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Miss Blurbette
Miss Blurbette: As a single mother, Blurbette is your typical down-home-Mid-western girl next door…except, well- she’s Black, Southern born, living with disability, Agnostic, wayyyy left of center and doesn’t actually live next door to you-or does she? Blurbette has been writing social and political commentary with a feministic edge since that ill-received 4th grade paper entitled “The Legacy of Frederick Douglass: Why I must choose between chocolate or white milk.” Oh yes, you love her already.
Dr. eRiC Durham aka ghettoGEEK
ghettoGEEK: Dr. eRiC Durham is the embodiment of the Organic Intellectual. He is committed to using passionate, relevant, and engaging scholarship to affect significant change within traditionally marginalized and disenfranchised communities. His books, Before Barack, There Was Tupac. and Bustin’ Gats Through Spittin Raps, are evidence of his commitment to oppressed groups; especially those within Hip-Hop culture. As an academic who often sees the value of intellect found in areas void of formal (or decent) educational systems. Dr. Durham is generally seen as a outkast, a pariah, an….anomaly. Hence, his writing is brilliant.
Stephanie Jones
Stephanie Jones is a wife, mother, social activist, conscientious agitator, social worker and writer in Seattle. She holds degrees in accounting, contract administration, sociology and organizational systems. Stephanie’s focus is on homelessness and incarceration with emphasis on systemic white supremacy within those institutions. Translation: she knows what she’s talking about.
Sable Verity
Sable Verity is a reporter and commentator based in Seattle who covers social and political issues for KBCS Radio and a number of online and print news outlets. All of this is her fault.
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Sable Verity is a reporter and commentator based in Seattle who covers social and political issues for KBCS Radio and a number of online and print news outlets. All of this is her fault. 
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Not to mention Book Snape:’Snape seemed to be in as much pain as the yelping dog inside the burning hut’”You dare use MY own spells against me, Potter?! I AM THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE!!!”*slashes Harry’s cheek with his wand* compared to Movie Snape:”I am the Half-Blood Prince.” *just knocks him to the ground and leaves with the rest. May not be totally accurate because I haven’t watched the movie enough to remember. Such a shame to say that about my favorite series when if it were any other of the movies would be a totally different story.
Ok first of all, you all need to calm down, and be realistic. Stop saying that you could have made the films better, because that is a blatant lie. Even if you don’t like the changes from the books, the movie was still made well. All the things that make up a good movie were there. Good storyline(i’ll get to that later), good enough acting, good effects, not too long and entertaining.
I’ve noticed that a lot of people hate the inclusion of the destruction of the burrow. I can understand why, as it is not in the book, contributes very little to the story, and brings up some problems for film 7. The fact that is not in the book should not be a big deal. Yes, the books were great. Yes, they are better than the movies. But they are NOT the movies. The scene at the burrow helps to emphasize the fact that Harry is in constant danger. And I think it gets the point across, while remaining entertaining.
Next, the end battle at Hogwarts. While it would have been amazing to see, it will still be in the 7th movie. The film-makers wanted to avoid repetition, and for good reason. Although ok in a series of BOOKS, repetition is bad in MOVIES. THIS IS A MOVIE! The studio DOES want to make money. If they didn’t have money, there would be no movie in the first place, good or bad. It is not bad that they want to make money. And if they want to make money, they have to make the films more commercially appealing to people other than just fans of the books. This means adding some scenes, taking away some scenes and shortening the book into something less than 3 hours long…which is not easy.
I think from the looks of the trailer that the 7th movie will be great. Even if they change some things. Also on a side note, I’ve heard that the 7th might pen with Dumbledores funeral.
And if you don’t like the movies, TOUGH! They can’t please everyone.
I also think this is the best movie so far. It was entertaining and captured the SPIRIT of the book.
