Today I would like to share with you the Maslow heirarchy of needs. To function at our optimum level, its advised that we fulfil each level within this scheme. I find from observation, that too many of us are only meeting the most basic of needs. How many of us have smiled today? Spoke to a stranger? Had pleasant things to say about someone? How many of us have taken time to smell the roses? Its the little things that mean so much. A hug from a loved one, a compliment, smile...the little kind things are endless yet they mean the world. I ask, where are you? Will you transcend? Peace Always ~ Shakira
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So I've read and been told about how great you are
magical tales of wars fought and won technologies,sciences,math,culture abound Indeed meritorious accomplishments are found yes, you are beautiful and brave held in high esteem from my eyes if only you would behave from coast to coast, its you that I admire the most yet the division is the cause of my despair She's from this tribe, he's from this land You're from this region, I'm from this clan When will you see that this is destroying the land? You boast about your beauty As I am inferior? Yes, I'm a hybrid and I own that fact through and through my blood tells a story much deeper than you would like to believe yes, we also descend from kings and queens I acknowledge your beauty, but...you know, fuck that because you're beautifully dying respectably tragic, brilliantly flawed, highly disrespected courageously unprotected, globally rejected Mama, I beg of you, pull yourself together I understand that you have soldiered through all kinds of weather So why not now? Why have you given away your crown? This system is built on our imaginations. Money has imaginary value. Governments have imaginary authority. And we have imaginary limits. If we want to change things, we must start with the imagination. ~ Gavin Nascimento "Everything that is manifest, starts first with a thought, everything. Be forever conscious of your thoughts".~ Shakira Z. Ch'i
"As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest of hearts". ~ Patrick Rothfuss
Several days ago, in light of the recent comment the rapper Wacka Flacka made about not having any African dna, my sister and I were having a conversation. "How is it that we don't look anything like West African people"? my sister asked. I quickly retorted, "We are not just from West Africa, we're from all over Africa. There are 54 countries and countless ethnic groups in the continent, so because we don't look West African doesn't mean that we aren't from there. We emcompass what it is to be African, the average (black) American has many different types of African in their ancestry". I thought long and hard on the statement Wacka made, and what stood out the most is when he said that he had NO African dna. I understand him not wanting to be called black per se. That doesn't began to give testament to all the greatness African people have accomplished on this continent alone. We have indeed created our own culture, traditions and language. But I use the term "black" as an unifying term. Sure when we black Americans speak of Africa as our home land, we sound like that bastard child that doesn't know the region, country or clan from which they hail, but isn't that the beauty of being American of African descent? Isn't tribalism one of the things that's hindering the progression of the African peoples? I mean not to bash Wacka, I kind of see his point. We have been away from Africa and in this land mass of North America called "Turtle Island" by some of the ancestors, for tens of, if not hundreds of thousands of years. There is Queen Khalifa of California from which it was named. Many mounds and pyramids of the southeast. The Olmec monuments of Mexico, closely resembling the Mande' peoples of Mali. There was a skull found in Brazil that is named "Luzia" and are the oldest documented remains found to date. Facial reconstruction clearly show this to be a black woman. These are just a few examples. I have always wondered why is it that every black American has rumored affliation or stated " I have native American in my family" or "My great grandma was Indian" Could it be that the ancestors were telling us in so many words that we were already here? That we didn't come here via the trans- Atlantic slave trade? But to disown Africa? Who can ever deny her beauty, history, richness of resources and culture? Sure there are other black peoples that are indigenous to this hemisphere. The Jarawa of the Andaman Islands, the indigenous Australian, the various tribes of Papua New Guinea, the ancient Hawaiian people. But then I ask are these people still African? Sure they are from the "black" family but after thousands of years away from mother, haven't they earned the right to sever the umbilical cord and walk alone? There are so many questions, with too few answers. But what I do know is that Africa is the cradle of civilzation and in no way would I ever denounce my mother!!
