ingénue(se)

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“If you want to understand your culture today, you need to know your past.” Quote by Vanessa Wright, founder of Tellers Untold

Dr. Sebi: The Infamous Name in Hip Hop and Health for Decades (That You are Probably Just Now Hearing)

By Desmond Alphonso, formerly (Issa Page)

The gossip

The common idiom “you are what you eat” may take on a different meaning within pop culture today. Once upon a time, the immediate perception simply was the consumer will react according to the genetic make-up of the food, but because of the lifestyle influence of Dr. Sebi, even the influencers to our youth are aware certain nutrients hold the keys to life and restoration. The benefits of what we eat lie in the nutrients and it is the nutrients that we bestow to our bodies that hinder illnesses. Don’t skip anything on your plate, kids! Once summoned to the court of law due to his seemingly outrageous medical claims, Dr. Sebi went on trial for practicing medicine without a license yet having patients and their actual medical doctor confirm being free of the illness they once had that he helped cure with holistic medicine.

What we should know

However, his career dates back as far as Honduras in 1971, he has become a household name in recent years how he is linked to two of the music industry’s late-great hip-hop icons Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez and Los Angeles community activist and apparel-business owner, Nipsey Hussle. Though the two reasons behind their fascination for Dr. Sebi differed, it always occurred to the public that Dr. Sebi’s discovery and knowledge of cures for major diseases and illnesses, such as asthma, diabetes, parasites, kidney disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and many others was the most revolutionary. According to the belief system of the Sebi family, it is the mind’s negative thoughts that released mucus-prone acid that promotes a harmful environment for the food and a just environment for ailments, not the opposite way around, ironically!

His early life

Alfredo Darrington Bowman, of African descent, was born in Ilanga, Honduras on November 26, 1933. Unlike the typical American child, young Alfredo did not attend school nor did he have any education at all aside from what he was taught by her grandmother about heritage. By his late 20s, Bowman had been obese; asthmatic; manifesting signs of erectile dysfunction; diabetic; schizophrenic, and was becoming visually impaired. His dissatisfaction with traditional medicine prompted his migration to many different countries looking for treatment, but it wasn’t until he arrived in Cuernavaca, Mexico where he met a 94-year-old herbalist (with the same first name), Alfredo Cortez, before he started to see changes in his health. He was asked by Cortez to fast for 90 days by only drinking water and eating herbs. Once he completed the fast, he was then permitted to eat only African-bound foods simply because they are of his origin. With his diet and meditation combined, Bowman took part in what he came to believe had the power to heal.

The trial

The people in his village coined him as Dr. Sebi when he introduced them to holistic treatment. By the time of the Supreme Court suit (happened between 1988-1993) against the State of New York, Dr. Sebi cured a plethora of people around the globe and had 77 patients there to attest to it. He had no defense attorney, but was against the idea he needed one. He eventually helped the court room realize he is not treating several different diseases, but in fact only one: mucus.

What sits on the lungs of a patient with pneumonia? [Mucus does.] What do AIDS patients cough up? [They cough mucus.] What is trapped in the intestines of the blind? [Mucus is.], a Dr. Sebi banters with Judge Anne Schneiderman.

She could not refute the medical status of his patients nor she could the logic behind his herbs—Dr. Sebi was free of all charges and had become one of the very few that won a case in the New York State Supreme Court during that time.

Conclusion

In medicine, he’s infamous, but what makes him a legend everywhere is the work he has done for entertainers, such as John Travolta, Lisa Lopez, Eddie Murphy, and Michael Jackson to name a few, live healthier lives in the past—as well as the impact he has made on the African American youth in recent years. From YouTubers to the late great Nipsey Hussle, each was compelled to live better through Dr. Sebi’s methodology in which they have seen results. Following the rap star’s death in March 2019, Nick Cannon came forth volunteering to finish the Dr. Sebi documentary Nipsey Hussle spoke into existence. It soon circulated on social media that Cannon cancelled the documentary once receiving death threats and fearing he would be murdered for the same reason some speculate Nipsey Hussle was murdered for. He took to Instagram to deny this claim and even laughed at it! According to HipHopWired, the release of the documentary can be expected in 2021 with the help of the Bowman family.

