Neti Pots
These pots have been used in India for thousands of years to keep sinuses clear. Just use saltwater to rinse away pollen grains and other allergens.
Quercetin
Quercetin is a plant-derived compound that helps to stablize mast cells and prevents them from releasing histamine. It also works as an antioxidant, helping to clean up free radicals that cause cell damage, which may lead to cancer. Allergy sufferers are recommended to use 1,000 milligrams a day inbetween meals, and it is recommended to begin six weeks before allergy season.
Quercetin can be found in: Citrus fruits, onions, apples, parsley, tea, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce and wine.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
People who eat foods high in omega-3 fatty acids are less likely to suffer allergy symptoms. Omega-3 can be found in: cold-water fish, walnuts and flaxseed oil.
Stinging Nettle
Stinging Nettle behaves in the same way as many over-the-counter drugs, but without the side affects [dry mouth and drowsiness]. Nettle stops the the production of histamine.
Today commemorates the 50th anniversary of South Africa's Sharpeville Massacre. On that day 5,000 protesters collected at the Sharpeville police station to burn their apartheid pass books and offer themselves for arrest. The police then open-fired on the peaceful crowd made up mostly of women and children. 69 people were murdered and 180 were injured. Most were shot in the back.
The African protesters in the black township of Sharpeville, like many of their brothers and sisters in neighboring townships, were fighting against the racist system of apartheid in South Africa.
Those who died on that day died so that Black South Africans would be entitled the rights of human beings, so we must pose the question of whether the children of South Africa today are really free and continue to question our current definition of 'freedom'.
Nonetheless, we celebrate the sacrifice of these Africans, who sacrificed so that we may live and continue their struggle.
[I recommend you go to the youtube page to view the comments for this video...]
Love this new video by NasJota featuring Cheb YaCine, Messiah and Langa. A beautiful song of unity, its main purpose is to get the people of the Sudan to vote this April in a Democratic election, the first in 24 years. It was shot in Washington, DC, New Jersey, and Sudan...
Genre: Conscious Reggae Origins: Montego Bay, Jamaica Similar Artists: Tarrus Riley, Etana, Lady G, Jah Mason Influences: Miriam Makeba, Sister Carol, Sister Nancy, and Nina Simone Albums: Fyah Muma [2006], Montego Bay [2009]
Queen Ifrica is not just another reggae artist, she is a voice and a force to be reckoned with. She is both a talented and extremely socially conscious artist who shines bright in a male-dominated genre. Some of her hits include "Daddy", a song for young girls who are victims of sexual abuse, "Mi Nah Rub", a big tune which celebrates blackness and shuns skin bleaching, and "Randy" which tells the story of a so common African Love. Not to be taken lightly, she is not the conventional female artist and can outdo many of her male and females counterparts when it comes to lyricism. She also a community leader and is heavily involved in outreach programs for children. She is the voice of the people, but especially the voice of African women.
Westerners enjoy the idea of South Africa as a racial utopia. This is obviously a complete lie! The people who fought for the ending of apartheid are still suffering, and leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu have reaped the benefits of this international propaganda. Like in so many African nations throughout the world, those who really fought for the liberation of their people continue to be victims, and those who played the Europeans independence games continue to sip wine while their people starve. I completely understand why Winnie Nelson would have made a statement criticizing the leadership of Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, because much of it is true. But of course the press loves to bring up the 14 year old informant tragedy to discredit Winnie's integrity, but we cannot forget what she has done for the BLACK people of South Africa.
Also, many of those who fought [and many who did not fight] for the end of apartheid from the 'safety' of the US have taken it upon themselves to take advantage of Black South African affirmative action opportunities. I am not saying that all of those African-Americans have the initiative to further exploit Blacks in South Africa, but some have outwardly proclaimed that they were capitalists and in South Africa to make money [see Blacks Without Borders link below], not to develop Black South Africa.
Nevertheless, apartheid never ended, it just took a new form, just as segregation took a new form in Capitalism. Many of us are just waiting for the Black youth of South Africa to officially begin their Liberation struggle, again... We salute them for waiting this long out of respect for Nelson Mandela, but it won't be too long before the world hears their freedom songs again.
...ONE LOVE is not ONE LOVE... ONE LOVE does not mean inter-racial relationships, it means AFRICAN LIBERATION... How can you spread the message of loving Black, African women if you are procreating with the 'other'?
