News From the Service Entrance

In the Wake of the News or Where Do We Go From Here?

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:27:06 -0500

I was sitting at my local watering hole on a wonderfully overcast Friday afternoon when one of the patrons asked me if I had heard about Sandi Jackson resigning. My initial reaction was one of jubilance. Its hard to govern the economically/socially/emotionally corrupt 7th ward from Washington D.C. It’s even harder imagining her governing the ward at all if you are a resident in the 7th.

There are jewels in South Shore and during her tenure she exposed those. Rainbow Beach, the South Shore Cultural Center, her vision for a new community where the old US Steel plant was located. The music pavilion that has been used ONCE and of course Chicago’s beautiful lakefront. There are more blemishes however on her record as Alderman/Committeeman than sparkly photo-ops and that is where my jubilation switched to concern.

The residents of the 7th re-elected Sandi Jackson just two years ago. Not an overwhelming victory but a win nonetheless. Many contend it was easier to re-elect her because “she managed the ward well”. Not much economic development in areas visibly smashed into the pavement by an already haggard economy of which she can’t totally be blamed. Schools that continue to limp along when compared to other areas of the city. Who could come in and make the necessary changes to a situation so dire?

A cursory glance at a ballot with the last name Jackson on it doesn’t require one to be a political science major, many people saw the name and knew who she was and gave her their vote. Voters (particularly those in Chicago) aren’t required to be politically astute. The requirement is that one can identify issues that cause alarm and there is no shortage of them. Schools, public safety, economic development and those are the big ticket items. Jesse Jr. and his wife governed curiously during their shared tenure. There can be no denying that little has been done to ease any fears of people hearing the news of Mrs. Jackson’s resignation on the heals of her husbands abandonment of his office and the list of potential candidates for both offices which rivals the Chicago Bears and their coaching search.

The residents of the 7th need a few things upfront and that happily takes this conversation to Mayor Rahm Emanuel. This will be the Mayor’s first aldermanic selection since taking office. Who does he pick to lead in a ward that he seldom visits but has an intricate knowledge of? Who is his kind of candidate? Is it a bulldog like him? You can be assured that the selection will be an ally, why would you select a Black Panther when a lily serves your purpose? The current Mayor would be wise to come into the 7th, sit with the people NOT JUST A GROUP OF STEVE HARVEY SUIT WEARING MINISTERS but the community at large and find out what the people desire.

This could backfire on the Mayor however. He isn’t exactly winning many friends on the South Side. He could use his leverage and significant power in the area to lead those who voted him in (yes I’m saying it - voters aren’t required to be astute) and be attentive to the needs of his constituency. He does have to make a choice and he isn’t playing his hand yet. Might be time for the people of the 7th ward to play theirs.

Mario

"Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you think you’re a good person is like expecting a..."

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 09:08:39 -0400

““Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you think you’re a good person is like expecting a bull not to attack you because you’re a vegetarian.””

- Boona Mohammed

Photo

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 09:04:37 -0400

Carolyn Malachi this Thursday on NFtSE! 2pm (CT) 8pm (GMT)

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:17:28 -0400

Carolyn Malachi this Thursday on NFtSE! 2pm (CT) 8pm (GMT):

QUICK HITS

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:14:04 -0500

THE GRAMMY AWARDS – if you have to turn everything into some ritualistic mind turd then I will bypass your award show and stick with word of mouth and my own listening ear to determine what’s good and what isn’t musically. How in the hell do you have an award show that allows Chris Brown to grace its stage three different times and Stevie Wonder who has twenty two Grammys can’t even sing one damn song? Kiss my ass and by the way, I REALLY want to become a voting member of N.A.R.A.S. or at least a member of a committee that produces the show. Man that was bad.