Work cited

/@arahthequill. “‘Dr. Sebi’ Was Either A Complete Fool Or A Complete Fraud, But He Was No Healer.” Medium, Medium, 6 May 2019, medium.com/@arahthequill/dr-sebi-was-either-a-complete-fool-or-a-complete-fraud-but-he-was-no-healer-a378dff54713.

97, HOT. “Family Of Dr. Sebi On Nick Cannon Reaching Out On Doc, Magic Johnson’s HIV Status Left Eye.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Apr. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq2OUdle6Bg.

“Alfredo Bowman, Celebrity Herbalist – Obituary.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 23 Aug. 2016, www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/08/23/alfredo-bowman-celebrity-herbalist–obituary/.

BerriosPosted, Martin. “Nick Cannon Is Moving Forward With The Dr. Sebi Documentary.” Hip, 31 May 2019, hiphopwired.com/808581/nick-cannon-is-moving-forward-with-the-dr-sebi-documentary/.

“Dr. Sebi Started His Health Journey After Being Cured By A Mexican Herbalist.” Alkaline Plant Based Diet, 28 Feb. 2019, www.naturallifeenergy.com/dr-sebi-started-his-health-journey-after-being-cured-by-a-mexican-herbalist/.

"...education is the only real 'passport' out of poverty."

-Shirley Chisholm, undated

A Force Stronger Together

What makes most sense to her is to show that even in her worse position, she is a phoenix who will rise for another occasion. Robin Fenty, her junior by 64 years, isn't the only famous glimmer of hope hailing from Barbados who was sent to fly.

Even now after her passing in 2005, the first black female to seek a United States presidential nomination from any political party soars high, and spent time and space with the very chauvinists that reduced her to brevity during her time alive, which possibly cost her the Democratic nomination in 1972. Supporters detested many of her values. Peers jeered at the sound of her name and at the sight of her press releases. Certain campaign members lost hope and grew insubordinate concerning the operation as losses accrued before joining the masses of citizens who saw her as delusional.

She would get that far to understand that those 200 votes would make a difference in a Democratic nomination. Her naysayers--no where in sight.

No matter how much more fluent in Spanish she was above the slew of candidates; or, how many other achievements she made in her personal life, academic and political careers, or the few credits she was shy of from earning a doctorate's degree, many of Shirley Chisholm's peers still saw her candidacy run as "quixotic" at best and at worse, undermining to the country as a whole. By watching the 2024 film based on the true events about Shirley (who is played by Regina King of If Beale Street Could Talk, The Boondocks, and a supporting actress in the classic film Friday), you will find it obvious that her innate love for community, respect for contention, and a deeply-rooted pardon for "the people's" nonsense calibrated as more than competent to participate in the arena of politics. And Shirley didn't want anyone to forget it.

As swiftly lipped as she was about her qualifications, she took perilous action in the events leading up to the party's nomination announcement including forming coalitions and co-leading interest groups that met the needs of her constituents, but on other occasions, did not go without an attempt to attach the nylon and spandex of the nation to seams of her smooth-finish satin that manifested as unattractive leotards she and her supporters didn't mind being worn at the final recital. Although Shirley was fair, kind, and Christian--glue to underrepresented communities--and was represented by Curwood (the modern biographer) for having a different endgame than becoming president, she couldn't deny a nation was stronger together than divided. She wanted a seat at the table, even if that meant pulling up a "...folding chair".

What does that entail, you may ask? First, it means having unwavering devotion to the underrepresented demographic pool. More importantly, though, it permeates unwarranted and resilient love for thy enemy --the type that represents everything you don't stand for and usually can only be justified by the good it does for others outside of self and an illiberal group. Chisholm's campaign committee clutched her wings when she sought solutions to the divide and propelled her in courage with every bit of news that appeased it because she believed the relationships she formed were better than what money could buy. Many tears fell, according to Anastasia Curwood, and in that regard, we can rest assured that many tears were dried up also to push along the four years of consecutive campaigning. However, a hefty cost comes along with sending offers of unwarranted and resilient empathy and love to the enemy; yet, Shirley had a vision that, if fulfilled, would surmount and justify the long-suffering engraved into her team's effort and the four years of strife she would experience from her peers watching her fail time and time again.

