was like “What the f*ck” is going on here? Who’s messing with my head?”

I hear all you skeptics shouting out “Whatever! It was just the motion of the train that moved the door of the train not the power of your brain” and to some extent this may be the case but, that is not really the point. Call it a synchronicity or a coincidence but the timing was perfect and in was very meaning full and relevant to me.

Anyway just so I can prove my point to all you naysayers here’s a bit of timeless Hollywood wisdom….. Remember that part in the Matrix when the kid was bending the spoon and Neo tried but couldn’t do it?

“Do not try to bend the spoon that is impossible; instead only try to realize the truth”

“What truth”

“There is no spoon”

“There is no spoon?”

“Then you’ll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself”

There you go, now how’s that for a water tight argument? And if that doesn’t convince you of my telekinetic ability, nothing will! ;)

Peace and Love

DM

What is the connection between creation and water? Because wat I am now coming to terms with is that ALL life comes from water. Before i never really overstood the concept of life, now i see it as not just something that is breathing, but something that has feelings and energy.
Water has feelings, memory and energy.
I just watched a documentary on water and it blew my mind. It is a russian documentary and is very well-produced. One of the researchers was later found out to be not quite all he says he is, but the rest of the people talking all seem to be on point, including nobel prize-winners, scientists etc... ie not just your usual internet spiritual crusaders.
This documentary really made me think about the water we drink(out of bottles and tap) If water has a sense of life about it... ie it has memory and feelings, how do u think it feels after travelling from a big"purification" plant via old taps with horrible right angles(water suppose to flow like a river) and then out of the tap in my flat. I would imagine that it feels pretty shit. Basically how you test how water feels is by freezing it and examining the crystals under microscope. But wat has even more more of an effect on the water than its journey, in fact what affects the energy-state of water more than any other factor....US. Yeah you and me (not the usa). There are so many examples given in the documentary of water changing its energy-state based on such small things like giving love and thanx. Even playing music to water can make it happy. The way you can tell if water is happyt or not is by how the crystals form when frozen quickly after receiving the emotional info. Crystals look pretty and symmetrical when happy and look horrible when they feel horrible. Anyway this "energy" that the water has is being killed off by these plastic bottles and pipes, however the water is not dead, so from now on i will be singing "sweet songs of melodies pure and true" and giving love and thanks b4 i drink my glass of water.
Anyway hope every1 out there doing good, just done a wicked show in holland... Bigups to Duketown!!
check out the documentary here...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d20NrDX9Es&feature=related
Peace and Love
vibes and Pressure
Natty

So I’m sitting here staring at this census form, yeah i know its old news but why they keep ringing my door bell at crazy times to get me to fill it out!!!
Anyway i was thinking with all the crazy stuff going on in the world ‘they’ and when I say ‘they’ I mean the so called ‘powers that be’ whoever or whatever they might be, ‘they‘ want me to tell them a whole leap of information about who I am who I know and where I go!!
Now considering they spend much of their time watching what we're doing in CCTV heaven(hell) why do they now feel its ok to come ask me to my face for even more information about me. And when i don't promptly respond they knock on my front door on sunday evening to try catch me!!! If they wanna know about what services in the community they should go into those communities and come take a look cause I’m sure it aint hard to work out. But I thought there was no money for services and such so what are we having a say in? the fantasy world of services we might like if things were better.
But I guess it cause ‘were all in this together’ yeah right.


Basically were living in a time where most of us have disclosed so much personal information that I wonder whether its gotten to the point where getting a intrusive form like this in the post (or ringing my doorbell) even matters anymore. If they want to know anything about us they only need go online to access the vast amounts of information that we have left behind and the trail clearly leads right back to us, so now its gotten to the point where the feel its ok to just demand this information from us, apparently this form is compulsory and if its not completed then they wanna fine us. Now I’m thinking the fact your demanding this from me with a fine attached if I don’t give you what you want, there must be some dodgy reason behind a mass census bearing in mind I don’t really remember ever doing one before.

I don't get it! Is this is an experiment in social obedience? if you want to know how obedient a society is then you set up a form and tell people they have no choice but to complete it, cause for real who wants to give the government in these times more money they don’t really have.