WHITNEY HOUSTON – The American news media machine is full of adulation for the now deceased Ms. Houston. This is the same news machine that not two days earlier went out of their way to report that Ms. Houston was doing handstands, skipping, shitfaced and acting erratic. Shame on all of us, we are all guilty. Guilty of the same thing we always do (I know I do). We build up our people and look for things that we don’t like, flaws of our heroes and then we beat that shit into the ground. Make fun of them, kick them and tease them and then they die. We become slobbering, pleading, crying chumps begging anyone who is willing to listen to our obit for that person. Michael comes to mind. Rest Whitney, rest.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX – The White Sox signed Koske Fukudome to a one year contract. Fukudome is coming to Mulletville. It is about to be a true mess on the South Side of Chicago. If THAT is the Free Agent that GM Kenny Williams wants White Sox fans to embrace and ride out with? Good luck with that buddy. Mark my words, it’s gonna be ugly this season at the Cell.

NICKI MANAJ - Please stop. Thank you.

This week on NFTSE we welcome J. Nicole Brooks director of Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting now playing in Chicago at the Lookingglass Theater. Join us THURSDAYS at 2pm (CT) 8pm (GMT) on WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago, online at whpk.org and on iTunes.

iareconscious: MTV runs advert opposing Obama’s NDAA bill

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:13:57 -0500

iareconscious:

MTV runs advert opposing Obama’s NDAA bill

Full list of companies that pulled ads from All American Muslim

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:37:39 -0500

Full list of companies that pulled ads from All American Muslim:

zikrayat:

3M (Command, Scotchbrand tape),
Airborne Vitamin,
Amway, (says it has been misrepresented)
Anheuser Busch Inbev (Select55),
Art Instruction Schools,
Bamboozles,
Bank of America (Cash Rewards),
Bare Escentuals,
Brother International (Ptouch),
Campbell’s Soup,
Capital One,
Church & Dwight (Oxi Clean, Arm & Hammer),
City Furniture,
Conagra (Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes),
Corinthian Colleges (Everst411),
Cotton, Inc.,
Cumberland Packing (Sweet’N Low), (says it has been misrepresented)
Dell computers,
Diamond Foods (Kettlebrand Chips),
Estee Lauder (Clinique),
ET Browe (Palmer’s Cocoa butter),
Gap,
General Motors (Chevy Runs Deep),
Good Year,
Green Mountain Coffee,
Guthy Renker (Proactiv),
Hershey kisses,
Home Depot, (says it has been misrepresented)
Honda North America,
HTC Phones,
Ikea,
JC Penney,
JP Morgan Chase (Chase Sapphire),
Kayak.com, Kellogg (Special K),
Koa Brands (John Frieda),
Leapfrog Enterprise (Leapster Explorer),
Lowe’s (admits to cancelling ads) ***
Mars (Dove Chocolate),
McDonald’s,
Nationwide Insurance,
News Corp (We bought a zoo movie),
Nintendo (Mariokartz.com),
Novartis (Theraflu),
Old Navy,
Pernod Ricard (Kahlua),
Petsmart,
Pier One,
Pfizer (Centrum vitamin),
Procter & Gamble (Align Probiotic, Crest, Febreze, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, Pur, Tide),
Progressive Insurance,
Prudential Financial,
Radio Shack,
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse,
SC Johnson (Drano, Glade, Scrubbing Bubbles),
Sears ,
Signet (Kay Jewelers),
Sonic Drive-ins,
Subaru, T
HQ (uDraw),
T-Mobil,
Toyota (Camry),
Volkswagen,
Vtech (Mobi Go, V Reader),
Wal-Mart
Whirlpool (Maytag)

softjunebreeze: thegoddamazon: tehsunshine: andrea-p:bacon-bee...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:31:12 -0500

softjunebreeze:

thegoddamazon:

tehsunshine:

andrea-p:bacon-beer-and-boobs:

nonplussedbyreligion:
Dean Reeves, you, sir, are a hero.