Girl On Fire

Nine-years old Shirley nee St. Hill and her two younger sisters, after being sent to live with their Methodist grandmother in Barbados, were reunited with their revolutionary Afro-British Guiana father and Afro-Barbadian mother in a poverty-stricken 1930s Bedford, New York, USA. Shirley, after touching down in what would become home, was bound to quickly witness trials of hardship including those of economic affliction, discrimination, and actionable agendas set in motion against domesticated women.

It should come as no surprise she took a simple approach to change the system at first by influencing early childhood education sectors in New York after receiving her undergraduate degree. Much like activists Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X, Shirley believed education is the strongest force for igniting change in a stagnant society. Without the mention of what influence she had on the community before being elected into Congress, we can only infer she was measured during her time teaching based on the film Shirley's intent to open with her standing with the rest of the Representatives on Capitol Hill as their picture is taken.

Regina King portrayed Shirley Chisholm as a witty, headstrong visionary with respect for people of diverse abilities and backgrounds that would stand as a testament to Shirley's character. The campaign organizer, Mac played by the late Lance Reddick, was once a political rival who won over Chisholm years prior. Robert, played by Lance Hedges--head of student outreach and legal affairs is a white man and was a student himself majority of the film while Shirley's husband and bodyguard, Conrad Chisholm who is played by Michael Cherrie, merely couldn't look past the impending debt the expenses of the campaign rendered when compared to the amount of its support and gradually lost faith early on. Despite the disadvantages and turmoil the campaign trial faced, the writer-director John Ridley made a conscious decision to only depict Shirley as failing during the campaign. Never defeated. Caught in the fire, but never burnt as if it was a rite of passage! Because in real life, it was to her.

The Final Burn Out

If she had already made Congress history during the Nixon administration, how delusional was Shirley truly to believe there was a chance of winning just 200 more delegates during the Democratic National Convention?

She was endorsed by a then-paralyzed George Wallace after a visit that formed empathy within him for her campaign, but linked Chisholm to a paradox in the eyes of black Americans due to his segregation rhetoric. Nevertheless, she would attempt to turn this around with the help of women all over the country with thoughts on abortion and childcare. With the help of Diahann Carroll (Amirah Vann, in the movie), she would earn The Black Panther Party's endorsement through Huey P. Newton (Brad James). Well-educated, greatly connected, and with the word of a cunning Walter Fauntroy's delegates in her pocket if he was outdone, her chances of winning the Democratic nomination were strong.

None of this would have been made possible without meeting the now California Representative Barbara Lee. Shirley pushed her to use her voice, and not lie down and be kicked by a system that was meant to work for her as an American. It was with great courage Barbara would register to vote, join the campaign without being paid, and assist Robert in student outreach. Alas, it would appear all for naught at the last moment her very own friend in politics and Fauntroy would turn their support over to a George McGovern who had been leading in the polls from the beginning.

It was the first time on screen King's character would sit alone in self-pity from defeat. McGovern collected over 1100 delegates and an undeniable endorsement from Shirley's own neighbor! She had to accept defeat. The phoenix would burn out, but she had a choice to die and never flourish again.

The Next Flight

Could she forgive and mend her heart from this catastrophic defeat? She would, but was it was an innate mind to look well for tv appearances that brought her towards forgiveness maybe? Was her Christian faith the determining factor that pressed Shirley into collecting her ash for the next flight?

NO.

And maybe.

She once said in the film, "[I would break bread with the Devil if it would make him more Christian]". And if Mac, her friend who would eventually endorse McGovern was the Devil and Jesus Christ is the God of peace like described in the book of Romans, she came to crush him under her feet... with love. They had won this war, and Shirley knew the only way to get her constituents what they needed, she would have to be cordial.

The Rise of Video Depositions

Recanting can happen at any time, and your associates accrue advantages that include conflicting statements made at trial after a deposition has taken place. There was a time when shorthand writing and tape recorders had their place in the dynamic world of legal proceedings, but the tailored nature of video-recorded depositions has crept into the heart of YouTube Reel-loving jurors like a thief in the night. Think before you leverage your next deposition.

