Milton, thanks so much for agreeing to interview with me. I love your work with sword and soul.
To see the rest of the interview, visit: http://www.aliciamccalla.com/blog/69-author-milton-davis-discusses-upcoming-womens-sword-and-soul-anthology-
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I received this link from a good friend of mine and believe it is worth sharing.
http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/11/30-things-to-stop-doing-to-yourself/
30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself
"When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you."
As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Nothing could be closer to the truth. But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back. Here are some ideas to get you started:
1.Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2.Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on. No, it won’t be easy. There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them. We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems. That’s not how we’re made. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time. This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3.Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself. Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. Read The Road Less Traveled.
4.Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5.Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6.Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7.Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8.Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9.Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive. But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10.Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either. You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else. Read Stumbling on Happiness.
11.Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place. Evaluate situations and take decisive action. You cannot change what you refuse to confront. Making progress involves risk. Period! You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12.Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13.Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14.Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you. But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15.Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you. Concentrate on beating your own records every day. Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16.Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17.Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you. You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough. But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past. You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation. So smile! Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18.Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself! And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too. If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19.Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20.Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway. Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21.Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22.Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23.Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done. Read Getting Things Done.
24.Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile. Don’t take the easy way out. Do something extraordinary.
25.Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while. You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26.Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27.Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out. But making one person smile CAN change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus.
28.Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time? Three years? Five years?” If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29.Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen. Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30.Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.
20 Years Post the Fall of Babel: I grew up with "duck-and-cover" and Dr. Strangelove scenarios running through my young head. "The Day After" wasn't just a Sci-Fi movie based on a nuclear attack in Kansas. It was a very real, thought out M.A.D. scenario that still exists today. Now, those former enemies are our only means of getting astronauts to the International Space Station, and that ability is threatened by their technical failures and our retirement of the Space Shuttle Program.
The original description of the Drake Equation, a calculation for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was that the species survive long enough to communicate, and everyone then knew what "survival" meant.
Hither this cauldron, came Star Trek, and Gene Roddenberry with enough hutspah to put the first interracial (and as I've pointed out - interspecies) kisses on television, "Plato's Stepchildren" was summarily banned in some southern markets.
And, let's not forget: "Let This Be Your Last Battlefield" where two alien species annihilated each other for which side the other was black (or white) on. The irony: they were mirror images of the other, but that did not matter.
We could survive our madmen, our Hitler, our Khan Noonien Singh, and ride triumphantly into a tomorrow of our own making.
Our myths, ancient or modern, give us a reason to go on, press forward, hope for a future that is better than the present.
History and etymology An African-American scholar and social activist, Ron Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 as the first African-American holiday. Karenga said his goal was to "...give Blacks an alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", meaning "first fruits". The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism, especially in the 1960s.
Kwanzaa is a celebration that has its roots in the black nationalist movement of the 1960s, and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study of "African traditions" and "common humanist principles." The first Kwanzaa stamp was issued by the United States Postal Service on October 22, 1997 at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, California. In 2004 a second Kwanzaa stamp, created by artist Daniel Minter was issued which has seven figures in colorful robes symbolizing the seven principles.
The origins of Kwanzaa are not secret and are openly acknowledged by those promoting the holiday. Many Christian and Jewish African-Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas and Hanukkah.
Principles of Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called "The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa," or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba - "The Seven Principles of Blackness"), which Karenga said "is a communitarian African philosophy" consisting of what Karenga called "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise Kawaida, a Swahili term for tradition and reason. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:
* Umoja (Unity) To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.
* Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.
* Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.
* Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
* Nia (Purpose) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
* Kuumba (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
* Imani (Faith) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Observance
Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth, especially the wearing of the Uwole by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. Libations are shared, generally with a common chalice, "Kikombe cha Umoja" passed around to all celebrants. Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa. The holiday greeting is "joyous Kwanzaa."
A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the "African Pledge" and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast (Karamu). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is "Habari Gani,"which is Swahili for "What's the News?"
At first, observers of Kwanzaa eschewed the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values and practice with other holidays. They felt that doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, many African-American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year's. Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African-American roots, share space in kwanzaa celebrating households. To them, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas.
Cultural exhibitions include "The Spirit of Kwanzaa," an annual celebration held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts featuring interpretive dance, African dance, song and poetry.
Evolution in Kwanzaa's observance
In 1977, in Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice, Karenga stated, that Kwanzaa "was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society."
In 1997, Karenga and the community evolved, stating that while Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday, it can be celebrated by people of any race: "other people can and do celebrate it, just like other people participate in Cinco de Mayo besides Mexicans; Chinese New Year besides Chinese; Native American pow wows besides Native Americans."[
Currently, according to the Official Kwanzaa Website authored by Karenga and maintained by Organization US, which Karenga chairs, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday. And it is not an alternative to people's religion or faith but a common ground of African culture...Kwanzaa is not a reaction or substitute for anything. In fact, it offers a clear and self-conscious option, opportunity and chance to make a proactive choice, a self-affirming and positive choice as distinct from a reactive one."
