Clearing out the bookmarks

Back in the groove of things, here's some stuff I've come across recently that caught my interest and hopefully it will do the same for you.

First off, got to speak on this on-going story involving who supposedly took down Nidal Malik Hasan, who orchestrated the massacre at Fort Hood. The New York Times first reported here that Sgt. Kimberly Denise Munley did it in a nice story that touched all the right chords and really drove home just how much of a hero Munley was. Unfortunately the Times and reporter James C. McKinley Jr. were WRONG, WRONG (c) Charlie Murphy.

This is the person who really handled business at Fort Hood — Senior Sgt. Mark Todd. You can read more about him here.

Aint really got much to say, except that this is an epic fail for the NYT, but it could happen to any publication, sometimes a story looks so good and feels so good (especially in light of a horrible happening like at Ft. Hood) that you overlook some small things like the young woman getting lit up by Hasan and still being able to subdue the man despite her sprite-like frame (yeah, she was supposedly tough, but come on, man (c) C. Ochocinco).

Also, its nice to see a brotha come out on top in a story like this. More on the mixup here.
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More good news for black folks: NEW SLUM VILLAGE!

If you don't know who SV is, stop reading my blog now! (Naw, j/k, I need the views). For real though, this is one of my favorite groups ever and it is a group that day after day is still absorbing the blow of losing two of its original members very prematurely, Jay Dee and Baatin.

Fans of the Slum should be happy to know that both Dilla and Baatin will be a part of the group's newest CD "Villa Manifesto," coming next year. A preview EP is being scheduled before the LP as well. Can't wait.

Here's a dope new track, "Dope Man," from the Villa fam.
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Real good black news here: my alma-mater Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is on the road to establishing Africana Studies as a major study at the University, this comes after years of "Black American Studies" being merely a minor. From one of SIU's greatest citizens, the good Dr. and Rev. Joseph A. Brown, who has led the BAS as long as I can remember down there:

Yesterday, November 10, 2009, the SIUC Faculty Senate approved a proposal to 1) establish a major in Africana Studies, thereby 2) changing the name of the existing program from "Black American Studies." This represents the work of persistent warriors over 40 years of struggle.

The next stage is for the proposal to be submitted to the SIU Board of Trustees. Once that approval is granted the proposal will be sent to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. In the midst of the devastating financial crisis facing the State of Illinois and SIUC, we are still advancing this cause, having established ourselves as having enough courses and collaborators already in place not to require significant funding to make the shift.

We will need, now more than ever, the sustained support of alumni and other benefactors, because at the first sign of stumbling much of what we have accomplished will be challenged. The walls of Jericho are beginning to sway....

Amen.
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And here is one of the best short films I've ever seen: Vin Diesel's "Multi-Facial" from 1995.



Back when big Diesel first became a star this piece was mentioned a lot in his back story, and its easy to see why. Diesel wrote, produced and directed this personal take on his time auditioning as a starving actor in New York, deftly navigating in and between racial stereotypes while trying to please casting directors.

Been recently posted on YouTube, so make sure you double-click and check out both parts (runs just over 20 minutes in all) cause it is a real nice personal film with depth. This film led to Steven Spielberg casting Diesel in "Saving Private Ryan" and thus Diesel going on to become a big action star, but I wonder what would have happened if he took time out to extend this into a full feature or at least work on more independent, low-key projects like this.
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And finally, while on the subject of cats not so comfortable in their own skin. You know where I'm going with this...

Aye dios mio, Sammy. Get better...do better.