New Music From Cassidy: R.A.I.D. (Robert Ass Is Dead) (Meek Mill Diss)
10 Minute joint by Cassidy done in response to Meek Mill's "Repo" Listen to both and leave your thoughts
Photo: hothiphopdetroit.com
Monday, January 7, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Proud Newark Moment: Against all odds, Newark woman rose above the mean streets and now lifts other underdogs
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on January 06, 2013 at 12:16 AM, updated January 06, 2013 at 1:15 AM
This feature is part of "I Am New Jersey," a Star-Ledger series profiling some of the people who make the Garden State special.
We have found Superwoman.
Consider her credentials and see what I mean.
She left a state job at the age of 24 to start a foundation in Newark that helps at-risk children and poor families escape hellish conditions she knows all too well.
She calls herself the residue of the 1980s, a kid from the crack era that ravaged cities and her Newark family. She says her teenage-prostitute mother traded her for sex with drugs, when she was 7. Her dad, a convicted murderer, was an addict, too. Both lost their battle to drugs, dying from AIDS.
Christine Carter lived everywhere, it seems, before clawing her way to college on a full scholarship. She moved 14 times, from Newark public housing developments to shelters, foster homes to group homes. Abusive relatives and the streets were in the mix, too.
Despite all this, in only 31 years, she has created a foundation for underdogs — like she was once — called Against All Odds, which tells the underdogs they can make it.
"My story is the story of many," Carter says. "Against All Odds exists solely to ensure that one child’s success becomes the norm and not the exception."
She started with nothing six years ago, but her organization grew to employ 15 full-time and 150 part-time employees in after-school programs offering a buffet of social services.
Only one time has this survivor had doubts about herself or the ultimate success of her mission. It happened on a recent night at Christian Love Baptist Church in Irvington.
While telling her story, she began to cry and she couldn’t stop. It was not that her marriage ended last year or her two children — Caidance, 9, and Christian, 5 — would have to adjust. Or that she was thinking about her Nana, the great-grandmother — now gone — who tried to raise her at Seth Boyden, a Newark public housing complex on the demolition blocks.
Carter had just gotten word that social agencies like hers in the state lost federal funding for their programs. A week later, she learned the community center she supports with her own money had to move sooner than expected. For the first time, she was not sure about her work, shaken that things seem to be falling apart.
"Why me?" she said to the church. "I never asked God that before."
Faythe Allen and Carol Mitchell know she’ll make it. They’ve seen her strength as a student at the old Clifford Scott High School in East Orange.
No one knew the prom queen and class president was homeless. No one knew she carried books in a suitcase or that she washed up in the bathroom. "That’s how well she hid it," says Allen, her teacher. "She never complained. She had an inward motivation we don’t see often in our young people."
Carter was shouldering adult responsibilities that many adults can’t handle. She worked two jobs — one at a day care center, the other at a Wendy’s after she forged her birth certificate to say she was old enough for employment.
Even though she got home well past midnight, Carter was never late for school. On Sundays, she stayed in church, singing in the choir, joining the junior usher board.
Her independence is something that made a lasting impression on Mitchell, who hired Carter to work at Sears, her next gig after Wendy’s.
"I’ve never seen anyone at 15 manage a checkbook," Mitchell says. "I couldn’t figure out why she was doing it."
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She used the money for Lamar, her kid brother she kept tabs on.
No one knew that, either.
Carter had no time to be coddled, no one to kiss her wounds. She was failing her classes until Allen sat her down and got her focused, telling her that education was her way out of the mess she was in.
"She knew that when she walked across that stage at graduation, she had to have a plan," Allen says.
Carter pulled straight A’s her senior year, then packed up a U-haul and drove to Norfolk State University on a full scholarship. She graduated with a degree in social work, putting it to use with the state Division of Youth and Family Services.
After a year, Carter was on the move again, this time to start her foundation in 2006 with a bank loan. It was a risky move and not practical, but Carter did it anyway. Like most who run nonprofits, she struggled — until her organization took off after it received a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Carter’s is a story many want to hear. And when they do, audiences are captivated, listening intensely, hanging on her every word.
At Newark Emergency Services, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room when she finished talking to clients about resilience. Many of them opened up to her, sharing their personal hell as she walked the room, hugging them after a session that lasted nearly three hours.
She was so riveting the agency brought her back a week later, making the life skills workshop its most popular one to date.
"The room was just as full and people brought their friends," says Deneen Jackson, deputy executive director of programs and services. "She made them feel like they could take on the world."
