Monday 31 October 2011

Hope For Hip-Hop

Hope for Hip-Hop?







Over the weekend I came across a video called “The truth behind hip-hop” and it got me thinking, Is hip-hop really as corrupt as everyone makes it seem? With rappers constantly talking about sex, money and drugs it would be hard for those outside the community not to believe the hype. Which led me to my next question, where is all this anger coming from?


G Craig Lewis of The Truth behind Hip-Hop discusses the negative notations associated with hip-hop. As a pastor Lewis has a great influence over the members of the churches community, referring to hip-hop as the work of the devil Lewis reiterates a conversation he had with God.


“There was something coming that was getting ready to rock this nation its gon be worse than a bomb but it was gonna create a bunch of young people that were gonna define order -that form of music that he was forming was what we know as the hip-hop culture”


The term created by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, hip-hop took off in the 1970’s and had a huge impact on the black community. With influential figures such as Mos Def , Common, Queen Latifa and my personal favorites Notorious BIG and Tupac the words of these rappers became the voice of the black community and a new culture evolved.

This art form known as hip-hop became story-tellers of the struggle of the black community. These rappers gave the community a voice that the world wasn’t ready for and because of this controversy occurred. With the struggle now being displayed though words and videos people from all over the world took notice and finally had music they could relate to.


The words spoken in the musical art form provides an image of the struggle shared by those in the community and although harsh, provocative and even offensive, hip-hop is the truth.


Those appose to hip-hop have their reasons and even though it has become a part of me I can understand why the culture is looked down upon but it is important to understand a culture before passing judgment upon it. Hip-hop has become an expression of life and is here to stay.


Are you a fan of hip-hop? Why or why not?
What could be changed to the culture to make it relatable to everyone?
























































































Sunday 30 October 2011

THE SELF-DESTRUCTING SYRINGE


I assume everyone knows what HIV/AIDS are. But did anyone know that in many places such as Tanzania, nurses and doctors are using syringes on infected individuals, then using them on children, infants and other non-infected people?

The fact that something as irresponsible as this has been happening for years and has gone on unnoticed, is beyond disturbing. Countries reusing syringes may not cause an interference in your life, but this practice DOES cause an interference in the millions of lives infected and lost.

Marc Koska, the designer of an auto-disable syringe and founder of a charity called Safe-Point, went to the Tanzanian government with video (The Guardian) of a nurse injecting a man who had HIV and syphilis with antibiotics – and then re-using the needle on a one year-old baby.

It took years of studying the problem before Marc Koska created his design, in which the plunger of the syringe breaks as soon as it is pulled back to be re-used.

The stakes are higher than most people imagine. Some 1.3 million people die every year because of the re-use of syringes, according to the World Health Organization.


PASS THE MESSAGE ON


New packet

NEW PACKET
.............................................................................................

Every time you have an injection you have the right to a sterile syringe from a new packet. Make sure you insist your healthcare provider takes the syringe from a new packet, if you don’t see it being taken from a packet – it is your right to ask.


Used once

USED ONCE
.............................................................................................

Once the syringe has been used on you, it must not be used again,

if it is an AD (Auto Disable) syringe it will have a mechanism that disables it after injecting.

If it is a regular syringe insist that this is broken in front of you.


Safely disposed

SAFELY DISPOSED
.............................................................................................

Safe disposal is enormously important, watch to make sure your healthcare provider

disposes the whole syringe in a sharps container.



We in North America are blessed to have healthcare providers who follow the steps above. It is only right that other countries and its civilians be treated with the same amount of caution and courtesy that we are treated with today.


JOIN THE CAUSE

  • Visit www.lifesaveraction.org
  • Watch the film and pass on the link
  • Help spread awareness on this silent epidemic

The goal is to educate people so that the 40+ billion injections given each year are safe. Are you willing to be one of those people?