It’s about time kids were educated abt life in the services, so they avoid the horrors we lived thru.
curtis i hate you with all my might you killed my little brother and you will regret once your in dat jail cell 4 a while cuz you killed a person that was important 2 the community AND MORE IMPORTANT VERY IMPORTANT 2 ME its been almost 3 months since it happen and i still cant believe out of all people my little brother iz gone out my life dam idk wat 2 do but R.I.P ALAJAWAN and sissy loves and always will I MISS YOU SOOOOOOOOO MUCH
From this distance it seems the same. We appreciate your disinterested reflection on the political turbulence.
This behaviour is chilling. My best regards to those who bear it with composure. We are all men & we all shoulder the burden. )
I grew up mostly in south seattle, but I grew up in the central district and in west seattle aswell. I am 18 yrs.old and Ive seen so much tramatizing behavior going on in my community. Every young men that were killed in 2008 I knew in some kind of way. It extremely bothers me every single day of the rest of my life. I go back and visit some times nd I see alot of the same faces and I always talk to them and preach. I want to start an organization to help my community, but I want to know who’s with me and willing and ready for that next step and change. Im willing to be heard and start a new journey even for myself and my famiy. Thank you ALL…. WE HAVE TO STICK TOGETHER AND MAKE A CHANGE AND ENOUGH SAID AND START THE ACTION….. GOD BLESS AND MUCH LOVE FOR THE 206…
♥♥♥♥♥♥hey lil bro its your big sis i miss you soooo much right now I LOVE YOU LIL BRO!!!!!!!you are still that loving,caring,outgoing,silly person and i miss that soo much!!!!!!!R.I.P LIL BROTHER AND BE SAFE UP THERE I LOVE BRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Kudos to this. I HATE when people say we ought to ban the word. To me, it strips people of learning and of accepting responsibility. It breeds laziness. Plus, the whole adage of “well, Black people use it, so it shouldn’t matter” is the dumbest logic I’ve ever heard. Keep it alive, and in turn, discussions like these can take place, and folks will, at the very least, gain alternate insights. What they choose to do with it is up to them…
Banning Words and Books are stupid. That is all.
Somehow you managed to take a very simple concept and make it eloquent and persuasive. Thank you for that.
Wow. Loved that you incorporated Huck Finn into this. I remember that we did read it in 7th grade, but the teacher took the (3) black students aside first. Ugh! It’s a word. It exists. It has existed for a long time. They didn’t take the Jewish kids aside when we studied the Holocaust. And yes, Huck Finn is an excellent way to start a dialogue on the very things people seem to think it’s espousing. Loved that book, by the way.
Also loved your last sentence. ” Because as a Black person, I can tell you unequivocally I’ve been treated like a nigger more than I’ve ever been called a nigger.” So true.
“The Mayor is making things happen for Belltown, transit and light rail interests groups, developers and the downtown business community.”
This Mayor, as with our previous one, has abandoned our City’s growth and development goals and policies as expressed by our Comprehensive Plan and neighborhood plans in order to pursue their own development and growth objectives which are based on the needs of wealthy downtown interests and developers and is (inappropriately) wrapped up in the mantle of environmentalism.
These actions are meant to serve a population not yet here – working in empty downtown office space, living in tiny overpriced unsellable downtown condos (’cause of da poo!), or living in unbuilt transit communities designated for neighborhoods of color and riding the country’s most expensive and underused transit system.
What is expendable in this transaction are the needs of our neighborhoods and existing population. These neighborhoods of Seattle – each unique, with its own set of problems and solutions – are left by the wayside as Seattle, that great city, becomes Seattle, that Great City.
Bill, that last sentence FULLY sums it up. Thanks for your comment.
Here we go again…
Banning the N-word (or any word), apart from being practically impossible, smacks of an attempt to impose Orwellian Newspeak on society. Of course, historical documents (fictional or not) present a challenge; do we rewrite history to remove the word from Huck Finn or documents of record? Doesn’t that amount to a white-washing of history?
Personally, I can’t and won’t use the word in casual conversation because I find it so offensive. I would prefer that it had not become part of the common vernacular, and that is weren’t tossed around as casually as it is. At the same time, I can appreciate the motivations for trying to reclaim the word (e.g. Dan Savage & faggot). Unfortunately, I don’t think most kids using the N-word are doing so with any political or ironic intent.
