Hidden Figures: The Story of Terry Lee Hamilton

  On Christmas of 2016 the film Hidden Figures was released in limited theaters domestically and then worldwide on January 6^th, 2017. With a production budget of only $25 million, as of Wednesday March 7^th Hidden Figures has grossed $195 million worldwide. Based upon the non-fiction book by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures tells the story of African American female mathematicians who worked at NASA in 1961. Although NASA’s first American astronaut in orbit and two-time US senator John Glenn is the one who became a national hero, the mathematicians who helped put him in space, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan, were virtually unknown until Hidden Figures revealed them to the world.

The more that I’ve researched the back story of many national heroes, sheroes, inventions and historical landmarks, the more I began to see this narrative of hidden figures a fundamental part of American History and its establishment of wealth. For example, consider how the Patent Act of 1793 and 1836 restricted enslaved blacks from obtaining patents because we were not citizens. Because we were the property of others, whatever we invented was also the property of the slave masters who owned us. Although the U.S. government passed a patent law giving all American men, including Blacks, the right to patent their inventions, the lack of non-disclosure agreements, legal protection and basic capital to invent still created a scenario where blacks become hidden uncompensated figures behind some of America’s greatest heroes, sheroes, inventions and historical landmarks. I recently had the privilege of interviewing one of our more contemporary hidden figures by the name of Terry Lee Hamilton; a self-taught Scientist/Inventor from Western New York who designed the antennae and coupler interface system for Stico Industries that resolved Homeland Security's communications issues on 9/11 and was used during Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy and other disasters in the U.S. While employed at a company named Nanodynamics he was also responsible for helping design the fuel cell technology to sustain and stabilize jet propulsion packs. I had the pleasure of having Terry Lee Hamilton on Atlantis Build Talk Radio and you can check out both episodes here: Episode 41 and Episode 42.

Hamilton was born and raised in Niagara Falls, NY and began his formal journey into science at Trott Vocational High School in the electronics trade. I say “formal” because his earliest memories of scientific investigation began at  the age of 4 and continued through adolescence. He recalled an experience with his father teaching him to tell the time and him realizing a sequence in the numbers that added up to twelve. For example is one plus eleven equals twelve, two plus ten equals twelve, three plus nine equals twelve and so on. Hamilton also shared that he would often ask his father questions such as, “If a car is driving at sixty miles per hour and a fly is flying around inside of the car while it’s moving why doesn’t it hit the walls?” Once he entered high school he was able to direct his sense of curiosity into a vocational program that often him an opportunity to grow and develop. After graduation Hamilton continued his education at various institutions of higher learning such as the Ohio Institute of Technology, Niagara University, Erie Community College and the University of Buffalo where he studied everything from electrical and mechanical engineering, biochemistry, physics and chemistry. It was after this formal journey that Hamilton became employed with the above tech companies where he made his initial mark as a hidden figure. Although Stico Industries and Nanodynamics gave him an opportunity to share his knowledge and gain experience, upon accepting employment Hamilton signed a non-disclosure agreement similar to a rap artist record contract where the label owns his masters. Like other hidden figures of the past and present, his contributions to science and technology are the property of the companies he worked for. While many would be discouraged by this, Hamilton continued in his journey and founded Hamilton & Eades; a genetic research and development company.

Through Hamilton & Eades, Hamilton has developed reliable methods to analyze nutrients, other dietary components and their metabolites in foods, body fluids and tissues. This involves the latest tools in nano-technology, biochemistry, physics, computer software development and electronics. Most recently, Hamilton has developed a series of serums designed from a molecular level for removing wrinkles, reversing the aging process, hair growth, balding, skin rashes, herpes 1 and 2 and shingles. In partnership with him I distribute them as the Anusha product line through my company Quanaah Herbal Accents.

Hamilton, like many others who came before him and present today, are some of the greatest stories never told. At a time when youth were taught by American parents that college or the military were their only options towards living a successful life, Hamilton chose an uncharted path by not finishing his formal college career. Yes he experienced challenges and adversity be a self taught scientist with experience credentials, yet he also represents the morning star of a millennial movement that no longer views college and the military as its narrow options. With the proliferation of technology and the expansion of the World Wide Web via social media, now more than ever before we are seeing young people seeking entrepreneurialism, skilled trades, professional development and company branding as a means to control their intellectual property and creative rights. If it wasn’t for the sacrifices and lessons learned by trailblazers like Hamilton, the paved way that we see today would still be uncharted. If you’re interested in learning more about the Anusha serums, you can email me at: atlantisbuild@gmail.com.     

Peace,

Saladin   

Nicki Minaj and Cardi B: Here We Go Again...

