Happy Birthday Honorable, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. embraced his life mission early and contributed himself to the world as a great leader and humanitarian. He was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, G.A. where he was raised. In his short 39 year lifetime he courageously revolutionized prejudice and discrimination by bringing people together for the sake of national and global peace. Dr. King became the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35. Keep the Honorable Doctor Kings dream alive by looking into the faces of other human beings and seeing yourself. Give yourself a smile and think of how fortunate we are for the freedoms we are living and have lived. The hearts of true warriors and kings belong to those who recognize their brothers. Happy Birthday Dr. King!       

Pieces of Progress

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'Seasoned Vegan' Serves Up Satisfaction

The vegetarian population in the United States has been increasing rapidly since the millenium. In 2008 'Vegetarian Times' reported that there were 7.3 million vegetarians living in the United States. Our daily lives steer us  to explore the delightful and diverse worlds of food. If you are someone who is health conscious, interested in convenient quality cuisine, satisfying all taste quenching expectations or just want to try something new, you may want to indulge at ' Seasoned Vegan' in Harlem, N.Y. Located at 283 West 118th street between St. Nicholas and 8th avenues, the animal free, gluten free, non-dairy food has been consistently earning five star customer reviews since it opened last year inside 'Lee Lee's Bakery'. Owner of Seasoned Vegan and chef Brenda Beener, a Harlem native, has been accustomed to pleasing family and friends with her flavorful vegan food for over 25 years. There are a variety of impeccable aromas alive under the peppermint striped awning. Each day Wednesday through Saturday the restaurant offers a culturally infused menu, including International Thursdays, when you can order a vegan dish like Arroz con "pollo" and Soul Food Saturdays, when dishes like BBQ "ribs" and maccaroni & "cheese" are prepared. All of the finger-licking foods are made from  blends of  vegetables, soy, yam, roots, mushroom and other earth yielded goodies. They have no perservatives and are cooked in canola and olive oils. As for dessert... Don't forget your brown paperbag of  Lee Lee's famous rugelach for the ride home!

Bun B's Spiritual Syllabus

When I first heard that Underground Kingz, Bun B would be teaching Spirituality and Hip Hop Culture at Rice University I could not find a correlation. However, after some thought it became apparent to me how  simultaneously associated culture and religions are. Spirituality stems from our inner realms shaping who we become, creating a culture regardless of what faith we practice. Cool, now that I am ready for class, who is my professor? MC Bun B of Port Arthur, Texas has always appeared to be this smooth soulful hip hop cat. And who dare not remember the late great Pimp C in the same thought. Laid back with a wise storytelling flow Bun B has been telling stories since the 80's and the world has been listening. He started the group 'Four Black Ministers' in the 80's and went on tour in 1987 joining other hip hop artists interested in educating Blacks and Hispanics about the causes and effects of negative financial choices. Still some would say that the contents of his lyrics are not condusive to religion, degrading and vulgar. Giving Professor B the benefit of hope and understanding, I believe that his class will have a revolutionary effect on linking the world of hip hop culture with education, which is precisely where we need to be. As far as spirituality, lets pray, in our many languages, that polished ethics will be a result of educated hip hop. The effects will spill into the lyrical content accordingly. As for Bun B's students, blessings to bright futures and good luck. 

Kanye is he the the man of the decade, consciously tuning us into 2012?

Kanye West takes you there. Aside from his arrogance and his great quality music, Kanye has been controversial and courageous in picking his battles off stage. His full-length "Runaway" video captured the entire essence of his immeasurable artistic abilites as well as historic &  philosophical intellect. 'Dark Twisted Fantasy' is simply "Gorgerous", in a closed bar. It puts a colorfully conscious mirror up to listeners and reflects daring social subject matter. "Yeezy taught you well" (in Chris Rock voice)