They are marketing it as a opportunity for people to have a say in their communities on how money is spent on services and I’m like really?? Isn’t that the job of the person we vote as councillors or those we apparently vote into government to make those decision cause they have been doing it that way for as long as I remember but now all of a sudden they want our opinion. They didn’t listen when we said don’t go to war, they didn’t listen when we said don’t raise tuition fees, they didn’t listen when we said all these cuts and big society shit is all to line their pockets, they have even but now all of a sudden they wanna listen!

Ok, thanx 4 listening to me moan, but i needed to get that off my chest, they know where i live anyway so who cares wat i say right. Anyway on a positive note and a ps to all those waiting for the next album. we have completed recording half of it and have been recording now 4 about 4/5 weeks. so we shall have the other half dun by end of may. with a release to follow shortly. anyway take care 4 now.
Peace and Love
Vibes and pressure

I never ever thought I’d write anything like this. I was Facebook free for three years, even though I opened my account in 2007. Truth be told, I only opened the account to see my friends wedding pictures. I went to Antigua and had a wonderful time bar the loss of my phone and all my pictures (losing phones is a recurring theme in my life) so the lovely bride said to me
“Open an account on Facebook, I’ll put all the pictures on there!”
I thought nothing of it, being able to ogle all the pictures was great, but when I started getting emails about every last fart that my friends did, I started to take offence. (Yes I now know you can switch off that function but I didn’t at that time) The final straw was when I saw photos of myself in my beachwear from Antigua on the Internet. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a prude nor were the pictures embarrassing or obscene. I just wondered if it was right to have your picture displayed to potentially the whole world without your consent.

Old-fashioned pictures would end up in a photo album and really now, who looks at photo albums? Let’s be honest, when someone gives you a musty old album to look through, we look at it to be polite, often before the end of it our eyes have glazed over and all the pictures have merged into one hazy mess, but pictures on Facebook? We over indulge in them and all their 10-megapixel glory.

So I deactivated my account and thought that was the end of it. Oh foolish pride. There I was walking tall thinking “Facebook, who needs that? I have real friends in the real world, I don’t want to be part of the matrix”
Famous last words. Many phrases come to my mind, kettle, pot, black or if you live in a glasshouse do not throw stones.

As it transpired I needed to contact someone in South Africa, so after a few cumbersome emails he’s like “Yeah contact me on Facebook” and he gave me his profile name. Upon reading the email I thought, “excuse me sir I don’t do Facebook” but as I had a good excuse I went to check it out. I thought my account had been deleted so I would need to open a new one, so you can imagine my horror when my old account reared its ugly undeleted head and smiled at me! All the pictures all there with unconfirmed friend requests from friends’ non-friends and randoms. At first I felt guilt towards all my friends, folks who I had abandoned and left in limbo having not accepted their requests to be my virtual digital buddy, I frantically started confirming people hoping that I hadn’t offended anyone. I promptly stopped when one my friends said to me in real life “look at you adding people like a madman” I thought about it. I’m sure nobody is really offended if I don’t add them, they don’t really care do they? (Actually I suppose they do. I have sent requests to at least two people that I really do know and they have ignored me, I am actually quite bitter)

So I closed the account again, or should I say deactivated it. Now here is one of the sinister things. The account is just deactivated, so it is still in cyber space but people can’t see it. As you try to close it asks you why you want to close it. I was thinking, why I want to close my account is none of your fucking business Mr Facebook. But it’s a question you have to answer so I put my reason as “other”
Its final twisted temptation before it becomes comatose is to show you pictures you are tagged in and say “so and so will miss you.” It’s like the monster in the movies that is left for dead after a long gruelling battle then suddenly springs back to life with its last dying breath and grabs you by the ankle.

Images of lovely memories almost made me give in, I stopped before I hit the deactivate button and looked at my friends pictures of fun in the sun, then when I realised I was being emotionally black mailed, I hit the deactivate button. “Be gone foul beast of social interaction!”

So fast forward to November 2010 and after meeting new people at home and abroad, coupled with the start of a period of unemployment and that darned Facebook iphone app,(I have since lost my iPhone) the devil made work for my idle hands. I found myself back on Facebook. I could hear my evil account saying, “Sucker, weakling, I knew you’d be back” It knew I’d be back but can honestly say I didn’t. Why else would it only allow you to deactivate it and not be able to delete.