While a global movement for women's rights to bring about an equitable society gains momentum, the bitter rap feud between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B is still a trending social media topic. That in and of itself should do more than raise an eyebrow in regards to its social engineering implications for Hip Hop culture, marginalized women within that industry and the plight of black women across America.

There’s nothing new about rap beefs. They go all the way back to Hip Hop’s cultural inception when the first Emcee picked up a microphone and proclaimed themselves the best. Regardless what career field of industry that we’re in, as soon as we claim to be the champion we’ve just created the number one, two and three contenders. Hell, that’s the driving force behind Capitalism; competition. We must not forget, Hip Hop came directly out of New York City gang culture and as an alternative to violence youth began to slowly advocate peace, unity and having fun superimposed over a new musical genre called Rap. Movements of social consciousness, youth advocacy and community outreach such as the Five Percent Nation and Zulu Nation are primarily credited with making this paradigm shift happen.

Roxanne Shante' and Marly Marl

The first female rap beef goes all the way back to 1984 to a young 15 year old girl named Lolita Shante’ Gooden AKA: Roxanne Shante’. One of the first females to be recognized for rocking the mic, Shante’s song inspired over 50 responses from both male and female artists. The brainchild behind Shante’s song was legendary producer Marley Marl who wanted to create a record for his Rap Attack radio show. Marl took the instrumental of the popular song Roxanne, Roxanne by UTFO about a stuck up girl named Roxanne who rejected all of the members of the group. Marl’s idea was to tell Roxanne’s side of the story and this song became the birth of Roxanne’s Revenge. Roxanne Shante’ recorded it off of the top of her head and this birthed one of the most notable battles in the chronology of rap music. Marl released it and instantly sold 5,000 copies throughout the city of New York. When UTFP heard it they issued a cease-and-desist based upon Marl’s use of their instrumental so Marl re-recorded it over a different track and sold over a quarter of a million copies. While there were various responses to Roxanne Shante’, with UTFO’s Real Roxanne being the most notable, the lowest response to this 15 year old girl was an artist named Ralph Rolle who recorded Roxanne’s a Man in 1985.

Just like the rap beefs we see today, artists got involved in the 80’s to get a piece of the action. However, things were much different prior to Rap’s Golden Era. Hip Hop culture, as a localized community of DJ’s, Emcees, Dancers and Graffiti Artists in NYC, functioned as such; a community. Everybody pretty much knew or knew of everybody. They went to the same parties, frequented the same record stores, danced in the same neighborhoods, patronized the same stores for supplies, gear and accessories and developed names and reputations for themselves as DJ’s, Emcees, Dancers and Graffiti Artists. Rap music wasn’t a nationally recognized and respected genre at this time and people had limited places where they could go to even hear it. In fact, rap was often referred to as "jungle music" and mainstream radio would not play it. From Hip Hop culture's inception, its elements were considered dissonant, vandalism, criminal and counter culture by the mainstream society. As the DJ and Emcee eventually took center stage as growing park jams spread throughout NYC, record labels began to see the marketability of a new music genre called “Rap.” While some record labels were genuinely interested in giving artists a platform, many simply saw it as a trending money grab. This symbiotic and often parasitic relationship between artist and record label began in 1979 when Curtis Blow recorded the first solo album on the Mercury label. For some, this environment bred competition for stardom and coveted record contracts. The rap beefs that did come out of this era such as Busy Bee vs Kool Moe Dee, MC Lyte vs Antionette and Roxanne Shante’ vs Everybody were not vulgar nor did they result in funerals. Another difference then, in comparison to now, is that we didn’t have an international audience. Just like when children fight in school yards, the bigger the audience the more people tend to put on a show, today that audience is the worldwide web and social media. Instead of a few friends instigating a fight in a school yard, there are millions of people using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snaptchat and other platforms to instigate feuds such as this one between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. People instigating fights used to be frowned upon in our communities but nowadays people make a living monetizing drama as talk show and radio hosts, bloggers and vloggers. So to see two young women who are within the top 5 female artists within Hip Hop today, tear each other apart in a male dominated industry that already marginalizes them is not inspirational or empowering for other women; especially young black women who are striving to self-actualize their potential. As artists, and black women who share a common plight in America, there is much more they could accomplish with unity. Willfully this negativity exposes them to the downside of public feuds like this and inspires them to humbly learn from elder sisters; Queens such as MC Lyte, Salt-N-Pepa, YoYo, Heather B, Monie Love, Boss and of course Roxanne Shante’. Not only can their wisdom help Nicki Minaj and Cardi B navigate these treacherous waters, but it equips them to teach and train the next generations of women how to effortlessly walk on those waters. Both of these women do some amazing philanthropic work in various communities and it would be beautiful to see more coverage of that, perhaps even on a unified front. This beef, past beefs and any future beefs are ultimately lucrative for corporate controlled Hip Hop and the thousands of businesses and gossip columns that make a living off of the narrative of our drama. Culturally speaking, in a community where the highest value lies in our relationships, this is not good for the brotherhood and sisterhood of Hip Hop.

