More from Our "Covergirl" Sy Smith...

Sy sings "This is Your Brain on Drugs"!

It's Not An Excuse... We're Really in A Recession!

The Domino Effect:
ECON Recessions 101


Written by: Ryan Coleman-Ferebee

For months now, we have all watched the news to learn of poor commercial real estate sales, increased home foreclosures, bank and mortgage lending institutes collapsing or merging, and a decline in wholesale and retail sales with no definitive end in sight. In some way, I am sure you have even altered something in your life to compensate for the poor economy. Maybe, you are saving a little more than usual, cutting out Starbucks on the way to work, packing a lunch instead of buying it, or even shaving your mobile minutes to a less sexy plan.

With each passing week, the economy seems to get a little tighter, causing us to get very creative with spending the little money we do have. For those who may be fortunate enough to have expendable cash on hand, now is a great time to buy airline tickets, buy that vacation package at an empty resort, or even buy a new car for next to nothing compared to what the normal price would be in a sound economy. We are playing out one of those economic cycles known as a “recession”. All the while, our stock market has been swinging violently fundamentally based on human emotion and the price of oil.

The economy in our country is stagnant, driven by a combination of a spiral decline in the stock market, poor home sales, and manufacturing slowdowns all headed in the wrong direction—south. It is common for recessions to last anywhere from 10 months to 2 years. Several well-established economists have stated that the current recession appears to have started in April of 2008.

To see the entire article, click on the link below:
http://etmmagazine.info/wakeup/2009/03/2009_03_effectsofrecession.html

What's In a Name?

Jore Partee-Hayes
jparte1@students.towson.edu


In my perfect world, I felt as though I had no need to defend my sexuality. My close friends accepted who I was and I even had some family that supported me. It was not until my girlfriend's father referred to me as a “dyke” that I came to truly realize the hurtful affect of calling someone out of their name because of their sexuality. After being called a dyke, my perfect world came tumbling down.

Calling someone outside of their name has always done nothing but leave the victim feeling incompetent, belittled, and less than human. Name calling has derived from children in schoolyards, such as the well-known case of the bully who decided he would make others miserable by physically and verbally abusing them.

Today, name calling has been taken from grade school playgrounds and has played increasingly perverted roles in the adult world. A major example of this is witnessed daily by those who choose alternative lifestyles. For instance, one can read the newspaper or listen to the news and hear of the violent bashings that occur against homosexuals. Many fail to realize that the physical abuse is merely the aftermath of verbal hate crimes which have become the precursor to many crimes today.


There are many names that have been used to categorize LGBT people—all of which are hurtful. Examples of these names are “fag”, “bull-dagger” (mainly used by older generations) and “dyke”. Sadly, these words have been adapted into mainstream society and are a perversion of their original meanings. The word “fag” or “faggot” means a bundle of twigs, sticks, or branches bound together. Though slightly different in spelling, the definition of “dyke” or “dike” is the bank of earth thrown up in digging a ditch. “Bull-dagger” is a derogatory term meaning an aggressively masculine lesbian, more often one who is muscular or burly.

All of these terms have been used by everyone, from the child on the playground to the manager at a workplace to the media. Because of this, it is believed that it is acceptable to use such terms as this.  However, people neglect to admit that such hateful words are just as derogatory and hateful as the use of the word “nigger”, “cracker”, and any other racial slur. As a society, it is imperative that we change our thought process and increase the respect that we have for one another. Respect for one's race, sexuality, and views will help to create a less violent world.

"It has been said that the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names" (Chinese proverb)

It would be wise for us as a whole to eliminate the use of these terms in our everyday lives, and learn to live without verbally abusing one another.

Faggot: And I'm Not Talking About a Cigarrette

The Word “Fag”: It’s More Than A Cigarette
Written by: ^Northernstar*


Fag 1 n. 1. a. A student at a British public school who is required to perform menial tasks for a student in a higher class.b. A cigarette.c. To work to exhaustion; toil.d. Used as a disparaging term for a homosexual man

It’s funny how a word that was created as a nickname for cigarettes has lost its original meaning. It has become a slur towards homosexual men that hurts just as much as a “punch in the chest”. Do you know what the word is? Of course you do. It’s the term “Faggot” or “Fag” for short.

“Fag” is no different than the word “Nigger” or “Bitch”, both of which were terms for ordinary things, but became tools for hurting others. What each of these words have in common—outside of being slurs—is that they each belong to different social groups. And the most disappointing part about it is that individuals in the social groups are starting to use the words against each other...

Click on the videos below to see Northernstar's editorials...


Part 1


Part 2

To read more from this article, click the link below...
http://www.etmmagazine.info/wakeup/2009/03/2009_03_faggot.html

Gift of Giving...

Gift of Giving
Story by: Kenneth-Michael

Outside St. Vincent de Paul Church on N. Front Street in downtown Baltimore, a large crowd of more than 300 individuals are waiting in line. The temperature is 28 degrees, which is average for the middle of January, but the wind chill makes it feel below zero.

The crowd waiting isn’t your typical group of people; many are bundled in large coats and wrapped in blankets that drag on the cold ground. The reason for the attire is to stay warm while outside waiting, but to also keep warm while sleeping and living on the streets because many are homeless. Filing into the basement of the church, they take a seat in what resembles a high school cafeteria. There, they wait for a hot meal to be served and for a chance to be indoors to enjoy the meal.