That’s hard to do in a city where nonprofit organizations seem to come and go. One of her biggest supporters, Rep. Donald Payne Jr., mistakenly thought Carter was another fly-by-night person with grand intentions when he first met her.
"At times I call Newark the ‘Non-profits R Us’ because everybody wants to start one," Payne Jr. says. "But she’s different. She’s putting clothes on kids’ backs, making junkies go to rehab. She’s one of the few who does the work. When she says she’s on it, she’s on it."
Carter is constantly on her cell phone, its screen filled with text messages, figuring out ways to fund her organization. She works with other community groups, showing them how to make their programs successful. In the midst of it all, she continues to be a constant source of encouragement for others, finding little time for herself to wind down.
Right now she’s mentoring a 16-year-old girl whose mother recently died. And she’s keeping track of Minnie Cuevas, a Newark woman who latched onto her for guidance after they met two months ago.
"She gives me a sense of motivation," Cuevas says. "She’s in tune with me and I’m in tune with her. I’m about action right now."
Carter, who is driven by a passion to serve, doesn’t mind giving back this way. It keeps her sane and purposeful, knowing things will get better if you’re willing to get your act together.
"This is God’s work," she told the church that night she cried. "It’s the only plausible explanation for the hell I went through."
Carter is not bitter about her life, although she often wonders what triggered her parents’ path to addiction. She thinks about her mom, especially this time of year because she died on Christmas Eve.
In her own way, Carter has let go of the past with forgiveness so she can move on and not slide into the mode of victim.
"There’s no ‘Woe is me,’ there is no pity party," she says. "It’s always ‘How I can turn this around and help somebody else?’ Otherwise it was all for nothing."
After she dried her tears at church, Carter looked out from the pulpit and urged the congregation to lean on her if they needed help.
No one did.
They wanted her to lean on them instead. About 60 people came up after the benediction and offered to volunteer with her organization.
"God is getting ready to do something great in your life," Pastor Ron Christian said that night.
Weeks later, the unexpected happened.
The federal funding for New Jersey community-based organizations like hers was reinstated. And she found a new home for her community center, too.
"I’m still standing," Carter says. "After everything, I’m still standing through it all."
After beating odds like those, how can she go wrong?
Photos: NJ.com
Photo Captions: Christine Carter of Newark has created a foundation for underdogs - like she was once - called Against All Odds, which tells the underdogs they can make it. Jennifer Brown/The Star-Ledger
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Hottest Wedding Dance Ever !!! Must See !!!
Get Down To Missy Elliot's "Lose Control"
Photo: worldstarhiphop.com
Obama Newtown Speech: President Addresses Vigil For Sandy Hook Shooting Victims (FULL TEXT)
- From huffingtonpost.com
President Obama spoke at a prayer vigil in Newton, Connecticut on Sunday in honor of the victims of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Below, read Obama's full remarks as provided by the White House: THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, Governor. To all the families, first responders, to the community of Newtown, clergy, guests -- Scripture tells us: “…do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away…inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” We gather here in memory of twenty beautiful children and six remarkable adults. They lost their lives in a school that could have been any school; in a quiet town full of good and decent people that could be any town in America. Here in Newtown, I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation. I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts. I can only hope it helps for you to know that you’re not alone in your grief; that our world too has been torn apart; that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you, we’ve pulled our children tight. And you must know that whatever measure of comfort we can provide, we will provide; whatever portion of sadness that we can share with you to ease this heavy load, we will gladly bear it. Newtown -- you are not alone. As these difficult days have unfolded, you’ve also inspired us with stories of strength and resolve and sacrifice. We know that when danger arrived in the halls of Sandy Hook Elementary, the school’s staff did not flinch, they did not hesitate. Dawn Hochsprung and Mary Sherlach, Vicki Soto, Lauren Rousseau, Rachel Davino and Anne Marie Murphy -- they responded as we all hope we might respond in such terrifying circumstances -- with courage and with love, giving their lives to protect the children in their care. We know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside classrooms, and kept steady through it all, and reassured their students by saying “wait for the good guys, they’re coming”; “show me your smile.” And we know that good guys came. The first responders who raced to the scene, helping to guide those in harm’s way to safety, and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shock and trauma because they had a job to do, and others needed them more. And then there were the scenes of the schoolchildren, helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young children sometimes do; one child even trying to encourage a grown-up by saying, “I know karate. So it’s okay. I’ll lead the way out.” (Laughter.) As a community, you’ve inspired us, Newtown. In the face of indescribable violence, in the face of unconscionable evil, you’ve looked out for each other, and you’ve cared for one another, and you’ve loved one another. This is how Newtown will be remembered. And with time, and God’s grace, that love will see you through. But we, as a nation, we are left with some hard questions. Someone once described the joy and anxiety of parenthood as the equivalent of having your heart outside of your body all the time, walking around. With their very first cry, this most precious, vital part of ourselves -- our child -- is suddenly exposed to