Peace,

Saladin

Apatheticons: The Non-Transformers

     As I grow older, and willfully wiser, my tolerance level for outright ignorance and apathy was begun to wane. In the age of so-called "Wokeness", I've never seen so many people asleep. Not sleep in a sense of being unaware; there's a lot of people who can recite Bodak Yellow, breakdown the season finale of Game of Thrones and recognize conscious posts to reshare on social media. I'm talking about sleep in a sense of inactivity. For example, I've had various jobs; I've worked as a cook, a roofer, I worked at the library in college and even worked as Dr. Frankenstein at a Haunted House before. In all of these instances I've worked with people who put more energy, effort and intelligence into avoiding their job than just doing their job! These people either constantly hid from work or they mastered the art of looking busy and not doing a damn thing. The worst part about it is that these people were oftentimes the Supervisors and Managers. It's frustrating and sometimes exhausting because now you gotta add a bunch of other duties to your job description. I'm not talking about duties as in "picking up other peoples slack." I'm just talking about the mental work of coming up with all kinds of stratagems to deal with their bullsh*t each and every day. THAT is a major issue many people have at their job and in their careers. Sometimes it's not the job or career itself, sometimes it's just the people. 

   Within the Nation of the Five Percent there exists some of the same lowly elements. At times I get tired of seeing and hearing the same bullsh*t from folks whose only claim to fame is a fancy sounding name. There's Facebook Groups I've been a part of I once deemed progressive that have deteriorated into group target practice on snapshots. We have nickel and dimers who will sell you anything to get paid, including sympathy for a loved ones death. You got people living in cities relying solely on social media to learn like they're being held hostage in the house and you have people who use children for photo ops to catfish people into believing "they're in the community." That's just some of the mess I've witnessed and none of them are doing anything significant to assist others, especially the most vulnerable members of our families and community. Although these individuals don't reflect the general mindset and body of the Five Percent, like with any group, it's important to address nonsense like this. Why? Because people need to know, including other Five Percenters, that this is not what we teach or what we're striving to achieve as a Nation. In fact, these people are what I call Apatheticons. 

   The Apatheticons are the main antagonists in the universe of the Enlightened and are usually led by one undeviating goal: to not do a damn thing. The "con", in addition to their apathy, is the self-deception and trickery they use to get out of doing anything. An easy way to identify them is the way that they move, no pun intended, on social media. They always have some criticism about what's going on yet never present their criticisms with evidence of a solution or what they're actually doing about it. It reminds me of someone I once had a conversation with who was going on and on about how our youth need a tutoring program and they would do it IF they got a grant. Mind you, we're standing right in front of the public library where citizens can reserve meeting rooms for free, a block away from the Dollar Store and this person has a decent paying job. It didn't even cross their mind that they could've just done it themselves by getting some supplies down the street, reserving a meeting room at the library and talking to parents about offering tutoring services. Hell, maybe they did. When I brought it to their attention they nodded their head in approval. Five years later they still haven't done anything and that "grant" still hasn't materialized. 

   Even though it's frustrating to deal with them, I don't want you to think that all hope is lost. In my book GAMES I outline various ways to deal with people like this, but here are some points related to Apatheticons:

• My book GAMES is a humorously sharp reference guide to transactional analysis, trick-knowledge and the psychology of people running game. In other words I teach readers how to recognize, analyze, and define various Games being played on them or Games they may be participating in such as Shoulda, Coulda Woulda. I also teach a person how to dismantle Games and replace them with behavior patterns that promote healthy relationships. You can check out Games and my other titles here: Quanaah Publishing.
• If a person, your own peer or older, is not convinced about the purpose or benefit of doing something, don't lose time searching for activity that clearly doesn't exist. They may become aware in the future, they may not, which is not a practical benefit right now. If a person cannot presently see it then don't expect them to be it. Work with those who already see the purpose and benefit of doing something. 
• I always start with three solid people when it comes to getting something done: Me, Myself and I. Once you get those three on board then it's easier to get others to add-on.
• In the age of social media people try to make a living off of selling others the idea of living. There's life coaches who don't have a team, IG models from the neck up and dudes recording videos in cars that aren't going anywhere. Something common among them, and others, is there is no practical evidence of what they're actually doing every day. Whatever their niche seems to be, research others who're in that field/industry to connect with those who are actually doing the work. An excellent example of a person who is actually doing the work is my God Brother Salim Adofo; a Multi Media Journalist, DJ, Freelance Writer, Video Producer, Social Justice Advocate, Photographer, Community Organizer and Educator in the DMV area. There's a consistency with what he shares on social media and what he's doing every day. His real life activism, outreach and visibility is a practical standard to use as an assessment tool for those who claim that they're doing the work. 
• If people aren't willing and able to put their own money up, they're not about that life right now so don't expect anything from them, right now. I emphasize "right now" because they may be willing to do it in the future. Whether they do or not, it's not our job to stand there to see if that seed grows; we got work to do right now. According to BlackEntrepreneur.com, black buying power in America was projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2017. So it's oftentimes not about people not having money. Yes this is the case, sometimes. Most of the time it's about our priorities and what we're spending our money on.