Once again I started confirming all the waiting requests. I laughed when one of my real friends said “Its taken you three years to approve my request” I shuddered when one of my non-friends said “You are lucky, its taken him five years to approve mine” (I am still not 100% sure of who she is)

Being back on there has given me some positive things, it’s made me realise how much I enjoy writing again. It’s made me realise how funny and witty some people are, it’s made me realise how much technology has the ability to shape culture. I was in the supermarket and I over heard two young people talking, when I say young I mean anyone who is too young to remember life without mobile phones. They were talking about someone’s Facebook “Status” They spoke about the status as if it was a true reflection of the person’s inner being, I can’t remember the whole conversation but it was something like “She was really angry with him because she said so on her status”. Status=Reality=Scary.

I do find it strange when people update everything that they do. A old school friend of mine once put on her status “I’m going to take a bath now” after all the mockery (“is that your first one this year?”) her excuse was that she typed it by accident following a telephone conversation. I’m not sure which is more alarming, writing that by accident or writing it on purpose.

It got me thinking about how much people reveal about themselves knowingly and unknowingly on Facebook. With me being an armchair psychologist, I am quite careful about what I post, nothing too that is too militant. I don't wish to offend anyone and I don't think its the appropriate forum for a certain level of debate. My friends and non-friends must be thinking that I have too much time on my hands because at the moment I am in light-hearted comment overdrive. I don’t have a job at the present so I have a (tiny) excuse, however as I am a bit of a conspiracy theorist I can’t help thinking that there is something a bit sinister about a system that coaxes you reveal so much personal stuff, does it get stored somewhere? When big brother goes for lock-down mode will Facebook tell him who the "real revolutionaries" are?

Facebook highlights to the fact that we have at least three parts to our psyche, how we see ourselves, how we wish others to see us and how/who we really are. I suppose in an ideal world to those closest to you all three should be the same, but in everyday life things are different. How many of us go to work and project the image of a professional in a “role” then come home and smoke all the weed we can get our hands on! Facebook is definitely about how we want others to see us, so its quite interesting what people choose to reveal. I suppose it’s a social utility so for the most part people want to show their fun side, but there is also a lot of ignorance, and I find that people can also be overly critical, harsh an quite judgemental sometimes, often more so than they would be in real life. Everyone gets ten tons of courage when they’re behind a computer screen. For a supposed multi-cultural modern world we live in some of the racism I've seen on You Tube comments is appalling.


So I am going to enjoy my time back on Facebook and I am not going to be ashamed of it, hopefully I’ll get bored someday but until then, I’ll be adding people like its going out of fashion. I still admire those who have been able to resist, I think in a way that’s a small sign of strength of character… Anyway, I'm done now so I am going to check my Facebook page.......... I am a self –confessed Facebookaholic don’t judge me!

@me “Get off Facebook!”

Been thinking abt how Brother Clarence taught that it’s all mathematics. How the worlds' peoples r divided in2 percentages, y'all kno the figures (if not, check it out). How things can b looked at as equations, and that the slightest imbalance can bring un4eseen results. There is no gr8er example of that than Gaia herself, impulsive, impetuous, harsh, yet nurturing, sustaining, ever 4giving. Bear witness 2 what has been over the past few years. Indeed, heads need 2 take notice when an earthquake occurs of such magnitude that it shifts the earths’ figure axis, and human life is lost en masse in the blink of an eye.

But sometimes, the profound and incredible can b found in the most unlikely of places. I an’ I heard something that stayed with me, abt a street hustler known in his community as Basboosa. My man sold fruit and produce 2 makes ends meet, and also 2 hook up his Moms and siblings, even sending 1 on 2 higher education. Y’all kno how it goes tho, harassment by po-po is the norm, but that’s just the life of a hustler. These things occur on the regular the world over, the hand of the state slapping the unheard from time 2 time, just 2 keep it all in check. The balance is a delicate thing 2 maintain, after all. Mathematics.

The very temperature of the earth is yet another example, a few degrees this way or that wld have disastrous effects on all life. The sheer mechanics of what it takes 2 sustain life, from a universal perspective right down 2 the nitty gritty, is astounding, and fills any1 who tries 2 take it all in with fear and awe. The insignificance of the individual against the cosmos itself is, well, incalculable, so intelligent heads who have knowledge of these things sit back and observe the movements, attempting 2 gain insight in2 the Gr8 Mystery.