If black people can say it and white people can’t, then who owns it? Maybe that means it has been reclaimed…?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reclaimed_word
Two of my favorite songs on the subject (both from 1991):
Ice Cube – Straight Up Nigga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc-4azsCrIk
Public Enemy – I Don’t Wanna Be Called Yo Nigga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9KJOtQclOA
First let me be clear that I am not anti-muslim, and I know that not every muslim has jihadists beliefs or is a jihad. Although I am christian, I grew up listening to Louis Farahkan, and have always respected celebrated Islamic religion and Culture or any culture for that matter. With that being said, here is what I have to say. being a patriot for this country and having served 4 years honorable service in the USMC, I feel like it is a slap in the face. Whether I am right or wrong, that’s how I feel about it. on the other hand, I do see how when a certain group of people do something extreme, Americans build a phobia around that group of people. After Pearl Harbor in WWII, no person of asian decent was safe or exempt from internment camps here in Washington state. Fear creates hate, certainly.
My brother served in Iraq. He was a Muslim.
Very good post. Laura (I refuse to call her doctor) would not be able to relate to religious slurs because she is a converted jew. The impact would not be as strong because she grew up as a christian and deigned to become jewish when her son was in elementary school. She didn’t help the woman who called and she certainly didn’t help herself. Good riddance!
Please,
She wasn’t using the term as a degradation to anyone. She was using it as language that other people use. And, yes, African Americans use it on each other all the time. If you don’t know that, then your out of touch. The hypersensitivity that the 12% of our American population have, needs to be revisited. Time to move on and establish a family value system that is conducive and productive to the American system. Although, fixing the fatherless system will continue to take some time, but is not impossible.
I believe this is without a doubt the most senseless and careless act and punishment of the legal system. For starters he was 13 years old and was a known ‘accomplice’ to commit this murder. Not the one who pulled the trigger. Another thing who in their right mind would decide to send a 13 year old to prison for life with the kind of evidence and shady crap that was going on with his whole case? Someone wasnt doing their job properly and this seems like a case of the wrong person being used as an example in the completely wrong manner. Then, for the governor to not grant him clemency after all he’s accomplished and a long history of good behavior are you serious? I’m close to saying that he’s being racially discriminated against after all that i’ve read here. He’s clearly been corrected of his crime that was done over 20 years ago as a child and shoult be let free.
nice article, Sable. I recall seeing one email from you circulated within a seattle group of parents opposing the current education deform process. today i found your article on real-change and wanted to comment on the valuable service you, and a few key people are doing to keep journalism alive.
do you read http://wsws.org ? it provides a decidedly Marxist perspective on social issues and i find it very valuable as a compass in trying to make sense of the world. At times I have read their analysis of NAACP. So your article on the organization does not surprise me.
there seems to be a need to form completely new organizations by people out of sheer necessity. NAACP was born and grew in strength out of the historic civil rights movement that was a necessity of that day.
today, i would argue that the most glaring necessity is the class struggle movement. once enough of the working class rallies around this, i think we will form these new organizations quite rapidly.
it is instructive that Dr. King and Malcom X were both reaching these sort of conclusions when they were killed. we live in a truly barbaric world where the butchers use the cloak of democracy to cover their bloodied knives. but the working class, out of necessity will remove the cloak and confront the knives. that will be the only way forward for humanity.
this will begin to become more an more apparent as society breaks down further.
South Seattle needs to secede from Seattle and start its own “exurb”.
The style, composition and needs of “Soberg” are not those of the Downtown Syndicate, Greenlake joggers, or Alki Beach partiers.
Seattle imposes itself on Soberg. It puts its forces in and they oppress. Soberg needs to be liberated and form a government “by the people”.
Exurbs like Kent and Issaquah, have healthy Governments, because they are right-sized, with 100,000 people or less. Soberg should form its own City and eject the weight of an unresponsive and repressive Downtown Council.