Peace Always~ Shakira Coroner’s Report Finds No Clear Evidence Of Torture On Otto Warmbier’s Body But the young man’s parents say he was “systematically tortured” by North Korea. New details have emerged surrounding the mysterious death of Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old college student from Ohio who was imprisoned and reportedly abused in North Korea. A newly released report from the Hamilton County coroner’s office listed the manner of Warmbier’s death as “undetermined,” but noted he endured brain-damaging oxygen deprivation through “an unknown insult more than a year prior to death.” North Korean authorities accused Warmbier of stealing a poster from a hotel room while he was visiting the isolated country in 2016 and sentenced him to 15 years of hard labor. But after just 17 months in captivity, he was suddenly released in a comatose state. He died less than a week after his return to the United States this June. Warmbier’s parents, who declined to have a full autopsy performed on his body, spoke publicly about his death for the first time this week. U.S. President Donald Trump, whose feud with Pyongyang has escalated in recent months, praised the Warmbier family’s interview on Twitter and reiterated that Warmbier was indeed “tortured beyond belief by North Korea.” But the coroner’s report, dated Sept. 11, contradicts those claims. As first reported by The Cincinnati Enquirer, the postmortem examination revealed a cluster of small scars on Warmbier’s knees, feet, arms and other parts of his body, but no clear indication of torture. In an interview with “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday morning, they shared disturbing details from their reunion with their son. Warmbier, who had suffered unexplained brain damage, was both deaf and blind, and made “involuntary, inhuman” noises, they recalled. “We’re here to tell you North Korea is not a victim,” said Warmbier’s father, Fred. “They’re terrorists. They kidnapped Otto. They tortured him.” U.S. President Donald Trump, whose feud with Pyongyang has escalated in recent months, praised the Warmbier family’s interview on Twitter and reiterated that Warmbier was indeed “tortured beyond belief by North Korea.” But the coroner’s report, dated Sept. 11, contradicts those claims. As first reported by The Cincinnati Enquirer, the postmortem examination revealed a cluster of small scars on Warmbier’s knees, feet, arms and other parts of his body, but no clear indication of torture. One such scar is “consistent with a tracheostomy,” which is an incision in the windpipe, the report noted. It also said the young man’s teeth were “natural and in good repair,” in contrast to Fred Warmbier’s observation that “it looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth.” Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco, whose office performed the exam, was surprised when she heard the Warmbiers’ comment about “rearranged” teeth. There were no obvious signs of torture or broken bones, she said. “They’re grieving parents. I can’t really make comments on their perceptions,” she told reporters on Wednesday, noting a forensic dentist had confirmed that “there was no evidence of trauma to the lower teeth.” We don’t have enough information about what happened to Otto at that initial insult to draw any concrete conclusions” about his death, Sammarco said. “We believe that for somebody who’s been bedridden for more than a year, his body was in excellent condition [and] his skin was in excellent condition,” she added. Hello dear friends, I'm sure that you've all read, heard or talked about the death of 19 year old Kenneka Jenkins. This tragic event pulls at the heart of all aware. There isn't a human alive that couldn't empathize with the pain this family must feel. Like many fellow Americans, I have watched video after video, read article after article, read comment after comment. What I have noticed is that many commentators believe that this tragedy was the result of foul play, conspiracy theories of sorts. I read that she was raped and killed by gang members, the hotel employees found her passed out and then threw her body into the freezer believing that she was dead. I've even read that the hotel owner ran an organ harvesting ring and she was killed for her organs. While I won't deny that within certain jurisdictions there may be corruption, and yes, organs being stolen and sold on the underground market. But I think when we try to attribute each and every mishap to some conspiracy theory, then we tend to lose credibility. Those theories are then just chalked up as another assumption by some whacko with too much time on their hands. After viewing the video many times over, I really see no evidence of foul play. Let's really look at this minus the emotion. The police and hotel owner have nothing to gain by trying to cover up a crime. If the hotel owner wanted her organs, why would he freeze them and allow her remains to be found? According to some commenters, it was rumored that the owner ran a clandestine organ harvesting business outside of being a hotel proprietor. Why would anyone, especially locals, book or rent rooms there? Why would the police cover up for low level teenage gang members? We're not talking about millionaire mafia figures. Certainly even the most corrupt Chicago cop would love to see the guilty party pay for their crimes in the murder case of a 19 yr. old. I think what we're seeing here is something bigger. Something people tend to over look, and that is accountability. We have in this case a group of teens that were partying. Its been reported that Kenneka drank alcohol, smoked weed and took ecstasy pills. On the video we could see that she was inebriated. Far too many of our youth have embraced negativity. They have tasted the poison given and refuse spit it out. Our youth have embraced and coddled the culture of death. When it reciprocates, something deadly is bound to happen. I understand that many of your mainstream rappers have made death, despair and destruction seem cool. I myself am guilty of listening to some of the most ignorant, shitty music in my teens that in retrospect, I'm ashamed I ever listened to it. But I think that many young people of today fail to understand the difference between entertainment and reality. Entertainment is "I rap about all the drugs I do". Reality is "I'm a college educated millionaire vegan that wouldn't touch the shit I talk about". Also too many parents want to be their child's friend instead of their parent. They themselves think it's cool to live that fast lifestyle, and then when shit pops off, they look for someone to blame. We can't blame the businesses, the police, the schools or society when we reap the effects of ignorance. No, we must take accountability for this is the hallmark of intelligence and growth. It's time that we made intelligence cool again. It's time that we be parents again. It's time that we parents be the hero in our children's lives. That night Kenneka got high. Drugs and alcohol cloud our reasoning and logic. No one is immune when under the influence. It just happens to be that this mistake cost her life. This isn't the first time that this has happened and sadly enough, it won't be the last. Please use critical thinking always ,don't allow yourselves to be guided by ignorance. The world owes you nothing. Take accountability for your actions and be prepared to blamelessly deal with the repercussions! May Kenneka Jenkins rest in peace.