Been checking out the opium box, and I’m told of wave after wave of devastation, upheaval, unrest, and tragedy. I even heard the craziest thing, that the seat of European power, Brussels, exists in a country that 4 almost a year now, has no official government, and that if it wasn’t 4 the fact of the significance of Brussels in the Gr8 Order, Belgium wld cease 2 b what it is. On the real. And, it cld all fall down anyway, the fact that Brussels is the centre of Europe, and that it’s the glue that holds the country 2gether, notwithstanding. Yet, western ‘civilisation’ is the model 4 the world. A beacon, even.

Chaos theory, fractals, butterflies causing the banks 2 crash (not bankers or polytricksters, oh no!)… hmm. In all this awe and wonderment, all this terrifying circumstance and exciting unknowns, there r still individuals. I an’ I. All over the world, people looking out, hoping 2 kno what’s next, wanting something more, not only 4 themselves, but 4 their fam, wishing 2 just mayb catch a glimpse of a little respect, a little dignity, some faint acknowledgement. A life where the powers that b just offer that little bit of dignity, but 4 the unheard, the ability 2 gain this is as unattainable as the Gr8 Mystery.

Galileo famously said that mathematics is the language with which God wrote the universe.

So what can I an’ I do in the face of all that has been beheld? After all, the equation balances itself, right? All an individual can try 2 do is deal with what is in front of them. Do u. Handle yr business, kno yr role and play yr position. Code of the streets, feel me?

C, Basboosa, that’s all he tried 2 do, and the odd slap here and there, well its all part of the equation balancing itself out. Mathematics. Except, 1 day, after having his selling stock strewn in the streets, and getting literally bitch slapped by po-po, this hustler had enough. Phuc balance, phuc status quo. So he tried 2 link up with his local beaurocheat, just so he cld try get some kinda acknowledgement, mayb find a little dignity in all this. Dude cldn’t even get on the schedule, much less face time. So he took the only option he cld c, went back 2 that beaurocheats’ big yard, and lit himself on fire.

Years from now, only those who knew him and loved him will mourn his passing, will have a void that is irreplaceable, and cherish his existence. A son, a brother, a cousin, nephew, friend, fellow hustler, 1 of the unheard, is dead.

Yet in his final moments, he made a sound with a power so gr8, it brought down a government, and Tunisia is a whole different place, and all over the world a hustlers’ echo reverberates, moving hearts, inspiring minds, remolding political landscapes or just tearing shit up. All this from an echo that most don’t even kno whose voice it came from. In the face of the insurmountable, the insignificant performed the incredible, the profound. Bear witness.

Now there’s some mathematics 4 yo’ ass!

p.l.h.o.

Corrd the Seeker

Back when my pursuit of the arts of war was a more integral part of my existence, I used to come across articles written by a Grand Master who enthused that the universal purpose of life was 2 b happy. See it deh. Simple, succinct. Profound, even. But then, what is happiness, and is the pursuit of it really our purpose on this mortal coil? I mean, if I and I happiness comes at the expense of I and I, am I justified in this pursuit? It is after all my universal purpose from which I shdn’t b denied.

Even as I penetrate this, something’s off. Happiness can manifest in many ways; a debauched weekend, post coital bliss, familial contentment, or the benefits of an enlightened existence. Happiness itself is both elemental and conceptual. It can spring up on us by surprise in spite of ourselves, or can even b a state we will into existence. Every1 knows at least 1 person who has told themselves that they are happy with a particular situation enough times until the belief is held. Perception becomes reality, or rather desire becomes perception becomes reality. Cld even go as far as 2 say many of us have indulged ourselves thus.

Emerson came at the ting thus: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate, to have to make some difference that you have lived and lived well”. That’s a good look right there… or is it? As much as this sounds like a universal truth, it’s somewhat subjective (like happiness!). It’s also dependent upon the context in which the statement is applied. If eugenics was acceptably applied (many revered 20th century leaders were believers in this, including the beloved Winston Churchill), wld the systemised culling of our own b neatly housed under this definition? And beyond that, Emerson’s’ statement implies that function and purpose r the same thing, in which case whatever your designated function, in whatever skism u r contracted 2 (yes, even the social contract, which is the dominant imposition), your practise of said function is the fulfilment of your purpose. Some heads hold this as absolute.

Uh…..yeah.

Now, depending on whatever principles you hold dear, either 1, or both, of the above perspectives contravenes moral rules in some way... not 2 get 2 deep on morality, perhaps a next time, but even if this is the foundation on which I and I can judge purpose, then that ground cld be a little shaky. More than a little as, according 2 greater minds, morality may well b of a transient nature.

