Team.

What does it mean to be on a team?
What does the word itself invoke emotionally for us?

Most importantly why when you are hired in a wage labor establishment is the word team immediately and constantly shoved down your throat?

It can be seen as another example of the exploitation of language to serve the purpose of the exploitation of people. The concept of a team is that of people working together for a goal, generally a group of people happy with each other and the goal being a mutually accepted goal. Arguably those running the establishments understand the underlying meaning of team and will use it to invoke such emotions.
"Welcome to our team! Its great to have you on the team!"

You are part of this new team, you want to do all that you can for the team because you can't let your teammates down, right? Of course.

Now take into consideration the position of the bosses aside from the masses. When there is talk of the rights of a worker, or the wages of a worker, or the schedule shifting of the worker this team fades. If you dare approach the bosses about anything of the sort you no longer play for the team, you no longer strive for the same goal as they do.

The emotional love of "team", the care and outstretching of team will only go as far as the commercial exploitation needs and wants it to go. It will serve to utilize you more efficiently because you do not want to "let the team down" and it will boost morale because you feel welcomed and have a place.

I had an anthropological revelation in the shower today (i kept saying relevation as well..it was probably the pleasant aroma screwing with my synapses). I will write a new paper. Well the revelation wasnt really that but rather I have a new topic! And I guess that really isnt a revelation but rather a discovery but revelation sounded far more important. Anyways the topic is down there


Observing the effects of western influence (specifically white european influence) post isolation era on the actions of Japanese colonialism.

I'll probably post some of the progress on it and maybe post a finished product or a segment of the product depending on how long it takes. I am quite excited on starting the project though especially with a lot of free time coming up.

Cheers.

A name we all know (I sure hope)

[HISTORY LESSION]: IF ANYONE NEEDS TO HEAR THE FULL BACKSTORY OF MUMIA EMAIL ME OR MESSAGE ME ON AIM. WRITING IT OUT HERE WOULD BE FAR TOO LONG FOR THE ENTRY.

I wanted to present blended together both an informative and a review piece concerning: In Prison All My Life


The film debuted October 25th at the BFI 50th London Film Festival and Rome's Foreign Film festival. Right away you will find the film marked by incredible stars. Colin Firth is the excutive producer. On it's own it would not be a huge point for me but him contributing his efforts to this cause delights me incredibly. Continuing on we find the contributers in the the film itself amazing;

• Angela Davis


• Noam Chomsky


• Alice Walker


• Amy Goodman


• Ramona Africa


• Mos Def


• Snoop Dogg (do not disregard at first appearance)

After covering a major part of WHO is the film we can look at WHAT is the film. The core of the film is the case and the life of Mumia Abu-Jamal. The problematic trial (an incredible understatement) the fact that he has been in solitary confinement for a quarter of a century and has had a death sentence looming over his head for a large portion of that time. This story has been considered by AI (Amnesty International) an addition to the movement to abolish the death penalty.

An amazing element of the film and probably amongst the strongest of them is the fact that there were interviews with people WHO HAD NEVER TOLD THEIR STORY OF THAT NIGHT ON LOCUST STREET. I am sure it would catch people by surprise that police acted unprofessionally in such a case, when a police officer was murdered. Countless pieces of even NEWER evidence are shown in the film, interviews with Michael Schiffman are highlighted and focused upon. For those not recognizing the name he authored "Race Against Death. Mumia Abu-Jamal: a Black Revolutionary in White America" also he should be remembered for the fact that his photos were not presented to a 1982 jury.

These are only a few examples of the amounts of evidence presented to us by William Francome. But the question is raised why still? Why after 25 years? I wanted to include a statement from Francome that answers just that question to close this entry.

William Francome ---
I think the fact that Mumia's case is still being debated after twenty five years is an issue in itself. It seems unbelievable to me that you could keep someone in solitary confinement for a quarter of a century as well as having a death sentence hanging over him that whole time. The starting point of this film is that it's been my whole life, and considering all the things that I have done and all the memories I have really helps to put the whole thing in perspective. Try thinking back to what you were doing in 1981 and it might have the same effect. In that time, there have been hundreds of people executed and there are still over 3,000 currently sitting on death row in America. However, despite evidence that people innocent of the crimes they were convicted for have been executed and over 100 people who have been exonerated and released from death row because of new evidence, the death penalty system in America still grinds forward.

After 25 years, the questions of race, cost and inadequate legal representation have yet to be fully and honestly addressed and the issues that caused it to be declared unconstitutional in the 70's persist. In short, as long as there is a death penalty in the United States, Mumia's case and the case of all death row inmates will remain vital and important. People should see this movie because they too seek for answers and honesty from the criminal justice system, and they too, want to gain a greater understanding of the inherent flaws in the death penalty system in the U.S.

Even if people can't relate to the story of Mumia Abu-Jamal or are not affected by it, they might still be able to relate to my story. I think for many people, the journey that I'm going on is enough on its own. This is the story of two lives coming together in a sense, and hopefully it will allow many who have previously been uninterested in the issues surrounding the case to sit up, take notice and find out more on their own. In a ninety minute film, it is hard to comprehensively look into any subject, but you hope that it gives the audience enough to go away and delve further.