Karenga's most recent interpretation emphasizes that while every people has its own holiday traditions, all people can share in the celebration of our common humanity: "Any particular message that is good for a particular people, if it is human in its content and ethical in its grounding, speaks not just to that people, it speaks to the world."
Ok. Since nobody had what it takes to win this thing the contest is officially over. Too bad. I had several contestants try to make a noble effort. So here are the questions along with the answers.
1. Name three members of Nomad Squadron.
(You comic fans should know this one.) Jugger Grimrod, Mescad, Montroc.
2. There are two characters answering to the name, The Night Stalker. One on TV. The other in real life. Who were they?
Reporter Carl Kolchack, Played by Darren McGavin. And Serial Killer Richard Ramerez.
3. This 1979 horror movie featured a scene where a zombie fought with a shark.
Lucio Fulci's Zombie.
4. Secret identities revealed. Who are these three characters? Kletus Cassady. Fred J. Dukes. Mac Gargan.
Carnage, The Blob, Scorpion.
5. This was the weapon used in an assassination attempt against Reinhart Heydrich.
Sten machine gun.
6. Name the members of the Warbound.
The Hulk, Brood, Hierom, Elloe Kaffe, Korg, Meik.
7. Astronomers recently discovered a planetary system with twin suns and named it after a planet in this well known science fiction film.
Tatooine.
8. This man was known as the butcher of Plainsfield.
Ed Gein.
9. Secret indentities part 2. Who are these thre characters? Johnathan Crane, Todd Arlis, Cain Marko.
Scarecrow, Tiger Shark, Juggernaught.
10. It was rumored that Adolph Hitler copied his small moustache from this silent film star.
Charlie Chaplin.
11. This man used to be Al Capone's boss.
Johnny Torrio.
12. Where can you find these villians? Tchernobog, The Enclave, Makron.
Blood PC game, Fallout 3 for X-Box 360, Quake 3 PC game.
13. WHat are the three kingdoms in nature?
Animal, mineral, vegatable.
14. This man was the only German field marshal ever to be taken prisoner in World War-2.
Freidrich Von Paulus.
15. Where is Little Lamp Light?
In Fallout 3 for X-box 360.
16. This Toho Studio's monster was a mutation created by micro oxygen.
Destroyer.
17. This long time member of the X-Men lost his life in a firey plane crash.
Banshee.
18. This woman was Adolph Hitler's secretary.
Tradl Junge.
19. David Vincent had a hard time getting people to believe that aliens were invading earth in this classic TV series.
The Invaders.
20. This coin was often mistaken for a quarter.
Susan B. Anthony dollar coin.
21. Name the three German generals who committed suicide.
Rommel, Model, Von Kluge.
22. Where can you find the Arm fighting the Core?
Total Annihillation PC game.
23. This man was fired from Al Capones gang because he was too violent.
Lester Gillis. AKA Baby Face Nelson.
24. Secret Identities part three. Who are these characters? Otto Octavious, Sam Sterns, Morrie Bench.
Dr Octopus, THe Leader, Hydro Man.
25. WHere do these three characters live? Rigel the 16th, Mr House, Arthas.
Hyneria, Lucky 38 Casino in Fallout 3, Lorderon in Warcraft 3 PC game.
Nerd Christmas Trees: Godzilla, Darth Vader et al. Happy Holidays! Of course, you knew I had to embed a 50-year review of Godzilla, didn't you?
Positronium is a form of antimatter: the post I've created does a far job of explaining the implications of this technology, which could have far reaching impact in communications down to your cell phone you may be viewing this post with.
Gnarls Barkley's 'Going On' video is simple but effective. I also like the video "Who's Going to Save My Soul' where the guys heart is literally ripped out. Creepy, but good. Cee Lo Green and Dangermouse are so under rated.
I don't think this is about death, but many seem to think that. Death isn't much of a journey. What's your take?
I am going through my second science fiction novel chapter by chapter with my writing partner. The experience has been very positive. The first positive is she understood what I was doing with race in the book. I am still struggling with the point of view. There are two main characters but only one voice. I have written the book from two points of view but it felt really awkward, so my latest version had just one. However, my partner suggests that I return to two points of view. My potential publisher also indicated that the second voice would be better for the African American market. Strong incentives.
Before you count solar out: scientists are working towards it being more efficient to manufacture and mass produce. Anything that can reduce our carbon footprint (ironic, since you kind of burn carbon to make solar), plus reduce our dependency on oil as a power source is forward-thinking I can appreciate.
My blog on this is at redamygdala.wordpress.com
Hi there friends. Here’s a short sensual tale with a little dark twist to whet your appetite. Comments are welcomed. Enjoy! http://yvonnenicolas.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/naked-and-wanting/
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson: when you see the PDF of the first chapter of a very short, remarkable book, you'll peek into a remarkable life. She was the first African American graduate of MIT, and is the president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. There are always "firsts": make sure you reach back so that it's not "only."