the world, to possible mishap or malice. And every parent knows there is nothing we will not do to shield our children from harm. And yet, we also know that with that child’s very first step, and each step after that, they are separating from us; that we won’t -- that we can’t always be there for them. They’ll suffer sickness and setbacks and broken hearts and disappointments. And we learn that our most important job is to give them what they need to become self-reliant and capable and resilient, ready to face the world without fear. And we know we can’t do this by ourselves. It comes as a shock at a certain point where you realize, no matter how much you love these kids, you can’t do it by yourself. That this job of keeping our children safe, and teaching them well, is something we can only do together, with the help of friends and neighbors, the help of a community, and the help of a nation. And in that way, we come to realize that we bear a responsibility for every child because we’re counting on everybody else to help look after ours; that we’re all parents; that they’re all our children. This is our first task -- caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged. And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children -- all of them -- safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know that they are loved, and teaching them to love in return? Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose? I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change. Since I’ve been President, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by a mass shooting. The fourth time we’ve hugged survivors. The fourth time we’ve consoled the families of victims. And in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small towns and big cities all across America -- victims whose -- much of the time, their only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law -- no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society. But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this. If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from the grief that has visited Tucson, and Aurora, and Oak Creek, and Newtown, and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg before that -- then surely we have an obligation to try. In the coming weeks, I will use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens -- from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators -- in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. Because what choice do we have? We can’t accept events like this as routine. Are we really prepared to say that we’re powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom? All the world’s religions -- so many of them represented here today -- start with a simple question: Why are we here? What gives our life meaning? What gives our acts purpose? We know our time on this Earth is fleeting. We know that we will each have our share of pleasure and pain; that even after we chase after some earthly goal, whether it’s wealth or power or fame, or just simple comfort, we will, in some fashion, fall short of what we had hoped. We know that no matter how good our intentions, we will all stumble sometimes, in some way. We will make mistakes, we will experience hardships. And even when we’re trying to do the right thing, we know that much of our time will be spent groping through the darkness, so often unable to discern God’s heavenly plans. There’s only one thing we can be sure of, and that is the love that we have -- for our children, for our families, for each other. The warmth of a small child’s embrace -- that is true. The memories we have of them, the joy that they bring, the wonder we see through their eyes, that fierce and boundless love we feel for them, a love that takes us out of ourselves, and binds us to something larger -- we know that’s what matters. We know we’re always doing right when we’re taking care of them, when we’re teaching them well, when we’re showing acts of kindness. We don’t go wrong when we do that. That’s what we can be sure of. And that’s what you, the people of Newtown, have reminded us. That’s how you’ve inspired us. You remind us what matters. And that’s what should drive us forward in everything we do, for as long as God sees fit to keep us on this Earth. “Let the little children come to me,” Jesus said, “and do not hinder them -- for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Charlotte. Daniel. Olivia. Josephine. Ana. Dylan. Madeleine. Catherine. Chase. Jesse. James. Grace. Emilie. Jack. Noah. Caroline. Jessica. Benjamin. Avielle. Allison. God has called them all home. For those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on, and make our country worthy of their memory. May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in His heavenly place. May He grace those we still have with His holy comfort. And may He bless and watch over this community, and the United States of America. (Applause.) Photo: proglib.newsvine.com
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
The New Fictional Novel by Author Khadija Craddock Awakened (Wak Series)
The New Fictional Novel by Author Khadija Craddock
Awakened (Wak Series)
description
Alaya Eveland is an aspiring track star at Equinox High in Equinox, Florida. She was beginning to make a name for herself throughout the city for her amazing speed and her infallible track record, but her obsession with being the fastest young woman in the world causes her to kill her mother and herself. Miraculously she was given a second chance at life. However, Alaya is too grief stricken to care much about her school career and only focuses on track and Octavius, a striking mysterious boy in her class. She is drawn to Octavius in ways beyond words, but she doesn't know why. Despite having a best friend and a crush on her teammate Shemroy, she still feels a heavy amount of burden and pain from killing her mother. But it seems maybe she was really better off dead, for she soon learns she needs blood to sustain her life, her father has to kill her for existing, her ex-boyfriend has gone rogue, her favorite adversary has gone missing and people end up dead. Nothing is as it seems and no one is who they say; not even Alaya.
You can purchase Awakened (Wak Series) here on Amazon !
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