True transformation, on a personal level, within our families and inside of our communities require us to be proactive. We must be willing and able to step up and do the work because no one is going to save us. In doing the work we must be mindful of those who simply don't want to do the work and those who work harder to not do the work than just doing the work to begin with. We must learn effective stratagems to deal with them. Our sanity, sanctuary and sustainability of our world depends upon it.

Peace,

Saladin

Virginia Department of Corrections Removes Five Percent Nation STG Label

"Despite discomfort with labeling the NGE a religion, the Nation occupies a place in my heart, mind and life parallel to that filled by the orthodox belief in God/a Supreme Being in more mainstream religions which are widely accepted in the United States." -Kalvin Donnell Coward [Coward v. Robinson, Chief of Corrections Operations] 

   In a recent August 28th, 2017 Virginia Department of Corrections Court Decision, U.S. Eastern District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that, "After twenty-one years of tracking Five Percenters, the (Virginia Department of Corrections) has not produced sufficient evidence supporting its position that the gang designation is warranted and furthers a compelling state interest," This decision is two-fold: 1.) It removed the STG [Security Threat Group] label within the VDOC and 2.) It now recognizes the Five Percent Nation [AKA The NGE or Nation of Gods and Earths] as a religion. As a religion and no longer a STG, Five Percenters within the VDOC are now free to exercise their right to practice and have the equal protection under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States that was established in the 18th Century: 1791. As a religion, Five Percenters are now approved to operate in VDOC facilities along side other faiths such as Orthodox Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Asatru (Odinism), Eckankar, Integral Yoga, NOI [Nation of Islam], Santeria, Wicca and others that are less known. 

  Under the STG label, inmates who identify themselves as Five Percenters have not been allowed to practice the culture of the Five Percent, congregate, possess any of our literature, placed in solitary confinement because of their affiliation and even physically assaulted because of their unwillingness to denounce the culture. This is not something I'm speaking about as hearsay. These are experiences returning citizens have shared with me and what I know to be true from operating my Prison Correspondence Project for over a decade. There have been many occasions my books have been denied in facilities around the country, my letters and and work has been used as positive character evidence to support legal action to remove STG labels and Volunteer Service/Chaplain Departments contact me to request materials for Five Percenters in their facility. 

   Although many are unaware, according to a survey conducted by the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA), correctional departments in thirteen states don't recognize the Five Percent Nation as a religion. These states are Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and West Virginia. In these states Five Percenters are also often labeled a STG, singled out receive the harshest treatment. In contrast, there are fifteen states with correctional departments that do recognize the Five Percent Nation as a religion. Those states are Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island. In those states where the Five Percent Nation is recognized as a religion, members are afforded some privileges such as access our Lessons [120], Supreme Mathematics, the Supreme Alphabet, permission to gather, observe honor days [holidays] and have dietary alternatives.

   While there is a general consensus among the Five Percent that any STG label needs to be removed, one of the larger concerns that Five Percent Nation members outside of correctional departments ["in the free cipher"] have with this decision, and other department of corrections court decisions, is the lack of inclusion and the religious designation. In regards to inclusion, while some would argue that the decision of a few is a victory in the best interest of the many, the many have argued that they were not informed about or included in the decisions of the few until they read this and other court decisions in the news. 

   Since our formal inception we have consistently taught and fought the stereotype that we are not a gang. In fact, following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April of 1968, the Father [Allah] and many of his young Five Percenters accompanied Mayor John Lindsay walk the streets of Harlem to deter rioting/looting and express condolences to our community. It was the Father himself who once declared that we should "kill all religion." This kill religion declaration did not mean its members. This declaration meant to destroy the hierarchical structure that religions use to arrest the development of its members by keeping them blind, deaf and dumb while its leaders make themselves rich from their labor. All you need to do is take a cursory glance to see followers of any religion living hand to mouth while their leaders live in mansions. Some among the Five Percent even strive to do the same thing. This is one of the main reasons the Father worked diligently to disassociate himself and his Five Percenters from religious bodies or any groups or organizations that functionally undermined the elements of cultural freedom. In taking this non-religious stance, the Father and many other Five Percenters paid and still pay dearly for it. In my article American Horror Story: Asylum Allah & Azreal I elaborate on how his being remanded to the NYS Department of Mental Hygiene and confinement in Bellevue and Matteawan State Hospital for two years at the age of 37, was a direct result of his non-religious stance.