Luckily, many attorneys and other legal professionals across the globe are recognizing the value that video depositions bring to the courtroom. As you continue reading, you will ponder over the conditions of cases and the exact reasons counselors see court reporters as an asset to their cases.

Start the Proceedings

Since the wake of the COVID-19 health crisis that made reservations from coast to coast, legal matters have increasingly met their resolve online with no end in sight. It is the job of state officials to prioritize health, but it’s your job to prioritize justice for your client. A deposition with a consistent and calm witness is a deposition that can break the case wide open!

Say, for instance, you have a felon for a witness. Your client insists their story is the whole truth and despite your frantic efforts to make this witness credible, your last and only resort suggests you apply third-degree questions at trial as if you were cross-examining! Your witness could either choke on their own words or concisely outline the course of events and never add and/or omit a piece of history or logic. Sounds risky, so why should they have a deposition? Is it to catch them in a lie in front of the jury later? It sounds dangerous, but imagine what a glorious moment it will be to watch your witness corroborate their own personal months, perhaps years, from the initial questioning.

Also, a deposition with a consistent and calm witness of the opposed is a deposition that may have the fallacy to break the case wide open! As citizens with a justice system that gleams over us, we are quite aware when a character witness is possibly agitated, under duress, or coercion. This is the most common reason firms add video deposition as a layer in their file of conclusive evidence for the simple fact: non-verbal cues are known for providing additional context to the spoken words and may influence the perception of the testimony.

Digital Specs

What would they say to an expert witness’ testimony who had substantial evidence? With a sonically rich audio environment and 4K video quality to capture the face of these fate holders, the final factor that solidifies any presentation (whether it happens in a classroom setting or during a sales pitch) is a visual aid.

Often, we ask, “What does that look like?”

If only they could see it with their own eyes...

With the help of the UX developers, we can visualize what a doctor or a tax preparer experiences in their daily assignments without actually invading these restricted spaces. In real-time, jurors can see what this expert sees on their screen as they simultaneously annotate diagrams, drawings, scale images, and operate computer programs to show viewers how certain software works.

Say, for instance, you call the crime scene’s blood splatter expert up to the stand in a high-profile murder case. Your objective is to show your client was met with violence and was forced to counteract with self-defense. Much blood was shed, and the expert is there to corroborate your client’s story of how, despite overpowering the victim several times and attempting to call a truce, the victim was determined to conquer. The expert leaves reasonable doubt for your client through an analysis of a series of crime scene photos and uses 3D animation software to place them in a surreal experience, and proves that the fight was intense and most of the blood never stopped moving.

Miraculously, it fell at average velocity and a zero-degree trajectory in the very spot where the responding officer found your client sitting with their own wounds!

Conclusion

A great deal of vindication of the defendant relied on testimony. Every power posture, every assurance in the tone of voice, every ounce of clarity or quality in the microphone, video, or closed caption, and recant in statement aided in your victory. Rethink your next deposition, and even ask yourself what your last deposition did for the case. Something as small as a struggle stricken from the record can even work in your favor if video can capture emotion thereafter. Don’t just relay the story. Illustrate it, author it, and have you and your client as the talk of the town.

Written by Issa Page

"I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart"

- Anne Frank (1944)

No sweeter words have ever been written by a 13-year-old girl. Quite often, astute parents give birth to the wise. You may ask: "Are the students challenged by their own cognitive abilities? Or maybe they are challenged by a 30-minute daily reading agenda?" Well, yes, both of those factors create introspective children.

For the evolving diarist Anne Frank of Frankfurt, however, it was the endless world of her dreams and possibility; unequivocally, the uncertainty of her family annex's fate also. That's not why we're here today, though.