Peace Always~ Shakira To be an immigrant, not to be an immigrant? Have you ever pondered this question? With recent political rhetoric, I think we all have asked ourselves this question in an attempt to gauge our tolerance on this hotly debated subject. I've heard some say that immigrants take all the jobs from Americans, some say that they consume all of the resources, while others say that as long as they are here legally, then they have no issue. I will spare you the political talking points because we aren't politics. Sure politics affects us, our everyday lives for that matter. But arguing back and forth will get us nowhere. Every step taken forward, is two taken back ( as evident in the reversal of #transgenders being allowed to serve in the U.S military) in the end we go in circles. And that my friends is the whole point of politics. We spend so much time judging, blaming and frowning upon the next man or woman. Meanwhile the sole instigator laughs at our willful ignorance, playing a game that we aren't ever meant to win. Ha, politics... a divisive bastard! But when these games are thrown our way again and again, I want you to focus, keep in mind the most poignant factor. We're all human, there is no such thing as an illegal or legal immigrant. There are no countries or borders, only land. How dare mankind take the gift that god has given us all. This thing that mankind can't even create and dictate who belongs here or there! We must see things in this world for all that they are. Today I have shared with you a song that I think will give all a more empathetic view of the subject! Peace Always~ Shakiras The video that I'm sharing today...well honestly I don't know how just to take it. I mean my family, friends and readers alike know that I'm a fan of rap music, they also know that I can see both sides to most arguments. Call it a curse, call it a gift...I call it both! I'll get to the point. The song and video is entitled "The Story of Oj" by the legendary Jay Z, a.k.a Hova or Jehovah. I'll start by saying that I'm a supporter of his music. He has indeed made some unforgettable, head bobbing hits that I absolutely love! When I first saw the video I was taken back. I mean it's reminiscent of those ol' racist, bigoted, stereotypical cartoons of not so distant yesteryear. I then asked myself, what if a non-black person had released this music video with the exact imagery, how would I feel then? I'll let you ask yourself that question perhaps after you have watched it. However, being that this artist is no stranger to controversy, I decided to focus more so on the lyrics. In this song, he pretty much surmises that under current political and social constructs, anyone of the African genome, indigenous and diaspora alike, will be viewed as that ever so awful, ever so beautiful, ever so debatable word " nigga". Notice it's spelling, hence flip the "ER" and now we have something powerful....magical even, only if you understand the roots of the word " Negus" or "Naga"! As much as you and I want to believe that the United States is some kind of racial and financial utopia,the land of milk and honey of biblical accounts, it's no denying that when it comes to financial resources, the so-called "African-American" / indigenous American is dis-proportionally overlooked. By far this community is the most disenfranchised of all. Even minorities and immigrants have better opportunities for financial empowerment. Why is this? I could type away until a new moon about why..I can even offer many solutions that may actually be effective. But instead I'll leave you with this, selfishness is the bane of humanity. And money don't mean shit if you don't put your money where your mouth is. Peace Always~ Shakira Check out Jay Z's " The Story Of OJ"below0 Hello my dear friends, I hope that all is well! There are the rare times in life where people and food... (oh my god, I love it) touch our lives, and this restaurant my friends has done just that!! But before I share the glorious details let me tell you how this awesome experience ( of many I might add!) came to be.