Mike is more the A.D.D. type. A lot of talk and jumping from subject to subject and initiative to initiative with no preparation and no follow through. Have you gone to the website and checked in on the Youth and Families Initiative lately? I’m not sure any of his staff are behind the scenes analyzing data and evidence to present anything in the way of plans for that. It’s just raw information and no focus precipitated from it. I imagine this will be the general theme we’ll witness no matter what the subject for the next 3 years. I just want to stop them and have them tell me 1, just 1 thing they’ve concluded from all the “outreach” and 1 thing, just 1 thing they’re going to do to make a difference.
I’m pushing the impose on 2 kids limit with DSHS that way we can ensure that single mom needs to tie her tube or closes her legs until she brings home the bigger piece of cheese and pay for her own next few children across all races. This would freed up the additional resources to invest in better birth control for men. For men, there are only very few options. I’m endorsing vasectomy for all young men growing up in poverty.
I LOVE THE NAACP. That’s right. Enable to uphold fairness, we need organization like the NAACP to press the truth that often hidden. I witness James Bible giving a 7 minutes speech to the Media and later on that evening only 3 seconds was cut out for what they needed. The NAACP is consisting of nothing, but hard working young people that are the future of our communities: Asians, Blacks, Caucasians, Hispanics, and others. The membership is very diverse and that is why I joined. Thanks to the pressured from the NAACP Marilyn Levias case was set to continue and she only ending up doing community services, versus another youth with a tainted record for a one time mistakes that would dis-advantage her from future employment. Thank-you.
Ah FUCK U ALL. YATES IS ONE OF THE BEST DIRECTORS OF THIS SERIES!
Stop whining about cuts and changes and look at the film from a cinematic POV, you stupid PURISTS!!!
This is a terribly sad story.
I do want to comment on it though and hopefully find some answers to those that struggle raising kids that want to do what they want to do regardless of what the parents say.
You are right, about her parents involvement – something is definitely missing in the home or going on and being a single parent isn’t an excuse but it is a common issue. Many times, being a single parent especially of multiple kids and a woman attempting to raise young men in this society can be a hardship- and you find yourself unsure on what to do – it would be interesting to know what resources are available for a single parent to explore while her kids start slipping through the system? That are cost-effective to those living on fixed incomes. Not necessarily low in-come – all incomes should be able to qualify for help.
I remember going through my adolescence and having a real hard time finding myself, finding the right thing to do was way off my radar. I started getting into trouble at age 12. Sixth grade was a hard transition time for me, not just with school but home life as well. – In between getting caught up in the system – The only thing my mother was left to do was file, Youth-at-risk on me, did that help or prevent any of my issues to come or my behavior? No. By 9th grade – I had dropped out and became pregnant.
So now coming through all of this, and with a teen child myself – I have times he tests me too. Times he doesn’t want to listen and wants to do what he wants to do. I can’t whoop or beat him – One it’s no longer an acceptable way of punishing and two at a certain age whipping a child in my eyes is not right.
So what is a mother to do? I myself have tried involving him in things I could see that may help him such as volunteering, sports, youth initiative groups, church, sending him to his dad etc. But I have not found them to be all that helpful – because if the place or thing I send him to do doesn’t have that “special” person that is able to get through to your child, when you aren’t – what is there left to do with limited resources.
My son is good now, but I know I have sat puzzled many times wondering – what am I suppose to do? I have been able to get through it, because eventually he comes around but it hasn’t been a smooth ride, we have had rocky obstacles too.
I think with this woman her issue maybe that she has older children that are influencing her younger child/children. I hope that the system is somehow able to give her the resources she needs to help her/them not necessarily punish her/them – there are obvious issues that need to be delt with that are beyond just punishing.
Thank you for the interview, I got a lot out of it.
This is just another “Blame the mother” rant. It’s always mom’s fault, right? Barf.
Where is the father of this child? Where are the resources that support families? Where are the policies that support families? Where is the culture that respects families?
It’s not about excuses…or blame.
It’s about ALL of us.
When will we stop pointing the finger and start taking *collective* responsibility for our community?
It’s for the good of ALL of us.
Mom of 3 in the southend