   On one side of the spectrum some members of the Five Percent are insensitive to the needs and plight of our brothers and sisters in the belly of beast. Their conservative perspective is, "They shouldn't be in there in the first place" and somehow deserve to be denied free access to our culture and all of its elements -even though most of these brothers and sisters are incarcerated for non-violent offences and clearly not a part of a gang or a STG. Their illogic seems to be that, "You can be the God, Earth or Civilized Person when you get out." I call it illogical because imagine where we would be as a people if everyone who was incarcerated waited until they got out to add their cultural contribution to the society. Think about that.

   On the other side of the spectrum are those who are anti-religion. They want nothing to do with the word itself, words related to it or actions that look like it. Some of them have been traumatized by their experience with religion. From their perspective, these brothers and sisters in correctional facilities filing lawsuits for the Nation to be designated a religion are selling our Father's birthright for creature comforts and to be accepted in society. You have those who think court decisions like this are a victory for us. Some think it's a lack of foresight and a failure. In all fairness, everyone who is sincere, who has the right attitude and the proper aptitude, should have unrestricted access to learning our culture. Then it only becomes a question of, how can we make that possible while maintaining its integrity? 

   In this August 28th, 2017 VDOC Court Decision, even though its plaintiff Kalvin Donnell Coward and witnesses Starmel Allah [Ricky Panayoty] and Born King Allah [Donald Palmer] articulated that the Five Percent Nation [AKA The NGE or Nation of Gods and Earths] is a culture, not a religion, it was Judge Leonie Brinkema's conclusion that: 

"the Court finds that the VDOC violated the plaintiffs rights under RLUIPA and the First Amendment by designating the NGE an STG thereby enforcing a zero tolerance policy that prohibits plaintiff from possessing his sacred texts and associating with other NGE adherents, and refusing to recognize the NGE as a religion. In accordance with this finding, the Department will be ordered to remove the STG designation from the NGE, recognize it as a religion, and afford it the rights and privileges enumerated in the Department's operating procedure for Offender Religious Programs, including but not limited to permitting NGE adherents to observe their four honor days, possess their foundational texts, and engage in communal worship, subject to the availability of an approved spiritual leader and under the necessary visual monitoring. This holding does not preclude the Department from placing restrictions on NGE adherents as necessary to maintain security and order, provided that the Department does so within the confines of RLUIPA and applicable prison policies. An appropriate order entering judgment consistent with this finding will be issued with this Memorandum Opinion."

   Because this Court Decision is now on record in the VDOC, as are similar decisions in department of corrections in other states, the question we must ask ourselves now is, "What's the next step?" For those who disagree with the VDOC Court Decision, are we willing to support legal action and be upstanding citizens who produce the cultural contributions that help define our identity within the context of culture? As I stated earlier, many of my contributions, what I presently do, and the public positions I hold is empirical evidence that we are not a religion or a gang. Keep in mind that this religious designation was credibly weighted by the plaintiffs religious "expert" and Muslim Prof. Michael Muhammad Knight who posits "the Nation [of the Five Percent] is every bit as much of a religion as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and other forms of Islam" and representing that "this view of the Nation is shared by most scholars in the academic study of religion." Although Knight, academics who study religion and other outsiders are respectfully entitled to their opinion, that opinion is not the perspective of our Founder or the general consensus of those of us who are of the Five Percent. Whether inside or outside of correctional facility, our culture is not a belief system, we don't engage in communal/corporate worship, we don't have a spiritual leader and we don't teach, as Coward stated in the court record, "a continued existence beyond this dense physical world, a continued existence that most religions refer to as the afterlife." 

   For those who agree with this or any Court decisions that designate us as a religion, are we willing to also support legal action and be upstanding citizens who produce the cultural contributions that help define our identity outside of the boundaries of those religious designations? Now that more of our brothers and sisters have access to our culture within the VDOC, how can we help ensure that they're learning this correctly and not manufacturing some quasi-religious hybrid that has no semblance of what the Father taught?

   In conclusion, I encourage you to not only read this court ruling, and other court rulings for that matter, but to research the court documents themselves in order to get a better understanding of what's going on and what you can do actually about it. Knowledge is the foundation, not assumption. You can research/download this document below

Virginia Department of Corrections Five Percent Nation Court Decision

Peace,
Saladin

Lily Dale: The City of Light

   

   According to the history published by The Supernatural Fox Sisters, "In 1844, a Dr. Moran of Vermont was invited to give a series of talks on Mesmerism in Laona, NY. His talks inspired residents Jeremiah Carter and William Johnson to create experiments emulating Dr. Moran’s work. While in a mesmeric state, Jeremiah Carter became entranced and communicated as another entity called Dr. Hedges. After this event, interest grew in connecting with spirits in this manner, and in 1850 a society of Spiritualists and Liberals was organized."