People seem to think Rastafari thought began and ended with Marley; they seem to think that his sons are what Rasta should be, but just remember that no one is like their parents. People also use his message of one love as a reason to have interracial relationships. First off, Marley married Rita, not Cindy Breakspeare. Now this should be the first thing to critically analyze before we go and jump the broom. Second, Bob Marley was for African liberation, yes he did procreate with a white woman, but we must also remember that he was a human-being and that we cannot judge Rastafari relationships based on what one man did.
One love is supposed to mean African liberation, so how can we have African liberation if our men are having babies with white women? The Black family is just a microcosm of the Black community, destroy the Black family, and you destroy the Black community. I am not saying that all whites are evil, and I would take the highest offense if someone called me a racist, but I am an African and I believe in the development of the African world, therefore I cannot allow myself to believe that sex and conception with white women builds a stronger foundation for the fight for African liberation, especially in Jamaica. Here is when we must diffrentiate between Rastas working for African Liberation, and Rastas working toward the ideal 'One Love'...WE CANNOT HAVE ONE LOVE IF WE HAVE NOT LEARNED TO LOVE EACH OTHER FIRST...
This leads me to my second point on African liberation, the Black woman. She is the first teacher of the Black child. She teaches the child how behave amongst the people, she teaches the child about love, dedication, and strong faith. She teaches the Black child about the importance of loving and cherishing the black woman. Just singing about loving Black women in our music is not enough. The idea of 'free love' is not something that I can totally respect, only because it promotes the idea that all Jamaican men are womanizers, which could be far from the truth. But since the Black woman is the first teacher of the child, the Black man is the second teacher of the child and has the duty of showing their children what a man should be. He must respect his children's mother, and respect his children. He is supposed to show his sons what a father and husband should be, and show his daughters how a man should treat her. Unfortunately we live in a male-dominated society, so all aspects of our development begin with men and end with the Black woman, so before we ask why our women bleach, why they relax their hair, and why they dress indecently, our men must take a look at what they are doing to the Black community.
I love Jamaica. I love African men. I love Africa. But I hate the thought that what our ancestors died for was in vain. Did Garvey dedicate his life for what we see in Jamaica today? Did Marley die for what we see in Jamaica today? Did Paul Bogle give his life to a struggle that would end in Blacks giving their lives to White tourism? Did Lady Nanny help to free us, so that we could become slaves again? No, the Jamaican government and its uncle tom administration has made it deadly for Africans in Jamaica, but like our ancestors, we must stop fighting against each other and fight against the establishment that wants us to fight against each other. This struggle is bigger than interracial relationships, but it begins with questioning these relationships and how they benefit Africans.
This idea does not stop with Jamaicans, it is a universal African struggle that we must and will have to address because our babies are literally dying in the name of fuckery...
OmegaD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOME MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
I found this post on a Black woman dating a White Rasta interesting on rastafarispeaks.com
This article states the change of Rastafari views on whites, but does not question why it is so: Race & Women In Rastafari [I would argue it has a lot to do with Jamaica's exploitative white tourism industry]... The Film Rent-A-Rasta explains a bit more on this topic...
As a student it's hard to find the time to read the books that you actually want to read, but I definitely had to make time for this novel. Maaza Mengiste's new novel Beneath the Lion's Gaze will keep you at the edge of your seat and anticipating as you turn each page. She has done a beautiful job of engaging her audience through the poetry of her words.
The novel tells the fictitious story of a family torn apart by the Ethiopian revolution of 1974 and how a father, his two sons and their family deal with the tragedies unfolding with the new Ethiopia. This is Mengiste's first novel, and her raw talent puts tears in the eyes of her readers while putting many established writers to shame.
Ghana @ 53As we celebrate the 53rd year of independence of the Republic of Ghana, let us remind ourselves of the sacrifices made by our ancestors in the struggle for freedom. Let us also remember that though we may live in a world which seems to glorify 'colorblindness' that our fight is not over, it has just begun. Just because our leaders are Black does not mean that we are not subjected by the realities of neo-colonialism.
Nonetheless, we salute the Ghana of 1957, while hoping that the ideal philosophies of independence and self-reliance will reign once again throughout the African World.
"My government fully realises both the advantages and the responsibilities involved in the achievement of independence. It intends to make full use of these advantages to increase the prosperity of the country." -Kwame Nkrumah
Stinging Nettle