Some of the ancients believed that the purpose of a thing was within the thing itself, and wld lead it 2 its final destination, or resting place. Now language being what it was, and concepts of existence being different from what we perceive now, purpose was something within, something integral, not just a quality, but that which exists in order for the thing itself 2 exist, and relative 2 the reality in which it exists.

This purpose thing still bugs me. Happiness. Usefulness. Honour. Love. Destruction. So many others, all wherein I and I can reside. But 2 what end? There it is. The rub, as they say. Peep this. I and I pree this, and the reality (if there is such a thing) or realness is that as much as the truths talked abt and many others promote (positive) purpose, all these things r still functionary. They r facilitated by other functions in order 2 allow other things to happen. In this they r higher, or deeper, functions, but they still exist in order to facilitate more specific things. If I’m happy, it allows me 2 affect those around me, enrich relationships, and so forth. 2 b utilitarian aids efficiency, promotes productivity, reh teh teh… Purpose within purpose? Nah b, function within function.

The ancients mighta been on 2 something. Purpose at creation, but actually not just of a thing, but the thing itself. The origin, the root. The place where the Vibe and the Pressure meet the Universe. Nature.

Yeah, I hear u, “Corrd, big hole yuh a miss, cause naturally, people function on the baser instinct, and then learn 2 function within the fam. Without the learning, chaos Iyah!”. Indeed. But remember, purpose is born of nature, on a core level, conception level. Not only born of, but that which it aspires 2, a true revolution, that eventually comes back 2 itself. The realness. Nature, as both beginning and end, facilitated by the functioning of purpose.

Nature. True nature, not 2 b confused with the baser instinct, which is reactionary and evolutionary, like that which is observed in the natural world. Man is different though, sentient, self aware, intellectual. Yet baser (natural) instinct is the simplest way in which man functions, and can’t b dismissed. If this natural self is the base, where does our nature take us? To what end?

I’ma drop it like this. Man’s true nature is 2 overstand his natural self.

Function (and purpose) becomes relative 2 nature, guiding I and I 2 a higher high. Alpha and Omega.

As the Universe realigns, its time 2 embrace yourself. Don’t b new 2 this, b true 2 this.

p.l.h.o.

Corrd the Seeker

We’re all taught that a species survives or dies, based on its ability 2 thrive in its surroundings, how it interacts with other species and whether or not it can successfully adapt 2 any change in its circumstances. We commonly refer to this as evolution, and view this process as a positive change to a more complex or better form. Evolution is not only abt survival, but progress, often resulting in the development of a new species… only 4 the process to start again.

All evolution, until recently, is influenced by the natural environment, as well as the growth of social and cultural conditions 2 aid natural selection in strengthening the gene pool. Enter Man, the most evolved of all species, master of his natural environment. Man is intelligent, he can visualise, plan 4 his future, increase his ability 2 survive and affect change through sheer force of will. Only, in our great wisdom, we went a step further; why try to better survive when we can adapt our environment 2 suit our own needs. Or better yet, let us use our superior intelligence, our capacity 4 imagination, our ability 2 build, and those resources nature itself provides 2 create our own environment. A “super” natural environment.

We design and construct ourselves this modern environment 2 facilitate a better quality of life, 2 promote human “progress”. We adapt this environment in2 varying landscapes, according 2 the concept of whichever lifestyle we think best suits our needs, continually adding in2 these increasingly complex landscapes gauges and restrictions 2 protect ourselves and aid in guiding the path of our assured, more comfortable existence. We spend the first 20 odd years of our life learning abt this modern environment, the basic navigational tools, and the rules of engagement when traversing these landscapes. We then spend another 30 to 40 years accumulating the things we perceive we need 2 both give us and facilitate the achieving this better quality of life the construct promises. Finally, we enjoy our twilight years in retirement, free at last 2 reap the rewards of achieving the goals our varying lifestyle ideals set 4 us.

Our ability 2 survive no longer is our driving force in our daily lives. We can focus our existence on other things, ascending 2 gr8r levels of sophistication, becoming evermore “civilised”, moving 2wards taking natural selection out of the equation al2gether and ensuring survival 4 both the fittest and the not so fit. Only our inability 2 accumulate wealth can prevent us from experiencing all the construct offers. Conversely, those of us who have gr8r material wealth and/or social influence not only have more opportunity, but in some cases get to shape our landscapes 2 suit our individual needs.