   It goes on the say, "The camp was initially called Cassadaga Lake Free Association, but in 1903 it was renamed The City of Light after becoming the first community in the area to get electric lights. In 1906 the name was changed to the Lily Dale Assembly after the abundant water lilies found in the lake. In 1873, Willard Alden invited the group to picnic at what is now the Leolyn Hotel on the Lily Dale assembly grounds, with the intent of dedicating the grove for the use of Spiritualists. In 1875 the First Spiritualist Society of Laona was formed. The day-long conferences in Alden’s grove eventually developed into a longer summer gathering after Jeremiah Carter was moved by spirit voices telling him to start a camp there. In 1879, after Willard Alden passed into the spirit world, the Spiritualist Society purchased the 20 acres of land along Cassadaga Lake."

   Today people come from across the nation to visit Lily Dale; a gated community that has now expanded to 167 acres which includes a Fire Hall, many homes, a library, museum, cafes, a couple hotels, guesthouses, a beach, a campground and a couple gift shops. I had an opportunity to visit Lily Dale recently and below is an episode of Atlantis Build Talk Radio where I share my experience and a recording of a Chakra reading given to me by a woman who called herself a Chakra Intuitive. 

Peace,
Saladin 

The Anusha Anti-Aging, Hair Growth and Extreme Skincare Serums

   

In the Spring I had the pleasure of conducting a two-part interview with Scientist/Inventor Terry Lee Hamilton on Atlantis Build Talk Radio. In Part 1 of these interviews we discussed his journey as a Scientist, his inventions and different sciences of life such as the Fibonacci Sequence, Extraterrestrial Life, Physics, Einstein and etc. A self-taught Scientist/Inventor from Western New York, Hamilton designed the antennae and coupler interface system for Stico Industries that resolved Homeland Security's communications issues on 9/11 and was used during Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy and other disasters in the U.S. While employed at a company named Nanodynamics he was also responsible for helping improve the process to sustain  the power and voltage output of the fuel cell. In Part 2 of these interviews Hamilton discusses various serums he created from a molecular level for removing wrinkles, reversing the aging process, hair growth, balding, skin rashes, herpes 1 and 2, shingles and other ailments. We also discuss how these serums work with our cells in relationship to the immune system, alkaline vs acidic body environments, Herbalism and other insightful topics. You can listen to both of these interviews here:

Scientist of Life Part 1

The Science of Invention Part 2

   Following these interviews and in partnership with Hamilton, we developed a line of three primary serums called Anusha that are now exclusively available through my company Quanaah Herbal Accents. The serums come in three versions of various sizes [2 oz to 8 oz] of the Extreme Skincare Serum, Anti-Aging Skincare Serum and Hair Growth Serum. While all of these specialized formulas focus on different areas of the body, all of them penetrate all three layers of the skin and consist of Antioxidants, Anti-Inflammation ingredients, Hydrators and Enzymes that are non-GMO, non-artificial and nut, shellfish and gluten free. Some of the other specs of the Anusha Serums are as follows:

• The serum molecules are smaller than lotions and creams. This allows the serum to easily penetrate all three layers of the skin.
• Lotions and creams are ineffective in penetrating the three layers of the skin because their molecules are larger than the serums.
• The serums are high concentrated formulas so only a small amount needs to applied to affected areas of the skin, hair and scalp.
• No or mild inflammatory, irritation or immunogenic responses were reported from the serums clinical trials and clients.
• The serums are not animal tested, non-GMO and don't consist of any artificial ingredients or allergens such as nuts, shellfish or gluten. 

   If you're interested in purchasing the Anusha Serums you can do so at our website here: Anusha Serums. To read more technical information about the Anusha Serums you can go here: Anusha Serum Technical Information. 

   If you are interested in purchasing the Extreme Skincare Serum, Anti-Aging Skincare Serum and Hair Growth Serum, please email Quanaah Herbal Accents at: atlantisbuild@gmail.com for further information.

Peace,

Saladin

13 Ways To Survive Living In Chicago

   
   In my STYA After School Program recently some of my students were putting me on to some of their favorite Rappers, most who came from Chicago. I began to recognize a pattern beyond the Drill style rap music and gritty lyrics; many of these young rappers were no longer here. Song after song my students would share with me the gruesome tale behind these young men getting murdered. Since 2014 there's been dozens of young Chicago rappers, many of them teenagers, whose blood was spilled in the streets. 