Einstein answering a question regarding his acumen at science, said God had allowed him born "as stubborn as a mule." The video from Ainissa Ramirez shows people of color exceling in the sciences - sister is a prof at Yale in Material Science!
The dilemma is the expected instantaneousness of any posed question. Google has sadly hindered our patience in problem-solving or storytelling. A student is more prone to say: "So...what's the answer?" versus "what's the next step?"
The quality of the question and the stubborness of the seeker determines the height of the outcome.
Like the Walking Google: it was meant as a compliment, but the scary connotation (to me, at least) was the lack of apparent need to memorize anything beyond the superficial concerns of 13 - 19 year olds fixated on technology, but unwilling to take the time to master, or advance it. Sadly, most considered offline reading "boring" as well.
Nanoscale Infection Fighters: part of the asset speculative fiction lends is asking not only can we, but should we? I think of Michael Crichton's novel Prey.
OK, that's a grip! Obviously, the human species is "below impulse speeds" let alone FTL travel.
However, it is evidence that we're not alone in the universe, and that life is not so unique to our globe.
I just hope they (if there is a "they") survived their own Drake Equation.
Longer Lasting Lasers: I don't know if at our perception range as humans we can notice a pulsed versus a continuous laser. However, this is some good information if your fiction requires it as a background.
I actually pulled this off in a high school physics class demo of total internal reflection (though, I'm not sure the kids appreciated it):
1. Name three members of Nomad Squadron.
2. There are two characters answering to the name, The Night Stalker. One on TV. The other in real life. Who were they?
3. This 1979 horror movie featured a scene where a zombie fought wit ha shark.
4. Secret identities revealed. Who are these three characters? Kletus Cassady. Fred J. Dukes. Mac Gargan.
5. This was the weapon used in an assassination attempt against Reinhart Heydrich.
6. Name the members of the Warbound.
7. Astronomers recently discovered a planetary system with twin suns and named it after a planet in this well known science fiction film.
8. This man was known as the butcher of Plainsfield.
9. Secret indentities part 2. Who are these thre characters? Johnathan Crane, Todd Arlis, Cain Marko.
10. It was rumored that Adolph Hitler copied his small moustache from this silent film star.
11. This man used to be Al Capone's boss.
12. Where can you find these villians? Tchernobog, The Enclave, Makron.
13. WHat are the three kingdoms in nature?
14. This man was the only German field marshal ever to be taken prisoner in World War-2.
15. Where is Little Lamp Light?
16. This Toho Studio's monster was a mutation created by micro oxygen.
17. This long time member of the X-Men lost his life in a firey plane crash.
18. This woman was Adolph Hitler's secretary.
19. David Vincent had a hard time getting people to believe that aliens were invading earth in this classic TV series.
20. This coin was often mistaken for a quarter.21. Name the three German generals who committed suicide.22. Where can you find the Arm fighting the Core?23. This man was fired from Al Capones gang because he was too violent.24. Secret Identities part three. Who are these characters? Otto Octavious, Sam Sterns, Morrie Bench.25. WHere do these three characters live? Rigel the 16th, Mr House, Arthas.
AfroFuturism Transdisciplinary Seminar
PSAM 6700 CRN 6822
December 6th, 6pm-8:40pm
Tuesday evenings from 6 - 8:40pm
LOCATION:
Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Auditorium, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, 66 Fifth Avenue
ADMISSION:
Free; no tickets or reservations required; seating is first-come first-served
The Transdisciplinary Seminar in Fine Arts was implemented in 2009 to explore intersections of art and other forms of creativity and knowledge, from the natural sciences to social theory and various areas of design.
The Transdisciplinary Seminar on Afro-Futurism will consider how representations of science, technology and social engineering intersect with African diasporic cultural expressions. Science fiction will be the organizing trope that unites all the guest presentations and works under consideration. Visiting artists and cultural theorists will lecture on the role of futuristic projection in African diasporic art, architecture, film and music. The expediency of science fiction as both a fractured mirror of historical experience and a heterotopic projection of the collective desires of a displaced people will be discussed throughout the semester. Guest lecturers will present lectures that relate to the fields that are central to their research: painting, electronic music, film, video installation, and built environments.
Guest presentations will be interspersed with seminar-style discussions. Students will be expected to complete weekly reading assignments and write brief thought-papers in response to lectures. They will also be required to prepare questions in advance of guest lectures.
Guest Lecturers
1. Alondra Nelson, Associate Professor, Sociology, Columbia. U, editor of Social Text Issue on Afro-Futurism
2. Kodwo Eshun, Artist and Cultural Theorist, co-founder of The Otolith Group, Lecturer at Goldsmiths College
3. Mabel Wilson, Associate Professor, School of Architecture, Columbia U.
5. Julie Mehretu, Visual Artist
6. George Lewis, Composer and Cultural Theorist, Associate Professor, Columbia U.
7. Wanuri Kahiu, Filmmaker, Director of the award winning science fiction short, Pumi (in dialogue with NSGS Professor Sean Jacobs)