WARNING: this is a [Hello this is my day post]

The man sitting next to me smells like shit.
He is wearing what is probably a 600$ suit.
Some man's name is on it and he has the taint of shit on his name now.
I wonder if he minds that his name is now covered in such a taint.
It isnt a surprise that the taste and smell of shit comes with the taint of money in a small room crowded with products of overprivleged [fuck you its now a word if underprivileged is] life styles.

When I walked in all of their eyes were on me.
My suit only cost me 60$
I wonder if thats why, I don't know.
I'm telling the story backwards now, I usually do that.
I never got the shit man's name, not from him at least but I saw a paper he was writing on it said his name was Robert. I wonder what Robert's life was like. Since I didnt want to ask him I'm going to invent something for him right now and assume it is true.

Robert is from Waterbury CT.
Robert is an only child
Robert would live with his wife but their arent married yet, I didnt see a ring but they are planning to get married soon..at least if she says yes. They have been together for a long time now. Her name is Elizabeth. They met at a football game, both of them like the Jets.
Robert has issues with high-blood pressure and minorities.

He also smells like shit.

Daily Affirmations

Todays Affirmation:

I have done nothing to earn the special preference that I receive on a daily basis.

"What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

A story.

I wanted to start sharing stories and cases of people, stories that might be my own that might not. Rather than just prose on this blog I feel that running media and these cases presented to the few that might actually be reading will enrich the view of what is really going on in this world. It will help fulfill the goal of education that I am trying for and others are trying so desperately for. So here is the first.

This story I'm sure will surprise many people but honestly it shouldn't. You might not know about the story but nonetheless it is not anything new given the state of the world.



Just in his case alone we find claims for existing problems, problems in the legal system in the prison system and in the use of the death penalty. I realize that his case was not in the United States but the discussion allows us to reflect on the state of affairs [which can be returned to after talking a bit more about Mpagi's story]

A very short summation of the background and chronology leading to the time he spent on death row follows. In 1981, at age 27, as you heard from him speak he was arrested for the murder. This was for the murder of George William Wandayaka. The odd event was that at the trial for this it appeared to Mpagi that Wandayaka was present in the back of the room. That was instance one of someone seeing a "dead" man. A couple years later several more sightings were made of Wandayaka in Jinja (in eastern Uganda).

In fact the situation acctually was that the family of Wandayaka had a very long term grudge against the parents and family of Mpagi and this transpired, this staged murder was intended to hurt the family.

So the date is now 1989, 8 years about Mpagi had been arrested and the authorities in Masaka determine that yes Wandayaka is indeed alive and the attorney general is informed. This information is released to the government and the legal system. Despite this Mpagi remains on death row until 2000, another 11 years.

We have a case where evidence was tampered with, where a man is "dead" and someone is sentenced to death that is completely free of guilt or whatever term you wish to use for it and yet he spent every single day under the threat of death. To quote "No one was ever given any notice that they would be executed. Each time, we were taken by complete surprise. We lived in complete fear of any unusual activity from the wardens."Any sort of appeal process would not have been the same as we consider it in the United States. Eventually this stay came to an end because of a nine person presidential committee.

"The death penalty is not a punishment. A punishment is intended to reform. By killing someone you are denying them the chance to reform."

That statement really leads into something else that I want to touch on, I haven't exactly decided if I want to put it all here or if I want to do another entry...

If we look at our own prison systems we find them riddled with extreme, extreme issues. The prison system is no longer a place to rehabilitate it is a big business an a place to hold undesirables if anything. Recidivism rates are extremely high, prisons are teaching criminals how to be better criminals, money is being filtered away from where it needs to be placed at alarming rates and the government is fine with that. The discrepancies in society are blatantly reflected in the prison system and in the next entry I will discuss that.

Columns.

It was another sunny day when I sat observing these huge columns that had always been a part of the landscape but something that I never really truly took the time to appreciate, to sit beside and spend time with.

I knew that if I wanted to climb these columns I could. I would be admitted to the elite club at the pinnacle of these pillars, I held the proper tones and the proper place in society. I moved closer to the columns and indeed a small rungs emerged where there was nothing before. I wondered if I should bother climbing such a thing, seeing what sort of select few could possibly unlock the secrets of these great Doric columns.

I decided to sit for awhile longer at the base, I saw messages carved there. I saw faces at the bottom of the pillar. I saw men holding the pillar there, they were not titans nor demi-gods like you are told in myths, they were not immortal powerful beings. They were those who had to work to survive rather than those who own to survive. They were holding this pillar, keeping sturdy a world above unseen to the elite few far far away in their hidden homes. I knelt down to speak with the men there hoping to hear their voices and their tales though sadly they could not speak, I could not hear their voices, I could not hear their tales. They were the voiceless.

So I sat still, between two worlds.