   In 2016 there were 762 murders in the city of Chicago; the total leading number of murders in the United States with the majority being black men under forty years of age. According to the number of murders reported to the FBI based upon cities with a population of 25,000 residents and above, Chicago Heights, IL was ranked #30 on the list of murder capitals of the world in 2016. Places like Birmingham Alabama, Myrtle Beach South Carolina, Riviera Beach Florida and twenty-five other cities outranked Chicago Heights as murder capitals. For the second year in a row East St. Louis was ranked #1 with a crime index of 3%, meaning it's only safer than 3% of the cities in the United States. Chicago Heights was safer than 15% of the cities in the United States. 

   Whenever we're looking at statistics like this, coupled with sensationalized news stories, some of us could easily get the impression that Chicago is 1980's Beirut or the present day West Bank. While there is definitely a disproportionate amount of violence going on in some Chicago communities in comparison to other communities that are the same size, it's also important to keep in mind that a white person is about six times more likely to be killed by another white person than somebody black. The media's lack of coverage on this white on white violence is virtually nonexistent in comparison to its obsessive compulsion of black on black violence. Considering that propaganda we still cannot dismiss the narrative of those who live and have grown up in Chicago who see this carnage. I've lived there myself for a few months on the South Side, South Lowe to be exact, back in the early 2000's. Since that time, and with it's growing poverty and community deterioration, it's gotten much worst. Depending upon Politicians to fix it is equivalent to expecting Physicians to help regulate Big Pharma. There's no silver bullet and it requires a concerted effort of grassroots initiatives of dedicated community members to change the culture of violence in Chicago and transform its socioeconomic landscape. In the meantime, these Changemakers must survive in order to have an opportunity to strive. Here is something one of my sister's named Tanya shared that highlights some basic rules for how to survive in Chicago. Tanya is a professional hairstylist that was born, raised and currently resides in Chicago:

1. Don't sit in cars kicking it.
2. Get EVERYTHING you need and get to your destination.
3. Keep your eyes and ears open! Watch your surrounding instead of running your mouth.
4. Know who you're hanging with and what they're up to.
5. Google numbers, order your food ahead of time don't sit in local spots.
6. Track the bus if you have to ride it. That bus stop stuff is dead. Also if it does not look safe always walk a block up.
7. Don't be listening to your headphones, you gotta hear stuff.
8. Don't sit and watch when people getting rowdy KEEP IT MOVING!!
9. If you get into a confrontation assess your situation first before you snap. You never know what a person got on them. Forget being tough. Make it back home.
10. If something don't look right trust your instinct. If you hear gun shots get down quickly until it stops.
11. Don't loiter in front of the house like an easy target!! Don't run unless someone is shooting at you.
12. When in public, keep your face out of your phone, and your phone out of your face. Keep that $500 object hidden. Period.
13. Don't mix BEING CAUTIOUS with BEING SCARY. Forget what somebody thinks, make it back home to your FAMILY!!!!

   Although these survival tips relate to communities in Chicago, they are also applicable to other communities around the country and internationally. I've been to hoods in Canada these tips apply to as well. It's also worth mentioning that from 1980 to 2008, 53.3% of gang-homicides were committed by white offenders and 56.3% of gang-homicide victims were white according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. This means that there are communities that are predominately white and poor where these survival tips also apply. In fact, black people, especially males, need to follow these survival tips in any predominately white communities that are poor and especially when they're affluent. Historically there's been countless examples of blacks being racially profiled, harassed, criminalized, incarcerated, assaulted and murdered simply because they were in a white person's neighborhood. 

Peace,
Saladin

Who are the 85%?

In the 1950s a Psychologist by the name of Solomon Asch did a series of social experiments on human conformity called The Ash Conformity Experiments. These experiments began with a perceptual exercise. A group of 6 people were asked to participate in a study where they would all sit at a table and be shown a series of cards with one target line on one side and three comparison lines on the other side.

The participants would then be asked one by one which comparison line matches the target line. One by one they all choose the correct answer when the first and second card is shown. Of the 6 people participating, 5 of them were previously instructed to unanimously give the wrong answer when the third card is shown. This is unknown to 1 participant, the subject, who is now positioned to either say what they know to be correct or go along with the group just to fit in, knowing that the answer is wrong. There were 18 different cards shown and the 5 participants unanimously gave the wrong answer on 12 of those cards.

While most people said they would say what they knew to be correct and not go along with the group, researchers found that 75% of the subjects conformed and gave the wrong answer at least once. When the experiment concluded it was then revealed to the subject that the 5 other participants were instructed to unanimously give the wrong answer. When the subject was asked why they went along with the group just to fit in the answers Asch received ranged from self doubt, fear of being ridiculed by the others and the honest belief that the majority’s answers were correct. There were others who did not conform and of course they were in the minority. Keep in mind that this study was conducted on white male undergraduates of the same age range; a conformed racial, gender, cultural group. Given different racial, cultural, gender, age and socioeconomic backdrops researchers may see different results. Although this was the case, there is much to learned about conformity and one's sense of justice, especially when there are no visible signs of a reward or penalty for not conforming. 