P.S. Thomas Jefferson had a boner for Islam. He even taught himself Arabic using a copy of the Qur’an

WELP.

skullkidtookmyocarina: This is my friend Chelsi. She’s one of...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:21:27 -0500

skullkidtookmyocarina:

This is my friend Chelsi. She’s one of the sweetest girls you’ll ever meet, and she’s got family, loads of friends, and a boyfriend who are all worried for her. She went missing yesterday, and she’s now classified as a runaway.. Which is insane because she’s definitely not that type of person..
I’m not going to guilt you into reblogging this. I’m going to ask. If you could take 4 seconds and hit reblog, it could cause the right person to see this and bring her home. You’d want this to spread too, if this was your friend, or your sister, or your daughter.
Please just reblog this. I promise it won’t hurt your blog’s reputation. We just want her home. Thank you.

QUICK HITS

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:31:00 -0500

ARAB SPRING, AMERICAN WINTER?

peppersprayingcop.tumblr.com aside there isn’t much comedy about the ongoing “Occupy” protests taking place across the U.S. In fact the levels of blatant police brutality are very telling. I like many other Americans keep a watchful eye on what’s going on and there is still the lingering question, what IS going on?

We know the banks have us by the short and curlies, we know that the U.S. economy is a fucking joke, we know the two party political system is hilarious, we know the Tea Party can show up with weapons at a rally and not a creature would stir not even a cop and we know that the cops HATE the fact that the protesters won’t stop protesting. After that though…

I’ve seen a couple of music videos shot on Wall Street during the occupation, a gang of photo ops and the unrelenting use of force against the occupiers but I haven’t seen the occupation of a TV or radio station or a newspaper. I haven’t seen the occupation of a school or sporting event. I’m not trying to be hyper-critical but I saw how Arab Spring went down. The unraveling of a country is a dynamic that is powerful. The “people” when they demand change and are willing to DIE for it those people become unstoppable.

If the Occupy movement intends to have longevity the organic nature of it has to cast a reflective eye on Arab Spring. You say you want a revolution…we’ll see.

THE NBA’S GIFT TO US SUCKERS

Happy Holidays the NBA lockout will be over this weekend. The owners and players will make it look like they are doing the fans a favor by coming back and we will bite willingly. There are BILLIONS of dollars on the table. Be open minded and think about what the NBA could look like five years from now. It could very well result in revenue modestly reaching BILLIONS of dollars and the players and the owners gotta make that chop! Don’t believe the hype. Yay them.

THANKSTAKING AND WHY OTHER COUNTRIES LAUGH AT YOU

Americans. Don’t. Really. Know. Why. We. Celebrate. The. Third. Thursday. In. November.

MAGGIE DALEY

I was 30 yrs old in 1997 working for Guild Complex Chicago, I was getting a bit of shine as a poet here in town, things were nice. I got a nice hookup however when I was asked to be part of a team of teaching artists with a program called Gallery 37. I’d done a bit of teaching and being in a classroom environment wasn’t a problem for me. That didn’t make me nervous. I was however well aware that Maggie Daley was running the show. The First Lady of Chicago was our BOSS! THAT made me a wee bit nervous.

Being familiar with her via her advocacy of Guild Complex and other major art programs and organizations in the city, I knew that this job was no joke - i came across her and you just knew. She invested a gang of time into her ideas made them manifest AND you did not want to let her down. G37 was new and the Teaching Artists and students went through an amazing period of feeling each other out. It wasn’t all easy but when Mrs. Daley was on the G37 campus or at the Cultural Center you KNEW. She did not interfere, she trusted her teachers and the admins, she believed most importantly in the children and she did it all with a smile.

I trust that people who are reading the various tributes to her are the same people who had issues with Mr. Daley, pretty certain about that. Let me tell you something…I know how much he loved his wife. I saw how he trusted her and I saw who the real boss was. Maggie Daley charmed you up close, charmed you from a distance it didn’t matter. She got a lot of artists of color jobs and a lot of us got major work because of her vision. She and Lois Weisberg made being an artist in Chicago more than a novelty. WE GOT WORK!