But, with the elimination of natural selection, how do we ensure the continual strength of the gene pool? Or even more importantly, if we continue to build towards a safe, secure environment where there is no more struggle, how will we continue 2 evolve? And if we no longer need 2 evolve, will nature, in its pursuit of constant change, bring forth another species 2 supersede and eventually curtail our existence? This is what we’re told happened 2 the Neanderthal, by us. Maybe, in the quest 2 eliminate natural selection, all we’ve done is anger the beast.

B4 modern society, natural disasters, disease, war and other calamities 2 befall humans, whilst destroying human life, ironically aided our survival by thinning the herd. Through medical and technological developments, our development no longer follows this Nietzschean phylogeny. Diseases that used 2 devastate populations r now held at bay, like cholera or malaria.  Settlements have grown in2 towns, cities, then countries, with concentrated populations and multiple human traffic routes. This has proven to aid the spread of new, more insidious diseases, like SARS, or viruses previously unable 2 jump 2 different species, like bird flu, or superbugs like MRSA.

In creating the supernatural environment, we’re on our way 2 laying waste 2 the natural environment that first spawned us; depleting natural resources, contaminating both land and sea, and polluting the air, which is losing the oxygen we need 2 survive due 2 deforestation anyway. And if the construct exists to make our lives easier, why r so many of us unsatisfied, unfulfilled, or just lost, finding evermore creative ways 2 distract ourselves and escape this pinnacle of human development? Here, perhaps, is an even more disturbing question; is this phenomena an unexpected side effect our experience, or a predetermined part of the system, and therefore a necessary aspect of modern civilisation? Doesn’t the fact that we spend the majority of our life cycle either learning how 2 achieve or working 2 obtain the things we need in order 2 enjoy this superior quality of life somehow defeat the purpose anyway? More and more of us suffer from chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety attacks and stress related illnesses than ever before.

So we create more complex solutions, legislate more restrictions, exhaust more of our finite resources, and invent even distractions so as 2 lessen our struggle and negate our need for change in an environment that, by nature of the resources it draws upon, is becoming increasingly unsustainable.

All in the name of progress.

p.l.h.o.

Corrd the Seeker

A big part of the human experience is our relationships. The connections between I an’ I; parents and children, loved 1’s, colleagues, friends, etc... c, relationships r not just the abt foundations and connections, but abt real-time interaction, ongoing communication, and how we relate and relay that 2 each other. Y’all kno that say u have a bredren or sistren, and that person gets u a work hook up, the relationship may take on new dimensions. The ongoing experience may then have a new root, and spread thru new connections. This can develop more complexity if, thru duties and responsibilities, formal connections are forged, say 1 person has to report 2 another. I an’ I c this manifest in so many different ways, on many levels. This kind of evolution occurs in many situations, and influences our perception of self, our environment, even the world. It certainly influences the way we see each other.

So once again it’s freezing in London, yes, absolutely fucking freezing. One of the things that I love to hate about London is when Arsenal are playing at Emirates stadium and I’m trying to get home. I’m not a football fanatic but I grew up nearer the better team in North London so I prefer when Tottenham fans obstruct my journey home. (I swear I’m not a fan)

It was Wednesday the 19 February 2011, approximately 23:30 at Seven Sisters station. There on the platform, I watched as a couple stood waving their Arsenal flags. You could feel the effervescent energy that they were emitting. They were both happy that Arsenal had won. Arsenal had beaten Barcelona at home. I didn’t watch the game, I couldn’t care less what happens to Arsenal, but, as usual, Arsenal fans have to throw everything in your face, so there they were, right in the middle of Tottenham, in the middle of the night waving their Flags, just because Arsenal had won.

She was stunning. Tall slim with almond shaped eyes; eyes so deep and dark that you could quickly and easily get lost in them, very lost. She was the truth, at least she seemed like she was. Her only deception was the waist length hair that she owned. It was her property I’m sure but it somehow seemed out of place. So much so that I thought she was European from behind, it was that long.
Her companion was equally matched. He was tall, deep brown and well built with a heavy baritone voice.