Anne's story

Otto and Judith did little to understand Anne despite all being avid readers. It didn't do Anne much justice that she was confined to the walls of stigma. Not only was she utterly frowned upon by the Nazi Germans for her phenotype and association with disloyalty to her nation, but young Anne became the oddball of the Secret Annex and was ostracised for it. High school must not sound too bad anymore. 📔

An era and a possibility of narcissism and authoritarian

Anne grew up in a time of reform for twenty European countries, collectively known as "Lebensraum." Spearheaded by the German Nazi Party and their almighty fascist dictator, Adolf Hilter, some might say they had a clear narcissistic agenda to move Jews out of their homes and businesses for the economic gratification of non-Jewish Germans. 🙋🏻‍♂️

Can you imagine how absurd it would have been if Hilter lived and ceased the NASA program with the help of Russia? There would have never been a Sea of Tranquility for the United States to call its own. Instead, the Axis Powers would be euphorically touring orbits on spaceships built to feel like a cruise. Ever seen the animation film WALL-E? In that case, engineers may need to get production started on WALL-E's now. 🤖

All jokes aside.

Who is to say our kids won't grow up to demolish neighborhoods for extravagant homes to match the times? Now that he has been deceased for three-quarters of a century, we don't need to imagine Hilter partnering with the Russian space exploration program to cultivate the moon. Why? NASA is building homes on the moon by 2040. I can't help but believe this idea came about while Donald Trump afforded 458 miles of a 30-foot high wall along our Southern Border to fit his agenda of disdain for Hispanics during a five-year ban on lobbying. Google: illiberal democracy. If you are hip to the term, you'll understand the quick access and control one institution can have on another. A vision of wanting is on the horizon. 🙄

Sure, it's not now, but the desperation to achieve a home on the moon may become an overbearing and daunting task with astronomical odds against our curious children who could potentially take Mother Earth for granted. Instead, these homes to come by 2040 are meant for the William Shatners', the George Bush's, and the Elon Musks' of the future as WALL-E and his family pick up after us on Planet Earth for the rest of eternity. It's our job as parents to help keep equity and grow equity in our community, and also develop children of dreams big and far as the stars reach, but not at the expense of a clean and healthy child or society. ✨

Why we're here

We should want our children to appreciate their hard work despite their choice to live on the moon, live on earth in a lunar dust home, or live humbly. I was a paraprofessional for over 3 years in a Metro Atlanta school district, and two-fifths of primary education parents believe their children are more imaginative compared to their older siblings when they were their younger sibling's current age. Nobody ever wants to crush a child's dream, especially if they have high hopes for them. However, if our children dream too big without our help to accomplish those dreams, we might be leaving them in the sun well after the harvesting season. Raisins are spectacular, but grapes are more versatile! Do you still want to support the growth of your children while they live in the community of your choice? If so, keep reading for three tips in reach of any humanitarian interested in supporting equity and the evolution of their adolescent child in any environment or economy. 💖

Promote Youth Mentorship - Boys and Girls Club of America gives volunteer work to teens who usually don't have life handed to them on a silver platter, and they don't intend to pass their ceramic platters on as if they were one. Their mentorship is a distinction of collaboration, networking, and resiliency to foster financial and willful competence. I conclude from reading the research from the psychology department at Pepperdine that children feel entitled to things they didn't earn because their parents granted them access without them putting in effort. It isn't until they arrive at something they truly can't live without that their parents should lose all control. That's right -- you can't purchase it, lease it, rent it, and you can't manipulate it, so the young ones have no choice other than to learn how to obtain it themselves. They may not believe that from you, of course, and throw a fit! That's why there's the Boys and Girls Club of America.

As we know, Anne had Peter to help her cultivate diligence and determination during times of want and lack. As a humanitarian, you should be able to instill trust in the generations ahead of your child so that they may learn to reason sooner. It's a cognitive skill most necessary for optimizing work performance, and it prepares their minds for daunting tasks of the future.

Discuss History Relevant to Family - Research done by the Israeli government and the National Research Council concludes children who stayed to witness the devastation of World War II were less mentally strained compared to those children of evacuation. However, we should not scare our children with war stories and photographs but inspire them with social awareness to become conscientious. In 2018, the Jewish Communal Fund donated 73% of their 435 million dollars to religion, environmental and medical health, education, and more. Not only do they support humanity, but they even contributed 10% to strictly Jewish culture and education. This shows their story in continuance matters to the progression of their economy and forever learners. All of what the money went towards did not concern the Holocaust. Jewish communities reflect heavily on Anne Frank's maturity and celebrate it! Check out an age-appropriate copy of The Diary of a Young Girl at your local library and try to highlight the transitional moments as you help your child see similarities to family history.