I am proud to have been a member in a very, very small way of the Maggie Daley team. The respect I had for her is real. The city lost more than a Mayor when Mr. Daley decided not to run again, Chicago lost a true patron of the arts in Mrs. Daley. The legacy of Mrs. Daley is sound and firmly in place. Her smile…she was always smiling.

Rest well Maggie Daley and may your family find comfort in your beautiful smile.

peace power and progress

“watch out for the blue light”

NEWS FROM the SERVICE ENTRANCE with Mario and Gary P Tyson can be heard Thursdays at 2pm (CT) and 8pm (GMT) on WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago, worldwide on whpk.org and also on iTunes.

News From Service Entrance 11/3/11

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:38:15 -0400

News From Service Entrance 11/3/11:

This weeks show featured Tina M. Howell, Chas and Pat Smillie! NFTSE with Mario and Gary P Tyson Thursdays at 2:00pm (CT) 8:00pm (GMT) on WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago, online at WHPK.org and available on iTunes!

Photo

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:42:14 -0400

TODAY on News From the Service Entrance the amazing artistry of...

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:26:00 -0400

TODAY on News From the Service Entrance the amazing artistry of Avery*Sunshine! NFTSE with Mario and Gary P Tyson Thursday afternoons 1:30pm-4:00pm (CT), 7:30pm-10:00pm GMT on WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago, online at whpk.org and NFTSE as well as all of the programming on WHPK Chicago is available on iTunes!

NFTSE the podcast

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:54:36 -0400

NFTSE the podcast:

Here is the first full hour of the 10/13/2011 show featuring our interviews with Teedra Moses and our US exclusive with Omar Lye Fook. SPREAD THE WORD!!! Peace!

Untitled

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:36:23 -0400

Tonight in America Troy Davis could be murdered. There aren’t many words to express the range of emotions that many of us feel right now. The pressure from every possible corner of this planet has been mounting for sometime and ‘judgement day’ is scheduled for 7pm (ET) and with great wonderment the judicial system in Georgia ignores it. In the same fashion that Alabama ignored the world’s collective stare in the earliest stages of the Civil Rights era. The way judicial officials in Philly ignore Mumia to a certain degree as the world watches.

The biggest crime being committed to some is that the voice - not an action but the voice of President Obama is stone cold silent. Two other living US Presidents George W. Bush (yeah that floored me too considering he was a death merchant his last few weeks as Governor of Texas) and President Jimmy Carter have raised their voices and then from 1600? So far, silence. We ask a lot of or elected officials hell some people are expecting President Obama to hand deliver a check to their homes, no joke but in reality short of a Presidential order don’t expect much…separation of church and state is kinda convienient don’t you think?

I don’t expect much from our elected officials because we put no value in the power we have to elect them. If they look good or speak well or perhaps have a soundbite we can get behind we go berserk. We are an image conscious society and we love pretty things. Ugly don’t move round here much and the murder of Troy Davis has the potential to be very ugly.

This should serve as a lesson to every living American. You have to know the ground you sit on in many ways is tainted. WE the People is a misnomer if Troy Davis is murdered tonight. Here are a couple of ways that you can have IMPACT.

Judge Penny Freesman 912.652.7252

Atty. Gen. Eric Holder 202353.1555

This is a heavy day but The Most High is the BEST knower. Troy Davis spoke about his spirit being with The Most High no matter what the State of Georgia does with his body. Those are words for everyone to live by.

peace power progress

dream hampton: Fasting with Troy Davis

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:18:02 -0400

dream hampton: Fasting with Troy Davis:

dreamhampton1:

Dear Dream,

This morning, our worst fears came true. Despite widespread doubt, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles upheld the decision to execute Troy Davis this Wednesday.

Still, Troy has refused to have a “last meal.” He has faith his life will be spared.