The chemistry between them was apparent. It made them brazen enough to keep waving those flags. I looked at them and heard parts of their conversation. I remember thinking that she must be faking her enjoyment just like she’d fake an orgasm if she ever got bored. I was secretly cynical, my chauvinism was alive and well and I couldn’t believe that she enjoyed watching Arsenal as much as her present demeanour suggested. She was happy and it was real happiness but I couldn’t work out if it really was because of the football or because she was so beautiful and was in the company of someone she cared for deeply.

The train arrived and we boarded. As the doors closed, and the train moved the flags continued to wave (yes the song was in my mind too) past Bruce Grove then up to White Heart Lane. Like I said before I’m not a fan so I wasn’t offended but you can’t be waving an Arsenal Flag going through White Heart Lane. It’s not the done thing. Yes, I said it, “You can’t wave Arsenal Flags in Tottenham Just because you look good.”

They continued, sitting there looking good like a black Barbie and Ken. Their conversation revolved around Arsenal. By the way, I had been totally wrong. She wasn’t confused by the offside rule. This chick knew her shit. She was no shrinking violet, she could hold her own with the big boys and from the confidence in her tone and the intelligence in her eyes she would’ve given any male fan a run for his money.

Misconception number one…busted.

Ken had started a conversation on his mobile, while Barbie sat next to him in all her radiant glory, contented, and without a care in the world. Opposite them about two seats away sat an older man, greying and bald but huge in stature and powerful. He had just come from a night out because he was hopelessly drunk, leering over a pretty blond girl that sat directly opposite him. His charm was sufficient it seemed, because even his drunken stupor was not enough to chase her away, she didn’t move seats…until she had to get off.

When she left, his drunken mind looked for more attention. I find that’s what happens to me when I get drunk, I chat rubbish to anyone who’ll listen. He began his slurring onslaught at Barbie and Ken. It turned out that Mr Grey was a Manchester United fan. He reluctantly congratulated Barbie and Ken on their win. They were a trio, knee deep in footballing conversation, and I was lost.

“I‘m not being funny,” he slurred as he looked at Barbie in bemusement, “ I can understand why a man would be interested in football but a woman? Isn’t there better things that you’d be interested in?”

“Like what?” She had answered this question before.

“Knitting” Ken’s retort was accompanied with a cheeky grin that materialised on his face as he spoke.

I found the answer funny. Barbie just looked at him and rolled her eyes.

Mr Grey went on with his shameless drunken interview.

“So do you two argue when you get home” He had obviously picked up on the chemistry that everyone else could feel.

“Yes we argue sometimes”

“Not about football I bet, so what do you argue about”

“Normal stuff I guess” she paused “er………..he’s my brother”

Misconception number two, busted.

“I knew it was too good to be true!” said Mr Grey

Too good to be true? That was a was strange thing to say. At least I thought so. As if the notion of a couple both enjoying something like football together was unusual. The mind-set we are all sometimes guilty of, that assumes being in a relationship needs to be based on conflict and argument. Who wants that? There are better things to fight against than the man or woman that you’re supposed to be trying to love.


Ken burst out laughing, “Don’t we look alike?” They squared their faces together. They did look alike in a subtle kind of way; actually it really was quite obvious.
It’s so easy to stick to tried and tested thought patterns, stereotypes and foregone conclusions; we live by them every day. Often without thinking twice………..

As I got near my stop another Arsenal fan had crawled out of the woodworks and joined in the foray. It was all too much to bear and I was glad that I was getting off.

So the morals of the story are:
1.Never judge a Barbie by her hair.
2.Never judge a Ken by his Barbie.
3.Never think that love is supposed to be unhappy.
4. Never ever wave an Arsenal flag as you ride on a train through White Heart Lane. (The cheek of it! I swear I’m NOT a fan!)

Vibes and Pressure is the philosophy and theory on which I, Natty live my life. Another way to see it would be creation and application.

Vibration is the source of creation on every level, from atoms to art. Sound is vibration, hence my tool is music. Pressure is the right amount of force needed carry the creation through. For me one can't exist without the other, otherwise there would be sparks of creativity flying everywhere but no creations.

I believe that in any situation, personal or professional, a little vibes and pressure will see you through it, righteoussly. From this theory comes a movement. A collective conscious that recognises the need to be in tune with positive vibrations, and the need to apply a positive pressure.