Before the food is served, Ed Stoop leads the 300+ crowd in blessing the food. Ed and his wife, Francis, have been serving the needy and homeless of Baltimore for 16 years. They decided to take on the mission of their daughter Kate Snyder, who started passing out blankets, sandwiches, and coffee to the homeless. “I was waitressing at a restaurant and heard on the radio that tonight would be the coldest night of the year,” said Snyder. After hearing this news, she decided to get people from her job to bring in blankets so that she could take them down to the homeless.

When she arrived downtown to pass out the blankets, she was greeted by a group of homeless people staying in the parking garage of the court house. After passing out blankets, she started to come down weekly, bringing sandwiches and coffee with her two younger children in tow.

To read more of this article, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/future/2009/03/2009_03_homelessshelters.html

That Darn "Myspace" Ruins Relationships...

If you know like Luminous knows, "Myspace" which is used as a social networking tool... has ruined many relationships.

MySpace:Does It Really Ruin Relationships?
Story by: luminoUS

We’ve all seen the t-shirt that reads, “You looked better on MySpace”, and if you haven’t, just take a look at the image on the left. Novelty t-shirts are commonplace nowadays, but the slogans and phrases all stem from some sort of reality or ration of thought that someone decided to capitalize on.

MySpace, for those who do not know, is a social network that can also be used to promote bands and other vocal artists. Although MySpace is great for independent artists who wish to get their product out to the masses...

To read more, click the link... http://www.etmmagazine.info/wakeup/2009/03/2009_03_howmyspaceruins.html

Conflicts with Sy Smith

Sy Smith’s Conflicts: The Sy Smith Interview
Written by: Raven A. Ekundayo (Editor-in-Chief)

Photography: Tya Anthony

To some folks, her name is very well known. They’ve been listening to her music a little over 10 years. Her art speaks to them in ways a lot of other artists don’t. She marches to the beat of her own drum and her loyal fans love that most about her. Some folks don’t know her well at all, but they’ve heard her. She’s one of the background voices on American Idol. She sang the theme songs for Ally McBeal and Soul Food. She’s Sy Smith. I had a chance to sit down with the Cali sister late last year at Teavolve in downtown Baltimore. We discussed her career, where it’s been, and where she plans to go. Her good energy is infectious and I loved every minute of our conversation. We also had a video interview that can be seen at www.youtube.com/ravenekundayo. It’s a two-part video interview that’s HILARIOUS. So, jump into the conversation and enjoy the ride…

To read more of Sy's interview, here's the link:

http://etmmagazine.info/freeyourmind/2009/03/2009_03_sysmith.html

The "F" Word Promo...

This is a promo for the controversial editorial of the word "Faggot" that ^Northernstar* has been working on for a month... it will be out in March (combining eXcapethematriX with Youtube) andwe're pretty excited about it. Check it out...

"Black Life on Wax..."

Written by: ^Northernstar*

northernstar@excapethematrix.com

The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, located in Baltimore, MD, is the first celebrated wax museum honoring Black historical figures and events that have broken any barriers in the past and present.

I had the pleasure of participating in the pre-Inaugural events the weekend of January 16th – 20th. First, I traveled to Washington, D.C. for the "We Are One" concert on the 18th and witnessed the unveiling of President-elect Barack Obama's wax sculpture, on the actual Inauguration Day at Morgan State University. The figure was later transported to the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum.

It was amazing viewing the “real” Obama in flesh and exuding the confidence of a man who has the world in his hands. And witnessing the wax replica of the new 44th president was amazing because the resemblance is uncanny; from the creases around his eyes when he smiles, to the dimples in his cheeks, to his extensive ears and the folding of his arms. It actually felt like I was standing next to him.

The crowd filled with mostly Black families was just as amazed as I was observing the presence of the sculpture. It was also a beautiful moment when I observed one elderly woman drop tears of joy. My interpretation of her tears was that she was happy to know that a Black man has opened the door for EVERY African-American male and female!

The museum itself was filled with many portraits depicting the many struggles and triumphs of Black people. The entire experience was fulfilling, tearjerking, and educational; yet disturbing. My favorite part of the museum was the depiction of the slave ships and how each person was stacked on each other like they were a piece of wood and the mouth of a shark extending outside of the ocean. It was really sad and was enough to make a child have nightmares.

***For more information on The Blacks In wax Museum, visit:

The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum

1601-03 East North Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland 21213

Office: 410-563-7809

Museum: 410-563-3404

Website: http://www.greatblacksinwax.org/

Who Says Only White Families Home School?

Story by: luminoUS
luminoUS@eXcapethematriX.com


When I was in junior high school, I remember talking to friends about elementary school. Nothing too major; just general questions like, “Which school did you attend?” In response one of them answered that she was home schooled. This concept was very foreign to me. She was White and I figured since I’d never heard of this concept that it only occurred in White families. Sadly, I held that mentality into adulthood until I started seeing the state of the school systems here in Baltimore, Maryland and vowed that if and when I have children, I would home school them.
The more and more I contemplated the idea, the more I began to realize that home schooling transcends races. It is simply composed of concerned parents who will stop at nothing to educate their children in a manner that seems appropriate for them. I set out to gather as much information as possible and I have found out that home schooling is no longer foreign in the Black family structure. All across the world, there are Black families exercising their free-will to educate their children at home.

In the past, Black mothers were generally single parents and that meant that they had to provide for their babies by any means necessary, which also meant a lot of time spent outside of the home. Now, we have Black family structures in which home education is top priority. What the educational system deems as “standard education” is not taken as all that there is and these parents put their heads together when the status quo was not working for them and devised a plan to educate their children on their own. Even though home schooling is done on a parent-to-parent basis, many home educators work together to devise curriculums that will work for their benefit.

For more on Luminous article, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/wakeup/2009/02/2009_02_forwhitesonlynot.html