Asch’s primary reason for conducting these experiments was to study how group behavior can influence an individual. What researchers recognized in these experiments are two forms of social conformity: Normative and Informational. Normative Conformity happens when people want to be accepted or liked, such as peer pressure and following music/fashion trends. Informational Conformity happens when people go along based on the belief that others are right or have more accurate information. Whether it was normative or informational social influence, the 75% of the subjects Asch identified as conformists are similar to the 85% within the Five Percent lexicon.

Within our lessons, some of the characteristics used to describe the 85% and their susceptibility to normative and informational social influence are, “poisonous animal eaters” [poor diet choices/not health conscious], “slaves from a mental death and power”, “do not know their origin in this world” [disoriented/lacking a cultural identity], “worship what they know not” [blind followers/non-critical thinkers], “easily led in the wrong direction but hard to be led in the right direction” [naive/easily manipulated], “worshipping that which they cannot see, invisible”, "do not let the 5% teach them" [stubborn/incorrigible], “they believe -in the 10%- on face value” [naive/easily manipulated] and others. In our language of Mathematics 8 is Build [and Destroy] and 5 is Power so the 85% are often referred to as a “Build Power” because this is exactly what they need to do in order to be a master of their destiny, not be mastered. Note that 8 + 5 = 13 and the 13th letter in our Alphabet is “M” for Master; the apex response to “What is his [or her] own self?” as our 13^th degree in our section of lessons known as the 1-36 asks us. Not all normative and informational social influence is bad. Some social pressure is important to maintain the integrity of a community against social decay and some of us do have more accurate information we should trust in after further investigation. As the 5%, or free thinking minority in Asch’s experiments who did not conform to the group, we teach, train and learn from others what’s necessary to rise above the gravitational pull of negative normative and informational social influences. This requires more than personal integrity or the audacity to stand out or stand alone. Among other things, it requires a sound premise [Knowledge = Foundation] of facts to stand upon, self confidence, the skills to defend our position and being inoculated against the potential ridicule, sabotage and loss that can come along with being a non-conformist. 

 Sheeple and Social Economic Engineering

Allah, affectionately known as “The Father”, who started the Five Percent Nation in 1964 began as a non-conformist. He stood alone and didn’t claim affiliation with any religious, political or Black Nationalist groups during one of the most turbulent times in American history. He taught youth that many in society perceived as incorrigible without a college education, a program grant, a paycheck or for community service hours. He just cared enough about his community, especially the youth, to do everything within his power to help transform its condition and help inspire, empower and educate them to be its future leaders. It's a tough path that demands resilience and the knowing that we may very well lose our life standing out or standing alone for what we know to be true. As evidenced by the problems we see in this world, most aren't willing to do this. Most people, we refer to as the 85%, means "the majority" or those who go along to get along even if it's wrong; like the silent majority who voted America into the mess #45 is making. Being of the majority doesn't make a person inherently evil, inferior, untalented nor are the names 85%, Build Power or Eighty Fiver a coded racial epithet Five Percenter's use to discriminate against or ridicule people. This, among other words/phrases we use in our language, is a sociological term used to coherently define how most people function within society; a society where a crony capitalistic minority, often deemed The 1% [we call the 10%], use social influence to monopolize its resources, institutions and economy. A question I always get from people who are striving to learn more about the Five Percent is, "Can the 85% ever become the Five Percent?" and my answer has been consistently the same: HERE. 

While many within the Five Percent commonly consider "Who" are the 85% as a means to define those who fit the description within our lessons, as evidenced by what some of us choose to do and how we choose to do it, it's clear that we may overlook the "When", "Where" and "How" are the 85%. There are moments or ways of thinking about ourselves and the world that are of the 85%. There are places that are Build Power domains. There are also procedures and social norms that dictate the function of an Eighty Fiver. In many cases, and without recognizing there's a difference between Who, When, Where and How, it's hard to even tell the difference between the 85% and those who call themselves the Five Percent. Either because of a person's social media persona, their close affiliations or the sheer lack of youth advocacy and community outreach in their neighborhood and city as a whole. So this question, "Who are the 85%?" is our 14th degree for a reason: it's synonymous with knowing our culture as 1 is Knowledge and 4 is Culture. It's about self evaluation, growth and development, not sitting on a high horse pointing our fingers to ostracize a segment of our human family. Besides, an Eighty Fiver may be the very one to save you or one of your family member's life while your Five Percent bestie is only in a position to say "Peace!"

Peace,

Saladin