Through the arts is where we find our voice, tapping into the right vibes and with the right amount of pressure, we really believe we can make a difference. So as a group not only do we create using the arts, but we try and provide a platform for positive people to get their voice heard. We put on gigs, community events and programmes, put up blog pages etc etc. Our Goal is to create a better present and future. Through our collective voice -that we express through our creativity- we can spread a vibration of truth, and through the right amount of pressure we can break down the neccessary doors to get our voice heard.

Corrd the Seeker**

“It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you/Without a strong rhyme to step to/Think of how many weak shows you slept through/Time's up, I'm sorry I kept you” Rakim

Hmm… so I came across 2 articles ova the past 2 days, which essentially informed I that scientists r at a loss 2 explain why 500 red-winged blackbirds dropped dead on a stretch of road in Louisiana. 3 days b4 that 3 000 blackbirds died in Arkansas. At the same time in Kentucky, a woman reported dozens of dead birds in her garden. 100 000 fish were found dead along a river 125 miles from the Arkansas bird deaths.

Days l8r, 2 000 000 fish died in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. 50 jackdaws dropped dead on a street in Sweden. Other occurrences have been cited around the world, including Brazil and N. Zealand…

Wha’ gwaan Daadi? Is this a sign? And if so, of what? On the real, such things r significant, startling, and even disturbing. Around the world, from ancient times till now, scrolls, glyphs, and scriptures speak on revolution in the direction of human existence, from the Age of Aquarius 2 the End of Days, and that the only way I an’ I can pree wha’ gwaan is 2 observe the signs.

But then again, this could all b the results of experiments, not such a stretch if the conspiracy theorists r 2 b believed (not bcos a 1 might b crazy, that don’t mean that they’re wrong). But really? Well, there were the Tuskegee experiments. Cld b some sci fi bullshit, or, cld b weapons testing.. or some bird shit on a scientists car, and my man wants revenge.

Mayb its chaos theory in action. Now even a decade or so back, Chaos theory was a joke at best, but with the growing but reluctant (I’ll explain in a bit) acceptance of the overwhelming importance of what quantum theory means, chaos may well change….everything. Cld well b that from a scientific perspective, these events were supposed 2 happen.

Peep this.. Y’all kno the Schrödinger’s cat experiment, put the cat in a sealed container with poison that may or may not get released, so kitty cld live or die. The cat then supposedly exists in both states til the experiment is ended, probability waves collapse and the cat only exists in 1 state. The measurement of the outcome affects the experiment so the state comes 2 b at this time. Big tings. Now the reason 4 the reluctance 2ward quantum theory is this; on a subatomic level, things exist in many states simultaneously, and its just dawning on some heads the despite earlier denials, observances on our level may just b the same. Which makes all scientific experiments suspect. Which makes science as we kno it suspect. Schrödinger l8r on said he wished he never met that cat.

Now chaos was recognised by the ancients (look it up) as part of the fabric of existence. It’s only now that so called great minds in the west recognise. Random (seemingly 2 us) events must occur to preserve the balance of existence. Humbleness b4 nature, natural diversity, the complex from the simple, understanding the whole 2 overstand the part; many non western minds perceived and penetrated this. From agriculture, 2 the pursuit of enlightenment, educational models, and even creation itself, chaos has been utilised. Fractals, used since the 70’s in chaos theory, have been used in Indian art 4 centuries, and Islamic art in mosques since medieval days, the patterns used to focus contemplation of the Infinite. Lao Tzu imparted overstandings of the meaning of chaos 2 existence b4 leaving the city, never 2 return.

Even scientists concede that all existence follows the 2nd law of thermodynamics (energy must disperse from higher 2 lower forms), except life, which contravenes this and thus demonstrates the existence of a Higher Power, or unknown natural processes (or both).

But mayb what’s most significant, startling, and disturbing abt these occurrences is not the origins, but our reactions. 2 million members of any species' synchronized dying is a significant thing.. this just one of many events over a few days. From any point of view, collectively these are the most important occurrences of this kind, maybe for millennia. Yet acknowledgement of this in the collective consciousness is almost nonexistent.

Mayb its a sign that environmental and ecological events no longer important, or a sign of the arrogance of our self importance and dominance on the planet... or apathy...or that natures’ importance shd b consigned 2 labs and obscure journals... mayb a select few already kno what the deal is, what this really means, and even tho rest of us may never kno, we may still feel the effects... ain’t that a bitch!!

Mayb we shd fix up and look sharp 4 what is 2 come. Or not…

**Big shout 2 Abi 4 bringing focus