For my birthday this year, my gorgeous and talented sister Felicia Ch'i ,C.E.O of FeliciChi Designs www.FeliciChi.com surprised me with a birthday celebration in Miami, South Beach! This was my first time visiting Miami, such a beautiful place with a very exotic feel to it. I at one point forgot that I was still in the states. We toured Millionaires Row via a yacht, shopped, ate, sight saw etc. We had a blast, a great time! But the highlight of my stay was the dinner at this restaurant my sister had make reservations for on the night of my birthday. She didn't tell me much about the cuisine, as she wanted it to remain a surprise. At the very last minute she informed me that the name of this place was Marfil Bistro, where Mediterranean meets modern. Also with us was my oldest daughter and our girlfriend Aisha. When we first entered, I noticed and loved the lay out and ambiance. The host was very welcoming. We were seated, and promptly given menus. My posse quickly informed the host and waiter, Homberto, that it was my birthday. They wished me a cheerful and sincere happy birthday. I had a glass of champagne with a heart shaped strawberry..... beautiful presentation. After examining the menu, my sister and I decided on the 48 hour braised short rib with manchego cheese risotto smoked with malbec barrels. My mouth is watering as I'm typing this! My friend Aisha decided on the lobster ravioli in saffron sauce, peppers drop with asparagus. My daughter the Sea Bass a lo macho, with seared sea scallops, jumbo shrimp, black mussels, squid, with aji Amarillo sauce and cilantro rice. The waiter brought my dish out covered with a glass lid. He gently lifted it up several times to release the oak aroma. It smelled incredible. My mouth started to water. When I tasted my short ribs....oh my god..it was out of this world for lack of better word. The flavor was so awesome, the meat was the tender I have ever tasted. Chef has perfected his technique like none other (including me, lol). Chef Mariano is a superb cook! He also came from the kitchen to wish me a happy birthday, asked if I was enjoying my dish and informed me that he was making a birthday cake especially for me!! This was the kindest gesture I have ever received in my time as an international foodie! If you're reading this chef, thank you once again from the bottom of my heart, the food you cooked was the best I've had thus far from any restaurant! Muy Delicioso!! Shortly after dinner, Homberto and additional staff brought out my cake made from scratch by chef. They all gathered around and sung me happy birthday....wow just wow!! I have a picture of my delicious cake for you to see. Pictured with me is the front manager. He told me his name, unfortunately I forgot to write it down but like Chef and Homberto , this man was just as pleasant, attentive and kind as the others. He and Homberto even went as far as to walk us to our taxi with umbrellas as it had started to rain heavily. God bless you two!! My readers know that I'm not a food blogger, but this food and experience was so exceptional I had to speak on it. I promise that you will love the impeccable food cooked by Chef Mariano. As well as the attentive, professional and exceptional service offered by Homberto and the remaining staff. I truly felt like a queen this day! A unforgettable birthday thanks to my family and my new friends at Marfil Bistro in Doral, Florida...each time I visit Miami I certainly will be there.....ready to eat and have a merry time. Peace Always~ Shakira I dance with the beauty of what could be
You own my heart infinity Timeless, your body, elegant dimensions I contemplate on this love lost Khemistry- cosmic allure- Alchemy My dear your heart already gold, so I have been sold Entranced by the beauty of your rhythm Enthralled by this fantasy Can't face reality Could I ever love again? Damn this war of emotion Back and back, forth then not I have danced with the beauty of what could be. Who could give up a love so deep? Who could rock this undying energy to sleep? What will be will be, the elders would say to me But you see, this life, this love has been around for eternity. From the glistening of the first star created by god, this feeling, this pain, this unchartered terrain, this new realm that I have dared to explore, this love, oh yes, this love was here. I study on this love lost. Yet knowing something as wise as time does not die What is a healer to do when those broken wish to remain so? In our despair can we heal our world? Visionary, I lie awake within the witching hours captivated by what I see In love with what can be. I contemplate on this love gained, under the spell again Entranced by your beauty Of this cycle on and on Death and rebirth- Hopi You own my heart infinty Health is the greatest gift,
contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship. ~ Buddha "In life, your best friend can become your worst enemy, your worst enemy, your best friend and the one you love the most can cause you the most heartache"~ Shakira
"Someone is rich because another is poor...this is the fundamental mechanism of democracy". ~ Shakira Z. Ch'i
When the universe is trying to teach a lesson, one ought to adhere otherwise the ramifications will increase in severity ~ Shakira Z. Ch'i Today my dear friends I want to touch on spirituality. I'm sure that we all have our form, in one way or another, of how we practice the worship of an all- knowing, encompassing deity. It doesn't matter the region or nation, humanity has creation stories that speaks to the heart and souls of woman and man as testimony of how we came to be. The genesis of these allegories have in common an all powerful masculine or feminine energy that created man and woman. And I understand... we're all trying to find our way in this realm. Life doesn't come with a manual. We only have our beliefs, our faith to sustain us in this crazy world. Buddhist believe that they have it figured out, Christians believe that they have it all figured out. Hindus, Muslims, Animist, Deist, Atheist and so. To add more confusion into the mix, each religion has varies sects and branches. Studying world religions alone leaves one dizzy and more perturbed than before, though disheartening, we can't give up on our spiritual quest. I don't have all the answers, I won't pretend to. I won't attempt to sway you to which religion I deem is best for you and which is not. It's your journey, you make the path.