Encourage the Creation of Group Art and Invention Classes and Experiences - Not only is STEM a treasure for students to make a career path out of. The world of STEAM is now becoming a wonderland of possibilities where architecture and design have been implicated. Luckily for our children, some of the best art made by a child for a child was the "Diary of Anne Frank" catalog. That's right -- the book and the films! Operating the Thanos Pro Video Camera with a Gimbal Support Vest Stabilizer System and its counterparts is no easy task. Some may even say that about CGI artists. Some may even consider these operators to be engineers in their own right. A limited-liability private "network" of parents, teachers, and miscellaneous artists will form a project in Metro Atlanta, Georgia, for domestic and international use and viewership. Currently known as the "404 Community Project", these community advocates and I are contributing VR and technology-driven art experiences devoted to children of all ages maturing through the power of creative storytelling. After a modest discussion of children in history and literature, students will complete challenges side by side, such as debates, rescue missions, and more. This experience will make its way into the arsenal for child fun for ages 6 to 14 by the end of 2024. Parties will cost an average of 750 USD; for community events, it is otherwise free. We plan to support marginalized students (of all ages) with 2-3 separate scholarships within the next 3 years to send off inspiring scientists, architects, community leaders, visual artists, performance artists, and engineers of all styles. The network plans to organize and make a splash selling inspired art created by and for your future child of excellence to build equity in our community with the help of service and network-built systems. That's right -- Anne Frank isn't the only one who deserves to be commemorated for her artistic expression. Humanitarians should want to inspire, create, and give back to future leaders in significant ways. Their creations today are our best way to build a tale of evolution in urban societies for all cultures and dreams. One day, this S-corp-style LLC will make its way into the hearts of international communities with the help of the network-built system.

Final address

All dreams are tangible in the right hands. Each is like a piece of fruit. When we leave them in the sun, they dry out like raisins. Raisins are spectacular, but grapes are even more versatile. Both can be enjoyed in space, however! But what's the key to making it there: resources. Our kids don't deserve to be limited to what we offer as parents. Time to set sail on the Sea of Tranquility again, and we aren't stopping until every child gets a trip!

Written by Issa Page

- Issa Page

“NFX, hold please! NFX, hold please! NFX, hold please,” as energetic as Lucille had been, the ringing phones bouncing off the hooks had brought a slight sense of anguish over her.

She had eight phones in her tentacles, and was still attempting to be her happy-go-lucky self she was before that fallible Tuesday, so nobody could blame her for yet touching the other 12 phones on the opposite side of the yard-long desk! Nobody except digital wallet users, of course.

Particularly in the accounting department, most of her colleagues abandoned their duties weeks prior after mere inkling that NFX Exchange was on unsteady ground and they didn’t trust management to finish paying their salaries. The remaining staff sat in their offices in pools of sweat, wondering if this could mean bankruptcy for the company, all except Lucille the Octopus!

No matter how annoying it might have felt to individually speak to 20 customers at the same time, she was steadfast on helping her boss Sam Bankman-Fried, and possibly Binance Exchange vindicate the business. It was her one and only true motivating force, although she still admired Sam’s entrepreneurial spirit as she has always felt a strong desire to see dreams come true. Awwww!

One thing remained, however, as she thought “Even with my amazing gift, how will I manage to answer all these calls alone?” She paused — then inhaled — closed her eyes and exhaled.

“Hey, Alexa. Play ‘Tik Tok’ by Kesha!” The beat dropped and so did two of Lucille’s green tentacles to the floor before she pranced, twirled, shook, and swung to the groove. All of the current callers listened closely. Instead of speaking, she took a dance break and put Kesha on duty.

“The party don’t stop, no!” Customers were relieved by what they felt the song’s lyrics implied, and took to Twitter to spread comforting news as Lucille resumed to being the zealous, optimistic octopus everyone knew to be.

“Customer Service”

Short Story by Issa Page