In the past, his…

Photo

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:02:49 -0400

Why Rap Music Is Gonna Be OK

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:02:00 -0400

If anybody just spit out their drink…choked on their now and laters…my bad. But Rap Music is going to be ok. Don’t get me wrong - shit’s MAD FUCKEDUP with Rap music at the moment. The “what’s wrong with Hip-Hop” convo is old. The culture of Hip-Hop is fluid at it’s best. With any new culture and yeah Hip-Hop as old as it is, is quite new and adapting to this time. The culture is always changing direction and giving new artists a voice. The ability to shape the culture is consistent with the tenants of Hip-Hop. There is a wonderful list of Emcee’s who hail from Chicago. Won’t start naming names cause I seen a lot of DOPE cats male and female alike from here. If you have the fortune to meet Duro or Kingdom or Iomos Marad, Cassius D or Jitu, you can get a true history lesson on Chicago and it’s role in shaping Hip-Hop not just here in the city, but around the world. Having said that…

Psalm One is nice. The bridge to her next project is Get In the Van 3 and it is an expansion of Psalm One as an emerging power in what Chicagoan’s call Rap music. On the heels of Woman at Work and the oft referred to Death of the Frequent Flyer, she takes her abilities higher and expands the vision on GITV3. In the spirit of the city’s surprisingly rich history of awesome Emcee’s, she has managed to chronicle her observations and thoughts on the road and put pen to paper and with some slick production nail it. In turn her name has to be in the conversation when it comes to the better Emcee’s in Chicago and nationally.

The sound of this city that’s shared currently by producers like Rashid Hadee and TallBlackGuy, GITV3 encapsulate’s the fluidity of Psalm’s lyrics AND a nice G-Funk 2011, smoothed out soundtrack for a really strong CD that works lyrically as well as musically. I interviewed Pslam on my show recently and I came away feeling like if this is the direction that Rap Music from Chicago is taking then Psalm One is more than capable of holding that responsibility down and lifting up more new voices.

I’m My Favorite is one of the tracks that caught my attention on listen one. She basically calls out the “female emcee” and openly challenges them to a battle and clearly she isn’t afraid to do just that…battle. That’s how she came up and that trait assists her very well on her latest. 48 Bars is a scathing assessment of the state of radio, street listeners, the culture…all of it. With guest features from notables like Del the Funkee Homosapien, THAIONE, Exile and ANG13 this is a solid work that is quite listenable. It is a wonderfully well thought out composition. Don’t wanna give away the best parts but I really liked listening to this.

Be well brothers and sisters…friends and neighbors…

Peace and light

steenfox: dies

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 02:13:35 -0400

steenfox:

*dies*

Son, That's Not Even a Joke, yo!

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:04:21 -0400

Boogie: Knock knock
me: Who's there?
Boogie: Coconut Chicken!
*laughs hysterically*
Me: What? That's not a joke!
Boogie: Yes it is because I laughed.
Me: This is how you tell a knock knock joke. Knock Knock.
Boogie: Who's there?
Me: Banana
Boogie: Banana who?
Me: knock knock
Boogie: *Laughing his ass off* You're right that is funny.
Me: *blank stare* That's not the joke.. you're supposed to say who's there again.
Boogie: oh. Who's there?
Me: Banana.
Boogie: *blink* Did you forget your joke?
Me: No! Just say who's there!
Boogie: Who's there?
Me: Knock Knock
Boogie: Mom...
Me: Just say who's there!
Boogie: Who's there?
Me: Orange.
Boogie: Orange who?
Me: Orange you glad I didn't say Banana?
Boogie: *laughing hysterically* Okay okay. My turn! Knock Knock.
Me: Who's there?
Boogie: Cereal
Me: Cereal Who?
Boogie: Knock knock
Me: Who's there?
Boogie: Cereal
Me: Cereal who?
Boogie: Knock Knock
Me: You don't understand what I did do you?
Boogie: Nope. I was going to keep going until you laughed or left.
Me: *sigh* Go play Sims.