Recently there has been an uproar with the selection of Trump. Americans were in dismay and shock with his electoral vote win. I have found that many have chosen this time to bring up faith. Faith is always an excellent quality. But faith with apathy is fruitless. Let me explain. I must elaborate. You see, being that I don't truly understand the nature of God, I look to nature to help me understand the complexities of he or she that we call "God". God is not some magical being. God is always here for us, but he or she has given us intellect. Blaming god for the evil deeds of mankind is taking the easy route out. Blaming god for a failed marriage, or your car running out gas, or the toast you burned this a.m is lazy. I find that many people will just say, " It's in god's hands" because they lacked the genuine concern to try and make the situation better. Think of god as the parent who has trained and taught their child the necessary life skills to be a highly functioning adult. I'll give you an example...Let's say that you have a refrigerator packed with food and you're hungry, you don't move, you don't get up to go make something, instead you coyly sit on your sofa and say "I'm gonna put my faith in god that I'll eat soon"!! Minutes turn into hours, hours turn into days and so. If your hunger pains alone don't compel you to get up and move or if someone doesn't bring you food, then you will surely starve. Now this is a prime example of faith with apathy. I'll give you another example, one that hits home. As my readers know, I come from a very abusive background. For decades I suffered by the hands of my stepfather primarily. And for decades I prayed and prayed. Fasted and fasted, prayed and prayed some more. I had the epitome of faith. The embodiment of a true believer. Had I continued on that path, I'm sure that I wouldn't be alive today. It wasn't until I practiced that faith with action that my horrid situation made a turn for the good. My point in all this is to say that if we desire and envision a bright and prosperous future for our children we must be pro- active in our political endeavors. It's so easy to not get involved and then when the harsh reality hits you say "It's in god's hands". No actually, by the will of god, it's in yours!! Peace Always ~ Shakira This is by far the saddest story that I have ever read. I'm lost for words...as a woman, as a mother as a human being, these kinds of things shouldn't exist. Woe to mankind for this wickedness! May this sweet, beautiful baby rest in peace 😭💝 A 10-month-old girl has died after allegedly being sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend in what one local sheriff is calling “the most severe case that I’ve seen.”
Emmaleigh Barringer, who authorities said was found bloody, swollen and naked on the floor of her family’s West Virginia basement on Monday, was pronounced dead Wednesday, Jackson County Sheriff Tony Boggs confirmed to The Huffington Post. “It’s the most severe case that I’ve seen, especially with the age of the victim, and you just can’t fathom this,” Boggs previously told WCHS-TV. “Even though an arrest has been made, we are far from being over.” Benjamin Taylor, 32, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree sexual assault. He was charged with murder Thursday, Boggs said. Boggs told Metro News that Taylor was the mother’s live-in boyfriend. Taylor was found with the battered baby in the basement of his girlfriend’s home Monday, authorities said. The child’s mother called police after finding her daughter unresponsive. She said the basement’s lights had been turned off and there was a significant amount of blood on and around her baby. Taylor denied having any knowledge of what may have happened to Emmaleigh. He said he took the baby downstairs to do laundry and “blacked out” at some point, WSAZ reported. Boggs told HuffPost the county’s law enforcement officers knew of Taylor, but not for anything as severe as this. A cousin of Emmaleigh’s mother said that by all appearances, Taylor was extremely caring. “You literally would have thought he was a Prince Charming, she was so lit up inside,” Danielle Adkins told WSAZ. “He wanted to do things with her and he hung out with the kids.” “The only way justice is going to be served is if he feels every ounce of pain that he caused her too,” Adkins added. A GoFundMe account that was initially launched by the family to help pay for the baby’s medical needs is now also raising funds to pay for her funeral. (Some reports have identified Emmaleigh as 9 months old. The GoFundMe page says the baby was 10 months.) The district attorney’s office declined comment when reached by HuffPost on Thursday. The victim’s family did not immediately return a request for comment. Taylor’s bond has been set at $2 million. |
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January 2021
"I'm an avid student of life, love, and spirit. My blog isn't about external beauty per se, clothes, fashion, make-up,or even politics. No none of these things!! The articles that I write come from my heart and are about something simple yet complex, rugged yet fragile, dark yet light. Something beautiful yet at times can be ugly. I write about something that all reading this shouldn't take for granted. Life!! Something everlasting yet fleeting." - Shakira Z. Ch'i Peace Always |